WebQuest

Created by: Magdalene S., Matt H., Alicja K. May 24, 2000

INTRODUCTION:  "No, you don’t understand; you don’t know. It wasn’t what you think. It was just . . ." (Tyler, 144). It is just Anne Tyler’s Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant. It is just four characters and four different points of view. No, it was more than that. It is understanding the characters that make the novel. You are about to create the feast that is understanding the characters in Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant.
 
 

TASK 1: Ezra is seen as the victim of Cody’s problems. Cody is constantly thinking that Ezra gets more attention from everyone than is really true. Cody’s paranoia is partly due to the fact that Ezra is their mother’s favorite. Ezra also possesses a unique approach to life; he never seems to let life bother him, never getting angry, always seeming innocent. To escape from the emotional turmoil at home, Ezra throws himself into working with food, often using food as a way to cure emotional pain. He believes that food helps people deal with their emotional problems. Slowly he gets deeper and deeper into the food business, going from working in a restaurant to owning one. He spends most of his adult life, trying to get the family to have one, full, complete, successful dinner at the Homesick Restaurant. For your task, try to relate to Ezra by creating an entree symbolizing his feelings, anything from a sandwich to a salad to a filet mignon.

Ex.: Turmoil salad

Resources:
 

Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant by, Anne Tyler	http://www.thehub.com.au/~greg/tyler.html
http://home.pacific.net.au/~greg.hub/dinner.html	You may also find internet search sights such www.yahoo.com helpful.

Process: First of all, read the book, Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant. Secondly, visit the above listed web sites and try to find out as much about Ezra. Then think about how misunderstood Ezra’s optimism is. It is resented by Cody, ignored by Jenny, and taken for granted by Pearl. After all your research you should begin to see why Ezra turned to food to find happiness. Try to create a food item recipe that reflects upon Ezra’s feelings. Write out the recipe, adding at the end a paragraph explaining how that item relates to Ezra’s feelings. Then go on to create the food item.

Evaluation: 

TASK 2: Jenny had a lot of emotional problems, which included eating disorders and overexertion. Imagine that you are Jenny and you must keep a diary. Compose five diary entries that discuss the issues of your life. These entries must be detailed and relevant to Jenny’s problems. Make sure that the entries provide learning advice, and interpersonal process advice. It should be short and clear.

Resources:
 

http://www.madison.k12.wi.us./it/studentwork/novel/011.htm	http://info.greenwood.com/books/.html
http://contemporaryliterarycriticism.com

 

Process: In order to accomplish the task of completing a diary that represents Jenny’s personal thoughts, one must look through the novel and also take a peek at the three web sites provided. After studying the resources that are present, one is able to understand Jenny’s point of view more clearly. Then the individual is enriched with knowledge and can feel how the events in this young woman’s life are impacting her positively or negatively. Be very elaborate when writing the journal entries so that the reader is able to see Jenny in depth. If one is able to succeed in completing these tasks then you should receive a decent grade.

Evaluation:
 

	5- Excellent	4-  Very Good	3-  Average	2-  Below Average	1-  Poor	0-  Did you read the novel?	Total
Completeness of Work
Creativity
Accuracy
Format
Overall Understanding
						Cost (in points)

 
 
 

TASK 3: Cody was one of the most misunderstood characters of the novel. He acted out violently, often towards members of his family. What most people do not realize is that Cody lashes out because he is emotionally disturbed. For this task, you have two choices. A) Create a Rorschach inkblot and write three paragraphs stating how Cody would respond to it. B) Construct a prank that Cody would play on Ezra. Then, write a brief paper (2-4 paragraphs) about how this plan would backfire.

 

Process: Basically, you are examining the character of Cody on a deeper level. If you do Task A, you create a Rorschach inkblot. To do this you will need a sheet of paper (typing paper will do fine) and a bottle of ink. Fold the sheet of paper in half, and smear the ink on one half of the paper. Put the two halves together and flatten it, which will put the ink on both sides. Let it dry and then interpret it. The interpretation will consist of how you think Cody will respond to it. Will it trigger a past memory? Will it be an angry description? It is up to you, but do not get too creative. Remember to turn in your inkblot with your response.

Evaluation:
 

	5 Excellent	4 Very Good	3 Average	2 Below Average	1 Poor	0 Did you even try?	Points Received
Complete-ness of work
Creativity
Accuracy
Format
Overall Understan-ding
						Cost (in points)