Yesterday, you were asked these three questions…

• Prompt #1• In many works of literature, a physical journey—the literal movement from one place to

another—plays a central role. Based on the text Life of Pi, consider how a physical journey adds to the meaning of the work as a whole. Avoid plot summary.

• • Prompt #2• One of the strongest human drives seems to be a desire for power. Write an essay in which

you discuss how a character in Life of Pi struggles to free himself or herself from the power of others or seeks to gain power over others. Be sure to demonstrate in your essay how the author uses this power struggle to enhance the meaning of the work as a whole.

• • Prompt #3• Many works of literature not readily identified with the mystery or detective story genre

nonetheless involve the investigation of a mystery. In these works, the solution to the mystery may be less important than the knowledge gained in the process of its investigation. In a well-developed essay, identify the mystery in Life of Pi and explain how the investigation illuminates the meaning of the work as a whole. Do not merely summarize the plot.

Yesterday, you were asked these three questions…

• Prompt #1• In many works of literature, a physical journey—the literal movement from one place to

another—plays a central role. Based on the text Life of Pi, consider how a physical journey adds to the meaning of the work as a whole. Avoid plot summary.

• • Prompt #2• One of the strongest human drives seems to be a desire for power. Write an essay in which

you discuss how a character in Life of Pi struggles to free himself or herself from the power of others or seeks to gain power over others. Be sure to demonstrate in your essay how the author uses this power struggle to enhance the meaning of the work as a whole.

• • Prompt #3• Many works of literature not readily identified with the mystery or detective story genre

nonetheless involve the investigation of a mystery. In these works, the solution to the mystery may be less important than the knowledge gained in the process of its investigation. In a well-developed essay, identify the mystery in Life of Pi and explain how the investigation illuminates the meaning of the work as a whole. Do not merely summarize the plot.

Micro and Macro Reading Skills

Micro Vs. Macro

• Micro-Reading Skills:– Plot– Characterization– Setting– Point of View– Symbolism – Irony

• Macro-Reading Skills– Genre– Time period– Author’s background– Political and

philosophical movements

MOWOW

“Meaning of the Work as a Whole”

(It’s a fancy term for “theme” )

Questions to ask yourself as the reader

• Characterization– Who are the main characters?– Why would the author highlight this/these specific

characters, as opposed to other characters? – What are the characters’ motivations? How do

you know? – How would you describe the characters?– Can the characters be considered stock characters

or are they breaking the mold?

Questions to ask yourself as the reader

• Conflict– What is the central conflict in the story?– Who is in conflict? Why?– Can the conflict be symbolic of anything?– Is the conflict resolved? How? What is left

unresolved?

Questions to ask yourself as the reader

• Dialogue– What is unique about the dialogue? Does it reveal

a specific time period? – Who is doing most of the speaking? Who is doing

the least speaking? What might be important about that?

– What is left unsaid? What might be important about what’s left unsaid?

Questions to ask yourself as the reader

• Imagery– What imagery do you recognize in the text? – How is the imagery creating a certain mood in the

text?– Are there any places when the imagery changes?

Or stops altogether? What might be important about that?

Questions to ask yourself as the reader

• Setting– What is the setting of the story (when and where)? – How do the characters feel about the setting? Do

they all feel the same? Do certain characters care differently about the setting? What might this say about their characters?

– Is the time of year significant? What might be important about the season? Does it change? Why?

– How does the weather change in the story? Can the weather symbolize anything significant in the story?

Questions to ask yourself as the reader

• Point of View– Who is the narrator of the story? How do you

know?– How does the narrator feel about the events in

the text? – How does the narrator feel about the characters?

Does he or she like them? Pity them? Detest them? How do you know?

Questions to ask yourself as the reader

• Symbolism– What important ideas, images, or places recur in the

text? – Is there an idea, image, or place that the narrator

focuses intently on? Why? – What might that idea, image, or place represent?

*Remember that symbol is different than metaphor! A symbol is an actual part of the story; a metaphor is a figurative device used to describe something in a story.

Questions to ask yourself as the reader

• Tone– Based on the narration, how does the author feel

about the events in the text? – How does the author feel about particular

characters? How do you know?

Task

• Today, we are going to focus on a short piece called “The Sunflower.” Each of you has been given one literary device to read for. Read through the short story on your own, reading for the specific device. Then, answer the questions you’ve been given. We will debrief as a class.

Character Setting Symbolism POV Conflict Tone