Discussion Thread
July 15: Day 8:Chapters 37-42, pages 216-252.
We invite you to consider the following for Chapters 31-36, pages 192-215<br>What resonates for you as a reader? What do you think will resonate with your students?<br>How might you engage your students in this section of the novel?<br>What activities, teaching points, discussion questions might you use?
The first chapter in this section reminded me about the quote I posted yesterday from the previous chapter - which was Mahmoud's. At the end of the chapter, Joseph is in a sense "invisible" to Officer Padron - who refuses to look at him - and therefor refuses to see the desperation that Joseph and everyone else on the boat feel and the direness of their situation as the boat is ordered from Cuban waters. This section had such emotional ranges in it. Desperation and anger (outrage) for Joseph, grief and hope for Isabel, exhaustion and horror for Mahmoud in the first three chapters. This is followed by renewed hope quickly replaced by despair and plans for desperate action for Joseph, more renewed hope followed by horror and terror for Isabel, and terror upon terror, horror followed by horror for Mahmoud. Though throughout his last chapter - a steady determination. Even within short chapters, Gratz creates such emotional ranges. This makes me think that another activity to do with students is for them to chart / graph the emotional highs and lows for each character throughout their journeys.
Add new comment