Lather and Nothing Else

How far would you go to support a cause you believed in? What would you be willing to give up?

Would you compromise your morals?

Summary‘“Lather and Nothing Else’ describes the experience of a small-town barber during Colombia’s civil unrest of the late 1940s. A rebel spy, the barber finds himself holding a razor to the chin of Captain Torres of the local military police. As the captain recounts his recent adventures capturing and torturing rebels, the barber agonizes over whether to kill the captain or just give him a shave-and nothing else.” Literature: Timeless Voices, Timeless Themes

Side note: Notice how I used single quotation marks around the title and double quotation marks around the rest of the excerpt? When we use titles inside of quoted material, we will use single quotation marks for the titles of short stories, poems, and articles.

VocabularyForay:

Lather:

Regime:

Mutilate:

A quick attack or raid

Foam made by soap

Government in power

To injure or maim

Vocabulary

Rebel

Revolutionaries

Assassin

Executioner

A person who rises against authority, often of his country

Person taking part in a revolution

A murderer, especially one who kills a prominent political figure.

A person who carries out a death sentence

Avenger: One who gets even for a wrong done to them

Picture the Vocabulary

Lather

Straight Razors

Explain Conflict

What is the main conflict of the story?

What makes this an internal conflict?

Plot Diagram

Exposition: Where and when does the story take place?

Rising Action: Name three events that build up the suspense of the story.

Climax: Identify the point at which the story changes-the highest point of tension.

Falling Action: Name one event that takes place after the climax. It is a decrease in tension.

Resolution: Identify how the main conflict of the story in resolved.

1.

2.

3.

Ready? Let’s make our own

plot diagram for “Lather and

Nothing Else” !!!Remember: The plot diagram shows the progression of the story.

Plot Diagram

Exposition

Rising Action

Climax

Falling Action

Resolution

RecallWhat is going to happen at six o'clock at the school?

What is going to be difficult for the barber to explain?

What does the barber imagine doing?

What would happen if he did this?

What does he imagine people would say?

Recall

Literature Questions, Pg. 496Thematic Focus: Each of us has a set of rules by which we live. How does the barber’s personal code dictate his behavior?

Check Your Comprehension:1. How does the barber feel when Captain Torres enters

the shop?2. What has Captain Torres been doing for the past four

days?3. What role does the barber have in the civil war?

Literature Questions, Pg. 496Critical Thinking:1. Why does the barber consider what would “be a good

thing” for his enemy?2. Why does the barber decide not to kill Captain Torres?3. What message does this story suggest about the effects

of civil war on people and their community?

Evaluate:4. Do you think the barber made the right decision? Why

or why not?

Analyze Character

What is Captain Torres's real purpose in coming to the narrator for a shave?(Consider: What does Torres admit at the end of the story?)

--What does this reveal about his character?

Point of View

From whose point of view is the story told?

Is the story told in 1st, 2nd, or 3rd person?

How would the story be different if it was told from a different point of view?

Narrator and Point of View

Which passages in the selection reveal the narrator's love of his work as a barber?

Which passages reveal his dedication to the revolution?

How would the story be different if told from a third-person point of view? If Torres were the narrator?

Setting and Mood

What kind of mood does the scene in the barber shop create for the reader? Identify specific details that contribute to creating this mood. (How does the author try to build suspense?)

Evaluate Morality of Actions

Do you think the use of violence to bring about political change can be justified?

If so, at what point does political violence cease to be justified?

If not, how can political change be brought about if the party in power will not allow compromises?

Connect to Our Lives

Personal moral code is a large part of this story. Reflect on what your personal moral code is.

What do you believe? How do you live your life?

Connect to Our LivesThings to consider:

Is cheating wrong? Is lying wrong?Is stealing wrong?Is murder wrong?

What are challenges to our beliefs? Where do we draw the line? How do people try to justify doing any of those items?

Literary Elements

Hyperbole is exaggeration for literary effect. Téllez uses an example of hyperbole in his description of the stream of blood flowing out the door and into the street.

Write your own example of hyperbole. Use homework as a topic….

To what extent is each of the characters at the mercy of the other?

Evaluate

Analyze Excerpts-

“It’s not easy to kill. I know what I’m talking about.” -Captain Torres

Analyze Excerpts

“Come at six o’clock this evening to the school…it may be even better.”-Captain Torres

Analyze Excerpts

“No one deserves the sacrifice others make in becoming assassins.” – The Barber