Language and Literature 111                      Mrs.  Koplik
Book Chats

For this outside reading assignment, you will be exercising your speaking, listening, note
taking and writing skills in a team literary analysis.  The activity will end with independent
written work which will evolve from the classwork you do with your partner.  Follow the
steps very carefully!

1.  Decide who is "the speaker" first (the other partner will then be "the listener").  The
speaker then speaks about her book for about fifteen minutes, while the listener takes
careful notes on what he hears, asking questions or commenting along the way.  While the
chat  may follow its own natural course, the speaker should try to answer these questions 
at some point during her chat:

         a.  How is the setting of your novel (time AND place) unique or important?
         b.  Who are the protagonists/antagonists?  What major obstacles do they 
              experience?  How resolved?
         c. How do the characters and their experiences  apply to the people and 
              problems of your own world? 
         d.  Pick a part of the story or a passage you believe is especially impressive or    
              important.  Read it to your partner, and explain why you like it. 

2.  When the first speaker is done, the listener must come up with three questions to ask
the speaker about something she did not address OR which expand upon something she
mentioned, but did not discuss in depth.   These questions should start with "How"  or
"Why."  The speaker's answers should be recorded in the listener's notes.

3.  Exchange  "speaker" and "listener" roles, following steps one and two.

4.   At this point, each of you has taken careful notes on  the other's book.  Now , compose
a list of five observations which take both books into consideration.  These may be:

         Statements of comparison 
         ex.:  ____ and _____ both deal with children growing up in violent 
              surroundings.
                                                 ____   and  ____  both have villains who die in the end.

         Statements of contrast  
         ex.:____ shows the negative consequences of risk-taking, while ______ 
              shows its rewards.
             ____ is a humorous coming-of-age story, while ____ is a serious one.

         
         Statements of theme
         ex.:Sometimes we are our own worst enemy.
             Suffering can make us stronger.
         *Remember not to phrase a theme as a moral (NO "you shoulds")

Try to include at least one of each type of statement in your list.  For some teams, it may
be challenging to come up with a theme that applies to both works, or to find similarities
between them.  Try!  Usually something will surface with a bit of digging.  Think about the
characters, the literary style, the setting, the author's purpose, point of view, etc... 


5.  Independently, write a report in which you use the five statements from #4 and your
notes to show your understanding of both works.  The essay should take the following
structure:

         Paragraph 1: Pick a theme statement, and discuss how it is developed in 
                                                 both works.
         Paragraph 2:  Pick a  comparison statement and discuss......works
         Paragraph 3:  Pick a contrast statement  and discuss......works
         Paragraph 4:  Discuss an observation or topic from your notes which is not 
                                                 covered above (if setting has not come up, for example, discuss it here) 
         Paragraph 5:  In your opinion, which of the novels has greater value as a 
                                                 literary work?  Why?  Would you read your partner's book? Why or why not?