A.P. Literature and Awesomeness: September 8, 2014

Focus: According to Steinbeck, how do our families shape us? To what extent do outside circumstance shape us?

1. Warming up with a little creative writing: An imitation of Steinbeck's geneology

Take a look at the amazing geneology (family history) Steinbeck delineates in Chapter 5.

• Pick any 4-5 paragraphs (they don't need to be consecutive) and perform an imitation of these paragraphs with your own family history.  

• One suggestion: Some family members, whether or not you actually knew them, form sharper, more intriguing images in your mind than others.  Which grandmothers, stepfathers, crazy uncles adopted parents, cousins, older brothers/sisters, etc. can you can describe in some detail?  Which ones have a story or two you could tell?

• One more suggestion: Try to use the opening line of each paragraph, or at least the opening word or two, adjusting it to fit your family member.

• For example, Steinbeck writes, "Tom, the third son, was most like his father. He was born in fury and he lived in lightning" (39).

• I might write, "Diana, the third daughter, was least like her sisters.  She was born in small town simplicity but lived in worldly cleverness."

2. Small group tacklings of the tough questions that Steinbeck has frustratingly raised without clear answers

Turning to Foster for help...

Marked for greatness (scars and wooden legs)?

Baptism (Adam's swim through the river, rainy weather)?

Illness (consumption?  Galloping pneumonia)?

Geography?

The Bible?

• Quickly review what Foster has to say about the topics above.

• Form at least three good, Socratic-style questions regarding your topic.  Please bring in specific passages (and page numbers) as often as possible.

• Switch!  Discuss the questions sitting in front of you and be prepared to share some of your ponderings with the class.

3. Large group sharing of some of your most informative questions and responses

HW:
1. College essay due September 19.

2. Follow the reading schedule, which has you reading the awesome 8th and 9th chapters of East of Eden; please refer to the same reading ticket possibilities that you used for today's reading ticket.