Discuss the short story A Cup of Tea by Katherine Mansfield.

Discuss any questions in English. Practise your writing skills.

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tourist
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#51

Сообщение tourist »

no shortage of inspiration.)
yeah, and we haven't even started with Philip's sexual orientation .. )
Olya
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#52

Сообщение Olya »

tourist пишет: 28 дек 2018, 00:12
no shortage of inspiration.)
yeah, and we haven't even started with Philip's sexual orientation .. )
..which certainly provides endless opportunities for insomniacs. ))
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acapnotic
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#53

Сообщение acapnotic »

kimberly пишет: 27 дек 2018, 20:19 "lay back in the big chair in a kind of sweet languor". <...> And when Philip entered the room, the girl " was strangely still and unafraid".
I think this is the well-known effect of food on a very hungry person: a kind of inebriation.
our teacher mused, "I wonder if this girl is a prostitute." I think, it fits with her description :-) At least, there is nothing in the story that contradicts this theory.
I would disagree. If she had been a prostitute, she would have approached men rather than women. She could get much more from them than the price of a cup of tea, especially taking into account that she was young and pretty.
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#54

Сообщение acapnotic »

tourist пишет: 28 дек 2018, 00:12 yeah, and we haven't even started with Philip's sexual orientation .. )
I think it quite plausible in the light of your theory that Philip was actually Phyllis. :)
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#55

Сообщение kimberly »

Wow, tourists's arguments about Rosemary's sexual orientation were quite compelling. I need to think about it;-).

I was aware that I was putting the cat among the pigeons with that one, but I couldn't resist. Apparently, my teacher's remark made a lasting impression on me and I wanted to dig in this direction. Perhaps, it's going a bit too far, as you have solidly proved. But I like controversial topics!

Why don't we discuss symbolism in this story? According to Google, "A literary symbol is something that means more than what it is; an object, person, situation, or action that in addition to its literal meaning suggests other meanings as well. Often, the thing or idea represented is more abstract, general, non- or super-rational; the symbol is more concrete and particular."

Can you spot an object (the persons we have discussed to death) with a symbolic meaning and what is your interpretation of it?
Olya
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#56

Сообщение Olya »

acapnotic пишет: 28 дек 2018, 08:49
tourist пишет: 28 дек 2018, 00:12 yeah, and we haven't even started with Philip's sexual orientation .. )
I think it quite plausible in the light of your theory that Philip was actually Phyllis. :)
They all look like ordinary folks but actually they are very calculating and reticent.)
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#57

Сообщение acapnotic »

Well, Philip's cigar is obviously a phallic symbol. As Philip was most likely Phyllis, it symbolizes her regret about not being born a man which she felt at the sight of Miss Smith. Phyllis was more observant than Rosemary and quickly figured out that Miss Smith wasn't lesbian. So there was no chance of an affair with her! What a pity. And so it was only logical for Phyllis to want to get rid of her as soon as possible.
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#58

Сообщение kimberly »

acapnotic writes:
Well, Philip's cigar is obviously a phallic symbol. As Philip was most likely Phyllis, it symbolizes her regret about not being born a man which she felt at the sight of Miss Smith. Phyllis was more observant than Rosemary and quickly figured out that Miss Smith wasn't lesbian. So there was no chance of an affair with her! What a pity. And so it was only logical for Phyllis to want to get rid of her as soon as possible.
I see that the discussion has gone in the wrong direction. I didn't expect the word "prostitute" to provoke such a puerile reaction. After all, it was part and parcel of the stark realities of those days. I think we'd better stop here.
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#59

Сообщение Olya »

I think we'd better stop here
You started to praise the story so profusely that it promted an unexpected backlash.)
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#60

Сообщение acapnotic »

kimberly, you could write what symbolism you see in the story and so get the thread back on track. If I'd seen anything more serious than the phallic cigar, I'd have written about it. Probably the cup of tea is a symbol, but I'm at a loss what for. The enamel box? Maybe. I'm rather bad at solving such puzzles. To me a box is a box.
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#61

Сообщение tourist »

kimberly пишет: 29 дек 2018, 11:23 discussion has gone in the wrong direction.
this is normal, it's just a sign that the discussion has outlived its usefulness.
We are waiting for the next challenge )
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#62

Сообщение Olya »

Probably the cup of tea is a symbol
Yes, it is! Tea is a wonderful drink which always helps to keep people on the good side. A widely-held belief that it's not tea but whisky is absolutely unacceptable. So the story attempts to combat that perceived myth!)
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#63

Сообщение acapnotic »

I haven't heard of that myth, but whisky is a kind of samogon, so it's bad anyway.
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