CIE's A/S Level Stories of Ourselves - memorable quotations - Part 1

1. Five Memorable Quotations with Imagery in The Yellow Wallpaper and Their Connotations

1. "The color is repellent, almost revolting; a smouldering unclean yellow, strangely faded by the slow-turning sunlight."
   • Imagery: The wallpaper's colour is described as 'repellent' and 'revolting,' evoking disgust. The 'smouldering unclean yellow' suggests decay, sickness, or something festering.
   • Connotations: Yellow is often associated with sickness and insanity. The 'slow-turning sunlight' implies time dragging on and possibly foreshadows the narrator's slow descent into madness.
2. "There are things in that paper that nobody knows but me, or ever will."
   • Imagery: The wallpaper is described as containing hidden secrets, adding a sense of mystery and paranoia.
   • Connotations: This suggests the narrator's increasing isolation and detachment from reality. It also hints at her belief that she alone understands the truth, reinforcing the theme of mental illness and female oppression—she feels unseen and unheard.
3. "It creeps all over the house. It creeps in the most open places."
   • Imagery: The verb 'creeps' gives the wallpaper—or the woman behind it—an eerie, sinister movement.
   • Connotations: This suggests paranoia and entrapment, as the narrator perceives the woman's influence spreading beyond the room. It could also symbolize how gender oppression exists everywhere, not just in the confined space of the nursery.
4. "I kept still and watched the moonlight on that undulating wallpaper till I felt creepy."
   • Imagery: The moonlight transforms the wallpaper, making it appear to move, reinforcing the narrator's growing hallucinations.
   • Connotations: The moon is often linked to madness ('lunacy' comes from luna, Latin for moon). The shifting patterns of the wallpaper reflect her fragmenting mind, suggesting a loss of stability and self.
5. "I've got out at last," said I, "in spite of you and Jane! And I've pulled off most of the paper, so you can't put me back!"
• Imagery: The violent removal of the wallpaper is a symbolic act of tearing away oppression.
• Connotations: This moment can be interpreted in two ways: as liberation or complete insanity. The narrator sees herself as free, but her freedom comes at the cost of her identity and rationality. The mention of 'Jane' (possibly her real name) suggests she no longer recognizes herself, further emphasizing dissociation and psychological collapse.

2. 

Five Memorable Quotations with Imagery in The Son's Veto (Thomas Hardy) and Their Connotations

1. "She lay in her bed, thinking of the contrast between the present and the past, and whether she had not done wrong in refusing him."
   • Imagery: The image of her lying in bed evokes a sense of stillness, reflection, and quiet suffering.
   • Connotations: This conveys her regret and powerlessness, highlighting the themes of missed opportunities and social constraints. The contrast between 'present and past' emphasizes how her life has become defined by sacrifice and loss.
2. "The knot of her hair was a wonder and a mystery."
   • Imagery: The detailed focus on her hair transforms a simple physical feature into something almost symbolic.
   • Connotations: The 'wonder and mystery' suggest both admiration and an otherness, reinforcing how Randolph (her son) views her as someone who should be moulded into upper-class ideals. The knot could also symbolize her entrapment in a life she did not choose.
3. "A woman of thirty-three, who had been so gently bred as she, had no friends, only acquaintances."
   • Imagery: The contrast between 'friends' and 'acquaintances' paints an image of emotional and social isolation.
   • Connotations: The phrase 'gently bred' suggests a forced refinement that distances her from her past and her true self. This highlights the rigidity of class divisions and the cost of social mobility.
4. "He seemed to be as far out of reach of her solicitude as if he had been on the other side of the globe."
   • Imagery: The geographical imagery exaggerates the emotional distance between Sophy and her son.
   • Connotations: Although Randolph is physically present, his lack of empathy and connection to his mother makes him feel as distant as if he were an ocean away. This underscores his detachment and the way class-consciousness has eroded family bonds.
5. "A widow with nothing between her and the workhouse but the precarious aid of a child who despised her."
• Imagery: The image of the 'workhouse' conjures a bleak, Dickensian picture of destitution and despair.
• Connotations: This emphasizes Sophy's vulnerability and how completely dependent she is on a son who does not respect her. The phrase "nothing between her and the workhouse" implies that without his support, she would fall into utter poverty, reinforcing themes of powerlessness and class oppression.

3. 

Five Memorable Quotations with Imagery in The Door in the Wall (H.G. Wells) and Their Connotations

1. "There was—he could not remember the particular of the moment—an effect of white flowers, and a brightness beyond."
   • Imagery: The image of 'white flowers' and 'brightness' suggests purity, beauty, and an almost heavenly quality to what lies beyond the door.
   • Connotations: The door represents childhood wonder and lost opportunities, while the 'brightness beyond' hints at an escape from the dull, rigid world of adulthood. The vagueness ('he could not remember') suggests how memories fade and become elusive over time.
2. "A flood of memory, sweet and poignant, rushed into his mind."
   • Imagery: The metaphor of memory as a 'flood' suggests an overwhelming surge of emotions.
   • Connotations: The contrast between 'sweet and poignant' highlights the bittersweet nature of nostalgia—he remembers the joy of the past, but also the pain of having lost it. This reinforces the story's theme of regret and longing.
3. "And slowly the tranquillity of the garden beyond the door came back."
   • Imagery: The 'tranquillity' of the garden suggests a place of peace and harmony, in contrast to the competitive and structured world of adulthood.
   • Connotations: The garden represents a lost paradise, innocence, or even an alternate reality that Wallace longs for. The 'slowly' suggests that this memory or vision is fleeting, slipping away from his grasp as he returns to reality.
4. "I had an impulse to go straight through and leave the street and the tumult of the street forever."
   • Imagery: The juxtaposition of the peaceful door and the 'tumult' of the street highlights the contrast between two worlds—the magical past and the harsh, unrelenting present.
   • Connotations: The 'impulse' suggests that part of him still yearns for the lost world, but hesitation and duty hold him back. This conveys the struggle between personal desire and societal expectations. The phrase 'leave the street forever' foreshadows his eventual death, reinforcing the idea that perhaps the door is more than just a memory—it could symbolize an escape into death or the afterlife.
5. "They found his body very near a deep excavation, and the door in the wall was closed forever."
• Imagery: The 'deep excavation' suggests a grave or a dark, irreversible fate. The finality of 'closed forever' emphasizes a lost opportunity.
• Connotations: This tragic ending suggests that Wallace's longing for the door ultimately led to his demise. The door being 'closed forever' could symbolize how childhood dreams and innocence can never be reclaimed once lost, reinforcing the theme of nostalgia, loss, and the irreversible nature of time.

4. 

Five Memorable Quotations with Imagery in An Englishman's Home (Evelyn Waugh) and Their Connotations

1. "He sat in his chair, gazing out at the perfect symmetry of his garden, the neat little beds, the precisely trimmed hedge, and the gravel paths swept clean."
   • Imagery: The description of the garden as 'perfect symmetry' with 'neat' and 'precisely trimmed' features evokes an image of control, order, and domestic pride.
   • Connotations: The garden represents stability, tradition, and the Englishman's deep attachment to his home as a symbol of identity. However, the excessive neatness hints at rigidity and an illusion of security, which may be disrupted by external forces.
2. "The sky, once a calm expanse of blue, was now streaked with sullen clouds, heavy and low."
   • Imagery: The contrast between the previously 'calm' sky and the 'sullen clouds' conveys an ominous change in atmosphere.
   • Connotations: The shift in the sky's appearance suggests an impending storm or trouble, symbolizing political unrest or a threat to the protagonist's peaceful existence. The 'heavy and low' clouds reinforce a sense of oppression and unease.
3. "The first crack of thunder rattled the windowpanes, a deep growl of warning."
   • Imagery: The thunder is personified as a 'deep growl of warning,' making it seem almost sentient.
   • Connotations: This suggests an impending crisis or disturbance. The 'rattling' of the windowpanes signifies that the home, a supposed place of security, is vulnerable to outside forces. This aligns with the theme of invasion or the collapse of traditional values.
4. "A single lamp glowed in the hallway, casting long, uncertain shadows that flickered on the walls."
   • Imagery: The dim light and 'long, uncertain shadows' create an eerie and unstable atmosphere.
   • Connotations: The flickering shadows symbolize uncertainty, paranoia, and fear of the unknown. The use of a 'single lamp' suggests isolation, highlighting how the Englishman feels alone in an evolving world that no longer aligns with his values.
5. "Beyond the hedge, the land stretched out in a great, dark emptiness, vast and silent."
   • Imagery: The image of 'great, dark emptiness' beyond the hedge creates a stark contrast to the orderly garden.
   • Connotations: The 'hedge' acts as a boundary between civilization and an encroaching unknown, possibly symbolizing the decline of British imperial power or the loss of security in a changing world. The 'vast and silent' landscape evokes a feeling of emptiness, loneliness, and the inevitability of change.

These quotations reflect Waugh's themes of nostalgia, the decline of traditional English values, and the tension between personal security and external threats.

5. 

Five Memorable Quotations with Imagery in The Prison (Bernard Malamud) and Their Connotations

1. "Tommy cast a glance around the candy store, a small, dark hole in the wall."
   • Imagery: The candy store is described as a 'small, dark hole in the wall,' emphasizing its cramped and oppressive nature.
   • Connotations: This description makes the store feel more like a prison than a place of opportunity. The darkness suggests stagnation, entrapment, and a lack of hope, reinforcing Tommy's dissatisfaction with his life.
2. "The neon sign in the window buzzed and flickered, throwing jagged shadows on the floor."
   • Imagery: The erratic movement of the neon light creates an unstable, almost unsettling visual.
   • Connotations: The 'buzzed and flickered' suggests imperfection, decay, and a world that is not quite functioning properly. The 'jagged shadows' symbolize Tommy's inner turmoil, fractured dreams, and feelings of entrapment.
3. "The streets outside were noisy, full of running kids and yelling peddlers, but inside the store, everything felt still and airless."
   • Imagery: The contrast between the lively, chaotic street and the silent, suffocating store emphasizes a divide between two worlds.
   • Connotations: The bustling street represents life, movement, and possibility, while the store represents stagnation and suffocation. This contrast highlights Tommy's frustration and yearning for freedom, yet his inability to escape.
4. "The girl's small fingers dipped into the candy jar like a bird's beak pecking at crumbs."
   • Imagery: The delicate movement of the girl's fingers is likened to a bird, emphasizing both innocence and hunger.
   • Connotations: The bird-like imagery suggests fragility and desperation, perhaps mirroring Tommy's own situation. The girl, despite her innocence, is also trapped in a cycle—just as Tommy is trapped in his unfulfilling life.
5. "He saw himself, reflected in the glass counter, looking tired and older than his years."
   • Imagery: The reflection in the glass counter serves as a moment of self-realization for Tommy.
   • Connotations: The glass acts as both a mirror and a barrier, symbolizing self-awareness and entrapment. His tired, aged appearance suggests that his dreams have worn away, and he is resigned to a life of dissatisfaction.