1 / 6

Unraveling Symbolism: Adolescence and Loss in 'The Gangster We Are All Looking For'

Dive deep into the narrative transformation in Ch. 2 of the book exploring elemental symbols, perspectives, and familial relationships. Uncover the significance of water, palm, and the haunting metaphor of war as a bird with a broken wing. Delve into the complexities of adolescence and loss, as the narrator navigates her past and present through symbols and language. Explore the intriguing link between the father and the bones of birds in this poignant novel.

marcus
Download Presentation

Unraveling Symbolism: Adolescence and Loss in 'The Gangster We Are All Looking For'

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Presentation – Wed 1/30 • Julie • Avery • NO CLASS FRIDAY • Quizzes back at end of class Announcements

  2. “war is a bird” The Gangster We Are All Looking For, Chs 2-4

  3. How has the narrator changed from ch 1 to ch 2? • Elemental symbols  palm vs water (54) • Why is Ma so upset? • What could the water symbolize? The palm? • Multiplicity of symbolism  palm tree vs palm of the hand (64) • perspective and language redux (71) • Adolescence is inextricable from the realization of loss • “I stood in that small room and wept into the desert of my palms” (77) palm

  4. “Ma says war is a bird with a broken wing flying over the countryside, trailing blood and burying crops in sorrow… War has no beginning and no end. It crosses oceans like a splintered boat filled with people singing a sad song” p. 87

  5. Who is the gangster we are all looking for? • How do you characterize the relationship between Ma and Ba? • What does Ba represent to Ma when she first meets him? (80) • the gangster, the rebel, the dreamer • When and why does the narrator say that she wants to be the gangster they are all looking for? (93) The Gangster We Are All Looking For

  6. What kind of father is the narrator’s dad? What is their relationship like? • Why does the narrator believe that she sees her future in her father? (116) • When language fails… • “He apologized for what his hands had done… [and] for all that his hands had not been able to do” (118) • “Are you hungry?” (119) • “Do you understand?” (122) • Why is the father linked to the image of the bones of birds? (124) The Bones of Birds

More Related