The God of Small Things

Lesson 20
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ELA

Unit 3

12th Grade

Lesson 20 of 37

Objective


Analyze the motif of time, specifically the idea of freezing time.

Readings and Materials


  • Book: The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy  pp. 148 – 156

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Target Task


Multiple Choice

It can be reasonably inferred from the passage that Ammu buys eleven-year-old Rahel and Estha presents appropriate seven-year-olds, mainly because

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Which piece of evidence from p. 152 best supports the answer to number 1?

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Writing Prompt

How does the author develop the motif of freezing time in Chapter 7, “The Wisdom Exercise Notebooks”? Use examples from throughout the chapter to support your answer.

Key Questions


  • Describe the setting. What is happening to the contents of Pappachi’s study?
  • What does Rahel find in the study? How do these discoveries relate to the theme of memory? The idea of freezing time?
  • What are the Wisdom Exercise Notebooks? What are in them?
  • The narrator says that Ammu had to leave because she had no Locusts Stand I. What is the misperception? Why does the narrator convey the misperception rather than the actual spelling? What does it tell us about Ammu?
  • Describe the presents Ammu buys Rahel in the flashback. Why are the presents significant? How do they develop the theme?
  • The motif of time is developed on pp. 152 and 153. Explain how.
  • Describe Ammu as she is characterized on pp. 152–153. Why does Rahel “hate” her?
  • Describe the conditions of Ammu’s death. What can we infer about the relationship between Ammu and her family at the time of her death? Why?
  • Why doesn’t Rahel write to Estha? 
  • What does Rahel realize when her flashback ends?
  • The sentence “Things can change in a day” is repeated throughout the novel. What is the impact of this sentence here on p. 156?

Notes


Students will be better prepared to interpret today’s reading if they have a basic understanding of the legal term “locus standi.”

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Lesson 19

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Lesson 21

Lesson Map

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