Candide 10 - Tending the Garden - A Final Discussion
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Candide 10 - Tending the Garden - A Final Discussion (Chapters 25 to the end) : All great books must come to end - and Candide is no exception. And it is in the end that the really big ideas (and the ideas that we will come back to again and again for the rest of the year) come to fruition (pun completely intended).
Lesson Overview
A Ring Master Teacher Discussion - there is just so much to talk about - so much to discover here - that I see no other way. However, at the end of the previous class I told the students to bring in one very specific thing - quote, comment, or question about the novel that they would be willing to share. At the end of my Ringmaster Discussion - we get to all of the students comments. We did this for The History of Love as well. It's always a good thing to give the students the last word. However, that means that you allow time - at least 15 minutes for the students to have their comments at the end of the period.
The directions for the discussion can be found in my Lesson Notes below (I have 2 very developed versions).
Here are just a few of things to cover (see the Lesson Notes for more)
Recap of the Six Kings (and Martin's great comment about his heart)
Candide still hasn't learned his lesson - thinks Pangloss would "understand"
The reunion with Pangloss and Cunegonde's Brother
Candide's decision to still marry Cunegonde
The Baron's reaction to that? And then Candide's reaction to the Baron
More ships getting to their destination - ah, this is found throughout and will echo the message about tending to our Garden
Their encounter with the Dervish - and his metaphor about God being like the captain of the ship
Their encounter with the happy farmer and his happy family
Their decision to "Go work in the Garden"
A discussion on what this means for everyone - to spend your time doing those things you do best
Go through the entire class - one student at a time and their comments about the novel.
My Lesson Notes & a sample reading page
See above for instructions - the text with my notes served as a guide for the questions, comments and ideas that I ask - though I was always ready for and often elicited the students ideas, questions, etc. Over the years - as I wrote notes in this text - the previous years' notes and questions become incorporated into the lesson. Again - you will find that these instructions are flexible - and I had to be - they kept changing the amount of time that we had in the classroom.
Handouts & Quizzes
Audio Visual Content
Remote Enhancements
Nothing that I have found...yet.
Links
Class Recordings (for registered members)
Audio
Video
The Graduate Movie Questions - Students will watch a film - answering some questions immediately - and more involved thinking prompts at home. This movie will tie itself, critical thinking wise, not only to Candide but to The History of Love as well.
WHAT CAME BEFORE:
Thoughts on the Lesson
What an incredible book for our time! With the Anxiety Generation and the Epidemic of Stress - the idea that we need to "work in our Garden" is so important. To be in the moment - to do the things that we do well - and to do them as much as we can. Like the myriad of ships on their way to their destinations in Voltaire's novel - if we do that - we will eventually get there.