watershipdownbigquestions

Richard Adams's, "Watership Down" is rich in story telling. It is rich in ways that captivate the reader and emerge them in the world that Adams makes us re-examine, even if we are a part of it every single day of our lives. Told through the perspective of anamorphosized rabbits who embark on a journey to build a promising future for themselves and the future of their species, "Watership Down" provokes thinking in a way that no other novel can. It promotes thinking about life and death, survival, and the importance of valuing each other's strengths in order to work towards a common goal.

Students will see how as Hazel and his friends journey on to a more stable home, each individual's importance becomes more and more recognized. This is one of the best mechanisms that these rabbits use to survive. Although the perils and danger they must face were brutally hard to get through, their success stems from their ability to work together. It is a way that they adapt to the world around them. Students will learn just that as they read the novel---that any living thing must be willing to adapt to changes, dangers, and circumstances in order to survive. Though this tale is told through the perspective of animals, it brilliantly demonstrates the universal understanding that every living thing on this earth must be able to think on their feet, use cunning and have faith in their abilities in order to survive the drastic changes that life throws at us.

The fact that this tale is told through the perspective of rabbits lends itself to some very valuable learning elements. The rabbits have their own language called "lapine". It is done extremely well, and it helps to reiterate the point that these rabbits live their day to day lives just as we live ours---through language, communication, routines, and systems. Because the rabbits have their own fork lore, thoughts on the after life, an organized local government, and universal language, students will not feel that they are reading a kids story about cute, fluffy rabbits. They will simply feel that they are reading about a group of fellow living things that have more in common with them than they would think. This way, they can find the material relatable, and not childish. (A book about rabbits can be very deceiving)

With that being said, there are many violent scenes within the novel. However, it is not senseless or mindless violence. The violence is to demonstrate the intuitive desire to survive. This is how the animal world works, and the readers very quickly realizes that animals don't hurt each other for a cheap thrill like people to. It always has a purpose and although it may seem ugly and bleak at times, it is for the better good of the species. Each day is a trial of survival for these rabbits, and when there are violent scenes...it is to demonstrate their inability to give up their lives (especially since their goal is to build a safer future for others).

The purpose of this unit will be to explore how Adams sets these characters up to survive or not to survive...and what factors go into that.


 * Big Question:**

In fiction, are there certain 'types' of characters that are designed to survive obstacles?


 * Are there 'weak' and 'strong' characters in this novel ?
 * Why or why not?
 * What designates a 'strong' or 'weak' character in terms of survival?
 * How do the characters' differences aid in helping them to work together as a whole?
 * Which types of strengths are demonstrated by the characters in this novel ?
 * What weaknesses, if any, are evident?
 * Why does Adams include so much detail and description in his language throughout the novel?
 * ex. describing the landscape of the downs, the structure of the burrows, the weather, foreign objects ?
 * What effect does this have on the reader and the theme of survival?
 * How do the rabbits as a whole group evolve throughout the novel?
 * What differences do you see in the group of rabbits from the beginning of their journey until then end?

Standards that relate to my big question:


 * CC.1.3.11-12.A:** Determine and analyze the relationship between two or more themes or central ideas of a text, including the development and interaction of the themes; provide an objective summary of the text.

^^the themes of survival, life and death, and group work are all different but connect and build off of each other. Students need to understand the connections between in order to answer the big question.

Understanding why the Adams chooses to 1) make the story about rabbits 2) make it through their point of view begs a lot of questions (especially on the theme of survival, since it is so different from how humans survive)
 * CC.1.3.11-12.D:** Evaluate how an author’s point of view or purpose shapes the content and style of a text.

^^^^although this does not directly relate to the "Big Question", I think that a final assignment may be to find a scholarly critique of "Watership Down" and respond to it expressing whether they agree or disagree with the points that literary critic brings up. 
 * CC.1.3.11-12.G:** Analyze multiple interpretations of a story, drama, or poem (e.g., recorded or live production of a play or recorded novel or poetry), evaluating how each version interprets the source text. (Include at least one play by Shakespeare and one play by an American dramatist.)