The above set of board notes review the plot chart of Ray Bradbury's "The Drummer Boy of Shiloh." Specifically, the students worked to better understand the climax within the story. Although many assume that the climax represents the most intense scene within the plot, this is not always the case. Bradbury's story, for instance, focuses solely on the psychological conflicts of fear and panic; all the potential "action" is a catastrophe imagined within the mind as the reader never see the upcoming battle at Shiloh.
Without such "intense action," students misplace the climatic moment within the story. Therefore, readers must view the climax as a "turning point," a moment when the character transforms and becomes a character who represents the exact opposite characteristics they exhibited at the beginning of the text. The character, as I informed students, performs a "180," hence the reason to call the climax the "turning point." For Joby, our story's protagonist, Bradbury introduced a boy who awoke in utter terror when a mere peach stone feel and hit the character's drum head. Therefore, the goal of the character should be his transformation into a courageous and focused character. The moment which defines this change arrives much later than many readers suspected; the climatic scene occurred whenever Jody, after having been inspired by the General's words on the importance of drummer boys, turns the drum head right-side up. This action shows that Joby is willing to risk another peach blossom to hit the drum head; however, this time our protagonist opens himself up to that risk (which earlier stirred much panic and fear within the character) and braves the repercussions. As the story comes to its close, readers have a character who demonstrates growth per his experiences (although imagine) in the story. Such should be the goal of all writers for their characters so they may better inspire and impart meaningfulness unto their readers.
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From the time I began teaching, up until this point and beyond, I don't believe I'll ever stop asking students to give me more details. When writing, it's crucial to build worlds and characters that feel as real or, in some cases, even more real than the place and people we can interact with in our daily lives. The following link provides writers will more options when describing colors. May it inspire you to describe with greater detail and dream of ideas yet discovered.
For the duration of the last two weeks, our classes have delved deeper into literary terminology--specifically, the cliffhanger ending, point of view, and conflict. However, rather than exploring three types of perspectives and two kinds of conflicts, the students have discovered double the original number:
POV: 1st Person Limited, 2nd Person Limited, 3rd Person Limited, 1st Person Omniscient, 2nd Person Omniscient, and 3rd Person Omniscient Conflict: Physical Conflict (Man vs. Man, Man vs. Nature, and Man vs. Machine), Psychological Conflict (Man vs. Himself), Social Conflict (Man vs. Society, Man vs. Social Ideas), and Metaphysical Conflict (Man vs. Supernatural Forces, Gods/Goddesses, and Fate) In introducing these various perspectives and conflicts, students have been able to better understand some choices each writer made when crafting the short stories. For our work with Shirley Jackson's "Charles," students analyzed how the point of view aids in twisting the plot to create a cliffhanger ending. For our work with Ray Bradbury's "The Pedestrian," students assessed how setting develops and affects the conflicts within a plot. By dissecting a story and evaluating why a story evolves in the manner it does, a student engages in explication. Throughout this year, our classes will work to uncover more hidden elements in upcoming texts. |
Ms. HutiraThe following blog allows students and parents to recap the class's unit lessons. Archives
January 2020
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