Contemporary Literature

1. Contemporary Literature Week 8 October 10-14, 2011

2. Monday, October 10, 2011 Due Today: Walk-IN: Sit in your book club group and think about what question you would like to write about for your essay. Learning Objective: • Students will understand that we can learn about the world and about ourselves when we form purposeful generalizations and draw sound conclusions from a variety of informational texts. • Students will be able to synthesize information to form purposeful generalizations and sound conclusions. Agenda: • Synthesis Paragraph Homework: Read and prepare for Book Club # 2 on Tuesday

3. Synthesis Paragraph • Synthesizing what you learned about one of our topics (violence, love and lust, or family) come to an overall conclusion or answer to the class question that applies to all texts. Support your generalization or conclusion by writing a detailed synthesis paragraph using textual evidence from your sources and analyze your evidence by explaining how it supports your generalization.

4. How to synthesize… For each text, list the main ideas related to the topic. After you have listed each main idea, look for connections or areas of synthesis. Based on these connections, what message or conclusion can you come to based on the topic? Violence Love/Lust Family TextsTextsTexts Emotional Violence Psychology of Love and Lust The Perfect Family Violence Love, Lust, Marriage Is there hope… Bullet in the Brain Keith Where Are You Going Keith Where Are You Going Keith Where Are You Going

5. Main Idea: Introduces texts and topic According to the texts, Emotional Violence, Violence, and Bullet in the Brain, when a person experiences emotional violence they often feel disrespected; this disrespect along with prior feelings of shame, will cause a person to lash out in a physically violent manner.Emotional violence can be defined as “the refusal to listen to, or denial of, another person’s feelings, telling people what they do or do not feel and ridiculing and shaming of their feelings” (Emotional Violence). In the article it is also stated that a person who is a victim of emotional violence they feels as thought they have not been given “equal importance or respect” and can make this person “feel, powerless, fearful, or angry” (Emotional Violence). These acts of emotional violence, that may seem trivial to many, actually serve as a catalyst for violent physical behavior. In the excerpt from James Gilligan’s book, Violence he interviewed inmates that committed acts of physical violence. A common response that he received from most of the men he interviewed focused on the effects of emotional violence. One inmate said “life ain’t worth nothin’ if I take somebody direspectin’ me” and that “if you ain’t got pride, you got nothin” (Gilligan 107). These acts of emotional violence that take away pride and respect lead to physical violence because the victim feels the need to regain their pride and control. Another inmate stressed this idea when he says, “I never got so much respect before in my life as I did when I first pointed a gun at somebody” (Gilligan 109). This never ending “vicious cycle” as Gilligan calls it, does not “diminish the intensity of shame and replace it” with “pride” because of certain preconditions within the people who commit these acts. This precondition is that these people “feel ashamed—deeply ashamed…over matters that are so trivial…it [is] even more shameful to feel ashamed about them” (Gilligan 111). In the story Bullet in the Brain, by Tobias Wolffthis precondition is present in the main character Anders. Anders is a book critic, with a “murderous temper” who is held hostage during a bank robbery. Throughout the robbery Anders repeatedly becomes emotionally violent toward the people around him. Even with a gun pointed at him, Anders cannot prevent himself from lashing out in an emotionally violent way toward the bank robbers, and is killed. It is not until the reader enters Ander’s mind before his death, that the reason’s for his emotional violence are due to what Gilligan noted as a necessary precondition for senseless acts of violence. Gilligan states that ones“self preservation does not hold” due to being “so overwhelmed by shame that one can only preserve one’s self by sacrificing one’s body” (Gilligan 111). As Anders is dying the reader see glimpses of his past where he cannot remember “his first lover”… “his wife”… “having his ribs kicked in at an anti-war rally” and most importantly he cannot “remember the pleasure of giving respect” (Wolff 160). The fact that Anders does not remember these moments in his life suggests that he is ashamed at what his life has become. This shame is what causes him to act emotionally violent toward others, and it is this shame that causes him to sacrifice his own well-being in an effort to gain control and respect over the gunman. As one can see in Emotional Violence, Violence, and Bullet in the Brain the complicated cycle of emotional violence leading to physical violence, due to feelings of shame and disrespect will only end when the deep rooted feelings of shame within a person can be dealt with. Evidence: First source Synthesis: First to Second Source Evidence: Second Source Synthesis Second to Third Source Evidence: Third Source Synthesis: Overall

6. Due Today: Book Club #2 Jobs Tuesday, October 11, 2011 Walk-IN: Sit with your book club group and take out your book, book club jobs, and a new sheet of paper. Learning Objective: • You will increase enjoyment and understanding of a novel by discussion questions, passages, characters, vocabulary, artistic interpretations, and areas of synthesis. Agenda: • Book Club # 2 Homework: Read and prepare for Book Club # 3

7. Book Club before discussion Set up header: Book Club #2 Name: Novel: Date: Jobs: Pages Read: Summary Paragraph • Write a summary paragraph about what happened in your book so far. Include information about the setting, characters, conflict, and any other important ideas or events. When finished, discuss your summaries with your group.

8. Book Club Discussion Question Job Procedures Lead the group in a discussion about each question. Allow everyone in your group to participate before you say anything. Take notes on who said what during the discussion of each question. Once everyone has contributed, share your own ideas about the answer to the question. Repeat with each question Passage Job Procedures Direct your group to that passage in the book, and have them read along with you as you read the passage out loud. Allow everyone in your group to comment on your passage before you say anything about it, and take notes on who said what during discussion. After everyone has participated, share your written explanation with the group. Character Job Procedures Share your Introduction/Update about each character with your group. After sharing about all characters, lead your group in a discussion about relationships, conflicts, and predictions about each character. Allow all members of your group to participate before you offer your own ideas, and take notes on your chart about discussion. Art Job Procedures Present artwork to the group. Allow all members to make observations and ask questions before you say anything about the image, and take notes who said what during discussion. Share your ideas about your image after everyone has participated. Vocabulary Job Procedures Identifyword/phrase/term and direct group to where it appears in the text. Read the sentence/paragraph in which the word appears out loud with the group. Ask the group to share ideas about the word’s meaning and/or significance to the story, and take notes on who said what. After everyone has participated, share your definitions, explanations with the group. Repeat process with each word. Synthesis Job Procedures One example at a time, lead the group in a discussion of each example, how it relates to the question. Allow your group to suggest In-Class and Beyond-Class­ connections BEFORE you suggest any. Fill out your chart as you discuss with your group. For each question, discuss with your group what how all the examples work together to suggest a common answer to each question, the Emerging Message; this should be written in the form of a theme statement.

9. Book Club After discussion • Reflection Paragraph: • In a detailed paragraph, explain how book club increased your enjoyment or understanding of the novel. Include the jobs you enjoyed or helped you better understand and explain how this made you enjoy or understand the book more.

10. Due Today: Wednesday, Oct 12, 2011 Walk-IN: Take out your notes from Monday that you started for your Synthesis writing assignment. Learning Objective: • Students will understand that we can learn about the world and about ourselves when we form purposeful generalizations and draw sound conclusions from a variety of informational texts. • Students will be able to synthesize information to form purposeful generalizations and sound conclusions. Agenda: • Synthesis Essay • Synthesis Brainstorming/Drafting Homework: Read and prepare (two jobs) for Book Club #3

11. Due Today: Book Club #3 Jobs Thursday/Friday, Oct 13-14, 2011 Walk-IN: Sit with your book club group and take out your book, book club jobs, and a new sheet of paper. Learning Objective: • You will increase enjoyment and understanding of a novel by discussion questions, passages, characters, vocabulary, artistic interpretations, and areas of synthesis. Agenda: • Book Club # 3 Homework: Read and prepare for Book Club # 4

12. Book Club before discussion Set up header: Book Club #3 Name: Novel: Date: Jobs: Pages Read: Summary Paragraph • Write a summary paragraph about what happened in your book so far. Include information about the setting, characters, conflict, and any other important ideas or events. When finished, discuss your summaries with your group.

13. Book Club Discussion Question Job Procedures Lead the group in a discussion about each question. Allow everyone in your group to participate before you say anything. Take notes on who said what during the discussion of each question. Once everyone has contributed, share your own ideas about the answer to the question. Repeat with each question Passage Job Procedures Direct your group to that passage in the book, and have them read along with you as you read the passage out loud. Allow everyone in your group to comment on your passage before you say anything about it, and take notes on who said what during discussion. After everyone has participated, share your written explanation with the group. Character Job Procedures Share your Introduction/Update about each character with your group. After sharing about all characters, lead your group in a discussion about relationships, conflicts, and predictions about each character. Allow all members of your group to participate before you offer your own ideas, and take notes on your chart about discussion. Art Job Procedures Present artwork to the group. Allow all members to make observations and ask questions before you say anything about the image, and take notes who said what during discussion. Share your ideas about your image after everyone has participated. Vocabulary Job Procedures Identifyword/phrase/term and direct group to where it appears in the text. Read the sentence/paragraph in which the word appears out loud with the group. Ask the group to share ideas about the word’s meaning and/or significance to the story, and take notes on who said what. After everyone has participated, share your definitions, explanations with the group. Repeat process with each word. Synthesis Job Procedures One example at a time, lead the group in a discussion of each example, how it relates to the question. Allow your group to suggest In-Class and Beyond-Class­ connections BEFORE you suggest any. Fill out your chart as you discuss with your group. For each question, discuss with your group what how all the examples work together to suggest a common answer to each question, the Emerging Message; this should be written in the form of a theme statement.

14. Book Club After discussion • Reflection Paragraph: • In a detailed paragraph, explain how book club increased your enjoyment or understanding of the novel. Include the jobs you enjoyed or helped you better understand and explain how this made you enjoy or understand the book more.

15. Synthesis Paragraph Prompt: Write synthesis paragraph that connects your book club book to other in-class and beyond-text examples to express and support a common emerging message. Your task: Write synthesis paragraph that connects your book club book to other in-class and beyond-text examples. • Express your message as a theme statement in a topic sentence (general) • Present textual evidence from book in 1-2 sentences, preferably in paraphrase form but partial quotes are okay. • Analyze how the textual evidence supports and proves the message. • Repeat ii & iii with two more pieces of evidence from the class, from beyond the class, or both. • Conclude with a summative sentence that connects all evidence/analysis back to the message in topic sentence (specific) Process: • Answer the prompt directly by addressing the novel, the topic, and the message about the topic (general). This is your topic sentence. • Identify & plan your textual evidence (2-3 quotes). • Plan your analysis for each quote: how does the textual evidence support & prove your answer in #1 above?

16. Main Idea: Introduces texts and topic According to the texts, Emotional Violence, Violence, and Bullet in the Brain, when a person experiences emotional violence they often feel disrespected; this disrespect along with prior feelings of shame, will cause a person to lash out in a physically violent manner.Emotional violence can be defined as a denial, shaming, or refusing to acknowledge another person’s feelings or beliefs (Emotional Violence). In the article Emotional Violence it is also stated that a person who is a victim of emotional violence they feels as thought they have not been given “equal importance or respect” and can make this person “feel, powerless, fearful, or angry” (Emotional Violence). These acts of emotional violence, that may seem trivial to many, actually serve as a catalyst for violent physical behavior. In the excerpt from James Gilligan’s book, Violence he interviewed inmates that committed acts of physical violence. A common response that he received from most of the men he interviewed focused on the effects of emotional violence. One inmate said “life ain’t worth nothin’ if I take somebody direspectin’ me” and that “if you ain’t got pride, you got nothin” (Gilligan 107). These acts of emotional violence that take away pride and respect lead to physical violence because the victim feels the need to regain their pride and control. Another inmate stressed this idea when he says, “I never got so much respect before in my life as I did when I first pointed a gun at somebody” (Gilligan 109). This never ending “vicious cycle” as Gilligan calls it, does not “diminish the intensity of shame and replace it” with “pride” because of certain preconditions within the people who commit these acts. This precondition is that these people “feel ashamed—deeply ashamed…over matters that are so trivial…it [is] even more shameful to feel ashamed about them” (Gilligan 111). In the story Bullet in the Brain, by Tobias Wolffthis precondition is present in the main character Anders. Anders is a book critic, with a “murderous temper” who is held hostage during a bank robbery. Throughout the robbery Anders repeatedly becomes emotionally violent toward the people around him. Even with a gun pointed at him, Anders cannot prevent himself from lashing out in an emotionally violent way toward the bank robbers, and is killed. It is not until the reader enters Ander’s mind before his death, that the reason’s for his emotional violence are due to what Gilligan noted as a necessary precondition for senseless acts of violence. Gilligan states that ones“self preservation does not hold” due to being “so overwhelmed by shame that one can only preserve one’s self by sacrificing one’s body” (Gilligan 111). As Anders is dying the reader see glimpses of his past where he cannot remember “his first lover”… “his wife”… “having his ribs kicked in at an anti-war rally” and most importantly he cannot “remember the pleasure of giving respect” (Wolff 160). The fact that Anders does not remember these moments in his life suggests that he is ashamed at what his life has become. This shame is what causes him to act emotionally violent toward others, and it is this shame that causes him to sacrifice his own well-being in an effort to gain control and respect over the gunman. As one can see in Emotional Violence, Violence, and Bullet in the Brain the complicated cycle of emotional violence leading to physical violence, due to feelings of shame and disrespect will only end when the deep rooted feelings of shame within a person can be dealt with. Evidence: First source Evidence: Second Source Synthesis: First to Second Source Synthesis Second to Third Source Evidence: Third Source Synthesis: Overall

17. Synthesis Paragraph: Main Idea/Evidence 1 • According to the texts, Emotional Violence, Violence, and Bullet in the Brain, when a person experiences emotional violence they often feel disrespected; this disrespect along with prior feelings of shame, will cause a person to lash out in a physically violent manner.Emotional violence can be defined as a denial, shaming, or refusing to acknowledge another person’s feelings or beliefs (Emotional Violence). In the article Emotional Violence it is also stated that a person who is a victim of emotional violence feels as thought they have not been given “equal importance or respect” and can make this person “feel, powerless, fearful, or angry” (Emotional Violence).

18. Synthesis Paragraph: Synthesis 1/Evidence 2 • These acts of emotional violence, that may seem trivial to many, actually serve as a catalyst for violent physical behavior. In the excerpt from James Gilligan’s book, Violence, he interviewed inmates that committed these acts. A common response that he received from most of the men he interviewed focused on the effects of emotional violence. One inmate said “life ain’t worth nothin’ if I take somebody direspectin’ me” and that “if you ain’t got pride, you got nothin” (Gilligan 107). These acts of emotional violence that take away pride and respect lead to physical violence because the victim feels the need to regain their pride and control. Another inmate stressed this idea when he says, “I never got so much respect before in my life as I did when I first pointed a gun at somebody” (Gilligan 109). This never ending “vicious cycle” as Gilligan calls it, does not “diminish the intensity of shame and replace it” with “pride” because of certain preconditions within the people who commit these acts. This precondition is that these people “feel ashamed—deeply ashamed…over matters that are so trivial…it [is] even more shameful to feel ashamed about them” (Gilligan 111).

19. Synthesis Paragraph: Synthesis 2/Evidence 2/3 • In the story Bullet in the Brain, by Tobias Wolffthis precondition is present in the main character Anders. Anders is a book critic, with a “murderous temper” who is held hostage during a bank robbery. Throughout the robbery Anders repeatedly becomes emotionally violent toward the people around him. Even with a gun pointed at him, Anders cannot prevent himself from lashing out in an emotionally violent way toward the bank robbers, and is killed. It is not until the reader enters Ander’s mind before his death, that the reason’s for his emotional violence are due to what Gilligan noted as a necessary precondition for senseless acts of violence. Gilligan states that ones “self preservation does not hold” when one is “so overwhelmed by shame that one can only preserve one’s self by sacrificing one’s body” (Gilligan 111). As Anders is dying the reader see glimpses of his past where he cannot remember “his first lover”… “his wife”… “having his ribs kicked in at an anti-war rally” and most importantly he cannot “remember the pleasure of giving respect” (Wolff 160).

20. Synthesis Paragraph: Synthesis 3/Overall and Closing Sentence • The fact that Anders does not remember these moments in his life suggests that he is ashamed at what his life has become. Clearly, shame is what causes people to act emotionally violent toward others, and it is this shame that causes a person to sacrifice his or her own well-being in an effort to gain control and respect over the gunman. As one can see in Emotional Violence, Violence, and Bullet in the Brain the complicated cycle of emotional violence leading to physical violence, due to feelings of shame and disrespect will only end when the deep rooted feelings of shame within a person can be dealt with.