MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 18

S I P D AY

WHAT IS THE RAIN LIKE?

Using your annotations,

identify everything we

know about the rain in

The Road.

AGENDA

• Annotation expectations

• Road cart assignment

• Making inferences in The Road

DO: Understand expectations for The Road.

Identify and make inferences to determine

meaning.

Analyze McCarthy’s use of DIDLS to identify tone.

HW: Read through page 69

ANNOTATION EXPECTATIONS

•2-3 annotations per page

•Written margin notes (marginalia)

•Tone words/theme ID

These annotations will help you in

discussions, writing, and to understand the

book in general!

W H AT ’ S I N C A S S I E ’ S

B A C K PA C KROAD C A RT D U E

M O N DAY

W H AT ’ S I N L A U R E N ’ S

B A C K PA C KROAD C A RT D U E

T U E S DAY

I N F E R E N C E S

WHY INFERENCES?

•Because McCarthy is a genius

•He shows us what is going on

•It’s complex, but understandable

The Road:Make inferences about setting,

conflict, & characters.

Inferences

• Background: An inference isa new idea that a reader hasabout a story.

– Many intriguing questions arenot answered explicitly.

• Directions: Read thefollowing passages andmake logical inferencesbased on DIDLS andexperience.

• “He thought the month wasOctober, but he wasn’t sure. Hehadn’t kept a calendar for years.They were moving south. There’dbe no surviving another winterhere” (4).

–What can you infer about thecurrent state of the world?

–What conflicts do you predict thecharacters will face?

• “He took the pistol from his beltand laid it on the cloth, and thenhe just sat watching the boy sleep”(5).

–Infer why the man might need apistol nearby?

–What does McCarthy imply aboutthe man and boy’s relationship?

You & Class• “Clamped to the handle of the

cart was a chrome motorcyclemirror that he used to watchthe road behind them” (6).

–Infer why the father feelscompelled to clamp thismirror to the grocery cart.

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 19

BELL WORK: INFERENCESWHAT DID WE LEARN?

The clocks stopped at 1:17. A long shear of light and then a series of

low concussions. He got up and went to the window. What is it? She

said. He didn’t answer. He went into the bathroom and threw the

lightswitch but the power was already gone. A dull rose glow in the

windowglass. He dropped to one knee and raised the lever to stop the

tub and then turned on both taps as far as they would go. She was

standing in the doorway in her nightwear, clutching the jamb, cradling

her belly in one hand. What is it? She said. What is happening?

I don’t know.

Why are you taking a bath?

I’m not. (McCarthy 52-53)

AGENDA

• Turn in road carts

• Finish inferences

• Explain Socratic Seminar

• Question prep

DO: Identify and make inferences to determine meaning.

Analyze McCarthy’s use of DIDLS to identify tone.

HW: Read through page 101 for Thursday (Quiz 1 on Thursday)

PASS FORWARD ROAD CARTS

•Any items to share? Or rationales?

F I N I S H I N F E R E N C E S

• “Are you there? he whispered.Will I see you last? Have you aneck by which to throttle you?Have you a heart?” (11-12).

–Infer who is the manaddressing?

–What does this reveal aboutthe man’s conflict?

You & Partner• “He thought the bloodcults

must have all consumed oneanother. No one traveled thisroad. No road-agents, nomarauders” (16).

–What inference can you makeabout the groups of peoplewho populate this world?

On Your Own

• “Later he woke in the dark andhe thought that he’d heardbulldrums beating somewhere inthe low dark hills” (17).

–Make an inference about who is beating the drums in the forest.

–Also, what can you infer about this society?

As you continue reading…

• Annotate for DIDLS and tone

• Ask questions in the text

• Explore unknown words

• Note and reflect on the ideas of:

– dreams vs. daydreams (flashbacks)

– universal experiences vs. experiences related to setting

– benefits and drawbacks of relationships re: survival

– criticisms of present day society/warnings for future

You and the Class• “In the living room, the bones of

a small animal dismembered andplaced in a pile. Possibly a cat. Aglass tumbler by the door” (26).[A tumbler is a drinking glasswith a thick, flat bottom]

–Infer what events led thisanimal to its present state.What happened to kitty?!

You & Partner• “He watched the boy sleeping.

Can you do it? When the time comes? Can you?” (29).

–To what is the man referring?

–Do you think he is capable of following through?

On Your Own• “Already it was hard going and he

stopped often to rest. Slogging to theedge of the road with his back to thechild where he stood bent with hishands on his knees, coughing. Heraised up and stood with weeping eyes.On the gray snow a fine mist of blood”(30).– Infer what is happening to the father’s

health. What is the most likely cause?

Setting & Conflict

– What time of year?

– What does the landscape look like?

• What do you think happened to the earth? What struggles will the man and boy face?

• McCarthy does not state specifically what happened. What effect does not telling have on the theme and tone?

• What do we know about the setting?

– What part of the country?

• “…everything depended on reaching the coast…”

Character

• Describe the relationship between the man and the boy?

• Why doesn’t McCarthy give them names?

• What effect does this namelessness have?

“…like pilgrims in a fable…” Pilgrim: traveler to a holy place

Fable: similar to a parable; teaches moral lessonUniversal quality

• Distinctive features of Cormac McCarthy’swriting style:– no chapters

– short vignettes

– punctuation (no contractions, semi-colons,colons, few commas)

– sparse dialogue (w/o quotation marks)

• Why did McCarthy chose to write in this manner?

• How do the stylistic features relate to the plot, setting, and theme(s)?

Style

Cormac McCarthy's Style

Day to day; hour to hour; min to min survival

Minimalistic existence; bare basics

Accountability Time!• Choose one of the items and

answer in a two-part response.• Part I

– Describe the context(s) of when this item appears.

• Part II– Infer and/or analyze the item’s

significance. Consider what it reveals about a character(s), setting, and/or its symbolic value.

D R E A M S !OPEN TO PAGE 18!

THE DANGER OF DREAMS

•What does this tell you about the man?

•Juxtapose the real world with his dream

world (the past)

SOCRATIC SEMINAR

•When: Friday

•What: In class discussion

•How: I’ll split you up into small groups (fishbowls) so

certain people will discuss certain questions.

Because this is random, you want to have prepared

answers for all the questions.