Barbie and Ken Lesson Plan

Today we will research this key question and try to formulate a quality answer:

How does the passage today use metonymy and help readers better understand hidden biases and how we make sense of things on our own and together as a group?

Group formation

Activity: “Hi Barbie, Hi Ken”

Objective: To encourage interaction and pairing among students in a simple and friendly manner, using the greetings “Hi Barbie” and “Hi Ken.”

Instructions:

copy this picture and print it half as many times as you have students in your group. Cut it in halves.

Preparation: Create an equal number of Barbie and Ken cutouts, or simply use coloured sticky notes, each labeled at the back with either “Hi Barbie” or “Hi Ken.”
Distribution: Hand out the Barbie and Ken cutouts randomly to students as they enter the classroom. Ensure that students do not reveal the greetings on their cutouts.
Pairing Up by Exchanging Greetings: Instruct students to walk around the classroom and find a matching partner. Once students find their matching partner, they should greet each other with the respective greetings. After pairs have exchanged greetings, and found their match, tell them to sit down and have a conversation. They can ask a question: “Hey, what was the highlight of your holidays? Anything exciting you want to share?” See if students figure this out quickly and how they vary their matching styles. Some might ask questions: “Should we match a Barbie to a Ken?” Of course not. You might like to discuss their questions and assumptions.
Plenary Exchange: have a few pairs share their matches and a brief introduction of their partner.
Reflection: Lead a short discussion about the activity. Ask students how they felt connecting with their match and what they discovered about their classmates through this simple interaction.

By focusing on the straightforward exchange of greetings, this activity encourages students to pair up and initiate conversations with minimal complexity.

Starter:

What is ‘metonymy’? Write down your own definition.

What is ‘bias’? Write down your definition.

Now compare with your classmates in a plenary discussion.

Jumpstart your creativity:

In pairs, try and think of a part-whole relationship and then add 4 sentences to this dialogue starting with:

Alex: “It does not seem to make much sense,”

and ending with:

Jamie: “That is how it can make sense”.

Rewrite your definition of metonymy.

Then do the following task on your own.

Be ready to share your anwers in a plenary discussion afterwards.

Read the following literary extract I by Mihu Covertorphan from the novel Sense-Making (2023): and answer the questions beneath the extract:

“It does not seem to make much sense,” they pondered, amidst a charming room adorned with intricate tapestries. The delicate fragrance of lavender lingered, a testament to the tapestries’ care.

Gesturing towards a vibrant tapestry on the wall, they mused, “Take a gander at these shades.” Their fingers gently traced delicate threads, each one spinning a tale, conveying sentiments painted with delicate strokes.

Nodding, their gaze fixed on the interplay of browns, greens, and blues with purples, reds, and pinks. “These darker shades exude tranquility, while the more colourful shades make the tapestry come alive,” they said, contemplative. “A symphony of feelings intertwined.”

Alex liked darker shades showed meticulous method, appreciation for intricate details. “Lovely,” mumbled Jamie, guiding the lighter and more colourful threads with artistic flair.

As morning sunlight filtered through sheer curtains, their subdued conversation continued, unraveling the tapestry thread by thread. With each careful tug, intricate connections were unveiled between hues, a thoughtful selection of shades.

“Why disassemble it?” Alex wondered, brow slightly creased. “It’s a masterpiece.”

“True,” replied Jamie, eyes glimmering with enthusiasm. “Unraveling helps us understand. Observing threads, valuing uniqueness, creating something new.”

With dexterous fingers and shared vision, they reweaved. Threads of different colors merged with newfound insight, challenging assumptions. The tapestry metamorphosed, assuming new essence.

After the last thread was woven, they admired their work. Colors flowed harmoniously, a reinvigorated masterpiece born of collaboration.

In their private world, they uncovered a connection beyond colors and threads. An unspoken understanding unfolded in enigmatic splendor, saying, “Perhaps it will make sense in due course?”

Answer these questions on your own:

What is the central theme of the story, and what are the characters discussing?

Could the characters possibly be engaged in a conversation about more than just colours?

What is sense-making?

How is ‘meaning’ different than sense?

Now exchange your answers in a plenary discussion.

Diving deeper into the text:

Why do the characters start by saying “It doesn’t seem to make much sense”? What does this show about what they initially thought?
Imagine Alex and Jamie. How old are they? What do they like? Think about any other details that come to mind when you picture them.
When they talk about the tapestry and understanding, what do they mean? How does this help us see things we might miss?
Why do they want to change the tapestry? How is this like changing how we look at things?
The browns, greens, and blues are seen as calm and deep. How might this relate to what we usually think about traits associated with genders?
The reds, purples, and pinks are seen as lively and delicate. How does this connect with what we often believe about traits connected to genders?
When they say “Maybe it will make more sense later,” how does this fit with talking about one thing to mean another? What could be the deeper meaning here?

Exchange your answers in a plenary discussion. Then watch:

Watch: (12) Margot Robbie Takes You Inside The Barbie Dreamhouse | Architectural Digest – YouTube

Watch: (12) KEN Things Ryan Gosling Can’t Live Without | GQ – YouTube

Answer some more questions:

8. How does the story employ discussions about colours to encourage us to contemplate how we perceive the world and how we treat different genders?

9. When the tapestry is woven again, so when it metamorphoses, what could it symbolise? How might it correlate with altering our perspectives on particular matters?

10. What insights can we derive from the narrative about subconscious biases? How does it assist in viewing matters from a fresh perspective?

11. Considering the characters’ discussion of colours, their preferences, and the evolution of the tapestry, how does the extract as a whole invite readers to reflect on their own implicit biases and preconceived notions?

Exchange in a plenary conversation. Then try and formulate the answer to this key question in the form of a Point-Example-Explain-Link Paragraph:

12. How does the extract taken from ‘Sense-Making’ by Covertorphan use metonymy to help readers better understand hidden biases and how we make sense of things together as a group?

Compare your answer now to your first answer. What have you learnt?

Follow-up assignment:

Extract II by Virginia Woolf in the novel Orlando (1928):

“Love, the poet said, is woman’s whole existence.”

Extract Chapter 1

He–for there could be no doubt of his sex, though the fashion of the time did something to disguise it–was in the act of slicing at the head of a Moor which swung from the rafters. It was the colour of an old football, and more or less the shape of one, save for the sunken cheeks and a strand or two of coarse, dry hair, like the hair on a cocoanut. Orlando’s father, or perhaps his grandfather, had struck it from the shoulders of a vast Pagan who had started up under the moon in the barbarian fields of Africa; and now it swung, gently, perpetually, in the breeze which never ceased blowing through the attic rooms of the gigantic house of the lord who had slain him.

Questions:

How does the text indicate the character’s gender?

What event from the character’s family history does the Moor’s head represent, and how does it relate to masculinity?

What does the swinging of the Moor’s head signify, and how does it tie to the character’s heritage?

How does the constant breeze in the attic rooms connect with the representation of masculinity and the past?

Extract Chapter 4

‘But what used we young fellows in the cockpit of the “Marie Rose” to say about a woman who threw herself overboard for the pleasure of being rescued by a blue-jacket?’ she said. ‘We had a word for them. Ah! I have it . . . ’ (But we must omit that word; it was disrespectful in the extreme and passing strange on a lady’s lips.) ‘Lord! Lord! she cried again at the conclusion of her thoughts, ‘must I then begin to respect the opinion of the other sex, however monstrous I think it? If I wear skirts, if I can’t swim, if I have to be rescued by a blue-jacket, by God!’ she cried, ‘I must!’ Upon which a gloom fell over her. Candid by nature, and averse to all kinds of equivocation, to tell lies bored her. It seemed to her a roundabout way of going to work. Yet, she reflected, the flowered paduasoy — the pleasure of being rescued by a blue-jacket — if these were only to be obtained by roundabout ways, roundabout one must go, she supposed. She remembered how, as a young man, she had insisted that women must be obedient, chaste, scented, and exquisitely appareled. ‘Now I shall have to pay in my own person for those desires,’ she reflected; ‘for women are not (judging by my own short experience of the sex) obedient, chaste, scented, and exquisitely appareled by nature. They can only attain these graces, without which they may enjoy none of the delights of life, by the most tedious discipline. There’s the hairdressing,’ she thought, ‘that alone will take an hour of my morning, there’s looking in the looking-glass, another hour; there’s staying and lacing; there’s washing and powdering; there’s changing from silk to lace and from lace to paduasoy; there’s being chaste year in year out . . . ’ Here she tossed her foot impatiently, and showed an inch or two of calf. A sailor on the mast, who happened to look down at the moment, started so violently that he missed his footing and only saved himself by the skin of his teeth. ‘If the sight of my ankles means death to an honest fellow who, no doubt, has a wife and family to support, I must, in all humanity, keep them covered,’ Orlando thought. Yet her legs were among her chiefest beauties. And she fell to thinking what an odd pass we have come to when all a woman’s beauty has to be kept covered lest a sailor may fall from a mast-head. ‘A pox on them!’ she said, realising for the first time what, in other circumstances, she would have been taught as a child, that is to say, the sacred responsibilities of womanhood.

Questions:

What was the reaction of the young fellows aboard the “Marie Rose” to a woman throwing herself overboard to be rescued by a sailor?
Why does the lady hesitate to share the particular word they used for such women?
How does the lady feel about the idea of respecting the opinion of the other sex, even if she finds it monstrous?
What does the lady come to realise about the necessity of conforming to certain gender norms, such as wearing skirts and being rescued by a sailor?
How does the lady’s perspective on obedience, chastity, and appearance change as she reflects on her own experiences?
What tasks and disciplines does the lady mention that are required to achieve the desired graces of womanhood?
Why does the lady toss her foot impatiently and reveal her calf? How does this action lead to an unexpected consequence?
How does the incident with the sailor on the mast make Orlando (the lady) reconsider the need to cover her legs?
Why does Orlando feel conflicted about covering her legs, despite acknowledging that they are among her best features?
What realisation dawns upon Orlando as she contemplates the idea that a woman’s beauty must be kept hidden to prevent accidents like the sailor’s incident?
How might chapter 1 relate to chapter 4? What is different? Why is that, do you think?

TEACHER’S KEY

All answers and explanations below have been given to help you in coaching plenary instructional conversations where you ask the socratic questions and in which students are negotiating meanings into collective sense-making. Or: in Socratic Seminars in which you teach students how to ask question themselves.

Metonymy is a figure of speech that involves using one element to represent another element based on their association or connection, often based on a part-whole relationship or some other meaningful connection.

Example: “The pen is mightier than the sword.” In this phrase, “the pen” is used as a metonym for writing, communication, and diplomacy, while “the sword” represents warfare and aggression. The saying suggests that words and ideas (symbolised by the pen) have a greater influence and power than physical force (represented by the sword).

When we analyse a text, whether it is a non-fiction passage, or a fiction extract, we often use that specific portion to represent the larger context from which it originates. The text becomes a metonymic representation of the broader ideas, themes, or concepts that surround it. For example, if we discuss a single paragraph from a novel and draw conclusions about the entire story based on that paragraph, we are using the specific text as a metonym for the larger narrative and themes of the novel. This allows us to engage with and interpret the broader context through a smaller, representative part.

The approach of interpreting a text solely based on its own internal elements and context, without considering external factors like the author’s background or intentions, is often referred to as “close reading.” Close reading involves analysing the words, phrases, imagery, symbolism, structure, and other literary elements within the text itself to derive meaning, themes, and insights. This method emphasises a deep exploration of the text’s language and form to uncover layers of interpretation and understanding. While close reading primarily focuses on the text itself, it is worth noting that no interpretation is entirely divorced from external context. Our individual experiences, cultural knowledge, and language usage can still influence how we perceive and interpret a text even when we are primarily engaging with its internal elements.

Bias refers to a tendency or inclination, often unconscious (implicit), that influences our perception, judgment, or decision-making in a particular direction. It can involve favoring or prejudicing certain ideas, people, groups, or things over others, leading to unfair or unbalanced viewpoints. Bias can arise from personal experiences, cultural influences, social conditioning, or other factors, and it can impact how we interpret information and interact with the world around us.

Example: During a group discussion about climate change, one person dismisses the concerns of younger participants, assuming they lack knowledge simply because of their age. This bias based on age can hinder productive conversation and overlook valuable insights from the younger generation.

Possible and Plausible answers Extract I

The characters start by saying “It doesn’t seem to make much sense” because they are expressing their initial confusion or uncertainty about the situation or subject they are discussing. This indicates that they’re finding it difficult to understand or interpret at first.
Alex and Jamie are both imagined to be young adults in their early twenties. Alex prefers darker colors and might enjoy activities like hiking and reading mystery novels. Jamie, on the other hand, loves bright, flowery colors and might have a passion for painting and gardening. Of course, there are no gender-related personal pronouns. The text talks about ‘they’. Alex and Jamie are used as female and male names. As a teacher, you can ask how many students used ‘he’ or ‘she’ in their own descriptions. Ask them to put a circle around the personal pronouns in the text. Ask them what they based their assumptions of gender on. Ask them what feminine or masculine representation is. Ask them about their definition of ‘bias’. Discuss how bias can be explicit and how this works, and if they recognise it in themselves. Ask them to redefine ‘bias’. Ask them to define ‘feminine and masculine representation’. Ask them why binary categories distinguish between female and male, and how societal norms function. Have an interesting discussion with them and open up their horizons.
When they compare the tapestry to understanding, they are trying to say that just as unraveling the tapestry helps them see the connections between colors and threads, deep analysis can help reveal hidden meanings and insights that might go unnoticed in a text or situation.
They decide to change the tapestry to better understand how different colors interact and create new patterns. Similarly, changing how we see things involves reevaluating our perspectives and assumptions to gain a deeper understanding.
The description of browns, greens, and blues as calm and profound may link with the conventional expectation of certain gender traits, associating these colors with qualities often attributed to masculinity, such as stability and depth.
The depiction of reds, purples, and pinks as vibrant and delicate might align with established associations concerning gender traits, connecting these colors with qualities often linked to femininity, such as emotional sensitivity and expressiveness.
When they say “Maybe it will make more sense later,” it corresponds with using one element to represent another, suggesting that understanding can develop over time. The deeper significance is that sometimes, a closer look reveals connections and meanings that might not be immediately apparent.
The characters’ dialogue could encompass more than just the discussion of colours. It seems to hold symbolic significance, suggesting a broader exploration of understanding and perception. The initial statement “It does not seem to make much sense” indicates the characters’ initial confusion or uncertainty. This suggests a lack of clarity or comprehension at the outset. By likening the tapestry to a form of understanding, the characters are expressing that sometimes breaking down complex elements can lead to a more profound insight into individual components and their interconnections, similar to how we unveil hidden aspects through careful analysis.
Changing the tapestry is like redoing our thoughts and biases. It is like taking apart old ideas and putting them together again to understand better.
Your own biases might have been, but not necessarily are, the assumption or ascribing of a specific gender to Alex and to Jamie. One character’s fondness for the darker, more earthlike colours, along with their steady hands, may align with conventional expectations of masculinity or being male. The other character’s preference for the lighter, more passionate colours and their dexterity in crafting may resonate with prevalent gender-associated attributes linked to femininity or being female.
The phrase “Maybe it will make more sense later” relates to using one thing (the tapestry) to represent a bigger idea (understanding). This is like metonymy, where parts show larger concepts. The phrase “unraveling helps us understand” means breaking down what we know to find hidden biases. Like unraveling threads shows connections, recognising biases needs breaking assumptions. Doing this uncovers deep biases to better understand, just as unraveling threads reveals hidden patterns. Unraveling biases is like changing views. Just as threads show a new tapestry view, addressing biases lets us see things differently. Both break old ideas for a more open view.
Answer: The excerpt from ‘Sense-Making’ by Covertorphan employs metonymy to aid readers in grasping concealed biases and our collective process of understanding. Through the metaphor of unraveling a tapestry, the text symbolizes the need to dissect assumptions, much like we unravel threads. This parallels how we uncover hidden biases that affect our perception. The evolving tapestry represents a shift in understanding, similar to how our perspectives change: “Unraveling helps us understand”. This dynamic illustrates how our thought patterns can transform, leading to: “newfound insight, challenging assumptions”. The narrative exposes subconscious biases and their impact on interpretation. By demonstrating how characters’ biases influence their views on colors and genders, the passage encourages self-reflection, enabling readers to acknowledge their own biases and foster a fresh viewpoint. The use of metonymy, symbolising unraveling and reweaving, prompts readers to explore deeper layers of implicit bias and gender roles. The extract encourages readers to examine their own biases, facilitating a comprehensive comprehension of both individual biases and group sense-making

Possible and Plausible answers Extract II

Answer: The text suggests the character’s gender identity despite the fashion of the time, highlighting their masculine nature.
Answer: The Moor’s head represents a victory where a family member defeated a Pagan opponent, reflecting a heritage of strength and masculinity.
Answer: The swinging of the Moor’s head signifies a continuous reminder of the character’s heritage and masculinity, perpetually hanging in the breeze.
Answer: The constant breeze in the attic rooms symbolizes the enduring presence of masculinity and the past, connecting with the representation of the Moor’s head and its historical significance.
Answer: The young fellows aboard the “Marie Rose” used to have a term for a woman who intentionally threw herself overboard to be rescued by a sailor. However, the specific term is omitted from the narrative due to its disrespectful and inappropriate nature.
Answer: The lady hesitates to share the word they used because it was extremely disrespectful and unusual for such language to be used by a woman.
Answer: The lady grapples with the conflict of respecting the opinions of the opposite gender, even if she finds those opinions monstrous or disagreeable.
Answer: The lady realises that conforming to certain gender expectations, such as wearing skirts and needing rescue by a sailor, may be necessary, even if she finds such norms restrictive.
Answer: The lady’s perspective shifts as she reflects on her past notions of women’s attributes, recognizing that the ideals of obedience, chastity, and appearance are not naturally inherent and require disciplined efforts.
Answer: The lady mentions various tasks and disciplines, such as hairdressing, dressing in different attire, maintaining chastity, and other grooming rituals, that are required to achieve the desired qualities of womanhood.
Answer: The lady’s impatient foot-tossing inadvertently exposes her calf, which startles a sailor on a mast. This reaction leads the sailor to lose his footing momentarily.
Answer: The incident with the sailor on the mast prompts Orlando to reconsider the impact of her actions on others, leading her to contemplate the need to cover her legs to prevent similar incidents.
Answer: Orlando is torn between her personal desire to showcase her attractive legs and the ethical responsibility of keeping them covered to prevent accidents and protect the well-being of others.
Answer: Orlando realizes that the necessity to keep a woman’s beauty hidden due to potential dangers represents a shift in societal values and expectations, which underscores the sacred responsibilities associated with womanhood.