Senior English Discussion Board

It's Alive

2010-01-03T17:37:00.001-08:00

Hey Seniors!
Welcome to the New Year!
I just finished grading a whole lot of essays and am ready to get back into the classroom. I hop you are too!
Share any reactions or questions about Mary Shelley's Frankenstein here!

Bluest Eye Wrap Up

2009-11-30T13:14:00.001-08:00

Share your reactions, emotions, and opinions about Toni Morrison's The Bluest Eye.

What surprised you-
shocked you-
upset you-
made you angry-

Would you recommend the book?
Did you enjoy it?
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Gender in the Bluest Eye

2009-11-19T09:47:00.000-08:00

This is a book about women: Pecola, Claudia, Frieda, the women community of Lorain Ohio.

Have you noticed any patterns in the portrayal of men?

Do you think her portrayal of men is fair?

What constitutes abuse?

2009-11-09T07:03:00.000-08:00

It is clear that Pecola lives in an abusive household.

She is verbally abused, emotionally abused, sexually abused, and physically abused.

That is not in question.

Still, the idea of "abuse"-particularly physical child abuse-is still a subject of controversy.

Some parents swear that spanking is an acceptable form of discipline.

Others swear it is not.

Where is the line? What constitutes abuse?

What is Beautiful?

2009-10-25T12:10:00.000-07:00

We all have an idea of what beauty is...in fact the next book we are reading, The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison, explores what happens when your idea of beauty does not match up with what you see in the mirror.

SO-First question on the block:

How do we know what is beautiful? Where does our idea of beauty come from?

COMMENT BELOW.

Feel free to answer the question, respond to others, and engage in respectful debate.

Beginning Invisible Man...Homework Assignments

2009-02-02T05:17:00.001-08:00

Invisible Man Homework Assignments
Homework #1 Prologue- Due Wednesday February 4
1. How would you describe the tone of the fi rst two paragraphs?
2. What is ironic about the narrator’s encounter with the blond man?
3. What does it mean when the narrator says that the blond man “had not seen [him]”?
4. Who are the “sleeping ones” (Pg. 5)?
5. Explain the narrator’s desire for light in his hiding place in the basement.
6. What is the relationship between the music of Louis Armstrong and the narrator’s sense of invisibility?
7. What does the narrator learn about the struggle for freedom during his conversation with a former slave?

Homework #2 Chapters 1 & 2 Due Friday February 6
1. How is allusion used in the second paragraph?
2. Explain the advice that the narrator’s grandfather gives him: “Let ‘em swoller you till they vomit or bust wide open.” (Pg. 16)
3. What is the significance of the narrator’s viewing himself as a “potential Booker T. Washington”? (Pg. 18)
4. Explain the ambivalence the narrator feels toward the naked blonde on page 19.
5. What is the effect of the images of the white men in the second paragraph of page 20?
6. How is the imagery in the main paragraph on page 23 ironic?
7. How does this chapter show the limits of assimilation?

Chapter Two
1. How is the road in the fi rst paragraph used as a metaphor?
2. What is the rhetorical purpose of the Founder’s statue?
3. How are diction and syntax used in the description of the trustees’ arrival at Founders’ Day? (Pg. 36-37)
4. How are allusions used in the initial description of Mr. Norton? (Pg. 37)
5. How is repetition used in the third paragraph of page 39?
6. What makes the sleeping farmer “the kind of white man [that the narrator fears]”? (Pg. 41)
7. Why is Mr. Norton’s enthusiasm for his widow so strange to the narrator?
8. How is the following statement an example of foreshadowing?
“I’ve never seen this section before. It’s new territory for me.” (Pg. 46)
9. How is juxtaposition used in the conversation that the narrator and Mr. Norton have with Jim= Trueblood?
10. What is the tone that Trueblood uses to tell the story of his incest?
11. What is ironic about the sexual attraction between Trueblood and his daughter?
12. Why would Trueblood’s wife bring Aunt Cloe over?
13. Why do you think Trueblood receives so much more charity from the white community than from his own?
14. Why do you think Mr. Norton gives Trueblood $100?

Homework #3 Chapter Three- Due Monday February 9
1. What is the significance of the wide range of professions that the insane men at the Golden Day used to practice?
2. How do the apocalyptic ravings of one of the patients serve to foreshadow the future?
3. Why do the patients fi nd that kicking Supercargo is therapeutic?
4. Why does the veteran call the narrator invisible on page 94?

Homework #4 Chapters 4 & 5 Due Wednesday February 10
1. How does the imagery on pages 98 and 99 belie the narrator’s inner tension?
2. Why does the narrator hate Trueblood and the people at the Golden Day?
3. What is the effect of comparing the campus building to an “old plantation manor house” on page 100?
4. How has Dr. Bledsoe achieved power in society?
5. How are the mirror and the aquarium metaphors on page 102?

Chapter Five
1. What is the rhetorical argument behind the comparison of the moon to a “white man’s bloodshot eye” on page 110?
2. What is the tone of the two paragraphs on pages 110 and 111, beginning with “Into the doors and into the soft lights…”
3. What is the rhetorical effect of the italicized passage on pages 113 and 114?
4. What phrase does the narrator use to describe Dr. Bledsoe’s position relative to the trustees around him? Why is this significant?
5. How is allusion used during Rev. Barbee’s sermon?
6. How is simile used to express the effect of the Founder’s death?
7. How are sound devices connected to the word “black” in the latter part of Rev. Barbee’s sermon?
8. What is the rhetorical effect of Rev. Barbee’s blindness?
9. What images does the narrator see as he leaves chapel?

Homework #5 Chapter Six- Due Friday February 13
1. Describe Dr. Bledsoe’s posture as the narrator goes to his meeting.
2. Why is Dr. Bledsoe so angry with the narrator?
3. How are Dr. Bledsoe’s ideas about black/white relations similar to those of the narrator’s grandfather?
4. How is repetition used to show the narrator’s shock when Dr. Bledsoe calls him a “nigger”? (Pg. 139)
5. How is Dr. Bledsoe’s handshake an example of foreshadowing?

Winter Recess Assignment
Chapters 7-16 Due Monday February 23
Chapter 7
1. What device appears in the vet’s advice to the narrator, after he tells him to “come out of the fog”? (Pg. 153)
2. What does it mean when the vet tells the narrator to be his own father? (Pg. 156)
3. What allusion is used to describe the narrator’s arrival in Harlem?

Chapter Eight
1. What is ironic about the narrator’s discovery of a Bible in his room at Men’s House?
2. What is ironic about the difference between the way blacks could speak in the North as opposed to the South?
3. What is the signifi cance of the image of the Statue of Liberty, her torch “almost lost in the fog”? (Pg. 165)
4. What is unusual about the narrator’s description of the pictures in Mr. Bates’ offi ce?

Chapter Nine
1. What does the vendor mean when he asks the narrator if he “got the dog”? (Pg. 173)
2. What is the signifi cance of the long, jumbled words put together on p. 176?
3. What is the purpose of the drawn-out conversation between the narrator and Mr.Emerson’s son?
4. How would you describe the tone of Dr. Bledsoe’s letter?
5. What extended metaphor does the narrator use to describe the imagined conversation between the elder Mr. Emerson and Dr. Bledsoe?

Chapter Ten
1. Explain the extended metaphor of Liberty Paints.
2. How are Lucius Brockway and Dr. Bledsoe similar?
Chapter Eleven
1. What literary devices contribute to the sense of disorientation on pages 231 and 232?
2. What is the rhetorical purpose of the conversation that the narrator overhears on pages 236 and 237?
3. How is the narrator different after he leaves the hospital?

Chapter Twelve
1. What is the rhetorical purpose of the “spoiled-cream” complexions of the women that the narrator sees as he careens out of the subway?
2. How does the syntax of the first three pages contribute to the narrator’s sense of disorientation?
3. What is the rhetorical effect of the syntax on page 256, as the narrator returns to Men’s House?
4. What purpose does Mary serve for the narrator?
5. How is alliteration used to express the anxiety that the narrator feels on page 259?

Chapter Thirteen
1. What is the metaphorical value of the sweet potatoes?
2. What is the purpose of the emancipation letter among the old couple’s belongings?
3. What is the effect of the italicized paragraph on page 273?
4. Why is the narrator ambivalent about attacking the men who are evicting the old couple?
5. What is the narrator’s rhetorical argument as he addresses the crowd?
6. How does the man in the café interpret the narrator’s sentiments incorrectly?

Chapter Fourteen
1. What is the narrator’s principal motivation for accepting the job?
2. What is the effect of the trip through Central Park?
3. How is color used to affect imagery in the salon?
4. Why does Emma wish that the narrator were blacker? (Pg. 303)
5. What is ironic about Brother Jack’s suggestion that the narrator become the new Booker T. Washington?
6. What is the idea behind the narrator’s confrontation with the drunken man who wants him to sing, because “all colored people sing”? (Pg. 312)
7. What is the difference between the definition of “we” that people like Mary embrace and the definition that people like Brother Jack embrace?

Chapter Fifteen
1. Why does the narrator get so angry when he notices the cast-iron bank in the shape of a caricature of a black man?
2. What is the metaphorical value of the fact that the clock in Mary’s kitchen is slower than the narrator’s?
3. Explain the following quotation from page 326:
“Some folks just live in filth,” she said disgustedly. “Just let a little knocking start and here it comes crawling out. All you have to do is shake things up a bit.”
4. What is ironic about the narrator’s attempt to get rid of the coin bank?

Chapter Sixteen
1. How is repetition used at the bottom of page 335 to express the change the narrator feels in his identity?
2. What is the metaphorical value of the policemen that the narrator sees when he ducks out into the street before his speech?
3. What is the significance of the narrator’s daydream about the bulldog?
4. How does the description of the stage contribute to the narrator’s sense of isolation?
5. Why do some members of the Brotherhood object to the narrator’s speech?

Homework # 6 Chapter Seventeen - Due Wednesday February 25
1. How is paradox used to express the contradictory constraints placed on the narrator?
2. How might Tod Clifton serve as a more effective spokesman than the narrator, at least in the eyes of Emma?
3. How is humor used in the first introduction of Ras the Exhorter?
4. Why do you think the author chooses to have Ras speak the dialect of a native African learning English?
5. What does Tod Clifton mean when he says that “sometimes a man has to plunge outside history”? (Pg. 377)
6. How is alliteration used to reflect the instantaneous paradox that memories of the narrator’s grandfather bring to mind?

Homework #7 Chapter Eighteen- Due Friday February 27
1. Who are “they”? Who will cut the narrator down, according to the letter?
2. How is Brother Tarp’s slave chain-link different from Dr. Bledsoe’s?
3. What does the narrator mean when he says that Brother Wrestrum “snatched [him] back to the South”?
(Pg. 403)

Homework #8 Chapters 19 & 20- Due Monday March 3
1. How does the setting of the beginning of the chapter contradict the woman’s tone?
2. How are sound devices used to express the ambivalence the narrator feels about the woman?
3. How is asyndeton used to show the building panic in the narrator’s mind as he leaves the building?
4. Explain the significance of this sentence on page 419: (CONTINUED…)
“My nerves were in a state of constant tension, my face took on a stiff,
noncommittal expression, beginning to look like Brother Jack’s and the other
leaders’.”

Chapter Twenty
1. Why is there so much resentment toward the narrator in the Jolly Dollar?
2. How did Clifton choose to make his escape from history?
3. How does the author use irony on page 438 to show how far Clifton had fallen?
4. Explain the signifi cance of this sentence on page 443:
They were outside the groove of history, and it was my job to get them in, all
of them.
5. What happens right before the end of the chapter to make the narrator realize the significance of his leadership?

Homework # 9 Chapters 21 & 22- Due Wednesday March 5
1. In the description of the funeral procession, how do the images show the angry pride of the crowd?
2. How is personifi ation used to show the power of the music in the procession?
3. Why is the narrator envious of the old man?
4. How could an old slave song have such power?
5. Is the peanut vendor an allusion to Christ on the cross?
6. How does the narrator use anaphora to make his eulogy more personal?
7. What does the narrator mean when he says that everyone at the funeral is in the box
with Tod Clifton?
8. Is there any sign that the narrator is learning that he is dealing with people, rather than a people?

Chapter Twenty-Two
1. What is the reason behind the narrator’s conflict with the Brotherhood?
2. What is the metaphorical value of Brother Jack’s glass eye?

Homework #10 Chapter Twenty-Three- Due Friday March 7
1. How is humor used when the narrator puts on a pair of sunglasses to escape Ras’s goons?
2. Why does Hambro disappoint the narrator?
3. Explain the signifi cance of this sentence on page 507:
“If they tolerate Rinehart, then they will forget it and even with them you are invisible.”
4. How has the narrator become invisible?

Homework # 11 Chapters 24 & 25- Due Monday March 10
1. How has the narrator come to adopt one of Dr. Bledsoe’s strategies?
2. How does the narrator use grammar to ridicule Sybil?

Chapter Twenty-Five
1. How does the burning tenement show progress?
2. How is humor used to show Ras’ ridiculousness?
3. What is the rhetorical effect of Ras’ getting hit by a spear?

Homework #12 Epilogue- Due Tuesday March 11
1. What does the narrator mean when he says he became “ill of affirmation” on page 573?
2. How is polysyndeton used to show the inner rage the narrator would feel while affirming others in their errors?
3. What definition of invisibility spurs the narrator to return to social action?
4. What is the effect of the rhetorical question that ends the novel?

Wednesday Jan. 7

2009-01-06T13:07:00.000-08:00

AIM: What is the significance of the three books The Creature found?

DO NOW:

Tuesday

2009-01-06T13:05:00.000-08:00

AIM: How did the Creature's childhood compare to Victor's?

DO NOW: Quote ID #8
Choose your own- The speaker MUST be the Creature!

READING:

MINI-LESSON
Tabula Rasa- Blank Slate- Each human comes into the worls a blank slate. Their individual experiences shape the person that they become.

Nature v. Nurture

WORK PERIOD:
VENN DIAGRAM- Comparing Victor's Childhood with the Creature's

What is ironic about the man each child became?

Monday Jan. 5

2009-01-06T13:02:00.001-08:00

AP
TOUCHSTONE DISCUSSION: Is Cormac McCarthy's THE ROAD a novel of hope or a novel of despair?

DO NOW: Free Write: What was your emotional response to THE ROAD?

WORK PERIOD: TOUCHSTONE DISCUSSION

E7H
AIM: The Creature-Who is he?
DO NOW: How have your feelings for the Creature changed over the course of the novel? What has caused those changes?

READING: CH. 13-14- Safie and the Cottagers
DISCUSSION:
What is the Creature's view on Knowledge?

How is Safie a feminist character?

WORK PERIOD:
Assign the Creature a name of your choice. Explain why you chose the name you did.

Frankenstein Homework

2009-01-06T13:01:00.001-08:00

Prologue Due Monday Dec. 1
1. The novel begins with a series of letters in which the narrator of the novel is writing
his thoughts and plans to his sister. Where is the narrator going? Why has he chosen
to make this voyage? Of what does the narrator dream? What is his goal?
2. Walton says he is a “Romantic.” What is a Romantic person like?
3. What evidence does Walton provide of his Romantic leanings?
4. Aside from personal glory, what two benefits to mankind does Walton hope to achieve?
5. Identify one example of foreshadowing.
6. How do Walton’s letters illustrate the tension between eighteenth-century rationalism
and nineteenth-century Romanticism?
7. What is Walton’s impression of Frankenstein?
8. How does Frankenstein react to Walton’s dream/goal?
9. Why does Frankenstein decide to tell Walton his story?

Chapters I and II Due Friday Dec. 5
1. What plot exposition does Shelley offer the reader in these chapters?
2. What are Frankenstein’s parents like? How do they feel about each other and about
their child?
3. How are Victor and Elizabeth different? What kind of person is Victor?
4. What quality in young Frankenstein proves to be his tragic flaw later in life?
5. Who is Henry Clerval? What is he like? How is he different from Victor?
6. What does Victor want to accomplish in life? Why does he turn to the study of
mathematics? What prevents him from continuing his study?
7. How is Elizabeth a “typical” Romantic female character?
8. How did Cornelius Agrippa and other early scientists affect young Victor?
9. How does Victor view his switch to mathematics? What does he compare it to?
10. What is foreshadowed at the end of Chapter 2?

Chapters III and IV Monday Dec. 8
1. How is the story of Victor’s mother’s death ironic?
2. What does Victor contemplate in the first hours of his departure? How do these
thoughts indicate his future?
3. Why does Victor not want to study the contemporary scientists suggested by
M. Krempe?
4. What ultimately changes Victor’s mind about new chemists?
5. Compare the physiognomy of Krempe and Waldman.
6. What is the literary term for M. Waldman and the effect that his lecture and guidance
have on Victor?
7. Why does Victor favor science above all other disciplines?
8. How is Victor’s practice of science different from the modern practice of science?
9. Why does Victor hesitate to make a creature like man? Why does he go through
with it?
10. What traditional tragic flaw is Victor demonstrating?
11. What is the central flaw in Victor’s decision what to create?
12. What internal conflict does Victor deal with as he finishes his creation?
13. List some gothic details from the end of Chapter IV.
14. What is Romantic in the moral Victor shares with Walton?

Chapters V and VI Due Friday Dec. 12
1. How is the night that the creature is born an example of Gothic prose?
2. What is ironic about the creature’s physical appearance?
3. What is Romantic about the creature’s physical appearance?
4. How does Dr. Frankenstein feel about his creation? What does he do after the creature
comes to life?
5. What event is foreshadowed in the beginning of Chapter V?
6. What does Frankenstein feel when the creature reaches out to him? What do you think
is the creature’s reason for reaching out for Dr. Frankenstein?
7. What is most likely the cause of Victor’s reaction to his success?
8. In Elizabeth’s letter to Victor there is one example of Shelley’s support for the
revolution in France and republican society. Identify the passage.
9. What do you learn about in Elizabeth’s letter through plot exposition?
10. What sparks Victor’s fever?
11. How is Victor’s recovery an example of Romanticism?
12. How does Shelley create suspense toward the end of these chapters?

Chapters VII and VIII Due Monday Dec. 15
1. What function do letters serve in this and previous chapters?
2. What briefly lifts Victor’s spirit on his journey home? Why is this significant?
3. Why does Elizabeth believe that she is responsible for William’s death?
4. What is “gothic” about Frankenstein’s encounter with the creature?
5. What is depicted in the picture above the Frankensteins’ mantelpiece?
6. Why doesn’t Frankenstein take the blame from Justine?
7. Why does Elizabeth’s speech in court hurt Justine?
8. What is revealed about Justine’s character in these chapters?
9. Do you think Frankenstein is as guilty as he feels he is? Of what do you think he is
guilty, if anything?
10. How do the reactions of Victor and his family to William’s murder illustrate Romantic principles?

Chapters IX and X Due Friday Dec. 19
1. What keeps Victor from killing himself at the beginning of this chapter?
2. How does Victor become a disenfranchised member of society himself?
3. As Victor climbs the mountains, what effect do they have on him?
4. Why does Victor climb Montanvent in spite of the rain? How does that identify this as a romantic novel?
5. What are Victor’s feelings as his creature approaches him. What is the first thing he
says to his creature?
6. How does the creature respond to Victor?
7. What biblical character does the creature compare himself to? What character does he think he ought to be?
8. What do you think the creature will ask of Victor? Why?
9. What does the creature say made him a “fiend?” What is Romantic about this?
10. What does the creature claim is the basis of Victor’s debt to him?
11. What does the creature promise to Victor if Victor will fulfill his duties as creator?

Chapters XI and XII Due Monday Dec. 22
1. What technique does Shelley employ to provide the reader with the creature’s story?
2. Trace the levels of narration Shelley has established to tell this story.
3. How does the creature describe his first days of life?
4. How does the creature respond to fire?
5. How are the creature’s early days different from Victor’s early days?
6. What effect does the creature’s speech (vocabulary and grammar) have on the reader?Why did Shelley write it for that purpose?
7. Why is the creature confused to see his cottagers crying?
8. Why does the creature work so hard to learn their language? What does that reveal
about his character?
9. What does the creature say he discovers about himself? What feelings does this
discovery cause?
10. Why is the creature’s appearance relevant? What “science” is Shelley discrediting?
11. What evidence does Shelley provide of the creature’s innate goodness?
12. What is typically Romantic in the final paragraph of Chapter XII?
13. How are the creature’s first words similar to the typical first words of human babies?
14. Based on what you’ve read so far, do you anticipate the cottagers will accept the
creature? Why or why not?
15. Why does Shelley end chapter 13 on an apparently optimistic note?

Chapters XIII and XIV Due Monday Jan. 5
1. Explain the second sentence of this chapter: “I shall relate events that impressed me
with feelings which...have made me what I am.”
2. What practical purpose does the beautiful stranger serve?
3. Why does the creature calls the cottagers his “protectors?”
4. What paradox does the creature see in humankind through his study of human
history?
5. In what way does his study of human society make him what he eventually becomes?
6. What is the primary disadvantage of the creature’s “education”?
7. In view of the trial of Safie’s father in Chapter XIV, and Justine’s trial earlier, what is Shelley’s opinion of the courts in that era?
8. How is Safie a feminist character?
9. What plot exposition is revealed in Chapter XIV?
10. What is the character of Safie’s father? How is he a foil to Safie, and to Victor’s own father?

Chapters XV and XVI Due Friday Jan. 9
1. What is revealed about the creature’s character very early in Chapter XV?
2. How does the creature feel about the Sorrows of Werter? In what ways is he different
from the characters in the book?
3. What is the creature’s reaction to Paradise Lost? According to the creature, how is he both similar to and dissimilar from Adam?
4. Why couldn’t the creature fully sympathize with the characters in Milton’s book?
5. What does the creature find in his pocket? How does it make him feel?
6. What happens when the creature introduces himself to the cottagers?
7. Why doesn’t the creature kill itself after this incident?
8. What evidence is there that the creature is still essentially good despite this
momentous disappointment?
9. What does the creature decide to do? What is his new plan?
10. What happens that makes the creature finally despair?
11. Why does the creature decide to go to Geneva? How have these horrible circumstances changed him?
12. Why does the creature ask for a mate?

Chapters XVII and XVIII Due Monday Jan. 12
1. What, according to the creature, is the cause of his wickedness and what will be
the remedy?
2. What does Victor suggest is a creator’s obligation to his creation?
3. Follow Victor’s and the creature’s lines of reasoning in their debate over the creation of the companion. Whose reasoning is most sound?
4. Why does Victor refuse to make a female monster? Do you feel he is justified in
his refusal?
5. What is the “sympathy” that the creature long for?
6. What is different about his solitude at the beginning of Chapter XVIII from his solitude while first creating the monster?
7. What does Victor’s father think is the cause of Victor’s present anxiety?
8. What are some of the reasons Victor feels he must go to England to complete his task?

Chapters XIX and XX Due Friday Jan. 16
1. Describe Victor’s feelings as he journeys through England.
2. What does Victor say about his childhood in Chapter XIX?
3. What is Victor’s big fear in delaying his trip?
4. Why would the Romantic Mary Shelley call the English Civil War “the most animating epoch of English history”?
5. What style of literature describes the place where Victor begins to work in Scotland?
Why?
6. How is his creation of this monster different from the first?
7. Give four reasons why Victor changes his mind about making the second creature. Use evidence from the book to refute each of Victor’s reasons.
8. What opinion does Victor have of his creation? Do you agree with his assessment of it?
9. What is your reaction to the creature’s speech? Do you agree with him at all? Do you think Victor has treated him fairly?
10. What does the creature threaten when Victor destroys the mate?
11. What is the “calmness” Victor finds after the monster storms away?

Chapters XXI- XXIV Due Tuesday Jan. 20
1. What is familiar about the method of the murder discovered in this chapter?
2. Who has been murdered, and why is Victor accused of the murder?
3. Why does Victor think he survived all that he had been through? How is the fact that
he lives ironic?
4. Victor makes several references to his destiny in this chapter. What does he believes his destiny to be?
5. What does the word “torpor” mean in the following context?: “But my general state of being was a torpor, in which a prison was as welcome a residence as the divinest scene in nature”?
6. Why does Victor feel he can’t be with people? What opinion does Victor express about his creation?
7. What is ironic about the desires of Victor and the creature?
8. Why does Victor decide to marry Elizabeth immediately?
9. In what way does Elizabeth restore the Romantic Victor?
10. What do you think will happen on Victor and Elizabeth’s wedding night?
11. How does Shelley build suspense in these chapters?
12. What evidence is there to suggest what the creature really means by his threat to be
with Frankenstein on his wedding night?
13. When does it finally occur to Victor that he has foolishly misinterpreted the creature’s threat?
14. How does the monster react to his murdering Elizabeth?
15. What does the word “acme” mean in the following context: “Mine has been a tale of
horrors; I have reached their acme, and what I must now relate can but be tedious to you”?
16. What is different about Victor’s reaction to Elizabeth’s ( and his father’s ) death from the rest?
17. Victor, in his anger, says to the magistrate, “How ignorant art thou in thy pride of wisdom.” What is the irony in this?
18. In Chapter XX, Victor says his calmness is brought by despair. At the beginning of
Chapter XXIV, he says his calculating revenge brings him calm. What does this change
say about his character after the deaths of his wife and father?
19. What does the creature want Victor to do now? How does that show a difference in the creature’s character from the point when he wanted a companion?
20. Consider Victor’s statement: “When I reflected on the work I had completed, no less alone than the creation of a sensitive and rational animal, I could not rank myself with the herd or common projectors...All my speculations and hopes are as nothing; and, like the archangel who aspired to omnipotence, I am chained to eternal hell” How does this establish Victor as a tragic hero?
21. On his deathbed, Victor admits that he had an obligation to make sure his creature had a happy life. What is ironic about the excuse he offers for not doing so?
22. How does the end of the novel justify the concentric levels of narration introduced at the beginning?
23. How does the inclusion of Captain Walton affect the overall meaning of the book?
24. Explain how Victor is similar to a tragic hero.
25. Explain how Victor is similar to a romantic hero.
26. How does Victor depart from the typical tragic hero?

Catching Up...December Lessons

2009-01-06T12:41:00.000-08:00

Lesson 6- Multiple Choice Practice

Lesson 7
What is Victor's Tragic Flaw?

DO Now: Quote ID #3
"No word, no expression could body forth the kind of relation in which she stood to me, my more than sister, since till death she was to be only mine." pg. 43

Reading: "Hamartia" From Wikipedia

MINI-Lesson:
Victor's Flaws Victor's Mistakes
_____________________________________

Which led to his downfall?

Guide students to an understanding that his flaws ultimately led to his mistakes.

WORK PERIOD:
Free-write: What is your Tragic Flaw? Do not say laziness. What is behind that laziness? Insecurity? Incompetence? Laziness, procrastination, talking too much...they are all symptoms of a deeper flaw. What is it?

Lesson 8
AIM: How do we account for our tragic flaws when making decisions?

DO NOW: Take out your tragic flaw free write

MINI-LESSON: Rules for Touchstone Discussion
1.) One mic
2.) Everybody talks, everybody listens
3.) Keep the conversation going
4.) The teacher does not facilitate, we facilitate ourselves
5.) Be respectful

TOUCHSTONE DISCUSSION: guided by student developed questions concerning Tragic Flaws

LESSON 9
AIM: What is the significance of Mary Shelley's allusions?
DO NOW: Quote ID #4
"YOU seek for knowledge and wisdom, as I once did & I ardently hope that the gratification of your wishes may not be a serpent to sting you as mine as has been." pg 36

READING: pgs. 62-67

MINI-LESSON: REVIEW ALLUSION: a reference to separate text, event from history, a person from history that adds another layer of meaning to the current story.

In Frankenstein, there are allusions to:

(ELICIT FROM STUDENTS)

WORK PERIOD:
1.) Review the types of Multiple Choice Questions:
a.) Plot based
b.) Literary Techniques
c.) VOcabulary- (the word "blank" most likely means...)
d.) Author's purpose

2.) WRITE 5 Multiple Choice Questions about the passage from pg. 62-67

LESSON 10- Multiple Choice Quiz using student created questions.

LESSON 11 + 12+ 13
AIM: What role does the motif of light play in Frankenstein?

DO NOW: Quote ID #5
"Life and death appeared to me ideal bounds, which I should first break through and pour a torrent of light into our dark world." 65

WORK PERIOD: Day 1 Expository Essay Evidence Collection

MOTIF EVIDENCE

Quotation PG. # Connection to Theme
1.)
2.)
3.)
4.)
5.)
etc.

WORK PERIOD Day 2:
Essay Writing:
Introduction
-Theme statement
-Transition
-Thesis Statement
2 Expository Paragraphs
Conclusion

WORK PERIOD Day 3: PEER REVISION

LESSON 14
AIM: Is Frankenstein guilty of William and Justine's deaths?
DO NOW: Quote ID #6
"That poor victim, who on the morrow was to pass the awful boundary between life and death, felt not, as I did such deep and bitter agony." pg. 106

READ ALOUD: pgs. 120-124

MINI-LESSON: Guilt & Responsibility-

WORK PERIOD:
Should Victor take responsibility for the murders? Write a Paragraph

LESSON 15
AIM: What is MUTABILITY?
DO NOW: Quote ID #7
"Man's yesterday may ne'er be like his morrow;
Nought remains but mutability." pg. 119

Reading: "Mutability" by Percy Shelley
Mutability
by Percy Bysshe Shelley

We are as clouds that veil the midnight moon;
How restlessly they speed, and gleam, and quiver,
Streaking the darkness radiantly!
-yet soonNight closes round, and they are lost for ever:
Or like forgotten lyres, whose dissonant strings
Give various response to each varying blast,
To whose frail frame no second motion brings
One mood or modulation like the last.We rest.
-A dream has power to poison sleep;We rise.
-One wandering thought pollutes the day;
We feel, conceive or reason, laugh or weep;
Embrace fond woe, or cast our cares away:
It is the same! -
For, be it joy or sorrow,
The path of its departure still is free:
Man's yesterday may ne'er be like his morrow;
Nought may endure but Mutablilty.

MINI-LESSON: Annotating Poetry- What is the Theme/Message?

WORK PERIOD: DISCUSSION of Mutability

LESSON 16
AIM: What are our thoughts on Mutability?

WORK PERIOD:
Students will write their own Romantic poems on the theme of Mutability.

Lessons for Monday Dec. 1- Friday Dec. 4

2008-11-30T16:58:00.001-08:00

LESSON 1

AIM: Is Mary Shelley a Rationalist or a Romantic?

DO NOW: QUOTE IDENTIFICATION #1

“Did I request thee, Maker, from my clay
To Mould me Man, did I solicit thee
From darkness to promote me?”
~from the Title page

MINI-LESSON:
What conflicts have already been introduced in the novel?

Elicit from the students: Nature v. Science, Man v. God, Human Will v. Elements, etc.

These conflicts are at the core of the conflict between Romanticism and Rationalism.

If I were to tell you that Mary Shelley was a Romantic writer, what would that mean to you?

What could you infer about Romantics based on her book and the opinions she has already established? Science or Nature for Mary Shelley?

READ ALOUD: Letter 2 pgs. 22-25

WORK PERIOD:
RATIONALISM: The theory that the exercise of reason, rather than experience, authority, or spiritual revelation, provides the primary basis for knowledge.

If this is the definition of Rationalism, what would you infer is the definition of Romanticism?

ROMANTICISM

The Romantic Period emphasised the self, creativity, imagination and the value of art. This is in contrast to the Enlightenment emphasis on Rationalism and Empiricism.
It roots can be found in the work of Jean-Jacques Rousseau and Immanuel Kant. Philosophers and writers associated with the Romantic movement include Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832), Freidrich Wilhelm Joseph von Schelling (1775-1854), and George Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel (1770-1831) in Germany; Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772-1834) and William Wordsworth (1770-1850) in Britain.
Philosophically romanticism represents a shift from the objective to the subjective: Science claims to describe the objective world, the world understood from no particular viewpoint. Imagine three people looking at a landscape, one is a farmer, another a property developer and the third an artist. The farmer would see the potential for raising crops and livestock, the property developer the chance to build houses and the artist at the shades and subtleties of colour and form. None of these individuals is seeing the landscape objectively; they are seeing it from a particular or subjective viewpoint.
The move from the objective to the subjective is a result of Kant's idea that human beings do not see the world directly, but through a number of categories. We do not directly see "things-in-themselves"; we only understand the world through our human point of view. If we agree with Kant that we can never know things-in-themselves, we may as well discard them. This leads to Idealism; the belief that what we call the "external world" is somehow created by our minds.
The Enlightenment's emphasis on the empirical deterministic universe left little room for the freedom and creativity of the human spirit. The romantic emphasis on art and imagination is a direct critical reaction to the mechanical view of some Enlightenment figures.
The romantic emphasis on the individual was reflected in ideas of self-realisation and nature. Wordsworth thought that the individual could directly understand nature without the need for society and social artifice, salvation is achieved by the solitary individual rather than through political movements.

LESSON 2

AIM: How do Walton’s letters illustrate the tension between 18th century Rationalism & 19th century Romanticism? Part 1

DO NOW: Quote ID #2
“What may not be expected in a country of eternal light?”
~ pg. 18
READ ALOUD: Pgs. 33-37

MINI-LESSON:
Review definitions of Romanticism & Rationalism
Elicit students to give their own definitions of the terms

WORK PERIOD:
Split the class in half.

Instruct one half to search for evidence that proves Walton is a Rationalist. They must find direct quotes and explain how the quote is “Rational”

Instruct the other half to search for evidence that proves Walton is a Romantic. They must find direct quotes and explain how the quote is “Romantic”

Have each group create a large chart documenting their findings.
(THIS WILL GET LOUD!)

SHARE OUT: Compare charts.

LESSON 3

AIM: Does the character of Walton reflect Rationalist ideals or Romantic ideals?

WORK PERIOD: 20 MINUTE TIMED WRITE
Write an Expository Paragraph in which you respond to the aim. Develop a PTS. Create 3 clusters. Clinch it.

READ ALOUDS: Share student paragraph

WORK PERIOD 2:
Switch paragraphs and score on the 1-9 Rubric!

LESSON 4

AIM: What is a GOTHIC novel?

DO NOW: FREE ASSOCIATION:
What comes to mind when you hear the term “Goth”?

Earlier, we had to free ourselves from our original idea of “romantic”. Now we have to abandon our definition of “Goth,” too.

READ ALOUD: Handout Defining the Gothic Novel.

MINI-LESSON:
What films have we seen that demonstrate “gothic” qualities?

WORK PERIOD:
Independently, write a paragraph in which you establish Frankenstein as a Gothic novel.

CLOSING: Questions on the Homework...Ask now or forever hold your peace!

LESSON 5

AIM: HOW DO WE IMPROVE OUR MULTIPLE CHOICE SCORES?

DO NOW: Multiple Choice Quiz

MINI-LESSON: Strategies for Improving
1.) Underline any words you did not know. Look them up.
2.) Elicit from the students
3.) Elicit from the students

WORK PERIOD:
As a class. Grade the multiple choice quiz and discuss answers.

2008-11-30T14:02:00.000-08:00

Course Outline

2008-11-30T11:26:00.000-08:00

This marking period, we will
be reading Mary Shelley’s
Frankenstein.
Literary Terms & Techniques
• Romanticism
• Rationalism
• Enlightenment
• Epistollary Novel
• Feminist Literary Theory
• Psychoanalytic Theory
• Allusion

Skills
• Improving Multiple Choice
• Developing Theme Statements
• Quotation IdentiJications
• Expanding Expository Paragraphs
• Analytical Essay Writing
• Peer Revision

Assessments
• Homework Assignments
• Classwork‐ to be completed in the students’ notebooks
• Quotation IdentiJications
• Expository Paragraphs
• Analytical Essay discussing the use of a literary technique in Frankentstein

Supplementary Texts
• “Rime of the Ancient Mariner”
• “Ode to the West Wind”
• Excerpts from “Vindication of the Rights of Woman”
• “Lines composed upon Westminster Bridge”

Week One Dec. 1 5
• Rationalism v. Romanticism
• The Romantic novel v. The Gothic novel
•  Historical Background: Mary Shelley & the Enlightenment

Week Two Dec. 812
• How is Waldman a catalyst for Frankenstein’s experiments?
• Tragic Flaws in Frankenstein
• Science v. Nature

Week Three Dec. 1519
• Symbols in Frankenstein
• Is Frankenstein guilty of William’s murder?
• Biblical allusion in Frankenstein

Week Four Dec. 22 23
•  The Creature’s upbringing
•  Blindness as a symbol

Week Five Jan. 59
• The SigniJicance of the Creature’s three books
• Comparing the childhoods of Victor and the Creature
• Feminism in Frankenstein
• Mary Wollstonecraft: How she inJluenced Mary
Shelley

Week Six Jan 1216
• Why didn’t Victor create a female monster?
• How does the Creature behave as Victor’s “Id”?
• Who is Responsible for the murders in Frankenstein?
• How do Walton’s goals parallel Victor’s?

Week Seven Jan. 2024
• What is ironic about the desires of the Creature and Victor?
• Final Exam

Wednesday Nov.18- Sample Expository Paragraph

2008-11-19T18:35:00.000-08:00

In Response to Matthew Arnold's "Dover Beach"

In the poem "Dover Beach," Matthew Arnold's diction aids in shifting the tone from pensive, to cynical, and finally, to defeated. The opening of the poem presents a thoughtful speaker. He describes the sea as "calm" and expresses delight at the "fair" moon and calls his lover to enjoy the "sweet...night air." Words like "glimmering" and "tranquil" confirm the mystical mood and reinforce the peaceful, pensive tone. The tone shifts dramatically at line 9. "Listen!" This simple word and the accompanying exclamation point break the reader and the speaker from their passive reverie. The description of the "grating" roar and the "fling"-ing of pebbles recasts the ocean in a sinister role. Ultimately, the "grating roar...brings the eternal note of sadness in." The shift in tone is complete. The speaker considers the ocean-formerly viewed as "tranquil" and soothing- a confirmation of his ever waning Faith. He describes the "withdrawing" "retreating" waves and compares the "turbid ebb and flow' to the "Sea of Faith." In the final stanza, the tone shifts again, to defeated at the speaker's proclamation, "Ah, Love, let us be true to one another." The "ah" demonstrates a break in the more formal diction of the previous stanzas and presents the anger and dissolution the speaker feels at the perceived "world which...hath really neither joy, nor love, nor light." He is begging his love to proclaim her loyalty in the face of this lack of "certitude" the world presents. The ocean, often considered a symbol of constancy and comfort, is here presented as inconstant, a reminder of the human's native condition, "swept with confused alarms of struggle and flight, where ignorant armies clash by night."

The Literary Expository Paragraph

2008-11-19T18:32:00.000-08:00

The Literary Expository Paragraph

OUTLINE

• Paragraph Topic Sentence: A sentence that expresses how a SPECIFIC literary technique or stylistic tool is utilized in the work being discussed
• Cluster #1-
⇒ Key Idea
⇒ Evidence from the Text
⇒ Interpretation of Evidence
• Cluster #2-
⇒ Key Idea
⇒ Evidence from the Text
⇒ Interpretation of Evidence
• Cluster #3-
⇒ Key Idea
⇒ Evidence from the Text
⇒ Interpretation of Evidence
• Clincher Sentence- A sentence that connects the overarching message of the piece, or the effect of the literary technique to the universal nature of literature.

Notes:
• This is a LOOOOONNNNGGG paragraph. It flies in the face of the journalistic style of writing that we teach in literacy classes.
• While this format is not often used in Regents style writing, it could be modified to meet the requirements of the exam.
• To begin teaching, start with JUST a PTS. Then, move to including Cluster #1. When students are comfortable with one, move to 2 clusters. And on.
• Ultimately, students should be able to complete a strong expository paragraph in under 20 minutes.

NOVEMBER 18

2008-11-18T10:19:00.001-08:00

TUESDAY

AIM: What is Meursault's Decision Making Process?

DO NOW: Quote ID#1

"'If you go too slowly, there's the risk of heatstroke. But if you go too fast, you perspire, and the cold air in the church gives you a chill.' I saw her point. Either way, one was in for it."

~21

HINT: THERE WERE TWO SPEAKERS

READ ALOUD: pgs. 36-41

MINI-LESSON: What has Meursault agreed to do for Raymond? WHY?

WORK PERIOD:

MEURSAULT'S DECISIONS

SCENARIO OPTIONS HIS CHOICE REASONING Your OPINION

THE STRANGER HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENTS

2008-11-09T16:52:00.001-08:00

The Stranger by Albert Camus
HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENTS
Each assignment will be worth 20 points. Please answer all questions in complete sentences.

Part I
Homework #1 Read Chapters 1 & 2 Due Wednesday Nov. 12
1. Who is the narrator of The Stranger? (1)
2. What does Meursault do in the opening chapter? (1)
3. What is Meursault's reaction to his mother's death? (1)
4. Who does Meursault encounter at the beach? (2)
5. How do Meursault and Marie spend the Saturday after the funeral? (2)
6. What kind of a movie do they go see? (2)

Homework # 2 Read Chapters 3 &4 Due Friday Nov. 14
1. Identify Emmanuel, Celeste, Raymond and Salamano. (3)
2. What does Meursault think of Salamano's relationship with his dog? (3)
3. What insights do we gain into Meursault's character judging from his interactions with Salamano and
Romano?
4. What does Raymond want Meursault to do for him? (3)
5. Why do the police come to Raymond's room? (4)
6. What happens to Salamano's dog? How does Salamano react? (4)

Homework #3 Read Chapters 5 & 6 Due Monday Nov. 17
1. Meursault tells his boss "people never change their lives, that in any case one life is as good
as another." What do we learn about Meursault from this statement? (5)
2. How does Meursault respond when Marie asks if he loves her? (5)
3. Who is Masson, and why does Meursault go to his beach house? (6)
4. How does Raymond get hurt? (6)
5. Why does Meursault return to the beach and to the rock by the water? (6)
6. What does Meursault do when he encounters the Arab at the rock? Why? (6)

Part II
Homework #4 Read Chapters 1 & 2 Due Wednesday Nov. 19
1. What about Meursault upsets and frustrates his lawyer and the magistrate? (1)
2. What does the magistrate use to try to break through to Meursault's feelings of remorse or
sadness? (1)
3. Why is Marie only allowed to visit Meursault one time? Does Meursault seem to care whether
or not she comes back to visit? (2)
4. How does Meursault pass his time in prison? (2)

Homework #5 Read Chapters 3 & 4 Due Friday Nov. 21
1. At Meursault's trial, why is so much made of his conduct at his mother's funeral? (3)
2. What does Celeste say concerning the murder? (3)
3. What is Marie's testimony and how does it hurt Meursault's case? (3)
4. What defense did Meursault's lawyer present? (4)
5. What was the jury's verdict? (4)

Homework #5 Read Chapters 5 & 6 Due Monday Nov. 24
1. What does Meursault tell the chaplain? (5)
2. What does Meursault try to explain to the chaplain after he becomes angry? (6)

THE STRANGER LESSONS 1-3

2008-11-09T16:48:00.000-08:00

MONDAY

Focus Question: How does Diction help to convey meaning?
Lesson Focus: What tone is immediately established in the opening of The Stranger?

Materials Needed:
• Copies of The Stranger
• Homework Assignments
• Sample Expository Paragraphs
Bridge (Connecting the lesson to prior learning):
Take out your Sample Expository Paragraphs from yesterday.
1.) Draw a Box around the PTS & the Clincher
2.) Circle any Transitional Phrases between ideas
3.) Underline the 3 key ideas
Create a list of potential transitions to use in our Expository paragraphs

Mini-Lesson:
• Distribute Books and Homework Assignments
• Review Expository Paragraph Outline
• Read aloud The Stranger
• Discuss our initial reactions to Meursault
• Review CLOSE READING ANALYSIS procedures
Reading: The Stranger pgs. 1-7

Independent, Pair, & Small Group Work:

20 Minutes (TIMED!)
Read pgs. 1-3 and the first paragraph of 4 closely
Write a paragraph in which you discuss how Camus’s diction establishes a specific tone.

Share-Out:

Assessments:

Expository Paragraph

WEDNESDAY

Focus Question: How does Diction help to convey meaning?

Lesson Focus: What is Meursault’s Philosophy?

Materials Needed:
• Philosophy Chart
• Definitions of the different philosophies.
Bridge (Connecting the lesson to prior learning):
If you had to summarize your Life Philosophy in one sentence, what would it be?

Mini-Lesson:
What is Philosophy?
Elicit from the students.

philosophy |fəˈläsəfē|
noun ( pl. -phies)
the study of the fundamental nature of knowledge, reality, and existence

Examples of Philosophy:
Utilitarianism Existentialism
Absurdism Realism
Rationalism Idealism
Hedonism
Pragmatism

Reading: The Stranger Pgs. 32- 34 Salamano & his dog
DISCUSSION: Did Meursault have a moral obligation to step in?
Independent, Pair, & Small Group Work:
IN GROUPS OF 4:
MEURSAULT’S PHILOSOPHY
PG. # Detail from the Text Conclusion

Share-Out:

Based on the definitions of the above philosophies, what best describes Meursault’s beliefs.

Assessments:
Charts
Verbal assessment

THURSDAY

Focus Question: How does Diction convey meaning?

Lesson Focus: How do we assess our Expository paragraphs?

Materials Needed:
• Expository Paragraph Rubric
• Sample Expository Paragraph
• Student produced samples

Bridge (Connecting the lesson to prior learning):
1.) Take out your Literary Expository paragraph
2.) Re-read the Paragraph- DO NOT MAKE CORRECTIONS
3.) Assign the Paragraph a grade on a scale of 1 -9
Mini-Lesson:
• Review Peer Revision Policies
• Remind students of appropriate verb usage, tone vocabulary, and transition poster

Reading: 5-6 students will share exemplary paragraphs
Independent, Pair, & Small Group Work:

In pairs, switch paragraphs and assign a grade, this time using the appropriate rubric.

Share-Out:
What were our strengths?
What were our weaknesses?
How will we improve on the next paragraph?

Guess what! You will have two Expository paragraphs as your Midterm Examination!
TOMORROW. You’re Welcome!

Assessments:
Evaluated Paragraphs

MIDTERM EXAMINATION: FRIDAY NOV. 14

LESSONS for Oct. 27-Oct. 31

2008-10-26T18:23:00.001-07:00

Oct. 27

AIM: What is it that Ophelia wants to say?

DO NOW: Quote ID #9

Choose your own significant quotation. My only requirement? The speaker must be OPHELIA!

READ ALOUD: Ophelia's "insanity"

LISTENING: The Band "Ophelia"- What clues connect this song to Hamlet?

MINI-LESSON: Who is the Modern Ophelia?

WORK PERIOD:

In 2000, there were about 860 million illiterate adults in the world. 2 out 3 were Women.

Women are silenced everyday. How? Why?

Write.

REMINDER: SOLILOQUY PRESENTATIONS ARE WEDNESDAY!

TUESDAY

TP: WHAT IS LITERARY ANALYSIS?

DO NOW: Respond to the Aim.

Oct. 20-Oct. 24

2008-10-21T16:11:00.000-07:00

MONDAY

TEACHING POINT: TO BE OR NOT TO BE: WHAT WAS THE QUESTION?

DO NOW: QUOTE ID #7

"To be or Not to Be, that is the Question." Act III Scene 1

Identify the speaker, explain the context, and explore the significance of the quotation.

READ ALOUD: III: 1: TO BE OR NOT TO BE SOLILOQUY

Close Reading Analysis

MINI-LESSON:

What is it that Hamlet wants to do?
What are some possible reasons that he may not do it?
What does he mean when he says, "Ay theres the rub, for in that sleep of death what dreams may come when we have shuffled off this mortal coil, must give us pause."?
What are some of the "slings and arrows" that Hamlet identifies that we must deal with in life?
Hamlet says, "Thus conscience does make cowards of us all." Is everyone a coward for not killing themself, or just Hamlet?

WORK PERIOD: INTRODUCE SOLILOQUY ASSIGNMENT

You must choose a soliloquy that is at least 12 lines long to perform for Ms. Levine's Freshmen Scholars'!

The soliloquy must be memorized and the presentation must reflect the subject matter and language of the soliloquy.

WEDNESDAY

TEACHING POINT: WHAT IS THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE "STAGE" IN HAMLET AND IN SHAKESPEARE?

DO NOW:

AP- In As You Like It, Shakespeare said, "All the world's a stage and all the people merely players." Do you agree or disagree?

E7H- Quote ID #7 "The play's the thing wherein I'll catch the conscience of the king."

READING: ACT III SCENE 2- HAMLET'S INSTRUCTIONS TO THE PLAYERS

MINI-LESSON: WHY WAS SHAKESPEARE OBSESSED WITH THE "STAGE"?

WORK PERIOD:

Identify references in the text to the stage, acting, and illusion.