Common Core Standards
Foreshadowing and Premonition
in Susi Wyss’s “Monday Born”
Book: The Civilized World
Author: Susi Wyss
Grade Level: 9-12
Lesson Type: Literary Devices
Concept: Literary Devices--Foreshadowing
Primary Subject Area: English
Secondary Subject Areas: N/A
Common Core Standards Addressed:
Reading Standards for Literature, 9-12
Grades 9-10
Key Ideas and Details
Determine a theme or central idea of a text and
analyze in detail its development over the course
of the text, including how it emerges and is shaped
and refined by specific details; provide an
objective summary of the text.
Grades 11-12
Analyze the impact of the author’s choices
regarding how to develop and relate elements of a
story or drama (e.g. where a story is set, how the
action is ordered, how the characters are
introduced and developed).
Analyze how complex characters (e.g. those with
multiple or conflicting motivations) develop over
the course of a text, interact with other characters,
and advance the plot or develop the theme.
Craft and Structure
Analyze how an author’s choices concerning how
to structure a text, order events within it (e.g.
parallel plots), and manipulate time (e.g. pacing,
flashbacks) create such effects as mystery, tension,
or surprise.
Analyze how an author’s choices concerning how
to structure specific parts of a text (e.g. the choice
of where to begin or end a story, the choice to
provide a comedic or traffic resolution) contribute
to its overall structure and meaning as well as its
aesthetic impact.
Grades 9-10
Vocabulary Acquisition and Use
Acquire and use accurately general academic and
domain-specific words and phrases, sufficient for
reading, writing, speaking, and listening at the
college and career readiness level; demonstrate
independence in gathering vocabulary knowledge
when considering a word or phrase important to
comprehension or expression.
Grades 11-12
Acquire and use accurately general academic and
domain-specific words and phrases, sufficient for
reading, writing, speaking, and listening at the
college and career readiness level; demonstrate
independence in gathering vocabulary knowledge
when considering a word or phrase important to
comprehension or expression.
Foreshadowing and Premonition in Susi Wyss’s “Monday Born”: Common Core Standards
1
Lesson Plan
Foreshadowing and Premonition
in Susi Wyss’s “Monday Born”
Overview:
Book: The Civilized World
Author: Susi Wyss
Grade Level: 9-12
Lesson Type: Literary Devices
Materials:
This class will explore the use of foreshadowing and premonitions
as literary techniques employed by the author. We will discuss
how these techniques function in Susi Wyss’ story “Monday
Born” and what impact these techniques have on us, as readers.
•
•
Other Resources:
•
Objectives:
Copies of The Civilized World
Journals for completing writing
assignments
Supplementary Materials Chart
Students will be able to:
• Define and provide examples of foreshadowing in Susi
Wyss’s “Monday Born”
• Discuss how character interiority functions within the text
• Demonstrate how to use an understanding of literary
techniques to predict what will happen in a story
• Catalog common techniques writers use to create tension
and suspense.
Warm-Up Activity:
Ask students to participate in a free writing exercise. Each student
will write a short piece of micro fiction (flash fiction) with a
surprising twist at the end. If students are hesitant to write their
own story, students can describe a movie or book they’ve read
with a surprising plot twist. (10 minutes)
After students are finished, come together as a class and ask
students to share what they have written. As a group students
will attempt to pick out clues in each other’s writing or examples
that alludes to the plot twist. The class will identify words and
phrases that foreshadow the end of the story.
Below is an example of micro (flash) fiction, and some words and
phrases that the author uses to foreshadow are bolded. This can
be used as a class example if the students need help coming up
with their own:
So Much For Chivalry
Nearly ten years later, I still look for her with little or no
expectation of ever seeing her again. The rides we had together
were few, and we never spoke, but I had come to look forward to
seeing her each morning. I don’t know about love at first sight,
but I do know I was enthralled with her, not so much because she
was beautiful, although she was, but because she seemed out of
place and time against the harsh litter, graffiti, and modern
Foreshadowing and Premonition in Susi Wyss’s “Monday Born”: Lesson Plan
2
Lesson Plan
Foreshadowing and Premonition
in Susi Wyss’s “Monday Born”
Book: The Civilized World
Author: Susi Wyss
Grade Level: 9-12
Lesson Type: Literary Devices
advertising splashed where few eyes could miss. Her hair was
short, blond, and plastered to her head like 1930s film stars Anita
Page or Thelma Todd; a small cuppish hat that resembled a doily
keeping it in place. She wore long dresses I only caught glimpses
of under a full-length, dark wool coat she kept buttoned nearly to
the throat, and I could only imagine her lithe figure underneath. I
always took one of the seats facing the middle so that I could see
her regardless of whether she sat fore or aft of me. After giving
me a perfunctory smile she would sit and more often than not
stare out the usually smudged Plexiglas window, lost in thoughts
about which I could only imagine. I would occasionally glance
up from my ever-present book and admire her countenance
before returning my attention to a page I had just read but could
not recall. She would rise, graceful and unassuming, as she
prepared to exit one stop before mine, and I would begin anew,
anticipating our next encounter. We had been following such a
pattern for several months when she boarded visibly upset one
morning. Instead of looking out the window she pulled a notepad
from her satchel and began to write a letter that absorbed her
entirely until she neared her stop, at which point she pulled out
an envelope and inserted the letter which she hastily folded. She
scrawled a name on the envelope, stuffed her materials back into
her bag, and rose to disembark. It was only after we had begun
moving again that I glanced at her seat and saw the envelope
lying where she had sat. I held the envelope, which bore the
singular name, Thomas. It never occurred to me to open it or
even hold it up to the light that day, for I fully intended on
returning it to her the following morning. I must admit my
curiosity regarding the contents of the letter grew the next day
when she failed to materialize at her stop. It increased the
following day and every day after for several weeks, when it
became apparent she had moved, changed jobs, or found another
means of transport. I began to suspect the note was a Dear John
and after a month broke down and opened the envelope to satisfy
my fettered curiosity. Nearly ten years later, I still ask myself, if I
had been less chivalrous, could I have saved her?
From Short But Seldom Sweet Micro-fiction by Michael Twist
Short Lecture & Partner Activities:
Identifying Foreshadowing in Susi Wyss’s “Monday Born”
Call on students to provide a synopsis of the story and identify
the main action in the text. The synopsis should reveal that there
is not much happening in this text as far as action is concerned,
but that the story builds tension and anticipation surrounding
Foreshadowing and Premonition in Susi Wyss’s “Monday Born”: Lesson Plan
3
Lesson Plan
Foreshadowing and Premonition
in Susi Wyss’s “Monday Born”
Book: The Civilized World
Author: Susi Wyss
Grade Level: 9-12
Lesson Type: Literary Devices
events that will occur later in the novel. If the students have not
read beyond this story, engage them in a conversation about what
those events may be. If the students have read beyond this story,
engage them in a conversation about how Susi Wyss prepares her
readers for what may happen next.
Ask students to identify passages within the text that allude to
events that may occur later in the book. Students should pinpoint
passages that leave readers with a feeling of uneasiness.
*Some relevant example passages appear towards the end of this
packet in the “Textual References” section.
Discussion Wrap-Up: Understanding Character Interiority
This story is told from Adjoa’s perspective. She has no idea what her brother is planning or what
tragedies might befall her in the near future, but she does have a keen sense of premonition. Ask students
to engage in a conversation about premonition and whether or not this short story fills them with the
same amount of worry and unease as it does Adjoa.
Ask students to examine what the author accomplishes by writing the story from Adjoa’s perspective.
What does the author accomplish by not providing the reader any insight into the other characters’
thoughts and feelings.
Foreshadowing and Premonition in Susi Wyss’s “Monday Born”: Lesson Plan
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Lesson Plan
Foreshadowing and Premonition
in Susi Wyss’s “Monday Born”
Book: The Civilized World
Author: Susi Wyss
Grade Level: 9-12
Lesson Type: Literary Devices
Writing Activities/Evaluations: Analytical:
How does the pervasive feeling of uneasiness in this story impact your experience as a reader? Do you
feel that the author successfully foreshadows the events to come? Discuss both of these questions using
relevant textual examples from Susi Wyss’s “Monday Born”. Be sure to mention the literary techniques
Wyss uses to create suspense and foreshadow events. (500-600 words)
Creative:
Write a short piece of fiction completing Kojo and Adjoa’s story--explore what you think will happen next
as well as what you would like to see happen next. (500-750 words)
Foreshadowing and Premonition in Susi Wyss’s “Monday Born”: Lesson Plan
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Discussion & Comprehension Questions
Foreshadowing and Premonition
in Susi Wyss’s “Monday Born”
Book: The Civilized World
Author: Susi Wyss
Grade Level: 9-12
Lesson Type: Literary Devices
Questions for Discussion
•
Define the term “foreshadowing” in your own words. Give an example.
•
As a reader, can you identify with Adjoja? Why or why not?
•
Which aspects of Adjoja’s story do you find relatable?
•
Which aspects of Adjoja’s story do you find confusing?
•
How does the character’s relatability (or lack thereof) contribute to your understanding of
Adoja’s inner thoughts? How does it contribute to your understanding of the story as a
whole?
•
What might Kojo be planning? What leads you to believe that this is the case?
•
Name specific moments in the text that inform your reading of Kojo and his motivations?
•
Do we, as readers, know Kojo’s motivations? Can we know? Will we ever know for certain?
•
What effect does the foreshadowing in this story have on your reading of the remainder of
the book?
•
How does Wyss manipulate tone and language to provide her readers with a sense of
uneasiness?
Foreshadowing and Premonition in Susi Wyss’s “Monday Born”: Discussion & Comprehension Questions
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Key Vocabulary
Foreshadowing and Premonition
in Susi Wyss’s “Monday Born”
Book: The Civilized World
Author: Susi Wyss
Grade Level: 9-12
Lesson Type: Literary Devices
Word:
Definition:
Foreshadowing
A literary device in which a writer gives an advance hint of what is to
come later in the story. Foreshadowing often appears at the beginning of
a story or a chapter and helps the reader develop expectations about the
coming events in a story. There are various ways to foreshadow events.
A writer may use dialogues of characters to hint at what may occur in
future. In addition, any event or action in the story may throw a hint to
the readers about future events or action. Even a title of a chapter title
can act as a clue that suggests what is going to happen. Foreshadowing
in fiction creates an atmosphere of suspense in a story so that the readers
are interested to know more.
Premonition
An advance warning, a forewarning. Originally: the action of warning in
advance; an advance notification of subsequent events. In present day
the term usually suggests a strong feeling that something is about to
happen, especially something unpleasant.
Micro fiction
(Flash fiction) A style of fiction of extreme brevity. There is no widely
accepted definition of the length of the category. Some self-described
markets for flash fiction impose limits as low as three hundred words,
while others consider stories as long as a thousand words to be flash
fiction. Unlike a vignette, flash fiction often contains the classic story
elements: protagonist, conflict, obstacles or complications, and
resolution. However, unlike a traditional short story, the limited word
length often forces some of these elements to remain unwritten – that is,
hinted at or implied in the written storyline.
Foreshadowing and Premonition in Susi Wyss’s “Monday Born”: Key Vocabulary
7
Text References
Foreshadowing and Premonition
in Susi Wyss’s “Monday Born”
Book: The Civilized World
Author: Susi Wyss
Grade Level: 9-12
Lesson Type: Literary Devices
Textual References
“Adjoa had been going to Madame Janice’s every week for the last three months, but she still couldn’t put
her finger on why her stomach clenched and her shoulders stiffened every time her twin brother, Kojo,
drove her to the white woman’s well-kept house.” (p. 1)
“Please God, don’t let us run across one of them tonight, Adjoa prayed, as the car made its noisy way down
the street. She leaned her head against the headrest and gazed through her open window at the halfconstructed concrete mansions looming in the darkness—colossal, abandoned structures in huge lots of
overgrown grass.” (p. 2)
“’Just remember where we’re from, Kojo,’” Adoja said. ‘Remember the hands that fed you.’ She shouldn’t
need to remind him that their honest and hardworking family—no matter how poor they might be
considered by others—was rich in common sense. Their roots were the one thing that had kept them
grounded this far.” (p. 5)
“Madame’s villa was hidden behind a high cement wall, painted gray and embedded with broken glass on
the top to discourage thieves. All along the empty street, similar walls with glass or iron spikes enclosed the
other homes. Stray branches of bougainvillea planted on the inside of Madame’s garden had escaped and
were splayed out like snakes, weighed down by the thick blossoms barely visible in the dark.” (pp. 5-6)
“Why were there two figures? Adjoa wondered. Could it mean that both twins had died? No, she
reproached herself. This was no time for bleak thoughts. She pulled her eyes away from the statues and
rested them on an enormous blank TV screen instead. She was relieved when she heard Madame Janice’s
voice calling her and hurried down the hallway without looking back.” (p. 9)
“’Kojo,’ she finally asked, ‘what are you thinking about?’ She realized as the words came from her mouth
that she had never had to ask her twin brother this question before. ‘Nothing,’ he said, without looking
over. ‘Nothing you need to worry about.’ But Adoja kept her eyes locked on Kojo. Except for the backward
cap on his head, he appeared no different from the brother who had always tried to protect her, the twin
who shared her every thought. And yet she couldn’t help but wonder: Who is this person next to me?
Where is the brother I used to know as well as I know myself?” (p. 17)
Foreshadowing and Premonition in Susi Wyss’s “Monday Born”: Text References
8
Title Field: Class Handout
Name:
THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK
FILL AT YOUR DISCRETION WITH RELEVANT CLASSWORK
Foreshadowing and Premonition in Susi Wyss’s “Monday Born”: Class Handout
Supplementary Materials Chart
Category of
Resource
Foreshadowing
Lesson
Description of
Resource
This short lesson
about
foreshadowing
contains a useful
definition and
several examples
in popular
literature.
Potential Educational
Uses of Resource
Link to Resource
This resource can be
http://udleditions.cast.org/craft_elm_foreshadowing.html
used to supplement the
short discussion of
foreshadowing that will
take place before
students complete their
activity.