Home, Grief, and Storytelling in Men We Reaped

Lesson 12
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ELA

Unit 9

10th Grade

Lesson 12 of 22

Objective


Analyze the metaphor of the wolf that Ward extends throughout "We Are in Wolf Town" including how it creates meaning about DeLisle, Mississippi, in the chapter.

Analyze how Ward’s complex portrayal of Roger connects to the wolf metaphor she presents in the previous chapter.

Readings and Materials


  • Book: Men We Reaped: A Memoir by Jesmyn Ward  — Chapters 1 and 2

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Target Task


Writing Prompt

Complete the following one-pager activity.

  • Identify the various meanings of the wolf metaphor in "We are in Wolf Town." (Thesis)
  • Provide a piece of evidence to support each meaning that the wolf metaphor carries. (Evidence)
  • Explain the impact that the wolf metaphor has on your understanding of DeLisle, Mississippi. (Analysis)
  • Identify what makes Ward’s portrayal of Roger complex. (Thesis)
  • Provide two pieces of evidence that support his complex portrayal. (Evidence)
  • Explain how Roger’s complex portrayal connects to the idea of the wolf. (Analysis)

Sample Response

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Key Thinking


Annotation Focus

Round 1: In what lines, words, and phrases does Ward reference a wolf?

Round 2: In what lines, words, and phrases does Ward reveal Roger’s complex character?

Scaffolding Questions

“We Are in Wolf Town” (pages 9–10 and 13–14 before page breaks) 

  • How does Ward use word choice to explain the meaning of DeLisle’s previous name, Wolf Town? What is significant about this name? In your response, unpack the connotations of the word “wolf.” 
  • Who does Ward think is the wolf? Why? How does this differ from her original story about the wolf she sees with her friends? 

Discourse Questions

How does Ward’s extended metaphor impact our understanding of DeLisle, Mississippi, and the context lurking behind the death of the five men she lost?

In what ways does Ward’s complex portrayal of Roger connect to the wolf metaphor? In other words, why does "We Are in Wolf Town" come before "Roger Eric Daniels II"?

Vocabulary


Text-based

transcend

v.

to be or go beyond the range or limits of (something abstract; typically a conceptual field or division)

Literary Terms

extended metaphor

A metaphor is a figure of speech that makes a comparison between two unlike things without using the words "like" or "as." Metaphors assert the identity of dissimilar things, as when Macbeth asserts that life is a "brief candle." Metaphors can be subtle and powerful and can transform people, places, objects, and ideas into whatever the writer imagines them to be. An extended metaphor is a sustained comparison in which part or all of a poem consists of a series of related metaphors. Robert Francis' poem "Catch" relies on an extended metaphor that compares poetry to playing catch.

Homework


Read and annotate "We are Born" and "Desmond Cook" by Lesson 14. 

  • Annotation focus : What are your first impressions of Ward’s birth story? What are your first impressions of Desmond Cook? 

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Standards


  • LO 1.3B — Analyze how the writer's use of stylistic elements contributes to a work of literature's effects and meaning.
  • 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

LO 1.3A
LO 2.3A
LO 2.3B
LO 2.3C
LO 5.1A
LO 5.1B
RL.9-10.1
RL.9-10.3
RL.9-10.4
SL.9-10.1
W.9-10.2

Next

Analyze the metaphor of the horse that Betts extends throughout "What We Know About Horses" including how it creates social commentary about growing up as a Black man in America.

Lesson 13
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Lesson Map

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