FOR TOMORROW
1. Make certain that you've read Part II.  It it's been several days, please review it pretty carefully.

2. The original assignment was to have read Part III by today (Wednesday).  Well, it needs to be read for sure by Friday.  What we do with the rest of 2 AND 3 depends on everyone knowing how this turns out. No plot spoilers.  We need to know what Marlow knows as the "end of the story" to be more perceptive readers of his TELLING of the story.

TODAY IN CLASS
First, be sure that you read the information in yesterday's post concerning the thesis statements.

Today we looked in very explicit detail at both diction and imagery, including looking at a very different literary source (the first stanza of Anne Sexton's poem "Courage") for the word "wallowing."  We reviewed the concept that IMAGERY can imply in its most narrow sense the use of "sensory images" based of course on the five senses, but is often more broadly used as a catch-all term for figurative language of various sorts (simile, metaphor, personification, metonymy/synecdoche, etc.) We also explored the overlap between diction and imagery--it may be that important aspects of "imagery"--the implicit comparisons, analogies, or patterns--are in fact created at least in part by word choice.  Finally, we tried to be more explicit about the exact nature of Marlow's particular first impression as formed/shown by the language in the passage.

FOR MONDAY
Utilize what we did today to extend/improve the data-gathering/data-organizing for the "grove of death" passage outlined in yesterday's post.  For example, if you decide that "diction" is one possible device to consider, don't lump all the examples in one place.  Find patterns.  Put like material together, even if you don't have a sub-heading "name" for the group.

And be thorough.  Even though this passage is significantly longer than the previous one, the purpose of the listing out is to notice, display, and organize as much as you can. These will be stamped on Monday before you begin to work and will be collected for closer examination later.

ALSO--
By today, you were to have finished reading Part I, and Part II is due by Tuesday.  Those expectations have not changed.  But  "reading" in this case means just that; I understand that the style is dense and the understanding can be difficult, but the key is to read it first for the broad strokes, then go back and fill in with meticulous attention to selected passages. (Knowing more about where the text is headed helps you understand the immediate material better.) All of Part I is relevant to Monday's work.

TODAY IN CLASS
We discussed what a good thesis for a passage analysis paper should look like.  Groups suggested criteria, and did in fact include many aspects applicable to good writing.  However, we tried to refocus on some specific ways to strengthen a thesis statement for analyzing a specific passage.

Thesis statement for passage analysis, given a prompt that usually looks something this:

 Analyze how SOMETHING produces SOMETHING ELSE, for SOME REASON

               SOMETHING = specified devices OR generic direction

                              (style/language/literary devices, etc.)

               SOMETHING ELSE = tone, attitude (impression, reaction, etc.)

               For SOME REASON = some connection with the meaning of a work

                              as a whole; some connection with greater meaning or human

                              truth

Always be clear, concise, insightful—no matter what kind of writing you do! J

But for passage analysis, a good (rich, illuminating) thesis should

·        Pinpoint the effect/overall purpose (aspect of tone, attitude,

impression ) with precise language most relevant and applicable

to the passage under scrutiny. 

·        Identify the language features that produce the effect

o   If already specified in the prompt, the thesis MUST provide

significant “value added.” Insufficient to say “vivid imagery”

or “exact diction.”  Also weak to merely use range-finder

                  modifiers for positive/negative, overall “mood,” etc.  Connect

                  as closely as possible to the text at hand without offering

                  examples within the thesis itself.

o   If NOT specified in the prompt, and there are several to mention,

the thesis itself may not characterize each device or stylistic element

quite so explicitly.  You will need to look for devices or features of

language that seem to be significant.  Sometimes these are familiar

terms; you need to notice what features are at work, and simply make

sure that you do not merely "label and list" but rather show how they

operate to create the effect or result (tone/attitude/reaction, etc.) that

you're focusing on. 

o   But sometimes you need to probe what you see, lay out patterns, and

actually figure out what insights the "data" lead you toward; automatic

categories won't get you very far. (The skill here is akin to those number

sequencing questions on IQ tests; it is more of a discovery process with

a new text than a learned "pull a AP lit term out of the bag, label it, and

call it good").

FOR TOMORROW

You will get started an the raw material for a passage analysis that will reveal more about the "unspecified features to focus on" category, and even though some of what you see will fall easily into familiar categories, you won't capture the full value of the style and language without an open-ended, open-minded examination of the text.  You will be looking for patterns.

Everyone (individually) must prepare a chart of "data" for a longer passage than today's that we'll refer to as the "grove of death."  This passage is three paragraphs long. Treat the passage as a whole, but here are the beginning phrases for each of the three paragraphs:
"Black shapes crouched . . . "
"They were dying slowly . . "
"Near the same tree . . .  let his wooly head fall on his breastbone."

What you are to do--study the passage carefully.  Look for interesting details language--anything is "fair game." But then start to find useful patterns/categories that will help you find a way into the passage.  How much you annotate in the book or take notes elsewhere up to this point is UP TO YOU.

BUT here's what you need have with you tomorrow at the start of class (and will be stamped for later collection):
A chart or graphic organizer of some sort that you create that pulls together the "data" into useful categories.
The overall purpose will be to establish "how" the passage reveals Marlow's attitude towards the scene in front of him (especially the people). But the "data" will be the elements of language (however defined and sub-categorized into meaningful groupings) that you see in the passage.

Write down all the snippets that matter.
Don't try to cite sentences in full.
Don't worry about citations (page numbers); we know it comes from this passage.  That's sufficient for now.

TODAY IN CLASS
In both 1st and 5th the discussion focussed on filling in spots for which each class had diverged yesterday, trying to bring together the best of both sets of discussions.

Near the end of class, students annotated the short "boiler passage" just after Marlow leaves the Swedish steamer and heads toward his Company's station.  Then students wrote the thesis (thesis only) for a short analysis of how the diction and imagery of the paragraph reveal Marlow's first impression of Africa.

FOR TOMORROW
Read the rest of Part I.
For Monday:  Complete your reading of  Part II
For Tuesday:  Complete your reading of Part III

TODAY IN CLASS/TOMORROW
Essays turned in; should already be on turnitin.com.  Take care of any lapses.

Group work--more later (faculty meeting)

But DO look up "whited sepulchre" on biblegateway.com
Use the Keyword function, and be sure to scroll to King James (Authorized Version 1611) for the
translation.

We will quickly finish as whole-class what groups discussed today--

Be responsible for ideas re: the journey to Africa--no more group time for that.

We will pick up as Marlow arrives on the African continent.

No further reading assigned tonight, because you deserve a rest!

11:59 p.m. Tonight

 . . .is the on-time deadline for the 2nd short fiction essay.  If you miss it, the paper is late.  The world does not end.  Come to class anyway.  There will be important work that if not done in the groups will have to be done on your own.

Yes, hard copies due in class. 

Reminders: 

• Quotation marks for short works; italics for long.  The Metamorphosis can go either way.  (But don't leave it unmarked, as I did here.)
• Utilize only ONE SENTENCE for your complete thesis (main claim plus deftly-implied organization).  Get preliminary matters out of the way (including author/title, set-up essentials) before the thesis itself.
• Note the instructions for citing source for  this paper; see Perrine p. 20 and examples on p. 40 and p. 43.  Use (    ) with page number ONLY--not author-- for parenthetical citations

(And make sure you've eliminated the extra space in the MLA heading.  And of course make sure you are using the correct elements for each line.)

turnitin.com: Don't forget.

TODAY IN CLASS
Reading day for Heart of Darkness.  If you were not here, you should read for 40 minutes or so if at all possible . . . Major discussion expectations for tomorrow.

RE: the essays
Hard copy for Essay I was due in class today--make sure that you have submitted it to turnitin.com by tonight's deadline. 

Essay II
Try at least to settle on a topic/story by tonight.  Starting the data gathering would be even better. 

1.  See the newest formatting post (published during 5th period) on "The Chrysanthemums" if your first essay involves that story.

2.  Read and heed all the advice given in the Formatting post from early Wednesday morning.

3.  Bring Heart of Darkness to class with you on Thursday.

4.  Remember--hard copy due in class; submitted to turnitin.com by Thursday night deadline of 11:59 p.m.

Updated formatting-->"The Chrysanthemums"

Here is the source for your Steinbeck hand-out:
http://nbu.bg/webs/amb/american/4/steinbeck/chrysanthemums.htm

And no, it didn't have pagination.

Please use (Steinbeck) in your parenthetical citations, and use this format:

Steinbeck, John. "The Chrysanthemums." Web.  [Date of access.]<http://nbu.bg/webs/amb/american/4/steinbeck/chrysanthemums.htm>.

Formatting Supplement

GENERAL MATERIAL IN YOUR TEXTBOOK
There is, of course, excellent overall advice concerning writing about literature for different purposes and under different contexts in the Perrine text (3-16); that's why these pages were assigned at the beginning of the year.  But note especially Section VIII, concerning quotations (16-23); one overriding principle for the essays you're writing now is that you need to focus only on the exact material you need.  Introduce concisely; quote sparingly, honing in on the most crucial evidence in support of your claims.  Sections  X and XI are also useful reviews of material that you should know, and probably do, but are sometimes less than scrupulous in putting into practice.

DOCUMENTATION Section IX
1. Textual Documentation--Pay close attention to all of this part, but especially the list of reminders on pp. 24-25.  You are absolutely expected to adhere to these basic principles and guidelines. 
2. Parenthetical Documentation--note that what they're referring to here is what to do in papers that don't have a separate List of Works Cited.  This is what you'll do for the second paper.
3. Documentation by Works Cited--This is what you'll do for the first paper, but I'm going to direct you to one of two options that you would have even within a normal Works Cited page.

Here are the specifics, then.

CITATIONS
Another purpose of these paired short fiction essays is to practice different forms of citation.  Make sure you follow these instructions.

Essay I (Comparison/Contrast)
For this essay create two separate entries for your Works Cited page. This would be obvious if you're using the Kafka text as well as a story in Perrine, but it might not be your automatic choice if both stories come from the main textbook.  But for this essay, I want you to show that you understand this form.

Pattern:  See the Purdue OWL for this pattern: https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/06/
Scroll specifically to the directions and samples for A Work in an Anthology, Reference, or Collection.

(Yes, if both of your stories are in Perrine, there will be some duplicated typing here (but no, you aren't using an old type-writer--you can copy and paste!); obviously if  The Metamorphosis is one of your works, there would have to  be separate entries anyway. Each  (     ) citation will contain both author and page, e.g  (Baldwin 201).


Essay II (Single Work)
Whichever of the following situations applies to you, you will cite once using an in-text format.  All subsquent  (   ) citations will use the page number(s) ONLY.

If your story comes from the Perrine text, follow the examples given on p. 26 or in the short writing samples on p. 40 or 43.

If you are doing Kafka, follow the same pattern but obviously substitute the details of the book you have.

TODAY IN CLASS
Heart of Darkness
1st period--great discussion of several more paragraphs from the opening passage of the novella.  The bell rang before we solved the implications of "bearing the sword, and often the torch, messengers of the might within the land, bearers of a spark from the sacred fire."
5th period--because we just started today, we only got through paragraph four. And even on with that, we need to revisit the last sentence juxtaposed with the longer penultimate one.  How does this structure replicate the end of paragraph three?

FOR TOMORROW
Again, focus on the essay assignment from yesterday.  Last night you should have selected  the characters and gotten a very good start on gathering data for all required parts of the prompt, and perhaps even formulating a central thesis (or central thesis plus body thesis claims!). Tonight you should write a draft of the body of the paper.  It doesn't have to be perfect--you can tweak it tomorrow--and you can (and probably should) hold off on the full introduction and conclusion unless you are very sure of your content.


LOOKING AHEAD
So I doubt if most of you have time or brain space to move ahead to the other essay.  But this one might need a bit more "gel time"--the sort of random thinking/reviewing that students often do while more actively engaged in something else.  (Not recommended while driving.)  But here's what you can start considering.

Essay II:  Due Monday, Dec. 9--again, hard copy by class time, submitted to turnitin.com before the day is out (i.e. by 11:59 p.m. on Dec. 9).

For all topics--the assumption is that you will have to "discover" your thesis and then articulate it plainly after having done much of the hard work of gathering data and insights on the ideas given below. These are not "prompts"; they are general topics, sometimes with stories to use (or restrictions on what NOT to use), and sometimes open-ended with regard to the short fiction we have studied.  There is much to decide.  And you will need to refine and shape the scope of what you attempt, because this essay needs to have an absolute max of 750 words.  No expansion:  still try to include as much insight and and support as you can.  Do your best to write with economy while still maintaining clarity.

You DO need an introduction--engage the reader's attention and then move as expeditiously as you can to channel the reader's focus toward the thesis. You need a conclusion too, but keep it simple and direct.

Options:
Consider the use of fantasy in "The Magic Barrel," "Metamorphosis," or "The Rocking-Horse Winner." Make a case for how/why it is a crucial device in the story you choose.

Explore family dynamics in "Sonny's Blues" or "Metamorphosis" (restriction:  IF you wrote about Gregor earlier, do not choose Kafka).

We've seen that "setting" can do much more than merely establish time and place.  Explore all the uses of setting in whichever work you believe it is most important.

Characterization:  Delve deeply into "how" characterization is developed for one rich story. You can deal with several characters or just one--major or "important minor"--but definitely stick with just one work. (Do not use either "Miss Brill" or "The Chrysanthemums"--we spent too much time on that together.)

Humor OR Irony:  Consider one OR the other in the work for which you find it a compelling component.

TODAY IN CLASS
1.  Final "Metamorphosis" hand-out--note especially the questions that underscore the disjunct between the mundane family life and the grotesque impossibility of their situation.  KEEP--use as guidance in review later on.

2. A "cats and dogs" discussion meant to a) get you talking! :) and b) utilize simple "data" on which nearly everyone has an opinion to elicit some general criteria to set up as comparison contrast categories.  In this case, the only object was to estblish criteria by which the relative merits of dogs and cats as house pets could be measured by setting up a thesis which would produce three categories under which BOTH choices would be evaluated. (Ex: Although cats are easier to maintain, dogs provide both greater loyalty and more versatile forms of companionship.)

3.  Essay assignment--first essay due on Thursday.  (You'll get the second one tomorrow--due Monday.) Short Story Essay Assignment (I)

Since I used the analogy with Czerny piano exercises, here is just a "by the way" link to why the comparison seemed apt.  Note here http://pianoexercises.org/exercises/czerny/
that many of these are musical etudes; a word which comes from the French verb "study," and the descriptions repeatedly emphasize the word "technique" with varying practice objectives.

Your essay should be offer meaningful and insightful observations, but the particular comparative/contrast process here is meant to emphasize one specific technique.  There are others, of course--they are just not the ones we're focussing on here.

4. In 1st, about 20 minutes on the first few paragraphs of Conrad's Heart of Darkness, using a hand-out only.  We didn't get there in 5th. We will work with the just hand-out only for awhile tomorrow as well, so if you don't have a book with you yet, it won't be a problem. (This is a "level the playing field" proposition; I want you to think about the text without relying on extra notes.  And some people have simple straightforward texts without any notes--which is perfectly fine!)
By Wednesday, you really do need to have your book with you.

FOR TOMORROW
Decide on the character pair.  Start "data-mining" under each of the criteria. Jot down notes/even some quotes.  Include (Author + Page)as you go for easy reference later.  You won't have a solid thesis until you explore, sift, and compare closely.

Consider this a reminder to be getting Conrad's Heart of Darkness.  You will need it before Thanksgiving.

But don't wait until next week to take a look at these pictures; the link may be broken by then:

Images of Ivory Before It Was Destroyed

On the Cusp of the Crush

U. S. Crushes Ivory

TODAY IN CLASS
Group work on Part II questions (and-out of questions for all three parts was given out on Friday).  NOT handed in; however, we went over selected portions.

Regarding question 6, most people seemed uncertain about the apples.  Note that what follows is not a "certainty" for Kafka's intention, but is a widely regarded interpretation of potential meaning here:

• Apple = associated with concept of "sin" because of the widespread Western use of "apple" as the fruit in the Garden of Eden account (Genesis), at least from the early Middle Ages forward
• Act of father pitching apples at the son = a transference of guilt/sin.  Much like a sacrificial animal that was meant to take on the sin of the sacrificer (thus relieving that person from guilt/sin--a "scapegoat"--the father's sin is foisted off onto Gregor.  This much could be shared by many ancient cultures and religions.
• Added Christian symbolism (though Kafka was Jewish, he was brought up in strongly Catholic Prague, and various writings of his draw on other traditions)--What is the role of the events of Easter?  How does the concept of sacrifice carry over into New Testament terms?  How would this work for Gregor? 

Note to 1st period--later (Wednesday) I'll show you a translation that does more to nudge readers toward this interpretation.

Note to 5th period--we jumped briefly to the end of Part III in 1st period, knowing that we would come back to some of the pieces in between.  But DO look closely at the ending, and think through Grete's posture and movements in the last sentence of the story.  What does she remind you of? (still think in the insect world, but not a dangerous or repulsive one).  What is the life cycle of such insects?  What has happened to Grete (and her parents) as the result of Gregor's transformation?  What all could the story mean?

TO EVERYONE, yes, "Metamorphosis"will be on tomorrow's test despite not being officially/thoroughly finished.  If you read Part III over the week-end as was assigned on Friday, you should be fine for tomorrow.

TEST ON TUESDAY
More precisely, you will have 1/3 of the short fiction assessment tomorrow.  It will involve recognizing a whole list of elements (people/places/events/random details) from the short fiction:
John Steinbeck,  "Chrysanthemums"
Katherine Mansfield, "Miss Brill"
D. H. Lawrence, "Rocking-Horse Winner"
James Joyce, "Araby"
John Updike, A & P"
Katherine Anne Porter, "The Jilting of Granny Weatherall"
James Baldwin, "Sonny's Blues"
Elizabeth Berg, "The Matchmaker"
Bernard Malamud,"The Magic Barrel"
Franz Kafka, "The Metamorphosis"

In addition to the GradeCam section, there will be a small group of short focussed questions or tasks the will required a written response.  All together, this day's assessment will be about 1/3 of the whole.

ADDITIONAL COMPONENTS
These will be due the week after Thanksgiving, either Wednesday and Friday or Thursday/Friday.
You will know the topics on Wednesday, so if you're in town you can work, but they should be able to be accomplished starting Monday after Thanksgiving.
These will be two essays--one fairly prescriptive, and the other with much more writer's choice flexibility.

ALSO, not related to the test--
Have Heart of Darkness when you get back.  You can limp along a day or two, but not much.

TODAY IN CLASS
Rotation discussion (pairs mostly; a couple of 3's) of the questions following the Berg and Malumud stories in Chapter 8.  People who had prepared the "Matchmaker" questions were paired with those who had prepared the questions at the end of  "The Magic Barrel." However, we rotated pairs every five minutes or so.  The reading, questions, and discussion will culminate in the assignment due on Thursday (see below).

FOR TOMORROW
Use this copy ONLY for your reading.  Translations vary, and I want everyone to have utilized the same thing.
http://www.gutenberg.org/files/5200/5200-h/5200-h.htm

Read Section I.  In your notes, keep track of three general areas:
1) What happens to Gregor's senses (sensory perceptions) during the course of Part I
2) What happens to "communication" during the course of Part I--be sure to consider it a 2-way process (perception and production)
3) Assess characteristics of specific family members in terms of their responses to Gregor during Part I

DUE ON THURSDAY
A typed, cohesive paper responding to the "Excercise" instructions on p. 397 of Perrine.
Assessment points (not "assignment").

TODAY IN CLASS
First period went over the Baldwin excerpt in groups; 3rd will do that tomorrow (or possibly Wednesday).

Also today--some reading time for a headstart on tonight's homework:
Perrine Chapter 8--Evaluating Fiction (394-397)

Two stories follow this section, both dealing with the general subject of matchmaking:
Elizabeth Berg, "The Matchmaker" (398-408)
Bernard Malamud, "The Magic Barrel" (409-423)

In class, you were assigned (according to new seating arrangement) to start one or the other of these stories.

FOR HOMEWORK TONIGHT--do both bullet points.

• Finish the one you started in class, and write careful notes responding to the questions following that story (p. 408 for Berg; pp.423-424 for Malamud)
• THEN, just read the other story.  (You're welcome to glance over the questions, of course, but no written responses necessary.)

This work will be utilized in class tomorrow.

ALSO--bring your ID card with you.  You'll be picking up Metamorphosis from the bookroom.

TODAY IN CLASS
The second day on the passages from "Sonny's Blues."  I thought we might finish, but people are finding good things to say about each passage.  Be sure that everyone notes the definition of MOTIF, a recurring element (idea, thing, pattern of imagery, even repetitive actions, and more) that occur throughout a literary work.  We're in the process of listing quite a few for Baldwin's story--continue thinking of them on your own beyond what we might have done in your particular section today.

FOR TOMORROW
1st period time line folks, please try to get that on the board before class officially starts.
Map people in both classes, please be prepared to share briefly.

Everyone in both classes--please read passages 10 and 11.  If it's been awhile since you read the story, it's worth re-reading the whole Greenwich Village part at the end of the story. I will still pause briefly for in-class annotations, and I'll expect some additions as we talk, but though this section is essential to our work with the story, I do want you to be as concise as possible in our discussion without losing insight into this key portion. 

During class--
1) the passages
2) one MC passage you'll do on your own
3) group discussion and a "group version" of the same passage


AND BEYOND
If you don't have Heart of Darkness yet, be acquiring it posthaste.  Next week you will get Metamorphosis, which will come from the bookroom.   But we'll get started on Heart of Darkness the Tuesday/Wednesday before Thanksgiving.

FRIDAY IN CLASS
"A & P"--Good start on discussion; not completed. 

FOR TUESDAY
Starting premise:  The groups have been moved one slot ahead, but there will be more specific directions in a moment, and one group will be shifted away from the basic rotation.  But the new group designations simply using the book elements as they are in Perrine looks like this:
1 -- Point of View
2 -- Symbol/Allegory/Fantasy
3 -- Humor and Irony
4 --  Plot and Structure
5 -- Characterization
6 -- Theme

Now, here is what you need to do for Tuesday. All of the following apply to Baldwin's "Sonny's Blues" (179-207) assigned over several days last week.  For the groups that need to write a short analysis (one or two paragraphs should suffice), typing is preferable, but neatly written in ink is okay too. 

1 - POV.
Pick a substantial paragraph from the story that you think is significant in illustrating something important about "how" the first person functions in this story.  You get to select what is significant.  Do not try to copy out the paragraph, of course, but DO indicate the page number(s).

2 - Symbol/Allegory/Fantasy
For Tuesday, I don't want you to think just yet in terms of "symbol."  Instead, consider the concept of a motif:  basically, an element that recurs significantly throughout a narrative.   A motif can be a thing, an image, idea, situation, or action that recurs or is restated in similar ways throughout the work. A motif can have symbolic meaning, of course, but at this point just look for recurring elements that thread throughout the work.  (In Macbeth, for example. blood would be a common motif, along with sleep, clothing, light/dark imagery, and more.) So, for "Sonny's Blues," everyone in this group needs to prepare two lists for Tuesday;  all references to ice for one (include contextual phrase) and then ONE OTHER MOTIF of your choice.  These can be in the form of lists, accompanied by page and paragraph number). 

3 -Humor and Irony
There may be a touch of humor here or there, but most readers would probably agree that there's not much humor in Baldwin's story.  Irony, however, can be found in several ways.  Identify and briefly analyze some element of irony in the story.

4 - Plot and Structure
As usual, you aren't supposed to rehash the plot.  Structure, however, is huge in this story.  What you need to do for Tuesday is prepare a timeline.  Do the homework preparation simply in the form of a straightforward list (vs a horizontal line) that you'll either have to scribble out as a hand-written draft and then copy over neatly once you've got it all in the right order, OR type it, knowing you can add in as needed. Your choice.  But the key thing is, do ALL YOU CAN to include dates (years) with the events of the story (narrated as ongoing action, narrated as something which had occurred earlier, or narrated as flashbacks provided by another character).

5 - Characterization
We see Sonny mostly through the narrator's eyes.  Find a passage in which you think we (as readers) are able to see Sonny most clearly in the most accurate light and explain how that is achieved. 

6 - Okay.  This is the big change.  "Theme" will be deferred until later, and the Plot/Structure people already have plenty to do for Tuesday.  So Group 6, for this story, you will get us started on Setting. 

• First consider TIME--for your purposes, the time frame of the "main story" (starting on the day that the narrator reads about Sonny's arrest and ending with the club gig in Greenwich Village).  When is this?  What are the implications?  You don't need to write up anything formal for this part, just be prepared to talk about it.
• But consider the PLACE setting in detail:  New York.  What borough?  What particular locations?  Find a map.  Print it out.  Mark place names/implied settings on the map.  Have something with you in class on Tuesday to compare with the findings of your group. (Start thinking about the "so what"'s involved in this exercise.)
• Just as a quick thought--what conjectures do you have about the unnamed setting in which the narrator's uncle was hit by a car? (nothing in writing required)

TODAY IN CLASS If you were absent, be sure to read a second poem by Emily Dickinson, "I heard a Fly buzz--when I died" (888). Consider all the ways that the poem could connect with the last page and a half (293-294) of "Granny Weatherall." Students wrote and shared multiple theme statements for this story; probably a reading of Porter's work needs to explore both commentary on the nature of death as well as insights about living living a life. The most difficult aspect is considering the place of theological claims in terms of the meaning of the story as a whole.
 FOR TOMORROW
 Prepare for an active, moving, student-driven discussion of "A & P." As announced in class, the group numbers are again shifting to the next element of fiction. However, the follow-up information suggests the direction to head for a fairly direct treatment of highlights in Updike's story. Here are the categories and "this-story-only" narrowing:

Group 1 -- Theme Ideas churning around in the story; what is being explored? What else is important besides Sammy? To what extent is he a channel for Updike's view about_________ (fill in the blank).

Group 2 -- Point of View Of course it's 1st person. But hone in on all the ways it operates differently in this story than in Joyce's.

Group 3 -- Symbols/Allegory/Fantasy What happens if you consider this story a QUEST? What is being sought? What is found instead?

 Group 4 -- Tone/Style/Humor/Irony You might wind up covering some of the same ground as the POV people, but that's okay. For this section, however, try to focus on LANGUAGE as style. Also explore humor and irony as elements in this story; how do they function (whether separately or in tandem)?

Group 5 -- Plot/Structure and Setting Focus on the Setting part, and the significance thereof. How is time important? Re: place, what's important besides the grocery store? What other settings are a factor in the story and its meaning?

 Group 6 -- Characterization Not "what a character is like"--but"how" characterization is accomplished. Work with Sammy for sure plus two other characters (your choice).

 All of this needs to be prepped in easily accessible ways in your notes--have the relevant "data" handy to incorporate into solid discussion.
 AND--do not forget that by now you should have read the introductory matter for each element of fiction covered in Chapters 2-7.

TODAY IN CLASS We finished the text of "Granny Weatherall," but we did not resolve how "what happens" relates to the meaning of the work as a whole. In other words, what seemed at first glance to be a determinate ending probably isn't. So we need to consider thematic ideas and the ultimate point of the story. If you missed class, read the Emily Dickinson poem "Because I could not stop for Death" (764 in your book) and consider what part of Porter's story it might help elucidate. FOR TOMORROW So yes, keep thinking about the story . . . probably more at the percolating in your mind level than poring over the text. "A & P"--assuming you read it over the week-end or at least earlier in the week, and if you engaged in Tuesday's task of comparing/contrasting to "Araby" (mentally at the very least, or hopefully with some notes in your, umm, English notebook)then you shouldn't have to do anything with that tonight. So the real homework is to keep reading and hopefully FINISH "Sonny's Blues"; there are significant sections of that story that will probably need to be re-read over the next 2-3 school days, but a first reading is still essential. And by Thursday that should have happened. (See previous blog for page numbers. And I'm sorry about no Tuesday post--directions re: theme in GW and how Updike's story is similar to/different from Joyce's had been fairly clearly outlined in class, and I just didn't write it up.

TODAY IN CLASS
"Granny Weatherall" is progressing slowly,  The barebones story is clear to everyone:  an old woman dies. Or, stating the same fact in a slightly more informative way, Ellen ("Granny") Weatherall, age 80, is on her deathbed; the story traces her last day on earth and REtraces much of her earlier life, framed by two "jiltings."

What's not going so well is a close tracing of the elements that produce the "art" of this story--and again, reframing that, what's not going so well for SOME of you is a close tracing . . . .

First period is on notice to re-read the story, because there were just too many people who seemed too blank.  All students who have been slacking on bringing your book to class:  HAVE it tomorrow. 5th period; I did not tell you to re-read the story, but make sure you are well aware of "how/when" backstory details are revealed, and do focus on how, once Granny is no longer conversational in a way that allows her to both understand and to respond intelligibly, the next steps are acquired.  Also pay attention to imagery.  Everyone--where are the ambiguities in the story beyond the difficulty we had with Hapsy?

FOR TOMORROW
Read John Updike's "A & P" (649-654)

FOR THURSDAY
Read James Baldwin's "Sonny's Blues"(179-207)

Happy Halloween!

Yikes--two days of no blog and I forgot . . .

But the only thing to do:
Make a list of ALL of the reference to Paul's eyes.  Include the whole phrase and the page number. Put this on a separate sheet of paper, not part of your other class notes.

Don't worry about other characters, and don't try to include sight-related words.  Just focus on Paul's eyes.

Make-ups:
If you missed either the poetry timed write (Wednesday, Oct. 23) or the baseline Multiple Choice exam (Thursday, Oct. 24), you need to SEE ME on Monday.

TODAY IN CLASS
Finishing "Araby."  Initial practice on writing theme statements. 
Expectations for theme statements:

• Universal
• Insightful/Concise
• State as a complete sentence that makes an assertion or claim   

We will do more with this, of course--the value is that such insightful claims will need to be embedded into much of what you write, usually just as a deft subordinate clause.  This skill involves both the insight to hone in on the most essential thematic idea as well as the ability to state it in the most powerful and clear way. That's our goal.

Everything else here falls under the heading of FOR MONDAY, I guess, but it involves several steps.

First--Everyone should already have read the intro material and "review box" sections for the following chapters from Perrine's Literature:

1- Reading the Story

2- Plot and Structure

3 - Characterization

5 - Point of View

You should also have read the small packet from the Kennedy-Gioia book on Setting, and an alternative presentation of Point of View.  (This was distributed in class last Tuesday and probably with a further shout-out on Wednesday; PICK IT UP from the bookshelf if you don't have it.)

NOW, that means that everyone has to read three more chapter "teaching" sections and review boxes:

4- Theme

6 - Symbol, Allegory, and Fantasy

7 - Humor and Irony (which we will ultimately see as just one part of Tone and Style)

Timing for reading these chapters:

Some of you will need to read one of them over the week-end in order to prepare your work on "Rocking-Horse Winner" for Monday.  EVERYONE will need to have read all three by the end of next week.  I strongly suggest getting started with the Theme chapter for Monday, and picking up the other two during the week. There will be additional stories next week, of course.

SPECIFICALLY FOR MONDAY

You were assigned to groups, numbered 1 through 6.  These will be your stable groups for the next two weeks.  Most of the work that you actually do will be individual, but there will also be some cooperative informal presentations/discussion-lead responsibilities that you will undertake with other group members.

(1st period--two people were absent, and you both happen to be l's.  In 5th, I don't think anyone was absent.  If I'm wrong, email me please.)

SO--here is your topic assignment for D. H. Lawrence's "The Rocking-Horse Winner":

1 = Plot/Structure and Setting

Do not focus on "plot" at all; everyone should know the plot.  DO consider "structure," using both the limited elements in Perrine and at least some of the other structural components that were on the board (and appear in an earlier blog post).  EXPOSITION is a big omission from your text, for example.  

"Setting" is lumped here because the key question in this story is not merely the where/when, but the question of how essential is it in this particular story??  

2 = Characterization

Note that this isn't just "what" the characters are like, but HOW WE KNOW.  Expand as much as you can.  Be sure to deal fully with BOTH Paul and Paul's mother.  But have something to offer for at least two of the other characters as well (choices may vary).

3 = Theme

Yes, what is it, and create an excellent theme statement.  But also be prepared to show what sorts of other elements are particularly strong at supporting/reinforcing the themes (these are the sorts of things that vary so widely by story I'm not giving you examples or general guidelines).  Try to assume that you should uncover some interesting features here.

4 = Point of View

Be very careful to use appropriate vocabulary here, and for this story, I want you to use BOTH sets of terms.  Put what you observe in the terms used by the Kennedy-Gioia text (hand-out) as well as the terms used by your own textbook.  Pay attention to the "so what" here--once we "label," how else can we use POV to "get into" the story more deeply?

5 = Symbol, Allegory, Fantasy

This is not an "everything" chapter, and sometimes, for some stories, it's a "nothing" chapter.  Notice, of course, that this is where the book put "The Chrysanthemums."  For RHW, decide what fits, what doesn't, and why; and what's the "so what" pay-off.

6 = Tone and Style 

This is not a chapter in your book, but you have studied TONE in at least some ways, and STYLE here can refer to all sorts of matters of an author's, well, style--knowing, of course, that good authors may vary what they do depending on the story.  See what you come up with here.  

But "Humor and Irony" (Ch. 6 in your book) fall under this heading as well, and if you are in group 6 I DO want you to read this section before you prepare your work.

SO--what is this "prepare" I've been speaking of??

You do NOT need to produce a cohesive, typed analysis for this assignment.  You probably will for next time.  You DO need to dedicate a full page or very possibly more to careful notes, insights, examples--whatever would be the thorough work you would have to do before you could even start to WRITE a well organized and substantially developed analysis.  I want you to do all the work (and "show your work"); I just don't want you to take the time to write the full sentences, fret about embedding quotes, get side-tracked by MLA issues, or worry about if you need a thesis for such a paper. 

You need to show that you fully understand how the element you are assigned for this story "works" in RHW.  You should do this at a level that will enhance the understanding of classmates who have certainly read the story as well as you have but have focussed on one of the other elements. 

I hope this is clear . . . it really boils down to becoming quite expert, as Miss Brill might say, about how the element of fiction assigned to you operates in Lawrence's story.

Thursday Catch-up Post (after 2-day teacher absence!)

TUESDAY
In-class poetry timed write.  Required; will be scored, but lightly counted as a preliminary base line.  Please make up after school as soon as possible (today/Friday; Monday if at all possible).  See me.

WEDNESDAY
Make sure you've read both the hand-out from Tuesday (Setting plus a different take on Point of View) and the D.H. Lawrence story "The Rocking-Horse Winner."

THURSDAY IN CLASS
Today there was a baseline Multiple Choice exam. Again, make-up is required, the sooner the better.  See me.

FOR TOMORROW
I didn't assign anything new . . . I will assume engaged reading has occurred for both the packet and the Lawrence story.  Also, it would not hurt to re-read the last page or two of  "Araby," because that will be our beginning point.

TODAY IN CLASS
We did not quite finish discussing "Araby."  What you should do tonight is cinch your own understanding of how the long day of waiting for his uncle and the late arrival at the bazaar affect the boy and pave the way for what happens at the end.  Focus on the last paragraph as the finale to what the first paragraph began.  Is the last paragraph the "inverse" of the opening paragraph, or is it a consistent completion of the imagery?

FOR TOMORROW
Actually, you will have until Wednesday to read "The Rocking-Horse Winner," the D. H. Lawrence story that I announced at the end of class today (pp. 311-325).

 But it is fairly long, there will be some additional reading assigned tomorrow ("Point of View," Ch. 5, pp. 253-259).  So you might want to get started.

P.S.
1. I am assuming that you HAVE read the "Characterization" material assigned late last week. If not, do that as well.
2. Several AP students are among the 30 or so of my students who have not turned in the Culminating Project.  Take care of this before they start sending  the call slips.

Thursday/Friday Update

THURSDAY IN CLASS
Remaining personal essays collected.  A few people still do not have turned-in papers on www.turnitin.com .  Submit them ASAP.

New 2-page opening of a 12 page Munro story from the New Yorker, originally appearing in December of 1999 but re-published in the current issue.  We looked at what appears to be a conventional exposition that turns out to be less connected than one might expect with the actual story that, with no transition whatsoever, picks up 50 years later in the very next paragraph.  We also took note of the fact that sometimes allusions can involve random cultural or other references that students may or may not know.  In this case, "The Bear Came Over the Mountain" . . . .

I checked  student responses to the first paragraph of "Araby" (starts on p. 434), and we talked a bit about them.

TODAY IN CLASS
Discussion of 2nd paragraph --> the narrator's naivte
Listing of dark/light elements in the 3rd paragraph
And in 1st only--we finished discussing that and went on to Paragraph Four!


FOR MONDAY
Read from Chapter Three, Characterization, pp. 161-165. 
It would be useful if you have time to go on to the material in Chapter Five, Point of View, pp. 253-259.  (I mentioned that to 5th but not to 1st--so  not an absolute for Monday, but useful in a time management sense.)

We'll pick up Ch. 4 (Theme) soon.

.

SAT / PSAT Wednesday

All personal essays due on turnitin.com by 11:59 p.m. TONIGHT, Wednesday.  Hard copies due in class no later than tomorrow.

YESTERDAY IN CLASS
1) Make sure you know/understand the terms in bold in Ch. 2 (Plot and Structure).  We looked at the limitations of "rising action / climax / falling action" as descriptors for the components of story structure. Consider the alternates we discussed from other high school and college texts:

• Exposition / Conflict / Complications / Climax / Resolution
• Exposition / Complication (Narrative Hook) / Rising Action / Climax / Conclusion (Resolution, Denoument)
• Exposition / Inciting Incident / Development / Climax / Resolution / Denoument

Notice that though all of these have more stages than the basic structure given in Perrine, none of them include the third term "fallling action."

The real point of this is that though we do need language to discuss parts in order to say something useful about their ordering, there is no universally "set" terms for this.  The goal is to think about what authors do with structure (an artistic, creative construct)  that is a different thing from simply "plot" (what happens).  And so that's why we are still trying to figure out the structure of Munro's "How I Met My Husband" vs. more traditionally-structured stories such as "The Chyrsanthemums" or "Miss Brill."

FOR TOMORROW
1) Read the first paragraph of James Joyce's "Araby" (434).  Stop there.

2) IN YOUR NOTES, write up a brief analysis of the paragraph.  Note what it "does"--what's the element of fiction mostly featured?  What's the structural component it exemplifies?  What do you notice about the language/literary devices within the three short sentences?  Do have any sense of how this paragraph might suggest a tone or tones for the story to come? 

3) Now read the whole story (434-439).

Correction! Correction! Correction!

CORRECTION for SAT Start Time on Wednesday:

Precisely for the reason given in this message below from the counselors' office, I was misinformed (no, actually just UNinformed) about the correct SAT start time. It's 7:30 a.m.

Seniors taking the SAT will receive personal directions today or tomorrow. They must be in the 2300 hallway, ready to check into their assigned room by 7:30am SHARP. Only 83 seniors of 460 are taking the test, so I’m not widely broadcasting instructions, but rather pulling seniors out to inform them.

Further information you need to know: The Common App system is having major issues.

No need to detail everything people have experienced, but it's been enough to cause an entire article in the New York Times: Online Application Woes (Common App)

The College and Career Center recommends several things that I'll list out soon, but chief among them is SUBMIT EARLY.  Also, "like" the Common App Facebook page so that you will get updated information regarding on-going changes in procedures, directions, and deadlines.

TODAY IN CLASS

Finished.  Miss. Brill.

1st period moved on briefly to the Plot/Structure chapter and the Munro story "How I Met My Husband" (see week-end post).  Results showed a shaky Monday morning all around. We will start afresh tomorrow.  5th period was just enough later getting to this point that we didn't have a chance to try.

 

FOR TOMORROW, THEN--

• Realize that all the terms in bold in your book are bolded for a reason:  they are important to know.
• Insofar as the actual components of "normal" plot structure is concerned, a variety of terms and break-points are sometimes discussed.  We'll briefly look at a couple of other options.
• Think about--that is, seriously consider--the structure of Munro's story. How are the parts put together?  How does structure affect other components mentioned in ChapterTwo?
• If you have not yet read BOTH of the articles about Munro/Munro's work linked to prior posts, DO SO.

Culminating Project Due Monday!

A quick scheduling clarification:  
All final drafts of the personal essay are still due as originally scheduled--no later than 11:59 p.m. on Wednesday, October 16.  However, since the SAT/PSAT schedule on that day requires you to attend class only during 6th period, you can turn the hard copy in on Thursday instead.

FRIDAY IN CLASS
Not done with "Miss Brill" in either class; close reading / discussion continues.  As 1st period knows, students are being asked to run the discussion on specific sections of the texts.  We'll do that in 5th as well.

By Friday, you should have read Chapter Two, Plot and Structure, pp. 104-112.  (Sorry for the misleading indication that there were review questions in a box at the end of this chapter; there are story review questions and essay topics, but not the review questions in a box. )

FOR MONDAY
Pick up a second article about Alice Munro:
2nd Munro article: Intricacies of the Human Heart

And read the story called "How I Met My Husband," pp. 126-141.

Culminating Project Due Date is MONDAY

Alice Munro Wins Nobel Prize

TODAY IN CLASS
Yes, we talked about Alice Munro; please read the full article above for some insight into why she won, and how she connects with the assignment for tomorrow.

Still on split tracks between 1st and 5th, but ever closer.  Done (for now; it's always recursive) with the Steinbeck story in 1st, and just a smidgen to go in 5th.  So we're naturally not together on "Miss Brill" either.

FOR TOMORROW
Read Perrine Chapter Two--Plot and Structure, and also review the questions in the box at the end of the chapter.  I have decided for sure to have you read the Munro story in this section ("How I Met My Husband") because its presence there ties in so perfectly with a key contribution of her work noted in the article above.  However, you are not compelled to have that story read for tomorrow; Monday will be fine.

TODAY IN CLASS
"Bathing scene" short papers were collected.  If you were absent or if it's simply late, have it with you tomorrow.

We are still farther ahead in 1st than in 5th.  But since I'm going to be gone during 5th, we will defer finishing the story in that class until Thursday.

BOTH CLASSES:  Bring your Perrine text tomorrow for absolute sure.

HOMEWORK
Culminating Project:  due Monday (after Homecoming).  Get this out of the way ASAP.  Work on it tonight if you have not checked this off your to-do list.

Personal Essays:  Revisions should be taken seriously, not hastily typed up next Wednesday morning.  So if you've finished the Culminating Project, you can work on that.

Homework Assignment=="The Chrysanthemums"

TODAY IN CLASS
People started handing in personal essays; the cover sheets are in the basket. Fill it out and paper clip it to your essays before handing them in.  (This is not the same as the assignment sheets.)  I'll be opening turnitin.com as soon as I finish the blog.

We got to through to the rebuffing scene in 1st; in 5th, we just got to the point where the joking about the dogs reveals a new side of Elisa's character.  Everyone should have read the story in its entirety for today.  IF YOU DID NOT, do that before you even attempt the short writing assignment for tomorrow.

FOR TOMORROW

Study the two short paragraphs in which Elisa takes her bath and then gets dressed for the evening out. We are calling them, collectively, "the bathing scene." You are to write about 250 words, either neatly in ink or typed (double-spaced if typed). The prompt is straightforward: Discuss the significance of the bathing scene. [Note to 1st; yes, I said 3 paragraphs in class, but there's no reason to go ahead with the writing.  Focus on the bathing scene itself, and we'll pick up the aftermath later.

TODAY IN CLASS
Students received the hand-out concerning the final draft of the personal essay.  Pick it up from the bookshelf tomorrow and HEED what's written there.

Some annotating on the first page of a story by John Steinbeck, "The Chrysanthemums."  We began discussing it (no writing this time)--got through several paragraphs in 1st but not done with the first in 5th!  You'll get the whole story tomorrow.

FOR TOMORROW
Read at least the substantive part of the Perrine text that I outlined a day or two ago (sans page numbers, because my book was at school) concerning Chapter One: Reading the Story.  This will seem like review--you've been reading stories nearly all your life; however, trust me when I say that the discussion in the next several chapters concerning elements of fiction will serve you well throughout the course.

So--read carefully pp. 61-67 AND pp. 101-103.  You'll refer to these questions so often they will become automatic. Do this for tomorrow, for sure.

As for the stories in between ("The Most Dangerous Game" and "Hunters in the Snow")--read them.  Yes, read them.  But read them as you would a story in Atlantic or the New Yorker (what?  you mean you don't regularly read those?) :)  We are not "studying" these stories, but they make a very important point.  And wedged into the next 4-5 school days, make time to read them in addition to the other day-to-day work.  The board said something about "skimming," but that really doesn't work here.

Catching Up . . .

Tuesday in Class--
Wrapping up Tess.

Wednesday in Class--
Timed write on Tess of the D'Urbervilles

FOR THURSDAY and beyond . . .
Be working on the essay revisions.  You'll receive a hand-out with final draft deadlines, tips, and scoring guidelines on Thursday, but you don't need that to be doing productive work tonight.

The College and Career Center reports that relatively few Culminating Projects have been turned in.
Reminder:  due Oct. 14.

In class on Thursday--you don't need a book.  We'll proceed without one. BUT starting on Friday and for the next couple of weeks, you'll need Perrine.  Every. Single. Day.

TODAY IN CLASS

First draft personal essays were due--typed, properly formatted, and printed--and exchanged for the peer response session.  Most people had papers. 

• Those who were absent (for whatever reason) as well as those who did not have papers today (for whatever reason) must still pick up a peer response form in class tomorrow and both provide and receive suggestions from a classmate.  No additional class time will be provided for this. If possible, work within your own class period; if not, someone in another section of mine will be okay.  
• MANY people did not follow all of the formatting requirements,  and a surprising number neglected multiple elements.  Significant points will be deducted on the final copy for the errors we went over today.  But that is still a small price to pay compared to having college applications. job applications, or on-the-job projects rejected for non-compliance.  Instructions matter.
• I might have been inconsistent with st period, since I was talking with individuals as they brought papers up; it worked betterin 5th when I asked students to double-check specific items and note errors on their own papers. 
• People who were absent simply need to follow the original instructions; nothing new was added that wasn't already provided to you.

TOMORROW

For several reasons, the Tess final timed write will be on Wednesday rather than on Tuesday.

Heads-up:

Starting Thursday, expect to have your Perrine textbook with you every day for the next 2-plus weeks.

If you want to work ahead tonight, start the next chapter (p. 59 or 60?).  Read the pages very carefully that lead up to the two stories.  Much as I wish we could spend time on them, we can't.  If you're a fast reader, it will be to your benefit. But for sure, pick up again at the very end of that chapter (after the two stories) with the basic questions to ask about literature.  We'll add Setting to the mix, but after a couple weeks with Tess, you probably knew that.

TODAY IN CLASS
Inequites to be resolved tomorrow:  goal is to land in exactly the same place.
!st--did NOT stamp the homework for today (see yesterday's post), but we DID finish the dawn passage.  Two thoughts for first-thing tomorrow: 

• What's the exact passage-of-time sequence for the entire Talbothay's dairy experience?
• Think about the black puddings and the drink that Angel brought home as treats for his parents.  What's the "deal" with including them in the text?

Then, we'll proceed, in part based on the quotes you have selected.

6th--Yes, I DID stamp your work for completion.  We'll take it up as soon as possible after picking up with herons, cows, and bejeweled landscape and visage from the passage.  And we'll tuck in the two bulleted points above (look at the text/reflect--no writing necessary).

FOR TOMORROW
Well, that's been partly covered above.

Your outside work has been deliberately light so that you can really focus on the personal essay.  Some of you may really need to try one thing, then another, before even deciding for sure on the topic you'll stick with. 

So you should assume that "homework" is mostly your ongoing essay-writing, and revising even your so-called "first draft" to make it as good as it can be before someone provides Round 1 suggestions.

FINAL ASSESSMENT on Tess
Tuesday, Oct. 1.  In-class closed-book essay: 40 minutes.

TODAY IN CLASS
Building on the religious and mythological allusions in the dawn scene at Talbothays, students worked in pairs to write a thesis statement for a passage analysis that would assign essential function to the passage as well as to indicate the primary devices.  We looked at those on the overhead and discussed differences.  In 1st we began looking at additional features of the passage; in 5th we didn't quite get there.

FOR TOMORROW
Review Phase the Fourth and Phase the Fifth by isolating what seem to YOU to be extremely significant quotes.  Remember that in a novel, a "quote" does not have to be what a character says--it can certainly include the author's narrative voice as well.

Find THREE significant quotations for each of these phases (4th and 5th).  Write them down or type them out; include the page numbers in your edition simply for easier reference later.  Be prepared to provide reasons for the centrality of the quotation, but you do NOT need to defend them in writing.

Passage Allusion Research

The passage to study:  when Tess and Angel go out to the pasture in the pre-dawn hours to bring in the cows for milking (Phase the Fourth; Chapter 20).

• Begin with the 7th paragraph of the chapter: "The grey half-tones of daybreak . .  "
• Continue almost to the end of the chapter--go through the 4th paragraph from the end.  That paragraph begins with "Or perhaps the summer fog . . . " and ends with ". . .the other women of the world."  Don't include the 3 paragraphs after that.

Please do NOT look up the passage itself and read anyone else's analysis.

•  Look up only what you need to know as individual elements of mythological or religious allusion--write down what you find, don't just tuck it away in your head. 
• When you finish checking allusions, consider the descriptive language of the passage in terms of both selection of detail and imagery. You could annotate lightly or take further notes.

The Personal Essay/College Application Essay

Here are a couple of sites that discuss the new Common Application essay topics.  In different ways, both of these hone in on the key words in these new prompts and give one slant (the writer's) on what the questions are seeking to reveal.  Your take, of course, will be your own--but since these are brand new topics and I don't have a "track record" with them either, I figure you should read up a bit as a backdrop to making your own choice.

http://collegeapps.about.com/od/essays/a/common-application-essay-prompts.htm

http://in.princetonreview.com/in/2013/07/dissecting-the-new-common-app-essay-prompts.html

This one has a questionable video attached, but do look at it for some overall information, including the reason for waiving your right to see letters of recommendation.  I'm not sure I heard the counselors mention that this year, and it's still important advice:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/patrick-oconnor/common-application-coming_b_3671475.html

Here is the link to the school assignment for the personal essay; be sure to follow all of the formatting instructions given for class purposes.  Obviously such features as the heading and the typed prompt will not be on what you submit to a college eventually; you may or may not actually include a title on the application essay.  Particular college/university instructions vary.

Senior Personal Essay 2013

The first draft of this assignment is due on Monday, Sept. 30.  There will be a peer-response that day, which will be a valuable step in the process of developing a compelling, effective, and well-written essay.

Tuesday and Wednesday

TUESDAY
Counselors in all senior classes to discuss the details of the college application process.  See the Counseling Office website for the video and various other information and necessary forms.

TODAY
Students received a Class Hand-out on the timing and basic details of the English class connection to the Senior Culminating Project. I thought the links it contained would remain live, but they did not.  
Although all of this information can be accessed from the College and Career Center website, I'm including two important links here:

You can access the Resume Handbook here: https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B57_IJB75bs3anVFZ0xoNHdxMGs/edit?pli=1

You can access the full details on the Senior Culminating Project here:
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B57_IJB75bs3NWRGeUdmdDlvaEE/edit?pli=1

Note that last year's due date has not been updated on that site:  this year's date is Monday, Oct. 14!
But as noted on the class hand-out, the date for clearing your work with me is a few days earlier--Oct. 10.

Personal Esay
I also hit the highlights:  everyone does one, there will be a peer response as part of the process, and you are strongly discouraged from dealing with the 4 D's:  Divorce, Disease, Depression, and Death.

One option will be to select the University of Washington "personal statement" choices A or B.
You many also choose a topic from the Common Application. You'll be able to utilize Common App choices 1-5 without prior approval, and Common App #6 IF you get permission before you begin to write.  The best uses for #6 are to substitute a true essay topic from a non-Common App school where you actually intend to apply.  You can't use #6 for short blurbs on various topics (WSU 's app, for example) or for an essay that essentially describes what you would bring to a particular college or university and how an education from that school would benefit you. .

All of these topics will be printed out on the full assignment sheet, along with dates and a few more tips, in the next day or two.  But you can start thinking now.

TESS
We'll briefly discuss particular insights from the choices students made concerning the sentence that best conveys Hardy's attitude toward Tess, and then mostly deal with Phase the Second on Thursday.
We will stop wherever we get, and work with Phase the Third on Friday.
There will be a different strategy for 4-7,with  because in this first pass through Tess, we're going to finish up by Tuesday (in class), with an in-class final essay either Thursday or Friday next week

For Friday and Monday

I apologize for Friday's missing post.

IN CLASS ON FRIDAY
First there was a short homework check slip.We utilized the prep questions on Thursday's blog as the discussion guide for Friday's class, with a bit of time here and there to compare notes/lists in informal groups.  We did not complete Phase the First (or the listed questions) by any means, and progress varied between the two sections.

Week-end Homework--the previously announced reading in Perrine's Lit, specifically outlined earlier in the week.

IN CLASS ON MONDAY
We never discuss all that could be brought out of a section, but we evened up the varied coverage between 1st and 5th periods and in both classes got near the end.  We will focus on Wednesday on the scene in the Chase, because that is probably the most pivotal single scene in the novel. But it could well be that we will manage to get Phase the Second underway.

Thursday--Phase the Second      (know that I am skipping certain kinds of things even apart from
Friday--Phase the Third                     passage analysis because we be coming back to Tess in April)

IN CLASS ON TUESDAY
The counselors will be here to discuss the college application process and other topics that concern first-semester seniors.  It will probably take enough of the class period that you aren't obligated to have any books with you.  If there are a few minutes at the end, I know exactly a non-Tess, non-Perrine activity that I'll tuck in to make good use of our time.

On Friday, be sure to bring Tess; you do NOT need to have Perrine's Lit with you in class.

TODAY IN CLASS
Students did the initial assessment on Tess of the D'Urbervilles prior to any in-class discussion of the text.  Now we can finally proceed!

Tess of the D'Urbervilles, for TOMORROW

You can keep track of the following via some combination of sticky notes in your Tess book and by jotting notes down in your English notebook. There will be a quick space at the start of class tomorrow in which you will either act on these or transfer the information to another format. Other things will become the springboard of discussion.

All of the following refer ONLY to "Phase the First"--do not work with anything past that first section.

1.  Simply list out the chain of events and choices that lead to the death of Prince.  Consider (think about/have ideas ready) the larger implications of this series.  (I could frame a more specific question, but I prefer to leave it open-ended.)

2.  List as many instances of foreshadowing as you find in those same chapters (the first 5 of Phase the First).

3. How does the initial physical description of Alec "matter"?

4.  List out the set of coincidences and choices in Chapter 10 that lead to Tess riding home with Alec.
(We are, of course, heading to a series and a collective "so what?" here.  But for now, just list/note.)

5. In your edition, why, exactly, does Alec leave Tess by herself in the woods?

6.  Re-read, carefully, the last four paragraphs of Phase the First.


ASSIGNED READING from Perrine's Structure, Sound & Sense--due by Monday, Sept. 16. 

1) Though not mentioned earlier,include the "Foreward to Students" (XXXII-XXXIV) as part of the assigned reading.

2) Then use the following breakdown to guide you through pp. 3-58 in the Writing about Literature secion.  The following notes refer to the table of contents on p. 2.

• Sections I-VII: Read carefully now, even though you will probably need to refer back to some of this later.
• Section VIII: Read over/skim, knowing that you may need to study these examples VERY thoroughly later on, depending on your particular skill set.
• Section IX: Skim for now; know what's here. Between this section and the Purdue OWL, you should be pretty self-sufficient with MLA formatting this year.
• Section X: Very important. Read carefully, even though this seems like a hodge-podge of "rules."
• Section XI: Skim for now; know for sure what this book tends to put in Grammar vs. Usage. Look at Punctuation carefully enough to know if any of these take you by surprise.
• Section XII: For NOW, you can skim/look these over with one important goal:  what is the difference between "explication" and "analysis"?  We will come back to these for a more detailed look periodically as you undertake particular kinds of assignments.AS

Self-Definitions Accomplished . . .

TODAY IN CLASS
Students turned in the self-definitions as hard copies and submitted online prior to 3 p.m.

Also, there was the first practice timed write, a passage analysis ("Question 2" of Section II, the Free Response portion of a prior AP test).

TOMORROW
The initial summer reading asssessment for Tess of the D'Urberbvilles. Although the test itself will be closed book, please bring the book with you to class.  I don't know how long the test will take, and I want you to be able to move forward with an assigned task if you finish early.

Self-Definitions Due on Wednesday!!

Remember, bring a hard copy in class.

Submit to turnitin.com as well. 

Class ID for 1st period:  6967651 
Class ID for 5th period:  6967672 

For both classes, the enrollment password is the same:  purple

The class name is listed as AP English Period 1 (or Period 5)

Armageddon Day

Yes, we survived all the drills . . .

And we got a bit of classwork done aroud the edges.

For Seamus Heaney's poem "Digging," I could see that most of you seemed to do a thorough job of annotating for this starter poetry work.  We are not, by the way, starting into our first poetry round just yet--it was the poet's recent death that brought it to mind, and there is an application I want you to consider that goes beyond the essential analogy in the poem.  But first there are a few brief things I want to pick up on tomorrow that I prefer not to list here, since the progress in each class was somewhat different and I don't want to steal your discussion thunder.  Please keep the sheet handy.

FOR TOMORROW

Nothing specific due on Tuesday, but . . .

1)  Get at least a good start on the Self-Definition due Wednesday, Sept. 11.  I may update the blog with the turnitin.com codes later tonight.

2)  Be prepared for the Tess assessment on Thursday (in class, closed book, short essay response plus some IDs/direct questioning that will require 2-3 sentences each).  NOT MC or fill-in-the-blank.

3)  Hate to do this the first full week of school, but I am delaying the "Writing about Literature" reading assignment  (pp. 1-58 in Perrine's Lit) until Monday. (But working ahead is always okay.)

Welcome!!

Here's a recap of where we've been during our first "week" of school:

Day 1 --10 minutes for calling roll and handing out the QuickStart Guide.  If you missed getting one, be sure to pick one up on Monday.

Day 2 -- Picture Day--more time-consuming in some classes than in others.  However, I think that all AP students managed to do the "(fictional) world I'd like to live in" quickwrite.  However, some of you did not have time to complete a careful reading and annotation of the Seaums Heaney poem on the back of that sheet.  Please do this for Monday.

Day 3 --

• Assigned:  Self-Definition --due Wednesday, Sept. 11.  I talked all classes through this assignment first, and then distributed the actual written assignment.  But because of my absence yesterday and the copy room mayhem, I didn't have hand-outs for 1st period, but you can access it here.  No need to print it out; I'll give them to you on Monday. Here's the link: Self-Definition
• Students checked out the main textbook from the bookroom.  You do NOT need to bring this book to class for awhile, but there will be reading assigned to you.  The first chunk is "Writing about Literature" (1-58), due next Friday, Sept. 13, in case you have any compelling wish to get started on this right away.

Also on your plate--Tess of the D'Urbervilles. If you haven't finished, buckle down.  If you read it much earlier in the summer, you might want to review a bit--at least go through each "Phase" and think abaout major plot events in each section as well as how earlier sections fit into a cohesive whole (now that you know how it ends, which I hope you didn't as you went along!).

And finally, other school supplies--
Both the QuickStart Guide and the message on the board got you started:

• Black or dark blue pens
• Loose-leaf notebook paper

But here are several other things which most of you probably have already:

• A pen of some other color than blue or black--green, red, purple, or even something more exotic.  Your choice
• Highlighter (any color)
• Notebook--This is the place for taking on-going class notes and for doing requested on-the-spot prep work that will not be handed in.  You need to have it with you and out on your desk every day.  Choices here--conventional spiral notebook, binder with loose-leaf paper, marble-cover composition book, etc.
• A folder to keep hand-outs in, many of which you need to retain for the whole year (or at least until after the AP test!)