1. wants a serious story, perhaps to help her cope with her own sadness.

4. Today: Socratic Seminar
Let's move the desks into two "U" shapes--one inside the other.
Some important reminders about how to run the seminar, how I'll evaluate your contributions:
yesterday, most of you got at least a C-, just for being present and not disruptive. Today, if you're not prepared, or not taking notes, using your phone, or not contributing to the discussion, your grade will be significantly lower.
have the text, a pen, notebook and handouts at the ready.
Offer your comment/question without being prompted to do so at least once per day.
Actively listen to others by taking notes (use the handouts I provided) and by responding to a previous comment by making reference to it in your remarks.
Keep your remarks relevant; if you want to switch topics, signal you're doing so and provide a reason.
Demonstrate critical thinking in your comments; avoid simply restating what we've already covered as a class.
Make specific references to the text at hand in order to substantiate your point.

5. Today:
Goals:
perhaps to satisfy a small part of your curiosity about connections between Salinger's life and his fictional writing, further contextualize the stories and their themes
Once you've learned a bit more about the author, gauge whether your views and feelings toward his stories have changed; for example, do the stories resonate/affect your more?
Activities:
Read some/all of Salinger obituary from The New Yorker, which published many of his stories.
Watch a few segments of a documentary on Salinger that are pertinent to the stories we've read. Take notes.
Discuss the in-class assessment for Salinger, which will be next Wednesday, 2/10.

8. PERIOD 2
J.D. Salinger’s “For Esmé—with Love and Squalor”
1. In “For Esmé,” the narrator begins by mentioning that a young woman he knows has invited him to her wedding: “Just recently, by air mail, I received an invitation to a wedding that will take place in England on April 18th. It happens to be a wedding I’d give a lot to be able to get to” (87). What does this opening part have to do with the rest of the short story?
2. Explain why the narrator at the beginning of the story goes into the church—what are the circumstances? How does the singing of the children’s choir affect the narrator?
3. Why do you think Esmé approaches the narrator? Provide a specific example where you sense an important connection between Esmé and the narrator.
4. What aspect of his appearance does the narrator hide from Esmé when he runs into her in the tea house? Interpret this aspect as a possible symbol. What does it reflect or reveal about the narrator’s character?
5. Trace the importance of the Esmé’s wristwatch from the first time the narrator mentions it to the last time it comes up in the story. Why is it so important to the story’s theme? Provide a passage from the story to support your response.
6. Why do you think Esmé wants the narrator to write her a story about “squalor”? Do you think she knows what “squalor” means? What significance does it have for the rest of the story?
7. What recurrent images/symbols do you notice in this story when compared with the previous Salinger stories we have read? Provide two examples.
8. How does Corporal Z function in this story? How do you think Sergeant X regards him?
9. Discuss the importance of letters in this story. Sergeant X gets lots of letters—mostly the people sending these notes are all asking something of Sergeant X. Think about Esmé’s character in light of this fact.
10. Why do you think the narrator feels sleepy at the end of the story, after having read Esmé’s note?
11. Why does the narrator spell out the word “Faculties” at the end of the story? What’s the significance of doing so, and what other part of the story might it connect to?
12. Now that you’ve finished the story “For Esmé—with Love and Squalor,” what do you think the narrator means in the first part of the story when he says that his notes about the bride are not meant to impress but to “edify, to instruct”?

9. J.D. Salinger’s “For Esmé—with Love and Squalor”
PERIOD 4
J.D. Salinger’s “For Esmé—with Love and Squalor”
1. In “For Esmé,” the narrator begins by mentioning that a young woman he knows has invited him to her wedding: “Just recently, by air mail, I received an invitation to a wedding that will take place in England on April 18th. It happens to be a wedding I’d give a lot to be able to get to” (87). What does this opening part have to do with the rest of the short story?
2. Explain why the narrator at the beginning of the story goes into the church—what are the circumstances? How does the singing of the children’s choir affect the narrator?
3. Why do you think Esmé approaches the narrator? Provide a specific example where you sense an important connection between Esmé and the narrator.
4. What aspect of his appearance does the narrator hide from Esmé when he runs into her in the tea house? Interpret this aspect as a possible symbol. What does it reflect or reveal about the narrator’s character?
5. Trace the importance of the Esmé’s wristwatch from the first time the narrator mentions it to the last time it comes up in the story. Why is it so important to the story’s theme? Provide a passage from the story to support your response.
6. Why do you think Esmé wants the narrator to write her a story about “squalor”? Do you think she knows what “squalor” means? What significance does it have for the rest of the story?
7. What recurrent images/symbols do you notice in this story when compared with the previous Salinger stories we have read? Provide two examples.
8. How does Corporal Z function in this story? How do you think Sergeant X regards him?
9. Discuss the importance of letters in this story. Sergeant X gets lots of letters—mostly the people sending these notes are all asking something of Sergeant X. Think about Esmé’s character in light of this fact.
10. Why do you think the narrator feels sleepy at the end of the story, after having read Esmé’s note?
11. Why does the narrator spell out the word “Faculties” at the end of the story? What’s the significance of doing so, and what other part of the story might it connect to?
12. Now that you’ve finished the story “For Esmé—with Love and Squalor,” what do you think the narrator means in the first part of the story when he says that his notes about the bride are not meant to impress but to “edify, to instruct”?

15. o what do they represent?
Now that you know the basic format of the in-class assessment on the 3 Salinger stories we've read, let's find out whether we, as a class, can develop some critical questions about the stories, which, in responding to them, would show a deep understanding of the stories' themes/messages.
Role of children in the stories
o what do they represent?
o how do they connect or contrast with the adults and the adult world?
 Reasons for the character’s behavior- what makes them cynical, disappointed, depressed?
 Recurrent images/symbols. Explain their significance in terms of a theme or message the stories contain.
The presence of war in the stories. What does Salinger want to say about it?

19. Explain the significance of
the"Bananafish"
and how
this relates to Salinger's views on war.
Why are children significant to the stories "Esme" and "Uncle Wiggly"? Esme and Charles have lost their parents while Ramona has been neglected by them. How do these stories corrolate? Why might lack of parental presence be relevant to war?

20. Period 4:
In small groups, focus on 1 of the 4 topics of interest for the test on Salinger tomorrow.
Provide a brainstorming "list" of examples from the stories that one might use or refer in writing a response to that question.
Role of children in the stories
what do they represent?
how do they connect or contrast with the adults and the adult world?
Reasons for the character’s (abnormal) behavior- what makes them cynical, disappointed, depressed?
Recurrent images/symbols. Explain their significance in terms of a theme or message the stories contain.
The presence of war in the stories. What does Salinger want to say about it? Find some moments in the stories where you feel Salinger is particularly signaling a message about how he feels toward the subject of war.