Learning Goal: I’m working on a english multi-part question and need an explanation and answer to help me learn.
Overview
Charles Chesnutt wrote “The Passing of Grandison” as a satire of the plantation myth. Chesnutt’s story also plays on the definition of “passing” or “racial passing.”
The story is written from a limited narrative point of view. We readers know what each character says, but we aren’t told what Grandison thinksand feels. Grandison uses his own dialect to misdirect Colonel Owens and his son Dick.
In addition to reading “The Passing of Grandison,” you will need to complete these secondary reading assignments for this challenge task:
- Definition of satire
- Definition of dialect
- Description of the plantation myth
- Discussion of racial passing: read section one of the linked webpage.
- “To My Old Master,” a letter written by a formerly enslaved person to his former “master.”
Purpose
Completing this challenge task will give you a good understanding of “The Passing of Grandison” and will also help you to understand the political and cultural forces that Chesnutt addresses in this short story
Rewrite at least two scenes from “The Passing of Grandison” so that they are told from Grandison’s point of view. Choose scenes in which Grandison interacts with different characters in each. (In other words, don’t rewrite two scenes of Grandison interacting with Dick Owens, two scenes of Grandison interacting with the Colonel, etc.) Although you will add and change information to create the scenes from Grandison’s point of view, keep your scenes consistent with Grandison’s character and the choices he makes in the original story. The rewritten scenes should also be consistent with the overall style and ideas of the original story.
After you have rewritten the two scenes, write at least two paragraphs explaining the choices you made with your rewrites. Address the following questions in your paragraphs. Include information from the reading assignments linked above in your response.
- Why did you choose those scenes?
- What were the most significant changes you had to make to write the scenes from Grandison’s point of view?
- What do your rewrites show about his character that the original story does not immediately show?
- Finally, why do you think Chesnutt chose not to tell us readers about Grandison’s thoughts and feelings in the original story?
- https://literaryterms.net/satire/
- https://literarydevices.net/dialect/
- https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passing_(racial_identity)
- https://news.lettersofnote.com/p/to-my-old-master?s=r
- Charles Chesnutt
- “The Passing of Grandison” Writing the Nation 2.10.1, pp. 180-192 https://oer.galileo.usg.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1004&context=english-textbooks#page=191
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