Cathedral by Raymond Carver

Aim: Why is the short story given the title "Cathedral"? What does it symbolize?

Do Now:

1. In your journal, discuss: What are your general opinions about blind people? What do you know about them? How do you perceive them?

2. Imagine you are given the assignment to help a blind person understand what a cathedral looks like. Write down your descriptions.

Cathedral Facade    Cathedral Details St. Patrick's Cathedral
St. John the DivineNotre-Dame de Paris

Procedures:

• Share our journal responses.

• Read the story in class and discuss the following -

  1. How did the narrator describe the blind man who was coming to visit them and stay in their house? What tone of voice does he use in his narration? Why so?

  2. How did his wife get to know the blind man?

  3. Why did the narrator's wife send tapes about her life to the blind man?

  4. How does the narrator feel toward blind people in general? What's his perception of the kind of life they live?

  5. Based on our discussion of blind people, many of them may live a hard life and could get into depression. How does the narrator sound?

  6. What is your 1st impression of the blind man through the narrator's eyes? In what way is he different from the norm? Or the same?

  7. What surprised the narrator the most about Robert, the blind?

  8. What may be going through the narrator's mind during the supper scene?

  9. Is there anything unusual about the blind man compared to your knowledge about them?

  10. How did the narrator's wife treat Robert? The narrator, her husband? Why?

  11. Why does the author include the scene of the narrator smoking  the dope with Robert? How does the story change its direction afterwards?

  12. How is the subject "Cathedral" introduced in the story?

  13. How did narrator describe the cathedral?

  14. What did Robert ask the narrator to do? How did the narrator react to this suggestion?

  15. When Robert held the narrator's hand  while he was drawing the cathedral, something miraculous happened, what was it?

  16. When the blind man Robert asked the narrator to close his eyes and draw, he stated," ...  His fingers rode my fingers as my hand went over the paper. It was nothing else in my life up to now". What does he mean?

  17. When Robert said that ,"I think you got it", the narrator thought," ...I'd keep them that way for a little longer. I thought it was something I ought to do". Interpret.

  18. Why is the ending of the story ironic and poignant? Do you still hold the same perception as you held about blind people prior to reading the story?

HW. Answer the questions 1-15 as listed above.