Shoeless Joe: 78-101

Big group discussion

Rules

1. Everyone must speak

2. Use the text to support your ideas

3. Build off of one another; keep moving forward

4. Think before you speak

5. Plan: take 5-7 minutes to formulate your ideas and then we'll begin

"'It wasn't just the baseball game. I wanted it to be a metaphor for something else: perhaps trust, or freedom, or ritual, or faithfulness, or joy, or any of the other things that baseball can symbolize. I only want to make you happy ...'" I feel myself choking up as I say it.

'You don't know how those words affected me,' I go on. 'It was the line 'They tore down the Polo Grounds in 1964' that got me. Those words flew off the printed page, hovered in the air, assumed the shape of a gray bird, and landed on my shoulder. I reached up and picked off the bird and held it in my hand, tiny and pulsing, pressed it hard against my chest, and it disappeared like mist. If I were to open my shirt, and you looked closely, you could see its faint silver outline on my skin'" (97).

Ray is easily intoxicated by magic, faith, and his religion, but not all humans are. Why do humans daily deny the presence of what Ray finds so fulfilling? In what ways has Ray's religion and faith persuaded Salinger to head to Minnesota with Ray and how does that inform us about Salinger's true character? What role does the language of myth play at this point in time in the novel?

Other questions for discussion

1. Compare and contrast Mark & Ray. Use the text and W.P. Kinsella's similes to support your ideas.

2. What are Ray's specific vulnerabilities?

3. How has Ray changed since the opening of the novel? How has he remained stagnant as a character?

4. Some critics say Ray gives a sermon on pp. 84 -85. Firstly, what is he preaching? Remember that a sermon is a speech by a prophet or member of the clergy. Secondly, how does Ray fit into that definition?

5. How does nostalgia present itself in last night's reading?

Shoeless Joe: Day 3

Free write:
"I [Ray] practically dance to our table, I am feeling so manic, I have done it," (77).

Manic (adjective): showing wild and apparently deranged excitement and energy (Mac Dictionary).
Magic (noun): the power of apparently influencing the course of events by using mysterious or supernatural forces (Mac Dictionary).

Using the text as evidence, in what ways is Ray both manic and magic? And in what way do Ray's actions blur the line between the two (in other words, how might a reader of or character in the novel see his manic behavior as magic or the magic of the field as manic behavior)?

Discussion:

1. What future conflicts has W.P. Kinsella set up? At what level do these conflicts exist (man vs society, man vs self, man vs nature, man vs supernatural)?

Shoeless Joe: Day 2

Some fun


Free write: In Shoeless Joe, a voice tells Ray, "ease his pain," and he knows immediately that it is J.D. Salinger whose pain needs to be eased. So, Ray begins preparing (see pages 33-34). Think about  an immense challenge you have had to prepare yourself for (a test, a game, a performance). What rituals did you partake in to ensure you were successful?


Discussion
How do our own rituals inform our reading of this text?

A look at smilies: Thinking back on your immense challenge and your rituals, write 7 similes characterizing your experience.

Shoeless Joe: Day 1

Free write: Look at the quote that prefaces the book. Why do you think W.P. Kinsella began the book with this idea?

"Some men see thing as they are, and say why, I dream of things that never were, and say why not."

A bit more insight into the novel.

Discussion questions:
1. How is Ray's epiphany on p.16 related to the magic on the field?
2. Where in the chapter can we find magic (not literally the word)? Why is it important to weave that in from the start? What is W.P. Kinsella trying to show us? What is he asking of us?
3. In what ways do Karin & Annie differ? Why is their difference essential to Ray's success/failure?
4. How does Annie's faith in Ray mirror his faith in baseball? And why has W.P. Kinsella created such similar faiths? What commentary might he be making on faith in general?
5. Let's look at some verbs .... find a few that just pop from the page. And, pay close attention to the verbs and similies/metaphors as we move forward.

"Last Pennant" & "The Thrill of the Grass"

1. In what way is baseball linked to religion in both stories? (Remember, religion is about ritual, belief) And why do you think Kinsella has made this connection?

A first view of the baseball cards AND THEY ARE AMAZING!!!!! They look fabulous!!!!!