English 12 – Summer 2024
August 7th, 2024
Independent Novel Study Final Paper
Two things need to get done today:
FINISH YOUR INDEPENDENT NOVEL STUDY PAPER BY 2PM!!
Prepare for in class final tomorrow:
Download this if you don’t have it already done:
Literary-3-Paragraph-Specific-OutlineDownload
Think about this question for a paragraph intro response:
How are elements of Modernism highlighted in either the Hemingway or Mansfield text?
Come up with a claim:
So the LITERARY ELEMENT shows ONE FACET OF MODERNISM. (Check PPT).
Elements of Modernism are here: modernism-modernist-literature FINAL
Follow structure from the template.
August 6th, 2024
How do elements of Modernism show in either text?
Example Thesis: Throughout Hemingway’s short story HLWI, the dialogue/allusion/metaphor shows individualism and fragmentation of the modernist philosophy / society.
So the LITERARY ELEMENT shows ONE FACET OF MODERNISM. (Check PPT) – we’ll talk about this as well for each story.
LAST STORY BEFORE FINAL PREP:
I’ll read this to you:
After reading page 1-2 of “The Garden Party,” please answer the following questions.
Exposition:
Setting: What is the setting of the novel? How does the author communicate that to the reader? What details does she include to show the reader the setting?
Mood: What do you think the mood is in this part of the story?
Character: What characters are introduced at this point in the story?
Character: Who is Laura? What do we know about her at this point in the story? How does the author characterize her?
Conflict: At this point, predict what you think the conflict will be in the story. Cite textual evidence for your prediction.
I’ll read this to you:
After reading p. 3-6 of “The Garden Party,” answer the following questions.
Characterization: Describe the relationship with Laura and her mother.
Characterization: Describe the garden party about to be thrown. What kind of people do you think will be there? What does the party communicate about the Sheridans?
You read this and complete it tonight:
After reading pages 6-12 of “The Garden Party,” answer the following questions.
Characterization: What is Laura’s reaction to the man killed? What does this reveal about her character?
Characterization: What is Jose’s and Mrs. Sheridan’s reactions to the man killed? What does this reveal about their characters
Plot: What does Mrs. Sheridan suggest they do for the poor widow? Why does Laura question this on p. 10?
Mood: How does the mood in the story change on p. 10 when Laura goes to the cottages down the hill? What type of concrete details does the author use to change the mood?
Plot: How is death portrayed at the end of the story? Is Laura shocked by what she sees? Why or why not?
Symbolism: What does the black hat with the yellow flowers symbolize? When Laura sees the dead man why does she say “Forgive my hat”?
Plot: What do you think Laura would have said if she finished her question at the end of the story?
Conflict: What was the central conflict of this story?
Theme: A major theme in the story is the relationship between classes. What do you think the author was trying to communicate to the reader about class distinctions?
Theme: In what ways has Laura grown up in this short story?
Character: After reading the story, using the vocabulary we learned on character (round or flat, minor or major, static or dynamic) please describe the following characters.
Laura:
Laurie:
Mrs. Sheridan:
Jose:
Mrs. Scott:
August 2nd, 2024
Here is the overview information on the independent novel study grade 12 version. You will be doing a five paragraph ‘Reflective Journal’ Reader Response – this is heavily guided. I will go over it with you. Here’s the overview of the two parts you need to turn in for next Thursday (8th August):
INDEPENDENT NOVEL STUDY GRADE 12
- Here’s the “Reflective Journal” reader response:
2. The journal templates (Just in case you didn’t do them yet):
Modernism Continued:
I have a story that you will be reading next with the questions that go with it:
The following are due tomorrow – be prepared to discuss these questions as we will be doing a round table discussion with these questions as a base to springboard.
The following is an interesting take on the piece. An academic paper I found online – you don not need to read it. Just for extra comprehension :
Hills like WE Conversation Analysis
Think about this question for a paragraph intro response:
How do elements of Modernism show in either text?
Example Thesis: Throughout Hemingway’s short story HLWI, the dialogue/allusion/metaphor shows individualism and fragmentation of the modernist philosophy / society.
So the LITERARY ELEMENT shows ONE FACET OF MODERNISM. (Check PPT) – we’ll talk about this as well for each story.
August 1st, 2024
Part 2 of the day:
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 them:
modernism-modernist-literature FINAL
modernism-modernist-literature FINAL Modernism_Notes
I have questions for discussion that will come right after this lecture (some during)
I have a story that you will be reading next with the questions that go with it:
The following are due tomorrow – be prepared to discuss these questions as we will be doing a round table discussion with these questions as a base to springboard.
The following is an interesting take on the piece. An academic paper I found online – you don not need to read it. Just for extra comprehension :
Hills like WE Conversation Analysis
Part 1 of the day:
FINAL:
FYI – Moving forward
This is the modified question for this entire unit:
How does modern media show elements of the Gothic movement? Which elements are the most prevalent to the movement in contemporary society? What do these Gothic elements that are used say about the state of the world today?
You will use multiple sources, but keep in mind the academic paper The Modern Gothic” by Dryden as your framework. I will list other sources below (Some of which we haven’t explored yet.)
-Linda Dryden “The Modern Gothic”
-Your Gothic elements chosen film / TV show
-The assigned Podcast piece (Jane Eyre, Frankenstein, Dracula, The Raven, Wuthering Heights, Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde)
-A Stephen King short story (Word Processor of the Gods, I am the Doorway, The Man who would not Shake Hands, The Reaper’s Image, Uncle Otto’s Truck)
July 31st, 2024
Part 4: Horror vs. Gothic (Stephen King)
The horror genre is a very large genre – and without getting into it in large detail, Stephen King, author of over 60 novels and over 100 short stories, has rewritten horror for today’s contemporary audience. The reason we’re reading a few of his short stories is for the Gothic elements that are unavoidable in most horror stories and how the framework of the movement is still apparent today.
Your task for this two-day assignment is to read two of his short stories. (There are five to choose from) and complete the worksheet. We will discuss the questions on Tuesday / Wednesday
Here they are:
What we will do as a class is come up with similarities differences from the horror genre and the Gothic Movement with a Venn diagram for the class. You can use these elements as help for your final thesis.
These are the stories – they’re all good, but some are better than others. I will assign you one and you can choose another one by yourself.
(From Night Shift Collection – a Space Gothic, horror mashup with Event Horizon vibes)
The Man Who Would not Shake Hands
(From Skeleton Crew – Curse story within story or “epistolary format” – very Gothic)
The-Reapers-Image-Stephen-King
(From Skeleton Crew – uses Gothic symbols / mirrors, dualism, haunted house etc. Short)
(From Skeleton Crew – not as gothic but just a great story – my personal favorite of the bunch)
(From Skeleton Crew – supernatural, great characterization that King is well known for.)
Part 5: Parasite
Parasite: Last Gothic element – here are some handouts I’d like for you to take into consideration.
Parasite – First Observations 21
This is an overview of the final I’d like to discuss:
FINAL:
FYI – Moving forward
This is the modified question for this entire unit:
How does modern media show elements of the Gothic movement? Which elements are the most prevalent to the movement in contemporary society? What do these Gothic elements that are used say about the state of the world today?
You will use multiple sources, but keep in mind the academic paper The Modern Gothic” by Dryden as your framework. I will list other sources below (Some of which we haven’t explored yet.)
-Linda Dryden “The Modern Gothic”
-Your Gothic elements chosen film / TV show
-The assigned Podcast piece (Jane Eyre, Frankenstein, Dracula, The Raven, Wuthering Heights, Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde)
-A Stephen King short story (Word Processor of the Gods, I am the Doorway, The Man who would not Shake Hands, The Reaper’s Image, Uncle Otto’s Truck)
July 29th – 30th, 2024
Let’s continue the Gothic Unit today:
So I showed you how to highlight the text and summarize quickly on Friday. Here is an overview:
Here is a PowerPoint that will help you understand what Gothic Literature is all about(If you missed it):
elements_of_gothic_literature_ppt
The academic paper with you that will help supplement the PPT. It is this PDF:
Linda Dryden – The Modern Gothic and Literary Doubles_ Stevenson, Wilde and Wells (2003)
You will complete an annotated bibliography on this. These are the elements of the annotated bibliography:
Part 1. (Summary) 250 – 300 words
1.The main idea of this article is…….
2.The topics covered in this article are…….
3.The author’s point of view in this article is……
Now the better part:
Part 2: Modernizing the Gothic World:
Your task today – 2 of 5 (To substitute the close reading passages and discussion) is to find a contemporary media piece that encapsulates at least three elements of the gothic and get prepared to make a presentation in front of the class on Thursday, proving your claims.
- Explain the elements of Gothic you’ll be talking about
- Show the clip (Cannot be classic Gothic – you have to use a modern movie / TV show / Song etc.)
Part 3: Podcast
You are to complete the following:
There will be five groups – each will create a podcast (using phones or other small media) and familiarize yourself with Anchor (Spotify program – I have the instructions below)
- Jekyll and Hyde
- Frankenstein
- Dracula
- The Raven
- Wuthering Heights
- The Picture of Dorian Grey
Now I know you haven’t read these books/ poem – that’s the whole point of this podcast. I’m not teaching you these books, but teaching you how to not read these books! So the focus is on the ‘book’, but you are to have a fun podcast that values entertainment over education – while making us (the listener) believe that we are smarter for having listened to you.
Here are some prompt ‘book discussion’ questions to get you going.
TIP: I suggest that you research the assigned book a little bit online. These books are so well known that some poor sucker has had to have done a prezi on it at some point in their high school career. Find something like that and get the info out of it. Now that you know the elements of Gothicism pretty well, you already have enough to go off. Voila, you’re experts!
Rules:
- Should be no more than 10 minutes edited.
2. Everyone’s voice should be heard at least once.
3. Due Tuesday, July 31st at the end of class.
Instructions for anchor (Podcast editor):
Part 4: Horror vs. Gothic (Stephen King)
The horror genre is a very large genre – and without getting into it in large detail, Stephen King, author of over 60 novels and over 100 short stories, has rewritten horror for today’s contemporary audience. The reason we’re reading a few of his short stories is for the Gothic elements that are unavoidable in most horror stories and how the framework of the movement is still apparent today.
Your task for this two-day assignment is to read two of his short stories. (There are five to choose from) and complete the worksheet. We will discuss the questions on Tuesday / Wednesday
Here they are:
What we will do as a class is come up with similarities differences from the horror genre and the Gothic Movement with a Venn diagram for the class. You can use these elements as help for your final thesis.
These are the stories – they’re all good, but some are better than others. I will assign you one and you can choose another one by yourself.
(From Night Shift Collection – a Space Gothic, horror mashup with Event Horizon vibes)
The Man Who Would not Shake Hands
(From Skeleton Crew – Curse story within story or “epistolary format” – very Gothic)
The-Reapers-Image-Stephen-King
(From Skeleton Crew – uses Gothic symbols / mirrors, dualism, haunted house etc. Short)
(From Skeleton Crew – not as gothic but just a great story – my personal favorite of the bunch)
(From Skeleton Crew – supernatural, great characterization that King is well known for.)
Part 5: Parasite
Parasite: Last Gothic element – here are some handouts I’d like for you to take into consideration.
Parasite – First Observations 21
This is an overview of the final I’d like to discuss:
FINAL:
FYI – Moving forward
This is the modified question for this entire unit:
How does modern media show elements of the Gothic movement? Which elements are the most prevalent to the movement in contemporary society? What do these Gothic elements that are used say about the state of the world today?
You will use multiple sources, but keep in mind the academic paper The Modern Gothic” by Dryden as your framework. I will list other sources below (Some of which we haven’t explored yet.)
-Linda Dryden “The Modern Gothic”
-Your Gothic elements chosen film / TV show
-The assigned Podcast piece (Jane Eyre, Frankenstein, Dracula, The Raven, Wuthering Heights, Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde)
-A Stephen King short story (Word Processor of the Gods, I am the Doorway, The Man who would not Shake Hands, The Reaper’s Image, Uncle Otto’s Truck)
July 26th, 2024
Here’s a final rubric for you to show to your peers:
You have until the break to get things finalized. This paper is due tonight at midnight.
New Unit: The Modern Gothic
Here’s a fun infographic for “Gothic Literature”:
Quick lecture for what Gothic Literature is all about – take notes:
Metonymy of Gothic:
| wind, especially howling | rain, especially blowing |
| doors grating on rusty hinges | sighs, moans, howls, eerie sounds |
| footsteps approaching | clanking chains |
| lights in abandoned rooms | gusts of wind blowing out lights |
| characters trapped in a room | doors suddenly slamming shut |
| ruins of buildings | baying of distant dogs (or wolves?) |
| thunder and lightning | crazed laughter |
Vocabulary of Gothic:
| Mystery | diabolical, enchantment, ghost, goblins, haunted, infernal, magic, magician, miracle, necromancer, omens, ominous, portent, preternatural, prodigy, prophecy, secret, sorcerer, spectre, spirits, strangeness, talisman, vision |
| Fear, Terror, or Sorrow | afflicted, affliction, agony, anguish, apprehensions, apprehensive, commiseration, concern, despair, dismal, dismay, dread, dreaded, dreading, fearing, frantic, fright, frightened, grief, hopeless, horrid, horror, lamentable, melancholy, miserable, mournfully, panic, sadly, scared, shrieks, sorrow, sympathy, tears, terrible, terrified, terror, unhappy, wretched |
| Surprise | alarm, amazement, astonished, astonishment, shocking, staring, surprise, surprised, thunderstruck, wonder |
| Haste | anxious, breathless, flight, frantic, hastened, hastily, impatience, impatient, impatiently, impetuosity, precipitately, running, sudden, suddenly |
| Anger | anger, angrily, choler, enraged, furious, fury, incense, incensed, provoked, rage, raving, resentment, temper, wrath, wrathful, wrathfully |
| Largeness | enormous, gigantic, giant, large, tremendous, vast |
Before we get into the novel, I would like to read an academic paper with you that will help supplement the PPT. It is this PDF:
You will complete an annotated bibliography on this. These are the elements of the annotated bibliography:
Part 1 (Summary)
1.The main idea of this article is…….
2.The topics covered in this article are…….
3.The author’s point of view in this article is……
Part 2 (Rhetoric)
1.The author of this piece is/is not credible because……
2.The author knows a lot about this topic because….
3.From this piece, the author wants you to………….
Part 3 (Reflection)
1.This article supports my ideas because…..
2.This article was helpful to me because….
3.This article added to my knowledge about this topic because….
July 25th, 2024
I’ll check your independent novel study update.
Let’s finish the rest of your essay today (Final due tomorrow).
- What is aestheticism in your own words?
- How is aestheticism shown in Oscar Wilde’s play?
- Show proof of that through
- The Deornellis piece When Life Imitates Art_ Aestheticism in The Importance of Being Earnest
- The play: Wilde IOBE Annotated
- Keep the essay structured to these sentence guidelines: Purdy-Literary-Analysis-Detailed-V5
July 24th, 2024
How does Wilde honor the Aesthetic movement through his play The Importance of Being Earnest?
When Life Imitates Art_ Aestheticism in The Importance of Being Earnest
Remember annotated bibliographies? They’re back!! But how to annotate?
Part 1 (Summary)
1.The main idea of this article is…….
2.The topics covered in this article are…….
3.The author’s point of view in this article is……
Part 2 (Rhetoric)
1.The author of this piece is/is not credible because……
2.The author knows a lot about this topic because….
3.From this piece, the author wants you to………….
Part 3 (Reflection):
1.This article supports my ideas because…..
2.This article was helpful to me because….
3.This article added to my knowledge about this topic because….
We will go over the 1st step of a literary analysis together today. You have everything already in your head, so this process should be easier than you think.
How does Wilde honor the Aesthetic movement through his play The Importance of Being Earnest?
This is your question! Now how can you answer in a way that is academic?
To make a literary analysis essay really work, you need another academic paper to connect your ideas. Here is the first part of constructing such an essay. Do you remember the DeOrnellis piece?
When Life Imitates Art_ Aestheticism in The Importance of Being Earnest
So today – Answer these questions, and that’s your intro paragraph:
- What is aestheticism in your own words?
- How is aestheticism shown in Oscar Wilde’s play?
- Show proof of that through
- The Deornellis piece When Life Imitates Art_ Aestheticism in The Importance of Being Earnest
- The play: Wilde IOBE Annotated
- Keep the essay structured to these sentence guidelines: Purdy-Literary-Analysis-Detailed-V5
July 23rd, 2024
Act 2 questions today and let’s finish that play if we can.
Act 2:
CAST ACT 2:
Cecily: Judy
Miss Prism: Gia Han
Merriam: Ian
Chausable: Anson
Algernon: Ali
Jack: Kiarash
Gwendolyn: Marak
Act 3:
Gwendolyn: Marak
Cecily: Judy
Lady Bracknell: Maryam
Jack: Kiarash
Algernon: Ali
Merriman: Ian
Chasable: Anson
Prism: Han
July 22nd, 2024
Discussion Questions: Due soon (TBD – Just act 1)
- Why does Jack Worthing call himself “Ernest” instead when he is in “town” (London)?
- Why has Algernon invented an invalid friend named “Bunbury”?
- Jack has an insurmountable impediment to marrying Gwendolen in his background: what, as Lady Bracknell sees it, is this problem? How does she propose that he resolve this problem? What is Wilde satirizing in this situation?
- How does Wilde use the subject of cucumber sandwiches to reveal the characters of Jack and Algy?
- How does Wilde satirize the vacuous mentalities and lifestyles of the British aristocracy in Lady Bracknell’s interview with Jack?
- How does Wilde use the cigarette case to facilitate the exposition of the dramatic action?
- The character of Algernon Moncrieff reflects the public persona of the dramatist himself: in what ways in Algy like Wilde? Refer to background
- Why is the classical allusion in which Wilde compares Lady Bracknell to the Gorgon particularly apt? You may look this answer up.
- The other classical allusion, to the Emperor Augustus, is more oblique: why did Wilde choose the name “Augusta” for Lady Bracknell? You may look this answer up BUT CITE YOUR SOURCE!
- What is the essence of such Wildean aphorisms as the following?” “[Women flirting with their own husbands] looks so bad. It is simply washing one’s clean linen in public?
- What point is Wilde making about journalism in general and reviewers in particular when Algernon remarks, “You should leave that [literary criticism] to people who haven’t been at They do it so well in the daily papers”?
- What tools of satire -irony, juxtaposition, understatement, paradox -are apparent in this opening act?
Lady Bracknell: Maryam
Lane: Ian
Algernon: Ali
Jack: Kiarash
Gwendolyn: Marak
CAST ACT 2:
Cecily: Judy
Miss Prism: Gia Han
Merriam: Ian
Chausable: Anson
Algernon: Ali
Jack: Kiarash
Gwendolyn: Marak
July 19th, 2024
The Author and the Play:
We will read this:
And answer the questions for a discussion on Friday:
- How has the writer brought out poverty?
- How has the writer brought out exploitation?
- How has the writer brought out hypocrisy?
- What is the theme of the story “The Happy Prince”?
- Why does the Happy Prince weep?
- What did the Swallow tell the Happy Prince about the city and the people?
- What did the Swallow report to the Happy Prince about human misery or suffering?
- Discuss the end of the story “The Happy Prince”.
Here’s the play:
Importance of Being Earnest Text
What is a parody, satire or farce?
What is comedy?
3 parts to this unit:
- Discussion Questions: (Due tomorrow – Just act 1)
Lady Bracknell: Maryam
Lane: Ian
Algernon: Ali
Jack: Kiarash
Gwendolyn: Marak
July 18th, 2024
“It’s one thing to enjoy a story, but it’s quite another to take it for the truth.”
-Patrick Rothfuss
ESSENTIAL QUESTION:
How does Wilde honor the Aesthetic movement through his play The Importance of Being Earnest?
Here is the lecture on Aestheticism. Note time.
We will read this:
And answer the questions for a discussion on Friday:
- How has the writer brought out poverty?
- How has the writer brought out exploitation?
- How has the writer brought out hypocrisy?
- What is the theme of the story “The Happy Prince”?
- Why does the Happy Prince weep?
- What did the Swallow tell the Happy Prince about the city and the people?
- What did the Swallow report to the Happy Prince about human misery or suffering?
- Discuss the end of the story “The Happy Prince”.
Here’s the play:
(EDITED VERSION)
What is a parody, satire or farce?
What is comedy?
3 parts to this unit:
- Discussion Questions: (Due tomorrow – Just act 1)
Cecily:
Miss Prism:
Merriam:
Chausable:
Algernon:
Jack:
Gwendolyn:
July 17th, 2024
Journal #9
There are only two tragedies in life: one is not getting what one wants, and the other is getting it.
-Oscar Wilde
10 memories – give me an overview and pitch them to the class (leaving out the more personal ones) This is a workshop to help you come up with a long piece. That will be tomorrow. By the weekend, you should have an idea in place for execution next Monday.
Here are the sheets for online:
Narrative Essay Outline_Student
The Narrative “Autobiography” is on specificity – you should all have an idea now so the task is to get it all written down in an organized way. The sooner you do this, then the better it is to look it over and get reviewed.
Yet the best method is through the oral formulaic tradition. The story comes out clear and concise (even with asides) when the student actually talk about their memory, record it, and then transcribe their thoughts.
I don’t have a model for this – you’re on your own and I’ll try to break it down as easy as possible.
So here is your task today:
- You have your idea. Now with a partner (or partners) I’d like for you to record your story on an I-phone or some device that records.
- Those of you that have personal stories that you don’t want to share – Find a quiet place where you can record yourself.
- Transcribe your words (to edit – don’t be exact) so that it is easy to work on paper.
Make your own narrative into something that combines an oral formulaic tradition to the traditional written format. Remember a rough draft is without boundaries – have something of worth for a peer review tomorrow. I have an old peer review for you to look at. This must be completed by Wednesday so that you can finalize your story (expand or contract) to 1250 words.
Due on Thursday (At midnight) But only today and part of tomorrow to work on it. We will start a new unit tomorrow.
July 16th, 2024
Journal #8
―
-Reading Chapter 2 and finding a quote to put into your second close reading. Here is an example of a previous student’s work regarding Black Swan Green (Chapter 2) It’s not done the same as the template, but you can get the general idea:
Part 2:
10 memories – give me an overview and pitch them to the class tomorrow (leaving out the more personal ones) This is a workshop to help you come up with a long piece. That will be tomorrow. By the weekend, you should have an idea in place for execution next Monday.
Here are the sheets for online:
Narrative Essay Outline_Student
The Narrative “Autobiography” is on specificity – you should all have an idea now so the task is to get it all written down in an organized way. The sooner you do this, then the better it is to look it over and get reviewed.
Yet the best method is through the oral formulaic tradition. The story comes out clear and concise (even with asides) when the student actually talk about their memory, record it, and then transcribe their thoughts.
I don’t have a model for this – you’re on your own and I’ll try to break it down as easy as possible.
So here is your task today:
- You have your idea. Now with a partner (or partners) I’d like for you to record your story on an I-phone or some device that records.
- Those of you that have personal stories that you don’t want to share – Find a quiet place where you can record yourself.
- Transcribe your words (to edit – don’t be exact) so that it is easy to work on paper.
July 15th, 2024
Journal #7
“She said the mystery of life isn’t a problem to solve, but a reality to experience.”
-Frank Herbert
Reading – then we will read some more. Audio file of chapter 2.
Black Swan Green – David Mitchell
Here is the close reading information for chapter 1 – only answer what is pertinent to this unit (autobiographical style and substance):
- First Impressions:
- What is the first thing you notice about the passage?
- What is the second thing?
- Do the two things you noticed complement each other? Or contradict each other?
- What mood does the passage create in you as a reader? Why?
- Vocabulary and Diction:
- Which words do you notice first? Why did they stand out from the others?
- How do the important words relate to one another?
- Does a phrase here appear elsewhere in the story or poem?
- Do any words seem oddly used to you? Why? Is that a result of archaic language? Or deliberate weirdness?
- Do any words have double meanings? Triple meanings? What are all the possible ways to read it?
- Look up any unfamiliar words. For a pre-20th century text, look in the Oxford English Dictionary for possible outdated meanings. Look up very common words as well since they often have several possible meanings.
- III. Discerning Patterns:
- Does an image here remind you of an image elsewhere in the book?
- How does this pattern fit into the pattern of the book as a whole?
- How could this passage symbolize something in the entire work? Could this passage serve as a microcosm, a little picture, of what’s taking place in the whole narrative or poem?
- What is the sentence rhythm like? Short and choppy? Long and flowing? Does it build on itself or stay at an even pace? How does that structure relate to the content?
- Look at the punctuation. Is there anything unusual about it? What about capitalization?
- Is there any repetition within the passage? What words are repeated? Why are they repeated?
- How many types of writing are in the passage? (e.g., narration, description, argument, dialogue, rhymed or alliterative poetry inserted into the prose passage, etc.)
- Can you identify paradoxes in the author’s thought or subject?
- What is left out or silenced? What would you expect the author to say that the author seems to have avoided or ignored? What could the author have done differently—and what’s the effect of the current choice?
- Point of View and Characterization:
- How does the passage make us react or think about any characters or events within the narrative?
- Are there colors, sounds, physical description that appeals to the senses? Does this imagery form a pattern? Why might the author have chosen that color, sound or physical description? Is it symbolic? Foreshadowing?
- Who speaks in the passage? To whom does he or she speak? Does the narrator have partial or omniscient viewpoint? How does that viewpoint help or hinder the reader’s comprehension?
- Symbolism, Schemes, Tropes:
- Are there metaphors, similes, figures of speech? What kinds? Why might the author have chosen them?
- Is there one controlling metaphor? If not, how many different metaphors are there, and in what order do they occur? How might that be significant? Consult the “Schemes and Tropes” section of the Course Packet or on the class website under “Rhetoric” and see if any of these rhetorical tools appear in the writing.
- Importance (the most vital part of the exercise):
- Why is it important for the reader to know what you have just analyzed and explained? How does the passage you have chosen help us understand the story, poem, or play more completely?
July 12th, 2024
Journal #6
“If you only read the books that everyone else is reading, you can only think what everyone else is thinking.”
―
Autobiographical Non Fiction
Pre-Assessment:
Pick one of these topics and write about them for 15 minutes:
Prompts to Begin a Narrative Idea
The Novel is Black Swan Green by David Mitchell.
Here is the PDF of the entire book:
Black Swan Green – David Mitchell
Here is a write up on his work:
Countless novels address the dynamic time between childhood and adulthood. Whether readers encounter the young heroes of classic mythology, the quirky protagonists in the work of Judy Blume or J. D. Salinger’s unforgettable Holden Caulfield, the experiences of adolescence are always distinctly familiar and, therefore, thoroughly relatable. Adolescence is a universal subject: a time bursting with “firsts”, an age of sexual and political awakening, and therefore, it is the beginning of the realization of our complete selves. Subsequently, it is a subject brimming with possibilities for writers — a seedbed for tales that reflect the full range of human experience and emotion, yielding stories that are painful, joyful, awkward, and almost always humorous.
But what is it that makes a story structured around this subject successful? We should enjoy being taken along for the ride, witnessing the challenges a character is faced with. If the author has done his or her job, we root for the young character’s ultimate, yet uncertain — and sometimes unrealized — triumph. Undoubtedly, a sense of authenticity is necessary. This authenticity can be evidenced in characters who we swear we have met before (or wish we would); in carefully laid out language that situates us firmly with regard to place and time; and perhaps most importantly, in the revelation of character flaws so familiar and particular that they erase any evidence of the line between reality and fiction. More precisely, the creation of an authentic voice is required— not only for each character, but for the novel as a whole.
This kind of authentic voice is one of the highlights of David Mitchell’s award-winning novel Black Swan Green. Jason Taylor, the protagonist of the novel, is a stuttering young poet, trapped somewhere between boyhood and manhood. Around him, Mitchell creates a careful architecture of pop culture references, political dialogue, and slang which is indicative not only of Jason’s origins, but also of his age. Accordingly, much of this guide focuses on the utility of language and on demonstrating how voice may function as the foundation for a novel.
But beyond Mitchell’s narrative voice, one of the most interesting characteristics of Black Swan Green is its versatility–it provides many teachable vantage points that can serve as catalysts to the study of literary genre. The novel straddles the line between young adult literature and literary fiction. It can be studied on its own, examined within the tradition of young adult literature, discussed from the perspective of the British novel, or viewed as a counterpoint to post-modern literature
We will only be reading three chapters of this book together. Then you will, for your final project, becoming up with a chapter of your life in the same vein as the narrator of the novel.
So, to boil it all down, you will be doing these three final things:
- Informal discussions while reading together
- 3 close reading passages on the book
- Original ‘chapter’ of your own story, or ‘coming of age’ / ‘rite of passage’ piece.
Next week, you’ll have ideas you can come up with and write rough / final. This week will be working on the chapters and the close reading.
The chapters are as follow:
- January Man
- Hangman
- Relatives
We’ll start with January Man today.
July 11th, 2024
No Journal – I want you to use this entire class for the writing and if you’re done, start on journals for the independent reading. I’ll check with you regarding the independent reading tomorrow.
I have an overall outline for you – this might be more accessible for some.
Since this is more of an ‘achievement’ assessment, my help will be minimal. Problems? Look at this. I have printouts as well.
Malcolm-X-The-Ballot-or-the-Bullet
How To Booklet Essay Outline Samples for each paragraph and tips (EDITABLE)
July 10th, 2024
Journal #5
“It is not for me to judge another man’s life. I must judge, I must choose, I must spurn, purely for myself. For myself, alone.”
― Siddhartha
This is the actual oration of the speech with subtitles that was done in 1964.
I’ll give you printouts of the speech for the final.
Malcolm-X-The-Ballot-or-the-Bullet
I have an overall outline for you – this might be more accessible for some.
Since this is more of an ‘achievement’ assessment, my help will be minimal. In 2 days, this will be over.
Problems? Look at this. I have printouts as well.
How To Booklet Essay Outline Samples for each paragraph and tips (EDITABLE)
July 9th, 2024
Journal #4
“My life amounts to no more than one drop in a limitless ocean. Yet what is any ocean, but a multitude of drops?”
― Cloud Atlas
Reading 10 Mins.
Here’s a 37 minute speech on Obama’s “More Perfect Union!”
Obama’s “A More Perfect Union”
Watch the 37 Minute video. This will give you time to follow along with the transcript and use the skills you have learned so far for a full rhetorical analysis essay process.
We will finish the Obama speech and today you will work on finding the:
- Appeals
- Modes of Argument
- Rhetorical Devices
- Logical Fallacies
Here is a model annotation:
Obama A More Perfect Union Annotation
Please do the introduction and the (1) body Paragraph. Use the structure. We’ll go over it in class.
How To Booklet Essay Outline Samples for each paragraph and tips (EDITABLE)
July 8th, 2024
Journal #3
“Before a dream is realized, the Soul of the World tests everything that was learned along the way. It does this not because it is evil, but so that we can, in addition to realizing our dreams, master the lessons we’ve learned as we’ve moved toward that dream. That’s the point at which most people give up. It’s the point at which, as we say in the language of the desert, one ‘dies of thirst just when the palm trees have appeared on the horizon.’”
-Paulo Coelho (The Alchemist)
Do you have your independent reading books? Reading 10 mins?
Let’s read one of the greatest speeches in recent history:
I Have a Dream by Martin Luther King Jr
I will print these out as well so you can write down literary devices, notes, etc.
Remember to see if an argument is valid/ sound:
- Ethos / Pathos / Logos in speech or article
- Mode of argument
- Rhetorical devices used (repetition / parallelism / anecdote etc.)
- Are there logical fallacies?
I will print these out as well so you can write down literary devices, notes, etc.
We will watch an excerpt and talk about it.
Then we’ll be ready to form an essay.
How To Booklet Essay Outline Samples for each paragraph and tips (EDITABLE)
This will be the guide for your essay – we will go over this in detail.
Let’s go over what you have done with MLK first. You have about 10 – 15 minutes in class to get everything sorted out. We will outline your ideas today and tomorrow using the above ‘Precis’ structure.
July 5th, 2024
Journal #2
“Monsters are real, and ghosts are real too. They live inside us, and sometimes, they win.”
―
So we finished annotated bibliographies. Now for the first real unit of the course: Rhetorical Analysis.
Here’s a PPT that I’d like for you to take notes on:
There’s a little assignment here that I’d like for you to do and a sheet we can look at:
Assignment:
- Sell a product using Ethos / Pathos / Logos
- It can be real or imaginary
- Present it at the end of the class
- you can be in groups (up to 3)
ethos-pathos-logos-definitions-and-worksheet
The big PPT – (We will only doing a select number of slides from this – continue notes from the ELP PPT)
First, with rhetoric, there is more than just “Ethos Pathos & logos.” Authors use literary devices to persuade their audiences as well.
Let’s read one of the greatest speeches in recent history:
I Have a Dream by Martin Luther King Jr
I will print these out as well so you can write down literary devices, notes, etc.
Remember to see if an argument is valid/ sound:
- Ethos / Pathos / Logos in speech or article
- Mode of argument
- Rhetorical devices used (repetition / parallelism / anecdote etc.)
- Are there logical fallacies?
I will print these out as well so you can write down literary devices, notes, etc.
We will watch an excerpt and talk about it.
Then we’ll be ready to form an essay.
How To Booklet Essay Outline Samples for each paragraph and tips (EDITABLE)
This will be the guide for your essay – we will go over this in detail.
Let’s go over what you have done with MLK first. You have about 10 – 15 minutes in class to get everything sorted out. We will outline your ideas today and tomorrow using the above ‘Precis’ structure.
July 4th, 2024
30 mins:
Journal Entry #1
“Is it possible, in the final analysis, for one human being to achieve perfect understanding of another?
We can invest enormous time and energy in serious efforts to know another person, but in the end, how close can we come to that person’s essence? We convince ourselves that we know the other person well, but do we really know anything important about anyone?”
― Haruki Murakami, The Wind Up Bird Chronicle
1 Hour 30 Minutes:
ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHIES (one Paragraph):
Let’s finish chapter 1 of the article.
Part 1 (Summary)
1.The main idea of this article is…….
2.The topics covered in this article are…….
3.The author’s point of view in this article is……
Part 2 (Reflection)
1.This article supports my ideas because…..
2.This article was helpful to me because….
3.This article added to my knowledge about this topic because….
Here are a few good examples of annotated bibliographies from other students:
1.Percy, W., “Loss of the Creature”, Message in the Bottle, Picador, 2000. (Print)
The main idea of this article is the factor of expectations, one cannot truly experience something to its full extent with prior expectations. It gives examples such as family’s trip to the Grand Canyon, could a tourist’s experience really compare to the explorer’s who discovered it in the first place? When you see something, do you “see it for what it is” (p.47) or are you just looking at it. The author attempts to persuade the reader that perception “may be recovered by leaving the beaten track” (p.48); as well as using visual elements and stories to explain why one’s perception needs to be recovered in the first place. Does an individual only care for an experience if its validated, or if it levels up with “the “it” of their dreams” (p.53). Is it really possible to escape our consciousness, is that the only way we could truly live fulfilling experiences? This is a question I repeatedly asked, this article supports my ideas of how others are desperate for validation and approval. How most “unique” experiences were only lived to tell the tale, but while this article helped me call out others flaws, I did not expect for it to render so relatable to myself as well. One day, the day I finally get to see the attraction that I have been wanting to for so long, how could I properly “see” it? This article is fascinating, it will very often pop into my mind, but I have heavy doubt that it will affect the way I live my life. I will still take photos, tour popular places, brag about my so-called “unique” experiences. Although this article did contain enlightening lessons, it has far too many liberating rules for my way of living life.
2. Percy, W., “Loss of the Creature”, Message in the Bottle, Picador, 2000. (Print)
The idea of this article is that we should try to have authentic experiences. If we go to Paris for example, most people will hit all the popular tourist spots. The Eiffel tower, the louvre, etc. But you are not experiencing Paris, you are only experiencing what society wants you to experience. An authentic experience would be exploring the side streets, going to night clubs, stepping off the beaten path so to speak. But the author also says that we should not be conscious of the experience as it’s happening, since that would make it not authentic. At that point you’re conscious of you experiencing the experience rather than the experience itself. So, you should seek out authentic experiences, but you shouldn’t be conscious while within said authentic experiences. This seems contradictory at first, but on further thought I can pull away a simple message from this. You should go off the beaten path to do things that are different and unique and enjoy whatever comes your way. The author also brings up that a lot of people try to validate their experiences as authentic. If they find something unique, they want to know for sure that it’s unique. I think this isn’t the case for most people and if it is, it shouldn’t be. If that experience brought you happiness, who cares if it’s “the real thing”. Your happiness shouldn’t have to be justified by societal norms of what’s truly authentic. There is something to be said about looking for the authentic experience. If you’re in a different country, it’s probably a good idea to try and immerse yourself in their culture, but you shouldn’t obsess over it. Back to my example with Paris: if you’ve managed to go to the outskirts of town into a small bar where everyone’s a local speaking French, and you see something from your home country, that shouldn’t make you think that the experience is in any way less enjoyable. What I’m trying to say is, do everything in moderation; try to have authentic experiences, but don’t obsess over having the perfect experience.
1 Hour:
Here is the overview information on the independent novel study grade 12 version (This will be due in a month so don’t worry too much now):
INDEPENDENT NOVEL STUDY GRADE 12
The journal templates:
And the final paper for it called “Reader Reflection”.
July 3rd, 2024
Welcome to class.
First, I would like you to informally jot some answers to these questions down about what it is you would like out of class by following these questions:
- What are my plans for post-secondary? To what end will these plans meet?
- What do you expect out of this class this semester? – This is an important question because each grade 12 class I’ve designed is tweaked for each dynamic. No class is fully the same.
- What is a memory of school (K-12) I am proud of?
Here is the syllabus for the class. Spend some time looking over it with a partner and pose any questions to me regarding the class. Each pair should come up with one or two questions.
https://www.signupgenius.com/groups/getting-to-know-you-questions.cfm
- Brainstorm with class on questions
- Find someone you don’t know
- Ask 10 of the questions from the board – answer them – Vice versa
- 1st assignment – non-fiction narrative of the person (Pre-assessment / no rubric)
- Get ready to present your narrative to the class.
IF WE CAN START:
I would like to introduce you to annotated bibliographies. These are integral for research purposes. I am introducing them earlier on, just because everything we read together will be logged so that you have a bookmark to refer.
Let me introduce what an annotated bibliography is first.
Then we will read a piece by a smart thinker. We will discuss this piece, then you will complete an annotated bibliography on this fella. This will be your first assignment.
Here is the lecture:
The written piece that we will be discussing is in the following PDF:
You will be answering these questions (written as sentence stems):
Part 1 (Summary)
1.The main idea of this article is…….
2.The topics covered in this article are…….
3.The author’s point of view in this article is……
Part 2 (Rhetoric)
1.The author of this piece is/is not credible because……
2.The author knows a lot about this topic because….
3.From this piece, the author wants you to………….
Part 3 (Reflection)
1.This article supports my ideas because…..
2.This article was helpful to me because….
3.This article added to my knowledge about this topic because….