IB English Language and Literature

1. IB English Language and Literature Language and Gender part 2 – Literature focus Tuesday 24th – Friday 27th September

2. Pablo Neruda – Body of a Woman

3. Challenge • Divide into male/female groups. • In your group, you will analyse your interpretation of the poem. • Select specific lines of importance to discuss • In 10 minutes, we will regroup and present your reading of the poem to the other group. • Cover all aspects of the imagery that you think are important to the understanding of the poem as a whole.

4. Discussion • In what sense is the body of the woman like a world? Give evidence from the poem and extend your explanation of the images. How does Neruda use this image to describe the immensity of his love? • Does the segmentation of the woman’s body have any specific effect?

5. 4 Corners task • Look at these quotes from the poem. You are going to work in small groups of 4 and have 5 minutes at each corner of the classroom. • For each of these quotes, consider the following aspects – language, tone, imagery and theme. • Annotate the sheet to convey your ideas

7. A Doll’s House • Look at the title of the play. • Spend 5 minutes in pairs to discuss the connotations of the title. • What does it mean? What can we predict this play might be about?

8. Nora • First appears as the perfect bourgeois wife. • Has an affliction for excess; she is introduced to the audience returning laden with parcels after a shopping excursion. • Loving wife and mother, she only wants the best for her family • She is a restless and chameleon-esque character who appropriates her behaviour to her needs

9. Torvald • Believes himself to be the epitome of the respectable 19th century husband • Treats his wife with disdain, as if she were a endearing little pet • He represents the pomposity and superficiality of the domestic male in a patriarchal society • His security depends of his feeling of superiority over others, especially Nora

10. Reading Act One • Reading up to the entrance of Mrs Linde – pages 1-5 Roles: Nora, Stage Directions, Torvald, Maid Reading Act One

11. Challenge • Using quotations to support your ideas, try to answer the following questions in detail: • What are your first impressions of Nora and Torvald? • Comment on the nature of their relationship at this point. How do they interact with each other? How does language and behaviour reflect gender roles? • Consider the importance of the stage directions. What are Ibsen’s intentions here?