Day 6: Babylon Revisited: Autobiography, A Theme in the Lost Generation
Overview: Students will use the “basic building blocks” of a story, setting, character,
and plot to analyze some key themes in the story. Students will highlight the
rhetorical devices (vocabulary words) used in the story, and explain during discussion
how it added to the story.
Objectives: 1) Students will identify the elements of the story correctly (plot,
characters, setting for Babylon Revisited.
2) Students will revisit the rhetorical devices used in the story and comment during
discussion how these devices helped explain or added meaning to the elements of the
story.
Vocab Covered:
Metaphor
Simile
Allusion
Paradox
Situational Irony
Strategies:
Lecture
Whole Class Discussion
Short Writing Response
Small Group Work
Materials: Babylon Revisited Stories
Procedures:
1) Have students produce their stories and check their annotations for completion.
2) Once checked, have students write out a chart (draw example on the board). That
includes “Plot, Characters, Setting” in three columns wide enough to write in.
3) Give students a few minutes (10-15) to fill out chart individually as much as they
can. Define the elements if needed, and check on each pod after they get started.
4) Once finished, take volunteers to read part of their response to the columns, and
fill those in on the board, so everyone had a copy. Fill in important details if
needed as part of lecture.
5) After the basics of the story are on the board, write off to the side the vocabulary
words for the lesson. Ask students, as a “pod” to look at their highlighted
annotations (they should be highlighting areas that look like devices from vocab
list as part of their preparation) and to list the rhetorical devices under the plot
element they enhance with a brief explanation. For example, the main character
hopes his reformed ways will win over Marion so he can have hid daughter
back…he makes a good impression and all looks well, but on his last day to claim
his daughter he finds out he has to wait for another 6 months to claim her due to
“illness.” This is a plot device—specifically Situational Irony. So students would
list “Situational Irony” under the “Plot” column and have a brief explanation of
how the irony enhances or develops the plot. Though discussing as a group each
student should have his/her own chart.
6) Students are to do this until they have AT LEAST one example of each
vocabulary word in the chart. Finally, ask “Looking at your charts, how can you
tell this is a story from the Lost Generation?” And take responses.
Evaluation: Student’s charts will be collected and spot-checked for accuracy and
completeness. Students will also be informally evaluated based on whole class
discussion and during “pod check ups” as they work.