For Tuesday, April 1

Read Heart of Darkness through the paragraph that begins "He began to speak as soon as he saw me" and ends with "Afterwards I took it back when it was borne in upon me startlingly with what extreme nicety he had estimated the time requisite for the "affair."

Pay close attention to the use of irony when Conrad describes the white "in charge" people.  The words say one thing, but we should hear the sarcasm/irony underneath.  Mark every use of irony that you see.

Blessings,
Mrs. Fox

For Wednesday, February 26

Some definers for literary styles:

T. S. Eliot-Fragmentation

Andrew Marvell-Metaphysical-Neo-Classical

Joseph Conrad-Impressionist Literature
 

The paintings above are examples of impressionism.  Impressionism was also a trend in literature during the early 1900s.  Here is a description below.

Impressionist Literature-Modern 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Why the blurriness?

*For modern novelists, the messiness and confusion and darkness of experience is interesting.

•Rather than trying to simplify and abstract a particular meaning from experience, novelists tend to wallow in the multiplicity of ideas and meanings and sensations that experience can provide.

•Novelists are in the business of recreating and communicating the rich complexities of the experience itself.

•Their purpose is to get the reader to re-live an experience, with all its complexity and messiness, all its darkness and ambiguity.

Expect a quick quiz over the details of impressionist literature. 

Read Heart of Darkness, by Joseph Conrad.  If you are reading in your textbook, you will read through the first paragraph of page 373.  If you are reading in another text, you will read about 14 paragraphs.  The last sentence you will read is:  "'I suppose you fellows remember I did once turn fresh-water sailor for a bit,' that we knew we were fated, before the ebb began to run, to hear about one of Marlow's inconclusive experiences."

Now create a picture (with crayolas or colored pencils) that captures the setting of these first paragraphs in Heart of Darkness.

For Monday, March 24

HOMEWORK:

Complete the multiple choice packet I gave you in class today.  Set your timer for one hour.  If your timer goes off before you finish the entire packet, draw a line under the last question answered and go on until you complete each question.

Good tips for upcoming exam:
Review great literature you have read in the past.  So look at sparknotes for Hamlet, Tale of Two Cities, All Quiet on the Western Front, Romeo and Juliet, Things Fall Apart, Till We Have Faces, 1984, Macbeth, Beowulf, and Metamorphosis.  The novels and plays most often listed as options for question 3 are underlined.  I have written the college board in the past, and they acknowledge Till We Have Faces as a quality option for Question 3 essays.

Coming up:  We will read Heart of Darkness and Antigone which are both excellent choices for many question 3 prompts.  My suggestion is this:  Select a few (3)
of the things you have enjoyed during your reading history...really brush up on those works...then, you will be well prepared for question 3 of the exam.

For Thursday, March 20

You do not have homework.

We will begin class on Thursday with a 40 minute timed writing.  Review the skills necessary for writing a well structured and interesting essay.

Think:
Start by jotting down a quick outline of your thoughts
Thesis-must be interpretive
Paragraphs need interpretive topic sentences
Body Paragraphs: should include quotations sandwiches that provide quality interpretation of examples that prove the argument set forth in the thesis
Embedded quotes are a great way to show your interaction with the author
A strong conclusion is a must-make sure I understand your argument
An introduction is helpful but not absolutely necessary for an upper level essay

After completing the timed writing, you will spend the remainder of the class period doing your team work over "The Conversion of the Jews."

For Tuesday, March 18

Our next novel will be Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad.  You can find this novel in your textbook; you can download it for free on Kindle, or you can purchase it from a local bookstore.  We will begin this novel right after spring break.  As a preview, look up some impressionist paintings.  Pick a favorite, write down the title to share with class.

On Tuesday, you will finish your Pairs-Essay over House on Mango Street.  You might do a quick mental review on Monday night, so you are ready to go Tuesday morning.

Finally, over spring break, I want you to read three short stories.  You do not need to write anything for any of the stories, but annotations in your margin would be helpful as we'll look at these stories upon our return. I have included a few questions to GUIDE your reading.   Here are the selections:

"Moths", by Helen Verimontes  As with House on Mango Street, this story focuses on a particular culture.  The symbolism of the moths is exceptionally strong...what do you think they represent in the story?  How does the work Abuelita asks the narrator to do--planting, cooking--help the teenager deail with her pent-up anger?

"Ring of Time", by E.B. White  As we did with Prufrock, examine the nature of time in this story.  What do you believe White is saying about time and, maybe even, the suspension of time.

"Conversion of the Jews", by Phillip Roth  Identify the themes in the story.

Before returning to class next on March 18, select a favorite from these three.

Don't forget to wear green on Monday the 17th:)

For Wednesday, March 5

Look at the previous post.  Make sure to complete all of the House on Mango Street homework.  We will have a round table discussion on Wednesday, much like we did today, over the homework.  Remember this is a vital read for Questions 3, as well we, excellent practice connecting literary device to meaning.