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"Sunny Glow, which had tipped completely over and lost its protective disk, exploded in peach puff under the weight of the raindrops."
Song of Solomon 17 -She Was Loved - Chapter 13 - Group Work : This Chapter is one of the most heartbreaking pieces of prose ever written. I was never ashamed to share with my students that it made me cry - each and every time that I read it. Poor Hagar has been let down and brought to her doom - not only by Milkman, but by Pilate and Reeba - and a larger society that seems to value one group of people much more than another. We will discuss what happens along with the rest of the novel in our next class - but I always wanted the students to first have a crack at the material - without their teacher so that their reactions (still fresh from the night's reading) can be as honest and heartfelt as possible. The Group Work goes through just who is to blame - and like Morrison - it spares no one. It also considers Pilate's last words - asking for Mercy and declaring that Hagar was loved. It also brings in All Quiet on the Western Front - and examines just why this chapters hits us all so hard. The last question has students pull some of the text from this chapter - along with earlier chapters - to try and pull some of the book's "bigger" ideas together - preparing them for the end of the book (that they will read after doing this Group Work).
Lesson Overview
Lesson Overview
The Quiz
The Quiz
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.)
The Group Work
The Group Work
We go back to Chapter 6 (see the last lesson) - Chapter 6 is filled with Guitar's contradictions and it's important for the students to see them - they will make the rest of the book so much more powerful. Directly below are summaries of the Group Work questions - but you should see the actual student Group Work handout for much. Here are my directions to the students first:
The more I read this book, the more I marvel both at its simplicity and its complexity. There are new connections found in every reading. If you did NOT read DO NOT get into a group (you may turn it in tomorrow for full credit). For those who did read: push your group – look for new things as well as what you’ve seen during your readings. Stay Focused: Stay Specific. Your answers when done well and seriously will approach that same complexity and simplicity of Morrison’s connections. The last three questions are perfect to discover on your own (if you do not have time to finish – otherwise, let your group discover them together) – please do NOT copy someone else’s paper. Like Milkman, you are what you do – not what you want to do.
A brief summary of the Group Work questions
This focuses on Guitar at the beginning of chapter 6 lecturing Milkman on how he treats Hagar (and the irony).
More on names - Milkman's obsession - Guitar's light touch.
A question on the context of The Seven Days. Then it talks about the frustration that Milkman and his mother both similarly have with shutting doors - and the connection between these 2 parts.
How Macon, Milkman, and Guitar all have separate desires for what they'd do with the gold.
Circe and connecting it to the murder of the Four Little Girls in Birmingham (Guitar's job of revenge).
Macon killing the old man in the cave (MUCH more on this in the next lesson).
Pilate's name and her rejection of its implications. Also Macon's slapping Pilate and its import.
Extra Credit
Extra Credit
On the back of the Group Work, I've included an article about how the murder of Emmett Till still resonates from The Atlantic magazine. The students can write a one page focused response for extra credit.
Group Work - Feather & Roots - Chapters 6 to 7
Group Work - Feather & Roots - Chapters 6 to 7
See above in my Lesson Overview for a very detailed examination of the Group Work. You should also take a look at my Group Work page that describes how to use Group Work effectively - as well as why I do it.
This Group Work handout also includes a short Extra Credit assignment on an article from The Atlantic about the murder of Emmett Till. This fits in with both of these chapters covered in the Group Work.
A Sample Reading Page with my notes
A Sample Reading Page with my notes
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. To me, these two pages are the heart and soul of the book.
Most Recent Quizzes
Most Recent Quizzes
If you want to give the students the entire period to work on this (less homework) - skip the quiz today. If you have not quizzed the students on Chapter 6 - you can find that in the last lesson. 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
Remote Enhancements
Group Works are fantastic for Remote Teaching - once you get the hang of getting your students into group and virtual rooms.
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.
WHAT CAME BEFORE:
WHAT CAME BEFORE:
Thoughts on the Lesson
Thoughts on the Lesson
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