THE FLOWERS BY ALICE WALKER Analysis and Evaluation

'THE FLOWERS' BY ALICE WALKER Analysis and Evaluation Unit

We are going to: • Learn about turning point, mood and symbolism • Explain how these are created in a story. Skills we will be developing: • Discussion • Negotiation • Active listening • Analysis • Evaluation • Critical reading.

Plot and Theme ◦ Once we have read the story as a class, discuss in pairs what you think the story was about – the plot and theme. .

Literary Terms to Know COPY THESE DOWN AND FAMILIARISE YOURSELVES WITH THEM. ◦ imagery –the use of vivid language to create images in the reader’s mind. ◦ symbol –something that stands for itself and something else. ◦ setting –the time and place in which a story occurs. ◦ narrative pace ‐the speed at which an author tells a story; the movement from one point or section to another. ◦ diction ‐the choice of words used in a literary work. ◦ style ‐A writer’s way of saying things, or a philosophy that influen the author’s viewpoint. ◦ theme ‐an abstract idea that emerges from a literary work’s treatm of its subject‐matter, or a topic recurring in a number of literary wo Themes include love, war, revenge, betrayal, fate, etc. ◦ epiphany ‐an illuminating discovery, realization, or disclosure

Turning Point ◦ A turning point in a story is the point when there is a significant change in the way a character is thinking or behaving, in the mood or atmosphere of the story, in the tension and so on. ◦ Decide where in the turning point occurs in ‘The Flowers’. Be prepared to explain your reasoning to the class.

Turning Point and Mood ◦ In your pairs, one will look at the first part of the story, and one will look at the second half – the separation will be the turning point. ◦ We are going to look at how the author creates mood. ◦ How does the turning point influence the mood of the story?

Turning Point and Mood For your section of the story, highlight the following: • references to light and colour • references to setting • references to Myop’s actions. In pairs, discuss how these references create mood.

Symbolism In the story, flowers could be said to be symbolic, i. e. they are used to represent an idea. ◦ For your half of the story, find all the references to flowers. ◦ In your pairs, take turns to read out the references to flowers. ◦ Think about what’s happening at the point in the story when flowers are mentioned, and discuss what the flowers might represent.

• In pairs, work through all the references to flowers in the story, and complete a table like this one. • You should quote the reference, describe what is happening in the story at that time, and then comment on what the flowers could represent/symbolise. Reference to flowers What’s happening in the story 'silver ferns and Myop is near her wildflowers home and grew' picking flowers What the flowers might represent

Group Analysis ◦ In your groups, discuss and make notes on the following: How does Walker create mood, use a turning point and use symbolism in her story? ◦ You should discuss and note down as much as you can, using quotations, analysis and evaluation. ◦ Group with the most detailed A 3 sheet gets a pony.

Self-evaluation Answers these questions on the post-it note, and be honest: • How well do I understand mood, turning point and symbolism in this story? • How well do I think I understand these terms in general? • How well did I work in pairs/groups?

The Flowers Learning Intentions: ◦ Improve our understanding of the context of the story. ◦ Develop critical reading skills with textual analysis questions. Skills: • Understanding • Analysis • Evaluation • Critical reading

Textual Analysis 1 1. Referring to the first three paragraphs of the story, explain what the setting of the story is and what words in the story give you that idea. 2. Myop's family is a family of sharecroppers. What does this tell you about the time they are living in? What other things does this tell you about what Myop's family is like? 3. Describe Myop. Use quotes from the story to explain why you think she looks like she does. (Write 3 or more sentences. ) 4. Describe the mood (the emotional atmosphere the story creates for you) of the first four paragraphs of the story. Explain why you think that is the mood of those paragraphs using quotes from the story. 5. Describe the mood starting with the fifth paragraph of the story (to the end). Explain why you think that is the mood of those paragraphs using quotes from the story.

Textual Analysis 2 1. Considering the time period and what you know of Myop and her family, what do you think happened to the man Myop finds disintegrating in the woods? Explain why you think that is what happened. 2. What connection(s) does the origin of Myop’s name have with her in the story (other than the first four letters match!)? Explain these connections. 3. An epiphany is a sudden realization or understanding about something. Myop has an epiphany in this story which is why she lays down her flowers at the end of the story. What is it that Myop suddenly understands about her world? Explain your answer based on information from the story. 4. The last line of the story is figurative, not literal. What deeper meaning do you think that line has in this story? Explain why you think so based on information from the story.

Task Discuss this question in pairs and develop a detailed essay plan. ◦ In a well‐organized essay discuss how Alice Walker conveys the meaning of "The Flowers" and how she prepares the reader for the ending of this short story. Consider at least two elements of the writer's craft such as imagery, symbol, setting, narrative pace, diction, and style.

Essay Questions Choose a novel or a short story or a work of non-fiction which explores an important theme. By referring to appropriate techniques, show the author has explored this theme. Choose a novel or short story or work of non-fiction which has a key incident. Give a brief account of the incident, and by referring to appropriate techniques, show this incident is important to the text as a whole.

Topic Sentences ◦ When following a PEE structure for your critical essay, your Point is a TOPIC SENTENCE. ◦ It tells the marker what you will be looking at in the paragraph, and should refer to the essay question. E. g. Choose a novel or a short story or a work of non-fiction which explores an important theme. By referring to appropriate techniques, show the author has explored this theme. Example topic sentences: ◦ Walker also explores Myop’s loss of innocence through her clever use of changing mood in the short story. ◦ Furthermore, Walker goes on to use symbolism to emphasise the loss of innocence in ‘The Flowers. ’ ◦ As well as this, Myop’s loss of innocence is highlighted again through the imagery Walker uses throughout the short story.

If In Doubt… Use this cloze structure for your topic sentences Second paragraph onwards to help you: Similarly/Moreover/As well as this/Furthermore/Continuing this idea, author/director’s surname emphasises/highlights/draws attention to/explores refer to the question through his/her skilful/clever/interesting/compelling use of technique.

Now, write your own Write THREE topic sentences for EACH of these essay questions. ◦ Choose a prose work (fiction or non-fiction) which deals with a serious aspect of life. State what this serious aspect is and go on to show the writer deepens your understanding of it. ◦ Choose a novel or a short story where there is an incident which is a turning point crucial to the fate of the main character. Briefly describe what happens at this point and go on to explain why this is crucial to the fate of a main character. ◦ Choose a novel or a short story or a non-fiction text or group of texts which made a strong impact on you. Explain how the writer’s use of language creates this impact. ◦ Choose a novel or a short story in which you feel there is an incident of great importance to the story as a whole. Describe the incident and go on to show its importance to the development of the characters and the central concerns of the text.

Writing an awesome introduction ◦ An introduction needs to be many things – it must refer to the essay question, give an overview of the text as a whole, and show that you can demonstrate evaluation skills. YOU MUST: ◦ TART – Title, Author, Refer to Task (essay question) ◦ Give a BRIEF summary of the text – main characters, outline of plot, etc. No more than two sentences. ◦ Give an insight in to what you thought of the text, but not ‘I think this is a great novel because…’ – think ‘Alfred Hitchcock’s ‘Psycho’ is a compelling thriller, which uses a range of techniques skilfully…” or “’The Flowers’ by Alice Walker uses a shocking climax to explore the impact of racist violence on a young girl. ”

For each of the below essay questions, write an amazing introduction. Be stylish, be different, but tick the boxes you need to tick. ◦ Choose a prose work (fiction or non-fiction) which deals with a serious aspect of life. State what this serious aspect is and go on to show the writer deepens your understanding of it. ◦ Choose a novel or a short story where there is an incident which is a turning point crucial to the fate of the main character. Briefly describe what happens at this point and go on to explain why this is crucial to the fate of a main character. ◦ Choose a novel or a short story or a non-fiction text or group of texts which made a strong impact on you. Explain how the writer’s use of language creates this impact. ◦ Choose a novel or a short story in which you feel there is an incident of great importance to the story as a whole. Describe the incident and go on to show its importance to the development of the characters and the central concerns of the text.

If In Doubt… Use this cloze structure for your paragraphs Second paragraph onwards to help you: Similarly/Moreover/As well as this/Furthermore/Continuing this idea, author/director’s surname emphasises/highlights/draws attention to/explores refer to the question through his/her skilful/clever/interesting/compelling use of technique. In which part of the story/novel/film we see describe what happens in the quote/scene. Quote/description of film technique. The use of technique suggests that discuss the connotations. This clearly/successfully/effectively emphasises what impact the quote/technique has on the overall text and demonstrates how skilfully/effectively/clearly author/director’s surname has highlighted refer to the question.