Character Journal #1

•Now that you are approaching a third of the way through your novel, you will write a one page (handwritten) journal entry from that character’s point of view. In this entry you should:

–Reflect the experiences that the character is going through up through that point in the novel

–Try to capture that character’s voice and personality.

–Feel free to be creative.

Lit Circle Author Interviews

Watch and read the listed author interviews for your lit circle:

1)      How would you describe the author’s personality? Does this surprise you or does it seem to connect with their writing style? How so?

2)      How does the author view his or her own writing process? What seems to inspire them to write? Do they have a final plan, or does it just come to them?

3)      Describe the origin of these actual novels. How did the authors begin to write this novel?

4)      What issues does the author seem to want to touch on in their novels?

5)      Write down two other interesting facts you discovered about the author or about their views on writing:

The Yellow Birds:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3XzH1mxJNes

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/13/books/kevin-powers-and-ben-fountain-national-book-award-nominees.html?pagewanted=all

The Road:
http://www.oprah.com/oprahsbookclub/Oprahs-Exclusive-Interview-with-Cormac-McCarthy-Video

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704576204574529703577274572.html

Gilead:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I7X5qZ-Qet8
- She talks about another book called "Home" a lot in this book, but it is the sequel to Gilead, so there is a lot of tie in.

Poisonwood Bible:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GcOLf0y46XM

http://www.librarything.com/topic/45781


Sula:
http://www.visionaryproject.org/morrisontoni/
- Check out the video clips furhter down the page. Especially look at her "motivation for writing" and "segregation and Racisim" in Ohio.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2008/nov/01/toni-morrison

The Kite Runner:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M6Wz33eaTl4
-Start around 27:00 he talks about the origin of the novel.

http://www.rferl.org/content/interview-kite-runner-afghan-emigre-writer-khaled-hosseini/24621078.html

Silver Linings:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6i-0U7wiktc
-skip to 7:00 when he starts talking about the novel

Part two: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qsoVX4yxNBE


A Lesson before Dying:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H1dRr5-rw0w

Extended Definition Essay Rubric

 

	Focus	Organization	Support	Clarity	Format
A	Effectively and insightfully connects reader to word/phrase Stays on topic Strong conclusion that extends understanding of ideas	Thoughts put together well Logical connections and transitions Coherent Strong ¶ development beyond 5 ¶ format	Great examples to get reader’s interest Detailed Focused and on topic Unique. Both the novel and nonfiction source are smoothly incorporated into the essay.	Proper/varied sentence structure, grammar, spelling Strong wording to make reader interested	The essay is written in MLA format and reaches the 3 page minimum. The essay cites the sources at the end of the essay correctly.
B	Effectively connects to word/phrase On topic, but not at the depth and consistency of top level Closing extends understanding of ideas	Each ¶ has topic sentence Logical connections and transitions Coherent, but less so than top level ¶’s developed	Good examples Detailed On topic Both the nonfiction source and novel are placed into the novel but may not be as relevant to the topic as they could be.	Strong writing, with good sentence structure, grammar Sustains reader interest No major errors	Has some formatting errors. Falls somewhat short of the page requirement. The sources are cited but have some errors
C	Tackles definition, but in rudimentary, basic way On topic, but not inspired Closing to brief to address the ideas at any depth	5 ¶ essay Adequate connections and mechanical transitions Some coherence Minimal ¶ development	Obvious examples Some detail Mostly on topic No depth or new interest generated Either the novel or a nonfiction source is missing	Adequate writing Inconsistent-some good/bad sentences Average vocabulary Few errors	There are some errors with formatting. Does not reach the minimum page requirement. The sources have some major problems in their citation
D and Below	Minimum attempt Subject and reasons unclear or confusing No conclusion	Less than 5 ¶ essay Little organization in evidence Some evidence that ideas are there, but not coherent No ¶ development	Off topic Writer does not know enough about word to sustain the essay The novel is not used in the essay. The non-fiction source is not used in the essay	Lots of spelling and grammar errors. The clarity of the ideas and messages are harmed in the essay.	Noticeable errors in the formatting. Falls considerably short in the page requirement. References are missing.

 

Fried Green Tomatoes Socratic Seminar Topics

 

1)     Explore the topic of Race and Racism in the novel Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Café. How does Fannie Flag present the issue of racism in Fried Green Tomatoes? What might her message on the topic ultimately be? When coming up with questions and searching for textual support on this topic, consider the following:

a.      The town’s way of dealing with racism.

b.      The position of white people in the town and whether or not that changes.

c.       The position of black people in the south and whether or not that changes.

d.      Big George’s, Sipsey’s, and Onzell’s roles in the town.

e.      Artis and Jasper and how their journey may differ from Stump, Ruth, and Idgie.

f.        Clarissa and Naughty Bird and their journey in the story.

g.      How Idgie deals with institutional racism vs others.

h.      How Evelyn views issues of Race in the 1980s and how this may compare to the fifty years leading up to it.

i.        How Ninny views issues of racism.

j.        How the issue of racism in the novel may tie in with Flannery O’Connor’s short story.

 

2)    Explore the portrayal of females in Fried Green Tomatoes. How does Fannie Flagg view the importance of the female voice in the novel? When coming up with questions and searching for textual support on this topic, consider the following:

a.      How women are treated in the families in the novel.

b.      Look at the different family units in the novel and discuss how the women play a role in each.

c.       How Evelyn views her role as a woman at the beginning of the book and at the end.

d.      How Idgie fits in the town of Whistle Stop as a strong female character.

e.      How the male characters in the novel view and treat women.

f.        How Ruth fits in the town of Whistle Stop and how she compares with Idgie.

g.      How Sipsey and Onzell play a role in their families.

h.      How Evelyn views the derogatory opinions of women prevalent in her society.

i.        How Fannie Flagg and Ken Kesey portray women differently.

j.        Whether or not the treatment/ portrayal of women has gotten better over time.

 

3)    Explore the concept of moving on and accepting change / finality in one’s life. What is Fannie Flagg’s ultimate message in how one should accept change and finality? When coming up with questions and searching for textual support on this topic, consider the following:

a.      How Ninny views death vs. how Tanner views death in the short story Judgment Day.

b.      Evelyn’s reaction throughout the novel to the fact that she is going through menopause.

c.       How the South (Birmingham and Whistle Stop) accepts, or doesn’t accept, the changing attitudes towards race in the nation.

d.      How the different characters move on, or don’t move on, after traumatic life events.

e.      How different characters accept a loved one’s death.  Think about Smokey and Idgie’s reaction to Ruth’s death.

f.        How Jasper and Smokey accept the closing of the railroad yard and its greater symbolism.

g.      How Hamlet’s views on death compare to Ninny’s and Evelyn’s views.

Outline Your Extended Definition Essay

What is your term or phrase?

 

What is your purpose for defining this term?

(ex: Do you want to add clarity to an abstract or foreign word? Do you want to add a personal commentary on a word that you believe is misused? Do you want to make use of a technical term? Do you want to provide the historical use of a term? Is it a recognizable term that simply needs a closer look?)

 

 

What do you think is the best way to structure your essay?

(ex: Concrete to Abstract; Chronological; Negative Connotation to Positive; Increasing Importance; Personal to Universal)  

 

 

What could be some main points or ideas you could incorporate in your body paragraphs? (How does it connect with the novel? the non fiction source? what are some other ideas you can bring into it?)

1)       

 

2)      

 

 

3)      

 

4)      

 

 

5)