English 11 2020 Breakdown
June 15th – June 19th Both B and D BLOCK
This is our final week and we can go out with a bang.
Ethos, Pathos and Logos are three rhetorical devices that are important in arguments and I know some of you like to argue.
B Block, I know that we were doing the Tempest, but after talking to a few of you after class on Friday, I decided to make the whole unit extra credit for those of you that are falling behind. This will be an extra 3-5% of your final grade if you did the work. For the final week, I would like for you to do this mini unit so that we can end on a high and more ‘fun’ note.
This is it:
PDF Document of class assignment due Thursday night at 11:59PM: ethos-pathos-logos-definitions-and-worksheet
I will go over this PPT with you so that you can get a good idea of what it is these three powerful modes of writing can do for any argument, whether in English literary analysis or even in marketing & business.
B Block: We will have a Musical Mondays with Emma this Wednesday. Please contact me if you haven’t gone yet.
D Block:
Musical Mondays: Liam B. – Monday. Check out the link on Teams
Victor T. – Friday. Check out the link on Teams
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If you want to know the brilliance of what you can achieve with these devices, check out Sydney Lleander and Rojeen Palani’s love note to Spencer Blessin (Also Mr. Purdy in 1998):
June 7th – June 11th B BLOCK
Musical Mondays this week:
Monday: Emma
Wednesday: Jun Park
Friday: Aiden Miller
Those of you that haven’t gone can do it next week (the final week of school).
These are the Tempest Questions for Act 2
11. How does Prospero treat Ferdinand? Why? How is this treatment like and unlike the treatment of Caliban?
12. From what event were the Italians returning when they were ship-wrecked? What is their attitude towards the event?
13. What kind of society would Gonzalo like to found on the desert island (II.i.146-70)? What is the reaction of his companions?
14. What do Antonio and Sebastian want to do to Alonso and Gonzalo? Why? What does Antonio mean when he says, “What’s past is prologue” (II.i.254)?
15. Read with special care the scenes with Caliban, Trinculo, and Stephano (II.ii, III.ii). What does Caliban think Trinculo is? What does Trinculo think Caliban is? What does Stephano think Trinculo and Caliban together are? What is their plan, and what happens to it? To what extent would you call this plan revolutionary?
You probably want to know what the end game is. It is a reader response on act 1 and 2 that I will be introducing next Monday.
FRIDAY: I will give you an explanation of Act 2 and you can hand in the questions as extra credit once more.
D BLOCK
I am very happy with how the class has been going. This week will primarily be for you to hand in your Spoken word. (Due Friday, June 12th.)
On Friday, I will be doing the final unit, rhetorical analysis. Friday will be a lecture, so please get ready and be in class at 12:30PM. It’s a lot to take in in a little time.
Next week will be the final rhetorical assignment.
Then we’re done… FOR LIFE!
Please take this time as well to hand in all past assignments that you’re missing.
June 1st – June 5th B BLOCK
We are starting The Tempest.
Here is the text.
Remember: Meeting only Monday / Friday.
Monday:
Read Act one for Friday and answer these questions (Copy the questions into a word document and answer them. Upload your answers to an assignments folder.)
1. Act One, Scene i shows the “tempest” of the play’s title. How do the different characters react to crisis?
2. Who is Miranda? What is her reaction to the scene she has just witnessed?
3. Who is Prospero? How does he know that everyone has survived the storm?
4. How did Prospero and Miranda come to be on the island?
5. Who is Ariel? Why should he be grateful to Prospero, and just do what he’s told?
6. Who was Sycorax? How does Prospero feel about her? Are there any parallels between Sycorax’s story and Prospero’s?
7. Who is Caliban? What is his attitude towards Prospero’s control of the island?
8. What event led Prospero to start treating Caliban as his slave?
9. Who taught Caliban to speak? How does he tend to use language? Why?
10. Why does Miranda think that Ferdinand might be a “spirit”?
FRIDAY:
We will go over all of act one and talk about these questions. It will be a “Lecture class”.
June 1st – June 5th D BLOCK
Remember: Meeting only Monday / Friday.
Keep working on your narrative non-fiction. I will be working on getting feedback to those that have done rough drafts. I’ll be available, but no physical class.
If you’re a go-getter and think that you’re finished, then look at this:
May 19th – 21st 2020 B BLOCK
Wednesday:
MM Final: Moe
Here is the narrative final for you to look at and start to draft.
Follow the directions in the document. I will help you as well.
Let’s have a meeting so that I can explain this assignment in detail.
Here are some examples of good prompts to consider:
-Your first date when you did everything wrong and only realized it when it was already too late.
-Making cookies with your grandmother and you dropped the bowl and it broke.
-Discovering that your parent once did something amazing, but never told you about it.
Friday:
MM: RJ & Clayton
Try and have a rough draft to hand in (Not worth points) to assignment so I can look at it over the weekend. You have the rest of the day to do this. Talk to me about possible ideas if you need.
May 19th – 21st 2020 D BLOCK
Wednesday:
Musical Mondays Final Instructions and sign up.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/11dNjA6p47JrZ6GJhDqVPgOsSUTe8cPRHxqhILACiiow/edit?usp=sharing
Stuart Mclean link:
Secrets from the Vinyl Cafe – Stuart McLean
Read the story “Sam the Athlete” (PDF Pgs 53-62)
Answer these questions for Friday (21st of May):
- In McLean’s short story, “Sam the Athlete”, what kind of character is Sam and why?
- Is it wrong to lead a double life? Why or why not? Use examples from people you know in your own life.
- What is a good ‘thematic statement’ for this story?
Friday:
Read “Christmas at the Turlington’s” by stuart McLean (PDF pgs 171-179)
Secrets from the Vinyl Cafe – Stuart McLean
Answer these questions for discussion on Monday (25th of May).
- What kind of character is May in the story?
- How does reality always seem to ruin our expectations of a big event? Use examples.
- What is a good thematic statement for this story?
___________________________________________________________
May 11th – 15th 2020 D BLOCK
We will start out the class with getting to know the Non-Fiction narrative structure and the college application / interview essay.
Also – I am doing a poetry(ish) unit with my other class that I personally love and have been trying to incorporate that into the last six weeks of class. I will show you this and we can adapt as we see fit. Victor, Simmons, Parker, Izzy etc. I’d like for you to explain what you know about “Musical Mondays”.
So we will start it out looking strangely like a CLE class, but it’s not. This is just the first part. This week is about getting a rough draft of a prompt you choose done. Video chat will be for about 30 minutes maximum. I’ll be screen sharing so that you will have an idea as I go through it what I’m looking for.
Writing The College Essay – Dos and Donts
The last one you can look at on your own.
May 11th – 15th, 2020 B BLOCK
MONDAY
Musical Mondays: Tyler Kerswell
Stuart Mclean link:
Secrets from the Vinyl Cafe – Stuart McLean
Read the story “Sam the Athlete”
Answer these questions for Wednesday:
- In McLean’s short story, “Sam the Athlete”, what kind of character is Sam and why?
- Is it wrong to lead a double life? Why or why not? Use examples from people you know in your own life.
WEDNESDAY
Musical Mondays: Danielle Bryant / Victor Yu
Discuss “Sam the Athlete”.
FRIDAY
Musical Mondays: Christine Nguyen
Also from Stuart McLean’s Tales from the Vinyl Cafe.
Read “Christmas at the Turlington’s”
Think about:
Expectation → Reality
Control → Free will
Murphy’s Law: Whatever can go wrong will go wrong.
How the narrator (unnamed) sees Mary. What kind of a character is she?
May 4th – May 7th, 2020
This is a shortened week. There is a Pro-D on Friday.
MONDAY:
We will start out the class with getting to know the Non-Fiction narrative structure and the college application / interview essay.
So we will start it out looking strangely like a CLE class, but it’s not. This is just the first part. This week is about getting a rough draft of a prompt you choose done. Video chat will be for about 30 minutes. I’ll be screen sharing so that you will have an idea as I go through it what I’m looking for.
Writing The College Essay – Dos and Donts
WEDNESDAY:
We have Soyoon’s Musical Monday project today. We will start that at 11AM. (Possibly earlier. I need to check with Soyoon.)
Today, you will be choosing – committing to – a prompt on the “Narrative Unit 11’s” and writing a 500 word response to it. This is due on Friday. On this day I will put an assignments folder for you to submit the paper.
April 27th – May 1st, 2020
Short story final due: Friday May 1st (on Assignments)
MONDAY:
Peer review sheets for those that need it. I’ve checked your outlines and will be handing them back today (by the end of the day).
Short Story Peer Editing Checklist
Let’s meet up. I want to talk about a plan moving forward. 11 AM… for a little while. I’ll record it so people not there can enjoy the fascinating dialogues.
WEDNESDAY:
Work block. Get that story done. Now that there is a good peer review that you’ve completed (attach to the final) then you can really get that final draft done.
FRIDAY
Finish short stories today!!
For those of you that are diligent (and there are a few in the class) here is the next unit. I don’t want to do poetry just yet. I need to finalize the worksheet – and it will only be a quick unit anyways. A lot like your Dystopia podcast… but video.
Writing The College Essay – Dos and Donts
April 20th – 24th, 2020
I will display the whole week for us so that we will be completely on the same page.
Important to note:
Sign up for final Musical Mondays: Wednesday 22nd April (on google doc)
Elevator Pitch due: Monday April 20th (as a post)
Short Story Outline due: Friday, April 20th (on Assignments)
Short story final due: Friday May 1st (on Assignments)
Monday:
Here is the information for the final Musical Mondays. These start next week. This will be a major focus of our video chat. I will also update a sign-up sheet for you to put your names down today.
Musical Mondays Final guidelines
Musical Mondays Final Questions
Sign up on this doc here:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1kkhZS7NCxUpfwtQc2DvVI-xLfxCrFBhPX2DECJv411s/edit?usp=sharing
2. You are working on an outline and an elevator pitch today for your short stories.
3. The elevator pitch can be posted to the main teams discussion page. It is due at the end of the day.
Wednesday:
- If I have approved your elevator pitch, you can work on your outline. It is due on Friday of this week.
2. Brief talk about short stories individually by appointment at this time. Come with specific questions.
Friday:
- Outlines turned into Assignments by today!
2. Time to work on rough drafts and get feedback from me. make an appointment to talk to me 1 on 1 like Wednesday. Come with specific questions.
April 8th, 2020
Here is the Dystopia podcast assignment:
I will also post this on Teams. This will be a major grade. I’m excited to hear how you’ve responded to the story in a creative way. This will also be good for the final assignment: The short story. Let me know if you have any questions.
April 3rd, 2020
B Block
We will meet Monday, April 6th at 10:30AM for a little while on Teams.
What unprecedented times. I hope you had a good break, given the circumstances.
It’s a perfect time – or maybe the least perfect time for learning about dystopias. In any case, let’s get into this first assignment.
(I use the word “soon” a lot in the next few lines. Let’s think of ‘soon’ as “for Wednesday, April 8th so that we can all catch up with this continuing world crisis.)
Have you finished your book? No? Finish it soon. That’s all you need to worry about for now.
Hop you all are well and I look forward to getting a sense of normalcy in the coming days.
Finish that book!
D Block
Hi again.
Ms. Okabe has started a Teams page for us. I’ll be brief, just in case this doesn’t apply to you just yet:
- We will meet at 2PM, Monday, April 6th on teams. We can do some experimenting with the formatting. If we have time, I will introduce you to non-fiction narratives, specifically creative stories from your own life.
- The college application ones (which are structured, anecdotal and stuffy)
- The fun ones you read in the New Yorker.
- I’ll have something for you to read – an ‘epistolary’ non-fiction style . This:
March 13th, 2020
Overview: The elements of Dystopian Fiction:
- A background story of war, revolution, uprising, overpopulation, natural disaster or some other climactic event which resulted in dramatic changes to society.
- A standard of living among the lower and middle class that is generally poorer than in contemporary society. This is not always the case, however, in Brave New World people enjoy much higher material living standards in exchange for the loss of other qualities in their lives, such as independent thought and emotional depth.
- A protagonist who questions society, often feeling intuitively that something is terribly wrong.
- As dystopian literature typically depicts events that take place in the future, it often features technology more advanced than that of contemporary society. Usually, this advanced technology is controlled exclusively by the group in power, while the oppressed population is limited to a rather primitive technology.
- Dystopian fiction typically extrapolates current trends and developments into the future. It is not enough to show people living in an unpleasant society. The society must have similarities to today, of the reader’s own experience. If the reader can identify the patterns or trends that would lead to the dystopia, it becomes a more involving and effective experience.
- There is usually a group of people who are not under the complete control of the state, and in whom the hero of the novel usually puts his or her hope, although he or she still fails to change anything. In 1984 by George Orwell they are the “proles” (short for “proletariat”), in Brave New World by Aldous Huxley they are the people on the reservation, and in Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, they are the “book people” past the river and outside the city.
- If destruction is not possible, escape may be, if the dystopia does not control the world. In Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451, the main character succeeds in fleeing and finding people who have dedicated themselves to memorizing books to preserve them.
Really go in depth with this journal entry:
Write a letter to yourself 15-25 years from now.
To my memory, these are the books that we will go over and you have a chance to read for the break You should all have a copy by the end of class – BUT I have more books that I’d like to add to the list and I would like to take away others:
BOOKS: Look them up!
I Still Dream – Smythe
V for Vendetta -Moore (Comic)
Watchmen – Moore (Comic)
Ready Player One – Cline
Armada – Cline
1984 – Orwell
Brave New World – Huxley
Handmaid’s Tale – Atwood
Fahrenheit 451 – Bradbury
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep – Dick (Ebook)
Man in the High Castle – Dick
Battle Royale – Takami (Ebook)
The Running Man – King (Ebook)
The Long Walk – King (Ebook)
Children of the New World – Weinstein (Short Stories / Ebook)
Stories of your life – Chiang (Short Stories)
Ender’s Game – Card
The Lythe of Heaven – Le Guin (Ebook)
The Bone Clocks – Mitchell (Ebook)
Never Let Me Go – Ishiguro (Ebook)
Take these prompts with you for the journal entries over the break:
PROMPTS for JOURNALS – (Only ideas – choose your own if you would like)
Is there such thing as a perfect world?
In a perfect world, is fair equal?
Why are people often resistant to change?
How important is individuality? Is the disappearance of individuality a concern?
When is it best to conform to the wishes of others?
What factors, both positive and negative, come along with conformity?
Do people need choices?
Will technology cause us to redefine what it is to be human?
Why might books be considered dangerous?
Why might television be considered dangerous?
Who controls you?
Is fear the mother of conformity? Is laziness? Is a lack of education?
How dangerous is genetic modification?
How can one person’s utopia be another person’s dystopia?
March 12th, 2020
Here is the outline that should explain everything, including my expectations of class.
(Fall version – calendar will be updated soon)
What is Dystopian Fiction? Listen and let’s discuss:
Read this flash fiction excerpt from Margret Atwood:
Time capsule found on the dead planet
Margaret Atwood
1. In the first age, we created gods. We carved them out of wood; there was still such a thing as wood, then. We forged them from shining metals and painted them on temple walls. They were gods of many kinds, and goddesses as well. Sometimes they were cruel and drank our blood, but also they gave us rain and sunshine, favourable winds, good harvests, fertile animals, many children. A million birds flew over us then, a million fish swam in our seas.
Our gods had horns on their heads, or moons, or sealy fins, or the beaks of eagles. We called them All-Knowing, we called them Shining One. We knew we were not orphans. We smelled the earth and rolled in it; its juices ran down our chins.
2. In the second age we created money. This money was also made of shining metals. It had two faces: on one side was a severed head, that of a king or some other noteworthy person, on the other face was something else, something that would give us comfort: a bird, a fish, a fur-bearing animal. This was all that remained of our former gods. The money was small in size, and each of us would carry some of it with him every day, as close to the skin as possible. We could not eat this money, wear it or burn it for warmth; but as if by magic it could be changed into such things. The money was mysterious, and we were in awe of it. If you had enough of it, it was said, you would be able to fly.
3. In the third age, money became a god. It was all-powerful, and out of control. It began to talk. It began to create on its own. It created feasts and famines, songs of joy, lamentations. It created greed and hunger, which were its two faces. Towers of glass rose at its name, were destroyed and rose again. It began to eat things. It ate whole forests, croplands and the lives of children. It ate armies, ships and cities. No one could stop it. To have it was a sign of grace.
4. In the fourth age we created deserts. Our deserts were of several kinds, but they had one thing in common: nothing grew there. Some were made of cement, some were made of various poisons, some of baked earth. We made these deserts from the desire for more money and from despair at the lack of it. Wars, plagues and famines visited us, but we did not stop in our industrious creation of deserts. At last all wells were poisoned, all rivers ran with filth, all seas were dead; there was no land left to grow food.
Some of our wise men turned to the contemplation of deserts. A stone in the sand in the setting sun could be very beautiful, they said. Deserts were tidy, because there were no weeds in them, nothing that crawled. Stay in the desert long enough, and you could apprehend the absolute. The number zero was holy.
5. You who have come here from some distant world, to this dry lakeshore and this cairn, and to this cylinder of brass, in which on the last day of all our recorded days I place our final words:
Pray for us, who once, too, thought we could fly.
Questions / workshop to discuss:
- Who is the narrator talking to? Why is this important to the concept of a ‘dead planet?’
- How is this ‘dystopian fiction’?
- Write for 15 minutes, a letter from the future to your present self.
March 11th, 2020
I hope you worked on this!
Keep it going. It’s due today.
See me for any details regarding this.
March 10th, 2020
Today we work on the paragraphs for Waiting for Godot.
There is a 750 word limit, if you would like to play with the idea of multiple paragraphs to explain your point. You need a claim. We will work with that today. What is a multiple paragraph essay? Same thing as what you learned, repeated. Your first line is a thesis of the whole thing – then extend the two major details.
Sentence 1 – Topic Sentence – contains the title of the piece of literature, the writer’s full name, and your topic. If this is an answer to an assigned question, then your topic sentence might be a rewording of the question into a statement. (a thesis statement, your statement to prove)
Sentence 2 – Main Point #1, One way the writer does what you say he or she does is through…
Sentence 3 – Example/Reference or quotation #1. The best example from the piece of literature which supports you main idea #1.
Sentence 4 and 5 – The explanation in your own words of how/why this example/quote does what you say it does. This section is where you develop your answer and prove your thesis.
Sentence 6 – Main Point #2. Another way the writer does what you say he or she does is…
Sentence 7 – Example/Reference or quotation #2. The best example from the piece of literature which supports you main idea #2.
Sentence 8 and 9 – The explanation of how/why this example/quote does what you say it does. This section is where you develop your answer and prove your thesis.
Sentence 10– Concluding Sentence. Minimally: summarize your paragraph repeating some of the key words from the question. Better: relate this literary device/technique to the effectiveness of the whole composition and how the device/technique helps the author develop the theme, or, relate the composition’s theme to real life.
What is the theme of Waiting for Godot and how are they connected to the elements of modernism?
March 9th, 2020
Musical Mondays #6
I am changing the songs, as we have been talking about otherness in listening to music and this fascinates me.
Alternative rock came about in the 90’s. Some of you might have heard about it , some not. I am giving you three songs that had their moment in the sun, then passed away. These are one hit wonders – in my own time growing up. We love songs then hate them after some time has passed. These songs were some of those songs for my generation.
Why do we hate songs we once loved? What is over-saturation? Think deeper than ‘ it got boring’.
Here are the songs. The rest of the day is normal. We’ll discuss them during and after you finish the work.
- Harvey Danger, Flagpole Sitta: https://genius.com/Harvey-danger-flagpole-sitta-lyrics
- Marcy’s Playground, Sex and Candy: https://genius.com/Marcy-playground-sex-and-candy-lyrics
- Whetus, Teenage Dirtbag: https://genius.com/Wheatus-teenage-dirtbag-lyrics
- Fly – Sugar Ray https://genius.com/Sugar-ray-fly-lyrics
March 6th, 2020
I’d like to watch this with you.
Then I’d like you to make a reflective response based on the play and this myth. Look up some more information if you’d like as well.
We will start to go over the questions at about 11:10 AM
Your next paragraph is due next Wednesday. Same structure.
What is the theme of Waiting for Godot and how are they connected to the elements of modernism?
Here is another list to help you about Modernism:
Modernism was a cultural wave that originated in Europe and swept the United States during the early 20th century. Modernism impacted music, art and literature by radically undoing traditional forms, expressing a sense of modern life as a sharp break from the past and its rigid conventions. In literature, the elements of modernism are thematic, formal and stylistic.
Worldwide Destruction
During the First World War, the world witnessed the chaos and destruction of which modern man was capable. The modernist American literature produced during the time reflects such themes of destruction and chaos. But chaos and destruction are embraced, as they signal a collapse of Western civilization’s classical traditions. Literary modernists celebrated the collapse of conventional forms. Modernist novels destroy conventions by reversing traditional norms, such as gender and racial roles, notable in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby,” for example. They also destroy conventional forms of language by deliberately breaking rules of syntax and structure. William Faulkner’s novel “The Sound and the Fury,” for instance, boldly rejects the rules of language, as Faulkner invents new words and adopts a first-person narrative method, interior monologue.
Cultural Fragmentation
Related to the theme of destruction is the theme of fragmentation. Fragmentation in modernist literature is thematic, as well as formal. Plot, characters, theme, images, and narrative form itself are broken. Take, for instance, T.S. Eliot’s “The Waste Land,” which depicts a modern waste land of crumbled cities. The poem itself is fragmented, consisting of broken stanzas and sentences that resemble the cultural debris and detritus through which the speaker (modern man) wades. William Faulkner’s novels, such as “The Sound and the Fury” are also fragmented in form, consisting of disjointed and nonlinear narratives. Modernist literature embraces fragmentation as a literary form, since it reinforces the fragmentation of reality and contradicts Hegelian notions of totality and wholeness.
Cycles of Life
Modernist literature is concerned with representing modernity, which, by its very definition, supersedes itself. Modernity must, in order to emerge, annihilate the past. Problematically, modernity must annihilate itself the very moment it is actualized, as the moment it emerges, it becomes a part of the past. Modernist literature represents the paradox of modernity through themes of cycle and rejuvenation. Eliot’s speaker in “The Waste Land” famously declares “these fragments I have shored against my ruins” (line 430). The speaker must reconstruct meaning by reassembling the pieces of history. Importantly, there is rebirth and rejuvenation in ruin, and modernist literature celebrates the endless cycle of destruction, as it ever gives rise to new forms and creations.
Loss and Exile
Modernist literature is also marked by themes of loss and exile. Modernism rejected conventional truths and figures of authority, and modernists moved away from religion. In modernist literature, man is assured that his own sense of morality trumps. But individualism results in feelings of isolation and loss. Themes of loss, isolation and exile from society are particularly apparent in Ernest Hemingway’s novels, the protagonists of which adopt rather nihilistic outlooks of the world because they have become so disenfranchised from the human community.
Narrative Authority
Another element of modernist literature is the prevalent use of personal pronouns. Authority becomes a matter of perspective. There is no longer an anonymous, omniscient third-person narrator, as there is no universal truth, according to the modernists. In fact, many modernist novels (Faulkner’s, for instance) feature multiple narrators, as many modernist poems (“The Waste Land”, for instance) feature multiple speakers. The conflicting perspectives of various narrators and speakers reflect the multiplicities of truth and the diversities of reality that modernism celebrates.
Social Evils
Modernist novels did not treat lightly topics about social woes, war and poverty. John Steinbeck’s “Grapes of Wrath” frankly depicts families plagued by economic hardship and strife, contradicting idyllic depictions of American life represented elsewhere in literature. Modernist novels also reflect a frank awareness of societal ills and of man’s capacity for cruelty. Ernest Hemingway’s anti-heroic war tales depicted the bloodiness of the battlefields, as he dealt frankly with the horrors of war. Faulkner, particularly in his most famous novel, “The Sound and the Fury,” also shows how incomprehensibly cruel man can be, especially with regard to racial and class differences.
Next week, we will be watching The Grand Budapest Hotel.
March 5th, 2020
Let’s finish the play. Then we will do a quick 15 minute exercise on stream of consciousness writing.
Exercise:
Adapted from: (https://www.theemotionmachine.com/brain-drain-exercise-how-stream-of-consciousness-writing-can-help-over-thinking/)
When you first start the exercise, you’ll likely be writing about a lot of surface level observations (“I’m hungry” or “I’m bored”), but once you get the ball rolling you will start touching on more important things (“I should be nicer to my coworkers” or “I need to be more comfortable being myself.”)
The “brain drain” exercise is great to practice in the morning before you begin your day. It should only take about 10 minutes, especially since you should be writing completely free-flow and stream-of-consciousness.
As the famous psychologist William James pointed out, our consciousness is like a “river” or a “stream” that is always flowing. This is where the phrase “stream of consciousness” first came from.
But with over-thinkers, their thoughts often get trapped inside their heads and keep swirling around over and over again. Instead of a river with a clear flowing stream, it’s more like a river with a dam in the middle, blocking thoughts from passing through and keeping our minds trapped in a cycle.
The “brain drain” exercise helps you to break through the dam that is trapping all of your thoughts inside your head, and allows them to flow more freely and finally get released. Instead of having thoughts blocked up in your mind, you’re metaphorically draining them and clearing them out.
In many ways, “thinking” is just as much of a biological process as sneezing, coughing, or using the bathroom. Sometimes there is no real meaning or purpose behind it, it just needs to be done to maintain psychological balance and homeostasis.
One big reason the “brain drain” exercise is so useful is that it gives our minds permission to run wild and think about whatever. You’re not fighting thoughts – you’re accepting them, embracing them, and releasing them.
————————————————————————————–
Now get those final questions done for tomorrow, first thing.
March 4th, 2020
Today we will continue waiting for Godot. Please refer to the questions below in order to start conversation. I will go over them after we finish reading for the day. I am interested in knowing what you are thinking about in regards to this absurdist Modernistic text.
Lucky will be played by… either Tyler or Ryan Simmons. You can fight it out and decide.
March 3rd, 2020
Tuneful Tuesdays then we will have the rest of class for you to work on your essays that are due today at the end of class.
Hip Hop
Now, this is hip-hop that is more of narrative storytelling. Think: What are these artists trying to say and why do they use hip hop as their medium as a mode of expression?
The Roots: Tip the Scale
https://genius.com/The-roots-tip-the-scale-lyrics
Common, Ft. Kanye The Food
https://genius.com/Common-the-food-lyrics
And as always, here is the template for you to complete this work:
March 2nd, 2020
Sorry I’m not there. We’ll have Tuneful Tuesdays.
Paper is due tomorrow!!
Today I’d like for you to get that paragraph done. If you were diligent, get these questions ready for discussion on Wednesday.
See you soon!
These questions are for our consideration for today (when you’ve finished your paragraph.)
- Who are the five characters in “Waiting for Godot?”
- Vladimir asks Estragon if he has ever read the Bible. What does Estragon tell him?
- The set is very bare with the exception of one significant thing. What is it, and why do you think Beckett used this particular thing?
- What is the theme that is carried throughout the play and obvious from the beginning? What does this theme mean to you?
- Estragon is closely associated with a particular prop. What is that prop? Why do you think Beckett chose that prop and what does it contribute to the play?
- Vladimir is closely associated with a particular prop. What is that prop? Why do you think Beckett chose that prop and what does it contribute to the play?
- Of all the kind of trees there are, Beckett chose what kind of tree? Why do you think he chose that particular type of tree.
February 27th, 2020
a. Vocabulary test after 5 minutes cram
b. 15 minutes to work on your thesis / paragraph and ask questions. It’s due Tuesday.
c. Rest of the time is WAITING FOR GODOT
These questions are for our consideration as we work through the text.
1. Who are the five characters in “Waiting for Godot?”
2. Vladimir asks Estragon if he has ever read the Bible. What does Estragon tell
him?
3. The set is very bare with the exception of one significant thing. What is it, and
why do you think Beckett used this particular thing?
4. What is the theme that is carried throughout the play and obvious from the
beginning? What does this theme mean to you?
5. Estragon is closely associated with a particular prop. What is that prop? Why
do you think Beckett chose that prop and what does it contribute to the play?
6. Vladimir is closely associated with a particular prop. What is that prop? Why do
you think Beckett chose that prop and what does it contribute to the play?
7. Of all the kind of trees there are, Beckett chose what kind of tree? Why do you
think he chose that particular type of tree.
8. Estragon and Vladimir frequently fall asleep throughout the play. Why do you
think Beckett uses that as a thread throughout the play.
9. After Estragon and Vladimir talk about the tree, Estragon falls asleep. He is
abruptly awakened by Vladimir. When he tries to tell Vladimir about a dream he
was having, Vladimir is adamant that he not talk about it. Why do you think
Vladimir is so vehement in his reaction?
10. How does the idea of hanging and Estragon and Vladimir’s inability to come
up with a workable plan contribute to the atmosphere of the play?
11. In Act I, Estragon and Vladimir have a long conversation about waiting for
Godot and their helplessness. Finally, Estragon exclaims he is hungry! What food
does Vladimir offer Estragon, and what food does he actually produce? Why
might Beckett chose these particular foods?
12. Estragon and Vladimir talk about the crucifixion of Christ and, later, about
offering a prayer or supplication to Godot. Why might Beckett reveal this vague
connection between God and Godot?
February 26th, 2020
So today we will start Waiting for Godot.
There are two things you should be doing during this time:
- studying for the vocabulary test
- Working on your paragraph:
- How are the elements of modernism shown in either Babylon , Hills , Garden Party?
- Remember the structure (below):
- Rubric is the same
- DUE Tuesday by 3PM PRINTED OUT
Sentence 1 – Topic Sentence – contains the title of the piece of literature, the writer’s full name, and your topic. If this is an answer to an assigned question, then your topic sentence might be a rewording of the question into a statement. (a thesis statement, your statement to prove)
Sentence 2 – Main Point #1, One way the writer does what you say he or she does is through…
Sentence 3 – Example/Reference or quotation #1. The best example from the piece of literature which supports you main idea #1.
Sentence 4 and 5 – The explanation in your own words of how/why this example/quote does what you say it does. This section is where you develop your answer and prove your thesis.
Sentence 6 – Main Point #2. Another way the writer does what you say he or she does is…
Sentence 7 – Example/Reference or quotation #2. The best example from the piece of literature which supports you main idea #2.
Sentence 8 and 9 – The explanation of how/why this example/quote does what you say it does. This section is where you develop your answer and prove your thesis.
Sentence 10– Concluding Sentence. Minimally: summarize your paragraph repeating some of the key words from the question. Better: relate this literary device/technique to the effectiveness of the whole composition and how the device/technique helps the author develop the theme, or, relate the composition’s theme to real life.
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February 25th 2020
We are starting Waiting for Godot today or tomorrow. First, I’d like to go over a few of the questions that are due.
Here is the text of Waiting for Godot.
Beckett, Samuel – Waiting for Godot
I also have paper copies that need to be returned after the class is over.
Here is an outline of the play. It is mainly about a movement in philosophy called Existentialism / absurdism. Yet we’re not looking at the play for it’s philosophical beauty. We’re looking for ways in which it connects to Modernism.
You will be writing a paper (Same format as the last one, only extended) as a formative exercise on this play as a warm up for the final – one of the short stories (which is easier).
For now, just enjoy the play itself.
February 24th, 2020
Vocabulary #1
What is vocabulary? Why do we care? Here’s the philosophy of having a bigger vocabulary.
Also Musical Mondays # 1-3 are due today. Just send the document to my Email.
Tuneful Tuesdays #4
R&B – The subtle differences between R&B + Soul
https://genius.com/Otis-redding-cigarettes-and-coffee-lyrics
https://genius.com/Joe-tex-the-love-you-save-lyrics
Here is the template for this week’s songs.
Let’s talk about each one and then after you’ve finished, let’s leave the last 15 minutes up for discussion.
February 21st, 2020
This is our next text. We might not get through all of it today, but it should be finished for the discussion on Monday.
I’d like to read a couple of pages, and then you can finish it silently. I don’t think I have the power to get through it all on my own and hate the division of different voices. It takes me out of the story.
February 20th, 2020
15 minutes for the questions. Then we will break this down as a class. Be prepared to talk about it.
If we have time, then I would like to introduce “The modern man and the modern woman” before we get to our final story, Babylon Revisited.
February 12th & 13th & now 19th, 2020
When we finish the discussion – depends on the climate of class – we will start our second author. Kate Mansfield.
This will take us through tomorrow. You can finish the questions as we read the text.
Think about this question for a paragraph intro response:
How do elements of modernism show in either Hemingway / Mansfield / Fitzgerald / Pushkin / short story?
Example Thesis:
Throughout Hemingway’s short story HLWE, the dialogue/allusion/metaphor shows individualism and fragmentation of modernist philosophy / society.
So the LITERARY ELEMENT shows ONE FACET OF MODERNISM.
February 18th, 2020
Musical Mondays #3
One of my heroes – Check out the chain shirt. This is from his groundbreaking album Joy.
Soul: What is Soul? Soul is hyperbolicsyllabicsesquedalymistic.
“music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of funky, secular testifying.”
But in reality, soul is the experience of the listener. Soul to me is love’s truth.
Note: Both these songs are covers of other songs. But with Soul, they’re the superior versions.
Isaac Hayes By the Time I get to Phoenix (Edited) / Al Green How Can you Mend a Broken Heart
https://genius.com/Isaac-hayes-by-the-time-i-get-to-phoenix-lyrics
https://genius.com/Al-green-how-can-you-mend-a-broken-heart-lyrics
Your first 3 weeks of Musical Mondays will be due February 24th – sent to my Email as one document with your document like this : LASTNAME_MM123.doc
February 11th, 2020
Welcome to the Modernism unit.
Here is the power-point. I would like you to take notes as I will be going into detail about it.
modernism-modernist-literature FINAL
I have questions for discussion that will come right after this lecture (some during)
This is the story we will be working on today after I finish the PPT for both classes.
We’ll read it together. There is a companion piece that goes along with it – but the reading is optional.
Hills like WE Conversation Analysis
There are questions for discussion I’d like for you to answer. These are due Tomorrow halfway through class for our discussion.
February 10th, 2020
Musical Mondays # 2
(I will check #1 today. Usually you’ll have a week to finish the sheet and I will collect them every three weeks.)
Discussion on Musical Mondays #1
How Jazz Continues into Blues and why the two are interchangeable.
What is Blues?
This is a type of blues that is synonymous with ‘Rock.’ since you know what rock music is, how are these lyrics / pieces different?
https://genius.com/The-jimi-hendrix-experience-red-house-lyrics
https://genius.com/Led-zeppelin-since-ive-been-loving-you-lyrics
Fill this out like last week:
This is the .doc you’ll be using for each lesson
February 7th, 2020
Please finish your Before Sunset paragraphs today. A whole Period to finish 10 sentences? I must be crazy. But you know what? Quality over quantity. I love students who say “Finished in 5 minutes! Now I can play zombie killers on my Iphone…” I love giving you winners the C- you deserve.
Please print out the piece, double spaced with your name on top before the end of class.
February 6th, 2020
All Work today – Let me know when you need help.
In Richard Linklaeters film Before sunset, the theme of _________________ is shown through the character’s discussion of __________________________________________________________ .
A major frame of the film would be seen through a ________________ lens.
This is exemplified / explored / shown / highlighted because _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________.
Remember:
Theme
Lens
Evidence
Explanation
Evidence
Explanation
Conclusion
Remember: Only pick one piece of what they talked about to analyze. You only get a paragraph to do this. Make it specific.
February 5th, 2020
We’ll start the movie today, finish tomorrow.
The paragraph for the essay will be due this FRIDAY February 8th – Printed out for the end of class.
The question you need to answer in a 400-500 word single paragraph is as follows:
- What perspective (lens) shows the major theme of Before Sunset?
Structure you need to follow: (Copy and paste to a word document). See yesterday.
Here’s the transcript:
February 4th, 2020.
B Blocks –
Structure you need to follow: (Copy and paste to a word document)
The Ten-Sentence Critical Paragraph – A Variation of P.E.E.
Like any model for composition, this is open to criticism. For instance, these paragraphs tend to become formulaic and predictable in structure. Excellent paragraphs, certainly, don’t always follow this or any guide. This guide might help, however, especially in the beginning stages of writing about literature.
Sentence 1 – Topic Sentence – contains the title of the piece of literature, the writer’s full name, and your topic. If this is an answer to an assigned question, then your topic sentence might be a rewording of the question into a statement. (a thesis statement, your statement to prove)
Sentence 2 – Main Point #1, One way the writer does what you say he or she does is through…
Sentence 3 – Example/Reference or quotation #1. The best example from the piece of literature which supports you main idea #1.
Sentence 4 and 5 – The explanation in your own words of how/why this example/quote does what you say it does. This section is where you develop your answer and prove your thesis.
Sentence 6 – Main Point #2. Another way the writer does what you say he or she does is…
Sentence 7 – Example/Reference or quotation #2. The best example from the piece of literature which supports you main idea #2.
Sentence 8 and 9 – The explanation of how/why this example/quote does what you say it does. This section is where you develop your answer and prove your thesis.
Sentence 10– Concluding Sentence. Minimally: summarize your paragraph repeating some of the key words from the question. Better: relate this literary device/technique to the effectiveness of the whole composition and how the device/technique helps the author develop the theme, or, relate the composition’s theme to real life.
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Due at the end of class today!
February 3rd, 2020
Your Lens rough drafts (D Block) are due today.
B block – we will continue the lenses tomorrow and you will come up with a good draft for final assessment before we watch Before Sunset on Wednesday.
Today is the beginning of my personal favourite unit:
Musical Mondays #1.
This will take a bit of explaining. Here are my notes regarding this continuing unit:
Here is the weekly sheet I have gotten from the Canadian Government – It fits our purposes well for this unit:
Above is PDF source material
This is the .doc you’ll be using for each lesson
When you analyze a piece for perceptive reasons, then the basic questions asked are the ones that seem simple, but provide evidence for good discussion.
Here are the links to today:
https://genius.com/Nina-simone-just-in-time-lyrics
https://genius.com/Billie-holiday-strange-fruit-lyrics
January 31st, 2020
So it’s time to put everything together.
The three questions were your thesis statement.
The questions on the worksheet were the body of your essay.
I will use someone as an example to show how easy it is to put together a beginner’s literary paragraph using the information you have gathered.
Once you’ve seen me do the work with one of the student’s outline, then you can apply what you have learned and finish the paragraph to turn in first thing tomorrow.
I will show you some examples:
The Ten-Sentence Critical Paragraph – A Variation of P.E.E.
Like any model for composition, this is open to criticism. For instance, these paragraphs tend to become formulaic and predictable in structure. Excellent paragraphs, certainly, don’t always follow this or any guide. This guide might help, however, especially in the beginning stages of writing about literature.
Sentence 1 – Topic Sentence – contains the title of the piece of literature, the writer’s full name, and your topic. If this is an answer to an assigned question, then your topic sentence might be a rewording of the question into a statement. (a thesis statement, your statement to prove)
Sentence 2 – Main Point #1, One way the writer does what you say he or she does is through…
Sentence 3 – Example/Reference or quotation #1. The best example from the piece of literature which supports you main idea #1.
Sentence 4 and 5 – The explanation in your own words of how/why this example/quote does what you say it does. This section is where you develop your answer and prove your thesis.
Sentence 6 – Main Point #2. Another way the writer does what you say he or she does is…
Sentence 7 – Example/Reference or quotation #2. The best example from the piece of literature which supports you main idea #2.
Sentence 8 and 9 – The explanation of how/why this example/quote does what you say it does. This section is where you develop your answer and prove your thesis.
Sentence 10– Concluding Sentence. Minimally: summarize your paragraph repeating some of the key words from the question. Better: relate this literary device/technique to the effectiveness of the whole composition and how the device/technique helps the author develop the theme, or, relate the composition’s theme to real life.
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January 30th, 2020
Read the transcript (below) and have a background head-start on what lenses to look through.
Fables Check / Homework – Discussion
How I Met Your Mother: The Best Burger in New York. (E402)
Transcript Link:
https://transcripts.foreverdreaming.org/viewtopic.php?f=177&t=11657
Discussion of the episode through lenses – Paragraph response (Due Monday)
Let’s think about these three questions:
- What lens best represents the episode and why?
- What two pieces of evidence can you find (in the transcript or your notes) that backs up this lens?
- What does this mean as a ‘bigger picture’? For example – what can we take away and learn from this episode?
First, you can have a discussion with partners, and then begin to make a good idea of this in your writing. Make sure to answer the questions based on the lens you have chosen.
At the beginning of class Monday, this writing is due.
January 29th, 2020
There are many different lenses. Here is a guide to help you look through a few of them:
And what we will be doing with certain pieces (Specifically fables)
Apply them to one fable from this list:
http://www.read.gov/aesop/001.html
Apply a lens from the handout I gave you to one fable from this list and answer the questions:
January 28th, 2020
Welcome to class.
Today will be a brief collection of ideas. You can write honestly as possible for the questions below and then I will go over the syllabus:
- What are my academic goals this year? To what end will these goals meet?
- What are my strengths in English Literature? Be specific.
- What are my weaknesses in English Literature? Be specific.
- What do you expect out of this class this semester? – This is an important question because each class I’ve designed is tweaked for each dynamic.
- What is my expected grade? Why?
NOTE:
For D block, you will have Ms. Okabe starting next week. B Block, you’re stuck with me.
Both blocks will be working on lenses this week.