Do Now

1. Do Now • 1.Is life after graduation a scary thought, or is it an exciting one? Or a mix of both? • 2.Tell me what makes it scary/exciting

2. The Bell Jar: Chapter 7

3. Constantin • Chapter 7 opens up with the character of Constantin. • Who is he? • Who introduced him to Esther?

4. I can’t, I can’t, I can’t • In your notes, make a list of all the skills Esther says she cannot do. Look from the end of p.75, starting at,"I started adding up all the things I couldn’t do.”

5. Characterization of Esther • From looking at our list of skills Esther says she does not have, how would you describe her self image? What does she think of herself?

6. Simile and Characterization • I felt like a racehorse in a world without racetracks or a champion college footballer suddenly confronted by Wall Street and a business suit..” (p.76) • Separate these two similes • 1. How do you interpret them? • 2. Do they give you any insight on how Esther’s feeling?

7. The symbol of the fig tree

8. Symbol of the fig tree: Domestic Branch • The fig tree representing the potential pathways of Esther’s life:One fig-a happy home with a husband and children- Traditional direction of the 1950’s woman-Is this really what Esther wants? Turn to page 84 and read the excerpt: “It would mean getting up at seven..”

9. The Branch: Literary Pursuits • “Another fig was a famous poet and another fig was a brilliant professor, and another fig was Ee Gee, the amazing editor” (p.77)

10. The Branch: The Romantic • “and another fig was Europe and Africa and South America”-the traveler • “and another fig was Constantin and Socrates and Attila and a pack of other lover with queer names and offbeat professions, and another fig was an Olympic lady crew” (p.77)

11. The Fig Tree • Which one do you think is most realistic? • Does Esther seem anxious about her future? • Let’s look at the Syntax (the sentence structure) of the passage (p.77)

12. Creating your own fig tree • Take 5 minutes and draw your own fig tree with you in the center. Write down the paths your life can go:-Where do you see your life going?-What are the possible directions?

13. Buddy’s view vs Esther’s view on Marriage • Buddy thinks that Esther’s poetic ambitions will be erased once she’s married and has children.Esther’s view: “So I began to think maybe it was true that when you were married and had children it was like being brainwashed, and afterward you went about numb as a slave in some private, totalitarian state” (p.85).

14. Exit Slip • What does the image of the fig tree represent? • If you were to guess, which branch will Esther take in the future?