agenda | 11 june 2009

As a reminder from the email I sent out, you can choose one of the two stories to read, either "Intervention" or "Royal Beatings". You might skim over each story to help you decide, but only focus on reading one story for tomorrow. There will be separate attendance quizzes for each story. If you want to read both stories and complete both quizzes, you can earn points to make up for missed quizzes or answers.

Agenda

• Attendance Quizzes
• Discussion of foreshadowing and flashbacks
• Group discussions of "Intervention" and "Royal Beatings" focused on foreshadowing/flashbacks, conflict, close reading
  
• Discuss the grading rubric for your film adaptation proposal
  

Discussion Questions

• So far in our discussion of families, we've focused on the conflict between different generations, between parents and children. These two stories focus on the relationships within the generations (siblings, married parents, etc.). How does this additional focus complicate the stories? How does it impact the plot and the conflict?
• Why did you choose the story you chose? What about it appealed to you as a reader?
• In "Royal Beatings," is Rose a victim? If so, of what is she a victim? And is she the only victim? How might other characters in the story be considered victims?
• In "Intervention," the word enabler is used several times and is a word we hear used in different but powerful ways in our culture. What are the meanings of enabler in the story? Or who/what are enablers? Is it a negative or positive thing in the story?
  

Homework due 6/12

• Read "Paul's Case" only (don't worry about "My Father's Chinese Wives")
• Blog in response to one/more of the discussion questions