Dusk

Question

by H.H. Munro (Saki)
Norman Gortsby sat on a bench in the Park, with his back to a strip of bush-planted sward, fenced by the park railings, and the Row fronting him across a wide stretch of carriage drive. Hyde Park Corner, with its rattle and hoot of traffic, lay immediately to his right. It was some thirty minutes past six on an early March evening, and dusk had fallen heavily over the scene, dusk mitigated by some faint moonlight and many street lamps. There was a wide emptiness over road and sidewalk, and yet there were many unconsidered figures moving silently through the half-light, or dotted unobtrusively on bench and chair, scarcely to be distinguished from the shadowed gloom in which they sat.
The scene pleased Gortsby and harmonised with his present mood. Dusk, to his mind, was the hour of the defeated. Men and women, who had fought and lost, who hid their fallen fortunes and dead hopes as far as possible from the scrutiny of the curious, came forth in this hour of gloaming, when their shabby clothes and bowed shoulders and unhappy eyes might pass unnoticed, or, at any rate, unrecognised.
A king that is conquered must see strange looks, So bitter a thing is the heart of man.
The wanderers in the dusk did not choose to have strange looks fasten on them, therefore they came out in this bat-fashion, taking their pleasure sadly in a pleasure-ground that had emptied of its rightful occupants. Beyond the sheltering screen of bushes and palings came a realm of brilliant lights and noisy. rushing traffic. A blazing, many-tiered stretch of windows shone through the dusk and almost
A)
Use the passage to answer the question.
Which details from this story help develop the story into a satire? Select the two correct answers.
(1 point)

The three characters in the story are strangers whose lives cross paths only briefly.

Gortsby changes his view after finding a bar of soap on the ground.

Gortsby is very cynical and distrusting of the young man he meets.

The setting, which takes place in Hyde Park at dusk, is dark and mysterious.

Gortsby listens closely to the story that the young man tells of his misfortunes.

Answer 1

The two details from the story that help develop it into a satire are:

1. Gortsby is very cynical and distrusting of the young man he meets. - This cynicism reflects a satirical perspective on human nature and social interactions, highlighting the skepticism and judgment that often underlie people's responses to those in need.

2. Gortsby changes his view after finding a bar of soap on the ground. - This moment illustrates the absurdity and superficiality of judgment based on material possessions, poking fun at the tendency to determine someone's worth or truthfulness based on trivial evidence.

These elements contribute to the satirical tone by critiquing social attitudes toward poverty and authenticity.