Feminism and Self-Respect in Sula

Lesson 16
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ELA

Unit 3

10th Grade

Lesson 16 of 21

Objective


Analyze how Denise Levertov uses structure and other poetic techniques to highlight her perspective on marriage.

Readings and Materials


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Target Task


Writing Prompt

How does Levertov use structure and other poetic techniques to reveal the speaker’s perspective on marriage?

Criteria for Success

  • Thesis: Responds to the prompt with a thesis that presents a defensible interpretation
  • Evidence: Includes multiple and varied evidence to support your line of reasoning
  • Commentary: Explains how your evidence supports your line of reasoning (reason or claim used to support a larger thesis)
  • Sophistication: Demonstrates sophistication of thought or develops a complex literary argument  

Sample Response

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Key Thinking


Annotation Focus

What words, lines, and phrases reveal the speaker’s perspective about marriage? What is Levertov doing with language in these words, lines, and phrases? 

Scaffolding Questions

Who is the speaker and what is her situation? How do you know? 

According to the speaker, what is the difference between marriage and wedlock? What are the connotations and denotations of each word? How do they inform our understanding of the speaker’s tone?

What does the image of a green airy space connote? Why is this significant to the speaker? How does it help her to convey her perspective on marriage?

Discourse Questions

What is the speaker’s perspective on marriage? 

How is the speaker’s perspective on marriage similar to or different from Nel’s? Eva’s? 

Homework


Watch and take note of Beyonce’s visual album Lemonade. You may reference the lyrics to her song while watching. 

  • Annotation Focus: What does Lemonade teach us about being a black woman? About feminism? About expectations for women who are in relationships with men? About friendships among black women? 

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Standards


  • LO 1.3A — Analyze how literary elements interact to develop the central ideas of a work of literature.
  • LO 1.3B — Analyze how the writer's use of stylistic elements contributes to a work of literature's effects and meaning.
  • RL.9-10.2 — 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.9-10.4 — Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the cumulative impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone (e.g., how the language evokes a sense of time and place; how it sets a formal or informal tone).

Supporting Standards

LO 2.3A
LO 2.3B
LO 2.3C
LO 5.1A
LO 5.1B
SL.9-10.1
W.9-10.2
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Lesson 15

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Lesson 17

Lesson Map

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