Vocabulary mechanics Lesson 1 - "The Book of Sand"

Vocabulary mechanics Lesson 1

"The Book of Sand"

10th grade English Language Arts

First, let's review key terms we saw this week in "The Book of Sand"

* Labyrinth: a place constructed of or full of intricate passageways and blind alleys. Often use to describe something extremely complex or tortuous in structure, arrangement, or character. Synonym: maze. Borges work often made reference to labyrinths as he used it as a metaphor for our journey through life, with all its surprising twists, turns and dead ends. 

Magical Realism

Literary genre that depicts the real world as having an undercurrent of magic or fantasy. Part of the realism genre of fiction. Literary critic Angel Flores coined the term “magical realism” in English in an essay (1955), stating that it combines elements of magic realism and marvelous realism. He named Argentine author JL Borges the first magical realist, based on his previously-published collection of short stories "Historia Universal de la Infamia".

Literary devices 1

• Foreshadowing:  when an author gives readers hints about what will happen later in the story. It often appears in the early stages of a novel or at the start of a chapter, as it can subtlety create tension and set readers' expectations regarding how the story will unfold.

• Resolution: also known as the denouement, is the conclusion of the story’s plot. It’s where any unanswered questions are answered, or “loose ends are tied.” A story with a complete ending is said to have a strong resolution. Keep in mind the resolution is the last of the five main elements of plot.

Literary devices 2

• Paradox: statements or situations that contain seemingly contradictory truths. Paradoxes challenge our intellectual limits and push readers to conceive new realities on new and different ways. Borges is the master of paradox, as he  places outrageous happenings on everyday settings.

Vocabulary development 1

• nearsightedness: unable to see things clearly unless they are relatively close to the eyes. Also known as myopia. 

• valise: suitcase

• hail from (the Orkneys): to be or have been native to or a resident of 
  

• pedantic: showing an exaggerated concern for books, learning and rules
  

• heft: heaviness 
  

• discomfiture: frustration, embarrassment

• caste: social class

Vocabulary development 2

• defiled: made unclean

• peddler (Bible peddler): one who offers merchandise (such as fresh produce or books) for sale along the street or from door to door

• reproach: criticize or censure

• musing: absorbed in thought; meditative
  

• feigned: not genuine or real
  

• bibliophile: one who loves books
  

• zeal: eagerness and ardent interest in pursuit of something 
  

Vocabulary development 3

• haggle: an act of negotiating or arguing over the terms of a purchase, agreement, or contract

• misanthropy: a hatred or distrust of humankind

• binding:  material or device used to bind: such as the cover and materials that hold a book together

• artifice: trickery, deception

• fondled: to handle tenderly, lovingly, or lingeringly, caress. 

Now, challenge yourself!

Read each question carefully and don't lose track of time

Open Ended

Read the passage from the story: http://bookofsand.net/hypertext/index.htm (page 71,077,345)

Find 2 elements that would match the definition of "magical realism":

Multiple Choice

The doorbell wouldn't stop ringing as the annoying ________ would not leave until we saw his new merchandise.

• pedantic

• defile

• peddler

Multiple Choice

Borges used the metaphor of _________ to represent our journey through life

• foreigner

• labyrinth

• books

Multiple Choice

The runner up contestant tried to hide her ___________ when they announced the winner of the competition.

• discomfiture

• artifice

• feigned

Multiple Choice

Read the following quote:

I pointed the man to a chair. He took some time to begin talking. He gave off an air of melancholy, as I do myself now. “I sell Bibles,” he said at last.

What literary device is used here?

• paradox

• flashback

• foreshadowing

Multiple Choice

There were always plenty of books in our house, because my mother was a passionate ____________.

• bibliophile

• misanthropy

• heft

Multiple Choice

Is the following quote an accurate example of paradox? "The line that consists of an infinite number of points; the plane, of an infinite number of planes; the hypervolume, of an infinite number of volumes... No- this, more geometrico, is decidedly not the best way to begin my tale. To say that the story us true is by now a convention of every fantastic tale; mine, nevertheless, is true."

• True

• False

Multiple Choice

In a Middle East market you are expected to _________ over any little item you attempt to buy.

• hail

• haggle

• fondle

Multiple Choice

The following quote is an example of _____:

"I considered fire, but I feared that the burning of an infinite book might be similarly infinite, and suffocate the planet in smoke."

• Foreshadowing

• Hyperbole

• Paradox

Multiple Choice

Her _________ was interrupted by the blazing sound of the music coming from her brother's room.

• zeal

• musing

• haggle

Multiple Choice

Read the following quote and choose the literary device that matches it: "I acquired the book in a town out on the plain in exchange for a handful of rupees and a Bible. Its owner did not know how to read...He told me his book was called the Book of Sand, because neither the book nor the sand has any beginning or end."

• Paradox

• Resolution

• Foreshadowing