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Titel
5
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Long Way Down - Guns in the USA
Long Way Down - Gun culture in the US
FOCUS
We read Jason Reynold's poetic novel Long Way Down (2018) and talk about issues related to race and gun violence in the USA.
This unit builds on knowledge gathered during last school year's topic on Hip Hop.
Reading the extraordinary novel helps us getting to know new analytical tools, for instance regarding characterisation and symbolism. We talk about 'magic realism' in literature.
We work on the typical features of rap lyrics and expand our knowledge of rhetorical analysis. We also revise and apply our knowledge on literary analysis (language, character, setting, narrative point of view, themes, composition, symbolism ...).
Cultural knowledge we work with concerns how race and class often are linked in the US, how gang culture, toxic masculinity and seemingly unregulated access to guns, shapes the lives of many Americans.
We also work with text material that shows us how gun culture relates to political stance, and to basic American values such as liberty. We look at arguments for and against gun ownership on both sides of the aisle.
We continue working on writing skills. In particular we focus on stylistic analysis and on text structure.
TERMINOLOGY
bullet, homicide, license, trigger, rifle, firearm, second amendment, conceal, bear arms, assault, NRA, anagram, territory, gun laws, federal legislation, persecute, point blank, lynch, gun rights activist, carnage, killing spree, murder/murderer, lethal, domestic violence, red flag laws, ...
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