1. September 1, 2010 Humor and Trickery in Folktales

2. Warm-up- Vocabulary Practice Complete the word families chart for each vocabulary word Complete the word families chart for each vocabulary word Aberrantatonementaloof Aberrantatonementaloof Bewilderbenefactorconciliatory Bewilderbenefactorconciliatory Cacophonydeleteriousdiffidence Cacophonydeleteriousdiffidence Egregiousequilibriumlascivious Egregiousequilibriumlascivious Mollifypenchantsuperfluous Mollifypenchantsuperfluous

3. Tale of Trickery Read “Anansi’s Fishing Expedition” p. 56-63 Read “Anansi’s Fishing Expedition” p. 56-63

4. Minilesson - Humor Authors use humor to entertain people. It can also be used to persuade Authors use humor to entertain people. It can also be used to persuade There are three main types: There are three main types: 1. Humor of situation: the plot has exaggerated or unexpected events 2. Humor of Character: exaggerated personalities that portray flaws of human nature 3. Humor of Language: uses wordplay, verbal irony, hyperbole, or sarcasm

5. Humor Which of the three basic types of humor appear in “Anansi’s Fishing Expedition”? Which of the three basic types of humor appear in “Anansi’s Fishing Expedition”? Which passage or event in the tale did you find the most humorous? Why? Which passage or event in the tale did you find the most humorous? Why?

6. Trickster Reading #2 “Edju and the Two Friends” p. 64-66 “Edju and the Two Friends” p. 64-66

7. Minilesson: IRONY Three Main Types

8. VERBAL IRONY When a character says one thing but actually means another. “I’m so excited to take my science test!” when I really haven’t studied.

9. Situational Irony When there is a contrast (difference) between what you expect to happen and what actually happens. A clumsy boy is learning to ride a bike. Finally, he has overcome all obstacles. Nothing can stop him now! Then, a bump in the sidewalk flings him off his bike, and he lands in the neighbor’s flower bed.

10. Dramatic Irony When the reader knows some important piece of information that a character does not know. In “Edju and the Two Friends” we know that Edju plans to cause a quarrel, but the friends do not. This is used for comic effect and to build suspense.

11. Here are some real life examples: The average cost of rehabilitating a seal after the Exxon Valdez oil spill in Alaska was $80,000. At a special ceremony, two of the most expensively saved animals were released back into the wild amid cheers and applause from onlookers. A minute later they were both eaten by a killer whale.

12. A psychology student in New York rented out her spare room to a carpenter in order to nag him constantly and study his reactions. After weeks of needling, he snapped and beat her repeatedly with an axe, leaving her mentally retarded.

13. In 1992, Frank Perkins of Los Angeles made an attempt on the world flagpole-sitting record. Suffering from the flu, he came down eight hours short of the 400-day record, to find that his sponsor had gone bankrupt, his girlfriend had left him and his phone and electricity had been cut off.

14. A woman came home to find her husband in the kitchen, shaking frantically with what looked like a wire running from his waist towards the electric kettle. Intending to jolt him away from the deadly current, she whacked him with a handy plank of wood by the back door, breaking his arm in two places. Till that moment he had been happily listening to his Walkman.

15. Two animal rights activists were protesting the cruelty of sending pigs to a slaughterhouse in Bonn. Suddenly the pigs, all two thousand of them, escaped through a broken fence and stampeded, trampling the two hapless protesters to death.

16. Iraqi terrorist Khay Rahnajet didn't pay enough postage on a letter bomb. It came back with "return to sender" stamped on it. Forgetting it was the bomb, he opened it and was blown to bits.

17. Response to Literature- Choose 1 1. Modern Trickery: Imagine that Anansi came to your community. Write an advertisement in which he announces a great business opportunity for someone who is willing to be his partner. Explain how Anansi would try to take advantage of people who respond to it. 2. Excuses, Excuses: The Yoruba traditionally blame Edju when they experience trouble in their lives. When you have a problem, do you ever blame some force that is beyond your control? Why do you think people find comfort in such explanations? Write one or two paragraphs in response.