This is my building understanding of the short story house, I ended up transfering the text from a pdf to word because I had difficulty emailing a pdf.
Making Sense of Background Knowledge: Building Understanding of the Essential Question After watching a movie or listening to a TEDtalk or reading a piece of literature, a poem, or any other piece of writing, fill in the chart below. When complete, file into your “Inquiry” folder OR print and keep for future reference. You teacher may ask to keep your work as an example to expand understanding in the class
Title: House Your name: Aiden Hall
| Which Essential Question(s) is addressed in this piece of literature? | Content: a) What happens in the text/movie/Talk?
B) What is the main message/theme? |
Understanding: How does the text answer the EQ? Answer in full sentences. Record relevant quotes and page numbers/lines if needed. |
| Can too much judgement result in trying to be someone you’re not? | A) A man wants to buy a house for his wife and family but the wife wants them to buy an island, the man wants to get the house because it would be the expected thing to do when you have a family. They sell their boat and car to buy furniture, but the man realizes he isn’t happy with his decision so the family decides to change the house themselves and not live by society’s norms.
B) The main message is that you don’t have to conform to society’s norms and to be someone you’re not. |
The man is being faced with the judgement and pressure of society’s norms, he’s being pressured at work to buy a house for his family although they are perfectly fine living with rent, and playing in the park. They also buy a TV even though the kids are just fine with playing outside. The wife describes their life as being risky as opposed to the safe lifestyle enforced by society, and the man is not happy in the end living a safe life so they decide to start tearing down walls to make the house suit them as a metaphor for changing society. |