Things Fall Apart By Chinua Achebe POV CRJ
Things Fall Apart By Chinua Achebe
POV CRJ: An Anthropological Study of the Contemporary Adolescent American Choose at least TWO (2) of the questions listed on the handout titled, “Questions Cultural Anthropologists Ask” Using the persona you created, address your questions through the lens of this “outsider” Consider what conclusions or inferences about the modern American teen might be made from a foreign perspective. What claim(s) will your character make about our culture? Elaborate on the relevance of the anthropologist’s study– what Support claims using clear, relevant examples and observations Analyze the significance, relevance, and/or importance of your findings as a result of your “study. ”
Establishing Perspective: Who Are You? Create a persona as the outsider (this will be your introduction) Factors to consider Gender Age Place of Origin– Briefly describe this place Give this character a name (if you like, give them a “title, ” too) What context or purpose does this anthropologist have in studying the modern American teen?
Peer Analysis: Theme for English I Conduct a close reading of your colleague’s poem. Consider the following: What is the writer’s claim (what is he or she is writing about)? What is the tone of his or her written reflection? Explain using clear examples. Diction: Study his or her word choice– do you think he or she thoughtfully and deliberately chose words to express him or herself in this writing assignment? What about the arrangement of his or her ideas? How does his or her syntax effect your understanding of his or her writing? Finally, considering the diction, syntax & tone, what reasonable and logical conclusions can you make about the author? Explain
Timed Creative Writing TOPIC: “THINGS FALL APART” Write a poem, story, song, draw a picture, a panel of a graphic novel, or whatever you can conjure that feels most appropriate to depict this topic. The only requirements are that you encouraged to be creative and that you fill the page
Consider and Discuss: How did you interpret this topic? What motivated you to select the format you did? Were you conscious of using images (either literal or figurative) to achieve a desired result? How would you describe the overall tone of your piece? (1 -2 word is sufficient)
“The White Man’s Burden”: Kipling’s Hymn to U. S. Imperialism In February 1899, British novelist and poet Rudyard Kipling wrote a poem entitled “The White Man’s Burden: The United States and The Philippine Islands. ” In this poem, Kipling urged the U. S. to take up the “burden” of empire, as had Britain and other European nations. Published in the February, 1899 issue of Mc. Clure’s Magazine, the poem coincided with the beginning of the Philippine-American War and U. S. Senate ratification of the treaty that placed Puerto Rico, Guam, Cuba, and the Philippines under American control. Theodore Roosevelt, soon to become vice-president and then president, copied the poem and sent it to his friend, Senator Henry Cabot Lodge, commenting that it was “rather poor poetry, but good sense from the expansion point of view. ” Not everyone was as favorably impressed as Roosevelt. The racialized notion of the “White Man’s burden” became a euphemism for imperialism, and many anti-imperialists couched their opposition in reaction to the phrase.
“The Brown Man’s Burden” by Henry Labouchere: A response to Kipling’s incendiary poem The Brown Man's Burden“ published soon after Kipling’s poem first appeared in 1899 Henry Labouchère's "The Brown Man's Burden" shifts the emphasis of Kipling's notorious poem, offering a view of imperialism from the perspective of those who were most directly affected by the expansionist policies of nations like Britain and the United States. "The Brown Man's Burden" offers an indictment of imperial hypocrisy, with particular emphasis on the violence employed in subjugating countries like the Philippines in the name of freedom.
Purpose for Study: Think-Pair-Share Read both “The White Man’s Burden” and it’s counter-part, “The Brown Man’s Burden” on your own. Circle words and phrases that reveal the speaker’s attitude or point of view. With a partner, share the words and phrases you each selected and work to reach a consensus. Then, discuss what you believe to be the tone of each poem. What point of view does this poem convey? Use the suggestions on the SOAPSTone form to prepare a clear response in each of the categories to analyze the poem.
Purpose for Study: Think-Pair-Share Read both “The White Man’s Burden” and it’s counter-part, “The Brown Man’s Burden” on your own. Circle words and phrases that reveal the speaker’s attitude or point of view. With a partner, share the words and phrases you each selected and work to reach a consensus. Then, discuss what you believe to be the tone of each poem. What point of view does this poem convey? Use the suggestions on the SOAPSTone form to prepare a clear response in each of the categories to analyze the poem.
Compare & Contrast Writing: Which of the two writers was more effective in reaching his audience through his use of literary devices? Kipling or Lebouchere? After completing SOAPSTone analysis activity for each poem, you’ll plan and compose a short essay focusing on critical analysis of language which takes a clear position to defend which of the two poets used language and literary devices more successfully to convey his purpose to his intended audience Consider each man's use of Diction (connotation and denotation of specific words and phrases) Syntax (organization of ideas, punctuation, repetition, etc. ) Literary Devices (metaphor, alliteration, personification, symbolism, etc. )
Which poet was more effective in reaching his audience through his use of literary devices? Open with a introduction that provides some clear context and establishes your authority by introducing the two works, providing referencing as many of the points listed included in the SOAPSTone. Begin your argument stating claim which clearly takes a position, but also addresses a counterargument. Use conjunctive and subjunctive adverbs as well as subordinating conjunctions to create sophisticated complex and compound-complex sentences which express the complexity of your purpose for writing. Support your claim and counterclaim by citing, explaining and analyzing specific evidence and examples the poet's use of language in the his poem. Be sure to cite specific line numbers for each example Address the counterargument: Be sure to also address the other poet's work as well, but be sure to down-play its importance as it does not support your claim) Use the tools in your "Analysis Toolkit" to guide your reasoning Analyze the effect his use of language has had on his audience. Be sure to include some depth and breadth of your analysis to address the relevance This will answer the "So what? Why does this matter? " question indirectly posed by every one who's ever written anything that he or she intended to have read
What do these documents convey about the relationship between Europeans and Africans during the 17 th though the 20 th centuries? Cite specific textual evidence from the sources we studied in class to Identify which details are emphasized in the different texts (poem and maps). Write a response in answer to the discussion question above. Note: In all your written responses for this course, you’re required to use compound sentences joined by semicolons and conjunctive adverbs in order to strengthen the quality of
Character Analysis: Okonokwo 1. Using the first four chapters of the novel, identify the BEST (2) best example of text to illustrate our main character, Okonokwo (say: “O-con-qu-woe”) Cite page number and paragraph For your example, be sure to identify and explain the features of the excerpt which exemplify it. 2. Identify the ANTHROPOLOGICAL LENS you plan to use during your reading.
Critical Text Analysis: Create a graphic organizer with three (3) columns. 1. Section: Cite chapter, page #, & paragraph # or line # 2. Context: Briefly summarize the most important character interactions and/or events 3. Analysis: What inferences or conclusions can you draw about the character’s motives from his or her actions?
Annotations: Chapter 5 pg. 39 from “The second day…” to “…as it was thirty years ago. ” Pg. 37, 2 nd paragraph ¶ Pg. 40 from “It was not yet starting with “But noon…” until …”than her somehow…” until …”on his years. ” farm. ” Pg. 43 from “Nwoye’s younger pg 38 from… “And then the brothers…” until …”outside storm burst” until “… from a their compound. ” reasonable distance. ” Pg. 44 from “Ekwefi ladled…” Pg. 38 from “His anger thus until “Okonkwo’s third wife. ” satisfied…” to “… with the gun. ”
Critical Thinking Warm Up (Think-Pair-Share, 5 mins) Review Chapter 5 Starting on page 42, the beating drums are referenced six (6) times in this chapter: Note the description and the context of each instance Analysis: What information can you infer about these references? What predictions or implications can you make based on what you infer from these references?
In each column, summarize key pieces of information for the chapters below and cite the associated text references. Chapter 1: the characterization of Unoka, Okonkwo’s father Chapter 2: the last part of the chapter, beginning with “Okonkwo ruled his house with a heavy hand” Chapter 4: the first two paragraphs Chapter 5: Okonkwo’s outburst with his gun
Understanding the Text Swap your chart with a partner to provide feedback. Prompt students to make revisions to their summaries based on the peer feedback. In pairs, determine a point of view that is representative of the Igbo culture AND examine how Achebe establishes that point of view through his language, story elements (e. g. , characters, conflicts, setting, plot details), selecting quotations from the text that support the identified point of view.
Anthropological Question Groupings Who is busy and who is idle? Raymond What do people value the most? Ronya, Victor, Jo, Layla, Melissa, Azucena, Jimmy, Ailene, Vivany What do people talk about the most? Marnie Who runs things at home? Isabel? Who are the heroes? Brandon What is taboo? Vivian & Jackson What is considered fair and what unfair? Kashish & Selmir What procedures accompany the exchange of goods and services? Isabel? What are the important kinship ties? Eduardo Who runs things in the community? Brian What do people do to “get even” when they feel they have been wronged? Christopher No question selected: Sydney, Carlos, David, Bernice, Adriana, Adalberto, Kandice, Alex, & Carlos
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