Brent Staples mini-unit

"Black Men and Public Space" by Brent Staples  audio

As we listen to the audio, please annotate the following:

1. Put a star (*) next to interesting sentences or ideas

2. Put a question mark (?) next to things you find confusing

3. Circle or highlight unknown vocabulary words

QUESTIONS ON “BLACK MEN AND PUBLIC SPACE”

THE FACTS

1.  What does Staples mean in paragraph 2 by “the ability to alter public space?”

2.  What does he learn from his encounter with a white woman as recalled in paragraphs

     1 and 2?

3.  What other anecdotes does Staples use to illustrate the problem of “black men and

     public space?”

4.  What is the essay’s thesis?

5.  What “truths” does the author describe in paragraph 5, and how does this paragraph

     help him advance his thesis?

6.  In paragraph 10, the author claims that “Black men trade tales like this all the time.” 

     To what kinds of tales is he referring?  How does including that sentence help him

     accomplish his purpose?

7.  Why has he forced himself “to smother the rage [he] felt at so often being taken for a

     criminal?  (paragraph 11)

8.  Who are Beethoven and Vivaldi?  Why does Staples whistle their music?

THE STRATEGIES

1.  Besides illustration, what methods of development does the author employ?

2.  Staples begins with an anecdote.  Discuss the effectiveness of this story as an

     introductory device.

3.  The thesis of the essay is implied.  Would the essay have been more effective if it had

     been explicit?  Explain.

4.  Staples’ tone is remarkably subdued.  Discuss the reason(s) behind his adopting such

     a tone.  Should he have expressed more emotion?

THE ISSUES

1.  Is Staples’ experience unique from his perspective as a large, tall black man?  Explain.

2.  Staples handles his rage in a rather unique way.  What is it?

3.  What does Staples’ subdued tone tell you about his character?

4.  Do you think we make false assumptions that people are up to no good if they are on

     the street late at night, even if they have a good reason for doing so?  Before you know

     his reason for being out late at night, why do you think he was out late?

5.  If you had been in Staples’ situation, how would you have handled it?

6.  Would Staples have been successful in his profession is he had remained in Chester,

     Pennsylvania, his hometown?  Why or why not?

"In Search of our Mothers' Garden's" by Alice Walker---extra-credit

Today you are responsible for:

1. Finishing the "Everyday Use" questions

2. Completing the quick write for "Everyday Use"

3. Turning in your essay for Julius Caesar by 11:59 pm tonight

(ALSO very few of you have completed DBA #2 which counts as a quiz grade)

video link on Alice Walker

Read the Alice Walker except, "In Search of our Mothers' Gardens" on pages 522-523 of the textbook, and begin answering the questions below the picture (you do not have to copy the questions)

Questions: Must Use RACE when possible for extra-credit
1. What work did Walker's mother do?
2. Why were her mother's stories so often incomplete?
3. In what ways does Walker say that her mother was an artist?
4. What portrait of Walker's mother do you get from this essay? Give a few words to describe her and examples of her actions to support your description.
5. What does her mother's garden represent, or symbolize to Walker? What does it represent to Walker's mother?

Help for the Quick Write

Help for the Quick Write (note: this is just a model--you do not have to follow this
word for word by any means) NOTE: THISIS JUST ONE WAY TO SET IT UP

 In the short-story by Alice Walker entitled, "Everyday Use," the author gives the reader vivid characterization of the 3 women: Mama, Dee (Wangero), and Maggie. This characterization helps the reader understand the characters' feelings about their heritage.
  The author characterizes Mama as a _____________ kind of person. This is seen in Mama's description of herself when she states, __________________. This show that ______________________. Another word that would describe Mama is ______________. This is true because ______________________________ as seen in the following lines _____________.
  Alice Walker characterizes Dee as ______________. This is shown through her mother's point of view when she describes Dee as _________________. This explains _____________________. Dee can also be considered by the reader to be ______________. This is seen when she returns as "Wangero" in the second half of the story. She explains to the family, ________________. This shows us that ______________________.
  On the other hand, Dee's sister  Maggie is considered by her mother to be ________________. This is seen when she tells the reader _______________________. This explains her feelings because ____________________. She is also described as ____________________ as seen in the following lines, ___________________. This informs the reader that ________________.
  This characterization affects the way each one sees the family's heritage. Mama and Maggie value_______ while Dee seems to value _________. We see evidence of this __________________________.
  Alice Walker's characterization of: Mama, Dee, and Maggie, gives the audience a clear view of the characters and each one's view on heritage, one of the major themes of the story.

Quick Write "Everyday Use"

After you finish questions 7-11, complete the following quick write:
Quick Write Topic for "Everyday Use" (8 pts.)
T-"Everyday Use"
A-Alice Walker
G-short-story

Question: Alice Walker provides the audience with many examples to characterize the 3 women in the story "Everyday Use": Mama, Dee (Wangero), and Maggie. 

• Use a minimum of 1-2 adjectives (not just any--but the most important adjectives) to describe each of the 3 characters throughout the story. 
• Give thoughtful textual evidence and explain how it shows the given adjective(s).
•  Explain how characterization shapes each character's view on the family's heritage.

Essay contest info

Gamma Phi Omega is holding an essay contest:

Submit a 200-word essay or less about the Harlem Renaissance and/or Black Movement honoring African Americans and their contributions during this unified movement.  Choose a person, event or establishment from the period about how that person or event has impacted our history and society.  Typed essays will be accepted.  Each entry please include student's full name, grade, school, and home telephone number.

To enter you must submit your essay no later than February 24, 2020 to Gamma Phi Omega at akagpo@gmail.com or

Gamma Phi Omega Chapter

PO Box 3231

Buffalo, NY  14240

"Everyday Use"--Day 2----

FOR HOMEWORK: WRITE 11 GOOD VOCABULARY SENTENCES FOR YESTERDAY'S WORDS (ON THE SIDE BOARD)
"Everyday Use" clip 1
Everyday Use" clip 2
Today we will:
1. Continue our reading of "Everyday Use"
2. Add more characterization quotes for ALL 3 characters
3. Begin working on our questions ("Everyday Use" worksheet)

Question #5 Exemplar: (this is just help--you can copy: all of it, some of it, or none of it)
5. Alice Walker uses personification to depict the way Dee reads to her family, such as when Mama says she felt, "trapped and ignorant underneath her voice." Another example is when Mama says Dee, "washed us in a river of make-believe, burned us with a lot of knowledge we didn't necessarily to know" (506). These examples show how Mama and Maggie felt Dee was using her knowledge against them to purposely make them feel stupid and inferior to her.

Today we will begin a short author study on: Alice Walker

First begin by writing down the following vocabulary words/definitions: (you should be in the Quarter 3 section now)----you may write on the back of the worksheet questions if you prefer.

"Everyday Use" by Alice Walker Vocabulary
1. homely (adj): unattractive
2. mercilessly (adv): showing no pity
3. fumed (v): showing anger
4. nature (n): the basic or essential features of something
5. enveloped (v): surround completely
6. sidle (v): walk in a timid (shy) manner, especially sideways
7. furtive (adj): secretive
8. cowering (v): crouch down in fear
9. doctrine (n): a set of beliefs
10. rifling (v): searching through something in a hurried way
Write down your own definition of the following word: (don't look it up)
11. heritage (n):

*Let's discuss our definitions
*Turn to page:  499 in the blue textbook
*Today we will read "Chunk #1" of the text
*Make a 3-column chart and get down as much information as you can about the 3 characters from pages 504 to the "W" on page 507: Mama (narrator), Maggie, and Dee
*We will begin answering the questions for the worksheet (#1-4 if possible)

*Click here to down load the worksheet: "Everyday Use" worksheet link

Today's Notes:

Mama (narrator)	Maggie	Dee
Imagines herself in a way she thinks Dee wished she looked “large, big-boned woman” (505)	“homely” (505)