The Warmth of Other Suns (2020)

Lesson 4
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ELA

Unit 11

8th Grade

Lesson 4 of 8

Objective


Analyze the author’s deliberate juxtaposition and how it impacts the reader.

Readings and Materials


  • Book: The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson  — pp. 3-4; 19-23

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Target Task


Writing Prompt

Why does Wilkerson choose to juxtapose Ida Mae Gladney's life in the South with her life in Chicago so early on in the text? What meaning are we meant to infer from this juxtaposition?

Key Questions


  • Part 2 of The Warmth of Other Suns begins with this quotation: "This was the culture from which I sprang / This was the terror from which I fled." by Richard Wright. What two words jump out at you and how are they juxtaposed?
  • What do the two verbs in these sentences have in common?
  • Since the author deliberately chose to start part 2 of her book with these lines, what message is she trying to give us about the Great Migration?

Annotation guidelines: All the questions and instructions here should be answered and followed IN YOUR TEXT:

  • Ida Mae Brandon Gladney (pp. 3-4):
    • Where is she from?
    • When did she leave?
    • What role does Ida Mae clearly play based on the descriptions the author chose to use in these pages?
  • Ida Mae Brandon Gladney (pp. 19-20):
    • How many years has it been since we first met Ms. Gladney?
    • What is the purpose of the author's first paragraph? What messages do the descriptions send?
    • How do the "hustlers and pushers" treat Ms. Gladney?
    • What is Ms. Gladney doing in the final paragraph?
  • Ida Mae Brandon Gladney (p. 20-22):
    • The first sentence sounds like it comes from what genre? Why?
    • In the second full paragraph on p. 21 (starting with "Miss Theenie was not particular"), make a note about Ida Mae's mother's reasoning about wanting her daughter to marry a light-skinned man.
    • What type of girl was Ida Mae? What evidence does the author include to support this assertion?
    • Why does the author organize Ms. Gladney's story in this order? If is not chronological order, then what order is it?

Common Core Standards


  • RL.8.6 — Analyze how differences in the points of view of the characters and the audience or reader (e.g., created through the use of dramatic irony) create such effects as suspense or humor.

Next

Reread an excerpt of an introduction to identify prominent themes to trace throughout the text.

Read an article about reverse migration and identify, using evidence from The Warmth of Other Sons, what would motivate people to participate in a reverse migration.

Lesson 5
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