The Sniper Discussion Questions

The Sniper: Discussion Questions

Read the questions below.  For each question, write a clear, direct and complete response.  Answer each part of the question. Use complete sentences. Use names of characters or distinct labels - avoid pronouns.

1. The sniper is described as a fanatic. A fanatic is a person whose interest in something or someone is irrational and intense. What is the sniper fanatical about? What does the author's use of the phrase "cold gleam" imply?

2. What risk did the sniper take? Why do you think he took this risk?

3. Why did the sniper shoot the unarmed woman? Was he justified? Explain why or why not. What does this action reveal about the sniper's personality? Explain.

4. The author uses vivid imagery and description. Write as many descriptive words or phrases you can find which help the read to see and feel what the sniper is experiencing.

5. Why must the sniper leave the roof? Why can he not leave yet? Why can he not use his rifle?

6. After killing the enemy, the sniper's attitude has changed.  Describe the reactions - both emotionally and physically - of the sniper. Why do you think he has reacted in this way? What do these reactions reveal about the emotional state of the sniper?

7. Aside from curiosity, why does the sniper want to see the face of the other sniper?

8. Identify three qualities that make the two snipers alike beyond being brothers.

August 26, 2013 Weekly Agenda for 9th Grade Honors English

Monday, August 26th:
Go over the verb section of "The Sniper" packet. Finish the packet for homework. This will be due on Tuesday.
Break into groups and finish writing your pov short story based on "The Sniper".
Begin presenting the short story.

Tuesday, August 27th:
Finish the presentations of the pov rewrites of "The Sniper".
"The Sniper" vocabulary, grammar and irony packet is due today.

Wednesday, August 28th:
You will be given questions about "The Sniper" as a group to answer.
You will then present to the class your opinions. Remember, every answer must be supported by the text directly or through inference.

Thursday, August 29th:
Today we will begin work on an essay on "The Sniper".  The prompt is: How does the third person limited point of view affect the theme of "The Sniper?  This will be due on Tuesday,  September 3rd.

September 30, 2011 The Necklace

THE NECKLACE

The Necklace

Page 160

Class notes:

Vocabulary

Dowry: property that a woman brings into a marriage. The property or money is part of the marriage contract. If a woman’s family is poor than her prospects for marriage were slim.

Incessantly: without stopping or ceasing

Nyallah: I have been incessantly wanting pie lately.

Tia: I incessantly tapped on the desk while waiting for the surgery to begin.

Niceties (noun): small but important perks of good living

Chocolate; caramel; ice cream; play station 3 - all these are niceties of the modern teenager's life.

Disconsolate: so unhappy that one cannot be roused out of the depression; in a state where nothing can make one happy

Cassey: Mathilde was disconsolate because everything around her made her unhappy.

Tatevik: She was worthy of more than what she had. What would bring her happiness?

She wanted the niceties of life: nice clothes; jewels;

nice furnishings;

Tapestries: thick, luxurious wall coverings made of beautiful, expensive material with beautiful designs on it of pastoral scenes.

Mathilde wants the life of a rich person like Oprah.

She is beautiful and young.

Curios: rare, expensive and unusual items; knickknacks.

Tureen: large bowl

Sphinx: a mysterious character from Greek mythology that had the body of a lion, wings, claws and the face of a woman;

Convent: a place where nuns live and work; like a monastery but for nuns;

Convent school: Catholic school where the teachers are nuns and priests.

Setting: the nineteenth century (1800 – 1899); Paris, France

Vexation: annoyance; anger, irritation

Loisel is Mathilde’s last name

Monsieur Loisel worked as a clerk for the Ministry of Education

What did he come home with: an invitation to a fancy-shmancy party.

Is Mathilde happy about the party? No! Why? Because she does not have a fancy-shmancy dress or jewels.

It is written in 3^rd person pov. Do we know what anyone but Mathilde is thinking? No, we just know what Mathilde is thinking. Therefore, it is 3^rd person pov, from her point of view.

Franc: an old fashioned form of money used in France until the 1990’s. It would be the equivalent of the dollar.

Loisel gives her 400 francs to buy a nice dress.

Loisel saved the 400 francs to buy a rifle so he could go hunting with his friends while on vacation; instead, he decides to give his wife the 400 francs to buy a nice dress for the party.

Madame Forestier: convent school friend of Madame Loisel; very wealthy woman with lots of jewels, one of which she loans to Mathilde.

Venetian: from Venice, Italy

Was Mathilde a hit at the party?

Adulation: the state of adoring; the state of being viewed with great awe.

How late did she stay at the party?

Why did Mathilde run out of the party?

Martyrs: someone who suffers for a long time

Could the name of the street be a sort of foreshadowing?

The Sniper Historical Background

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September 15, 2011

The Sniper

Break into groups, read and take notes for the group’s section of the Irish/British Conflict.

Write at least one important date on the time line on the board.

Prepare what the narrator is going to read:

It should be the over view of what the presentation will be about.

Each group should have a poster or some sort of visual that people can look at and/or read to understand the main idea.

The students can have bullet points for the poster.

Each group should prepare a script dramatizing the events for their section of the history of the Irish/British conflict.

Each group should rehearse their scene(s).

ON THE DAY OF THE PRESENTATION:

The narrator should give to the audience the main ideas and the important dates for her/his group’s section. A visual of some sort, such as a poster, should be displayed to help with the audience’s understanding.

Then each group should act out the important events of its part of the Irish history handout.

THE SNIPER

The Sniper; page 212 from ELEMENTS OF LITERATURE
Break into groups and rewrite THE SNIPER from the point of view of one of the following characters:
Enemy Sniper
The Informer
The British Soldier
The Tank Driver
Omniscient Point of View
Omni: all
Scient: knowing
Omniscient point of view means that we know what each character is thinking.
Limited point of view means we know only what one or just a few characters know. We can tell if it is 3rd person limited because the pronoun "he" or "she" is used and shows us what that character is thinking, feeling or experiencing.