Making the Ordinary Extraordinary: Magical Realism in Latin American Literature

Lesson 15
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ELA

Unit 4

10th Grade

Lesson 15 of 22

Objective


Analyze the characterization of Santiago Nasar and the town as well as the structure of the opening chapter.

Readings and Materials


  • Book: Chronicle of a Death Foretold by Gabriel García Márquez  pp. 1 – 24 — Chapter 1

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A Note for Teachers


Today’s lesson contains profanity and depicts sexual assault and harrassment. Emphasize respectful communication, critical thinking, and context understanding prior to engaging in today’s reading. Name for students whether they should read the word (s) aloud if reading the text for the whole group.

Target Task


Discussion & Writing Prompt

Consider the structure and tone of the first chapter. To what extent can the narrator's story be classified as a chronicle? What can a reader expect about this chronicle moving forward? Provide specific evidence from the text to support your ideas and carefully explain your thinking.

Sample Response

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Key Thinking


Close Read Questions

What information does the first paragraphs of the novel give you about the story that is going to unfold?

Compare how Santiago is characterized by his mother, the narrator and the narrator's sister, Victoria Guzmán and Divina Flor. What might account for these contrasting characterizations, and what ideas about bias and perspective is García Márquez introducing?

What ominous signs do Santiago and others overlook, and what coincidences conspired to allow the murder to happen? What does this suggest about the role of fate in Santiago's death?

Vocabulary


Literary Terms

novella

fictional prose narrative that ranges from about 50 to 100 pages in length, falling between a short story and a novel

Text-based

chronicle

n.

a factual account of events in the order of their happening usually without analysis or interpretation

foretold

adj.

predicted

ominous

adj.

(p. 4)

giving the impression that something bad or unpleasant is going to happen; threatening; inauspicious

augury

n.

(p. 4)

a sign of what will happen in the future; an omen

Homework


  • Book: Chronicle of a Death Foretold by Gabriel García Márquez  — Chapter 2, pp. 25–38

While reading, answer the following questions.

  • When does this chapter take place in relation to Santiagio's murder?

  • What do you learn about the background of Bayardo San Román? Why has Bayardo San Román come to town?

  • What is Angela's initial reaction to Bayardo?

  • What is Bayardo's father known for?

  • What do Angela Vicario's confidantes explain to her about a woman's "honor"?

  • How does the narrator describe the Vicario's house? Why is that description significant?

  • Why does the narrator's mother consider Angela Vicario's putting on the wedding veil to be an act of courage?

  • How does Pura Vicario respond when Bayardo returns Angela on their wedding night?

  • Who does Angela identify as the man who took her virginity?

Annotation Focus

Add any new characters/details to your character map.

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Standards


  • RL.9-10.3 — Analyze how complex characters (e.g., those with multiple or conflicting motivations) develop over the course of a text, interact with other characters, and advance the plot or develop the theme.
  • RL.9-10.5 — Analyze how an author's choices concerning how to structure a text, order events within it (e.g., parallel plots), and manipulate time (e.g., pacing, flashbacks) create such effects as mystery, tension, or surprise.

Supporting Standards

L.9-10.1
L.9-10.6
RL.9-10.1
RL.9-10.2
RL.9-10.6
SL.9-10.1
SL.9-10.6
W.9-10.9.a
W.9-10.10

Next

Determine Gladwell's central ideas about memory in the podcast.

Lesson 16
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