Friday, March 29, Death and The King's Horseman Day 3

Learning Targets

I can read the text and make inferences based on what I have read (RL.11-12.1)

I can connect what I know about the author to the choices he made in the text (RL.11-12.3)

I can look at the word choice (diction) used in the text and connect it to the themes shown in the text (RL.11-12.4)

Vocabulary quiz today! Take a couple of minutes to look over the words
Coming Up: Death and the King's Horseman vocabulary 2 (class handout / copy below); quiz on Friday, April 5.

1.     raconteur: A person skilled in telling anecdotes

2.     retinue: The group following and attending to some important person

3.     divination: The art or gift of prophecy by supernatural means

4.     veneration: A feeling of profound respect for someone or something

5.     dirge: a song or hymn of mourning as a memorial to a dead person

6.     alari: a rich, woven cloth, brightly colored

7.     egungun: ancestral masquerade

8.     etutu: placatory rites or medicine

9.     tryst: a private romantic rendezvous between lovers

10.  forebears: an ancestor

11.  suppliant: making a humble plea to someone in power or authority

12.  acolyte: person assisting the celebrant in a religious service or procession

13.  hearth: the floor/front area of a fireplace

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Coming up: April 5 vocabulary quiz AND on Monday, April 1, there will be a matching quiz on the characters in the play. 

Death And the King’s Horseman Vocabulary
Quiz on April 5th
1. impudent (adjective): improperly forward or bold
2. bereavement: (noun) state of sorrow over the death or
departure of a loved one
3. ostentatious: (adjective) intended to attract notice and
impress others
4. dearth: (noun) an insufficient quantity or number
5. to usurp: (verb) seize and take control without authority
6. redolent: (adjective) serving to bring to mind
7. to prostrate: (verb) render helpless or defenseless
8. gbedu: (noun) a deep-timbered royal drum
9. opele: (noun) string of beads used in Ifa divination
10.robo: (noun) a delicacy made from crushed melon seeds,
fried in tiny balls

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Today we start the play. Posted below is a copy of the play and a link to a pdf copy of the play as well. We will start by reading the first three pages of the play.

Pronunciation guide  

Characters:

Elesin Oba        ay-LAY-sihn OH-bah

Iyaloja             ee-yah-LOH-jah

Sergeant Amusa     ah-MEW-sah

Olunde           oh-LEWN-day 

Simon Pilkings 

Jane Pilkings

Death And The King's Horseman Play


https://www.uibk.ac.at/anglistik/staff/davis/death-and-the-king-s-horseman---wole-soyinka.pdf

Thursday, March 28, Death And The King's Horseman Day 2

Learning Targets:

I can use media and different resources to enhance my reading of the text. (L.11-12.7)

I can make predictions and inferences based on the information I have gathered. (RL.11-12.10)


I can reflect on the author's choices and how they influence the story. (RL.11-12.6)
Coming up: We have a vocabulary quiz Death and King's Horseman 1 tomorrow, (another copy of vocabulary below)

In class: review of this week's vocabulary; a look at Wole Soyinka, author of Death and the King's Horseman.

1.     raconteur: A person skilled in telling anecdotes

2.     retinue: The group following and attending to some important person

3.     divination: The art or gift of prophecy by supernatural means

4.     veneration: A feeling of profound respect for someone or something

5.     dirge: a song or hymn of mourning as a memorial to a dead person

6.     alari: a rich, woven cloth, brightly colored

7.     egungun: ancestral masquerade

8.     etutu: placatory rites or medicine

9.     tryst: a private romantic rendezvous between lovers

10.  forebears: an ancestor

11.  suppliant: making a humble plea to someone in power or authority

12.  acolyte: person assisting the celebrant in a religious service or procession

13.  hearth: the floor/front area of a fireplace

All about the Author:

Wole Soyinka    

Born July 13th, 1934 in Abeokuta, Nigeria (Age 84)

First Black Africa Nigerian playwright & political activist, won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1986

His activism has caused him to spend periods of time imprisoned as well as being exiled.

Attended Goverment College and University College in Ibadan, the capital of Oyo state in Nigeria; graduated in 1958 with a degree in English from the University of Leeds England

Religion of Yoruba:

               

• Two realms: aye ( visible and tangible world) orun ( invisible and spiritual world)
• Represented as a spherical gourd or tray (artisans) these tools help to represent the mythic events in their history. The lines and artwork on these tools allow you to see metaphoric crossroads ( orita meta), Yoruba priests use these to open up communication to the other side.
• Orun: home to countless forces such as orisa (gods), ara orun (ancestors), oro, iwin, ajogun, and egbe (various spirits)

-Olodumare: creator of existence and source of ase (the life force)

-Orisa: two categories (cool and hot) there actions differ based on their asa

-Ifa: allows for humans to interact with this spiritual world. The diviner (babalawo) use rituals and poetry of Ifa to identify the cosmic forces

Aye: the visible world: What makes up the visible world?

• This includes the forces that come and manipulate human affairs
• "The world is a marketplace, the otherworld is home”
• Goals of long life, peace, and prosperity and those are reached by searching for ogbon (wisdom), imo (knowledge), and oye (understanding)
• Open and group decision making society because it reflects the organization in Orun.

Ase (life force) What is a life force?

• Part of everyone and everything
• Can learn how to use your life force (alaase)
• Shapes social action and social process 

  
  

  Assignment: We will be looking at clips from an actual performance. Pay attention to what we see and hear. As you are watch the video you will be recording your observations. After you make your observations think about what we know about Africa, the author, and the Yoruba culture. Based on what you saw in the video and the information we learned in class what are you expecting to learn about from this unit? Think back to our discussion yesterday about culture and the different aspects that are apart of the play.  
  
  -First, write down the observations you have after watching some of the video.
  -Second, use the observations and the information we have learned these past two days and reflect on what you expect to see in the rest of the unit?
  

  
  

  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ZXo3StCwMc