Of Mice and Men Background Research

Groups of 5-6 students research a background topic on Of Mice and Men and create posters to present to the class on Wednesday, Dec. 2.

Assignment is available on class wiki site here.

Today is the only day for research time in the IMC. There will be time to put posters together in class Tuesday.

Writing Prompt: "It's my belief we're all crazy."

Harlem Renaissance Poetry, continued.

• Listen to Langston Hughes poetry from the book: "The Weary Blues," "Harlem," & "The Negro Speaks of Rivers." (pp. 825-833)
• Harlem Renaissance poetry often includes issues or topics unique to African Americans in the 1920s. Sample topics to look for:

1. Racism
2. African American culture (jazz music, traditional African American religious hymns, Biblical stories, famous African Americans)
3. African American history, especially slavery
4. City life

• Read another poem from the Harlem Renaissance (by Arna Bontemps, Countee Cullen, Langston Hughes, James Weldon Johnson, Claude McKay, or Jean Toomer).

1. Write your poem on construction paper.
2. Find and label examples of these poetic techniques: alliteration, rhyme scheme, repetition, symbolism, onomatopoeia, slant rhyme, internal rhyme, imagery, assonance, consonance, or any others you see. You may not have examples of all of these in your poem.
3. Explain (on the back) where your poet includes typical Harlem Renaissance characteristics. (Hang up on back wall)

• Read Lucille Clifton's poem on p. 835. How do Hughes and Clifton both associate rvers with human life? (hand in on notecard)
  

Silent Reading, 20 min

Introduce Modernism, pp. 630-643.

• discuss various examples of Modernism
• complete goldenrod sheet

Harlem Renaissance

• Countee Cullen, "Tableau" & "Incident"--p. 819, 821
• Answer these questions:

1. ("Tableau") Identify three metaphors in this poem.
2. ("Tableau") Why does this friendship evoke such a dramatic response?
3. ("Incident") How is the emotional impact of this incident made clear in the poem?
4. ("Tableau" & "Incident") Are these two poems locked in their time period? Or do events of this kind still happen today? (Hand in)

Hand out Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck (1937).

Book must be completely finished by Thursday, Dec. 3.
Final test will be Friday, Dec. 4.

Silent Reading, 20 min

Realism Quiz

• Open book, open note (golden rod sheet)
• Covers works of Stephen Crane & Paul Laurence Dunbar (both given on quiz)
• Additional support to be constructed with Frederick Douglass, Ambrose Bierce, Mark Twain, and Kate Chopin.

Finish Realist poetry (from 11/19)

Writing Prompt: If I could start my day in another way...

Finish Mark Twain (satire)

• Volunteers share Tall Tales from yesterday
• Read "The Lowest Animal"--p. 535
• Answer this question: What is Twain's goal with this satire? What change does he hope to achieve?

Kate Chopin--p. 594

• Read "The Story of an Hour"
• Answer: How does Chopin display the characteristics of Realism in this piece?
• What do the works of Frederick Douglass, Ambrose Bierce, Mark Twain, and Kate Chopin all have in common?

Realist Poetry.

• Consider the major ideas of the Realists and they ways they're exhibited by Douglass, Bierce, Twain, and Chopin.
  
• With a group of 2-3, write a poem that focuses on a major idea of Realism, one of the works we've read this week, or that is inspired by something we've read this week.
• Requirements: poem must be at least 12 lines long, no line can be monosyllabic, other poetic features are up to you (rhyme, stanza, etc).
• Write your poem on construction paper and add a visual element.
  

Silent Reading, 20 min

• Review characteristics of Realism--discuss places they're seen in Frederick Douglass, Ambrose Bierce, and Mark Twain.
• New terms: Vernacular, Satire (Twain is a satirist), and Comic Devices (including hyperbole, understatement, comic characters, situations, and comparisons).
• Read "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County," Mark Twain--p. 526
• Write "Tell the Tale," on p. 533.
  

Writing Prompt: Write about something you would do differently.

Ambrose Bierce (Point of View)--p. 488.

• Read "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge," pp. 490-6.
• Answer questions 4, 6, & 8 on p. 497. (Hand in)
  
• With a partner, complete the writing activity Owl Creek Bridge: The Movie explained on p. 497. Then create a movie poster for your film highlighting the title, a catchy slogan, and one image to represent the story. (Hang on back wall)
  

Silent Reading, 20 min

Finish Realist Intro.

• Read introduction, pp. 448-461.
  
• Fill out goldenrod sheet for Realists and Naturalists with info from introduction.

Frederick Douglass (metaphor, theme, style)--p. 463.

• Read excerpt from Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, pp. 465-9.
• Answer the following questions (to hand in):

1. At the end of the selection, Douglass distinguishes between being "a slave in form" and "a slave in fact." How does this distinction support the theme of this selection?
2. Explain the metaphor implied in the line: "[The battle with Mr. Covey] rekindled the few expiring embers of freedom." How is the metaphor related to the theme and the idea of rebirth?
3. Think about Douglass' purpose in writing this narrative. Consider Douglass' style, including his objectivity and restraint in describing painful incidents. How does Douglass win over an audience that might be uneasy at the idea of a black man's fighting a white man?

State Volleyball Tournament, day 2

Finish Scarlet Letter film (1979).

State Volleyball Tournament, day 1

View Scarlet Letter film (1979).

Silent Reading, book checkout in IMC.

Introduce Realists.

• View short video about Literary period and answer these questions:

1. What deprivations did African-Americans and Women share during this period?
2. What details in the video describe the work it took to begin to change this situation?
3. How do mental attitudes or mind-sets in a society create and sustain the deprivations aimed at some individuals or groups?
4. What do you think gave abolitionists and women's rights advocates the courage to oppose the prevailing thought of the time? What did they risk by doing so?

• View Literary & Political/Social Events timeline (pp. 444-5).
• Preview major Political and Social Milestones for Realist period (pp. 446-7).

Writing Prompt: see below

Consider the literary period we've just finished (Romantics) and the "big ideas" associated with this period. Choose one big idea with which you connect (agree or disagree). In a paragraph (at least 8 sentences) write about the big idea, the literary piece(s) in which you saw this idea, and why you connect with this concept or connect this idea to your life.

Paragraphs will be evaluated on Use of Detail, Coherence, Elaboration, Analysis, Personal Reflection, Connection to Literature, and Standard Writing Conventions.

Begin Scarlet Letter film (1979).