The Portable Phonograph Questions and Answers
The Portable Phonograph
In the short story "The Portable Phonograph," why does the author mention or allude to Shakespeare and the Bible? How...
As the story opens, an old man named Doctor Jenkins is playing host to a small group of men who, like him, are survivors of an unspecified holocaust which destroyed all of human civilization....
The Portable Phonograph
What is the purpose of the men's meeting? Why does the author compare the unwrapping of the book bundle to a...
The point of the story is that civilization has been destroyed by an atomic war and the few cultural artifacts the old man named Doctor Jenkins has managed to save are priceless treasures. Once...
The Portable Phonograph
What are the themes in "The Portable Phonograph" by Walter Van Tilburg Clark? How does it connects to our lives?
One theme is that beauty and art are more valuable than ever in a post-Holocaust world in which civilization has been destroyed. The men treat the emergence and playing of the portable phonograph...
The Portable Phonograph
The tone and mood of the setting in "The Portable Phonograph"?
At the beginning of the story, the author describes a setting which is bleak, dark, derelict and war-torn. This immediately creates a sombre tone, and perhaps a foreboding mood. The very first...
The Portable Phonograph
Discuss the conflict in "The Portable Phonograph."
In a story of this type there does not have to be a conflict between characters or a character's inner conflict. This is a story about the greatest conflict in the history of mankind, and it might...
The Portable Phonograph
What are some quotes from The Portable Phonograph by Walter Van Tilburg Clark?
These pits were such as might have been made by falling meteors, but they were not. They were the scars of gigantic bombs, their rawness already made a little natural by rain, seed and time. Along...
The Portable Phonograph
Who are the characters in The Portable Phonograph by Walter Van Tilburg Clark?
Dr. Jenkins The main character of the story is a very old man named Dr. Jenkins. He lives in a cave-like tunnel near a frozen stream in a barren landscape that has been ruined by a catastrophic...
The Portable Phonograph
In "The Portable Phonograph," which books are "on the inside of the bed, next to the wall"?
In "The Portable Phonography," the books that are inside a hole in the wall next to Dr. Jenkins's bed are the Bible, the complete works of William Shakespeare, Moby Dick, and the Divine Comedy. Dr....
The Portable Phonograph
Please analyze The Portable Phonograph by Walter Van Tilburg Clark.
In "The Portable Phonograph," Walter Van Tilburg Clark maintains an almost detached tone to narrate a story of the bleak state of humanity in a post-apocalyptic setting. In the opening paragraph,...
The Portable Phonograph
What is the atmosphere of "The Portable Phonograph"?
The atmosphere is cold, bleak, dark, wretched, nearly unbearable and uninhabitable. It is the atmosphere of a wasteland. These four men seem doomed. They are being reduced to a primitive existence...
The Portable Phonograph
What is "The Portable Phonograph" about?
The famous short story "The Portable Phonograph" by Walter van Tilburg Clark was originally published in the collection The Watchful Gods and Other Stories in 1950 and has been anthologized many...
The Portable Phonograph
The first three descriptive paragraphs of Walter van Tilburg Clark's short story "The Portable Phonograph" are loaded...
In his short story “The Portable Phonograph,” Walter van Tilburg Clark uses many adjectives in the first three paragraphs to help create a vivid setting and a memorable mood. Among the adjectives...
The Portable Phonograph
In Walter van Tilburg Clark's short story "The Portable Phonograph," what does the setting reveal about the doctor or...
In the short story titled “The Portable Phonograph,” by Walter van Tilburg Clark, the setting implies the aftermath of a horribly destructive war. Details of the setting which imply such a war...
The Portable Phonograph
What is suggested by the quote "We are the doddering remnants of a race of mechanical fools" in "The Portable...
One of the strongest elements of the short story is its questioning of progress. The story features a setting that has been decimated by world conflict. Technological advancement and progress...
The Portable Phonograph
Why do the men listen to the music?
There is an implicit contrast throughout the story between the present and the past. The four men are living in the wasteland created by a great nuclear war. Although the bombs did not kill...
The Portable Phonograph
What are the themes in The Portable Phonograph by Walter Van Tilburg Clark?
The Significance of Art When Dr. Jenkins realizes that the world is ending around him, he chooses to save what he considers the best efforts of mankind. He saves Shakespeare, Dante, Melville, and...
The Portable Phonograph
What is the setting of "The Portable Phonograph"?
The setting for Moneyballis largely seen in Oakland of the early 2000s. This particular time period occupies importance in the book for a couple of reasons. Initially, the early 2000s and late...
The Portable Phonograph
Why was the value Art important to the men? In the time this book took place, was Art something everybody would...
In the wake of the desolation and emptiness of the world presented to the reader, the value of art is a powerful one. The role of art in this story is one that soothes and provides entertainment....
The Portable Phonograph
What are three significant things the four men brought with them?
I cannot see that the four men in the story brought anything with them to the setting inside the cave. Three of the men are visitors and evidently brought nothing because they have nothing to...
The Portable Phonograph
In Walter Van Tilburg Clark's short story "The Portable Phonograph," to what extent do the first three paragraphs...
The tone and atmosphere of Walter Van Tilburg Clark’s story “The Portable Phonograph” are effectively established in the first three paragraphs of the work. Simply in his use of nouns, Clark...
The Portable Phonograph
Why didn't the other characters have any names? Why do you think their names weren't mentioned?
There could be many explanations for this. One potential reason would be to enhance the universal feel of the work. In writing this story in 1941, Clark is witnessing the effects of the Second...
The Portable Phonograph
Please write an in-depth summary of The Portable Phonograph by Walter Van Tilburg Clark.
The story opens at sunset and establishes a dark and desolate setting. We are told that the clouds blacked the sky "like threats," and everything is cold. The air is filled with a "sensation of...
The Portable Phonograph
How many times is four of something mentioned in "The Portable Phonograph"?
In The Portable Phonograph by Walter Van Tilburg Clark, the exact quantity of various objects is frequently given. Concerning objects which appears in fours: A small red fire is describes as coming...