A Christmas Memory by Truman Capote Page 62 CCRS– RL.9-10.1; RL.9-10.2; RL.9-10.3; RL.9-10.4; RL.9-10.5; Rl.9-10.10; W.9-10.4; W.9-10.10; SL.9-10.1; L.9-10.1; L.9-10.2; L.9-10.3; L.9-10.4; L.9-10.6 Literary Skills – Understand setting and how it affects mood. Reading Skills – Identify sensory details.

A Christmas Memory Introducing the Story This semi-autobiographical story recalls the homemade traditions of two unlikely friends, distant cousins who are decades apart in age. In hard times they cook up rich and lasting cheer. Hard Times What was the economy like in the 1930s?

A Christmas Memory Literary Focus Setting is so crucial in some narratives that the story could not take place anywhere else. Setting can include details about time and place season and weather customs—how people eat, dress, and live and what they believe

A Christmas Memory Literary Focus In this story Truman Capote asks us to imagine the rich details of a particular place and season. He portrays the mood of a late November morning a small town in the 1930s an old house a roaring fire in the kitchen

A Christmas Memory Vocabulary Page 62 Previewing the Vocabulary inaugurating v.: formally beginning. exhilarates v.: gladdens; excites. dilapidated adj.: shabby; falling apart. paraphernalia n.: equipment; gear. sacrilegious adj.: disrespectful toward religion.

A Christmas Memory Vocabulary Page 62 Previewing the Vocabulary carnage n.: widespread killing; slaughter. prosaic adj.: ordinary. disposition n.: usual frame of mind; temperament. suffuse v.: spread over or through. noncommittal adj.: not admitting or committing to any particular purpose or point of view.

A Christmas Memory Vocabulary Vocabulary Activity Fill in the blanks with words from the Word Bank. paraphernalia disposition prosaic noncommittal carnage noncommittal 1. My boss was ____________ about giving me a raise. 2. Older veterans spoke about the __________ of war. 3. Bottles and other baby ____________ were needed. 4. Auntie’s cheerful ____________ comforts us. 5. The task was boring and ____________. carnage paraphernalia disposition prosaic

A Christmas Memory Meet the Writer Truman Capote (1924–1984) was born in New Orleans but grew up with elderly relatives in “dirt-road” Alabama.” Deserted by his father, he was moved from place to place while his mother lived in New York. Capote attended military schools, which he hated. When he was seventeen, he abandoned formal schooling for good and moved to New York City to learn to write. His most famous novel, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, was made into a movie.

A Christmas Memory Quickwrite Make the Connection “A Christmas Memory” is a story about two unlikely friends. The story reveals something about the nature of friendship and the enduring power of love—even when, to the rest of the world, the friendship seems odd, and the love is not noticed at all. What do friends give each other? Think about your oldest friendship—why do some friendships last while others don’t? Jot down your ideas on friendship, and save your notes.

While Reading “A Christmas Memory” 1-5 Answer the questions in the Reading for Details boxes scattered throughout the story. 6. How does the setting affect the mood of the story? What is a possible theme for this story? How do the characters of Buddy and his friend contribute to the theme? The author covers the events of several years in the story. How does this contribute to the overall mood of the story?

Activity Page 75 Writing – There’s No Place Like Home Minimum ½ page People’s homes reveal a great deal about their characters. We learn, for example, that Buddy’s friend “sleeps in a scrap-quilt-covered iron bed painted rose pink,” which may suggest her simplicity, her desire for beauty, or her own rosy, childlike personality. Write a description of the home of someone you know. Use sensory details to make the setting vivid and to create a mood. Be sure to convey the person’s character through your description of his or her home. Minimum ½ page Page 75 Questions 8 & 9 On #8 you must cite correctly at least one direct reference to the story. To cite a story, after the sentence that refers to the story, place the page number inside parentheses. The period for the sentence goes after the closing parentheses.