Symbolism and Cultural Attitudes about money in "The Devil and Tom Walker"

Introduction

Symbolism

What do you think of when you see a bald eagle? A luxury car? What about when you see a dollar sign? Name some symbols that we use to represent places, countries, and ideas. You will learn in the next story how Irving uses symbols in "The Devil and Tom Walker."

Cultural Attitudes

This story reveals the cultrual attitudes of New Englanders during the 1720's. Irving suggests these attitudes through descriptive details, the narrator's comments, and dialogue, and leaves it up to you to make inferences, draw conclusions, based on these elements. We will focus on the cultural attitudes about MONEY.

Fellow Teachers

This lesson is a hybrid in that it includes class discussion, PowerPoint, and worksheets in an effort to make it useful in the co-teaching setting. 

Task

I. Use the textbook and the Internet to discover facts about Washington Irving and The Devil and Tom Walker BEFORE reading

II. Use the textbook to respond to questions DURING reading The Devil and Tom Walker.

III. The Devil and Tom Walker Assessment

IV. Write an analytical essay about the selection 

V. Peer edit a peer's essay and make revisions to your essay

 VI. Resubmit your essay

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Process

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I. Answer the following questions BEFORE reading The Devil and Tom Walker: 

    1. Go to http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/202814/Faust

    a)     What is a Faust legend? 

     

    1. Go to http://www.storyboardthat.com/userboards/bethanyac/part-1-the-devil-and-tom-walker or http://www.enotes.com/topics/devil-tom  or http://youtu.be/LXgjPti1Z_k  

    a)     What is The Devil and Tom Walker about? 

     

    1. Go to (textbook p. 257)

    a)     What are two types of characterization? 

     

    1. Go to http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2012/02/a-short-history-of-american-money-from-fur-to-fiat/252620/

    a)     What types of currency did people use in the 1800's? 

     

    1. Go to http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/294888/Washington-Irving

    a)     Who was Washington Irving?

     

    b)     List 3 facts from his biography that most likely influenced his writing.

     

    1.  This answer is a prediction. Based on what you’ve read, what do you think

    a)     Give two examples of cultural attitudes that people in The Devil and Tom Walker most likely shared about money.

     

    b)     What are some things that can represent your answer for 6a

II. VIEW VIDEO OF The Devil and Tom Walker at 

  1. COMPLETE THE SUMMARY GRAPHIC ORGANIZER FOR HOMEWORK

II. Answer the following questions DURING reading The Devil and Tom Walker: 

  1. What does this reference to the Devil and money suggest about cultural attitudes toward wealth? (p.259)
  2. What do you learn about Tom and his wife through this description? (p. 259)
  3. Whose thoughts and feelings--if anyone's--are revealed in the paragraph beginning " on page 259?
  4. What does the narrator reveal about Mrs. Walker's thoughts and feelings on page 263?
  5. Tom Walker's wife packs up her valuables to take into the forest. Why might a teapot like the one on page 263 be considered valuable?
  6. What do we learn about Tom's character from the narrator's description of his religious zeal on page 266?
  7. What does Irving use to symbolize avarice?
  8. What does Irving use to symbolize ostentation?
  9. What does the Bible buried under the mortgage symbolize?
  10. Which symbol represents shortcuts, pride, and moral decay?
  11. Which symbol represents temptation?

III. Complete the following eessay AFTER reading The Devil and Tom Walker: 

Choose one of the essays and write an analytical essay on one of the following:

Write an essay about greed in The Devil and Tom Walker

OR

Write an essay about symbols in The Devil and Tom Walker

Submit your assignments on EdModo. The group code to join is:

cisv56

Evaluation

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Conclusion

After you have completed your essay, we will PEER EDIT the essays using the rubric and edit, re-write, and resubmit for an improved score.

Submit your assignments on EdModo. The group code to join is:

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Here is a list of grades that you should receive by the end of "The Devil and Tom Walker:"

  1. BEFORE reading questions
  2. Wasington Irving Bio Video Questions
  3. DURING reading questions
  4. Tom Walker Essay
  5. Tom Walker Essay Draft 1
  6. Peer Editing Form
  7. TomWalker Essay Draft 2
  8. The Devil and Tom Walker Assessment

Submit your assignments on EdModo. The group code to join is:

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Credits