Vonnegut

Today we analyzed the use of tone in Vonnegut's "The Manned Missiles." If you were absent, complete the following:

Create a notebook page entitled, “The Manned Missiles.”

1. Reread the beginning of Ivankov’s letter, from “I, Mikhail Ivankov,” to “She works very hard so she can forget sometimes her grief for Stepan.” As you reread, underline or circle words or phrases that help convey emotion or attitude.

2. In your notebook, try to describe the tone (attitude) of the letter.

3. Now reread the section of Charles Ashland’s letter on page 291, beginning with, “I tell you, Mr. Ivankov,” and ending with “…it would be cute and silly in Russia, too, and you would laugh and like us better.” As you read, circle/underline words/passages conveying emotion/attitude.

4. In your notebook, describe Ashland’s tone.

I also introduced the choices for the choice book unit. Here are the three choices:

The Weight of All Things by Sandra Benitez

The last time Nicolas saw his mother, she was slumped over him, mortally wounded by gunfire that erupted in a crowded plaza during a funeral for a martyred archbishop. Watching while her body is dragged away with other victims, Nicolas believes that his mother is still alive. He vows to find her again, no matter what. Thus begins the young boy's harrowing journey through his war-ravaged country--a journey that brings him face-to-face with the danger, cruelty, and violence inflicted today on so many parts of the world by terrorism and repression. Inspired by real events, this gripping yet poignant novel will solidify Benitez's place in the pantheon of contemporary authors writing brilliantly about the realities of Latin American life.
http://www.barnesandnoble.com

Slaughterhouse-Five, by Kurt Vonnegut

Unstuck in time, Billy Pilgrim, Vonnegut's shattered survivor of the Dresden bombing, relives his life over and over again under the gaze of aliens; he comes at last to some understanding of the human comedy. The basis of George Roy's great 1972 film and perhaps the signature student's novel in the 1960's embracing protest and the absurdity of war.
http://www.barnesandnoble.com

In the Time of the Butterflies by Julia Alvarez

Julia Alvarez's eagerly awaited second novel is a powerful story of courage, innocence, and political martyrdom in the Hispanic Caribbean. Based on actual events--the death of three sisters on November 25, 1960--the novel immerses us in an epoch in the life of the Dominican Republic. The "Butterflies," as they were known, lived daringly and dangerously under a regime that imprisoned, tortured, and killed with impunity.

If you really want to read The Weight of All Things, or Slaughterhouse-Five, you should work on finding your own copy this weekend (check the public library and/or used book stores). If you don't have a copy on Monday and I run out of those selections to give to students, you will read In the Time of the Butterflies as your choice unit book.


Homework: Read "All the King's Horses," by Vonnegut