Poetry Professor Schedule

Okey dokey, here be that schedule (click to enlarge):



Remember:

• all poetry annotations are due on the day the presentation is given. If you have an excused absence I can accept the annotations on the day you return to school.
• your poetry journal is due on Friday, March 21st and Friday, April 11th. I will gloss over the journal on the 21st and grade it more closely on the final due date.
  

Poetry Professor Poetry Assignments

Hello folks. Follow the link to reach your assignment for the Poetry Professor project.

Here you go...

Here's that poem...

DULCE ET DECORUM EST₁

Bent double, like old beggars under sacks,
Knock-kneed, coughing like hags, we cursed through sludge,
Till on the haunting flares² we turned our backs
And towards our distant rest³ began to trudge.
Men marched asleep. Many had lost their boots
But limped on, blood-shod. All went lame; all blind;
Drunk with fatigue; deaf even to the hoots⁴
Of tired, outstripped⁵ Five-Nines⁶ that dropped behind.

Gas!⁷ Gas! Quick, boys! – An ecstasy of fumbling,
Fitting the clumsy helmets⁸ just in time;
But someone still was yelling out and stumbling,
And flound'ring like a man in fire or lime⁹ . . .
Dim, through the misty panes¹⁰ and thick green light,
As under a green sea, I saw him drowning.
In all my dreams, before my helpless sight,
He plunges at me, guttering,¹¹ choking, drowning.

If in some smothering dreams you too could pace
Behind the wagon that we flung him in,
And watch the white eyes writhing in his face,
His hanging face, like a devil's sick of sin;
If you could hear, at every jolt, the blood
Come gargling from the froth-corrupted lungs,
Obscene as cancer, bitter as the cud¹²
Of vile, incurable sores on innocent tongues,
My friend, you would not tell with such high zest¹³
To children ardent¹⁴ for some desperate glory,
The old Lie; Dulce et Decorum est
Pro patria mori.¹⁵

8 October 1917 - March, 1918

1 DULCE ET DECORUM EST - the first words of a Latin saying (taken from an ode by Horace). The words were widely understood and often quoted at the start of the First World War. They mean "It is sweet and right." The full saying ends the poem: Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori - it is sweet and right to die for your country. In other words, it is a wonderful and great honour to fight and die for your country

Poetry Professor Video

Well, it took me a few tries during school today, but I've just now finished with the Poetry Professor video from class today. I added subtitles to reinforce the structure of the setup and also to reemphasize the literary devices.

I also made note of several inaccuracies from the presentation. Most notably, Wilfred Owen was writing about Chlorine gas, not mustard gas. Consider this from the NYTimes:

In April 1915, hoping for a military breakthrough, Germany launched the war's first major chemical attack, releasing chlorine gas to blow toward French and Algerian troops in their trenches at Ypres, in Belgium. As Tucker gruesomely recounts, along four miles of the front line, tons of yellow-green gas rose to a height of 30 feet as the wind slowly edged it forward. The lethal cloud scorched the eyes and lungs of the terrified French and Algerian soldiers, who vomited and collapsed in agony. Hundreds died, coughing up blood and green froth. The soldiers' silver insignia and buckles immediately turned greenish black. Five months later, Britain launched its own retaliatory chlorine attack, and by 1916 both the Allies and the Central Powers were using artillery packed with chemicals — a total collapse of the Hague declaration.

Also, gas masks were introduced to the battlefield in 1916, so it can be presumed that the speaker was referring to a gas mask when he mentioned "clumsy helmets." Otherwise, the speaker would be as dead as the other guy. Lastly, Owen died at 25, not 19. He still died during the war.

Poetry Professor Handouts

We are now embarking on an excellent adventure. Over the next month YOU will take over teaching duties. You will put on the professorial vest and guide us through a poem.

Here are the handouts:

Assignment Sheet
Guideline Questions

Specific Assignment Sheet
Copy of Billy Collins' "Schoolsville"

Sample Poetry Journal Entry

"Schoolsville" - broken down by structure, annotated.










Finally, here is a copy of the "Schoolsville" explication paper I wrote last year.

Britney Spears - American Tragedy

Color me amused by the cover of the Rolling Stone that appeared on my doorstep (mailbox, to be more specific, but doorstep has such Middle American connotations) this past Thursday.  It'll be in the classroom next week, but if you can't wait, it is an expose of the "tragedy" of Britney Spears.  I think Aristotle might have a lot to say about Americans' fascination with Ms. Spears.  The article reads like a textbook tragedy.  Again, we are not at all unlike the Greeks, Romans, or Elizabethans.  In fact, we're probably worse, as most celebrities' tragic flaws seems to be their inability to deal with the pressure of celebrity.   Paradox and irony all rolled up into one.

Looking for Alaska

Today I showed you John Green's response to a handful of Depew citizens' call to ban Looking for Alaska. If you're home, here's that video:



If you're interested, here's his website and here's that Nerdfighter's site. After all, these guys are made of awesome. Here's an article about the Nerdfighter's cause.

If only Kate Chopin had access to Youtube!

A-wiki-ning!

Today we're going to hold a discussion in a slightly different way. Proceed to this wikispace and await further direction.

Awakening Discussion

Open your novels to chapter nine. Find the the paragraph that starts "But there was no reason why every one should not dance." Read the rest of the chapter, noting in your book or on a separate sheet of paper the ways that Chopin builds tension/suspense in this important scene.

Great discussion today. I know we got off track later in the period throwing around questions of Leonce's fidelity and materialism. Madamemoiselle Reisz' piano scene kind of got away from us. Essentially, we hit the main points I wanted to discuss (Reisz vs. Ratignolle, that scene as the beginning of her awakening), even if it was in a kind of stream of discussion kind of way.

As a kind of post script to our discussion, I'd like to pose the following questions/thoughts to you:

• Reisz and Ratignolle are very different characters. One is the mother woman, the other is an older, single, "disagreeable little woman" who is also "homely...with a small weazened face and body...no taste in dress...with a bunch of artificial violets pinned to the side of her hair." Yet it's obvious from Chopin's tone who we are meant to favor. What is Chopin hoping to accomplish by presenting us with an integral, profound character that is also socially awkward and, well, "homely"?
• What role does music play in the novel? What does it represent in the larger sense?
• As for the tension, Chopin builds it because it is welling up in Edna, only to be released by the tears. The setting builds tension ("moon was coming up, and its mystic shimmer was casting a million lights across the distant, restless water"), the description of Reisz before she plays adds tension ("perfectly still" and "not touching the keys"), as does the antithetical description of the effect of Ratignolle's playing and the images described that develop in Edna's mind's eye. All this tension builds until that first note when "a keen tremor" runs "down Mrs. Pontellier's spinal column."

Awakening Uber Quiz

Here's that Awakening Uber Quiz. Bianca, if you're reading this, why don't you take the quiz and have it sent back to me along with the 1/5-2 page response mentioned a few posts back.

Fadela Amara and Chopin

We're reading The Awakening, and obviously there are a lot of gender issues inherent in that text. But, how do those gender issues relate to us today? I mean, we have Brittney Spears all over the media. How does she relate to the questions Chopin deals with? This morning I was listening to NPR and heard a story about Fadela Amara, a French cabinet member who also happens to be Muslim. The story covered the changing dynamics of Islam in France, focusing mostly on the role of women. How can we relate that to The Awakening?

Enjoying Your Vacation?

I hope you are enjoying your Regents week. Make sure you stay up on your reading, as we are having an Awakening uberquiz on Monday. In the meantime, enjoy these two interesting news stories that have popped up lately:

Where is Mary Shelley when you need her?US scientists close to creating artificial life

Not quite Oedipus, buuuuttt....
Unknowing twins marry each other

Also, it's tragic about Heath Ledger (not to mention Brad Renfro), but why the ubiquitous coverage? (Answer: Because we're not that different from the Greeks. We subconsciously, perversely, love tragedy because it makes us feel better about ourselves.)

Oedipus Alive! Reflection

Here is the reflection I'd like you to write in class on Thursday.  If you are for some reason not in class, and checking this blog, please complete and complete it for me by Friday.

The Awakening Reading Schedule

Hello folks. We've got Regents week next week and then a truncated week following that one (half day and superintendent's day). The Awakening is a short, relatively modern book and I'm going to expect you to knock off big chunks of it in your time off.

Here's the schedule:
By Monday, January 28th - Chapters 1-27
By Monday, February 4th - Chapters 28-the end

Now, in addition to reading the book, I want you to do the following for 1/28:

• annotate your novel. I want to see questions. I want to see observations. I want to see elements noted and techniques underlined.
  
• Write one 1.5-2 page informal response. This response should explore something you feel in the novel that you feel is important or noteworthy. Feel free to focus on a theme, symbol, character, relationship, etc. Feel free to use "I" and "I think." Feel free to be yourself and write in a casual tone. Have some fun with it.
  

Oedipus Alive! Films

Here they are. Enjoy, and feel free to use the comments section for any positive comments about your classmates' films (as I know screening day was a dud due to picture day. Doh!)

The Queen is Dead



Jocasta's Advice to Oedipus



Creon's Response




Oedipus...Oops. That's Dramatic Irony



Oedipus Vs. Tiresias
(Sesame Street Style)



Chorus Line(s)



Tiresias's Speech

"The Storm" - Kate Chopin

Tonight I want you to read another Chopin short story, as this will also have thematic echoes of the story we read yesterday. For homework, I'd like you to read the story and find two quotes that you consider "5 Star Quotes." These are quotes that you think pop off the page for some reason or shed insight into an element of the short story.

If you're too lazy to cart around that textbook, here's a link to the story online.

Blog Discussion
In the comment section, type one of your five star quotes. Explain why you think that quote is important. Don't feel limited to quotations that are barn burning discussion questions. Questions that shed insight into techniques the author uses are acceptable and encouraged.

One quote/comment, and at least one comment on what someone else has shared.

Story of an Hour - Kate Chopin

Tonight I'd like you to read Story of an Hour by Kate Chopin. You are to write a 3/4 page response answering the following question:

What view of marriage does this story present? A woman's place in 1894? Provide examples. Use a piece of paper.

That's a Wrap

Well, all good things must come to an end. Today is your last class day to work on this project. Any other finishing touches must happen outside of 2nd period. I am available before school, 3rd, 10th, and 11th periods. All films must be exported by Monday. We will screen your finished films next Wednesday.

Don't forget my $2!

Death of a Salesman Discussion

This morning we are discussing Death of a Salesman.

Here's your essay question. The essay is due on January 3rd.

While Sophocles and Arthur Miller were writing plays thousands of years apart, their tragic figures have similar characteristics. Write an essay comparing/contrasting Willy Loman and Oedipus as tragic figures.

Guidelines:

• use quotations to support your argument
• the essay must be in the 500-750 word range
• Two great documents to use to prepare for your discussion are "Aristotle's Concept of Tragedy" (pg 1362) and Arthur Miller's essay "Tragedy and the Common Man" (pg 1969)
  

Film Workshop

¡Death of a Salesman Discussion Area #4!

You are to finish Death of a Salesman by Monday. By Tuesday, I'd like you to explore the following prompt and expand on at least one other reader's thoughts.

• React, respond and explicate a “five star quote” of your choice. A “five star quote” is a quote that “jumps off the page” at you for any number of reasons. It may be aphoristic*, profound, humorous, universal, or any reason you choose. Explain how the quote relates to any of the larger elements of the play (character, theme, irony). For clarity, you must include the entire quote somewhere in the entry.

____________________________________
* a pithy quote that contains a general truth (if it ain't broke, don't fix it)

Oedipus Loses His Potential to Be an Air Traffic Controller

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¡Death of a Salesman Discussion Area #3!

More questions fo' you!

What values does Willy represent?

What about Biff? Happy? Uncle Ben? Bernard?

What role do we see the setting playing thus far?

What type of themes does the author seem to be hinting at?

What comparisons can we make between Oedipus and Willy?

¡Death of a Salesman Discussion Area #2!

Lost? Confused? Subject to random nosebleeds while reading Death of a Salesman? IF SO, then use the comments section of this post to pose, and share your thoughts on, a question, issue, thought, literary element, theme, sales technique, quotation, tragic arc, or some other idea that you think merits discussion. Go ahead, get on with it (click on comments to share).

¡Death of a Salesman Discussion Area #1!

What are Willy Loman's obsessions? What effects-positive and negative-do they have on his life? What else do you know about Willy's personality? How does Miller characterize him? How do you know?

Or

Pick one character from the first act of the play other than Willy. What role does this character seem to play? Is he/she a foil? If so, what is that character meant to emphasize about Willy? If not a foil, what purpose might that character be serving?

Oedipus Alive! Groups

Here are your groups and passages:

• Passage One: Katrina, Bianca
• Passage Two: Erik
• Passage Four: Augustine, Franketta, Kevin
• Passage Five: Sara, Annette, Amanda, Franceska
• Passage Six: Savaun, Christina

Passage Seven: Naiem, Monique, Jazmine
Passage Eight: Katie, Kari, Anne Marie
Passage Nine: Kevin, Ron, Jason
Passage Ten: Liz, Kayla, Samantha

Oedipus Project Materials

Lots of information flying every which way today. I'd rather let you know about your work ahead of time so that you can best plan your time. With that being said, I'm adding your December projects to the "current assignments" place in our sidebar.

Here are the project materials thus far.

Opening Writing Activity

In your notebook, address the following question (do not copy the question).

You've just finished Oedipus Rex. Think back to the play. What speech or passage do you find stand out above the rest? In your opinion, why is this particular speech memorable?

5 minutes

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.

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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

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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:

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And here's Victor's Journey

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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

I'm Out!

I have to take a sick day, as my son has a cough and high fever. Frankenstein take home quiz will be given tomorrow, and I'll also collect the comic at that time. In the meantime, answer the Usher discussion questions that I left for you. We'll discuss them tomorrow.

Wednesday's Creative Writing Prompt

Open your notebook to the next available page. Label this entry "Creative Prompt #1." Then, copy the following prompt:

The candle sputtered and went out. My hand groped the cold stone wall, frantically searching for something familiar. The passage was pitch black.

Now, take that and run with it. Tell the story from here.

The Fall of the House of Usher Discussion Questions

Today in class we discussed the following questions in groups. Here's a copy of the questions.

Diction Lesson #5

Diction Lesson #5

Consider the following quote:

A rowan* like a lipsticked girl.
- Seamus Heaney, "Song," Field Work

_________________________________
* a small deciduous tree native to Europe, having white flowers clusters and orange berries

Then, answer the following questions on a separate sheet of paper in the Voice Lessons section of your binder:

1. Other than color, what comes to mind when you think of lipsticked girl?
2. How would it change the meaning and feeling of the line if, instead of lipsticked girl, the author wrote girl with the lipstick on?
3. Write a simile comparing a tree with a domesticated animal. In your simile, use a word that is normally used as a noun (like lipstick) as an adjective (like lipsticked).


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from Dean, Nancy. Voice Lessons: Classroom Activities to Teach Diction, Detail, Imagery, Syntax, and Tone. Maupin House. Gainesville FL, 2000.

The Fall of the House of Usher Assignment

Here are the materials for the Fall of the House of Usher comic assignment.





If you're interested, there is an audio version of the book. Click on this link and it will take you directly to the .mp3 file. It is 44 minutes long.

On your own time, you can find the rest of the Heroes graphic novels here.

Finally, this assignment will be due Tuesday. Remember to annotate and finish Frankenstein by Monday.

Grades as of 10/23

Here are your current grades. These do not reflect the latest quiz.

Diction Lesson #4

And now, a return to Voice Lessons.

Consider the following quote:

The man sighed hugely.
- E. Annie Proulx, The Shipping News

1. What does it mean to sigh hugely?

2. How would the meaning of the sentence change is we rewrote it as

The man sighed loudly.

3. Fill in the blank below with an adverb:

The man coughed _____________________.

Your adverb should make the cough express an attitude. For example, the cough could express contempt, desperation, or propriety*. Do not state the attitude. Instead, let the adverb imply it.

propriety - the state of conforming to acceptable rules of behavior.


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from Dean, Nancy. Voice Lessons: Classroom Activities to Teach Diction, Detail, Imagery, Syntax, and Tone. Maupin House. Gainesville FL, 2000.

Rime of the Ancient Mariner

Today in class we'll be taking a look at another poem. This is quite the long poem, and it was written by another Romantic and literary critic, Samuel Taylor Coleridge. The poem is very gothic, as are the drawings that accompany this film. Unfortunately, you can't watch this on your own at school, but if you want to watch it again at home, here it goes.



Also, you can find a full text of this book here. This book is part of the public domain. "Mariner" starts on page 1 (I'm pretty sure).

Ozymandias, Percy Bysshe Shelley

Today we took a look at a poem written by Mary Shelley's brother husband Percy Bysshe Shelley. Here is the worksheet we used in class.








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Image taken from http://www.eng.fju.edu.tw/English_Literature/19th_c/Romantic_poetry/Romantic_poetry.htm

Gothic and Romantic Literature

Today we will be discussing characteristics of gothic and romantic literature.

For further reading:

• Norton Anthology Guide to Gothic Literature
• WSU Discussion of Romanticism
• CUNY discussion of Gothic literature

Prometheus

Great discussion today. I'll be embedding the short Prometheus videos we watched in class later on today. I think that it's interesting to note the connection between Victor and Prometheus, the monster and Prometheus, and Robert Walton and Prometheus. It's also important to note that this allusion and the use of foils serve to help emphasize Shelley's thematic discussion of the danger of unfettered search for knowledge.

Here are those two videos:

Frankenstein Discussion

Hello folks. Here's the discussion questions for today:

1. Yesterday we talked about foil. What characters could be considered foils for Victor? What could they be emphasizing about Victor's character? Provide evidence/explanation.

2. Victor changes while creating the monster. Describe those changes, and provide a quote or evidence to back it up.

3. Pose your own question about something confusing or something you feel merits more discussion.

Remember, don't feel you have to write a book as a response. Pose your thoughts, back it up, go back and reread what everyone else has to say, and comment from there.

Why Annotate?

You guys did a great job on our educational video "Why Annotate?". Now your job is to...ahem...annotate your novel. This is something we'll be doing all year, and something you should be doing throughout college, so let's get going.

Hint: Figure out your own personal style. This is not a science. If you like using highlighters, then highlight. If you like brackets, then bracket. Just make sure to jot down shorthand, easily understood margin notes.

Here's that video.

Foil

Today we'll be talking about the author's use of characters as foils for the protagonist. Here's the notes we'll be using to guide our discussion.

A&P Discussion Area

As you know, I'm not in school today. I'll be back tomorrow, and we are going to start discussing elements related to Frankenstein. I'd really like to give "A&P" some more discussion time. So, while you're at school, and I'm at home, we're going to do a little discussing.

Let's start with three big questions, and we'll see where it goes from there.

• What kind of person is Sammy? How do you know?
• Is the setting of this story important? What is worth commenting on?
• Why did Updike write "A&P"? What was he trying to say about society, the 1960's, or human nature? Post your thoughts, and I'll be responding from 9:20-10.
• Feel free to pose questions to your classmates and myself.
  

- Mr. Malley


P.S. Oh yeah, click on the comments link right below this post and if you do not have a Google/Blogger account, then post under the anonymous option and put your 1st name last initial after your thoughts.

Paragraph Organization

Today we'll briefly discuss the organization of this paragraph from the textbook's sample explication essay.

Remember...Say It, Show It, Explain It!

Like many other sonnets, "Design" is divided into two parts. The first eight lines draw a picture centering on the spider, who at first seems almost jolly. It is "dimpled" and "fat" like a baby, or Santa Claus. The spider stands on a wildflower, whose name, "heal-all," seems ironic: a heal-al;l is supposed to cure any disease, but this flower has no power to restore life to the dead moth. (Later, in line ten, we learn that the heal-all used to be blue. Presumably, it has died and become bleached-looking.) IN the second line we discover, tolo, that the spider has hold of another creature, a dead moth. We then see the moth descrived with an odd simile in line three: "Like a white piece of rigid satin cloth." Suddenly, the moth seems not a creature but a piece of fabric--lifeless and dead--and yet "satin" has connotations of beauty. Satin is a luxurious material used in rich formal clothing, such as coronation gowns and brides' dresses. Additionally, there is great accuracy in the word: the smooth and slightly plush surface of satin is like the powder-smooth surface of moths' wings. But this "cloth," rigid and white, could be the lining to Dracula's coffin.

Important Due Date Change!

The due date for the explication paper has been changed to Tuesday due to the college fair!

Integrating Quotations

Today we took notes on quotation use. Here's the link to the slideshow. Here's the handout:


Here's the notes for the middle.

Binder Breakdown

Today we will be setting up our binder. Here are the sections you need:

1. Writing Reference
2. Reading Reference
3. Voice Lessons
4. Finished Writing Pieces
5. Quizzes and Tests

Writing Workshop Rules

Here are a few quick and easy rules to help provide an efficient and effective work environment during writing workshop.

1. Process is Important Above All Else - Carefully brainstorm. Organize your thoughts. Draft. Revise. Edit. We are here to develop academic habits. I do abide by the logic "don't worry, Mr. Malley. It'll get done." I want the best you are capable of. Always.
2. Talking is to be very, very limited - Writing is thinking. Don't put your thoughts into the heads of others while they are trying to write.
3. Do Not Shout My Name for Attention - Raise your hand and wait patiently, or if you see I am distracted, walk over to me.
4. When we conference, talk in your four inch voice. Maybe six - If you talk in your regular voice, it may disturb someone the thoughts of someone else.
5. Computers Are for My Classwork Only - Don't let me catch you viewing sneakers or working on work for another class.

Word of the Day Feature

We are now responsible for the word of the day on the announcement. Each week I will look for five volunteers to seek out a word from our reading. These words will then serve as the word of the day during the next week's announcements.

I'll have a form for you to record your word. For each word I'll need the following:

1. The word.
2. The definition of the word as it is used.
3. The word in context as it appears in the work.
4. The author and work.
   
5. Your name.
   

Example

1. Visionary
2. definition: existing only in a vision or imagination
3. "All looked colder and darker in that visionary hollow than in reality: and the strange little figure there gazing at me, with a white face and arms specking the gloom..."
4. Charlotte Bronte, Jane Eyre
5. Francis Peters

Did You Know...Explication Rhymes with Rhythm Nation

And that's no coincidence. Here's the assignment sheet, but that's the only help you're going to find here.

The rest of the help can be found at

Poetry Explication Wiki

Explication of Hands

Today I asked you folks to explicate this poem in class. By the end of the period, I need you to have one sheet of paper with the following information:

A one to three sentence explanation of the theme.
A two column chart:

Important Line.............................Its Effect or Significance
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Inside a cave in a narrow canyon near Tassajara
The vault of rock is painted with hands,
A multitude of hands in the twilight, a cloud of men’s palms, no more,
No other picture. There’s no one to say
Whether the brown shy quiet people who are dead intended
Religion or magic, or made their tracings
In the idleness of art; but over the division of years these careful
Signs-manual are now like a sealed message
Saying: “Look: we also were human; we had hands, not paws. All hail
You people with cleverer hands, our supplanters
In the beautiful country: enjoy her a season, her beauty, and come down
And be supplanted; for you also are human.”

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poem reprinted from http://piesenlatierra.wordpress.com/tag/robinson-jeffers/

Note: I've published the chart we finished in class. It can be found here.

Unit One: Building Blocks

excerpted from Mr. Malley's syllabus...

Unit One – Building Blocks
Approximate # of Weeks: 3
Text(s)
• Selected poems from X.J. Kennedy and Dana Gioia, Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, and Drama as well as copies of other poems to supplement. John Updike's A & P.
• Chapters 15, 16 , 17 from Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, and Drama covering connotation, imagery, and figurative language and the “Explicating” sections from Chapters 41 & 42

Big Questions/Big Ideas
How do smaller units of meaning (words, syntax, devices) affect the overall meaning (tone, theme)?

Essential Skills – In this unit, students will review/be introduced to basic skills for literary analysis. As the poem is an accessible, self-contained unit of meaning, it’s a good way to start off looking at how the pieces (language, devices) affect the whole (tone, theme, etc.). We will study these small works and eventually build up to Updike’s short story. Students will practice annotating and will write an explication. Writing mini-lessons will be delivered on effectively integrating quotations and logical structuring of evidence and critical commentary.

Assessment
• Nightly annotations
• analytical essay explicating a poem (500 – 750 words)

Welcome AP!

Writing Prompt: You are in Advanced Placement Literature because you have chosen to be. What has helped you develop an appreciation for literature. What were those factors? Was there an important book(s)? Important people? Momentous experiences? What has made you like books to such a degree that you are willing to do extra work during your senior year for an opportunity to study at an advanced level?

Be truthful, be poignant. We're going to end up making this into a film.

Summer Reading Questions

2007-2008 AP Literature students,

On the summer reading assignment I handed out I told you that you could post any questions on this site. Find the comment link right underneath post and fire away. I've spoken to a few of you, left message with a few of you, and even dropped a few of you MySpace messages. Make sure you forward any questions, and happy reading.

Mr. Malley