The Bluest Eye

Lesson 18
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ELA

Unit 7

9th Grade

Lesson 18 of 30

Objective


Explain how Pauline Breedlove became the mother who abuses her daughter so mercilessly.

Readings and Materials


  • Book: The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison  pp. 110 – 121

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Target Task


Multiple Choice

How does Morrison characterize Pauline Breedlove in this chapter? 

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Which two pieces of evidence, when taken together, best prove the answer to Part A?

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Writing Prompt

What techniques does Morrison use to reveal Pauline’s character? Explain using evidence from the chapter.

Key Questions


  • Read the epigraph. What can you predict this chapter will be about? Why? (Examine the juxtaposition of the Dick and Jane mom with Pauline.)
  • Who is the narrator? How do you know?
  • "The easiest thing to do would be to build a case out of her foot. That is what she did" What are we, as readers, to infer that Pauline blames her foot for? What caution does the narrator offer?
  • What do we learn about Pauline Breedlove? Track diction and all descriptions.
  • Why, based on what you have learned so far, might she blame her foot? Blame it for what?
  • What do the italics signify? Whose voice is that? How do you know?
  • Who does the narrator describe as a "simple Presence"? What does this choice of diction communicate?
  • How does Pauline describe Cholly? How does this contrast with the Cholly we met in chapter one? Why might Morrison want us to know this Cholly, too?
  • How did Pauline feel when she arrived in Ohio? How does her description of her feelings compare with the description of Geraldine and other women who migrated from the South?
  • Describe the woman Pauline works for. Track the diction Morrison uses to describe her.
  • "She married a man with a slash in his face instead of a mouth. So how could she understand?" What does this reveal about Pauline?
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Lesson 17

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Lesson 19

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