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Lesson 3

We will be introduced to literary concepts related to characterization and to the idea that some stories come alive through their vivid or memorable characters and character relationships. We will watch another short video about the internal and external features of characters, then will read, analyze, and discuss William Faulkner’s Gothic short story, “A Rose for Emily.” As a class, in reading teams, and then individually, we will practice the skills of close reading and analysis with a key passage from the story.

Lesson Goals

  • Can I use a set of questions to analyze a section of the overall story?

  • Can I analyze the language in, and explain the significance of, selected excerpts from a section of the story?

Texts

Core

  • Unit Reader
    • “A Rose for Emily,” William Faulkner, Random House, an imprint and division of Penguin Random House LLC, 1930
  • Digital Access
    • “Internal vs. External Features” from “Pixar in a Box: The Art of Storytelling,” Pixar Animation Studios, Khan Academy, 2017

Materials

Tools

Reference Guides

Question Sets

Editable Google Docs

Activity 1: Read – Write – Discuss

We will interact with the words we wrote down in our Vocabulary Journal to cement our understanding of their meaning.

Join your small group and compare the words you wrote down in your Vocabulary Journal. Select one word from each group’s Vocabulary Journal and respond to the vocabulary exercises as directed by your teacher.

Activity 2: View

We will watch the pixar in a box video “Character — Internal Vs. External Features” to learn about the elements of characterization.

As you watch "Character - Internal vs. External Features," think about the core features that define a character.

Activity 3: Write

We will continue to think about our own stories by responding to characterization questions.

Think about your own story by responding to the following questions about characterization in your Learning Log or in a class discussion. Consider the elements you learned about in the Pixar video to help guide your thinking.

  1. Who might be the key characters in a story you could tell?

  2. How might people from your life provide the basis for your characters?

  3. What might be the external and internal features for the characters in your story?

Activity 4: Listen

We will learn about William Faulkner and his importance as a regional 20th-century author.

Listen to your teacher present a brief overview of William Faulkner’s life and works.

Activity 5: Read

We will review literary elements and concepts related to characterization as we prepare to read, analyze, and discuss character development in William Faulkner’s short story, “A Rose For Emily.”

As a class, read and summarize the Narratives Reference Guide’s information on characterization in preparation for discussing stories that focus on character development.

Activity 6: Discuss

We will analyze and discuss our initial reactions to “A Rose For Emily,” the story’s events, its central character, and its ending.

As a class, discuss your initial reactions to "A Rose for Emily," the story's events, and its macabre ending. Discuss the following questions about characterization:

  1. What happens in the story? What is its sequence of events?

  2. Who is the story about? What character is its central figure? Is this character a protagonist or antagonist?

  3. What is the character’s personality as revealed to us through description, thoughts and actions, other characters’ perspectives, interactions with other characters, and dialogue?

  4. What motivates and influences the character (their experiences, external challenges, and internal conflicts)? What evidence from the text offers the strongest support for this interpretation?

Discuss how the story unfolds in time, using both flashbacks and foreshadowing to tell its story in a non-chronological or non-linear sequence.

Activity 7: Read – Discuss

We will work in reading teams to deepen our understanding of “A Rose For Emily.”

Join a reading team, which will focus on one of the five numbered sections of "A Rose for Emily."

In your reading team, consider the following questions as you reread, annotate, analyze and discuss your section of the story:

  1. What happens in this section of the story? What are the notable events?

  2. When does the section of the story take place, relative to the story’s overall timeline and other parts of the story?

  3. What do we learn about Miss Emily Grierson in this section of the story? What do we learn through the narrator’s description, the action, and dialogue? What specific parts of the text support this interpretation?

  4. What other characters play a role in this section of the story? What are Miss Emily’s interactions with them?

  5. How does the voice of the narrator play a role in this section of the story?

Activity 8: Read – Write

We will use questions to help us annotate, analyze and paraphrase a sentence from the story. This will help us deepen our understanding of how Faulkner uses language meaningfully.

Step 1

In your reading teams, listen as your teacher models how to annotate, analyze, and then paraphrase a sentence from "A Rose for Emily," using the following question for guidance:

  1. What descriptive words, phrases, and images does Faulkner use to characterize Miss Emily and her relationship with the town?

Step 2

In your reading teams, use the questions below to help annotate, analyze, and then paraphrase one or more sentences from your section of "A Rose for Emily."

Begin by practicing the process with a shorter excerpt from your section of the story, perhaps using one of the suggested excerpts from the Faulkner Mentor Sentence Handout.

  1. What descriptive words, phrases, and images does Faulkner use to characterize Miss Emily and her relationship with the town?

  2. Paraphrase what Faulkner is describing.

After you have annotated and analyzed the sentence, practice paraphrasing the sentence a few times, first as individuals, then as a team.

Activity 9: Read – Write

For homework, we will use questions to better understand how Faulkner uses descriptive words, phrases, and images to characterize miss emily and her relationship with the town.

For homework, use the questions below to annotate and analyze a sentence from the Faulkner Mentor Sentence Handout for your section of the story, or as assigned by your teacher.

  1. What descriptive words, phrases, and images does Faulkner use to characterize Miss Emily and her relationship with the town?

  2. Paraphrase what Faulkner is describing.

After you have annotated and analyzed the sentence, practice paraphrasing the sentence a few times.