Wednesday, 4 March 2026

P2 EF710 Class 21

 

Sentence work coming up:  causal verbs

                                                   sentence combining

 

Today’s Agenda

·      Attendance

·      Distribute Animal Farm novels

Prep Chapter 1 for Friday- reading and Thought Questions

You can use the school novel, or you can get your own copy: paper, e-book, audiobook.

VPL has ebook and audiobook. For audiobooks, you need the app called Libby.

 

·      Continue “Dead Man’s Path”

“Thought Questions”

Module- discuss

Prepare for Test 4 with quoted text “ “

Test 4 on Friday

·      Continue final kind of sentence “Compound-Complex Sentences”

 

Thursday

Substitute teacher

 

Friday

·      “Self-Reflection Assessment” Week 5

·      Begin Animal Farm

·      Test 4

 

Monday

·      “Midterm Self-Assessment Reflection”

 

Tuesday, March 10

·      Opportunity to replace one quiz, test, both or neither

 

Wednesday, March 11

·      Midterm recommendations

 

Thursday, March 12

·      Midterm recommendations

 

Friday- final day before Spring Break

 

 

·      “Dead Man’s Path” module

·      Chinua Achebe- African writer, Nigeria

English 12- very popular novel Things Fall Apart, Chinua Achebe

 

Chenua Achebe- student – educated in English, British-style schools

history- British

poetry-British

literature- British

 

-became a writer, wanted to write about Nigeria, Africa

-give voice to his people

-choice- write in English or write in Igbo?

decided to write in English- share the stories with English-speaking world

spread his stories to the whole world

-his work is available in translation

Things Fall Apart

 

**Side topic

Novels come out in different editions, different printings.  different versions

-same text, different cover art, different cover picture, different font, different paging

 

 

-themes of colonialism and oppression are all through his work

oppression -someone works to take your rights away, keep you down

colony(n) colonize(v) colonization(n) colonialism(n)

Hong Kong was a colony of Great Britain for 100 years, from 1841 to July 1, 1997.

Elon Musk wants to colonize Mars.

 

‘the man in the moon’

We tell children, “The moon is made of green cheese.”

The moon is covered in craters.

 

 

 

 

 

·      Big question:

Surface level question: Does a teacher from away have to respect the culture of the local students, even if the teacher isn’t part of that culture?

What about a visitor to a new place?

 

IDIOM When in Rome, do as the Romans do.

 

 

Bigger question:

Deeper level question: Does a person in a position of authority who comes from a different culture have to show respect for the local culture?

 

 

Story about colonialism on a deeper level

A powerful group or people moving in and taking over.

Canada’s relationship and history with First Nations Peoples

-thematic similarity

theme – deep message about human nature

 

Africa- colonizers came to Africa and then went back, mostly

Canada- came to Canada and US and stayed

 

VOCAB occupied territory- sounds temporary

 

VOCAB a reading of the story- an interpretation

My reading of the story is…

Her reading of what he said was…

 

SURFACE LEVEL READING- PLOT- -story about Mr. Obi, a headmaster, principal of a school, his actions, the conflicts, his mistakes, result

 

DEEPER LEVEL READING- metaphor for colonialism, one country colonizing another- taking over, not respecting the existing culture

village is a symbol for an entire colonized country, Obi represents of a colonizing government

the village- a metaphor for any colonized place

Mr. Obi- symbol of colonizer, represents colonizers

 

A good story can exist on several levels of interpretation.

 

REP from yesterday

Obi- wants to bring modern ideas, has good intentions, wants to do the right thing

-         choose very poor execution, actions

VOCAB execute(v) 1.to kill somebody 2.carry out an action

Murderers are sometimes executed in  the US. The US has the death penalty.

computer program- execute a computer program   ABC.exe

 

executive- a person who makes decisions and takes action

 

IDIOM Keep your nose clean. Don’t get involved with bad people.

 

IDIOM Actions bring consequences.

FUNNY IDIOM Play stupid games. Win stupid prizes. If you get involved in bad situations, you may have bad results.

 

IDIOM Stay on the straight and narrow. the straight and narrow path

 

VOCAB

unprogressive (negative-sounding) – backward, simple, unscientific, dumb

conservative, traditional (positive-sounding)

 

The Conservative Party political party “Big C Conservative”

small ‘c’ conservative – lifestyle, how you see the world, financially conservative, socially conservative

He dresses conservatively.

She has socially conservative views.

She has socially progressive views.

 

left-wing politics- progressive- NDP

right-wing politics- conservative- Conservatives

 

Are you on the left or the right?

centre-left    centre-right    extreme left     extreme right

 

The ruling party in Canada is the Liberal Party. Under Carney, they tend to be centre-right.

centrist-

 

 

Canada from the 1970s- multiculturalism

multicultural- diversity, religions, customs, languages, races, traditions, etc.

 

tolerance(n), acceptance

IDIOM put up with – tolerate(v) something that is bothering you

tolerant(adj)

The mother tolerated her son’s whining.

Some people are very tolerant and patient.

impatient

intolerant

My patience is running out.

 

tolerance- accepting something that is different from you believe.

IDIOM Live and let live.

 

embrace(V)

 

The US – nickname for the US “the Melting Pot” a place to assimilate

 

 

 

Notes from the text:

“young” “energetic”- positive words to describe Micheal Obi (ironic)

physical description is not positive-

physical description on Micheal – not impressive

“sat folded up in a chair”

“stoop-shouldered and frail”

“deep-set eyes”

“only twenty six, but looked thirty or more”

“he was not unhandsome”

 

 

Achebe is using Nancy as his way of expressing his feelings about Micheal.

 

Mission –  church, Christian church establishment

missionary – someone who shares information about their religion, often travel to other countries

Catholic church sent missionaries to the Philippines 300 years ago.

 

Many churches offer free English lessons.

 

The Mormons- Church of Latter Day Saints

 

freedom of religion-

 

VOCAB proselytize(v) – teach, talk about religion

The missionaries proselytized to the local people.

 

 

 

“narrow views” – judgmental- make judgements about people without all the information

He is a judgmental person.

Live and let live.

non-judgmental

 

**

Nancy

Achebe characterizes her as a little bit shallow

shallow person – not much depth of personality or beliefs

deep person- deep feeling, many layers to your personality

IDIOM She is like an onion.

 

children who are deep and wise- They are old souls.

-the boys in the Ice Storm

 

Nancy’s fantasy about her role and position p1

-interest in being high-status “the queen of the school”

social status- your place in society

 

disappointed when no other wives- “Nancy was downcast.”

IDIOM Queen bee

 

IDIOM “A penny for your thoughts.” say to someone who is lost in thought

 

“imitating the woman’s magazines she read”

-changing her language to reflect the social status that she is striving for

 

“shall”  trying to sound upper-class, aristocratic, a little pretentious

‘whom’

 

‘backward’ – undeveloped, not modern- negative meaning, negative-sounding word, impolite , dismissive

 

lack of respect shown by the Obis

 

comparison between Nancy’s beautiful garden and “rank neighborhood bushes” ugly local plants

 

metaphor for hers and Micheal’s opinion of the existing school and teachers, villagers, local beliefs

 

“It amazes me that you people…” insulting way to address somebody

 

Micheal does not respect the locals, feels like he is superior to them, better than them

arrogant!

IDIOM “nose in the air”- you think that you are better than other people

 

VOCAB “big row”-  rhymes with ‘now’   big fight, big problem

The two kids had a row over/about their toys.

 

Chinua Achebe is an amazing writer, in full control of word choice.

 

 

 

pagan – religion, but not monotheistic

pagan- polytheistic – poly-many

 

monotheistic- mono-1   the-god  belief in one god

knock on wood- ancient Irish- believed gods in trees

Ancient Greece- many gods and goddesses, mythology

 

 

Micheal Obi put up barbed wire- used in farms for animals and prisons

 

 

comparison between priest and Obi

priest – slight stoop, like Micheal Obi

Micheal Obi – young and misguided, full of zeal

priest – old and wise

 

“exchange of cordialities”- greetings, welcomings, must share cultural understanding

 

Obi “highway” “thoroughfare” exaggerating for effect-

LITERARY TERM hyperbole- exaggerating for effect

 

 

Priest “Look here, my son.” establishing his authority as an elder

-explains how the life of the village is based on the path

 

Mr Obi –“satisfied smile on his face”- smug face

arrogant, self-satisfied

 

Obi “eradicate” VERY STRONG WORD- kill completely, destroy, eliminate

Recall’s Canada’s historical policies about First Nations Peoples

 

“fantastic”(3)- like a fantasy, like a childish dream, foolish

 

“teach your children to laugh at such ideas”

 

priest make a final conciliatory statement- “let the hawk perch and let the eagle perch.”

conciliatory – making peace

reconcile(v)- make up

 

birds of prey- hunting birds

 

priest trying to talk sense into Mr. Obi

 

You can see hundreds of eagles in Brackendale which is close of Squamish.

 

Priest is asking for tolerance, mutual respect, and peaceful coexistence.

Obi is unwilling to allow that. He does not have any respect for the local culture. Will not listen.

 

Obi was inflexible. He refused to compromise. He paid a big price.

The villagers tried to negotiate, meet in the middle, make a deal, give and take, compromise, etc.

 

young woman dies having a baby

religious/superstitious

villager blame the fence blocking new babies coming into the village

“Most important, it is the path of children coming in to be born”

 

His school was destroyed by the villagers. They tore out the fence, ripped up Nancy’s gardens, and pulled down a building.

It is not stated explicitly, but we can infer that the villagers did it.

infer(v)- make a good guess based on evidence

imply(v) – give clear signals or suggestions wihtout being explicit

 

I imply. You infer.

 

He got a bad report from the supervisor/inspector/superintendant/boss.

 

 

Today and tomorrow-

Prepare to use quoted text.

Go through the story and find good words and phrases that can be used for quoting.

 

 

voltage, volt-   like the amount of water in a hose

amperage, amps- how fast the water is going

 

In Canada, voltage is around 110v at 15amps.

In China, Europe, voltage is 220v at 15 amps.

 

 

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