TODAY IN CLASS
We'll get Frankenstein for sure tomorrow; the library people say it's okay as long as you're very quiet. You can do that.
1st--Somewhat slow-going on the Preface to Pygmalion--perhaps a second reading of those couple of pages is in order, knowing that the details are pertinent to the way in which Shaw utilizes both a real-life "model" as well as a host of his own predilections in shaping his artistic work. Pending: we need to continue looking at "The Eagle," which we had to abandon after "drawing boxes" and considering stance/perspective. Much more to come.
5th--I suggested that the Preface definitely deserves careful consideration, but then we went ahead to Tennyson's "The Eagle," which we hadn't even attempted on Fire Drill Day. But then we went ahead with the poem, and got within a 3-minute wrap-up of "done."
FOR TOMORROW
Best case: assignment still stands--read Acts II and III of Pygmalion
But do know that tomorrow will be mostly reading, not discussion. So if it works better for you, read Act II at least, but you can defer Act III until class time. If you're able to read both, that's great--you will be able to get the action of the rest of the play (Acts IV-V) read in class tomorrow, and be able to focus on Shaw's post-play essay as homework.
For sure--for both classes:
You will be expected to arrive in class on Friday having FINISHED both the play and Shaw's non-dramatic writing at the end.
Wednesday, January 29, 2014
Tuesday, January 28, 2014
TODAY IN CLASS
1st period--discussion of "The Black Man's Burden" ; a start on Tennyson's "The Eagle"; brief IPA intro to set up first reading assignment for the play. Homework papers collected.
6th period--FIRE DRILL
Discussion of "The Black Man's Burden"; brief IPA intro plus a few examples on the board; did NOT do Tennyson because we had less time to work with. Homework collected.
Both classes received the Pygmalion text.
FOR TOMORROW
Both classes: Minimal assignment (you'd be wise to read further.
Required: Read the preface and Act I (a very short act) of Pygmalion. Do not skim the preface; read it with care.
But if possible, you would be wise to read further to balance your work better for Thursday/Friday.
For Thursday--Acts II and III
For Friday--Acts IV-V and Shaw's fairly long commentary at the end.
1st period--discussion of "The Black Man's Burden" ; a start on Tennyson's "The Eagle"; brief IPA intro to set up first reading assignment for the play. Homework papers collected.
6th period--FIRE DRILL
Discussion of "The Black Man's Burden"; brief IPA intro plus a few examples on the board; did NOT do Tennyson because we had less time to work with. Homework collected.
Both classes received the Pygmalion text.
FOR TOMORROW
Both classes: Minimal assignment (you'd be wise to read further.
Required: Read the preface and Act I (a very short act) of Pygmalion. Do not skim the preface; read it with care.
But if possible, you would be wise to read further to balance your work better for Thursday/Friday.
For Thursday--Acts II and III
For Friday--Acts IV-V and Shaw's fairly long commentary at the end.
Monday, January 27, 2014
Still in progress, but homework section is complete
TODAY IN CLASS
Overview of 2nd semester reading:
Also today--We took a post-HoD look at Kipling's "A White Man's Burden," including the questions on the hand-out. Part of your homework for tomorrow concerns one of the responses to Kipling's poem.
FOR TOMORROW
1) Write complete, well-supported responses to questions 1-3 concerning H.T. Johnson's "The Black Man's Burden." You may type or hand-write in ink on loose-leaf paper. Remember the standard heading, single-spaced:
Name
Period
Date
Assignment descriptor
2) Read over the required material below and write the requested transcription on the same page as your poetry responses.
The IPA: George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion
If you have time and are interested, you should start here.This is the main article on the IPA article which provides information about the history, uses, basic phonology, and the conventions of phonetic vs. phonemic transcription. It also provides transcription for languages throughout the world, meaning that many of the symbols/transcriptions here are for sounds that do not even occur in English. But in order to see the scope of the IPA, just scroll through this briefly:
Main IPA Article (World-wide)
If you're not interested in the overview, start here. Locate information/columns pertaining to varieties of British English or the English used by countries originally colonized by Britain. That would include us, of course--find the abbreviation used for the phonemics of American speech.
IPA Chart of English Dialects
Now switch to this page, which I think will be even easier for you to use.
Simpler English Chart
NOW, on the same sheet of paper on which you answered the poetry questions, write two things in the IPA Your transcription will be at the phonemic level only, not phonetic: that means you will enclose what you write in forward slashes: / /
1) Your name (no, not the words "your name"--your actual first and last name)
2) EITHER the first part of the Pledge of Allegiance (through "the United States of America")
OR the first sentence of the information about H.T. Johnson on your hand-out.
Overview of 2nd semester reading:
- (George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion (hand-out, hopefully on Tuesday)
- Mary Shelley's Frankenstein-- IHS bookroom (pick-up Wednesday) or you may purchase a paperback to make tracking key ideas easier (among other things)
- Shakespeare's Hamlet--school copies possible, but your own copy is much preferred. Get the Folger's edition Needed by Feb. 10.
- Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment--absolutely by March 1 (I know, not a school day, and we'll still be in Hamlet--but you will want the lead time)
- Toni Morrison's Song of Solomon--have this in hand no later than March 31.
(No, you will not be done with English class after the AP exam in early May. But I am not going to distract the present with our post-May 8th future.)
You will need to bring Perrine extensively but not always; I will do my best to keep you posted.
For now, know that you do NOT need it until Thursday of this week.
Also today--We took a post-HoD look at Kipling's "A White Man's Burden," including the questions on the hand-out. Part of your homework for tomorrow concerns one of the responses to Kipling's poem.
FOR TOMORROW
1) Write complete, well-supported responses to questions 1-3 concerning H.T. Johnson's "The Black Man's Burden." You may type or hand-write in ink on loose-leaf paper. Remember the standard heading, single-spaced:
Name
Period
Date
Assignment descriptor
2) Read over the required material below and write the requested transcription on the same page as your poetry responses.
The IPA: George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion
If you have time and are interested, you should start here.This is the main article on the IPA article which provides information about the history, uses, basic phonology, and the conventions of phonetic vs. phonemic transcription. It also provides transcription for languages throughout the world, meaning that many of the symbols/transcriptions here are for sounds that do not even occur in English. But in order to see the scope of the IPA, just scroll through this briefly:
Main IPA Article (World-wide)
If you're not interested in the overview, start here. Locate information/columns pertaining to varieties of British English or the English used by countries originally colonized by Britain. That would include us, of course--find the abbreviation used for the phonemics of American speech.
IPA Chart of English Dialects
Now switch to this page, which I think will be even easier for you to use.
Simpler English Chart
NOW, on the same sheet of paper on which you answered the poetry questions, write two things in the IPA Your transcription will be at the phonemic level only, not phonetic: that means you will enclose what you write in forward slashes: / /
1) Your name (no, not the words "your name"--your actual first and last name)
2) EITHER the first part of the Pledge of Allegiance (through "the United States of America")
OR the first sentence of the information about H.T. Johnson on your hand-out.
Tuesday, January 21, 2014
Again, see yesterday's blog for info on the final.
5th period--remember that if you want to come in circa 9:30 or 9:40, you can get back the "Female Savage" timed writes (remember, Conrad's language, not mine) before the test. However, know that the timed write that's part of the final will be from A Doll House.
The objective material from Conrad does include a fair number of quotes--but I don't have any expectation that you will "re-read" at this point. However, people who were conscientious with the book in the first place will have little trouble, I think.
The goal for the open question, whichever work you choose (Metamorphosis, HoD, ADH) will be obviously to support the response as fully as you can with closed-book details from the text. Metamorphosis, as I'd pointed out before the long week-end, is easily available as an e-text; it really doesn't matter what translation you use.
5th period--remember that if you want to come in circa 9:30 or 9:40, you can get back the "Female Savage" timed writes (remember, Conrad's language, not mine) before the test. However, know that the timed write that's part of the final will be from A Doll House.
The objective material from Conrad does include a fair number of quotes--but I don't have any expectation that you will "re-read" at this point. However, people who were conscientious with the book in the first place will have little trouble, I think.
The goal for the open question, whichever work you choose (Metamorphosis, HoD, ADH) will be obviously to support the response as fully as you can with closed-book details from the text. Metamorphosis, as I'd pointed out before the long week-end, is easily available as an e-text; it really doesn't matter what translation you use.
Monday, January 20, 2014
FRIDAY IN CLASS
Some continued discussion on A Doll House, but mostly, this is a work I want you to work through on your own. We will approach two things in particular on Tuesday, however: the different responses of Nora and her husband to Dr. Rank's announcement, and the final conversation between the Helmers. TONE will be the main factor for the final conversation: Nora's very different tone from earlier in the play (yes, she's had quite a few different responses early in the play [???? briefly], but within this scene she seems fairly consistent: [?]. But in the final scene, Torvald is all over the place: why? What does this show about him?
We will also try to make some useful generalizations about society's pressures vs. individual choices.
The Final Exam
Usually the first semester exam is truly comprehensive: summer reading, all of the short stories, and whichever works we do by the end of the semester (some constants, some variation here over the past several years). But this year I've decided not to re-visit the short stories for the final exam, though certainly all the literary support material concerning elements of fiction should be well in mind.
So the test will be on the last three major works:
Kafka's "Metamorphosis"
Conrad's "Heart of Darkness"
Ibsen's "A Doll House"
For the last two works, there will be a short objective/short response section, with the emphasis on HoD. You cannot expect to perform well on an open question in May if you don't know the works, and this is some small measure of accountability. However, I don't expect this section total to require more than about 25 minutes of invested time. This section will include some ID questions using either elements from the texts or essential quotes as a basis; there will be some choice.
So mostly, the test will be what an AP test is supposed to be--an opportunity to show your skill in writing about literature. There will be a passage analysis on Ibsen, and an open question for which all three could be possible choices. However, instead of expecting 40-minute responses to each one, I'm aware that you'll have only about 30 minutes for each one. The writing shouldn't be that much shorter though--because these works are so recent (and you'll have fewer choices to rule in/rule out, ponder overall), what ought to be shorter is the time it takes to choose, plan, and get your essay underway.
Some continued discussion on A Doll House, but mostly, this is a work I want you to work through on your own. We will approach two things in particular on Tuesday, however: the different responses of Nora and her husband to Dr. Rank's announcement, and the final conversation between the Helmers. TONE will be the main factor for the final conversation: Nora's very different tone from earlier in the play (yes, she's had quite a few different responses early in the play [???? briefly], but within this scene she seems fairly consistent: [?]. But in the final scene, Torvald is all over the place: why? What does this show about him?
We will also try to make some useful generalizations about society's pressures vs. individual choices.
The Final Exam
Usually the first semester exam is truly comprehensive: summer reading, all of the short stories, and whichever works we do by the end of the semester (some constants, some variation here over the past several years). But this year I've decided not to re-visit the short stories for the final exam, though certainly all the literary support material concerning elements of fiction should be well in mind.
So the test will be on the last three major works:
Kafka's "Metamorphosis"
Conrad's "Heart of Darkness"
Ibsen's "A Doll House"
For the last two works, there will be a short objective/short response section, with the emphasis on HoD. You cannot expect to perform well on an open question in May if you don't know the works, and this is some small measure of accountability. However, I don't expect this section total to require more than about 25 minutes of invested time. This section will include some ID questions using either elements from the texts or essential quotes as a basis; there will be some choice.
So mostly, the test will be what an AP test is supposed to be--an opportunity to show your skill in writing about literature. There will be a passage analysis on Ibsen, and an open question for which all three could be possible choices. However, instead of expecting 40-minute responses to each one, I'm aware that you'll have only about 30 minutes for each one. The writing shouldn't be that much shorter though--because these works are so recent (and you'll have fewer choices to rule in/rule out, ponder overall), what ought to be shorter is the time it takes to choose, plan, and get your essay underway.
Thursday, January 16, 2014
TODAY IN CLASS
Timed write (HoD native woman passage); make up ASAP if you missed it.
FOR TOMORROW
Read Act III of A Doll House.
Think through the following shorter, more focused questions for Acts II and III.
Act II
1. As Act II opens, what are your feelings on seeing the stripped, ragged Christmas tree? How is it suggestive?
2. What events that soon occur make Nora's situation even more difficult?
3. How does she try to save herself?
4. Why does Nora fling herself into the wild tarantella?
Act III
1. For what possible reasons does Mrs. Linde pledge herself to Krogstad?
2. How does Dr. Rank's announcement of his impending death affect Nora? How about Helmer?
3. What is Helmer's reaction to learning the truth about Nora's misdeed? Why does he blame Nora's father? What is revealing (of Helmer's own character) in his remark, "From now on, there can be no question of happiness. All we can do is save the bits and pieces from the wreck, preserve appearances . . .."? [translation may vary slightly in your current text]
4. When Helmer finds that Krogstad has sent back the note, what is his response? how do you feel toward him"
5. How does the character of Nora develop in this at?
6. How do you interpret her final slamming of the door?
These questions are a "given"--though we might discuss a couple of the "opinion" ones briefly, most are aimed at making sure you've followed the nuts and bolts.
The Meatier Stuff
Questions 5-12 in your text (p. 1155) are excellent. I can't improve on them. For tomorrow, it will be enough to focus for sure on 5-7
Timed write (HoD native woman passage); make up ASAP if you missed it.
FOR TOMORROW
Read Act III of A Doll House.
Think through the following shorter, more focused questions for Acts II and III.
Act II
1. As Act II opens, what are your feelings on seeing the stripped, ragged Christmas tree? How is it suggestive?
2. What events that soon occur make Nora's situation even more difficult?
3. How does she try to save herself?
4. Why does Nora fling herself into the wild tarantella?
Act III
1. For what possible reasons does Mrs. Linde pledge herself to Krogstad?
2. How does Dr. Rank's announcement of his impending death affect Nora? How about Helmer?
3. What is Helmer's reaction to learning the truth about Nora's misdeed? Why does he blame Nora's father? What is revealing (of Helmer's own character) in his remark, "From now on, there can be no question of happiness. All we can do is save the bits and pieces from the wreck, preserve appearances . . .."? [translation may vary slightly in your current text]
4. When Helmer finds that Krogstad has sent back the note, what is his response? how do you feel toward him"
5. How does the character of Nora develop in this at?
6. How do you interpret her final slamming of the door?
These questions are a "given"--though we might discuss a couple of the "opinion" ones briefly, most are aimed at making sure you've followed the nuts and bolts.
The Meatier Stuff
Questions 5-12 in your text (p. 1155) are excellent. I can't improve on them. For tomorrow, it will be enough to focus for sure on 5-7
Wednesday, January 15, 2014
TODAY IN CLASS
Some Act I questions--Support the following brief format with the richer (longer, more directed) questions in your book. Make sure you've thought through 1-6 here; in your book 1-3 is enough because then they start jumping around, even to things that involve the end of Act III. Your group might not have gotten to all of these--that's fine; think the rest through on your own. Re: #5, be sure to understand the precise "illegal" thing that she did, vs. merely uncustomary or even inappropriate in terms of the expectations for trust and honesty within a marriage.
Some Act I questions--Support the following brief format with the richer (longer, more directed) questions in your book. Make sure you've thought through 1-6 here; in your book 1-3 is enough because then they start jumping around, even to things that involve the end of Act III. Your group might not have gotten to all of these--that's fine; think the rest through on your own. Re: #5, be sure to understand the precise "illegal" thing that she did, vs. merely uncustomary or even inappropriate in terms of the expectations for trust and honesty within a marriage.
Act I of [Ibsen’s play about the Helmers]
1. From the opening conversation
between Helmer and Nora, what
are your impressions of him? Of her?
Of their marriage?
2. At what moment in the play do you
understand why it is called
A Doll’s House? (other translation!) Compare to the question
in YOUR
book, asking why the phrasingA Doll House is more appropriate.Which version
of the title do you think is more appropriate? Does it matter in terms of the
analogy Ibsen is making?
of the title do you think is more appropriate? Does it matter in terms of the
analogy Ibsen is making?
3. In what ways does Mrs. Linde
provide a contrast for Nora?
4. What in Krogstad’s first
appearance on stage, and in Dr. Rank’s remarks
about him, indicates that that the
bank clerk is a menace?
5. Of what illegal deed is Nora
guilty? How does she justify it?
6.
When the curtain falls on Act I, what problems now confront Nora?
FOR TOMORROW
There will be a timed write on Heart of Darkness. You do NOT need your book because I'll give you a printed passage; in fact, you won't be allowed to use your own copy.
Despite the fact that (unlike most passage analysis work), you know the basic text, this assignment is also carries the expectation of individual preparation, unaided by friends or by online research. Integrity is the name of the game.
But in keeping with the attention Marlow pays to women (and his views--which, by the way, may/may not reflect Conrad's, right?) and the fact that Ibsen is definitely concerned with the place of women, and the fact that we had looked closely at the depiction of Kurtz's Intended the other day, this passage will be the one in which the native woman on the bank looks out at the steamboat onto which Kurtz has just been carried.
Review it. Think about it. DON'T look anything up (I am good at that too), and do not have a prep session with your friends.
FOR FRIDAY
You will need to have read Act III of A Doll House--a bit more guidance given tomorrow.
Monday, January 13, 2014
TODAY IN CLASS
Time travel to 1974: Tech Time Out.
White/black; light/darkness in the closing scene of Heart of Darkness (Marlow's visit with Kurtz's "Intended," and the concluding words aboard the Nellie.
There will be a timed write on HoD later in the week.
FOR TOMORROW
We are starting Henrik Ibsen's A Doll's House, a play written in 1879. Ibsen's work often deals with the rights of women, and you might as well start this work with that expectation.
Read Act I for tomorrow.
Read Act II for Wednesday.
Read Act III for Friday.
Time travel to 1974: Tech Time Out.
White/black; light/darkness in the closing scene of Heart of Darkness (Marlow's visit with Kurtz's "Intended," and the concluding words aboard the Nellie.
There will be a timed write on HoD later in the week.
FOR TOMORROW
We are starting Henrik Ibsen's A Doll's House, a play written in 1879. Ibsen's work often deals with the rights of women, and you might as well start this work with that expectation.
Read Act I for tomorrow.
Read Act II for Wednesday.
Read Act III for Friday.
Tuesday, January 7, 2014
Monday, January 6, 2014
2014
TODAY IN CLASS
Trying to piece Part II of Heart of Darkness back together after a 2-week hiatus . . . .
Let's cut directly to MOVING FORWARD
For tomorrow--first task:
Trying to piece Part II of Heart of Darkness back together after a 2-week hiatus . . . .
Let's cut directly to MOVING FORWARD
For tomorrow--first task:
- Focus on the last passage I asked you to re-read in class. (For 1st, I'm adding back in the lead-in paragraph and just a few short sentences at the end.) Here are the beginning and ending points for this section: Begin at "Absurd," he cried. "This is the hardest part of trying to tell . . . [now keep going through this paragraph, the brief pause, and on through the LONG paragraph that starts with "I laid the ghost of his gifts at last with a lie . . ." and end with the start of the next paragraph: "Poor fool!" plus the next two sentences.
- What is important/noteworthy here? About what Marlow focusses on? His reflections on his own views? His speculations on what the listeners can/can't comprehend and why (or why not)? About Kurtz himself--what stands out, etc. (lots of things here). About the pamphlet. Pivot back to the helmsman--connection with Marlow, connection with Kurtz.
- Why/how is this a pivotal passage in the work as a whole?
For tomorrow--second task: Finish re-reading Part II. (I am assuming that you did read this before the break. However, pleas re-read these last few pages.)
For tomorrow--third task: Get a good start on Part III (one-third? one-fourth at the very least)
For WEDNESDAY--Finish reading Part III.
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