AGENDA:
EQ: WHAT IS FIRST PERSON NARRATION AND WHY DID JORDAN CHOOSE TO USE IT FOR MUDBOUND WITH 6 DIFFERENT VOICES?
THINK, PAIR, SHARE:
Having read the first four 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.
ReplyDeleteLevel two questions
I believe seeing or reading this book through many characters point of view makes it easier to understand certain situations and or circumstances. You get the background of every main character and get to know how they feel about certain things. I really like when a character has a secret and only you the reader knows and when it’s revealed it’s the best. All the viewpoints make the narrative unimportant there’s no one narrator and you can’t tell in which each what order characters will come up. And that’s what I like most. I believe it’s not in the eyes of the one main character because there are multiple characters with equal importance.
Olivia and Cameron
ReplyDelete1. Jaime and Henry are brothers
2. Jaime is digging a grave for pappy at the beginning of the book
3. Jaime is rushing to dig the grave to avoid the grave
4. He digs it at least 7 feet deep
5. Henry digs so deep so that when it does rain, the body doesn't resurface from the ground.
6. Henry is digging a grave for Pappy, his father.
7. The coffin is described to be a plain, shabby wooden coffen
8. On her 30th birthday, Laura decided she was officially un-marriageable
9. Henry's last name is McAllen
10. Henry's first occupation was the boss of the Army Corps of Engineers
11. Laura's brother, Teddy, introduced Laura and Henry
12. Jaime encouraged Henry to pursue Laura
13. Henry had to supervise the construction of buildings for the Army Corps of Engineers and to figure out if he was going to marry Laura.
14. Henry proposed to Laura.
15. Laura said that Jaime was much like Puck when she first met him
16. Henry is 19 years older than Jaime
17. Laura met Henry's family at the wedding.
18. Laura described Henry's family as cold, haughty and full of negative opinions
19. Laura was married at Henry's house in an episcopal ceremony
20. Laura had bliss in her marriage for six years.
From their relationships, a reader can infer that Laura was raised very differently than Henry and that she loved the idea of him more than she loved actual Henry. She was intrigued by Jaime because he was spontaneous and interesting and had similar likes and dislikes to Laura. Jaime and Henry had a competitive relationship.
On the bottom of page 13 to the top of page 14, Laura foreshadows that the relationships in the novel are going to be upset and that even though everyone is going to end up in the same position they began, it might not be in the same way.
First person narration supports this story because it give the reader an opportunity to personally connect with the character. It also can warp your perspective, as well, because you see a couple from both of their eyes and limits but also expands your perspective. The book would probably be just as powerful if it was 3rd person omniscient because you would still be seeing everyone's perspective, just in a more observatory way.
Olivia and Cameron
ReplyDelete1. Jaime and Henry are brothers
2. Jaime is digging a grave for pappy at the beginning of the book
3. Jaime is rushing to dig the grave to avoid the grave
4. He digs it at least 7 feet deep
5. Henry digs so deep so that when it does rain, the body doesn't resurface from the ground.
6. Henry is digging a grave for Pappy, his father.
7. The coffin is described to be a plain, shabby wooden coffen
8. On her 30th birthday, Laura decided she was officially un-marriageable
9. Henry's last name is McAllen
10. Henry's first occupation was the boss of the Army Corps of Engineers
11. Laura's brother, Teddy, introduced Laura and Henry
12. Jaime encouraged Henry to pursue Laura
13. Henry had to supervise the construction of buildings for the Army Corps of Engineers and to figure out if he was going to marry Laura.
14. Henry proposed to Laura.
15. Laura said that Jaime was much like Puck when she first met him
16. Henry is 19 years older than Jaime
17. Laura met Henry's family at the wedding.
18. Laura described Henry's family as cold, haughty and full of negative opinions
19. Laura was married at Henry's house in an episcopal ceremony
20. Laura had bliss in her marriage for six years.
From their relationships, a reader can infer that Laura was raised very differently than Henry and that she loved the idea of him more than she loved actual Henry. She was intrigued by Jaime because he was spontaneous and interesting and had similar likes and dislikes to Laura. Jaime and Henry had a competitive relationship.
On the bottom of page 13 to the top of page 14, Laura foreshadows that the relationships in the novel are going to be upset and that even though everyone is going to end up in the same position they began, it might not be in the same way.
First person narration supports this story because it give the reader an opportunity to personally connect with the character. It also can warp your perspective, as well, because you see a couple from both of their eyes and limits but also expands your perspective. The book would probably be just as powerful if it was 3rd person omniscient because you would still be seeing everyone's perspective, just in a more observatory way.
1. Jamie and Henry is are brothers.
ReplyDelete2.At the beginning of the book Jamie was digging a grave for his father who has just passed.
3.Jamie is rushing because their is a storm that is coming in that could mess up the grave they were digging.
4.Henry dug the hole 7 feet deep.
5.Henry digs so deep because of the mud and the floods that often happens. 6.Henry is digging a hole for his father's grave.
7.They said the coffin was "a sorry-looking thing, made with mis-matched scrap wood".
8.Laura decided that she was "officially unmarriageable.
9.Henry's last name is McAllan.
10.Henry was the boss of the Army corps of Engineers.
11.Teddy brought Henry to dinner one day.
12. Laura's mother encouraged Henry to pursue Laura.
13.They built a new Airfield in Alabama and they wanted him to oversee the project.
14.Henry proposed to Laura when he returned.
15.Laura said "he was beautiful, there was no other word for him".
16.Henry is 19 years older than Jamie.
17. Laura met Henry's family at the wedding
18.She described her family s cold and haughty
19.Laura was married in a simple Episcopal
20. 6 years
Some of the characters in Mudbound have a good relationship with each other. An example of this would be Henry's and his little brother Jamie relationship. It is made obvious from Laura's perspective that Henry cared a great amount for Jamie. ""Jamie was Henry's favorite sibling. Henry spoke of him often, with a mixture of fondness and exasperation that made me smile" (page 21). This same relationship is viewed differently through eyes of Jamie. Jamie does care a lot about Henry but he sees Henry as more of an protector the person that keeps him going when gives up on himself. The person that gives him that boost that he need to be the best he can be. From what Laura says on the bottom of page 13 and the top of 14 the foreshadowing of the plot that I can prefer is that Henry would be forced to by a farm. She stated that Henry's father sold the farm that Supposed to have been gave to Henry, this shows that Henry could of wanted a farm and never got it because of what his father did, sold it. When Laura stated she was born "plain rather than pretty" That gave me the information about her father-in-law would actually feel about her later in the plot.
Seeing the story through many different perspectives I think has a great effect on the plot and giving the audience a lot more information about every single character within the story. This kind of narration makes me feel as if I know every single character in the story. It gives you an important insight of all the feelings of the characters in first person. So it gives more insight than 3rd person because you actually like get a better sense of how they feel towards everything on a more humane like relationship. I like this form of narration more than any other narration I have read already it just makes the story so much more interesting than if it was a different form of narration. Tis form of narration I believe does enhances the plot because it gives more information and allows the reader to gain a stronger connection with the characters within the story. Its not through the eyes of one character because it would then limit the amount of information you can gain from having it through the eyes of many characters.
Jamie and Henry are brothers. Jamie is digging a grave in then beginning of the book. Henry was digging the hole almost 7ft deep but then he rain came and it was a little deeper. Henry digs the grave for his father. The coffin is described as a gray dark shadowy box. On Laura's birthday she officially decided she was un-marriageable Henrys last name is McAllen. Henrys first occupation is Army Corps of Engineers. He figures out that he wants to marry Laura. Henrys brother teddy introduced them both. Jamie was encouraged to pursue Laura. Henry had to supervise the construction of buildings for the Army Corps of Engineers and to figure out if he was going to marry Laura. Henry proposed to Laura. Laura said that Jamie was just like puck when she met him. Henry is 19 years older than Jamie. Laura met henrys family at the wedding. Laura described Henry's family as cold, haughty and full of negative opinions. Laura was married at henrys house sort of like a ceremony. Laura's was married for six years.
ReplyDeleteAvana Davis
ReplyDeleteDiscuss 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?
-They would chose first person point of view so you can get a different perspective of the story. It helps you get a better idea of the plot and some reasoning behind some points of the story. It gives more affects because it gives more of the characters more of a personality. It also gives you the privilege to walk in someone else’s shoes to get a better understanding of how the character feels about the situation. As a reader it makes me feel like I’m actually living in this time period and imagining a different time is new and exciting. I like the book because it is really interesting and not like something we read before. It does enhances the plot and makes it more interesting and gives you more of a feel for the purpose of the story. The different points of view makes the narrative more powerful and gives it a better meaning of the story. This is not enough for the eyes of one character because there were like two sides back than “white vs black” the author probably felt it was better to hear from both sides what it was like living in a society where being segregated and discriminated against was okay.
Avana Davis
ReplyDeleteDiscuss 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?
-They would chose first person point of view so you can get a different perspective of the story. It helps you get a better idea of the plot and some reasoning behind some points of the story. It gives more affects because it gives more of the characters more of a personality. It also gives you the privilege to walk in someone else’s shoes to get a better understanding of how the character feels about the situation. As a reader it makes me feel like I’m actually living in this time period and imagining a different time is new and exciting. I like the book because it is really interesting and not like something we read before. It does enhances the plot and makes it more interesting and gives you more of a feel for the purpose of the story. The different points of view makes the narrative more powerful and gives it a better meaning of the story. This is not enough for the eyes of one character because there were like two sides back than “white vs black” the author probably felt it was better to hear from both sides what it was like living in a society where being segregated and discriminated against was okay.
Nandi
ReplyDeleteDiscuss 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?
It’s written in first person narration so that each character can tell you their story themselves. The characters talk about the others in their story and you begin to get some type idea of what kind of person they are, but then that person speaks for their self and you get to get into their head. As a reader it makes me feel closer to the character and depending on who they are, more sympathetic to their particular story. I like it and think it enhances the plot because not only do you get conflict but you get reason and it makes it more interesting. The different viewpoints broaden change the narrative and keeps you engaged so that each time you come back to the book you know it’s not going to always be the same person talking and feeling the same thing. It’s not through the eyes of one character because you can’t as a white character you can’t get into the head of another especially a black one so being that each one of the voices have a different struggle, its more appropriate for this type of storyline.