Elise Patterson

English I/II

7/7/09

3rd Period

Objective:

TSW identify examples of allusion in various texts and analyze author’s purpose in including allusions. (ELA 10 2e, DOK 3)

Materials:

Overhead, vis à vis markers, notes transparency, MLK speech transparency, Jay-Z transparency, Wyclef Jean transparency

Notes/MLK speech handout, song lyrics/photo handout

Butcher paper, markers (objectives/agenda)

Laptop computer and speakers (to play songs)

Bellringer:

Set:

  1. Wyclef Jean song—TTW play a selection from the Wyclef Jean song “Slow Down” and distribute lyrics.
  2. Take a look at the third stanza: “I seen two birds crash into two New York giants”
  3. What are the two birds? (this is an example of what kind of figurative language?) What are the New York giants? So what is this talking about?
  4. What kind of image does this bring up in your mind? What is the feeling like?
  5. Take a look at the fourth stanza: “I wish Katrina spoke French at the quarter to New Orleans…told this is your death, don’t rain on my people”
  6. What is this line talking about? What are the clue words?
  7. What images does this bring up in your mind? What is the feeling like?
  1. Is this song about September 11th? Or Hurricane Katrina? No, but these references help contribute to the overall meaning of the song.
  2. In both cases, Wyclef is talking about these events to add to the overall message of his song. This is called allusion, which is another kind of figurative language that we are going to learn about today.
  3. TTW ask a student to state the objective and read the agenda.

Procedures:

  1. Bellringer (4 min)
  2. Set (10 min)
  3. Notes: allusion (8 min)

Allusion:

• when an author makes a very brief reference or mention of a famous person, event, place, idea, or work of art (a work of art can be a book, a song, a poem, the Bible, etc.)

• can be a direct or indirect reference

indirect: same language, metaphor

Why do authors use allusion?

• allows the author to give the reader understanding or a mental image without having to use a lot of words

• shows that the main text and the text/person/event/idea being alluded to have something in common

Some common sources for allusions:

• the Bible

• Greek and Roman mythology

•historical events

• popular culture

  1. EXAMPLES (from Wyclef Jean – “Slow Down”)
  2. 1. I seen two birds crash into two New York giants
  3. 2. I wish Katrina spoke French at the quarter to New Orleans (Haha, but you’d a told her that)/But how we smoke French back, seduced this stone (Okay)/told this is your death, please don’t rain on my people
  1. Guided practice: MLK speech (10 min)
  2. TTW/TSW read the first part of a paragraph from the MLK speech “I See the Promised Land.”
  3. TTW tell the students that there are THREE biblical allusions, and ask them to find them and come up to the board to bracket them.
  4. TTW/TSW note allusions. Who goes across the Red Sea? Who was in the wilderness? What is the promised land?
  5. TTW ask what the author’s purpose in including biblical allusions is. If we compare what we are doing to what happens in the Bible, does that make us seem like what we are doing is good or bad?
  6. Independent practice (19 min)
  7. TTW distribute a handout with lyrics to the Jay-Z song “Minority Report.” The packet will also have four photos.
  8. TTW say, Now we are going to look at a different song. This song does not just allude to Hurricane Katrina; it is about Hurricane Katrina. But we can still find examples of allusions in the song—this time, they are about specific issues that came up during the disaster and the recovery effort.
  9. TTW/TSW listen to the song.
  10. You’ve all received a packet with the lyrics to the song and four very famous photographs of those issues that are alluded to. For the rest of the period, you are going to match each photo to the line or lines in the song that reference that image/give you that mental image, and then explain 1) why you chose those lines as corresponding to that photo, and 2) how that image contributes to the overall feeling/mood of the song. (positive or negative? Etc).

Closure: (4 min)

  1. TTW ask a student to read the objective.
  2. TTW ask students what they have learned today. What is allusion? Why do authors use allusion? Why is the line about the birds crashing into giants in the Wyclef Jean song allusion? What is the author’s purpose in including that kind of allusion?
  3. TTW preview tomorrow’s lesson: MR. REDFEARN??

Assessment:

Informal: During guided and independent practice, as well as the closure, TTW listen to student answers to questions about allusion (M) to gauge understanding of allusion and its relationship to author’s purpose (C).

Formal: TTW collect and grade (M) the independent practice packets on allusion identification and analysis (C) for a grade in the gradebook (D)