I hope you're reading!

You have another week to get your outside reading book and start reading!

Hamlet Memorization Extra Credit

Hi all -- I know some of you are really missing class. If you're bored, memorize some Hamlet!

I'm offering 4 points of extra credit on a quiz (very valuable) for memorizing 14 lines of one of Hamlet's soliloquies. HERE is the explanation of the assignment. Note that in order to receive all 4 points you have to deliver the lines perfectly with flair and feeling!

This is due by January 22nd. Plan to make an appointment with me after class or during lunch to do it.

Happy Break!

Your only homework for the next two weeks:

1. obtain and READ your outside reading book
2. sleep and rebuild your energy for 2016

See you soon!

Hamlet Essay -- NEW PLAN

Hi all, after talking with many of you yesterday and seeing your thesis statements via email, I've made an executive decision to push back the due date of your Hamlet essays. It's clear you need more time and support in this.

Here are the new, important dates:

Friday, December 18: full outline due (with thesis and quotations) to me via email*
January 4-8: work days
January 11: FULL ESSAY DUE

*I will read your outlines and thesis statements and give you some feedback

I do not expect you to work on this over break. We will dedicate a full week to this when you return. Keep in mind, however, that I am expecting really stellar results when you turn in the final product.

Hamlet Essay

Happy Tuesday!

Today we worked in-class on our Hamlet essays. HERE is the mini-lecture I gave about getting started.

Remember: You need to narrow the prompt and stay tightly focused in your research and writing. Your thematic inquiry statement should be active, argumentative and nuanced!

Outside Reading 2 -- CHOICES

Please choose your second outside reading book by Friday (December 18th). Plan to have the book FULLY read by January 19th.

Here are your options:

• Siddhartha (Hesse)
• On the Road (Kerouac)
• Middlesex (Eugenides)
• I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (Angelou)
• The Autobiography of Malcolm X (Haley)
• The Woman Warrior (Hong-Kingston)
• Into the Wild (Krakauer(
• My Antonia (Cather)
• The Unbearable Lightness of Being (Kundera)

Hamlet Essay

This weekend you should begin work on your Hamlet essay. HERE are the prompts.

Important Dates
     Tuesday, December 15 -- research and notes due
     Tuesday, Dec. 15 - Thursday, Dec. 17 -- in class work days
     Friday, December 18 -- ESSAY DUE

Important Steps

1. Research your topic – go back through the text looking closely for quotations related to your prompt. Copy them down. Always record the act, scene and line number! Some ideas:
1. Use notecards to organize your research
2. Keep everything in one part of your notebook
3. Create a special word document for your research
2. Look at all the evidence you gathered. What are the natural arguments or conclusions you can draw? What patterns can you bring together? Let the text speak—don’t try to force an interpretation that isn’t there!
3. Draft a strong thematic inquiry statement.
4. Write! Revise! Edit!

Finish Hamlet tonight!

Tonight you should read Act 5, scene 2. This is the end of Hamlet!

Tonight's Reading

Don't forget to read Act 4, scenes 6 & 7!!

Weekend Reading

This weekend you should read ACT 4, scenes 1-3.

Really read it!

TONIGHT: Read Act 3, scene 3

There *may* be a quiz!

TONIGHT: Read Act 3, scene 2

Today we read and listened to Act 3, scene 1. He heard the audio book version, discussed the passage, and then watched two movie adaptations. We talked about the power of interpretation and differences of staging that can change our understanding of Hamlet's relationship with Ophelia.

Post Socratic Seminar Response

Oops! HERE is the good link.

Hamlet Act II (Socratic Seminar Prep)

Hi all -- Today you received back your Poetry Test and your Metaphysical Poetry Essay. Remember, if you earned less than a 90% on your essay you may rewrite!

We also took a quiz about Hamlet Act II.

Tomorrow you have a Socratic Seminar about Acts 1 & 2. You MUST complete THIS preparation work in order to participate. I can't wait to hear your insights!

Hamlet Act II by Nov. 30th!

Hi all -- I'm sorry I had to miss yesterday. I hope everything worked out with your passage annotation, discussion and writing.

Just a quick reminder that over the break you are reading Hamlet Act II. Be ready for a short reading quiz on Monday, November 30th.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Outside Reading Day 1 (Post-Discussion Work)

Today you completed part one of your Outside Reading work with your group.

TONIGHT: complete TEXT REFERENCE NOTES for your book and complete THIS google form questionnaire.

REMINDER: Outside Reading

Grab some cocoa and a blanket and read, read, read! Your Outside Reading Book is due (completely read) by Monday!

Tonight's reading

Tonight please read Hamlet Act I, scene iii & iv

Fantastic Poetry Projects!

I'm really enjoying these projects! Here are a few that really stand out for their artistry. I'll try to take more pictures.

"Paradise" by George Herbert

adorable personified tree :)

"Paradise" by George Herbert

beautiful illustration -- I love that the pruned branches are bleeding!

"Paradise" by George Herbert

This spiritual tree reflects all the seasons!

"Death Be Not Proud" by John Donne

My advice: get Katia's autograph now

"The Flea" by John Donne

Yes, this is a chocolate cake flea with two people joined in the body. Must. Not. Eat. Poetry. Project.

Hamlet!

Today we began Hamlet! Tonight please read Act I, scene ii.

As we read we are tracking a few important motifs:

• vengeance
• loyalty
• madness
• duplicity/deceit

Bring Hamlet tomorrow!

We will begin Hamlet tomorrow! Please bring your copy.

Before class please read the short synopsis of the play (handout from class).

Poetry Test Tomorrow!

You have a poetry test tomorrow. Don't forget to study!

HERE is the study guide

A quick note

Hi all. As I read some of your essay drafts I realize you need a primer on citation/plagiarism:

You are all clearly using Google and Wikipedia to find analysis of your poems. I really wish you wouldn't (you really have the tools to do this on your own), but since you are, you can’t pass off the information you find as your own. Rewording is not enough. Here are things you MUST cite:

• biographical information about the poet
• historical information about the poem
• analytical ideas that are not your own -- this is intellectual property
• EX: another writer’s analysis compares this poem to a passage from the Bible
• you must cite the writer who explained this AND the passage from the Bible
• EX: another writer’s analysis points out an allusion to something you didn’t see or understand on your own

NOTE: you CANNOT cite Wikipedia (it is not an “authoritative” source). You also can’t cite Sparknotes or Gradesaver or blogs. So really, you shouldn’t even bother looking there because then you will be in a pickle--these sites will give you information you want to use, but you can’t! Use scholarly essays through JSTOR or Google Scholar.

In a two page paper like this you don't need citations except for the poem--stay grounded in the text!

Outside Reading Due Date CHANGE

You must now have your Outside Reading book complete by November 23.

Outside Reading Book -- Checking In

Your Outside Reading book is due (completely read) next Tuesday (November 17th). Are you ready? Mrs. K would like to get a sense of where everyone is with this assignment, to see if some re-arrangements of the calendar is necessary. Please complete this form:

*This is anonymous and your response will NOT link to your name or email

Metaphysical Poetry Project

We are just about finished working through our Metaphysical Poetry packet. Tomorrow we will finish our work on Andrew Vaughn's poem "The World."

We will then work on our poetry projects. HERE is the assignment handout.

You will choose one of our metaphysical poems and study it. You will do two things with this poem.

1. you create an artistic representation of the poem, incorporating the text of the poem into your visual response
2. you will write a short (2 page max) essay about this poem, connecting the important pieces of the poem to the thematic inquiry

Thursday (tomorrow) and Friday will be in-class workdays. Mrs. K will be available to meet and help. Both pieces of your project are DUE MONDAY, Nov. 19th.

Metaphysical Poetry

This week we are working with Metaphysical Poetry of the 17th Century. HERE is the poetry packet for the week.

HERE is the lecture you all had today about John Donne and metaphysical poetry.

Weekend Homework

This weekend we pivot to the Metaphysical poets. More on that definition next week. Your homework this weekend is to read and annotate the John Donne poem (Sonnet XIV, "Batter My Heart") and the short analysis of the poem by Camille Paglia. If you were absent, get a copy on Monday.

Get pumped! John Donne is a favorite!

Homework This Weekend (Due Nov. 2nd)

Study your VOCAB! (see link on the right) -- no definitions or sentences, but understand how to apply these terms to real poems

Read and annotate 3 of the modern/contemporary poems in your packet.


Some reminders about sonnets:

Italian:

14 lines

Octave/Sestet (volta)

Rhyme: abbaabba/cdecde or cdccdc

NO RHYMING COUPLET

Early English Sonnet

14 lines

Octave/Sestet (volta)

Rhyme: abbaabba/cddc ee

RHYMING COUPLET

Shakespearean Sonnet

14 lines

Octave/Sestet (volta)

Rhyme: abab cdcd efef gg

RHYMING COUPLET & NEW RHYME SCHEME

Shakespeare's Sonnet 130

You guys were amazing today! We have now studied 3 different kinds of sonnets: Italian, Early English, and Shakespearean (English). Today we read Shakespeare's Sonnet 130 and you worked in groups to re-write the poem. This was so fun to watch. Your re-writes were hilarious!

See, you CAN understand Shakespeare and make it your own!

Here is the music video to Sonnet Man's rap:

Early English Sonnets

Today we discussed Sir Thomas Wyatt's sonnet, "I Find No Peace" (in your sonnet packet).

Wyatt took the Italian sonnet form and adapted it, adding the rhyming couplet at the end. Like Italian sonnets, these early English sonnets are 14 lines, contain an octave (abbaabba) and sestet with a couplet (cddc gg).  

Like Petrarch, Wyatt burns with passion for a woman he cannot have (most likely Anne Bolyn).

Italian Sonnets

Today we began our study of sonnets. HERE is the packet you picked up. We will use this packet for the next two weeks.


This afternoon we discussed Petrarch and looked at his Sonnet 13. HERE is the poetry lecture (we covered slides 16-21).

Petrarch looking lonely :(

Study Poetry Vocab (Quiz Monday)

Here are the key terms for this week:

Scansion

Meter

Qualitative Meter

Metric foot

dimeter

trimeter

tetrameter

pentameter

caesura

end-stopped

enjambed

iamb

trochee

spondee


You DO NOT need definitions and sentences this week. Just study these terms and know how to apply them to a poem.

Poetic Scansion

Yesterday we began our glorious (or maybe dreaded?) poetry unit. We had a great discussion about scansion. HERE is the note-sheet from yesterday. HERE is the PowerPoint. So far we have covered through slide 15.

Today we will continue our exploration of poetic meter with some activities around syllable stresses (iambic, trochaic, etc.) HERE is the note-sheet for today.

Tragedy Essay Editing

The news is true! Your essays are now due Wednesday. We will spend the next few days editing our essays and ensuring they are perfect for turn-in.

HERE is our calendar and the list of editing activities.

Tragedy Essay DUE MONDAY

Just a reminder that your tragedy essay is due Monday. This shouldn't be a surprise. We've been working on this all week! You a need a typed and printed copy at the start of class.

HERE is a copy of the presentation I've given the last few days (information about crafting introductions and body paragraphs).

Tragedy Essay Packet

This week we embark on our first major literary analysis essay. HERE is the packet of information and rubrics.

Tonight you are reading a sample essay response and annotating it (what did this students do well, what needs work).

You should also begin compiling notes, quotations, and ideas for your essay. Tomorrow we will creat our outlines and work on thesis statements. You will write your first draft under time on Thursday.

"This Be the Verse" by Philip Larkin

We had a great conversation today about Larkin's poem and the connections with our tragedy unit. Here are the group annotations we created:

5th Hour:

6th Hour:

Reading Homework Tonight

Tonight's homework is to read:

"How to Write About Africa" by Binyavanga Wainaina

and "Problems of Gender and History in the Teaching of Things Fall Apart. See me for a copy!

Things Fall Apart & Anti-Colonialism

Today we talked about colonialism and our own stereotypes and assumptions about Africa. We began the hour by watching Taylor Swift's music video for "Wildest Dreams" and the 2014 Louis Vuitton campaign (both below). We considered these problematic depictions of Africa that completely leave out Africans!






I gave THIS lecture about Chinua Achebe and his inspiration for the novel Things Fall Apart.

HERE is the handout, "How to Write About Africa" by Wainaina

HERE is the full clip of John Stewart's interview with Trevor Noah called "Spot the Africa."

HERE is the full text of Achebe's article, "An Image of Africa: Racism in Conrad's 'Heart of Darkness'"

Medea/Oedipus Socratic Seminar Prep

On Friday you have your second Socratic Seminar. I hope you're starting to see value in Socrates' dialectic method (discussion and debate to reach truth).

In preparation for that discussion please complete THIS assignment. Thursday is an in-class work day, so you should have time to finish. Be focused and purposeful in your preparation and the discussion will be so much better!

Tragic Mental Landscapes

Today you received THIS assignment. You will create two Tragic Mental Landscapes for characters from our central texts.

This assignment is DUE MONDAY (Oct. 5th).

Tomorrow (Wednesday) is a work day, so come prepared with materials. I will also have materials available. You will have another sub so please stay on task!

Myth of the Golden Fleece & Andrea Yates

Guys, I am so pumped up about Medea. This play is so intense and deliciously evil. I can't wait to talk about it with you.

To help you understand some of the background on Medea's relationship with Jason I gave you copies of Edith Hamilton's Mythology. In this excerpt you will see how Medea saved Jason, sacrificing everything in the process. This should give you some insight as to why his betrayal cuts so deeply.

The second thing I gave you today is a Newsweek article about Andrea Yates. She was a woman who killed her five children by drowning them in a bathtub in 2001. This article is so disturbing and well written, and makes clear allusion to Medea. We will also discuss this tomorrow and think about infanticide (fun times).

Don't forget to study for your terms quiz tomorrow (definitions and sentences due at that time). A big warning--there are some questions about Medea on the quiz so you will want to read it!

Value of Literature Essays

Hi all!

I wanted to let you know that I am grading your "Value of Literature" essays. You may see a grade posted in the gradebook and freak out -- don't worry! Remember that every grade below at 90% has an opportunity to rewrite. I'll explain that process Tuesday.

I am a thorough grader (notice I'm avoiding the word "hard"). It can be difficult to receive negative feedback about your writing, but know that this is an important part of growth. By the end of this year you will see so much progress!

PS: be kind to the sub tomorrow

Weekend Homework (DUE TUESDAY)

Hello all --

This weekend please read and annotate Medea. It's a wild one! I think you'll love it. We will discuss it Tuesday.

You should also do your vocab definitions and sentences (link on the right). Those are due (and you will have your vocab quiz) on Tuesday.


Happy weekend!

Outside Reading (due Nov. 16th)

Today we took the SRI test and also chose our outside reading selection. You need to obtain a copy of your chosen book and finish it by November 16th. HERE are more details about the Outside Reading requirement and how you will be graded.

Oedipus Ending & Socratic Seminar TOMORROW

Today we watched the very end of Oedipus, available HERE (we watched section 10). We considered this adaptation, its differences and similarities with the play.

We discussed the essay by Bernard Knox, "The Last Scene." This was a piece of literary criticism, that while difficult to understand at first, is really important for improving our reading of high-level texts.

Tonight you will read another piece of literary criticism by Bruce Bower, "The Oedipus Complex: A Theory Under Fire." Tomorrow you will have your first Socratic Seminar. Participation requires completion of THIS ticket.

Oedipus Literary Criticism

Tonight and tomorrow night you will read two critical essays about Oedipus. Please see me to get copies if you were absent (there are no PDF's).

On Thursday we will have our first "Socratic Seminar," which is a student-led academic conversation about Oedipus. Socratic Seminars are important as they help us practice inquiry and thoughtful investigation. They also help us develop deeper understanding ahead of essays. College lit classes are seminar based, meaning this will be what most of your college classes look like. Let's get ready!

Oedipus Work Today

Today we worked in groups to closely read and consider four elements in Oedipus:

1) allusions to other important Greek myth
2) motifs (especially seeing, blindness, and deafness)
3) dramatic irony
4) hubris

NO HOMEWORK tonight (unless you need to finish Things Fall Apart). See you tomorrow!

Vocab Due Monday

Just a reminder that we will have a vocab quiz Monday (see link at right for official list). On Monday you will also turn in your list of terms with definitions and sample sentences.

Tragedy Terms

Today we continued our discussion on the history of Greek tragedy. We got more specific about the language of tragedy, specifically:

• catharsis
• dithyramb
• tragodia
• tragedy
• chorus
• peripety
• hubris
• hamartia

HERE is the PowerPoint I gave today.

Weekend Reading (Oedipus The King)

Hi all -- today you picked up Oedipus from the book depository. This books contains 3 plays written by Sophocles. You are reading "Oedipus The King" (Oedipus Rex)--DUE MONDAY.

Hope that clarifies things!

WUW (Sept. 17)

Michigan Stadium holds 107, 601 people! Why do so many people attend these games?What benefit does the community receive? What about individuals?

Roots of Greek Theatre

Last night you read "Roots of Drama: Rites of Dionysus" from Nexus, Antigone and the Greek World (1994).

Today's in-class work:

In pairs, create an illustrated timeline of Greek Theatre from the cult of Dionysus to the development of tragedy.

Key terms:

Dionysian fertility rite

Anthesteria Festival

Tragodia
dithyrambs
Thespis
Aeschylus
The Great Dionysia
Sophocles


We also picked up Oedipus from the book depository. Please read the play by MONDAY.

WUW Sept. 16

Socrates once said

“The unexamined life is not worth living.”

Is this true? What is the value of examining and studying our lives and the lives of others?

How does Socrates’ fate and Plato’s Allegory of the Cave complicate this idea?

Tiresias & Oedipus (Background)

Hello!

Today you all had to listen to the very dry, very boring back stories of Tiresias and Oedipus. Just kidding! The Greeks were crazy and (let's face it) I'm a brilliant story teller.

HERE is a copy of the PPT I gave. There were a lot of important terms today. I really want you to understand:

• Foresight (Tiresias' gift)
• Sophocles' dates
• Oracle at Delphi
• Sybil
• 3 inscriptions at Delphi
• Oedipus' parents (Laius & Jacosta)
• transgression
• taboo

Class Discussion Points (9/15)

Hello again!

Today we had a great discussion about Plato's Allegory of the Cave.

We began by getting into small groups and thinking about the following:

Figure out what each of the following details refer to (keep notes in your binder):–The cave–Shackles/bonds/fetters–Shadows–Fire–“artifacts”–The light above (the sun)–“the things themselves”
–Persons who leave the cave–Persons who return to the cave

REMEMBER: allegory is not symbolism! Plato is using this allegory to talk about philosophy and education--the important, the difficulty and the dangers. Each of these allegorical components add to the meaning and enhance our ability to understand Plato's regard for philosophers. 

NO HOMEWORK :)

WUW 9/15

Consider your own life and our broader culture. If we are the prisoners chained in the cave, who are our modern puppeteers? What images or ideas do they put before us and tell us are “truth?” What would it take to escape our cave?

Allegory of the Cave (PPT and homework)

Happy Monday!

Today I gave a short lecture about Plato's Allegory of the Cave. You can find that HERE.

HOMEWORK: Tonight, please read The Allegory of the Cave and annotate it. Consider the following questions:

• What is the allegory really about? 
• What connections can you make between Plato's allegory and our society?
• What kinds of people can escape the cave? Can you think of historical or contemporary figures who might be escapees?
• What are the dangers of escaping and returning? Why?

WUW (Monday, Sept. 14)

Today we looked at the following advertisement for Du Pont Cellophane:

Consider this (real!) advertisement

•What is your initial reaction?

•What kinds of societal problems does this advertisement unwittingly reveal?

•What connections can you make to life today?

We discussed how this advertisement is related to consumerism and reflects our society's lack of thoughtfulness around issues of materialism.

Essay DUE MONDAY!

Just a reminder that your "Value of Literature" essay is due Monday. You will also turn in your green brainstorming sheet with questions.

There is No Frigate Like a Book (annotation)

Today we briefly discussed Toni Morrison's essay, "The Reader as Artist."

We also work on annotating Emily Dickinson's poem, "There is no Frigate like a Book" (poem 1286). Here are our group annotations (sorry for the poor picture quality today):

6th Hour

5th Hour

We discussed the war connotations many of the words have, and also some of the subtext about travel and poverty. Most importantly (for our purposes) we discussed her assertion that books "bear the Human Soul." We thought this might be about the author's soul he or she pours into writing. It may also be about our souls--the books we read become our souls OR we put a piece of our souls in every book we read. What a responsibility! Like Larkin, Dickinson may be suggesting that good books are key (who wants bad books in their soul)?