THE WASHWOMAN BY ISAAC BASHEVIS SINGER DAY 1

THE WASHWOMAN, BY ISAAC BASHEVIS SINGER DAY 1

NOTES ON STYLE A literary essay is a short piece of nonfiction that tells a story about a real person or even. Authors of literary essays interweave personal examples and ideas with factual information to achieve specific purposes. For, example, an author may wish to explain, present an opinion or perspective, or describe a situation or an event. By incorporating personal and factual information, authors are able to build complete, multi dimensional pictures in their reader’s minds. A prediction is an informed idea about what might happen later in a literary essay. Predictions are based on details in the text and your own experience. When you verify predictions, you read on to see if the prediction is correct. Making and verifying predictions is one way to monitor your comprehension as you read. Make sure you always ask yourself questions!

NOTES ON AUTHOR Storytelling always had an important place in Isaac Bashevis Singer’s life. He grew up in the city of Warshaw in what now is Poland. Singer’s father was a rabbi, a teacher of the Jewish faith and law. Advice-seekers streamed through the family home, telling their stories as the fascinated young Singer listened and observed. “Life itself is a story” Fleeing persecution against the Jews, Singer left Poland fro New York City in 1935. In New York, Singer began to make a name for himself as a writer. He set many of his takes in the world of European Jewry he had left. Ironically, as he wrote, World War II devastated that world. Villages like the one of his birth were wiped off the face of the earth even as Singer brought them to life on the page.

VOCABULARY DEFINITIONS Word List A Word List B Bloomers [BLOOM erz] n. old-fashioned women’s underwear Accumulated [uh KYOOM yuh lay tid] v. collected or gathered over time Clotheslines [KLOHZ lynz] n. lines or ropes for air-drying laundry Brittle [BRIT uhl] adj. fragile; easily broken Conceive [Kuhn SEEV] v. to form an idea of something in the mind Gaunt [GAWNT] adj. very thin, pale, and sickly Contributed [Kuhn TRIB yoo tid] v. gave; donated Collapsed [kuh LAPST] v. fell down; weakened suddenly Gnarled [NARLD] adj. twisted and misshapen Devoted [di VOH tid] adj. loving; loyal Institution [in stuh TOO shuhn] n. established practice or custom Endure [en DOOR] v. to put up with; to tolerate Shard [ SHARHD] n. broken piece Impression [im PRESH uhn] n. idea or opinion of someone or something Straggled [STRAG uhld] v. hung in an untidy way Uttered [UHT erd] v. spoke or made a sound Atonement [uh TOHN ment] n. act of making up for a wrongdoing Obstinacy [AWB sti nah see] n. stubborness

VOCABULARY EXERCISE A – FILL IN EACH BLANK IN THE PARAGRAPH BELOW WITH THE APPROPRIATE WORD FROM WORD LIST A – THE WORDS MAY NOT REPEAT! Last year my family took a trip to Italy. One of the things that made the biggest [1] _____ on me was seeing people’s laundry hanging on [2] _____ outside their windows, even in big cities. Maybe this sounds silly, but I just cannot [3] _____ of having your [4] ______ (as my grandmother calls them) on display for everyone to see. I know I could not [5] _____ it. When we needed to wash some of our travel clothes, I [6] _____ some of my vacation money to pay for using a dryer. My mother never [7] _____ a word at the time. However, when we got home, she announced that since I was so interested in laundry, she now expected me to be her [8] _____ her with the wash!

VOCABULARY EXERCISE B– WRITE WHETHER EACH STATEMENT BELOW IS TRUE OR FALSE. THEN, EXPLAIN YOUR ANSWER. 1. A brittle candy is soft and chewy. 2. A person who had collapsed should get medical attention immediately. 3. When a family moves, they may sell things they have accumulated but no longer want. 4. A gaunt appearance is a sign of good health. 5. Changing people’s minds about an institution like free public education is easy to do. 6. If you find a shard of glass, it is wise to watch out for more because something has been broken. 7. A gnarled tree was most likely planted recently. 8. A room where the curtains straggled over the windows would probably be very neat.

READ “THE WASHWOMAN” – P. 26 -32

ENRICHMENT: LEARNING FROM OUR ELDERS Isaac Bashevis Singer describes how the washwoman went about her extremely difficult job with honestly and great dedication. Singer learned valuable life lessons from the older people in his community, People who have long lives often have interesting stories, ideas, and advice that can benefit younger people who take the time to listen to what they have to say. Think about what you have learned from older people in your life. Answer the following questions using complete sentences. 1. Who are some interesting older adults (grandparents, neighbors, or community members) in your life? 2. Briefly, what are some of the most interesting experiences these people have shared with you? 3. What is one valuable lesson you have learned from an older person, either through observation or conversation? 4. How do you think older people are generally treated in your community. Give an example and explain.

VENN DIAGRAM – FILL IN THE VENN DIAGRAM TO SHOW THE CHARACTERISTICS FOR EACH WOMAN IN “THE WASHWOMAN” Washwoman Mother Both

SHORT RESPONSES 1. (a) In this, literary essay, what difficulties does the washwoman face? (b) How does she respond to those challenges? 2. How does Isaac Bashevis Singer describe the washwoman in his essay “The Washwoman”? Why is the description important to the narrative? 3. In the middle of “The Washwoman, ” the author’s mother says that the washwoman’s son is disloyal to his own mother and an insult to all mothers. Is the son disloyal to his mother> Use examples to explain your opinion. 4. In “The Washwoman, ” the washwoman lives her life and does her work without rancor. Use the meaning of the word rancor to explain this statement. 5. At the end of “The Washwoman, ’ the author muses that the washwoman’s soul “passed into those spheres where all holy spirits meet, regardless of the roles they played on this earth. ” Do you think the author’s mother would agree with him? Support your response with an example from the essay.

ESSAY – 26 LINES Identify one truth by which the washwoman seems to live. Then consider whether this truth appears to change for her from the beginning of the essay to the end and how this truth affects her life. Support your ideas with examples from “The Washwoman. ”

TODAY’S GRADE CHECKLIST – COPY THIS ONTO A SHEET OF PAPER AND STAPLE EVERYTHING TOGETHER! I. Author/Style notes ___/10 pts. Vocabulary Definitions ___/10 pts. Vocabulary Exercise A ___/10 pts. Vocabulary Exercise B ___10 pts. Oral Reading ___/10 pts. Enrichment: Learning from Our Elders ___/10 pts Venn Diagram ___/10 pts. Short Responses ___/10 pts. Essay ___/20 pts. Total: 100 pts. II. “The Washwoman” online test ___/100 pts. Total: 100 pts.