THE END, YOURS TRULY MRS. ZARWELL

Thank you, everyone. It has been a delight and a privilege to be your teacher. I hope you find yourself enriched with a broader understanding of story and the power of words, and armed with an arsenal of skills.

Best of luck to you, tomorrow and always,

A fond and admiring,
Mrs. Zarwell

DAY 5 - CYCLE 15 - SEMESTER 2

Today in class, we worked on constructing solid thesis statements and supporting claims. Group 2 found itself struggling a bit with the problem of elevating mere evidence to the status of actual claim, suggesting it was the cause of something when really it was just an indication of something. What do I mean by this? Well, consider the following statements:

• It is raining outside...
• The ground is wet.
• The atmosphere is so saturated it can no longer hold moisture.

Now, of the above statements, which one should get the word "because" in front of it and which one should get "as evidenced by the fact that" in front of it? The answer is pretty obvious. When you put "because" in front mere evidence, you are suggesting a faulty relationship. You're also setting yourself up for plot review.

As you know, a good chunk of your argument's progression is based on your commentary sentences. If you're using evidence as a claim, you can't write a good commentary sentence.

Consider the following:

BAD CLAIM

CLAIM: Winston wants to keep a journal because he buys a special one in Mr. Charrington's shop.

EVIDENCE: He goes to Mr. Charrington's in the prole district and buys for himself an old leather journal with rich creamy paper.

COMMENTARY SENTENCE: Remember that the purpose of a commentary sentence is to explain how the evidence shows your claim. Here's the claim: He buys a journal. Here's the evidence: He buys a journal. You can see the problem.

GOOD CLAIM
CLAIM: Winston wants to keep a journal because he believes that keeping a record of history is the best way to preserve humanity.
EVIDENCE: He goes to Mr. Charrington's in the prole district and buys for himself an old leather journal with rich creamy paper, in which he carefully records his feelings, thoughts and actions..
COMMENTARY SENTENCE: The fact that Winston cherishes the journal and writes his personal history in it in spite of the real risk to his life indicates that its contents are precious to him, his understanding of himself, and his connection to others--indeed, humanity itself.

Practice identifying differences here: Handout from today's classes (used in groups 4 and 6 and inspired by group 2's discussion) may be found here.

All of your claims, not just your thesis, need to be arguable, and their logic must be sound, Make sure your claims are firmly rooted in the "because" side of the equation and not "as evidenced by" side. How can you practice? Take a look at ANY of the class notes from Huck Finn or 1984 and try responding to the discussion questions with a thesis and claims. Very often, you'll have GREAT luck simply by starting out with identifying characters' values. Characters act in certain ways because they value certain ideas and things over other ideas and things. Identify those ideas and things and you're establishing yourself firmly in "because" territory.

When you have a good thesis, tweak your topic sentences so that they, too, are arguable.

For tomorrow, please bring questions you would like to have answered. I will have no lesson plan--you lead the show. There is also an optional review at 4:30 in Kohl. Again, no lesson plan--you lead the show there, too.

DAY 4 - CYCLE 15 - SEMESTER 2

Today, we had a quick activity, and then spoke about the end of the novel. In addition to the discussion questions offered to you at the beginning of the class, you offered some fine questions of your own:

• Why doesn't Huck want to go back with civilization?
• Is there any hope of civilization changing? What would be required for it to do so?
• Is this a happy ending?
• How are we supposed to feel/what are we supposed to think at the end of the novel?
• Does Tom have any respect for Huck?

Notes for today's discussion may be found here.

HOMEWORK

Develop 3 claims for the thesis statement you chose. Remember, a claim must further the argument stated in the thesis, so each claim must be arguable (explain how or why).

For example: If the thesis is:

• Huck & Jim's and George & Lennie's relationships may be (1) rooted in compassion, but in the end, these relationships are unhealthy because (2) they expose the weaker partner to greater risk and (3) indignity.

The claims might be:

1. Huck and George's compassion for their friends motivates them to actively try to help their friends find safety.
2. But their attempts to help their friends actually puts those friends at physical risk by allowing them to be hunted by others.
3. When Jim and Lennie become no more than prey in the eyes of the community, they have lost the very human dignity George and Huck meant to protect.

DAY 3 - CYCLE 15 - SEMESTER 2

Today, we finished going over the last 5 words of Unit 9 in the vocabulary book.

In the rest of the class, we took a closer look at some of Twain's potentially more subversive methods in including these last chapters of Huck Finn. (Group 4 especially: many of you clearly had not read, or at least not read well. What a disappointment--you missed some great stuff, and left the rest of us to carry that slack: we were none too appreciative. Pick it up, would you? We're depending on you.) I mentioned what Ernest Hemingway had said about the novel. Here it is in full: "All modern American literature comes from one book by Mark Twain called 'Huckleberry Finn.' If you read it you must stop where the Nigger Jim is stolen from the boy. That is the real end. The rest is just cheating. But it's the best book we've had. All American writing comes from that. There was nothing before. There has been nothing as good since." -- from Ernest Hemingway, "The Green Hills of Africa" (1934). Is it "just cheating?" Or is there some honest work going on there?

We looked at Tom and Huck's perspectives toward problem solving. Huck says to hell with authority and trust to pragmatism. Tom says to do it the right way, the way it's done in books. That might not seem like a big deal, but in a literate society, it is. In fact, you recognized that part of Tom's authority stems from that fact that he's formally educated: i.e. exposed to books. The other source of his authority? He's white. You noted that Twain brings both sources of authority into question. Do either race or tradition make for a valid foundation for authority or superiority? If this section got you asking those questions, there might be some honest work going on after all.

We also made some comparisons between older scenes and new:

• The mischief the boys practice lead slaves to talk about being pestered by witches. Who are the witches?
• Tom's shenanigans haven't changed much since the "gang of robbers" days, yet this time, it's a great deal more sinister. Why?
• Jim is once again beset by biting animals. Has our sense of compassion shifted?

Given all of this, what do we wish Huck would do and why? If there is some sense of urgency in your reaction to him, so sense of exasperation with Tom, think about why Twain has manufactured those reactions in you. Is he cheating? Or is this an honest day's work in a novel?

You can find your notes from the discussions here.

HOMEWORK
For the love of Pete, READ AND READ WELL. FINISH THE NOVEL. (And be ready to tell us all what you think about Tom.)


AND, pick what you think is the BEST thesis statement from the posts to last night's blog post. Print it or copy it and bring it with you.

DAY 2 - CYCLE 15 - SEMESTER 2

Today, we covered words 10-15 in Unit 9 of the vocabulary book, and then worked on an activity. Some of you worked with a small group to write a thesis statement about the friendships of George & Lennie and Huck & Tom.

Group 2 should post their group thesis statements as comments to this blog post. You may add as much detail as you would like, and post any additional thesis statements you'd like. Groups 2 & 6, I took pictures of the board and will add those to the blog post when I get home tonight.

Ultimately, the activity asked you to give serious consideration to the central friendships of these novels. To help frame the discussion for groups 4 and 6, I asked you to identify (perhaps in a macabre manner) the traits for which you would like to be remembered when you die. You noted such things as:

• Loyalty
• Kindness
• Decency
• Accomplishments/Smarts
• Contribution-minded
• Athleticism
• Humor
• Honesty
• Generosity
• Fairness
• Dedication

These are all noble traits, of course, and it speaks quite well of you that you prize these. Continue to do so. I then asked you how many of you had friends of whom your parents do not approve. A majority of hands went up. I asked that majority if they demonstrated the traits for which they would like to be remembered around those friends, and a majority of the majority said no, they didn't. Not by a long shot. Some friendships, no matter how much fun they are, are not healthy because they lead us away from the goals we have set for ourselves. It is for this reason that our parents and sometimes even our other friends disapprove, not because they're giant kill-joys who want to suck the fun out of everything. They want us to reach the noble aspirations we have set for ourselves. (So remember that when your parents freak out on you because you're hanging out with that troublesome Smedley again. They really DO have your best interests in mind, and Smedley really isn't as fabulous as you'd like to believe.)

We then discussed Huck's goal: to be loyal to his good friend Jim by helping him escape to freedom. Tom's goal is to honor the tradition of his favorite literature and have an adventure. Does their friendship with one another help them reach those goals or not? If there are problems, why? What is preventing success? How exactly is this a reflection of society's failings? (Erica C., you summed all of this up with glorious clarity that escapes me utterly at the moment. Could you work some of your mental magic in your comment to this post? Thank you!)

Lennie and George hope to "get a stake" where they can take care of each other and their own responsibilities. Does their friendship help or hurt that? If societal interference is the greatest obstacle to that mission, what does that tell us about that society?

These friendships do not exist in a vacuum, and they are shaped--for good or ill--by the world around them. You are to write an arguable thesis about the power of these friendships--for good or ill-- and/or about what they reveal about society, and post that thesis as a comment to this blog. If there are supporting data (yes, data is plural) you'd like to include, go for it. These thesis statements will help you prepare for the exam.

Remember the traits of a good thesis (Group 2, Jake, Nick, Henry and Jack--you'll want to especially review features 2 and 3):

1. Is the thesis arguable? In other words, could anyone who read the same texts reasonably take a different view?
2. Is the thesis focused? Does the writer direct attention to a specific, concrete idea and take a clear perspective on it, or are the terms the writer uses too broad, vague, and open to interpretation?
3. Is the thesis strictly based in the text? Does the claim ask the reader to think about the texts or about ideas that exist independently of the texts? If a meaningful discussion could be had about the idea without ever referring to the texts, the claim is not well-directed.
4. Is the thesis provable? Can the thesis be backed up with analysis of scenes or ideas from the text and avoid hypotheticals?
5. Does the claim answer “how” or “why”? Does the claim simply state the way things are, or does it seek to explain how or why they are that way? For example, if the author claims that we are meant to pity Mrs. Miller, does the author also suggest how we could know this or why she’s deserving of our pity?

Remember, these Thesis Statements MUST be focused and text-based. The trouble with trying to compare two novels is that you need to be broad enough to encompass ideas in both, but not so broad that your ideas become meaningless.

HOMEWORK

1. Read the above, carefully and completely. Really.
2. Write a thesis statement that summarizes your insights into the novels thus far.
3. Read up through chapter 39 in Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.

DAY 1 - CYCLE 15 - SEMESTER 2

YOU LOOKED GREAT IN YOUR SHIRTS! :)

Today, we covered the next 5 words in Unit 9 Vocabulary.

Afterwards, you took a quick, 5 question multiple-choice quiz on Of Mice and Men. If you read with an eye for basic detail, you should get a perfect score.

Then, we took a good look at pages 268-271 of Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and the scene where Huck decides to rip up the letter. In our discussions, we recognized that Huck actively chooses to defy the laws of his tribe, but still considers them valid--he sacrifices his own salvation for the sake of another after thinking about him and the hopelessness of his situation. How does this measure up to Widow Douglas's lessons on prayer (page 13)?

We then spoke of George and Lennie's relationship, comparing similarities between George and Huck, Lennie and Jim, and their societies at large. Assuredly, these authors are making a stinging comment about the way we define and relate to our outcasts. What is the nature of that comment? Notes of our conversation are available here, and it would behoove you to look at the notes of other classes.

Throughout this week, we will be drawing parallels between the two texts, collectively brainstorming thesis statements (do you remember the tenets of a good thesis?) in preparation for the exam, when you will be asked to write a 12-sentence paragraph about these two novels. Look for connections at every available opportunity!

HOMEWORK:
Read to page 305 in Adventures of Huck Finn. Look for connections between the two novels!

DAY 5 - CYCLE 14 - SEMESTER 2

T-SHIRT DAY!

Sophomores may wear their sentence diagramming T-Shirts on Tuesday, May 26th. Standard Wildcat Wednesday Rules Apply!

For Tuesday, finish reading Of Mice and Men. We will be talking about the similarities between the novels' central friendships. You should be up through 275 in Adventures of Huckleberry Finn too. Please bring your vocabulary books with you.

DAY 4 - CYCLE 14 - SEMESTER 2

Notes are on the wikispace for today's class, in which we talked about Huck's growing appreciation for Jim's situation and his own sense of moral agency (i.e. responsibility to and for others). He is clearly making the transition from being self-preserving to being self-sacrificing, and we like him more for it. Where are YOU on the scale? Are you more advanced than Huck?




We'll work on our T-Shirts in Friday's class. Try diagramming your sentences to speed your efforts. Some links to help you:
The author's website with LOTS of sample diagrams
More easy to follow examples.
How to diagram "See Spot run" (more complicated than you think).
Most basics covered here; see esp. slides 7 & 10

Please read up through 275 for tomorrow. While we will not discuss the book, please remember that you must have all of the Steinbeck novel read for Tuesday, and I want you to parse out your time accordingly.

DAY 3 - CYCLE 14 - SEMESTER 2

Today, we reviewed sentence diagramming, lessons 13-18. I had you diagram the following sentences:

• Most of the students did well on the first part of the test. (Prepositional phrases)
• Roberta, did you eat the dessert in the faculty refrigerator? (Direct address)
• Charlie, a senior, is scared of college. (Appositives)
• Hooray! We beat out opponents, the Nicolet Knights! (Interjections and appositives)
• Have the freshmen girls' backpacks been found? (Possessive pronouns)
• Why aren't they going with us to the game? (Interrogative Adjectives and Adverbs)

If you can't figure out one of those sentences, check out the corresponding lesson.

In today's discussion of the novel, we looked at mob behavior in general, and at the important moral lessons Huck is learning from exposure to many mobs. The three classes all took slightly different paths, so be sure to check out the notes.

For tonight, read up through page 248 (chapter 26 through chapter 28). FORGOT YOUR NOVEL? CLICK HERE!

DAY 2 - CYCLE 14 - SEMESTER 2

Today, we covered the first 5 words of Unit 9 vocabulary. Tomorrow, we will review lessons 13-18 in the Sentence Diagramming Workbook.

We covered A LOT of ground today, including the tragic end of the Grangerford-Shepherdson feud, the arrival of the duke and king (notice that Huck doesn't capitalize their names: neither should you), the Boggs-Sherburn incident, and the circus. In these passages, Twain offers plenty of subtle commentary about society and its tendencies at ALL levels. Please see your class notes for today for a full picture.

For tomorrow, please read to page 219.

DAY 1 - CYCLE 14 - SEMESTER 2

Today, you took the unit 8 vocabulary quiz and had a reading day with Mrs. Parsons. Please be up to page 195 in Huck Fin by Monday, and be finished with Of Mice and Men by Tuesday, May 26th.

DAY 5 - CYCLE 13 - SEMESTER 2

Today, we spoke about Huck's change of heart. Some were surprised that he could consider turning Jim in, but given the culture he was a part of, we shouldn't be. We looked at the video clip I put in last night's blog post to get just the merest sense of how bizarrely race relations were structured. If that clip was OK in 1950, what on earth could have been OK in 1880? Yeesh!

In last night's reading, Huck sees Jim unabashedly look forward to freedom. While we place our sympathies wholly with Jim, whose family is torn apart because his wife and children are owned by others, Huck places his sympathies elsewhere. In responding to Jim's talk of freedom and what it means, Huck is conflicted about whether to listen to what he has been taught or what he has experienced with Jim. He has been taught to identify with white slave owners, but he has experienced Jim's friendship. Which to follow? In the heat of the moment, he chooses to listen to the wisdom of experience, but is this full-out loyalty? Well, check the class notes to see what you all think.

We also spoke about the Grangerfords and the Grangerford home. This episode, though it seems silly and foreign to us, is really not that far removed from us. I asked how many of you have rooms in the house you're not allowed in, or fancy books that are pretty much for decoration. Some of you brought up the candles you're not allowed to light--ever--or the fancy Christmas dishes. These items are the icons of respectability. How else do you show you're respectable but have fancy things you don't use or consult much? It is this idea that Twain is having fun with, and he takes it a whole lot further. He sees that our emotional relationships to one another are just as contrived as our economic ones, hence the spidery armed drawing and absurd poem. Our Sense of Occasion is silly, even if the impetus that moves us to seek out occasions is pure and admirable (Emmaline, after all, is kind to mourn the loss of a drowned child, which truly is quite sad. But her poem? Preposterous.). Please see the Explanatory Notes on 415-422 to get a sense of just what Twain is talking about in this chapter. It's worth it.

Tomorrow will be a reading day; you may read either Huck Finn or Of Mice and Men. By Monday, you should be up to page 195 in Huck Finn.

QUIZ TOMORROW ON VOCABULARY UNIT 8 and SENTENCE DIAGRAMMING 1-12.

DAY 4 - CYCLE 13 - SEMESTER 2

Today, we started with a review of some plot facts, and then went into interpretive work, with a close look at the conversation Jim and Huck have after being separated in the fog. All three sections did great work on the topics and you can find notes detailing these discussions here.

Minstrel shows came up in today's discussion. You can read more about them here. Minstrel shows lasted well into the twentieth century and faded out as movies and eventually TV took over as a primary means of entertainment. Although they were no longer common by the fifties, here you can see a clip of a 1950 performance that has all the elements of a minstrel show. How can this help us understand Twain's novel? If what this clip demonstrates passed as entirely acceptable just 15 years before major Civil Rights legislation passed Congress, imagine what must have been considered "acceptable" to Twain's audience just fifteen years after the Civil War (when Twain began writing the novel). The oddities of Jim and Huck's ability to be honest with one another (and honest with themselves about one another) make a great deal more sense.



If you are struggling with understanding the text, check out the apps on iTunes for Huck Finn. Cheap and useful, they can help you get through those troublesome passages by reading the vernacular aloud, allowing your ears to surely catch what your eyes are having trouble with.

REMEMBER:
Vocab Quiz on Friday with five sentence diagrams

HOMEWORK:
Read 106-107 (stop with the paragraph that ends "...a good plan when you wanted one.)" & 123-141 (resume on 123 with the paragraph that begins, "I didn't wait to kiss good-by...")

DAY 3 - CYCLE 13 - SEMESTER 2

We began with an eight question quote quiz covering pages 1-85. Two classes used today as a reading day. One discussed the text. Notes are on the wikispace.

In the reading for today, Huck and Jim are forming a budding relationship. In their reactions to the discovery of a murder victim in a house washed away in flood waters, we see Huck and Jim are very practical, and desensitized to violence, but still wary around it. Jim is loath to talk about the body, and at first, Huck is happy to leave it alone (though afterwards, he's fascinated). We see Jim demonstrate care for Huck and vice versa--here is a healthier relationship, and one steeped in similar belief structures. But we also see that the two are on unequal footing. There is an incongruity in Judith Loftus' reactions to the two runaways: she sympathizes with white boy whom she thinks is a runaway apprentice, but wants to hunt down the black runaway slave. Is she motivated solely by money? We don't know. We do know that Jim has it harder than Huck, a fact underscored by his desire to explore the wreck of the Walter Scott while Jim, with so much at risk, fears to do so, and rightfully so.

In tonight's reading, we'll see how some of that society's pervasive racism affects these two. While there will be many questions to tomorrow's discussion, the ones you should be prepared to answer are these:
1. Why does Jim call Huck "boss" on page 103?
2. Does Jim think he dreamed the separation?

For the next class, be up to page 105 and ready to answer the questions above.

DAY 2 - CYCLE 13 - SEMESTER 2

Today, we finished reading through the words for unit 8 vocabulary. Please continue to bring your book to class as we will do the exercises for Unit 8 in preparation for the quiz on Friday, May 15th.

Afterwards, I passed out the exam review sheet (also available immediately to your left and on the "course handouts" page of the wikispace). In addition to identifying the content you need to know, it also identifies the skills you will be tested on. If you cannot do what is listed on page two of the review sheet, then you are not ready for the exam.

Those groups not decimated by AP Euro responsibilities held discussions (and I just have to say this--I know the AP is a really big deal and it's super important, but getting prepared for that doesn't relieve you of responsibilities elsewhere). Those who took notes, you'll find them on the wikispace. Those who did not, you'll find the questions that we would have discussed on there. You might want to download them anyway, simply because the pictures on the back of the questions show the sorts of rafts that both Huck and Jim make reference to and which you need to understand in order to really get what they're saying. Because some groups discussed and some did not, here is the overall lesson plan for the day. Make of it what you will.

• Discuss Huck's reaction to both captivity and freedom.
• Identify what Huck accepts as normal and what he seems to be unaware of (e.g. the existence he lives with pap would bring social services in like a S.W.A.T. team today, but he seems unmoved by that relaity, as well as by the reality that once he has faked his own death, he has cut himself off from all of the people in his life, presumably never to connect with them again, a loss he does not mourn).
• Note: Huck escapes being civilized and being uncivilized. He's in an interesting limbo with nothing to draw on to create a new universe but his own limited experience and his observations.
  
• Identify evidence revealing Huck's acceptance of the world as a violent, unfair place.
• TAKEN COLLECTIVELY, these elements reveal certain characteristics: pragmatic self-reliance, a tendency not to question, stubbornness, independence, skepticism, naivte, self-sufficiency, lack of reflection but powerfully observant ("it smelt late").
• We also learn a lot more about Jim, too from what he reveals. Which of these qualities do Huck and Jim share? By reading between the lines (i.e. not taking Huck's version as the definitive whole and making sure we notice what he does not), we learn much more about Jim, too.
• Ultimately, Huck and Jim have MUCH in common, though Huck does not yet recognize this. Likewise, he fails to recognize the critical differences between their situations, but we will see and perhaps appreciate these in the next reading; keep your eyes peeled for what Huck doesn't see.

HOMEWORK

Read through page 85. Expect a quote quiz.

DAY 1 - CYCLE 13 - SEMESTER 2

We covered the next 5 words in Unit 8 Vocabulary. Remember, quiz will be on FRIDAY, MAY 15th. It will include five sentence diagrams.

“All ‘civilizations’ are legitimate matter for (private, but not public) jeering & laughter, because they are so conspicuously made up of about three tenths of reality & sincerity, & seven tenths wind & humbug.” ~Mark Twain (source)

We began our discussion of Adventures of Huckleberry Finn today, where Twain presents to us hints of the 30% reality & sincerity he celebrates in this novel, and the 70% he jeers. We focused most of our efforts today on figuring out Jim. If Jim doesn't know the boys are there when they sneak by the widow's kitchen in the dead of night, he is dim-witted and not very self-aware. If he does know the boys are there, he is rather crafty and sly. Huck believes that Jim believes that he was "rode by witches," and perhaps he does. But if he does not, saying he was persecuted by witches and demons carries a different meaning entirely. Also, by looking at how Jim interacts with Huck over the fur ball, we can get a better sense of who Jim is. Does Jim exploit Huck or show kindness toward him? Is it a combination of both? Does Huck realize he might be getting exploited for money? Why does Jim tell Huck the nifty potato trick, anyway? And why is Huck loath to admit he didn't know it?

Clearly, this is a not-so-simple relationship and many external factors influence its conduct and their views of one another. What is obvious, however, is that Huck and Jim both turn to superstition to explain the world around them, and in that respect, there is a mutual understanding, one in which Pap is likely to share. Their worldview is different from the widow Douglas and Miss Watson's, and Judge Thatcher's, and is also different from Tom's. Tom, whose personal circumstance most closely resembles that of the widow, Miss Watson, and the judge, is clear about where he learns his truths: "'Don't I tell you it's in the books? Do you want to go to doing different from what's in the books, and get things all muddled up?'" (11). Huck has many inflences in his life, all of whom draw on different sources for their authority. To whom is Huck most responsive? Receptive? Why? Figuring that out will help us sort the thirty percent from the seventy percent as we move forward.

Notes from today's discussion will be on the wikispace first thing Friday morning.

HOMEWORK
Please, be prepared to disuss pages 29-58 in detail. Discussion questions will include:

1. Why does Huck want to spite pap, even if it means pap will beat him?
2. Why does pap kidnap Huck?
3. Think carefully about what he tells us: he is kidnapped by his physically abusive, impoverished father and held captive in the woods across the river where he is beaten daily, and yet he tells us he gets "used to being where I was, and liked it" (30). What exactly does he like?
4. What are the reasons that finally drive Huck to seek escape?
5. Why do yo suppose Twain includes pap's tirade about the "govment"? What do we learn about the responsibilities of government and citizen from it?
6. Why isn't Huck more deeply affected by pap's imprisonment of him and his efforts to murder him?
7. Huck talks about being able to get logs that broke off of log rafts. Click here to see a picture of the larger sort of raft that was common on the Mississippi.
8. Would you characterize Huck as violent?
9. Why does Huck wish Tom were there?
10. Huck is a very keen observor of his surroundings. Provide ample proof of this statement. Do his observations (e.g. "...it looked late, and smelt late" (42) add to the story?
11. See the explanatory notes on pages 394 & 395 to help understand why the ferry fired cannons and why the bread had mercury in it.
12. When the ferry containing all of the people he's been connected to--good or bad--comes along, Huck is noticeably silent about the effect of his apparent murder on them, and the fact that to maintain the ploy, Huck can never talk to them again. Why is he seemingly indifferent to this?
13. Why is he terrified by the discovery of the campfire?
14. Page 50: fantods. (Simon, I'd bet oodles of money you either love or hate this word.)
    
15. What hints do we have early on in the coversation Huck has with Jim that Jim does not trust him?
16. Why does Huck agree to keep Jim's secret?
17. Are Jim and Huck's escapes comparable in any way? If so, how?
18. Would you say Huck and Jim are smart? Qualify this a bit and explain what you mean.
    
19. The explanatory notes about Jim's unusual investments are helpful.
    
20. How is the final quote of the chapter a loaded one?
    

DAY 5 - CYCLE 12 - SEMESTER 2

Today, we began by double-checking the T-Shirt order form. Greg, I know you want green. What size? S, M, L, XL?

We then listened to a lecture about Twain, and I had you practice your notes. Here are mine. Compare.

What are the things that made Huck unrespectable at the time, and throughout the various cultural climates the novel has passed through since?
Initially banned on basis of:
.....CHARACTER: He was considered a horrible role model for others.
.....GRAMMAR: It used the vernacular of the uneducated rather than the more highly esteemed language of the educated classes
.....FIRST PERSON PERSPECTIVE: Far from being a trusted authority, Huck was a disreputable child allowed to tell his story without any interference from “one who knew better.”
..........It was these first three elements that made Adventures of Huckleberry Finn so innovative. A common child telling a story in his own words was really revolutionary. This fresh, creative approach was seen as a threat by literary traditionalists and moral purists.
.....REPRESENTATION OF AFRICAN-AMERICANS: Now, its use of now-offensive terms has been problematic since about WWII. Less insightful readers challenge the novel’s representation of African-Americans, assuming the way the characters present themselves/are presented by Huck is how they actually are. Be careful in your assumptions as you read.

How did this novel differ from conventional literature of the 1880s?
FAR LESS FORMAL:
.....IN PHRASING: compare the text of the novel to the trumped up, stiffened prose of Emmaline Grangerford (a Southern aristocratic character in the novel who uses “hark,” “Lo,” “Whilst,” “Behold,” and the like, which speaking people simply did not do then any more than they do now.)
.....IN SUBJECT MATTER: Huck does not need an occasion to speak (i.e. a death, a significant event, a tidy story to tell, etc.)
.....IT’S SOURCE OF TONAL AUTHORITY: the novel relies on idiom (the way people actually speak and the things they speak about) as an authority, not traditional cultural authorities (i.e. European style novels and traditional Western myths/tropes/conceits).
..........By breaking with this formality and deliberately and satirically calling into question our reliance on traditional sources of cultural authority, Twain both creates and unleashes a distinctly American voice, more richly steeped in the oral, story-telling tradition than the European, literary tradition.
..........Huck’s language is derived from PERSONAL EXPERIENCE, not LITERARY TRADITION. For instance, to describe the color white by comparison, he uses words like “fish belly” and “tree toad,” things he knew and saw. Emmaline, drawing from books rather than experience, would use words like “alabaster” and “ivory,” even though she had probably never actually laid eyes on either.

How does the novel change Americans’ sense of themselves?
.....By giving an uneducated boy the chief say, he allows the traditionally marginalized (but nevertheless, the majority of folks) a loud voice.
.....Since Huck is unaware of traditional authorities (books, the Judeo-Christian tradition, etc.), Huck has to take a basic, practical, pragmatic approach to everything, rather than base his actions on long-held ideas about right and wrong that have been handed down to him. This approach in the novel reveals the self-importance, weak rationalizations, and other silliness in traditional thinking.


That’s how satire works. Watch the following clip in which Sacha Baren Cohen (as Ali G.) inteviews venerable elder statesman of the Republican Party, Pat Buchanan.



Here, "Ali G" is woefully inappropriate for the occasion, from the way he is dressed to the clear lack of knowledge he reveals, and quite poorly spoken. Would you want your kid genuinely emulating him? Yeesh... These are the same criticisms leveled at Huck when he appeared on the scene. Ali G. isn't doing anything new, yet we watch "Ali G." Why? What is it about the cringe-worthy moments about "BLTs" that has us hooked? What is revealed about Buchanan in this process? About what Buchanan thinks of himself? (Buchanan is actually one of the more gracious guests. Crusty old Andy Rooney tossed him out! Ralph Nader's turn on the seat is also quite cringe-worthy.)

In this novel, Huck is Ali G., but he doesn't know it. Twain knows it, but Huck doesn't, and Twain doesn't tell us. He lets us figure it out for ourselves. And everything that Huck talks about is Pat Buchanan.

However, Twain's agenda is a serious one. He is getting at some of the foundations of our cultural beliefs in this novel, in a remarkable way. We take his criticism like her were offering us dessert. Why? He's funny. Note the NOTICE and EXPLANATORY NOTE at the beginning of the novel. From the very get go, he tells us that traditional thinking won't apply here, and that he's very deliberately, and very carefully rendering the words so likely to give us pause.

As noted above, this book is steeped in the ORAL tradition. He writes in the vernacular. When you don't understand when reading silently, read aloud. Your ear will catch what your eyes won't. (e.g. "shet de do" (201) = "shut the door")

You'll find the full reading schedule for your class here.

HOMEWORK:
Read through page 28 (up to chapter 6). We will begin the day with the question, "Does Jim know the boys are there?"

Remember, you will be reading Of Mice and Men on your own this month and will need to have it completed by Tuesday, May 26th.

DAY 4 - CYCLE 12 - SEMESTER 2

Today, we covered the last lesson on sentence diagramming. Huzzah! Coordinating conjunctions are tricky but with practice, you'll get the hang of them. We also signed up for T-Shirts (Greg H., see me about this so we can get you signed up).

Then we discussed the end of the novel, by which many of you seemed initially disappointed, but I suspect you were willing to change your tune a bit as we discussed some of Orwell's larger lessons.

Chief among the concerns we addressed:

• In what way did Winston die?
• When did he truly sacrifice his humanity? How so?
• Why did facing his worst fear do what months of torture could not?

You can find your notes on the wikispace.

FOR NEXT CLASS
Select your T-Shirt Sentence. Your T-Shirt sentence must be well-suited for the following scenario: on the day you wear your sentence-diagrammed T-Shirts, you develop flu-like symptoms and must go to the nurse. On the way to the nurse's, you run into a lower school student, parent, and visiting family who, perhaps insensitively, ask to read your T-Shirt sentence diagram. Do not make that moment more awkward by choosing the wrong sentence. You know what this means. Thank you!

DAY 3 - CYCLE 12 - SEMESTER 2

Today, we talked about the reading between pages 198-232. We took a look at how Winston's worldview differs from O'Brien's and questioned which Orwell wants us to think is more likely. We also questioned whether Winston's beliefs about the inherently good, equality-seeking, freedom-loving nature of people is manufactured or hardwired into him by O'Brien.

Wow. Deep stuff.

Take a look at the class notes. All three sections did a great job today, but were different in nature, so it is worth it to see all three sections' worth of notes.

For Next Time:
1. Bring your sentence diagramming workbook for the last lesson.
2. Finish the novel.

DAY 2 - CYCLE 12 - SEMESTER 2

Today was an in class reading day since so many of you had the AP Euro exam this morning and late games last night.

For today, I recommended that you get up to page 213 in the novel. This is, no question, a more disturbing portion of 1984, as we see what happens in the Ministry of Truth. We'll talk a bit on Friday. You might want to check out the links to the left. Be forewarned: they too can be disturbing and you should talk with your parents and read the news to help create a broader context for your understanding. I have provided links to news articles as well.

For Friday: try to be up through 232. For Monday, be up through 266.

Questions we'll consider:
PAGES 194-213

• What is beautiful to Winston about the singing laundry woman below?
• Why does Winston maintain hope in the proles, even if the book makes it pretty clear that such hope is in vain?
• Why don’t Julia and Winston try to escape?
• How effective is the paperweight as a symbol? (198)
• What indications do we have that Winston has been through this before?
• Why don’t the regular criminals talk to the “’polits’” (203)? Why do regular criminals have the power there?
• Winston believes that he will not betray Julia because he loves her. At that same time, he “hardly even wondered what was happening to her” (204). How is this possible? Does he love her?
• What realizations come with each of the prisoners he encounters: the drunk, 60 year old woman; Ampleforth; Parsons; the starving man; Bumstead.
  The starving man makes many offers to avoid room 101. What is signified by these offers?
• Why does the starving man turn on the one person who offered him food?
• What does O’Brien mean when he says, “’They got me a long time ago’” (213)?

PAGES 213-232

• What is the purpose of all that Winston is subjected to? His treatment goes in phases. Identify the various phases of his torment, their purpose, and the result.
• Where do we see Winston's resolve breaking down? Identify the specific instances and be able to explain how you know.
• Why does Winston consider O'Brien both "protector" and "friend" as well as "tormentor" and "inquisitor" (217)?
• What is O'Brien's ultimate goal with Winston? Why?
• Do you believe O'Brien's claim that reality is entirely within the mind?
• Does Winston want to meet O'Brien's goals for him? How do you know?
• According to O'Brien, how does Oceania differ from earlier regimes?
• What does O'Brien mean exactly when he tells Winston "'You do not exist'" (231)?
• Why won't O'Brien answer the question about the Brotherhood (232)?

DAY 1 - CYCLE 12 - SEMESTER 2

Today, we covered adverbial objectives in the sentence diagramming work book. Wheeee! OK, so maybe they weren't a great party, but they're not so tricky once you get the hang of them. See me if you're confused.

We also answered questions about the reading covering 179-194. Note may be found on the wikispace. Questions included:

1. Is Winston’s hope in the proles in vain?
2. What are the four ways a state can fail? Which are the ones of legitimate concern to Big Brother and how are they managed?
3. Did Big Brother ever exist?
4. Why is Big Brother necessary as a figure?
5. Would the regime fail if Big Brother's non-existence were revealed?
   
6. What’s the purpose of the two tier party system?
7. How does the fact that position within the Party is not hereditary help it survive? (“The essence of oligarchical rule is not a father-to-son inheritance, but the persistence of a certain world-view and a certain way of life, imposed by the dead upon the living. A ruling group is a ruling group so long as it can nominate its successors.” [186]).
8. If what The Book says about the inner party is true, should we trust O’Brien (171-172, 187)?
9. Can reducing the language to Newspeak really reduce independent thought?
10. Do you think crimestop is possible?
11. Are Winston and Julia as independent of mind as they believe?
    
12. Why is there no law in Oceania?
13. Why is the book a relief to Winston when its message is so bleak?
14. Given what we learn in the book, is it possible for Big Brother to be defeated?
15. What do you think "the motive" for the regime is?
16. Is Winston living a worthwhile existence?
17. What are Winston’s options at this point?
18. If they are trying to get rid of the word and idea of revolution, why do they continue to build up the Goldstein story?
19. Julia isn’t particularly impressed by the book. Is her lack of interest a product of the party or the personality?

HOMEWORK
Read to page 213. Tomorrow will be a reading day. We will conclude the novel for Monday.

DAY 5 - CYCLE 11 - SEMESTER 2

Today, Coordinating Conjunctions in the Sentence Diagramming Workbook. Questions? See me.

Then, it was on to discussion. The questions we covered:

• Why does Big Brother wait until the end of Hate Week to say that Oceania is at war with Eastasia and that Eurasia is an ally?
• “In so far as he had time to remember it, he was not troubled by the fact that every word he murmured into the speakwrite, every stroke of his ink pencil, was a deliberate lie” (162). Why not?
• What is Oligarchical Collectivism? Look up the words!
• Why does war exist in Oceania? What purposes does it serve? (See pages 165-167, 177.)
• Do you agree that a social hierarchy is necessary for society to function? Do you believe that true equality is possible? (169)
• Groups bonded by fanatical ideology (Taliban, Al Quaeda, etc.) are not limited to the borders of nation-states, and their ideologies are not grounded in economic concerns. Does Orwell’s message still apply to the modern world?
• Why doesn’t Julia care about the book?
• Who are the high, middle and low in Oceania. How do their interests compete?
  

Notes are on the wikispace.

Sure, Goldstein's book is not a riveting read, but the ideas are chock-full or remarkable assumptions. For instance: war is perpetuated because it deprive the nation of goods; this is necessary to keep people living on the edge of privation; this is desireable because comfortable living standards would give people the chance to become aware/smart; if that happens, they'll become politically active, and thus dangerous. So, to break that down further, if people have all of their needs and many of their wants met, they'll grow politically active. Hmmmm. Does our own experience bear this out? As always, it depends on how you look at it. That's the value of this novel, especially during these drier passages. No, it does not have the riveting plot twists of The Count of Monte Cristo, but it's rife with material against which we may sharpen our own values and understanding of the world we live in.

FOR TOMORROW
Read up through 194.

• Is Winston’s hope in the proles in vain?
• Why is the book a relief to Winston when its message is so bleak?
• Given what we learn in the book, is it possible for Big Brother to be defeated?

DAY 4 - CYCLE 11 - SEMESTER 2

Today, we covered the next 5 words in the vocabulary book (with the never-fail crowd pleaser "juggernaut"). We then discussed 138-158 in 1984. Notes may be found on the wikispace.

In your discussions, you're making references to the text, but a number of those references are not finding their way to the class notes. Let's keep an eye on the notes as we go and help create a more useful record for ourselves.

HOMEWORK:
Read up through the top of page 179, just before the dialogue. Be prepared to discuss the following topics (the last two questions apply to reading through the end of the chapter on 198, which we will do for tomorrow night's homework):

BE PREPARED TO ANSWER THE FOLLOWING, WITH EVIDENCE, IF CALLED ON:
Why does war exist in Oceania? What purposes does it serve?
Do you agree that a social hierarchy is necessary for society to function? Do you believe that true equality is possible?
Why doesn’t Julia care about the book?
Is Winston’s hope in the proles in vain?
Why is the book a relief to Winston when its message is so bleak?
Given what we learn in the book, is it possible for Big Brother to be defeated?

DAY 3 - CYCLE 11 - SEMESTER 2

Reading day today. I am looking forward to tomorrow's well-informed conversation. It's a big news week this week with the Senate releasing reports and the Justic Department releasing memos about interrogation methods. Wrong to question people in this way or wrong to reveal our methods? You choose. See links to left.

Be up through page 158 by tomorrow.

And just so you know, today in Chicago, it was Talk Like Shakespeare day. Methinks t'was a brilliant jest.

DAY 2 - CYCLE 11 - SEMESTER 2

Today, we covered the first five words of Unit 8 in the vocabulary book. Then, it was on to book discussion of reading #5: pages 103-130. This was a quicker read than earlier assignments and indeed, the novel picks up its pace from here. Winston and Julia finally develop a relationship, and while it begins as a physical one, soon Winston wants it to be more and is willing to risk more to have it be so. We touched on major issues of the reading which you can see from your class notes, but there is more to be had. We'll get to that tomorrow, as well as a discussion of your 12-sentence paragraphs which are due tomorrow. (Lost the handout from last week? Check here.)

Tonight's homework is to finish your paragraph. For Friday, please read up through page 158 of the novel.

Oh, and for group 4, here is the link about real lemming behavior. So much for thinking Disney tells us nothing but the truth... (ha!)

Also, here is more about the nursery rhyme from the novel.

DAY 1 - CYCLE 11 - SEMESTER 2

Today, we did a review of lessons 19-21 in the Sentence Diagramming book. I have issues with one of the sentences -- group 6, you know which one, and I am looking for answers.

Then, it was on to a discussion of last night's more dramatic plot line, and the three sections covered a wide variety of material. The main point that we reached, however, was this: to become increasingly human is to become increasingly revolutionary. How did we get there? We looked at Winston's progress from being an acquiescent (if begrudging) sheep to becoming an active dissident of the Party. He becomes increasingly determined to imagine life beyond the world view constructed by Big Brother, and starts taking steps to learn about it. He goes further to imagine how he might defy Big Brother for his own sake. As he becomes more of an individual, he becomes more of a criminal. It is with the greatest act of criminality--devoting his attention, emotions, and aspirations to a member of the opposite sex to whom he is attracted--that he shows the greatest commitment to life. When he feels empathy for another, seeks connection, and places faith in her potential for decency, he feels life is worth living and doesn't want to risk losing it through small infractions. It is an extraordinary mix of the personal and political. In tonight's reading, you'll see how that mix develops.

I forgot to put the notes for groups 4 and 6 up on the wiki. They'll be up first thing in the morning and I apologize for the inconvenience.

HOMEWORK
Read through page 130 in the novel.

DAY 5 - CYCLE 10 - SEMESTER 2

Today, we began on page 67 of the Sentence Diagramming Workbook: Objective Complements (21). We'll be using the modern method on our in-class work, though I will accept either on a quiz.

We then discussed 056-072 in 1984, and you can find those notes here. I gave you the last third of the class to start on the reading for tomorrow: up through page 103.

HOMEWORK:
Read through page 103 of 1984. Come fully prepared to discuss at least three of the questions below (flagged evidence, thoughtful reflections, etc.).

Questions for tomorrow:

1. Who is bombing the proles and why?
2. Why does Winston approach the old man with such uncharacteristic openness and determination?
3. Why does he find the answers from the old man at the bar annoying but the similar quality of answer from Mr. Charrington interesting?
4. Does Winston have courage?
5. Why does the dark haired girl write that particular message when she has never spoken to Winston? Does she mean it?
6. Why does he want to see her?
7. We end Book One in this reading assignment. Such sections of books are generally unified sections, distinct from one another. What are some of the unifying themes of Book One? Just from the first chapter, can you tell if Book Two is going to focus on something different?
8. Should Winston trust the dark haired girl? Do you?
9. Just from the way the dark-haired girl goes about shadowing him, then attracting Winston’s attention, learning about him and then arranging a meeting with him, what can we tell about her? (see pages 8, 10, 12, 27, 54, 55, 89, 93-4, 98-103)
10. Why does everyone rush to see the prisoners? What can we tell from their expressions?

DAY 4 - CYCLE 10 - SEMESTER 2

Today, you took the Unit 7 vocabulary quiz, and then we finished the video. I asked you then to make a list of any kind of comparison you could between the novel and the video. Discussion time was short, but you were able to jot down a few notes, which are available on the wikispace. I did ask you to give some thought to the following questions:

1. Is it possible to maintain independence of mind in such a society as Winston's? (Think about the documentary's comments about belief and fear near the end of the video.)
2. Are there any indications that Winston has had problems with too independent a mind in the past?

If you'd like to learn more about North Korea (our overviews of them and their presentations of themselves), please visit:

• US State Department's overview
• North Korea's "official webpage"
• CIA World Fact Book
• North Korean Central News Agency (wow...)
  

Homework
Read up to page 72 with consideration to the two questions above, AND the additional discussion questions below. Non-talkers? Really think about these and start arming yourself with ideas.

1. Why does recalling the evening with the prostitute inspire such violent reactions in Winston?
2. How does life differ for Party members and the proles?
3. “The aim of the Party was not merely to prevent men and women from forming loyalties which it might not be able to control. Its real, undeclared purpose was to remove all pleasure from the sexual act” (58). Why? What purpose does this serve?
4. Why aren’t the proles supposed to have gin? Why are they allowed to be promiscuous and divorce one another, but Party members are not?
5. Why does Winston think “If there is hope, it lies in the proles” (61)? Explain what his reasoning is likely to be.
6. “The ideal set up by the Party was something huge, terrible, and glittering -- a world of steel and concrete, of monstrous machines and terrifying weapons -- a nation of warriors and fanatics, marching forward in perfect unity, all thinking the same thoughts and shouting the same slogans, perpetually working, fighting, triumphing, persecuting -- three hundred million people all with the same face” (65). What about this is appealing?
7. What does the literacy rate imply about life in Oceania?
8. What sort of person hangs out at the Chestnut Tree Café?
9. What do you suppose in meant by the lyrics on page 68?
10. Why did he throw away the photograph then, and why would he keep it now?
11. Why does he think he is writing the diary for O’Brien?
12. Explain the logic that motivates the lines: “Freedom is the freedom to say that two plus two make four. If that is granted, all else follows” (72).

DAY 3 - CYCLE 10 - SEMESTER 2

Today, we talked briefly about "doublethink," or the power to willfully believe what you know to be false. In the world of Big Brother, it is necessary to ignore one's own memory and experience for the sake of survival. Winston knows that Oceania has been at war with both East Asia and Eurasia, but to say so would defy Party doctrine and therefore endanger him.

In such a world, is it possible to maintain your own mind? Can you really effectively perceive reality after so much doublethink? Does resistance eventually erode?

Toward understanding this sinister world, I showed you the first part of a documentary about North Korea. (It's worth reading some of the Amazon reviews for criticism of it.) The documentary is available via Youtube:











HOMEWORK
Study for tomorrow's 10-question quiz covering ONLY the words from Unit 7. Catch up on your reading if you're behind; read ahead if you're up to date.

DAY 2 - CYCLE 10 - SEMESTER 2

Today, you did the first review exercise in the vocabulary book. Then, with a few discussion prompts, you all had great conversations and typed up notes. You can find the notes and study guide here. Silent types? You're leading tomorrow with questions!

More about the Nazi Youth:

• Article 1: Primary source
• Article 2: Semi-primary source (interview summary)

HOMEWORK: Read up through the top of page 56. You can get to the study guide for the section by clicking the link above.

DAY 1 - CYCLE 10 - SEMESTER 2

Today, you turned in your Say Show Mean papers. (Those who used your "Get Out of Jail Free" cards, I will NOT seek you out with a reminder to meet the terms of the agreement that card establishes.) Afterwards, we covered Lesson 20 in the Sentence Diagramming Workbook, "Indirect Objects." Remember that with an indirect object, the "to" is implied, as suggested by the blank line in the diagram itself. You can always insert a "to" after the verb in a sentence using an indirect object, which should help you understand. Then, we covered the last five words of Unit 7 in the vocabulary book. Groups 4 and 6, you will have a brief, 10-question objective quiz on Thursday covering ONLY Unit 7. Group 2, yours will be on Friday. Continue to bring your book to class as we will be doing the exercises in the book.

Then we began 1984. We started with an anticipation guide in which I asked you to respond to several ethical/political statements. One of these statements will form the basis of your 12-sentence paragraph due a week from Thursday. We loosely talked about several of the statements, but you'll need to follow up on your own to cultivate a more dimensional view of your own values. I also distributed a Study Guide, which I will not check. This is for you to make sure you are understanding the details of the reading. If you tend to get a B or below on your reading quizzes, then you should use the study guide to make sure you are getting the larger ideas.

Ultimately, Orwell asks us to take a long, hard look at some of our most unquestioned convictions. Why does any government have a right to exist? For what purpose? What traits and motives make any government legitimate? And once in power, to what extent is it right for that government to want to keep that power? What means are permissable? You will be exploring the very same questions in Western Civilizations in your study of Totalitarianisn, and they are questions you have already loosely entertained in your reading of Lord of the Flies, Macbeth, Watership Down, and Farenheit 451. We will apply your burgeoning understanding to discussions which connect the novel to articles and videos about North Korea, Burma (Myanmar), the Taliban and others. This book is not an articfact: it is a vibrant document that addresses some of the most pressing questions of the age. How do we construct stable societies without restricting humanity? Under what circumstances may any power be trusted? These questions shape our own world today, just as they do for our protagonist of this 1949 classic, Winston Smith.

Tomorrow, we will begin class with the question, Why can't Winston remember his childhood? There will be additional questions, but read through page 25 and be prepared to start with this one and to offer several of your own. You'll be driving discussion collectively, and you'll be keeping notes as you go.

Tangentially, we got to some questions about new demands on our government in the wake of 9/11. We looked at some headline grabbers of the past few years that both sides have sought to spin for political gain. Here are links to follow up stories that represent a variety of versions, and homefully, explain the situations better:

Valerie Plame

• Outed agent Valerie Plame's interview with 60 Minutes host, Katie Couric
• The story as the conservative "National Review" sees it
• The story as David Corn of the liberal "The Nation" sees it
• A source verified timeline of events that seeks to avoid bias

US Government wiretapping of US citizens

• An overview of warrantless wiretapping (Washington Post)
• The legal debate over wiretapping (NPR)
• One of the stories that broke the warrantless wiretapping story (NY Times)
• OK, not so much about wiretapping, but an interesting article about how technology is forcing private freedoms/public security conflicts to the forefront (NY Times)

You can find TONS more, both conservative and liberal, on these stories.

HOMEWORK

1. Start thinking about that 12-sentence paragraph. Read a paper tonight. Talk about these statements over the dinner table. Read an op-ed page from any paper.

2. Read 1-25 of 1984. Come ready to discuss. Write down your questions.

3. Study for Thursday's (4&6)/Friday's (2) vocabulary quiz.

DAY 5 - CYCLE 9 - SEMESETER 2

Today was a work day so you could make progress on your Say Show Mean.

YOUR SAY SHOW MEAN IS DUE ON MONDAY. IT SHOULD BE TYPED AND DOUBLE SPACED.

PLEASE FOLLOW CONVENTIONS:

• Poem titles appear in quotation marks.
• Refer to the narrator of the poem as the speaker, not the poet.
• Use line numbers to indicate where a quote is located within the poem: The soldiers often “think of firelit homes, clean beds, and wives” (8) when at the front.
• Use a slash to indicate the start of a new line in the poem segment you are quoting: The speaker conveys that the soldier suffered greatly in the trenches: “I see them in the foul dug-outs, gnawed by rats,/And in the ruined trenches, lashed with rain” (9-10).
• Quote only a few words, not an entire stanza.
• Avoid cliches. Don't offer meaningless drivel like, "The poet shows it is important to enjoy the little things in life."
• ABSOLUTELY NO INSTANCES OF "This shows that" (or anything of similar ilk) SHOULD APPEAR IN YOUR ESSAY!

Again, here is a significant recommendation: CIRCLE THE NOUNS IN YOUR CHOSEN POEM. Start looking for patterns in them. Are they references to weaponry? Nature? Duties? Leisure? You can do the same with verbs. If there are symbolic pieces (poppies, torch, etc.), think about the attributes of those items and look up information about them

You should have one coherent paragraph for the Say section, one for the Show section and one for the Mean section.

PLEASE BRING 1984 TO CLASS WITH YOU ON MONDAY!

DAY 4 - CYCLE 9- SEMSETER 2

Today, we discussed a poem of your choice and talked through the Say Show Mean exercise. "Dreamers," "Dulce et Decorum Est," and "In Flanders Fields" were all the subjects of dicussion.

Here is a significant recommendation: CIRCLE THE NOUNS IN YOUR CHOSEN POEM. Start looking for patterns in them. Are they references to weaponry? Nature? Duties? Leisure? You can do the same with verbs. If there are symbolic pieces (poppies, torch, etc.), think about the attributes of those items and look up information about them).

Tomorrow is a workday. Tonight, just keep working on your Say Show Mean. Group 2, your notes are here.

DAY 3 - CYCLE 9 - SEMESTER 2

Well, today was a bit of hitting the reset button. After discussing the Macbeth tests, we went over Say-Show-Mean in class to catch you up from last Friday. I had you turn in whatever you wrote over the weekend. You'll be completing a fully written Say-Show-Mean this week, polishing it over the weekend and turning it in on Monday.

For tonight, the homework is light (hope you went to An Evening with the Experts at school tonight!): read all of the poems in the packet and pick the one that you want to talk about. Be ready to give the poet and title immediately when you get to class. We'll discuss what we can in class, and then you'll have a work day to start your writing. We'll go through the same process as today, asking the central questions for each portion:

SAY: Who is the speaker? Where is he/she speaking? To whom? About what? With what overall attitude?

SHOW: How is the poet trying to get the reader to think/feel particular things? (Remember, the same skills you use to parse out the hidden meanings in the words uttered to you by your secret crush are pretty much the same kind of skills you bring to bear on the study of literature, once again proving that much of life can be expressed by means of analogy to eighth grade social dramas.)

MEAN: So what? Why does the poet want us to feel this way? How does that help us better understand history, ourselves, or the reason we're on the planet?

DAY 2 - CYCLE 9 - SEMESTER 2

I was out today (Friday, April 3rd), so Mrs. Basson subbed for me. According to her:

1. You diagrammed odd # sentences from Lesson 19 in the sentence diagramming workbook.
2. You did a long and deep analysis of "Anthem for Doomed Youth" by Wilfred Owen, focusing on the images raised in the poem. Remember that an "image" in poetry is something that appeals to any of the five senses, not just the visual sense.
3. You discussed what it means to "parse" something.
4. You covered the vocabulary terms in the poem: anthem, pall, orisons, pallor, shires.
5. You did NOT review the Say-Show-Mean exercise, which was supposed to be the focus of the day, so we'll work on that on Monday.
6. Group 2 read aloud "Dulce et Decorum Est" and "The Parable of the Old Man and the Young," but Groups 4 and 6 did not.
7. FOR HOMEWORK, you were asked to write one paragraph for EACH stanza of the poem, answering the question, "What does the stanza SHOW?" You were to use three quotes per paragraph.

DAY 1 - CYCLE 9 - SEMSESTER 2

Today, we covered the next five words of Unit 7 and finished the sentence diagramming review on page 60. Then, you took out your homework and we discussed Rupert Brooke's "The Dead" and "The Soldier."

Specific questions about the poems included:
"The Dead"

1. In line 9, who is "our"?
2. What is personified in line 11? How?
3. What is personified in line 13? How?
4. What effect does this personification have? What does it tell us about the speaker's values & beliefs?
5. What exactly have the Dead brought? How has it changed the recipients?
6. Consider this as an Italian sonnet: what exactly is "posed" by the octave? What exactly is "resolved" by the sestet?

"The Soldier"

1. To whom is the speaker of this poem addressing his words?
2. What exactly makes the "richer dust" referenced in line 4 actually "richer"?
3. According to what is suggested in the octave, what makes England special? What makes the speaker special?
4. There is a transition between the octance and sestet. What exactly is the nature of that transition?
5. Where is the speaker in the sestet?
6. About whom is the speaker speaking in the last line? Why are they at peace?

Then we moved on to discuss Mary Herschel-Clarke's "The Mother," which was written in response to Rupert Brooke's "The Soldier." We read it aloud together, and addressed the following questions:

1. To whom is the speaker of this poem addressing her comments?
2. Where does she assume her audience is?
3. How is the speaker handling things?
4. Why are the last two lines in parentheses?
5. What is the attitude of this speaker?
6. Does this poet like/admire Brooke's perspective?

After we concluded our discussion, I distributed a handout on Say Show Mean exercises. You will do a group Say-Show-Mean activity in class tomorrow on Wilfred Owen's "Anthem for Doomed Youth" (page 8 of the packet).

HOMEWORK

Read over both the poem and the worksheet distributed in class (both handouts are linked to on this blog and you can find them on the wikispace) in preparation for tomorrow. You will want to refamiliarize yourself with literary terms.

Add 15 adjectives about WWI to the wikispace page (it will be up by 4pm).

DAY 5 - CYCLE 8 - SEMESTER 2

Today, we went through the first five words of Unit 7 in the vocabulary book. Then, we did four sentence diagrams on page 59 of the sentence diagramming workbook. Afterwards, I distributed the WWI poetry packet and cruelly told you that you needed to memorize ten poems by Monday. Hooray for April Fool's Day! You don't need to memorize anything. Thanks for letting me have fun at your expense, though!

Together, we read through the introductory essay. Test your remembrance of that essay by asking yourself:

1. What is a "poetic moment"?
2. How is form important to poetry?
3. How should you approach the reading of poetry to get anything out of it?

We then read over some instructions about how to read poems. Remember that simply to go through them once to get the gist of them is like walking by a stadium to get an understanding of a particular game of football. Doing so in either case won't lead you to a rewarding understanding and you certainly won't have any fun. So, take the trouble to get inside where what you see might excite, startle, and amuse you.

We'll be getting more into form in the following days, but for today we looked at sonnet forms: the Italian, English and Spenserian. Check your memory:

1. What are the stanza formations in each?
2. What is the rhyme scheme in each?
3. How do the stanzas relate to one another?
4. What's an octave, sestet, rhyming couplet, and quatrain?
5. What meter are sonnets written in? How would the rhythm of one line of that meter sound?

When poets deviate from these standards, look for reasons why he/she might have done that. Often, there's a reason that gives a clue to the poem's meaning. In two of the classes, I had the chance to tell you about a segment of the late Randy Pausch's "The Last Lecture;" the segment of which I spoke is at 37:20 in the video. The reason the ending of that virtual world is hilarious is because its opening was pure precious treacle. The whole notion of contrast is vitally important to WWI poetry (and just about any human endeavor to teach or amuse, frankly), so keep an eye out for it.

We began to look at a poem together: Rupert Brooke's "The Dead." Brooke, as I mentioned, died on the way to Gallipoli, and while he died young, perhaps he was spared a worse fate by missing that particular military encounter.

We all got through the first octave and started to make some good sense of that. But there is still much to be gained, and that's where your homework starts. In groups 2 and 4, I had brains enough left to collect your homework assignment due today: the list of thirty words you associate with WWI (15 nouns, 15 verbs). Group 6, I still need most of yours. You'll be writing your own war sonnet over the course of this unit, just to get a feel for what things are like on the other side of the pen.

But for tonight, you just need to get comfortable with the process of reading a poem for meaning, so I gave you a paraphrasing assignment.

HOMEWORK
Using the model poem, paraphrase, and note/comment form I passed out in class, complete your own paraphrase of the last stanza of "The Dead" and do one for "The Soldier," the poem that appears immediately to the right of "The Dead." We will talk about them tomorrow, right after we do some vocabulary and sentence diagramming. Group 6, bring your word lists with you.

DAY 4 - CYCLE 8 - SEMESTER 2

Welcome back, everyone! Today, we reviewed the skills that you will need to master in the remaining ten and a half weeks in order to be fully prepared for junior English next year. These include:

• Maintaining use of literary present tense;
• Properly employing subject/verb and pronoun agreement;
• Properly citing in MLA format;
• Effectively proofreading and revising (no, they are NOT the same!);
• Doing close reading;
• Constructing and sustaining an argument (and avoiding plot review);
• Effectively incorporating evidence in support of an argument;
• Transitioning within and between paragraphs;
• Correctly employing literary terms;
• Effectively and accurately using new vocabulary terms;
• Accurately diagramming sentences;
• Writing a twelve sentence paragraph;
• Using vivid and concise terms;
• Avoiding banal, trite phrasing ("very," "good," "nice," "interesting," etc.);
• Effectively extracting literal and figurative meanings from texts;
• Employing efficient methods of tracking a text's basic information (characters, plot, setting, theme, etc.).
• Using this information in fruitful analysis.

To help you toward these goals, I asked you to fill out a goals sheet for fourth quarter. I asked you to take it seriously because this sheet will form the basis of our mutual expectations of one another and for our communication. On the sheet, I also asked you to identify and forces, circumstances or personal traits that may have hindered your success in the past.

After you completed and turned in the sheet, I asked you to do some sentence diagramming review, and the skills have no doubt grown rusty through disuse. Well, we're gearing up again, and picking up with vocabulary, too. PLEASE BRING BOTH YOUR VOCABULARY AND SENTENCE DIAGRAMMING WORKBOOKS TO CLASS ON WEDNESDAY!

Your homework, in preparation for the six day WWI poetry unit, is to write a list of thirty words you associate with WWI. Fifteen of them must be verbs. The other fifteen must be nouns. NO ADJECTIVES. For those of you who checked that you do your homework just to get it done, here's how you aspire beyond that state of mediocrity for which such behavior dooms you: don't accept the first fifteen that come to mind. Visualize scenes from the war and pick the most precise terms you can think of to describe them. Aspire to replace the humdrum terms with words that smack of precision and deep accuracy.

DAY 1 - CYCLE 8 - SEMESTER 2

Today, you took one of two quizzes (your choice): one containing quotes and short answers, and the other asking you to connect a picture to the novel by discussing a theme implicit in both and using three facts from the novel to back up your assertions.

We then discussed Lord of the Flies, focusing our discussion on the last section of the novel where the naval officer arrives. We considered the following questions:

• How does the description of this adult's arrival and interaction with the characters we have come to know throughout the novel change our perception of them?
• What do the adult's words and actions tell us about the adult world he represents?
• Why does Golding leave us with the image of the adult officer turning his back on crying children (so they can "pull themselves together") and looking at a military cruiser in the distance? If you consider this image as you would a painting, its symbolism becomes more apparent.
• We connected our discussion of the the above closing image to Ralph's treatment of Piggy in the opening chapters (wherein a weak, emotive boy is rebuffed with unintended cruelty).
• Some of us also looked at Ralph and Piggy's reaction to Simon's death in the hard light of day. Why do they cling to the notion of "accident"? Why do they each change their stories when both were witnesses to the other's actions?
• Henry asked an excellent question in Group 2: Do these boys form a religion during their time on the island?
• That led us also to consider whether or not Jack himself believes in the beast. While there wasn't consensus on that, we all agreed that he exploits fear of the beast for his own ends.
• Ultimately, most people liked the book; those who didn't thought it was just too darned pessimistic about human nature.

HOMEWORK:

Prepare THREE questions for tomorrow's review session on Macbeth.

DAY 5 - CYCLE 7 - SEMESTER 2

Today, Groups 2 and 6 discussed Macbeth, focusing on the journal entries used today. From this discussion, we looked at the values and worldview Shakespeare promotes--one governed by reason, moderation, and careful consideration of the past and present (it is in abdicating these virtues that Macbeth runs afoul). We considered the ongoing conflict between self-restraint and self-indulgence (which Mr. Zarwell stepped in to say is one of the defining arguments in Western thought) as it appears in Lord of the Flies and in our own lives. Our parents, teachers, and better angels of the self advocate moderation, but when simply waiting in line at CVS is fraught with temptation (key chains that squeak and light up? a supersize Caramello bar? etc.), is it really that easy to employ? We know it isn't, and this suggests why we find ourselves identifying with the monster, Macbeth (with thanks to Michael S. for pointing out the absent comma in the original post).

Group 4 led the 6th graders through a spell-casting activity. Using Act IV, scene i as the basis of their work, sophomores helped sixth graders develop their own 8 line spells in the same manner as the witches, matching rhyme scheme, rhythm and tone. Thank you to ALL students for making this activity so much fun. Your creations were sublime, and the 6th graders have a new crew of role models.

HOMEWORK
Study for tomorrow's Lord of the Flies quiz. It will cover material through the end of the novel.

DAY 4 - CYCLE 7 - SEMESTER 2

Today, we watched the end of Act V. Macbeth is finally conquered. We watched scenes 4-8 today, and then went over the text. We spent particular attention over Macbeth's soliloquy "Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow...," one of Shakespeare's most famous. Here, we see Macbeth at the natural philosophical end of the path he has chosen (or not chosen, if you think him demonically possessed)--a life empty of honor, dignity, and purpose. His words are stirring and sad. I asked you to play around with the soliloquy, looking at how emphasizing different words change the meaning.

Here is the soliloquy again:


And yet, rather than take his own life, as his wife does, he battles on. Why?

YOUR HOMEWORK:
PART 1 of 2
Write a journal entry on ONE of the following topics. Your journal entry must contain two quotations (cite them properly):

1. Why does Macbeth continue to fight, long after he knows all is lost? (Do you admire him for this?); OR,
2. How do you know in Act V that the Great Chain of Being is being restored?

PART 2 of 2
Select an important quote from each scene from scenes 4-8 and enter it on the wikispace.

COMING UP
On Tuesday, March 10th, Group 4 will be meeting with the Sixth Graders to work with them on the Witches scene. Watch your mailbox for information on Monday!

DAY 3 - CYCLE 7 - SEMESTER 2 -

Today, we watched Act V, scenes i-iii performed and read along with the performance. Then we clarified particular areas of the text. Then, in small groups, I asked you to act as clinicians, determining the following about Lady Macbeth and Macbeth:

1. What is the patient's current state of mind?
2. What is the patient's ability to reconcile with the past?
3. What is the patient's attitude about the future?
4. What is the patient's ability to adapt to present circumstances?

I asked you to identify quotes to substantiate your assertions.

Your homework is to add FOUR quotes to the wikispace for the scenes we read and watched today.

Need to see that unhuman scream again? Here you go!

DAY 2 - CYCLE 7 - SEMESTER 2

We began the day with a 15 question quiz covering Lord of the Flies through page 144 and Macbeth acts III & IV.

The rest of the period was devoted to discussion of Lord of the Flies.

Topics included answers to the following questions:

• Why do the boys not answer Jack when he seeks to depose Ralph through consensus, but then secretly follow Jack anyway?
• What is signified by the beast's words?
• According to Golding, can human beings be ruled by something other than fear and selfishness?
• What various aspects of human nature (or archetypes: the definition on this site is useful, but you have to scroll a ways down to get to it) are represented by each of the characters?
• If Simon = Fiver, who is like Hazel, Bigwig, Blackberry, Dandelion and others? Which boy is most like Macbeth?
• How does Ralph's relationship with Jack change? Clearly, they had some good moments. What led to the problems, and how does Golding reveal them?
• How has Golding's assessment views of power, leadership, followership, and effective leadership structures evolved through the course of the novel?
• How does Ralph have an impact on Jack and Piggy's relationship?
• Who is loyal to whom and why?
• What is Simon's symbolic significance?
• Why is force the most likely means of establishing order in this community?
• In order for authority to be respected, what must it be based upon?
• What is the opposite of force in terms of controlling society? Which does Golding prefer?

HOMEWORK

Keep reading in Lord of the Flies, and answer ONE of the top two polls on the left! There probably isn't a pattern, but let's just see. Be honest!

DAY 1 - CYCLE 7 - SEMESTER 2

Today, we finished Act IV, scene iii of Macbeth and watched the scene. Many lines were excised from the televised performance. Why? What effect was the director seeking? Did the Malcolm and Macduff we saw match the characters we created in our minds? By comparing the series on TV to that in your mind's eye, you can develop a better understanding of the text.

Here is all of scene iii, but it begins at the end of scene ii:

PART I




PART II



HOMEWORK
Read up through page 144 in Lord of the Flies. You will have a 20 question quiz on Monday covering the novel and Acts III and IV of the play. The quiz will include quotations and literary terms from both Acts. Those of you who have not made a meaningful contribution to the wikispace really ought to do so!