Unit Objectives: The students will be able to show their understanding of various
aspects of literature including point of view, irony, and symbolism. They should be able
to define what each of these and be able to pick them out of texts. The will also be able
to use these aspects in their own writing. Knowing these aspects of literature will make
them better readers and literature critics.
Teacher: Jill Wieser
Dates: Monday
Title of Unit: Writing about Literature
Title of lesson: Point of view
Objectives: The student will demonstrate the knowledge of point of view by rewriting
“A Rose for Emily” from a different point of view.
The student will define point of view.
Materials: text “A Rose for Emily”, paper and writing utensil or computer
Previous Assignment: read the text “A Rose for Emily” and fill out study guide as they
are reading
Activities: Class will discuss the story with the use of discussion questions the teacher
has prepared.
*What is the meaning of the title?
*What does the narrator first describe the house as?
*When we first meet Emily how does the narrator describe her?
Why do you think the narrator moved back and forth in time and not in chronological
order?
What are the attitudes of the men and women of each generation towards Emily?
How does the history of insanity help the development of the story?
*What is “tableau” and what does it suggest about Emily and her father?
Toward the end of section two, “The day after his death all the ladies prepared to call at
the house and offer condolence and aid, as is custom. Miss Emily met then at the door,
dressed as usual and with no trace of grief on her face. She told them that her father was
not dead.” How does this foreshadow the ending?
*Why do you suppose the Negro man stayed with Emily and then disappeared after she
died?
Why did the narrator withhold the fact until the last line?
In what ways do the implications of the last line illuminate all the other elements in this
story?
What details in the description of Miss Emily prepare the reader for the end?
Are there other clues to the ending given in the text?
Did the ending surprise you?
*Whose point of view is the story coming from?
What in the story tells you that?
Is the point of view biased?
How does the use of the narrator affect your response?
Why does the narrator never use “I”?
Does the omission of I make you believe the author more?
Look at he end of section three where Emily is with the druggist. The narrator states,
“When she opened the package at home there was written on the box, under the skill and
bones: ‘For Rats.’” What is the narrator’s source for such intimate details of Miss
Emily’s life?
Do you imagine the narrator writing this story or telling it to someone?
When, where, and why is the narrator writing or telling the story?
Evaluation: The students will be graded on their completion of the study guide
Assignment: The students will be asked to think about the point of view of the story and
come prepared with some ideas of what point of view is for the next class period.
Teacher: Jill Wieser
Dates: Tuesday
Title of Unit: Writing about Literature
Title of lesson: Point of view
Objectives: The student will demonstrate the knowledge of point of view by rewriting
“A Rose for Emily” from a different point of view.
The student will define point of view.
Materials: text “A Rose for Emily”, paper and writing utensil or computer
Activities: The students will be asked to give a definition of point of view. The teacher
will write the comments the student’s make on the board and these comments will be
used to make one definition of what the class feels the definition of point of view is. The
teacher will make sure that the students include all of the important aspects necessary for
a complete definition.
Point of View: vantage point from which a narrative is told; can be first person (I), third
person (he/she/they) or second person (you) rarely
Whose point of view is the story coming from?
What in the story tells you that?
Is the point of view biased?
How does the use of the narrator affect your response?
Why does the narrator never use “I”?
Does the omission of I make you believe the author more?
(The teacher will explain that first person point of view can be unreliable or naïve and
can distort matters that the reader can detect)
Look at he end of section three where Emily is with the druggist. The narrator states,
“When she opened the package at home there was written on the box, under the skill and
bones: ‘For Rats.’” What is the narrator’s source for such intimate details of Miss
Emily’s life?
(The teacher will explain to the students about omniscient and limited third person point
of view – omniscient is an all-knowing narrator who can recount the action and the
thoughts of the characters; limited recounts the point of view through one character and
are told the story as that character sees or understands it and are generally and observer or
participant in the action)
What type of view is being used in “A Rose For Emily?”
Do you imagine the narrator writing this story or telling it to someone?
When, where, and why is the narrator writing or telling the story?
Two students will be asked to roll play a fight. Each student will write what occurred.
Students will share with the class their versions. Class will compare versions.
How are they different?
How are they the same?
How does point of view affect the story we are told?
Evaluation: Student will be graded on completing study guide of questions used to aid in
class discussion.
The student will be graded on taking a different point of view and rewriting “A Rose For
Emily” from a different view.
Assignment: The students will be asked to think about point of view in “A Rose For
Emily.” We know whose point of view the story is coming from, but what would th
other characters have to say? Pick another character (Emily, Toby) and rewrite “A Rose
for Emily” using what you think that character would think about the events of the story.
How would one of the other characters tell this story? The student will then comment if
the version they wrote changed the story. Did you answer questions you had after
reading Faulkner’s version?
Teacher: Jill Wieser
Dates: Wednesday
Title of Unit: Writing about Literature
Title of lesson: Point of View
Objectives: The students will be able to define what point of view is as well as, what the
different point of views that can be used are, and be able to tell which point of view is
being used in certain texts, in particular “A Rose for Emily”
Materials: text “The Necklace”
Activities: The students will read their versions of “A Rose for Emily” to the class. The
class will discuss the differences and similarities of the stories.
How did the story change?
How did it stay the same?
Did you feel differently about the characters?
Did you grow to like/hate one of them that you hadn’t before?
Did you gain sympathy for Emily?
Lose sympathy?
How would you now define point of view?
What types of point of view can a story in general have?
Evaluation: The students will be graded on sharing their version of the story with the
class.
Assignment: Read “The Necklace” by Guy de Maupassant
Teacher: Jill Wieser
Dates: Thursday
Title of Unit: Writing about Literature
Title of lesson: Irony
Objectives: The students will be able to define what irony is.
The students will be able to find irony in texts, especially “The Necklace.”
Materials: text “The Necklace”
Activities: The class will discuss the action of the story “The Necklace.”
How would you describe Mrs. Loisel?
What was the present her husband had for her?
Why was Mrs. Loisel not happy about getting to attend the party?
What are the two suggestions her husband has for her about not having accessories for
her dress?
What was the excuse they came up with about why they had lost the jewels?
How did they pay for a new necklace?
The class will discuss the irony in the ending. The class will dig into the text to see if
they can find any clues in the author’s writing that may have given away the ending.
Is it a trick ending?
Were there any clues that the jewels were paste given at the beginning of the story?
The students will then discuss the meaning of the story.
If Madame Loisel had told the truth, how would that have changed the course of the
story?
Would there be irony in the story if the woman had never discovered the true nature of
the jewels?
What would you define irony as?
(Contradiction; types - between what someone says and what he or she actually means,
between what appears to be true and what actually is true, between what someone expects
to happen and what actually does; irony can be applied to events, situations, and
structural elements of works)
Evaluation: participation in discussion and answering all of the questions below in their
essay
Assignment: The students will write a one-page essay answering the following question:
What do you think happens next? Finish the story. Then answer these questions: What
would you do if you were Madame Loisel? Would you have told the truth right away or
done the same? What is your rationale for believing that?
Teacher: Jill Wieser
Dates: Friday
Title of Unit: Writing about Literature
Title of lesson: Symbolism
Objectives: The students will be able to pick out examples of symbolism in short stories.
The students will be able to define what symbolism is.
The student will be able to name situations where symbolism occurred in “The
Chrysanthemums.”
The students will be able to explain the symbolism in each symbolic situation in “The
Chrysanthemums.”
Materials: “The Chrysanthemums”
Activities: The class will work write their own definition of what a symbol is. The class
will break into small groups and write criteria/definition of what symbolism is. The
teacher will write the group responses on the board and the class will decide what aspects
are needed and what ones aren’t that important. The teacher will help with the definition
if the students are struggling by prompting. The teacher will make sure all the necessary
elements are included in the definition.
(Represents or suggest other things; suggests something bigger and more complex than
what is often appears at face value)
The students will be asked to give examples of symbols that they know of in their
everyday life. (ex. American Flag = freedom)
What is the importance of symbols?
Why would someone use symbolism?
The class will begin reading “The Chrysanthemums” in class and asked to keep
symbolism in their mind as they read and write down the situations they feel have irony
in them
Evaluation: participating in a group and coming up with a definition of symbolism
Assignment: Finish reading “The Chrysanthemums”
Teacher: Jill Wieser
Dates: Monday
Title of Unit: Writing about Literature
Title of lesson: Symbolism 2
Objectives: The students will be able to pick out symbolism in John Steinbeck’s “The
Chrysanthemums”
Materials: text “The Chrysanthemums”
Activities: The students will discuss the rest of the story.
Describe each of the characters (Elisa, Henry, and the salesman).
How would you describe Henry and Elisa’s marriage? Give details from the text to
support answer.
For what motive does the traveling salesman take an interest in Elisa’s chrysanthemums?
What immediate effect does his interest have on Elisa?
For what possible purpose does Steinbeck give us such a detailed account of Elisa’s
preparations for her evening out?
How do you interpret Elisa’s asking for wine with dinner?
How do you account for her new interest in prizefights?
What is the theme of this story in one sentence?
What does the wire fence represent?
Why are Elisa Allen’s chrysanthemums so important to this story? Sum up what you
understand them to mean.
The students will be asked to name the situations where Steinbeck uses symbolism in the
story. How did he use the symbolism?
Did the way Steinbeck used symbolism in his story match the definition that they made?
Evaluation: The students will be graded on creating a list of symbolic situations
Assignment: Study for test.
Teacher: Jill Wieser
Dates: Tuesday
Title of Unit: Writing about Literature
Title of lesson: Evaluation
Objectives: The students will be able to define, point of view, irony, and symbolism.
The students will be able to answer comprehension questions about the story.
The students will be able to give examples of literary aspects in a story.
Materials: Test and pencil or pen
Activities: The students will have the class period to complete the test.
Evaluation: The students will be graded on answering the test questions
Assignment: The students will start reading “The Glass Menagerie” by Tennessee
Williams in the time left in class.