As I Lay Dying Summer Project Created by Ms. Amaro

Assignment Character astrology signs After reading brief descriptions of astrology or sun signs, figure out which signs you think THREE of the main characters from your book was born under. Write an explanation of why you think they fit the signs, drawing on their actions, attitudes, and thoughts from the book.

Cash Bundren: Taurus

Taurus Qualities Patient Solid Practical Stable Gentle Self-reliant Slow Reliable Affectionate Building Supportive

Cash Bundren Cash works long and hard on building Addie’s coffin, which shows that he is patient, reliable, stable, and self-reliant Cash is affectionate toward his siblings, especially Darl Cash does not complain about the pain in his leg, and is supportive of his family and their goal of getting Addie’s coffin to Jefferson

Jewel Bundren: Aries

Aries Qualities Aggressive Bold Impulsive Energetic Fast Fearless Impatient Assertive Daring Competitive Self-centered Bossy Angry

Jewel Bundren Jewel owns a horse and he is often aggressive and violent toward it Jewel is very independent and impulsive, and he is usually on his own Jewel is fast on his horse and has a lot of physical energy He does not express his feelings easily, and can be self-centered He can get very angry at other people, and will be bold enough to tell them how they bothered him

Vardaman Bundren: Pisces

Pisces Qualities Compassionate Impressionable Dreamy Sacrificial Romantic Sensitive Misunderstood Confused Devoted Idealistic Imaginative Fantasizing

Vardaman Bundren Vardaman is the youngest member of the Bundren family He is very sensitive and cries over the death of his mother Vardaman has a big imagination, and sees a connection between a fish he caught and his mother He is misunderstood by most people, but especially Tull He is romantic and idealistic about his family and the possibility of getting a toy train for Christmas

Some Personal Connections My first pet was a beta fish named William, named after both Faulkner and Shakespeare My second pet was another beta fish named Quentin, after a character in another Faulkner novel The Sound and the Fury I see a bit of myself in all the Bundren children, but especially Jewel, who acts tough but who actually has a big heart

Empathy Why is it important to try to understand other people’s experiences? Seeing things from other people’s perspectives allows us to understand them more As I Lay Dying opens up each character’s mind to us, and we get to see the same events from many perspectives Thinking about each character’s personality in the book helps us avoid being judgmental and jumping to conclusions about other people

Sources Faulkner, William. As I Lay Dying: The Corrected Text. New York: Vintage, 1990. Print. "Creating Character Depth With Astrological Signs." "Characters According to Astrological Sign" by C.J. Winters. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Aug. 2014.

Reminders Your project must have a creative component AND an oral presentation Your oral presentation should be 4-5 minutes long You should make personal connections to the text Presentations will start on Wednesday Email me if you have any other questions or concerns!