Nervous Conditions Unit
Objectives:
R
3.2
Analyze the way in which the theme or meaning of a selection represents a view
or comment on life, using textual evidence to support the claim.
R 3.7c. Evaluate the philosophical, political,
religious, ethical, and social influences of the historical period that shaped
the characters, plots, and, settings.
WRITING
W
1.6
Develop presentations by using clear research questions and creative and
critical research strategies (e.g., field studies, oral histories, interviews,
experiments, electronic sources).
W 2.2 Write responses to
literature (Literary Response)
a.
Demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of the significant ideas in works or
passages.
b. Analyze the use of imagery, language, universal themes, and unique aspects
of the text.
c. Support important ideas and viewpoints through accurate and detailed
references to the text and to other works.
d. Demonstrate an understanding of the author's use of stylistic devices and an
appreciation of the effects created.
e. Identify and assess the impact of perceived ambiguities, nuances, and
complexities within the text.
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Ms. Lum |
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Essential
Questions: |
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Group Questions: |
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1.jjjjjWhat is
colonialism? |
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2.jjjjjWhat historical
events provide a background for 1960s |
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3.jjjjjWhat aspects of Shona culture form a foundation for understanding the
story in Nervous Conditions? |
The Mbira Page: |
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4.jjjjjWhat information
about the author, Tsitsi Dangarembga,
is helpful to understanding the story in Nervous Conditions? |
??? |
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5.jjjjjFor 5th period
only: |
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Getting Ready to Read
Jigsaw Style
for Background Information
- In four
groups, the class will answer the first four questions, with the exception
of my 5th period.
- Each member
of the group researches on the website(s) and answers the question in
detail
- Then s/he
meets back with the group to double check/streamline answers.
A.
What is colonialism?
1. _______________ 2. _______________
3. _______________
4. _______________ 5. _______________
B.
What historical events provide a background for 1960s Rhodesia/Zimbabwe
in the story?
1. _______________ 2. _______________
3. _______________
4. _______________ 5. _______________
C.
What aspects of Shona culture form a
foundation for understanding the story in Nervous Conditions?
1. _______________ 2. _______________
3. _______________
4. _______________ 5. _______________
D.
What information about the author, Tsitsi Dangarembga, is helpful to understanding the story in Nervous
Conditions?
1. _______________ 2. _______________
3. _______________
4. _______________ 5. _______________
E.
For 5th period only:
What can we learn about Shona culture through music?
1. _______________ 2. _______________
3. _______________
4. _______________ 5. _______________
- Each group member is then reassigned to
another group in which s/he teaches her/his answer to the question.
- At the end of the Jigsaw, everyone in
the class has researched, spoken, and learned the background information
helpful to understanding the book.
Character List (From Spark
Notes)
Babamukuru - Tambu’s uncle. Babamukuru is the highly educated and successful
headmaster of the mission school. A patriarchal and authoritarian figure, he
uses his power and position to improve the lives of his extended family, but he
does it out of duty, not love. He is a remote, cold, and distant father and
takes no pains to hide his disappointment in and growing contempt for his
daughter, Nyasha.
Chido -
Nyasha’s brother, son of Babamukuru
and Maiguru. Chido is tall, athletic, and handsome, as well as
charismatic, intelligent, and highly educated. He has little interest in his
family or in visiting either the homestead or the mission. Educated mostly
among white colonists, he grows accustomed to a life of luxury and eventually
takes a white girlfriend.
Jeremiah - Tambu’s father and Babamukuru’s
brother. Jeremiah
is naďve, ignorant, and superstitious. He seems barely concerned with the
future and success of his children and grows increasingly detached from his
family. In Babamukuru’s presence he is servile and
fawning, lauding his siblings’ accomplishments. With his immediate family,
however, he is disdainful of education and does little to encourage his
children’s ambitions.
Lucia - Ma’Shingayi’s
sister. Lucia
is a mysterious, strong-willed woman who is feared by many and said to be a
witch. Shrewd and sexually promiscuous, Lucia is the object of gossip and rumor
and is said to have had many affairs with rich men. She is outspoken and pays
no heed to the social code that requires woman to be silent and obedient. She
emerges as an independent and ambitious woman, eager to educate herself and
improve her lot in life.
Maiguru - Tambu’s aunt and Babamukuru’s wife. Maiguru is a
strong, educated, and successful professional woman and thus stands out from
the rest of the women in her family. Life in
Ma’Shingayi - Tambu’s mother. Initially, Ma’Shingayi is portrayed as a hardworking figure who has toiled and sacrificed so that her son can have an
education. After Nhamo’s death, she grows
spiteful, angry, and jealous of those around her. Her hard life also makes her
apathetic and accepting of the limitations with which life has saddled her.
Netsai -
Tambu’s younger sister. Netsai is obedient and subservient, a kindhearted and
hardworking girl who helps Nhamo and the rest of the
family, not solely out of duty, but because she truly loves them.
Nhamo -
Tambu’s brother. Nhamo
takes advantage of his status as the eldest son in the family. He is spiteful
and mean and goes out of his way to taunt Tambu and
lord over her the fact that he is receiving an education. After he leaves for
the mission, he grows superior, lazy, and condescending, offering no assistance
to his family in their daily toils.
Nyasha -
Tambu’s cousin, daughter of Babamukuru and Maiguru. Nyasha is silently observant with an often unsettling
intensity. Though she can be precocious and charming, she does little to make
the other girls at school like her. At times she is easily provoked, volatile,
and strong-willed, and she likes to argue with and openly resist Babamukuru. She is a product of two worlds and grows increasingly
confused of her identity and the hybrid influences of life in
Takesure - A cousin of Babamukuru and
Jeremiah. After Nhamo’s death, Takesure is enlisted to help Jeremiah with the labors
on the homestead. Like Jeremiah, he is lazy, foolish, and superstitious and
abuses his power as a man. He has many wives, whom he cannot support. He impregnates
Lucia and tries to make her his concubine.
Tambu -
The novel’s narrator and protagonist. An intelligent, hardworking, and
curious fourteen-year-old girl, Tambu is hungry for
an education and eager to escape life on the homestead. While she is sensitive
and kind, she is also often harsh and unyielding in her judgments. Tambu is sympathetic to the powerful pull of tradition, but
at the same time, she wishes to break free of the limitations placed on her
sex.
As We Read
Chapter
Questions to Help With Comprehension
Reading & Rest of the Year
Date
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March
20- March 24: Into Jigsaw “
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Chapter 1
1: 1-12 (12) |
Portfolio
(ADV/IND)
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March 27-March 31: |
Chapter 2-3 2: 13-34; 3:35-57
(44) |
Portfolio TH/F |
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April 3-April 7 |
Chapter 4,
5, 6 4: 58-76; 5:
77-102; 6: 103-119 (60) |
Portfolio
(ADV/IND)
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April 10- April 14 (Spring Break) |
Chapter 7 7:
120-148 (30) |
Portfolio ( |
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April 17-April 21 WW |
Chapter 8, 9 8: 149-175; 9: 176-190
(40) |
Portfolio
TH/F
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April
24-April 28 WW
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Chapter 10
10: 191-204 (15)
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Portfolio (ADV/IND) |
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May 1-May 5 WW/GL |
Beyond
Activity - Literary Essay
Due May 12th |
Portfolio |
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May 8-May 12 WW / GL |
Portfolio
Presentation Instructions/Review |
Portfolio |
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May 15-May 19 WW / GL |
Portfolio
Presentation Instructions/Review |
Portfolio |
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May 22- May 26 WW /GL |
Portfolio
Work Final Exam |
Portfolio |
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May30 – June 2 GL |
Senior
Finals Portfolio
Presentations Soph/Jr Presentations May 30 &
31 Portfolio
Exhibit: June 1 |
Portfolio |
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June 5-9 GL |
Grad
Prep/Senior Activities |
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June 12 GL |
Baccalaureate |
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June 13 GL |
Graduation |
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After the
1) Literary
Essay
- Literary Analysis of Dangarembga’s Use of Food As a Controlling Metaphor
- Compare and Contrast Nyasha and Sisi
- Essay About Dangarembga’s
View of Colonialism and Its Application to
2) Add to Noodlebib Reading List