Down the Park

This study guide will help you analyze the short story “Down the Park” by Ralph Uttaro, which has been used for a written exam in English HF B on the 9th of December, 2022. You can also find a summary of the text, as well as inspiration for interpreting and discussing it.

If you need help with Assignments 1-5 from the HF B exam on the 9th of December 2022, you can find our guide here.

Presentation of the text

Title: “Down the Park” (2021)
Author: Ralph Uttaro
Genre: Short story

Ralph Uttaro graduated from Law School at Duke University. His fiction has been published in publications like The Cortland Review and Literary Orphans. The short story “Down the Park” was published in May 2021 on the website of The Saturday Evening Post.

Excerpt from the study guide:

The fight makes Anthony feel a rush of excitement: “A delicious pulse of electricity rippled through me. It was like nothing I had ever felt before and it was intoxicating” (ll. 92-93). His feeling of exhilaration accompanies him home, where he fantasizes about what would have happened if Brother Dominic hadn’t intervened:

I really did have him back on his heels, surely everybody could see that. I was the first guy in the neighborhood who ever stood up to Poochie. I was proud of myself, surprised too. I found myself wondering if maybe I could have taken him if Brother Dominic hadn’t shown up. (ll. 151-153)
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