"An Ounce of Cure"

Base XP: 60

Read the short story, ''An Ounce of Cure'' by Alice Munro. She is generally regarded to be one of the world’s foremost writers of fiction. Her stories focus on the human condition and relationships through the lens of daily life. Her female characters tend to be complex in nature- often involved in real-life conflict.

Your Task

OPTION A: After you have read the short story, answer the following questions. [Be sure to answer the questions using full sentences, correct English and with reference to the story].

1. While there are many elements to any short story, one of the most important to sustain the reader’s interest is conflict. Generally, there are four kinds of conflict:

2. (a) Man vs. Man (physical);

3. (b) Man vs. Circumstances (classical);

4. (c) Man vs. Society (social); and

5. (d) Man vs. Himself/Herself (psychological).

6. In your opinion what is the primary conflict in “An Ounce of Cure”? Discuss your choice.

7. In what way does the title “An Ounce of Cure” foreshadow events to come? Explain.

8. Do you consider the title to be ironic? Explain your response.

9. In your opinion, what is the theme or central message of Munro’s “An Ounce of Cure”?

10. Setting is the time, environment, and conditions in which the events in a literary work occur. Although it is infrequently the most important element of a literary work, the setting frequently plays a major role in shaping the characters’ personalities and behaviors.

11. Munro sets this story in a small, tightly knit, rigorously religious community. How does this setting contribute to the narrator’s grievances? Explain.

OPTION B: Format a response using your Recipe for Representation. It should address the major elements of conflict, irony, theme, and setting, but need not follow the rigid structure of the questions listed above. 

Submit your responses here.