CYCLE 8 - DAY 4 - SEM 1 - Roles in Watership Down

No new vocabulary or sentence diagramming today. I asked you to be sure to review the GRAMMAR REVIEW page on the wikisite, as you simply must have that material down pat before we move on.

Today in class, you assigned roles to the various rabbits of the Watership Down warren. Some of you decided that new roles needed to be added to the list to accomodate your understanding of the characters. These roles included "dissenter" (one who points out flaws in the group's decisions and behaviors) and "adviser" (one who, based on personal knowledge and experience, suggests specific improvements to the group). Notes for class discussion can be found on the wikispace, and thank you to the students who led, moderated, and recorded discussions.

After assigning rabbits to their roles, we assigned one another to roles, and simply did not get as fas in that conversation. This is a pity because assigning these roles indicates the strengths everyone brings to the table, and suggests how we can best capitalize on one another's talents. We'll pursue that line of reasoning a bit further when we reconvene.

HOMEWORK:

1. Be sure you have mastered all of the basic material for sentence diagramming before we move on. You should re-read each of the descriptions at the beginning of diagramming units 1-12, and make ample use of the links on the wikisite.
2. Read pages 150 through 178 in Watership Down. Use the study guide (#7) to guide your thinking and use the reading tips and review section as well. We will be addressing the following questions in class:
3. FOUR DISCUSSION QUESTIONS FOR THE NEXT CLASS:
   1. Holly says that men are the source of all evil (151). What were Toadflax’s last words? Why bother to put these details in? What is Adams telling us about human nature in this book?
   2. What are the other rabbits’ reactions to Hazel’s idea about working with other animals? What does that tell us about human nature?
   3. Why do you suppose it is “’one of El-ahrairah’s rules never to let anyone see when he was angry’” (167)? What purpose does that serve for him?
   4. What are the specific skills El-ahrairah possesses that make him a good leader, and where are those skills echoed in Hazel’s warren?