Syllabus on Latin and Central American Literature
Unit 2: Latin and Central America
A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings by Gabriel Garcia
Marquez and other stories by poets of Latin America and Spain.
Essential Question: How does magical realism reveal new
perspectives of reality?
You will be considering religious,
generational and cultural conflicts, as well as the effects of modernization,
political struggle, and other themes common to many literary works. Many works in this unit feature magical
realism, and may be compared to Russian literature (Unit 5). You will come to understand that not all
literary works make explicit political or cultural statements and these works
need to be approached on their own terms. You will be investigating the historical
background for selected works, as well as author biographies.
·
Focus on Culture
and Character, both in the story and in our quest for human survival·
Explore the role
of the magical and the fantastic.
·
Analyze the role
of time in Latin American narrative. ·
Explore the role
of local and universal themes in Latin American literature.
Hover your mouse over homework assignments and other information to download.
Resources for Latin American Literature
Classwork 11/17 and 11/18. Your final essay on Magical Realism/Surrealism will be completed in class. You will have edits from your draft and you will be finishing your essay. The rubric is attached below.
Homework due 11/12 and 11/12. Surrealists and surreal poetry. Complete the surrealist poets worksheet (metaphor, simile, etc and drawing of a surreal poem). You must also complete the assignment on the back of the worksheet whereby as a class we will choose an image from the powerpoint of surrealists images and you will write a poem based on that image. Remember to include in your poem the concept of "a juxtaposition of irrational images and ideas" in your poem as well as many examples of of figurative language.
Homework due 11/3 and 11/4 : We are working on poems by the Chilean Pablo Neruda. The worksheet is designed for you to examine how Neruda wrote, what he was writing about, his themes and style. After you have examined at least five (5) Neruda poems, you will need to write one (1) of your own based on how Neruda wrote his poetry. You do not need to copy Neruda in creating your own poem, you should attempt to imitate some of his themes and partially his style. This will be an extra credit assignment worth 15 points. If you submit two poems in Neruda's style, I will submit these poems to Swoosh for publication.
Classwork: For class on 10/27 and 10/28 we will be preparing a draft of your own short story based on the genre of magical realism. Please work on the outline and elements (fantastical, symbols, etc) and plot (Rising action, conflict, etc) for your story. The draft must be completed in class. The final copy will be due 10/29 and 10/30. Don't hesitate to contact me if you have any questions.
Homework due 10/27 and 10/28 "A Very Old Man..."
Respond to these prompts on a separate sheet of paper. 1. Diagram the plot of the story: Exposition, conflict, rising action, climax, falling action, resolution. Exposition: Introduction of background information. Conflict: a struggle between two people or things in the story. Rising Action: Ingredients that complicate the plot. Climax: The turning point in the story. Falling Action: The part of the story after the climax. Resolution: What you learn about the characters at the end of the story. 2. Define the narrative point of view. (Is the narrator unbiased?) 3. Why would this POV be convenient for an author of Magical Realism to use? 4. The secondary title of this story if “A Tale for Children”. Why do you think this is or isn’t a children’s story? 5. What do you think some of the themes of this story are? 6. How does “magical realism reveal a new reality” in this story.
Homework due October 22nd and 23rd "Drowned Man..."
v After
reading “The Most Handsomest Drowned Man in the World”, prepare a short
explanation why it is a good example of magical realism.
v Begin
your explanation by writing the following: In
Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s short story, “The Most Handsomest Drowned Man in the
World the author writes about an event that can be considered magical realism, a
story containing fantastical elements. [noun phrase]
v Type
your reaction (approx one page) for the next class.
