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Unit 1, Part 2

The Force of Luck

Unit 1, Part 2

The Force of Luck

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Unit 1, Part 2Unit 1, Part 2

(pages 90–103)


Before You Read

Reading the Selection

After You Read


For pages 90–103

7.6.B Analyze the development of the plot through the internal and external responses of the characters, including their motivations and conflicts.


Meet Rudolfo A. AnayaClick the picture to learn

about the author.


Think about a time when you won a game, a contest, or a prize. Was your success the result of hard work, or was it luck?

Partner Talk With a partner, talk about whether success comes from a person’s efforts or from luck. Can a person have control over his or her fate?

Connect to the Folktale


Build Background

Folktales are stories that have been passed down orally from one generation to another by storytellers. Almost every culture has its own folktales. These tales help reinforce and preserve a culture’s values and traditions. “The Force of Luck” is part of the oral tradition of the Hispanic people who lived in the American Southwest. This story shares common elements with other folktales.


Build Background

• The story is about ordinary people.

• The story takes place in a small village sometime in the past.

• The story features three main events.


prosperous adj. having wealth or good fortune; successful. The prosperous actor lived in a mansion high in the hills.

Click a vocabulary term to listen to the definition.

provisions n. food or supplies. The backpackers carried enough provisions for two weeks in the wilderness.


novelty n. something new and unusual. For people living in hot climates, snow is a novelty.

Click a vocabulary term to listen to the definition.

benefactors n. people who help, especially by giving money or gifts. With support from several benefactors, the library was able to buy new computers.


Set Purposes for Reading

As you read, ask yourself, what does this folktale suggest about luck and about relying on oneself?



A character is a person in a literary work. If a character is an animal, it displays human traits. A main character is the most important character in a work. A minor character is part of the story but is not the focus of the action. Flat characters reveal only one personality trait. Round characters show varied, and sometimes contradictory, traits.

Character



As you read, pay attention to what the characters think about the events in the story. Notice what they say and how they act. Look for changes in the main character.

Character



Character

Click the image to view the animation.



When you analyze, you look at the separate parts of something to understand the whole. When you analyze plot, you look at how the parts of the plot work together as a whole. Recall that a plot has five main parts: exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution.

Analyze Plot



To analyze plot, answer these questions:

Analyze Plot

• Who are the characters, and what is the conflict in the story?

• How do events in the story combine to advance the plot?



• What part of the story is most interesting or suspenseful?

Analyze Plot

• What happens at the end of the story? How was the reader prepared for the ending by what came before?



As you read, fill in a graphic organizer like the one below.

Analyze Plot


Analyze Every story has a plot—including the stories in movies, books, or television programs. Analyze the plot of your favorite movie, book, or television program. With a partner, discuss which events make up the story’s rising action, climax, and resolution.


Analyze Plot

Unit 1, Part 2Unit 1, Part 2Unit 1, Part 2Unit 1, Part 2


Character What does the miller’s statement tell you about his character?

Answer: The miller accepts his situation. He is responsible with money and is humble.


This depiction of agricultural workers provides visual clues about their lives. What kind of clothes do the workers wear? What do the workers’ clothes say about their lives?

Answer: The workers wear oversized hats and faded clothes with pant legs and sleeves rolled up. The clothes show that the workers do a great deal of physical labor outside in the heat.


Analyze Plot What conflict does the miller face?

Answer: The conflict is that the miller does not know what to do with so much money.


Diego Rivera is one of Mexico’s most famous artists. His subject matter often deals with life in Mexico, Mexican history, or social problems. Because Rivera believed that art should not be hidden away, he often painted large murals on the walls of public buildings. Which character in the story does the woman in the mural come closest to illustrating?


Answer: Possible response: The woman in the mural is similar to the miller’s wife.


A hawk is a bird of prey.


Character Describe the miller’s wife.

Answer: The miller’s wife accepts their situation. She has faith that their situation will change someday.


Character Are both the miller and his wife resigned to poverty? Explain.

Answer: Possible answer: The miller copes with poverty by living modestly. His wife seems to hold out hope for change.


Analyze Plot In what way does the man’s action advance the plot? What do you think will happen to the money?

Answer: The additional money advances the plot because the reader wants to know what will happen to the miller and his money. The miller may lose the money again or may become prosperous.


Character What did the miller learn from his last experience with the money?

Answer: The miller learned to be more careful with money by protecting it.


Earthenware is made from clay that is heated until it is hard.


Analyze Plot In what way might the lead affect the events in the story?

Answer: An item of no worth may prove valuable later in the story.


Cultural History

Hispanic Legends Rudolfo Anaya writes about a culture that is rich in legends. The tale of La Llorona, the Weeping Woman, for example, is a well-known ghost story. According to legend, La Llorona haunts rivers and lakes searching for her children. Why do people pass legends down from one generation to another?


Cultural History

Answer: Possible answer: Passing down legends is a way of keeping a culture and its traditions alive from one generation to the next.


Analyze Plot What are some clues that the glass may prove important to the plot?

Answer: The passage mentions that the miller knows nothing about jewels, which suggests that the “glass” is actually a diamond. The glass is so bright and shiny that it must be valuable.


Analyze Plot The miller’s lack of knowledge could lead to more “bad” luck. How would the miller know that the “glass” was actually valuable?

Answer: Possible answers: He could judge from other people’s responses. He could ask a knowledgeable person.


Character What does the jeweler’s wife’s statement tell you about her character?

Answer: The jeweler’s wife knows that the glass is a valuable jewel, and she probably wants to keep it.


Character Does the author find fault with the behavior of the jeweler’s wife, or does the author see her as a good businessperson?

Answer: Possible response: The author indicates that the jeweler’s wife is greedy.


Analyze Plot Why might this event be part of the story’s climax?

Answer: By selling the glass, the miller may find that his life will change dramatically. This is part of the climax because it is the most interesting and suspenseful part of the story.


Language History

Etymology The word mill comes from the Latin root word molere, which means “to grind.” The word meal, which means “coarsely ground seeds,” shares the same Latin root. Why have the words mill and meal developed from the same Latin root?

Answer: They have similar meanings: to mill something is to grind it, and meal is coarsely ground seeds.


Whom does the miller count on?

Answer: The miller is cautious and counts on himself to continue to work hard in case he somehow loses the money.


Analyze Plot How can you tell that the plot has now reached the falling action?

Answer: This part of the story occurs after the climax. These details lead to the story’s resolution.


Character Why would the man not believe the miller?

Answer: The man who had given money to the miller believes that money makes a man successful. He does not believe in luck.


The eagle image is part of a huge series of murals painted by Diego Rivera, beginning in 1923. Rivera painted the murals on the walls of the Ministry of Public Education building in Mexico City. Rivera’s murals depicted not only Mexico’s agriculture and industry, but also the art and culture of the Mexican people. Why is an eagle an appropriate image for a building devoted to education?


Analyze Plot How does the man’s doubt provide a clue to what will happen in the story’s resolution?

Answer: The man’s doubt provides a clue that the miller will show that he is an honest man by discovering the lost money.


Character How do you think the miller feels about finding the money?

Answer: The miller probably feels happy to have finally proven his honesty.


Answer: They want to prove whether luck or money makes a man prosper.

Respond and Think Critically

1. What are the two wealthy men trying to prove? Explain. [Recall]



2. Explain how the miller loses his first gift. [Summarize]

Answer: A hawk grabs the miller’s first $200.



3. What values do you think are promoted by this folktale? Explain. [Infer]

Answer: The miller’s story reinforces the values of hard work, honesty, and kindness to neighbors.



TIP: Inferring

When you infer, you combine clues and details from the text with your own background knowledge. Think about what details and events in the story suggest about the best way to live.



• What kind of person is the miller?

• What does he do with the gifts of money? How does he act after the money is lost?

• What happens as a result of the miller giving the lead to the fisherman’s wife? What lesson about life is the folktale suggesting?



4. Character Is the miller a realistic character? Is he a round or flat character? Use details from the story to support your answer. [Evaluate]



Answer: The miller is realistic because he is poor and hardworking. You may say that his response to losing the money for the second time is unrealistic because he does not get as upset as a real person probably would. The miller is a round character because he has different characteristics. He is generous and hardworking, but he gets angry when he loses the money and becomes suspicious of some of his neighbors.



5. Analyze Plot Review the plot diagram you created as you read. List at least two events that make up the story’s rising action. Then provide at least two events that make up the story’s falling action. [Analyze]



Answer: The rising action includes the first and second gifts of money, its loss, the gift of lead, and the discovery of the piece of glass. The falling action includes the miller’s decision to start his own business, his success, and his discovery of the lost money.



6. Think about events and details from the folktale. Whom or what does the miller count on? [Conclude]



Answer: Possible responses: You might say that the miller can count on luck. He was lucky to meet the two wealthy men. to receive the piece of lead, and to find the diamond. Others may say that the miller counts on himself. He wisely used the money from the diamond to establish a business.


On a separate sheet of paper, write the vocabulary word that correctly completes each sentence. If none of the words fits the sentence, write none.


prosperous noveltyprovisions benefactors

1. We filled our cupboards with the necessary ___________ to prepare for the coming storm.

2. My neighbor ___________ reality television shows.

provisions

none


3. The animal shelter’s ___________ gave money, purchased supplies, and helped find homes for pets.

4. Amy was determined to be ___________, so she worked hard and saved her earnings.

5. Within a few days, Juan’s new unicycle was no longer a __________.

prosperous noveltyprovisions benefactors

benefactors

prosperous

novelty


Write a Summary Writing a summary involves retelling the main ideas and most important details. Use your plot diagram and review the story to recall key events in “The Force of Luck.” Then write a brief summary of the folktale.


Think about an ordinary penny. What makes an item, such as a penny, lucky?


Mike entered the Harrison Community Center for

his first 4-H Club meeting.

In a noisy meeting room, he found club members from all over Boone County.

Everyone was busily filling out entry forms for the Iowa State Fair.


Between two houses on our street, broken glass and litter covered an empty lot.

With a couple of free hours, I started to clean it up.

Before too long and without being asked, six other people joined me.


Nathan and I traded papers when the teacher told him and me to check each other’s sentence variety.

We students have to do that kind of thing often, but we don’t mind.


What did the miller do with the first two hundred dollars that the men give to him?

A. He bought a piece of meat and some supplies.

B. He gave it to a hawk.

C. He gambled with it.

D. He hid it in a jar of bran.


Where did the miller hide the second two hundred dollars that the men give to him?

A. in a pouch that is later stolen by a hawk

B. in a jar of bran

C. in the sea

D. under a table


How much money did the jeweler give the miller for his diamond?

A. two hundred dollars

B. four hundred dollars

C. fifty dollars

D. one hundred thousand dollars


What did the miller do with the money he receives for the diamond?

A. He built his own mill and a vacation home for his family.

B. He repaid the two men who gave him money to settle their argument.

C. He treated the jeweler and his wife to a grand feast.

D. He gave it to the poor.


Where did the miller and his friends find the money stolen by the hawk?

A. in a jar of bran

B. in the stables of the miller’s vacation home

C. in the stomach of a giant fish

D. in a nest at the top of a tall pine tree

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