Friday, February 22, 2013
George Orwell -- "Politics and the English Language"
George Orwell (the pen name of Eric Blair) is famous for his political writings, including this essay, the famous political allegory, Animal Farm, and the prescient novel, 1984. We may glimpse at all three, but for now, "Politics and the English Language"
It's all about how politicians -- but really all communicators -- use and especially abuse language. Even if you hate politics (and who doesn't feel at least a little disdain for the institution, these days) this essay can tell you a lot about good writing and bad writing.
Thursday, February 14, 2013
Frankenstein -- RRrr--rrr!
Not really. That's the popular image of "The Creature" thanks to James Whale and Boris Karloff and the 1931 movie version. But it's miles away from Mary Shelley's creation.
This creature innately tends toward Good (that's how the Romantics and Transcendentalists saw humankind -- go figure!). But then he's launched -- with no helpful or guidance -- into this fallen world.
Your assignment: read chapters 10 - 17. Find a passage, line, phrase, or even word (it's a lectio) that captures your attention. Then expound upon it.
Due date: Friday, February 22nd.
(By the way, if you're looking for something to do over the Winter Break, check out Gods and Monsters. It's a biopic about James Whale, the director of Frankenstein. Starring Ian McKellen and Brendan Fraser. Available on Netflix, but not for streaming.)
This creature innately tends toward Good (that's how the Romantics and Transcendentalists saw humankind -- go figure!). But then he's launched -- with no helpful or guidance -- into this fallen world.
Your assignment: read chapters 10 - 17. Find a passage, line, phrase, or even word (it's a lectio) that captures your attention. Then expound upon it.
Due date: Friday, February 22nd.
(By the way, if you're looking for something to do over the Winter Break, check out Gods and Monsters. It's a biopic about James Whale, the director of Frankenstein. Starring Ian McKellen and Brendan Fraser. Available on Netflix, but not for streaming.)
Sunday, February 3, 2013
School Stress Article
Post here for "Therapy Dogs and Homework". Due Friday, February 8.
Read the article attached above or from Edmodo (two versions there -- annotated or plain) and respond with a lectio. (As such, the grade will appear in the "Writing" category.) You may respond here, or in regular lectio fashion via the "In Basket" in class.
There are a couple of points I'm especially interested in: 1) on a scale of 1-10, where would you put your stress? 2) at what age or grade did it start? 3) which, if any, of the solutions proposed in the article would you like to see? 4) what else might be a good way to reduce stress in school/your life?
But, as with any good lectio, the most important part is finding "the word or phrase that captures your attention".
Read the article attached above or from Edmodo (two versions there -- annotated or plain) and respond with a lectio. (As such, the grade will appear in the "Writing" category.) You may respond here, or in regular lectio fashion via the "In Basket" in class.
There are a couple of points I'm especially interested in: 1) on a scale of 1-10, where would you put your stress? 2) at what age or grade did it start? 3) which, if any, of the solutions proposed in the article would you like to see? 4) what else might be a good way to reduce stress in school/your life?
But, as with any good lectio, the most important part is finding "the word or phrase that captures your attention".
Thursday, January 31, 2013
Chapter 5 -- The Grand Inquistitor
Ivan Karamazov, the tormented doubter, has written the following "poem" (that's what he calls it). In it, he imagines that Jesus comes back to Earth, during the Spanish Inquisition. (Not for the Second Coming, but just for a visit.) The Grand Inquisitor is not amused.
Go over to Edmodo to find a file with this chapter. Comment here.
(If you want more background on the Spanish Inquisition, follow the link above. But don't go here, or here. They really won't help you at all.)
Go over to Edmodo to find a file with this chapter. Comment here.
(If you want more background on the Spanish Inquisition, follow the link above. But don't go here, or here. They really won't help you at all.)
Monday, January 21, 2013
Chapter 4 -- "The Rebellion"
The first Guided Independent Reading assignments will be two chapters from Fyodor Dostoevsky's classic novel The Brothers Karamazov. All I want you to do is read them (you'll have to go over to Edmodo.com to get the text), and respond here.
It's a Russian novel, and it's long and scary (as are a lot of the names), but it's a monumental work of art. I read it when I was a senior in high school, and it blew me away. As I did with another Dostoevsky classic, Crime and Punishment, I read the last two hundred or so pages in a sitting. For The Brothers, I literally missed eating dinner (just a couple more pages), and kept reading for hours until I was done. I've never been as immersed in a book -- before or since.
In this chapter Ivan, the cynical, skeptical brother is explaining to his brother Alyosha why he must doubt. Alyosha is the youngest brother, meek and spiritual, and has become a novice in a monastery.
Dostoevsky himself was a devout Russian Orthodox Christian.
It's a Russian novel, and it's long and scary (as are a lot of the names), but it's a monumental work of art. I read it when I was a senior in high school, and it blew me away. As I did with another Dostoevsky classic, Crime and Punishment, I read the last two hundred or so pages in a sitting. For The Brothers, I literally missed eating dinner (just a couple more pages), and kept reading for hours until I was done. I've never been as immersed in a book -- before or since.
In this chapter Ivan, the cynical, skeptical brother is explaining to his brother Alyosha why he must doubt. Alyosha is the youngest brother, meek and spiritual, and has become a novice in a monastery.
Dostoevsky himself was a devout Russian Orthodox Christian.
Friday, June 22, 2012
Warning! Do Not Read "The Return of the Native"!
The Thomas Hardy novel that you want to read is Far from the Madding Crowd. But you know that if you picked up the reading list from my classroom.
P.S. I apologize for the use of quotation marks in the heading: apparently I can't do italics or underline there.
P.P.S. What's with the robot? (See if your parents can figure it out.)
How This Works
Well, you've gotten this far, which is the first step.
As you proceed with your reading, I'd like you to leave some comments. Scroll down the page until you come to the book you're reading. Click on "Comments" at the end. Leave your comment. I'll look in occasionally, but what this should be is a place for you to meet and share ideas with your classmates. Be sure to leave your name when you blog.
I expect everyone to post at least once for each book. That's the minimum. That will get you 37/50 (or less if your entries are extremely brief). The more entries you make, the more involved you are, the higher your score will be. The people who get 50/50 are doing it for the fun of the exchanges, not for the grade.
Entries will not be accepted after 12 midnight on Tuesday, August 28th (the night before the first day of school).
That's the easy part, the fun part. Now for the more difficult assignment (that's why they call it honors): a Formal Academic Essay (aka the "Five-Paragraph Essay"). Think 3-5 pages. This will be due by 3:00 p.m. on Friday, August 31st. [This may be different from what you got on the handout. It's the end of the day on the first Friday of class.] If you need a refresher on the five-paragraph essay, go to my THS webpage for the necessary materials.
As you proceed with your reading, I'd like you to leave some comments. Scroll down the page until you come to the book you're reading. Click on "Comments" at the end. Leave your comment. I'll look in occasionally, but what this should be is a place for you to meet and share ideas with your classmates. Be sure to leave your name when you blog.
I expect everyone to post at least once for each book. That's the minimum. That will get you 37/50 (or less if your entries are extremely brief). The more entries you make, the more involved you are, the higher your score will be. The people who get 50/50 are doing it for the fun of the exchanges, not for the grade.
Entries will not be accepted after 12 midnight on Tuesday, August 28th (the night before the first day of school).
That's the easy part, the fun part. Now for the more difficult assignment (that's why they call it honors): a Formal Academic Essay (aka the "Five-Paragraph Essay"). Think 3-5 pages. This will be due by 3:00 p.m. on Friday, August 31st. [This may be different from what you got on the handout. It's the end of the day on the first Friday of class.] If you need a refresher on the five-paragraph essay, go to my THS webpage for the necessary materials.
Suggested topics: Here are a few suggestions. Remember, these are only topics. You will need to narrow them down to find your particular thesis.
a) The impetuous heroine: Nico & Bathsheba.
Both of these ladies are young and inexperienced, and reluctant to ask for help. What tactics and strategies do they employ? How successful are they? What factors contribute to, or inhibit, their successes?
Remember, a good thesis goes beyond the obvious. Here, you should try to find some connection between the heroines and how successfully they navigate through their troubles.
OR
b) The Pleasures of Unrequited Love (for the Reader)
Gabriel Oak falls in love with Bathsheba,but after his fall he must give up any idea of marrying her. Yet he remains devoted to her throughout. The same goes for Josie Hogan. She’s deeply devoted to Jim Tyrone, yet given his background and hers (not to mention her looks), she despairs of ever winning his love. As painful as it is for Gabriel and Josie, unrequited love works for the reader. We admire the characters more for their suffering and devotion.
Again, go beyond the obvious. What particular behaviors do we find laudable, and why do they excite our admiration?
OR
c) Haunted by Ghosts
Jim Tyrone is haunted (not literally, but psychologically) by the ghost of his mother. And of course Margaret’s ghost is a huge presence in Goldengrove.
Here,less is more. Be careful how you pick and choose. From Goldengrove, it could be Nico, or Aaron, or Margaret’s parents. (Not all.) Find a way to connect how the dead affects them with how it affects Jim.
OR
d) The bad boyfriend: Aaron & Troy.
Consider the impact of that Aaron and Sgt. Troy have on Nico and Bathsheba, respectively, as they try to navigate their ways through difficult world. Why do these women respond in the ways that they do?
Again, limit the scope of your analysis. Of all the similarities(or significant differences), focus on those that have the greatest effect on Nico and Bathsheba, or that might be instructive for readers.
OR
e) Three Different Types of Love (in Far from the Madding Crowd)
I like to say that the Eskimos have 137 different words for snow. (It's not precisely true, but I like to say it. They do have many separate words to differentiate between different sorts of snow.) And we have one word for love. I love my wife, I love my children, I love my cat; I love baseball, the Red Sox, Van Morrison, and Hayden Carruth; I love my screen porch, I love my students, I love pizza. Do I love them all the same way? Obviously not. (With pizza love, there's not a whole lot in it for the pizza.)
Gabriel Oak, William Boldwood, and Francis Troy all love Bathsheba Everdene. And to make things easier, we can narrow this down to "romantic love". Yet even so, the loves they have, and the ways those loves are expressed are very different. For this paper, extract and analyze these three particular types of love. How are they different? Why are they different?
OR
f) Your choice.
Don’t like any of these? Think you have a better idea? That’s cool. My only stipulation is: you must include two (only two) of the works.
[Warning:If you consult any outside sources, be sure to properly cite them. Avoid plagiarism like the plague!]
The Essay will be due no later than Friday, August 31st. (This applies whether you have English first semester or second – so don’t give me that.) It may be turned in early at: jmacarthur@tolland.k12.ct.us
Any and all questions concerning the readings or the assignment may be directed there also.
a) The impetuous heroine: Nico & Bathsheba.
Both of these ladies are young and inexperienced, and reluctant to ask for help. What tactics and strategies do they employ? How successful are they? What factors contribute to, or inhibit, their successes?
Remember, a good thesis goes beyond the obvious. Here, you should try to find some connection between the heroines and how successfully they navigate through their troubles.
OR
b) The Pleasures of Unrequited Love (for the Reader)
Gabriel Oak falls in love with Bathsheba,but after his fall he must give up any idea of marrying her. Yet he remains devoted to her throughout. The same goes for Josie Hogan. She’s deeply devoted to Jim Tyrone, yet given his background and hers (not to mention her looks), she despairs of ever winning his love. As painful as it is for Gabriel and Josie, unrequited love works for the reader. We admire the characters more for their suffering and devotion.
Again, go beyond the obvious. What particular behaviors do we find laudable, and why do they excite our admiration?
OR
c) Haunted by Ghosts
Jim Tyrone is haunted (not literally, but psychologically) by the ghost of his mother. And of course Margaret’s ghost is a huge presence in Goldengrove.
Here,less is more. Be careful how you pick and choose. From Goldengrove, it could be Nico, or Aaron, or Margaret’s parents. (Not all.) Find a way to connect how the dead affects them with how it affects Jim.
OR
d) The bad boyfriend: Aaron & Troy.
Consider the impact of that Aaron and Sgt. Troy have on Nico and Bathsheba, respectively, as they try to navigate their ways through difficult world. Why do these women respond in the ways that they do?
Again, limit the scope of your analysis. Of all the similarities(or significant differences), focus on those that have the greatest effect on Nico and Bathsheba, or that might be instructive for readers.
OR
e) Three Different Types of Love (in Far from the Madding Crowd)
I like to say that the Eskimos have 137 different words for snow. (It's not precisely true, but I like to say it. They do have many separate words to differentiate between different sorts of snow.) And we have one word for love. I love my wife, I love my children, I love my cat; I love baseball, the Red Sox, Van Morrison, and Hayden Carruth; I love my screen porch, I love my students, I love pizza. Do I love them all the same way? Obviously not. (With pizza love, there's not a whole lot in it for the pizza.)
Gabriel Oak, William Boldwood, and Francis Troy all love Bathsheba Everdene. And to make things easier, we can narrow this down to "romantic love". Yet even so, the loves they have, and the ways those loves are expressed are very different. For this paper, extract and analyze these three particular types of love. How are they different? Why are they different?
OR
f) Your choice.
Don’t like any of these? Think you have a better idea? That’s cool. My only stipulation is: you must include two (only two) of the works.
[Warning:If you consult any outside sources, be sure to properly cite them. Avoid plagiarism like the plague!]
The Essay will be due no later than Friday, August 31st. (This applies whether you have English first semester or second – so don’t give me that.) It may be turned in early at: jmacarthur@tolland.k12.ct.us
Any and all questions concerning the readings or the assignment may be directed there also.
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