The Open Window Think Pair Share Write definitions

The Open Window

Think, Pair, Share • Write definitions of the words DECEPTION and HONESTY based on your life experiences • Think about times you have made up stories. What were your reasons for doing so? • THINK silently and record your answers : 7 minutes • PAIR with your partner and discuss : 4 minutes • SHARE whole-group

The Open Window • Short story by Saki (H. H. Munro) (1870 -1916) • Born to British parents in Burma (SE Asia) • Lived in England most of his life • Best known for witty, sometimes cruel short stories, many of which feature humorous surprise endings • Set in the Victorian-Edwardian Period • Era in United Kingdom known for prestige, elegant fashion • Society was segregated based on economic standing • Society was polite, but would conceal tensions and cruelty that might not have been apparent to a casual observer • Private, exclusive society that greeted newcomers with hatred and disdain

Flashback • What is a flashback? • An interruption of the chronological sequence of a literary work with an event of earlier occurrence • What is the purpose of flashbacks in literature? • Provides background or context to the current events of a narrative • Shows instead of telling

Reading • Volunteer – pg 195 • What is a letter of introduction? • Do the events in the third paragraph happen before or after the events in the first two paragraphs? • What does this flashback tell us about Framton?

Reading • Volunteer – pg 196 until “self-possessed young lady” • Do the events in this section come before or after the events of the third paragraph on page 195?

Reading • Sometimes reality can appear to be different for different people, depending on the way they see the world • Volunteer: Read until “through that window –” on page 197 • How does the niece’s story of tragedy affect the way Framton perceives the reality of the home? • What is one way a person or an author can affect the way we perceive reality?

Reading • Volunteer – read through “this tragic anniversary” • What do you know that one of the characters in the passage does not know? • What kind of irony is involved when Mrs. Sappleton does not know about the tall tale Vera told Mr. Nuttel?

Reading • Volunteer – read to the end of page 197 • Volunteer – read page 198 • What does Framton do? • What does Vera say about why Framton left? • What is the meaning of the word “romance” in the last line?

Post-Reading • Complete Critical Reading questions 1 -3 on your own. Be ready to share. • Complete parts a) and b) of The Big Question. • Revisit your definitions of deception and honesty. Have they changed since reading the story? • THINK and write down your answers – 5 minutes • PAIR – 3 minutes • SHARE

Post-Reading: Comparing Irony and Paradox • Revisit your notes on irony and paradox. Complete questions 1 -3 on page 199. • HOMEWORK: Write to compare Irony and Paradox. • 3 paragraphs

Post-Reading: Comparing Irony and Paradox • 1 st Paragraph: Basic background about each story, statements about similarities and differences. • “’Like the Sun’ is a short story written by R. K. Narayan about a man, Sekhar, who decides to tell the whole truth for a day. ‘The Open Window’ by Saki is a short story about Framton Nuttel, who travels to the countryside for health reasons and meets a young girl, Vera, who does not tell the truth. The two stories are similar in that ____ and ____. The stories are different in that ____ and _____. ”

Post-Reading: Comparing Irony and Paradox • 2 nd paragraph: Similarities • Restate your thesis as your first sentence. • “Both ‘Like the Sun’ and ‘The Open Window’ ____ and ____. ” • 3 rd paragraph: Differences • Restate your thesis as your first sentence • “While ‘Like the Sun’ and ‘The Open Window’ have similarities, they are different in that _______ and ______. ”

Post-Reading: Comparing Irony and Paradox • Use your chart! • Avoid unclear antecedents! Do not use “she, ” “it, ” or “they” unless you have specifically stated the antecedent for each pronoun. • “In ‘The Open Window, ’ he has severe anxiety. ” • “In ‘The Open Window, ’ the main character, Framton Nuttel, has severe anxiety. He has travelled to the country to relieve his nerves. ” • Do not assume your reader knows about the stories.

Before you turn in your homework… • First, circle every pronoun. Draw a line to its antecedent, and put a box around the antecedent. • “In ‘The Open Window, ’ the main character, Framton Nuttel, has severe anxiety. He has travelled to the country to relieve his nerves. ”

Before you turn in your homework… • Next, take 4 colored pencils (you can share with your seat partner) – 2 warm colors and 2 cool colors. • In your first paragraph, use the warm colors to underline your similarities (a different color for each). Use the cool colors to underline your differences. • “’Like the Sun’ is a short story written by R. K. Narayan about a man, Sekhar, who decides to tell the whole truth for a day. ‘The Open Window’ by Saki is a short story about Framton Nuttel, who travels to the countryside for health reasons and meets a young girl, Vera, who does not tell the truth. The two stories are similar in that (similarity example 1) and (similarity example 2). The stories are different in that (difference example 1) and (difference example 2). ”

Before you turn in your homework… • Use the SAME colored pencils to underline where you talk about each of your examples in paragraphs 2 and 3. • “Both ‘Like the Sun’ and ‘The Open Window’ (similarity example 1) and (similarity example 2). (Sentence explaining example 1). (Another sentence explaining example 1). (Sentence explaining example 2). (Another sentence explaining example 2). ” • “While ‘Like the Sun’ and ‘The Open Window’ have similarities, they are different in that (difference example 1) and (difference example 2). (Sentence explaining example 1). (Another sentence explaining example 1). (Sentence explaining example 2). (Another sentence explaining example 2). ”

Why are we doing this? • The first paragraph of your essay should be an introduction to the essay and a road map for your reader of what you’re going to talk about. • The last sentence or two of your first paragraph is a “thesis statement” – a succinct answer to the question or topic. • Thesis statements don’t go into great detail, but they tell what you will be writing about in the rest of your essay. • The thesis statement is the road map. Everything you write about in the essay should match up with your thesis statement, in the order you put it in your thesis statement.

Where is thesis statement? • “’Like the Sun’ is a short story written by R. K. Narayan about a man, Sekhar, who decides to tell the whole truth for a day. ‘The Open Window’ by Saki is a short story about Framton Nuttel, who travels to the countryside for health reasons and meets a young girl, Vera, who does not tell the truth. The two stories are similar in that (similarity example 1) and (similarity example 2). The stories are different in that (difference example 1) and (difference example 2). ”

As a reader, what do I expect? In what order? • “’Like the Sun’ is a short story written by R. K. Narayan about a man, Sekhar, who decides to tell the whole truth for a day. ‘The Open Window’ by Saki is a short story about Framton Nuttel, who travels to the countryside for health reasons and meets a young girl, Vera, who does not tell the truth. The two stories are similar in that (similarity example 1) and (similarity example 2). The stories are different in that (difference example 1) and (difference example 2). ”

It’s okay if you didn’t do it this time… • But keep in mind that you need to logically organize your writing. • If color coding helps you, do it until you get the hang of it!