A. Attention Getter 1. Yentl is born at wrong time and place to follow her dreams 2. Father says, “Yentl, you have soul of a man” 3. Yentl knows she does not want woman’s life 4.
Could not do domestic things like cook or sew 5. Thought women had boring life 6. Did not want to raise children. Thesis statement 1. Yentl believed she had the soul of a man, but her Jewish background did not allow her to make the choices in life that she wanted. C.
Overview 1. Yentl’s father treats her with respect like a son 2. Father thinks Yentl should study Torah because she is bright pupil 3. Yentl wants to be equal with other Jews 4. “Her soul thirsted to study Torah” 5. Wanted her dream badly enough to become a man 6.
Willing to lie to others and herself 7. wants to find wisdom and love 8. “Singer has contempt for feminism” II. Life of the author A.
Birth 1. Born July 14, 1904 in Leon cin, Poland. Childhood 1. Third child of Bathsheba and Ponchos-Mendel Singer 2.
Jewish orthodox 3. Father a rabbi C. Education 1. Entered rabbinical seminary 1921 in Warsaw, Poland 2. Left seminary 1925 to be proofreader for Yiddish literary magazine.
Career 1. 1923 proofreader for Lite riche in Bilgoray 2. Joined staff of Jewish Daily Forward in New York 3. Founder of magazine SvivahE.
Major Works 1. Novels- Satan in Gray, The Magician of Lublin, Shisha 2. Short Stories- Yentl, the Yeshiva Boy, G impel the Fool, A Crown of Feathers 3. Children’s books- Mazel and Schlimazel, Elijah the Slave, A Tale of Three Witches 4. Plays- The Mirror, Yentl, the Yeshiva Boy, Schlemiel the First. Achievements and Recognition 1.
1950- Louis Lamed Price for The Family Mosk at 2. 1966- New York Times best illustrated book citation 3. 1970- National Book Award for children’s literature 4. 1978- Nobel Prize for Literature 5. 1986- PEN/Faulkner Award nomination for Death of MethuselehG. Death 1.
Died 1991 at Miami Beach, Florida III. General characteristics of the author’s style. Good storyteller 1. characters solve puzzles of life a) Yentl struggles with her identity b) involves Avigdor and Hadass in her life 2.
characters interesting 3. Surprise events in story a) Yentl marries woman b) Yentl disappears c) Child of Avigdor and Hadass named An shel after Yentl B. Humorist 1. Funny situations 2.
Yentl takes off clothes to prove she is woman 3. Married to Hadass for six months as husband 4. Finds excuses not to go swimming with other men C. Humanist 1. observes peoples’ foolishness 2. Yentl marries Hadass 3.
Realizes she cannot live as a man 4. Sacrifices her happiness so Avigdor can marry Hadass D. Symbolism 1. Good against evil 2.
“Yentl stands for generations of Torah scholars lost to Jewish people through accident of birth” IV. Analysis of the short story A. Setting 1. Ya nev, Poland, early 1900’s 2. Changes to Be chev 3. Yentl sells house to find yeshiva school 4.
Could have taken place in different country B. Plot 1. Yentl’s background detailed a) father dies b) sells house to go to Yeshiva school 2. Conflict of religious laws for men and women 3. Yentl tells Avigdor truth 4. Yentl rebels against God who did not ask if she wanted to be a man 5.
Father tells her, “Even Heaven makes mistakes” 6. Climax a) Yentl disappears b) Avigdor marries Hadass 5. Subplots a) Yentl proves she is woman b) Yentl marries Hadass C. Characters 1.
Contrast between Yentl and Hadass 2. Not believable that Yentl marries Hadass 3. Innocence of Hadass not believable 4. All characters believe Yentl is male D. Point of View 1. Third person narrator 2.
Objective view- looks at Yentl’s mistakes 3. Yentl’s dream to be Yeshiva pupil causes events of story 4. Point of view changes when Yentl faces truth about herself E. Style 1.
Simple style and language 2. Mood of humor and suspense to see how Yentl solves problems 3. Symbolism of good / evil or right / wrong when Yentl lies about herself F. Themes 1. Choice between right and wrong 2.
Jewish religion limits choices for women 3. Lying causes more problems 4. Better to do something for someone else V. Conclusion A. Summary 1. Yentl chooses between living her dream and reality 2.
Yentl makes right choice B. Thesis statement 1. Yentl believed she had the soul of a man, but her Jewish background did not allow her to make the choices in life that she wanted. C.
Final comments 1. Yentl realizes she cannot live as man 2. Yentl loves Avigdor 3. Sacrifices her dream for happiness of Avigdor 4. Gives up her selfish ideas 5. Today all women have more freedom 6.
Can even change sex 7. Story could not happen in real life.