Márquez S Chronicle of a Death Foretold Study Guide

Márquez’s Chronicle of a Death Foretold Study Guide:

Friday: Socratic Seminar (inner circle fishbowl discussion; outer circle paragraph response—both discussion and written prompts will be taken from the list below.)

The questions for the outer circle prompt and the open-book Socratic Seminar will be taken from those listed below:

1. Is Chronicle a comedy or a tragedy? Take a side and justify your rationale. 2. Discuss the villagers’ attitude to law and/or religion in Chronicle of a Death Foretold. How does Márquez use point of view, narrative voice, and other literary conventions to communicate those ideas? 3. Analyze a few incidents in the novel in which Márquez uses irony, and the effect of each on the text. 4. Analyze how Márquez critiques the violence and brutality that are an intrinsic part of the life of the town and its effect on the culture the narrative reflects.

5. Discuss the class system that emerges in the society of Chronicle of a Death Foretold. On what is it based? In what ways does it influence the central action of the novel?

6. What is the “cult of machismo” Márquez refers to in the novel? In what way does adherence to it influence the course of events in Chronicle of a Death Foretold?

7. If one of the roles in literature is to provide insight into human nature, by what techniques and to what degree does Chronicle offer you such insight? 8. What is the role of honor in Chronicle? What literary techniques does Marquez use to communicate and reflect that theme? 9. Chronicle is written in a unique narrative style; evaluate the overall effectiveness of this approach. How does the reflective--27 years later-- 1st person POV affect the reliability of the narrator? 10. Analyze the role of female characters in Chronicle of a Death Foretold. Describe their lives, their aspirations, the choices that are available to them, and their individual responses to the circumstances in which they find themselves. 11. How is Márquez novella similar to and different from the historical account of the murder (be sure to have read the excerpt in class; also posted online)

Socratic Seminar Participation Rubric

 Excellence looks like: The well-prepared discussion group appears to enjoy themselves during a discussion of the text’s literal and figurative significance, dominant literary techniques, historical context, and cultural implications. Outside research and inquisitive questions show a genuine interest in the text. Respect between group members is obvious, and all parties equitably contribute to the conversation.

 Benchmarks of excellence include:

 Participant offers enough solid analysis, without prompting, to move the conversation forward

 Participant, through their comments, demonstrates a deep knowledge of the text and the question

 Participant has come to the seminar prepared, with notes and a marked/annotated text

 Participant, through his/her comments, shows that they are actively listening to other participants

 Students offer clarification and/or follow-up that extends the conversation

 Participant's remarks often refer to specific parts of the text  Individual participants do not obviously dominate the conversation