“Consider the Lobster
Ponder:
Think of our area’s
biggest TOURIST
draw (probably Boat
Night, right?)…
1) How do Tourists
view Port Huron &
Boat Night?
2) How do you view
the tourists who
come to PH for
Boat Night/other
area events?
3) Have you been a
tourist somewhere
& witnesses this
phenomenon?
”-David Foster Wallace
“Consider the Lobster
”-David Foster Wallace
“Consider the Lobster
”-David Foster Wallace
“Consider the Lobster
”-David Foster Wallace
Things to consider while reading & for post-reading discussion:
1) Cultural Criticism:
What is DFW saying/implying about American culture?
2) Footnotes & Documentation
Read WITH the text; what purpose do they serve?
3) Authorial Voice
Who is David Foster Wallace? Is he believable? Reliable?
4) Organization of piece
How is it set up? What is the purpose for the arrangement?
5) Unintended Irony & Tone
What is the overall tone of the piece? How does/doesn’t
it fit the source (Gourmet Magazine)?
Tone
Definition:
a literary technique which encompasses the attitudes
toward the subject and toward the audience implied in a
literary work
Subject
Occasion
Audience
Purpose
Speaker
Tone
Tone
For
Discussion:
What is the
difference in
TONE
between the
two parts?
SOAPSTone Quiz for “Lobster”
• Complete in groups of 2 or 3
• Answer each question thoroughly; cite
evidence from the article when appropriate
Be prepared to discuss as a whole
Puzzle Paragraph
• 10 minutes to write your paragraph & include
the noted items.
• Refer to the article as necessary
• Share several w/class
Rhetorical Precis
• 4 groups; each group with a different segment
of the precis.
• Be as concise as possible; yet, still answer the
requirements
• We will type up the entire precis when
finished & edit it again for conciseness.
A closer look at TONE…
“The Plastic Pink Flamingo”
1) 3 minute free write on your associations with plastic pink flamingos
2) Read Wikipedia excerpt on Plastic Flamingo
Annotate the text for “facts”
3) Read “Backstory: Extinction of an American Icon” (CSM 2006)
Annotate the text for the “cultural significance”
4) Read “In the Pink No More” (NY Times 2006)
Annotate the text for “cultural significance”
Discuss Findings
5) Read “The Plastic Pink Flamingo: A Natural History” (J. Price)
Annotate the text (tone, organization, diction…)
“The Plastic Pink Flamingo” FreeResponse Question
• Using all you now know about the rise
and fall of the plastic pink flamingo,
answer the AP free response question
from Jennifer Price’s essay “The Plastic
Pink Flamingo: A Natural History”
• You have 40 minutes to complete