Subject : English Literature
Date: March 20-24, 2023
Teacher:
Duration: 3 Sessions
Topic: To Da Duh, in Memoriam
Grade: Form 301-305
Attainment Targets/ General Objectives
●
Read for meaning, fluency and enjoyment of texts, using a variety of clues to gain
information and identify ideas and events
● Use deduction and inference to interpret information and ideas and to predict
outcomes
● Connect experiences and ideas in text to their own live
Specific Objectives
1. watch YouTube videos in order to make notes of the various elements .
At the end of the lesson students should
be able to:
2. read the short story To Da Duh in Memoriam in order to examine the different
elements.
3. identify and discuss the use of narrative/figurative devices in the text.
4. analyse the interrelatedness of the elements of plot, setting, themes and narrative
techniques.
5. write the events in chronological order after analysing how setting and characters
influence plot.
6. respond to questions on the plot using the short answer format.
NSLC Competencies
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Oral Communication
Written Communication
Exploration/Research/Investigation
Critical Thinking
Problem-Solving
Learning Application
Self-Management
Creativity, Originality and Initiative
Collaboration/Cooperative Teamwork
Digital Literacy/Citizenship
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Leadership
Entrepreneurial Skills
Environmental Awareness
S- Students will discuss the psychology of Da-Duh as
well as the presence of social scientific terms such as:
STREAM

colonialism

imperialism

neo-colonialism
T-Students will use technology to:

view the media for the introductory activities

watch YouTube videos

research the history of Barbados
R- Students will read the story in order to provide
analysis and respond to the given questions.
E- Recreate a scene from Da-Duh’s Barbados (present
or historical)
A- Students will produce a creative pieces depicting
the difference between the two worlds in To Da
Duh in Memoriam.
M- Students will calculate the dates of the following:

Imperial colonisation of Barbados

Emancipation of British colonies

Bajan Independence
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

Instructional Aids
A World of Prose by Hazel
Key Vocabulary
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Emancipation
Simmonds- McDonald and Mark

Independence
McWatt

Colonialism
Pre-prepared descriptions of

Imperialism

Neo-colonialism
characters

Pre-prepared questions and
activities on
Useful links:
https://newworldjournal.org/volumes/b
arbados-independence-issue/to-DaDuh-in-memoriam/
Content Outline
Lesson Execution
5E Model
Students will:
Engage Students will do one of the following:
1.
view media about Barbados, including the country’s:
 flag
 colonial history
~3~
Reference Texts/ Details

scenes from the colonial past vs scenes from the when the story was written
2. research the country of Barbados and calculate the following:
 Imperial colonisation of Barbados

Emancipation of British colonies

Bajan Independence
Explore Students will re-read aspects of the short story indicated by the teacher. This is as students should have read the prescribed story
before coming to class. Students will then discuss the extent to which Barbados’ colonial past influenced the characters in the story.
Explain Students will discuss the differences between the two contrasting worlds of the narrator and Da-Duh. Students will discuss the
various elements of a story and narrative techniques found in the story.
Elaborate Students will, in groups of four, recreate a scene from Da-Duh’s Barbados (present or historical). Students will share and discuss
their creations with the class.
Evaluate Students will produce a creative piece depicting the difference between the two worlds in To Da Duh in Memoriam.
LESSON REFLECTION
Form
~4~
Was there classroom disruptions or student behaviour issues?
How prepared and organized were the resources/materials?
What went well with the lesson?
To what extent were goals/objectives achieved?
How was Differentiated Instruction catered to?
Method of Assessment
Reflective Practitioner
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Other Lesson Resources
Activity 1 (Narrative Point of View Review)
Respond to the items on the narrator by writing TRUE if the statement is accurate and FALSE if the statement is inaccurate .
1. The narrator is a 9 year old boy from Brooklyn,
New York.
__________________
2. The narrator’s maternal grandmother Da-Duh is
from Barbados.
__________________
3. The writer uses first person narration to reflect
the experiences of the narrator
__________________
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4. The narrator tells many stories of New York
that Dah- Duh finds frightening and strange.
5. When the narrator first met Da-Duh her
questions were similar to the act of challenging her
grandmother rather than understanding or
appreciating the life she lived.
6. As a grown adult, the narrator appears to have a
deeper appreciation for how Da-Duh lived her life.
___________________
____________________
_____________________
Activity 2 (Character Review)
Read the selected then provide an analysis of what is read. The analysis should include the device used in the text and its meaning and the
messages conveyed by the writer.
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1. “...I was still somewhat blinded from
the dazzling sheen of tropical
sunlight..”
2. “...I finally made out the small,
purposeful, painfully erect figure of
the old woman headed our way.”
3. “...the details of her slight body and
of the struggle taking place within it
were clear enough.”
4. “There was an intense, unrelenting
contest between her back which was
beginning to bend ever so slightly
under the weight of her eighty odd
years, and the rest of her which
sought to deny those years and hold
that back straight, keep it in line.”
5. “...the light in the long severe old-
fashioned white dress she
wore…”
“...the darkness in her black hightop shoes, and in her face…”
6. “My mother, who was such a
formidable figure in my eyes, had
suddenly with a word been
reduced to my status.”
.
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Literature Review Summary
Paule Marshall's short story "To Da-Duh, In Memoriam" was first published in 1967 and later included in her 1983 collection Reena, and
Other Stories. Marshall was the daughter of parents who were part of the first wave of Barbadian migrants to the US. Growing up in
Brooklyn, she was strongly influenced by Caribbean origins of language and culture, which in the story are personified by the character of
her grandmother, Da-Duh.
As a child, the author visited her grandmother in Barbados, and this autobiographical tale - told from a retrospective, adult point of view recaptures that visit as a quest for identity through the generational bond and conflict between two strong women, as well as the transition
from traditional, rural island customs to modern, urban ways of life that frames their relationship.
Source: https://www.supersummary.com/to-Da-Duh-in-memoriam/summary/
Plot Summary (An examination of how characters, settings and themes enhance plot)
Paule Marshall may be exploring the theme of conflict between families of different nationalities, cultures and generations. Not only is there
a sense of conflict between the narrator and Da-Duh but both their worlds are in contrast to one another. The narrator is from New York City
(urban) while Da-Duh lives in St. Thomas, Barbados (rural). It is as though both the narrator’s world and Da-Duh’s world are in conflict with
one another. Something that is noticeable is that Da-Duh thinks that the narrator may be lying about New York. It is as though Da-Duh cannot
imagine what it is like in New York. She has nothing in Barbados to compare it to. The narrator is allowing Da-Duh to vicariously experience
that environment through her and enhancing her understanding or knowledge. This is somewhat ironic considering that she is the younger of
the two. Usually one expects a young person to learn from their elders. However this is not necessarily the case in the story. Both characters
take something from the other. However, the narrator does not realise this till the end of the story.
It is important for the narrator and Da-Duh to be seen spending so much time together as symbolically Marshall may be exploring the theme
of connection. Da-Duh is the oldest of her family while the narrator is one of the youngest of her family. Despite this, there is a sense that both
are connected even if Da-Duh has no understanding of what life might be like in New York for the narrator. It is also noticeable that both DaDuh and the narrator are confident people. Something which may be important as it heightens the sense of conflict that may exist between both
characters. Neither character seems to completely trust the other. Something that is noticeable by the fact that Da-Duh looks into the narrator’s
face to see if she is lying when the narrator is talking about New York. Both characters are also proud of where they come from. Particularly
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Da-Duh. To her, Barbados is the world. She cannot imagine a life outside of Barbados. If anything Da-Duh also regrets the introduction of
machinery. It is as though a moment in time has been changed due to new technology coming to Barbados.
A review of the literature maintains that Marshall is seemingly suggesting that socially both Da-Duh and the narrator are different. The incident
with the narrator beating up the white girl because she spoke negatively to the narrator is something that is foreign to Da-Duh. While the
narrator would see herself as being a white person’s equal, Da-Duh would not. If anything Da-Duh believes in a racial hierarchy with white
people being superior to black people. This suggests that the confidence that the narrator shows throughout the story is not mirrored by DaDuh’s beliefs. Similarly, the narrator embraces technology while Da-Duh has difficulty accepting that times have changed. She does not believe
that technology can have its benefits. This could be important as symbolically Marshall may be using the advances in technology over DaDuh’s life to highlight further the sense of distance that exists between both Da-Duh’s and the narrator’s world. Da-Duh cannot accept
technology while it has been a significant part of the narrator’s life so it is easier for her to accept it. Despite the differences between Da-Duh’s
world and the narrator’s world, both seem to enjoy each other’s company.
The end of the story is also interesting as the reader senses that after Da-Duh has died and the narrator has grown up. She cannot forget her
time with Da-Duh. This feeling becomes clearer to the narrator when she isolates herself in her apartment. She regrets the fact that there are
machines downstairs which disturb her while she is painting. It is as though the narrator longs for the simplicity reflected in Da-Duh’s life.
She may not have understood Da-Duh when she was a nine year old girl but as a woman she appears to have a deeper appreciation for how
Da-Duh lived her life. Marshall may be suggesting that when an individual is as young as the narrator was when she met Da-Duh, he or she
might not fully understand his or her experiences or the benefits of these experiences with their elders. When the narrator first met Da-Duh
her questions were similar to the act of challenging her grandmother rather than understanding or appreciating the life she lived. The narrator
defended her own world without really looking at the beauty of Da-Duh’s world. To the narrator, Da-Duh’s world was a world that was lost
in time. The opposite to her own world. However, in adulthood, the narrator learnt to appreciate Da-Duh’s world and life. Realising that in
reality they may not be that different from each other.
Contributing source: sittingbee.com
Simplification and Analysis of Events
● To Da-Duh, in Memoriam” begins in 1937, as the nine-year-old narrator, accompanied by her mother and sister, arrives by boat in
Bridgetown, Barbados, from Brooklyn for a family visit. The father notably stays in New York, deeming the trip a waste of money,
which shows that the most binding family ties hold between women. The narrator is struck by the deference her mother, who left
Barbados fifteen years earlier, shows Da-Duh, the family matriarch, and describes her becoming a child again.
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● The narrator has never met Da-Duh before, and as the 80-year-old woman sizes her up, she boldly meets her stare, which establishes
the complex bond of matching strengths, strong wills, rivalry and respect between the girl and the elder, who calls her "fierce" and
takes her by the hand to meet the rest of the relatives before they head to Da-Duh's home in St. Thomas. Da-Duh's physicality, as
described by the narrator - small and statuesque, with a rigid face and lively eyes commensurate with her quick movements - attests to
her alert and assertive, dominating personality and single-minded disposition.
● The following day, Da-Duh takes the narrator out and shows her the proliferation of fruit orchards and sugar cane fields. She asks if
there is anything as nice in New York, adding that she has heard the city has no trees. When Da-Duh asks the narrator to describe snow,
the latter says it piles up higher than her grandmother's house and is cold enough to freeze someone. She literally sings the praises of
the city and of American culture by performing popular songs and dances for Da-Duh, who reacts in silent bewilderment.
● Da-Duh is rendered even more speechless by her granddaughter's revelation that she beat up a white girl in class, which resonates
starkly with the grandmother's wish to have had white boys as grandchildren. (She in fact had grandchildren from the illegitimate
children of white estate managers.) Da-Duh's conservative attitudes in terms of gender and race relations qualify her as out of touch
with progressive values and rights, and ironically reveal her forceful demeanour to be couched in the dynamic of colonial exploitation.
(Significantly, her appreciation of the sugar cane plantations never probes the economic power structure that undergirds them, because
she automatically assumes the white man's natural position to be at the top of the food chain.)
● The narrator spends most of the remainder of her visit with Da-Duh, telling her all about the buildings and technology New York has
to offer. The grandmother is taken aback and almost fearful at the descriptions of this modern metropolis. Her last stand is taking her
granddaughter to Bissex Hill and showing her a tall palm tree - the tallest thing she's ever laid eyes on. She asks the narrator if there is
anything so high in New York, and the narrator is by now almost reluctant to deal Da-Duh's spirit a final blow by her answer of the
Empire State Building, of which she promises to send the incredulous old woman a postcard upon her return home. Da-Duh never
receives the postcard, though. After the family leaves, the 1937 Bridgetown strike takes place, leading the British to send planes to fly
low over the island and scare the protesters. Da-Duh is the only one who refuses to take refuge in the cane fields, and stays home. Later
the townspeople find her dead in her chair by the window.
● For a while, as an adult, the narrator paints landscapes of the sugar cane fields of Barbados in fond remembrance of her grandmother,
whom she vividly imagines seeing the planes come at her like "monstrous birds". Her entire apocalyptic vision frames Da-Duh's demise
symbolically, as the conflagration of an entire way of life. Within the aestheticizing remove of that historical perspective, however,
there is also the experience of family time, where the narrator can summon a child's imagination to make sense of her grandmother's
death, and also a grown-up's heartfelt appreciation of its organic, cyclical meaning: "She died and I lived."
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Themes
Lineage of black women
Familial connections
Contributing source: https://www.supersummary.com/to-Da-Duh-in-memoriam/summary/
Examples of Figurative Devices/ Narrative Techniques
1. Symbolism: The narrator believes the royal palm is as proud as Da-Duh “...flaunting its dark crown of fronds right in the blinding white
face of the late morning sun.”
2. Symbolism and Metaphor: The planes that Britain sends over the island represent their power and the effects of control and colonisation
on a people. Their descriptions are metaphorically compared to monstrous birds that swoop and scream or to that of hard beetles. Dah-Duh
is unable to even fathom their existence.
3. Symbolism and simile: The sugar cane represents a source of beauty and pride but for Dah- Duh they are threatening. She uses a simile to
compare the canes to swords clashing above her head. This reaction reflects the history as an impetus of the slave trade.
4. Symbolism: The Empire State Building is representative of the USA being one of the greatest countries in the world, their power and their
superiority to countries such as Barbados.
5. Compare and Contrast: New York is compared to Barbados to highlight the main differences as the two characters try to defend the
superiority of her territory.
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