Lesson Six: “Nothing Helps”
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What's on for today and why?
Chapter Four delves into the deterioration of the relationship between Nico's parents since Margaret's death. In this chapter, Nico is more of a bystander than a daughter, and is able to make note of all of the little cracks that are starting to form in the brick wall of their family structure. The reader is able to form an opinion about Nico's mother, and make assumptions as to what she has really been doing to her body, in order to try and live a “normal” life. In addition, the reader is able to get their first glimpse of Goldengrove, and witness the events that take place within the bookstore. Today, as a class, the students are going to perform a stressed reading of the dinner scene that occurs within Chapter Four. After this is completed, the students will then make a list of traits for each character at the dinner table. They will also include a list of character traits for Margaret, and will make predictions as to how they feel Margaret would have handled the scene at the dinner table.
By having the students do a stressed reading, the teacher is both reinforcing the importance of performance, and is also showing the importance of the dialogue that occurs within this particular scene. The dinner scene is one of the more animated scenes in the novel; through it, the reader is able to get a sense of how Nico's parents are starting to drift apart, and how Margaret was the glue that held the family together. In addition, the character trait lists will also give the students a better understanding of how each character deals with the loss of Margaret. By having a character trait list for Margaret as well, the students will have more of an understanding of her personality; though the reader gets glimpses of her personality through the other characters, they never really get to see Margaret speak for herself. The students will be able to understand the family and the way they are all connected on a more intimate level.
What To Do:
1. Discussion of Homework:
In the beginning of class, the teacher will ask the students if any one of them wants to share their found poems. The students who wish to participate will be able to access their LiveJournals through the computer provided in the classroom, and will be able to explain why they wrote their poems, and how their poem connects to the novel. The students who choose to share their poems in front of the class will receive extra credit; though sharing is not mandatory, the students should get rewarded for going above and beyond the assignment they had to complete. The class will discuss the importance of found poetry, and how creating a found poem was able to help the students understand the novel better. Then, as a class, they will go over the events that happened in Chapter Four. Paying special attention to detail, the class will discuss the difference in relationship that Nico has with her parents, and the difference in relationship that the parents have with each other. The class will discuss the answers to the questions from the journal entry that was due the night before, and through this discussion, the teacher will steer the conversation towards the scene at the dinner table, which takes place on page 53. The class will be given a handout about this scene, and will be told that they will be practicing inflection of voice as a class. Since they have been told to observe inflection once before, they will be familiar with this concept. The handout will appear as follows:
The Dinner Scene
Directions:
Part One: As a class, you will be performing inflection of voice throughout the dinner scene in Chapter Four, which takes place from pages 53-56. We will be reading this scene out loud, and will be inflecting our voices for every pronoun. This means that we will be stressing the words “I”, “me”, “my”, “he”, “she”, “his”, “hers”, and “ours” whenever we come across them within this passage. After we complete this exercise, take a few minutes to answer the following questions:
1. What do you think the purpose of this assignment was?
2. How does this reading of the scene change the events that are happening in it?
3. Nico is basically a bystander for the entire conversation that occurs between her parents. Do her parents notice her, or do you think they are caught up in their argument? How does this argument affect her? Cite examples.
Part Two:
Now that you have a better understanding of the familial structure at this point in the novel, create a “character trait” chart for each of the characters. It does not have to be elaborate; a list of characters, complete with a list of traits for each will suffice. Make this list using evidence from this scene only. Include Margaret in this list; give her a listing of the character traits you think she possesses, from her dialogue in the beginning of the story and from how the others speak of her. What do you think Margaret would have done if she had been sitting at the table, listening to her parents argue? How is this different from what Nico did? Draw a couple of conclusions, as we will be talking about them in class.
2. The Performance:
The teacher will now have the students read the scene out loud, stressing the pronouns mentioned on the handout. This will be done slowly and with precision, so that the students can get the feel of both the power behind the words, and of what is really occurring at Nico's dinner table. This exaggerated reading should give the students a better understanding of the break down between both parents, and should aid them in answering the questions on the handout. The students will have ample time to complete this portion of the handout. Before going on to the second part of the assignment sheet, the class will reconvene, and discuss their answers to the given questions.
3. Character Traits:
For the rest of the period, the students will work on their character trait maps, providing examples of these character traits from the chapter. This will give the students insight into the personalities of all of the characters, and will also help them to understand Margaret's role in the family a little better. These character maps will be added on to as the novel progresses, and will aid students in seeing the progression (or decline) of the characters' personalities right up until the end of the story.
4. Homework:
For homework, the students will read Chapters Five and Six, and will complete their fifth journal entries. When reading the chapters, they should keep the following questions in mind:
1. How is Nico's physical appearance changing? Who is she starting to look like, and how are people reacting?
2. The middle of page 69 talks about Nico's mother. How has her mother been acting? How is this affecting the family?
3. Who is the “staircase spirit”? Does it even exist, or is it in Nico's head? How does it influence Nico's actions?
4. According to Nico, what is the real “Great Disappointment”? How does the legend tie into her life now?
5. Look closely at the poem Margaret, on page 90. What do you think it means? Keep these predictions in mind. We will be discussing this tomorrow.
How Did it Go?
Exaggerated readings are useful in any situation; however, they are extremely useful when trying to understand a difficult or important passage within a novel. Through exaggerated reading, the students are able to break down the change in relationship between Nico's parents, and also begin to see the deterioration of Nico's mother. This downward spiral becomes a significant part of the novel; therefore, it is important that the students understand it now. In addition, through the character trait maps, the students are able to document and keep track of the different phases that each character goes through, while trying to deal with Margaret's absence. By adding Margaret's character traits into the equation, the students are allowing themselves to compare the constant traits of one character (Margaret) to the ever changing characteristics of her family members, in order to put some perspective on her death. It is important that the students understand these concepts now, as the next two chapters of the novel are extremely important.
The journal assignments will be graded in the same fashion as they have previously.
