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.