1. “Clothes” Look at the number on your card. Sit with your group.
Banerjee Divakaruni
Look at the number on your card.
Sit with your group.
DOOR
GROUP 1
GROUP 2
GROUP 3
GROUP 4
TEACHER’S
DESK
GROUP 5

2. Discussion
Symbols: colors, water, American paraphernalia, glass paperweight, clothes
Conflict: cultural, generational, marital, situational
Irony: reader expectation vs. actual plot development
How does the author use literary elements to convey the complexity of Sumita’s situation?
Find one quote and write a “chunk”
Device, function of the device, thematic purpose

3. What does analysis need?
Device: allusion
How the device functions: The allusion to the lake recalls the myth of Narcissus who dies from falling in love with his own reflection in a body of water. Therefore, Plath’s personified Mirror compares the woman to Narcissus, judging her for her vanity and condemning her character. The woman searches her image for “what she really is,” which cannot actually be found by superficial means.
Thematic connection: With this allusion, Plath conveys the contention the mirror feels towards the woman. The unflattering comparison reveals the mirror’s disdain for self-absorption, which is further emphasized through the mirror’s derisive perception of the woman as she “drown[s] a young girl” and reveals the woman to be a “terrible fish.” Ultimately, Plath’s Mirror who is “exact” and “only truthful” exhibits a harsh criticism of egocentrism and narcissism.

4. “Legal Alien”
Pat Mora

5. Discussion How does the use of punctuation contribute to the meaning?
How is dialogue used?
What is the effect of the following elements?:
Enjambment
Anaphora
Repetition
Diction