Marigolds

by Eugenia Collier

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Marigolds Questions and Answers

Marigolds

In Eugenia Collier's "Marigolds," Lizabeth undergoes a profound transformation from childhood innocence to adult compassion. Her destructive act against Miss Lottie's marigolds marks the end of her...

5 educator answers

Marigolds

The theme or message of the short story “Marigolds” by Eugenia Collier is that it is not possible to have both innocence and compassion. Though Lizabeth's behavior towards Miss Lottie is thoroughly...

5 educator answers

Marigolds

In Eugenia Collier's story “Marigolds,” Miss Lottie responds to Lizabeth's destruction of her carefully, lovingly tended marigolds with numb sadness. She has poured all her energy and most of herself...

2 educator answers

Marigolds

For Elizabeth in "Marigolds," destroying the marigolds is her last act of childhood because her destructive behavior leads to feelings of compassion towards Miss Lottie. According to the story, a...

2 educator answers

Marigolds

The quote symbolizes Lizabeth's loss of innocence and discovery of compassion as it marks the moment she transitions from a naive child to a more aware individual. Witnessing her father's despair and...

1 educator answer

Marigolds

Lizabeth, the narrator of "Marigolds," is referring to her earlier, pre-end-of-innocence self when she says, "...as I desperately pass away the time waiting for you, who will not come." She longs to...

1 educator answer

Marigolds

The three most significant events in "Marigolds" are when Lizabeth and other children throw stones at Miss Lottie's marigolds, when Lizabeth's father breaks down crying due to his inability to...

1 educator answer

Marigolds

Lizabeth in "Marigolds" gets so upset by her father's tears because she has always viewed him as the metaphorical rock of their family. His tears reveal that her father has struggles himself, and...

3 educator answers

Marigolds

The tone of the short story "Marigolds" by Eugenia Collier is somber and reflective. The somberness is apparent in the narrator's descriptions of the impoverished shantytown in which she lives and...

1 educator answer

Marigolds

Lizabeth's character development in "Marigolds" is marked by her transition from childhood innocence to a more complex understanding of the world. At the end, her confusion stems from realizing the...

2 educator answers

Marigolds

Yes, the short story "Marigolds" contains examples of irony. Dramatic irony is present because the reader understands the broader context of the Great Depression more than the characters do....

1 educator answer

Marigolds

Lizabeth's parents are arguing about her father's inability to provide for his family. Her mother insists that she makes enough to keep them from starving, while her father expresses his distress at...

1 educator answer

Marigolds

Lizabeth's motivation for this destructive act differs from her motivation for taunting Miss Lottie earlier in "Marigolds" because it comes from a place of genuine despair. Unlike the earlier...

1 educator answer

Marigolds

Compassion is the key to understanding both Lizabeth's life as an adult and the story of Miss Lottie's marigolds. Lizabeth can see that she, like Miss Lottie, was a victim of circumstances beyond her...

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Marigolds

The children's unawareness of their poverty in "Marigolds" highlights their isolation and limited exposure to the world beyond their community during the Great Depression. Without media such as...

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Marigolds

Both "Marigolds" and "The Osage Orange Tree" feature protagonists grappling with poverty, but their responses differ. Lizabeth in "Marigolds" destroys the marigolds, symbolizing her struggle with...

1 educator answer

Marigolds

The story "Marigolds" is a first-person narrative that takes place in a rural black neighborhood in Maryland around the time of the Depression. The narrator and her family live in a small house with...

1 educator answer

Marigolds

In "Marigolds," significant paragraphs include the last one, where Lizabeth reflects on her growth and understanding. Another important paragraph describes her family dynamics, highlighting her...

1 educator answer

Marigolds

Lizabeth's conflict in "Marigolds" is defined by her struggle with poverty and the loss of innocence. Key phrases like "impoverished," "sorrowful," and "futile" describe the entrapment of her...

1 educator answer

Marigolds

In "Marigolds," Lizabeth realizes that to have compassion, one needs to look beneath the surface of another person and into that person's depths. She also understands that when one is innocent, this...

1 educator answer

Marigolds

Her father's unemployment is what's standing in the way of Lizabeth's happiness in "Marigolds." And yet she chooses to take out her anger and frustration on Miss Lottie by destroying her marigolds.

1 educator answer