It runs in the family

My eight-year-old grand-daughter has a blog now -- check it out! http://www.thelittleclover.blogspot.com/

Whatever will you do with three weeks of vacation?

I do have a few ideas:
(1) Write an essay on Hamlet that will make the angels weep (in a good way). You will hand this masterpiece to me on Jan. 6, when I will see you again for the first time in 26 days. Hopefully we will still remember one another.
(2) Engage in the discussion on "Mr. Green" -- many of you have not yet done so. Remember -- participation will make up 15% of your final grade this term.
(3) If you are one of the eight students who has not yet dazzled us with your mastery of a soliloquy, plan on doing so on Jan. 6
(4) Play a great deal -- I miss you!

Following is a poem by RG Gregory -- enjoy!

Images of snow - february 1996

snow is a thousand flowers
the chinese probably said
hundreds and thousands this morning
drop their garlands on my head
last night the festoons started
long before we went to bed

snow is a white-furred rabbit
the chinese probably wrote
hedgerows and fields this morning
wear a similar fluffy coat
last night the winter danced back
with a white fur round its throat

snow is a treacherous fox-face
the chinese probably thought
it lurks in wait this morning
for the weak and overwrought
last night it laughed its head off
loving the fear it's brought

And the snow keeps coming!

But of course I have another snow poem! The following is by one of my favorite poets, Robert Frost (appropriate name today):

Dust of Snow

The way a crow
Shook down on me
The dust of snow
From a hemlock tree,
Has given my heart
A change of mood
And changed some part
Of a day I had rued.

Snow Day! (the third)

So, as I am sure many of you have now heard, school is cancelled for Wednesday December 17th. I just was driving up around Sunset HS and the roads in the West Hills are pretty slippery still. We can thank the person that made the Beaverton District boundaries because we have some of the highest points of elevation in the Metro area. Ms. Minor, are there any more snow day poems out there for us?

Enjoy your day off, and keep on being safe!

Ah -- a glorious snow day!

I'm looking forward to another lazy day like today -- hot chocolate, a good book, nowhere to go. Meanwhile, respond to the "Mr. Green" prompt before Wed. and I'll see you then. Oh -- and the eight students who have not yet dazzled us with their soliloquies will do so on Wed -- you know who you are.

Enjoy the following poem by the 2001-2002 poet laureate of the United States, Billy Collins:

Snow Day

Today we woke up to a revolution of snow,
its white flag waving over everything,
the landscape vanished,
not a single mouse to punctuate the blankness,
and beyond these windows

the government buildings smothered,
schools and libraries buried, the post office lost
under the noiseless drift,
the paths of trains softly blocked,
the world fallen under this falling.

In a while I will put on some boots
and step out like someone walking in water,
and the dog will porpoise through the drifts,
and I will shake a laden branch,
sending a cold shower down on us both.

But for now I am a willing prisoner in this house,
a sympathizer with the anarchic cause of snow.
I will make a pot of tea
and listen to the plastic radio on the counter,
as glad as anyone to hear the news

that the Kiddie Corner School is closed,
the Ding-Dong School, closed,
the All Aboard Children's School, closed,
the Hi-Ho Nursery School, closed,
along with -- some will be delighted to hear --

the Toadstool School, the Little School,
Little Sparrows Nursery School,
Little Stars Pre-School, Peas-and-Carrots Day School,
the Tom Thumb Child Center, all closed,
and -- clap your hands -- the Peanuts Play School.

So this is where the children hide all day,
These are the nests where they letter and draw,
where they put on their bright miniature jackets,
all darting and climbing and sliding,
all but the few girls whispering by the fence.

And now I am listening hard
in the grandiose silence of the snow,
trying to hear what those three girls are plotting,
what riot is afoot,
which small queen is about to be brought down.

Discussion prompt for "Mr. Green"

Read, then re-read, "Mr. Green" by Robert Olen Butler. Discuss the thematic implications of the two repeated phrases "not possible" and "what then". The story can be found online at http://www.deanza.edu/faculty/swensson/green.html

Assignments for next week -- 9th and 11th

1. Come up with a working thesis for your Hamlet essay and bring it (typed on a piece of paper -- not hovering around in your brain) to class on Tuesday.
2. Be prepared to perform your memorized soliloquy on Tuesday or Thursday
3. Be prepared for an objective test on Hamlet on Thursday
4. Write the Hamlet essay. Caveat: It is technically due on the day before the holiday. However, you may turn it in the first day of class after the holiday if you simply cannot complete a polished articulate essay before then and I will not zing your grade for doing so.

Prompt for Friday, Dec. 5th

 In Hamlet 1:5:59-70 Hamlet Sr. (ghost) tells Hamlet how Claudius killed him by pouring poison in his ear:  

Sleeping within my orchard, 

My custom always of the afternoon, 

Upon my secure hour thy uncle stole

With juice of cursed hebenon in a vial 

And in the porches of my ears did pour 

The leperous distilment, whose effect 

Holds such an enmity with blood of man 

That swift as quicksilver it courses through 

The natural gates and alleys of the body, 

And with a sudden vigour it doth posset 

And curd, like eager droppings into milk, 

The thin and wholesome blood.  

In Shakespeare's Othello the evil Iago  plots, in a soliloquy, to "pour pestilence into his [Othello's] ear" to infect his relationship with Desdemona.  In this case, the poison is in the form of words.  

Look back over Hamlet  and consider all the times that one character pours poison into the ears of another.  How do these infected words poison as lethally as Claudius's real poison?  

Homework due on Wednesday, Dec. 3

This is not an official announcement.

Assuming Mrs. Minor doesn't post a prompt, your homework is to...

-Finish Act 5
-Get a start on your Hamlet essay
-Find and memorize a soliloquy

Happy Thanksgiving!

We love you, Ms. Minor! We just thought we should show you how your smart, intellectual children like to spend their time outside of class.

-Dumbledore's Army

Prompt to respond to before Wed. Nov. 26

After reading Carolyn Heilbrun's essay on Gertrude and considering the points she makes, as well as the opinions of other critics she references, do some thinking and studying of your own about Gertrude. Is she intelligent and verbally gifted, although with a weakness for kings? Is she shallow and weak? To what extent does the action of the play pivot around her? Engage in a lively discussion with one another, but whenever possible reference particular passages from the play to support your ideas.

Prompt to respond to before Monday, Nov. 24

For this posting, I'm seeking a genuine & personal response to Robert MacNeil's genuine & personal account of his early experience with Shakespeare. It's better you write something in advance and post it rather than use someone else's response as a springboard--though you're always welcome to comment on what you read here.

Prompt to respond to before Wed., Nov. 20

In Act I, Scene 2, Lines 76-86, Shakespeare introduces a primary motif in Hamlet, the idea of "seeming". Consider how many of the characters -- Hamlet, Gertrude, Claudius, Polonius, Rosencrantz & Guildenstern -- are all engaged in pretense, acting out parts. Confine your discussion to Acts I & II, especially Act II. When possible refer to specific lines so others can follow your train of thought.

Assignment for Tuesday the 18th

No blog prompt today, but feel free to bring up with your colleagues any issues/confusion you have with Hamlet, particularly Act I and Act II. This is optional, not required. By the way, I am really impressed with how some of you are using this forum to enrich your study. It also gives me a window into your thoughts, especially those quiet ones out there, and those participation points can really add up.

For those few who were absent last class, be sure to study through Act I, Scene 2 (particularly Hamlet's first soliloquy) and discuss it with someone who WAS in class (both physically and mentally).

Enjoy this glorious sunshine!!!!

Prompt to respond to before class on Wed. Nov. 12

Choose one of the articles You received on Friday, post your comments, and engage in the discussion. This will require logging on more than once.

Reminder: In-class essay on Wed. -- bring all your notes and the book to use. Revised essays are also due Wed. Be sure to staple the original essay with my comments to the back of your revision.

So, how was the opera?

I REALLY wish I could have gone!

Also, Natalie, I noticed you showed great "restraint" in posting last on Monday's blog.

Blog Prompt for Friday the 7th of Nov

Read Part III, paragraph 9 beginning with the line "The manager came out". . . through "I turned to Kurtz for relief--positively for relief."

Why does Marlow turn to Kurtz for relief? What about the atmosphere is so vile that it chokes Marlow, and -- again -- why would he turn to Kurtz, of all people, for relief?

Reminder

Remember that revisions of the Great Expectations essay are due by Nov. 12. You MUST turn in the original essay (stapled to the back) with the revision in order for me to read it.

Also, the opera tickets came today. I will distribute them on Monday. The opera is Wed.

Blog prompt and assignment for Monday, Nov. 3

1. Please number the paragraphs in parts II and III and re-read part II.

2. Discuss the long (two page) paragraph #14 part II about the cannibals ("I went forward and ordered the chain . . ) Consider the way that restraint is used as a motif in throughout the novella.

No blog prompt for Wed. the 29th

Your homework for Wed. is to complete the Multiple Choice practice packet and be prepared to continue H of D discussion.

Prompt to respond to before Monday, Oct. 27

Respond to the following passages from paragraph 9 and paragraph 15 (Part I).
"The yarns of seamen have a direct simplicity, the whole meaning of which lies within the shell of a cracked nut. but Marlow was not typical (if his propensity to spin yarns be excepted) and to him the meaning of an episode was not inside like a kernel but outside, enveloping the tale which brought it out only as a glow brings out a haze, in the likeness of one of these misty halos that sometimes, are made visible by the spectral illumination of moonshine." (9)
"It seemed somehow to throw a kind of light on everything about me--and into my thoughts. It was sombre enough too -- and pitiful -- not extraordinary in any way -- not very clear either. No. Not very clear. And yet it seemed to throw a kind of light." (15)

Heart of Darkness Availible Online

If for some reason you're not able to get a physical copy of Heart of Darkness to read, it's available online and for free at Google Books.

Another version can be found at Project Gutenburg. Keep in mind that this online version is a simple txt file, which makes for poor reading.

If you know what "Wowio" is, Heart of Darkness can also be found there. The Wowio version is free to view online, but costs two dollars to download as a PDF.

Keep in mind that no matter what you're going to need a physical copy of the book.

Oedipus/Greek theater test on Tuesday

You will be taking a short objective test on Oedipus and Greek Theater on Tuesday the 21st.

Timed essay Friday

Issues you might wish to discuss/think about before the essay on Friday: (a) Sophocles' use of irony to develop his themes (b) free will/fate (c) Oedipus as a tragic hero (d) the motif of blindness, especially as it applies to Oedipus

You will be allowed to use the plays during the essay and I strongly recommend reading through the play again and marking important passages.

Also, read through the third criticism I gave you today -- see if you gain any additional insights.

Finally, we will begin discussion of Heart of Darkness on Thursday the 23rd, so complete your first reading by then.

Prompt to respond to before class on Wed., Oct 15

Read and annotate the two literary criticisms I passed out in class today, then choose a topic of discussion from one of these articles and post a response to it. Also, log on and join in the discussion of points your colleagues bring up.

Remember to bring your $ and orders for the Nov. 5th opera (Fidelio) on Wed.

Brilliant and articulate essays due Monday!

(a) I'll expect 36 phenomenal "black tie" essays on Monday -- polished and representative of your best effort. This is a 100 pt. essay -- you will have the opportunity to revise them after I rake them over the coals, but probably not before quarter grades go in the computer. Remember to submit your essays to turnitin.com on or before Monday.

(b) Get down with Ludwig Van and get some culture! One of our AP Lit traditions is to attend the Portland Opera student dress rehearsals. For only $12 you can dress up and do the performing arts patron thing with your classmates & teachers. This fall's offering is "Fidelio," the only opera Beethoven wrote, and it's a great one that reflects the man's passion for liberty and the human spirit. Remember, this is the guy who wrote the Eroica Symphony with Napoleon in mind; then when he realized the Corsican was just another rapacious world conqueror, scratched out Napoleon's name so furiously that he left a hole in the first page of the symphony*. The date of the dress rehearsal is Wed., Nov. 5, from 7-10 pm. I need your orders and $ (make any checks out to Nancy Minor) on or before Wed. the 15th. Your friends need not be in AP Lit to go -- as long as they are students (high school or college) - they are welcome. You do need to be able to get yourselves to the Keller Auditorium in downtown Portland. *(Mr. Duncan's description)

(c) Heads up -- plan on a timed essay on Oedipus this coming Friday (the 17th) as well as a short post-unit test. I strongly recommend reading the play again after we finish discussing it as a class.

Reminder

(a) Lit terms quiz two on Wed

(b) Complete a first reading of Heart of Darkness by October 21.

Assignment for Monday Oct. 6

(1) Read the mythology packet on the House of Thebes
(2) Blog with your colleagues and bring a working thesis to turn in on Monday. The essay itself is due Monday the 13th
(3) Create an account at Turnitin.com
(4) Prepare for a second literary terms quiz on Wed. -- this one on drama and form

Assignment for the week

Brainstorm topics and thesis statements for your Great Expectations essays. I expect each of you to log on several times to interact with your colleagues, thereby assisting one another in this process. Your polished thesis is due on Monday the 6th. The essay is due on Monday the 13th.

Homework for Tuesday, the 30th of September

Do the AP practice multiple choice questions based on Great Expectations. Since you have the internet, dictionaries, and each other (not to mention brilliant, or semi-brilliant, minds), I would expect you to answer them all correctly. We'll go over this on Tuesday. Sean, Elizabeth, Alex, Erik, and Grace -- pick up a packet from Mr. Hardin on Monday. I also have some on my desk, if you can find them.

Reminder: the second lit terms quiz will be on Monday Oct. 6. Have a fabulous weekend -- hope you are planning to watch the debate tonight!

Prompt to respond to before class on Friday, Sep 26

Re-read the beginning of chapter 39 describing the arrival of Magwitch. Begin with paragraph 4 and read through the paragraph that begins "You acted noble, my boy," said he." Discuss the techniques Dickens uses to create suspense.

Reminder for Monday, Sep. 22

You will have a "did you read it" quiz on Monday on Great Expectations.

Prompt to respond to before class on Sep22

Great Expectations: Re-read the section describing Magwitch eating his dinner out on the marshes (ch. III, second page, paragraph beginning "I was soon at the battery . . . through the paragraph beginning "I had often watched a large dog of ours eating his food . . .") and the description of the family eating Christmas dinner with Pumblechook, Wopsle, and the Hubbles (Ch. IV first page, paragraph that begins "We were to have a superb dinner . . . through the end of the paragraph that begins "we dined on these occasions in the kitchen . . .") What do you notice in these two descriptions? Consider atmosphere, style, character, setting, theme, symbolism, diction, syntax, etc.

Homework for Sep. 18

Study for lit terms quiz 1 (fiction and style). The focus is on usage, not just definitions, although you need to know both. Bring your copy of Great Expectations, as the discussion on that novel begins after the quiz. Expect a "did you read it" quiz on Great Expectations onMonday. I am not posting a blog prompt today, but will put one up after tomorrow's class.

Lit terms website

Vivian (from Mr. Hardin's class) posted a good website for lit terms: http://web.cn.edu/kwheeler/lit_terms.html

If you know of another good site, let your fellow students know.

Newsflash

The only homework consists of: reviewing BNW & notes, reading the "Big Nanny" article, and preparing for the timed in-class essay on Tuesday the 16th. I will collect your notes prior to writing the essay, so be sure to have these with you.

Also, the lit terms quiz will be on Thursday. Be sure to bring your copy of Great Expectations that day also, as we will begin the discussion.

There is no new discussion prompt today. Have a nice weekend!

Homework Post 9/11

"Slowly, very slowly, like two unhurried compass needles, the feet turned towards the right; north, north- east, east, south-east, south, south-south-west; then paused, and, after a few seconds, turned as unhurriedly back towards the left. South-south-west, south, south-east, east…"

Interpret this final paragraph of the book--not just as John Savage's end, but also in light of the simile that Huxley uses. What was John seeking, and how did he fare in his quest? Does he represent anyone besides himself?

Homework for Monday Sep 8

Re-read the last three chapters and come prepared with discussion issues and quotes.   Also read Huxley's foreword to the novel.

Sep 4 discussion prompt

"Not so much like drops of water, though water, it is true, can wear holes in the hardest granite; rather, drops of liquid sealing-wax, drops that adhere, incrust, incorporate themselves with what they fall on, till finally the rock is all one scarlet blob." (chapter 2, page 28)  

Consider this simile and decide what it signifies.  Consider times in the novel when the rock nearly breaks through the wax, or where the wax layer is so thin that the rock can be perceived, even if only for a moment.  

The Apology

"the life which is unexamined is not worth living" - Socrates

The above quote, from class on Tuesday, is in Plato's 'Apology.' I found a translation online: "http://classics.mit.edu/Plato/apology.html" if you are interested.

Synopsis: Socrates has been sentenced to death near the end of the apology. He states the aforementioned phrase as an explanation for his activities(he has been accused of corrupting the youth) and his willingness to die rather than denounce them.

Just use the 'find' feature on your internet browser, when you're at the website, and type in the phrase to locate it.

Homework for Thursday, Sep. 4

1. Review for "did you read it" test on Brave New World.

2. Write a 1-2 page (typed, double-spaced) first person response to the following prompt:

"The most disturbing aspect of Brave New World is the suspicion that many, perhaps most, people would like to live in such a society."