Monday, September 23, 2013
Allusions Assignment
Many literary works in the western tradition, especially poems, allude to mythological and biblical figures and stories that were well known to all literate people through much of our history. Below you will find a two-part assignment that is designed to help you familiarize yourselves with some of the most prominent of these. Part I - Complete each of your identifications (see below) in a word file. Make sure that you use the same format as the sample that is provided below. Please write in complete, coherent sentences and proof-read/spell-check your entries. When you have all eight in final, clean-copy form, e-mail them to me. These will be graded for 10 points per identification, and they must be sent to me by the end of the school day on Friday September 28. EXAMPLE: Cerberus – In Greek mythology, Cerberus was the hound of Hades (God of the underworld) who had three heads, a dragon-tale, and snakes down his back and mane. He permits all spirits to enter the underworld, but none to return. He is the origin of the term “hounds of hell” (i.e., Vincent Price in Michael Jackson’s Thriller). Cerberus is overcome several times in mythology and literature, and so symbolizes both the horror of death and hell and the triumph of light over dark, goodness over evil, and reason/cunning over brute force. Abraham and Isaac - CC Absalom - JD Achilles - MG Adonis - AH Agamemnon - MP Antigone - CS Atalanta - MW Atlas - CA Cain and Abel -WF Cassandra - BM Cupid and Psyche - PM Daedalus and Icarus - JM Daniel (in the lion’s den) - NS Daphne - CC David and Bathsheba - JD Dionysus (Bacchus) - TD “Eye for an eye…” - MG Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse - AH Garden of Gethsemane - MP Good Samaritan - CS Hercules (12 labors of) - MW Herod - CA Hyacinth - WF Jacob and Esau - BM Jacob’s ladder - PM Jezebel – JM John the Baptist - NS Jonah - RS Judas Iscariot - CC Laius -JD Last Supper - MG Lazarus - AH Leda (and the Swan) - MP Lot/Lot’s wife - CS Magi - MW Mammon - CA Mary Magdalene - WF Medusa - BM Midas - PM Minotaur - JM Moses – MS Narcissus - RS Nero (fiddled while Rome burned) - CC Noah and the flood - JD Odysseus - TD Oedipus - MG Pandora - AH Persephone – MP Perseus - CS Pharisees - MW Philistines - CA Pontius Pilate – WF Procrustes - BM Prodigal Son - PM Prometheus - JM Pygmalion - NS Pyrrhus - RS Rachel and Leah - CC Romulus and Remus - JD Salome - TD Samson and Delilah - MG Scylla and Charybdis - AH Sermon on the Mount - MP Sisyphus - CS Sodom and Gomorrah - MW Solomon (the wise) - CA Styx (not the band!) - WF Sword of Damocles - BM Tantalus - PM Theseus - JM Tower of Babel - NS Trojan horse - RS Uranus - RS Zeus - TD Part II - Find three poems in Western Wind and, in your composition book, write reflections on/responses to them, focusing on the way the poet interprets the myth or that way the allusion contributes to the meaning of the poem. I will collect composition books for the first check/assessment on Wednesday 10/2 Part III - AP students, you will have an out of class paper as part of this little unit as well. That assignment will be forthcoming and will be due sometime next week.
Monday, March 11, 2013
Madame Bovary, Part II Itinerary
Monday 3/11-Wednesday 3/13: Reading and composition book work
Thursday 3/14: Vocab Quiz #1/Discussion Day
Friday 3/15: Composition Book Check #1 (75 pts.)
Thursday 3/14: Vocab Quiz #1/Discussion Day
Friday 3/15: Composition Book Check #1 (75 pts.)
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
Short Fiction Finale
Week 19 -
Wednesday 2/6: Melville, I and My Chimney and vocab/reading questions
HW: finish vocab/reading questions (30 pts.)
No HW
Sin and A Fragment of Life.) We will begin each class with a brief
discussion or Q/A session, but you can count on at least 45 minutes to read
each day.
Tuesday
2/5: Angela Carter/Feminism
Quiz (50 pts)
HW: Finish SAs if not doneWednesday 2/6: Melville, I and My Chimney and vocab/reading questions
HW: finish vocab/reading questions (30 pts.)
Thursday
2/7: Go over quizzes,
possible CPS quiz over I and My Chimney
HW: Melville, Bartleby
the Scrivener and vocab/reading questions
Friday
2/8: Possible CPS quiz
over Bartleby the Scrivener
Discuss BartlebyNo HW
Week 20 -
M-W
2/11-2/13: I will give you time
in class over the next three days to read Knut
Hamsun's
novella, Pan. (You will remember
Hamsun from Nightroamers, Sin and A Fragment of Life.) We will begin each class with a brief
discussion or Q/A session, but you can count on at least 45 minutes to read
each day.
Thursday
2/14: Discussion
day: plot, setting, symbolism, narrative
POV
Friday
2/15: CPS
Pan Quiz (50 pts.); annotated copy of
Pan due. (50 pts.)
Week 21 -
Tuesday
2/19: Pan AP Prompt #3 Essay (9 pts.)
HW: Begin Madame
Bovary
Wednesday 2/20 - For
the next three weeks, you will need to have Madame
Bovary and your composition book every day in class. Please order the Dover Thrift Edition. This is the edition that is on the MBS list,
so if your parents already bought the book you should have the right one. *However, if you have a different edition, you need
to order this edition. It only
costs $3.50 on Amazon (I have e-mailed you the link) so it will not bankrupt
you.
*There
are literally a dozen different translations, and they can be very different, and we cannot do vocab
or even analyze passages from the novel together if we are working from
different texts.
Thursday, September 27, 2012
Poetry Quiz #2
We will have our second poetry quiz
tomorrow, Friday 9/28 (50 pts.). This will be mainly a multiple choice
exercise, and you will need to know the following terms to do well on it:
Assonance
Alliteration
Synesthesia
Onomatopoeia
Ceasura
Rhyme
Meter
Tone
Consonance
The link I posted earlier will help, as will the glossary of terms on p. 1660 of Perrine's. Re-reading chapters 10-13 won't hurt either.
Assonance
Alliteration
Synesthesia
Onomatopoeia
Ceasura
Rhyme
Meter
Tone
Consonance
The link I posted earlier will help, as will the glossary of terms on p. 1660 of Perrine's. Re-reading chapters 10-13 won't hurt either.
Poetry Paper #1
Using the suggestions from “Writing
about Literature” in Perrine’s, write a paper analyzing or explicating a single
poem, or comparing and contrasting any two poems in the poetry section of the
text (or of your choosing). This paper
should be a minimum of 500 words, typed and double-spaced. We are going to
workshop this paper, so you need to keep to the following schedule:
Poems and topic of paper selected and e-mailed to me – Monday 9/24
First draft of paper – Monday 10/1
Second draft – Wednesday 10/3
Final draft – Friday 10/5
Poems and topic of paper selected and e-mailed to me – Monday 9/24
First draft of paper – Monday 10/1
Second draft – Wednesday 10/3
Final draft – Friday 10/5
Friday, September 14, 2012
Poetry Quiz I Review
We will have our first poetry quiz on Tuesday 9/18 (50 pts.). This will be mainly a multiple choice exercise, and you will need to know the following terms to do well on it:
Simile
Apostrophe
Metaphor
Personification
Metonymy
Allusion
Paradox
The link below will help, as will the glossary of terms on p. 1660 of Perrine's. Re-reading chapters five and seven won't hurt either.
http://www.poetsgraves.co.uk/glossary_of_poetic_terms.htm
Simile
Apostrophe
Metaphor
Personification
Metonymy
Allusion
Paradox
The link below will help, as will the glossary of terms on p. 1660 of Perrine's. Re-reading chapters five and seven won't hurt either.
http://www.poetsgraves.co.uk/glossary_of_poetic_terms.htm
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
Classical/Biblical Allusions
Many literary works in the western tradition allude to mythological and biblical figures and stories that were well known to all literate people through much of our history. Below you will find an assignment that is designed to help you familiarize yourselves with some of the most prominent of these.
What I want you each to do is complete each of your identifications in a word file. Make sure that you use the same format as the sample that is provided below. Please write in complete, coherent sentences and proof-read/spell-check your entries. When you have all six in final, clean-copy form, paste them into a post on this blog. These will be graded for 5 points per identification, and they must be posted by the end of the school day on Monday September 10 (you should really be ablle to complete them by the end of class Friday!).
EXAMPLE:
Cerberus – In Greek mythology, Cerberus was the hound of Hades (God of the underworld) who had three heads, a dragon-tale, and snakes down his back and mane. He permits all spirits to enter the underworld, but none to return. He is the origin of the term “hounds of hell” (i.e., Vincent Price in Michael Jackson’s Thriller). Cerberus is overcome several times in mythology and literature, and so symbolizes both the horror of death and hell and the triumph of light over dark, goodness over evil, and reason/cunning over brute force.
Abraham and Isaac - CA
Absalom - MCC
Achilles - TF
Adonis - AG
Agamemnon - LH
Antigone - EH
Atalanta - HK
Atlas - FK
Cain and Abel - CS
Cassandra - GS
Cupid and Psyche - BS
Daedalus and Icarus - CA
Daniel (in the lion’s den) - MCC
Daphne - TF
David and Bathsheba - AG
Dionysus (Bacchus) - LH
“Eye for an eye…” - EH
Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse - HK
Garden of Gethsemane - FK
Good Samaritan - CS
Hercules (12 labors of) - GS
Herod - BS
Hyacinth - CA
Jacob and Esau - MCC
Jacob’s ladder - TF
Jezebel – AG
John the Baptist - LH
Jonah - EH
Judas Iscariot - HK
Laius - FK
Last Supper - CS
Lazarus - GS
Leda (and the Swan) - BS
Lot/Lot’s wife - CA
Magi - MCC
Mammon - TF
Mary Magdalene - AG
Medusa - LH
Midas - EH
Minotaur - HK
Moses – FK
Narcissus - CS
Nero (fiddled while Rome burned) - GS
Noah and the flood - BS
Odysseus - CA
Oedipus - MCC
Pandora - TF
Persephone – AG
Perseus - LH
Pharisees - EH
Philistines - HK
Pontius Pilate – FK
Procrustes - CS
Prodigal Son - GS
Prometheus - BS
Pygmalion - CA
Pyrrhus - MCC
Rachel and Leah - TF
Romulus and Remus - AG
Salome - LH
Samson and Delilah - EH
Scylla and Charybdis - HK
Sermon on the Mount - FK
Sisyphus - CS
Sodom and Gomorrah - GS
Solomon (the wise) - BS
Styx (not the band!) – CA/HK
Sword of Damocles – CS/MCC
Tantalus – BS/FK
Theseus – AG/TF
Tower of Babel – EH/GS
Trojan horse – LH
What I want you each to do is complete each of your identifications in a word file. Make sure that you use the same format as the sample that is provided below. Please write in complete, coherent sentences and proof-read/spell-check your entries. When you have all six in final, clean-copy form, paste them into a post on this blog. These will be graded for 5 points per identification, and they must be posted by the end of the school day on Monday September 10 (you should really be ablle to complete them by the end of class Friday!).
EXAMPLE:
Cerberus – In Greek mythology, Cerberus was the hound of Hades (God of the underworld) who had three heads, a dragon-tale, and snakes down his back and mane. He permits all spirits to enter the underworld, but none to return. He is the origin of the term “hounds of hell” (i.e., Vincent Price in Michael Jackson’s Thriller). Cerberus is overcome several times in mythology and literature, and so symbolizes both the horror of death and hell and the triumph of light over dark, goodness over evil, and reason/cunning over brute force.
Abraham and Isaac - CA
Absalom - MCC
Achilles - TF
Adonis - AG
Agamemnon - LH
Antigone - EH
Atalanta - HK
Atlas - FK
Cain and Abel - CS
Cassandra - GS
Cupid and Psyche - BS
Daedalus and Icarus - CA
Daniel (in the lion’s den) - MCC
Daphne - TF
David and Bathsheba - AG
Dionysus (Bacchus) - LH
“Eye for an eye…” - EH
Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse - HK
Garden of Gethsemane - FK
Good Samaritan - CS
Hercules (12 labors of) - GS
Herod - BS
Hyacinth - CA
Jacob and Esau - MCC
Jacob’s ladder - TF
Jezebel – AG
John the Baptist - LH
Jonah - EH
Judas Iscariot - HK
Laius - FK
Last Supper - CS
Lazarus - GS
Leda (and the Swan) - BS
Lot/Lot’s wife - CA
Magi - MCC
Mammon - TF
Mary Magdalene - AG
Medusa - LH
Midas - EH
Minotaur - HK
Moses – FK
Narcissus - CS
Nero (fiddled while Rome burned) - GS
Noah and the flood - BS
Odysseus - CA
Oedipus - MCC
Pandora - TF
Persephone – AG
Perseus - LH
Pharisees - EH
Philistines - HK
Pontius Pilate – FK
Procrustes - CS
Prodigal Son - GS
Prometheus - BS
Pygmalion - CA
Pyrrhus - MCC
Rachel and Leah - TF
Romulus and Remus - AG
Salome - LH
Samson and Delilah - EH
Scylla and Charybdis - HK
Sermon on the Mount - FK
Sisyphus - CS
Sodom and Gomorrah - GS
Solomon (the wise) - BS
Styx (not the band!) – CA/HK
Sword of Damocles – CS/MCC
Tantalus – BS/FK
Theseus – AG/TF
Tower of Babel – EH/GS
Trojan horse – LH
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
Poetry Reading Assignemt
The poetry section of Perrine's begins on page 655 and is divided into 16 chapters. Each of those chapters consists of anywhere from 3-9 pages of introductory/explanatory narrative (with a few poems included as examples), a textbox with the heading "REVIEWING CHAPTER ____", and several pages of poems and critical reading questions. By Wednesday September 19 you need to have read the narrative parts of each of those chapters. You should read and consider the poems included as examples, but you do not need to answer the questions or read any of the poems that appear at the end of the respective chapters.
During this unit, which will last apporoximatley 9 weeks, you will need to bring your composition book and Perrine's with you to class every day. Assessments will include two 50-point quizzes, two AP-prompt essays, and two out-of-class papers. I will also collect and assess your composition books at least once during the unit. The Frsit Trimester Exam will also focus primarily on poetry as this unit will comprise 3/4 of the content of Trimester 1.
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Assignment for Wednesday 4/18
Read Act I, Scenes I and II of Hamlet and post responses to the following questions. These will be recorded as homework grades...15 pts. each if you do them reasonably well, 0 if you have not posted by the beginning of class.
1. What portents appear in Act I Scene I? What does Horatio think these signs mean?
2. In his soliloquy, Hamlet uses the image of an unweeded garden. What is Hamlet comparing to a garden? What are the weeds? Who is responsible for tending the garden? If Hamlet were the chief gardener, how do you think he would go about restoring the garden?
1. What portents appear in Act I Scene I? What does Horatio think these signs mean?
2. In his soliloquy, Hamlet uses the image of an unweeded garden. What is Hamlet comparing to a garden? What are the weeds? Who is responsible for tending the garden? If Hamlet were the chief gardener, how do you think he would go about restoring the garden?
Friday, March 30, 2012
Ch. 30 Assignment
Post answers to the following questions from Ch. 30 RGs:
Kat – pt. 1 #1 & pt. 2 #5
Eddie – pt. 1# 2 & pt. 2 #4
Nathan – pt. 1# 3 & pt. 2 #3
Billy – pt. 1#4 & pt. 2 #2
Jack – pt. 1 #5 & pt. 2 #1
Cayce – pt. 1# 6 & pt. 2 #4
Michael – pt. 1#3 & pt. 2 #5
Tommy – pt. 1 #1 & pt. 2 #2
Maddie – pt. 1 #4 & pt. 2 #3
Eric – pt. 1 #6 & pt. 2 #1
Kat – pt. 1 #1 & pt. 2 #5
Eddie – pt. 1# 2 & pt. 2 #4
Nathan – pt. 1# 3 & pt. 2 #3
Billy – pt. 1#4 & pt. 2 #2
Jack – pt. 1 #5 & pt. 2 #1
Cayce – pt. 1# 6 & pt. 2 #4
Michael – pt. 1#3 & pt. 2 #5
Tommy – pt. 1 #1 & pt. 2 #2
Maddie – pt. 1 #4 & pt. 2 #3
Eric – pt. 1 #6 & pt. 2 #1
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Oedipus Unit Itinerary
Reading: Perrine's "The Elements of Drama," Ch 1. pp 1036-1039; Ch. 3 pp. 1222-1229; Oedipus Rex pp 1229-1274.
Assessment: CPS Quiz (40 pts.)
W 3/21 – finish Metamorphosis questions/begin drama reading
HW: selections from "The Elements of Drama"
Th 3/22 – DPS essay samples/discuss Kafka
HW: begin reading Oedipus
F 3/23 - Oedipus reading day
HW: finish the play
M 3/26 – Oedipus discussion day
HW: review for quiz
T 3/27 - CPS Quiz over Oedipus/"Elements of Drama" (40 pts.)
Assessment: CPS Quiz (40 pts.)
W 3/21 – finish Metamorphosis questions/begin drama reading
HW: selections from "The Elements of Drama"
Th 3/22 – DPS essay samples/discuss Kafka
HW: begin reading Oedipus
F 3/23 - Oedipus reading day
HW: finish the play
M 3/26 – Oedipus discussion day
HW: review for quiz
T 3/27 - CPS Quiz over Oedipus/"Elements of Drama" (40 pts.)
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Class Schedule, 1/25-2/6
Wednesday 1/25 – Paideia Discussion A Very Old Man With Enormous Wings
Thursday 1/26 – Pan reading day
Friday 1/27 – First-draft peer-editing day (in 508 Comp Lab, so you can work on papers for the second half of the period)
Monday 1/30 – Pan reading day
Tuesday 1/31 – Pan reading day
Wednesday 2/1 – Pan Reading Quiz (CPS 25 pts.), marked-copies due (50 pts.)
Thursday 2/2 – Paper word day (508 Comp Lab)
Friday 2/3 – Second-draft peer-editing day (in 508 Comp Lab, so you can work on papers for the second half of the period)
Monday 2/6 – AP-Prompt Essay over Pan (25 pts.)
Thursday 1/26 – Pan reading day
Friday 1/27 – First-draft peer-editing day (in 508 Comp Lab, so you can work on papers for the second half of the period)
Monday 1/30 – Pan reading day
Tuesday 1/31 – Pan reading day
Wednesday 2/1 – Pan Reading Quiz (CPS 25 pts.), marked-copies due (50 pts.)
Thursday 2/2 – Paper word day (508 Comp Lab)
Friday 2/3 – Second-draft peer-editing day (in 508 Comp Lab, so you can work on papers for the second half of the period)
Monday 2/6 – AP-Prompt Essay over Pan (25 pts.)
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Paper Timeline
Friday 1/13 - Work Day #1 508 Computer Lab/Library. At the end of the period, e-mail me and tell me which question you have chosen and what you accomplished during the period.
Friday 1/20 - Work Day #2 508 Computer Lab/Library.
Friday January 27 - Peer-editing of first drafts. Partners are:
Jack-Michael
Kat-Cayce
Eddie-Eric
Nathan-Sarah
Maddie-Shelby
Friday February 3 - Peer-editing of second drafts.
Friday February 10 - Papers Due.
Friday 1/20 - Work Day #2 508 Computer Lab/Library.
Friday January 27 - Peer-editing of first drafts. Partners are:
Jack-Michael
Kat-Cayce
Eddie-Eric
Nathan-Sarah
Maddie-Shelby
Friday February 3 - Peer-editing of second drafts.
Friday February 10 - Papers Due.
Monday, October 24, 2011
Short Fiction Unit Itinerary
Week 10 -
The Elements of Fiction Ch. 1
Stories: The Most Dangerous Game & Hunter's in the Snow
Reading Quiz Thursday 10/27
Week 11 -
The Elements of Fiction Ch. 2
Stories: The Destructors, How I Met My Husband, & Interpreter of Maladies
Reading Quiz Friday 11/4
Week 12/13 -
Chapter 3 "Characterization"
Stories: Night Roamers, Sin, Everyday Use, Miss Brill, Xingu
Reading Quiz Thursday 11/17
Paper - The Ladies of Xingu: A Study in Characterization. Due (typed, double-spaced, no more than 1,500 words) Tuesday 11/22. Peer-editing schedule to follow.
Week 14 -
Chapter 4 "Theme"
Stories: A Fragment of Life, The Lesson, Gooseberries, A Worn Path
The Elements of Fiction Ch. 1
Stories: The Most Dangerous Game & Hunter's in the Snow
Reading Quiz Thursday 10/27
Week 11 -
The Elements of Fiction Ch. 2
Stories: The Destructors, How I Met My Husband, & Interpreter of Maladies
Reading Quiz Friday 11/4
Week 12/13 -
Chapter 3 "Characterization"
Stories: Night Roamers, Sin, Everyday Use, Miss Brill, Xingu
Reading Quiz Thursday 11/17
Paper - The Ladies of Xingu: A Study in Characterization. Due (typed, double-spaced, no more than 1,500 words) Tuesday 11/22. Peer-editing schedule to follow.
Week 14 -
Chapter 4 "Theme"
Stories: A Fragment of Life, The Lesson, Gooseberries, A Worn Path
Monday, October 3, 2011
Week 7 Itinerary
Monday 10/3: Peer-edit second drafts
HW: Blackberry-picking and questions!
Tuesday 10/4: Discuss Quizzes and begin DQs for The Misanthrope
HW: work on paper!
Wednesday 10/5: Discuss Blackberry-picking and finish DQs for The Misanthrope
HW: finish paper!
Thursday 10/6: Dante Papers due (100 pts.)
Misanthrope discussion
NO HOMEWORK!
HW: Blackberry-picking and questions!
Tuesday 10/4: Discuss Quizzes and begin DQs for The Misanthrope
HW: work on paper!
Wednesday 10/5: Discuss Blackberry-picking and finish DQs for The Misanthrope
HW: finish paper!
Thursday 10/6: Dante Papers due (100 pts.)
Misanthrope discussion
NO HOMEWORK!
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Quiz Review
We will have our second poetry quiz tomorrow (50 pts.). This will be mainly a multiple choice exercise, and you will need to know the following terms to do well on it:
Simile
Metaphor
Personification
Paradox
Assonance
Alliteration
Synesthesia
Onomatopoeia
Ceasura
Rhyme
Meter
Tone
Consonance
The link I posted earlier will help, as will the glossary of terms on p. 1635 of Perrine's. Re-reading chapters 10-13 won't hurt either.
Simile
Metaphor
Personification
Paradox
Assonance
Alliteration
Synesthesia
Onomatopoeia
Ceasura
Rhyme
Meter
Tone
Consonance
The link I posted earlier will help, as will the glossary of terms on p. 1635 of Perrine's. Re-reading chapters 10-13 won't hurt either.
Friday, September 16, 2011
Poetry Paper I
Option A: Dante’s Inferno.
1. Dante's vision of hell has a very carefully worked out structure, which not only indicates punishments for particular crimes but which also ranks sins according to their seriousness. Discuss the importance of this structure of punishments, paying particular attention to what it reveals about Dante's vision of the individual, society, and the various ways these can become corrupt.
2. Dante presents a ranking of failures of moral virtue. Why, according to this ranking, are the sins of malice and fraud more severely punished than those of sensual appetite?
3. Select a single, short passage of Dante's Inferno (maximum about twenty lines), and write a critical analysis of two different translations of the passage. The essay should focus on the differences between the versions as English poetry. Do not, unless you are fluent in Italian, consider the question of the adequacy of the rendition of the original language. Pay very close attention to how the different phrases, images, rhymes, and so forth affect your response to the passage. How are the passages different? You might want to base the essay on a statement expressing a clear preference. Please include copies of the two passages you are comparing.
4. Select a single incident in the Inferno, and, by a detailed discussion of what happens in that incident (both to the sinners and to the onlookers and to the reader), explore the significance of that episode. What does it contribute to the total effect of the poem? Does the incident raise any challenging questions about or provide important insights into main features of the poem?
5. In what sense is Dante's Inferno a voyage of discovery about the poet-narrator's own self and culture, a necessary descent before he can attain proper spiritual insight? What does Dante (the character in the poem) learn as a result of his trip to hell?
6. The inferno (hell), we are told at the very opening of Canto III, is a place constructed by Divine Justice, Omnipotence, and Love. What problems, if any, does this raise? Can you defend Dante's poem from the charge that it makes God appear appallingly cruel?
Option B: Compare and Contrast: Theme, Tone, Figurative Devices, Etc.
Using the suggestions on page 8 of “Writing about Literature” in Perrine’s, write a paper comparing and contrasting any two poems in the poetry section of the text. (pp 647-1024) Although neither is a comparison/contrast essay, reading the sample papers on pp 46-52 might be helpful.
This paper should be a minimum of 500 words, typed and double-spaced. We are going to workshop this paper, so you need to keep to the following schedule:
Poems and/or topic of paper e-mailed to me – Wednesday 9/21
Work-day in Computer Lab – Friday 9/23
First draft of paper – Monday 9/26
Second draft – Monday 10/3
Final draft – Wednesday 10/5
1. Dante's vision of hell has a very carefully worked out structure, which not only indicates punishments for particular crimes but which also ranks sins according to their seriousness. Discuss the importance of this structure of punishments, paying particular attention to what it reveals about Dante's vision of the individual, society, and the various ways these can become corrupt.
2. Dante presents a ranking of failures of moral virtue. Why, according to this ranking, are the sins of malice and fraud more severely punished than those of sensual appetite?
3. Select a single, short passage of Dante's Inferno (maximum about twenty lines), and write a critical analysis of two different translations of the passage. The essay should focus on the differences between the versions as English poetry. Do not, unless you are fluent in Italian, consider the question of the adequacy of the rendition of the original language. Pay very close attention to how the different phrases, images, rhymes, and so forth affect your response to the passage. How are the passages different? You might want to base the essay on a statement expressing a clear preference. Please include copies of the two passages you are comparing.
4. Select a single incident in the Inferno, and, by a detailed discussion of what happens in that incident (both to the sinners and to the onlookers and to the reader), explore the significance of that episode. What does it contribute to the total effect of the poem? Does the incident raise any challenging questions about or provide important insights into main features of the poem?
5. In what sense is Dante's Inferno a voyage of discovery about the poet-narrator's own self and culture, a necessary descent before he can attain proper spiritual insight? What does Dante (the character in the poem) learn as a result of his trip to hell?
6. The inferno (hell), we are told at the very opening of Canto III, is a place constructed by Divine Justice, Omnipotence, and Love. What problems, if any, does this raise? Can you defend Dante's poem from the charge that it makes God appear appallingly cruel?
Option B: Compare and Contrast: Theme, Tone, Figurative Devices, Etc.
Using the suggestions on page 8 of “Writing about Literature” in Perrine’s, write a paper comparing and contrasting any two poems in the poetry section of the text. (pp 647-1024) Although neither is a comparison/contrast essay, reading the sample papers on pp 46-52 might be helpful.
This paper should be a minimum of 500 words, typed and double-spaced. We are going to workshop this paper, so you need to keep to the following schedule:
Poems and/or topic of paper e-mailed to me – Wednesday 9/21
Work-day in Computer Lab – Friday 9/23
First draft of paper – Monday 9/26
Second draft – Monday 10/3
Final draft – Wednesday 10/5
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Poetry Unit Reading Assignment
The poetry section of Perrine's begins on page 655 (645 for those of you with the older edition) and is divided into 16 chapters. Each of those chapters consists of anywhere from 3-9 pages of introductory/explanatory narrative (with a few poems included as examples), a textbox with the heading "REVIEWING CHAPTER ____", and several pages of poems and critical reading questions. By Wednesday September 28 you need to have read the narrative parts of each of those chapters. You should read and consider the poems included as examples, but you do not need to answer the questions or read any of the poems that appear at the end of the respective chapters.
On Friday 9/30 we will have a poetry quiz very similar to the disgnostic one we just took, only this one will count!
On Friday 9/30 we will have a poetry quiz very similar to the disgnostic one we just took, only this one will count!
Monday, September 12, 2011
Poetry Review Site
We will have a diagnostic poetry quiz tomorrow (mostly multiple choice with a few anlaytical short answer questions). The main purpose of this is to see how much you have retained from last year, so spending three hours reviewing will defeat the purpose. However, if you want to spend a few minutes perusing this site and re-aquaining yourself with the terminology, it won't hurt!
http://www.poetsgraves.co.uk/glossary_of_poetic_terms.htm
http://www.poetsgraves.co.uk/glossary_of_poetic_terms.htm
Monday, August 29, 2011
College Essay Assignment
APLC
Fall 2011
College Essay Assignment
Pasted below is the essay requirement from the Common Application. Your first writing assignment for this course (and for Ms. Trask and Mr. Clark) is to select one of the topics below and address it in a polished and compelling piece of writing. We will keep to the following timeline:
Wednesday 8/31 - In-class work day
Friday 9/2 - Two copies of first draft due, one to Ms. Trask and one for peer-editing in class.
Wednesday 9/7 - Second drafts due for final peer editing session.
Friday 9/9 - Final drafts due.
Please write an essay of 250 – 500 words on a topic of your choice or on one of the options listed below, and attach it to your application before submission. Please indicate your topic by checking the appropriate box. This personal essay helps us become acquainted with you as a person and student, apart from courses, grades, test scores, and other objective data. It will also demonstrate your ability to organize your thoughts and express yourself. NOTE: Your Common Application essay should be the same for all colleges. Do not customize it in any way for individual colleges. Colleges that want customized essay responses will ask for them on a supplement form.
1 Evaluate a significant experience, achievement, risk you have taken, or ethical dilemma you have faced and its impact on you.
2 Discuss some issue of personal, local, national, or international concern and its importance to you.
3 Indicate a person who has had a significant influence on you, and describe that influence.
4 Describe a character in fiction, a historical figure, or a creative work (as in art, music, science, etc.) that has had an influence on you, and explain that influence.
5 A range of academic interests, personal perspectives, and life experiences adds much to the educational mix. Given your personal background, describe an experience that illustrates what you would bring to the diversity in a college community or an encounter that demonstrated the importance of diversity to you.
6 Topic of your choice.
Fall 2011
College Essay Assignment
Pasted below is the essay requirement from the Common Application. Your first writing assignment for this course (and for Ms. Trask and Mr. Clark) is to select one of the topics below and address it in a polished and compelling piece of writing. We will keep to the following timeline:
Wednesday 8/31 - In-class work day
Friday 9/2 - Two copies of first draft due, one to Ms. Trask and one for peer-editing in class.
Wednesday 9/7 - Second drafts due for final peer editing session.
Friday 9/9 - Final drafts due.
Please write an essay of 250 – 500 words on a topic of your choice or on one of the options listed below, and attach it to your application before submission. Please indicate your topic by checking the appropriate box. This personal essay helps us become acquainted with you as a person and student, apart from courses, grades, test scores, and other objective data. It will also demonstrate your ability to organize your thoughts and express yourself. NOTE: Your Common Application essay should be the same for all colleges. Do not customize it in any way for individual colleges. Colleges that want customized essay responses will ask for them on a supplement form.
1 Evaluate a significant experience, achievement, risk you have taken, or ethical dilemma you have faced and its impact on you.
2 Discuss some issue of personal, local, national, or international concern and its importance to you.
3 Indicate a person who has had a significant influence on you, and describe that influence.
4 Describe a character in fiction, a historical figure, or a creative work (as in art, music, science, etc.) that has had an influence on you, and explain that influence.
5 A range of academic interests, personal perspectives, and life experiences adds much to the educational mix. Given your personal background, describe an experience that illustrates what you would bring to the diversity in a college community or an encounter that demonstrated the importance of diversity to you.
6 Topic of your choice.
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