Analysis of Brother Dear

Brother Dear
Short story written by Bernice Friesen
Pg. 25
“Brother Dear” features a young female narrator recounting her brother’s visit home from university and the family conflict that results.
Read the first three paragraphs of the story. 1. With a partner:
Read the first three paragraphs of the story. Identify whether the narrative is written in first, second, or third person. ____________________________________
Who is speaking? _________________________________________________________
Where does the speaker live? ______________________________________________
About how old is she? _____________________________________________________
What other significant characters are introduced? ___________________________
What is the speaker’s relationship with these characters? _____________________
What conflict or conflicts seem to be emerging? _______________________________
Read the remainder of the story to find out how the conflict develops and if and how it is resolved.
How did establishing a reading purpose with your partner affect your reading? ______________________________________________________________________________ 2. Narrative point of view involves questions about the narrator’s knowledge and reliability. Reliable narrators tell the truth completely. Unreliable narrators have personal limitations, such as their youth or lack of education. State whether you think the narrator of “Brother Dear” is reliable, and give sound reasons from the text to support your conclusion. What are the limitations of Sharlene’s viewpoint? What effect does this create for readers? ( See handout: “Point of View”)
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3. Use a number of literary glossaries to locate the meaning of flat, round, static, and dynamic characters. List all the characters mentioned in “Brother Dear” and identify if each is a flat, round, static, and/or dynamic character. Provide evidence from the story to support your conclusion. Be sure to consider all dialogue. Design a chart to collect, organize, and compare information about characters. Meet with your row to share and discuss your charts. Which characters in the story change? How do they change?

4. With your class, identify criteria for a good opinion piece (see handout: “Are they in it for the love of the game or the love of the dollar?) Discuss the brother, Greg’s statement, “. . . you’re not what you do. You’re who you are.” What does this statement mean? How does it relate to your own attitudes and values? How does it reflect the values of people in your community? In Canadian society in general? Write a 500-word opinion piece expressing your views about the merits of Greg’s statement. (See handout: “Opinion Pieces”)