Sorry for not being able to be in class today. And thank you to those who were supposed to present today--I owe you a treat at the class party. My special apologies to Kristina, who I could not get in touch with about rescheduling the presentation.
For today: here's what I had planned for class. Please log on to Daedalus for an interchange discussion. I will be able to read them later to see how the class went, who was present and how much everyone participated. Please divide yourselves into two groups and answer the following questions:
When the Elephants Dance
1) Why do you think Tess Uriza Holthe tells her story with rotating narrators in When the Elephants Dance? How does the story change when the narrator changes?
2) How do the characters cope with the danger and stress of war? Do they cope in the same ways? How do their coping methods differ?
3) How are the roles of Domingo and Feliciano similar and different?
4) How do the backstories--the characters' reminiscences and stories--function in the novel? Why does Holthe include them?
5) What are some significant themes in the novel? List as many as you can think of and find evidence from the text to support them.
6) What other poems or short stories that we have read relate to these themes?
Thanks! I'll see you all in the regular classroom on Thursday. Also on Thursday: Eloisa, Joanne, Candice, Virtue and Victor will be presenting! I'm available via email if anyone has any questions.
Amy