Regionalism

“The Outcasts of Poker Flat”

Bret Harte

BIG IDEA - Regionalism (1880)

• After the Civil War

• Also known as the local color movement

• Portrayed the traits of particular areas of the United States

• Attempted to describe the landscape, speech, customs, and other cultural details of their chosen region

Bret Harte

• Born in New York but went west when he was 18

• One of the best paid writers of his time

• $10,000 for 12 stories• Moved to Boston to write• Died of throat cancer at 66• The characters in Western

films are modeled after Harte’s stereotypes

Harte’s Stories

• Told stories of the rude, lawless life of the California gold-mining country

• Authors focused on real people, small towns, and regional lifestyles in order to remember the country before the Civil War

Important Literary Elements in Regionalism

• Dialect (“Why blame my cats, if he don’t weigh five pound!”) – “The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County”

• Setting – Page 469

• Characterization

LITERARY ELEMENT - Characterization

• The methods a writer uses to reveal the personality of a character

-Direct characterization -Indirect characterization-Round character-Flat character-Dynamic character-Static character

Direct characterization

• writer makes clear statements about a character

Indirect characterization

• the writer reveals a character through what other characters think or say or what that character says or thinks

Round Character

• Characters who show varied and sometimes contradictory traits

Flat Character

• Characters who reveal only one personality trait

Dynamic Character

• Grows and changes during the story

Static Character

• Remains basically the same throughout the story

READING STRATEGY – Making Generalizations

• A broad statement based on a few facts, descriptions, or examples

VOCABULARY

• Impropriety

• Malevolence

• Equanimity

• Hypothesis

• Seclusion

Impropriety

• The quality of being improper; inappropriate behavior

• EX: Newspapers accused the mayor of impropriety when he hired his relatives.

Malevolence

• A disposition to wish harm to others; ill will

• EX: The bully’s malevolence caused other children to fear him.

Equanimity

• Evenness of temper; calmness

• The teacher became known for her equanimity during disruptions.

Hypothesis

• An unproved explanation or assumption

• Sharon’s hypothesis was that a tree branch was causing the tapping sound.

Seclusion

• Separation from others; isolation

• Seeking seclusion, the famous movie star shunned fans and reporters.

Outcasts

• To be outcast is to be driven out or rejected

• In this story, the outcasts are forced out of town with the threat of death if they return

Outcast

• John Oakhurst

-gambler

Outcast

• Uncle Billy

-suspected sluice-robber

-drunkard

Outcast

• The Duchess

-younger escort

Outcast

• Mother Shipton

-older escort

Innocent

• Tom Simson

Innocent

• Piney Woods

QUESTIONS to Discuss

• Why might a person be outcast from society?

• Can a person be an outcast without physically going somewhere else? Explain.

Trailer

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