Short, Cheap, Nearly Great Books SE Denver

Sunday, April 29, 2012

Does "The Red Ant House" by Ann Cummins have an underlying theme?

Are the two girls trying not to be invisible?

Is the Jewish aversion to shaming people part of the dialogue about one of the girls shaming him, me and his wife?

Endings usually matter in short stories. Why end with, "It was a dream in the distance."?

Perhaps I'll get some answers when we discuss this Tuesday evening, May 1.

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Basic Guidelines for Shared Inquiry

Read the selection carefully before participating in the discussion. This ensures that all participants are equally prepared to talk about the ideas in the work.
Most of us need to read short stories more than once.
Support your ideas with evidence from the text. This keeps the discussion focused on understanding the selection and enables the group to weigh textual support for different answers.
Discuss the ideas in the selection and try to understand them fully before exploring issues that go beyond the selection. Reflecting on the ideas in the text and the evidence to support them makes the exploration of related issues more productive.
Listen to other participants and respond to them directly. Directing your comments and questions to other group members, not always to the leader, will make the discussion livelier and more dynamic.
Expect the leader to only ask questions. Effective leaders help participants develop their own ideas, with everyone gaining a new understanding in the process. Participants should look to the leader for questions, not answers.