What we do for two days1. Get our books from the bookroom.

2. Read about our author.

3. Read Bird Girl and discuss.

4. Explore Exposition of text.

5. Explore Imagery and character in chapter 1.

Learning Targets:• Understand how the author’s experiences contributed to the

writing of the Chocolate War.• Understand Theme in “Bird Girl.”• Review and Understand the key term exposition.• Locate imagery and reveal its effect on the reader in chapter 1.• Understand and explore direct and indirect characterization in

the exposition.

Meet the AuthorRobert Cormier

1925 - 2000

Information From:

• http://www.wpi.edu/Academics/Library/Archives/WAuthors/cormier/bio.html

Formative Years• Robert Cormier was born on January 17, 1925, in

Leominster, MA.• Like many families during the Depression,

Cormier's family moved many times during his life but never out of French Hill. They moved frequently in order to afford rent during the Depression, and they also moved as the family grew.

French Hill, MA

Formative Years

• Cormier attended a private Catholic school, St. Cecilia's Parochial School. Two experiences at the school shaped his life and the subject matter he wrote.

• He first wrote a poem in 7th grade; a nun encouraged him to write. That was the first time he considered being a writer.

• When he was in eighth grade, he could see that his family's triple-decker on Laurel St. was on fire from the classroom window. The Sister would not allow him to leave and check on his family until he had recited the Rosary. This incident caused him to have some bitter feelings toward the Catholic Church for many years.

Formative Years• His mother would always

encourage him to write, and she would read his works without criticizing unlike the teachers he shared his work with. She predicted he would be a writer. According to Cormier, it seemed unlikely that a boy whose father was only a factory worker could become a writer; he believed writers came only from wealthy families.

Formative Years• When Cormier was a freshman at

Fitchburg State College, a teacher read one of his compositions and encouraged him to write another. He went home that night and wrote a short story which she read the next day.

• She kept it and sent it to a magazine without telling him. Six weeks later, she handed him a check for seventy-five dollars and told him that his story was going to be published.

Early Work Life

• Cormier did work as a reporter for the Telegram and Gazette from 1948 to 1955.

• He then became a reporter for the Fitchburg Sentinel from 1955 to 1959.

• From 1959 to 1966 he served as the wire editor for the paper. He became an associate editor of the paper in 1966 and held the position until 1978.

Beginning Writing Career• His first novel, Now and At the

Hour, was published in 1960. Cormier's father had just passed away, and to deal with his father's death, Cormier began to write.

• In 1969, he was asked to write a human interest column. In 1973 the column won the K. R. Thomson Newspaper Award for the best column among writers in the international group that owned the paper.

Most Famous Books• Cormier became inspired to write the

controversial novel, The Chocolate War when his son Peter refused to sell chocolates for the Catholic school he attended. Cormier began to ponder the question “What if?"

• The book deals with peer pressure, faculty pressure, and the theme of the individual against society. It shows a dark side of the Catholic Church, which was may have been inspired from his earlier incident with the fire. The book was published in 1974.

Most Famous Books• His next novel I Am the Cheese stirred up the

same controversy when it was published in 1977. I Am the Cheese is about a boy whose father testified against organized crime figures. Cormier got the idea from reading about the U. S. Witness Relocation Program.

Cormier’s Death• On November 2, 2000, Cormier died of lung cancer at the

age of 75. He left his legacy through his books. • Cormier wrote powerful and disturbing novels for young

adults, most of which caused controversy. • His fiction analyzed the turmoil of adolescence. The teen

protagonist in his stories often faced difficult situations, incredible internal and external conflicts.

• He never compromised what he felt to be the truth in order to please the novel critics.

• He also did not like the fact that his books were thought to be intended for young adults because he did not want adults to think they were too old to read them.

The Chocolate WarThe main focus of this unit is on Robert Cormier’s The Chocolate War and its question, “Do I dare disturb the universe?” Although The Chocolate War is set in a private all-boys school, the issues it calls attention to are relevant in all students’ lives. Just a few of the topics to be explored in this book are: abuse of power, heroism, loneliness (tactical isolation), intimidation (peer pressure), relationships, rules, control, bullying, and courage.

The Chocolate War• The issues in the story loom especially large in the

lives of adolescence. • During the teenage years, many are worried about

self-image and about fitting in. • The choices made are influenced as much as by

those seen as enemies as by those seen as friends. • Perhaps more than any other time of life,

adolescence is a time of worrying about what others think rather than worrying about doing what is right.

Bird Girl1. In Paragraph 2, the author states, “It’s important

when you’re a teenager to join the laughter, lest the laughter turn on you.” What does he mean? Is he correct?

2. The author asks, “How can we make teenagers treat each other like human beings?” How would you answer this question?

3. Why do you think so many people wrote the author about “Bird Girl”?

Current Connections• http://

www.today.com/video/today/39245213#39245213

Current Connections• “Bully” Shinedown• http://

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y7NVxAMQn_I• What are some of the images in the video that

are most striking?

Bird Girl: Continued1. In Paragraph 2, the author states, “It’s important

when you’re a teenager to join the laughter, lest the laughter turn on you.” What does he mean? Is he correct?

2. The author asks, “How can we make teenagers treat each other like human beings?” How would you answer this question?

3. Why do you think so many people wrote the author about “Bird Girl”?

Exposition

• The Exposition - the beginning of the story, establishment of setting, characters, and initial conflict.

Introduction to CharactersJerry Renault • Protagonist.• Takes on the bullies in the school.• Demonstrates strength and individualism.

Introduction to CharactersArchie Costello (The Assigner of the Vigils)• The antagonist.• Is revered and feared.• Designs psychological punishments for the

students at Trinity High School.• Gets away with everything.• Psychopathic tendencies; no loyalties; no

favoritism; no feeling.

Introduction to Characters

Emile Janza• Thug who uses physical cruelty.• Is being blackmailed by Archie.• Is under Archie’s complete control.

Introduction to Characters

The Vigils• Gang of kids (much like a secret society)

who run the school.• Allowed by the school to operate because

it keeps students under control.• Archie is the Assigner.• Obie is the Secretary.• Carter is the President.

Introduction to Characters

Brother Leon• Teacher and Head of the School.• Borrows unauthorized money to fund a

chocolate sale.• Is corrupt himself and sanctions the Vigils

to do their corrupt deeds at school.

Introduction to Characters

Roland Goubert• Nicknamed “The Goober.”• Jerry’s only friend and ally.• Becomes a victim of the Vigils’

assignments.

Introduction to SettingTrinity High School:• Late 1960’s early 1970’s.• An all boys Catholic high school.

Introduction to Initial Conflicts

• Jerry’s mother has recently passed away.• Jerry is trying to make the football team.• Jerry vs. The Vigil Assigner, Archie.

Reading Chapter 1 as a class

Imagery in Chapter 1

“They murdered him.”

“A dam burst against his head and a grenade shattered his stomach.”

“He saw the field through drifting gauze.”

“…like a lens focusing.”

“…a toy boat caught in a whirlpool.”

Imagery in Chapter 1

• Search through pages 2 – 6 and locate many other unique images.

• Describe the effect that it has on the reader.

Direct vs. Indirect CharacterizationCharacterization is an important element in almost every work of fiction. When it comes to characterization, a writer has two options:

1. DIRECT CHARACTERIZATION - the writer makes direct statements about a character's personality and tells what the character is like.

2. INDIRECT CHARACTERIZATION - the writer reveals information about a character and his personality through the character's thoughts, words, and actions, along with how other characters respond to that character, including what they think and say about him.

Direct CharacterizationThese are statements made by the author about the Jerry.

“His body seemed to telescope into itself, but all the parts didn’t fit, and he was stunned by the knowledge that pain isn’t just one thing…” (2)

“…he was a coward about stuff like that, thinking one thing and saying another, planning one thing and doing another” (3).

Indirect Characterization• Character’s thoughts: “Know what, he asked himself.

What? I’m going to make the team. Dreamer. Dreamer. Not a dream; it’s the truth” (4 – 5).

• Character’s Words: “I’ve got guts, Jerry murmured…” (2).

• Character’s Actions: “He opened his eyes, flutteringly…he was unwilling to abandon this lovely lassitude, but he had to… He was astonished to find himself on his feet…” (3).

• Other Character’s: “What the hell you want to play football for? You need more meat on those bones. What the hell you trying to play quarterback for? You’d make a better end. Maybe” (4).

Initial Characterization in Chapter 1: Discussion

• Describe Jerry’s character in three ways.

1. His physical features.

2. His mental status.

3. His determination.

Initial Characterization Ch. 2

• Reading Chapter 2, Pages 7 – 16.• Do characterization Handout for Archie

and Obie.

Chapter 2, Pages 7 - 16. Describe the following characters using direct and indirect characterization. Use direct quotes from the text. Using the information, write a paragraph about each character, describing what he is like. Start with a clear topic sentence, and then describe the character. Character Direct Characterization Indirect, Character’s

Thoughts Indirect, Character’s Words

Indirect, Character’s Actions

Indirect, What Other Characters express

Archie

What is Archie like?

Archie’s Words

Obie’s Words, thoughts, actions about Archie

Archie’s Thoughts

Archie’s Actions

Author’s Comments on Archie

What we do today1. Chapters 1 – 4 Reading Quiz

2. Watch the opening of film 6 Minutes

3. Vocabulary Development: Context Clues.

4. Chapter 3 Work.

5. Characterization.

Learning Targets:• Use Context Clues to discern correct

definitions.• Explore theme and symbolic development in

Chapter 3.

Chapters 1 – 4 Quiz1. What sport is Jerry Trying out for?

2. Archie is the _________________of the Vigils.

Obie is the __________________

3. What type of people does Jerry see across the commons at the bus stop?

4. Why is one of the people upset with Jerry?

5. How many boxes must the students sell?

6. That means every guy is school has to sell how many boxes?

7. What kind of help does Brother Leon need from Archie?

8. What word had Archie never been able to speak aloud to a teacher?

Context Clues: Vocab. Development• When a reader encounters an unfamiliar

word in a text, he or she should take action to figure out the definition. At times that word may convey a meaning that is important to the overall text.

• Use a dictionary• Use a cell phone with access to that

information.• Nooks and Kindles have word definitions.• Use context clues.

What are Context Clues?• A Context Clue is a type of

inference.• An inference is a best guess

based on the evidence and information in the text.

• Example: “He decided to go to sleep right here, right out on the fifty yard line…He was going to sleep, he didn’t care any more…He was unwilling to abandon this lovely lassitude but he had to, of course. He was sorry to leave the earth, and he was vaguely curious about how he was going to give up.

What does Lassitude mean? What are the clues in the text that help the reader make a good guess at the word?

Context Clues: Example 2

“He was afraid to open his mouth wide, wary of any movement that was not absolutely essential – he walked tentatively toward the sideline…” (4)

What is a good definition for the word tentatively? What are the clues in the reading that help the reader?

Figure out the word in context• Read the passage and

write a definition that fits best.

1. Page 7: benevolently

2. Page 9: feebly

3. Page 10: baffled

4. Page 12: brooded

5. Page 15: staggering

On the right side of the handout, write the words and probable definitions.

Probable answers

1. Page 7: benevolently – kind, compassionate, generous

2. Page 9: feebly – weak, pathetic, half-hearted

3. Page 10: baffled – fooled, puzzled, perplexed,

4. Page 12: brooded – worry, troubled, anxious

5. Page 15: staggering – amazed, stunned, shocked

Theme and Symbol DevelopmentReview:

Theme is the author’s message. It is rarely stated directly.

Symbols are people, objects, ideas, or events that stand for or represent other people, objects, ideas, or events.

Early in a novel, themes and symbols are present but often in their embryonic form. Over the course of the novel, they develop and grow.

Using the Text, Chapter 3

1. Go to Page 18, Middle of the page and reread to 21

2. Locate two possible Themes (messages) that the author may want to start communicating to the reader, even though it is early in the novel?

3. Locate two possible symbols and be ready to express what they might mean at this early point in the novel?

Chapter 4: Ending the Exposition• In Chapter 4, the exposition of the text merges

with the rising action portion of the novel.Exposition Review: 1. Jerry is introduced as a

character.2. Archie and Obie are introduced

as characters.3. The Vigils are introduced as a

malicious organization.4. The basic conflicts, themes,

and symbols are present and ready for development.

5. Brother Leon is introduced as a character and his involvement with the Vigils is established.

Chapter 4 Focus: Brother Leon

• Apply Direct and Indirect Characterization to Brother Leon.

• When applying characterization, search for examples that clearly indicate what kind of a character Leon is.

1. Locate and quote three clear examples of Direct Characterization for Brother Leon.

2. Locate and quote one clear example of:• Leon’s words that reveal his character.• Leon’s actions that reveal his character.• Archie’s words that reveal Leon’s Character.• Archie’s thoughts that reveal Leon’s Character.