Due Monday, (January 3rd?)

1. Please read through Chapter 33 of Huck Finn and continue to pay attention to the themes that we have been tracking so far. This will be due on Monday after break.

2.1 Here is a link to the vocabulary assignment if you'd like to get started on it: Huck Finn Vocab assignment. I'll probably collect this on Tuesday or Wednesday, be beware that I'll also be assigning additional chapters to read during that time.

Have a GREAT vacation.

Due Friday, 12/10

Read Chapters 1-5 of Huckleberry Finn for Friday.

For our reading of Huckleberry Finn, pay careful attention to the following topics. I suggest that you mark these topics in your text (or on a post-it). If you want to be extra fancy, you can also color-code these different ideas in your notes.

Supersition
The role of the river
Women (and their influence on Huck)
Religion
Education
Class Consciousness
Racial Identity
Clothing
Money/Wealth/Acquisitiveness (wanting to acquire stuff)
Deception
Search for Approval
Protectiveness

Here is a link to an electronic copy, if you do not have your own yet.

Due 12/1

Read and think about the following poems by Dickinson:

"There's a Certain slant..." 369
"I never saw..." 374
"Tell all the Truth" 375
"Because I could not stop"380
"The Bustle in a House" 383
"As imperceptibly" 386
"There is a solitude" 389
"This is my letter" 390

Romanticism Test Study Guide

Remember, this is fill in the blank with NO word bank.

Part I: 60 Questions (approximately)

Passage Identification:

 Title of Work
 Author
 Character/Speaker

Author Identification

 Characteristics of authors

Literary Classifications/Terms associated with:

 Light Romanticism
 Dark Romanticism
 Transcendentalism
 Anti-Transcendentalism

Literary Schools/Groups

Historical Context

Themes and analysis of short stories.


Part II: Mini Essay

Due Nov. 30

Read the poem, "Thanatopsis" on page 202
Read the poem, "I felt a Funeral" on page 378

Then, create a brief Venn-ish diagram chart, that looks at similarities and differences between these two poems. Consider comparing things like, subject matter, verse form, diction, imagery, figurative language.

This will be similar to your Bradford/Smith chart and can be created as the three columns below, if you don't prefer to use the circles of a "real" Venn diagram.

Bryant
Bryant/Dickinson
Dickinson

Review Card Assignment

...but a good assignment to get started on.

You will be completing a review cards for the Romantic authors we have read. A review card must contain the following information:

Name of Author
Literary School/Movement associated with them (if applicable)
Region associated with that author
Names of works that we read by that author
Approximate date when these works were published
Characteristics of their writing
Important Quotation(s) from what we read

These cards must show some effort in their design and layout. They should be in ink or typed. (Part of the score for these cards will based on their presentation.)

You must create a review card for the following authors:

William Cullen Bryant
Washington Irving
James Fenimoore Cooper
Edgar Allen Poe
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Oliver Wendell Holmes
James Russell Lowell
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Henry David Thoreau
Nathaniel Hawthorne
Herman Melville
Emily Dickinson
Walt Whitman

(This assignment will most likely be due on the day of the Romanticism test, so stay tuned for a specific date)

I realize that you may not be able to fill in all information at this time, or complete cards for Dickinson or Whitman. However, you will still benefit from getting them started since you will have other assignments during the week you come back.

Due Friday 11/19

Yes, I decided I would like this on Friday, in case we have a chance to discuss them in class.

Read the following poems:


334- “The Tide Rises”

336- “The Psalm of Life”

347- “The Chambered Nautilus”

352- “First Snowfall”


Write a response for each poem consisting of:


1. Literal Summary (1-2 sentences):


2. Interpretation/Theme: What deeper meaning does this poem convey (2-3

sentences)


3. Style analysis: What poetry devices (rhyme, figurative language, allusions, diction...) does this pome make use of? How do they help enhance the theme? (1-2 sentences)


Please include these three questions after the title of each poem on your paper. Then, complete question number four after you have read and responded to all 4 poems:

4. What similarities do these poems share? In what way do they differ from each other? Which one did you find the most enjoyable? Explain your thoughts... (4-5 sentences)

Due Monday, 11/15

For the “Minister’s Black Veil” reflection paper, you will write/type around two pages of your thoughts concerning the story. [Double-spaced if typed; single spaced if hand-written] You will write in well constructed complete sentences, but you will not follow any specific paper structure; I’m interested mostly in your ideas. However, please continue to use formal voice: no I, me, you, etc.


I want you write about your insights into the story. You may wish to consider the following questions: What different things does the black veil symbolize? What insight into humanity does the story present? What insight into the self does the story suggest? What ironies are inherent in the work? What motivated Rev. Hooper to wear the veil?

You should use at least 2-3 quotations over the course of your ponderings.

Also, you may want to get a head start on reading the excerpts from Melville's Moby Dick in your lit book which will be due on Tuesday.

Due 11/10

Yep, read "Dr. Heidegger's Experiement".

Due 11/8

Read the excerpt from Walden in your text book, making connections to what you already know about Transcendentalism. Also, don't forget to vote on the Emerson quotation poll.

Due 11/4

Read the excerpts by Emerson:

"Self-Reliance"
"Nature"

(268-271)

For Friday, we'll be discussing the background reading from (240-257), and I recommend getting a start on that reading as well, since the Emerson selections are short, and there is another (short) assignment that will be due on Friday.

Due Nov 3

Read the excerpt from "The Praire" by Cooper. (190-199) Then, write thoughtful answers for the following questions.

1. In what ways does the enviroment symbolize the action that is taking place?

2. In what ways do the Native Americans in the story demonstrate compassion for Natty Bumpo?

3. What commentary does this story offer about religious beliefs? (Consider by evaluating the religious beliefs presented)

4. What are Natty Bumppo's requests for when he dies, and what do these reveal about his character?

5. What is the symbolism behind the two figures at Natty Bumppo's side during his death?

6. What are some things about this excerpt that strike you as being difficult to believe or unrealistic? (dare I say, even "cheesy")

Due Nov. 2

Read the Romanticism background section (162-173) and be prepared to take a reading quiz based on this material.

Due Monday, 11/1

Reflection paper on "The Fall of the House of Usher".

Your paper should be written in formal voice, and use quotations from the text to support your points, but there are no other structural requirements: focus on developing strong insights and writing mature sentences. It should be typed and double spaced, and be about 2 pages long.

You may explore elements of symbolism, parallels, the role of reason, the supernatural, characters, etc, or it may take an interesting idea from class today and run with it. You may find this is a good opportunity to take some risks and speculate on some interpretations of the material.

Enjoy!

(And since many of you will put this off until Sunday, Happy Halloween!)

Due Thursday/Friday

Due Thursday:

The Oval Portrait

Due Friday:

The Fall of the House of Usher

Pay careful attention to elements of reason, elements of Romanticism (fantasy), and symbolic descriptive details.

Due Tuesday, 10/26

Read the story "The Devil and Tom Walker" paying careful attention to:

The characterization of Tom, his wife, and the Devil
Themes of the story
Setting/Role of Nature
Role of the Narrator
Similarities to previous literary movements
Differences to previous literary movements

Due Monday, 10/25

Final copy of the Colonial Authors Paper. Please bring your rough drafts, charts, and final copy to class. Plan on stapling with the most recent on top: therefore, final copy on top, rough drafts, and chart.

Here is a powerpoint to help with some MLA formatting questions. Information about quoations can be found about half way through it.

As you do your final proofreading, make sure you are limiting passive and progressive uses of to be, as well as focusing on specific analysis.

Review Information

Today is our first complete test. Access to author/device slips is available Link

The next two paragraphs of your essay will be due on Wednesday. Access to the editing sheet is available here. Please also check for passive/progressive.

Good luck studying!

Due Monday, 10/18

You will need to bring a rough draft (typed) of the INTRODUCTION and FIRST BODY PARAGRAPH of your Colonial Author's paper. You may have your body paragraph be on any of the three authors that we will eventually write on.

Make sure to:

- Establish context in the introduction
- Have a clear and effective topic sentence
- Focus on the analysis: How is that specific device example persuasive?
- Remember to connect back to the thesis (motive separation) as the final step of the Analytical unit.
- Have 3 Examples (3 complete analytical units) per paragraph.
- Have a clear summary sentence.

The information about the paper is available in the October 11th post.

Your test is on Tuesday, so here is what you'll need to be reviewing as well:

73 Multiple Choice Questions

Make sure you know:

Linking, Progressive, Passive (15 questions)

Literary Devices:
Aphorism,
Personification
Periodic Structure
Allusion, Metaphor
Parallel Structure
Metaphysical Conceit
Epanorthosis
Rhetorical Questions
Rhetorical Appeals

Title of Passages we’ve read

General History or Virginia
Of Plymouth Plantation
Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God
Wonders of the Invisible World
Huswifery
On a Wasp
Dialogue…Gout
Autobiography
Poor Richard’s Almanac
Speech in the Virginia Convention
Declaration of Independence
The Crisis
To his Excellency, General Washington

 Authors of Passages we’ve read

 General time period and purpose of passages we’ve read

 You will need to be able to identify excerpts from the passages we’ve read.

Due 10/13

Today in class we discussed the difference between prescriptive and descriptive grammar and learned some usage rules. The information for usage can be found on the Hamlit introduction page.

In answer to questions in class, here are some common prepositions:

"about," "above," "across," "after," "against," "along," "among," "around," "at," "before," "behind," "below," "beneath," "beside," "between," "beyond," "but," "by," "despite," "down," "during," "except," "for," "from," "in," "inside," "into," "like," "near," "of," "off," "on," "onto," "out," "outside," "over," "past," "since," "through," "throughout," "till," "to," "toward," "under," "underneath," "until," "up," "upon," "with," "within," and "without."

Due Monday, 10/11

Read Paine's "The Crisis" from your book paying special attention to how he uses literary devices to motivate his audience. You should be able to do some good comparison and contrasting with Henry, Jefferson, and even Franklin.

This following assignment is a chart that will allow you to begin preparing for your next major paper. Since the chart will be due on Tuesday, I recommend getting started on it over the weekend.

You are writing a paper with the following thesis:


Colonial authors used a variety of literary devices to persuade their audience to separate from the English. (The POA for this paper will be the authors’ names OR the names of the document.)

The authors you are writing on will be: Henry, Jefferson, and Paine.

You must create a chart that lists three examples of literary devices that each author uses to persuade his audience. The first column will be the author's name. The second will be the 3 quotations for each author that shows them using a literary device. The third column will explain the effect that specific example is having on the reader, and how it persuades them.

A sample of the chart is available here.

Due 10/6

Read "Speech in the Virginia Convention" paying attention to how Henry's use of specific literary devices influences his audience.

For Thursday, you will be turning in your dialogue (inspired by Franklin) between you and a personified object of your choice. Make sure that in the course of this conversation, you stress the importance of moderation, science, self-improvement and reason.

Your dialog should be 2-3 pages in length, and formatted to look like a dialogue (again, see Franklin and the Gout for an example)

Due Monday, 10/4

Read Franklin's "Dialogue between Franklin and the Gout." As our first work associated with Neoclassicism (also known as the age of Reason) focus on how this world view differs from the extremism of Puritan literature. Pay special attention to the ideas of:

Reason
Moderation (not too much or too little)
Personal improvement
Science

This is a fun work, so make sure you're prepared to discuss it in class.

(Also, we'll be discussing the Autobiography on Tuesday, and since this is a longer work, you may want to get a start on it when you have some time this weekend.)

Due 9/30

Please read the Bradstreet poem listed from yesterday.

Also complete the Neoclassicism background reading:

Pages 84-97

Expect a quiz on this material.

Due Wednesday, 9/29

1. Antithesis/Thesis Rewrite. Remember you must come to room 113 to turn it in.

2. Please read:

"Upon a Wasp..." page 62
"To my dear and loving..." page 57

Consider what makes these strong examples of Puritan poetry. Compare and contrast their uses of poetry devices.

Due Tuesday, 9/28

I know we were pressed for time at the end of class today, so hopefully this will help clarify your responsibilities:

1. Your Edwards Intro and Body paragraph are due tomorrow (Tuesday). Please take into account feedback on your history introductions and antithesis/thesis essay as you make changes tonight. Also, please visit the "Welcome to HAMLIT" page where you will find writing guides on the right hand side to help you with your revisions as well. Please take into account the information on "quotation incorporation" as you revise your essay. We will also discuss this in class. There is an introduction to MLA powerpoint there that I posted as well.

2. Your antithesis/thesis rewrites will be due on Wednesday. You will need to come to me before or after school in room 113 to turn in 1. your original paper 2. your rewritten paper and 3. a highlighted version of the "Musings" packet that identifies where to find information helping you to correct your errors.

3. Remember, your history rewrites are due tomorrow as well.

Due 9/27

Edwards Introduction and Body Paragraph


Using the format provided in Part I of your “Musings” packument, write an introduction and body paragraph on “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God.” Make sure to pay careful attention to the question word guidance for the different steps of analysis.


Thesis: Edwards creates fear in the audience in order to ________________________.


POA: Edwards uses imagery, structure, and rhetoric.


Your body paragraph will focus on the discussion of his use of imagery. (Even if something is a simile, for example, we'll still discuss it under the category of imagery since it's the image that really counts here.)

Reminders:

 Limit your use of forms of “to be” especially passive and progressive.
 Maintain formal voice.
 Practice establishing context in your introduction along with relevant background information.

Be sure to provide a quotation from the text that will serve as your evidence (your "where" part of analysis.)

Due 9/22

Read "Wonders of the Invisible World"

Due Tuesday, 9/21

Read "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" from your textbook paying special attention to vivid and figurative language. Make sure to cross reference this with your knowledge from history.

Due Monday, 9/20

Be prepared for a Passive, Progressive, and Linking quiz.

Create a chart based on the Bradford/Smith readings that has the following:

One column focusing on details more unique to Bradford's work.
One column focusing on details more unique to Smith's work.
One column identifying what similiarites the two pieces had.

Under each column, you may with to consider such things as:

-Characterization of speaker, community members
-Values of community
-Lifestyle/living conditions
-Voyage
-Relationship with Native Americans
-Style of writing
-Purpose of writing
-Selection of details

This is just a start, so you can feel free to include other observations that I haven't mentioned. Try to aim for about 4-5 observations under each column.

Have a great weekend!

Due Friday, 9/17

Your first reading assignment is due on Friday:

Smith: "General History of Virginia" (42-47)
Bradford: "On Plymouth Plantation (50-54)

Compare and contrast the writing styles and content of these two authors. Also, be sure to think about your lecture on geographic determinism and what you know about the differences between the Northern and Southern colonies as you do your reading.

Due Thursday, 9/16

1. Thesis/Antithesis Practice is due Thursday.

2. Passive Progressive Linking Practice is due Thursday. Identify if the sentence is using to be as a linking verb, progressive tense, or passive voice.

3. Your first reading assignment is due on Friday:

Smith: "General History of Virginia" (42-47)
Bradford: "On Plymouth Plantation (50-54)

Compare and contrast the writing styles and content of these two authors. Also, be sure to think about your lecture on geographic determinism and what you know about the differences between the Northern and Southern colonies as you do your reading.

Due Thursday, 9/16

Your thesis/antithesis practice is due Thursday. A link to my categories of transition words should be available off the Hamlit homepage.



Step 1: Select a topic of your choice that you would like to write practice antithesis/thesis paragraphs with. You might consider something from:
 Music
 Movies
 Politics/Policy
 Food
 Hobbies, Sports, activities
 (Anything else that interests you—if you’re unsure about your topic, check with me first)

Step 2: Following the guidelines in the “Musings” packet, write an Antithesis/Thesis statement with 2 POA points. Remember to focus on the concept of opposing, not just opposite. (Note that you’re not writing an entire introduction, just the antithesis/thesis).

Step 3: Write a corresponding antithesis paragraph. Make sure to remember your qualifying transition. You should have 3 pieces of evidence to support your antithesis paragraph and use standard paragraph format.

Step 4: Write a corresponding thesis paragraph. Make sure to use an appropriate contrasting transition word that acknowledges your antithesis, and clearly state your thesis and POA point. You should have 3 pieces of evidence and use standard paragraph format.

Step 5: Proof read your paragraphs, checking for conventions errors, and making sure that you match the structure given to you in the packet.

A more printable version is available here.

Due Monday, September 13th

Read Part 2 of the Musings Packet.

Then, take this list of transitional words, and sort them into like categories of your own choosing. For example, you may create a category of "sequence" and put all words in that category that seem to suggest a sequence.

Randomized Transitional Phrases

Due 9/10

Read Part 1 of the Musings packet and prepare for quiz questions based on your reading.

Due Thursday, 9/9

You have two assignments: Your signed syllabus form and the writing pretest.

Imagine you are writing an essay on one of the following topics:

1. Why is the study of past events (history) important in a world that is focused so much on the present and future developments?

2. Why is the study of past writing (literature) important in a world that seemingly places little emphasis on this medium of expression?

Now, the assignment:

Write an introduction and a body paragraph that address ONE of these topics. Set up your introduction as if you were writing the entire essay, but you, of course, will just be writing one body paragraph.

Please use this as an opportunity to show off your best writing in terms of vocabulary, structure, organization, and ideas. I understand that this is essentially a ‘first draft’ and has not undergone a lengthy revision process, but you should proof read for conventions.

Please type in 12-point font.

HAMLIT Extra Credit Due Monday

For your extra credit in English, you'll need to do the following:

1. Pick up a passage from my room. I currently have 40 available with more coming on Thursday, so first come first serve.

2. Read passage carefully and provide thoughtful answers to the questions below. Longer and more thoughtful answers will likely receive more points.

3. Turn in passage and your responses no later than MONDAY (the day of your final). No exceptions...this is a one time offer only.

John Dos Passos was an influential Modern writer at the same time as Hemingway, Faulkner, and Fitzgerald. Like Hemingway, his experiences in World War I contributed greatly to his writing. One of his most famous works, the U.S.A. trilogy, traces the lives of several characters in the years preceding, during, and following World War I. In addition to telling the stories of these characters’ lives, he includes several “biography” sections in this work, in most cases of famous Americans. The biography he presents in this section is of a different sort. Read this section carefully and answer the following questions in detail using specific quotations from the text. The excerpt is challenging, so you may find that you need to read it more than once.

1. Identify several instances in which Dos Passos uses language/structure in a unique way.
What overall effects does this use of language have on the piece?
2. What insight does this piece give into society of this time period in regards to racial relations?
3. How is war depicted in this passage?
4. What are some ironies that this excerpt addresses?
5. What role does repetition play in this passage?
6. How does this passage’s style and content compare to the writings of Hemingway, Faulkner, and Fitzgerald? (Be sure to address all three.)
7. What is your personal opinion of this passage? (Reactions, thoughts, comments, etc.)

Some finals information

Semester 2 Reading List

Test breakdown:

Multiple Choice:

20 Time period questions (Puritans-Moderns)
40 Author identification questions
10 Literary devices
20 Analytical short story questions
10 4 Modern author questions
4 Modern author passage identification questions (new passages)
20 Poet/quotation identification
25 Gastby character quotation identification
10 General modernism questions


Essay Question

Rough Draft Due Wednesday, June 2

Author Imitation Assignment

Your task is to write a short story in the style of one of the major 4 Modern American authors we have studied this semester. You have randomly been assigned your author based on your last name. If you want to switch with someone with another author, you both must come in and get my formal permission to switch authors.

The alphabet breakdown:

A-Dough: Hemingway
Doug-Kell: Faulker
Kl-Pon: Fitzgerald
Pr-Zu: Steinback

Your short story should be between 3-4 pages in length (hopefully closer to 3.) You must imitate your author in regards to:

- Subject matter
- Setting
- Characters
- Themes
- Style (diction, syntax, figurative language, etc.)

Other students will be reading your story and attempting to guess which author you are imitating. Therefore, give your story a real (and hopefully significant title) as opposed to calling it “Hemingway imitation story.”

Due 5/28 Author Chart

Create a 4 quadrant chart in which you write down the following information for Fitzgerald, Hemingway, Steinbeck, and Faulkner

Location(s)
Types of Characters
Common Themes
Stylistic Observations
A defining Quotation

Due Thursday, May 20th

Read "Flight" by Steinbeck.

Due 5/19

Read "The Snake" by Steinbeck.

If you were absent today, you will need to make up a "quiz" and complete your reading assignment for Monday (listed on the left). Also, you may want to get notes from someone on what we discussed. You will also bring your review that we started on Thursday to class on Monday.

For Tuesday, you will be turning in a vocabulary assignment based around The Old Man and the Sea. Words are listed below.


Due Tuesday:

evoke
colloquial
self-effacing
concision
amalgamation
brusque
propensity
nebulous

For each word, you must provide

1. a brief definition
2. a sentence using the word to help you make an interesting, analytical observation about the Old Man and the Sea.

(This is just like what we did for Huck Finn.)

Due Wednesday, May 12

Re-read "Hills like White Elephants" paying specific attention this time to the nature of the relationship between the man and the girl. Who seems to be controlling the conversation? What central conflicts seem to exist between the two? What other character insights can you gain now that you have a greater understanding of their topic of conversation?

Due Tuesday, May 11

Read "Hills like White Elephants" and "A Clean well-lighted Place."

Suggested thinking topics:

Hills: What can be inferred about the relationship between the man and the woman? How does the extensive use of dialog convey some of these dynamics?

Place: Alienation and isolation? Importance of paragraph beginning "'Good night', the other said" in terms of style and content?

They're mine...they're all mine! Muahahaha!

WELCOME BACK!
Welcome Back!

For Monday, please read the story "In Another Country" by Ernest Hemingway. (722-727).

Pay special attention to:

- The role of technology
- Existential elements (alienation, creation of essence, anxiety)
- Symbolism of characters

(In other words, if I ask a question about these topics in class, you should be able to point to specific quotations and add your own thoughts.)

Here is the complete text (I think) just in case you've forgotten your book.)

They're mine...they're all mine...MUAHAHAHA!

WELCOME BACK!
Welcome Back!

For Monday, please read the story "In Another Country" by Ernest Hemingway. (722-727).

Pay special attention to:

- The role of technology
- Existential elements (alienation, creation of essence, anxiety)
- Symbolism of characters

(In other words, if I ask a question about these topics in class, you should be able to point to specific quotations and add your own thoughts.)

Here is the complete text (I think) just in case you've forgotten your book.)

Due Friday, April 23

Complete 5 poetry reactions for all 5 sets of materials.

All of the poems for the Harlem Renaissance activity can be found here.

Remember a reaction for each collection of poems includes:

Author(s):
Titles of Poems:

Structure and Style Observations:


Content Observations:


Which poem did you find most interesting/ meaningful/ compelling?

Questions Answered

Page Numbers:

In a range of numbers, give the second number in full for numbers through ninety-nine.

2-3

10-12

21-48

89-99

For larger numbers, give only the last two digits of the second number, unless more are necessary.

96-101

103-04

395-401

923-1,003

1,003-05

1,608-774

Italicizing Italicized Titles:

MLA prefers that you UN-italicize an ordinarily italicized title if it appears within an italicized title.

Confused?

A book title: Finding Vampires in The Adventure of Huckleberry Finn.

How it should look in your citation:

Finding Vampires in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.

Due Wednesday, April 14

Please bring a revised copy of your rough draft to school so we can continue our peer editing. Notice that the revision guides are all available on the research paper webpage. Also, here is my revised version of the introduction example we discussed last week in class. The document that outlines other introduction requirements must be on a different computer, so I'm unable to post it at this time.

In the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain creates a wide variety of characters which he then forces to interact with one another as Huck journeys down the Mississippi river. During these interactions, these characters must define their relationships with one another and Twain focuses primarily on the negative elements of these relationships instead of the positive ways people could relate. In fact, a central focus of the novel is the way in which characters use other characters to benefit themselves, rather than acting in a selfless way. The main character, Huck, is no exception to this idea, and throughout the novel, Huck acts metaphorically as a vampire, sucking the life and prosperity out of other characters when it best suits him, and discarding them when he has the chance. Huck demonstrates this vampiric behavior most clearly in his relationships with Pap and the Duke and the King. By portraying Huck in this fashion, Twain draws a parallel between Huck and Southern society and criticizes the South’s continued mistreatment of African-Americans.

Due Monday, April 5th

Importance Paragraphs are due today. Please see the examples and information on the research paper page. I know I did not physically hand back your importance thinking activity, but since I didn't provide any feedback on the, I figured you could use the file you have saved at home if you need to.

Also, we'll finish up with your Gatsby quotation activity on Monday.

Due Wednesday, March 31

Gatsby Chapters 8,9

Due Tuesday, March 30

Gatsby Chapter 7.

Due the Monday after Spring Break

Discuss Gatsby 5-6

Importance thinking activity. (See research paper site for explanation.)

NOTE: The "Thinking Activity" will only be complete for 2 or your importance quotations. Use this time to reserach additional importance quotations if necessary.

Due 3/19

Gatsby Chapter 4.

Due 3/18

Read Chapters 1-3 of the Great Gatsby making sure to form connections between it and Winter Dreams, and other knowledge you have about the time period.

Here is an etext, just in case you didn't get yours checked out.

Due 3/17

1. What is important about the information given about Dexter’s family background?

2. Why do you think that Dexter quits his job as caddy?

3. What is important about how Dexter makes his money?

4. What is important about Judy’s physical description?

5. What is interesting about Dexter and Judy’s relationship?

6. What is important about the physical contrast between Judy and Irene?

7. What is important about the description of Judy on the top right margin of page 740?

8. What is significant about Judy being gone during the time of Dexter’s engagement?

9. What other story ending is the ending of this story similar to?

10. Why is Dexter so upset at hearing about Judy’s “fate” at the end of the story?

11. What is important about the character of Mr. Hendricks?

12. Why are Dexter’s dreams described as “winter dreams”? What suggestions does the idea of winter have?

13. Find moments when you here a strong narrative voice. What role does the narrator seem to play in this story?

14. What other ways, not previously mentioned, does this story serve as a microcosm of life during this 1920’s?

Due 3/16

Read "Winter Dreams" in your text book.

Link here if needed.

Make sure to apply discussion points from today's class as you do your reading.

Due Wednesday, 3/10

We mention discussed the upcoming Realism/Early Modernism Test. Your test will be on Thursday.

For Wednesday, you need to have read, "The Jilting of Granny Weatherall" and "A Worn Path." These are both in your book, but I'm including the links for your convenience.

The essay on Modernism in your book (693-707) should be read before your exam on Thursday.

Your Citation Outline will be due 3/15. I will try my best to return your Importance Quotations before this weekend. More information is available on the research paper site.

Due March 8th!

Importance Cards!

Please include a current version of your thesis statement on the top of your assignment. Also, remember to indicate what your top 4 quotations are.

Due 3/3

Write a 1 to 1 1/2 page reflection on the play Trifles, by Susan Glaspell. Consider such things as symbolism, gender identity, character motivations, parallel themes, or whatever else strikes your fancy. There is no structure requirement, but maintain a formal academic voice, so no "I" or "you."

A link to the play is available here:

Mr. Wright (dead)
Mrs. Wright (in jail)
Mr. Henderson (attorney-Marcus)
Mr. Hale (Farmer-Mychal)
Mr. Peters (Sheriff-Clayton)
Mrs. Peters (Bridget)
Mrs. Hale (Robyn)

Due Monday, March 1

Your Importance Notecard due date is Monday, March 8th. Make sure you are making progress on your research. See the research paper page for more information.

If you were absent on Friday, we read the poem, "War is Kind" by Stephen Crane. You will need to write down important quotations and effects of his use of diction, irony, and structure (kind of in an outline form.) Then using this as evidence, craft a well-written thesis statement that explains the commentary he is making in his poem.

Homework Information

Please meet your goals of reading at least one critical essay and trying to find quotations that could support your importance idea. Remember that you can use either JSTOR, materials in my room, or any critical essays you are able to find.

Due 2/22

This is a long post, so bear with it. The most important part of this assignment is the Observation, POA, Importance and and the Thesis statement. If you have a hard time with the paragraphs and quotations, we'll work on it.

You will need to submit a paper with the information formatted in the following way:

Observation Concept:
POA (2 points): Remember, these support your observation.
Importance Idea:

Thesis/POA statement: Combination of your observation, POA, and importance ideas in a formal way.

Observation Paragraph 1: POA 1

"xxx" (12)
"xxx" (59)
"xxx" (160)

Observation Paragraph 2: POA 2

"xxx" (33)
"xxx" (72)
"xxx" 80)

Example:

Observation Idea : Huck is a metaphorical vampire.
POA: Duke and King, Pap
Importance Idea: This allows Twain to criticize society’s continued mistreatment of African-Americans who are used and discarded once their purpose has been served.

Thesis: Huck shows himself to be an emotional vampire when he interacts with Pap and the Duke and the King, which allows Twain to criticize how society treats African-Americans.

Observation Paragraph 1 (Observation POA 1- Pap)
“Blah” (2).
“Blah” (27).
“Blah” (42).

Observation Paragraph 2(Observation POA 2- Duke and King):
“Blah” (51).
“Blah” (55).
“Blah” (62).

Special Notes:

-If you need ideas for your importance, check the research paper site and watch the powerpoint that will give you some ideas. You will want to choose an importance that has some logical connection to your observation.

-You will want to narrow down your quotations and choose the strongest 6. You may find that you need to add some different quotations depending on your feedback on your observation notecards. Also, you'll want to work on grouping your quotations so that each POA will work for 3 quotation.

Due 2/19

Today we read the poems "Richard Cory" and "Miniver Cheevy" and discussed how they demonstrate some qualities of Realism. You'll be writing a paragraph just like the Whitman paragraph, but instead focusing on how Robinson uses literary devices to support a Realist theme. You might consider having that theme address ideas of disillusionment, falsehood, frustration etc. Refer to the previous post for more information.

W took notes on how to make some stylistic improvements in our writing. Unfortunately, those notes are not currently availalbe to post online, so if you were absent, you may need to check with a friend. If I don't find the notes to post, they are (in a nut shell):

-avoiding redundancies in word choice
- avoiding sentences that start with "this" after quotations and statements. (This shows that...)
-avoiding linking, progressing, and passive uses of "to be".

Then we discussed the poem "When I Heard the Learned Astronomer" by Walt Whitman. Your assignment is to write a paragraph on the poem as explained below.

When I Heard the Learned Astronomer
by Walt Whitman



When I heard the learn'd astronomer,
When the proofs, the figures, were ranged in columns before me,
When I was shown the charts and diagrams, to add, divide, and
measure them,
When I sitting heard the astronomer where he lectured with much
applause in the lecture-room,
How soon unaccountable I became tired and sick,
Till rising and gliding out I wander'd off by myself,
In the mystical moist night-air, and from time to time,
Look'd up in perfect silence at the stars.

Directions:

Write a paragraph that analyzes how Walt Whitman uses different literary devices in order to adress Romantic themes in his poem. Consider such things as diction, syntax, imagery, sound devices, etc. You may also address how Whitman address Romantic themes by creating contrast to those ideas. The topic sentence of this paragraph should include:

 Name of Poet
 Title of poem
 Poetry devices
 A specific Romantic theme like importance of the beauty of nature rather than a scientific viewpoint.)


You must provide a quotation for each support, and follow all style guidelines. There should be three pieces of evidence per paragraph.

Due on Thursday.

Due 2/16

Grammar Test!!!

There are 60 questions: parts of speech identification, phrase/IC/DC identification, and sentence structure ID. No types of phrases.

For more practice exercises, go to the sentence structure pages of the Online Writing Center.

Simple and Compound Practice
Complex and Compound-Complex Practice

Also, make sure you have your 10 observation notecards done on Tuesday. For more information, see the Research Paper page.

Virtual Notecard Information:

Make sure to include a typed and formally phrased version of your observation on the top of your virtual notecards.

Due Wednesday, Feb 10th

If you were in class today, you've already completed the assignment due tomorrow. If not, here are some more sentences to identify by type: Simple, Compound, Complex, or Compound-Complex. Assignment

Due Tuesday, 2/9

Sentence Structure Practice. Please print and bring completed to class.

Due Monday, Feb 8th

Farming Narrative for History.

The packet explaining phrases, clauses, and different sentence types is available here. You do not need to read beyond the phrases and clauses section to complete the homework due Monday.

Practicing Phrases and Clauses worksheet.

Additional explanations and exercises are available on Lesson 3 at the Sprague Online Writing Center

Due Friday, 2/5 Parts of Speech Practice

Also, please print the following worksheet and follow the directions at the top. Bring the completed worksheet to class for Friday. (Yes, I know there are like 5 number 7's but it's really not worth the hassle of changing it.)

If you are having a difficult time with parts of speech, you can find additional information and practice exercises on the parts of speech page of the Online Sprague Writing Center.

Due Wednesday, February 4th

Your first observation submission is due today. Please visit the Research Paper website for additional information.

Due Tuesday, January 19th

Please make sure you have read Parts 1 and 2 of the Adventures of Aeneas chapter in your book. (Part 2 stops after his visit to the underworld.)

You are responsible for taking notes that fall into 3 categories:

- Familiar events (similar to other stories we've read)
- Unique events (specific to Aeneas and different from other heroes.)
- New characters and their role in the story.

Also, make sure you're caught up with the body paragraphs for you essay.

Due Tuesday, January 19th

Make sure to read "To Build a Fire" by Jack London. An e-text is available here in case you didn't take your book home for the weekend.

Today in class we got back our Romanticism thesis/antithesis essays and spend a lot of time discussing this format, since it will be the type of essay you'll write as part of your final exam. We'll use some class time (probably on Wednesday) to complete the activity we started today in class based on this information. Also, I'm posting some finals information, since it's never too early to start preparing for your test. This will be available on the side bar.

Satire Rough Draft Due Tuesday, 1/12

Huck Finn Inspired Satire Paper

Some Possible Targets of Satire

 Politics
 Human characteristics (foibles, personality traits)
 Human behaviors (social attitudes, habits)
 Institutions/Organizations
 Individuals

Some Approaches:
 The proposal
 The narrative story or personal account
 The dialogue
 The ‘factual’ (more expository) report

Some Tools:
 EXAGGERATION (taken to the extreme)
 Humor
 Irony
 VOICE (Diction, syntax, allusions, etc.)
 Point of view (outside observer or target of satire?)

Your paper must:

 Select a target of satire (NO personal satire, religious, or racial satire
allowed for this exercise.)
 Select an approach
 Incorporate several tools of satire and develop an appropriate voice.
 Be between 2-3 typed pages (double-spaced)

Starting Point: Remember satire is essentially criticism, so think of something you’d like to criticize (or find irritating) and develop it as satire.