SUPERMAN AND PAULA BROWN’S NEW SNOWSUIT (1955)
Sylvia Plath (1932-1963)
GROUPS + TASKS
1. BACKGROUND- TO WHAT EXTENT IS THE STORY AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL? (I.E. WHO IN REAL LIFE IS OTTO? HOW OLD WAS THE AUTHOR ‘WHEN THE WAR BEGAN’? (1941). DID SHE COME FROM WINTHROP? ATTEND ANNIE WARREN F GRAMMAR SCHOOL? (ETC)
2. BACKGROUND- THE TIMES (CONTEXT) : EXPLORE THE MAIN ‘OUTSIDE’ EVENTS IN THE STORY AND DISCOVER THEIR REAL LIFE SIGNIFICANCE (I.E. U.S. CINEMAS SHOWING WARTIME SHORTS WITH THE MAIN FEATURE./ U.S. SCHOOLS DOING AIR RAID DRILLS/ GERMANS IN AMERICA ‘BEING PUT IN PRISON’ (ETC)
3. CHARACTERIZATION: WRITE ABOUT THE PERSONALITIES OF THE MAIN CHARACTERS: PAULA BROWN, NARRATOR, SHELDON FEIN- USE QUOTES TO SUPPORT YOUR P.O.V.
4. CHARACTERIZATION: WRITE ABOUT THE PERSONALITIES OF THE MAIN CHARACTERS: UNCLE FRANK, DAVID, MOTHER- USE QUOTES.
5. SETTING: DISCUSS THE LANGUAGE USED TO ESTABLISH SETTING: BEDROOM, SCHOOL, AIRPORT, NARRATOR’S HOUSE, PAULA BROWN’S HOUSE
6. FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE: FIND AND DISCUSS EXAMPLES OF IMAGERY, SIMILE, METAPHOR, ALLITERATION, ASSONANCE. (I.E. ‘DRIPPING LIKE BLACK CAT’S FUR.’ -
7. THEMES: WHAT REALLY IS THIS STORY ABOUT? (OUTSIDE PLOT). TRY AND MAKE CONNECTIONS BETWEEN THIS STORY AND ‘SNOWDROPS.’ LIST OTHER IMPORTANT THEMES.
