The Bluest Eye

Lesson 4
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ELA

Unit 7

9th Grade

Lesson 4 of 30

Objective


Explain how Morrison characterizes the narrator and the MacTeer family.

Readings and Materials


  • Book: The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison  pp. 9 – 16

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Target Task


Multiple Choice

Which of the following best describes what the author conveys about the MacTeer family through her use of juxtaposition?

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Sample Response

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Which pair of quotations from p. 10-12, when taken together, best prove the answer to number one?

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Sample Response

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Writing Prompt

Describe how the author characterizes the narrator. What have we learned about her? Use evidence from the text to support your answer.

Key Questions


  • What is the title of this section of the text? This title is conveying information about setting, but is also a symbol. What might autumn symbolize?
  • In the Introduction, the narrator was an adult. What can we infer about her age now? How?
  • In the first two paragraphs, what do we learn about the setting? (around 1939, poor, small town, coal mines, steel mills)
  • In paragraph three, Morrison describes the narrator's house. What do we learn about her house?
  • Morrison also juxtaposes the narrator's life with that of Dick and Jane. What are the major differences between their lives? Which three pieces of diction best convey these differences?
  • How does Morrison use juxtaposition more generally to characterize the family and their circumstances?
  • How does Morrison characterize Mrs. MacTeer? (through narrator's descriptions of interactions with her mother) What kind of person is she?
  • What do the following quotations from page 12 communicate about the MacTeer household? Explain. "Love, thick and dark as Alaga syrup, eased up into that cracked window. I could smell it - taste it - sweet, musty, with an edge of wintergreen in its base - everywhere in that house." "So when I think of autumn, I think of somebody with hands who does not want me to die."

Next

Examine Morrison’s use of metaphor and simile to introduce characters in this chapter. They will also be able to juxtapose the author’s introduction of Pecola with that of other characters and infer the author’s purpose.

Lesson 5
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