Sunday, March 9, 2008
Symbolism
I bought a used copy of Where I'm Calling From and it's interesting to see what parts the previous owner had underlined. In the very first story in the compilation, there's a note in the margin asking what the fish symbolizes. Now, while the English major part of me would love to start pinning on meanings to that fish, I feel like that's the sort of question that would shut kids down. I'm just wondering how to talk about symbolism without instantly alienating students. I wouldn't use this particular story in class, so this is a more general question, but what do y'all think?
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2 comments:
Rather than asking what does the fish symbolize, you ask the students to come up with their own symbols from the work. ie. Have students read the story and individually take time to identify a symbol and what it represents. This assignmetns could be a think, pair, share so that they can all have their ideas heard, and then open it up to a class discussion.
Sounds good. It might even be interesting to let students draw out their symbols, and then post them around the room. :D
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