Page 64 - ELA_CA_HighSchool_Sampler_Flipbook

ACTIVITY 1.10
continued
1. Key Ideas and Details: Examine the first sentence. How does the structure of the sentence reinforce the meaning?
The structure of this sentence is irregular, almost chaotic. It starts with a pronoun that has no antecedent, forcing the reader to keep trying to identify who “they” are. This is emphasized when the phrase “they come out” is repeated in the second independent clause. The author layers on phrases and words that describe “them,” including what they wear (“in Dodgers caps and Rodeo Drive T-shirts”), what they carry physically (“with the maps their cousins have drawn for them”) and what they carry in their thoughts (“and [with] the images they’ve brought over from Cops and Terminator 2”), and their state of mind (“dazed, disoriented, heads still partly in the clouds, bodies still several time zones—or centuries—away”). The form of the sentence reinforces the meaning by helping capture the chaotic scene that faces immigrants arriving at a major airport. RI.9–10.3
2. Craft and Structure: What does “Promised Land” mean as it is used in paragraph 1?
In this context, a “promised land” is a place where people expect that their hopes will be realized. RI.9–10.4
3. Craft and Structure: In paragraphs 3–5, how does Iyer develop the contrast between the American Dream and reality?
Iyer juxtaposes images of success (“a block-long white limo”) and failure
(“a black Chevy Blazer . . . being towed”), of the “Land of Opportunity” and “Helping America’s Hopeless,” of “Mexicans go home” and “the latest arrivals . . . are ready now to claim their new lives.” RI.9–10.5
4. Craft and Structure: What is the author’s purpose for writing this essay? What evidence supports your answer?
The author’s purpose is to show the contrast between immigrants’ expectations and the reality of life in the United States. The essay begins with expectations as people come with “the images they’ve brought over from Cops and Terminator 2,” and ends with a summary of what they actually see: “The blue skies and palm trees they saw on TV are scarcely visible from here: just an undifferentiated smoggy haze, billboards advertising Nissan and Panasonic and Canon, and beyond those an endlessly receding mess of gray streets.” RI.9–10.6
Working from the Text
5. Reread the passage to see the allusions you marked in the text. Write them in the My Notes space. What do you know about the origin of these specific references in history, in literature, or in art? If some of the allusions are unfamiliar, work with your group to uncover their meaning using reference materials, and/or an online encyclopedia.
6. How does your understanding of the origin of these allusions affect your understanding of this passage? What is the overall effect of those allusions on the meaning of the essay?
My Notes
Unit 1 • Cultural Conversations 63
ACTIVITY 1.10 continued
10 Assign the Working from the Text questions to students. Make reference materials and/or online encyclopedias available as they work.
11 Have students think-pair-share their knowledge of the origins of the allusions they encounter. Discuss as a class the effect of those allusions on their understanding of the passage.
SCAFFOLDING THE TEXT-DEPENDENT QUESTIONS
3. Craft and Structure (RI.9–10.5) In M 9781457304668_TCB_SE_G10_U1_B2.indd 63
4. Craft and Structure (RI.9–10.6) What is the
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paragraphs 3–5, how does Iyer develop the contrast between the American Dream and reality? Reread paragraph 3. Think about the tins that say “Helping America’s Hopeless” and the mugs that say “California: a new slant on life.” How does the author use these two slogans to say something about the American Dream and reality? What other examples can you find in paragraphs 4 and 5?
author’s purpose for writing this essay? What evidence supports your answer? What does the first paragraph show about the immigrants’ expectations about life in the United States? Compare these expectations to the scene in the final paragraph. What do these two paragraphs tell you about the author’s purpose?
Unit 1 • Cultural Conversations 63
© 2017 College Board. All rights reserved.
© 2017 College Board. All rights reserved.