Samantha Tetangco

Pedagogy Response: Teaching Hass's “A Story About the Body”

The class would look as follows, assuming that I were to teach a TuTh class:

11:00-11:10 – Reading the Poem aloud a first time. During this time, students will decide try to decide which of the following comments about stories are most fitting:

•  John Gardner's “ there are only two stories: someone went on a journey and a stranger came to town .”

•  Yaddo's idea that “Everything [a fiction writer] write[s] is the same: two worlds collide; a love story.”

•  “A clash between cultures, the Insider encountering The Other.

11:10-11:20 – Discussion: Chapter 5, the Elements of a story according to IW

11:20-11:30 – Read the Poem aloud a second time. During this read, students will listen and respond to the following questions:

•  Who is the Protagonist/Antagonist?

•  What information are we given in the beginning lines of Exposition in terms of background and setting?

•  How does Hass transition into scene?

•  What is the conflict/complication that presents itself?

•  What is the crisis action?

•  What is the falling action/denouement?

11:30-11:40 - Discussion of findings

11:40-11:45 – Read the Poem aloud a third and final time. This time thinking about IW 's definition of a dynamic character: “A dynamic character is someone capable of change. The encounter or collision of one character with others will force such change, and the story is the process of that change.” Is the narrator a dynamic character? If so, how does he change?

11:45-11:50 – Final Discussion of the above, but more importantly to get at the heart of what they see as the purpose/function of the bowl of dead bees at the ending.

11:50-12:05 – Write: Using a half sheet of binder paper, students will write a short poem with the structure of this piece/the chapter in mind. 2-3 lines of exposition to set up background and setting which lead into a conflict that changes one character's initial desires. If they want, it could also end with an unexpected gift. Or not.

12:05-12:15 – READ their stories aloud in class.

Explanation for Class Teaching Timeline:

First, it would teach students the power of re-reading. By re-focusing their attentions each time, ideally, new things will come out of the text that they might not have seen before.

Second, at the same time as they are learning to appreciate re-reading, we are also emphasizing the elements of a Story presented in Chapter 5.

Third, the two combined would help to answer the prevailing “Poetic” question of “What is the deal with that bowl of dead bees?” And also hopefully illuminate other inherent elements in the story, such as the representation of race, gender, and the male ideal.

And Finally, by ending the class with a writing exercise that directly mimics this short piece, it will start layering the elements of a story into their subconscious. The reading aloud of these pieces will also mimic the reading aloud of the Poem at the start of class.