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Cristina O’Farrill
Olga Sanchez
Dramatic Literature
This paper includes two activities inspired by Tennessee Williams’ play titled The Night
of the Iguana. The activities consists of two parts: (a) Vocabulary, and (b) Passages from the
play. Each part includes two activities. Students will work with context clues, and comparison
Through these activities, students will learn how Tennessee Williams' personal life and
experiences have been the direct subject matter for his plays and how his experiences are used
and reflected in The Night of the Iguana. Even though the play reflects a range of social issues,
this paper will only focus on two issues: spiritual dislocation and cultural anxieties.
Audience:
The audience will be ESL college students.
Possible Outcomes:
Work on these activities could lead to the achievement of outcomes in the following
areas:
Word bank:
Question 1: How does the word petulant help you visualize the “man” mentioned on the last
passage from p. 34? What type of context clues helped you solve the meaning of the word?
Question 2: How does the word defrocked let you understand that Shannon was not completely
let go from church? (first passage from p. 35) What type of context clues helped you solve the
meaning of the word?
Question 3: What does Shannon mean when using the phrase “private asylum” in the fourth
passage from page 35? What type of context clues helped you solve the meaning of the word?
Question 4: How does the word atheism relate to religion? (fifth passage from p. 56) What type
of context clues helped you solve the meaning of the word?
Constraints: This assignment consists of three parts: a paper on what you know about each
word, a sheet with the answers of the questions, and a list of your own definitions. You will be
evaluated on all three portions of the assignment. Each step must be answered on different sheets
of paper. Label each sheet Step 1, 2, and 3.
Specific guidelines for this assignment include:
Correct grammar, punctuation, spelling, and language use
A written response as described above (Step 2)
A list of definitions for each word (Step 3).
Activity #2: Vocabulary Game
In this activity students already have knowledge on the four common types of context clues:
definition, antonym (contrast), synonym (restatement), and inference. They also know the
meaning of each word from the word bank, which was discussed in the first activity.
Objective: Students will use vocabulary presented from a text and apply it in context.
Instructions:
In our first activity, you learned the meaning of each vocabulary word. Now you will use them to
complete the following passage found below. Next you will write your own sentence with each
vocabulary word. At the end, create a simple word game. Share it with your peers or the whole
class.
observing a man who has been ____________________________ from his church. He thought
to himself that the man should be sent to an ______________________ in order to clear his
mind. As the other man kept talking, the old man had come to a conclusion that the fellow was
an ___________________.
Constraints: In this activity you will apply what you have learned about using context clues to
solve the meaning of a word. Now, you will create a simple word game that will include
sentences of each word; if you like, you may include the definitions. Create a catchy name for
your game. Below are examples of games you can use:
Guess the Word
Vocabulary Memory
Fill in the Blank
ACTIVITIES THAT INVOLVE PASSAGES FROM THE PLAY
Activity #3: Meet the Author
Objective: In this activity, students will learn how to connect their ideas by using
comparison and contrasting transition words.
Instructions:
The following videos of Tennessee Williams is provided so that you might become more familiar
with his life and his life experiences that possibly influenced his writing. As you listen to both
interviews, write down facts of his personal life, as well as his life as a writer. When you are
done viewing the videos, complete the exercise below.
Videos:
Exercise:
In Act II from Williams' play, The Night of the Iguana, you will find how social issues such as
spiritual dislocation and cultural anxieties affect Shannon’s life. Choose one social issue to
compare and contrast Shannon’s life with Tennessee William’s personal life. Find passages from
the play to support your ideas.
Constraints: This assignment consists of two parts: list of facts from Tennessee William’s
personal life, as well as his life as a writer, and the written response (question). You will be
evaluated on both portions of the assignment. Your list needs to include no less than five facts
for each side (personal life and writer life). In terms of the written response, you will need create
a clever title that incorporates the social issue you choose. By focusing on the social issue
chosen, explain in detail how William’s life compares and contrasts with Shannon’s life. In
particular, you will want to include facts from your list, and passages from the play to support
our idea. There is a list of transition words provided for you that include words used when
comparing and contrasting. While it is important to use transition words in your writing, you
don’t want to over use them. You do not need to start each sentence with a transitional word or
phrase. Three or four transition words is a good number for one paragraph.
In this activity students will use the play The Nigh of the Iguana as the basis for the study of
symbolism.
Greenward, S. (nd) & Flanigan, K. (nd). Solving word meanings: engaging strategies for
vocabulary development. International Literacy Association. Retrieved from:
http://www.readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/lesson-plans/solving-word-meanings-
engaging-1089.html?tab=4
Williams, T., & Wright, D. (2009). The night of the iguana. New York: New Directions Pub.