If you did not turn in your journal...

you must give it to me ASAP. Thank you. Read the next two posts for additional reminders.

Last Reminders for Your Final Paper

Be sure to look over the assignment for the final paper (posted to the right) to see everything you need to put in your folder of materials. Remember, you're not just turning in the final version of the paper; you're turning in all of your work on the final paper, including the sources you consulted, in a folder of materials. The paper is due Wednesday, June 9, by 3:30 pm.

Formatting the Works Consulted Page

For assistance in formatting the Works Consulted page, use the Knight Cite citation service. Be sure to select the type of source on the left hand margin of Knight Cite before entering the citation information. This will not be helpful, however, for sources from databases such as ProQuest, Galenet (Twayne's Authors Series), and JSTOR.

For sources gathered from those kinds of databases, refer to p. 140 of your Pocket Style Manual.

Once again, your works consulted page should be organized alphabetically by the author's last name. Click here for a sample page. This sample page is titled Works Cited; yours must be titled Works Consulted.

The list can take some time to format, so you should not leave it for the last minute. Give yourself up to an hour to put the finishing touches on this page.

For Wednesday, 5/26 and Thursday, 5/27

Be sure to bring whatever you have for your final paper--put it on a flash drive, email it to yourself, or bring your laptop. We will spend a good part of class working on it. You may also find it helpful to bring your Pocket Style Manual.

Class on Friday (5/14) and Monday (5/17)

For homework, read Act IV, scenes 1-3, and scene 5 up to line 95 (skip scene 4). Do not write a journal entry. Instead, answer three questions for the character you were assigned in class for the character committee report. (The handout is posted to the right.) I made a mistake about Ophelia--in class, I told you she does not appear in this reading, but she does in fact appear in scene 5, so you should still answer three questions about her in your journal.

Also, bring to class whatever you have written for your final paper (e-mail it to yourself, put it on a flash drive, etc.). We will spend about half the class working on the final paper; the complete draft is due Tuesday (5/18) and Wednesday (5/19), and is worth 20% of the final paper grade.

Permission Forms Reminder

Friday, May 7, is the due date for your permission form to see Fences at Syracuse Stage on May 19. Turn in your form with $10 in cash or a check payable to MPH. If you need an extra permission form, click on the link posted to the right.

Change in due date for the draft of the final paper

Because of the AP exams, the draft of your final paper is now due Tuesday, May 18 (Day 5), and Wednesday, May 19 (Day 6). You will notice May 19 is the same day as the trip to Syracuse Stage; I will expect to receive your draft either before our departure or after our return to campus.

Revised Assignment Schedules, Next H.W. Assignment, and Performance Guidelines

The assignment schedules posted to the right have been revised and are now accurate for the remainder of the marking period. All the classes are now on the same page with Hamlet.

Your assignment for Friday, April 30, and Monday, May 3, is to read Act I, scene 5 of Hamlet (where Hamlet talks to his father's ghost) and to write a Hamlet journal entry. Please label each of your responses with its corresponding number and write them in separate paragraphs.

Also posted to the right are the guidelines for your group performances. You will receive Handout 2 in class on Friday and Monday, but if you don't have class until Monday, it will be helpful to look at it over the weekend.

Hamlet for Wednesday (4/28) and Thursday (4/29)

In order to bring all the classes up to speed, no matter where we left off in class, you should read through Act I, scene 4 for Wednesday and Thursday, and write a Hamlet journal entry for that reading (see the instructions posted to the right). To be clear, no matter how many scenes you read, you should only respond to three of the options. (For example, if you have to read scenes 3 and 4, do not respond to six of the options; only complete three of them.) If you are in the class that met first block on Monday, do not read the rest of scene 2; instead follow the instructions above. If you hear from someone after you have already completed the original scene 2 assignment, no worries; we will go over scenes 3 and 4 in class.

An Essay for an iPad

Shmoop is sponsoring an essay contest on Robert Frost's "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening." The grand prize is an Apple iPad 3G. Click here for more details. If you would like me to look over your essay before submitting it, don't hesitate to ask.

No Hamlet reading For Thursday...

...instead, finish revising your essay. Bring Hamlet with you; we'll read it in class. 

Essay 6 due 4/13 and 4/14

Just a reminder that Essay 6 on The Swallows of Kabul is due on Tuesday, April 13 (Day 3), and Wednesday, April 14 (Day 4). The directions for this essay are posted to the right.

Here are links to online versions of the poems we read in class:

Billy Collins, "Introduction to Poetry"

Stephen Crane, "War Is Kind"

Mary Oliver, "Wild Geese"

Naomi Shihab Nye, "Supple Cord"

Robert Frost, "To Earthward"

Czeslaw Milosz, "A Song on the End of the World"

William Butler Yeats, "The Second Coming"

Here is the citation information for the last review in your handout:

Thomas Filbin, "Review: Up Close and Personal," in The Hudson Review, Vol. 57, No. 3 (Autumn 2004), pp. 509-514.

If you missed class on Monday or Tuesday...

We prepared for reading The Swallows of Kabul. You are to read this novel independently. On Wednesday, April 7, or Thursday, April 8, you will have a quiz that will consist of three questions. Two of these questions will address literary elements in The Swallows of Kabul; for the third question, you will be asked for your literary opinion of the novel. I will require you to write five to ten sentences for each question.

On April 13 and 14, you will have due a three to four page essay on The Swallows of Kabul.

In class today, students worked in groups to learn about the social and historical context of the novel. You would do well to look up the following terms:

swallows

Kabul (look in Encyclopedia Britannica; also look at images)

Taliban (Wikipedia)

Soviet-Afghan War (Encyclopedia Britannica)

burka (sometimes spelled burqa; also look at images)

mullah

mufti

muezzin

Sharia

Qur'an

women in Afghanistan

relief organizations in Afghanistan

For homework, you need to read the two poems linked below and respond to the following question: What is poetry?

Billy Collins, "Introduction to Poetry"

Stephen Crane, "War Is Kind"

Oceania in Texas

You may find of interest this New York Times article on recently approved changes to the Texas social studies curriculum. Read it, and you will see the "mutability of the past" in action.

Addendum 3/17/10: This article about the disappearance of online privacy shows that even if users take all recommended steps to protect their privacy, it is still possible to develop a fairly accurate portrait of individuals, down to their Social Security numbers.

For Next Week, March 16-March 19

On Tuesday, March 16, and Wednesday, March 17, you will write an in-class essay on Nineteen Eighty-Four. You will have forty minutes to complete the essay. The essay will not address one of the themes that we have discussed in class and that groups have presented on. Instead, you should focus on the the literary elements and the broader ideas that make Nineteen Eighty-Four a unique book. Be sure that you can refer to specific scenes that capture important moments in the novel.

On Wednesday, March 18, and Thursday, March 19, the one-page overview of your final paper is due. (The handout that I distributed in class is posted on the right.) If you don't recall the kinds of sources that are acceptable, click on the final paper assignment posted on the right. If you don't recall how to find sources, go to the MPH library's web page for the English Department. You can access the databases from home by clicking on "Online Databases" which is on the right hand side of the library page. Use the information listed there to log on to the various sites. If you have questions over this long weekend about what to do, as always, don't hesitate to get in touch with me.

For next week, March 8-March 11

For Monday (Day 5) and Tuesday (Day 6), all sections must finish Nineteen Eighty-Four (up to p. 308); either closely annotate the book or write a journal entry. Your group projects, along with your self assessment of the group project (which is on the handout posted to the right), is due on Wednesday (Day 1) and Thursday (Day 6).

Minor Adjustment Due to Snow Days

Although we have missed two days of school, we will continue ahead with reading Nineteen Eighty-Four as scheduled. I will, however, push back the due date for the group presentation by one class. So, the new due date for the group presentation is Wednesday, March 10 (Day 1), or Thursday, March 11 (Day 2). The March vocabulary free-write is now due Monday, March 8 (Day 5), and Tuesday, March 9 (Day 6).

Writing Assignment for pp. 171-204/230 of Nineteen Eighty-Four

Annotate or write a journal entry for the following pages of Nineteen Eighty-Four, depending on your section: For Friday, 26 Feb. (Day 5), pp. 171-204; for Monday, 1 March (Day 6), read pp. 171-230. In addition, write one or two good paragraphs (typed) in response to one of the following topics. Be sure to use specific references to the text (i.e. a quote or two) to support your argument.

1. In this section of the reading, Winston begins to read Goldstein's book. What do you think he will take away from reading it? In other words, what do you think is the most valuable insight the book will provide to Winston? 2. In this section of the novel, the narrator describes some activities of Hate Week. When Winston reads from Goldstein's book, he learns about the Party's tactics of war. How does Goldstein's book help to explain the activities of Hate Week?

Writing Assignment for pp. 71/84-129 of Nineteen Eighty-Four AND Group Presentation Change

I have decided not to have the group presentation due this week. Instead, it will be due the same date as what was supposed to be the second group presentation. (A draft of the group presentation assignment is posted to the right, but you will receive it in class on Tuesday and Wednesday.) Since Nineteen Eighty-Four can be an intense book, we'll use this Thursday and Friday as a time to take a break and catch up on a few writing matters, work on the group presentation, and to begin thinking about your topic for the final paper. If anyone wants to read their most recent essay (or a part of it) aloud to the class, I'll allow time for that, too.

For Tuesday's (Day 3) and Wednesday's (Day 4) writing assignment, type your answer to one of the following questions. (For Monday's writing assignment, scroll down.) 1. You've read a little more than one-third of the book, and we have seen that Winston makes several references to the appeal of "useless" or "futile" things such as a wave of an arm, a mother's love, and the glass paperweight. In one or two good paragraphs, and with specific reference to the text (i.e., use at least one quote) explain why apparently useless things appeal so much to Winston. 2. In this section of the reading, Winston has two encounters with the past. First, he talks to an elderly man in a pub, and then he visits an antiques shop. In one or two good paragraphs, with specific reference to the text (again, use at least one quote), compare and contrast Winston's frustration and satisfaction with these examples of life before the Party rose to power.

Also, on the same sheet of paper, ask at least two significant questions about the reading. (No vocabulary questions, for example.)

Writing Assignment with pp. 38-71/84 of Nineteen Eighty-Four

An important skill to develop is paraphrasing another author's words. As your Pocket Style Manual (PSM) explains, "a paraphrase repeats the information [from a source] in about the same number of words as in the source. When you ... paraphrase, you must name the source and restate the source's meaning in your own language" (pp. 108-109). The key to paraphrasing is avoiding a word for word repetition of key words and phrases that appear in the source.

Here is your assignment. Paraphrase the following paragraph from Averil Gardner's George Orwell, his entry about Nineteen Eighty-Four's author in Twayne's English Authors Series Online. Be sure to type your paraphrase and bring it to class. The point of this exercise is to begin the process of learning to paraphrase effectively. I expect that you will not do it perfectly, so the key is to try to your best to paraphrase, and not to stress about plagiarizing it. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to get in touch with me.

Orwell drafted his earliest notes for what became Nineteen Eighty-Four some time in 1943, under the heading "The Last Man in Europe." He had in mind at that time a book in two parts; firmly established already were the notion of the "Two Minutes' Hate," the protagonist's relationship with two other characters, and a future society based on "organized lying," in which "objective truth" had disappeared. These last phenomena had first become apparent to Orwell during his time in Spain when, in his view, the P.O.U.M. [a left wing anarchist group] was systematically misrepresented, and many of his essays of the 1940s are haunted by the recurrent fear that history was vulnerable to alteration for political ends.

Extra Credit

Here is an opportunity to earn a few points and have some fun, too. Write a review of the Syracuse Stage production of Arthur Miller's The Price. Before writing your review, you should click here to read Clive Barnes's New York Times review of the original 1968 production. Of course, I don't expect you to write like Barnes, but you should try to follow the structure and format of his review. This is due February 9 (Day 3) or February 10 (Day 4) and can be submitted in place of the vocabulary free-write due that day.

Trip to Syracuse Stage on Wednesday, February 3

On Wednesday morning, the ninth and tenth grade will attend a performance of Arthur Miller's play, The Price. (By now, you should have returned your permission form and $12 to Mrs. Appleby in the Upper School office.) Tenth graders will meet in the breezeway at 9:35, so go to the breezeway right after your first block class.

Click here to see Syracuse Stage's page for The Price. You can view a trailer for the play as well as an interview with one of the actors. The running time is 2 hours and 35 minutes, and there is a 15 minute intermission. We will return by 1:30, at which time we will have lunch in the dining hall.

Writing Assignment with pp. 1-38 of Nineteen Eighty-Four

Type your response to the following:

Nineteen Eighty-Four is narrated from a third-person point of view, which nevertheless provides a lot of information about Winston. Write one or two good paragraphs that analyze the narrator's tone so far. Be sure to use the list of tone words (posted to the right) to find one or more descriptive words. With this tone in mind, do you find that you trust the narrator so far?

As you develop your response, keep in mind that, in academic writing, any good paragraph makes one good point and supports that point with direct and specific evidence.

Also, prepare two questions about the reading for class. (You must type these, too.)

Essay 5 Due Monday (2/1) and Tuesday (2/2)

The directions for Essay 5, which is due on Monday, February 1 (Day 3), and Tuesday, February 2 (Day 4), are posted to the right.

If you have trouble developing your own topic, please see me or get in touch with me.

Prompts for In-Class Essay Thursday and Friday

For Thursday and Friday, you need to finish reading and annotating your book for the final paper. On Thursday and Friday, you will write an essay in class about your book. You will have forty minutes to complete the essay. Below, and posted to the right, are five topics to think about for this essay. On the day of the essay, I will give you two of these topics, and you will write about one of them.

Character. Describe the protagonist's central preoccupation, and both explain how he or she tries to achieve it, and why he or she can or cannot achieve it. What stands in the protagonist's way? Does the protagonist change his or her attitude toward this preoccupation? How does the protagonist's attitude toward this central preoccupation reflect an essential quality about him or her?

Plot. Describe the climax of your book and explain how it relates to the central conflict. Be sure to mention where in your book the climax takes place (close to the beginning? toward the end? in the middle?), and whether that gives sufficient space for the conflict to develop and to be resolved.

Conflict. Explain how the central conflict in your book both advances the plot and contributes to the protagonist's development as a character. Be sure to identify the force or character that opposes the protagonist.

Narrative tone and point of view. Analyze the ways the narrative voice and point of view of your book are appropriate for one of its themes. For example, if your book's narrator is ironic, how does that tone reinforce one of its themes? Or, if the narrative tone is nostalgic, how does that sense of nostalgia help you understand one of the book's themes?

The whole text. Does your book, as a whole, work? Address this question by explaining how three of the elements of fiction come together, or fail to come together, in your book. It may be helpful to take apart your selected elements of fiction and put them back together again.

Homework for Wednesday and Thursday

You will not have an essay due next week. Instead, write one typed page in response to the following prompt:

Stevenson wrote Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde during a very conservative time period. In Victorian England, respectable men and women had strict standards of behavior. Compared to Stevenson's, however, our society is open-minded, permissive, and tolerant. Given our tolerance for all sorts of behavior and lifestyles that were once forbidden, is Stevenson's novel still relevant today?

Jekyll and Hyde

Here is the link to the floor plan of Henry Jekyll's house that I showed in class:

http://jacinet.johnabbott.qc.ca/webpages/departments/english/trecartin/jekyllfloorplan.htm

This floor plan is not quite accurate as it does not indicate the windows that can be seen from the courtyard. (Of lesser importance, the illustrator rotated the house 180 degrees from the first to the second illustrations, but did not adjust the compass directions.)

Here is the link to the Jekyll and Hyde book available through Google Books:

http://books.google.com/books?id=s4A1AAAAMAAJ&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q=&f=false

Although the page numbers do not match those of our edition, the search function might be helpful to finding certain words or scenes.

Homework Reminder

Remember that from now on, you only have to annotate the homework reading closely or write a journal entry. This does not apply to your book for the final paper, which you must annotate (no journal entries for that).