No, we are not done, but we are getting very close. Chapters 14-15 are very short, but obviously critical. All groups, no matter how solid their report, have "missed a bet" here or there in terms of connecting with prior elements, and this becomes a special challenge with these last two chapters. I will be expecting excellent "filling in" from the class on anything that gets left out by the final presenters. But final presenters, a sign of your own excellence will be that there is not a lot for the rest of us to fill in!
FOR TOMORROW
There are two things I want you to consider from today. This is thinking (and perhaps note-taking), but NOT to turn in. However, I will be culling your collective brains in class on Wednesday.
The first element is GINGER: one group was fairly complete with this today, but two were not. Recall that ginger has been mentioned in three earlier contexts: the sweetish smell that sometimes drifted across Lake Superior in Detroit, the smell that helped reduced the gag response from the dogs' odor which permeated Circe's mansion, and the Hansel and Gretel reference (ending in gingerbread) at the beginning of Chapter 10.
But for today's chapters (12-13) there is at least one additional reference. A) Find it. B) What, overall, do you think the odor/fragrance of "ginger" means in this text?
The second element is a spin-off from something that two groups mentioned today. Notice the language at the end of Chapter 13 (319):
Suddenly, like an elephant who has just found his anger and lifts his trunk over the heads of the little men who want his teeth or his hide or his flesh or his amazing strength, Pilate trumpeted for the sky itself to hear, "And she was loved!"
It startled one of the sympathetic winos in the vestibule and he dropped his bottle, spurting emerald glass and jungle-red wine everywhere.
[Do not use my blog format as a guide to correct MLA formatting.]
OK, so for one thing, pay attention to "elephants" / "jungle" imagery wherever else you may see it.
But part of this is looking back at something everybody skipped over.
Part 1: Remember when Milkman first noticed his legs were different lengths? Yes, he was in the bathtub. Some groups got all wound up in the FDR comparison and kind of overlooked the water. But pay attention to water--what does the rain do/for Hagar? Well, besides ruining all her new stuff?? Now Milkman--what kind of encounters with water has he had on his trip? List them . . .What does each one signify? How is his experience the same as or different than Hagar's?
Part 2: Back to the shorter leg. When, exactly, does he no longer have this impediment?
Re-read sections of the bobcat hunt in Ch. 11 starting shortly after Milkman has become pretty separated from Calvin's lamp. He sits down to rest: start reading carefully at nearly the middle of p. 275 (blue book--if you're in something else, find the paragraph beginning "At last he surrendered to his fatigue and made the mistake of sitting down instead of slowing down . . .." Then read CAREFULLY for the next five or so pages, noticing how Milkman's physical senses are starting to take over from his rational mind. Notice how he had felt "cradled" by the rootes of the sweet gum tree shortly before Guitar attacked him--something the "earth" had told him just before it happened. . . (but lots of other references along these 5 pages).
NOW, the culminating point of this is the last few sentences before the break on p. 281 (blue book again, but all should have the extra spacing at the end of this section). Finally accepted by the locals, Milkman was laughing with them on the way back to the car, willing to be the friendly butt of their jokes (butt of their friendly jokes?):
Really laughing, and he found himself exhilarated by simply walking the earh. Walking it like he belonged on it; like his legs were stalks, tree trunks, a part of his body that extended down down down into the rock and soil, and were comfortable there--on the earh and on the place where he walked. and he did not limp.
Why do you think I think this is important enough to put in a blog? Be prepared to explain the significance--but don't attempt to do so without re-reading the full five or so pages before this.
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Essay Assignment and More
TODAY IN CLASS
We finished Part I of Song of Solomon with presentations over Chapters 8 and 9. The much shorter Part II gets underway tomorrow with Chapters 10-11. Be sure that you have read these!
In fact, at this point, you should plan to finish the book as fast as possible. You need to be ready for 12-13 by Tuesday anyway, and you might as well finish it. . . it gets pretty exciting, and I'd think you'd want to find out what happens. The final presentation (14-15) is scheduled for Thursday, June 2, but we're making some adjustments because of the shortened period on Thursday.
If your curiosity doesn't compel you forward to finishing the book over the long week-end, perhaps the looming paper will. I've attached the formal assignment, but before you click on it (assuming you don't really plan to "start" this particular Thursday night anyway), I'd like you to consider connections so far. Sadly, the best ones are yet to come--which is why I'm urging you to FINISH it-- but there are certainly a variety of ways in which elements of these two works can be compared/contrasted even on the basis of what's been set up in Part I.
I will be giving you a hard copy on Friday in class, but here is:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1L4J0deaiHtj2H-N7UTX9XHlX4dXWToLI0PZN7VdZr2w/edit?hl=en_US&authkey=CNbky_IL#
We finished Part I of Song of Solomon with presentations over Chapters 8 and 9. The much shorter Part II gets underway tomorrow with Chapters 10-11. Be sure that you have read these!
In fact, at this point, you should plan to finish the book as fast as possible. You need to be ready for 12-13 by Tuesday anyway, and you might as well finish it. . . it gets pretty exciting, and I'd think you'd want to find out what happens. The final presentation (14-15) is scheduled for Thursday, June 2, but we're making some adjustments because of the shortened period on Thursday.
If your curiosity doesn't compel you forward to finishing the book over the long week-end, perhaps the looming paper will. I've attached the formal assignment, but before you click on it (assuming you don't really plan to "start" this particular Thursday night anyway), I'd like you to consider connections so far. Sadly, the best ones are yet to come--which is why I'm urging you to FINISH it-- but there are certainly a variety of ways in which elements of these two works can be compared/contrasted even on the basis of what's been set up in Part I.
I will be giving you a hard copy on Friday in class, but here is:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1L4J0deaiHtj2H-N7UTX9XHlX4dXWToLI0PZN7VdZr2w/edit?hl=en_US&authkey=CNbky_IL#
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
TODAY IN CLASS
Reading time. Chapters 4 and 5 must be completed by Thursday; more if you want to stay ahead and avoid some pile-up chapters next week.
TOMORROW IN CLASS
About 15 minutes from me . . . then reading time. IF you are already caught up, I'll allow other work tomorrow. But Song of Solomon comes first.
Thursday groups will be excused again.
Reading time. Chapters 4 and 5 must be completed by Thursday; more if you want to stay ahead and avoid some pile-up chapters next week.
TOMORROW IN CLASS
About 15 minutes from me . . . then reading time. IF you are already caught up, I'll allow other work tomorrow. But Song of Solomon comes first.
Thursday groups will be excused again.
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Week-End Post
FRIDAY IN CLASS
The first presentation--for Chapter 2. If you missed it, you should get information from anyone in your group who was present. We are always assuming that successive groups know exactly what has gone before.
FOR MONDAY
Everyone needs to have read through Chapter 3; it is NOT the responsibility of the presenters to provide a detailed plot summary. Moreover, you cannot make contributions if you haven't read. I've decided that Monday's response task will be the same as Friday's, because right now I'm more interested in encouraging the class to participate and offer insights/questions of your own than I am in asking for "evaluation" of the presenters.
Presenters--I trust you know who you are!
The first presentation--for Chapter 2. If you missed it, you should get information from anyone in your group who was present. We are always assuming that successive groups know exactly what has gone before.
FOR MONDAY
Everyone needs to have read through Chapter 3; it is NOT the responsibility of the presenters to provide a detailed plot summary. Moreover, you cannot make contributions if you haven't read. I've decided that Monday's response task will be the same as Friday's, because right now I'm more interested in encouraging the class to participate and offer insights/questions of your own than I am in asking for "evaluation" of the presenters.
Presenters--I trust you know who you are!
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Mock Crash on Thursday
Dress accordingly--you'll be outside for awhile. Historically this event goes on regardless of weather conditions.
IN CLASS TODAY
Reading time for most; work time elsewhere for Ch. 2 presenters. Annotations collected from 1st and 6th; forgot to pick up from 3rd--have yours with you tomorrow!
FOR TOMORROW
Ch. 3 presenters should be sure to read Chapter 3 tonight to have tomorrow as a work day.
Everyone else--be sure to consult and follow the reading schedule on the May 10 blog. "Ahead" is better than "barely" for several reasons.
IN CLASS TODAY
Reading time for most; work time elsewhere for Ch. 2 presenters. Annotations collected from 1st and 6th; forgot to pick up from 3rd--have yours with you tomorrow!
FOR TOMORROW
Ch. 3 presenters should be sure to read Chapter 3 tonight to have tomorrow as a work day.
Everyone else--be sure to consult and follow the reading schedule on the May 10 blog. "Ahead" is better than "barely" for several reasons.
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
HAVE BOOKS AND CH. 1 ANNOTATIONS IN CLASS ON WEDNESDAY!
TODAY IN CLASS
Groups presenting either Friday (Ch. 2) or Monday (Ch. 3): You need to read Chapter 2 as homework tonight--carefully (maybe twice, in the case of the Ch. 2 folks). Chapter 2 people: you'll be sent elsewhere to work together both Wednesday and Thursday. Ch. 3 people, you aren't excused during Wednesday's class (I suspect at least some of you will be still reading Chapter 3, but you WILL be excused on Thursday. (Of course you must come to class first!)
For everyone else: both Wednesday and Thursday will be in-class reading days, so you can suit yourself as to whether or not you have "homework" tonight.
To everyone else: Mostly, there will be just one out-of-class day for each group, but on some days I'll allow some "talking time" for everyone in class. Everyone is expected to be caught up in their reading to the point of whatever presentations are being given. You are NOT supposed to be hearing the chapter for the first time as people present. And you need to be ahead of the schedule as needed in order to prepare your presentations and take advantage of any time excused from class.
The reality is that it's the sort of book that some of you will read very fast and be hard-pressed not to give away plot-spoilers. And others may work ahead so that you can get the final paper out of the way before the last minute.
Here is the schedule I strongly recommend:
By the end of this week (or at least by the end of the week-end): be finished with Chapter 4
During next week, May 16-20: Read Chapters 5-9
Week of May 23-May 27: Read Chapters 10-15
Given the amount of reading days you will have, this schedule should be relatively easy to follow.
But for those of you who do just what you need to do and and not one moment before, here is the bare-minimum reading schedule:
Chapter 2 finished by this Friday; Chapter 3 by Monday, May 16
Chapters 4 and 5 by Thursday, May 19
Chapter 6 and 7 by Monday, May 23
And now note that there's a not a gap day between 8/9 and 10/11; this means be reading ahead . . .
Chapters 8 and 9 by Thursday, May 26
Chapters 10-11 by Friday, May 27
But the last set of chapters--12 through 15--really needs to be finished by the end of Memorial Day week-end so that you will have a few days to write your SoS/Tess paper.
- Sign-ups for presentations: if you do not yet have a group, you will get one on Wednesday .
- Discussion of major categories, using "data" from Chapter 1. No, it wasn't complete, but you should have gotten the idea of what you need to do.
- Hand-out for the project: read thoroughly before tomorrow so that you will know if you have questions
Groups presenting either Friday (Ch. 2) or Monday (Ch. 3): You need to read Chapter 2 as homework tonight--carefully (maybe twice, in the case of the Ch. 2 folks). Chapter 2 people: you'll be sent elsewhere to work together both Wednesday and Thursday. Ch. 3 people, you aren't excused during Wednesday's class (I suspect at least some of you will be still reading Chapter 3, but you WILL be excused on Thursday. (Of course you must come to class first!)
For everyone else: both Wednesday and Thursday will be in-class reading days, so you can suit yourself as to whether or not you have "homework" tonight.
To everyone else: Mostly, there will be just one out-of-class day for each group, but on some days I'll allow some "talking time" for everyone in class. Everyone is expected to be caught up in their reading to the point of whatever presentations are being given. You are NOT supposed to be hearing the chapter for the first time as people present. And you need to be ahead of the schedule as needed in order to prepare your presentations and take advantage of any time excused from class.
The reality is that it's the sort of book that some of you will read very fast and be hard-pressed not to give away plot-spoilers. And others may work ahead so that you can get the final paper out of the way before the last minute.
Here is the schedule I strongly recommend:
By the end of this week (or at least by the end of the week-end): be finished with Chapter 4
During next week, May 16-20: Read Chapters 5-9
Week of May 23-May 27: Read Chapters 10-15
Given the amount of reading days you will have, this schedule should be relatively easy to follow.
But for those of you who do just what you need to do and and not one moment before, here is the bare-minimum reading schedule:
Chapter 2 finished by this Friday; Chapter 3 by Monday, May 16
Chapters 4 and 5 by Thursday, May 19
Chapter 6 and 7 by Monday, May 23
And now note that there's a not a gap day between 8/9 and 10/11; this means be reading ahead . . .
Chapters 8 and 9 by Thursday, May 26
Chapters 10-11 by Friday, May 27
But the last set of chapters--12 through 15--really needs to be finished by the end of Memorial Day week-end so that you will have a few days to write your SoS/Tess paper.
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
GOOD LUCK to all those taking tomorrow's exam!
(And remember, if you are not taking the AP lit test, you need to report to class as usual for a final timed write on poetry.)
I thought about revising the following list to make it straightforward, without the thou's and thy's. Buit I decided to retain the author's original language; consider it last-minute review for 16th and 17th century English! These were written several years ago by Martin Beller, a revered AP teacher who has co-written a book on poetry that I would love to be able to afford to use in our class. Please take these
"10 Commandments" in the spirit in which they were intended, not meant in any way to be sacrilegious. Definitely consider the CONTENT here; you may, for further practice, want to specify the tone and note how it was achieved.
Items not covered by Mr. Beller's list: sharpened pencils with good erasers; AT LEAST two black or dark blue pens; a watch if you wish to keep track of time more easily no matter where you are seated.
Martin Beller's 10 Commandments for AP Literature Test-Takers
1. I am the Prompt, thy Prompt; thou shalt have no other Prompt before me. Thou shalt read the Prompt with rapt attention; the Prompt is thy friend. Thou shalt address the Prompt. Thou shalt not just get the general idea of the Prompt, nor shalt thou fight the Prompt or substitute thine own ideas for the Prompt.
2. Thou shalt not postpone, omit or bury thy Thesis Statement.
3. Thou shalt not commit plot-summary, nor shalt thou cohabit with Reading Comprehension, for it is an abomination in my sight.
4. Thou shalt not commit free-floating generalization, but shall support and develop thy every assertion.
5. Thou shalt not confuse complexity with confusion, or subtlety with
indecisiveness; thou shalt not attribute thine own insensitivity or ignorance to authorial ineptitude. The fact that thou gettest not the point doesn't mean that the passage hath no point: thou hast missed the point. Deal with it.
6. Thou shalt read every Multiple Choice question with the same exquisite care that thou devotest to the essay Prompt: thou shalt not 'get the drift.' By the same token, thou shalt strive to read what the writer actually wrote, not what thou expectest him or her to have written.
7. Thou shalt not finish early. Thou shalt spend plenty of thy time planning thine essay responses and reading them over.
8. Thou shalt guess when thou knowest not the answers.
9. Thou shalt not merely identify literary, rhetorical and stylistic devices, but shall show how they function.
10. Thou shalt never permit thyself to become discouraged: I am the prompt, thy Prompt. Thou shalt maintain thy focus, attention and confidence. Yea, though thou hast totally screwed up thy last essay, this next essay maketh a fresh start.
I thought about revising the following list to make it straightforward, without the thou's and thy's. Buit I decided to retain the author's original language; consider it last-minute review for 16th and 17th century English! These were written several years ago by Martin Beller, a revered AP teacher who has co-written a book on poetry that I would love to be able to afford to use in our class. Please take these
"10 Commandments" in the spirit in which they were intended, not meant in any way to be sacrilegious. Definitely consider the CONTENT here; you may, for further practice, want to specify the tone and note how it was achieved.
Items not covered by Mr. Beller's list: sharpened pencils with good erasers; AT LEAST two black or dark blue pens; a watch if you wish to keep track of time more easily no matter where you are seated.
Martin Beller's 10 Commandments for AP Literature Test-Takers
1. I am the Prompt, thy Prompt; thou shalt have no other Prompt before me. Thou shalt read the Prompt with rapt attention; the Prompt is thy friend. Thou shalt address the Prompt. Thou shalt not just get the general idea of the Prompt, nor shalt thou fight the Prompt or substitute thine own ideas for the Prompt.
2. Thou shalt not postpone, omit or bury thy Thesis Statement.
3. Thou shalt not commit plot-summary, nor shalt thou cohabit with Reading Comprehension, for it is an abomination in my sight.
4. Thou shalt not commit free-floating generalization, but shall support and develop thy every assertion.
5. Thou shalt not confuse complexity with confusion, or subtlety with
indecisiveness; thou shalt not attribute thine own insensitivity or ignorance to authorial ineptitude. The fact that thou gettest not the point doesn't mean that the passage hath no point: thou hast missed the point. Deal with it.
6. Thou shalt read every Multiple Choice question with the same exquisite care that thou devotest to the essay Prompt: thou shalt not 'get the drift.' By the same token, thou shalt strive to read what the writer actually wrote, not what thou expectest him or her to have written.
7. Thou shalt not finish early. Thou shalt spend plenty of thy time planning thine essay responses and reading them over.
8. Thou shalt guess when thou knowest not the answers.
9. Thou shalt not merely identify literary, rhetorical and stylistic devices, but shall show how they function.
10. Thou shalt never permit thyself to become discouraged: I am the prompt, thy Prompt. Thou shalt maintain thy focus, attention and confidence. Yea, though thou hast totally screwed up thy last essay, this next essay maketh a fresh start.
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
TODAY IN CLASS
Main work: Dylan Thomas's "Fern Hill"
Time to establish TONE (dominant, then the differently-tinged ending tone) by looking at the following features:
Color, music, allusions, imagery, "odd" similes, verse form, repetition, sound devices.
Do this on your own if you missed class today.
However, it's hard to replicate the direction discussion took without in-put from the class.
1st period--also discussed main features for the Tess timed-write from last week and got those back. 3rd/6th--be sure that you've gone through the process outlined in yesterday's blog if you have any feeling that you might not have given this passage the coverage it deserves. You will get these tomorrow (and people in 3rd who will be taking a calculus test, be sure to drop by to pick yours up if you are also taking the English test on Thursday.
I intended to put the rubric on Google docs temporarily, but only as "May essay rubric." Turns out it is encrypted in such a way that that cannot be done. So you will need to look at it tomorrow.
Main work: Dylan Thomas's "Fern Hill"
Time to establish TONE (dominant, then the differently-tinged ending tone) by looking at the following features:
Color, music, allusions, imagery, "odd" similes, verse form, repetition, sound devices.
Do this on your own if you missed class today.
However, it's hard to replicate the direction discussion took without in-put from the class.
1st period--also discussed main features for the Tess timed-write from last week and got those back. 3rd/6th--be sure that you've gone through the process outlined in yesterday's blog if you have any feeling that you might not have given this passage the coverage it deserves. You will get these tomorrow (and people in 3rd who will be taking a calculus test, be sure to drop by to pick yours up if you are also taking the English test on Thursday.
I intended to put the rubric on Google docs temporarily, but only as "May essay rubric." Turns out it is encrypted in such a way that that cannot be done. So you will need to look at it tomorrow.
Monday, May 2, 2011
TODAY IN CLASS
Short Quiz on 5-7 of Tess; morphed into the basis (together with some additional questions) for the "what happens" wrap-up. Close look at the ending which (together with a poem tomorrow) forms the "Hardy's view of the universe" plus how he ultimately sees Tess. Supplement this with the important hand-out of "random topics." We've talked much about some; none about others. There was a second hand-out, this one containing four Question 3 topics for which Tess was listed as a prospective choice.
FOR TOMORROW
Go back to the passage on Thursday's timed write: this was in the first chapter of Phase the Third, about the last two pages. Do the following on your own paper:
1) List all of the literary devices you see at work in the passage (whether you wrote about them last week or not) and the actual examples. (this is one aspect of "how")
2) Go back to the question of how the narrator actually sees her--"how" does he characterize the relationship between Tess and her new environment.
We will talk about both and consider varied ways of organizing this essay.
The prompts for Question 3--obviously none of these will be YOUR exact prompts, though sometimes they're recycled in pretty close ways. If you are taking the test, you should think through at least one of these, perhaps two.
BRING THE LIT BOOK AND TESS ON TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY.
Short Quiz on 5-7 of Tess; morphed into the basis (together with some additional questions) for the "what happens" wrap-up. Close look at the ending which (together with a poem tomorrow) forms the "Hardy's view of the universe" plus how he ultimately sees Tess. Supplement this with the important hand-out of "random topics." We've talked much about some; none about others. There was a second hand-out, this one containing four Question 3 topics for which Tess was listed as a prospective choice.
FOR TOMORROW
Go back to the passage on Thursday's timed write: this was in the first chapter of Phase the Third, about the last two pages. Do the following on your own paper:
1) List all of the literary devices you see at work in the passage (whether you wrote about them last week or not) and the actual examples. (this is one aspect of "how")
2) Go back to the question of how the narrator actually sees her--"how" does he characterize the relationship between Tess and her new environment.
We will talk about both and consider varied ways of organizing this essay.
The prompts for Question 3--obviously none of these will be YOUR exact prompts, though sometimes they're recycled in pretty close ways. If you are taking the test, you should think through at least one of these, perhaps two.
BRING THE LIT BOOK AND TESS ON TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY.
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