Assignment: Chosen (Chap 12: 193-203) Date:Wed, Apr 30, 2008
English 11Chapter Twelve
1. In what way does Freud contradict the teaching of the Talmud?
2. What ironic element seems to be occurring in the book?
3. Define Zionism.Why is Reb Saunders against the idea of Palestine becoming the homeland for the Jewish people?
4. Why is Danny really concerned about his brother’s health.
5. How does Danny feel about his father?
Assignment: Chosen (Chap 11: 183-192) Date:Tue, Apr 29, 2008
English 11Chapter Eleven
1. What is wrong with Danny’s eyes?
2. What major figure dies?
3. How do Danny’s father and Reuven’s father react to the news from Europe that six million Jewish people have been killed in the concentration camps? How does this tragedy help the reader understand their differing opinions on how God wants them to conduct their lives?
4. Why does Reuven go to live with Danny’s family?
Assignment: Chosen (Chap 9-10: 171-182) Date:Mon, Apr 28, 2008
English 11Chapter Nine
1. Find the extended metaphor in this chapter about the spider and the fly. How does it relate to Billy, his blindness, and his unsuccessful operation? What does Reuven learn about life from Billy’s situation?
Chapter Ten
kashruth - the laws applying to food preparation
1. Danny is having difficulties understanding Freud written in its original German. How does he solve his problems with the writings. In what ways might studying Freud contribute to Danny’s reluctance to be his father’s replacement?
2. How does Reuven try to add balance to the new world of knowledge Danny discovers in the library?
Assignment: In class: write citizenship essay Date:Fri, Apr 25, 2008
English 11Students should write an essay in class on “citizenship.” The senior English teachers want them to have this as part of their senior portfolio. These essays only need to be 200 words long, so the quality should be very high. They will be graded for quality.
Essays should be written in Word, saved in their folder on the network so they can get back to them next year. When they are finished, they should print a paper copy and hand it in.
10 students can use the computers in the classroom, and the rest should go to the writing lab.
Possible outline:
1. What is citizenship? Why is it used in such terms as “global citizenship” and “corporate
citizenship”?
2. Why does citizenship matter today?
3. Do I believe that citizenship should be an important value in my life?
4. Do any of my post-secondary plans touch on citizenship?Students who finish before the period is over should work on reading the Chosen and doing the study guide. They should have read to page 182 by Monday. I will collect the study guides sometime next week.
Assignment: Chosen (Chap 8: 149-170) Date:Thu, Apr 24, 2008
English 11goy - a non-Jew
1. Why is Danny bothered by the history he reads concerning Drov Baer, a man is father considers to be almost a saint?
2. State a theme for this story using the following passage from the novel.
“Your father said I should read a Jewish history. He said the first important step in anyone’s education is to know your own people.” (pg. 147)
3. Cite a passage from this chapter to support or refute the following statement: Not everything you read is true; it is important to understand the biases and limitations of the author.
4. How does Mr. Malter justify his decision to suggest books for Danny without Reb Saunders’ knowledge?
5. List the two ways Rabbincal literature can be studied. Which way does Reuven’s father prefer? In what way is Reuven’s knowledge of the Talmud equal to Danny’s?
6. One of the overall themes in this story is the theme of true friendship. What do you think of Reuven’s decision to answer Reb Saunders’ questions about Danny’s reading? Is he being disloyal? What information about Danny does Reuven not tell Reb Saunders?
7. Find a clue in this chapter that might help the reader understand why Reb Saunders believes in silence.
8. In what way is Reuven a buffer between Reb Saunders and Danny? What lesson from Jewish history lets the reader know that Reuven in in a dangerous position when he becomes a way between Danny and his father?
Assignment: Chosen (Chap 7: 112-148) Date:Wed, Apr 23, 2008
English 11Chapter Seven
shtibblach - the name for the house of worship in a Hasidic sect
shul - school
ark - an enclosure in a synagogue or temple for the scrolls of the Torah
caftan - a long garment like a jacket
kaddish - a prayer for someone who has died
challah - type of bread
amalek - heathen
b’kuit - simple interpretations of the Talmud
nu - “good," “well,” “continue;” the word has many different connotions; similar to “so”
gematriya - a mystical method of interpretation of the Hebrew scriptures based upon the numerical value of the letters in the words.
Havdalah - a brief service at the end of Shabbat1. Why is Danny’s uncle, his father’s older brother, not inherit the rabbinical position? How did Reb Saunders save his Hasidic community?
2. Why, according to Danny, did the devotees of Reb Saunders all follow him to America? What is Reuven’s opinion of that?
3. What is the author saying about Danny by using this extended metaphor to compare him to a blind soldier?
“I began to hear, distinctly, the tapping sounds of Danny’s metal-capped shoes. . .and I remembered the old man I often saw walking along Lee Avenue, moving carefully through the busy street and tapping, tapping, his metal-capped cane, which served him for the eyes he had lost in a First World trench during a German gas attack.” (pg. 116)
4. What is “number one on [the Hasidic community’s] catechism? How does the community react when Rabbi Saunders enters the synagogue? What is symbolic about his appearance?
5. Reb Saunders shakes hands with Reuven twice in this chapter. How is the second time different from the first?
6. Briefly describe Danny’s little brother. How does he behave during the service?
7. Who is the Master of the Universe Reb Saunders refers to when he speaks? How can the Master of the Universe fulfill a man’s wishes?
8. List two parts of Reb Saunders’ service that Danny disagrees with?
9. What ritual does Danny endure each week?
10. List one way Reb Saunders approves and one he disapproves of Mr. Malter.
11. Who is Rav Gershenson?
12. In what way does David Malter defend Reb Saunders’ practice of publicly arguing the Talmud with Danny?
13. Find a passage in this chapter where the character of Mr. Malter, while discussing Danny’s training, restates a theme for this novel.
14. What is David Malter’s opinion of Reb Saunders as a leader for his community?
Assignment: Chosen (Chap 6: 100-111) Date:Tue, Apr 22, 2008
English 11Chapter Six
shofar - a wind instrument made from a ram’s horn
tallit - a shawl for prayer
kabbalah - a book of Jewish mysticism
mitnaged - a sect which opposed the Hasids1. Briefly describe the relationship between the Jewish people and the nobles of Poland. In what way did the Jews act as a buffer between the nobles and the serfs? How did this position lead to the destruction of the great Jewish community in Poland?
2. What happened to the faith of the Jewish people after the Chmielnicki uprising?
3. Briefly summarize Israel’s (Besht’s) teachings, known as Hasidism.
4. Reuven’s father tells him the story of the evolution of the Hasids. Who is the tzaddik of the Hasidic community? How does the Hasidic movement begin to degenerate? Which kind of Hasidic sect does Danny belong to?
5. Why is the story of Solomon Maimon sad? How is he similar to Danny?
6. The character of Reuven’s father is frequently the author’s voice, stating the themes of the book. He often finishes a statement clarifying a theme with the words, “That is the way the world is.” Find a similar quotation at the end of the chapter. What theme is he summarizing for the reader?
Assignment: Chosen (Chap 5: 95-94) Date:Mon, Apr 21, 2008
English 11Chapter Five
1. Briefly describe Manya.
2. What does the following passage from the novel tell the reader about how Reuven’s experience during the last five days have changed his life?
“I felt I had crossed into another world, that little pieces of my old self had been left behind on the black asphalt floor of the school yard alongside the shattered lens of my glasses. . .I lay very still on the lounge chair and thought a long time about Danny.” (pg. 96)
Assignment: Chosen (Chap 4: 73-92) Date:Thu, Apr 17, 2008
English 11Chapter Four
1. State a theme for this story based on the following passage from this chapter:
“I wish I was outside now,” I said. “I envy them being able to walk around like that. They don’t know how lucky they are.”
“No one knows he is fortunate until he becomes unfortunate,” my father said quietyly. “That is the way the world is.”2. State another theme for this story based on Mr. Malter’s reaction to Reuven’s story of Danny Saunders’ visit.
3. What two things does the Talmud say a person must do for himself? How does Mr. Malter define friendship? Why do you think he wants Reuven and Danny to be friends?
4. State why you agree or disagree with the following statement made by Mr. Savo when he is warning Reuven to be careful about making friends with Danny:
“You’re a good kid. So I’m telling you, watch out for those fanatics. They’re the worse cloppers around.” (pg. 76)
5. What, according to Danny’s father, is a Jew’s mission in life? Why is Danny confused by this idea?
6. Why is Reuven confused about Danny?
7. In what way is Danny’s life similar to Billy’s?
8. How does Danny feel when he first realizes Mr. Malter is the same man who has been suggesting books for him to read in the library? What happens to make Danny comfortable again?
Assignment: Chosen (Chap 3: 54-72) Date:Wed, Apr 16, 2008
English 11Chapter Three
phylacteries - a leather box which holds passages from the Torah, worn during prayers
rabbi - the Jewish religious leader, similar to a priest or minister
blatt - a section of reading from the Talmad1. What is happening in Europe that is exciting to the patients in the ward?
2. Why does Reuven need to ask the nurse for permission to pray during his phylactery?
3. Why does Reuven say to Danny, “. . .you can go to hell, and take your whole snooty bunch of Hasidism along with you!”? (pg. 63) In what way is Reuven being unfair to Danny and his team?
4. What rule from the Talmud does Reuven violate when he sends Danny home?
5. While talking to Danny in the hospital, why does Reuven have “the feeling that everything around [him] was out of focus”? (pg. 67)
6. How does Danny learn “two blatt” of Talmud each day?
7. Why is Danny surprised Reuven wants to be a Rabbi? What does Danny want to be?
8. In what way is Reuven partly responsible for his own injury?
9. Why does Reb Saunders not like to write? What does he mean when he says “he wishes everyone could talk in silence”?
10. What is ironic about Danny’s answer that his father is “quite a man”? (pg. 22)
Assignment: Chosen (Chap 2: 32-53) Date:Tue, Apr 15, 2008
English 11Chapter Two
kosher - food which is considered fit to eat by Jewish law
abba - father
tefillin - an assist and reminder used in Jewish prayer1. Describe a few things which occur at the very beginning of Reuven’s hospital stay.
2. Briefly describe Mr. Savo, Billy, and Reuven’s father.
3. How does Reuven feel about Danny Saunders? What does his father think about his son’s attitude toward Danny? State a theme for this story based on Mr. Malter’s advice to Reuven that he should listen when someone wants to talk to him.
4. Why is Reuven worried about his eye? What insight does Reuven gain about life while worrying about his eye?
5. What does Reuven’s father do for a living?
6. Could Reuven’s thoughts about blindness also serve as a theme? If so, what?
Assignment: The Chosen 1-31 Date:Mon, Apr 14, 2008
English 11Chapter One
Hasidic - the members of a sect of Jewish mystics that originated in Poland in the eighteenth century
samovars - metal urns used throughout Russia for boiling water for tea
Yiddish - a language spoken by many European Jews and their descendants
Michna service - afternoon services
Shabbat - the Sabbath, the day set apart in the fourth commandment of the Bible to be observed as a day of rest from all labor, originally the seventh day of the week, Saturday, the day on which God rested from the work of creation
Yeshiva - a school or college for Talmudic studies, combining religious and secular studies
Apikorism - Jews who are not Hasids; an extremely negative term
Shamashim - an official in synagogue
Jewish Orthodox - strictly observing the rites and traditions of Judaism as formulated in the Torah and Talmud
Talmud - the collection of writings constituting the Jewish civil and religious law. It consists of two parts
tzitzit (zitzit) - the fringes or tassels worn by orthodox Jewish men
Torah - the first five books of the Old Testament
momzer - a curse; a term of abuse1. Why do the Jewish parochial schools have competitive baseball leagues?
2. Briefly describe Mr. Galanter. What is his baseball philosophy?
3. What painful thing does Reuven do just before the start of a game?
4. Contrast the uniforms of the opposing team with the way Reuven’s team is dressed.
5. What does the first confrontation between the two coaches signify?
6. Briefly describe Danny Saunders. Why is Reuven angry when Danny calls the team apikorism?
7. As the game continues, why does Reuven find himself more and more angry at the opposing team?
8. For what reasons does Mr. Galanter put Reuven in as the pitcher for the last inning of the game?
9. List two possible reasons Reuven decides to throw a fastball to Danny for the last strike.
10. Briefly describe Reuven’s injuries. Why does Mr. Galanter go to call a cab after his team loses the game?
Assignment: Begin discussion of Chosen Date:Fri, Apr 11, 2008
English 11Hand out Chosen and give assignments
Explain grading policy, make team assignments, go over responsibilities. Information on home page.
Assignment: 3rd Quarter Final Exam Date:Thu, Apr 10, 2008
English 11Understand Realism and why it became prominent around 1860 (as compared and contrasted with Romanticism) p. 408
Explain what “disllusionment” means.
Be able to explain these dualities:
rationalism vs. romanticism
romanticism vs. realism
naturalism/materialism vs. idealism
Modernity
What does it mean for the world to lose its story?
What historical forces contributed to modernity? In what ways?
Relate the fading of the sonnet form to changes in cultural practices of courtship and marriage.“Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglas” p. 426
What sort of boy is Frederick Douglass?
What is the most morally significant decision he makes in the reading in the book?
What is the difference between a “slave in form” and a “slave in fact”?“A Pair of Silk Stockings” by Kate Chopin p. 437
Be able to explain objective morality, relative morality, and nihilism.
What is most important in life to Mrs. Sommers, judging by the decisions she makes?
What is her telos?“Life on the Mississippi” by Mark Twain p. 453
Understand what “hyperbole” and “understatement” are and find examples in Twain’s story.
How does becoming very familiar with the river affect Twain’s appreciation of it?“A Mystery of Heroism” by Stephen Crane p. 487
In what ways is this story ironic?
Is Collins a hero or a fool? Why?
What do you think is his motive for what he does in the story?“A Wagner Matinee” by Willa Cather, p. 539-546
This story is in a section of the book entitled “loss and redemption.” Do you consider this a story of loss, or one of redemption? Why?
The story is told from Clark’s point of view, so the conclusion is his judgment. Do you think he is a good judge of Georgiana? Why or why not?
Georgianna tells Clark not to love anything so much that he will be lost without it. Is this good advice?
“His Father’s Earth” by Thomas Wolfe p. 550-556
How can you tell this story is a fantasy rather than a reality?
Contrast the “meaning” of the circus with the “meaning” of home?
At the end, circus and home merge in his mind. How might this symbolize maturity?
The story is written in a mythic tone. What does that mean?
Robert Frost poems p. 558-574
“Winter Dreams” by F. Scott Fitzgerald, p. 586-602
“The Leader of the People” by John Steinbeck p. 609-619
How was “hero” defined in class?
What does the grandfather mean when he says that people have lost the desire for “Westering”?
“A Worn Path” by Eudora Welty p. 634-639
What is heroic about Phoenix?
What does it mean to read the story metaphorically? What is one metaphoric reading of the story?“Soldier’s Home"by Ernest Hemingway 653-659
The story focuses mostly on Kreb’s attitude towards girls and his attitude toward his mother. How are these related?
Why doesn’t Kreb date any of the pretty girls in town?
What is particularly “modern” about the story?T.S. Eliot poems p. 661-670
“Speaking of Courage” by Tim O’Brien 967-972
“Night” by Elie Wiesel p. 921-930
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
Assignment: Discuss “Citizenship” Date:Wed, Apr 09, 2008
Prewriting discussions for portfolio essay #1: “Citizenship”
Readings on Citizenship: 21 page PDF
http://www.flatheadreservation.org/images/phs/readings_on_citizenship.pdfQuotes on Citizenship2 pages PDF
Assignment: Test over “Night’ Date:Tue, Apr 08, 2008
English 11Discuss “Night”
Begin work on “Citizenship” essay
Assignment: “Night” p. 921-930 Date:Mon, Apr 07, 2008
English 11Discuss “Speaking of Courage”
Review for test
Assignment: “Speaking of Courage” by Tim O’Brien p. 967-972 Date:Fri, Apr 04, 2008
English 11s
Assignment: T.S. Eliot poems p. 661-670 Date:Thu, Apr 03, 2008
English 11x
Assignment: “Soldier’s Home” by Ernest Hemingway 653-659 Date:Wed, Apr 02, 2008
d
Assignment: “A Worn Path” by Eudora Welty p. 634-639 Date:Tue, Apr 01, 2008
x