Holiday Break

Students are to finish reading Invisible Man and read Heart of Darkness. Have a wonderful break.



Also, click the link I have provided to view a timeline of Ralph Ellison's life. I triple-dog dare you!http://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/database/ellison_r_timeline_flash.html

Sincerely,





Mr. Scrooge

Invisible Man Presentations

We will begin presenting tomorrow. Everyone needs to be ready at the beginning of the period.

Invisible Man-HW

Read through chapter 20 (page 444) by Friday 12/21.

HW for Monday

Read through chapter 16 by Monday 12/17. (page 355)

HW

Read chapter 11 of Invisible Man.

HW over the weekend

Read chapter 10 of Invisible Man and respond to the following:

Examine chapter 10 and explain how it contributes to the meaning of the work as a whole. Consider the following:

• symbols


• themes


• motifs


• syntax


• diction


• imagery

Invisible Man HW

Read through chapter 9 (page 195) by Thursday.

Invisible Man

Read through chapter 5 (page 135) by Monday.

Invisible Man

Read the prologue and chapters 1 & 2 by Thursday.

HW over the break

The students were given the following assignment to complete over the break:

Read the following passage from Ralph Ellison’s Invisible Man. Then write an essay in which you analyze the language—especially the figures of speech and syntax—the narrator uses to convey his states of mind. (30pts)

I am an invisible man. No, I am not a spook like those who haunted Edgar Allan Poe; nor am I one of your Hollywood-movie ectoplasms. I am a man of substance, of flesh and bone, fiber and liquids—and I might even be said to possess a mind. I am invisible, understand, simply because people refuse to see me. Like the bodiless heads you see sometimes in circus sideshows, it is as though I have been surrounded by mirrors of hard, distorting glass. When they approach me they see only my surroundings, themselves, or figments of their imagination—indeed, everything and anything except me.

Nor is my invisibility exactly a matter of a biochemical accident to my epidermis. That invisibility to which I refer occurs because of a peculiar disposition of the eyes of those with whom I come in contact. A matter of the construction of their inner eyes, those eyes with which they look through their physical eyes upon reality. I am not complaining, nor am I protesting either. It is sometimes advantageous to be unseen, although it is most often rather wearing on the nerves. Then too, you’re constantly being bumped against by those of poor vision. Or again, you often doubt if you really exist. You wonder whether you aren’t simply a phantom in other people’s minds. Say, a figure in a nightmare which the sleeper tries with all his strength to destroy. It’s when you feel like this that, out of resentment, you begin to bump people back. And, let me confess, you feel that way most of the time. You ache with the need to convince yourself that you do exist in the real world, that you’re a part of all the sound and anguish, and you strike out with your fists, you curse and you swear to make them recognize you. And, alas, it’s seldom successful.

Have a great Thanksgiving!

Do it! Do it! Do it!

Just in case you are questioning whether or not the assignment is mandatory, I have included this important message.

Finish the book/Writing assignment

Finish reading the book over the weekend and complete the following assignment:

Player Piano
30pts

Works of literature often depict acts of betrayal. Friends and even family may betray a protagonist; main characters may likewise be guilty of treachery or may betray their own values. In a well-written essay, analyze the nature of betrayal and show how it contributes to the meaning of the work as a whole.

Player Piano

Read through chapter 31 (page 310). DO IT!

Player Piano

Students are to read through chapter 29 (page 291).

Player Piano

Today we enjoyed another suprise multiple-choice sample test. Students should read through chapter 27 (page 270) for HW.

Player Piano HW

Students are to read the next 2o pages of the novel. Read through chapter 25 (page 250).

Fahrenheit 451

Check it out F451 fans.

http://www.mania.com/56592.html

Blogs closed

It is 8:05 on Thursday morning. All of the blogs that will be graded for the 1st marking period must be posted.

Have a great weekend.

NOW | A Tribute To Kurt Vonnegut | PBS

Here it is again.

Weekend HW

Over the long weekend, students are responsible for reading the next 60 pages of Player Piano. This will take us through chapter 22 (page 232). I hope all of my "Doctors of Studentology" enjoy themselves over the break. I look forward to grading your blogs. See you Monday.

NOW | A Tribute To Kurt Vonnegut | PBS

This is the interview I mentioned in class. The Black Humor is right in the beginning. View the rest at your own risk.

Player Piano

Students are to read through chapter 17 for HW (page 168)

Keep blogging!

Player Piano/Blogs

The students are to work on their blogs over the weekend. Zero hour is approaching (Nov. 7).

Students are also to read through chapter 14 (page 149) of Player Piano.

Player Piano

Students should read through chapter 11 (page 123) of Player Piano for tomorrow.

Also, congratulations to Party Cake and Even Bigger Apocalypse. Enjoy the spoils of war (Skittles).

Literary Terms/Player Piano

The students are to finish writing definitions and examples for the literary terms they are familiar with. We will use this list in class tomorrow.

Students should also continue reading Player Piano. Read through chapter 9 (pg 105) for HW.

Player Piano

Students are to read through chapter 8 of Player Piano for HW.

Player Piano

Sixth period students are to complete the multiple-choice sample exam on their own. They are not to spend more than 35 minutes on it. We will examine all of the answers, correct and incorrect on Monday.

All AP literature students are to read through chapter 6 of Player Piano for Monday.

HW

We are currently working on a sample test dealing with the multiple choice section of the AP exam. The students read a passage and began answering the questions. We will spend more time tomorrow finishing the test and discussing the results.

The students also wrote thank you letters to people serving in the military.

The students are to read through chapter 4 of Player Piano for HW.

HW

The students received copies of Player Piano today. They are to read the first 2 chapters tonight for HW. I also gave out a copy of the blog scoring guide.





Blog Journals
Scoring Guide

Analysis of theme/symbol/etc.-10pts

Analysis of quote/passage-10pts

Your thoughts/reaction/reflection-10pts

Comments on your classmates’ work-10pts
(you must have 2 total)

By the end of the 1st marking period you should have journal entries for the following:

Fahrenheit 451
Anthem
We
The Handmaid’s Tale


Total point value for 1st marking period-130pts
*no passage/quote required for F451



*Reminder-Make sure my email address is typed in as your blogsend address. This can be found in the settings tab/email tab.

Bible summaries

We are currently working on our bible summary project. This is in order to understand the many biblical allusions we will encounter throughout the year. Students should continue reading The Handmaid's Tale. The novel should be completed by Monday 10/22.

U2 - Acrobat - Video by U2mixer

Video worth looking at

Watch this video by U2 and pay attention to the lyrics. I want you to write a response to this on your blog. Analyze the lyrics using the skills needed for the AP exam. (syntax, diction, detail, etc.) Is there a connection to The Handmaid's Tale beyond the chorus?

"Acrobat"

Don't believe what you hear
Don't believe what you see
If you just close your eyes
You can feel the enemy
When I first met you girl
You had fire in your soul
What happened your face
Of melting in snow

Now it looks like this
And you can swallow
Or you can spit
You can throw it up
Or choke on it
And you can dream
So dream out loud
You know that your time is coming 'round
So don't let the bastards grind you down

No, nothing makes sense
Nothing seems to fit
I know you'd hit out
If you only knew who to hit
And I'd join the movement
If there was one I could believe in
Yeah I'd break bread and wine
If there was a church I could receive in'
Cause I need it now

To take a cup
To fill it up
To drink it slow
I can't let you go
I must be an acrobat
To talk like this
And act like that
And you can dream
So dream out loud
And don't let the bastards grind you down

What are we going to do now it's all been said
No new ideas in the house and every book has been read

And I must be an acrobat
To talk like this
And act like that
And you can dream
So dream out loud
And you can find
Your own way out
You can build
And I can will
And you can call
I can't wait until
You can stash
And you can seize
In dreams begin responsibilities
And I can love
And I can love
And I know that the tide is turning 'round
So don't let the bastards grind you down

Keep reading

Although we will be starting a project tomorrow in the library, you should keep reading the novel. Read about 20 pages a night.

Today we discussed the Inquiry papers that the students wrote over the weekend. Students should continue reading The Handmaid's Tale. You want to be read up to approximately pg 160.

Weekend HW

The students are to write an inquiry paper over the weekend dealing with The Handmaid's Tale. The topic/question is their choice. I did, however, urge them to consider AP exam prompts. This means it does not have to be something dealing specifically with plot. In other words, what literary techniques does the author use to move the story forward? (Consider syntax, symbols, etc.) Historical context is also another option. We will discuss these questions/papers on Tuesday.

As for today, the students did an excellent job discussing a chapter that is very mature in nature. Although much of the novel's material is controversial, the students are doing a great job of examining the literary merit of the work.

Students should continue reading. Everyone should have read through page 140 by Tuesday.

Have a great weekend.

paper analysis

To parents,

Today the students assessed their 2-page papers and their 4-page papers. They used the 9-point scoring guide from the AP exam and wrote about their findings. I will consider their responses while scoring the papers. We will discuss the results in class and assess the value of the exercise.

For tomorrow, students should have read the first 100 pages of The Handmaid's Tale and come to class prepared to talk about it.

Students should have approximately the first 100 pages of The Handmaid's Tale read by Thursday 10/4.

The Handmaid's Tale

To parents,

The novel that your children received over the weekend is The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood. It is an amazing work of literature that is also quite controversial. Although I recommend parents to read everything their students read, I know that it is not always easy. I am a parent, so I know how responsiblilities can pile up and time can evaporate. This novel, however, is one that parents should read. The themes of religion and politics, sexuality, gender roles, and individuality are important discussions to have in class and at home.

The students will be working on AP exam materials for the first 2-3 days of the upcoming week, but they will be reading the novel at home. Class discussions will begin no later than Thursday 10/4.

Atwood, Margaret. The Handmaid's Tale. New York: Anchor Books, 1998.

Welcome

Welcome students, parents, and anyone who stumbles upon this blog for AP Literature.

If you are a current student, this is the place to link up with your classmates' blogs and also read interesting commentaries and insights from your teacher (me).

If you are a parent/guardian, you can access your child's blog through this one (or go directly to their URL). This will allow you to read your child's work whenever you like, as well as stay informed and up-to-date on the topics/novels/themes/poetry/etc. that is being discussed and analyzed in class. I hope you find this to be helpful and informative. Your comments are encouraged.