“Genesis” notes from the Bible. Do you know that the Bible has influenced western literature and
culture for hundreds of years?
Group of five students will analyze TWO assigned sections of “Genesis”:
a and f _______________________________________________________________________________
b and g _______________________________________________________________________________
c and h _______________________________________________________________________________
d and i _______________________________________________________________________________
e. and j ______________________________________________________________________________
INSTRUCTIONS
a. Write a descriptive summary of the most important stories. Keep it simple so that your peers will not get lost in too much
detail.
b. Include a quotation from the Bible section for each main story you are assigned (a, b, c, or d). You do not need a quote
for e, f, g or h.
c. Find a quotation from literature (novel, play, poem) or a movie which is either directly (obviously) or indirectly (not so
obviously) referring to an event or person in “Genesis.” Cite in parentheses after the quote where the quote is from.
d. Create a Powerpoint with brief summaries of each story and the Bible quote and one other quote.
e. Create a slide which discusses, with examples, the formal style of language of the Bible. Should be brief.
f. Add two paintings as slides to Powerpoint. Paintings should be by different painters and should illustrate the same scene
of a story you have summarized for the class. Be prepared to explain what is important (emphasized) or unimportant (may
even be missing) in each painting based on what you know of the story.
g. A slide showing the Works Cited for both your quotes (Bible + other).
h. Your group should collaborate on the summaries and the quotation from literature/movie which relates to it. You will
present the stories and quotes to the class orally and through the use of Powerpoint (a typed description on a slide, a copy
of a painting, etc.). The stories are easy to find online: http://www.bartleby.com/108/. Make sure that tasks are assigned
equitably. Each group member must speak during presentation.
COMMON CORE STANDARDS
RL1 – cite textual evidence to support analysis of what a text says. Gather a quotation from your assigned section.
RL4-discuss language of Bible. Explain how language sets a formal tone and evokes a time and a place. Characterize
biblical language. What do you notice about it? How is it different from modern language? This will be most clear if
you read The King James’ version of the Bible.
RL7 - analyze two paintings which represent your assigned scene from “Genesis.” What is emphasized or absent in
each painting?
RL9- connect Bible to later authors/Shakespeare/Golding, etc.
“Genesis” Sections:
a.
Group 1 - Genesis 1-6: Creation, Eden, Adam and Eve.
Description of stories here. You will be assigned TWO sections; each section may have several stories.
Quote from “Genesis”: “Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field” (The English
Standard Bible, Gen. 3.1).
(Book chapter, verse).
Quote from literature related to Eden: “All novels, all poetry, are built on the never-ending contest in
ourselves of good and evil. And it occurs to me that evil must constantly respawn, while good, while virtue,
is immortal. Vice has always a new fresh young face, while virtue is venerable as nothing else in the world
is” (Steinbeck 413).
b.
(Author’s last name and page).
Group 2 - Cain and Abel, Lamech, idea of wickedness.
Quote directly related to serpent story from Shakespeare: “The serpent that did sting thy father’s life/Now wears his
crown” (Hamlet. I. v. 39-40).
c.
(Play. Act. Scene. Line numbers).
Group 3 - Genesis 6-11: Noah’s Ark, the Flood, Noah’s drunkenness, the Tower of Babel.
Quote directly related to The Flood: “I would love you ten years before The Flood” (Marvell).
(Last name of poet).
d.
Group 4 - Genesis 12-17: Abraham, Sarah, Lot, covenant, Hagar and Ishmael, circumcision.
Quote directly related to Ishmael: “Call me Ishmael” (Melville 1).
e.
(Last name of author and page).
Group 5 - Genesis 18-22: Abraham's visitors, Sodomites, Lot’s visitors and flight, Hagar expelled, binding
of Isaac.
Quote directly related to Sodomites from a movie: “I’ll pull you out of that one-bunk Hilton and cast you
down with the Sodomites” (Darabont).
(Director’s last name).
f. Genesis 23-28: Sarah buried, Rebekah for Isaac, Esau and Jacob, Esau's birthright, Isaac’s blessing.
g. Genesis 28-36: Jacob flees, Rachel, Leah, Laban, Jacob’s children and departure, Jacob’s reunion with
Esau, the rape of Dinah.
h. Genesis 37-43: Joseph's dreams, coat, and slavery, Judah with Tamar, Joseph and Potiphar, Pharaoh’s
dream, Joseph's in government.
i. Genesis 44-47: Joseph’s brothers visit Egypt, Joseph reveals himself, Jacob moves to Egypt.
j. Genesis 47-50: Jacob’s blessings, death of Jacob and of Joseph.
SAMPLE Works Cited:
Works Cited
Marvell, Andrew. “To His Coy Mistress.” poetry.rapgenius.com. 18 Jul. 2013. Web.
Melville, Herman. Moby Dick. New York: G.K. Hall, 1992. Print.
Shakespeare, William. Hamlet. Ed. Harold Jenkins. London: Methuen, 1982. Print.
Steinbeck, John. East of Eden. London: Penguin Classics, 1952. Print.
The English Standard Bible. New York: Oxford University Press, 2009. Print.
The Shawshank Redemption. Dir. Frank Darabont. Perf. Tim Robbins, Morgan Freeman. Castle Rock
Entertainment, 1994. Film.
YOU WILL ONLY HAVE TWO CITATIONS – Bible and one other (literature or movie) from a, b, c, or
d. I put five to show you how to cite a poem, a novel, a Shakespeare play (drama), the Bible, and a movie.
1.
Slide for each story summary. Read each slide aloud. = 100 each up to 500
2.
Slide for quote from Bible. = 50
3.
Slide for quote from other source. = 100
4.
Slide of painting 1 (title and painter). = 50
5.
Slide of painting 2 (title and painter). = 50
6.
Slide of analysis of paintings’ similarities and differences and how much the paintings connect to the
story. What the paintings reveal that is similar and different? What is missing that you expected to
see based on the story? = 100
7.
Slide of Bible language analysis. Brief. Should include some samples of language. Do not need to cite.
= 50
8.
Slide for Works Cited. = 100
Many paintings from the Renaissance depict stories from “Genesis.” A simple search on google images should show
many paintings. Sometimes, though, you may need to change your search words. When I looked up ‘Lot,” I did not
get the biblical ‘Lot.’ I had to type ‘Lot and Sodom’ to find the relevant paintings. There are so many paintings of
Bible scenes that these should be easy to find. POINTS: 1000 points.