To wrap-up our studies with O. Henry's "A Retrieved Reformation," students were asked to recapitulate our lessons from the previous week in a fifth journal.
The informational prompt is written as follows: Using Aristotle's Incline, show the development of Jimmy's "dynamic" (in reference to dynamic characters) transformations with examples that relate to the ironic moments in the story. To further breakdown this prompt, for completion purposes, students should organize their response using the character-driven diagram, Aristotle's Incline. This means that each paragraph should be dedicated to each act in the incline (i.e. Body Paragraph #2 deals with developments of Jimmy's character in Act II, after the catalyst, Annabel Adams, enters the plot). The examples, which will showcase how Jimmy's behavior changes, will stem from the ironic moments occurring in the text (i.e. Jimmy must become a hard-working individual before he can understand the true depths of what it means to be a hero. He finds out the extent of his own dedication whenever he opens up his own shoe shop in Elmore. This acts as an ironic moments because Jimmy first gained the experience working with shoes while spending ten months in prison). Even if students aren't required to write an introduction, students should be sure to conclude this journal with some independent thoughts on transformations, the power of love, and undeniable pull on irony in life.
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After hunting through the archives, I rediscovered an earlier blog post regarding our current lesson with O. Henry's "A Retrieved Reformation." The following work explores the transformations protagonist Jimmy Valentine experiences throughout the plot. To further assist readers with understanding dynamic characters, our class used Aristotle's Incline to chart the gradual changes Jimmy Valentine experiences throughout the key acts in a plot.
Initially, readers meet Valentine on the day he is released from prison. Towards the warden, Jimmy acts playful as he jokes that he's never "cracked a safe in his life." The reader can easily see through Jimmy's jovial behavior; the character has committed the crimes for which he's been accused and imprisoned. Due to sheer arrogance toward his own skills, Jimmy continues his thieving ways throughout the duration of ACT I. As ACT II begins, events will alter the protagonist significantly when he falls for the bank owner's daughter, Annabel Adams. Overwhelmed and lovestruck, Jimmy feels he must become a new man. Love transforms the character and Jimmy changes his name to Ralph Spencer. Motivated to live life on the straight-and-narrow path, Spencer spends the duration of ACT II establishing his new life. He opens a shoe shop, proposes to Annabel, and gains acceptance among the Adam's family. As the third act approaches, Jimmy/Ralph's life will be altered significantly through the "dark moment." In Act III of Aristotle's Incline, all protagonists experience a "dark moment," an event in the plot which challenges the character in ways that will forever change them. This catharsis acts to purge the character of select characteristics they once represented; characteristics that held back the protagonist from growing into a worthy hero. As the protagonist suffers and learns, they eventually come to a decision (whether consciously or subconsciously) about who they are and have become as a result of their experiences. Like O'Henry's protagonist Jimmy Valentine, a character will make a selfless choice and shed their former image; hence why the climax is considered a "turning point." Whereas the author introduces an arrogant Valentine, readers conclude with a humbled Spencer--a man worthy of a reader's attention. Journal #1: Descriptive Writing: Describe a thunderstorm at night. Journal #2: Imagine that the following image is the cover art for the dust jacket of an up-and-coming novel. Create a title for this book, and then craft a suspenseful scene or an attention-grabbing blurb (a back cover paragraph that provides a small synopsis to entice readers to purchase the writer's work). Journal #3: TDA (Draft): Identify the literary term that maintains the mystery of the twist ending in "Charles;" then, show places where the writer purposefully unravels that mystery to provide the reader with clues surrounding the true identity of Charles. Journal #4: TDA (Final Copy): Revise and rewrite Journal #3 |
Ms. HutiraThe following blog allows students and parents to recap the class's unit lessons. Archives
January 2020
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