Curriculum / ELA / 11th Grade / Unit 4: Short Fiction: A Study of Genre / Lesson 9
ELA
Unit 4
11th Grade
Lesson 9 of 15
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Analyze how Sophocles uses dramatic irony in this section of the play.
Begin to define “hamartia” and identify how Oedipus is contributing to his own tragic ending.
Play: Oedipus Rex by Sophocles (from The Theban Plays) pp. 19 – 35
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Tasks that represents the peak thinking of the lesson - mastery will indicate whether or not objective was achieved.
Which best describes the tone of the chorus’ opening speech?
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Which technique does Sophocles use to develop this tone?
Which of the following best describes the impact of Sophocles’s use of dramatic irony?
At this point in the play, how would you describe Oedipus’s hamartia? Defend your answer with examples from the text.
Questions about the text that will help guide the students understanding
What has Oedipus accused Creon of? Why?
How does Creon respond to Oedipus’s accusation?
With whom do you sympathize more, Oedipus or Creon? Why?
What does Creon mean when he says, "Tempers such as yours / most grievous are to their own selves to bear"?
What proof does Jocasta offer Oedipus that prophets are not to be believed? Describe the impact of the dramatic irony here.
What is Oedipus starting to realize that the reader already knows? How does this build tension?
Based on what he tells Jocasta, why did Oedipus leave Corinth? What message about fate is Sophocles developing here? Track the diction he uses to develop this message.
Why does Jocasta still not believe that Oedipus could be the killer of Laius?
Suggestions for teachers to help them teach this lesson
All of the tragedy in this play is brought about by the actions (even if unknowingly) of Oedipus. Hamartia is a Greek term that means “tragic flaw” or “error made in ignorance.” Make sure to define the term “hamartia” for students in this lesson, and have students begin to identify Oedipus’s “error made in ignorance” and how Sophocles develops Oedipus’s hamartia. There are many possible answers to this question. The Character Analysis of Oedipus on Shmoop.com is a good reference for this.
Next
Analyze how Sophocles develops his message about fate and humanity in the final portion of the play.
Define “absurdism” and identify and analyze elements of the absurd in the text.
Identify the author’s tone in the opening pages.
Analyze how Kafka develops the conflict between Gregor and the other characters.
Analyze the impact of Gregor’s transformation on himself and his family members.
Consider how the author uses the characterization of Gregor and his family to reveal theme.
Analyze how the director of the film interprets Kafka’s novella.
Explain verbally and in writing how Kafka uses the elements of absurdism to develop his message about humanity.
Note: The text used for this lesson may be difficult to acquire. If you are unable to access the text, you can skip this lesson.
Analyze the impact of the author’s use of realistic fiction to address the same thematic question addressed by Kafka in The Metamorphosis.
Analyze the impact of the playwright’s use of dramatic irony in the opening scene of the play.
Analyze Sophocles’s use of techniques common to his genre to develop Oedipus as a character.
2 days
Analyze Sophocles’s message about humanity as he develops it in Oedipus the King.
Analyze the author’s use of the character of the old man to develop the theme of humanity.
Reread the story, analyzing it as a satire critiquing both Catholicism and human nature.
3 days
Brainstorm, draft, revise, and finalize an original literary analysis essay.
Present analysis of the stories and theme of humanity to a small group of peers.
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