MEMOIRS AGENDA Submit Essay Remember that Friday is the last day. Be sure to attach your rubric/planning sheet to your essay. MLA Format 5 paragraphs Memoir Unit What is a memoir? NEW GENRE Can anybody create a memoir? SO What is the point of them.. Essential Question for Memoir: How do stories help us make sense of the world? HOW ARE STORIES TOLD? Traditional formats: Throughout your Monday, how did you share stories with others? Often you are telling stories about yourself, particularly in school where it is so busy and you may not see your best friend until lunch or the end of the day. If YOU were to write a story about something that happened in your life what type of story would this be? AUTOBIOGRAPHY VS. MEMOIR Who writes autobiographies? Sometimes even the best lists confuse this concept. Autobiographies cover huge swathes of time and detail different phases in a persons life. This does not mean that they could not be understood as a collection of memoirs. MEMOIRS The beautiful thing about a memoir is that they can be made public in many different ways. Social Media can be great for Memoirs as well as books. You could argue that Twitter is a swirling mass of memoirs, but there is something missing from this swirling mass as a whole. MEMOIRS Autobiographies are the story of a life. Memoirs are stories from a life. Memoir: Particular Life Moment So What? Turning Point Memoir: Characteristics TURNING POINTS Memoirs are usually about a large turning point in someones life. An Emotional Turning Point An Ah Ha Moment New Phases of Life A Trauma A Big Decision SO WHAT? SO what did the author and the reader learning from this turning point? 1.So what is the purpose of this story? 2.So what is the message of this life story? 3.So what should inspire us? MEMOIR- SO WHAT? Memoirs are interesting stories about a persons life, but they also have a message that the author is trying to share with you. They created this memoir for a reason. What is the reason? It is our job as readers to determine this, but the writer should be helping you along. 1.So what is the purpose of this story? 2.So what is the message of this life story? 3.So what should inspire us? https://www.youtube.com/watc h?v=duRTvebfQGw PROLOGUE I write this book for you, Danny, because you had the courage of this most solitary act: to die with your hands in chains but your heart undefeated. I write this book to do justice to you, and to tell the truth. I write this book to show that you were right: The task of changing a hate- filled world belongs to each one of us. I write this book because, in suppressing your life, the terrorists tried to kill me, too, and to kill our son, Adam. They sought to kill all those who identified with you. I write this book to defy them, and in the knowledge that your courage and spirit can inspire others. I write this book to pay tribute to all the people who helped and supported our family through terrible times, creating an emotional bridge for us to stand on. I write this book for you, Adam, so you know that your father was not a hero but an ordinary man. An ordinary hero with a mighty heart. I write this book for you so you can be free. CONTEXT AGENDA: FRIDAY MAY 1 ST Finish A Mighty Heart 4 Questions about film Reading your IRP IRP ENTRIES Shadow Puppet Due today Last entry for your April book is due next Friday May 8 th. Best entries to choose from: Imagery Allusion Metaphor Inferring You must have a new book selected for next Friday if you havent already. AGENDA: MONDAY MAY 4TH A Mighty Heart: Questions and Debrief 6 Word Memoir Assignment On with the Memoirs.. QUESTIONS FOR THE MOVIE 1.Why do you think that Mariane wanted to share HER story? 2.What can we learn from Marianes story? 3.Did the movie help you make sense of 9/11 and its aftermath? a) Did it help you make sense of the world in any way? 4. Why is it important for journalists to pursue stories like Danny did? Is the danger worth it? Why or why? WHY DO YOU THINK THAT MARIANE WANTED TO SHARE HER STORY? WHAT CAN WE LEARN FROM MARIANES STORY? To have hope despite how desperate the situation. Never give in to those who threaten your beliefs. Love is a powerful and creative force. DID THE MOVIE HELP YOU MAKE SENSE OF 9/11 AND ITS AFTERMATH? DID IT HELP YOU MAKE SENSE OF THE WORLD IN ANY WAY? Did it make you curious about anything? Did you wish to google anything about what you saw? Had you heard of these issues before? Did it make you question/identify any stereotypes WHY IS IT IMPORTANT FOR JOURNALISTS TO PURSUE STORIES LIKE DANNY DID? IS THE DANGER WORTH IT? WHY OR WHY NOT? A Mighty Heart- Mariane Pearl Turning Point: Technique: So What: Lost and Found Turning Point: Technique: So What: Swimming Underwater Turning Point: Technique: So What: Speak Laurie Halse Anderson Turning Point: Technique: So What: EXCERPT FROM THE BOOK Read the excerpt from A Mighty Heart. The book provides many more details about Danny and Mariane than the movie did. It is a snapshot of Danny as a writer: What kind of writer is he? What kind of person is he? What is most important to him? How do we learn about this? Refusal to be disillusioned or cynical!!! Cynical: believing that people are motivated by self-interest; distrustful of human sincerity or integrity. Disillusioned: 6 WORD MEMOIRS Hemingway was once challenged to write a story in 6 words. He wrote: For sale: baby shoes, never worn. Inferring - Dont Give Everything Away Up Front Personal Experiences Metaphor/Simile 6 Word Memoirs are a great combo of something new and something very poetic. MY OWN IDENTITIES The following are examples of identities I take in life and the 6 words that I can use to express them the best. 1)Mother 1) Bond of friendship, strength of tsunami. 2)Sister2) Funny flamingo who knows every secret. 3)Colleague3) The light in a rocky storm. 4)Teacher4) Giving, sharing, laughing- rebirth every semester. 5)Friend5) Flabbergasted friendship adds to the family. 6)Yoga Student6) Release of knots, which tie up life. A MIGHTY HEART: 6 WORD MEMOIR Word Bank: Choose from the following words to create a 6 word memoir for Danny/Mariane. Hope Honesty Open-minded Terror Violence Trust Courage Knowledge Awareness Fear Investigation Respect Love Truth Explore Ethics Terrorized Bravery Culture Disillusioned/ Cynical AGENDA TUESDAY MAY 5TH Shadow Puppet list of Submissions 6 Word Memoir- Neon Postcard 6 Word Memoir backstory Lost and Found Reading and Questions BACKSTORY- (3 POINTS FOR INSIGHT/RELEVANCE) Share with me the backstory behind your 6 word memoir. How would you explain what you wrote? If it is for A Mighty Heart, why did you choose this statement out of all the statements that you could have made? Explain what was going on with Mariane/ Danny that compelled you to write the 6 words in the way that you did. This will go on the back of your 6 word memoir card. LOST AND FOUND Just reading the title- what is the first thing that springs to mind? LOST AND FOUND QUESTIONS 1.Just like you would with poetry, find unfamiliar words and look them up in the dictionary. 2. Note which line in the memoir marks the shift from the author describing aspects of their memories to reflecting on what they mean as a whole. Copy out the line in your notes. 3.Most paragraphs contain at least one metaphor. Use note making and/or the T-Chart approach to unpack meaning of no less than five of these. Think about all of them even if you dont make notes. Dog Anchor Steady Safety Dependable Stable Keeps you from drifting away. My dog is my anchor. WHITE BOARDS 1.Get into groups of 3 and highlight every example of a metaphor that you find in Lost and Found. 2.Choose two metaphors that your group thinks are the best and draw out the T- chart for them on the board. 3.Why do you think that she used metaphor for her memoir? Why extended metaphor? LOST AND FOUND- SO WHAT? 4. What notable techniques does she use to tell this story? (Internal/External dialogue, vivid descriptions of environment, journaling, flashbacks, devices) 5. What personal insight did the writer come to by going through the process of cleaning her room? If you bury your memories you bury yourself. Never forget where youve come from Dont let your physical world overwhelm your mental A Mighty Heart- Mariane Pearl Turning Point: Technique: So What: Lost and Found Turning Point: Technique: So What: Swimming Underwater Turning Point: Technique: So What: Speak Laurie Halse Anderson Turning Point: Technique: So What: WRITING EXERCISE EXTENDED METAPHOR WRITING Have you ever felt lost? Physically/ Mentally/ Spiritually? How does it feel? Lost and Found used the extended metaphor of feeling Lost at Sea and Puzzles Pieces (either losing one, or fitting them together) What other comparisons can we make around these terms EXTENDED METAPHOR LOST Lost at sea in a storm. Like writing a Calculus exam without taking the course. Lost in a city of millions A thick forest/ jungle FOUND/Self-Discovery Puzzle pieces fitting together Needle in a hay stack (discovering) All Star Team A penguin finding its family WRITING: 300 word memoir: Think back on your first day of grade 10 or at a part time job or ANY First What would be a good metaphor to use for this experience? A Battle, A Mountain, A Meadow full of wildflowers, A Rocky ocean. 3 Paragraphs: 1.Set up the Metaphor 2.Details of your experience 3.Bring it back to the Metaphor- Bring it full circle. The Nova Scotia Dream: No Penguin Left Behind Have you ever watched those documentaries about the penguin families? The ones where you watch the mommy penguin and the daddy penguin spend months apart, facing harsh conditions all in the hopes that they will find one another again and see the birth of their baby and provide it food? Well, I have seen too many of these Morgan Freeman narrated documentaries to count. Im always haunted by the penguin that gets left behind, or the egg that never hatches. Its a fact of nature, but its none the less terrifying. I will admit that sometimes I feel like these abandoned penguins. Dont get me wrong, I have a loving family and am in need of nothing, but rather it is the terrible reality of, what I call, the Nova Scotian dream. Growing up in Nova Scotia is beautiful in many ways. My friends and I always loved the summers, the fog and the Celtic ballads that start up out of nowhere. None of us growing up could ever imagine living somewhere without a coast line, but as we grew older and graduated from Atlantic Universities we discovered that the Nova Scotian dream did not include staying in Nova Scotia. Most of us came to realize that in order to spread our wings, and hopefully return home one day, we had to move..out West. This is where my feeling of solitary penguinhood comes into play as I have no designs on fulfilling the Nova Scotian dream. I love to travel and spent time in many different places around the world, but I refuse to make the move that the other penguins have. Yes, this is stubborn; I realize. I should venture out, just like the mommy penguin had to, in order to find the resources that I need, but I refuse. Sadly, my friends have not been so stubborn and therein lies my identification with the abandoned penguin. I have ventured out into the real world and found myself to have very few penguins by my side. This means, of course, that I must discover new waddles and ensure that I never lose touch with the old. AGENDA What should you do for your IRP entry that is due tomorrow? Imagery!! Metaphor Inferring Allusion Foreshadowing Symbolism Extended Metaphor Memoir Outline/ Assessment and Writing FIRSTS AND COMPARISONS BANK OF METAPHOR IDEAS Roller Coaster Steep, treacherous Mountain with a beautiful peak Power of the Ocean- stormy sea, calm waters (peaceful/ full of potential) Calm before the Storm Swirling Tornado Maze/ Labyrinth Butterfly Effect- one tiny little motion/decision could cause massive differences/ lasting impact. Fog (confusion, ignorance) Deep Forest (lost, adventurous) LiteralFigurative USE EVERY PIECE OF YOUR METAPHOR I will learn something more about your world when I read these. The better you use your metaphor the more I will learn and understand how you experience the world. T- Charts can help make the best use of your metaphor. First Day Teaching Tornado -Chaotic -Dangerous -Powerful -Confusing -Unrelenting -Cyclical -Natural -What side of it do you know the most about? How would you describe it? -Does the metaphor fit? -What association do you want to talk about first? -Hectic -Confusing -Fascinating -Natural -Powerful -Scary 3 PARAGRAPH EXTENDED METAPHOR 1.Describe your figurative comparison. a.Have you ever watched those documentaries about the penguin families? The ones where you watch the mommy penguin and the daddy penguin spend months apart, facing harsh conditions all in the hopes that they will find one another again and see the birth of their baby and provide it food? 2.Tell me about your experience. Make sure it follows your metaphor. b.Growing up in Nova Scotia is beautiful in many ways. My friends and I always loved the summers, the fog and the Celtic ballads that start up out of nowhere. 3.Link it back to your metaphor. What are your concluding thoughts? What should your reader learn? c. This is where my feeling of solitary penguinhood comes into play as I have no designs on fulfilling the Nova Scotian dream. WHAT DID YOU LEARN FROM THIS FIRST? WHAT IS THE SO WHAT?