November 4 & 5, 2024
Agenda
Starter: 11/4 & 11/5
Directions: Like other members of his family, Bailey seems hardly to exist. He is given little description, he rarely speaks, and the events of the story seem to happen to him rather than being dictated in any way by his character. He even willingly goes to his own death, almost as if he is resigned to his fate and unwilling to fight against it. So who is Bailey Boy? Write Bailey’s backstory. Give him a history. Where did he grow up? Is he an only child or does he have siblings? If he has them, why does the Grandmother live with him and not them? What does he think of his mother? What does he think of his wife and children? Where does he work? Think about these questions and more as you try to imagine just who Bailey really was. Write at least 8-sentences describing who you think Bailey is.
Finish Practice #1: A Good Man is Hard to Find (reading) Assignment
Writing Response: What is The Misfit’s philosophy? How does he see things differently from the grandmother?
Writing Response: “She would of been a good woman,” The Misfit explains, “if it had been somebody there to shoot her every minute of her life.” Explore the significance of the brief eulogy of the grandmother that concludes this short story. What does the Misfit recognize about the grandmother in this moment? Was the grandmother a “good woman” or not?
Exit Ticket: 11/4 & 11/5
Directions: O’Connor plays with the idea of what a ‘good’ man is. In groups, create a 3-column chart. Come up with 5 traits of what a good man is AND 5 traits of what a ‘bad’ man is. Now, compare your 10 traits with how O’Connor describes these through her characters. Where does Bailey or the Misfit fit in? Does locale or geography in the story add to O’Connor’s definition? Explicate.
