Preliminary Assignments and Extensions:

Preliminary Assignment #1: Dialog Writing: One way to prepare students for their performances is to have them write conversations between the characters we are currently studying and those we have already analyzed. The exercise forces students to think from and about two perspectives.

Example (Assigned while we were reading Catcher in the Rye).

“Instead of giving Jane or Phoebe a buzz, I decided to ring up old…______.”

Fill in the blank with a character or author we’ve studied. (Emerson, Thoreau, Hester Prynne, Dimmesdale, Chillingworth, Pearl, Emily Dickinson, Walt Whitman, Wallace Stevens, Jay Gatsby, Daisy Buchanan, The Invisible Man, Rinehart)

Based on what’s happened so far in the novel, write a conversation between the two characters.

Preliminary Assignment #2: Analysis from a Perspective

Write a one-page paper in which you analyize either:
Holden Caulfield from the perspective of another character we've studied, or another character we've studied from the perspective of Holden Caulfield. Demonstrate in-depth understanding of both perspectives.

Preliminary Assignment #3: Role-Play with Ideas

In this tune-up for the Literary Dinner Party, students are assigned a group, a character, and an idea (I like to make this random, pulling names and themes from a hat) and asked to perform an improvised, completely impromptu conversation. You might have groups of three perform for two to three minutes.

Possible Ideas / Themes:

Identity, The American Dream, The Individual vs. Society, Freedom, Disillusionment, Coming of Age, Loss of Innocence, Self-Reliance, Nature, Transcendentalism, Civil Disobedience, Love, Money, Religion, Spirituality, Appearance vs. Reality, Invisibility, Responsibility,

Extensions:

1.) Have students evaluate the performances, using the provided rubric and writing clarifying comments.

2.) Have critique the performances."Identify what, specifically, you found accurate and/or insightful in the portrayal, such as mannerisms, expressions, or opinions. Identify what you thought was inconsistent or innacurate in the character portrayal."

3.) Reflect on the role you played and how your character was played by other class members. Identify some elements of the character that you hadn't considered before seeing the other performances. Identify elements that were confirmed by the other performances.

4.)Write a morning-after recounting of one of the conversations for someone who did not witness it. What was said? By whom? What effect did comments made have on other guests at the party? Give the gossip, while demonstrating how carefully you had been paying attention.

5.) Have groups pick one representative, or have the class pick an all-star team, to stage another, impromptu, conversation.