In Our Time 2 - Fact & Fiction - "On the Quai at Smyrna"
"Sometimes you can tell a greater truth, by not telling the truth." David Sedaris
Fact and Fiction - Group Work for "On the Quai at Smyrna" : As I've mentioned before, this course used to be World Literature / Journalism. In Our Time was the perfect book as it was written by an author who did both (Literature and Journalism). Originally I tied a beautiful article by Ernie Pyle into this group work. When the course became solely World Literature, the emphasis shifted away from Journalism. And yet... The idea of fiction and nonfiction being two absolutes is often rooted in students' (and some adults as well) minds. This very short story from "In Our Time" accompanied by an article that Hemingway wrote for the Toronto Daily Star - on the exact same incident (Greek refugees in Turkey) gives students the chance to see how closely fact can be to fiction - something that many of them are still hurting from when we read The Things They Carried and discovered that it is - unlike it appears to be - a work of fiction.
Lesson Overview
No quiz - in fact, this reading isn't even assigned. Instead, allow the students to get into their groups right away. They will first (see the Group Work Handout) read - to themselves or aloud - Hemingway's Newspaper Account of refugees in Turkey. Next they will read about that same account from a fictional point of view - in the form of the short story, "On the Quai at Smyrna".
Please see the actual Group Work below for precisely what's in it and my page on Group Work for more of the "why" do it. Here are some of the points that the Group Work goes over. After they are done they begin the Group Work. Please see my page on Group Works for more - but the usual procedure applies - one person writes (that should be switched from lesson to lesson). They are due at the end of the period. It is intense and designed to utilize their group knowledge and differing perspectives.
Some main points of the Group Work
How are the two text similar and different?
What elements of the fictional story - are pure fiction? Why?
Which of the two texts had a greater impact on them as a reader?
A link to the film Il Postino which had its setting changed from real life - is that a good idea?
A comparison to a similar scene in All Quiet involving refugees (I love connections - and so do the students!)
Now that they've done the groundwork: Can Fiction be truer than Nonfiction?
The Things They Carried and the feeling of betrayal many felt discovering it was fiction.
Asking students to comment on a story reported by CNN that turned out to be completely fictional.
Quiz
Most Recent Quiz
Reading Quiz "On the Quai at Smyrna" :
There actually is no quiz today - the reading, "On the Quai at Smyrna" is small enough to be read in a couple of minutes. This will give students time to catch up and/or work on long term projects.
In Our Time - online copy
This is a complete copy of the book - found at the Internet Archive , complete with the Interchapters. The book was originally posted by the Harold B. Lee Library. The work, published before 1930, is in the Public Domain.
Remote Enhancements
Group Works can be done wonderfully using remote "rooms".
"Indian Camp" - Ripples in the Water - a class discussion: What an incredible, powerful story. I am a firm believer that literature - can, at its best - help us navigate the tough and painful times that will come in our own (and our students') lives. This is one such story. We begin the lesson (after the quiz) with a discrepant event. I ask the students to tear off a corner of a sheet of paper (about a 1/4 of a page). Then they are to write down one word that describes the emotion they felt, as a reader, when they came to the part of the text where the death of young father is described. After they write it - I then tell them to fold the paper in two so the word is hidden. We then arrange ourselves in concentric circles - one person in the center of the room - three around that person - six or seven around that circle - etc. until we have four or five circles of students. Next, everyone hands their slips of paper to the person in the center. I then ask that person, in the center, to read - in their normal voice to read one of the words. The next circle is instructed to repeat that word - only a little softer. The next circle softer than that - until the last (outmost's) circle's utterance can barely be heard. The effect is powerful and the perfect way to begin our discussion.
WHAT CAME BEFORE:
Thoughts on the Lesson
It's interesting that my Juniors - right around this time of year are doing Literary Criticism and dealing with the idea of the fallacy of Author Intentionality. Today's class is similar. It asks students, to at the very least, reconsider what seems to so many of them an absolute - Facts are Facts and Fiction is Fiction. Things turn out to be much more subtle than that - and I want my students to see that before they leave my classroom.