• Author / Uploaded
• Agustín Poma León

• Categories
• Ironía

Citation preview

FROM THE CRADLE TO THE GRAVE TEA Review Tea by Saki is the short story of James Cushat-Prinkly, a young gentleman who is on the lookout for a life companion. After inheriting “a comfortable little legacy it really seemed the correct thing to do to set about discovering someone to share it with him.” The “woman-folk” of his family settle for Joan Sebastable, “the most suitable woman in his range of acquaintance” to become his wife. On his way to Joan’s house, James realizes that he would arrive just in time for the afternoon tea. As he “detested the whole system of afternoon tea,” James stops by Rhoda Ellam’s place,“a sort of a remote cousin,” where he has a great time.

My summary: The author gives us two points which are very actual in our time: blind following traditions and making decisions over society and family's pressure. Respecting the concept of tea in this story, we could see how James based one of the most important decisions of his life just on the way one person deal with the tea ceremony, and I think, broadly speaking, that makes the tea an ironic way to show us how noob we could be sometimes. Is like basing your points of view of people just because their taste in music. The story isn’t about te. Te is the key of the irony locked inside it. The ending: It was quite predictable ending. The “rebel” scene against the family is obvious going to lead him into a sad ending, and also he future wife had shown earlier being interested in his money, so there is not much to add: Any precipitate decisión will cause problems.

Characters: 

James: a 34 years-old daydreamer gentleman who had a settled conviction that he would marry soon, and he had a lot of expectactions about that. However he is still being a womanizer and he has been doing nothing to fix that, but he just wants to marrie a girl who can share the inheritance he got from his uncle and have a honeymoon in Minorca.



Women-Folk (the women in the family): his mother, his sisters, his aunt-inresidence. They have chosen Joan Sebastable for him to propose, so they directed the flirtation between them with ability and discretion.

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Joan: The most suitable young women in the range of James, to whom he might propose.

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Rhoda: quite a controversial character, sort of a remote cousin, who James had a really good time with. And she didn't seem to care about te protocols. She got the best part of the story ‘cuz from night to day she is owner of James’ Inheritance.

FROM THE CRADLE TO THE GRAVE

TEA

Fillers Tell me. You mean...? Say.

Definitely

Incidentally

Oh! Sure

Actually

However

By the way

Anyway

Believe me.

Meanwhile

Come on.

Do...?

As if...

So what!

Not at all

Obviously

Never

In fact

No way

Actually

Not a chance

Exactly

By all means

Precisely

Of course

By all means

Surely

Ah!

Certainly

Oh!

Tell me something. Don't tell me. Wow! If you say so… You mean to say? Do you mean to say? Do you know what I mean? Well! You see! You know... I know. I see. Oh! I see.