Assignments Over Break

Read Huck Finn through chapter 33.

Complete the analytical vocabulary assignment explained below.

Vocabulary and Analytical Sentences

Chapters 1-18

As we talked about recently, the words that you use in your writing have a significant effect on the voice you create. Accordingly, this activity will help you learn the definitions of some “mature” and “academic” words, and also help you apply them to your thinking about Huck Finn.

For each word, you’ll need to complete a two part process. After you look up the definition of the word, write down a meaningful definition; this will complete part one. Make sure you put this definition in your own words: do NOT just copy and paste! The second step is to create a statement (maybe 2-3 sentences) making an analytical observation about Huck Finn that uses this new word. (You can change the form of the word if necessary). It’s important to avoid making a sentence that is simply a plot summary. Instead you need to analyze a character, theme, idea, etc, much like we’ve been doing in our class discussions. In fact, you can even use some of the observations from our class discussions. Remember, analysis presents an observation (a reference to a specific event or events in the text) and then seeks to explain why that observation is important or significant to the story.

Also, please use this as an opportunity to focus on creating mature sentences. I recommend typing this assignment so you can revise as you go along; my example sentence below underwent at least 10 revisions before I decided to leave it alone. Notice you’re only being given a few words, so I expect high quality thinking and writing.

Here is an example:

0.) ambivalence: (Noun) a sense of uncertainty; undecided conflict between two emotions.

Huck’s ambivalence about his living conditions, the fact that he can be content under the rules of the widow but then quickly readapts to the harsher living environment with Pap, serves as an important indication of his malleable character. Because it is not in Huck’s nature to make up his mind fixedly, this indecision allows for perhaps his greatest act of open-mindedness-- the ability to come to see Jim as a person.

1.) juxtapose
2.) ostensible
3.) incongruous
4.) conventional
5.) ephemeral
6.) elicit

Reading Due Monday

Read through Chapter 18!

Reading Due Friday

Huck Finn Chapters 6-10

Reading Due Wednesday

Remember that Chapters 1-5 of Huckleberry Finn are due tomorrow. At the end of the previous post, there is a link to a free, web-based copy of Huck Finn for you to use in case you don't have your own copy. Please note that the web version does not flow from chapter to chapter. Instead, when you finish with chapter 1, you will need to click on chapter 2 on the left hand side of the screen.

Congratulations! You are finally done with Romanticism!

We will be working with Mark Twain as we transition to Realism, which will include working with the novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Although copies are available through the library to check out, I strongly recommend that you get your own copy so that you can take notes on your own text. Our first reading assignment will be due on Wednesday, so you have a few days to get a copy, either paper or electronic.

In the meantime, you will be discussing two other Twain stories on Monday and Tuesday. Here is the calendar for next week:

Monday: Discuss "The Notorious Jumping Frog of Calaveras County" (509)
Tuesday: Discuss "Life on the Mississippi" (496)
Wednesday: Discuss Chapters 1-5 of Huckleberry Finn.

More information about Huck Finn reading below.

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 Thursday

Read Whitman's "Song of Myself" 456-460.

Due Wednesday

Read the poem, "Thanatopsis" on page 202
Read the poem, "I heard a Fly buzz when I died" (379)

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

Read and think about the following poems by Emily Dickinson:

"There's a Certain slant..." 369
"I never saw..." 374
"Tell all the Truth" 375
"I felt a Funeral" on page 378
"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


Also--

Just in case I forget to finish up the lecture on literary schools in the Romantic time period, here are the notes which we began in class last Thursday.

Romanticism Test Information

Your Romanticism Test will be next Friday, December 7th. It will take both 6th and 7th periods and consist of a fill in the blank content component and a written antithesis style essay. A study guide and reading list is available here.

Fireside Poetry Assignment

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 poem make use of? How do they help enhance the theme? (1-2 sentences)

Please include answers to these three questions after the title of each poem on your paper. Then, complete question number for 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)

Homework for Thanksgiving Break

1. Read the excerpts that your book provides from Melville's Moby Dick. In your notetaking, make sure to write down information pertaining to the characterization of Ahab and the symbolic role of nature in the story.

2. Write a not-so-free freewrite considering some of the interpretive ideas in "The Minister's Black Veil". Please use at least 2-3 direct quotations from the story. Remember, you have no structural requirements, so you do not need to worry about an introduction or thesis. But please do meet the following not-so-free requirements:

Please do:

- Use the phrase "reflected in" or "reflected by"
- Use the word intrinsic or intrinsically
- Begin one sentence with the word "Ironically"

Please do not:

- Use the word "quote" or "quotation" anywhere in your writing
- Begin more than 3 sentences with the word "the" or "this"

Additional Info:

- Please underline where in the paper you are doing one of your three "please do"items.
- Please type your paper and make it 1 to 1 1/2 pages in length.

Some questions that may help you get started:

First of all, tap into some of the great conversation points that people made in class.

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?

Reading Due Friday

"Dr. Heidegger's Experiment"

Reading due for Tuesday:

Background reading: 240-257

Civil Disobedience: 290-291

Reading due Wednesday:

Walden: 282-288

Emerson Quotations Due Friday

Research Emerson quotations online and select 5 that you really enjoy. Copy and paste the quotations into a document and format it so that you have a pretty readable font-size (around 20). Cut out each quotation individually, and bring them with you to class.

Reading Due Tuesday, 10/30

Read the story "The Devil and Tom Walker" and write down at least one quotation (abbreviated) for each of the following focus areas:

1. The characterization of Tom 2. his wife and 3. the Devil
4. Theme(s) of the story
5. Setting/Role of Nature in the story
6. Role of the Narrator/narrative voice in the story
7. Similarities to previous literary movements
8. Differences to previous literary movements

This assignment will be collected as a "practice" assignment.

Info from Friday, 10/19

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.

The chart will be "due" on Monday. Your first body paragraph must be done by Tuesday, and brought to class for editing.

Sample chart.


***For a limited time only!!! Edwards Powerpoint!!!

Content Test Thursday

Approximately 60 Multiple Choice Questions

(A few of these we will discuss this week, so don't panic if you haven't read it yet.)

Make sure you know:

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

Types of Questions

 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.

Edwards Paper Due 9/28

Your Edwards Introduction and Body Paragraph is due tomorrow! (Friday)Make sure that your body paragraph has transitions between each example, and that each quotation is analyzed using the question word analysis process (where, what, how,why as discussed in your Musings packet.)

This essay will be graded on Transitions and Conventions and Analysis Content. Click on each to read the scoring guide. (Please note that I am only scoring on Transitions and Conventions, not Voice).


Use this powerpoint as a guide to formatting your paper properly.

Mather Reading and Edwards Paper

Reading due Monday: Mather's "Wonders of the Invisible World" (74-78)


Edwards Introduction and Body Paragraph (Due Wednesday or Thursday of next week)


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


POA: Edwards uses figurative devices, structure, and rhetoric.


Your body paragraph will focus on the discussion of his use of figurative devices, but we still want to provide a full POA in our thesis so we can get used to that concept.

Reminders:

* Maintain formal voice.
* Practice establishing context in your introduction along with relevant background information.
*Provide a quotation from the text that will serve as your evidence (your "where" part of analysis.)

Reading and Grammar Practice

Reading:

For tomorrow, read Edwards' "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God," paying special attention to how he describes hell.

Grammar:

Here is a link to a packet that explains what we have been talking about in class.

(The link to the document above should now be working.)

Here is a link to the Sprague Writing page which will give you more practice on phrases and clauses. There are also practice exercises, and you can continue on to practice for sentence types as well.

Extra Practice

If you want a little more practice with parts of speech, go to the parts of speech page for the online writing center. You will be able to read additional explanations, and on the left, there are two practice activities with answers to help you practice. It's important to understand this before we move on to the next part of the process.

Make sure to be making progress on your reading assignment as well.

Upcoming Assignments

Reading Assignment Due Friday, 9/14

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

e 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.

You will also need to 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.

This chart will be handed in and graded under the category of "practice".

Writing Assignment due Monday, 9/17

Antithesis/Thesis Practice Writing Assignment

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.

Due Tomorrow, 9/11

Please finish practicing the following sentences from a thesis/antithesis paper.


1. To what extent is the 7 period day schedule an effective schedule?

a. thesis/antithesis/POA statement
b. first sentence of antithesis paragraph
c. first sentence of first thesis paragraph.



2. To what extent are dances an important part of the high school experience?


a. thesis/antithesis/POA statement
b. first sentence of antithesis paragraph
c. first sentence of first thesis paragraph.


If you are struggling, remember to use your Musings packet for help. Information about sentence type A is on page 7, B is on the top of page 8, and C start at the bottom of page 8. (I think)

Due Monday, 9/10

Read Part 2 of the Musings Packet, paying careful attention about how to make a thesis/antithesis statement rather than just a plain old thesis statement. Remember, a thesis/antithesis helps to answer a "to what extent" question, so you may want to try making one of this for your history introduction. Hopefully you notice how transitional phrases are key to making this a successful thesis/antithesis.

Here is the document with positive introduction beginnings.

And here is our "quiz" from in class today, if you need a reminder of what to avoid.

Due 9/6/12

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

2. To what extent 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 addresses 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 still proof read for conventions.

Please type in 12-point font.