Literature 12: Glogster time

Anglo-Saxon group presents their historical period tomorrow. We start Beowulf. Yay. Thanks for your patience with glogster. Those who did not finish, please complete it at home.

AP Lit

I collected the compositions today. Good luck! I'm looking forward to reading them.

Choose one of the following stories to present to the class. Do a careful reading of the story looking for tone, point of view, motifs, syntax, etc. Choose 3 or 4 passages which you feel are vital to teach the class, i.e. some key aspects of the story which we wouldn't understand on a first read.Also, present key points about the author, the time period, and any cool anecdotes which you dig up, i.e. Shirley Jackson's story was published in The New Yorker magazine in 1948 and it received more letters from readers than any other story the magazine has ever published. Why?

Be sure to research your author, the time in which the story was written, and determine what mode of fiction is used i.e. psychological realism, social realism, or magic realism. You can search these terms on line.

"A Worn Path" Eurdora Welty
"The Lottery" Shirley Jackson
"The Chrysanthemums" John Steinbeck
"Araby" James Joyce
"A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings" Gabriel Garcia Marquez
"The Yellow Wallpaper" Charlotte Perkins Gilman
"The Horse Dealer's Daughter" D.H. Lawrence

English 11: Finish reading the story

Post-it note the changes that Teddy experiences as a result of his uncle invading the attic. What makes Teddy destroy his creations?

AP Lit: Always do your homework . . .

Bring your USSR books to class tomorrow or come early if the one you need is in the book room. Thanks. Be prepared to complete your essay tomorrow in 40 minutes. You decide how much prep time you need to do at home tonight.

 Today we prepared and wrote a short composition on Updike's story.

In the short story, "A & P" by John Updike, explain how Updike prepares the reader for the narrator's impulsive resignation. Refer to such devices as unique detail, motif, diction, point of view and syntax.

Use synonyms for resignation such as departure, exit, withdrawal, leaving, quitting. 

Include the following words in your response: colloquial, compliance or compliant, acquiescence or acquiesce, reconcile or reconciliation, tenacious, stalwart, unwavering, immune.

Step 1: Work the prompt. 

Internalize the question so you know exactly why you are writing. Know why you are choosing the evidence. Know what you want to say about the evidence. Know how it answers the question. Circle key words in the question. Think of synonyms for the key words you'll need to use so that the style is not repetitious. 

Step 2: Find the best devices. 

Example

The title: A & P --sense of seaparation, A and P are not close letters in the alphabet, 

The setting: aisles, order, sheep (customers) bestial imagery, conservative rules, unspoken expectations, it is in the middle of town, the townsfolk don't go to the beach, 

motif: Queen, sun, beach, warmth, golden -- a world he imagines, delights in, far from his experience, 

inner/outer worlds of the narrator: real vs imaginary

syntax: sentence fragments, colloquial, grammatically incorrect at times, other times the prose flows in long, complicated sentences to demonstrate the two worlds

imagery: the narrator and later the manager has his back to the door (turned away from the outside world, no expectations for other experiences, stick to what you know, stay in line, wait to be promoted

Step 3: Create a strong thesis which answers the question and states which devices you will use and why.

Sample thesis / introduction to a short composition: 

In John Updike's story, "A & P," the narrator's impulsive resignation dramatizes the union needed to reconcile the inner and outer worlds of this grocery-clerk narrator who is stuck in a conservative, acquiescent environment. The reader is prepared for this event through the use of setting, motif, and imagery which suggestively contrast freedom to compliance. 

Step 4: Write the composition. Focus on answering the question, of course, and supply ample examples (short quotations are best) and also focus on your own writing style: vocabulary needs to be exact, sentence variety (vary your types, your beginnings, your lengths) and use subordinate clauses: after, whenever, although, as, because, before, even it, even though, if, in order that, once, provided that, rather than, since, so that, than , that, though, unless, until, where, whereas, whenever, whether, while, why . . .

Sample Student Essay based on a short passage of prose by Alice Walker. 

Question 1

The Flowers

by Mitch Cram

Alice Walker’s short story, “The Flowers,” explores the loss of innocence through a young girl’s childlike reverie, interrupted by her discovery of the victim of a lynching. Walker’s use of vibrant colour and nature imagery enforces the pastoral idealizations of a child’s mind while the author prepares the reader for the fall with subtle references to natural phenomena outside the child’s grasp.

The first section of the story focuses on the sensory aspects of Myop’s afternoon. The concise diction and abstract expression evoke a child’s consciousness, similar to Joyce, and concentrates on the motif of the sun as a “golden surprise”. Myop—itself an almost onomatopoeic name, like a child’s pet sound—“[skips] lightly from her house to ....house” ; lightness and warmth define childhood. Similarly, “corn and cotton peanuts and squash are golden in colour and coalesce with the goodness and lightness Myop associates with the coming sun. For Myop, “nothing excited her but her song,” but even the next paragraph, opening with Myop “turning her back on the rusty boards” signifies an ignorance, or deliberate exclusion of less than ideal elements. The reader sense Myop’s naivety.

     The next section further explores nature imagery; however, now “late autumn” and “fallen leaves” express a falling action closely associated with the loss of innocence epitomized by the dead man. Even Myop senses the change in tone as “the strangeness of the land made it not as pleasant as her usual haunts,” intimating Myop’s fear of the unknown. The change in time, too, heralds a change: now noon, the expression of the narrator is greatly expanded; however, still limited. While earlier in the paragraph, the young girl delighted in discovering the new “strange blue flowers” the distinctly dark atmosphere of “the little cove in which she found herself” intimates isolation and perhaps even self-awareness—the phrase “found herself” emphasizes that interpretation. The “vague” fear of snakes—themselves symbols of temptation, sin as downfall—transforms into a visceral awareness of the damp, deep silence of the cove.

     The actual discovery of the corpse is a surprise to the reader, simply when Myop seeks to return “to the peacefulness of the morning’; however, time advances intentionally and the reader understands that Myop cannot travel back to innocence. The literal nature of the line “she stepped smack into his eyes” is not appreciated until it is revealed that Myop has encountered a disembodied heart; until then the line is interprets symbolically to represent judgement, voyeurism—all elements of maturity and corruption. However, the literal corruption exists in the corpse’s decay; ....as broken white teeth, rotted clothes and the noose. Walker’s symbolism of the pink rose again emphasizes rot, as event the rebirth of nature veils the remains of the broken noose. Myop’s childlike inquisitiveness leads the young girl to realize a more complex relationship between nature, life and death.

     Through symbolism and slowly mellowing nature imagery, Walker prepares the reader for the sudden and shocking manifestation of growing up.

English 11: Welcome

 Welcome to English 11. We're going to have a great year. Bring your notebooks, texts and USSR books to class each day, including your supplies, pens, paper, and post-it notes. Remember, if you miss a class, you must make up all missed work.

You managed to read your "USSR" novel from 3:10 to 3:36. Well done. If you don't like the writing style, let me know and we can get you a different book.

Post-it note at least  5 passages for every 30 pages. There may be some sections of the book that require a post-it note per page.

Look for the attributes below:

English 11: Independent Novel Unit:

How we are shaped by our world: family, religion, relationships, work, the place where we grow up, our cultural background, beliefs, and friendships.

Read and post-it the novel by _______________________________________.

Post-it note passages, quotations or pages which apply to the above topic.

• A character's dreams, hopes, aspirations
• A character's views of him/herself
• The obstacles in the way of self-acceptance
• How the character does or does not accept him/herself

You will be writing an essay comparing your novel to some of the short stories studied this year.

Be prepared to answer any of the following questions:

1. The effect of the character's family on his/her view of the world.
2. The ways the character interacts with his/her friends.
3. What the character thinks about his/her future.
4. What obstacles must the character overcome in order to live a healthy, independent life?
5. What character flaws damage or assist the character to meet the challenges of life?
6. Be able to find important passages quickly and explain their significance.

Lit 12: glogster creations

Tonight: Finish reading your section and place post-it notes on the points you plan to put onto your glogster page.

Have a look at the glogster site: glogster

Come to class tomorrow. I'll take attendance and then we'll move down to the learning commons. You will have three days to complete the glog.

We'll talk more about it tomorrow. Bring questions.

AP English 12

Welcome:

Tonight: Choose a book for USSR and bring it to class for Wednesday. Purchase highliters and post-it notes.

Finish reading the John Updike story, A & P. Underline repetitions, queen motif, more observations that reveal the narrator's plight: conservatism and individualism (expressionism) and how he comes to terms with the differences between his inner and outer worlds. We will be writing a paragraph in response to a question tomorrow during class. You will be able to use your notes and your story. The more you prepare, the better you will fare.

Keys to look for when reading fiction:
What does the story have to say? 
How does it say it?
1. Point of View
2. Tone / Style
3. Motifs / direct or indirect repetitions
4. Theme: Observations of the human condition (not just this character in this time)