Satire/Narrative Unit
The approach to this unit is different from what we did the first 9 weeks. I am giving you a packet of
information, a reading list, a list of terms to know and use, and a list of assessments. You choose what
to read and what assessments you will do. I am available to you for any help you need, but I will not be
providing whole-class instruction.
Requirements for those who have completed all assignments thus far:
1) You must complete four (4) different assessments from the list below and one (1) of those
assessments must be a presentation.
2) You may continue to revise previous assessments until you feel you have mastered the concepts
(i.e., you have the grade you want).
3) You may do a fifth assessment from the list below (it must be different from the other 4 you
have chosen). That fifth assessment grade can replace any grade.
Deadlines for those who have completed all assignments thus far:
I will accept no work of any kind after Friday, Dec. 13.
There are only 8 weeks left in the semester. The sooner you turn in your work, the sooner I can grade it
and you can work on revisions if necessary. There are 5 weeks until the Thanksgiving Break. You need
to turn in 3 of your 4 required assessments by then. That would mean roughly one every 10 days. If you
are going to do a Replacement Grade Assessment, it also must be turned in before Thanksgiving. The
presentation will be your final exam and will be done exam week. Below is a reasonable schedule.
First due date: Tues., Oct. 29
Second due date: Thurs., Nov. 7
Third due date: Tues., Nov. 19
Replacement due date: Thurs., Nov. 21 (You will need to be working on this ahead of time. If you
follow this schedule, it only gives you two days to complete the work.)
Fourth due date: Tues., Dec. 10
Requirements for those who are missing any assignment:
1) You must complete enough different assessments to ensure you have at least 8 assessment
grades for the entire semester. For instance, if you have 2 grades from the first 9 weeks, then
you will have to do 6 different assessments for the remaining 8 weeks to give you a total of 8
grades.
2) You may continue to revise previous assessments until you feel you have mastered the concepts
(i.e., you have the grade you want), but you may not make-up any of the earlier assessments.
3) You may do an extra different assessment to replace any grade.
Deadlines for those who are missing any assignment:
I will accept no work of any kind after Friday, Dec. 13.
There are only 8 weeks left in the semester. You need to get very busy and will need to turn in an
assessment just about every week, depending on how much you are missing.
**Remember, each of your assessments needs to be different.
**If you are going to do an extra assessment, I must have it before the Thanksgiving Break.
**Your presentation will be your final exam and will be done exam week.
Satire/Narrative Unit Assessment Choices
Note: You can use one movie or television show as the basis for one of your assessment choices.
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A persuasive essay – Use the topic of one of the Reading/Viewing selections as the foundation
for your own persuasive writing
A narrative – Using the elements of a narrative, write your own story or play. This assignment
also must include an explanation of what literary devices you used and why.
An analytical essay – Break down the literary elements used in any of the Reading/Viewing
selections and explain how these devices were used to develop the purpose or theme of the
work.
A close reading – Choose one of the essays and make detailed notes of your personal and
literary observations as you read. (It may sound easy, but don’t be fooled.)
A compare and contrast essay – Choose either of the paired works on the Reading/Viewing list,
and discuss how they are similar and how they are different in literary terms.
A main point essay – Read one of the essay choices, determine the main point, and explain
how the author develops his/her purpose.
A theme essay – Read one of the novels or short stories, determine one of the central themes,
and explain how the author develops that theme in the work.
An original satire or parody – Using the techniques of one or more of the examples in the
Reading/Viewing list, write your own satire or parody.
A presentation – There are several choices within this one required assessment. You can:
**perform a skit or make a movie.
**teach a lesson on one of the concepts from this unit
**research an author or a certain work and present the information
**perform an original slam poem
**You may also have another idea for a presentation. That’s great as long as you get it
approved by me first.
Presentations can be done individually or in pairs. If you are doing a movie or skit, you can enlist
the help of more than one other person, but no more than two people will get credit for the
creative work. The “extras” will earn up to 5 points of “extra” credit on their own presentation.
Satire/Narrative Unit Reading/Viewing List
This list is a guideline. If you have something you would like to read that would fit into the theme of the
absurdity of mankind or is a satire, let me know before you start so I can approve it.
Note: You can use one movie or television show as the basis for one of your assessment choices.
Novels
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
Candide by Voltaire
Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
Plays
Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett
Short Stories
The Pedestrian by Ray Bradbury
The Man to Send Rain Clouds by Leslie Marmon Silko
A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Life is Sweet at Kumansenu by Abioseh Nicol
Poetry
The Rape of the Lock by Alexander Pope
Compare and Contrast
Television: The Plug-in Drug by Marie Winn; and Hair from the Autobiography of Malcolm X
The Passionate Shepherd to His Love; The Bait (both poems by John Donne)
Shakespeare’s Sonnet 130; Shakespeare’s Sonnet 18
Essays
Advice to Youth by Mark Twain
Marrying Absurd by Joan Didion
The Plot Against People by Russell Baker
Can an Engine Pump the Valves in Your Heart? By Jean Kilbourne
A Modest Proposal by Jonathan Swift
On Dumpster Diving by Lars Eighner
Where I Lived, and What I Lived For by Henry David Thoreau
How to Poison the Earth by Linnea Saukko
Movies/Television
Note: You can use one movie or television show as the basis for one of your assessment choices.
Office Space
The Daily Show
Dr. Stranglove
Stephen Colbert
Family Guy
The Simpsons
SNL “Evening Update”
South Park
Satire/Narrative Unit List of Terms to Know and Use
Below is a list of literary terms and devices. You should learn the meaning of these if you don’t already
know them. You must use the terms knowledgably in your assessments.
Satire
Parody
Dramatic Irony
Verbal Irony
Situational Irony
Sarcasm
Hyperbole
Allusion
Understatement
Farce
Ambiguity
Euphemism
Alliteration
Flat Character
Round Character
Foil Character
Static Character
Dynamic Character
Stereotype Character
Elements of Plot – Setting, Character, Exposition, Rising Action , Climax, Falling Action, Denouement
Internal Conflict
External Conflict
Tone
Theme
Imagery
Rhyme
Meter
Simile
Metaphor
Form (of a poem)