AGENDA:
EQ: WHAT IS FIRST PERSON NARRATION AND WHY DID JORDAN CHOOSE TO USE IT FOR MUDBOUND WITH 6 DIFFERENT VOICES?
HMWK: for Wednesday, read through pg. 82
THINK, PAIR, SHARE:
Having read the first two chapters of Mudbound, work with a partner to answer the following questions and discuss your answers.
Level 1 questions Close Reading for text details
1. How are Jamie and Henry related?
2. What is Jamie doing at the beginning of the book?
3. Why is Jamie rushing in what he is doing at the beginning of the book?
4. How deep does Henry dig the grave at the beginning of the book?
5. Why does Henry dig so deep at the beginning of the book?
6. Who is Henry digging a grave for at the beginning of the book?
7. How is the coffin described at the beginning of the book?
8. What did Laura decide on her 30th birthday?
9. What is Henry's last name?
10. What is Henry's occupation?
11. Who introduced Laura and Henry?
12. Who encouraged Henry to pursue Laura?
13. Why did Henry leave town while courting Laura?
14. What did Henry do when he returned to town while courting Laura?
15. How did Laura describe Jamie when she met him?
16. How much older than Jamie is Henry?
17. When did Laura meet most of Henry's family?
18. How did Laura describe Henry's family when she met them?
19. Where was Laura married?
20. How long did Laura have bliss in her marriage?
What can you infer from your answers about the characters and their relationships?
What kind of foreshadowing of the plot can you infer from what Laura says on the bottom of pg. 13-the top of pg. 14?
Level 2 questions Interpretation of Literary Strategy
Discuss some of the reasons for choosing this kind of first person narration. How does seeing
these events through many different character's eyes affect the story? How does this kind of narration make you feel as a reader? Do you like it? Do you think it will enhance the plot? Why or why not? What do all the different viewpoints do to the narrative? Why is this not through the eyes of one main character?
POST A COMMENT OF YOUR OBSERVATIONS AS A TEAM CITING EVIDENCE FROM THE TEXT TO SUPPORT YOUR CLAIMS.
Style
Point of View
The novel is written in the first person point of view. The narrating character changes from section to section with the writer alerting the reader to the change in narrating character by placing the character's name at the beginning of the chapter section.
The use of the first person point of view is an intimate choice, allowing the writer to speak directly to the reader through the voice of her characters. In most first person point of view novels, the narrating character is the main character of the novel and the entire novel is told through that character's eyes. However, in this novel the writer uses all the major characters in her novel as her narrating characters, giving the reader a well-rounded story while still keeping the intimacy of the first person point of view. It is a new and unique way to use the first person point of view and is handled with great skill.
Setting
The majority of the novel takes place at Mudbound, a moderate sized farm on the Mississippi Delta. The farm is primitive, lacking some of the basic comforts such as electricity and running water. The farm is constantly covered in mud from the frequent storms that pass over the area and dust when the rains are kept at bay. As a part of the south in the1940s, the setting of the novel is also a hotbed of racial tensions, leaving the black characters of the novel in danger of the lawlessness of the time toward blacks.
The setting of this novel is important because the time and place sets up some of the tensions that propel the plot. The uncomfortable accommodations of the farm create a situation that allows Laura to feel neglected by her husband and opens her to an inappropriate relationship with her brother-in-law. At the same time, the setting also places a great burden on the Jackson family, a black tenant family on Mudbound who face many obstacles in their attempts to raise a family and live a comfortable life. With the return of their son from the war, these obstacles grow substantially as he finds himself a target of racial hatred. For these reasons, the setting of the novel is deeply essential to the tensions that drive the plot to its climax.
Language and Meaning
The language of the novel is basic English. The author has created characters who are living in a time period and place that has its own unique uses of language. The author does not delve deeply into the slang that characterizes this time period, but she does use some basic grammar choices that makes the characters come to life and feel authentic to their time period.
The language of this novel is basic, simple English that is not filled with too many difficult words or phrases or unique grammar and spellings. However, some of the language is a little more complicated than the reader might expect in order to reflect the high education level of two of the main characters. The writer does not slip into stereotypes to express the thoughts and opinions of some of the main characters, moving slightly away from authenticity, but making her novel easy for the average reader to enjoy.
Structure
The novel is divided into three parts. Each part is filled with sections that tell a story from the narrative point of view of more than six characters. These characters tell their story in the first person point of view, each giving their own vision of a series of events that lead to tragedy for two families. The story is told in the past tense, beginning in the present and moving into the past to explain how the characters got to that point in their lives.
The novel contains multiple plots, including one main plot and multiple subplots. The main plot tells the story of how the Jackson and McAllan families became involved in the maiming of one young man. Some of the subplots describe the relationships between all the main characters, the romance between Laura and Jamie, and the difficulties Pappy causes for all those around him. Each plot comes to a satisfying conclusion at the end of the novel.
WRITING PRACTICE:
Test 1 from Natalie Goldberg's Old Friend from Far Away
Choose one paragraph and write it in 3rd person. How does this change the paragraph?
Ben and Kayli:
ReplyDeleteWe believe the reason she's using multiple perspectives is because Jordan is showing many different sides of one situation. Also, when a reader is given multiple perspectives, they are forced not to take one point-of-view as their own but create their own thoughts and view-points on the subject/situation.
"... the beginning depends on who's telling the story. No doubt the others would start somewhere different, but they'd still wind up at the same place in the end."
The relationship between Henry and Laura seems a bit awkward and forced. It seems like Henry is sincere but Laura is only with him because she doesn't think she can get anyone else because of her looks and age. Laura and Jamie's relationship is awfully sketchy. By the way Jordan is explaining the way they act towards each other the reader can sense something may possibly happen between the two of them at some point in the novel.
"'Jamie has that effect on girls. They sparkle for him.'"
The bottom of page 13, top of page 14 foreshadows a lot of neglect and conflict. It tells us that there are issues between family members that will eventually lead to the death of a man.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteFrom these answers we can infer that the relationship between Laura and Henry is more forced than of personal choice, and there is a great deal of mutual respect between Jamie and Henry. With this inclusion of foreshadowing it is easy to assume that there will be a a large amount of conflict throughout the novel, specifically involving Henry's father, Pappy. "Because a man neglected his wife, and a father betrayed his son, and a mother exacted vengeance." By having this story told in multiple different perspectives, we are given the rare opportunity to see every side of the story. It makes us feel more immersed in the story, with a deeper personal connection to each of the characters. We both like this technique of utilizing multiple perspectives because we feel like we know more about what's going on and have the whole picture. This will greatly enhance the plot, as having only one main character would make it an entirely different story, as well as racially biased.
ReplyDeleteLove, Nikki And Grace
This is Frances and Gena. The relationships in Mudbound are complex and layered. Laura is thankful to Henry for rescuing her from a life of loneliness, but she doesn't really love him. This is evidenced by the quote "Henry was neither dashing nor romantic; like me, he was made of sturdier, plainer stuff," (29). In Laura's eyes, Henry could not compare with his brother Jamie, who was younger and more handsome. Henry feels like he does not compare to Jamie in charisma. Laura explains Henry's jealousy: "He must have seen it before, must have felt it himself a hundred times in Jamie's presence: a longing for a brightness that would never be his," (25). On page 13, Laura reveals that Pappy did not die of natural causes. This hooks the reader's attention, and sets the tone for the rest of the novel. This passage also introduces new characters, such as Ronsel Jackson.
ReplyDeleteThiery, Imani G and Carly
ReplyDeleteAs it being the first two chapters, it does not really mean much to us but it's an introduction into everyone's life. The foreshadowing on pages 13-14 are uber brilliant!!
Nate and I can infer that so far, the characters lives are intertwined, and that there is conflict coming into the story, which can be seen from the quote, "Because a man neglected his wife, and a father betrayed his son, and a mother exacted vengeance."
ReplyDeleteWriting in first person through many characters gives quite a few point of views and opinions. This is likable and it will enhance the plot because you can see the story from the eyes of the well-off and the not well-off. The different viewpoints give the narrative different perspective, and you cannot gain a lot of perspective from one main character.
-No Answer To Question 1. Didn't pay enough time into the book to really give a thoughtful answer-
ReplyDelete2. After reading through as much as i could over the weekend, i fell the plot is going to be based around the death of Laura's father-in-law, and all these "possible" perspectives that Laura addresses at the bottom of page 13-14 are going to be the situations and conflicts addressed later on in the novel.
"By the same logic, my father in law was murdered because i was born plain rater than pretty. That is one possible beginning. There are others..."
3. I feel the different points of view are a great idea for this story. I am personally a fan of First Person Perspective, even my favorite book is in first person. And the fact that there are 6 perspectives, it brings more life to the story. It allows you to get into the minds of the characters and to understand who they are and what roles they bring to the story. It brings out more in the plot line and it is very interesting that you get to really see the importance of every character in a story. As I said, i'm a huge fan of first person perspective.
"No doubt the others would start somewhere different, but they'll still wind up at the same place in the end"
In the beginning of Mud Bound the author, Hillary Jordan introduces each main character from their point of views. Jamie and Henry are brothers and Laura is Henry's wife. It seems to be no spark between them. However Jamie has an eye for Laura, so their relationship is suspicious yet interesting because Jamie is everything Henry's not.
ReplyDelete