AP Lit: Women's Literature Book Groups

Remember that your books must be completed by January 9. Here is what you have agreed to read over the winter break:

Beloved: Per 3: through chapter 10

Per 4: to p. 146

Per 5:

Their Eyes: Per 3: through chapter 9

Per 4: through chapter 14

Per 5:

Nectar: Per 3: through chapter 9

Per 4: through Part I

Per 5:

Extra Credit - AP Literature

The assignment: read Wide Sargasso Sea, by Jean Rhys. Come to a discussion group during the mid-terms week.

The reward: an extra essay grade (100 pts) that you get an automatic 100 on.

Pretty sweet, huh? You might consider reading this book over the winter vacation. This will probably add 2-5 points to your 2nd quarter average, depending on how you're doing right now.

AP Lit: Sestina Extravaganza!

For this week, your poetry extravaganza revolves around Elizabeth Bishop's poem "Sestina." You have two things to do:

1) Write your own sestina.
2) Write a one page essay that reflects on your own process writing the poem AND addresses this question: how does this fixed form affect Bishop's poem?

Here is the format for a sestina:

1 6 3 5 4 2
2 1 6 3 5 4
3 5 4 2 1 6
4 2 1 6 3 5
5 4 2 1 6 3
6 3 5 4 2 1

After those six stanzas, you need a three-line stanza (a 'tercet') that includes all six words. Two per line, and the words should appear in the middle and the end of each line.

Not so hard, right? Feel free to post your sestinas for extra credit in response to this post. Remember the posting rules, though!

Very Helpful Resource!

While poking around on the interent today, I found this very thorough writing resource. The Purdue University "Online Writing Lab" is available at: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl

The site is comprehensive, and you will find everything about writing there: from how to use an apostrophe to how to formulate a convincing thesis. Check it out!

AP Literature: Jane Eyre Reading Schedule

Here is the reading schedule for Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Bronte.

Nov. 20: Chapters 1-10

Nov. 27: Chapters 11-19

Nov. 29: Chapters 20-23

Dec. 1: Chapters 24-26

Dec. 4: Chapters 27-29

Dec. 8: finish the book

The first two readings and final one are approximately 100 pages each. You have time to do it, but don't get behind! It's a big hole to dig out of if you try to do it all in one night.

AP Lit: Crime and Punishment Essay

NEW DUE DATE!!! NEW DUE DATE!!!

Your essay on Crime and Punishment is due on Thursday, October 19 (periods 3 & 5) or Friday, October 20 (period 4). You must write a 3-5 page essay on one of the open essay prompts that I distributed in class, or on a topic of your choice. Here are a few prompts reprinted from the list. Please do not read into their presence here - I don't prefer these prompts over the others in any way whatsoever.

2002. Morally ambiguous characters -- characters whose behavior discourages readers from identifying them as purely evil or purely good -- are at the heart of many works of literature. Choose a novel or play in which a morally ambiguous character plays a pivotal role. Then write an essay in which you explain how the character can be viewed as morally ambiguous and why his or her moral ambiguity is significant to the work as a whole. Avoid mere plot summary.

2001. One definition of madness is "mental delusion or the eccentric behavior arising from it." But Emily Dickinson wrote:

Much madness is divinest Sense-
To a discerning Eye-

Novelists and playwrights have often seen madness with a "discerning Eye." Select a novel or play in which a character's apparent madness or irrational behavior plays an important role. Then write a well-organized essay in which you explain what this delusion or eccentric behavior consists of and how it might be judged reasonable. Explain the significance of the "madness" to the work as a whole. Do not merely summarize the plot.

1994: In some works of literature, a character who appears briefly, or does not appear at all, is a significant presence. Choose a novel or a play of literary merit and write an essay in which you show how such a character functions in the work. You may wish to discuss how the character affects action, theme, or the development of other characters. Avoid plot summary.

1982: In great literature, no scene of violence exists for its own sake. Choose a work of literary merit that confronts the reader or audience with a scene or scenes of violence. In a well-organized essay, explain how the scene or scenes contribute to the meaning of the complete work. Avoid plot summary.

1981: The meaning of some literary works is often enhanced by sustained allusion to myths, the Bible, or other works of literature. Select a literary work that makes use of such sustained reference. Then write a well-organized essay in which you explain the allusion that predominates the work and analyze how it enhances the work’s meaning.

POSTING RULES

If you are going to comment on this blog, here are some handy-dandy rules. If they are not followed (even if you've got cool things to say), I will delete the comment.

1. Do not use your full name or provide your email address. The bottom line is, this site is not password protected and I do not want to contribute to the multitude of sketchy people in the world who happen to have computer access being privy to our personal information. Initials work. First name, last initial works. If you use your name or email, I will delete your comment. You can comment on here without logging in to Blogger, etc.
2. Be respectful.
3. Are there other relevant rules? I don't know - I'll let you know if they come up.

AP Lit: Poetry Extravaganza Due 10/13

Compare one of the Seamus Heaney poems read in class - Digging or The Follower - to Eavan Boland's poem Mise Eire. This should be a critical analysis piece. Remember the device:

Title
Paraphrase
Connotation
Attitude
Shifts
Title
Theme

This is not the end all, be all, just a helpful way to get your brain working about these texts. Come see me if you want some help!

English 11 Standard: Beowulf Project - WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

Beowulf: What Happens NEXT?

So, Beowulf killed Grendel. Ho-hum. Is that really it? That’s the end of the story? No way, dude, no way. There is, in fact, more to Beowulf’s story…but I’m not telling you what that is. Instead, it’s your job to continue this tale.

This project is due next week - October 11 (period 1) or 12 (period 2) - and you’ve got tons and tons of freedom with it. The basic idea is that you are now the storyteller and you need to tell us what comes next for Beowulf. Does he go back to Geatland? Does he decide to take over Heorot, kicking Hrothgar to the curb? Does one of his own men betray him, challenging his authority? Does Beowulf enter a time-portal and end up in the 21st Century, now visiting the mall and going grocery shopping? You can certainly take some extraordinary liberties with this project. Be creative and have fun!

What’s the format? GREAT question – that’s up to you too! Here are some ideas:

You can write it like an epic poem. Remember the general rules – lines of similar length and using techniques like kennings and alliteration. Or, break these rules of epic poetry and write in free verse. You could write a series of poems too.

You can write a series of ballads and play them in class. For all you guitar players out there, this might be a good option.

You could write the story from Beowulf’s perspective, or a different character’s perspective. You can experiment with style, writing it in a modern voice, like John Gardner did with Grendel.

You could write a graphic novel, telling your story with words and pictures. Not such a great artist? Download some pictures of Vikings from the Internet and use them in your story (just make sure to cite your source).

You could make a movie with some friends. Or make it animated! I would expect a copy of the script too.

Write a play – act it out in class!

Be creative – think of another idea and run it by me!!! I would be very excited to know what other possibilities are out there.

This project is worth 100 points. That’s big. Don’t miss it, yo.

AP Literature - Author Project Schedule

Here are the due dates when I will collect your Author Project journals. Remember that these journals are not intended to be the formal writing that will constitute your paper in the spring; rather they are opportunities to ask yourself questions, to maintain a lively interaction with the books you read, to begin to see the threads in an author's work.

September 29: first journal due. Which author? Why? What do you anticipate? What questions are milling about for you?

October 25: second journal due. You should be well into your first book. So what do you think? What questions are coming up? What is the best passage you’ve read so far and why is it so good? What characters are you drawn to or repulsed by? What do you think of the author’s style?

November 21: third journal due. If you haven’t finished your first book by now, you should be close. Any conclusions to some questions? Any initial thoughts for a thread you’d be interested in looking at in other books?

December 18: fourth journal due. You should be into your second book. While you want to do some comparison, don’t forget to also look at this text for its own merits. This is where you might be able to follow some threads in an author’s work, or see the writer diverging.

January 12: fifth journal due. Is that second book finished? Wow – way to go!!! If that first book isn’t finished, you better get on your horse before senioritis sets in.

February 26: sixth journal due. Have you consulted any literary criticism? Any biographical information? How do these pieces of information jive with your own thoughts? Is there anyone you can argue with? If you’re mid-way through your third book, you’re in great shape.

March 21: seventh journal due. Wow, you’ve read all three books. You feel good. You’re starting to solidify your ideas for a thesis.

April 6: no journal requirement. If you want to show me a rough draft, you must hand it in by this date.

May 18: Final paper due. 15-20 pages. Blood, sweat, and tears. After I look at it, you can have it bronzed and put on your mantle.

Cool Stuff

There are two exciting events happening in Maine in the next couple of months.

The Maine Humanities Council is celebrating its 30th anniversary with Humanities Fest at Bates College on October 21. The festival will feature music, poetry, stories, historical presentations, and many more interesting activities. Humanities Fest is FREE, but you must register in advance. The MHC website will have more information soon: www.mainehumanities.org.

In November, we will inaugurate the Maine Literary Festival! Pulitzer Prize winner Richard Russo provides the opening lecture, and the festival features many noted Maine authors or authors on Maine subjects. This is a fantastic opportunity to celebrate Maine in print. Prices are a bit steep, but it's a great opportunity, so start rolling your quarters now. The festival is November 3-5, and information is available at: www.maineliteraryfestival.com.

English 11S - Beowulf Reading Schedule

Sept. 20/21: Part I
Sept. 22: Part II
Sept. 25: Part III

Sept. 29: Beowulf quiz

October 3: What happens next? project is due.

AP Literature: Crime and Punishment Reading Schedule

Sept. 22: Part II, chapters 1-4
Sept. 25: finish Part II
Sept. 27/28: Part III, chapters 1-4
Sept. 29: finish Part III
Oct. 2: Part IV, chapters 1-4
Oct. 4/5: finish Part IV
Oct. 10: Part V
Oct. 13: finish Crime and Punishment.
Oct. 17: Crime and Punishment rough draft essays due - to be edited in small groups.
Oct. 20: Final draft of essays due.

AP Literature - College Essay

AP LITERATURE 12 The first draft of your college essay is due on Friday, September 8. Here are the prompts that the Common Application uses:


1. Evaluate a significant experience, achievement, risk you have taken, or ethical dilemma you have faced and its impact on you.
2. Discuss some issue of personal, local, national, or international concern and its importance to you.
3. Indicate a person who has had a significant influence on you, and describe that influence.
4. Describe a character in fiction, a historical figure, or a creative work (as in art, music, science, etc.) that has had an influence on you, and explain that influence.
5. A range of academic interests, personal perspectives, and life experiences adds much to the educational mix. Given your personal background, describe an experience that illustrates what you would bring to the diversity in a college community, or an encounter that demonstrated the importance of diversity to you.
6. Topic of your choice.

Summer Reading

Author: Cormac McCarthy
Title: Blood Meridian
Publisher: Vintage
Date of Publication: 1985

Source: My good friend Nick told me it had blown his mind. A colleague of his said that Blood Meridian says more about America than any other 20th Century novel. These two comments made me want to pick it up.

Response: I was completely transfixed by this book; so much so that when I was travelling I left it on a bus and I went to a bookstore and bought a brand new copy so I could keep going. Blood Meridian is probably the most violent book I've ever read. It is set in the post-Civil War American southwest, with a decidedly porous Mexican border, when one could make a lot of money scalping Natives and Mexicans. The novel follows a character known as the kid and his travels with a band of scalp hunters. One of the leaders, the judge, seems to take on superhuman qualities of strength, intelligence, knowledge, and brutality. The writing is uniquely spare - characters are as likely to spit as they are to actually say something in dialogue. Days seem to go by with only three or four words passed between these men of evil purpose. It is simply engrossing, but not for someone who is troubled by violent writing - nothing is gratuitous, but it can be quite graphic. McCarthy writes about death as casually as taking a drink of water. It is with purpose, though, because these characters cannot afford to trouble themselves with the implications of their actions. If they did, they would slow down, and if they slowed down, they would die. I wonder if this book says so much about America, what that means for us today?

A Taster: "Glanton rode his horse completely through the first wickiup trampling the occupants underfoot. Figures were scrambling out of the low doorways. The raiders went through the village at full gallop and turned and came back. A warrior stepped into their path and leveled a lance and Glanton shot him dead. Three others ran and he shot the first two with shots so closely executed that they fell together and the third one seemed to be coming apart as he ran, hit by half a dozen pistolballs. Within that first minute the slaughter had become general."

Rating (1-10, 10 being the best book I've ever read): 8.5

If you would like extra credit in the first quarter, reply to this posting with your own book. Please follow the format above, and think about your response to your selected book before you post.

Excellent Resource!

All right, so that first post went well. I'd like to tip you off to an excellent resource for all English students. Jack Lynch, professor of English at Rutgers University, has a website entitled, "How To Get An A On An English Paper." There are no shortcuts here, but it is a really nice look at what consitutes a good thesis, how to read literature closely, and generally important things to English teachers of all shapes and sizes. Check out his site here:

http://andromeda.rutgers.edu/~jlynch/EngPaper/

First Posting

Dear Students,

On this blog, we'll keep track of our classes - both AP Literature and English 11 Standard - at GHS. I will post upcoming events you might be interested in as well as class information. Let's start the year off right!