Mr.Known All - Online Quiz and Analysis

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. Mr. Know-All – Literary analysis THE STORY Mr. Know- All is a story with a moral (đạo đức) lesson. The subject is simple. A rich British merchant (thương gia)mof Oriental (phương đông) origin, called Mr. Kelada, meets a group of Westerners on a ship sailing across the Pacific Ocean. His cabin-mate, a British citizen who is the Nameless narrator of the story, dislikes Mr. Kelada even before he sees him. However, at the end of the story Mr. Kelada, the Levantine jeweler, proves to be a real gentleman when he sacrifices (hi sinh) his own pride and reputation to save an American lady’s marriage. As a result, he earns the respect of the narrator. THE SETTING Time - a short time after World War I. It is mentioned for two reasons. First, it justifies the accidental meeting in the same cabin of the narrator and Mr. Kelada. The passenger traffic on the ocean-liners was heavy, so the narrator had to agree to share a cabin with a person he disliked. Second, it may give us a possible reason for the narrator’s unjustified antagonism towards Mr. Kelada. Usually, during periods of war, feelings of prejudice and dislike for foreigners grow stronger. Place – it takes place on a ship in INTERNATIONAL WATERS – a neutral place. The journey for the USA to Japan takes 14 days. The ship becomes the symbol of the world with people who are prejudiced and even racists. THE CHARACTERS The characters may be divided into different groups: •The major characters: Mr. Kelada and the narrator •The minor characters: Mr. And Mrs. Ramsay, and the doctor. •The prejudiced: the narrator and Mr. Ramsay. •The non-prejudiced: Mr. Kelada, the doctor and Mrs. Ramsay. •The Oriental: Mr. Kelada •The Westerners: Mr. And Mrs. Ramsay and the narrator. •The characters are described by their appearance and characteristics, except for the narrator. THE NARRATION- point of view The
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