Description:
Students will analyze three different ways a story is told, determine truth and fiction in each story, and discover and apply techniques to narrate a good story.

Subject:
English 9; Creative Writing

Grade Level:
High School (9-12)

Rationale:
The story of Rubin "The Hurricane" Carter is an important and inspirational story that provides an excellent opportunity for students to analyze three different versions of a story and evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of each version. It also encourages discussions of past and contemporary race relations.

Objectives:
From LAUSD's Standards of Education, Language Arts:

 10. Listen critically and respond to informal and formal situations and develop appoint of view on a variety of issues and ideas.
 12. Apply acquired reading strategies to draw meaning from varied materials; make inferences regarding themes, propaganda, and satire.
 17. Evaluate and analyze information from multiple sources including computers and library/multimedia centers, for a variety of purposes.
 18. Compare and analyze different sides of an issue encountered in literature and other sources and propose solutions using problem-solving strategies.

Audience:
I teach mostly African-American and Latino youths at an inner-city public school.

Time Frame:
6 Days (55 minute class periods)
I always kick-off the school year with this lesson, because no background skills or information is necessary and it helps the students adjust back to the routine of school

Materials:
Bob Dylan's "Desire" CD
"The Hurricane" lyrics
Internet article about Carter
Portable CD player
The Hurricane movie, starring Denzel Washington

Background:
No prior knowledge needed

Procedures:

Day One:
Tell the students to listen critically as the song plays. Explain that the song tells a story, and have the students discover the who, what, where, when, why and how of the story. I play Bob Dylan's "The Hurricane" and go over the answers. Students have been able to answer all the questions, as most have never heard the song before. Pass out the lyrics, and play the song again. Students complete the questions, and we share the answers in class. Ask them if the story is true. Usually at least one student realizes it is the same story as the movie that came out last year and he/she says it's true. Ask them to prove that the story is true. They cannot with the materials available in the classroom. Pass out information about the story of Rubin Carter from an article found on the Internet. Read it together and then ask again if the song is true. Most students will nod. Ask, "Entirely true?" "Does the song version differ from the article in any way?" Then make a Venn Diagram comparing the two. Emphasize the words and details added arbitrarily in the song and ask the students why this was done) it makes the story more interesting). Pass out permission slips for students to watch the film The Hurricane because it was rated R for violence and language.

Day Two:
Play the song again and ask the students to listen critically to the music, trying to ignore the words. The students write a one-paragraph commentary on the music, describing how it sounds and how the music contributes to the meaning of the song. Is it fast or slow? Loud? Does the tone of the singer sound happy, angry, silly, etc.?

I ask the students which they prefer, the song or the newspaper article? Most say the song. We discuss why. Usual responses include it's fun to listen to, it's more exciting and there are more details.

Collect the permission slips. Students who do not have their slips are sent to the library to work on their vocabulary words. Begin showing the movie.

Day Three:
Show Movie

Day Four:
Show Movie

Day Five:
As a class, we make a Venn Diagram comparing the film and the song. "Which do you prefer?" Students most often choose the film. Discuss why (it's more interesting, you get to know the main characters better, it is enjoyable to watch, it explains the story more clearly.)

Ask the students, "Now you have heard three different versions of the same story. Which is most true?" Expect a variety of responses. Make a pro and con list for each version (song, article, movie). Examine how Bob Dylan uses language and his music to tell a more interesting story, while the article just gives the facts. Also look at the many different ways a film plays with the truth in order to make a story and the characters more interesting. Then talk about film techniques and the advantages movies have over other mediums, but also note that these advantages can diminish the truth of this medium.

How can songs be used as protest? The students think of other examples of songs that try to raise awareness. Propaganda explanation. What is propaganda? We look at posters for the war effort in the U.S. form World War II. Which version of the story uses propaganda? Why? (Both the film and the song, to try and explain an injustice that was done to a man due to the color of his skin.) Hand out the lyrics again and ask the students to cite three examples of propaganda from the song and explain how each is trying to convince us to think in a certain way. Review the process for citing.

Day Six:

I ask the students why this happened to Rubin Carter. We discuss racism in the 1960's, and we always get into a good discussion about how current race relations compare to that time.

I ask students to think of a time when they were discriminated against. We talk about multiple types of discrimination (gender, race, religion, being young, going to a school considered one of the worst in LA, etc.)

The students write a page about this experience.

I then ask students to plan a movie based on this experience. How could you make the story even more interesting? Pick actors for the main characters in the story. Pick five songs that you would want to be used in the movie. Come up with an appropriate and appealing title for this movie.

Collect both the page and the movie plan the next day. This lesson is a great segue into Judith Ortiz Cofer's story "American History" which also takes place in Paterson, New Jersey. Her story deals with a young girl who experiences racial discrimination on the day President Kennedy was shot.

Content:
Rubin "The Hurricane" Carter was a famous boxer who was placed in jail for a crime he did not commit.

Evaluation:
Much of the evaluation will come from the student's participation in the classroom discussions. Students will also hand in quotes from the song and explanations of the song's use of propaganda. Students will also hand in a one-page story about a time when they experienced discrimination. Students will also hand in a written plan for a movie based on this experience. The written products will be evaluated for grammar, clarity of style and content.

"The Hurricane" by Bob Dylan, Desire, Columbia Records, 1975. (Bob Dylan and Jacques Levy)

Enrichment/Additional Resources: Biography, bibliography, discography, for Rubin Carter and Bob Dylan

"The Hurricane" lyric link
http://www.bobdylan.com/songs/hurricane.html

Rubin Carter bio link
http://wi.essortment.com/hurricanerubi_rdit.htm