| Q1: | Describe a terminally ill patient you observed. |
| Q2: | Do you know a story about a discus thrower in mythology? |
| Q3: | What is the image Selzer intends to create by using figurative language? Does the same image reappear throughout the essay? What is the effect? |
| Q4: | So far, Selzer has asked many questions. To whom do you think they are addressed? What is their effect on the reader? |
| Q5: | How does Selzer use dialogue to reveal the attitude of the patient? The doctor? The nurse? |
| Q7: | In what way is the title ironic? |
| Q8: | From whose point of view is the description presented? The doctor, the nurse, or the patient? Why? |
| Q9: | What is the thesis of the essay? Is it stated or implied? |
| Q10: | Explain the framing device. How does it help reveal the thesis? |
| Selzer, Richard. "The Discus Thrower." The Short Prose Reader. 7th ed. Gilbert H. Muller and Harvey S. Wiener. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1994. 98-101. |