The God of Small Things

Lesson 2
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ELA

Unit 3

12th Grade

Lesson 2 of 37

Objective


Analyze the author’s use of literary devices to develop tone in the first pages of the novel.

Analyze the author’s characterization of our twin protagonists.

Readings and Materials


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Target Task


Multiple Choice

Over the course of pp. 3–5, the main focus shifts from a

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What tone does the author establish in the first several pages?

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Which piece of evidence from the text best supports the answer to number 2?

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Writing Prompt

Explain the significance of the line, “And these are only the small things,” from the middle of p. 5. What does this sentence imply about Estha and Rahel? About the plot of the novel? What mood does it establish? Explain using relevant details from the text.

Key Questions


  • Note the title of the chapter. What image does it create? What might be the author’s purpose in using alliteration here? Track other uses of alliteration in the first several pages.
  • Based on the descriptions in the first paragraph, describe the setting.
  • What specific diction does the author use to convey information about the setting in paragraph one?
  • Track other examples of figurative language that the author uses as she develops the setting and characterizes the protagonists.
  • What does the sentence at the top of p. 4 suggest about the time period of the current setting?
  • Who is Baby Kochamma? What does the author suggest about the relationship between she and Rahel?
  • How does the author characterize the relationship between Estha and Rahel?
  • What does her use of capitalization at the bottom of p. 4 suggest?
  • Compare Roy’s use of non-standard English to Achebe’s. 
  • What tone does the author establish in these first pages? How?
  • What does the sentence “The confusion lay in a deeper, more secretive place” on p. 4 indicate about the twins?
  • What does “she has other memories too that she has no right to have” mean on p. 5? What does this line, and the examples the narrator provides, suggest about memory and its impact on people? What is memory? Can its impact extend beyond those who experience it?
  • The novel is set in December 1969 and June 1993. Pages 3–5 are set in which of these two time periods? How do you know?
  • Read the novel’s epigraph. What can you infer about how the story will be told based on this epigraph? What might this epigraph suggest about possible themes or messages of the novel?

Notes


  • The author develops a strangely poetic and playful tone here by using alliteration, personification, imagery, unexpected capitalization, etc. Students should note this as it occurs throughout the novel.
  • Stop reading at “And these are only the small things.”
  • It is recommended that the teacher keep a map of Kerala posted throughout the unit as well as a timeline on which students can place key events of the novel. The jumping back and forth between 1993 and 1969 can be difficult to track. Additionally, placing the key events of the two weeks of 1969 in order would also be helpful as these are not relayed in a linear fashion either.
  • In our 9th grade course students watched a TED Talk by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. The teacher should help students recall this TED Talk or show a brief clip of it to help them recall her message about a “single story” as they discuss the epigraph.
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