“Consider the Lobster”-David Foster Wallace

Ponder:Think of our area’s biggest TOURIST draw (probably Boat Night, right?)…

1) How do Tourists view Port Huron & Boat Night?

2) How do you view the tourists who come to PH for Boat Night/other area events?

3) Have you been a tourist somewhere & witnesses this phenomenon?

“Consider the Lobster”-David Foster Wallace

“Consider the Lobster”-David Foster Wallace

“Consider the Lobster”-David Foster Wallace

Things to consider while reading & for post-reading discussion:

1) Cultural Criticism: What is DFW saying/implying about American culture?

2) Footnotes & DocumentationRead WITH the text; what purpose do they serve?

3) Authorial VoiceWho is David Foster Wallace? Is he believable? Reliable?

4) Organization of pieceHow is it set up? What is the purpose for the

arrangement? 5) Unintended Irony & Tone

What is the overall tone of the piece? How does/doesn’tit fit the source (Gourmet Magazine)?

ToneDefinition: a literary technique which encompasses the attitudes toward the subject and toward the audience implied in a literary work

SubjectOccasionAudiencePurposeSpeakerTone

Examples:

formal, informal,

intimate, solemn,

somber, playful,

serious, ironic,

guilty, sarcastic,

condescending…

Tone

For Discussion:

What is the difference in

TONE between the two parts?

SOAPSTone Quiz for “Lobster”• Complete in groups of 2 or 3

• Answer each question thoroughly; cite evidence from the article when appropriate

Be prepared to discuss as a whole

Puzzle Paragraph• 10 minutes to write your paragraph & include

the noted items.• Refer to the article as necessary• Share several w/class

Rhetorical Precis• 4 groups; each group with a different segment

of the precis.• Be as concise as possible; yet, still answer the

requirements• We will type up the entire precis when

finished & edit it again for conciseness.

A closer look at TONE…

“The Plastic Pink Flamingo”1) 3 minute free write on your associations with plastic pink flamingos2) Read Wikipedia excerpt on Plastic Flamingo

Annotate the text for “facts”3) Read “Backstory: Extinction of an American Icon” (CSM 2006)

Annotate the text for the “cultural significance”4) Read “In the Pink No More” (NY Times 2006)

Annotate the text for “cultural significance”

Discuss Findings

5) Read “The Plastic Pink Flamingo: A Natural History” (J. Price)Annotate the text (tone, organization, diction…)

“The Plastic Pink Flamingo” Free-Response Question

• Using all you now know about the rise and fall of the plastic pink flamingo, answer the AP free response question from Jennifer Price’s essay “The Plastic Pink Flamingo: A Natural History”

• You have 40 minutes to complete