The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
Final Post Reading Compression Lesson Plan Activities
Grade Level: 8th grade
Estimated Time: 180 minutes (for this particular lesson) best employed if split into 3 separate, 60 minute lessons
Objective: After completing the entire novel and interacting with the text The Picture of Dorian Gray; before, during, and after reading, students will be able to apply their comprehension by interpreting, analyzing, and evaluating the novel in order to construct a cereal box demonstrating their knowledge of the themes as well as effectively answering post comprehension questions.
WI State Standards:
A.8.1 Use effective reading strategies to achieve their purposes in reading.
A.8.2 Read, interpret, and critically analyze literature.
Goals: Students will be able to;
• Identify the defining features and structure of literary texts, such as conflict, representation of character, and point of view
• Analyze the effect of characters, plot, setting, language, topic, style, purpose, and point of view on the overall impact of literature
• Draw on a broad base of knowledge about the genres of literature, such as the structure and conventions of essays, epics, fables, myths, plays, poems, short stories, and novels, when interpreting the meaning of a literary work
• Use knowledge of sentence and word structure, word origins, visual images, and context clues to understand unfamiliar words and clarify passages of text
Background: This lesson plan is to be utilized in an 8th grade level, language arts/ reading course. This particular lesson plan is designed to be the concluding activities from a larger unit on The Picture of Dorian Gray. (for the sake of simplicity, I chose to design one lesson plan rather than an entire unit) For this lesson, the students must have prior knowledge of various comprehension strategies and familiar with analyzing character conflicts, setting, plot, and themes within literary texts.
Rationale: This content is relevant to the themes the students have been practicing throughout the unit. The students have been reading the novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray in literature circles for the last couple of weeks. They have received comprehension questions and critical analysis questions after each chapter. This particular lesson is for after the students have completely finished reading the novel. I have incorporated several analysis questions taken from specific parts of the novel, however, the questions pertain to an overall assessment of the novel as a whole. The purpose of the lesson activities is to assess students post comprehension.
Procedures:
Beginning: 60 minutes
• Initiate constructive discussion and have students do a retelling of the entire story to assess comprehension.
o Ask the following prompting questions to engage conversation:
o Who were the main characters?
o Where does the story take place?
o What conflicts arise in the story?
o Who is the villain?
o What is the purpose of the story?
o What message does the story portray?
• Hand out the following worksheet and instruct students to complete it on their own.
POST READING COMPRENSION WORKSHEET:
Name:________________________ Date:_____________
Are the following statements RIGHT or WRONG? Justify by quoting the text (make sure to write page number):
1) Lord Henry must be old and he regrets it.
2) Dorian agrees that it is wonderful to be young.
3) Lord Henry advises Dorian to be as moral as he can in his youth.
4) Dorian wishes that both he and his portrait could remain young.
5) If Dorian had grown old normally, his life might not have been a disgrace.
6) Dorian destroyed his portrait with his hands.
7) The servants identified the dead man at once
8)For Lord Henry, someone who is beautiful is superior to someone who is intelligent.
Answer the following questions and support your answer:
1. Why does Dorian decide to destroy the painting at the end of the novel?
2. What is the yellow book?
3. Who is Sybil Vane?
4. How would you describe the relationship between Dorian Gray and Basil Howard?
5. What are Lord Henry’s perceptions and values about life?
Analyze the following quotations and passages made by Lord Henry. What do they say about his values and ideas?
1.) "I hope that Dorian Gray will make this woman his wife, passionately adore her for six months, and then suddenly become fascinated by someone else. He would be a wonderful study." Ch. 6
2.) “My Dear Dorian, it is quite true. I am analyzing women at present, so I ought to know. The subject is so abstruse as I thought it was. I find that, ultimately, there are only two kinds of women, the plain and the coloured. The plain women are very useful. If you want to gain a reputation for respectability, you have merely to take them down to supper. The other women are very charming. They commit one mistake, however. They paint in order to try and look young. Our grandmothers painted in order to try and talk brilliantly. Rouge and esprit used to go together. That is all over now. As long as a woman can look ten years younger than her own daughter, she is perfectly satisfied. As for conversation, there are only five women in London with talking to, and two of these can’t be admitted into decent society. However, tell me about your genius. How long have you known her?”
“Ah! Harry, your views terrify me.” (55).
Based on the above excerpts would you say that Lord Henry is judgmental? Why?
Match the word with the correct context
What does Lord Henry mean on page 25 & 26?
“Triumphs”
1) Being admired and envied by everybody for one’s physical appearance
2) Political triumphs
3).Being stronger and more intelligent than anybody else
What does the phrase “something dreadful” describe on page 28?
1) Death
2) Old age and physical ugliness
3) A terrible accident
What does the phrase “your lilies and your roses” describe on page 29?
1) The flowers in your garden
2) The flowers you give to your lover
3) Your physical perfection in general
What does the character who states “the old of your days” mean on page 32?
1) Your money
2) Your best years
3) Sunny days
Vocabulary:
1. What is narcissism?
2. What is tedious?
3. What is sincerity?
4. What is withered?
5. Please include at least two other vocabulary words from the text that puzzled you. Use a dictionary to provide a definition.
Middle: 60 minutes:
• Introduce cereal box activity:
• Hand out the following instructions and template:
Students will decorate a real cereal box with illustrations and information related to The Picture of Dorian Gray.
FRONT OF BOX: Use a piece of white or light colored paper to cover the front of your cereal box.(You will probably want to create the cover before gluing it on your box.) Include the name of the cereal and a picture. Invent a name for the cereal that is related to the title of the book and sounds like a cereal. Do not use the exact title of the book. You may want to look at the attached page of real cereal boxes to get some ideas. Choose a shape for the cereal as well as colors and ingredients that all relate to the book. For example, for Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, you might invent a cereal called Lightning Bolt Crunch!
RIGHT SIDE: Make a list of ingredients that includes facts and vocabulary from the book. Under the heading "Ingredients," list five facts from the book that you found interesting. Then choose five unfamiliar vocabulary words from the book and include their definitions. Use the template on the attached sheet.
LEFT SIDE: Write a summary that describes the book. Try to use words that will “grab” readers’ attention and make them want to buy your cereal. Use the attached template. Your summary must be three to five sentences. Also include a brief summary of each major character.
BACK OF BOX: Design a game that is based on the book. It can be a puzzle, a word search, a word scramble, a maze, a crossword puzzle, a hidden pictures illustration, or any other fun activity that might be found on the back of a cereal box. Make sure it includes information from the book.
TOP OF BOX: Include the title, author, number of pages, and number of stars you would give this book if you were a book critic. Also, include your name. The maximum number of stars would be 5.
PRIZE: Cereal boxes often include a prize. Your prize must be something related to the topic of your book. You can even include a picture of the prize on the front of your box to let the reader know what is inside the box.
End: 60 Minutes:
• Give students time to cut and paste their template onto a cereal box and include illustrations.
• Allow students to present their completed cereal box to the class
.
Assessment:
Students actively engage in discussion and can identify the major themes and features of the novel. Students can also apply their knowledge to effectively complete the cereal box activity and post reading comprehension questions.
Assignment:
Cereal box activity
Post reading comprehension questions
Works Cited
http://www.cps.k12.va.us/Schools/WBM/Summer%207th%20grade%20assessment%20nonfiction%202009.pdf
POST READING COMPREHENSION WORKSHEET ANSWERS:
Name:________________________ Date:_____________
Are the following statements RIGHT or WRONG? Justify by quoting the text (make sure to write page number):
Most of the answers are opinionated, I have left these ones blank. Use your own judgment, just make sure the students support their answers. However, there are some answers that have a definite answer, that I will provide.
1) Lord Henry must be old and he regrets it.
2) Dorian agrees that it is wonderful to be young.
3) Lord Henry advises Dorian to be as moral as he can in his youth.
4) Dorian wishes that both he and his portrait could remain young.
5) If Dorian had grown old normally, his life might not have been a disgrace.
6) Dorian destroyed his portrait with his hands.
7) The servants identified the dead man at once
8) For Lord Henry, someone who is beautiful is superior to someone who is intelligent.
Answer the following questions and support your answer:
6. Why does Dorian decide to destroy the painting at the end of the novel?
7. What is the yellow book? The yellow book is the book that Lord Henry gives Basil. It provides vain perceptions on life and virtually corrupts Dorian’s decisions.
8. Who is Sybil Vane? Sybil Vane is the actress that Dorian fell infatuated with. She eventually killed herself because Dorian refused to marry her.
9. How would you describe the relationship between Dorian Gray and Basil Howard?
10. What are Lord Henry’s perceptions and values about life?
Analyze the following quotations and passages made by Lord Henry. What do they say about his values and ideas?
1.) "I hope that Dorian Gray will make this woman his wife, passionately adore her for six months, and then suddenly become fascinated by someone else. He would be a wonderful study." Ch. 6
2.) “My Dear Dorian, it is quite true. I am analyzing women at present, so I ought to know. The subject is so abstruse as I thought it was. I find that, ultimately, there are only two kinds of women, the plain and the coloured. The plain women are very useful. If you want to gain a reputation for respectability, you have merely to take them down to supper. The other women are very charming. They commit one mistake, however. They paint in order to try and look young. Our grandmothers painted in order to try and talk brilliantly. Rouge and esprit used to go together. That is all over now. As long as a woman can look ten years younger than her own daughter, she is perfectly satisfied. As for conversation, there are only five women in London with talking to, and two of these can’t be admitted into decent society. However, tell me about your genius. How long have you known her?”
“Ah! Harry, your views terrify me.” (55).
Based on the above excerpts would you say that Lord Henry is judgmental? Why?
Match the word with the correct context
What does Lord Henry mean on page 25 & 26?
“Triumphs”
1) Being admired and envied by everybody for one’s physical appearance
2) Political triumphs
3).Being stronger and more intelligent than anybody else
The correct answer is 1.
What does the phrase “something dreadful” describe on page 28?
1) Death
2) Old age and physical ugliness
3) A terrible accident
The correct answer is 2.
What does the phrase “your lilies and your roses” describe on page 29?
1) The flowers in your garden
2) The flowers you give to your lover
3) Your physical perfection in general
The correct answer is 3
What does the character who states “the old of your days” mean on page 32?
1) Your money
2) Your best years
3) Sunny days
Vocabulary:
5. What is narcissism? Inordinate fascination with oneself; excessive self-love; vanity.
6. What is tedious? Tiresome by reason of length, slowness, or dullness; boring.
7. What is sincerity? Freedom from deceit, hypocrisy, or duplicity; probity in intention or in communicating; earnestness.
8. What is withered? to lose the freshness of youth, as from age
5. Please include at least two other vocabulary words from the text that puzzled you. Use a dictionary to provide a definition.
Final Project Reflection:
For my final project, I decided to take a “creative” approach and design a lesson plan activity for the novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde. I chose this activity because I am studying to be teacher. I chose this novel for this activity because, I think it is a challenging novel to teach to young students however, I think it can be done. Many people are concerned that perhaps some of the content in the novel is not appropriate for young students, however, the novel is considered to be a young adult fiction. I’m not disagreeing with people who believe that this novel is not suited for a young audience however, as a future educator I’m sure I will experience challenging concepts to teach young adolescents and I thought creating a lesson plan on this novel would be a perfect opportunity to refine my skills in approaching challenging subject matter. I also really enjoyed this book and think that the conflicts, characters and themes incorporated in the novel are interesting to analyze.
Through this project, I tried to accomplish scaffolding the necessary steps in order to critically analyze the complex aspects of the novel. In doing this, I provided prompting questions and tools of inquiry to foster students’ understanding of the novel and to help reveal some of the underlying themes. For example, I implemented a lesson activity on vocabulary. Understanding the vocabulary in the novel will help aid students’ fluency and comprehension. Students can practice using context clues in order to determine the vocabulary. I also, implemented various approaches to character analysis and character relationships. I encourage students to consider how characters interact with other characters and what type of outcome these relationships produce. I also encourage students to view the themes and symbols incorporated in the novel and what knowledge they can learn from the characters’ experiences.
Some of the things that I talk about the most in my lesson plan is the reoccurring theme of peer pressure and bad influences. I think this is an important concept to teach young adolescents so they do not succumb to peer-pressure and they realize that the outcomes are often negative. For example, I encourage the students to analyze Dorian Gray’s relationship with Lord Henry and how Lord Henry influences Dorian’s decisions. I encourage students to notice symbolization like the little yellow book and I offer various passages from the novel that can be analyzed. For example,
“My Dear Dorian, it is quite true. I am analyzing women at present, so I ought to know. The subject is so abstruse as I thought it was. I find that, ultimately, there are only two kinds of women, the plain and the coloured. The plain women are very useful. If you want to gain a reputation for respectability, you have merely to take them down to supper. The other women are very charming. They commit one mistake, however. They paint in order to try and look young. Our grandmothers painted in order to try and talk brilliantly. Rouge and esprit used to go together. That is all over now. As long as a woman can look ten years younger than her own daughter, she is perfectly satisfied. As for conversation, there are only five women in London with talking to, and two of these can’t be admitted into decent society. However, tell me about your genius. How long have you known her?”
“Ah! Harry, your views terrify me.” (55).
I encourage the students to recognize that Lord Henry tries to fill Dorian’s head with negative and impure thoughts. I also encourage the students to recognize Lord Henry’s values and his perceptions on life.
I also implement several quotations from the book to further re-iterate Lord Henry’s perceptions. For example,
"I hope that Dorian Gray will make this woman his wife, passionately adore her for six months, and then suddenly become fascinated by someone else. He would be a wonderful study." Ch 6
My incorporating these lesson prompts, I am applying what we have read and discussed about the Picture of Dorian Gray. From discussion, we gathered that Lord Henry values beauty over anything else therefore; these quotations that I have applied to my final project reflect this idea.
I liked that I included vocabulary from the novel in my final project. I like this because throughout the semester we often focused on specific terms or topics from the novel in order to analyze them and gain a better understanding of the text. I think this was a really helpful method to critically analyze therefore; I thought it was important to include in my final project-lesson plan activity.
To be honest there are many parts of this project that still bother me. I wish I had time to develop a lesson plan activity after each chapter of the book, however, since I am incredibly busy this semester (I took 20 credits! Ah!!) time did not allow, but I hope that at least creating an extensive post reading compression lesson activity represents my understanding and critical analysis of the novel. I think if I were to re-do this activity again, I would probably use it for a higher grade level. The reason I chose 8th grade is because when I’m a real teacher my degree will only be for grades 1st-8th. Therefore, I felt that I am not qualified enough to design a lesson plan for older students.
To get this final project done, I had to re-read some parts of the novel. I also had to come up with authentic lesson plan activities. I took into account many of the things I have learned from my curriculum and instruction courses at UWM and many of the things I have learned from being in a classroom. I set up the lesson plan in the same format that I have been taught by my instructors. I hope that I did an okay job and I hope that I have the opportunity to implement this lesson to a real group of students some day Thanks for a great semester everyone! And the abundant amount of new knowledge
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Lesson Plan Rough Draft
The Picture of Dorian Gray, Post Reading Lesson Plan
Grade Level: 8th grade
Estimated Time: 180 minutes (for this particular lesson) best employed if split into 3 separate, 60 minute lessons
Objective: After completing the entire novel and interacting with the text The Picture of Dorian Gray; before, during, and after reading, students will be able to apply their comprehension by interpreting, analyzing, and evaluating the novel in order to construct a cereal box demonstrating their knowledge of the themes as well as effectively answering post comprehension questions.
WI State Standards:
A.8.1 Use effective reading strategies to achieve their purposes in reading.
A.8.2 Read, interpret, and critically analyze literature.
Goals: Students will be able to;
• Identify the defining features and structure of literary texts, such as conflict, representation of character, and point of view
• Analyze the effect of characters, plot, setting, language, topic, style, purpose, and point of view on the overall impact of literature
• Draw on a broad base of knowledge about the genres of literature, such as the structure and conventions of essays, epics, fables, myths, plays, poems, short stories, and novels, when interpreting the meaning of a literary work
• Use knowledge of sentence and word structure, word origins, visual images, and context clues to understand unfamiliar words and clarify passages of text
Background: This lesson plan is to be utilized in a 7th to 8th grade level language arts/ reading course. This particular lesson plan is designed to be the last activity from a larger unit on The Picture of Dorian Gray. (for the sake of simplicity, I chose to design one lesson plan rather than an entire unit) For this lesson, the students must have prior knowledge of various comprehension strategies and familiar with analyzing character conflicts, setting, plot, and themes within literary texts.
Rationale: This content is relevant to the themes the students have been practicing throughout the unit. The students have been reading the novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray in literature circles for the last couple of weeks. They have received comprehension questions and critical analysis questions after each chapter. This particular lesson is for after the students have completely finished reading the novel. I have incorporated several analysis questions taken from specific parts of the novel, however, the questions pertain to an overall assessment of the novel as a whole.
Procedures:
Beginning: 60 minutes
• Initiate constructive discussion and as students a retelling of the entire story to assess comprehension.
• Hand out the following worksheet and instruct students to complete it on their own.
Comprehension Questions:
Are the following statements RIGHT or WRONG? Justify by quoting the text (make sure to write page number):
1) Lord Henry must be old and he regrets it.
2) Dorian agrees that it is wonderful to be young.
3) Lord Henry advises Dorian to be as moral as he can in his youth.
4) Dorian wishes that both he and his portrait could remain young.
5) If Dorian had grown old normally, his life might not have been a disgrace.
6) Dorian destroyed his portrait with his hands.
7) The servants identified the dead man at once
8)For Lord Henry, someone who is beautiful is superior to someone who is intelligent.
1. Why does Dorian decide to destroy the painting at the end of the novel?
2. What is the yellow book?
3. Who is Sybil Vane?
4. How would you describe the relationship between Dorian Gray and Basil Howard?
What does Lord Henry mean?
1.25 & 26: “Triumphs”
1) Being admired and envied by everybody for one’s physical appearance
2) Political triumphs
3).Being stronger and more intelligent than anybody else
1.28: “something dreadful”
1) Death
2) Old age and physical ugliness
3) A terrible accident
1.29: “your lilies and your roses”
1) The flowers in your garden
2) The flowers you give to your lover
3) Your physical perfection in general
1.32: “the old of your days”
1) Your money
2) Your best years
3) Sunny days
Vocabulary:
1. What is narcissism?
2. What is tedious?
3. What is sincerity?
4. What is withered?
Middle: 60 minutes:
• Introduce cereal box activity:
• Hand out the following instructions and template:
Students will decorate a real cereal box with illustrations and information related to The Picture of Dorian Gray.
FRONT OF BOX: Use a piece of white or light colored paper to cover the front of your cereal box.(You will probably want to create the cover before gluing it on your box.) Include the name of the cereal and a picture. Invent a name for the cereal that is related to the title of the book and sounds like a cereal. Do not use the exact title of the book. You may want to look at the attached page of real cereal boxes to get some ideas. Choose a shape for the cereal as well as colors and ingredients that all relate to the book. For example, for Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, you might invent a cereal called Lightning Bolt Crunch!
RIGHT SIDE: Make a list of ingredients that includes facts and vocabulary from the book. Under the heading "Ingredients," list five facts from the book that you found interesting. Then choose five unfamiliar vocabulary words from the book and include their definitions. Use the template on the attached sheet.
LEFT SIDE: Write a summary that describes the book. Try to use words that will “grab” readers’ attention and make them want to buy your cereal. Use the attached template. Your summary must be three to five sentences. Also include a brief summary of each major character.
BACK OF BOX: Design a game that is based on the book. It can be a puzzle, a word search, a word scramble, a maze, a crossword puzzle, a hidden pictures illustration, or any other fun activity that might be found on the back of a cereal box. Make sure it includes information from the book.
TOP OF BOX: Include the title, author, number of pages, and number of stars you would give this book if you were a book critic. Also, include your name. The maximum number of stars would be 5.
PRIZE: Cereal boxes often include a prize. Your prize must be something related to the topic of your book. You can even include a picture of the prize on the front of your box to let the reader know what is inside the box.
End: 60 Minutes:
• Give students time to cut and paste their template onto a cereal box and include illustrations.
• Allow students to present their completed cereal box to the class
.
Assessment:
Students actively engage in discussion and can identify the major themes and features of the novel. Students can also apply their knowledge to effectively complete the cereal box activity and post comprehension questions.
Assignment:
Cereal box activity
Post comprehension questions
Works Cited
http://www.cps.k12.va.us/Schools/WBM/Summer%207th%20grade%20assessment%20nonfiction%202009.pdf
This is what I have completed so far. I would like to reiterate that this is a rought draft so I apologize if it is really terrible! Please tell me if you think I am trying to do too much. I would also appreciate suggestions for major vocabulary terms from the novel that students should identify. This has been a lot more work than I originally thought, but for my final draft I intend to include an answer sheet for the post comprehension questions. Please let me know if my instructions are clear. If you were my substitute teacher, would you be able to read my lesson plan and effectively conduct the lesson to my class?
COURSE REFLECTION:
I have learned so much from this course! I honestly had no background knowledge of Irish culture, therefore, from the novels we have read I have learned a lot about Irish culture. For example, I have learned about the Irish famine, the style of Irish literature, the issues with identify, the conflict between Catholicism and Presbyterian. The conflict between rich and poor. The conflict between Great Britain and Ireland and so forth. I have also learned how to pick apart challenging pieces of writing and critically examine a literary text. I have learned that the Irish novel has many patterns and themes. Particularly, dry, related to desire, many things that we have discussed weekly in our blog posts.
Grade Level: 8th grade
Estimated Time: 180 minutes (for this particular lesson) best employed if split into 3 separate, 60 minute lessons
Objective: After completing the entire novel and interacting with the text The Picture of Dorian Gray; before, during, and after reading, students will be able to apply their comprehension by interpreting, analyzing, and evaluating the novel in order to construct a cereal box demonstrating their knowledge of the themes as well as effectively answering post comprehension questions.
WI State Standards:
A.8.1 Use effective reading strategies to achieve their purposes in reading.
A.8.2 Read, interpret, and critically analyze literature.
Goals: Students will be able to;
• Identify the defining features and structure of literary texts, such as conflict, representation of character, and point of view
• Analyze the effect of characters, plot, setting, language, topic, style, purpose, and point of view on the overall impact of literature
• Draw on a broad base of knowledge about the genres of literature, such as the structure and conventions of essays, epics, fables, myths, plays, poems, short stories, and novels, when interpreting the meaning of a literary work
• Use knowledge of sentence and word structure, word origins, visual images, and context clues to understand unfamiliar words and clarify passages of text
Background: This lesson plan is to be utilized in a 7th to 8th grade level language arts/ reading course. This particular lesson plan is designed to be the last activity from a larger unit on The Picture of Dorian Gray. (for the sake of simplicity, I chose to design one lesson plan rather than an entire unit) For this lesson, the students must have prior knowledge of various comprehension strategies and familiar with analyzing character conflicts, setting, plot, and themes within literary texts.
Rationale: This content is relevant to the themes the students have been practicing throughout the unit. The students have been reading the novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray in literature circles for the last couple of weeks. They have received comprehension questions and critical analysis questions after each chapter. This particular lesson is for after the students have completely finished reading the novel. I have incorporated several analysis questions taken from specific parts of the novel, however, the questions pertain to an overall assessment of the novel as a whole.
Procedures:
Beginning: 60 minutes
• Initiate constructive discussion and as students a retelling of the entire story to assess comprehension.
• Hand out the following worksheet and instruct students to complete it on their own.
Comprehension Questions:
Are the following statements RIGHT or WRONG? Justify by quoting the text (make sure to write page number):
1) Lord Henry must be old and he regrets it.
2) Dorian agrees that it is wonderful to be young.
3) Lord Henry advises Dorian to be as moral as he can in his youth.
4) Dorian wishes that both he and his portrait could remain young.
5) If Dorian had grown old normally, his life might not have been a disgrace.
6) Dorian destroyed his portrait with his hands.
7) The servants identified the dead man at once
8)For Lord Henry, someone who is beautiful is superior to someone who is intelligent.
1. Why does Dorian decide to destroy the painting at the end of the novel?
2. What is the yellow book?
3. Who is Sybil Vane?
4. How would you describe the relationship between Dorian Gray and Basil Howard?
What does Lord Henry mean?
1.25 & 26: “Triumphs”
1) Being admired and envied by everybody for one’s physical appearance
2) Political triumphs
3).Being stronger and more intelligent than anybody else
1.28: “something dreadful”
1) Death
2) Old age and physical ugliness
3) A terrible accident
1.29: “your lilies and your roses”
1) The flowers in your garden
2) The flowers you give to your lover
3) Your physical perfection in general
1.32: “the old of your days”
1) Your money
2) Your best years
3) Sunny days
Vocabulary:
1. What is narcissism?
2. What is tedious?
3. What is sincerity?
4. What is withered?
Middle: 60 minutes:
• Introduce cereal box activity:
• Hand out the following instructions and template:
Students will decorate a real cereal box with illustrations and information related to The Picture of Dorian Gray.
FRONT OF BOX: Use a piece of white or light colored paper to cover the front of your cereal box.(You will probably want to create the cover before gluing it on your box.) Include the name of the cereal and a picture. Invent a name for the cereal that is related to the title of the book and sounds like a cereal. Do not use the exact title of the book. You may want to look at the attached page of real cereal boxes to get some ideas. Choose a shape for the cereal as well as colors and ingredients that all relate to the book. For example, for Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, you might invent a cereal called Lightning Bolt Crunch!
RIGHT SIDE: Make a list of ingredients that includes facts and vocabulary from the book. Under the heading "Ingredients," list five facts from the book that you found interesting. Then choose five unfamiliar vocabulary words from the book and include their definitions. Use the template on the attached sheet.
LEFT SIDE: Write a summary that describes the book. Try to use words that will “grab” readers’ attention and make them want to buy your cereal. Use the attached template. Your summary must be three to five sentences. Also include a brief summary of each major character.
BACK OF BOX: Design a game that is based on the book. It can be a puzzle, a word search, a word scramble, a maze, a crossword puzzle, a hidden pictures illustration, or any other fun activity that might be found on the back of a cereal box. Make sure it includes information from the book.
TOP OF BOX: Include the title, author, number of pages, and number of stars you would give this book if you were a book critic. Also, include your name. The maximum number of stars would be 5.
PRIZE: Cereal boxes often include a prize. Your prize must be something related to the topic of your book. You can even include a picture of the prize on the front of your box to let the reader know what is inside the box.
End: 60 Minutes:
• Give students time to cut and paste their template onto a cereal box and include illustrations.
• Allow students to present their completed cereal box to the class
.
Assessment:
Students actively engage in discussion and can identify the major themes and features of the novel. Students can also apply their knowledge to effectively complete the cereal box activity and post comprehension questions.
Assignment:
Cereal box activity
Post comprehension questions
Works Cited
http://www.cps.k12.va.us/Schools/WBM/Summer%207th%20grade%20assessment%20nonfiction%202009.pdf
This is what I have completed so far. I would like to reiterate that this is a rought draft so I apologize if it is really terrible! Please tell me if you think I am trying to do too much. I would also appreciate suggestions for major vocabulary terms from the novel that students should identify. This has been a lot more work than I originally thought, but for my final draft I intend to include an answer sheet for the post comprehension questions. Please let me know if my instructions are clear. If you were my substitute teacher, would you be able to read my lesson plan and effectively conduct the lesson to my class?
COURSE REFLECTION:
I have learned so much from this course! I honestly had no background knowledge of Irish culture, therefore, from the novels we have read I have learned a lot about Irish culture. For example, I have learned about the Irish famine, the style of Irish literature, the issues with identify, the conflict between Catholicism and Presbyterian. The conflict between rich and poor. The conflict between Great Britain and Ireland and so forth. I have also learned how to pick apart challenging pieces of writing and critically examine a literary text. I have learned that the Irish novel has many patterns and themes. Particularly, dry, related to desire, many things that we have discussed weekly in our blog posts.
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Is it real or not real?
Last week, Fay made a really good point on her blog by stating, “the thing that really bothered me about the book was how every time Veronica Hegarty recalled a past memory, or even just narrated something that was happening in the present, she would conclude it by saying something like “This is real, I think. This is real. Though I am not sure that it is, actually.”
Throughout the novel, we see that Veronica is struggling with the truth. As she shares her memories from her childhood, she shares that she’s not always 100 percent sure that it actually occurred. She always says, I think this is real.
“There are things I do, actually know. I know that my brother Liam was sexually abused by Lambert Nugent. Or was probably sexually abused by Lambert Nugent”
“These are the things I don’t know: I was touched by Lambert Nugent, that my Uncle Brendan was driven mad by him, that my mother was rendered stupid by him, that my Aunt Rose and my sister Kitty got away” (224).
It appears that Veronica is very confused about her past. This interested me because I felt like I could relate.
Essentially, 1 in 4 girls is sexually abused before the age of 18 and 1 in 6 boys is sexually abused before the age of 18. (not sure how accurate that statistic is) I hope I’m not being too open but I feel I must tell you to support the validity of my ideas. I became one of those statistics when I was 11 years old.
As I read the novel I felt pity for Veronica because maybe I felt a little bit like her. (I’m not obsessed with talking about penises though!)
http://www.thedoctorwillseeyounow.com/content/stress/art1964.html?getPage=1
I can understand how Veronica might have confused her past. There is a website in which I attached above, that discusses what happens to the brain and memory after severe trauma. The website mostly focuses on sexual abuse and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.
“Recent studies have shown that victims of childhood abuse and combat veterans actually experience physical changes to the hippocampus, a part of the brain involved in learning and memory, as well as in the handling of stress”
I think the above statement describes Veronica well, because she seems to struggle with memory. I believe that the death of her brother may have also caused more stress leading to more confusion and disorientation.
“Many abuse victims report that they remember seemingly random or minor details of the abuse event, while forgetting central events. For instance, one woman who had been locked in a closet had an isolated memory of the smell of old clothes and the sound of a clock ticking.”
I won’t post too many quotes, I will let you read the article for yourself but I think it is very interesting.
PTSD can also affect emotional response in the brain which might explain Veronica’s relationship with her husband.
In conclusion, I think this is why Anne Enright wrote the novel the way she did. There’s definitely a pattern in the way that these novels we have read this semester are written. The humor and wittiness can definitely be associated with Irish culture. I suppose I would describe it as outspoken. Perhaps this is connected to the trauma that the county experienced and it has affected the mentalities of all Irish people.
Throughout the novel, we see that Veronica is struggling with the truth. As she shares her memories from her childhood, she shares that she’s not always 100 percent sure that it actually occurred. She always says, I think this is real.
“There are things I do, actually know. I know that my brother Liam was sexually abused by Lambert Nugent. Or was probably sexually abused by Lambert Nugent”
“These are the things I don’t know: I was touched by Lambert Nugent, that my Uncle Brendan was driven mad by him, that my mother was rendered stupid by him, that my Aunt Rose and my sister Kitty got away” (224).
It appears that Veronica is very confused about her past. This interested me because I felt like I could relate.
Essentially, 1 in 4 girls is sexually abused before the age of 18 and 1 in 6 boys is sexually abused before the age of 18. (not sure how accurate that statistic is) I hope I’m not being too open but I feel I must tell you to support the validity of my ideas. I became one of those statistics when I was 11 years old.
As I read the novel I felt pity for Veronica because maybe I felt a little bit like her. (I’m not obsessed with talking about penises though!)
http://www.thedoctorwillseeyounow.com/content/stress/art1964.html?getPage=1
I can understand how Veronica might have confused her past. There is a website in which I attached above, that discusses what happens to the brain and memory after severe trauma. The website mostly focuses on sexual abuse and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.
“Recent studies have shown that victims of childhood abuse and combat veterans actually experience physical changes to the hippocampus, a part of the brain involved in learning and memory, as well as in the handling of stress”
I think the above statement describes Veronica well, because she seems to struggle with memory. I believe that the death of her brother may have also caused more stress leading to more confusion and disorientation.
“Many abuse victims report that they remember seemingly random or minor details of the abuse event, while forgetting central events. For instance, one woman who had been locked in a closet had an isolated memory of the smell of old clothes and the sound of a clock ticking.”
I won’t post too many quotes, I will let you read the article for yourself but I think it is very interesting.
PTSD can also affect emotional response in the brain which might explain Veronica’s relationship with her husband.
In conclusion, I think this is why Anne Enright wrote the novel the way she did. There’s definitely a pattern in the way that these novels we have read this semester are written. The humor and wittiness can definitely be associated with Irish culture. I suppose I would describe it as outspoken. Perhaps this is connected to the trauma that the county experienced and it has affected the mentalities of all Irish people.
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
The Gathering
I haven’t completely finished the novel (about half way done) but this is by far the most powerful piece of Irish literature that we have studied throughout this course (at least for me).
I feel a sort of kinship with Veronica that I can’t describe. After the death Liam, she is in shambles. In Chapter 4, Veronica explains that everyone has lost someone that they love. Everyone has lost someone. But it affects us all differently, in ways we may never understand.
“There is something wonderful about death, how everything shuts down, and all the ways you thought you were vital are not even vaguely important. Your husband can feed the kids, he can work the new oven, he can find the sausages in the fridge, after all. And his important meeting was not important, not in the slightest” (27).
After Liam’s death, his suicide, Veronica obsesses over Lambert Nugent and her grandmother, Ada. After Liam is gone, Veronica stays awake at night, writing and re-writing the meeting of Ada and Nugent at the Belvedere Hotel. This story and initial meeting between Nugent and Ada, determines the fate of Veronica, and her family (like the butterfly effect). I wonder if Veronica had given Nugent much thought prior to her brother’s death.
In the beginning of the book we learn that Nugent virtually sexually abused his own sister. (Am I reading into that right?) We know that she is dead. We don’t know how she has died. At least I haven’t gotten to that part in the story. We later learn, (I flipped ahead a few chapters because the suspense was killing me) that Liam was also sexually abused by Nugent.
“There are things I do, actually know. I know that my brother Liam was sexually abused by Lambert Nugent. Or was probably sexually abused by Lambert Nugent” (224).
I think we can conclude that Liam’s past led him to commit suicide. The entire book Veronica has to make sense of what led him to take his own life. She has to put together remnants of the past.
For this blog, I watched the Youtube video of Sinead O’Conner on SNL. I had never seen the clip before, and I was stunned to see how powerful its message was. Upon some research, I discovered that Sinead O’Conner had experienced abuse as a child and his known for her protests over the sexual abuse in the Roman Catholic Church.
Fairly recently (last month) Sinead appeared on Anderson Cooper to speak out about the Catholic sexual abuse scandal in Ireland.
http://ac360.blogs.cnn.com/2010/03/27/video-sinead-oconnor-on-the-catholic-church-abuse-scandal/
I hope I don’t offend anyone, but I agree with Sinead O’Connor in this particular interview. How can these particular priests consider themselves to be holy or moral Christian people? And the scandal of the clergy trying to cover up the cases is just making them look worse.
Just recently, Pope Benedict XVI released an apology to the people of Ireland. The Pope said he was "truly sorry" for the harm done to Catholics who suffered "sinful and criminal" abuse at the hands of priests, brothers and nuns. He acknowledged the "serious mistakes" made by the clergy. S
Sinead also recently had an opinion piece in the Washington Post about the sex abuse scandal and commented back towards Pope Benedict’s apology. She believes that the Pope is mocking the Irish peoples’ intelligence.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/03/25/AR2010032502363.html
Child abuse seems to be very prevalent in Ireland. The Prime Minister of Ireland, Brian Cowen recently apologized to victims of child abuse for the government’s lack of interference in sexual abuse and severe beatings in Irish schools. He also promised reform for Ireland’s social services. Further investigation will take place against members of the Roman Catholic Church. Something definitely needs to be done to stop this horrible issue. I don’t know how the government has let it get this far.
To end back with the novel, it is sad to think that in cases of poverty, such as Veronica and Liam, little is done to prevent the issue.
I feel a sort of kinship with Veronica that I can’t describe. After the death Liam, she is in shambles. In Chapter 4, Veronica explains that everyone has lost someone that they love. Everyone has lost someone. But it affects us all differently, in ways we may never understand.
“There is something wonderful about death, how everything shuts down, and all the ways you thought you were vital are not even vaguely important. Your husband can feed the kids, he can work the new oven, he can find the sausages in the fridge, after all. And his important meeting was not important, not in the slightest” (27).
After Liam’s death, his suicide, Veronica obsesses over Lambert Nugent and her grandmother, Ada. After Liam is gone, Veronica stays awake at night, writing and re-writing the meeting of Ada and Nugent at the Belvedere Hotel. This story and initial meeting between Nugent and Ada, determines the fate of Veronica, and her family (like the butterfly effect). I wonder if Veronica had given Nugent much thought prior to her brother’s death.
In the beginning of the book we learn that Nugent virtually sexually abused his own sister. (Am I reading into that right?) We know that she is dead. We don’t know how she has died. At least I haven’t gotten to that part in the story. We later learn, (I flipped ahead a few chapters because the suspense was killing me) that Liam was also sexually abused by Nugent.
“There are things I do, actually know. I know that my brother Liam was sexually abused by Lambert Nugent. Or was probably sexually abused by Lambert Nugent” (224).
I think we can conclude that Liam’s past led him to commit suicide. The entire book Veronica has to make sense of what led him to take his own life. She has to put together remnants of the past.
For this blog, I watched the Youtube video of Sinead O’Conner on SNL. I had never seen the clip before, and I was stunned to see how powerful its message was. Upon some research, I discovered that Sinead O’Conner had experienced abuse as a child and his known for her protests over the sexual abuse in the Roman Catholic Church.
Fairly recently (last month) Sinead appeared on Anderson Cooper to speak out about the Catholic sexual abuse scandal in Ireland.
http://ac360.blogs.cnn.com/2010/03/27/video-sinead-oconnor-on-the-catholic-church-abuse-scandal/
I hope I don’t offend anyone, but I agree with Sinead O’Connor in this particular interview. How can these particular priests consider themselves to be holy or moral Christian people? And the scandal of the clergy trying to cover up the cases is just making them look worse.
Just recently, Pope Benedict XVI released an apology to the people of Ireland. The Pope said he was "truly sorry" for the harm done to Catholics who suffered "sinful and criminal" abuse at the hands of priests, brothers and nuns. He acknowledged the "serious mistakes" made by the clergy. S
Sinead also recently had an opinion piece in the Washington Post about the sex abuse scandal and commented back towards Pope Benedict’s apology. She believes that the Pope is mocking the Irish peoples’ intelligence.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/03/25/AR2010032502363.html
Child abuse seems to be very prevalent in Ireland. The Prime Minister of Ireland, Brian Cowen recently apologized to victims of child abuse for the government’s lack of interference in sexual abuse and severe beatings in Irish schools. He also promised reform for Ireland’s social services. Further investigation will take place against members of the Roman Catholic Church. Something definitely needs to be done to stop this horrible issue. I don’t know how the government has let it get this far.
To end back with the novel, it is sad to think that in cases of poverty, such as Veronica and Liam, little is done to prevent the issue.
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Desire
I just got done reading “Lacanian Pussy” and I’ll be honest, my brain is fried! I had a difficult time trying to keep up with Peter Mahon and Jacques Lacan’s theories about ‘the unconscious is the discourse of the Other.’ In order to assist my comprehension I looked up several vocabulary definitions. I learned that Phallocentric means, centered on men or on a male viewpoint, especially one held to entail the domination of women by men. According to Mahon, Breakfast on Pluto, re-inscribes Lacanian thought ‘beyond’ itself. And that Breakfast on Pluto also encompasses a non-phallic strategy for intervening in the rhetoric of sameness as neither apolitical or non-violent. I also did a little bit of web research on Lacanian psychoanalysis and this is what I found;
Lacan rejected attempts to link psychoanalysis with social theory, saying 'the unconscious is the discourse of the Other' -- that human passion is structured by the desire of others and that we express deep feelings through the 'relay' of others. He thus saw desire as a social phenomenon and psychoanalysis as a theory of how the human subject is created through social interaction. Desire appears through a combination of language, culture and the spaces between people.
Lacan focused largely on Freud's work on deep structures and infant sexuality, and how the human subject becomes an 'other' through unconscious repression and stemming from the Mirror phase. The conscious ego and unconscious desire are thus radically divided. Lacan considered this perpetual and unconscious fragmentation of the self as Freud's core discovery.
I don’t know why, but I imagine the “Other” as the evil shoulder conscience that whispers impure temptations into the character’s ear.
So basically the author believes that the novel claims to be apolitical and remaining outside of politics when in fact many features, events, and comments from the novel are very political statements and this is due to the discourse or fantasies of the Other. So I ask you Mahon (and blogger friends), huh? I’m still trying to decipher what point Mahon is trying to say. To try to understand, I took Colleen’s suggestion and visited the following website; http://www.cla.purdue.edu/academic/engl/theory/psychoanalysis/lacandevelop.html
Desire is a main theme within the novel because Pussy is completing driven and deranged by desire. Constantly longing for that feeling of belonging. The website suggests that we have no control over desire.
Desire, in other words, has little to do with material sexuality for Lacan; it is caught up, rather, in social structures and strictures, in the fantasy version of reality that forever dominated our lives after our entrance into language. For this reason, Lacan writes that "the unconscious is the discourse of the Other." Even our unconscious desires are, in other words, organized by the linguistic system that Lacan terms the symbolic order or "the big Other." In a sense, then, our desire is never properly our own, but is created through fantasies that are caught up in cultural ideologies rather than material sexuality. For this reason, according to Lacan, the command that the superego directs to the subject is, of all things, "Enjoy!" That which we may believe to be most private and rebellious (our desire) is, in fact, regulated, even commanded, by the superego.
Throughout the novel we see that Pussy has a strong desire to feel love. He/she desperately seeks the love of his/her parents. I agree that desire is something that we can’t control. And sometimes are actions are led by this unconscious or conscious desire. Therefore, maybe that is why Pussy wanted to be a woman. By being maternal and nurturing to her lovers, perhaps Pussy was trying to create the mother she never had. So the other, is designed around cultural ideologies. Pussy also claims to be apolitical when clearly she is not. The nationalism and gender boundaries that Pussy medals with are construed from her desires.
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Final Project Idea
I'm taking this week to use my freebie not to do a blog post. I'm student teaching full time for the next two weeks so I'm using this week to focus on designing Lesson Plans. Wish me luck because I'm super nervous but also excited :)
For my final project, I would like to further explore The Picture of Dorian Gray. I enjoyed reading and analyzing the novel, therefore I would like to revisit the novel. Since I’m an education major, I think it would be fun to design a lesson plan around the novel. My objective would be for the students to be able to read, interpret, and critically analyze the novel. After reading students will be able to identify the defining features and structure of literary texts, such as conflict representation of character, character vs character conflict, character vs world conflict, and character vs self conflict, and point of view. After reading the novel students will be able to analyze the effect of characters, plot, setting, language, topic, style, purpose, and point of view on the overall impact of literature. Identify common historical, social, and cultural themes and issues in literary works and selected passages.
To successfully and effectively teach the objectives to students, I will design a thorough lesson plan describing the procedures for instruction. I will plan instruction prior to reading, during reading and after reading. I intend to include comprehension assessment strategies among other ideas…so far this is what I have in mind. Any suggestions? What grade level do you think would be appropriate to teach the novel?
Good luck everyone! Can't wait to hear everyone's ideas
For my final project, I would like to further explore The Picture of Dorian Gray. I enjoyed reading and analyzing the novel, therefore I would like to revisit the novel. Since I’m an education major, I think it would be fun to design a lesson plan around the novel. My objective would be for the students to be able to read, interpret, and critically analyze the novel. After reading students will be able to identify the defining features and structure of literary texts, such as conflict representation of character, character vs character conflict, character vs world conflict, and character vs self conflict, and point of view. After reading the novel students will be able to analyze the effect of characters, plot, setting, language, topic, style, purpose, and point of view on the overall impact of literature. Identify common historical, social, and cultural themes and issues in literary works and selected passages.
To successfully and effectively teach the objectives to students, I will design a thorough lesson plan describing the procedures for instruction. I will plan instruction prior to reading, during reading and after reading. I intend to include comprehension assessment strategies among other ideas…so far this is what I have in mind. Any suggestions? What grade level do you think would be appropriate to teach the novel?
Good luck everyone! Can't wait to hear everyone's ideas
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Time
What an interesting lens to view the novel through! While reading this article my mind kept flashing to the concept of time. Time is everywhere. Time is consistent. Time is always present. Time is continuous. Time is relative. Etc etc…I am studying to become a teacher and this semester I’m taking a social studies course aimed at, “how to teach social studies.” We are learning that one of the main aims of teaching history is to help students develop a concept of time. Historical evidence itself obtains its meaning from the time-frame in which it is set. Without a concept of time there can be no real understanding of change, development, continuity, progression and regression. As an educator I have to aim to teach my students to learn how to take on the attitudes and understanding of a past age. In the novel, The Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man what does Time really mean? What is the relevance of time within the novel? How are time and the concept of epiphany linked? There are many instances in the novel and from the article that dwell on this concept of time. I’m going to try to stay on topic here (which is often hard for me to do) and bring forth some instances that correlate with this concept.
The first instance is from the article, Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man and the Individuating Rhythm of Modernit. Tobias Boes describes the novel as “leaping and bounding” through time. Boes brings forth many terms pertaining to the concept of time; linear and cyclical temporalities, individuating rhythms, polyrhythmic, etc. The terms are subjective and therefore open to interpretation. Linear time is sequential. Cyclical time is relative, pertaining to its surroundings. Individuating rhythms is the time spent in relation to a backboard of time as a whole. Perhaps polyrhythmic is the whole. I’m not entirely sure what these terms mean. I can break apart these terms and analyze but that might take too much time for right now. Boes says,
“Like his Russian contemporary, Lefebvre regarded time and space as inextricable from one another; he was well aware, for example, that the temporal rhythms pulsing through the boulevards of a colonial city can be very different from those that hover in its back alleys. In his most extensive project of “rhythmanalysis,” a study of the patterns of everyday life in Mediterranean cities, Lefebvre concluded that, “the large Mediterranean towns appear to have always lived and still to live in a regime of compromise between all the political powers. such a ‘metastable’ state is the fact of the polyrhythmic.”16 “Polyrhythmicality” in this context should be understood as the simultaneous existence in close spatial proximity of life-worlds that place differing emphases on the linear and cyclical elements that constitute historical experience” (770).
From this passage about time and all of it’s terms and how they affect one another I have concluded that much of the novel is about how time, time affected change, time metabolized Stephen’s current state, present time is affected by past time..etc.
“Stephen is constantly struggling to synchronize his internal beat with an ever-changing environment” (772).
We are always fighting time! I found it interesting in the above quote where is says that, “Lefebrve regarded time and space as inextricable from one another” Throughout the novel we see Stephen bounce back and forth between memories, at Clongowes, university, home, etc..each time his mind is changed. New times bring forth new identities, past times and experiences constitute identity. This is where the concept of epiphany comes into play. Epiphany can be described as something becoming clear. This occurs when you look at the concept of time. The article describes when Stephen is on the Dublin-Cork night train. It describes how as the train leaves the station, the boy overcome by a curious feeling of detachment that enforces a definite rupture between his present self and his personal recollections. (Reflecting back in time)
“As the landscape that he has known for all his life fades into darkness, his primary markers of experience become the passing “telegraphpoles,” which no longer frame recognizable vistas, but instead measure out the relentless advance of empty time at the rate of one bar every four seconds” (775).
In this passage his experience is measured in time. He begins to measure the time between the passing telegraph poles, and as he is doing something, something new becomes clear to him. At night he watches is father sleep and he remembers how at one time he regarded he greatly respected his father, and at this exact moment in time on the train as he watches his father sleep he looks small and weak. But as the evening moves to day, The Irish landscape becomes visible as something more than a mere abstraction, something more than a dark mass of shades broken up every four seconds by a pole. Suddenly, the previous feeling of detachment and disjunction gives way to a definite sense of place; the experience of locality that is steeped in custom, organic social experience, and instransgent historical continuity. Stephen’s sense of his own position in the world changes in accordance with the landscape that he glimpses outside of his window.
“Suddenly, his father’s presence—so easily dismissed just a few hours ago—takes on an almost claustrophobic heaviness, and the dim outlines of the fellow passengers in his compartment inspire in him a strange dread. His experience of time changes as well. His attention is no longer held by the passing telegraph poles, which measure out the advance of historical time in a relentlessly repetitive mechanical continuity, but by his father’s heavy breathing and occasional sleepy movement. The mechanical thus yields to the biological, and mere repetition is replaced by the organic cycle of pulmonary activity. Time no longer progresses, but appears almost at a standstill” (775)
It’s almost as suddenly in this moment, Stephen has an epiphany that time and space are linked. And that with each passing moment, visions can be blurred or they can be made clear yielding to some new realization. With a new realization it is almost as if time is put on pause and for that moment, even if it’s just an instant, by putting time on pause the mind becomes clearer. Your thoughts belong in that moment and nothing else. Time affects everything.
The first instance is from the article, Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man and the Individuating Rhythm of Modernit. Tobias Boes describes the novel as “leaping and bounding” through time. Boes brings forth many terms pertaining to the concept of time; linear and cyclical temporalities, individuating rhythms, polyrhythmic, etc. The terms are subjective and therefore open to interpretation. Linear time is sequential. Cyclical time is relative, pertaining to its surroundings. Individuating rhythms is the time spent in relation to a backboard of time as a whole. Perhaps polyrhythmic is the whole. I’m not entirely sure what these terms mean. I can break apart these terms and analyze but that might take too much time for right now. Boes says,
“Like his Russian contemporary, Lefebvre regarded time and space as inextricable from one another; he was well aware, for example, that the temporal rhythms pulsing through the boulevards of a colonial city can be very different from those that hover in its back alleys. In his most extensive project of “rhythmanalysis,” a study of the patterns of everyday life in Mediterranean cities, Lefebvre concluded that, “the large Mediterranean towns appear to have always lived and still to live in a regime of compromise between all the political powers. such a ‘metastable’ state is the fact of the polyrhythmic.”16 “Polyrhythmicality” in this context should be understood as the simultaneous existence in close spatial proximity of life-worlds that place differing emphases on the linear and cyclical elements that constitute historical experience” (770).
From this passage about time and all of it’s terms and how they affect one another I have concluded that much of the novel is about how time, time affected change, time metabolized Stephen’s current state, present time is affected by past time..etc.
“Stephen is constantly struggling to synchronize his internal beat with an ever-changing environment” (772).
We are always fighting time! I found it interesting in the above quote where is says that, “Lefebrve regarded time and space as inextricable from one another” Throughout the novel we see Stephen bounce back and forth between memories, at Clongowes, university, home, etc..each time his mind is changed. New times bring forth new identities, past times and experiences constitute identity. This is where the concept of epiphany comes into play. Epiphany can be described as something becoming clear. This occurs when you look at the concept of time. The article describes when Stephen is on the Dublin-Cork night train. It describes how as the train leaves the station, the boy overcome by a curious feeling of detachment that enforces a definite rupture between his present self and his personal recollections. (Reflecting back in time)
“As the landscape that he has known for all his life fades into darkness, his primary markers of experience become the passing “telegraphpoles,” which no longer frame recognizable vistas, but instead measure out the relentless advance of empty time at the rate of one bar every four seconds” (775).
In this passage his experience is measured in time. He begins to measure the time between the passing telegraph poles, and as he is doing something, something new becomes clear to him. At night he watches is father sleep and he remembers how at one time he regarded he greatly respected his father, and at this exact moment in time on the train as he watches his father sleep he looks small and weak. But as the evening moves to day, The Irish landscape becomes visible as something more than a mere abstraction, something more than a dark mass of shades broken up every four seconds by a pole. Suddenly, the previous feeling of detachment and disjunction gives way to a definite sense of place; the experience of locality that is steeped in custom, organic social experience, and instransgent historical continuity. Stephen’s sense of his own position in the world changes in accordance with the landscape that he glimpses outside of his window.
“Suddenly, his father’s presence—so easily dismissed just a few hours ago—takes on an almost claustrophobic heaviness, and the dim outlines of the fellow passengers in his compartment inspire in him a strange dread. His experience of time changes as well. His attention is no longer held by the passing telegraph poles, which measure out the advance of historical time in a relentlessly repetitive mechanical continuity, but by his father’s heavy breathing and occasional sleepy movement. The mechanical thus yields to the biological, and mere repetition is replaced by the organic cycle of pulmonary activity. Time no longer progresses, but appears almost at a standstill” (775)
It’s almost as suddenly in this moment, Stephen has an epiphany that time and space are linked. And that with each passing moment, visions can be blurred or they can be made clear yielding to some new realization. With a new realization it is almost as if time is put on pause and for that moment, even if it’s just an instant, by putting time on pause the mind becomes clearer. Your thoughts belong in that moment and nothing else. Time affects everything.
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