Discussion Questions--Mudbound/Stories DUE

AGENDA:


TEST:


Directions: Select JUST 1 of the 3 essay topics and write a few paragraphs of response.
1. Power and Greed were two common themes in this book. Where did they appear, and how do they differ in their manifestations?
2. Sacrifice was a theme that was very prevalent in this book. Who were the characters most affected by this theme, and how did they allow sacrifice to change their lives?
3. Ronsel endures many different trials before the end of the book. What are some of these trials and what lessons does he learn through these experiences?






Discussion Questions

1. The setting of the Mississippi Delta is intrinsic to Mudbound. Discuss the ways in which the land functions as a character in the novel and how each of the other characters relates to it.

2. Mudbound is a chorus, told in six different voices. How do the changes in perspective affect your understanding of the story? Are all six voices equally sympathetic? Reliable? Pappy is the only main character who has no narrative voice. Why do you think the author chose not to let him speak?

3. Who gets to speak and who is silent or silenced is a central theme, the silencing of Ronsel being the most literal and brutal example. Discuss the ways in which this theme plays out for the other characters. For instance, how does Laura's silence about her unhappiness on the farm affect her and her marriage? What are the consequences of Jamie's inability to speak to his family about the horrors he experienced in the war? How does speaking or not speaking confer power or take it away?

4. The story is narrated by two farmers, two wives and mothers, and two soldiers. Compare and contrast the ways in which these parallel characters, black and white, view and experience the world.

5. What is the significance of the title? In what ways are each of the characters bound --- by the land, by circumstance, by tradition, by the law, by their own limitations? How much of this binding is inescapable and how much is self-imposed? Which characters are most successful in freeing themselves from what binds them?

6. All the characters are products of their time and place, and instances of racism in the book run from Pappy’s outright bigotry to Laura’s more subtle prejudice. Would Laura have thought of herself as racist, and if not, why not? How do the racial views of Laura, Jamie, Henry, and Pappy affect your sympathy for them?

7. The novel deals with many thorny issues: racism, sexual politics, infidelity, war. The characters weigh in on these issues, but what about the author? Does she have a discernable perspective, and if so, how does she convey it?

8. We know very early in the book that something terrible is going to befall Ronsel. How does this sense of inevitability affect the story? Jamie makes Ronsel responsible for his own fate, saying "Maybe that's cowardly of me, making Ronsel's the trigger finger." Is it just cowardice, or is there some truth to what Jamie says? Where would you place the turning point for Ronsel? Who else is complicit in what happens to him, and why?

9. In reflecting on some of the more difficult moral choices made by the characters --- Laura's decision to sleep with Jamie, Ronsel's decision to abandon Resl and return to America, Jamie's choice during the lynching scene, Florence's and Jamie's separate decisions to murder Pappy --- what would you have done in those same situations? Is it even possible to know? Are there some moral positions that are absolute, or should we take into account things like time and place when making judgments?

10. How is the last chapter of Mudbound different from all the others? Why do you think the author chose to have Ronsel address you, the reader, directly? Do you believe he overcomes the formidable obstacles facing him and finds "something like happiness"? If so, why doesn't the author just say so explicitly? Would a less ambiguous ending have been more or less satisfying?

Mudbound Stories (cont.)

AGENDA:

Morning Reflection: Karina Le--"To This Day"--Shane Koyczan
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ltun92DfnPY


WRITING: Work on stories. Due next Friday, Sept. 30

HMWK:   Finish reading Mudbound for Friday book discussion

Mudbound, Part 2

AGENDA:

Morning Reflection: 

Mudbound: Think, Pair, Share Discussion; Post responses on the blog!

Go over the material in the handout.  Discuss questions at the end of each section with a partner.  Post your responses in  comment for credit today.  What other questions do you have about the characters and your reading so far?

WRITING:  Continue to work on your short story.  Make sure you have posted a URL for your padlet!

CONTESTS: Bennington
Scholastic
Young Arts   http://www.youngarts.org/

HMWK: Finish Part 2 of Mudbound for Monday's discussion

Mudbound (cont.)

AGENDA:

Morning Reflection:---Isabella
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t88X1pYQu-I


Look over new contests

WRITING:  Continue to work on your short story.  Make sure you have posted a URL for your padlet!

HMWK: Read Part 2 of Mudbound for Thursday discussion

Scholastic Art and Writing Awards

Go to:

http://www.artandwriting.org/

BOA Birthday Bash

We have 10 tickets for this.  Are you interested?  Let Ms. Gamzon know.

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/boa-benefit-birthday-bash-tickets-26328531346

Writing Historical Fiction

AGENDA:

Morning Reflection: Azana
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8xe6nLVXEC0

1. Read over article:

http://www.wikihow.com/Write-Historical-Fiction

2. Conduct research.  Create a padlet of imges for setting and character descriptions.  Sketch out your characters and the conflict.  Fill out "Exit ticket" for today

3. Work on your short story.

4. HMWK:     Read to page   107   for Tuesday.  I will have more books for you on Monday (please don't worry if you do not have a book about catching up).