AGENDA:
Morning reflection: Intro to Mudbound
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Hilary Jordan reading Laura:
About this book
In
Jordan's prize-winning debut, prejudice takes many forms, both subtle
and brutal. It is 1946, and city-bred Laura McAllan is trying to raise
her children on her husband's Mississippi Delta farm --- a place she
finds foreign and frightening. In the midst of the family's struggles,
two young men return from the war to work the land. Jamie McAllan,
Laura's brother-in-law, is everything her husband is not --- charming,
handsome, and haunted by his memories of combat. Ronsel Jackson, eldest
son of the black sharecroppers who live on the McAllan farm, has come
home with the shine of a war hero. But no matter his bravery in defense
of his country, he is still considered less than a man in the Jim Crow
South. It is the unlikely friendship of these brothers-in-arms that
drives this powerful novel to its inexorable conclusion.
The men
and women of each family relate their versions of events and we are
drawn into their lives as they become players in a tragedy on the
grandest scale. As Barbara Kingsolver says of Hillary Jordan, "Her
characters walked straight out of 1940s Mississippi and into the part of
my brain where sympathy and anger and love reside, leaving my heart
racing. They are with me still."
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?
"A supremely readable debut novel... Fluidly narrated by engaging characters . . . Mudbound is packed with drama. Pick it up, then pass it on."
— People, Critic’s Choice, 4-star review
"A
compelling family tragedy, a confluence of romantic attraction and
racial hatred that eventually falls like an avalanche... The last third
of the book is downright breathless... An engaging story."
— Washington Post Book World
"In Hillary Jordan's first novel, Mudbound, the forces of change and resistance collide with terrible consequences."
— The New York Times
"Stunning... You are truly taken there by Jordan's powerful, evocative writing and complex characters."
— Boston Globe
Hillary Jordan reading an early chapter of Mudbound
Follow along
Multiple Perspectives:
Objective: Part 1 The author of this book wrote in a first person
narrative. These first chapters introduce us to all the different the
narrators, and we learn that this book will be told through their
perspectives.
1) Genre Introduction: Give a short introduction about first person
narrative and other POVs. Explain what it is, how it is used, and why an
author might choose this form of narrative for a story like this one.
2) Personal Reaction to Text: Read the introduction with the class. How
does this kind of narration make you feel? 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?
3) Small Group Activity: Split the class into groups and assign each
group a different form of narrative -- i.e.: third person, second
person, omniscient, etc. Have each group re-write this short chapter
using their assigned form of narrative. Have each group present their
work. Discuss which one was the most effective. Do you think the author
made the right choice? Why or why not?
Historical fiction
Objective: Part 1 "Mudbound" fits into a unique genre of literature called Historical Fiction.
1) Introduction of Genre: Introduce to the class the concept of the
historical fiction style of writing. Present the pros and cons of this
style of narrative and list some of the reasons why an author would
choose this style to write in. Present some examples of this style from
books that they have read, or will read later with the class.
2) Group Activity: Split the class into groups and assign each group a
different part of these chapters. Have each group study their portion
and work together to write a short response to the historical fiction
style of that portion. Allow each group some time to present their
prepared information.
3) Class Discussion: Read aloud with the class the part where the
narrator, presents the different facts about the climate in the south at
this time -- i.e.: the politics, the war, the different occupations,
the crops, the weather, the relations with the north, etc. Discuss this
with the class. How does this language enhance the historical fiction
style of the book? How does this make this information a little more
believable? Why do you think keeping this informational tone was so
important to the author? What did you learn through this dialogue that
helped you understand this book and setting better?
ACTIVITY: Finish POV exercise.
HMWK: Read to page 70 for Wednesday. Study vocabulary for quiz on Friday.
