“Raymond’s Run” by Toni Cade Bambara

1. “Raymond’s Run” by Toni Cade Bambara Connection, Allusions, Making Judgments & Dialect

2. Journal Entry Prompt(mandatory!) Squeaky, the narrator of the story you are about to read, is a tough, smart, funny, streetwise girl with strong opinions. She thinks she can tell what other people are like just from the way they look and talk. Like many of us, she sometimes forgets that there’s much more to people than what appears on the surface. Have you ever been surprised to discover something new about someone? Tell me about the situation and what you learned.

3. Literary Focus: Style--Allusions Squeaky (the female narrator) likes allusions, especially to mythology & to an old TV show called Gunsmoke. An allusion is a reference to something in current events, on TV, in history, in literature, and so on. When writer’s use allusions, they expect readers to understand what they are referring to. Usually allusions refer to an aspect of culture that people share—literature, history, religion, mythology, politics, sports. The risk in using allusions is that some people may not make the connections. Sometimes allusions become dated. Footnotes in “Raymond’s Run” explain a few allusions that may not make sense to you.

4. Allusions • Allusion--a reference to something in current events, on TV, in history, in literature, and so on. • Squeaky’s allusions reveal the following about her interests and education: _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

5. Literary Focus: Style--Dialect When you read this story, you hear Squeaky’s own true voice—her dialect. A dialect is a way of speaking that is characteristic of a certain geographical area or a certain group of people. Dialect can involve special pronunciation, vocabulary, and grammar. Everyone speaks a dialect of some kind. No matter how close your dialect is to standard English, it will still show a regional or group differences. Dialect is used by writers to capture the voice of a particular person. Squeaky and most of the other characters in “Raymond’s Run” speak in a dialect used in Harlem, a neighborhood in New York City.

6. Literary Focus: Style--Dialect • Dialect--a way of speaking that is characteristic of a certain geographical area or group of people. • In the following sentence from “Raymond’s Run,” what do you think the italicized words mean? • “’I don’t think you’re going to win this time,’ says Rosie, trying to signify with her hands on her hips all salty, completely forgetting that I have whuppedher behind many times for less salt than that” (Cade Bambara 370). • How would you say the same sentence in the dialect from someone from your neighborhood?

7. Reading Skills: Making Judgments As you read, you continuously make judgments about what you are reading. You form opinions about the story’s characters, plot, and style. You decide if the plot or characters are believable. You find that you like or dislike individual characters or the way the story is told. As the story goes on, you might revise your judgments. As you read, “Raymond’s Run,” make notes on your judgment about the story’s characters, events, and style. See if your feelings change as the story progresses.

8. Reading Skills: Making Judgments Judgments about characters: Judgments about events: Judgments about style: AFTER THE STORY: Which judgments did you make that changed? Which did not? Explain.

9. Driving Question:What is the “American Dream”? According to Cade Bambara, the “American Dream” consists of ____________________, _____________________, and _____________________. She shows this in her story “Raymond’s Run” by ________________________.