March 24, 2011
Instructors/Teachers: Mr. Ralph, Ms. Natalie,
Ms. Vanessa, Mr. Yahya, Ms. Angelina
E6H
Period. 6
Lesson Plan
Objectives (Students will be able to):
1) Understand the Fugitive Slave Act and relate it to Harriet Jacob’s Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl.
2) Analyze a complex set of ideas or sequence of events and explain how specific individual, ideas, or events interact and develop over the course of the text.
Aim: What effects did the Fugitive Slave Act have on slavery?
Do Now: Write a five sentence journal entry about if you were a runaway slave. What hardships would you face? Where would you plan to escape to? What would you do if you were captured?
Procedures:
• Have students do Do Now and share out
• Go over the Fugitive Slave Act and describe what it was.
• Ask class questions to answer.
• Talk about runaway slaves and compare to Harriet Jacob’s life.
• Give out Venn Diagram handout on comparing and contrasting Harriet Jacob’s life to Fugitive Slave Act.
• Give examples of what should be on Venn Diagram
• Have the students share out their answers
• End class with homework assignment
Mini Lesson: Fugitive Slave Act and Harriet Jacobs
I. Fugitive Slave Act:
a. Encouraged all people to hunt down and aid in the capture of runaway slaves.
b. Created a much greater animosity between the blacks and whites of the time period.
c. Gave an excuse for racist violence to carry on in the excuse of maintaining the act’s parameters.
II. Harriet Jacobs:
a. Young African American woman whom was born into slavery.
b. Went from a serene environment with her female master, to a hostile environment with the doctor.
c. Eluded the slave acts and hid with her grandmother to escape the reach of the racism and eventually raised children.
Small Group Learning: Compare the life of Harriet Jacob to the life of a runaway slave before the Fugitive Slave Act
Homework: Pretend you were living in the 1850’s, would you have helped runaway slaves or not? Explain in a well developed paragraph.
Sources Cited:
http://www.fortat4.com/education/printact/comparisons/Making%20Comparisons4.jpg
http://www.sonofthesouth.net/slavery/fugitive-slave-law.htm
http://www.harrietjacobs.org/bio.html
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part4/4p2923.html
Monday, April 4, 2011
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Research for The Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl
Harriet Jacobs- The author of The Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, which was an autobiography, but used the name Linda Brent. She was born into slavery and fought to become free. She was happy when she was little, but as she got older her master kept making advances on her. She had two children with a white lawyer. She hid for seven years in her grandmother's home. She was able to flee to the North where she would later be reunited with her daughter, son and brother. Harriet soon became free when a friend purchased her and let her free. She would then become encouraged to write her life story and work with fellow anti-slavery organizations.
Slave Trade- To acquire slaves, America used the Trans-Atlantic slave trade or the "middle passage". Slaves would be taken from their native home and packed into ships that would go to America and Europe. Almost half of the slaves on the boat would die from different causes. Many slaves were taken from their homes and separated from their families. The slave trade officially ended in 1808, but even then, slaves were still being transported in secret.
Slavery and settings in North America- Slavery took place all over the United States but centered specifically in the South. Slaves were needed in the South to help maintain plantations. Even though slavery took place throughout the country, the North and abolitionists started to protests it and wanted it to end. The North and South made a compromise, the Missouri Compromise, that would make a line to keep slavery from spreading North. The civil war would then take place. With the election of President Abraham Lincoln, he would call for the emancipation proclamation. The emancipation proclamation called for the end of slavery, but even then, African Americans were treated horribly.
Fugitive Slave Act/Law- The fugitive slave act called for everyone to return a fleeing slave back to their masters. If one was to hide a slave they would be punished too. In newspapers there were many ads that called for the return of run away slaves. If you saw someone who could be a slave you were to hand them over. Many people returned free slaves just to get the rewards for returning an African American.
Abolition Movement- There were different kinds of abolition movements taking place during this time. Slaves would protest by not doing their work properly or break things. They would also runaway. There were many people who rose to the occasion of this movement. People used both violent and non-violent kinds of protest. A man named James Brown had took decided to go with his plan of using violence by taking over arsenals. this ended up in the many deaths of many people. There were also people like Federick Douglas, who used his words to make people think differently and protest against slavery.
Plantation Life- The plantation life of a slave was tough. Slaves were mostly used in the South because they were needed in maintaining and growing crops. They were expected to plant and harvest the different crops their masters wanted. Many times slave would resist their masters by breaking tools or working badly. Their masters in turn would punish them badly. Starting at a young age, slaves were expected to do some kind of work.
Works Cited
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part4/4p2923.html
http://www.harrietjacobs.org/bio.html
http://cghs.dadeschools.net/african-american/europe/slave_trade.htm
http://www1.american.edu/TED/slave.htm
http://www.sonofthesouth.net/slavery/slavery-us-constitution.htm
http://www.ourdocuments.gov/doc.php?flash=old&doc=22
http://www.sonofthesouth.net/slavery/emancipation-proclamation.htm
http://www.sonofthesouth.net/slavery/fugitive-slave-law.htm
http://afgen.com/abmovement.html
http://www.stratfordhall.org/learn/slavery.php
Slave Trade- To acquire slaves, America used the Trans-Atlantic slave trade or the "middle passage". Slaves would be taken from their native home and packed into ships that would go to America and Europe. Almost half of the slaves on the boat would die from different causes. Many slaves were taken from their homes and separated from their families. The slave trade officially ended in 1808, but even then, slaves were still being transported in secret.
Slavery and settings in North America- Slavery took place all over the United States but centered specifically in the South. Slaves were needed in the South to help maintain plantations. Even though slavery took place throughout the country, the North and abolitionists started to protests it and wanted it to end. The North and South made a compromise, the Missouri Compromise, that would make a line to keep slavery from spreading North. The civil war would then take place. With the election of President Abraham Lincoln, he would call for the emancipation proclamation. The emancipation proclamation called for the end of slavery, but even then, African Americans were treated horribly.
Fugitive Slave Act/Law- The fugitive slave act called for everyone to return a fleeing slave back to their masters. If one was to hide a slave they would be punished too. In newspapers there were many ads that called for the return of run away slaves. If you saw someone who could be a slave you were to hand them over. Many people returned free slaves just to get the rewards for returning an African American.
Abolition Movement- There were different kinds of abolition movements taking place during this time. Slaves would protest by not doing their work properly or break things. They would also runaway. There were many people who rose to the occasion of this movement. People used both violent and non-violent kinds of protest. A man named James Brown had took decided to go with his plan of using violence by taking over arsenals. this ended up in the many deaths of many people. There were also people like Federick Douglas, who used his words to make people think differently and protest against slavery.
Plantation Life- The plantation life of a slave was tough. Slaves were mostly used in the South because they were needed in maintaining and growing crops. They were expected to plant and harvest the different crops their masters wanted. Many times slave would resist their masters by breaking tools or working badly. Their masters in turn would punish them badly. Starting at a young age, slaves were expected to do some kind of work.
Works Cited
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part4/4p2923.html
http://www.harrietjacobs.org/bio.html
http://cghs.dadeschools.net/african-american/europe/slave_trade.htm
http://www1.american.edu/TED/slave.htm
http://www.sonofthesouth.net/slavery/slavery-us-constitution.htm
http://www.ourdocuments.gov/doc.php?flash=old&doc=22
http://www.sonofthesouth.net/slavery/emancipation-proclamation.htm
http://www.sonofthesouth.net/slavery/fugitive-slave-law.htm
http://afgen.com/abmovement.html
http://www.stratfordhall.org/learn/slavery.php
Sunday, March 20, 2011
"Bartleby the Scrivener" - Question Analysis
Characters Protagonist/Antagonist?
What is the Boss up against in the person of Bartleby?
The Boss is up against a person who is very calm and nonchalant. Bartleby is someone who just keeps to himself and is very repetitive. this makes people become annoyed of him fairly quick.
Does Bartleby represent a force between himself as an individual?
Bartleby can represent a force between himself as an individual because he doesn't allow himself to grow as a person. He tends to "prefer not to" do anything which keeps him from doing new things.
Major/ Minor (Who are the major players in the story? What do we know about them?Are they likable? Sympathetic? Realistic? What's the function of the story's minor characters?)
The major players in the story are the Boss and Bartleby. Boss is the manager of the law practice in Wall Street. Bartleby is one of the Boss's employers and prefers not to do anything he is told to do. Bartleby tends to get repetitive, which annoys the other characters. These characters are realistic. The story's minor characters are there to show the other kinds of characters the Boss works with.
Dynamic/ Static- Who Changes? Who stays the same? Is the story about growth or change?
The character that changes would be the Boss. The character that stays the same would be Bartleby. The story is about change in that the Boss changes how he saw certain things, like how people can act even to their boss.
Round/ Flat- Who is the round character? Who are the flat characters?
The round character would be the Boss because the reader can see he's dynamic in the way he thinks and acts. The flat character would Bartleby because he tends to be repetitive and doesn't want to do any kind of work.
Point of View
Who tells the story?- the first person narrator, who is flawed but human...He's reliable, we trust him. His actions definitely support what he tells us about himself; especially the part about being a man who likes to take the "easy" way. What else is gained by telling this story from the Boss's perspective? Why not Bartleby's perspective? Why not one of the other clerks?
The story is told from the Boss's perspective also because he is a character who is in the right state of mind. The story takes place in the office, in Wall Street, that Boss manages. The story wasn't told in Bartleby's perspective because it would be dull or bland and would not be very detailed. The story wouldn't work in the other clerks' perspective because they weren't there in the events that took place between Boss and Bartleby. In the other clerks' perspective, the clerks would be really annoyed of Bartleby.
Plot Exposition:
What background information does the narrator relate that gives us a greater understanding of the events unfolding?
The background information that the narrator gives us, that gives us a greater understanding of the events unfolding is the emplolyment he's in and about the peculiar people he works with. He tells us that Bartleby is the most peculiar of the bunch.
Why does the information about Bartleby's previous employment come at the end of the story rather than at the beginning?
The information about Bartleby's previous employment comes at the end of the story rather then the beginning because instead of letting the reader know why he acts the way he does, the author decides to make the reader question his actions. This leads to the reader to want to finish reading to see if the author writes how Bartleby became the way he is.
Complication- How does the Boss react when Bartleby repeatedly refuses to perform his duties? How does his reaction intensify? What is the Boss's dilemma?
At first the Boss is dumbfounded when Bartleby repeatedly refuses to perform his duties. Instead of forcing Bartleby to work he just makes someone else do it. He soon becomes aggravated but instead of making Bartleby do his duties, he moves his offices somewhere else. Boss's dilemma is trying to make Bartleby do his work by only telling him and not forcing him.
Climax-Where do you feel the events reach their pinnacle? Where is the conflict most intense, the clash most "explosive"?
I feel that the events reached their pinnacle when people start going to Boss to tell him about Bartleby not doing anything and that Boss doesn't know him. The conflict is the most intense when Boss goes to talk with Bartleby and would result in Bartleby getting taken away by the police. He asks Bartleby if he wants to stay in his house, which Bartleby refuses.
Resolution-What's the outcome of the explosion?
The outcome of the explosion is Bartleby getting sent to prison and eventually dying in there. We find also find out what was Bartleby's previous employment.
Epiphany-Who has gained insight in this story, Bartleby or the Boss, or anybody?
Boss is the character that has gained insight. He finds out the reason why Bartleby might have became the way he did. He learns that people become the way are by past experiences.
Meaning (Theme) :
Does the story leave you thinking anything? Feeling anything? What do you make out of it all?Passive aggressive people are difficult to accommodate, difficult to ignore. Passive resistance is a radical form of rebellion. Offices, where Americans spend the greater part of their lives, are not democracies. Have a life outside work! Don't expect your occupation to bear the burden of your existence. What other ideas does the story suggest to you?
The story leaves me wondering if other people who have worked in the dead letter office become like Bartleby. The story leaves feeling like nothing was really accomplished and that I should try to help people like Bartleby. I think this is a story that might make the reader carefully watch those around them and see if any of them might become like Bartleby. Other ideas that the story might suggest is that you can't help others who don't wish to be helped. Also that past experiences can change your outlook on life. Another idea is that by being isolated can be dangerous to yourself.
Irony :
The Boss doesn't recognize that his own passiveness is as persistent and frustrating as Bartleby's. Or that his genteel, self-interest in Bartleby is leading to no good. Can you think of other ironies?
Other ironies in the story is that the Boss, whose is a lawyer and is supposed to be protecting peoples' rights, is against how Bartleby is rebelling against working. Also that Bartleby is pretty isolated and is vacant because he used to work in the dead letter office.
Paradox :
Bartleby is stubborn, self-absorbed, rebellious, and insubordinate, yet many readers, and even the narrator, the Boss himself, have a deep sympathy for him. Why? Others?
Many readers may have a deep sympathy for the character because of how the story ended and about his previous employment. Readers find out that he worked in the dead letter office, which would probably be the reason behind why he prefers not to do anything. He saw that people didn't get their letters delivered by people who cared about them. This led him to feel empty and become isolated. In the end we feel sympathy for him because there might have been people who cared deeply about him but never got the chance to tell him.
Ambiguity:
Exactly why does Bartleby always "prefer not to"? Why can't he make friends, or communicate? What's at the heart of his rebellion? Why doesn't he quit and get a different job? Why does the Boss have sympathy for Bartleby? What else in the story seems open
to individual readers' interpretation?
Bartleby always "prefer not to" because he sees no point in doing anything. Bartleby doesn't really care about life anymore. He used to work in the dead letters office where letters didn't get to the people who were supposed to recieve them. He can't make friends or communicate because he lost his liveliness. He feels empty and all his will to live. He then becomes stubborn and doesn't have the will to talk to anyone. The heart of his rebellion lies in himself not wanting to do anything. Bartleby doesn't quit his job and get a different one because he sees no point to and prefers to be isolated. The Boss has sympathy for Bartleby because he doesn't want Bartleby to feel like he's alone. The Boss sees that Bartleby doesn't have a home, friends and he barely has any food. This makes the Boss want to help him. In the story, individual readers' interpretation can be for the reason behind the story. Also why the Boss doesn't just force Bartleby do his work.
Symbol :
What do the "dead walls" and Bartleby's "dead wall reveries" represent? What's the significance of the setting? Why is it a story of "Wall Street"? Why do Turkey and Nipper have nicknames, but the Boss is never named, and we never learn Bartleby's first name? What's in a name?
The "dead walls" and "dead wall reveries" represents Bartleby's mind and how he doesn't feel anything anymore. He sees no point in life. We see that Bartleby can be a danger to himself because he wants to be isolated. The significance of the setting and why it this is a story of "Wall Street" is because Wall Street known to be harsh and everyone has to communicate. But in Bartleby's case he doesn't talk to anyone and isolated in a career where communication is the key to know what is going on around you. Turkey and Nipper both have nicknames because the represent some typical people. They were stereotyped for what they do. Boss is never named because he is also stereotyped for being the boss. We never learn Bartleby's first name to add to the mystery of who he is and why he is the way he is. He is meant to seem isolated and depressed. Names are meant to tell people who you are. The key behind your name lies from those who named you. People know the person you might be talking about by their name.
Your Questions, My Questions….
1. Why don't we know anything about Bartleby other than what we see of him in the story? Is that a weakness of the story?
We don't know anything about Bartleby other than what we see of him in the story because Bartleby doesn't like to talk about himself. He prefers to be alone and doesn't tell anyone about himself. This isn't a weakness of the story because the author purposely didn't include details about Bartleby. The author wanted Bartleby to be mysterious.
2. Why doesn't the Boss just fire Bartleby?
The Boss doesn't fire Bartleby because he feels sympathy for Bartleby. He sees that Bartleby doesn't have anything and wants to help. But he also found a weird interest in Bartleby. He wanted to know more about him.
3. What does the Boss do for a living? What kind of company is he running?
Boss is an old lawyer for the people in Wall Street. The kind of company he is running is a law firm.
What is the Boss up against in the person of Bartleby?
The Boss is up against a person who is very calm and nonchalant. Bartleby is someone who just keeps to himself and is very repetitive. this makes people become annoyed of him fairly quick.
Does Bartleby represent a force between himself as an individual?
Bartleby can represent a force between himself as an individual because he doesn't allow himself to grow as a person. He tends to "prefer not to" do anything which keeps him from doing new things.
Major/ Minor (Who are the major players in the story? What do we know about them?Are they likable? Sympathetic? Realistic? What's the function of the story's minor characters?)
The major players in the story are the Boss and Bartleby. Boss is the manager of the law practice in Wall Street. Bartleby is one of the Boss's employers and prefers not to do anything he is told to do. Bartleby tends to get repetitive, which annoys the other characters. These characters are realistic. The story's minor characters are there to show the other kinds of characters the Boss works with.
Dynamic/ Static- Who Changes? Who stays the same? Is the story about growth or change?
The character that changes would be the Boss. The character that stays the same would be Bartleby. The story is about change in that the Boss changes how he saw certain things, like how people can act even to their boss.
Round/ Flat- Who is the round character? Who are the flat characters?
The round character would be the Boss because the reader can see he's dynamic in the way he thinks and acts. The flat character would Bartleby because he tends to be repetitive and doesn't want to do any kind of work.
Point of View
Who tells the story?- the first person narrator, who is flawed but human...He's reliable, we trust him. His actions definitely support what he tells us about himself; especially the part about being a man who likes to take the "easy" way. What else is gained by telling this story from the Boss's perspective? Why not Bartleby's perspective? Why not one of the other clerks?
The story is told from the Boss's perspective also because he is a character who is in the right state of mind. The story takes place in the office, in Wall Street, that Boss manages. The story wasn't told in Bartleby's perspective because it would be dull or bland and would not be very detailed. The story wouldn't work in the other clerks' perspective because they weren't there in the events that took place between Boss and Bartleby. In the other clerks' perspective, the clerks would be really annoyed of Bartleby.
Plot Exposition:
What background information does the narrator relate that gives us a greater understanding of the events unfolding?
The background information that the narrator gives us, that gives us a greater understanding of the events unfolding is the emplolyment he's in and about the peculiar people he works with. He tells us that Bartleby is the most peculiar of the bunch.
Why does the information about Bartleby's previous employment come at the end of the story rather than at the beginning?
The information about Bartleby's previous employment comes at the end of the story rather then the beginning because instead of letting the reader know why he acts the way he does, the author decides to make the reader question his actions. This leads to the reader to want to finish reading to see if the author writes how Bartleby became the way he is.
Complication- How does the Boss react when Bartleby repeatedly refuses to perform his duties? How does his reaction intensify? What is the Boss's dilemma?
At first the Boss is dumbfounded when Bartleby repeatedly refuses to perform his duties. Instead of forcing Bartleby to work he just makes someone else do it. He soon becomes aggravated but instead of making Bartleby do his duties, he moves his offices somewhere else. Boss's dilemma is trying to make Bartleby do his work by only telling him and not forcing him.
Climax-Where do you feel the events reach their pinnacle? Where is the conflict most intense, the clash most "explosive"?
I feel that the events reached their pinnacle when people start going to Boss to tell him about Bartleby not doing anything and that Boss doesn't know him. The conflict is the most intense when Boss goes to talk with Bartleby and would result in Bartleby getting taken away by the police. He asks Bartleby if he wants to stay in his house, which Bartleby refuses.
Resolution-What's the outcome of the explosion?
The outcome of the explosion is Bartleby getting sent to prison and eventually dying in there. We find also find out what was Bartleby's previous employment.
Epiphany-Who has gained insight in this story, Bartleby or the Boss, or anybody?
Boss is the character that has gained insight. He finds out the reason why Bartleby might have became the way he did. He learns that people become the way are by past experiences.
Meaning (Theme) :
Does the story leave you thinking anything? Feeling anything? What do you make out of it all?Passive aggressive people are difficult to accommodate, difficult to ignore. Passive resistance is a radical form of rebellion. Offices, where Americans spend the greater part of their lives, are not democracies. Have a life outside work! Don't expect your occupation to bear the burden of your existence. What other ideas does the story suggest to you?
The story leaves me wondering if other people who have worked in the dead letter office become like Bartleby. The story leaves feeling like nothing was really accomplished and that I should try to help people like Bartleby. I think this is a story that might make the reader carefully watch those around them and see if any of them might become like Bartleby. Other ideas that the story might suggest is that you can't help others who don't wish to be helped. Also that past experiences can change your outlook on life. Another idea is that by being isolated can be dangerous to yourself.
Irony :
The Boss doesn't recognize that his own passiveness is as persistent and frustrating as Bartleby's. Or that his genteel, self-interest in Bartleby is leading to no good. Can you think of other ironies?
Other ironies in the story is that the Boss, whose is a lawyer and is supposed to be protecting peoples' rights, is against how Bartleby is rebelling against working. Also that Bartleby is pretty isolated and is vacant because he used to work in the dead letter office.
Paradox :
Bartleby is stubborn, self-absorbed, rebellious, and insubordinate, yet many readers, and even the narrator, the Boss himself, have a deep sympathy for him. Why? Others?
Many readers may have a deep sympathy for the character because of how the story ended and about his previous employment. Readers find out that he worked in the dead letter office, which would probably be the reason behind why he prefers not to do anything. He saw that people didn't get their letters delivered by people who cared about them. This led him to feel empty and become isolated. In the end we feel sympathy for him because there might have been people who cared deeply about him but never got the chance to tell him.
Ambiguity:
Exactly why does Bartleby always "prefer not to"? Why can't he make friends, or communicate? What's at the heart of his rebellion? Why doesn't he quit and get a different job? Why does the Boss have sympathy for Bartleby? What else in the story seems open
to individual readers' interpretation?
Bartleby always "prefer not to" because he sees no point in doing anything. Bartleby doesn't really care about life anymore. He used to work in the dead letters office where letters didn't get to the people who were supposed to recieve them. He can't make friends or communicate because he lost his liveliness. He feels empty and all his will to live. He then becomes stubborn and doesn't have the will to talk to anyone. The heart of his rebellion lies in himself not wanting to do anything. Bartleby doesn't quit his job and get a different one because he sees no point to and prefers to be isolated. The Boss has sympathy for Bartleby because he doesn't want Bartleby to feel like he's alone. The Boss sees that Bartleby doesn't have a home, friends and he barely has any food. This makes the Boss want to help him. In the story, individual readers' interpretation can be for the reason behind the story. Also why the Boss doesn't just force Bartleby do his work.
Symbol :
What do the "dead walls" and Bartleby's "dead wall reveries" represent? What's the significance of the setting? Why is it a story of "Wall Street"? Why do Turkey and Nipper have nicknames, but the Boss is never named, and we never learn Bartleby's first name? What's in a name?
The "dead walls" and "dead wall reveries" represents Bartleby's mind and how he doesn't feel anything anymore. He sees no point in life. We see that Bartleby can be a danger to himself because he wants to be isolated. The significance of the setting and why it this is a story of "Wall Street" is because Wall Street known to be harsh and everyone has to communicate. But in Bartleby's case he doesn't talk to anyone and isolated in a career where communication is the key to know what is going on around you. Turkey and Nipper both have nicknames because the represent some typical people. They were stereotyped for what they do. Boss is never named because he is also stereotyped for being the boss. We never learn Bartleby's first name to add to the mystery of who he is and why he is the way he is. He is meant to seem isolated and depressed. Names are meant to tell people who you are. The key behind your name lies from those who named you. People know the person you might be talking about by their name.
Your Questions, My Questions….
1. Why don't we know anything about Bartleby other than what we see of him in the story? Is that a weakness of the story?
We don't know anything about Bartleby other than what we see of him in the story because Bartleby doesn't like to talk about himself. He prefers to be alone and doesn't tell anyone about himself. This isn't a weakness of the story because the author purposely didn't include details about Bartleby. The author wanted Bartleby to be mysterious.
2. Why doesn't the Boss just fire Bartleby?
The Boss doesn't fire Bartleby because he feels sympathy for Bartleby. He sees that Bartleby doesn't have anything and wants to help. But he also found a weird interest in Bartleby. He wanted to know more about him.
3. What does the Boss do for a living? What kind of company is he running?
Boss is an old lawyer for the people in Wall Street. The kind of company he is running is a law firm.
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