the+road


 * The Road**



Cormac McCarthy’s Pulitzer Prize winning novel is set in post-apocalyptic America. We follow a father and son as they struggle against all odds to survive in a dead and dying world.

The sky is clouded by ash, the plant life non-existent. It is only a matter of time before the food runs out. There are enemies around every bend of the road. The enemies are the //bad guys// – men who have chosen to murder in order to survive. The father and son consider themselves to be the //good guys// because they have survived and continue to survive without resorting to such measures. Their love for one another is the bond that ensures their will to live. They are the ones who “carry the fire” of life. Their goal is to head south via the road, in hopes of finding more good people.

On the road, the pair encounter certain characters who challenge their position as the //good// people. This allows for McCarthy’s text to develop several discourses such as god and religion, as well as ethics and morality.

The Road is a controversial text. It deals with issues such as suicide, murder, and cannibalism. Thus content is disturbing and would require either prior explanation in order to prepare students for what they should expect. __Grade level and course:__ ** à Grade 12 – University or College preparation à Other courses: Studies in Literature, and/or Writer’s Craft

 //__ The Apocalypse __//  à We do not know what caused the apocalypse. à Consider what the possibilities could be: Nuclear war, or natural disaster? à students could draw on prior knowledge of post-apocalyptic stories, consider what they know about the end of the world, and what they would do if they were in this situation. __ //Morality and Survival// __ à What becomes of “human nature”? à One must understand an individual’s rights and freedoms and think about the consequences of certain actions. à Thomas Hobbes – //The State of Nature//: “ continuall feare, and danger of violent death; And the life of man, solitary, poore, nasty, brutish, and short” à The Road challenges all of the comforts of our social existence. à Considering the possibilities of what human beings can do to one another in dire circumstances. à Taking this consideration one step further, taking a look at the danger of staying alive: What have the humans in this story done to each other? à A state of fear, isolation, suicide, murder, and cannibalism. à Cannibalism: //You could see the smoke rising from the trees up ahead, and the smell of something cooking//: “What the boy had seen was a charred human infant headless and gutted and blackening on the spit. He bent and picked the boy up and started for the road with him, holding him close. I’m sorry, he whispered. I’m sorry.” p.198 à a question of murder: the boy feels his father killed the man by not helping him ( p. 258–260) <span style="font-family: Wingdings; font-size: 10pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: Arial; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings; msoasciifontfamily: Arial; msobidifontfamily: Arial; msochartype: symbol; msohansifontfamily: Arial; msosymbolfontfamily: Wingdings;">à Role of religion in keeping faith in the good in people <span style="font-family: Wingdings; font-size: 10pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: Arial; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings; msoasciifontfamily: Arial; msobidifontfamily: Arial; msochartype: symbol; msohansifontfamily: Arial; msosymbolfontfamily: Wingdings;">à Relationship between the father and his son <span style="font-family: Wingdings; font-size: 10pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: Arial; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings; msoasciifontfamily: Arial; msobidifontfamily: Arial; msochartype: symbol; msohansifontfamily: Arial; msosymbolfontfamily: Wingdings;">à how to remain optimistic and keep the will to live, when death is everywhere you turn. <span style="font-family: Wingdings; font-size: 10pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: Arial; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings; msoasciifontfamily: Arial; msobidifontfamily: Arial; msochartype: symbol; msohansifontfamily: Arial; msosymbolfontfamily: Wingdings;">à Consider the role of women in this text: how the mother walks away. <span style="font-family: Wingdings; font-size: 10pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: Arial; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings; msoasciifontfamily: Arial; msobidifontfamily: Arial; msochartype: symbol; msohansifontfamily: Arial; msosymbolfontfamily: Wingdings;">à Consider the constant fear of the father having to kill his son, or the son having to kill himself. //__ Textual Knowledge: __// <span style="font-family: Wingdings; font-size: 10pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: Arial; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings; msoasciifontfamily: Arial; msobidifontfamily: Arial; msochartype: symbol; msohansifontfamily: Arial; msosymbolfontfamily: Wingdings;">à postmodern and minimalist style: sharp and precise. <span style="font-family: Wingdings; font-size: 10pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: Arial; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings; msoasciifontfamily: Arial; msobidifontfamily: Arial; msochartype: symbol; msohansifontfamily: Arial; msosymbolfontfamily: Wingdings;">à fragemented at the outset, becomes linear as the story progresses. <span style="font-family: Wingdings; font-size: 10pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: Arial; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings; msoasciifontfamily: Arial; msoasciifontfamily: Arial; msobidifontfamily: Arial; msobidifontfamily: Arial; msochartype: symbol; msochartype: symbol; msohansifontfamily: Arial; msohansifontfamily: Arial; msosymbolfontfamily: Wingdings; msosymbolfontfamily: Wingdings;">à no punctuation for speech. <span style="font-family: Wingdings; font-size: 10pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: Arial; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings; msoasciifontfamily: Arial; msobidifontfamily: Arial; msochartype: symbol; msohansifontfamily: Arial; msosymbolfontfamily: Wingdings;">à father and son are nameless, only known as “papa” and “the boy” <span style="font-family: Wingdings; font-size: 10pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: Arial; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings; msoasciifontfamily: Arial; msobidifontfamily: Arial; msochartype: symbol; msohansifontfamily: Arial; msosymbolfontfamily: Wingdings;">à examples of literary devices: symbolism, imagery, allegory, foreshadowing, metaphor, etc.
 * __Main ideas, issues, teaching points__: **// **In a Post-Apocalyptic World...** //

<span style="font-family: Wingdings; font-size: 10pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: Arial; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings; msoasciifontfamily: Arial; msobidifontfamily: Arial; msochartype: symbol; msohansifontfamily: Arial; msosymbolfontfamily: Wingdings;">à Controversial issues: suicide, murder, cannibalism. As a class we would have to have prior discussions about such issues. <span style="font-family: Wingdings; font-size: 10pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: Arial; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings; msoasciifontfamily: Arial; msobidifontfamily: Arial; msochartype: symbol; msohansifontfamily: Arial; msosymbolfontfamily: Wingdings;">à Disturbing content <span style="font-family: Wingdings; font-size: 10pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: Arial; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings; msoasciifontfamily: Arial; msobidifontfamily: Arial; msochartype: symbol; msohansifontfamily: Arial; msosymbolfontfamily: Wingdings;">à The Road is a dark and depressing text, dealing with death in this context would be trying for younger students, or students who have had trouble with death or depression in their lives __Assigment or activity for The Road:__ ** <span style="font-family: Wingdings; font-size: 10pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: Arial; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings; msoasciifontfamily: Arial; msobidifontfamily: Arial; msochartype: symbol; msohansifontfamily: Arial; msosymbolfontfamily: Wingdings;">à Title: __Create an alternate ending to //The Road// by Cormac McCarthy__ //(T /25, K /15, A /10, total out of /50)//
 * __Issues and challenges one might encounter when teaching this text:__ **

<span style="font-family: Wingdings; font-size: 10pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: Arial; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings; msoasciifontfamily: Arial; msobidifontfamily: Arial; msochartype: symbol; msohansifontfamily: Arial; msosymbolfontfamily: Wingdings;">à 2-part, students will: <span style="font-family: Wingdings; font-size: 10pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: Arial; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings; msoasciifontfamily: Arial; msobidifontfamily: Arial; msochartype: symbol; msohansifontfamily: Arial; msosymbolfontfamily: Wingdings;"> à Create an alternate ending to //The Road// <span style="font-family: Wingdings; font-size: 10pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: Arial; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings; msoasciifontfamily: Arial; msobidifontfamily: Arial; msochartype: symbol; msohansifontfamily: Arial; msosymbolfontfamily: Wingdings;"> à To begin: students will use a graphic organizer (fish bone, mind map, etc.) to gather ideas, themes, concepts, and create a plot line. <span style="font-family: Wingdings; font-size: 10pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: Arial; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings; msoasciifontfamily: Arial; msobidifontfamily: Arial; msochartype: symbol; msohansifontfamily: Arial; msosymbolfontfamily: Wingdings;">à Students will be required to name and explain the apocalyptic event that caused the destruction of the world (in 500 words). <span style="font-family: Wingdings; font-size: 10pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: Arial; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings; msoasciifontfamily: Arial; msobidifontfamily: Arial; msochartype: symbol; msohansifontfamily: Arial; msosymbolfontfamily: Wingdings;">à<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; msoansilanguage: EN; msobidifontfamily: Arial;"> Students will be required to use two literary devices to highlight the important aspects of the event (the two must be different and relative). <span style="font-family: Wingdings; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; msoasciifontfamily: Arial; msoasciifontfamily: Arial; msobidifontfamily: Arial; msobidifontfamily: Arial; msochartype: symbol; msochartype: symbol; msohansifontfamily: Arial; msohansifontfamily: Arial; msosymbolfontfamily: Wingdings; msosymbolfontfamily: Wingdings; msotabcount: 1;"> à<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; msoansilanguage: EN; msobidifontfamily: Arial;"> Students will be required to give a story to the woman at the end of the text. Who is she? How did she survive? (in 500 words). <span style="font-family: Wingdings; font-size: 10pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: Arial; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings; msoasciifontfamily: Arial; msobidifontfamily: Arial; msochartype: symbol; msohansifontfamily: Arial; msosymbolfontfamily: Wingdings;">à<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; msoansilanguage: EN; msobidifontfamily: Arial; msospacerun: yes;"> All aspects will come together in a two page summary of an alternate ending for The Road.