Short Story Unit: Plot & Structure AP English Literature

August 31 Agenda Background on Graham Greene, London Blitz, & Christopher Wren Discuss Graham Greene’s “The Destructors” Essay test: “The Child By Tiger” & “The Destructors” Homework: review stories up to this point

Contextual Information, “The Destructors” Boy against ruined background: http://oldgit.files.wordpress.com/2007/03/blitz-xx-3.gif Image of St. Paul’s Cathedral during Blitz: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:StPaulsCathedral.jpg People sleeping in subway stations during Blitz: http://www.vam.ac.uk/images/image/5012-popup.html Winston Churchill image: http://www.time.com/time/personoftheyear/archive/photohistory/chur chill.html Sir Christopher Wren (1632-1723) Astronomy professor, became Britain’s main architect to rebuild after 1666 Great Fire in London: supervised all work on palaces and rebuilt 51 churches often using the old foundations to save $ (http://www.greatbuildings.com/architects/Sir_Christopher_Wren.html) St. Paul’s Cathedral: http://www.greatbuildings.com/buildings/Saint_Pauls_Cathedral.html

Destructors discussion ?’s p. 124 Raise your hand if you’d like to begin discussion on a question. After the first response we’ll take follow up and clarification from other students. Listen carefully to each other and check interpretations against the story. Offer text- based responses to each question.

Essay test (40 min.) Essay Topic: In serious fiction, no act of violence exists for its own sake. In both “The Child by Tiger” and “The Destructors,” the central event of the plot is a violent action or actions that might make the headlines on the evening news. In a well-organized essay, explain how the author of one of these stories gives significance to this action(s) – makes it reveal a general truth about human experience. Do not summarize the plot but do refer to details of the text in support of your argument. Write about only one story. Timer link: http://edtech.kennesaw.edu/intech/javatimer/javatimer.html

Homework Review stories up to this point. Make sure your story cards are in excellent shape and that you have several entries in your vocabulary bank.