1)
Explore the topic of Race and Gender in the
novel Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Café. How does Fannie Flag
present the issue of racism in Fried Green Tomatoes? How does Fannie Flagg view the importance of the female
voice in the novel? What might her message on these topics
ultimately be? When coming up with questions and searching for textual support
on these topics, 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 women are treated in
the families in the novel.
j.
Look at the different
family units in the novel and discuss how the women play a role in each.
k.
How Evelyn views her
role as a woman at the beginning of the book and at the end.
l.
How Idgie fits in the
town of Whistle Stop as a strong female character.
m.
How the male characters
in the novel view and treat women.
n.
How Ruth fits in the
town of Whistle Stop and how she compares with Idgie.
o.
How Evelyn views the
derogatory opinions of women prevalent in her society.
p.
How Fannie Flagg and Ken
Kesey portray women differently.
q.
Whether or not the
treatment/ portrayal of women has gotten better over time.
2) 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 the Grandmother views death in the short story A Good Man is Hard to Find.
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.
3) Explore the
categorization of Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe as a literary
genre. Ultimately, what is this novel? Local Color? Realism? Southern Gothic? When coming up with
questions and searching for textual support on this topic, consider the
following:
a.
What elements of Local
Color do you see in the novel? Why does the author use them in that way?
b.
What elements of Realism
are apparent in the novel? Why does the author use them in that way?
c.
What elements of
Southern Gothic does the author incorporate into the novel? What is the
author’s purpose in using these elements?
d.
What kind of novel do
you think Fannie Flagg set out to write? Did she succeed?
e.
Which characters embody
which literary movements, and how might their journeys in the book signify a
greater message?
f.
How does this piece of
Southern Fiction compare with the southern short stories we read during the
unit?
What is a Socratic Seminar?
Students
will be placed in one of two groups and will be given a specific topic for
discussion in the Socratic Seminar. A Socratic Seminar is when a group of
students (in this case 12) discuss a topic with one another in a respectful
manner. Students bring up topics and present questions as others discuss
different answers with textual support. It
is not a debate, but a dialogue. From now till the Socratic Seminar, you
will want to gather quotes, evidence, and examples that will better help you to
understand your specific topic.
The Socratic Seminars
will take place March 3rd-7th.
Your score will be a
combination of …
§ your involvement in the
discussion
§ the level of insight and
textually based responses you provide
§ your prepared notes for
the discussion (Three analytical or synthesis style questions and five quotes)
§ Your willingness to
incorporate others into the discussion
§ Extra points will be allocated
for professional attire
