The God of Small Things
Students investigate the complex, nonlinear style of The God of Small Things and its themes of history, colonialism and love, focusing on the novel's literary devices, plot structure, and language.
Unit Summary
Winner of the 1997 Booker Prize, awarded to the best new piece of fiction published in the UK each year, The God of Small Things, by Indian writer Arundhati Roy, is set in the Kerala state of India and takes place over the course of two weeks in 1969 and one day of 1993. It traces the stories of twins, Estha and Rahel, whose lives are forever shaped by a pivotal event that occurs in their early childhood. Told from a variety of perspectives and in a nonlinear format, the book is a complex and rich read that will both challenge and captivate students.
In their examination of The God of Small Things, students will focus on the “small things”—literary devices, plot structure, and language—employed by Arundhati Roy to accomplish the “big things”—her rich commentary on history, colonialism, love, and memory. The nonlinear plot structure of the novel as well as the multiple literary allusions and very creative use of language will provide a challenge to even the most advanced readers. For this reason, the teacher is encouraged to use timelines, guides to literary allusions, and or other classroom visuals or handouts to aid students in accessing and analyzing this complex text.
There are also two primary skill areas of focus in the unit. The first is incorporating a model of reading and discussion that asks the students to not simply answer complex literary questions, but to pose those questions themselves. Identifying lines of text worthy of close examination and conversation will be the first step in this process. The second area of focus is writing. In this unit the teacher will work on developing students’ abilities to offer a complex analysis of the author’s craft, including how the author develops multiple themes within the novel.
This unit has three Supplementary AP Projects related to the theme of environmental justice and the developing world. A substantial portion of these projects is devoted to honing student’s rhetorical analysis skills and crafting rhetorical analysis arguments similar to those required in Free Response Question 2 on the AP English Language and Composition Exam. To learn more about including these Supplemental AP Projects in this English 12 unit, please see our Guide to Supplemental AP Language and Composition Projects.
Texts and Materials
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Core Materials
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Book: The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy (Random House Trade Paperbacks, 2008) — 840L
Supporting Materials
Article: “Teaching The God of Small Things in Wisconsin: A Guide for Educators”
Article: “Invitation to World Literature: The God of Small Things”
Poem: “Lochinvar” by Sir Walter Scott
Article: “How to Analyze Your Dreams in 7 Steps” by Elana Miller, MD (HuffPost)
Video: “TED Talk: The Danger of a Single Story” by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Assessment
This assessment accompanies Unit 3 and should be given on the suggested assessment day or after completing the unit.
Key Knowledge
Intellectual Prep
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Intellectual Prep for English Lessons
- Read and annotate The God of Small Things.
- Read and annotate “Unit 1: Background and Context” in the University of Wisconsin's Teaching The God of Small Things In Wisconsin: A Guide for Educators.
- Take the unit exam, including writing the essay for the written portion of the exam.
- This is a complex and challenging novel. It is recommended that the teacher read as many supplementary texts as necessary to build his/her understanding of the novel prior to teaching. The study materials website Shmoop.com has recently added an analysis of the novel that some may find helpful. The University of Wisconsin guide is also particularly thorough and useful.
Intellectual Prep for AP Projects
- Read and annotate the Supplementary AP Projects.
- Decide the pacing appropriate for your students. These projects can be integrated into the reading of The God of Small Things or completed at the conclusion of the reading of the novel.
- Select a print or online style guide that students will use to develop their own writing skills and style. See the following articles for ideas:
- AP English Language and Composition: Grammar Web Guide by CollegeBoard
- AP English Language and Composition: The Concept of Style by CollegeBoard
- Review the basics of rhetorical analysis by reading What Do Students Need to Know About Rhetoric? by Hepzibah Roskelly.
- Read the CollegeBoard AP English Language and Composition 2015 Scoring Guidelines for FRQ 2.
- Read the CollegeBoard 2018 AP English Language and Composition Sample Student Responses and Scoring Commentary for FRQ 3.
- Read the Chief Reader Report on Student Responses: 2017 AP English Language and Composition Free-Response Questions.
- Read the Chief Reader Report on Student Responses: 2018 AP English Language and Composition Free-Response Questions.
- Depending upon your level of familiarity with the CollegeBoard AP English Language and Composition exam, you may wish to spend more time exploring other resources on the College Board AP English Language and Composition Course website.
Essential Questions
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Love
- Who decides who we should love? What are the consequences when natural things, like love, are regulated or controlled?
- What effects do love/lack of love have on members of a family?
- How should we navigate between commitments to love, to family, and to societal expectations? Should one absolutely be prioritized over the other?
Memory/History/Colonialism
- What are the consequences when a society dwells on memories and the past? What about when we forget the stories of the past?
- How does the freezing and preserving of small moments in time impact lives? Why do we do it?
Political Activism
- How does Roy use her fiction to convey a political message? What is her political message?
Motifs and Symbols
- Motifs: time, color, intertextuality, cold and hot, plays and performances
- Symbols: Rahel’s watch, Pappachi’s moth, the History House, Paradise Pickles & Preserves
Writing Focus Areas
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Students will be able to offer a complex analysis of the author’s development of one of the major themes of the novel. The successful essay will both accurately convey the author’s message and offer an analysis of the literary techniques used to convey this message.
Spiraling Literary Analysis Writing Focus Area
The teacher should use information gathered from students’ previous writing to determine if the focus correction areas above are appropriate and if there should be any spiraled focus correction areas in addition to those listed above.
Writing-About-Reading Focus Areas
- Clear thesis statement that accurately states the theme
- Analysis of author’s craft
- Textual evidence to support the analysis
Related Teacher Tools:
Vocabulary
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Literary Terms
figurative language (simile, metaphor, imagery), tone, symbolism, theme, multi-perspective narrative style, motif, alliteration, allusion, narration, nonlinear plot structure, postcolonial literature, irony
Roots and Affixes
re – (re-Returned, p. 11; renounce, p. 282); un – (Untouchable, p. 14; uncouth, p. 142; unfeasible, p. 219), mal – (maleficent, p. 50; malevolent, p. 197)
Text-based
brooding (3), suffused (3), immodest (3), vacuously (3), amorphous (4), illegitimate (9), dormancy (12), perturb (16), purloined (17), harbinger (17), obeisance (20), lucrative (21), denounce (23), ambiguous (31), transgressor (31), reconstitute (32), imbue (32), morality (35), levied (36), eccentricities (38), diffidently (41), lurid (41), futile (43), haughty (50), maleficent (50), opulent (63), insidiously (64), euphoria (64), diligence (65), ardent (65), dispossessed (67), cynicism (68), impenetrable (72), assurance (73), insolence (73, 247, 292), prodigal (74), decorously (85), predilection (86), volition (87), shrill (105), pugnaciously (107), arbitrarily (108), pertinent (114), subvert (115), truncated (121), uncouth (142), piously (144), incessantly (152), elation (157), imperceptible (159), languid (159), enigmatic (160), incongruous (162), gullibility (162), smug (167), tactile (167), evanescent (167), nemesis/Nemesis (175), confound (180), colluding (181), decimate (181), exorcize (182), malevolent (197), cleaved (198), laconically (200), misappropriate (218), incidental (218), unfeasible (219), deride (219), denigrate (236), olfactory (244), invalidation (260), coy (264), provocation (268), renounce (282), abrogate (290), deify (292), inoculate (293), ascendency (293), incoherence (295), macabre (301)
Idioms and Cultural References
caste (novel), Siamese twin (5), lungfish (12), Untouchable (14), communism (15), “the old omelette-and-eggs thing”(15), “red herring” (46), Heart of Darkness (51, 119–120), Jungle Book (57), bourgeoisie (59), Mercurochrome (59), hogwash (63), communism, Marxism, Syrian Christian Church, Hinduism, Naxalites (66), “A rose by any other name…” (67), “frying pan into the fire…” (71), Julius Caesar (79), “millstone around my neck” (82), Mutiny on the Bounty (82), busker (85), coolie (85), Popeye (94), Julie Andrews and The Sound of Music (95), anarchy (108), Kathakali dance (121), locus standi (151), “Et tu, Ammu” (154), crematorium (155), locus standi (179), nictitating membrane (179), “AC-DC” (181), Macbeth (186), “walked on water” (201), Kathakali dancers (219), Oxford University (228), gramophone (229), Rhodes Student (232), Sir Walter Scott (257), Julius Caesar – “friends, Romans, countryman…” (260), “chickens come home to roost” (268, 285), Pied Piper (276), Listerine (281), Vaishnavite (281), ashram (281), Heart of Darkness (290), “desperado” (292), “Things go better with Coke” (297)
Content Knowledge and Connections
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- Modern Indian history
- European colonialism in South Asia
- Communism
- Multiple literary allusions to other works
Previous Fishtank ELA Connections
- The nonlinear plot structure and idea of freezing a moment in time can be connected to Grade 9 English Language Arts Unit 4: Purple Hibiscus.
- Themes of colonialism and culture relate to Grade 11 English Language Arts Unit 2: Things Fall Apart
- Students should make a connection with Grade 9 English Language Arts Unit 2: The Bluest Eye in terms of the idea of love and lack of love and its impact on human beings.
- The author as activist is another idea that should resonate with students: from Grade 9 English Language Arts Unit 3: Of Mice and Men to Grade 9 English Language Arts Unit 2: The Bluest Eye and Grade 11 English Language Arts Unit 2: Things Fall Apart, students have many books in which the author is taking on the role of activist with his/her writing.
- Students should connect the communist ideas explored in the novel to Grade 11 English Language Arts Unit 5: Dreaming in Cuban, Grade 10 English Language Arts Unit 2: The Crucible, and possibly {% unit 419 %}
- Students might make a connection to Grade 12 English Language Arts Unit 1: Invisible Man with Vellya Paapen’s glass eye.
- The nonlinear structure and multiple-perspective narration will recall Grade 11 English Language Arts Unit 5: Dreaming in Cuban.
Lesson Map
AP Projects
1
4 days
(PROCESS)
The essay "The End of Imagination" was written in 1998 by Arundhati Roy in response to the nuclear proliferation and testing being conducted in India and Pakistan. In the speech, Roy introduces a condemnation and a call to action for people in India and around the globe. Read the passage carefully. Then, in a well-developed essay, analyze the rhetorical choices Roy makes to develop her argument about the need for a nuclear non-proliferation movement. Support your analysis of her rhetoric with specific references to the text.
2
2 days
(ON DEMAND)
For this project, we ask students to debate and write a response to a question from the released 2015 AP English Language and Composition Exam. We are unable to reproduce the content here; however, teachers can find the question at the link below.
AP English Language and Composition 2015 Free-Response Questions (page 9)
3
5 days
(PROCESS)
For this project, we ask students to debate and write a response to a question from the released 2018 AP English Language and Composition Exam. We are unable to reproduce the content here; however, teachers can find the question at the link below.
2018 AP English Language and Composition Free-Response Questions (page 12)
Common Core Standards
Core Standards
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