The Smell of Ginger : Chapters 7 & 8 - Discussion

"Far down the road, a long way from Milkman and Guitar, the peacock spread its tail."

Song of Solomon 11 - The Smell of Ginger - Discussion : Often, when I assign Group Work - as I did in the last lesson - the next lesson will pick up where that last lesson ended. However, sometimes - as in today's lesson - some of that text covered in the Group Work needs to be discussed. SO MUCH happens in Chapters 7 & 8. When I was teaching this novel - it always felt that this was indeed the climax - the heart of the book. In Chapter 7, Pilate and Macon make their choices that will define the rest of their lives. In Chapter 8, Guitar and Milkman make theirs. For both of these characters - their choices at this point are a continuation of how they have already lived their entire lives. The irony is that Guitar points out to Milkman that the White Peacock they see can't fly because it is too weighed down by its plumage - and yet he fails to see that both him and Milkman will need to shed their worldly possessions and endeavors in order to fly. And yet, for Milkman - it is also the start of a change, of a path to redemption and flight. And, as the name of this lesson implies - that smell of Ginger becomes an important echo of that search for a better life - the shore at the end of one of those Great Lakes.

Lesson Overview

The Quiz

The quiz included here is only for Chapter 8 - if you need the quiz for Chapter 7, you can find it on the page for the last lesson.

The Discussion

There is SO much to cover (and go over) in this lesson that the only way I found to get it in all was by having a teacher-led discussion (Ring Master Teacher). While by the end of my career these were the least common kind of all class discussion - they still were extremely important. Especially with a novel like Song of Solomon.

The Discussion - here a FEW of the key questions. THESE ARE A SMALL FRACTION OF MY QUESTIONS. Please see my handwritten & transcribed PDF below for the entire lesson (discussion).

Chapter 7

page

162. What does Macon say about "land-locked" people? Why?

165. Why does Milkman feel used? Is there any irony in this?

168. Why do Pilate & Macon go to Virginia - specifically what leads them there?

170. THE HEART of the BOOK: What choice do they make after killing the white man in the cave? What does it say Pilate does at that moment? (Grow Roots). It mentions a peacock on Macon's choice - why?

171. What happens to the Gold? What does Macon believe? (that Pilate takes it). Does that make any sense?

172. After Macon tells Milkman his story - what is left in the park? (Pigeons and trees). Are pigeons great flyers? (no - ah....)

Chapter 8

173-174. What is Guitar's job as a 7 Day? (To avenge the killing of the four little girls in Birmingham)

178-179. While Milkman is planning to attack and rob from Pilate what do him and Guitar see? (A white peacock)

179. Why does Guitar say the peacock can't fly? (Too weighed down).

184-185. What do they smell after their break-in? (Ginger).

186. What does Guitar see? (Macon's father's ghost).

Teacher Led - Discussion - Chapt 7 & 8

Chapters 7 & 8 Hand-written Lesson Notes for Discussion PDF

Chapters 7 & 8 Transcribed Lesson Notes for Discussion Docx PDF

I did something new: I used Claude AI to transcribe my notes - I wanted to see how it turned out. AND - with a little editing it turned out very well. A lot easier for you to read. While I hate using AI for artistic creation in any sense - it really does work well for transcribing writing into text. I was very please with the output - but I've given both versions here and you can make up your own mind.

SoSCh7and8disc_20170317.mp3

Class Recording

There is so much in these two chapters. The teacher leads the discussion as we discuss the heart of the book (page 170) where something happens which in turn makes Pilate grow roots and Macon want gold. We continue and discuss the evolving relationship between Milkman and Guitar - and where it is all heading, and of course we discuss the white peacock.

Group Work - Peacocks & TNT - Chapters 7 to 8

Chapters 7 to 8 Group Work - Group Work - Docx PDF

I didn't even mention this Group Work in my Lesson Overview above because I believe that it is vital to have a class discussion around these chapters. Also - some of these questions repeat the work that was done in the last Lesson, the last Group Work.

Most Recent Quizzes

Quiz Chapter 8 Docx PDF

If you want to give the students the entire period to work on this (less homework) - skip the quiz today. In the next lesson, I will include a quiz on both Chapters 7 & 8. As always, you want to quiz the students on the reading. If they haven't read - nothing else matters that you do. Also - if they haven't read (I graded these right away), they shouldn't get into a group but should do the reading during class time and do the Group Work on their own for homework (in addition to any reading they need to do for the next class.)

Remote Enhancements

Today's lesson really calls for a discussion and discussions are wonderful to do remotely.

What's Next - UNIT HOMEPAGE

Four Little Girls - A Documentary by Spike Lee

WHAT CAME BEFORE:

Chapters 6 & 7 - Feathers & Roots - Group Work

Thoughts on the Lesson

There are so many reasons to teaching this incredible novels to your seniors. Two of them stand out in regard to this lesson. The first has to do with the "smell of Ginger" - that wonderful metaphor that Toni Morrison uses that examines what desire is - and how it is found in all of us. The second reason involves the idea of "why Peacocks can't fly." As Guitar points out - they have too much weight. Milkman needs to learn to shed these earthly things - as do we all - but it is an especially poignant idea for seniors who are on the verge of leaving their family's homes.

A Sample Reading Page with my notes

A Sample Reading Page (pages 184 to 185) with notes PDF

The text with my notes served as a guide for the questions, comments and ideas that I ask (including Group Works) - though I was always ready for and often elicited the students ideas, questions, etc. Over the years - as I wrote notes in this text - the previous years' notes and questions become incorporated into the lesson. Again - you will find that these instructions are flexible - and I had to be - they kept changing the amount of time that we had in the classroom.