All Quiet 14 - The Idyll - Discussion: Row Reading Ch 9 & 10 pt 1 (thru 240)
"The village gradually vanishes under the shells and we lead a charmed life."
All Quiet 14 - Discussion - Row Reading Ch 9 and 10 (part 1 - thru 240) - The Idyll : We go over Chapter 9 - though they have done it in groups - there are parts we need to talk about together. And we go over the first part of Chapter 10 (and that's what the quiz is on). Once again - like the French girls - we see Paul and the men enjoying an idyll (it's even called that in the novel). Time off - parts of the reading actually have the students (and their teacher) in laughter. It is so remeniscent of the kind of story (the Russians in the clock factory) that Kurt Vonnegut talks about in our second prelesson. The kind of Romantic Story that terrifies the nurse Mary - and worries her that Vonnegut will write a novel that makes war attractive (don't forget that guy on the bus). Except it isn't - well it is - but it makes the devestation that follows all the more powerful. In this lesson - by making it student led - you give your class the chance to see this for themselves - and therefore, the promise that they might remember it in a long-lasting and profound way.
Lesson Overview
This row reading discussion will begin with Chapter 9 because it's important to see not only how Paul makes it back to his own men - but it also gives 1/2 the groundwork for understanding how he ends up "lost" in the 2nd half of Chapter 10 (the next lesson), just as he gets "lost" in this chapter and ends up in the trench with the French soldier, Gerard Duval. The first part of Chapter 10 gives the other 1/2 of that groundwork - the prologue for the rest of the book. Some of these Chapter 9 ideas have been covered in the previous Group Work - but it is worth talking about in the Whole Class Discussion.
This is a row reading - and I have two examples of the prompts that I gave students regarding what they are to prepare for our class discussion. Please see my page on Row Readings and Class Discussion Methods for more on the methodology and reasoning behind this kind of discussion. The first one cover Chapters 9 & the first half of 10. The second one covers only Chapter 10 and concentrates on the idea of the "idyll" and how it does or doesn't Romanticize the book. My instructions here will concentrate on the former - the one that covers 9 & 10 - though you should take a good look at the "Idyll" only - Chapter 10 Part 1 only Row Reading Power Point slide as well.
Here are just some of the ideas, quotes, and themes that will be covered in the Row Reading for Chapter 9 & the first part of Chapter 10:
Paul leaning on his rifle & the visit from the Kaiser
men and coping using humor
Paul ending up in the trench with the French soldier BECAUSE of his leave home (Chapts 7 & 8)
Gerard Duval (the dead soldier) compared to the man Tim kills in The Things They Carried
The feeling that Paul must do something.
The Idyll - so much is covered here (you want to make sure you give yourself enough time - if you have to cut back on Chapter 9 do so (they did it in groups in the previous lesson)
Going over connections to other idylls - the double rations, the French girls, etc...
Go over the funnier parts of the idyll - flipping pancakes with the bombs going off - the pet cat and chair they take - the comaraderie of all getting sick
And then - the price that is paid for their idyll - the refugees who have lost everything. (also this sets up what happens to Paul & Albert in the next chapter)
Row Reading Slide & one with notes
Row Reading Slides & Teacher Notes
I believe this is the preferred one - you really want to go over Chapter 9 - though you may want to hurry along in order to get to Chapter 10 part 1. See my page on Class Discussion Methods.
This one really focuses on the Idyll - only go with this if you feel you need the time.
See the instructions above for how this works and why I've included the version with my notes. Remember what I call rows (in a classroom) most people would call columns. See disc methods.
This is for teachers to make their own notes on the section.
Sample Reading Page with Notes
If this site is all about the text-centered classroom - that certainly starts with the teacher and the reading and annotating that they do. Here are two pages from today's lesson with my notes for many years (my first copy with all my notes - about 15 years worth - were lost when I lent the book to a student and they left it on the "L".
Remote Enhancements
See the Row Reading Lesson on Chapter 6 for how to do this remotely. Row Reading works well with online students - you just need to establish the rows....
Links
AllQuietCh9and10pt1_rowreading.m4aClass Recordings
An audio recording of the class doing the Row Reading Discussion
for Chapter 9 & 10 part 1.
for Chapter 9 & 10 part 1.
All Quiet -16: The Dying Room - Group Work - Chapter 10 - Part 2: And so having just had a discussion on the "idyll" and the consequence to the French Village that Paul and the men are "guarding" - now comes the consequences to Paul, himself. As with his earlier leave home (Chapters 7-8), the lark that the men have leaves them in a "No-Mans-Land" - which ultimately contributes to Paul & Albert getting wounded. While in the hospital - they learn there is another world, with its own set of rules - and that sometimes miracles do happen. This chapter - and hopefully the Group Work - set the students up for their reading of the last two chapters in the novel.
Thoughts on the Lesson
I still remember finding that line about the refugees - and their plight a few years ago (after some 25 years of teaching this book). Their plight along with what happens to Paul and Albert is a wonderful counterpoint to the Idyll that happens in the beginning of Chapter 10. It is like so much of the structure of The Things They Carried. Especially in "Spin" where things that seem happy & good (the young boy and the chocolate bar) turn out to be horrible (he has a missing limb because of the war).