October Country - Basics, Analysis and Connections 1.

The basics - Just the facts, please Where does this story take place? How many generations do we hear about in the stories? Where do these people work? Is anyone in prison or has a criminal history? Where do they go to school? Did they go to college? Have they traveled to other places? What do they do for fun? Do they seem physically healthy? Do they seem emotionally/mentally healthy? Where is Ruby at the end of the movie? 2. A little deeper - Here you will analyze and speculate Why does Don find it difficult to express his love? Is Don troubled by his relationship with his sister Denise? How do you know? Why do you think that Denise lives alone? Do you think that she is happy? Why does Daneal choose one abusive man after another? Why does Chris steal? Do you think that Chris is bothered by the problems in his current foster home? Do you think that Desi gets good grades? Do you think she has graduated from high school by now? How about college? 3. Connections to our lives a. Is Daneal haunted by memories/stories from her past? What might those ghosts be? How might they affect her in the future? Will Desi be haunted by memories/stories from her past? What might those ghosts be? How might they affect her in the future? Will Ruby be haunted by memories/stories from her past? What might those ghosts be? How might they affect her in the future?

b. Do you know anyone who lives in an abusive relationship? Are there kids in the house? Are the parents college-educated? Do you know whether they grew up in an abusive household? c. Do you know anyone who has been or is being raised by someone other than their two original parents? Is that person haunted by memories of dad or mom or their original family?

4. You analyzed your poems to find themes about your life. Repetitive playing out of a theme can become a pattern. Desi and her grandmother talk about negative cycles and patterns in their family. Are there any of those in your family? Do you think that you will be able to break them? 5. In separate Google Doc (3 Leslie Lipton Oct Comparison), write a paragraph in which you compare and contrast the patterns in this family to patterns or themes in your own family. Be specific about similarities and differences. TIEA, approximately 125 words. (10 points) Use at least three of these words: pattern; theme; repetition; haunt; ghost Use red font for the vocab words; highlight similarities in light green; highlight differences in light yellow. Share it with me in Google Docs.