Making the Ordinary Extraordinary: Magical Realism in Latin American Literature

Lesson 4
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ELA

Unit 4

10th Grade

Lesson 4 of 22

Objective


Analyze how characters and events develop Allende's theme about words/language.

Readings and Materials


  • Book: The Stories of Eva Luna by Isabel Allende  — Short Story: Two Words

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Target Task


Discussion & Writing Prompt

What theme about words/language does Allende develop in this story? Provide at least two ways in which Allende supports this theme in the story.

Sample Response

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Key Thinking


Close Read Questions

How does Allende characterize Belisa Crepusculario on pages 3–6? What details contribute to that characterization?

What is the Colonel's reputation? How does that compare with his characterization when he first meets with Belisa?

What is the effect of Belisa's speech for the Colonel on the other soldiers and later on the citizens of the country? What is the effect of her two secret words on him?

Vocabulary


Text-based

interminable

adj.

(p. 4)

endless

ineradicably

adv.

(p. 6)

not capable of being rooted out or completely removed

irrevocable

adj.

(p. 10)

not able to be changed, reversed, or recovered

Homework


  • Short Story: “House Taken Over” by Julio Cortázar 

While reading, answer the following questions.

  • Describe the house in which the narrator and his sister live.

  • What is the source of the siblings' incomes?

  • How do Irene and the narrator occupy their time?

  • What decision do Irene and the narrator make when they realize the back part of the house has been taken over?

  • What happens to the brother and sister at the end of the story?

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Standards


  • RL.9-10.2 — Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze in detail its development over the course of the text, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specific details; provide an objective summary of the text.
  • 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.

Supporting Standards

L.9-10.1
L.9-10.6
RL.9-10.1
RL.9-10.4
RL.9-10.6
RL.9-10.10
SL.9-10.1
SL.9-10.6
W.9-10.9.a
W.9-10.10

Next

Analyze how Cortázer uses diction and narrative perspective to establish an eerie mood.

Lesson 5
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