Don Quixote To Dream the Impossible Dream

Miguel de Cervantes He was born in a small town near Madrid, Spain Cervantes was a soldier in 1571, was once wounded severely, and was considered courageous and advanced in rank Returning home in 1575 he was captured by pirates and held for ransom for five years (ARRGH!) When he finally returned he did not gain a favorable military or political position, and went from job to job without much success He was imprisoned twice for debt

Success at Last In 1605 Cervantes published the first part of Don Quixote and it was an immediate success Cervantes became internationally famous In 1615 he published the second part and it was another success

Background Don Quixote is generally considered the first novel (over 100 chapters) It tells the story of Don Quejana, a poor, elderly gentleman who loses his mind from not sleeping or eating and instead reading too many tales of knights and chivalry Don Quejana decides (in his mind) that he is a knight, now named Don Quixote de La Mancha, and he wants to become famous by completing heroic deeds He has a peasant “squire” named Sancho Panza who assists him on his adventures Don Quixote is a parody of the romance stories popular in Spain -In these stories, knights always saved the day, felt no pain, and were willing to sacrifice everything for what they believed -As a parody, the story shows Don Quixote trying to live up to these expectations in a contemporary world where such values are not appreciated

A Quixotic Hero The importance of the story is that it introduced the concept of the quixotic hero, a character who in one way or another questions the relationship between reality and fantasy Although he is insane, Don Quixote is considered noble because of his idealism and persistence A quixotic hero is someone who puts up an effort, whether or not he/she thinks it is possible to win or to achieve his/her goal. “To dream the impossible dream.” Additionally, the character Sancho Panza is one of the best examples of a foil. A foil is a character opposite of the main character. Whether a “good” or “bad” character, it is the personality traits and actions of the foil that emphasize the qualities of the main character. Where Don Quixote is brave, Sancho is cowardly. Where Don Quixote acts on the behalf of others, Sancho is concerned only about personal gain. Even physically, Sancho (short and fat) and Don Quixote (tall and thin) are opposites.

Basic Rules of Chivalry for Daily Conduct and Battle Seek excellence in all endeavors -Be known for undying loyalty Seek always the path of “right”-Defend all that you believe in Be prepared to make personal sacrifices-Have faith in your beliefs Practice humility-Be generous as much as possible, this limits gluttony Never attack an unarmed foe-Never attack from behind Avoid lying-Avoid cheating Avoid torture-Protect the innocent Exhibit self control-Show respect to authority Respect women-Defend the weak and innocent Destroy evil in all forms-Administer justice Fight with honor-Avenge the wronged Never abandon a friend, ally, or noble cause-Always keep your word Exhibit manners-Never betray confidence or comrade Do all of the above not for personal gain, but because you should, because it is right.

Code of Chivalry for Love Keep thyself chaste for the sake of the woman you love Do not break up a “correct” love affair Do not lie to the woman you love Do not tell many people about the woman you love In giving and receiving love’s “comforts” let modesty be ever present. Do not gossip Do not reveal the affairs of others Be polite and courteous He who is not jealous cannot love Boys do not love until they reach the age of maturity When one lover dies, a widowhood of two years is required of the survivor No one can love unless he is propelled by the persuasion of love When a lover suddenly catches sight of his beloved, his heart flutters A true lover is constantly and without intermission possessed by the thought of his beloved

Paper Topics: Based on your reading/watching of Don Quixote, answer one of the following questions referencing examples from the story as support for your view. Along with your own views, you must reference elements of Don Quixote in your essay. Does the concept of chivalry have any value in the modern world? To what extent should/would you encourage a friend or family member to follow his/her dream even though you know to a degree of certainty that it is an impossible goal? Don Quixote’s fantasies lead him into ridiculous situations and sometimes cause him injury. Is fantasy in adults always harmful? Which of the concepts in the code of chivalry do you think would most improve you as a person? Which would be the most difficult to follow?

Gathering Evidence: There are two main features to your writing, Concrete Detail (CD) and Commentary (CM). Concrete Detail (CD) includes examples, stories, experiences statistics, etc. from the piece you are writing about or your own life. Commentary (CM) is your opinion, point of view, bias about how the concrete detail you just used proves your thesis statement. In your essay you will use a ratio of 1CD:2CM

Gathering Evidence: The structure of your body paragraphs is as follows: 1.Topic Sentence 2.CD 3.CM 4.CM 5.CD 6.CM 7.CM 8.Concluding Sentence

Gathering Evidence Your assignment today is to scan through the story of Don Quixote again and find 6 examples of CD. You need to find 6 that will fit into the themes of how you want to respond to your essay. You will next begin an outline of your essay.

Your Knighthood You have just been dubbed a knight. Make a list answering the following questions for a poster to be hung on the wall depicting you as a knight. We’re going to try and guess who’s who? 1) What would your name be? What area would you represent? Sir…of…, Lady…of…, Knight of the…(Does not include your actual name.) 2) List your top three rules for your code of chivalry. You may create your own rules. 3) Who would be your squire? What qualities would he/she/it have that accented your qualities? 4) What would be your mode of transportation? What about your squire’s? Make an 8 ½ X 11 image that shows all of these elements in a coat of arms. *All work must be school appropriate. *Put your given name on the back only. Your images will be posted and students will try to guess which image belongs to which knight. You can create your image in a number of ways, as a drawing of you, a simple listing, a coat of arms, a cartoon, etc.

Examples: