Mastering the Gothic Unit: November 14, 2017

Focus: How can you apply what have you learned from the Gothic unit?

1. Warming up by applying Gothic elements to The Village

What is this film really about to you?

What's the larger message / theme? What should we understand better or differently after watching The Village?

How do the Gothic elements contribute to that theme?

• Gothic setting: How is the setting significant? How does it reflect the people who live there?

• Repression: What do the characters repress and why? Does it work? Why or why not?

• Uncanny: What's both familiar and unfamiliar at the same time? What disturbance does it create?

• Catharsis: What kind of emotional release do the characters achieve, and how? What emotional release might this film offer the viewers (us) and how?

Sample Thesis: In The Village, M. Night Shyamalan uses the Gothic element of the forest's uncanny sounds to illuminate that our greatest fears result not from external forces but from our own insecurity and imagination.

Using Evidence:
My trick: I use a Level 1 statement (context/plot summary) to lead into the evidence.
I use some Level 2 thinking to lead out of the example (what does it symbolize? What Gothic element is revealed? What role does it play in the text?)
I blow the reader's mind with a Level 3 statement (what larger importance does it have?).

Sample:
As "the monsters" descend upon the village, Ivy refuses to hide with her family, insisting instead on standing on the porch and holding out her hand. Her arm in this scene is outstretched into the night, and in the background, a red-cloaked monster approaches. The vulnerability of her hand symbolizes the strength of her hope and her belief in the power of love. It also foreshadows the bravery she will need later to enter the woods to save Lucius. Most importantly, Ivy's willingness to reach into the unknown dark represents that love, no matter how slight it appears or how much it trembles, should always overpower fear.

2. Taking the Gothic end-of-unit assessment:

• Please read the directions carefully.

• Take your time reading and annotating/journaling about the story.

• Brainstorm and plan your literary essay.

• Start drafting your thesis.

3. Wrapping up with an exit ticket to help me plan class tomorrow

HW:
1. If you have not yet started the writing portion of the assessment, please work on the Gothic end-of-unit assessment tonight. We will continue drafting tomorrow.

2. Prepare and practice your one-minute speech for Thursday, November 16.

3. If you haven't yet entered your final speech topic, take care of that ASAP!