Per 4 & 5 English Literature 12
April 26th, 2024
Repeat of yesterday.
The assignments are ready to submit on teams now. I’ll paste yesterday’s blog again.
I will ask that the class is silent. People do need this time to work, not socialize. If you do need to talk, please go outside, take a walk, and then get it all out of your system.
April 25th, 2024
Please work well today.
I will ask that the class is silent. People do need this time to work, not socialize. If you do need to talk, please go outside, take a walk, and then get it all out of your system.
If you need any help, I will help you to the best of my abilities.
Please see the guidelines of the Independent Novel Study for help.
April 24th, 2024
Today, we will look at the independent novel study.
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): 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:
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): DUE FRIDAY
April 23rd, 2024
I’m not here. I’m worse today than yesterday and would truly be useless in class.
So – work on the conclusion. The whole thing will be due Wednesday (Body / Conclusion) because of my absence. See you tomorrow for the Independent Novel Study final.
Conclusion:
- Idea Revisited: Jack as Earnest is a microcosm for going against Victorian norms and exploring the true meaning of the Aesthetic as having dual nature.
- Detail about the Idea: The Importance of Being Earnest plays on Jack’s ideals of being true to himself as he grows throughout the play and realizes through his ‘hall of mirrors’ of self-awareness.
- Brief Quote from Journal: Wilde lives through Jack’s realization as he knows that “duplication and duplicity are at the centre of the plot” (Drugeon 97) and both embraces and satirizes the shallowness of the Aesthetic as such.
- Final Point Brought from Intro and explored further: To look for an absolute beauty in both art and the world around the art, the character must also look within themselves in order to understand true beauty. Wilde not only looks at the dualism of the character, but the two sides to the movement he embraces as well.
April 22nd, 2024
Since I really want you to understand this stuff, I will be giving each individual pointers on their intro paragraph so that you have a good idea moving forward for the body paragraph. I will check your claim and then you will tell me where you’re going with it. While I do this, please be working on the body paragraph by yourself to see if you can do it without help.
BODY PARAGRAPH:
Framework: (Overall idea for body paragraph – restate claim from intro sentence 5)
“Wilde’s plays invariably seem to lead the artists who produce them into a hall of mirrors where reality and fiction, creator and creature, spectator and actor come face to face…discover that they can merge and exchange identities,”
-Victorian norms are standardized variations of class / pecking order
Evidence:
Earnest as Jack / Jack’s reflection of himself to others in different social contexts
Explain the two:
How Aesthetics are seen through the character to an ‘immoral end’. Selfishness / Vanity is the winning trait of the Aestheticist – merging of character at the end of the story, acceptance and identity revealed.
Evidence:
Explain:
Evidence:
Explain:
April 18th, 2024
Today will be the final day for the rough drafts. Once again, I will post the structure and you can see me any time you’d like for help and ideas. The rough draft of the introduction is due at the end of class today. You should be on your conclusions.
Purdy-Literary-Analysis-Detailed-V4
- Answer this Question:
How does Wilde both honor and satirize the Aesthetic movement through his play The Importance of Being Earnest?
OR
How is Aestheticism shown in Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest?
Keep in mind the frame: Aestheticism
1.
- Hook / literary theory used: Within the Aestheticism movement, beauty over substance is an overall guide to how one views art.
- Quote from outside source: The artists of the Aesthetic style, embracing the precepts of “Art for Art’s Sake,” (p 98) would agree that it is how one looks as opposed to how one acts that is truth.
- Answer the elements of the question: Dualism represents the two sides to a persona or how one sees a subject or object.
- Introduce the Author: Oscar Wilde believes that within a world that holds Aesthetics to be the highest standard of what beauty is – he concludes that beauty is not without its dark side.
- Make a Claim: In the Importance of Being Earnest, Wilde shows the character’s dualism through the main character, jack, coming to terms with his darker nature and embracing the dynamic qualities of his identity, thus revealing that Aesthetics are a shallow interpretation of reality.
- Explain the claim as it relates to your literary theory: Jack, like most of the emptiness of Victorian standards of the time is a symbol for one’s darker selves masked while putting on airs of superiority as their ‘fake’ counterparts, thus, through style over substance, Wilde demonstrates his distaste of the upper echelons and their empty values through actions and hypocrisy.
2.
Body Paragraph(s):
Framework:
“Wilde’s plays invariably seem to lead the artists who produce them into a hall of mirrors where reality and fiction, creator and creature, spectator and actor come face to face…discover that they can merge and exchange identities,”
-Victorian norms are standardized variations of class / pecking order
Evidence:
Earnest as Jack / Jack’s reflection of himself to others in different social contexts
Explain the two:
How Aesthetics are seen through the character to an ‘immoral end’. Selfishness / Vanity is the winning trait of the Aestheticist – merging of character at the end of the story, acceptance and identity revealed.
Evidence:
Explain:
Evidence:
Explain:
3.
Conclusion:
- Idea Revisited: Jack as Earnest is a microcosm for going against Victorian norms and exploring the true meaning of the Aesthetic as having dual nature.
- Detail about the Idea: The Importance of Being Earnest plays on Jack’s ideals of being true to himself as he grows throughout the play and realizes through his ‘hall of mirrors’ of self-awareness.
- Brief Quote from Journal: Wilde lives through Jack’s realization as he knows that “duplication and duplicity are at the centre of the plot” (Drugeon 97) and both embraces and satirizes the shallowness of the Aesthetic as such.
- Final Point Brought from Intro and explored further: To look for an absolute beauty in both art and the world around the art, the character must also look within themselves in order to understand true beauty. Wilde not only looks at the dualism of the character, but the two sides to the movement he embraces as well.
April 15th, 2024
I promised that we would go over the literacy 12 exam. This will still happen. You will just complete the exam today as a practice.
Here are the instructions:
- On your device, click this link: I promised that we would go over the literacy 10 exam. This will still happen. You will just complete the exam today as a practice.Here are the instructions:
- On your device, click this link: https://bced.vretta.com/#/en/bced-landing/grad/sample/literacy12
- Select “Form A”
- Start the test. Get used to the formatting – how the test is structured, the buttons etc. Everything is on the left hand side to continue,
- Do the multiple choice
- Do the graphic organizer but save your written work on a separate document
- PART B – Choose a ‘pathway’ that interests you more.
- Do the multiple choice questions
- When you get to the written response, save your work to a separate document.
- Finish self reflection if you want
- Check your answers.
- Select “Form A”
- Start the test. Get used to the formatting – how the test is structured, the buttons etc. Everything is on the left hand side to continue,
- Do the multiple choice
- Do the graphic organizer but save your written work on a separate document
- PART B – Choose a ‘pathway’ that interests you more.
- Do the multiple choice questions
- When you get to the written response, save your work to a separate document.
- Finish self reflection if you want
- Check your answers.
April 12th, 2024
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-V4
April 11th, 2024
Please get this done by midnight tonight. I think that, if you spend your time wisely, you can get it done in class.
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) Keep in mind this question:
How does Wilde both honor and satirize the Aesthetic movement through his play The Importance of Being Earnest?
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….
April 10th, 2024
So what was your favorite scene from the play? I will show you three versions of it today before we get to the annotated bibliography.
Speaking of that:
Let’s go over this Piece before you do annotated bibliographies. We’ll get into somewhat of a semi circle.
When Life Imitates Art_ Aestheticism in The Importance of Being Earnest
Remember annotated bibliographies? They’re back!! But how to annotate?
Let’s take a look in depth at this piece using annotation strategies. Not all will be applied to this particular piece, but some can be. Let’s look at the document:
This is from Patricia Kain (Harvard University)
The process of writing an essay usually begins with the close reading of a text. Of course, the writer’s personal experience may occasionally come into the essay, and all essays depend on the writer’s own observations and knowledge. But most essays, especially academic essays, begin with a close reading of some kind of text—a painting, a movie, an event—and usually with that of a written text. When you close read, you observe facts and details about the text. You may focus on a particular passage, or on the text as a whole. Your aim may be to notice all striking features of the text, including rhetorical features, structural elements, cultural references; or, your aim may be to notice only selected features of the text—for instance, oppositions and correspondences, or particular historical references. Either way, making these observations constitutes the first step in the process of close reading.
The second step is interpreting your observations. What we’re basically talking about here is inductive reasoning: moving from the observation of particular facts and details to a conclusion, or interpretation, based on those observations. And, as with inductive reasoning, close reading requires careful gathering of data (your observations) and careful thinking about what these data add up to.
How to Begin:
1. Read with a pencil in hand, and annotate the text.
“Annotating” means underlining or highlighting key words and phrases—anything that strikes you as surprising or significant, or that raises questions—as well as making notes in the margins. When we respond to a text in this way, we not only force ourselves to pay close attention, but we also begin to think with the author about the evidence—the first step in moving from reader to writer.
Here’s a sample passage by anthropologist and naturalist Loren Eiseley. It’s from his essay called “The Hidden Teacher.”
| . . . I once received an unexpected lesson from a spider. It happened far away on a rainy morning in the West. I had come up a long gulch looking for fossils, and there, just at eye level, lurked a huge yellow-and-black orb spider, whose web was moored to the tall spears of buffalo grass at the edge of the arroyo. It was her universe, and her senses did not extend beyond the lines and spokes of the great wheel she inhabited. Her extended claws could feel every vibration throughout that delicate structure. She knew the tug of wind, the fall of a raindrop, the flutter of a trapped moth’s wing. Down one spoke of the web ran a stout ribbon of gossamer on which she could hurry out to investigate her prey.Curious, I took a pencil from my pocket and touched a strand of the web. Immediately there was a response. The web, plucked by its menacing occupant, began to vibrate until it was a blur. Anything that had brushed claw or wing against that amazing snare would be thoroughly entrapped. As the vibrations slowed, I could see the owner fingering her guidelines for signs of struggle. A pencil point was an intrusion into this universe for which no precedent existed. Spider was circumscribed by spider ideas; its universe was spider universe. All outside was irrational, extraneous, at best raw material for spider. As I proceeded on my way along the gully, like a vast impossible shadow, I realized that in the world of spider I did not exist. |
2. Look for patterns in the things you’ve noticed about the text—repetitions, contradictions, similarities.
What do we notice in the previous passage? First, Eiseley tells us that the orb spider taught him a lesson, thus inviting us to consider what that lesson might be. But we’ll let that larger question go for now and focus on particulars—we’re working inductively. In Eiseley’s next sentence, we find that this encounter “happened far away on a rainy morning in the West.” This opening locates us in another time, another place, and has echoes of the traditional fairy tale opening: “Once upon a time . . .”. What does this mean? Why would Eiseley want to remind us of tales and myth? We don’t know yet, but it’s curious. We make a note of it.
Details of language convince us of our location “in the West”—gulch, arroyo, and buffalo grass. Beyond that, though, Eiseley calls the spider’s web “her universe” and “the great wheel she inhabited,” as in the great wheel of the heavens, the galaxies. By metaphor, then, the web becomes the universe, “spider universe.” And the spider, “she,” whose “senses did not extend beyond” her universe, knows “the flutter of a trapped moth’s wing” and hurries “to investigate her prey.” Eiseley says he could see her “fingering her guidelines for signs of struggle.” These details of language, and others, characterize the “owner” of the web as thinking, feeling, striving—a creature much like ourselves. But so what?
3. Ask questions about the patterns you’ve noticed—especially how and why.
To answer some of our own questions, we have to look back at the text and see what else is going on. For instance, when Eiseley touches the web with his pencil point—an event “for which no precedent existed”—the spider, naturally, can make no sense of the pencil phenomenon: “Spider was circumscribed by spider ideas.” Of course, spiders don’t have ideas, but we do. And if we start seeing this passage in human terms, seeing the spider’s situation in “her universe” as analogous to our situation in our universe (which we think of as the universe), then we may decide that Eiseley is suggesting that our universe (the universe) is also finite, that our ideas are circumscribed, and that beyond the limits of our universe there might be phenomena as fully beyond our ken as Eiseley himself—that “vast impossible shadow”—was beyond the understanding of the spider.
But why vast and impossible, why a shadow? Does Eiseley mean God, extra-terrestrials? Or something else, something we cannot name or even imagine? Is this the lesson? Now we see that the sense of tale telling or myth at the start of the passage, plus this reference to something vast and unseen, weighs against a simple E.T. sort of interpretation. And though the spider can’t explain, or even apprehend, Eiseley’s pencil point, that pencil point is explainable—rational after all. So maybe not God. We need more evidence, so we go back to the text—the whole essay now, not just this one passage—and look for additional clues. And as we proceed in this way, paying close attention to the evidence, asking questions, formulating interpretations, we engage in a process that is central to essay writing and to the whole academic enterprise: in other words, we reason toward our own ideas.
When you’re ready, you can complete an annotated bibliography of the DeOrnellis piece.
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….
April 9th, 2024
We will finish Act 3 today.
You have the rest of class to complete the questions and even then, we can probably start the discussion if everything goes well.
Gwendolyn: Jalen / Wonki
Cecily: Nathan / Joseph
Armaan: Lady Bracknell / Leonardo
Jack: Daniel / Sophia
Algernon: Kam / Andrew
Merriman: Hailey / Simon
Chasable: Naya / Monika
Prism: Owen Hall / Beny
April 8th, 2024
The class will be broken up into two parts:
Part 1: Finish those questions for the discussion we will be having today (Time is based on how you are working in class).
Part 2: Act 2 discussion – same rules as before. If we have time, we can start act 3.
April 5th, 2024
Very simple Friday – My actors will continue with act 2 – I will stop when necessary, and then you will have time to work on the Act 2 questions. That’s that!
April 4th, 2024
CAST ACT 2:
Cecily: Bradyn / Joseph
Miss Prism: Owen / IliJa
Merriam: Hailey/ Simon
Chausable: Naya K. /Monika
Algernon: Kam / Andrew
Jack: Daniel/ Nola
Gwendolyn: Jalen / Wonki
Kevin: Narrator
What a week!
So I am happy that Martin got to be with you for the past 2 days. He knows his stuff!
So we will be doing a discussion today on act one – I want to see how much you have retained.
As for turn backs and miscellaneous duties – my life has been on hold for the past few weeks, so I will have to extend all turn backs to the following week. I hope you understand.
Here are the questions I’d like to discuss:
Act One
- 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? CITE SPECIFIC LINES FROM THE
Then act 2 – after that, annotated bibliographies. Then after that – essay. Then New unit!
Oh, I’m sure you’re wondering about the independent novel study. I will be having you focus on that after this unit is over – so more time to do your reading!
April 1st, 2024
Welcome back!
I won’t be here for a few days.
I would like for you to read this with the TTOC – It’s Act 1 of the play. I want to do Act 2 with you all as it is the best act!
Here’s the play:
What is a parody, satire or farce?
What is comedy?
3 parts to this unit:
- Discussion Questions: (Due tomorrow – Just act 1)
March 13th, 2024 – March 15th, 2024
ESSENTIAL QUESTION:
How does Wilde both honor and satirize 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”.
March 11th, 2024
Today, I will get you all up to date with the quote journal entry practice. This is not a time for you to mess around – It’s a very important aspect of your grade.
Here is the document:
This is the controlling question:
Which of the following themes run through five or more of these quotes? Use reasons and examples to support your answer.
Allow me to give those a structure of sorts for those that need structure. This is not a structure based assignment, however – please keep that in mind.
Model answer: Model Answer
Reader Response focus:
So I will put down these questions that are in the graphic:
- Do you like or dislike the text?
- Do you agree or disagree with the writer?
- Does the text clash with your personal views?
- How does the text relate to you personally?
- To what extent did the text challenge or change your opinions or beliefs?
- Did you learn anything from the text? If so, what did you learn?
- What is your overall reaction to the text?
March 8th, 2024
So there is a divide and I thought hard about this – to merge both the period 4 and 5 mindset, I think that there can be a compromise. So this is what is going on.
This is the final day for all of you “Panic Workers” to get the good draft in tonight. It’s all good – I have been there before. As long as you work and don’t mess around, there’s no problem with taking this route.
That being said, all the workers that get their stuff in a little quicker, you can spend this day as an extra planning day for when I officially talk about the quote journal in class write (that will be on Tuesday).
Here is the information for the Quote Journal assignment:
The following is a document for your quote journals assignment – I’s a mid term of sorts but don’t stress about it too much – I thought it would be a nice culmination to the quotes and your takeaway.
Here is the document:
This is the controlling question:
Which of the following themes run through five or more of these quotes? Use reasons and examples to support your answer
March 7th, 2024
After coming back yesterday, I have decided that we can continue with the one on one sessions for the narratives. It makes me really engaged and excited to see exactly what you are all doing. Since this week for the most part has been kind of a wash, I have just made it a tutoring session until Friday!
These are the finalized dates:
- Rough draft: Due tonight, Thursday March 7th – Completion
- Good draft due Friday night, March 8th – Major grade
The Friday night is the absolute latest – You can get it in earlier and that will help me out, but I want these things graded soon and it’ll take a week to do so.
March 6th, 2024
Today, I’d like to meet with you in small groups in order to get an idea of where you are in regards to the narrative. There’s two ways this class can go moving forward through the week:
- You can finish the narrative today – I have printouts of the peer review that you can look at in depth. It will be due tonight.
- The good draft can be due tomorrow at midnight because of my own absence and inability to control yesterday to how I would have liked because of illness. This might be the more viable option.
The quote journals will go as planned. They will be due with the in class writing on Friday of this week. You will have tomorrow in class to get ready, ask questions and create a sheet to fill out for preparation.
March 5th, 2024
Your Transcription is finished. Now you have to write a rough draft following these basic conventions:
[Printout]
I’ll be reading each transcript during this time so that I can give you pointers if you need them.
And 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 1500 words.
March 4th, 2024
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.
Random questions FAQ:
How long? Doesn’t matter.
Can others talk when I am reciting the story? I encourage it. Makes the holes in your story filled.
When is it due? Tomorrow – beginning of class for next step.
Do I turn in the audio? You can – optional – but I need the transcription.
Can I just skip the audio and just write? No. Goes against the idea.
March 1st, 2024
Final Journal Entry (#20)
“When there is evil in this world that justice cannot defeat, would you taint your hands with evil to defeat evil? Or would you remain steadfast and righteous even if it means surrendering to evil?”
-Lelouch Lamperouge (Chosen by Fossen & Renard, esq.)
Here are the sheets for online students:
Narrative Essay Outline_Student
Here is a worksheet for the timeline. I will give you big paper to take home as well. All you need to do is look for 10 memories of your past in a linear way. Ask family / friends for ideas.
Don’t worry about trying to understand everything right away. Just come up with 10 memories based on a linear method. Think about what highlights your life has been shaped by. Doesn’t have to be big.
Also I will repost some of the narratives from the beginning of the unit. Do you remember those free-writes you did? Bring them out!
Prompts to Begin a Narrative Idea
February 29th, 2024
Journal #19
There are only two tragedies in life: one is not getting what one wants, and the other is getting it.
-Oscar Wilde
Okay – all three close readings are due today. After some time for completion, I will assign you some brainstorming sheets I usually provide the 10’s – but it’s a 9 – 12 brainstorming lesson. Should be good.
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 students:
Narrative Essay Outline_Student
Here is a worksheet for the timeline. I will give you big paper to take home as well. All you need to do is look for 10 memories of your past in a linear way. Ask family / friends for ideas.
Don’t worry about trying to understand everything right away. Just come up with 10 memories based on a linear method. Think about what highlights your life has been shaped by. Doesn’t have to be big.
February 28th, 2024
Journal #18
“Man only likes to count his troubles; he doesn’t calculate his happiness.”
― Notes from Underground
- Independent Reading Novel (Journal)
- Listening to final chapter for the class.
- Final close reading. (Due tomorrow – today is last day in class)
February 27th, 2024
Journal #17
“The free soul is rare, but you know it when you see it—basically because you feel good, very good, when you are near or with them.”
-Charles Bukowski
-Independent novel reading continued.
You have exactly 30 minutes in class to do the second close reading. Then we will “read” the final chapter for this book. I believe that the audio is successful enough for these purposes. I want to start your own autobiographical non-fiction narrative as soon as possible.
February 26th, 2024
Journal #16
―
-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:
February 22nd, 2024
Journal #15
“It’s one thing to enjoy a story, but it’s quite another to take it for the truth.”
-Patrick Rothfuss
We will do two things:
Finish chapter 1 (I also have the audiobook file. Perhaps this can be the norm moving forward?)
Close reading – I will model one chapter for you for the close reading, then you will do it by yourself. Please follow along with me as I do it. The template is below – there are no paper copies as copying down the quote will take much longer to do:
February 21st, 2024
Journal #14
“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 in a circle. I like circles.
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?
February 20th, 2024
Journal #13
“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 five 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.
February 16th, 2024
In class write today. Please get all of your work in to me by the end of your (respective) class. If you have any notes you’d like to attach to your draft, I would love to see them. I’ll bring a stapler.
February 15th, 2024
No Journal – I want you to use this entire class to get ready for the in class writing that will be 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. 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)
February 14th, 2024
Journal #12
There’s no such thing as dead languages, only dormant minds. that as long as we are being remembered, we remain alive. One of the pitfalls of childhood is that one doesn’t have to understand something to feel it.
-Carlos Ruiz Zafon
*Reading & Journals*
This class is for you to finish your Obama Intro / Partial body paragraph.
If you are up to the challenge and finished with Obama, before I give you all the Malcom X Speech on Thursday, this is the actual oration of the speech with subtitles that was done in 1964.
February 13th, 2024
Journal #11
“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 – You’re doing well. Keep up this work style.
I have printouts of this rough draft I would like for you to complete:
This is the rubric I will be using for your work:
Use your time wisely today. This thing is due tomorrow – and I would like to start the Malcom X Paper tomorrow as well if the consensus of class fits this model.
February 12th, 2024
Journal #10
CHOOSE ONE OF THREE (selected by Daniel Fossen)
Doubt is unpleasant, but certainty is absurd.
-Voltaire
Realize that everything connects to everything else.
-Leonardo Da Vinci
How you love yourself is how you teach others to love you.
-Rupi Kaur
We will finish the Obama speech and today you will work on finding the:
- Appeals
- Modes of Argument
- Rhetorical Devices
- Logical Fallacies
How To Booklet Essay Outline Samples for each paragraph and tips (EDITABLE)
February 9th, 2024
Journal #9
“No man chooses evil because it is evil; he only mistakes it for happiness, the good he seeks.”
-Mary Shelley
Let’s finish sentence 4 and then I want you to turn in your 1st paragraph MLK worksheets
What a Friday! 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.
February 8th, 2024
Journal #8
“Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to reform (or pause and reflect).”
―
MODEL EXAMPLE:
Martin Luther King, an avid civil rights activist and preacher, delivered a powerful speech on the societal changing day of august 28th 1963, stressing the severity of the issue of inequality, in the United States, that we are able to correct but not doing so. King uses hard hitting facts and evidence to draw attention to this blatant discrimination towards the black community while taking these facts a step up to use as topics for motifs, metaphors, and analogies to further get the point across. His potent use of strong language in the constant use of anaphora following the rule of threes, slowly ramping up in the rigor of each word, bring light to the ever-growing issue of racism in order to motivate people to make a positive change in their behavior and stand with one another. King challenges the people standing by, whether black, White, Asian, Latino, to strive forward and do something while simultaneously sympathizing with the black community affected by racism in daily life, importantly acknowledging the anger that they, and himself included, feel.
- Printout of the structure.
- Get it done by the end of class.
February 7th, 2024
Journal #7
“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)
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.
February 6th, 2024
Journal #6
“The truth knocks on the door and you say, “Go away, I’m looking for the truth,” and so it goes away. Puzzling.”
― Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry Into Values
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.
- Alliteration – the recurrence of initial consonant sounds – rubber baby buggy bumpers
- Allusion – a reference to an event, literary work or person – I can’t do that because I am not Superman.
- Amplification – repeats a word or expression for emphasis – Love, real love, takes time.
- Analogy – compares two different things that have some similar characteristics – He is flaky as a snowstorm.
- Anaphora – repeats a word or phrase in successive phrases – “If you prick us, do we not bleed? If you tickle us, do we not laugh?” (Merchant of Venice, Shakespeare)
- Antanagoge – places a criticism and compliment together to lessen the impact – The car is not pretty but it runs great.
- Antimetabole – repeats words or phrases in reverse order – “ask not what your country can do for you — ask what you can do for your country.” (J F Kennedy)
- Antiphrasis – uses a word with an opposite meaning – The Chihuahua was named Goliath.
- Antithesis – makes a connection between two things – “That’s one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind.” (Neil Armstrong)
- Appositive – places a noun or phrase next to another noun for descriptive purposes – Mary, queen of the land, hosted the ball.
- Enumeration – makes a point with details – Renovation included a spa, tennis court, pool and lounge.
- Epanalepsis – repeats something from the beginning of a sentence at the end – My ears heard what you said but I couldn’t believe my ears.
- Epithet – using an adjective or adjective phrase to describe – mesmerizing eyes
- Epizeuxis – repeats one word for emphasis – The amusement park was fun, fun, fun.
- Hyperbole – an exaggeration – I have done this a thousand times.
- Litotes – makes an understatement by denying the opposite of a word that may have been used – The terms of the contract are not disagreeable to me.
- Metanoia – corrects or qualifies a statement – You are the most beautiful woman in this town, nay the entire world.
- Metaphor – compares two things by stating one is the other – The eyes are the windows of the soul.
- Metonymy – a metaphor where something being compared is referred to by something closely associated with it – The knights are loyal to the crown.
- Onomatopoeia – words that imitate the sound they describe – plunk, whiz, pop
- Oxymoron – a two word paradox – near miss, seriously funny
- Parallelism – uses words or phrases with a similar structure – I went to the store, parked the car and bought a pizza.
- Simile – compares one object to another – He smokes like a chimney.
- Understatement – makes an idea less important that it really is – The hurricane disrupted traffic.
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.
February 5th, 2024
Journal #5
“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.
February 2nd, 2024
Journal #4
“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
Today, we will look at the independent novel study. We’ll go to the library and Mrs. Royle will go over some books with you. Then you’ll choose one and bring it back to class. Talk to me if you need any help with this.
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”.
Please finish your annotated bibliography for tonight at midnight. Late work is a red flag for all works moving forward, so make a good impression and turn it in!
See February 1st blog for details about the annotated bibliography.
February 1st, 2024
Journal #3
“Our lives are not our own. We are bound to others, past and present, and by each crime and every kindness, we birth our future.”
― Cloud Atlas
You were confused yesterday? I am happy about this. Let’s go through the Percy article again and you can use a template to put that summary to work:
(Due Friday 23:59)
Here is the lecture:
And template:
(250-500 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……
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.
January 31st, 2024
Journal entry #2
“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?”
―
Today, 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 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….
January 30th, 2024
Journal Entry #1
“A truth once seen by a single mind ends up by imposing itself on the totality of human consciousness.”
― Anonymous, The Arabian Nights
Write about this for about 10 minutes. This is the guide for ‘journal writing’:
Welcome to class.
First, I would like you to write a paragraph in your journal (right under the quote journal) about what it is you would like out of class following these questions:
- What are my plans for post-secondary? To what end will these plans 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 grade 12 class I’ve designed is tweaked for each dynamic.
- What is my expected grade? Why?
Let’s discuss these questions as a class.
Below 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.