AREA OF STUDY ONE: CREATING AND PRESENTING
ISLAND
by Alistair MacLeod
Hey gang. Welcome to our unit on the short stories of Alistair MacLeod. 'Island: Collected Stories' is a bit of a special text for me because I studied it when I was in Year 12 and now I get to teach it to you guys! 'Island: Collected Stories' should be read with the purpose of completing a creative response SAC in relation to the text. This SAC also includes a written explanation of decisions made in the writing process and how these demonstrate understanding of the text. Your creative SAC is worth 30 marks.
Please note: the stories you will be expected to study from 'Island: Collected Stories' in particular are: ‘The Boat’, ‘The Vastness of the Dark’, ‘The Golden Gift of Grey’, ‘The Return’, ‘The Lost Salt Gift of Blood’, ‘The Road to Rankin’s Point’, ‘The Closing Down of Summer’, ‘To Every Thing There Is a Season’, ‘Second Spring’, ‘Winter Dog’, ‘The Tuning of Perfection’, ‘Vision’, and ‘Island’.
Please note: the stories you will be expected to study from 'Island: Collected Stories' in particular are: ‘The Boat’, ‘The Vastness of the Dark’, ‘The Golden Gift of Grey’, ‘The Return’, ‘The Lost Salt Gift of Blood’, ‘The Road to Rankin’s Point’, ‘The Closing Down of Summer’, ‘To Every Thing There Is a Season’, ‘Second Spring’, ‘Winter Dog’, ‘The Tuning of Perfection’, ‘Vision’, and ‘Island’.
Assessment
island_sac__2_.docx | |
File Size: | 270 kb |
File Type: | docx |
Document including SAC and work
requirement details.
requirement details.
Class Resources
Introduction to the text:
Introduction to 'Island: Collected Stories' with information relating to the author, historical context and background, themes and individual stories.
Story summaries and quick writes.
Study tasks for 'Island: Collected Stories'. Who says you can't study for English?!
Characters, themes and relationships:
PowerPoint regarding themes, ideas and values in 'Island: Collected Stories".
Notes on 'Characters and Relationships' .
Creative writing tasks:Hey gang, like all skills, creative writing is something you need to practise! One way to do this is to revisit the 'Quick Writes' we do in class. I can look over these at any time.
Quick Write activities from class. Take the time to revisit these if you get the dreaded 'writer's block'.
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SAC resources:
(Above document) How to write a written explanation for your creative assessment taken from English Yr 12 inSight textbook.
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Cape Breton, Nova Scotia
Alistair MacLeod’s sixteen short stories, collected in 'Island', are all set on Cape Breton Island off the coast of Nova Scotia in south-eastern Canada. While the stories explore a range of ideas, in each one the landscape of the island features prominently. As the title of the collection suggests, MacLeod has made the isolated island pivotal to each story. More than just a setting, Cape Breton features as a character in itself (the landscape and the natural elements are often personified), exerting its influence over the characters who give birth, work and die there.
Alistair MacLeod reading his story "As Birds Bring Forth The Sun". This story is not one that we are studying but the discussion of his writing may be something that you find interesting/ helpful. Hearing the author read his own work may also help you.
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Cape Breton: A brief history.
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The infamous mines of Cape Breton.
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Background and (Historical) Context
insight Text Guide Notes
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Information on the Scottish Clearances
Clip from 02/05/17
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Individual Story Summaries
The Boat
ADDITIONAL ANALYSIS The Golden Gift of Grey
The Lost Salt Gift of Blood
ADDITIONAL ANALYSIS
The Closing Down of Summer
Second Spring
The Tuning of Perfection
Island
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The Vastness of the Dark
MISS BRACK'S REVIEW
TVOFTD explores the leaving of home by the story's narrative voice, James. James' decision to leave home at 18 is one that that is reflected in later stories and makes TVOFTD a poignant coming-of-age experience. James' family have mined in Cape Breton since 1837 and in the text, we see three generations dealing in the their own way with the imminent closure of the mines (James' father), their inability to work in them (his grandfather) or their hatred for them (James).
The narrator leaves Cape Breton without much understanding of the isolation his has faced for his 18 years except the hatred he has for it. However, his interactions with the outside world (Springfield) quickly give him a new appreciation and understanding of his family and their work as he experiences being an 'outsider' for the first time. The story deals with themes of isolation, loneliness, love, sexuality and the vastness of the world when someone is trying to find their place within it. BEST QUOTE: "And because my father had told me I was 'free' I had foolishly felt that it was really so. Just like that." (p.50) The Return
The Road to Rankin's Point
ADDITIONAL ANALYSIS
To Everything There Is a Season
Winter Dog
Vision
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Join The Discussion
Use this space to communicate with Miss Brack and your classmates about the individual stories in 'Island'. Which ones do you like? Which ones don't you like? What questions would you like answered about the text? What questions would you like to ask the author?
Inappropriate comments will be deleted.
Inappropriate comments will be deleted.