Block Day, December 1 & 2 ~ Allegorical Poe

Roots

• Duc, duct – lead
• Fac, fact, fic, fect – do, make
• Fer – bear, carry

CHRISTMAS BLESSING

• Try to get at least three editors!
• 10 pts. for completing the story.
• Peer Editing ~ Check for....
• Here is the original assignment.
• basic grammatical errors
• coherent sentence structure
• paragraph flow (is the story easy to follow and broken into manageable paragraphs)
• consistent narrator (is it clear when the narrator is talking vs. when a character is talking?)
• Are there any inconsistencies in the plot or in general?
• At the end of the story, answer...
• What is the noble theme behind this story?
• How could this story be made richer or more enjoyable?

LIT NOTES ~ Add these definitions to your journals section.

• Symbol
• Allegory

SHORT STORY #6 "The Masque of the Red Death "

                                  by Edgar Allan Poe

• EQ: What is allegory?
• Who was Poe? What other works from Poe have you read?

SAT Vocab from Masque

1. profuse - plentiful
2. sagacious - wise
3. voluptuous - characterized with luxury or pleasure
4. contagion - the spreading of disease
5. imperial - majestic
6. emanating - coming forth
7. sedate - calm; quiet
8. pervaded - spread throughout
9. piquancy - a pleasantly sharp or appetizing flavor
10. phantasm - a figment of the imagination; an illusion
11. cessation - ceasing or stopping
12. disapprobation - strong disapproval, usually on moral grounds
13. propriety - quality of being proper
14. tangible - something that can be touched
15. impetuosity - impulsive or rash 

Journal 34 
1. The rich and powerful might build walls around their sprawling estates to block out the upsetting parts of life. What realities of life must people face no matter who they are?
2. Google search: What are the symptoms of the pneumonic plague?
3. Consider the Allegory feature. Define as many symbols as you can, bullet-point style. What is the "story below the surface" if you translate each symbol? (Include at least these: Prince Prospero, the abbey, the gate, the masquerade, the ebony clock and TIME, the winding hallway, all the different colors of rooms, & the intruder)


HW: Finish Journal 34

Wednesday, November 30 ~ No more procrastinating!

Roots

• clud, clus, claus - to shut
• crea - create
• don - give

Work on J33 "A Piece of Chalk"

HW: Finish your story and bring in a digital copy in MLA format for peer editing.


Don't forget your due dates!

• Extra Credit for any stories turned in before I leave on Friday (12/2). These should be perfected after the peer edit and are ready to be graded. 
• Typed rough draft due as hard copy in class and on Turnitin.com by Monday (12/5) by midnight.
• Perfected draft and picture of gift and/or map due Wednesday (12/7) in class.

Tuesday, November 29 ~ Waters Decoded

Special schedule today:


No Roots. Finish the story and do the journal instead:

Journal 32: (at least 1/2 page) Near the end of the story, John says, “Perhaps in the old days, they ate knowledge too fast.” What do you think he means? Are we “eating knowledge too fast” today? Explain. 

Discuss "By the Waters of Babylon" and J32. 

Notes: atmosphere vs. tone (please define both in notes).  At first glance, they may appear to be the same thing as they both have something to do with feeling.  But, in literature, there is a distinction.  Atmosphere tells us the way a story makes the reader feel.  Tone tells us the attitude the narrator has toward his subject and us.

Begin Short Story #5 (Probably to be done on Wednesday)
"A Piece of Chalk" by G.K. Chesterton
* Here is a bit of background information to assist you:

• G. K. Chesterton (1874--1936) is staying at a house (perhaps a friend's?) in the country and decides to go out on the downs (rolling grass hills) to draw.  
• He has a few chalks but needs to get some paper.  He likes to use brown paper for chalk drawings. 
• He informs the reader that he is not going out to draw "Nature," which was the common thing to do in that day.  
• Chesterton breaks off onto an idea that though ancient poets might not have described nature as some do closer to his day, it is not because they were less blessed by it.  In fact, they probably drank it in more deeply in times past.
• He realizes he has no white chalk.  
• The color white causes Chesterton to meditate on things many people assume to be blank, void, neutral, unimportant, or dull.  Some people see the color white, sexual purity, and virtue in general as falling into this dull zone.  Chesterton knows otherwise. 

• Chesterton recalls his location, and all is well.  

Journal 33

• Atmosphere: What feelings communicate to you?  Is this a scary environment?  A safe environment?  A jovial environment?  Is this a dull world of walking and chalk?  A wonderful world of walking and chalk? A deadly world or walking and chalk?

• Tone: How does it seem Chesterton feels about what he is writing on?
• What is Chesterton's attitude toward brown paper?  Nature?  The color white?  White chalk?  England, generally?
• How does Chesterton seem to view the reader?  Does he seem to be an intellectually superior Brit?  Does he seem timid?  Does he seem frank?  Do you picture him smiling or scowling or laughing or sneering or blankly staring? 

HW: Rough Draft is due on Block Day. 

Monday, November 28 ~ Weeping by the Waters...

Roots (New Category: Actions)

• Cap, cip, cept - to take
• cause, cuse, cept - cause, motive
• cide, cise - to cut down or kill

Short Story #4: 
"By The Waters of Babylon" by Stephen Vincent Benét 




Discussion Questions: In pairs, discuss and note answers to the following questions.

1. To understand what is really happening in this story, you have to draw conclusions based on the writer’s clues and your own experience and knowledge. What do you think John is really seeing (and how are you able to tell) when he describes each of the items below? (You might want to work with a group to solve these puzzles.) 

• the Great Burning
• Ou-dis-sun
• the statue of a man named ASHING
• the temple in mid-city with a roof painted like the sky at night
• the caves and tunnels where John thinks the gods kept their slaves

2. Find a place in the story where John achieves a breakthrough, and explain what he discovers. How does the first-person point of view help you appreciate his breakthrough? 

3. Explain how the words of Psalm 137, verses 1-6, connect with Benét’s story. 

• "Longing for Zion in a Foreign Land"
  1 By the rivers of Babylon,
  There we sat down, yea, we wept
  When we remembered Zion.
  ² We hung our harps
  Upon the willows in the midst of it.
  ³ For there those who carried us away captive asked of us a song,
  And those who plundered us requested mirth,
  Saying, “Sing us one of the songs of Zion!”
  ⁴ How shall we sing the Lord’s song
  In a foreign land?
  ⁵ If I forget you, O Jerusalem,
  Let my right hand forget its skill!
  ⁶ If I do not remember you,
  Let my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth—
  If I do not exalt Jerusalem
  Above my chief joy.

4. Benét wrote this story in 1937, before the first atom bomb was invented. World War II and the Cold War are over now. Do Benét’s warnings about the complete destruction of a civilization still have relevance today? Why? 

5. Do you think Benét made the secret of the Place of the Gods too easy to guess, or too hard, or were the clues just difficult enough? Explain. 

6. What is the narrative perspective of this story?  How does this perspective play a role in the reader's experience and theme of the work?

HW: You will have time to finish "By the Waters" questions in class tomorrow. Instead of doing this as homework, spend time to craft your Christmas Blessing Story. Try to get a sketch of the whole plot down before you begin writing.

Block Day, November 17 & 18 ~ Happy Thanksgiving!

Calling "Awkward" on people is
just mean, but I'm fine with
saying it about animals.

Roots

• Review 
• Quiz

A Wee Kindness

• When you finish, take a minute to think of someone that you are thankful for. Write an old fashioned letter to let that person know why s/he came to mind when your cheesy English teacher assigned you the letter. If your person is on campus, I'd be happy to deliver it to his/her mail box. 

Short Stories

• Click here to view the Christmas Blessing Short Story Assignment.
• Take notes on POV here. Know the following:
  • First-person p.ov.
  • Third-person p.o.v.
  • limited
  • objective or dramatic
  • omniscient
  • unreliable
• Journal 31: Short Story Start Up
• Create a character sketch 100-200 word character sketch for your protagonist. Consider all the bits of the Indirect Characterization acronym, STEAL: How will you communicate to the reader how your protagonist speaks, sounds, thinks, interacts with others, acts and looks?
• Write a few ideas of the lesson or truth you'd like the reader to gain from your story.
• (You are welcome to type this if that is easier. Just do the STEAL chart in your notebook)

Journal Checks

• I will check these while you are working on J31.

Thank God Christmas is coming!
   

Short Story Assignment: A Christmas Blessing

Quarter 2: A Christmas Blessing 

• Background: You have now read many tales.  We ought to love what is beautiful, good, and true.  Yet the world is so often full dark challenges to what is noble and right.  The legends of old often explored this in song and story, perhaps as a kind of imaginative practice for the young.  In this assignment, we will seek to bless a young girl or boy with a nicely woven tale paired with a related gift. 

• Prompt: Write a mighty tale of nobility, courage, and grace.  Your story must 

• be full of adventure,
• teach something noble, 
• and include references to the physical gift (such as a ball or sword) that you will give this child. 
• In general, your work will be descriptive.  Please read this overview of the basics from Purdue University on descriptive writing. 

• Outcome

• Choose a child (or person) to bless.
• Think of a fitting gift (purchased or made by you).
• Write your adventure.  Make it look old and cool. 
• Make a map.  Make it look old and cool.
• Hide the gift during Christmas break.
• Present the legend and map to the child.
• When you return from break, tell us all about it! (Extra credit if you document the event)

• Examples
• Holly Minarik
• Sierra Myer 
• Stunning Picture Book 1
• 2
• 3
• Beautiful Pencil Work
• More

• Mr. Talley Played with the Idea

Format

• Typed MLA (12 point, Times New Roman, proper margins, etc.)
• One change to MLA: Single space poetry (double space prose as usual)
• Or handwritten in pen for certain cases only (maps, letters, etc.) 
• All poetry must be single spaced and punctuated according to modern MLA usage.  
• All prose must be double spaced and punctuated according to modern MLA usage. 
• Submit your work to Turnitin.com and hard copy please.

Requirements

• Two or more pages (double spaced, at least 850 words)
• Less than 2,100 words (fewer than five pages)
• Your story must include all the steps of Plot and feature at least one literary device (such as symbolism, allegory, flashback, flash forward, unreliable narrator, anagnorisis, etc...)
• Example Contest Winner from Bookshop Santa Cruz: "Among the Trees" by Breanna Eddy 

Due Dates

• Rough Draft Due Block Day (12/1 & 2) for peer editing.
• Extra Credit for any stories turned in before I leave on Friday (12/2).
• Typed rough draft due as hard copy in class and on Turnitin.com by Monday (12/5) by midnight.
• Perfected draft and picture of gift and/or map due Wednesday (12/7) in class.

Your Grade

• If you are short of the minimum, you will earn no more than a D. When completed, the story should be free of typos and grammatical and spelling errors. In general, 2 errors or fewer on any page =A-, 3-5 errors on any page=B-, and 6 or more errors on any page =C- or lower. Failing to adhere to the themes or neglecting to meet any of the other standards on this handout will result in a significantly lower grade. Fragments and run-On sentences are major deductions.
• You may not include pieces written for other classes (past, present, or future) or for other assignments in this class. You will fail this assignment if you do so.

Start it early, and write something you are proud of.  Work to make it wise in its theme, rich in its descriptive imagery, and clever in its execution. Consider all the tools of the writing craft that we have examined in other stories. 

How can I get started? 

• First, figure out who you are writing for. Does this person have a favorite story, show, book, etc...? Could you cast them into your story? Do you have jokes with this person or significant places, thoughts, ideas that would sweeten the story for your audience? 
• Is there a lesson or theme you want to aim for?
• Identify a protagonist; think of people you actually know.  Change them up a wee bit. 
• Identify an antagonist (character, internal conflict, natural force, or other combination). 
• Use the STEAL chart to brainstorm character traits.
• Consider how you will generate tension between the protagonist and the antagonist? 
• Share ideas. 

Wednesday, November 16 ~ Short Story #3 Fish Cheeks

Roots

• Sat, satis – enough
• Sent, sens – feel
• Soph – wise 
• Ver, veri – true 

Short Stories

• Go over Through the Tunnel (Journal 29)
• Activity: What do you really know about a person? 
• EQ:  What is the difference between direct characterization and indirect characterization?
• LIT NOTES: Click here to get the definitions and a pneumonic trick called STEAL.

SHORT STORY #3: Fish Cheeks by Amy Tan

Activity: First discuss: Agree, Disagree, or Somewhere in the Middle?

1. My parents generally give me wise advice.
2. I like having friends over for dinner with my family.
3. My parents are embarrassing.
4. My parents have had a deep influence on who I am today.
5. I can remember a time when I tried to change myself to fit in.

Journal 30: Fishcheeks by Amy Tan
Part A: Use the STEAL chart to explain the characterization in Fishcheeks
Part B: Answer the "Questions on Writing Strategy" section from the text.

HW: Finish Journal 30 (I promise not to give you homework over the break:)

Tuesday, November 15 ~ Short Story #2: Through the Tunnel

ROOTS

• Plac, place – please
• Psych – mind, soul
• Ri, ridi, risi – laughter

SHORT STORIES

• Review Two Kinds: Conflict? Theme? 
• Take notes on plot:

Plot - a general pattern of events that takes place in the narrative and the resolution of the conflict between the protagonist and antagonist .

• Beginning
• exposition
• complication or inciting incident (the antagonist presents an obstacle to the protagonist)
• rising action which features 
• crisis points

• Middle
• climax or ultimate crisis 
• there may be a black moment (darkest point of the climax)
• the protagonist may experience an epiphany, sudden realization, clarification, or anagnorisis

•  End
• falling action, denouement
• resolution
• open ending
• closed ending

Story #2: Through the Tunnel  by Doris Lessing

• Click here for the story.

JOURNAL 29: Through the Tunnel: 
SAT Vocab

1. Contrition - a state of feeling crushed by guilt
2. luminous - bright or shining
3. supplication - the action of asking or begging for something earnestly or humbly
4. sputtering - spitting or spraying
5. beseeching - urgently requesting someone to do something
6. minute - tiny
7. clambered - to climb, move, or get out of something in an awkward or laborious way
8. incredulous - unbelievable
9. gout - a type of arthritis

1. Have you ever taken a risk to prove yourself before? Do you find it convincing that Jerry takes such a large risk and survives?
2. Track the plot in this story.

HW: Complete Journal 29 & read Through the Tunnel.

Monday, November 14 ~ Short Stories Start Here!

ROOTS

• Path, pathy – feeling, suffering
• Plac, place – please
• Phobia, phobos – fear

The Power of One

• Essays returned
• Review your Journal 3 (your old writing goals).
• Journal 27: Record three strengths in your writing now. Then record three new writing goals based on your feedback and rubric. 

Short Stories
Discuss the EQ: Why study short stories anyway?

• Short Story #1 ~ Two Kinds

Journal 28 (HW if we do not complete in class)

First, copy the SAT vocab:

• prodigy - child of highly unusual talent or genius
• lamented - said with regret or sorrow
• listlessly - without energy or interest
• discordant - clashing; not in harmony
• dawdled - wasted time; lingered
• stricken - heartbroken
• fiasco - total failure
• nonchalantly - without interest or concern

1) Meet the Author ~Write down 5-10 bullet point notes about the life of Amy Tan.
    *Start here or here.
2) List the internal and external conflicts in Two Kinds.
3) What makes this story engaging? List at least two strengths.
4) How would you describe the narrative style of this story? Is there power in the perspective that the author chose to use in her story telling?
5) What symbolic meaning is carried in the two songs at the end? How do they reflect the change that has occurred in Jing-mei?

Friday's Schedule

Week of November 7 ~ A Sad Goodbye to Peekay

Monday

• Begin In Class Essay

Tuesday

• Finish ICE

Wednesday

• Start the movie!
  

Block Day

• Complete the movie
• Journal 26: Write a 1/2 page assessment of the movie. Was it a satisfying retelling? What did you like? What do you think the director should have done differently? 

Block Day, November 3/4 ~ Winter is coming...and ICE too!

Roots

• Grat – pleasing
• Mania – madness
• Pac – peace 

 The Power of One

• Chapters 13-15 Quiz!
• Check your TIEDIED paragraph grade on GC.
• Discuss novel and share Journal 25 responses.
• Share a few thesis statements from the HW.
• Discuss Prewriting & your notecard.
• Review Rubric.
• Pick a prompt here.

HW: Over the weekend, scout out the quotes you would like to use during Monday's in-class essay. You may bring in one 4x6 notecard with quotes and a thesis. You may NOT pre-write your essay.

Heads up: In Class Essay on Monday!!!!

Essay Options for The Power of One

1. Consider one of the themes that Courtenay expresses in the book. Write an essay that examines how and more importantly why Courtenay would choose this theme for his novel.

Some possibilities…

·         The way to survive is to blend in—camouflage.

·         First with your head, then with your heart.

·         Little can beat big (if you are smart).

·         Any other themes that you can think of?

2.      How does Peekay’s coming of age story compare to other book(s) with characters who make similar journeys: Ender in Ender’s Game, Harry Potter, Siddhartha, (other coming of age stories that you can think of). [The technical name for a coming of age story is a Bildungsroman].

3.   Is there any significance to the idea of “the power of one” in this novel beyond the individual? Is Courtenay suggesting that South Africa itself must, like Peekay, develop this power in order to survive?

4.   Both boxing and music are important to Peekay and to The Power of One. At times, Bryce Courtenay contrasts them, while at other times he stresses their commonalities, and even describes one in terms of the other–as, for example, when Peekay boxes “like a Mozart concerto” (249). Identify more of these contrasts and commonalities. Why do you think the author emphasizes them so much?

5.    Do you rely upon something like the power of one in your own life? What is it, and how did you develop it? How is it similar to or different from Peekay’s power of one?

6.    Assuming that the novel is Courtenay’s message to South Africa, what advice is he giving to help people change a nation’s mentality (about racism or any other oppression)?

7.     Or…you can propose your own essay topic. Come and talk with me.

Wednesday, Nov.2 ~ CAB Thesis and The End of Peekay's adventure!

Roots (New Category: Feelings)

• Am, amor – love, liking
• Cura – care
• Fid, fide, feder(is) – faith, trust 

Writing Instruction 

Notes: What makes a good thesis?

For starters: Are these Strong Thesis Statements?

1. My essay is about the lesson on greed in Midas. 
2. The myth, Midas, has a great lesson about disaster, greed and people!
3. While greed is universally known to lead to disaster, Midas is one Greek myth that shows the painful effects of greed on the individual, the family, and society

How do you write a STRONG Thesis Statement?
      *In this case, strong means clear and specific.

1st -Figure out the prompt question.
         
2nd - Answer the question.  
  The "Assert" section is the most basic part of your answer.

       Contest
                   Although the Greek heroes were often demigods and quite selfish,
          Assert
                   they do have some major similarities with the typical modern hero
          Because
                    because they share the traits of self-sacrifice, loyalty and courage.

Practice Prompt: What is the best advice for a young teen about fighting?

3rd - Check it.

• Did I take a debatable position? No Summary!!!
• Is my thesis specific enough? Avoid general words. For example, if you contain words like "good" or "successful," then state what makes it good or specifically what the standard for success is.
• Does it pass the "So What?" test? If not, you may need to clarify, connect your ideas to a larger issue, or narrow your topic down somehow. 
• Does my thesis match my body paragraphs? If the topics of your body paragraphs do not match your thesis, then one of them has to change. It is ok to change your thesis. This often happens as your write and think more deeply about a topic. For this reason, many people write the introduction to the essay last. 

For more help, go to this website.
For more practice, go to this website.

HW: Read Ch.15! Our novel is finished :(
Journal 25: Write a 1/2-1 page journal explaining your reaction to the end of the novel. Write a CAB style thesis to answer the question: Why is this novel an anthem for the anti-apartheid movement?