Literary Criticism
Required Reading:
Hoot
The Secret Life of Bees
Select short stories by Langston Hughes –
Dog Days
Nothing But a Dog
Dr. Sidesaddle
Simple’s Uncle Sam
Primary Course Benchmarks:
24 This student envisioned a completely new process, product, writing, or
character, which filled a stated need or answered a problem.
28 This student-revised original/ traditional formats or work to produce new concepts,
art, and/or products.
33 Through reflection and personal assessment, this student was able to define and/or
adapt his/her learning style.
44 This student identified literary and artistic techniques and structures used in both
fiction and nonfiction text so that he/she could interpret and critique the human
experience.
58 This student employed a variety of tools and/or sources of information to strengthen
his/her reasoning and/or problem solving process.
74 Students' responses and assignments followed directions and met set deadlines.
76 Student carefully analyzed stories read in class and/ or information collected from the
Internet and drew appropriate and inventive conclusions.
81 This student easily used the tools available in MOODLE to communicate ideas, find
information, organize their time and share images and projects with the class.
Introductory Information:
Before getting started, make sure you read the "General Guidelines and Information"
link, available below (by the "Glossary" link), and keep track of the "Face to Face" dates,
also available in the "Guidelines" link!
What is "literary criticism"?
Before beginning this course, we must first discuss the meaning of literary criticism (lit
crit). Lit crit is the study, discussion, evaluation, and interpretation of literature.
Wikipedia quotes Ronald Dworkin, "the well respected American legal philosopher," as
saying that "the purpose of literary critique . . . is to show which manner of reading
reveals a text to be the best possible work of art." In other words, as we read a text, we
must do so in a way that appreciates and brings out the text's best qualities and meanings.
There are several different types of lit crit. For this course, we will focus on a different
type of criticism for each work of literature that we read. For our three chosen texts we
will use the sociological criticism, the mythological criticism, and lastly the feminist
criticism. (For a brief description of each of these critiques, click on the actual text or go
to the "Glossary" link below.)
For this class, each week you will have a reading assignment, a forum posting, and an
activity to complete. All assignments and graded work will be due the Monday after they
are assigned. It is probably best to get your reading done within the first couple days and
keep the rest of the week available for the forum posts and assigned activity.
Week 1:
For our first novel, we will be reading Hoot by Carl Hiaasen. For this novel, we will use
the sociological critique as we read. Keep in mind that this method focuses on social
relationships and current events in the novel.
Week 1 - Assignments
* Reading - Ch. 1 - 7
* Forum/Posting - Socioligical Criticism Discussion (2 current events that are dealt
with in Hoot)
* Activity - Burrowing Owl Research
Forum/Posting:
Find and research two current events that play a role in the plot of this story.
(Environmentalism, endangered species topic, school bullying, peer pressure, etc.)
Think about the time period, social and current events, and political developments, etc.
After researching the events you have chosen, share your information with the class by
posting your thoughts in the class forum. (Find out how serious of an issue your events
are, what statistics prove about your events, who/what is affected, etc.)
Be sure to include of the following information in your post: (1) the events you will be
discussing, (2) where you got the information about your events, and (3) share your
thoughts and opinions about the events.
Activity – Burrowing Owl Research:
The circumstances affecting the Burrowing Owls are current events; they are not just a
made-up story but actual, real issues. In other words, this is real life. The first three links
listed below are three websites that deal with and give information about the Burrowing
Owl. The next two links give information about government acts instated to protect
wildlife. After reading through these websites, find one from the first three links that
interests you the most and write a five to nine sentence paragraph explaining which
website you used and then, in your own words, summarize the information found in that
website. (You may also find your own website to summarize if you wish.) In this
paragraph, make sure you also explain what it means to be endangered and if you think it
is important to protect animals.
http://east.mesa.k12.co.us/library/FactFinderLinksforHoot.htm
www.kidsplanet.org/factsheets/burrowingowl.html
www.floridaconservation.org/viewing/species/burrowingowl.html
http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/laws/esa/
http://alaska.fws.gov/ambcc/ambcc/treaty_act.htm
To sum up, here is the list of items to include in your paragraph:
1. What website you are summarizing.
2. Summary
3. What it means to be endangered.
4. Whether or not you think it is important to protect animals and why.
Week 2:
Week 2 - Assignments
* Reading - Ch. 8 - 15 [Benchmark 76]
* Forum/Posting - Sociological Cr. Discussion #2 (Choose 2 issues and respond to a
classmate). [Benchmark 44]
* Activity - Endangered Wildlife Activity [Benchmark 81]
Forum/Posting:
The following five topics (listed and explained in the Word document below) are all
sociological issues covered in the book. Choose two of them and submit a post sharing
your thoughts. You must also reply to at least one of your classmate's posts as well.
Questions for Group Discussion (Taken from Random House Teachers’ Guide)
Belonging–Roy never quite feels that he belongs anywhere. Coconut Cove is the tenth
school that he has attended, and he doesn’t feel that he has a hometown. Discuss Roy’s
attempt to belong at school. What finally makes him feel that he belongs in Florida? How
is being labeled an outcast related to belonging? Discuss why Mullet Fingers and
Beatrice might be considered outcasts. What other characters in the book display a need
to belong? What can schools do to help new kids like Roy feel welcome?
Bullying–Ask the class to brainstorm behaviors that characterize a bully. What causes a
person like Dana Matherson to become a bully? Discuss the difference between acting
tough and bullying. Why is Roy upset when he gets the reputation of being a tough guy
after he beats up Dana? Sometimes a person who is being bullied becomes a bully. How
does Mullet Fingers’s mother bully him? How might people like Leroy Branitt consider
Mullet Fingers and Beatrice bullies? Have the class discuss ways of dealing with school
bullies.
Family–Ask students to discuss Roy’s relationship with his parents. Why is Roy so
conscious of being an only child? How might his life be different if he had a sibling?
Compare and contrast Dana’s and Mullet Fingers’s families. Discuss why Mullet Fingers
is so willing to trust Beatrice, his stepsister. Why does she feel such a need to shield him
from his mother? Discuss whether there is a correlation between Mullet Fingers’s family
life and his desire to save the owls.
Values in Conflict–Mrs. Eberhardt tells Roy, “Honey, sometimes you’re going to be
faced with situations where the line isn’t clear between what’s right and what’s wrong.
Your heart will tell you to do one thing, and your brain will tell you to do something
different.” (p. 160). Discuss places throughout the book when Roy’s heart tells him one
thing, and his brain tells him something else. How do his heart and his brain come
together at the end of the novel?
Friendship–Roy’s mother worries that he doesn’t have friends, so she is delighted when
Roy brings Beatrice home. Discuss the friendship that develops between Roy and
Beatrice. What does each individual gain from the relationship? How does Mullet Fingers
fit into the friendship? When
Roy gives Mullet Fingers his name so that he can get medical help, Mrs. Eberhardt says,
“Your father and I don’t want to see you get in trouble. Even for the sake of a friend.” (p.
159) Discuss whether Roy’s decision to help Mullet Fingers is for the sake of friendship.
Endangered Wildlife Activity:
This activity will be a slight continuation of last week's activity. For this week, you will
be writing one descriptive paragraph each about the Burrowing Owl and one other
endangered animal of your choosing for a book called Florida’s Endangered Wildlife.
The websites listed below have information on endangered species for you to use in your
paragraphs. Make sure you include at least one picture in both of your descriptive
paragraphs. In the following links, I have also included some similar journal articles on
endangered species for you to look through as an example to follow as you write your
paragraphs.
http://www.worldwildlife.org/species/index.html
http://www.ecofloridamag.com/archived/endangered_florida_wildlife.htm
http://www.endangeredspecie.com/states/fl.htm
http://www.floridaendangeredspeciesnetwork.org/specieslist.htm
In summary, the following items should all be included in your completed assignment:
1. Descriptive paragraph on the Burrowing Owl (at least one picture included).
2. Descriptive paragraph on one other endangered animal of your choice (at least one
picture included).
Week 3:
Week 3 – Assignments
* Reading - Ch. 16 - the epilogue [Benchmark 76]
* Forum/Posting - Sociological Cr. Discussion #3 (Discuss this critique and respond to
a classmate). [Benchmark 73]
* Activity - Comparison Activity ("Bullying" Wiki) [Benchmarks 20, 47]
Forum/Posting:
In a thorough, well composed post, explain how the sociological critique affected how
you viewed this book and the issues presented in it. Make sure you keep in mind what the
sociological critique is and what historical, current, and social issues are mentioned in
this book.
You should compose one post summarizing your thoughts AND reply to at least one of
your classmates' posts as well.
In summary, you should complete the following:
1) A thorough, well-composed post = at least 6 - 8 complete sentences
2) Explain how the sociological critique affected how you viewed this book = consider
the questions the following questions: what current events were discussed in the book,
what did this book say about family, what did the book say about North American
culture, what/who did this book consider as civilized and uncivilized, etc. (All of these
questions are taken directly from the definition of sociological criticism in the glossary.
For more questions to get you thinking, look there.)
3) After answering those questions, consider how focusing on those elements (rather than
other elements like gender roles, symbols, mythology, etc.) made a difference in what
you thought about the book.
Comparison Activity:
One of the main themes in the entire book is bullying - both bullying nature and school
bullying.
For this activity, you will need to create a wiki page that compares and contrasts these
two forms of bullying described in the book. A wiki is simply a web page that more than
one person can access. So, I'm just asking you to set up your own web page about
bullying. Just think of it as a compare and contrast paper put into a web page format.
(Feel free to work with a partner or to get feedback from a friend. Just realized that if you
work with someone else from this class, every student still needs to submit a wiki of their
own).
Here are some websites on school bullying and saving the planet. Notice that some of
them are fancy and detailed, and some are more plain and simple. Yours will probably be
a little more plain and simple. That's O.K.!
http://www.antibullyingweek.org/?gclid=CJXX07bnw5YCFSEeDQod0lwiLw
http://www.isafe.org/
http://www.pacerkidsagainstbullying.org/?gclid=CK7N2s3nw5YCFQkiagodpjF-xQ
http://www.childline.org.uk/Info/Pages/Bullying.aspx
http://www.bullyonline.org/resources/links.htm
http://www.familyfirstaid.org/bullying.html
http://www.nobully.org.nz/guidelines.htm
http://www.ewg.org/solutions?gclid=CP-V0rfow5YCFQkiagodpjF-xQ
http://www.geocities.com/EnchantedForest/8319/savethearth.html
http://www.treehugger.com/files/2006/04/25_ways_to_save.php
Now that you've looked as some examples of other webpages, let's think about yours. On
your wiki you should have pictures, statistics, quotes from the book, and explanations of
all of this information in your own words. Make sure your wiki page has a title and is
well organized and designed with clear, thorough information. Remember that the
priority of this activity is to compare how society bullies nature with the crisis of school
bullying. Consider the effects of each, both long and short term, who does the bullying
and why, what is being done to stop it, etc.
To get started, there should be a working space directly under these directions for you to
enter your information. To upload a picture, place the cursor where you want the picture.
Then click on the square box with the picture of a mountain mountain in the toolbar (it's
towards the middle of the right hand side of the second row of icons). Cut and paste the
web address (URL) of the picture into the "Image URL" and "alternate text" spaces and
then click on "OK". It should automatically enter your picture.
So, let's list what should be included in your wiki:
1) A title (make sure your names are on it!)
2) A couple pictures
3) Statistics about school bullying and "planet bullying". For example, did you know that
"Almost 30 percent of teens in the United States (or over 5.7 million) are estimated to be
involved in school bullying..." and that "over 60% of solid household waste is fit for the
compost pile, heap or bin. "
4) Some interesting quotes from the book that relate to school or "planet" bullying.
5)Your thoughts (or information you researched) about the effects of both forms of
bullying.
6) Your thought (or information your researched) about why both forms of bullying
happens.
7) And your thoughts (or information you researcher) about what is being done to stop
both forms of bullying.
*To see the wiki that I started, click on the "Bullying" resource link back on the main
page, right under this wiki's link. I put it into a Word doc. Be aware that it is just my
rough draft and unfinished. I just wanted you to have an idea of what yours might look
like.
**Be prepared to print off a copy of your Wiki and present it at the next face-to-face!!
You should be prepared with what you will share in your presentation.
Mrs. Mundt’s Example:
Bullying
By: Mrs. Mundt
Bullying takes place every day - both in our schools and to our planet.
On this page, we are going to look and some facts and thoughts on these two very
important issues.
QuickTime™ and a
decompressor
are needed to see this picture.
Interesting Statistics:
1) Did you know that "almost 30 % of teens in the United States (or over 5.7 million) are
estimated to be involved in school bullying..." and that "over 60% of solid household
waste is fit for the compost pile, heap or bin. "
2) "Conventional cotton farming uses only about 3% of the farmland but consumes
approximately 25% of the chemical pesticides and fertilizers..."
3) "23% of elementary students reported being bullied one to three times in the last
month bullying statistics say."
"We're the only ones who care."
"We've got to stop this construction once and for all."
Effects of bullying:
1) When kids get bullied it effects everyone around them, and when we bully the earth, it
also effects all of us.
2) School bullies are often ignorant of exactly how much harm and hurt they are doing,
and people who bully the earth, often don't realize and or don't care about how much
damage they are doing to the planet.
Week 4:
For our second selection, we will be reading some short stories by Harlem Renaissance
author, Langston Hughes. As we read, we will apply the mythological critique to each of
these stories and the symbols drawn from nature.
Week 4 - Assignments:
o Reading - "Nothing But A Dog" and "Dog Days" [Benchmark 76]
o Forum/Postings - "Black and White" Discussion (respond to 2 classmates as
well) [Benchmark 6]
o Activity - Comparison Listing Activity (20 ideas in complete sentences)
[Benchmark 73]
Forum/Posting:
In the mythological critique, colors are very important, and Hughes always uses colors
strategically. In both of these stories, black and white are the only colors he mentions.
Compose a post discussing a specific time that either color is used and explain what you
think it means and why you think Hughes used it. As the class begins posting, make sure
that you come up with your own ideas and be original.
You also need to respond to at least 2 classmates' posts as well.
Comparison Listing Activity:
One of the main themes in both of theses short stories
is the comparison of people with dogs and dogs with
people. (Keep in mind that during the time Hughes was
writing, black people were often treated and thought of
as less than human - or dogs.)
For this activity you need to compile a list of at least 5 ways that people are compared to
dogs and at least 5 ways that dogs are compared to people from each - for a total of 20
comparisons. For example, in "Nothing But A Dog" the dog Cargo ran off all the time
just like cousin Minnie's husband; plus, her husband was a black, working class man and
gave her a black mutt dog. And in "Dog Days" Minnie gets a French Poodle from a rich,
white woman. Notice the connection between the dogs and their owners.
Make sure you keep your stories separate so that it is clear which story you are
referencing. Also, although this does not have to be in paragraph form (it may be an
actual list), be sure that whatever form you submit, you use complete sentences!
In summary, for this activity you need all of the following elements:
1. 5 ways dogs are compared to people in "Nothing But A Dog"
2. 5 ways people are compared to dogs in "Nothing But A Dog"
3. 5 ways dogs are compared to people in "Dog Days"
4. 5 ways people are compared to dogs in "Dog Days"
Week 5:
Week 5 - Assignments:
* Reading - "Dr. Sidesaddle" and "Uncle Sam"
* Forum/Postings - "Dr. Sidesaddle" Post (summarize, explain title, and come up with
alternate title)
* Activity - An "All-American" Uncle Sam (compose an essay and create new "Uncle
Sam")
Forum/Posting:
After reading "Dr. Sidesaddle" compose a post of the following elements:
1. Summarize what the main idea of the story was.
2. Consider the difference between riding sidesaddle and riding "regular" and then share
why you think Hughes used that as the title and name of the integrated character.
3. Come up with an alternate title that he could have used that would communicate the
same idea and explain your thinking.
An All-American Uncle Sam Activity:
Hughes's main complaint in the story of "Uncle Sam" is that this symbol of American
government does not represent all Americans.
For the first part of this activity, write a brief essay (1 - 3 paragraphs) summarizing and
explaining Hughes's reasoning. For the second part, create a visual symbol that would
better represent all Americans.
Week 6:
As we read our final selection, The Secret Life of Bees, we will dissect it with the
Feminist Critique. Throughout the book we will look at how the feminine view point
influences the book as a whole and at its individual parts.
At the end of this story, you will need to create a visual representation of a character. You
should be thinking ahead of ideas for that assignment as you read. Click on (or copy and
paste the URL's) the following links to look at what other students have done.
http://weblogs.hcrhs.k12.nj.us/beesbook/discuss/msgReader$78
http://weblogs.hcrhs.k12.nj.us/beesbook/discuss/msgReader$75
http://weblogs.hcrhs.k12.nj.us/bees/discuss/msgReader$226
Week 6 - Assignments:
* Reading - Ch. 1 - 4 [Benchmark 76]
* Forum/Postings - Author Interview Discussion (and respond to classmates)
[Benchmark 72] **If you cannot access all of the directions for the forum, click on the
"Forum" link in the "Activities" box (upper left corner of the screen). Choose the "Author
Interview Discussion" forum (also labeled #6).
* Activity - (Second post) Response Post (and respond to classmates) [Benchmarks 73,
76]
* Resource - Major Character List
Forum/Posting:
The following excerpt was taken from an interview with the author, Sue Kidd.
(http://www.bookbrowse.com/author_interviews/full/index.cfm?author_number=820)
After reading the question and Kidd's answer, post a reflection response. Tell the class
what you think about her answer and how it influences the story.
Response Post Acitivty:
The following questions/answers are taken from correspondence between the author, Sue
Kidd, and an English class
(http://weblogs.hcrhs.k12.nj.us/bees/discuss/msgReader$217?mode=topic&y=2002&m=
9&d=27). As they read the novel, the students came up with questions for the author and
Sue Kidd was kind enough to answer them in great detail. It is significant for you to
understand where and why she came up with some of the ideas and elements for this
novel.
You need to read through the three that I selected and choose one for your post. In your
post, simply find something from her answer that you found interesting and write about
it. Discuss why it interested you, how the novel would be different without it, why it is
significant, how you think Sue Kidd's perspective as a woman affected it, etc. Be sure to
be thoughtful, thorough, and bring up some unique, interesting points for discussion.
You must also respond to at least two classmates' posts as well!
________________________________________________________________________
1. "Christina would like to know where did the bees idea came from? Chrissie wants to
know where you got the idea of the book from?
I'm going to answer Christina's and Chrissie's questions together because they have the
same answer. For the most part The Secret Life of Bees started with one vivid image. It
was an image of bees that lived inside a bedroom wall and flew out at night. This didn't
just come to me out of nowhere. When I was growing up we had what we called the
"family bees." I grew up in a large, rambling house in the country. Bees lived inside the
wall of a back bedroom that we used for guests. (Sometimes we remembered to warn our
guests and sometimes we didn't). The bees made a home with us for 17 years. They were
a part of my childhood. We kept the door to the guest bedroom closed, but they
sometimes managed to get out, and it was nothing to come home from school and find
bees taking an excursion around the house. No one really got stung, except the guy I
brought home from college to meet my parents (the one I would marry). But then he
swatted at them. Everybody knows you shouldn't swat at a bee.... Anyway, the bees made
honey inside the wall and it would leak out onto the floor. As I wrote the novel, I thought
all the time about our "family bees," remembering how they sounded, their incredible
vibrating hum. They engendered feelings of awe, even mystery, inside of me. Most
people would have thought we were cursed to have the bees in our house. But I always
felt we were chosen.
When I anticipated writing a novel, the first thing that came to me were those bees. I
started to picture a girl in early adolescence lying in bed while a cloud of bees poured
through cracks in her bedroom walls and flew circles around the room. I imagined the
bees' coming as a visitation, as if there was some hidden purpose in it. I kept trying to
imagine what it might be. I asked myself: Who is this girl? What does she want? Take a
vivid image, and ask those questions and before you know it, you will have a novel."
2. "Tim is wondering about the symbolism of the river, and I'm wondering whether the
numerous mentions of the moon were intended?
To me, the river in the novel represents the great flow of life. This is, in fact, a very
universal symbolic understanding of rivers. Rivers typically suggest the stream or current
of life that one follows on a winding passage that will eventually flow into the sea (or
symbolically, into an even larger eternal life.) In college I took a humanities course in
which I read this line by Plato: "You cannot step twice into the same stream.." He was
speaking of life. He was saying that the stream is always changing and flowing, that it is
never the same moment to moment, and that life is this way. I made poor May meet her
death in the river because death is part of the great flow of life, too.
The moon did turn up a lot in the book, didn't it? I didn't realize just how much until
about midway through the writing. Much of writing is paying attention to the images that
float up to us from our subconscious, and working with them creatively. When I
recognized that I was generating a lot of moon references, I began to work with this more
intentionally. The moon, like the river, is a very ancient symbol that has long been
connected to Divine Mothers. For instance, the Virgin Mary is frequently depicted
standing on the moon. And the Black Mary statue in the novel had a moon painted on
her. I wanted the moon to hover through the book quietly pointing to this association. In
the last line of the novel, Lily looks at Rosaleen, August, June and the Daughters of Mary
and says: They are the moons shining over me. They become her mothers, her "divine"
mothers."
3. "Geoff is wondering why you included the interracial relationship between Lily and
Zach?
In 1964 in the South, interracial relationships were taboo. Today it might be hard to
appreciate just how taboo. I partly included the relationship for just that reason. I wanted
to address the racial divides I remember while growing up in the South during the 60's,
especially the most pronounced taboos of the time. It was important to me to portray the
love and friendship that is possible between young people of different racial
backgrounds... how genuine caring transcends the narrow boundaries that cultures often
create for it.
My high school class happened to have been the first integrated class in my hometown in
Georgia. There were two African-American students in the class, and I remember them to
this day with much respect, and even with awe at their resilience. In the novel I made
Zach the first to integrate the white high school in Tiburon. On page 301 Lily talks about
students throwing balled up notebook paper at him in the hallway between classes, and
that she was as likely to get popped in the head as he was for walking alongside of him.
This was not something I invented. I remember the notebook paper very well. And I
remember the dignity of the black students who held their heads high and kept walking.
I feel that writing about the racial situation of 1964 has relevance for today, the same way
that all images of historical cruelty do. They teach us to look at ourselves, and hopefully
not repeat the mistakes of the past. One of the values of fiction is that it allows us to enter
into lives that otherwise we would never know anything about. And hopefully the
experience creates an empathy inside of us for these lives."
Week 7:
Week 7 - Assignments:
* Reading - Ch. 5 - 9 [Benchmark 76]
* Forum/Postings - Symbolism and Feminism in the Title [Benchmarks 76, 73]
* Activity - Symbolism and Feminism in the Characters [Benchmark 81]
Forum/Posting:
First, read this post from a public discussion board by clicking on (or copying and
pasting) the following link (http://blogs.setonhill.edu/LorieLawrence/002988.html).
Second, submit your post for this week as a response to the ideas presented in this
discussion board. Explain (1) whether or not you agree with the post and (2) what you
think about the symbols and what they represent. (3) Also, discuss how men and women
are portrayed differently in this post (4) and how much of that you think is affect by the
book's female author.
In summary, all of the following elements should be included in your post:
1. whether or not you agree with the post
2. what you think about the symbols and what they represent
3. how men and women are portrayed differently in this post
4. how much of that you think is affect by the book's female author
Symbolism and Feminism Activity:
Compose a three-paragraph essay on the three sisters in this book - August, June and
May. Explain what you think each of their names/months represents about them as
individuals, a family, personality, etc. and what they stand for as symbols. Make sure to
include a picture that you think represents each character as well.
Keep in mind, that in all literature, the time of year is very symbolic; spring represents
beginnings, birth and life, summer represents youth and growth, fall represents maturity
and change, and winter represents end, death and old age.
For help getting started consider the following things about each month and how it might
connect with the character:
August - one of the hottest, most uncomfortable months, end of summer, beginning of
fall, etc
June - beginning of the summer, usually warm weather, no school, etc.
May - springtime, winter has ended, etc.
In summary, make sure to include all of the following elements in your essay:
1. paragraph on August and a picture
2. paragraph on June and a picture
3. paragraph on May and a picture
Week 8:
Week 8 - Assignments:
* Reading - Ch. 10 - 14 [Benchmark 76]
* Forum/Postings - Feminist Cr. Discussion (and respond to classmates) [Benchmarks
73, 74]
* Activity - Comparison Chart (Comparing Bees with Characters) [Benchmark 44]
* Resource - Comparison Chart and Instructions
Forum/Posting:
Submit a post discussing how you think the Feminist Critique has affected your opinion
of this book. (Has it strengthened or weakened the book? Has it helped your
understanding of the characters or not? Did you find it interesting or not?...)
You must also respond to at least 2 classmates' posts as well.
Comparison Chart Activity:
Between what you have learned about bees in the novel and the information provided in
the links listed below, fill out the chart (Secret Life of Bees Chart doc) comparing the
novel's characters with bees in a colony.
Further instructions are included in the chart attachment (Chart is available for download
as a "resource" link). If you need further information on bee life than is included in the
links provided, feel free to research it more on your own.
http://www.answers.com/topic/worker-bee-2
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Worker_bee
http://www.hivetool.com/guide/beekeeping_terms.htm
/>http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/bees/hive.html
Chart:
Directions: There is an analogy between the social life of a honeybee and the
social life of the humans in The Secret Life of Bees. For each bee role in the chart
below, list a character from the novel who fits in that role. Explain your choice.
Focus on characters who live in or visit the Boatwright household.
Bee Role
Character
Explanation
Queen Bee
Nest Builders
Field Bees
Mortician Bees
Nurse Bees
Drones
Attendants
Scout Bees
Week 9:
Week 9 – Assignments
* Reading - No reading, instead you need to complete the survey. [Benchmark 33]
* Forum/Postings - Visual Representation Activity (Post visual work and respond to 1
other) [Benchmarks 28, 44]
* Activity - Final Course Project: Changing Critiques [Benchmark 23]
Forum/Posting:
For this activity, you need to create a visual representation of any one or several of the
women characters and/or symbols in this story. The following are some ideas you could
use: the queen bee, the Lady in Chains, any of the female characters, the Black Madonna,
Lily's mother, etc.) I have included three links of for you to look at and follow as
examples.
When you have finished your visual representation, post it with an explanation of your
work and what you are trying to communicate through your visual representation.
You must also respond to at least one classmate's post as well.
http://weblogs.hcrhs.k12.nj.us/beesbook/discuss/msgReader$78
http://weblogs.hcrhs.k12.nj.us/beesbook/discuss/msgReader$75
http://weblogs.hcrhs.k12.nj.us/bees/discuss/msgReader$226
In summary, all of the following elements must be included in your post(s):
1. visual representation
2. your explanation of your work
3. an additional post responding to a classmate's post
Final Project:
Final Project
“Changing Critiques”
After reading all three authors and using all three critiques, you are now going to
"change critiques". Choose any one of the books from this class and answer the
following questions explaining how using a different technique would alter the
author's work. For example, how would using the mythological critique to focus on
all of the symbols and colors used in The Secret Life of Bees differ from focusing on
the feminine perspective? Or how would using the sociological critique and focusing
on the historical aspect while reading Langston Hughes be different than focusing
on the symbolism....
(Note: you may also alter the feminine critique to a male-centered critique if you
like to approach Hoot or Hughes from the gender perspective.)
Changing Critiques Questions:
1) What book will you discuss for this assignment?
2) What technique did we use for it in this class?
3) What critique will you be “changing” it to for this assignment?
4) What will your new critique change about the way you approach the book?
5) How would your new critique change the focus of the book?
6) List and explain at least three elements of the book that would change. (For
example instead of focusing in the environmental issues in Hoot, we would focus on
the gender roles.)
7) Do you think this (the answer from question 5) is a good thing, a bad thing, or
neither? Explain.
8) Which critique do you think is better—the one we used in class, or the one you
changed it to? Explain.
Face-to-Face Plans:
F2F 1:
1. Introductions
2. Show and tell – everyone bring an item to share/explain that will help us get
to know you as you introduce yourself to the class. (Ideas – a picture, a
souvenir from a vacation, a trophy/metal/award, toy, something you have
made, etc.)
3. Criticism discussion
4. Criticism Matching Activity - Handout
5. Sentence Game
6. Watch the very end of Hoot (the movie)
7. Short story/reading Activity
F2F 2:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Question/Answer Time
Introductory Game
Hoot Discussion/Wiki presentations
Criticism/Story Matching Activity – Handout
Break/Game
Langston Hughes Discussion
Group Activity
F2F 3:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Question/Answer Time
Intro Game
Secret Life of Bees Presentations
Group Quiz/Answer share
Closing Game