Cold Mountain:

Investigating Character - Inferring the Future

Objective: To discover how Charles Frazier introduces Ada and Inman and foreshadows their future through the development of character in Chapter 1, “the shadow of a crow” and chapter 2, “the ground beneath her hands.”

Procedure:

Ø Form groups of four/five people organized into two teams of 2/3 students each.

Ø Assign the category to be investigated to each group.

Ø Determine which two students will search through Inman’s chapter and which will search through Ada’s chapter.

Ø Work first in teams for fifteen minutes to gather details about the assigned character for the assigned category. Be certain the detail is specific and sufficient so that the group collaboration will be richer and yield more meaning.

Ø Collaborate next as a group to compare and contrast the two characters. Look for abstract comparisons like dreams, thoughts, feelings, fears, and decisions. Stress how the contrast in their setting highlights the similarities in the set of their mind. Make inferences about their future based on their character.

Ø Present the group’s summary findings to the whole class in some graphic form that makes the comparison easier to understand. Transparencies will be provided for this purpose.

Categories:

Windows, Meals, and Beds

Memories and Recollections

Readings and Writings

Wounds and Clothing

Journeys and Meetings

Summary Findings:

Identify their character traits, the possibilities for their future, the similarities of their desires, the differences in their settings.