Continuing our examination of the Southern Gothic genre, today we examined Welty's short story " A Gift of Charity". We discussed the relationship of setting to the the theme of the story as well as Welty's use of symbols, in this case ,an apple ,an illusion to the Old Testament story of Adam and Eve. Bobby addressed the hard lesson about human nature the main character discovers and compared the role of "charity" in this story with the role of charity in Welty's story, " A Worn Path" which we read last week. We then opened the virtual notebook and supplemented some literary terms and reviewed and discussed Bobby's homework answers on the story.
By way of introduction to the novel,"To Kill A Mockingbird",we are analyzing three short stories written in the Southern Gothic tradition. Today, we discussed Eudora Welty's " A Worn Path". Bobby did well in identifying the physical obstacles the main character encounters on her walk to the city of Natchez and further discussed the metaphorical significance of each obstacle-poverty ,and racism. In one particularly incisive moment in the plot, a White hunter points a rifle in the face of the African -American protagonist. We discussed a similar current event wherein last week , Black Lives Matter protesters were confronted by a couple who walked out of their home and pointed an automatic weapon at the protestors. Elements of the Southern Gothic genre were further identified ,and Bobby placed these elements in his virtual notebook . Last, we discussed the story's theme of perseverance. ,hope and dreams as well as the author's view of genuine generosity versus obligatory gift giving. For homework, due Tuesday, I assigned reading the short story, "A Gift of Charity" ,also by E. Welty, that will elaborate on this theme .
To introduce the Southern Gothic tradition, we first discussed the European Gothic novels of Frankenstein and Dracula. Bobby spoke about his understanding of both stories, and I pointed out the Gothic elements-dark scenery, violence ,and the macabre. I then reviewed how certain Southern writers transported the gothic elements into early twentieth century literature. In that regard, we discussed racial tensions that exist today and how those tensions remain submerged or manifested in the southern gothic tradition. Bobby has been using his virtual notebook and keeping good notes on our discussions and on literary terms. Today, we added "setting" to our term list. I further provided character and context background for tonight's reading . Bobby did a good job speculating about the significance of certain symbols employed by the author. Last, I pointed out in the virtual notebook where I placed certain questions for tonight's reading. For homework, I assigned reading Welty's "A Worn Path" and addressing two questions .
In preparation for our unit on the Southern Gothic genre, we reviewed terms such as : genre ,theme, and allusion. In this regard, we discussed the role of the author in society as a commentator on society and human nature. I mentioned that in analyzing an author's work, the reader needs to be able to identify themes and techniques ,but does not have to agree with the author's conclusions about human nature and society. Bobby then discussed his homework responses identifying the significance of the biblical allusions to "snake and the apple", and the mythological allusion to "phoenix". Before we read Welty's story,"The Worn Path" -which employs these allusions- we will discuss the literary allusion to the windmill derived from Cervantes' Don Quixote. Bobby is identifying the significance of this reference tonight for homework.
To commence this year's online learning experience, we first reviewed the enhanced online tools offered in Microsoft Teams and how we could utilize the shared virtual notebook . Curriculum and syllabus options were also explored focusing on plays, novels, and short stores that Bobby has not yet studied. We will first be studying the Southern Gothic genre by reading short stories by Welty ,and Faulkner followed by Lee's "To Kill A Mockingbird". Last, we examined the literary term "allusion" and I listed some allusions that will appear in the first short stories we will read. For homework, I assigned "googling" the four allusions I mentioned that appear in Welty"s " A Worn Path" and noting a short , brief reference definition of each.
Ayden and I finished reading the short story. Ayden took a brief comprehension quiz on the story, and he did well. We then defined the words that he did not know from the story. He made a cahoot with those words, and we played it.
Ayden and I played the Kahoot game that he created for the vocabulary for THE MAZE RUNNER. He did quite well and really learned the meaning of the vocabulary words. We then began reading the short story. I have Ayden underlining difficult vocabulary so that we can go back and define them.
Ayden completed his Kahoot game on the computer. He created a vocabulary game using all 35 vocabulary words from the novel and their definitions. Ayden and I played the game twice after he finished. It was a lot of fun, and Ayden did a great job!
