Teaching A&P

Instructions for You

Objective: In "A&P," McMahon's kind of a greasy guy, ogling girls who are considerably younger than he is. Regardless, we're going to drop down to his level and get to know him a bit. How? By listening to what he yaps about on his lunch break, of course.

Today, students will write a skit in which McMahon is eating lunch and discussing the young ladies who saunter through the store in their bathing suits. Students will have to figure out how the subject comes up, with whom McMahon is eating, etc. They'll most likely need to tap into some pretty disrespectful attitudes toward women, so caution your kids not to take it too far.

This should take about two hours or two class periods, but you can significantly shorten the duration by having students write at home instead.

Materials Needed: A copy of the text and/or Shmoop's summary page

Step 1: To be honest, McMahon makes our skin crawl, especially when he's ogling Queenie and her crew. The girls are clearly underage, and McMahon's leer is just so gross and obvious.

We want to understand this dynamic better, so plan to have a conversation as a class. These questions should get you started:

• How old is McMahon? What kind of man is he? How do you know? What reaction would you have toward him and his attitudes?
• What does McMahon's leer indicate his attitude toward young girls is?
• Is his attitude appropriate or inappropriate? Why? Does his age matter in whether it's appropriate (24 versus 52)? Explain.
• How do people's attitudes change toward these young women when they see how they're dressed? Do you think McMahon would still ogle the girls if they were dressed in sweaters, Mary Janes, and poodle skirts?

Beware: this conversation could easily touch on some sensitive topics in terms of attitudes towards women and how people dress. Be on your game.

Step 2: Keeping their answers to the above questions in mind, students will write out a script that'll give more insight into McMahon's character. Before they do this though, they'll need to flesh out a few things and should take some notes on the following:

• It's lunch break. Who's McMahon eating with? (We imagine that his attitude would be different if he's with other men rather than women.)
• What's his level of comfort with his own lechery?
• Will the folks he eats with agree or disagree with him?
• What would he have to say about these girls? Why's he still thinking about them?

Now have students start writing their transcript of McMahon's lunch. They can include as many or as few "characters" as they want, and the scripts should be approximately 500 words (two and a half pages) long. They should try to stay true to what they think McMahon's voice would be, without being offensive please. They don't have to explicitly answer the questions in this step, but the answers should be implicit in the script.

Step 3: Once everyone has completed their transcripts, get students into groups of three to four. Each group will read over everyone's scripts and chose one to perform for the class.

Step 4: Acting ain't easy, and there's nothing that can't be improved with a little practice. The groups should rehearse their scenes before the big reveal to the rest of the class. They may feel a little self-conscious, and that's okay. Ask them to power through and tap into their inner Diva (or Divo).

Step 5: Time for the groups to perform. Sit back and enjoy the show.

Step 6: Once all the groups have performed, have a quick class discussion about which performance students found to be the most accurate when portraying McMahon's character and why. Ask them for textual evidence to back up their ideas.

Once they turn in all of the scripts (even the ones that weren't performed), you're all done and ready for your lunch break.

Instructions for Your Students

What's that? You've always wanted to go into acting? Oh, you don't? Sorry, because we're doing a little bit of that today. In this assignment, we're going to take a look at the creeper McMahon—the guy who ogles Queenie and her brood.

You'll be writing a skit and then performing in front of your class. We know it might not be your bag, but it'll certainly give you a deeper understanding of some of the social dynamics at play in "A&P."

Step 1: Truth be told, McMahon makes our skin crawl, especially when he's ogling Queenie and her crew. The girls are clearly underage, and McMahon's leer is just so gross and obvious.

We want to understand this dynamic better, so you'll have a conversation as a class. These questions will get you started:

• How old is McMahon? What kind of man is he? How do you know? What reaction would you have toward him and his attitudes?
• What does McMahon's leer indicate his attitude toward young girls is?
• Is his attitude appropriate or inappropriate? Why? Does his age matter in whether it's appropriate (24 versus 52)? Explain.
• How do people's attitudes change toward these young women when they see how they're dressed? Do you think McMahon would still ogle the girls if they were dressed in sweaters, Mary Janes, and poodle skirts?

Beware: this conversation could easily touch on some sensitive topics in terms of attitudes towards women and how people dress, so let's keep the convo polite and not take McMahon's position a little too seriously, 'kay?

Step 2: Considering the answers to the questions above, now you're going to write out a script that'll give more insight into McMahon's character. Before you do this though, you'll need to flesh out a few things and should take some notes on the following:

• It's lunch break. Who's McMahon eating with? (We imagine that his attitude would be different if he's with other men rather than women.)
• What's his level of comfort with his own lechery?
• Will the folks he eats with agree or disagree with him?
• What would he have to say about these girls? Why's he still thinking about them?

Now start writing your transcript of McMahon's lunch. You can include as many or as few "characters" as you want, and the scripts should be approximately 500 words (two and a half pages) long. Try to stay true to what you think McMahon's voice would be, without being offensive please. You don't have to explicitly answer the questions in this step, but the answers should be implicit in the script.

Step 3: Once you're all done, your teacher will put you in a group of three or four. Read over everyone's script and chose one that you all agree is especially awesome to perform for the class.

Step 4: Acting ain't easy,, and there's nothing that can't be improved with a little practice. You should rehearse your scene with your group before the big reveal to the rest of the class. You may feel a little self-conscious, and that's okay. Power through and tap into your inner Diva (or Divo).

Step 5: When it's your group's turn, get up there and give it your all. Be the best McMahon (if that's your role) you can be.

Step 6: Once everyone has performed, your teacher will probably want to have a quick discussion about which performance you found to be the most accurate portrayal of McMahon and why. You may well be asked for textual evidence to back up your ideas, so dig out the story, just in case.

Once you turn in all of the scripts (even the ones that weren't performed), we're all done.

End scene.