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"If you do it enough, you can do it to anybody" Milkman to Guitar
Song of Solomon 9 - The Seven Days - Chapter 6 - Discussion: Though I include a Group Work below - I don't really see it as an option. This chapter needs to be discussed. You have to be prepared - you have to stay focused and you need to make sure that everyone in class has their voice heard. This is, by far, the most controversial chapter to cover in this novel: It concern Guitar belonging to a secret society that murders people based on the crimes that are committed against African Americans in this country. They say that they are trying to achieve a balance.
I will confess, it took me quite awhile to feel comfortable and confident enough to discuss this chapter with my students - but I think that it is so incredibly important. Not only to the book as a whole, but to the bigger context of the world at large. As a teacher, I found myself playing the devil's advocate in the discussion - if I felt that students were not seeing one side of the story - I would point that out. That said, I definitely also wanted the students to see how wrong both what Guitar was doing and the reason that he felt he needed to do it were. By using a Vertext to frame the discussion - we relied on quotes. This is important when covering such a volatile subject. I don't believe in preaching to my students - so we looked at what Toni Morrison presents in the actual book - and we discuss the meaning of those words and how they can support one side or another of the moral argument.
Lesson Overview
Lesson Overview
The Quiz
The Quiz
As always, you want to quiz the students on the reading. If they haven't read - nothing else matters that you do. Though you will go back to Chapter 4 for the discussion - the quiz is only on Chapter 5 as they have already been quizzed on 4.
Class Discussion - Ring Master Teacher
Class Discussion - Ring Master Teacher
We go back to Chapter 4 and where exactly depends on what you did in the last lesson and how far you got. Directly below are some of the points that we will go over - but this is only a fraction of what we discuss - for more important discussion points (and for more detail on those that I do give) see the PDF of my Lesson Notes (found below). I give the chapter and the page number in bold.
Chapter 4
Starting at page 104 - Where does Milkman say he will go if things get rough? - NOTE: Milkman's constant running away from his problems and responsibilities is a central theme of this novel.
110 - Milkman laughs at Freddy's very serious story - and the fact is that Freddy actually trusted MM enough to tell it to him.
Chapter 5
113 - What is the situation with Hagar? What do they talk about as far as Geography goes? NOTE: Another theme - geography and sense of place (notice how it will come up again at the end of the chapter when Pilate talks about taking her Geography Text Book with her from place to place).
116 - How does Milkman and Guitar's conversation end? Can the students feel the tension and stress (they will)?
120 - What does Milkman feel about his life? Is he confronting Hagar - or escaping the consequences of his actions?
121 - How does MM find out about where and what his mother does late at night? (He sneaks and follows her - again, like his father)
124 - What kind of woman does Ruth see herself as? (small - in huge contrast to Pilate who is physically smaller than her - but much larger in life).
128 - WHAT do we find out about the fingers in her dead father's mouth? (Macon and hence Milkman have been misunderstanding - perhaps willfully - what actually happened this entire time. NOTE: HUGE - and another of those misunderstandings that are so integral to this novel)
128 - WHAT do we find out about Empire State (by now a suspect in the killing of the white boy)? That he hates all white men for how his white wife betrayed him. NOTE: Like so much in this book - you will have to be sensitive to your students maturity and the context of their lives when discussiong the more sensitive aspects of this book).
133 - What does Ruth decide to do about Hagar? Why?
135 - The story of Goldilocks - there are so many references to Fairy Tales in this novel - make sure the students note them - both in class and when they are doing the reading on their own (see the bookmark).
140 - What does Pilate tell Ruth about Hagar killing Milkman - and further, what does she say about women and Milkman's life? (That it'll be a woman that saves his life - and of course it is. You can't tell the students WHY this is important, but by pointing out things like this - you give them that second reading on the first go.)
147 - Pilate's father appears - What does he tell her? (That you can't just fly off and leave a body). (NOTE: This is so darn important and is another misunderstanding - every character has them - and it is just another part of this novel's genius.)
149 - How does Pilate change her life after that incident with the father and Macon and the ghost in the cave? (She gives up personal possesions and lives free). NOTE: THE biggest theme in the book - we can only "fly" or be free after we shed the possesions that way us down - and the reason I loved teaching this book to seniors.
151 - Is Hagar the same as Pilate and Reeba (Hagar's mother). (NO - and it is the reason that she is ultimately killed - at least in part by those who love her most - DO NOT tell the students this - but it is good for the teacher to know).
AGAIN these are less than 1/3 of the points that we go over in class - see my Lesson Notes below (a PDF) for much, much more.
Group Work
If you need to utilize it, there is a Group Work (actually 2 - one of them is for AP Literature) for this lesson. However, I strongly recommend using the Ring Master Teacher procedure outlined above. Please see my page on Group Work for more on the how and why of Group Work - and please see the actual Group Work handout (found below) for the questions that I ask (many of them - if not all - are also found in the discussion questions above and in my Lesson Notes (also found below). You can find a description of the AP Literature Question below - with the hand
This is a brief run-down of the questions on the Group Work - see the actual handout for more. The AP Literature version is essentially the same except it also includes a small prose analysis portion.
Here is a summary & topics for the Group Work questions (see the actual group work for more):
How does Guitar view Milkman's father's real-estate investments in Honore?
Is Guitar right that Milkman is NOT a serious person - why?
Does Milkman have any self-awareness?
Why does Milkman follow his mother to the Fairfield Cemetary and what does he find out there?
By not running away from Hagar trying to kill him - is it possible that Milkman is growing up OR is this just another form of getting away from the real issue at hand?
Teacher Led - Discussion - Chapts 5 (and end of 4)
Teacher Led - Discussion - Chapts 5 (and end of 4)
I've included three versions of these Lesson Notes. The oldest one is more of a curiosity - and it is not very complete. But as I've said before on this site - it was easier when we are younger to fill in those gaps - on the fly - between those notes. And perhaps, as we get older we are just a little bit wiser and are to afraid of leaving something out that will help a student appreciate this incredible book.
Group Work - Milkman & Guitar - Chapters 4-5
Group Work - Milkman & Guitar - Chapters 4-5
The group works are described above - however, the second version that was given to my AP Literature Class includes a question (#7) that asks for a typical AP Test Prose Analysis: : In Toni Morrison’s Song of Solomon, the main character, Milkman finds himself in bed, waiting for, and contemplating the arrival of a woman (a former lover) who will attempt to kill him. Explain how Morrison uses literary devices to characterize Milkman and capture his situation. Use only the prose that is here and your knowledge of literary devises, the structure of prose, and imagery in answering the prompt – do NOT use other parts of the novel in your answer.
Row Reading - Must discuss ideas & a blank Row Reading page
Row Reading - Must discuss ideas & a blank Row Reading page
See the directions above - I put this Power Point up right after the quiz to remind students of what they are to look for (3 things) during the time given before our discussion.
This is for teachers to make their own notes on the section.
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.
Most Recent Quizzes
Most Recent Quizzes
Sometimes you need to break the reading up, and there are 2 quizzes here according to how far your students get. If they do not read, nothing else matters. I can't stress how important that is. The discussions will be so engaging - it will make them want to read - nothing in the world beats the excitement of a whole class discussion - and with this book if you have 30 students, you will have 30 different takes - and it's so great to see the students learn from each other.
SoS_Ch5_disc_2015.mp3Class Recording
Class Recording
We talk about Song of Solomon Chapter 5 - a chapter that contains 3 or 4 mini-chapters. We begin by talking about Milkman waiting for Hagar to come kill him - and then talk about Ruth going to Pilate's house to try and save him. Next, we talk about the story that Pilate gives of her life - and how while Milkman doesn't want to know about "geography," Pilate has made it (and knowing where she is) her life's purpose.
Remote Enhancements
Remote Enhancements
Of course a discussion works in Remote - and there is also the Group Work if you find that works better with your remote students.
This is such a powerful piece of work. Made before the days of podcasts - this documentary, on Emmett Tills murder and the consequences for his family, the community, and the killers - is to me, still unsurpassed. It also fits in so well with Morrison's "Song of Solomon". Its sentiment regarding the destruction that comes to those who perpetuate hate and evil will be repeated throughout her novel - and especially when Milkman arrives to find his father's "gold". I've played this documentary for my students at various spots in this unit - but I really believe the best time to play it, is right before they read Chapter 6 with its horrific recounting of the Seven Days and their murderous mission. While their actions are completely unforgivable - this radio documentary gives what they do a context and a believability.
WHAT CAME BEFORE:
WHAT CAME BEFORE:
The Wrong Direction: Song of Solomon Ch 6 - Chpts 3 to 4 Disc/GW
Thoughts on the Lesson
Thoughts on the Lesson
So many important ideas, themes (motifs if you will) appear in this section of the reading - fairytales, geography, ghosts - and more. By now the students should be finding them while they are doing the reading on their own - and will point them out during the class discussion.
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