Unit 1, Part 2
The Force of
Luck
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Unit 1, Part 2
(pages 90–103)
Before You Read
Reading the Selection
After You Read
Unit 1, Part 2
For pages 90–103
7.6.B Analyze the development of the plot
through the internal and external responses of
the characters, including their motivations and
conflicts.
Unit 1, Part 2
Meet Rudolfo A. Anaya
Click the picture to learn
about the author.
Unit 1, Part 2
Connect to the Folktale
Think about a time when you won a game, a
contest, or a prize. Was your success the
result of hard work, or was it luck?
Partner Talk With a partner, talk about
whether success comes from a person’s
efforts or from luck. Can a person have
control over his or her fate?
Unit 1, Part 2
Build Background
Folktales are stories that have been passed
down orally from one generation to another by
storytellers. Almost every culture has its own
folktales. These tales help reinforce and
preserve a culture’s values and traditions.
“The Force of Luck” is part of the oral tradition
of the Hispanic people who lived in the
American Southwest. This story shares
common elements with other folktales.
Unit 1, Part 2
Build Background
•
The story is about ordinary people.
•
The story takes place in a small village
sometime in the past.
•
The story features three main events.
Unit 1, Part 2
prosperous adj. having wealth or good
fortune; successful. The prosperous actor
lived in a mansion high in the hills.
provisions n. food or supplies. The
backpackers carried enough provisions for
two weeks in the wilderness.
Click a vocabulary term to listen to the definition.
Unit 1, Part 2
novelty n. something new and unusual. For
people living in hot climates, snow is a
novelty.
benefactors n. people who help,
especially by giving money or gifts. With
support from several benefactors, the
library was able to buy new computers.
Click a vocabulary term to listen to the definition.
Unit 1, Part 2
Set Purposes for Reading
As you read, ask yourself, what does this
folktale suggest about luck and about relying
on oneself?
Unit 1, Part 2
Set Purposes for Reading
Character
A character is a person in a literary work. If a
character is an animal, it displays human
traits. A main character is the most important
character in a work. A minor character is part
of the story but is not the focus of the action.
Flat characters reveal only one personality
trait. Round characters show varied, and
sometimes contradictory, traits.
Unit 1, Part 2
Set Purposes for Reading
Character
As you read, pay attention to what the
characters think about the events in the story.
Notice what they say and how they act. Look
for changes in the main character.
Unit 1, Part 2
Set Purposes for Reading
Character
Click the image
to view the
animation.
Unit 1, Part 2
Set Purposes for Reading
Analyze Plot
When you analyze, you look at the
separate parts of something to understand
the whole. When you analyze plot, you look
at how the parts of the plot work together as
a whole. Recall that a plot has five main
parts: exposition, rising action, climax,
falling action, and resolution.
Unit 1, Part 2
Set Purposes for Reading
Analyze Plot
To analyze plot, answer these questions:
•
Who are the characters, and what is the
conflict in the story?
•
How do events in the story combine to
advance the plot?
Unit 1, Part 2
Set Purposes for Reading
Analyze Plot
•
What part of the story is most interesting
or suspenseful?
•
What happens at the end of the story?
How was the reader prepared for the
ending by what came before?
Unit 1, Part 2
Set Purposes for Reading
Analyze Plot
As you read, fill in a graphic organizer like
the one below.
Unit 1, Part 2
Set Purposes for Reading
Analyze Plot
Analyze Every story has a plot—including
the stories in movies, books, or television
programs. Analyze the plot of your favorite
movie, book, or television program. With a
partner, discuss which events make up the
story’s rising action, climax, and resolution.
Unit 1, Part 2
Unit 1, Part 2
Character What does the miller’s statement
tell you about his character?
Answer: The miller accepts his situation. He
is responsible with money and is humble.
Unit 1, Part 2
This depiction of agricultural workers
provides visual clues about their lives. What
kind of clothes do the workers wear? What
do the workers’ clothes say about their
lives?
Answer: The workers wear oversized hats and
faded clothes with pant legs and sleeves rolled
up. The clothes show that the workers do a
great deal of physical labor outside in the heat.
Unit 1, Part 2
Analyze Plot What conflict does the miller
face?
Answer: The conflict is that the miller does
not know what to do with so much money.
Unit 1, Part 2
Diego Rivera is one of Mexico’s most famous
artists. His subject matter often deals with life
in Mexico, Mexican history, or social
problems. Because Rivera believed that art
should not be hidden away, he often painted
large murals on the walls of public buildings.
Which character in the story does the woman
in the mural come closest to illustrating?
Unit 1, Part 2
Answer: Possible response: The woman in
the mural is similar to the miller’s wife.
Unit 1, Part 2
A hawk is a bird of prey.
Unit 1, Part 2
Character Describe the miller’s wife.
Answer: The miller’s wife accepts their
situation. She has faith that their situation
will change someday.
Unit 1, Part 2
Character Are both the miller and his wife
resigned to poverty? Explain.
Answer: Possible answer: The miller copes
with poverty by living modestly. His wife
seems to hold out hope for change.
Unit 1, Part 2
Analyze Plot In what way does the man’s
action advance the plot? What do you think
will happen to the money?
Answer: The additional money advances the
plot because the reader wants to know what
will happen to the miller and his money. The
miller may lose the money again or may
become prosperous.
Unit 1, Part 2
Character What did the miller learn from
his last experience with the money?
Answer: The miller learned to be more
careful with money by protecting it.
Unit 1, Part 2
Earthenware is made from clay that is
heated until it is hard.
Unit 1, Part 2
Analyze Plot In what way might the lead
affect the events in the story?
Answer: An item of no worth may prove
valuable later in the story.
Unit 1, Part 2
Cultural History
Hispanic Legends Rudolfo Anaya writes
about a culture that is rich in legends. The
tale of La Llorona, the Weeping Woman, for
example, is a well-known ghost story.
According to legend, La Llorona haunts rivers
and lakes searching for her children. Why do
people pass legends down from one
generation to another?
Unit 1, Part 2
Cultural History
Answer: Possible answer: Passing down
legends is a way of keeping a culture and
its traditions alive from one generation to
the next.
Unit 1, Part 2
Analyze Plot What are some clues that the
glass may prove important to the plot?
Answer: The passage mentions that the
miller knows nothing about jewels, which
suggests that the “glass” is actually a
diamond. The glass is so bright and shiny
that it must be valuable.
Unit 1, Part 2
Analyze Plot The miller’s lack of
knowledge could lead to more “bad” luck.
How would the miller know that the “glass”
was actually valuable?
Answer: Possible answers: He could judge
from other people’s responses. He could ask
a knowledgeable person.
Unit 1, Part 2
Character What does the jeweler’s wife’s
statement tell you about her character?
Answer: The jeweler’s wife knows that the
glass is a valuable jewel, and she probably
wants to keep it.
Unit 1, Part 2
Character Does the author find fault with the
behavior of the jeweler’s wife, or does the
author see her as a good businessperson?
Answer: Possible response: The author
indicates that the jeweler’s wife is greedy.
Unit 1, Part 2
Analyze Plot Why might this event be part
of the story’s climax?
Answer: By selling the glass, the miller may
find that his life will change dramatically. This
is part of the climax because it is the most
interesting and suspenseful part of the story.
Unit 1, Part 2
Language History
Etymology The word mill comes from the
Latin root word molere, which means “to
grind.” The word meal, which means
“coarsely ground seeds,” shares the same
Latin root. Why have the words mill and meal
developed from the same Latin root?
Answer: They have similar meanings: to
mill something is to grind it, and meal is
coarsely ground seeds.
Unit 1, Part 2
Whom does the miller count on?
Answer: The miller is cautious and counts
on himself to continue to work hard in case
he somehow loses the money.
Unit 1, Part 2
Analyze Plot How can you tell that the plot
has now reached the falling action?
Answer: This part of the story occurs after
the climax. These details lead to the story’s
resolution.
Unit 1, Part 2
Character Why would the man not believe
the miller?
Answer: The man who had given money to
the miller believes that money makes a man
successful. He does not believe in luck.
Unit 1, Part 2
The eagle image is part of a huge series of
murals painted by Diego Rivera, beginning in
1923. Rivera painted the murals on the walls
of the Ministry of Public Education building in
Mexico City. Rivera’s murals depicted not only
Mexico’s agriculture and industry, but also the
art and culture of the Mexican people. Why is
an eagle an appropriate image for a building
devoted to education?
Unit 1, Part 2
Analyze Plot How does the man’s doubt
provide a clue to what will happen in the
story’s resolution?
Answer: The man’s doubt provides a clue
that the miller will show that he is an honest
man by discovering the lost money.
Unit 1, Part 2
Character How do you think the miller feels
about finding the money?
Answer: The miller probably feels happy to
have finally proven his honesty.
Unit 1, Part 2
Unit 1, Part 2
Respond and Think Critically
1. What are the two wealthy men trying to
prove? Explain. [Recall]
Answer: They want to prove whether luck
or money makes a man prosper.
Unit 1, Part 2
Respond and Think Critically
2. Explain how the miller loses his first
gift. [Summarize]
Answer: A hawk grabs the miller’s first
$200.
Unit 1, Part 2
Respond and Think Critically
3. What values do you think are promoted
by this folktale? Explain. [Infer]
Answer: The miller’s story reinforces the
values of hard work, honesty, and
kindness to neighbors.
Unit 1, Part 2
Respond and Think Critically
TIP: Inferring
When you infer, you combine clues
and details from the text with your
own background knowledge. Think
about what details and events in the
story suggest about the best way to
live.
Unit 1, Part 2
Respond and Think Critically
•
What kind of person is the miller?
•
What does he do with the gifts of
money? How does he act after the
money is lost?
•
What happens as a result of the miller
giving the lead to the fisherman’s wife?
What lesson about life is the folktale
suggesting?
Unit 1, Part 2
Respond and Think Critically
4.
Character Is the miller
a realistic character? Is he a round or
flat character? Use details from the
story to support your answer.
[Evaluate]
Unit 1, Part 2
Respond and Think Critically
Answer: The miller is realistic because he is
poor and hardworking. You may say that his
response to losing the money for the second
time is unrealistic because he does not get as
upset as a real person probably would. The
miller is a round character because he has
different characteristics. He is generous and
hardworking, but he gets angry when he
loses the money and becomes suspicious of
some of his neighbors.
Unit 1, Part 2
Respond and Think Critically
5.
Analyze Plot Review the plot
diagram you created as you read. List at
least two events that make up the story’s
rising action. Then provide at least two
events that make up the story’s falling
action. [Analyze]
Unit 1, Part 2
Respond and Think Critically
Answer: The rising action includes the
first and second gifts of money, its loss,
the gift of lead, and the discovery of the
piece of glass. The falling action includes
the miller’s decision to start his own
business, his success, and his discovery
of the lost money.
Unit 1, Part 2
Respond and Think Critically
6.
Think about events
and details from the folktale. Whom or
what does the miller count on?
[Conclude]
Unit 1, Part 2
Respond and Think Critically
Answer: Possible responses: You might
say that the miller can count on luck. He
was lucky to meet the two wealthy men. to
receive the piece of lead, and to find the
diamond. Others may say that the miller
counts on himself. He wisely used the
money from the diamond to establish a
business.
Unit 1, Part 2
On a separate sheet of paper, write the
vocabulary word that correctly completes
each sentence. If none of the words fits
the sentence, write none.
Unit 1, Part 2
prosperous
novelty
provisions
benefactors
1. We filled our cupboards with the necessary
___________
provisions to prepare for the coming
storm.
none
2. My neighbor ___________
reality television
shows.
Unit 1, Part 2
prosperous
novelty
provisions
benefactors
3. The animal shelter’s ___________
benefactors gave
money, purchased supplies, and helped find
homes for pets.
prosperous so
4. Amy was determined to be ___________,
she worked hard and saved her earnings.
5. Within a few days, Juan’s new unicycle was
no longer a __________.
novelty
Unit 1, Part 2
Write a Summary Writing a summary
involves retelling the main ideas and most
important details. Use your plot diagram and
review the story to recall key events in “The
Force of Luck.” Then write a brief summary
of the folktale.
Unit 1, Part 2
Unit 1, Part 2
Think about an ordinary penny. What
makes an item, such as a penny, lucky?
Unit 1, Part 2
Mike entered the Harrison Community Center for
his first 4-H Club meeting.
In a noisy meeting room, he found club members
from all over Boone County.
Everyone was busily filling out entry forms for the Iowa
State Fair.
Unit 1, Part 2
Between two houses on our street, broken glass and
litter covered an empty lot.
With a couple of free hours, I started to clean it up.
Before too long and without being asked, six other
people joined me.
Unit 1, Part 2
Nathan and I traded papers when the teacher told
him and me to check each other’s sentence variety.
We students have to do that kind of thing often,
but we don’t mind.
Unit 1, Part 2
What did the miller do with the first two hundred
dollars that the men give to him?
A. He bought a piece of meat and some
supplies.
B. He gave it to a hawk.
C. He gambled with it.
D. He hid it in a jar of bran.
Unit 1, Part 2
Where did the miller hide the second two hundred
dollars that the men give to him?
A. in a pouch that is later stolen by a hawk
B. in a jar of bran
C. in the sea
D. under a table
Unit 1, Part 2
How much money did the jeweler give the miller for
his diamond?
A. two hundred dollars
B. four hundred dollars
C. fifty dollars
D. one hundred thousand dollars
Unit 1, Part 2
What did the miller do with the money he receives
for the diamond?
A. He built his own mill and a vacation home
for his family.
B. He repaid the two men who gave him
money to settle their argument.
C. He treated the jeweler and his wife to a
grand feast.
D. He gave it to the poor.
Unit 1, Part 2
Where did the miller and his friends find the money
stolen by the hawk?
A. in a jar of bran
B. in the stables of the miller’s vacation home
C. in the stomach of a giant fish
D. in a nest at the top of a tall pine tree
Unit 1, Part 2
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