12/10

Hello Comp Lit students,

I apologize for being absent today; turning 32 means getting hit with a brutal cold right off the bat. But fear not - the list published below is of the literary terms from the entire first semester - study them well for the midterm!! We will look at a new Shakespearean speech on Thursday!

For today, get into your Quad Groups and get ready to do some voice acting - turn to Act 4 Scene 7 of King Lear.

Lear has undoubtedly screwed up. But luckily for him, his daughter Cordelia is all about forgiveness and reconciliation. In this scene, the ailing Lear gets to have a touching moment with his one virtuous daughter, Cordelia.

1. Do a quad-voice-acting scene. Have one person play Lear, one play Cordelia, one play Kent, and one play the gentleman/doctor.

2. Read through the scene together. 

3. Determine what message Shakespeare might be trying to convey through this scene. Does Lear deserve forgiveness? Does such forgiveness exist in a chaotic world? Do doctors really exist in ancient England with yurts as hospitals? Discuss as a group.

4. Read Act 5 Scene 1 individually.

5. Take the rest of the period to study for the final/ meditate on what life would be like in a yurt in ancient England.

I will (hopefully) see you all on Thursday.

Sincerely,

Mr. Achimore

Literary Terms Semester One

·      Simile

·       Metaphor

·       Personification

·       Imagery

·       Allusion

·       Apostrophe

·       Symbolism/ Symbol

·       Motif

·       First Person Narrator

·       Third Person Omniscient Narrator

·       Third Person Limited Narrator

·       Third Person Editorial Narrator

·       Third Person Neutral Narrator

·       Third Person Objective Narrator

·       Narrative Voice

·       Tragic Hero

·       Soliloquy

·       Monologue

·       Satire

·       Irony

·       Foil

·       Direct Characterization

·       Indirect Characterization

·       Gothic

·       Naturalism

·       Determinism

·       Connotation

·       Denotation

·       Diction

·       Syntax (All four functions)

·       Metonymy

·       Synecdoche

·       Hyperbole

·       Paradox

·       Oxymoron

Winter Break Novel

One of the most important assignments this year is the literary research paper that we will work on during the second semester. For this assignment, you will need to choose one of the five options for your winter-break novels and read it in its entirety by the time the second semester begins on January 7^th, 2020. Then, during the winter quarter, you will analyze the significance of the work, assemble literary criticism, and write a research paper addressing the specifics of the prompt (more on this to come).

During Thanksgiving break, start considering which novels sound most fascinating to you. Here are a few brief snapshots of each of the novels you may choose:

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte (1847)

              Known for: A female protagonist who is independent and admirable, sparking 20^th-century literary feminist debates; gothic occurrences; prime Victorian literature; spooky attics; inappropriate relationships with your employer; crazy coincidences; comparisons with Emily Bronte’s literary masterpiece.

Fathers and Sons (also titled Fathers and Children) by Ivan Turgenev (1862)

              Known for: Russian realism; the masterpiece written by that Russian author not named Dostoevsky or Tolstoy; a Russian novel that isn’t a million pages long; generational differences; nihilist millennials; romances; a duel; Madame Odintsova – one of my favorite characters from 19^th century literature; desired medical hygiene.

Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad (1899)

              Known for: Social commentary; numerous examples of light vs dark imagery; doubles and triples; rivers; more literary madness; adequate critique of colonialism for some; inadequate critique of colonialism for others; Victorian literature; famous final words from a literary character; inspiring the film Apocalypse Now.

Sula by Toni Morrison (1973)

              Known for: American black experience not occurring in the south; lyrical prose; “the bottom of heaven,” ambiguous occurrences; black female protagonists; ambiguous characters; Ohio; subverting binary thinking; subverting binary imagery; best friends who are opposites; literature written by one of the best authors of the late-20^th century.

Atonement by Ian McEwan (2001)

              Known for: World War II literature; postmodernism?; varying character POV’s; unreliable narrators; impressive twist endings; childhood mistakes that completely snowball into epic disasters; “It’s too late to apologize;” Dunkirk; inter-textual communication; being a 21^st century novel that’s crept onto “classics” lists.

King Lear Extra Credit Assignment

Choose one of the three speeches we have studied from King Lear (Edmund’s speech from 1:2, Edgar’s speech from 2:3, or Lear’s speech from 3:2). Record a video reenactment of the character delivering this speech (you must be the character delivering the speech).

Requirements/ Suggestions:

·       This may be recorded on a smartphone or a more professional filming device.

·       You may cut or edit the film however you want (it does not have to be in one take) – but it does need to include at least some attempt at theatrical creativity.

o   Theatrical creativity may include a dramatic setting, passionate delivery, passionate movement, special effects, unique costumes, and/or a unique presentation of the speech.

o   I will be the sole judge of your overall theatrical creativity, and projects that put in minimal effort on this front will not receive credit (if you simply read the speech on camera with little-to-no passion or creativity, then you will not receive the extra credit point).

·       I recommend truly diving deep into your chosen speech: watch other versions of the speech online, study the details of the speech, analyze the character’s state of mind, and determine how you want to bring the brilliance of Shakespeare’s writing to life!

·       You are more than welcomed to do this in partners or triads, but only the person delivering the speech on film is eligible for receiving the extra credit point.

o   I recommend doing the project in teams, and sharing directing and filming duties while each of you gets the opportunity to put your acting on display.

·       Students that adequately complete this project will receive one whole bonus point added to their midterm grade.

·       A digital file of this assignment is due Tuesday, January 7^th. No projects received after this date may be eligible for the extra credit point.

Wuthering Heights Essay Topics

Two of the following four topics will appear on the in-class assessment on Wednesday. You will then choose one topic to write on. You will be allowed to use your book during the assessment with post-it tabs (1” by 3”). Larger post-it notes or additional pages of notes are not allowed.

    A.     Many plays and novels use contrasting places (for example, two countries, two cities or towns, two houses, or the land and the sea) to represent opposed forces or ideas that are central to the meaning of the work. Choose a novel or play that contrasts two such places. Write an essay explaining how the places differ, what each place represents, and how their contrast contributes to the meaning of the work.

    B.     Choose a complex and important character in a novel or a play of recognized literary merit who might on the basis of the character’s actions alone be considered evil or immoral. In a well-organized essay, explain both how and why the full presentation of the character in the work makes us react more sympathetically than we otherwise might. Make sure to connect your analysis of this character to the meaning of the work as a whole.

    C.     In literary works, cruelty often functions as a crucial motivation or a major social or political factor. Select a novel, play, or epic poem in which acts of cruelty are important to the theme. Then write a well-developed essay analyzing how cruelty functions in the work as a whole and what the cruelty reveals about the perpetrator and/or victim.

    D.    “And, after all, our surroundings influence our lives and characters as much as fate, destiny or any supernatural agency.”

--Pauline Hopkins, Contending Forces

Choose a novel or play in which cultural, physical, or geographical surroundings shape psychological or moral traits in a character. Then write a well-organized essay in which you analyze how surroundings affect this character and illuminate the meaning of the work as a whole.

Wuthering Heights Unit Plan

	Monday	Tuesday	Thursday	Friday
9/30-10/4		Introduction to Wuthering Heights	Pride and Prejudice Unit Assessment	Read to Chapter 3
10/7-10/11	Read to Chapter 5	Read to chapter 7	Chapter 9	Homecoming
10/14-10/18	Chapter 11	Chapter 14	Chapter 17	Chapter 20
10/21-10/25	Chapter 23	Chapter 25	Chapter 30	Chapter 32
10/28-11/1	Finish Novel	Work Period	Unit Assessment

Final Discussion Questions

1.The Bennets are fortunate enough to receive another letter from Mr. Collins. How does this final letter help reinforce Mr. Collins as a stereotypical and shallow character?

2.Compare the first and second proposal scene between Darcy and Elizabeth. What do you notice?

3.The final few chapters close up loose ends and inform the reader about the fallout from Darcy and Lizzy’s marriage. Did any of this information surprise you?

Pride and Prejudice Essay Topics

Two of the following four prompts will appear on the unit assessment. You will then choose one of the prompts for your essay.

   A.     The eighteenth-century British novelist Laurence Sterne wrote, “No body, but he who has felt it, can conceive what a plaguing thing it is to have a man’s mind torn asunder by two projects of equal strength, both obstinately pulling in a contrary direction at the same time.” From a novel or play choose a character (not necessarily the protagonist) whose mind is pulled in conflicting directions by two compelling desires, ambitions, obligations, or influences. Then, in a well-organized essay, identify each of the two conflicting forces and explain how this conflict with one character illuminates the meaning of the work as a whole. You may use one of the novels or plays listed below or another novel or work of similar literary quality.

   B.     Some novels and plays seem to advocate changes in social or political attitudes or in traditions. Choose such a novel or play and note briefly the particular attitudes or traditions that the author apparently wishes to modify. Then analyze the techniques the author uses to influence the reader’s or audience’s views. Avoid plot summary.

   C.     In a literary work, a minor character, often known as a foil, possesses traits that emphasize, by contrast or comparison, the distinctive characteristics and qualities of the main character. For example, the ideas or behavior of a minor character might be used to highlight the weaknesses or strengths of the main character. Choose a novel or play in which a minor character serves as a foil for the main character. Then write an essay in which you analyze how the relation between the minor character and the major character illuminates the meaning of the work.

   D.    Although literary critics have tended to praise the unique in literary characterizations, many authors have employed the stereotyped character successfully. Select one work of acknowledged literary merit and in a well-written essay, show how the conventional or stereotyped character or characters function to achieve the author’s purpose.

Friday 9/6

Hello Comp Lit students,

I apologize for my absence this Friday morning, but fear not - I do have a two-step plan.

Step 1:

In your Quad groups, discuss the following three questions concerning chapters 12-16 of the novel, Pride and Prejudice (don't write anything down, just discuss for 5-10 minutes):

1) How does Austen use the character of Mr. Collins to make a social commentary?
2) What occurs when Wickham and Darcy run into each other? What does the narrator do to complicate this encounter for the reader?
3) According to Wickham, what happened between him and Darcy?

Step 2:

After discussing these three questions, here is your first scored group activity of the year:

Jane Austen begins Pride and Prejudice with the following lines:

“It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife.

However little known the feelings or views of such a man may be on his first entering a neighbourhood, this truth is so well fixed in the minds of the surrounding families, that he is considered as the rightful property of some one or other of their daughters.”

As previously discussed in class, Austen purposely uses an ironic narrative voice in these opening lines to make a social commentary on her society’s obsession with marriage and social class.

Using these opening lines as a guide, create your own ironic take on a current societal topic that you believe needs its own satirical analysis.

For example:

“It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a newly born infant must be in want of visual publicity on Instagram.

However little understanding this infant has of his or her newfound fame on publicized social media sites, not to mention however unsightly and unphotogenic this bald and chubby baby may be, this truth is so well fixed in the minds of his or her modest and humble parents that this infant can do nothing but rejoice in this responsible method of being introduced to society.”

Requirements:

·       Make sure that your opening statements begin with the line “It is a truth universally acknowledged…”

·       It must be at least 60 words in length and address a topic of relevance to our current times.

·       Share your group's final work with me via google docs (dachimore@djusd.net)

Pride and Prejudice Unit Plan

	Monday	Tuesday	Thursday	Friday
9/2-9/6	No school	Read to Chapter 6 for this day Read to Chapter 10 for Wednesday	Chapter 12	Chapter 17
9/9-9/13	Chapter 21	Chapter 24 (1)	(First Block Period) Chapter 27 (4) Hand back essays	Chapter 33 (10)
9/16-9/20	Chapter 36 (13)	Chapter 43 (1)	Chapter 46 (4)	Chapter 49 (7) Rewrites are due
9/23-9/27	Chapter 52 (10)	Chapter 56 (14)	Chapter 57 (15)	Finish the Novel
9/30-10/4			Pride and Prejudice Unit Assessment

Housekeeping Reading Schedule

	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Friday
5/13 – 5/17		Chapter 1	Chapter 2 Work on project time	Chapter 3
5/20 – 5/24		Chapter 4	Chapter 5 Work on project time	Chapter 6
5/27 – 5/31	No School	Chapter 7	Chapter 8 Work on project time	Chapter 9
6/3 – 6/7		Chapter 10	Work on project time	Project Presentations!
6/10 – 6/14	Chapter 11		Celebration! (on Thursday) Come dressed up as favorite literary character from this year	Graduation!