Daniel Darling

Lesson: Chapter 3, Character

 

Homework to prepare for class:

  1. Read Chapter 3
  2. Read the poem “Stonecarver” by Carole Simmons Oles
  3. Compose a list of the following components of the main character of the poem:
    1. What is the character's desire?
    2. What image defines the character?
    3. What is the character's voice? Is it direct or indirect?
    4. How does action define the character?
    5. How does thought define the character?
    6. Is the “Indirect Method” at play?
    7. What's the character's conflict?

 

This homework assignment is intended to play a trick on the students. I believe that most of them will do the assignment based on the “father” of the poem. Parsing the ways that he's characterized makes for some good close-reading of the text and will enforce engagement of the critical concepts of the chapter. However, in class I intend to use discussion of the father to lead the class to the real conflict of the poem, which lies in the character of the narrator.

 

The Plan:

  1. Break the class into small groups (3 or 4) and have them discuss elements a-g of the assignment. This'll get them warmed up. Also, I believe that there'll be a few students who have analyzed the narrator as a character as opposed to the father. That'll get ‘em arguing, hopefully.
  2. After 10 minutes or so, bring them back together and go through a-g as a group. This will allow us/me to paraphrase the critical concepts of the chapter to ensure understanding. We'll focus on the father character, because he's easy to parse into his characterizing elements.
  3. When we get to conflict, I expect it to be defined as such: the father's conflict is that he's crippled, making his desires—art, holding hands with his wife, basic skills of living—impossible to fulfill. In this case, conflict is primarily created by juxtaposing current habitual action with past habitual action.
  4. At this point I'll pose a question: where's the real conflict of this poem? At this point I expect someone, maybe everyone, to say that the real conflict lies in the narrator, the “you,” not in the father.
  5. Address a-g for the narrator.

 

The goal of this plan is not only to teach the critical concepts of the chapter, but use the two different characters to show how differently the techniques of the chapter can be employed. Also, to emphasize that the narrator is a character, who must also be developed.

 

Whaddaya think?

 

--dan darling