Priscilla L. Luoma
In order to prepare students for the concepts and texts they must be engaged in and invested in the topic. They first need to examine and state their own beliefs about their world, specifically America. How do they, as individuals, fit in and do not fit in to their society? To help students recognize the importance of the individual students will read a familiar autobiographical poem,
I Rise
, by Maya Angelou, in which the word “I” is repeated throughout. After reading the poem, students will be asked to cross out all the “I’s.” How does this edit change the poem? The sentiments expressed in the poem certainly do not apply to everyone, so without the “I” the poem begs for a voice, an individual’s voice. How would the poem be different if it belonged to each person in the room? What changes would have to be made so that it represented each student exactly? Students will begin to think about the concept of the individual and to see there is no consensus on just how one perceives or defines. Another important point to make to students is that in the English language the word “I” is capitalized, but in other romance languages like Spanish and French, the words for “I,” (“yo” and “je”) are not. Why, do students think, is this so?
Winthrop’s,
Modell of Christian Charity
, should be taught from a sociological perspective. The value in using this piece is in its breakdown of society and its extraordinary way of justifying class distinctions. Students should be asked first to outline the breakdown of authority and power in our nation. Winthrop advocates the segregation of Christians and non-Christians, and while that line has been all but erased in our time, what new lines have been drawn? Why does Winthrop believe his new society will be attractive to individuals?
As students read the novel
The Scarlet Letter
, it is important for them to recognize the theme of appearance versus reality. People and circumstances are not always as they appear. I intend to bring in a pair of twins and ask students about their (and the general) perception of twins. Are these two people the same? Though they may have started out as the same cell and may appear the same, they certainly are not. In the novel, Hester and Dimmesdale are the exact opposite of what one might expect. Hester’s “A” and Dimmesdale’s preaching are masks to their true selves. What would happen to the community, and to the characters if the masks were torn off? While reading the text, students will be asked to keep a chart that will cause them to focus on the characters’ inner and outer-personas. The four questions that correspond to each character on the chart will be: What does the character think of (1) him or herself, (2) God, (3) community, (4) each other? The chart will enable students to interface more completely with the text, and their responses will provide them with source material for class discussions or following assignments.
In order to broaden the theme of appearance versus reality students will learn the terms distortion, illusion, propaganda, persuasion, and rhetoric. The former two will help in assessing Moore’s film while the latter three will add to the reading of the revolutionary rhetoric, for lack of a better word, and subsequent political documents. To introduce these terms I will present a series of optical illusions (these can easily by found online by typing in, “optical illusions”). Students will enjoy trying to see the varying perspectives in one picture. The teacher can then introduce related terms while demonstrating how words can create various perspectives. Additionally, the use of mini “funny house” mirrors is an effective method of conveying the meaning of distortion.
Before they even begin reading, they should be prompted to discuss orally and in writing what qualities are essential in a utopian community. What are freedom, liberty, equality, and diversity? At this point in the unit there does not need to be any definitive response to these terms. Allow students to provide the varying perspectives; there will most likely be no resolution or unanimity among them. The teacher should provide guided questioning so that the students recognize a void in their rationale and in the basis for their beliefs. Throughout the unit students will be assigned writing prompts that address concepts in the unit. These prompts will serve as the anticipatory set for daily lessons and as jump-off points for class discussions.
As students read the material they will be required to analyze the motivations of the speaker based on the historical context of the works as well as by the tone. As they read/view each piece they will discuss the source of the author’s authority and compare and contrasts the changes in historical context.
The major writing piece for this unit is a persuasive piece of rhetoric in which students will present an argument about segregation in relation to their school. Our school population is overwhelmingly Black, and students will have an interest in the following choices:
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1.
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The school should remain as is and keep its doors open to whomever wants to attend; the racial makeup does not factor in an education.
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2.
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The school should remain as is but should do its best to recruit members of
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various races because a diverse learning environment is preferable to a
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homogeneous one.
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3.
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The school should do its best to recruit only African-Americans in an effort to create an all-Black population because a homogeneous population is preferable to a diverse one.
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4.
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The city should require that all schools in the community maintain, as closely as possible, populations consisting of an equal number of students from all races.
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The object of the paper is not as much to make a case for or against affirmative action but
to convince the reader that his interest is being served by the author’s proposal. This
paper can be assigned as a major research project or a shorter assignment.
Themes / Concepts for reading, writing, and discussion:
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authority ` individual persuasion
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distortion inherent propaganda
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diversity justice Puritanism
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equality liberty rhetoric
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faction morality self interest
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ideal (ideology) natural “Separate but Equal” doctrine
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illusion original intent utopia
Literary Elements / Devices:
audience historical context setting
character purpose style
figurative language repetition tone
Sample prompts for daily writing and/or oral discussion:
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1.
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How are the Bible and the Constitution similar?
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2.
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How far are you willing to go to stand by your beliefs?
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3.
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Do you think shaming is an effective way of influencing behavior?
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4.
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If you were to build a perfect society, how would it be governed?
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5.
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How important is it to you to belong to a social group (community, family)
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6.
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What are your fundamental values or beliefs, your guiding principles?
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7.
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What would you do if no one in your world shared any of your values?
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8.
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What does it take for someone to convince you to change your mind?
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9.
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How (and why) do you convince others to change their minds?
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10.
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Is compromising the same as winning or losing, or is it something else?
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11.
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How do you feel and/or respond when someone tries to (or does) force a belief on you?
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12.
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Do you have any beliefs for which you are willing to give your life?
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13.
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Could you live by a set of values that are not your own and still feel free?
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14.
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Is there a difference between liberty and equality?
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15.
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Can any person be truly objective?
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16.
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What general approach do you take when resolving a dispute?
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17.
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What person(s) would you trust to solve a dispute for you?
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18.
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How do you feel when you realize you have been manipulated or lied to?
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19.
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Is there ever an appropriate reason to create an appearance of something that is different from reality?
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20.
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How do you feel and what do you do when you realize that your perception or belief has been wrong?
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21.
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Have you ever known in your heart that something was right but you still could not seem to act on that knowledge?
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22.
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What does it mean to be equal, and are all people truly equal?
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23.
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How do the meanings of words change over time?
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Quotes for journaling or prompts:
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“Self interest is the grand principle of all human actions and it is unreasonable and vain to expect service from a man who must act contrary to his own interests to perform it”
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- Gordon Wood
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“Time works changes, brings into existence new conditions and purposes. Therefore a principle to be vital must be capable of wider application than the mischief which gave it birth”
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- Justice Joseph McKenna
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“The American is a new man, who acts upon new principles; he must therefore entertain new ideas and form new opinions.”
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- Jean de Crévecoeur
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“Democracy and socialism have nothing in common but one word, equality. But notice the difference: while democracy seeks equality in liberty, socialism seeks equality in restraint and servitude.”
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- Alexis de Tocqueville
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“That all men are equal is a proposition which, at ordinary times, no sane individual has ever given his assent.”
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- Aldous Huxley
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It is very nearly impossible. . . to become an educated person in a country so distrustful of the independent mind.”
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- James Baldwin
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“Whoever has experienced war at the front will want to refrain from all avoidable bloodshed.”
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- Adolph Hitler
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“The only stable state is the one in which all men are equal before the law.”
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- Aristotle
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“I’ve found you’ve got to look back at the old things and see them in a new light.”
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- John Coltrane
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“It is a strange fact that freedom and equality, the two basic ideas of democracy, are to some extent contradictory. Logically considered, freedom and equality are mutually exclusive, just as society and the individual are mutually exclusive.”
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- Thomas Mann
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I am an aristocrat. I love liberty; I hate equality.”
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- John Randolph
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“We will fail unless we understand that coercion in any form is the enemy of democratic life.”
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- Robert A. Burt
