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=Welcome to The Indian Reading Group Wiki Page of 2010= Novel: "They Cage Animals at Night" by Jennings Michael Burch ($5.99)

1. Please read the assigned pages in class, participate in discussions, and then write down your analysis/interpretation of the pages. Then post the same in your respective page that I created for you. It is a lot of monitoring for me, but I don't mind as long as you are participatory. Thank you for all your hard work and thank you for giving me an opportunity to teach and learn from you.

2. First Week's Assignment: Reflections on the first two chapters. Please do not **summarize**. 3. Second Week's Assignment: Make a list of all the people Jennings meets at the orphanage and write a note on each one of them. Do not rewrite the story, but write a character sketch and offer your interpretation. For example, recollect what you all contributed in class. Here are some thoughts: a. Jennings was not allowed to make friends. b. The nuns caged the animals at night because the nuns did not attach any value to stuffed animals or they did not want the boys in the orphanage to feel free. Nuns have renounced everything in this life, so they do not understand human feelings. c. Orphans are like unwanted animals; both don't belong anywhere permanently. d. The orphanage was a transitory dwelling arrangement, yet children felt the need for relationship building. Those who could not build relationships, relied on stuffed animals like Jenning's doggie. e. It is difficult to live a life of neglect/rejection etc

I hope I am not confusing you with my thoughts. If so, let me know. I enjoy your opinions very much. You all must come to class prepared to discuss about 25 pages as of August 12th. Also write reflections following the above mentioned cues. Remember, the more you give, the more you will learn.

8/14/10 4. Write about the Carpenters and Jennings's life at the new foster home.I want you all to comment on the atmosphere and events there. Write about Jennings's happy reunion with his family. How do you feel about the separation he feels while he is away from home.

8/21/10 Please do not post anything in this page; it will confuse the group. If you tell me who wrote this, then I can transfer it to your page.


 * 9/2/10**
 * Important Information About Reading Class**
 * Effective on the 2nd, I have decided to combine the two groups for time management purposes. However, each member must abide by my rules as stipulated. This is a free class and I would like to teach our youngsters to be thankful and humble. As the cliche goes, "Vidya dadathi vinayam!"**


 * (Translation: Education teaches one humility).**
 * Rules:**
 * 1. Be courteous to your peers**
 * 2. come to class and leave class on time**
 * 3. Share only when asked and avoid dominating the class discussions**
 * 4. Listen carefully to other readers and respect their view points**
 * 5. Do not criticize your peers**
 * 6. Do not edit other student's pages on the wiki**
 * 7. Do not compare your work with other members because no one is perfect**
 * 8. Work on the home work in a timely fashion**
 * 9. Do not try to socialize during class time**
 * 10. Avoid abrupt talking and annoying other members of the group**
 * 11. Do not ask your parents to call about home work**
 * 11. If you are being picked up by someone other than your parent(s), please let the teacher know**


 * I reserve the right to remove any member from my class who is a threat to class cohesiveness and teacher effectiveness. I love to offer this free service, yet I want to make sure that students deserve to be part of my class. Also, I will not call parents, so parents are required to call for information. I also reserve the right to cancel class for low attendance i.e if half the class decides to not show up. It is the parent's responsibility to call the techer and not the teacher's requirement to call each and every parent. Thank you.**
 * Kalpana M. Iyengar**


 * This week's (9/3/10) class is on Friday from 6 p.m to 7.30 p.m. Please let me know how many can make it. Please read the wiki page periodically.**


 * 9/9/10**
 * This week's class is on Sunday at 4 p.m. since there is a music concert at the temple. Thanks.**
 * Kalpana M. Iyengar**

9/16/10 Please read chapter 7 and write about how Jennings felt about dislocation and displacement. You may want to look up the definitions of these words. Reflect on Jenning's plight about the loss of his brother.

9/21/10 Please write a page on the loses of Jennings and your own. Use the classroom discussion for this assignment. You may ask your parents if they have lost something that they valued in life and then reflect on that aspect. Thanks.


 * 9/27/10**
 * The class is cancelled as of this week. Thank you for your participation.**