Unit 4 Truth and Interpretation Part I: Learning the Skills Activity 1 Review the texts you have read in the previous units. Discuss with your partner which point of view is employed in each text and whether you would have different feelings about these texts if different points of view were employed. Suggestions for instructors: Discuss with students how the point of view change leads to the differences in the narration. Activity 2 Read the following four excerpts and discuss with your partner which point of view is employed in each excerpt, whether the difference gives you different feelings toward the same event and how your response is influenced by how much the narrator knows and how objective the narrator is. Activity 3 Narrate an incident in your childhood (either real or made-up) from several points of view: first from your own point of view; next from the point of view of your family; finally from the point of view of a stranger who witnessed the incident. Evaluate which point of view is easier to write and which point of view tells the story best. Suggestions for instructors: Another option: Read the following examples and ask the students to work in groups and rewrite from a different point of view (first person point of view, for instance) and share their writing with other groups. Leslie sat in front of Paul. She had two long, brown pigtails that reached all the way down to her waist. Paul saw those pigtails, and a terrible urge came over him. He wanted to pull a pigtail. He wanted to wrap his fist around it, feel the hair between his fingers, and just yank. He thought it would be fun to tie the pigtails together, or better yet, tie them to her chair. But most of all, he just wanted to pull one. -Sideways Stories from Wayside School by Louis Sachar At the pizza place, Tony the baker was getting the pizzas ready for baking. He flattened out a ball of dough into a large pancake and tossed it in the air. He spread tomato sauce on it, sprinkled it with cheese, and shoved it in the oven. Then the telephone rang. “A fellow from the factory wants a large pizza delivered in a hurry,” Tonys wife called. “OK, Ill get my coat,” said Tony. -Curious George and the Pizza by Margret Rey Part II: Case Analysis Activity 4 Read the above two versions of “The Three Little Pigs” and consider the differences it makes when the narrator is different. Task 1 Understanding the text Complete the following sentences based on your understanding of the texts. 1) The point of view in the first version is third-person limited omniscient point of view. 2) The wolf in the first version was described as big and bad. 3) The third little pig in the first version was described as smart. 4) The point of view in the second version is first-person point of view. 5) The wolf in the second version was described as innocent. 6) The third little pig in the second version was described as impolite. Task 2 Responding to the text Write your answer to each question in full sentences. Then discuss your answers with your partner. 1) What leads to the different characterization of the wolf in the two versions? The different characterization of the wolf was created through the different points of view. 2) Which characterization of the wolf do you think is more reliable and what leads to your conclusion? The first was more reliable because the second version was using the first-person point of view. 3) How does the change of point of view change the development of the story? The change of point of view leads to quite different interpretation of the same event. Text B A Days Wait Suggestions for instructors: The whole story was written from the fathers point of view. The students may be asked to work in groups and retell the story orally with the boy being the narrator. Activity 5 Read Text B and think about the storys point of view. Task 1 Understanding the text Find out the following elements of the text. Character(s): a little boy and his father Setting: the little boy had a fever Point of view: first person point of view Plot: The little boy who had a fever thought he would die because he confused Fahrenheit and Celsius. Theme: It shows how death lets things appear in a different way. Task 2 Responding to the text Write your answer to each question in full sentences. Then discuss your answers with your partner. 1)Do you think the narrator is well chosen in the text? Why or why not? 2) Was there any misunderstanding between the boy and his father? If yes, please find out the evidence. When the boy told his father that “I mean you dont have to stay if its going to bother you,” his father thought he would like to be left alone while the little boy thought he would die. 3) What are the clues showing that the boy was very worried? 4) Text B is mainly composed of dialogue. But there are two paragraphs used to describe what the father saw and did (“It was a bright, cold day, the ground covered with We flushed a covey of quail under a hig