Before Reading
Establish a Purpose
With a partner, discuss your responses to the Reader's Journal question. What role do you think imaginative literature has today? As you read, compare your ideas about literature to those Faulkner presents.
During Reading
Read with This Purpose in Mind
1. Listen as your teacher reads the first paragraph aloud. Discuss the following questions with your classmates: How does Faulkner view this award? To whom is he directing his comments?
2. Continue reading on your own. Summarize the main point of each paragraph. When you are done, look back over your notes. What is Faulkner's purpose? Does he convince you with his arguments?
Fix-Up Idea: Unlock Difficult Words
If you are struggling with the vocabulary in the selection, read through the speech once, trying to get the main ideas without worrying about the meaning of every word. Then go back and reread. Write words you do not know in your notebook. Use context clues to help you figure out the meaning. If that doesn't work, try to use word parts, like prefixes and word roots, to help you figure out the meaning. Use a dictionary if you are still unsure of the meaning. Write the definition in your word study notebook.
After Reading
Share Your Connections
With your partner from the Before-Reading activity, share your notes. Come up with works of literature you think meet Faulkner's standards and some that would not meet his standards. What advice would you give to writers? Why?