ENG4U1: Wide Sargasso Sea Oral Presentations (Evaluation)
Throughout this unit, we have discussed many of the important characters, events, themes, and literary elements in Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys. However, as this novel is so rich in all of these elements and links to Jane Eyre, it will be your job to provide insight into one of the following topics and present your information to the class.
Some details…
1)Students are to work individually and prepare one of the assigned topics.
2)Each student will deliver a presentation and create a media product that you will present to the audience. The media product will assist and enliven the delivery of your ideas.
3)Each student will present for 5 – 6 minutes on his/her topic and media product.
4)Following your presentation, you will be asked two questions by your teacher about something you have discussed in your presentation.
5)You will complete all process work in class. You will have three work periods.
6)Completed work will be taken home to place on cue cards and to be memorized for the presentation.
7)NO COMPUTERS. You may bring whatever artistic resources you require to complete the media component.
Assignment Expectations…
The presentation will need to feature the following elements:
a)A purposeful introduction. Introduce the topic and let the audience know what you will argue and prove.
b)Detailed analysis of relevant portions of the novel – setting, character, action (plot), language (stylistic elements), and ideas (themes). You will select one or two passages from the novel to use to support your assertion and to analyze in accordance to your selected topic.
c)A media product that will communicate one aspect of your topic. Choices include a picture of a scene, a diagram of the analysis (to be placed on overhead), a costume of a character (not a printout of a movie picture), a drawing or painting of the characters (again, not from a film version), a poster, a piece of art, a monologue, a short speech, a sculpture, or “other” (please discuss with your teacher to receive approval of your media product).
d)A short rationale to share with the class that explains the purpose and audience of your
product, and why you believe it is an appropriate choice. Your rationale will answer these questions:
-Why did you use this form of media?
-How does this format communicate meaning effectively?
-Who is your audience? What is the purpose?
-What elements/conventions are included in your media format?
e)Conclusion—wrap it up with a sense of purpose.
f)Two discussion questions presented by the teacher to the presenter.
g)Each person will hand in an individual outline and all process work. The outline needs to include your topic, your assertion, the points you will be defending and a description of the media components—a copy of the script needs to go to turnitin.
h)You must correctly cite any sources used in MLA format (according to the MLA style guide).
TOPICS!—One per person, please and thank you!
- Analyze the importance of identity and names in WSS. Be sure to address the implications of the power that comes with being the one who assigns or knows the names of things and people.
- Examine the character of Annette, Antoinette’s mother. Analyze significant aspects of her descriptions: her beauty (does it matter? Why), her choices (to remarry, to prefer Pierre, to alienate Antoinette), and her influence over Antoinette (from childhood through adulthood).
- Analyze the setting of Part 2 of Wide Sargasso Sea—how do the elements of setting contribute to our understanding of the story? Consider how setting connects to the development of plot, character, and theme.
- Analyze the power and meaning of dreams in Wide Sargasso Sea.
- Review the role of written communication, both real and imagined, in WSS. How powerful or influential or trustworthy is the written word?
- Analyze Antoinette’s relationships with boys and men in WSS. Be sure to address the entirety of the novel. What might be the ultimate message about the nature of romance or paternal reliability?
- Who enjoys the greatest power at Granbois: Antoinette, Christophine, the husband (Rochester), or some other force?
- Analyze the character of Christophine—what do we learn about her? What is the impact of her Martinique origin? Examine how Christophine can be understood from different characters’ perspectives and by the varying roles she occupies in the story.
10. Analyze Antoinette’s relationships with other women in WSS. What can be learned
about the value or danger in women’s relationships?
11. Analyze the significance of class, race, and gender in WSS.
- Analyze the importance of narrative perspective in WSS. How does alternating the narrative point of view affect the telling of the story? How might it complicate readers’ understanding of the story?
- Discuss Antoinette as a product of her environment. How do social status, education, family, and life lessons influence her behaviour?
- Madness: how are we to understand the concept of madness in WSS?