Literature Unit: Beauty and Self-Image Danielle Wright Florida State University

Beauty and Self Image Description of Class: I will be teaching a ninth grade standard English class comprised of 18 girls and 10 boys, between the ages of 14-16. They are all from the lower end of the socio-economical spectrum, and most are reading below grade level. The majority of my students do not live in a typical family unit; some live with grandparents, some in single-family households, and one student lives in a group foster home. There are four students that require additional focus and attention; Luis, 15, moved to Florida from Cuba in 2010. He is pulled out of core classes several times a week to participate in ESOL, to aid his English acquisition. Jessica is fourteen, and lives in a group foster home, and has an extremely guarded demeanor. She often comes to class unprepared, and rarely participates in classroom discussion. Sarah, 14, is very intelligent, but completely disengaged. She often skips class, and when present she does not take part in most group activities. Shawn, 16, has confided in me that he is considering dropping out; he works an after school job to provide supplemental income to his family. He often comes to class exhausted, and has trouble remaining focused during any extended lectures. When planning lessons, I must ensure that, whenever possible, my lessons are engaging and student centered. It is important to provide adequate supplemental resources as students progress through challenging works, checking for understanding, recognizing cues that indicate students are having difficulty. Theme The differentiation between internal and external beauty plays an integral role in the quest for self-acceptance. This unit will emphasize the subjective nature of beauty, and its role in construction of ones self-image. I will emphasize the importance of abandoning an unrealistic quest for external perfection, and replacing it with a more organic approach to personal growth and self-acceptance. The primary text for this unit will be Cyrano de Bergerac by Edmond Rostand, whose main character struggles with self-image, yet is depicted as someone possessing inner beauty. The unit will be comprised of many culturally relevant mediums: poems, short stories, articles, and movies, which serve to tie together the theme of beauty and reinforce the concept of defining ourselves in a variety of ways deeper than outward appearance.

Goals:

How is beauty defined? How do we build self-image?

Students will: - Analyze the ways beauty and self-image are represented in literature. - Analyze the ways beauty and self-image are represented in society. - Construct written works about beauty, as it relates to in class readings - Explain the different ways of interpreting beauty philosophically, culturally, and scientifically

Rationale: The societal pressure to pursue physical perfection is a monstrous thing. Add that to the way society defines the concept of beauty, and it can be perilous. It holds the potential to produce young adults who possess a dangerous cocktail of vanity, insecurity, health problems and a host of character flaws. Due to desensitization, students may not even consciously realize the importance of outer beauty. That is the purpose of this unit on beauty. Students are constantly confronted with voices telling them they are not attractive enough, thin enough, strong enough; I believe it is time to teach students to foster and listen to another voice their own. The characters within the selected texts struggle with selfacceptance and self-image, and provide students someone with whom they can identify.

Unit Calendar:

Day 1
Students will be able to: - Create their own personal definition of beauty - Conduct a web quest researching three ways to look at beauty: philosophically, scientifically & culturally Materials: Projector Projector screen Computer with internet access White board Expo marker 30 post-its Class set of laptops on lend from the media center Beauty web quest [Appendix A1] (adopted from Jeana Rock) Students flash drives (kept in classroom) Pens

Day 2
Students will be able to: - Write an extended definition journal response to the question, What is beauty? - Utilize research conducted the day prior to provide a detailed definition - Analyze how beauty is defined in America Materials: Student journals Pens Projector Projection screen Computer with internet access YouTube Video: Killing Us Softly Paper

Day 3
Students will be able to: - Apply class discussions in a journal entry in response to a written quote - Analyze the media industrys impact on beauty in America - Discuss the article Beauty and Body Image in the Media Materials: - Article: Beauty and Body Image in the Media - Dove YouTube video: Time Lapse/Dove Evolution -Journals -Pens Strategies: Please See Attached Lesson Plans

Day 4
Students will be able to: - Apply class discussions in a journal entry in response to video about male self image - Analyze the media industrys impact on men in America -Discuss the article Men Have Body Issues Too - Analyze the role media plays in self perception Materials: - Journals - YouTube video: Medias effect on Mens self image - Projector - Projector screen - Article: Men Have Body Issues Too Strategies: Please See Attached Lesson Plans

Day 5
Students will be able to: - Conceptualize that beauty is more than skin deep - Analyze societys judgments of people based solely on physical appearances Materials: - Photo set of young adults of varying physical size, ethnicity, hair and eye color, etc. - A short false biography to accompany each of the photos - Student journals -Pens

Strategies: Please see attached Lesson Plans

Strategies: BW: Students will collect their journals and prepare their notes from previous lesson in order to complete todays journal: What is Beauty? CW: Students will spend twenty minutes writing in their journals, followed by an introduction to the medias effect on beauty. Students will watch the eleven minute video Killing Us Softly, and participate in discussion Teacher will pass out article: Beauty and Body Image in the media

Strategies: Please see attached introductory lesson.

Day 11
Students will be Day 6 able to: Students will be - Reflect upon a able to: thematically relevant video in a - List information journal entry in a KWL - Create positive Materials: affirmations about -Power point on classmates of the elements drama - Apply class readings and - Projector discussions on inner beauty to - Projector screen create a positive affirmation profile for Cyrano Strategies:

Day 12 Day 7 able to:

Students will be

Day 13 Day 8 able to:

Students will be

Day 14 Day 9 able to:

Students will be

Day 15 Day 10 able to:

Students will be

Students will be Students will be - Classify - Predict able to: thematic able to: upcoming elements of unit events in Cyrano - Select key facts -De Bergerac Predict possible - Present their work character from selected to class - Discuss reading attributes situational irony - Present their Articulate their - Analyze a close concerns regarding reading of Cyrano findings to the final Materials: class project De Bergerac

Students will be - Read and able to: interpret Cyrano - De Bergerac Recall and

summarize Act - Summarize the One Scene One second act of - Cyrano De Define Cyranos Bergerac while character traits watching the film Materials: Materials: - Class set of - Class set Cyrano De of Cyrano De Bergerac Bergerac Pens/Pencils - -Class set of Active Reading - Cyrano De worksheet Bergerac [See appendix] - (translation by Pens/Pencils Anthony Burgess) [DVD] (1985) Strategies:

Students will be - Demonstrate able to: understanding - by completing Identify the literature correct definitions assessment of vocabulary words - Materials: Compare and contrast text v. - Test movie Act 1 & 2 class set Materials: - - Pencils of Class set vocabulary quizzes - Journals - Pens/Pencils

- Construct - Journals Materials: positive Materials: affirmationswith based - Students Journals - Computer on class - Class set of internet access discussions on Cyrano De Audio Book: thematic concepts -Bergerac - Projector Cyrano De Bergerac Materials: Strategies: - Projector screen BW: Students will -BW: Journal entry class set of Materials: K - Numbers for - Class set of complete the Cyrano De about - Computer withof students [See predictions handouts to draw and W portions Bergerac What has internet access Act Two. Appendix] a KWL chart in - Students Cyrano Cyranos negative order to access Strategies: - Projector project self-image cost him - Highlighters their prior thus far? knowledge of BW: Students will - Projector Screen - Class set of Post-Its Drama quickly make Cyrano De CW: Class - YouTube video: Strategies: predictions about the Bergerac CW: discussion on What is True go Hand out and character Cyrano by structural ironyBeauty? BW: Students Strategies: will over all materials the contrast analyzing the quote: I draw numbers for culminating honestly believe, between Cyranos - Journals based on the order gentlemen, that under BW: Introduce assessment. inner qualities they entered That blessed moon of While teacher goes Students to the wit intelligence, his there never walked, - Pens classroom. Cyrano De over the kindness, and his Stalked rather, Students will Bergerac by PowerPoint strutted, so love of beauty, - Colored fill in the present Rostand extravagant, bizarre, Edmond based on students paper justice, and with eachof their the order they Far-fetched, excessive, L portion students YouTube Video: honestyand his hyperbolic, droll, Mad a name at the top entered the Bear Grylls meets gentleman-ruffian as KWL chart ugly appearance. classroom. Last Edmond Rostand this Bergerac. What has Cyranos Strategies: student to enter Cyrano de HW: Students negative selfwill Are divided Bergerac, act 1 CW:present first. should memorize image cost him BW: Watch (This will into three groups the literary thus far? YouTube video clip: by counting off, encourage CW: Students will elements of a play What is True students group follow along as Act and each to be on provided in the Begin Act 2- Scene Beauty?for a Teacher time.) one One -Scene One is will read handout One, read aloud in will pass out vocabulary quiz on section of handout played via audio class graded journals book. CW: We will on historical and Friday. address concerns biographical HW: N/A HW: N/A CW: Students will students have information write an extended regarding their surrounding journal entry (1final projects. Cyrano De 1/2 pgs) reflect Students and Bergerac, will upon the video in quickly present highlighting key their journal, their positive facts to be agreeing or affirmations the presented to about disagreeing with Cyrano to the class. Students the students in the will be assigned a class. film. Teacher will copy of Cyrano De What aspects of introduce the Bergerac that they Cyranos character will keep in class campaign would they say Operation but be able to embody the Beautiful and annotate in. concept of innerprovide HW: N/A students beauty? with post it notes

- Cyrano De Bergerac Strategies: (translation by Anthony Burgess) BW: Look over [DVD] (1985) notes while Teacher takes BW: Recap on - attendance. Computer scene one. CW: Test Act One Strategies: Students - and Two Projector summarize aloud. Journal-free RolesN/A chosen BW: are - write if finished Journals to begin Scene before time Two Finish CW: Strategies: silent allotted, or reading Act Two reading. CW: Students will aloud as a class. BW: Recap on begin reading up scene Two. Discuss Watch Movie HW: N/A Scene Two, of Act progress on active to the end providing answers two. Review For reading worksheet. Test as they progress tomorrows test. Hand in journals through the scene HW: STUDY! on their Active CW: VOCABULARY Reading guides QUIZ! Students will [see appendix] finish reading Act HW: Study for vocabulary test 1 Scene 2 aloud. Class will then watch Act One of movie, documenting similarities and differences between what they conceptualized about the play when reading the text as a class, and the way it is depicted on film. [See appendix] Test Next Friday.

Day 16

Day 17

Day 18

Day 19

Day 20

Students will be able to: - analyze different artwork from Cyranos time period Materials: - 4 excerpts on odd beauty tips of the 17th century - Projector - Projector Screen Strategies: BW: N/A CW: Students will group up by counting off and read examples of beauty tips that existed in Cyranos time. [See appendix] We will then analyze different portraits taken from Cyranos time period HW: N/A

Students will be able to: - Summarize important points from a documentary film on beauty Materials: - Computer - Projector -Projector Screen - Class set of handouts -Pens Strategies: BW: Brief intro to video. Teacher Passes out handout to accompany film CW: Watch Prescribing Beauty- A Discovery Documentary Students will take notes on film on the handout provided HW: N/A

Students will be able to: - Compare and contrast two key characters from different works to link to the theme of beauty Materials: - Class set of Alice Walkers Short Story- Beauty When the Other Dancer is the Self - Class set of worksheets comparing Walker & Cyrano - Pens Strategies: BW: Students will jot down in their journal their predictions based on title alone. CW: Read Alice Walkers Short Story- Beauty When the Other Dancer is the Self as a class. And then complete a worksheet comparing Walker & Cyrano Hand out Socratic Circle sheet HW: Create questions for Socratic circle. Students will choose one quote from the short story that resonates with

Students will be able to: - point out guiding questions for Socratic circles - Interrelate Walkers short story with the overall theme of beauty Materials: - Class set of Alice Walkers Short Story- Beauty When the Other Dancer is the Self - Socratic Circle worksheet

Students will be able to: - Construct a written reflection after watching two spoken word performances on beauty Materials: - Computer with internet access -projector screen - Paper -Pencils Strategies: BW: N/A CW: Students will watch two spoken word poems; one will emphasize societal pressures as the cause, and one will emphasize the result of said pressures. Students will choose a poem, and write a one to two page piece on the poem that theyve chosen. HW: N/A

Strategies: BW: Students will arrange desks into circle as attendance is taken CW: Socratic Circles HW: N/A

them

Day 21

Day 22

Day 23

Day 24

Day 25

Students will be able to: Materials: Strategies: BW: Review the previous two acts of Cyrano by tossing a beach ball and having students recite one fact about the play as they catch the ball CW: Teacher will relay any key facts students forgot to mention, and then we will begin Act ThreeScene One reading aloud as a class HW: N/A

Students will be able to: Materials: Strategies: BW: Students will choose roles for todays reading CW: Finish Act Three Scene 1, followed by a class discussion on Cyranos continued reluctance to tell Roxanna he is the man behind the letters, even after confronted by Christian. She loves my soul. You are my soul. Christian Teacher will introduce Roxanne (1987) the movie chosen for tomorrows class. HW: N/A

Students will be able to: - reflect on a quote - Distinguish the similarities and differences between two films Materials: - journals - The film Roxanne (1987) - computer - projector screen - Paper - Pencils Strategies: BW: Journal entry reflection on the following quote: Beauty is not in the face; beauty is a light in the heart CW: Watch Roxanne (1987) students will take notes to be handed in at the end of the period. Document similarities and differences between The film weve been watching Act by Act, and Roxanne. HW: N/A

Students will be able to: - Distinguish the similarities and differences between two films Materials: The film Roxanne (1987) - computer - projector screen - Paper - Pencils Strategies: BW: return students notes from yesterdays session CW: Continue watching Roxanne (1987) students will take notes to be handed in at the end of the period. Document similarities and differences between The film weve been watching Act by Act, and Roxanne. HW:

Students will be able to: Materials: Strategies: Please see articulated lesson plans

Introductory Lesson What is Beauty? As we begin our thematic unit on beauty, it is important to investigate, what students preconceptions, biases, and assumptions are about beauty. Because beauty is such a subjective term, we must provide students the opportunity to construct their own working definition of the term, a web quest provides students the guidance required to make research of this subject time efficient. Sunshine State Standards: LA.910.1.6.9: The student will determine the correct meaning of words with multiple meanings in context; LA.910.1.7.6: The student will analyze and evaluate similar themes or topics by different authors across a variety of fiction and nonfiction selections; Objectives: S.W.B.A.T Create a personal definition of beauty Conduct a web quest researching three ways of looking at beauty: philosophically, scientifically, and culturally

Materials: Projector Projection screen Computer with internet access Whiteboard Expo marker 30 post-its Laptops on lend from Media Center (1 for every 3 students) Beauty web quest posted to class website (adapted from Jeana Rock) Students flash drives

Anticipatory Set: As students enter classroom, they will be surprised to see an extremely

large picture of myself on the projector screen. As they take their seats I will let them know that according to the American Society of Aesthetic Surgery, there were 9.5 million cosmetic procedures done in 2010. I will ask them what this high number might suggest about our societys desire for physical perfection. I will then switch slides to a photo manipulated using the program LiftMagic, that will illustrate all the potential changes to my outward appearance, with the advent of plastic surgery. Although this photo is exaggerated for humorous effect, there are serious emotional and physical ramifications to going under the knife. Time 5 Minutes Student Students will be attentive to teachers introduction, and begin to think about the concept of beauty Students will write the first concept/definition that pops into their heads when they see the word beauty. Students will place their post-its on chart paper and listen to their definitions read aloud by teacher Teacher The teacher will introduce the lesson using a humorous example of the possible changes one can surgically make to their appearance. The teacher will uplift the projector screen to reveal the word beauty on char paper. She will pass out post-its and ask students to write what comes to mind when they see this word. It can be a definition, example, or even an illustration. She will then ask students to post their responses on the chart, and quickly read off student responses. (She will save chart to reflect as a class at a later date.) Teacher will ask two reliable students to pass out laptopson loan from Media Center, as teacher passes out class set of flash drives. Teacher

10 minutes

5 minutes

Students will listen to the upcoming activity. Students will count off groups of three. Students will each move with their groups to an open laptop,

bringing paper and pens.

30 minutes

Students will use the remaining classroom time to research (via web quest) beauty, taking notes that will aid them with tomorrows journaling.

5 minutes

Students will clean up and pack up, returning flash drives to teacher and taking home notes to prepare for tomorrows journaling

points out made evident by varying responses to the question of beauty, we will be conducting a web quest to research the subjectivity of beauty. Students will use the information gathered in this search to construct their own definition of beauty. She will inform students that they will be using these notes tomorrow to write an in class journal entry, an extended definition of beauty. Teacher will direct students to the web quest, and circulate around the classroom to ensure students stay on task. The web quest contains a brief introduction, with pictures and links that take students to reputable websites with information on beauty. Teacher will wrap up and remind students that tomorrows lesson will reference this information, so they need to reflect on their notes and bring them to class tomorrow.

Summary/Closure: The lesson will conclude with the instructor asking students to reflect on the various aspects of beauty, instructing them to think about what they intend to write tomorrow, and remind them to bring their notes to tomorrows class. Assessment: There will not be a formal assessment for this lesson.

Students will be graded based on their participation in the web quest activity. Evaluation: The teacher will know the results of the web quest tomorrow, when they write an extended definition journal. Homework/follow-up assignment: Students will reflect on their research in preparation for tomorrows journal. Attachments: [see Appendix A-1] Accommodations/adaptations: Luis is provided a Spanish/English dictionary, and works with a bilingual classmate whenever possible. When lectures are given, I provide him with written notes. He is sometimes allotted addition time to complete assignments, if the assignment requires a significant amount of writing. I approach Jessica in an unobtrusive manner, encouraging her involvement without being forceful. I reassure her progress through positive feedback. She sits towards the front of the class, and I make eye contact with her often. I take the same approach with Sarah, often probing her with more abstract questions during discussion, because this is where she shines. I work one on one with Shawn during lunch periods, to provide the extra time on assignments that he does not have the luxury of working on outside of class.

Day Three Purpose/Rationale: Students are accosted with images from the media on a daily basis, and because the advertisement industry unattainable standards for physical beauty, there are detrimental effects on adolescents. Students have been discussing the concept of beauty, and it is essential to discuss these distortive effects to better equip them with tools achieve selfacceptance. Sunshine State Standards LA.910.2.2.2: The student will use information from the text to answer questions or to state the main idea or provide relevant details; LA.910.5.2.1: The student will select and use appropriate listening strategies according to the intended purpose (e.g., solving problems, interpreting and evaluating the techniques and intent of a presentation); Objectives S.W.B.A.T: - Apply class discussions in a journal entry in response to a written quote Discuss the article Beauty and Body Image in the Media

Materials: - Article: Beauty and Body Image in the Media - Dove YouTube video: Time Lapse/Dove Evolution - Journals - Pens - White board - Expo Markers

Anticipatory Set: Students will enter the classroom and begin working on their journals. The quote will on the board will be: "We dont need Afghan-style burquas to disappear as women. We disappear in reverseby revamping and revealing our bodies to meet externally imposed visions of female beauty." -Robin Gerber, author and motivational speaker. Students will respond to this topic in their journals during the first 10 minutes. Time 10 minutes Student Students will respond to the quote We dont need Afghan-style burquas to disappear as women. We disappear in reverse by revamping and revealing our bodies to meet externally imposed visions of female beauty." Students will voluntarily share what they wrote in their journals Students will take turns reading the Teacher Teacher will take attendance and prepare the for todays lesson

5 minutes

Teacher will listen as students reflect upon the quote Teacher will guide students though the

20 minutes

article out loud, listening and being kind to those who speak

20 minutes

5 Minutes

article, assisting when needed, if there are any issues with flow. If necessary the instructor will read the article in place of reluctant students. Students will discuss Teacher will guide the article, guided by discussion on article, If the teacher. necessary, provide guiding questions, such as: What are some of the main stereotypes about women that advertizing tends to support? What should we look for in magazines to show us contradictions in contemporary views of women? How do womens magazine perpetuate an ideology of individualism? How do fashion trends reflect our views of who women should be? Students will clean up Teacher will pass out and listen to article Men Have instructors explanation Body Issues Too of the following day

Summary/Closure: The lesson will conclude with the instructor posing the question: What about men? Do you think the media plays a role in the way they see themselves? The teacher will then pass out Men Have Body Issues Too. To be discussed in class the following day. Assessment:

There will not be a formal assessment for this lesson. Students will be graded based on their participation in discussion. They will receive credit if they completed their journal entry. Evaluation: Students will be evaluated based on their participation in discussion Homework/follow-up assignment: Students will read the article Men Have Body Issues Too. Attachments: See Appendix Accommodations/adaptations: Luis is provided a Spanish/English dictionary, and works with a bilingual classmate whenever possible. When lectures are given, I provide him with written notes. He is sometimes allotted addition time to complete assignments, if the assignment requires a significant amount of writing. I approach Jessica in an unobtrusive manner, encouraging her involvement without being forceful. I reassure her progress through positive feedback. She sits towards the front of the class, and I make eye contact with her often. I take the same approach with Sarah, often probing her with more abstract questions during discussion, because this is where she shines. I work one on one with Shawn during lunch periods, to provide the extra time on assignments that he does not have the luxury of working on outside of class. Day Four Rationale: There are many gender misconceptions about body image. Physical insecurity is generally considered a female trait, yet the concept of not measuring up to societal standards is a universal result of the way both men and women are portrayed in the media. As we have been discussing the various aspects of beauty and self-image, and it is important to also address male self-image. Sunshine State Standards: LA.910.2.2.2: The student will use information from the text to answer questions or to state the main idea or provide relevant details; LA.910.5.2.1: The student will select and use appropriate listening strategies according to the intended purpose (e.g., solving problems,

interpreting and evaluating the techniques and intent of a presentation); SWBAT: Analyze the media industrys impact on men in America Discuss the article Men Have Body Issues Too Analyze the role the media industry plays in self perception Apply class discussions to

Materials: Journals YouTube Video: Medias Effect on Mens Self Image Article: Men Have Body Issues Too Projector Projector Screen

Anticipatory Set: Instructor will begin class by recapping previous discussions about beauty, and asking students to journal their response to Do men have body issues too? Time 10 minutes Student Students will think about the question posed by instructor, and write down their thoughts about the issues men might face when considering their self-image Students will voluntarily share what they wrote in their journals Students will take turns reading the article out loud, Teacher The Teacher will pose questions regarding mens self image: Do men have body issues? What are some specific advertisements that could have a negative effect on a males self image Teacher will listen as students reflect upon the quote Teacher will guide students though the article, assisting when

5 minutes

20 minutes

listening and being kind to those who speak

20 minutes

5 Minutes

needed, if there are any issues with flow. If necessary the instructor will read the article in place of reluctant students. Students will discuss Teacher will guide the article, guided by discussion on article, If the teacher. necessary, provide guiding questions, such as: Is there such a thing as a "perfect body?" What do people consider the perfect male body? Are these standards of perfection influenced by what we see in the media? Can you think of famous people who embody these standards? Are these standards of fitness and beauty realistic for the average male teen? Students will clean up Teacher will help and listen to students clean up, and instructors explanation briefly discuss the next of the following day class periods agenda

Summary/Closure: The lesson will conclude with the instructor asking what students have gotten out of the study of the medias effect on beauty, and also briefly state that students will be looking at another aspect of beauty tomorrow. Assessment: There will not be a formal assessment for this lesson. Students will be graded based on their participation in discussion. They will receive credit if they completed their journal entry. Evaluation: Students will be evaluated based on their participation in discussion

Homework/follow-up assignment: N/A Attachments: See Appendix Accommodations/adaptations: Luis is provided a Spanish/English dictionary, and works with a bilingual classmate whenever possible. When lectures are given, I provide him with written notes. He is sometimes allotted addition time to complete assignments, if the assignment requires a significant amount of writing. I approach Jessica in an unobtrusive manner, encouraging her involvement without being forceful. I reassure her progress through positive feedback. She sits towards the front of the class, and I make eye contact with her often. I take the same approach with Sarah, often probing her with more abstract questions during discussion, because this is where she shines. I work one on one with Shawn during lunch periods, to provide the extra time on assignments that he does not have the luxury of working on outside of class.

Day 5 Rationale: Students have spent a week dissecting the concept of beauty. Thus far, lessons have centered on aesthetic beauty, and now we will explore the concept of inner beauty, displayed through positive character attributes. Students may be unaware of the judgments they make on a daily basis based on appearances alone.

Sunshine State Standards: LA.910.3.1.1: The student will prewrite by generating ideas from multiple sources (e.g., brainstorming, notes, journals, discussion, research materials or other reliable sources) based upon teacherdirected topics and personal interests; LA.910.5.2.1: The student will select and use appropriate listening strategies according to the intended purpose (e.g., solving problems, interpreting and evaluating the techniques and intent of a presentation); Objectives: Conceptualize that beauty is more than skin deep Analyze societys judgments of people based solely on physical appearances

Materials: Photo set of young adults of varying physical size, ethnicity, hair and eye color, etc. A short false biography to accompany each of the photos Student journals

Anticipatory Set: Teacher will instruct students to reflect on all we have discussed about aesthetic beauty. Students have seen the destructive nature of placing too much power on outward appearances. Teacher should avoid explicitly saying the words inner beauty in this portion of class, because the lesson should guide students to this revelation.

Time 5 Minutes

Student Students will select one photo, as the young adult that they think would make a good friend based solely on the photos. Students will write a short response (1-3 sentences) in their journals explaining which photo they chose and why, i.e. what particular characteristics their selection possessed over the other options. Students will listen attentively to each biography while taking notes on each.

Teacher The teacher will instruct students to select one young adult from the photos with which they think theyd like to be friends. Teacher will go through photos twice to allow students to choose. The teacher will record students responses on a score chart and ask a couple students why they chose a particular photo as their friend.

10 minutes

10 minutes

5 minutes

15 minutes

The teacher will now tell students that she will show each picture again, this time accompanied by a short biography for each. Some are not physically attractive, but display characteristics of inner beauty: ex: some have won awards based on their humanitarian efforts Someone that may look like a bully has created a nonprofit organization to help those in need. She will instruct students to take notes about each photo for reference. Students will consider Teacher will ask students their initial selection and about their initial selections whether they would like now that they know a little to change their selections about each person. She will based on more than just ask if any students would initial physical like to change their appearance. selection and record changes on the chart. Students should The teacher will lead a participate in the discussion regarding discussion while societys initial reaction to contemplating their own people based on physical responses and listening to appearance alone. Lead their classmates students with questions responses. including: what made the person you first chose a desirable friend, do you think that the rest of society judges people the same way, and what made you change or keep your

Summary/Closure: The lesson will conclude with the teacher asking students to consider their own feelings about being judged based solely on their appearances. Students should consider why society behaves this way, if it is a good or bad thing, and if there is or should be anything done to change the behavior. Assessment: There will not be a formal assessment for this lesson. Students will be graded according to participation in discussion and thoroughness of answers in journals. Evaluation: The teacher will know the results of the activity upon reading and grading journal responses, in addition to participation in class discussion. Homework/follow-up assignment: There will be no formal homework assignment for this lesson. Attachments: See Appendix Accommodations/adaptations: Luis is provided a Spanish/English dictionary, and works with a bilingual classmate whenever possible. When lectures are given, I provide him with written notes. He is sometimes allotted addition time to complete assignments, if the assignment requires a significant amount of writing. I approach Jessica in an unobtrusive manner, encouraging her involvement without being forceful. I reassure her progress through positive feedback. She sits towards the front of the class, and I make eye contact with her often. I take the same approach with Sarah, often probing her with more abstract questions during discussion, because this is where she shines. I work one on one with Shawn during lunch periods, to provide the extra time on assignments that he does not have the luxury of working on outside of class.

Lesson Plan Day 25: Rationale: Students have spent several weeks dissecting concept of beauty, and it is now time to give thought to the intrinsic things that make you who you are. This lesson will provide a creative outlet, through which they will create a tangible, self-created concept of self. Sunshine State Standards: VA.912.S.1.1: Use innovative means and perceptual understanding to communicate through varied content, media, and art techniques. LA.910.3.1.1: The student will prewrite by generating ideas from multiple sources (e.g., brainstorming, notes, journals, discussion, research materials or other reliable sources) based upon teacherdirected topics and personal interests; S.W.B.A.T:

- Create a personal collage - Consider the guiding question of the day through a written reflection in journals Summary/Closure: The lesson will conclude with the teacher reminding students that the next class period we will be picking up in Act 3- Scene Two of Cyrano De Bergerac. She will also let them know they will be discussing their photography projects next class, reminding them that they will be due in two weeks. Time 5 minutes Student Upon entering the classroom students will read the guiding question off the board: What makes you who you are? Students will then brainstorm in their journals Students will listen to teachers instructions. Students will construct personal collages. They will use a wide array of magazines to complete this project. It should be comprised Students will present their collages voluntarily to class Students will clean up and pack up Teacher Teacher will play the What is inner beauty? YouTube video as students write to help students brainstorm.

5 minutes

30 minutes

Teacher will introduce the project. She will provide instructions and answer any questions Teacher will construct her own along with children.

7 minutes

If there is time, the teacher will present her collage to class Teacher will supervise clean up

8 Minutes

Assessment: There will not be a formal assessment for this lesson. Students will be graded based on their participation in the creative activity. Evaluation: The teacher will know the results of the activity based on

the final product, as well as students descriptions of their work. Homework/follow-up assignment: Students should jot down any questions/concerns regarding their final projects Attachments: See Appendix Accommodations/adaptations: Luis is provided with Spanish magazines as well as English. I approach Jessica in an unobtrusive manner, encouraging her involvement without being forceful. I reassure her progress through positive feedback. She sits towards the front of the class, and I make eye contact with her often. I take the same approach with Sarah, often probing her with more abstract questions during discussion, because this is where she shines. I work one on one with Shawn during lunch periods, to provide the extra time on assignments that he does not have the luxury of working on outside of class.

Culminating Assessment

Description: The culminating assessment for this unit will be submission of a Beauty Scrapbook. I will provide students with small, Polaroid cameras that they will be responsible for during the entire unit. I will ask students to capture one photo per day, of something that elicits the word beauty in their minds. Students should create a caption for each photo and catalogue it into their Beauty Scrapbook. The second component for this assignment will be a one to two page reflective piece, in which students will assess whether their interpretations of beauty have changed over the course of the unit, and whether this is evident in the progression of their photography. The culminating assignment will be to choose one photo that they feel best describes the over-all theme of beauty, and present it to the class, with a brief explanation of its significance.

Handout:
Dear Parents and Family Members, In conjunction with our current unit on beauty, in which we dissect its varying interpretations, we will be creating a Beauty Scrapbook. Each scrapbook will include visual representations of each individuals conceptualization of beauty. I understand that much of what students may initially capture will be representations of physical beauty, but I urge students to use our classroom discussions and literature to work towards a more dynamic definition, and to demonstrate that evolution throughout their scrapbook. For example, while it is important to capture the aesthetic beauty of an aging tree, it is equallyif not moreimportant to delve deeper; to consider the symbolic beauty of age and growth that the image of a tree represents. Students will also want to consider ways of capturing inner beauty; one strategy would include taking photos of human experiences, such as an elderly couple holding hands, or one person helping another. I will provide each student with a disposable camera, and I will collect students film to be developed in the final weeks of our unit. It is the students responsibility to care for this

camera, and ensure that it is not broken or lost. I will be unable to provide any additional cameras in the event of loss or damage; it will be up to the student to find an alternate means photographing and presenting their work. As Students progress through the project, they must document their rationale for each photo in a temporary entry in their Beauty Scrapbook. Because this project transpires over the course several weeks, and because they will not have access to the photos they have taken until they are developed, this documentation will help students recall the specific details surrounding each photo when compiling their final projects. Once students received their developed photos, the next step is to compile them into scrapbook format, with an explanatory caption for each photo. Students will then write a one to two page reflection expressing the ways in which their definitions of beauty have changed over the course of the unit, and also which aspect of value they have come to value more. Please see attached rubric for the grading outline, and do not hesitate to come to me with any questions or concerns regarding the assignment. As this is a creative assignment, I understand that there will be varying final products. What I ask is that you relate your photos to what we have discussed in class, and that you can back up your rationale for each photo in a wellarticulated manner.

CATEGORY
Length Requirement Images are well Linked to the Aspects of Beauty They Represent

3
Students scrapbook contains 18-25 photographs Student fully articulates a well thought out rationale for each photograph, expressing their reasons for choosing it, as well as the aspect of beauty that it symbolizes.(i.e. growth, compassion, love, friendship) Each caption is 3-4 complete sentences) Student includes multiple examples of both ascetically pleasing and intrinsic forms of beauty.

2
Students scrapbook contains 10-17 photographs Student does an adequate job to convey their rationale, but thoughts may not be fully developed. Each caption is 12 complete sentences.

1
Students scrapbook contains 1-9 photographs Student uses incomplete sentences to describe the photos, without linking them to the overall theme of beauty.

0
Student does not turn in a final product Student does not include any captions or does not turn in a final product.

Score

Multiple Representations of the Varying Aspects of Beauty

Student includes multiple examples of one form of beauty, but only one example of another. (Ex. one example of intrinsic beauty, and multiple examples of aesthetic) Student completes 1 to 2 pages, but is missing one of the following components:

Student includes only one aspect of beauty, either aesthetic or intrinsic.

Student does not turn in a final product.

Written Reflection

Student completes 1 to 2 written pages, in which they articulate their initial

Student includes only one of the three components, or the document is less than one

Student does not turn in a written reflection

definition of beauty, as well as how that definition has changed over the course of the unit. Student also reflects on whether this evolution is evident in their scrapbooks, and indicates which aspect of beauty they have come to value more.

Initial definition, current definition, or the ways in which their scrapbooks reflect do not reflect the evolution of their concept of beauty.

page.

List of Skills: - Operate a camera - demonstrate understanding up thematic concept of beauty covered throughout the unit - construct a written definition of beauty - Construct a symbolic definition of beauty represented through photographs - Reflect upon classroom discussion to expand their conceptions about beauty - Distinguish the difference between inner and outer beauty, and provide

a rationale - Decide which aspect of beauty holds the most value

Appendixes Articulated Lesson Plan Day 1:

What is Beauty? Today you will participate in a webquest in search of a definition of beauty. The sites you will visit are credible sites. On a separate sheet of paper, keep a log of what you learn about beauty, including quotes you feel are powerful in helping you define the term. Include the citation information you will need for you works cited page. Remember that there are three views of beauty: cultural, scientific, and philosophic. You will be working with a group on one of the views. Your goal is to find a definition of beauty from your assigned viewpoint. Here are the suggested sites, but use any that you feel are credible and valuable for this assignment. Be sure to find quotes from at least 3 different ones that you will use in your definition essay. http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/aesthetic-judgment/

http://www.uni-regensburg.de/Fakultaeten/phil_Fak_II/Psychologie/ Psy_II/ beautycheck/english/ http://www.webmd.com/skin-beauty/consumer_article_feature http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beauty http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16547251/ http://www.mediawatch.com/wordpress/?p=16 http://www.units.muohio.edu/psybersite/attraction/culture.shtml www.apa.org/ed/Hernandez.ppt http://mirrorofbeauty.com/science.html http://www.intmath.com/Numbers/mathOfBeauty.php http://www.beautyanalysis.com/index2_mba.htm http://www.sensualism.com/beauty/attraction.html http://www.sensualism.com/beauty/easyeye.html http://www.sensualism.com/beauty/gender-specific.html

Adapted from Jeana Rock

Articulated Lesson Plan Day 3: Article: http://www.mediaawareness.ca/english/issues/stereotyping/women_and_girls/women_bea uty.cfm - Article would not format into Word document Youtube Video:

http://www.youtube.com/results? search_query=dove+evolution&oq=dove+&aq=0&aqi=g10&aql=&gs_s m=e&gs_upl=3303l4833l0l8294l9l9l2l0l0l1l308l1514l0.2.4.1l7l0 Articulated Lesson Plan Day 4: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15160230/ns/health-mens_health/t/guyshave-body-issues-too/#.TuVdX5j1vfh Articulated Lesson Plan Day 5: Day 6: PowePoint on Elements of Drama

www.wcs.k12.va.us/users/honaker/Literary_TermsTeaching1.ppt
KWL CHART

Literary Elements of Drama Vocabulary List

QUIZ FRIDAY!

Plot: the series of events that take place in a play. There are 6 stages in a plot structure: Initial incident- the event that gets the story going Preliminary event whatever takes place BEFORE the action of the play that is directly related to the play

Rising action: a series of events following the initial incident and leading up to the dramatic climax. Climax: the turning point or high point of a story, when events can go either way Falling action: the series of events following the climax. Denouement or Conclusion : another term for the ending-it is the French word for unraveling). Character: a person portrayed in a drama, novel, or other artistic piece. Exposition is the who, when, where and what part of the play. Story organization: beginning, middle, end Conflict: the internal or external struggle between opposing forces, ideas, or interests that creates dramatic tension. Suspense: a feeling of uncertainty as to the outcome, used to build interest and excitement on the part of the audience. Theme: the basic idea of a play; the idea, point of view, or perception that binds together a work of art. Language: in drama, the particular manner of verbal expression, the diction or style of writing, or the speech or phrasing that suggests a class or profession or type of character. Style: the shaping of dramatic material, settings, or costumes in a deliberately nonrealistic manner.
Adapted from PowerPoint: (author unkown) www.wcs.k12.va.us/users/honaker/Literary_TermsTeaching1.ppt

Day 7: Youtube Video: Bear Grylls meets Edmond Rostand http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5J-a10yevlw

Meet Edmond Rostand

Call it a sort of lie, If you like, but a lie is a sort of myth, And a myth is a sort of truth.

Cyrano de Bergerac, act 1

Edmond Rostand was born in 1868, France was undergoing major changes. The country was establishing a republican government after centuries of monarchy. Along with industrial and commercial development

came social ten- sions, which were reflected in the literature of the time. Realistic novelists like Gustave Flaubert and Emile Zola replaced romantic writers like Victor Hugo and Alexandre Dumas as public favorites. Frances self-confidence would be shaken by its loss in the Franco-Prussian War of 187071. Although many people of the time did not realize it, they would soon be ready for a myth that could be a kind of truth. Edmond Rostand would be the man to give it to them. Rostand spent his childhood in the southern port city of Marseilles. He was born to an artistic family: his father was a poet and professor and his uncle was a composer. Rostand was a brilliant stu- dent and, under pressure from his father, studied law in Paris. His real love was literature, however, and he began to write plays and poems. The production of one of his plays, The Princess Far Away, starred the most famous actress of the day, Sarah Bernhardt, who was a good friend of Rostands. In general Rostands early works feature poetic sentiments, noble ideas, and good parts for the lead performers. Few of his plays are read or performed much today. In April 1896, Rostand began working on the play that has since been regarded as his master- pieceCyrano de Bergerac. When it came out in 1897, Cyrano de Bergerac was very different from the popular mainstream plays of the time, which were very realistic and often addressed social problems such as poverty, illness, and crime. In spite of Cyranos success, however, it did not cre- ate imitators. Realistic drama continued to domi- nate the stage. In 1900 following the success of Cyrano, Rostand produced his second-best work. The Eaglet is the story of the young son of Napoleon, who never ruled France but spent his short life as a prisoner in Austria. The role of the young prince was played by actress Sarah Bernhardt. Critics have pointed out that Rostand may have felt a bond with the young prince. Both were pris- oners of their past, shadowed by a great figure to whom they could never be favorably compared. For the young prince, it was the memory of his great father Napoleon. For Rostand, the gigantic figure always looking over his shoulder was his masterpiece, Cyrano de Bergerac. After The Eaglet, Rostand wrote several more plays, along with patriotic poems. His health deteriorated, and he moved to southern France seeking a more healthful climate. He received the Legion of Honor, an award for cultural achieve- ment, and was elected to the French Academy, but he lived a quiet life, seeing only a few friends and family. His final plays were not popular. He threw himself into supporting the French effort in World War I, and his visit to the trenches to see for himself the hideous slaughter of modern war- fare shocked him greatly. He died six weeks after the war ended, at the age of fifty.

Cyrano De Bergerac

I honestly believe, gentlemen, that under That blessed moon of his there never walked, Stalked rather, strutted, so extravagant, bizarre, Far-fetched, excessive, hyperbolic, droll, Mad a gentleman-ruffian as this Bergerac.
Cyrano de Bergerac, act 1

As the cast and producers of Edmond Rostands new play were rehearsing in the fall of 1897, the mood was grim. While Rostand was a popular dramatist with Parisian audiences, the rumors the public had heard about his new play disturbed many theater fans. It had been scripted in a highly artificial form that was popular with French play- wrights one hundred years earlier. No one expected it to hold the attention of sophisticated, modern Parisians. In the last years of the nineteenth century, industrialization was taking place in most of Europe, including France, and with it came a more scientific way of looking at things, and realism was becoming popular. Realism in literature, including drama, emphasizes objective documentation of everyday life, usually working-class life, and rejects idealization or glamour. This movement, particularly in France, developed into naturalismwhich shares the same goals as realism but also stresses the governing of human life by natural laws. Naturalists argued that the theater should explain the scientific laws of human behavior. Amidst this social and psychological objectivity, Rostands new play about romantic heroes, beautiful maidens, sword fights, and the power of poetry and art seemed hopelessly out of date. The directors of the theater that had accepted the new play regretted their decision. They decided to slash the budget for sets and costumes, so Rostand had to pay for the actors lavish cos- tumes himself. During the dress rehearsal, Rostand was so disappointed with the sets that he had to be restrained from attacking the set designer. The star of the play was Constant Coquelin, one of Frances leading actors. Even he, when asked for his prediction about the new plays success, could only answer, shaking his head, Dark. Rostand himself apologized to Coquelin. I beg your forgiveness, my friend, he pleaded. Pardon me for having involved you in a disastrous adventure. Therefore, when the curtain rose on Cyrano de Bergerac for the first time on December 28, 1897, expectations were low. The audience, how- ever, was about to be pleasantly surprised. From the heros first majestic entrance to his last farewell, he transfixed his viewers. Theatergoers cheered Cyranos triumphs, sighed at his suffering, laughed at his witty wordplay, and cried as his fate became known. A full hour after the curtain fell, the audience was still applauding thunderously. It is not easy to explain why Rostands play confounded everyone by becoming one of the centurys greatest smash hits. Perhaps the answer lies in Cyrano de Bergeracs stark contrast to the grimly realistic plays of its day, which often focused on modern societys darkest problems. The figure of the swashbuckling Cyrano dueling his way across the stage and stunning his compatriots with his verbal cleverness took Paris by storm. In fact, many critics, both of Rostands time and later, attributed the plays tremendous success to its romanticism, or emphasis on idealism and heroism.

Although Cyrano de Bergerac may have allowed its audience to retreat temporarily from the grim realities of life, it is not just an escapist work. Readers and viewers of this play are able to recognize aspects of the universal human condition in the larger-than-life figure who dominates the play. Sometimes all bluster, sometimes sad and vulnerable, Cyrano bears the markings of a real human being. Although he possesses great gifts, he also carries a heavy burden that is as plain as the prominent nose on his face. His seeming self-confidence is blighted by his belief that his large nose makes him unlovable. This sense of inferiority fills his life and shapes his personality. Another reason for the plays enduring popu- larity may lie in the cleverness of its writing. Through Cyrano, Rostand displays an incredible ability to compose witty poems, write ravishing 10 love letters, and speak off the cuff on any subject imaginable. Cyranos virtues, though rather cliche, are still admirable. He is honorable, self-sacrificing, just, brave, idealistic, and loyal. He keeps his promises, even when they cause him great pain. Finally, Cyrano is known and loved most of all for his panache, that is, his flair, individual sense of style, verve, or pizzazz. In the end, this quality is all he has left. Throughout the years since the plays opening, it is Cyranos panache that has kept audiences and readers coming back.

THE TIME AND PLACE

Cyrano de Bergerac is set in France during the years 1640 to 1655. In the mid1600s, France was fraught with political tension and in conflict with foreign enemies. The majority of Cyrano takes place in 1640, when Louis XIII sat on the throne, and Armand-Jean du Plessis Richelieu

Did You Know? Translating a work into another language is always a challenging task. This translation of Cyrano de Bergerac is by the famous English novelist Anthony Burgess (19171993). He is best known for his futuristic fantasy novel A Clockwork Orange, which was turned into a controversial film by director Stanley Kubrick in 1971. In the novel, some of the characters use a language created by Burgess. Burgess led quite an extraordinary life. Self-taught in music, he wrote numerous orchestral works. He also taught and worked in Southeast Asia in the late 1950s. When he was diagnosed with an incurable brain tumor, dominated the political landscape. Richelieu was a Roman Catholic cardinal and the chief minister and advisor to King Louis XIII. (De Guiche, the plays villain, uses his connections with Richelieu to gain power.) Richelieus goals were to strengthen the French monarchy and make France the most powerful nation in Europe. He led France into the Thirty Years War (16181648), a compli- cated religious, economic, and military struggle. As a result of the war, France became Europes leading power.

Protestant monarchs came to rule in most of northern Europe, and the old dream of a united Catholic Europe was destroyed forever. One key battle of this long war was the French siege of the town of Arras, in which the real Cyrano took part. The siege is also the setting for one of the scenes in the play, in which the fictional Cyrano takes part. he returned to England and began writing furiously in order to ensure that his wife would be financially comfortable after his death. Although the diagnosis was later proved incorrect, Burgess continued to write novels, stories, music and literary criticism, articles, film and television scripts, biographies, symphonies, translations, and even a Broadway musical based on Cyrano de Bergerac. In all, he wrote a book a year for fifty years. As you read this translation of a hundredyear-old work, originally written in a highly artificial form of poetry, notice how easily the language flows.

Taken from: http://www.glencoe.com/sec/literature/litlibrary/pdf/cyrano.pdf

Copyright by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

Day 9:

Active Reading
Cyrano de Bergerac Act 1
In act 1, Rostand presents a number of events that help define Cyranos character and highlight his system of values. As you read the first part of the play, use the chart on this page to make notes on what different events tell us about Cyrano. Event He stands on his chair and forces Montfleury from the stage. He challenges members of the audience to fight him. He criticizes Montfleurys acting style. He throws the bag of money on stage. He bullies the citizen who stares at his nose. He teaches the viscount how to properly insult his nose. He composes a ballad while defeating the viscount. He takes very little food from the foodseller. He becomes moody and subdued when the crowd has left. He refuses to take Le Brets advice about Roxane. He instantly decides to defend Ligniere from the 100 attackers. What It Tells Us

He is brave, aggressive, and follows through on his threat to remove the actor.

Taken from: http://www.glencoe.com/sec/literature/litlibrary/pdf/cyrano.pdf

Copyright by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc

Day 10:

Compare and Contrast

Text

Film

Day 11: YouTube video- What is True Beauty? http://www.youtube.com/watch? v=PNvpEz3f9Kc&eurl=http%3A%2F %2Fwww.projectinnerbeauty.com %2F&feature=player_embedded

Day 16:

As you breathlessly curse the magazine that advised a five-mile run to tone those thighs, spare a thought for your sisters of the 17th century. For their lifestyle and beauty bible would have recommended something much smellier. An edition of a rare 1694 manual, The Ladies' Dictionary: being a General Entertainment for the Fair Sex, is going up for auction next month. It reveals the bizarre, and often hilarious, home remedies and etiquette tips offered to women during the reign of William and Mary. Described as the Cosmopolitan magazine of its day, its pages include pointers on dating, make-up, diet and expanding the mind. A large portion of the text, however, is devoted to that age-old concern - wobbly bits.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-475753/The-17th-centurywomens-guide-looking-good.html#ixzz1gP2okYTC

Day: 18
Alice Walker was born on February 9, 1944, in Eatonton, Georgia, the eighth and last child of Willie Lee and Minnie Lou Grant Walker, who were sharecroppers. When Alice Walker was eight years old, she lost sight of one eye when one of her older brothers shot her with a BB gun by accident. In high school, Alice Walker was valedictorian of her class, and that achievement, coupled with a "rehabilitation scholarship" made it possible for her to go to Spelman, a college for black women in Atlanta, Georgia. After spending two years at Spelman, she transferred to Sarah Lawrence College in New York, and during her junior year traveled to Africa as an exchange student. She received her bachelor of arts degree from Sarah Lawrence College in 1965. She received the Pulitzer Prize in 1983 for The Color Purple.Among her numerous awards and honors are the Lillian Smith Award from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Rosenthal Award from the National Institute of Arts & Letters, a nomination for the National Book Award, a Radcliffe Institute Fellowship, a Merrill Fellowship, a Guggenheim Fellowship, and the Front Page Award for Best Magazine Criticism from the Newswoman's Club of New York. She also has received the Townsend Prize and a Lyndhurst Prize.

Beauty: When the Other Dancer is the Self

It is a bright summer day in 1947. My father, a fat, funny man with beautiful eyes and a subversive wit, is trying to decide which of his eight children he will take with him to the county fair. My mother, of course, will not go. She is knocked out from getting most of us ready: I hold my neck stiff against the pressure of her knuckles as she hastily completes the braiding and the ribboning of my hair. My father is the driver for the rich old white lady up the road. Her name is Miss Mey. She owns all the land for miles around, as well as the house in which we live. All I remember about her is that she once offered to pay my mother thirty-five cents for cleaning her house, raking up piles of her magnolia leaves, and washing her family's clothes, and that my mother--she of no money, eight children, and a chronic earache-- refused it. But I do not think of this in 1947. I am two-and-a-half years old. I want to go everywhere my daddy goes. I am excited at the prospect of riding in a car. Someone has told me fairs are fun. That there is room in the car for only three of us doesn't faze me at all. Whirling happily in my starchy frock, showing off my biscuit- polished patent-leather shoes and lavender socks, tossing my head in a way that makes my ribbons bounce, I stand, hands on hips, before my father. "Take me, Daddy," l say with assurance; "I'm the prettiest!" Later, it does not surprise me to find myself in Miss Mey's shiny black car, sharing the back seat with the other lucky ones. Does not surprise me that I thoroughly enjoy the fair. At home that night I tell the unlucky ones all I can remember about the merry-go-round, the man who eats live chickens, and the teddy bears, until they say: that's enough, baby Alice. Shut up now, and go to sleep. It is Easter Sunday, 1950. I am dressed in a green, flocked, scallopedhem dress (handmade by my adoring sister, Ruth) that has its own smooth satin petticoat and tiny hot-pink roses tucked into each scallop. My shoes, new T-strap patent leather, again highly biscuit-polished. I am six years old and have learned one of the longest Easter speeches to be heard that day, totally unlike the speech I said when I was two: "Easter lilies / pure and white / blossom in / the morning light." When I rise to give my speech I do so on a great wave of love and pride and expectation. People in the church stop rustling their new crinolines. They seem to hold their breath. I can tell they admire my dress, but it is my spirit, bordering on sassiness (womanishness), they secretly applaud. "That girl's a little mess," they whisper to each other, pleased. Naturally I say my speech without stammer or pause, unlike those who stutter, stammer, or, worst of all, forget. This is before the word "beautiful" exists in people's vocabulary, but "Oh, isn't she the cutest thing!" frequently floats my way. "And got so much sense!" they gratefully add . . . for which thoughtful addition I thank them to this day. It was great fun being cute. But then, one day, it ended. I am eight years old and a tomboy. I have a cowboy hat, cowboy hoots, checkered shirt and pants, all red. My playmates are my brothers, two and four years older than I. Their colors are black and green, the only difference in the way we are dressed. On Saturday nights we all go to the picture show, even my mother;

Westerns are her favorite kind of movie. Back home, "on the ranch," we pretend we are Tom Mix, Hopalong Cassidy, Lash LaRue (we've even named one of our dogs Lash LaRue); we chase each other for hours rustling cattle, being outlaws, delivering damsels from distress. Then my parents decide to buy my brothers guns. These are not "real" guns. They shoot BBs, copper pellets my brothers say will kill birds. Because I am a girl, I do not get a gun. Instantly I am relegated to the position of Indian. Now there appears a great distance between us. They shoot and shoot at everything with their new guns. I try to keep up with my bow and arrows. One day while I am standing on top of our makeshift "garage" --pieces of tin nailed across some poles-holding my bow and arrow and looking out toward the fields, I feel an incredible blow in my right eye. I look down just in time to see my brother lower his gun. Both brothers rush to my side. My eye stings, and I cover it with my hand. "If you tell," they say, "we will get a whipping. You don't want that to happen, do you?" I do not. "Here is a piece of wire," says the older brother, picking it up from the roof; "say you stepped on one end of it and the other flew up and hit you." The pain is beginning to start. "Yes," I say. "Yes, I will say that is what happened." If I do not say this is what happened, I know my brothers will find ways to make me wish I had. But now I will say anything that gets me to my mother. Confronted by our parents we stick to the lie agreed upon. They place me on a bench on the porch and I close my left eye while they examine the right. There is a tree growing from underneath the porch that climbs past the railing to the roof. It is the last thing my right eye sees. I watch as its trunk, its branches, and then its leaves are blotted out by the rising blood. I am in shock. First there is intense fever, which my father tries to break using lily leaves bound around my head. Then there are chills: my mother tries to get me to eat soup. Eventually, I do not know how, my parents learn what has happened. A week after the "accident" they take me to see a doctor. "Why did you wait so long to come?" he asks, looking into my eye and shaking his head. "Eyes are sympathetic," he says. "If one is blind, the other will likely become blind too." This comment of the doctor's terrifies me. But it is really how I look that bothers me most. Where the BB pellet struck there is a glob of whitish scar tissue, a hideous cataract, on my eye. Now when I stare at people- -a favorite pastime, up to now--they will stare back. Not at the "cute" little girl, but at her scar. For six years I do not stare at anyone, because I do not raise my head. Years later, in the throes of a mid-life crisis, I ask my mother and sister whether I changed after the "accident." "No," they say, puzzled. "What do you mean?" What do I mean? I am eight, and, for the first time, doing poorly in school, where I have been something of a whiz since I was four. We have just moved to the place where the "accident" occurred. We do not know any of the people around us because this is a different county. The only time I see the friends I knew is when we go back to our old church. The new school is the former state penitentiary. It is a large stone building, cold and drafty, crammed to overflowing with boisterous, ill-disciplined children. On the third floor there is a huge circular imprint of some partition that has been torn out. "What used to be here?" I ask a sullen girl next to me on our way past it to lunch. "The electric chair," says she. At night I have nightmares about the electric chair, and about all the people reputedly "fried" in it. I am afraid of the school, where all the students seem to be budding criminals. "What's the matter with your eye?" they ask, critically. When I don't answer (I cannot decide whether it was an "accident" or not), they shove me, insist on a fight. My brother, the one who created the story about the wire, comes to my rescue. But then brags so much about "protecting" me, I become sick. After months of torture at the school, my parents decide to send me back to our old community, to my old school. I live with my grandparents and the teacher they board. But there is no room for Phoebe, my cat. By the time my grandparents decide there is room, and I ask for my cat, she cannot be found. Miss Yarborough, the boarding teacher, takes me under her wing, and begins to teach me to play the piano. But soon she marries an African--a "prince," she says--and is whisked away to his continent. At my old school there is at least one teacher who loves me. She is the teacher who "knew me before I was born" and bought my first baby clothes. It is she who makes life bearable. It is her presence that finally helps me turn on the one child at the school who continually calls me "one-eyed bitch." One day I simply

grab him by his coat and beat him until I am satisfied. It is my teacher who tells me my mother is ill. My mother is lying in bed in the middle of the day, something I have never seen. She is in too much pain to speak. She has an abscess in her ear. I stand looking down on her, knowing that if she dies, I cannot live. She is being treated with warm oils and hot bricks held against her cheek. Finally a doctor comes. But I must go back to my grandparents' house. The weeks pass but I am hardly aware of it. All I know is that my mother might die, my father is not so jolly, my brothers still have their guns, and I am the one sent away from home. "You did not change," they say. Did I imagine the anguish of never looking up? I am twelve. When relatives come to visit I hide in my room. My cousin Brenda, just my age, whose father works in the post office and whose mother is a nurse, comes to find me. "Hello," she says. And then she asks, looking at my recent school picture, which I did not want taken, and on which the "glob," as I think of it, is clearly visible, "You still can't see out of that eye ? " "No," I say, and flop back on the bed over my book. That night, as I do almost every night, I abuse my eye. I rant and rave at it, in front of the mirror. I plead with it to clear up before morning. I tell it I hate and despise it. I do not pray for sight. I pray for beauty. "You did not change," they say. I am fourteen and baby-sitting for my brother Bill, who lives in Boston. He is my favorite brother and there is a strong bond between us. Understanding my feelings of shame and ugliness he and his wife take me to a local hospital, where the "glob" is removed by a doctor named 0. Henry. There is still a small bluish crater where the scar tissue was, but the ugly white stuff is gone. Almost immediately I become a different person from the girl who does not raise her head. Or so I think. Now that I've raised my head I win the boyfriend of my dreams. Now that I've raised my head I have plenty of friends. Now that I've raised my head classwork comes from my lips as faultlessly as Easter speeches did, and I leave high school as valedictorian, most popular student, and queen, hardly believing my luck. Ironically, the girl who was voted most beautiful in our class (and was) was later shot twice through the chest by a male companion, using a "real" gun, while she was pregnant. But that's another story in itself. Or is it? "You did not change," they say. It is now thirty years since the "accident." A beautiful journalist comes to visit and to interview me. She is going to write a cover story for her magazine that focuses on my latest book. "Decide how you want to look on the cover," she says. "Glamorous, or whatever." Never mind "glamorous," it is the "whatever" that I hear. Suddenly all I can think of is whether I will get enough sleep the night before the photography session: If I don't, my eye will be tired and wander, as blind eyes will. At night in bed with my lover I think up reasons why I should not appear on the cover of a magazine. "My meanest critics will say I've sold out," I say. "My family will now realize I write scandalous books." "But what's the real reason you don't want to do this?" he asks. "Because in all probability," I say in a rush, "my eye won't be straight." "It will be straight enough," he says. Then, "Besides, I thought you'd made your peace with that." And I suddenly remember that I have. I remember: I am talking to my brother Jimmy, asking if he remembers anything unusual about the day I was shot. He does not know I consider that day the last time my father, with his sweet home remedy of cool lily leaves, chose me, and that I suffered and raged inside because of this. "Well," ht says, "all I remember is standing by the side of the highway with Daddy, trying to flag down a car. A white man stopped, but when Daddy said he needed somebody to take his little girl to the doctor, he drove off." I remember: I am in the desert for the first time. I fall totally in love with it. I am so overwhelmed by its beauty, I confront for the first time, consciously, the meaning of the doctor's words years ago: "Eyes are sympathetic. If one is blind, the other will likely become blind too." I realize I have dashed about the world madly, looking at this, looking at that, storing up images against the fading of the light. But I might have missed seeing the desert! The shock of that possibility--and gratitude for over twenty five years of sight--sends me literally to my knees. Poem after poem comes--which is perhaps how poets pray. ON SIGHT

I am so thankful I have seen The Desert And the creatures in the desert And the desert Itself. The desert has its own moon Which I have seen With my own eye. There is no flag on it. Trees of the desert have arms All of which are always up That is because the moon is up The sun is up Also the sky The Stars Clouds None with flags. If there were flags, I doubt the trees would point. Would you? But mostly, I remember this: I am twenty-seven, and my baby daughter is almost three. Since the birth I have worried about her discovery that her mother's eyes are different from other people's. Will she be embarrassed? I think. What will she say? Every day she watches a television program called Big Blue Marble. It begins with a picture of the earth as it appears from the moon. It is bluish, a little battered-looking, but full of light, with whitish clouds swirling around it. Every time I see it I weep with love, as if it is a picture of Grandma's house. One day when I am putting Rebecca down for her nap, she suddenly focuses on my eye. Something inside me cringes, gets ready to try to protect myself. All children are cruel about physical differences, I know from experience, and that they don't always mean to be is another matter. I assume Rebecca will be the same. But no-o-o-o. She studies my face intently as we stand, her inside and me outside her crib. She even holds my face maternally between her dimpled little hands. Then, looking every bit as serious and lawyerlike as her father, she says, as if it may just possibly have slipped my attention: Mommy, there's a world in your eye." (As in, "Don't be alarmed, or do anything crazy.") And then, gently, but with great interest: "Mommy, where did you get that world in your eye?" For the most part, the pain left then. (So what, if my brothers grew up to buy even more powerful pellet guns for their sons and to carry real guns themselves. So what, if a young "Morehouse man" once nearly fell off the steps of Trevor Arnett Library because he thought my eyes were blue.) Crying and laughing I ran to the bathroom, while Rebecca mumbled and sang herself to sleep. Yes indeed, I realized, looking into the mirror. There was a world in my eye. And I saw that it was possible to love it: that in fact, for all it had taught me of shame and anger and inner vision, I did love it. Even to see it drifting out of orbit in boredom, or rolling up out of fatigue, not to mention floating back at attention in excitement (bearing witness, a friend has called it), deeply suitable to my personality, and even characteristic of me. That night I dream I am dancing to Stevie Wonder's song "Always" (the name of the song is really "As," but I hear it as "Always"). As I dance, whirling and joyous, happier than I've ever been in my life, another bright- faced dancer joins me. We dance and kiss each other and hold each other through the night. The other dancer has obviously come through all right, as I have done. She is beautiful, whole, and free. And she is also me.

Beauty: When the Other Dancer Is the Self

Alice Walker
How do you see yourself? What are your favorite things about yourself? Your least favorite?

Background
Throughout his life, Cyrano has to deal with his large nose, which he sees as a physical disfigurement. In spite of this, he is able to develop self-respect and even affection for his nose. Oftentimes, we let what we perceive as weaknesses keep us from actively participating in life. Alice Walker, author of The Color Purple, writes how a childhood injury affected her attitude toward life and how, eventually, she was able to regain her sense of self-worth.

Responding to the Reading

1. Why do you suppose Walkers family members say she didnt change at all after the accident?

2. How do her daughters words help to heal Walkers pain?

3. Making Connections At the end of the essay, how do Walkers feelings about her eye compare to Cyranos feelings about his nose?

Self-Por trait
Create a collage self-portrait using pictures and words cut from old magazines. Think about the things that make you who you are, then try to convey those qualities through your collage.

Taken from: http://www.glencoe.com/sec/literature/litlibrary/pdf/cyrano.pdf

Copyright by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc

Day 20 -

Spoken Word Poetry: http://www.youtube.com/watch? v=zTL8LChVPLk&eurl=http%3A%2F %2Fkissingink.tumblr.com %2F&feature=player_embedded http://www.youtube.com/watch? v=3_HBrwLIyBs&eurl=http%3A%2F %2Fwww.tumblr.com%2Ftagged%2Fself %2Bimage&feature=player_embedded