Homework Assignment - Due Monday

The following assignment is due Monday before 3 pm. Look over "Oedipus Discussion Area[s] 4, 5, and 6 (and 7)" Choose one of the threefour response questions and answer the question in detail*. Then, respond to what a classmate has said in another question.

__________________________________________________
I'm starting to consider a light rubric for these responses. Here's my expectation: I want responses that are well thought out, supported with an example or multiple examples, and absent of major spelling/grammar errors. Do that and I'll grant you full credit.

¡¡¡Oedipus Discussion Area #4!!!

FEEL LIKE EVERYTHING HAS BEEN SAID? FEEL LIKE YOUR VOICE WILL BE DROWNED OUT IN THE SEA OF VOICES FOR QUESTIONS #1-3? IF SO, then use the comments section of this post to pose, and share your thoughts on, a question, issue, thought, literary element, theme, issue of Theban security, quotation, Oedipal urge, or some other idea that we have yet to talk about. Maybe you have a question about Tiresias. Maybe you have a question about the role of the Gods. Maybe you have a question about the chorus. Maybe you have a thought on broccoli versus tomato. If so, click on comments and let it fly.

¡Oedipus Discussion Area #5!

Consider the film version watched in class. Choose one decision made by the director that you've observed. Why do you think the director made that decision? Think in terms of larger elements such as character, conflict, and theme.

¡Oedipus Discussion Area #6!

The following questions are designed to help you think about the theme of a work of literature. Choose one of the questions and answer it.

* Does the main character change in any way in the story? Does the character arrive at any eventual realization or understanding? Are you left with any realization or understanding you did not have before? Explain in relation to the meaning of the work as a whole.

* Does the story contain any especially curious objects, mysterious flat characters, significant animals, repeated names, song titles, or whatever that hint at meanings far larger than such things ordinarily have? Explain how one of these entities points to a central theme in the work.

* Does the author make any general observations about life or human nature? Do the characters make any? Explain in relation to the meaning of the work as a whole.

¡Oedipus Discussion Area #7!

So, it's Friday night at 10:30, and I've just made some popcorn in preparation for a late night viewing of Spiderman 3 (I'm an old man. 10:30 is now late for me)(I back-dated the time of the post to put it in the correct place on the blog). So, I'm making this popcorn, thinking about the movie we watched in class the last two days as well as the subtle, and not so subtle signs of discontent emanating from the figures sitting in the desks in our classroom (those figures would be you). Which got me to thinking. Why does Oedipus Rex hold such a big place in Western literature?

So, my final discussion option for you is, in what ways is Oedipus Rex relevant to 20th century life? What insight can we gain or lessons can we learn from our reading this play. Tee 'em high and let 'em fly.

Testing "Mail to Blogger"

Hello dudes! Just trying a little something. Allegedly you can post to a
blog via email, so I'm just testing it out. Don't mind me.

Class Discussion 11/27

Today in class we discussed some interesting aspects of Freud/Oedipus. Here is the presentation I used in class.

I also used an illustration of the the crossroads. Here is that illustration, as well as a few more discussing the symbolism of the crossroads.





In addition to that, we discussed the character of Jocasta.

Lastly, we spoke briefly of Laius raping Chrysippus. (Click on that link to get the full story.)

Remember, answer the blog discussion questions by Thursday. Answer at least two questions and one comment on something someone else has said.

Amended Homework Instructions

Well, it seems some of you have yet to finish the play. This time, I'll write it off to a tryptophan overdose. Unfortunately, this means you have a bit more on your plate than I would like:

By tomorrow you are to:
* read those two articles previously mentioned

By Wednesday you are to:
* address two of the three blog discussion questions
* respond to at least one other person's comments on any of the three questions

Make sure you put your name after each post (unless you have a Blogger account and a recognizable Blogger display name).

Oedipus Rex Discussion Area #1

Creon and Oedipus are both male characters who are roughly in the same age demographic. Creon is considered a foil to Oedipus. What character qualities of Oedipus might Creon's character emphasize in the story?

Remember to put your first name and last initial. If you're working with a partner, put both names.

Oedipus Rex Discussion Area #2

In line 1438 the Chorus says that Oedipus is "cursed by the gods,k" and in line 1448 Oedipus laments "My destiny." Was Oedipus' tragedy inevitable? Why or why not? In your opinion, was Oedipus' tragedy the result of hamartia--an error, transgression, or character flaw? Cite passages in the text that clarify and support your thinking.

Remember to put your first name and last initial. If you're working with a partner, put both names.

Oedipus Rex Discussion Area #3

Aristotle once said "all men by nature desire to know." What does Oedipus the King (Oedipus Rex, Oedipus Tyrannus, whateva) say about the theme of knowledge --the universal human desire to know. Is the desire for knowledge the finest of human attributes, or is it the road to ruin? According to the playm, what are the glories and the limits, the rewards and the punishments, of knowledge?

Remember to put your first name and last initial. If you're working with a partner, put both names.

Technorati

Technorati Profile

1st Quarter Grades (For Real This Time)

(I have no idea why this came out transposed. I'm not trying to represent despair or anything.)

Ooops!

Many apologies. I posted the same grades Wednesday as I did last week. A thousand pardons. I'll have to wait until Tuesday to repost. The image names must have been similar.

1st Quarter Grades

Gasp! It's 3:29pm, and I'm still at school. As promised, here are your grades.

And here's your clash day picture:

Sophisticated Evidence that Woulda Worked for this Essay

Dudes, it's almost twelve and I'm tired. But I won't have a chance to get these thoughts down before class tomorrow. So, please excuse any errors.

In these essays, and in all writing, you should strive to go beyond the obvious. Using plot summary is obvious. Scratching beneath the surface yields sophisticated insight. Here are some thoughts on this test question:

* Elizabeth or Henry as a foil for the monster or Victor. They show no trace of evil.
* The romantic belief that human beings are born innately good.
* The monster wrestles with his notion of self. Is he Adam? Cain? Lucifer? These allusions relate to the the question.
* Dangerous pursuit of knowledge...causes Walton, Frankenstein, and the monster to become obsessed and delve into their dangerous sides....
* Gothic! The story is meant to evoke fear. What's a scary story without a scary character (monster's penchant for evil)
* Anything dealing with characterization as this is an essay about character
* Anything dealing with the creature's evolution. I briefly mentioned bildungsroman, and I don't expect you to remember that term, but this novel details the maturation of an individual...and this individual, the creature, goes from good to bad...although
* I was impressed by those of you who pointed out that the monster stays ambiguous until the end of the novel
* I'm happy that most of you spent a body paragraph talking about the theme of the novel as it relates to the question. That's impressive. Some of you made it the first body paragraph, which was unexpected but welcome and fitting. You set the table...
* Four more essays left....I'm really tired
* Don't use I's in this type of essay...don't say you either. We'll work on avoiding this
* For god sakes, the monster is not named Frankenstein. I'm going to institute detention for anyone who makes this error. The monster is the monster. Or, if you prefer, the creature or Victor's creation (with a nod to Mo-ni-Q)(it's a matter of connotation).
* Essays have paragraph breaks. Essays have intros and conclusions. I do not want to read a blob of text after I've corrected almost 250 essays in two days. I say this because your scorers will feel the same. They correct the same essay for one week. They work 9-5. They correct upwards of 200 essays a day. Remember this well.
* Oh yeah, and you're scorer will be knowledgeable about the book you're writing about. If they are not, they'll pass it to someone who is...
* Oooo...you could also work in something about the nature of beauty. Monster goes evil because people tink he be uglay[sic] That says something about the society he's in...or human beings...or somefin'[sic]
* Amanda brought up the theme that isolation can cause our undoing. She's the only one. Kudos Amanda.
* Monique wrote "in the quest for knowledge you lose more of yourself in the madness that comes with genius." That sounds pretty good to me, even at 12:11 am.
* Remember, Victor is telling a cautionary tale to Bobby W. Whatever you thought the theme was, you can make that the reason he is sharing the tale...this also brings foil back into the mix
* Nighty night.

Aristotle's Concept of Tragedy

Here is the presentation used in class today.

Oedipus Rex Discussion Questions

This Thursday, Friday and the following Monday I will be out of town. I am presenting at the National Council of the Teachers of English council in New York City. While I am gone, I want you to proceed through the play. You are to use class time to read the play and answer the twenty discussion questions I have left for you. I need you to work quietly during class. If you lose misplace the questions, you can grab another copy right here.


This is a two hundred point assignment. All questions are due Tuesday, November 20th.


________________________________
Photo from Flickr Creative Commons Collection. http://www.flickr.com/photos/mondriankilroy/393129371/

Grades as of 11/08

Grades as of 11/07

I just finished that big quiz from Chapters 16-20. You'll get it back tomorrow. The only grades for the 1st quarter yet to come are Friday's test, any extra credit, and that film/novel comparison assignment. Click on the image to enlarge it.

Some of your grades may have dropped a little, or a lot, depending on whether or not you handed in the following assignments:

• The Fall of the House of Usher Comic
• The Fall of the House of Usher Disc. Q's (remember, I needed these handed back in after our discussion)

Oedipus Reading #1

Uploaded with Skitch!

Blog Check In

Hey folks. Read the last 4-5 posts. I'll give you 5 extra credit points if you use the comment section to let me know you've been here. Also look at the other extra credit assignment.

New Grades

Here are the up to the minute grades (save one quiz):

Oedipus Rex Reading Assignments

We'll be starting our next major work, Oedipus Rex, next week. It appears on page 1364 of your textbook. I need you guys to read the first 337 lines of the play for Monday. Here's the rest of the reading schedule (It also appears in "Current Assignments":

11/13 - Lines 1-337
11/19 - Lines 338-1007
11/26 - Lines 1008 - The End

I'll be in New York City for a teacher's convention next Thursday, Friday, and the following Monday, so we're going to go the study guide questions route instead of annotation/notetaking. These will be unveiled on Monday.

Quarter One Extra Credit

Need to earn some extra credit to bump up that grade. Here's a fifty point extra credit assignment. Hand it in by Friday if you're interested. Choose from one of the following options:

1. I've created a map of Frankenstein's journey and Walton's journey. Create a map tracing the travels of the monster. Look to the book for clues as to his path. Free hand drawings welcome.

2. Do a 8 panel condensed comic strip of Frankenstein. Tell the whole story in short form. Use your own story for this.

3. Choose three gothic elements and create me a Frankenstein movie poster using these as inspirations.

4. Movie poster option, but related to "Ozymandias" or "Rime of the Ancient Mariner"

5. Go and rent Young Frankenstein, the classic Frankenstein parody starring Gene Wilder and the dad from Everyone Loves Raymond. Pick one major instance of parody and discuss in 150-250 words. Why was it funny, important, or how did it relate to any of the major themes we discussed?

Frankenstein Meaning of the Work as a Whole

Here are the charts we created in class:

A few notes..

Hey guys...the new grades will be posted on Monday. I had to cover some classes this afternoon. Also, I'll be posting the Meaning of the Work as a Whole diagrams on Monday, as well as distributing printed copies.

I've added a few links to the left hand column. I've put up quick links to the College Board hub. Here you can access special AP study tools and other helpful stuff. Also added is a link to every free response essay since 1970. They may be interesting for you to look at, as I tend to adapt those questions for unit exams. I've also mined our blog for helpful Frankenfrinkenfurter sites.

Next week I'll be assigning your Oedipus Rex reading, distributing an extra credit assignment for quarter one, and distributing a short essay (more of a response really) question comparing the movie to the novel. Giddyup.

By the way, here's a map of Robert Walton's journey:

Uploaded with Skitch!

And here's Victor's Journey

Uploaded with Skitch!

Test Essay Question

On Thursday, November 8th Friday, November 9th (movie delay) we will be taking a test on Frankenstein. Here is the essay question.

Directions:

1. Grab a 1/2 index card from my desk.
2. Copy down the essay question in as small as font as possible.
3. You may use the rest of the index card to jot down talking points. You may use this itty bitty index card during the exam. This preissued index card is the only paper I will allow on your desk.

Question (adapted from 2002 exam)

Morally ambiguous characters--characters whose behavior discourages readers from identifying them as purely evil or purely good--are at the heart of many works of literature. For Frankenstein, choose a morally ambiguous character who plays a pivotal role. Then, write an essay in which you explain how the character can be viewed as morally ambiguous and why his or her moral ambiguity is significant to the meaning of the work as a whole. Avoid mere plot summary.

Hint (do not copy): The best answers will integrate our class discussion/notes. This includes gothic and romantic characteristics in the novel, foil, archetype, and/or allusion. Work what makes sense into your argument.

Opening Activity

Directions for Opening Activity
1. Open your notebook to the last entry. Skip a line.
2. Title this entry "analytical excercise"
3. Copy down this statement:
"Victor Frankenstein and the monster share the same personality. Like father, like son."
4. Use the next five minutes to jot down your thoughts to this question.

And for your enrichment:

Frankenstein, Mary Shelley
Ultra-Condensed by Faron P. Cedotal

Walton

Dear Margaret: My ship picked up this guy. He RULES.

Frankenstein

I discovered the secret of life, and everyone died. (dies)

Frankenstein's Monster

Inexplicably, I have become suicidal. (jumps out a window)

THE END