Eh 200 Summer 2010 Class 5

Housekeeping:

Group Work: (Suggested: 10 minutes)

Plot = the series of events in a story that are linked by causal relationships.

Groups need to chart out the plot of “The Untold Lie.” We will be sharing these in class.

Group Presentations: (Suggested: 5-7 minutes)

In-class Writing: (Suggested: 10 Minutes)

Identify two major plot points in “The Gift of the Magi” that can be connected with the idea of play.

Discuss this connection with the terms we have been learning so far this semester:

PLAY: activities undertaken for amusement.

INCOME: An individual’s financial means with respect to the financial means of other people within a given community or region.

CLASS: An individual’s behavior with respect to the social standards of his or her community or region.

LOWER-INCOME: Generally, to lack the financial means to choose the materials one uses to meet basic needs: clothing, shelter, food, ect.

SETTING: The geographic and social situation within which action occurs.

BOREDOM:  The inability to demonstrate your desired level of “class” within a given “setting.”

Group Work: (Suggested: 10 Minutes)

Discuss findings and come up with a group statement that expresses how at least two events from the plot can be connected to play with the concepts we have been considering in class.

Group Presentations: (Suggested: 5-7 minutes)

Class Discussion (Suggested: 5-10 minutes)

Break

Mini-Lecture: (Suggested: 5-10 Minutes)

Abstract thinking..What is it and how can it help me?

Abstract Thinking: Thinking characterized by the ability to use several concepts to make and understand arguments. The ability to understand the properties shared by a variety of specific items or events.

Now that we have thought about plot, we can begin to think about how an understanding of class, setting, and plot can inform our understanding of each of these subjects.

Class, Income, and Setting often help us understand the specific events that tie together the individual moments that make up the Plot of a story.

At the same time, a consideration of Plot can lead us to greater insights into class, income, and setting.

It is important to consider a story from multiple angles: Class, Setting, Plot, etc…

These are called “frames,” and I will be using that term a lot during the rest of the semester.

Mini-Lecture in Action: (Suggested: 10 Minutes)

Groups look at “The Untold Lie” for these interconnected details and find a way to describe their larger significance.

You are essentially making an mini-argument.

Group Presentations: (Suggested: 5-7 Minutes)

Transition into Unit Two: The World of Work!

We are going to begin transitioning into Unit Two today, which will be focused on the World of Work. To help get us into the mind set, I want us to spend some time with another journal exercise

In-class Writing: (Suggested 10 minutes)

• Describe in specific detail your best and worst workplace experiences. Use the terms we have been discussing so far.

Group Discussion: (Suggested 10-15 minutes)

• Come up with a list of your collective employment thus far.
  

• Are the skill sets required for these jobs interchangeable?  If so, what might this tell you about your collective work experience?
  

• What are some important life lessons you learned while on these jobs, or habits you have picked up?

General Report: (Suggested: 3-5 minutes)

1. Group discussion: Do you think your group findings relate to “The Untold Lie” by Sherwood Anderson and “The Gift of the Magi” by O. Henry?

In-Class Journal/New Concept: Tone: (Suggested: 7 minutes)

• Part One: What does the word “tone” mean to you when it is used to describe the feelings or intent behind a conversation, event, or set of circumstances?

• Is it possible for a story to have a tone? If so, what would you say the general tone of either “The Untold Lie” by Sherwood Anderson or “The Gift of The Magi” would be. You need to back this up with specific details. Look to your understanding of class, setting, and plot in these stories as you are searching for evidence.

Class Discussion of group findings.(Suggested: 7 Minutes)

• Tone is perhaps the most abstract concept the class has tackled so far, and, at this level, it can only be reasonably addressed through examples that actually appear in the text.

Tone: An emotional quality or aspect of a literary work. The way the story makes you “feel.”

Precis:

Issues: MLA Citation, except for the name.

Watch out for your own opinion or argument: it has no place here.

When you present a word as a word  — “reprobate” — you put it in quotes.

Don’t forget to cite! Don’t forget your evidence, especially in the thesis section.

Homework:

One page on the “tone” or a “tone” in either “The Untold Lie” or “The Gift of the Magi.” How is the tone created by details that relate to class, income, setting, ect…?

Revise Precis on “The Untold Lie” for final grade.