1. What do you think Dylan's motivation was for the creative writing project that got the attention of his teacher? The book indicates that the teacher did all she could regarding this writing project - do you agree? Do you think the counselor should have picked up on the cues in this paper?
2. Do you think Brian Rohrbough's opinions regarding the school were justified? Were his feelings part of his healing process - that is, did he need to place the blame somewhere?
3. Did the Federal Judge's decision to hand over materials to be secured in a Federal courthouse allow the full story of Columbine to be told? Do you think that the materials which the judge ordered secured would have been made public if he hadn't done this?
4. In 'Ready To Be Done' Cullen begins wrapping up the aftereffects of the killings. What events (e.g., the sealing of the parents depositions, Michael Moore's conclusions, Mr. D's divorce) were predictable and which came as a surprise to you?
5. Since we now know that school killers are likely to reveal their plans before an attack do you think that if someone revealed the sorts of things Eric did to Chris Morris, Zack and Nate would be caught now? Or would comments like this still be dismissed?
6. What do the discoveries regarding the Jeffco cover up lead you to believe regarding the investigation? Should Jeffco officials have turned their investigation over to another agency (such as the FBI) early on? Do you feel that justice was done with regards to the cover up?
7. In the (over) 10 years since Columbine there have been more than 80 school shootings. What lessons have been learned? Do you think this type of violence will ever be stopped?
8. What did you learn from the chapter 'Quiet'? Was this a good place in the book to place the chronology of events from the killer's perspective?
9. In 'At The Broken Places' Patrick Ireland says "The shootings were an event that occurred. But it did not define me as a person. It did not set the tone for the rest of my life." How do the vignettes about the school, the memorial and the survivors confirm or dispute this statement?
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Friday, March 18, 2011
Columbine Part IV: Take Back the School
1. One of the the ultimate question from this section was: Do you think Eric Harris was a psychopath? Why or why not? Do you think the label is useful or simply stigmatizing?
2. In the chapter 'The Parents Group' the stories of Patrick Ireland and Anne Marie Hochhalter are intertwined with information on the Jeffco coverup and the lawsuits following the attack. Does this make sense to you and work well (as these are both stories about the aftermath of the attacks) or would you have preferred to have the rehabilitation stories presented separately? Do the stories compliment one another?
3. The students of Columbine were repulsed by the use of their school name as a proper noun to describe school shootings or school violence. Does Dave's book help or harm their cause? What other example of diction are used similarly in other events?
4. Analyze the rhetoric of the sympathy letters from the Harrises and Klebolds?
5. Dylan laughed about picking on freshmen and 'fags' and the boys perceived themselves to be victimizers, not victims. Does this lead you to think that those who bully in schools should be watched for similar impulses - or is that too big of a leap to make? Do you think we should be looking at bullies to see if they have other characteristics of psychopaths?
6. In discussing the essay Eric wrote for Mr. Tonelli Dave writes, 'What chance did he have against a clever young psychopath? Few teachers know the meaning of the term.' Do you think teachers should be educated about psychopathy - and to what end [i.e., would it help prevent future attacks]?
7. "Who Owns The The Tragedy" is a chapter in which Eric and Dylan don't appear. Do you think that focusing on someone other than them provides a relief to the reader? Do you think Dave intentionally gave the reader breathing space here?
8. This chapter also details the struggle between the school and the media upon its reopening. Does the media seem unnecessarily insensitive to you or are they just trying to do their job? Where do your sympathies lie here - with the parents, the media, or is it mixed?
9. What is your opinion to the reactions to the revelations concerning the Cassie Bernall story?
10. Were you surprised that the Klebolds sued Jeffco? What is your opinions regarding the merits of their case?
11. Does Eric's attitude toward Robyn (and her feelings toward Dylan) in regard to the purchase of the guns further exemplify the lack of emotions in psychopaths?
12. Eric mocks his father in his journals by saying 'This is what I am motivated for...This is my goal...This is what I want to do with my life.' What is your reaction to this and what does it say to you regarding Eric's mental state?
2. In the chapter 'The Parents Group' the stories of Patrick Ireland and Anne Marie Hochhalter are intertwined with information on the Jeffco coverup and the lawsuits following the attack. Does this make sense to you and work well (as these are both stories about the aftermath of the attacks) or would you have preferred to have the rehabilitation stories presented separately? Do the stories compliment one another?
3. The students of Columbine were repulsed by the use of their school name as a proper noun to describe school shootings or school violence. Does Dave's book help or harm their cause? What other example of diction are used similarly in other events?
4. Analyze the rhetoric of the sympathy letters from the Harrises and Klebolds?
5. Dylan laughed about picking on freshmen and 'fags' and the boys perceived themselves to be victimizers, not victims. Does this lead you to think that those who bully in schools should be watched for similar impulses - or is that too big of a leap to make? Do you think we should be looking at bullies to see if they have other characteristics of psychopaths?
6. In discussing the essay Eric wrote for Mr. Tonelli Dave writes, 'What chance did he have against a clever young psychopath? Few teachers know the meaning of the term.' Do you think teachers should be educated about psychopathy - and to what end [i.e., would it help prevent future attacks]?
7. "Who Owns The The Tragedy" is a chapter in which Eric and Dylan don't appear. Do you think that focusing on someone other than them provides a relief to the reader? Do you think Dave intentionally gave the reader breathing space here?
8. This chapter also details the struggle between the school and the media upon its reopening. Does the media seem unnecessarily insensitive to you or are they just trying to do their job? Where do your sympathies lie here - with the parents, the media, or is it mixed?
9. What is your opinion to the reactions to the revelations concerning the Cassie Bernall story?
10. Were you surprised that the Klebolds sued Jeffco? What is your opinions regarding the merits of their case?
11. Does Eric's attitude toward Robyn (and her feelings toward Dylan) in regard to the purchase of the guns further exemplify the lack of emotions in psychopaths?
12. Eric mocks his father in his journals by saying 'This is what I am motivated for...This is my goal...This is what I want to do with my life.' What is your reaction to this and what does it say to you regarding Eric's mental state?
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Columbine Part III: The Downward Spiral
1. How do you feel about the tone of the chapter 'Jesus Jesus Jesus'? Is it suitably respectful to the religious beliefs of the people in Columbine in their reaction to the attacks? Is it analytical enough of the beliefs?
2. Eric's website (complete with bomb instructions) was reported to the police on August 7, 1997. Does this seem like a place where Eric's eventual plans could have been stopped? Why do you think that this violent information seems to have been ignored and wasn't followed up on?
3. 'Good-bye' has the first musing of Fuselier regarding Dylan and Eric's sanity. Given what we read here do you feel that they were sane? Do you think we know enough about psychopathy at this point in the book to make a decision regarding whether or not Eric is a psychopath? We have read quite a bit about Dylan's depression by this point - does he seem to be depressed enough to be mentally ill by this point in your opinion?
4. Eric and Dylan became enthralled with films like 'Natural Born Killers' and 'Lost Highway' and musicians like Nine Inch Nails. Do you think society/the media do an injustice to filmmakers and musicians when we tie them to the actions of deranged killers? Do you think there is any justification in being concerned with the effect of violent films and music on teens - and/or is this something that requires the attention of a parent on a case by case basis?
5. Wayne Harris finds one of Eric's pipe bombs. Since this happened shortly after the locker incident do you think that he should have been paying closer attention to what his son was doing? What do you make of his reaction to this - do you think that he was too concerned with protecting his son and was too worried about his future or was he simply acting like a protective parent?
6. Dwayne Fuselier began dismissing a conspiracy theory within a week of the attack on Columbine. Why do you think the local authorities clung onto the theory longer? Was it because it is difficult to imagine that an attack of this magnitude could be planned by two boys or because they wanted living people to blame?
7. Refute or defend the NRA's visit to the Denver area two weeks after the shooting at Columbine.
8. In the years after events surrounding Columbine continued to unfold, many have been angry about the police "dropping the ball" in regards to Eric's "hit list" website. Should sites like this be protected by the First Amendment?
9. What do you make of the spread of the story of Cassie Bernall's martyrdom? Do you think that it spread because people needed to believe that something good could come out of such a horrible situation? Do you think that people saw Cassie's story as being something with gave people hope for the future of their children? Why do you think that Val Schnurr's story did not spread - particularly given the spread of Cassie's story?
2. Eric's website (complete with bomb instructions) was reported to the police on August 7, 1997. Does this seem like a place where Eric's eventual plans could have been stopped? Why do you think that this violent information seems to have been ignored and wasn't followed up on?
3. 'Good-bye' has the first musing of Fuselier regarding Dylan and Eric's sanity. Given what we read here do you feel that they were sane? Do you think we know enough about psychopathy at this point in the book to make a decision regarding whether or not Eric is a psychopath? We have read quite a bit about Dylan's depression by this point - does he seem to be depressed enough to be mentally ill by this point in your opinion?
4. Eric and Dylan became enthralled with films like 'Natural Born Killers' and 'Lost Highway' and musicians like Nine Inch Nails. Do you think society/the media do an injustice to filmmakers and musicians when we tie them to the actions of deranged killers? Do you think there is any justification in being concerned with the effect of violent films and music on teens - and/or is this something that requires the attention of a parent on a case by case basis?
5. Wayne Harris finds one of Eric's pipe bombs. Since this happened shortly after the locker incident do you think that he should have been paying closer attention to what his son was doing? What do you make of his reaction to this - do you think that he was too concerned with protecting his son and was too worried about his future or was he simply acting like a protective parent?
6. Dwayne Fuselier began dismissing a conspiracy theory within a week of the attack on Columbine. Why do you think the local authorities clung onto the theory longer? Was it because it is difficult to imagine that an attack of this magnitude could be planned by two boys or because they wanted living people to blame?
7. Refute or defend the NRA's visit to the Denver area two weeks after the shooting at Columbine.
8. In the years after events surrounding Columbine continued to unfold, many have been angry about the police "dropping the ball" in regards to Eric's "hit list" website. Should sites like this be protected by the First Amendment?
9. What do you make of the spread of the story of Cassie Bernall's martyrdom? Do you think that it spread because people needed to believe that something good could come out of such a horrible situation? Do you think that people saw Cassie's story as being something with gave people hope for the future of their children? Why do you think that Val Schnurr's story did not spread - particularly given the spread of Cassie's story?
Analyzing Leonard PItts, Jr.'s "We'll Go Forward From This Moment"
Today in class we read and discussed Leonard Pitts, Jr.'s "We'll Go Forward From This Moment." You should use this article for this week's Friday Reading.
Tomorrow in class we'll have our half-way point Socratic Seminar for Columbine. Bring your favourite rhetorical strategy inspired dish to share!
Tomorrow in class we'll have our half-way point Socratic Seminar for Columbine. Bring your favourite rhetorical strategy inspired dish to share!
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Presidential Rhetoric (with more to come, of course!)
Today we analyzed how our past U.S. presidents used rhetoric to bring comfort and resolve to the American audience.
In doing so, we read and discussed FDR's Address to the Nation following the attack on Pearl Harbor and George W. Bush's Address to the Nation on the evening of September 11, 2001.
Answer these questions:
1. TAP both speeches. Provide citation from the texts to support your assertions.
2. For each speech, identify, define and evaluate the effectiveness of THREE rhetorical strategies.
3. What similarities and differences did you notice between both addresses to the nation?
4. In a well developed paragraph, explain which address better served its intended purpose and why.
In doing so, we read and discussed FDR's Address to the Nation following the attack on Pearl Harbor and George W. Bush's Address to the Nation on the evening of September 11, 2001.
Answer these questions:
1. TAP both speeches. Provide citation from the texts to support your assertions.
2. For each speech, identify, define and evaluate the effectiveness of THREE rhetorical strategies.
3. What similarities and differences did you notice between both addresses to the nation?
4. In a well developed paragraph, explain which address better served its intended purpose and why.
Monday, March 14, 2011
The Rhetoric of Women
Today in class we compared two famous essays from the women's liberation movement. I know the boys in class quite enjoyed the Steinem piece. :)
Here's Judy Brady's satirical piece on the role of women and mothers in 1971, "Why I Want a Wife."
Use these questions, not the ones at the bottom of the essay:
1. TAP this! (I'm surprise that you're still surprised by this)
2. This essay way first published when the women's movement was relatively new in 1971. How have times changed? How have they stayed the same?
3. List three examples of rhetoric Brady uses to make her point, identify and define the example and evaluate its effectiveness.
4. In one paragraph, defend or refute Brady’s position using the examples you listed.
Steinem's essay, "If Men Could Menstruate" holds up nicely, yes?
Questions:
1. TAP this! Remember to cite evidence for tone and audience.
2. Identify, define, and analyze the effectiveness of THREE different rhetorical strategies.
3. Write a one paragraph response to Steinem in which you either refute or defend her position.
Here's Judy Brady's satirical piece on the role of women and mothers in 1971, "Why I Want a Wife."
Use these questions, not the ones at the bottom of the essay:
1. TAP this! (I'm surprise that you're still surprised by this)
2. This essay way first published when the women's movement was relatively new in 1971. How have times changed? How have they stayed the same?
3. List three examples of rhetoric Brady uses to make her point, identify and define the example and evaluate its effectiveness.
4. In one paragraph, defend or refute Brady’s position using the examples you listed.
Steinem's essay, "If Men Could Menstruate" holds up nicely, yes?
Questions:
1. TAP this! Remember to cite evidence for tone and audience.
2. Identify, define, and analyze the effectiveness of THREE different rhetorical strategies.
3. Write a one paragraph response to Steinem in which you either refute or defend her position.
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Part II: After and Before
Here are the questions for the second section of the book 'After and Before.' As always, if you wish to add your own questions on this section please do.
1. In 'Vacant' we read of how the families learned of the deaths. Which of these stories affected you personally and why?
2. The Harrises and Klebolds both released statements. Analyze the rhetoric of these statements. [pg 107]
3. National polls taken after the attack listed a variety of causes contributing to the attack including violent movies, video games, Goth culture, lax gun laws, bullies, Satan and the parents. 85% of the public in a Gallup poll blamed the parents. What is your opinion of the list and the blaming of the parents?
4. In 'First Memories' we learn of Eric's fascination with fire and fireworks, guns, video games and the isolation of rural areas. Were there warning signs in any of this or was this normal behavior? Do you think that the disruptions of being a 'military brat' and his father's rigorous discipline were contributing factors to his eventual actions? Why would these things affect him when they do not affect other children?
5. At the beginning of 'Rush to Closure' we read that the Denver Post printed the headline 'Healing Begins' 36 hours after the attack. What effect do you think that this had? Do you think it hindered the healing of people who were still processing the attack? How much control did the media have over public perception of events?
6. Another story the media ran with was the heroic version of Danny Rorhbough. Why was this story so widely accepted by its various audiences?
7. In his online fantasies Eric describes a world where nothing happens and all humans have been eliminated. He said that he in fact wishes he could act on these fantasies. Does you see signs of psychopathology in this? Do you think many teens have nihilistic or misanthropic fantasies of this sort? Would you advise someone communicating online with a person who revealed these fantasies to alert someon in authority?
8. In 'Help Is On The Way' we read of the last hours of Dave Sander's life. Personally, this was a difficult chapter to read. How did Cullen's use of rhetoric effect you?
9. In 'Media Crime' Cullen takes on the myths of Columbine. Analyze one of the myths he takes on and explain why you think that myth was perpetuated as well as believed.
10. What was the effect of the media's disregard for being selective in the people that were considered 'witnesses' at Columbine?
11. Why do you think that the rumor about Eric and Dylan being gay spread in Clement Park? Was this a way for the survivors to create psychological distance from the killers? Why do you think the media failed to show the same restraint they showed with regard to gay rumors in describing the killers as Goths? Were you surprised to read that although they are often stigmatized and bullied in schools that Goths do not react violently?
12. Explain your reaction to some of the ways the police force "blew it" in regards to early warning signs?
13. Eric's journal said 'I hate the fucking world.' What does this say about his motivations?
1. In 'Vacant' we read of how the families learned of the deaths. Which of these stories affected you personally and why?
2. The Harrises and Klebolds both released statements. Analyze the rhetoric of these statements. [pg 107]
3. National polls taken after the attack listed a variety of causes contributing to the attack including violent movies, video games, Goth culture, lax gun laws, bullies, Satan and the parents. 85% of the public in a Gallup poll blamed the parents. What is your opinion of the list and the blaming of the parents?
4. In 'First Memories' we learn of Eric's fascination with fire and fireworks, guns, video games and the isolation of rural areas. Were there warning signs in any of this or was this normal behavior? Do you think that the disruptions of being a 'military brat' and his father's rigorous discipline were contributing factors to his eventual actions? Why would these things affect him when they do not affect other children?
5. At the beginning of 'Rush to Closure' we read that the Denver Post printed the headline 'Healing Begins' 36 hours after the attack. What effect do you think that this had? Do you think it hindered the healing of people who were still processing the attack? How much control did the media have over public perception of events?
6. Another story the media ran with was the heroic version of Danny Rorhbough. Why was this story so widely accepted by its various audiences?
7. In his online fantasies Eric describes a world where nothing happens and all humans have been eliminated. He said that he in fact wishes he could act on these fantasies. Does you see signs of psychopathology in this? Do you think many teens have nihilistic or misanthropic fantasies of this sort? Would you advise someone communicating online with a person who revealed these fantasies to alert someon in authority?
8. In 'Help Is On The Way' we read of the last hours of Dave Sander's life. Personally, this was a difficult chapter to read. How did Cullen's use of rhetoric effect you?
9. In 'Media Crime' Cullen takes on the myths of Columbine. Analyze one of the myths he takes on and explain why you think that myth was perpetuated as well as believed.
10. What was the effect of the media's disregard for being selective in the people that were considered 'witnesses' at Columbine?
11. Why do you think that the rumor about Eric and Dylan being gay spread in Clement Park? Was this a way for the survivors to create psychological distance from the killers? Why do you think the media failed to show the same restraint they showed with regard to gay rumors in describing the killers as Goths? Were you surprised to read that although they are often stigmatized and bullied in schools that Goths do not react violently?
12. Explain your reaction to some of the ways the police force "blew it" in regards to early warning signs?
13. Eric's journal said 'I hate the fucking world.' What does this say about his motivations?
Monday, March 7, 2011
Columbine Discussion: Part I: Female Down
Part I: Female Down
Directions:
1. You need to answer five of the questions below AND respond to the comments of five classmates.
2. When you respond, indicate the question # to which you are responding.
3. When you respond to a classmate's answer, you need to respond with a thoughtful comment. In other words, "I agree with you Richie" does not a thoughful comment make. "I agree with you Richie because I thought Cullen utilized appeals to ethos, pathos and logos extrememly well, especially on page..."
4. As always, ELABORATE in your responses and comments.
QUESTIONS:
1. The book begins with an assembly at the High School on the Friday before the attack. Considering there are several perspectives that he could have taken (beginning with the attacks or starting with events that triggered the attacks) what is the purpose and effect of this opening?
2. The dedication is to the thirteen people killed and to Patrick Ireland. Did you notice this? Did you find yourself checking (as I did) to see if you were reading about someone who died in the attacks as you went through the book? How did this affect your reading?
3. There are two epigraphs in the book - one from Hemingway and one from Dostoyevsky. Why did the author include these?
4. Did the Author's Note on the sources give you information that was useful in your reading of the book? For example - did it help to know that no dialog was made up in the book? Do you feel that notes of this sort give you more confidence in reading a non-fiction work?
5. You read about Eric and Dylan's preparations for the prom, their work at the pizza shop and their silly nicknames 'Reb' and 'VoDKa.' Did the author effectively characterize them as "typical" teenagers? Did this make them more frightening and/or make their actions harder to understand?
6. Beginning with a section on page 10 ('Rebel Hill slopes gradually....') and at the beginning of the chapter 'Springtime' we get descriptions of the school setting and the student body. Did you feel that this gave you an adequate picture of the school environment? Does it seem similar to secondary schools that you have known? If yes, does this make the book more difficult for you to read?
7. Did you know about the problems with cellphones overwhelming the operators? Do you think this would be worse now? How do you think this affected the reporting? Did the '24 hour news cycle' come into play here - that is, were the news agencies running with any information they could get - including cellphone calls from inside the school? Should the news shows have carried live telephone calls from the students? Why or why not? Do you think that this sort of coverage should depend on the news item being covered (i.e., if it does not put people in danger, should these sources be used)?
8. We begin reading of the parents responses in '1 Bleeding to Death.' Were you able to put yourself in their place? Are there any particular responses that stood out to you?
9. What did you think of the reaction of the Klebolds? Were you surprised that Tom suspected his son right away? Does it seem particularly odd that he reacted this way, given the response of the Harrises?
10. What is the 'First Assumption'? Is it that there was a terrorist attack? That there were hostages? Or that it was a large conspiracy? Or does this refer to the assumptions of the news media? In retrospect do these assumptions make sense (i.e., can you understand why there was this confusion)?
11. What is your opinion of the news media's questions such as 'were they outcasts' - and they use of the word 'they' to indicate some sort of groupthink? Why do you think that the notion of the 'Trenchcoat Mafia' was seized on so readily? Why do you think these early notions were not corrected as it became clear they were wrong? Do you think that mistakes of this sort lead to the 'school shooter profile'? To what degree does looking for easy explanations for complex problems come into play to explain these sorts of notions?
12. What anecdote in this section effected you the most? Explain.
Directions:
1. You need to answer five of the questions below AND respond to the comments of five classmates.
2. When you respond, indicate the question # to which you are responding.
3. When you respond to a classmate's answer, you need to respond with a thoughtful comment. In other words, "I agree with you Richie" does not a thoughful comment make. "I agree with you Richie because I thought Cullen utilized appeals to ethos, pathos and logos extrememly well, especially on page..."
4. As always, ELABORATE in your responses and comments.
QUESTIONS:
1. The book begins with an assembly at the High School on the Friday before the attack. Considering there are several perspectives that he could have taken (beginning with the attacks or starting with events that triggered the attacks) what is the purpose and effect of this opening?
2. The dedication is to the thirteen people killed and to Patrick Ireland. Did you notice this? Did you find yourself checking (as I did) to see if you were reading about someone who died in the attacks as you went through the book? How did this affect your reading?
3. There are two epigraphs in the book - one from Hemingway and one from Dostoyevsky. Why did the author include these?
4. Did the Author's Note on the sources give you information that was useful in your reading of the book? For example - did it help to know that no dialog was made up in the book? Do you feel that notes of this sort give you more confidence in reading a non-fiction work?
5. You read about Eric and Dylan's preparations for the prom, their work at the pizza shop and their silly nicknames 'Reb' and 'VoDKa.' Did the author effectively characterize them as "typical" teenagers? Did this make them more frightening and/or make their actions harder to understand?
6. Beginning with a section on page 10 ('Rebel Hill slopes gradually....') and at the beginning of the chapter 'Springtime' we get descriptions of the school setting and the student body. Did you feel that this gave you an adequate picture of the school environment? Does it seem similar to secondary schools that you have known? If yes, does this make the book more difficult for you to read?
7. Did you know about the problems with cellphones overwhelming the operators? Do you think this would be worse now? How do you think this affected the reporting? Did the '24 hour news cycle' come into play here - that is, were the news agencies running with any information they could get - including cellphone calls from inside the school? Should the news shows have carried live telephone calls from the students? Why or why not? Do you think that this sort of coverage should depend on the news item being covered (i.e., if it does not put people in danger, should these sources be used)?
8. We begin reading of the parents responses in '1 Bleeding to Death.' Were you able to put yourself in their place? Are there any particular responses that stood out to you?
9. What did you think of the reaction of the Klebolds? Were you surprised that Tom suspected his son right away? Does it seem particularly odd that he reacted this way, given the response of the Harrises?
10. What is the 'First Assumption'? Is it that there was a terrorist attack? That there were hostages? Or that it was a large conspiracy? Or does this refer to the assumptions of the news media? In retrospect do these assumptions make sense (i.e., can you understand why there was this confusion)?
11. What is your opinion of the news media's questions such as 'were they outcasts' - and they use of the word 'they' to indicate some sort of groupthink? Why do you think that the notion of the 'Trenchcoat Mafia' was seized on so readily? Why do you think these early notions were not corrected as it became clear they were wrong? Do you think that mistakes of this sort lead to the 'school shooter profile'? To what degree does looking for easy explanations for complex problems come into play to explain these sorts of notions?
12. What anecdote in this section effected you the most? Explain.
Friday, March 4, 2011
Michael Moore's Bowling for Columbine and Transactional Journals
Today we discussed the transactional journal assignment for Colubmine, read Molly Ivins' "Get a Dog, Get a Knife, but Get Rid of Guns" in the Norton Reader and began watching Michael Moore's documentary film about gun violence, "Bowling for Columbine."
Transactional Journal Assignments:
The writing you will do for this text is of a personal nature. You are to create ten well-crafted and polished journal entries in response to the work. Each entry should be typed(10 – 12 point font). The following is a list of possibilities and suggestions, but by no means is it exhaustive; feel free to use your imagination.
The journal entries must cover the entire book; they should be spread evenly in relation to the beginning, middle and end of the work. They should also reflect a variety of the choices listed below. TWO ENTRIES MUST be based on writer’s craft (the first bulleted item), and THREE ENTRIES MUST come from the “research questions” at the end. The remaining five choices are up to you. Please include a table of contents and cover page for your journal. Journals should be in a folder with brads.
DUE DATE: MONDAY, MARCH 28TH.
• Fully examine and explain the effectiveness of a particular piece of the writer’s craft; style of writing, use of rhetoric, appeals to ethos/pathos/logos, portrayal of the killers, use of parallels, juxtaposition, etc. This analysis should include the effect of the chosen craft on the audience. (TWO ENTRIES REQURIED)
• Create a piece of writing that describes and explains your personal reaction to a character, place or event in the text.
• Compare and contrast Dave Cullen’s style of writing to Truman Capote’s style of writing in In Cold Blood.
• Write a fictional letter to one or more of the characters or create a letter written from one character in the novel to another that expresses some unspoken feelings or thoughts.
• React, respond and explicate a “five star quote” of your choice. A “five star quote” is a quote that “jumps off the page” at you for any number of reasons. It may be aphoristic, profound, humorous, universal, or any reason you choose. For clarity, you must include the entire quote somewhere in the entry.
• Create an original piece of writing that is inspired by the book; it may be a poem, short story, short drama or section of dialogue, advertisement, review, etc. (only one of this type of entry is allowed)
• Create an ethical question that the novel has raised for you and then answer that question in your journal entry. Write a justification and possible answer after completion of your reading.
• Create an original piece of art for one of your entries. Some possibilities could include: a drawing, a painting, an editorial cartoon, a collage, etc. (only one of this type of entry is allowed)
• Create a correspondence between either Dylan or Eric and either Dick or Perry from In Cold Blood.
• Create a collection of artifacts (in a box) for one of the characters in the book; attach a written rationale for your choice to each item. (The total of the written rationales should be roughly equivalent to the two-page minimum.)
• Create 10 AP style multiple choice questions for a passage from the book. Include the passage in your journal. Each question must include five answer choices and an answer key justifying the correct answer. These questions should be analysis style questions.
•Create a short list of enduring understandings that emerge as you read. Use evidence from the book to support your claims about the enduring understandings you take away from the book. How will these understandings shape decisions you will make in the future? How should these understandings shape our society?
• Write an editorial piece addressing ONE of the issues raised in the book.
RESEARCH RESPONSES (THREE REQUIRED:
• Read and analyze one of the Government Reports on Columbine and School Shooters (The information for these reports is listed on p. 409 and of Columbine), or The Killers: Profiles and Childhood History (p. 411) comparing the findings with research from Cullen’s book.
• Research one of the seven “Columbine Myths” (bullying, Goth culture, jocks, outcasts, gays, third shooter, Trench Cjoat Mafia, Christian martyr) and write a cause-effect entry analyzing how the myth began and what effect it had on the investigation, public perception, and aftermath of the shootings.
Suggested readings from the book: CH 2 “Rebels” (6-12); CH 4 “Rock ‘n’Bowl” (16-18); CH 5 “Two Columbines” (19-25); CH 6 “His Future,” (26-28); CH 8 “Maximum Human Density” (32-36); CH 10 “Judgment,” (40-44), plus Columbine myths: (149-52, 155-59); Eric Harris as a psychopath (239-148).
• Analyze the media coverage of the event and compare it with text from the book.
Suggested reading from the book: CH 2 “Rebels” (6-12); CH 4 “Rock ‘n’Bowl” (16-18); CH 5 “Two Columbines” (19-25); CH 6 “His Future,” (26-28); CH 8 “Maximum Human Density” (32-36); CH 10 “Judgment,” (40-44), television coverage (52-3,56-7,64-7,140-42, 149-53,155-57).
Suggested media coverage: (You can access all of these articles online)
“The Columbine Killers” – David Brooks, New York Times
“Fatal Friendship: How Two Suburban Boys Traded Baseball and Bowling for Murder and Madness” – Lynn Bartells and Carla Crowder, Rocky Mountain News
“The Gunmen: A Portrait of Two Killers at War with Themselves” – Dirk Johnson and Jodi Wilgoren, The New York Times.
• Compare Michael Moore’s Bowling for Columbine with Cullen’s book regarding what happened and who was involved.
o Suggested readings from the book: CH 2 “Rebels” (6-12); CH 4 “Rock ‘n’Bowl” (16-18); CH 5 “Two Columbines” (19-25); CH 6 “His Future,” (26-28); CH 8 “Maximum Human Density” (32-36); CH 10 “Judgment,” (40-44), plus Columbine myths: (149-52, 155-59); Eric Harris as a psychopath (239-148).
• Compare the point of view toward gun violence expressed in Cullen’s book and compare/contrast it with at least two of the articles listed below, all of which we read in class:
o “Guns and Grief” by Lillian B. Rubin (Patterns for College Writing, p. 350).
o “A Peaceful Woman Explains Why She Carries a Gun” by Linda M. Hasselstrom (Patterns for College Writing, p. 357).
o “Who Shot Johnny?” by Debra Dickerson (Norton Reader, p. 383)
o “Get a Knife, Get a Dog, But Get Rid of Guns” by Molly Ivins (Norton Reader, p. 389)
• Investigate one controversial aspect of the event and propose how one of the issues related to Columbine could be resolved.(Reading topics below can be referenced in the index of Columbine).
• Perimeter, police response, SWAT team action & reaction time
• Eric Harris as psychopath and why no one “knew”
• Gun laws and minors
Suggested readings from the book: CH 2 “Rebels” (6-12); CH 4 “Rock ‘n’Bowl” (16-18); CH 5 “Two Columbines” (19-25); CH 6 “His Future,” (26-28); CH 8 “Maximum Human Density” (32-36); CH 10 “Judgment,” (40-44)
Transactional Journal Assignments:
The writing you will do for this text is of a personal nature. You are to create ten well-crafted and polished journal entries in response to the work. Each entry should be typed(10 – 12 point font). The following is a list of possibilities and suggestions, but by no means is it exhaustive; feel free to use your imagination.
The journal entries must cover the entire book; they should be spread evenly in relation to the beginning, middle and end of the work. They should also reflect a variety of the choices listed below. TWO ENTRIES MUST be based on writer’s craft (the first bulleted item), and THREE ENTRIES MUST come from the “research questions” at the end. The remaining five choices are up to you. Please include a table of contents and cover page for your journal. Journals should be in a folder with brads.
DUE DATE: MONDAY, MARCH 28TH.
• Fully examine and explain the effectiveness of a particular piece of the writer’s craft; style of writing, use of rhetoric, appeals to ethos/pathos/logos, portrayal of the killers, use of parallels, juxtaposition, etc. This analysis should include the effect of the chosen craft on the audience. (TWO ENTRIES REQURIED)
• Create a piece of writing that describes and explains your personal reaction to a character, place or event in the text.
• Compare and contrast Dave Cullen’s style of writing to Truman Capote’s style of writing in In Cold Blood.
• Write a fictional letter to one or more of the characters or create a letter written from one character in the novel to another that expresses some unspoken feelings or thoughts.
• React, respond and explicate a “five star quote” of your choice. A “five star quote” is a quote that “jumps off the page” at you for any number of reasons. It may be aphoristic, profound, humorous, universal, or any reason you choose. For clarity, you must include the entire quote somewhere in the entry.
• Create an original piece of writing that is inspired by the book; it may be a poem, short story, short drama or section of dialogue, advertisement, review, etc. (only one of this type of entry is allowed)
• Create an ethical question that the novel has raised for you and then answer that question in your journal entry. Write a justification and possible answer after completion of your reading.
• Create an original piece of art for one of your entries. Some possibilities could include: a drawing, a painting, an editorial cartoon, a collage, etc. (only one of this type of entry is allowed)
• Create a correspondence between either Dylan or Eric and either Dick or Perry from In Cold Blood.
• Create a collection of artifacts (in a box) for one of the characters in the book; attach a written rationale for your choice to each item. (The total of the written rationales should be roughly equivalent to the two-page minimum.)
• Create 10 AP style multiple choice questions for a passage from the book. Include the passage in your journal. Each question must include five answer choices and an answer key justifying the correct answer. These questions should be analysis style questions.
•Create a short list of enduring understandings that emerge as you read. Use evidence from the book to support your claims about the enduring understandings you take away from the book. How will these understandings shape decisions you will make in the future? How should these understandings shape our society?
• Write an editorial piece addressing ONE of the issues raised in the book.
RESEARCH RESPONSES (THREE REQUIRED:
• Read and analyze one of the Government Reports on Columbine and School Shooters (The information for these reports is listed on p. 409 and of Columbine), or The Killers: Profiles and Childhood History (p. 411) comparing the findings with research from Cullen’s book.
• Research one of the seven “Columbine Myths” (bullying, Goth culture, jocks, outcasts, gays, third shooter, Trench Cjoat Mafia, Christian martyr) and write a cause-effect entry analyzing how the myth began and what effect it had on the investigation, public perception, and aftermath of the shootings.
Suggested readings from the book: CH 2 “Rebels” (6-12); CH 4 “Rock ‘n’Bowl” (16-18); CH 5 “Two Columbines” (19-25); CH 6 “His Future,” (26-28); CH 8 “Maximum Human Density” (32-36); CH 10 “Judgment,” (40-44), plus Columbine myths: (149-52, 155-59); Eric Harris as a psychopath (239-148).
• Analyze the media coverage of the event and compare it with text from the book.
Suggested reading from the book: CH 2 “Rebels” (6-12); CH 4 “Rock ‘n’Bowl” (16-18); CH 5 “Two Columbines” (19-25); CH 6 “His Future,” (26-28); CH 8 “Maximum Human Density” (32-36); CH 10 “Judgment,” (40-44), television coverage (52-3,56-7,64-7,140-42, 149-53,155-57).
Suggested media coverage: (You can access all of these articles online)
“The Columbine Killers” – David Brooks, New York Times
“Fatal Friendship: How Two Suburban Boys Traded Baseball and Bowling for Murder and Madness” – Lynn Bartells and Carla Crowder, Rocky Mountain News
“The Gunmen: A Portrait of Two Killers at War with Themselves” – Dirk Johnson and Jodi Wilgoren, The New York Times.
• Compare Michael Moore’s Bowling for Columbine with Cullen’s book regarding what happened and who was involved.
o Suggested readings from the book: CH 2 “Rebels” (6-12); CH 4 “Rock ‘n’Bowl” (16-18); CH 5 “Two Columbines” (19-25); CH 6 “His Future,” (26-28); CH 8 “Maximum Human Density” (32-36); CH 10 “Judgment,” (40-44), plus Columbine myths: (149-52, 155-59); Eric Harris as a psychopath (239-148).
• Compare the point of view toward gun violence expressed in Cullen’s book and compare/contrast it with at least two of the articles listed below, all of which we read in class:
o “Guns and Grief” by Lillian B. Rubin (Patterns for College Writing, p. 350).
o “A Peaceful Woman Explains Why She Carries a Gun” by Linda M. Hasselstrom (Patterns for College Writing, p. 357).
o “Who Shot Johnny?” by Debra Dickerson (Norton Reader, p. 383)
o “Get a Knife, Get a Dog, But Get Rid of Guns” by Molly Ivins (Norton Reader, p. 389)
• Investigate one controversial aspect of the event and propose how one of the issues related to Columbine could be resolved.(Reading topics below can be referenced in the index of Columbine).
• Perimeter, police response, SWAT team action & reaction time
• Eric Harris as psychopath and why no one “knew”
• Gun laws and minors
Suggested readings from the book: CH 2 “Rebels” (6-12); CH 4 “Rock ‘n’Bowl” (16-18); CH 5 “Two Columbines” (19-25); CH 6 “His Future,” (26-28); CH 8 “Maximum Human Density” (32-36); CH 10 “Judgment,” (40-44)
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Dave Cullen's Columbine
Today in class, you were given your assignments for Dave Cullen's Columbine. The assignments are broken into two parts: the online discussion and your personal transactional journal.
Blog Discussion:
During/after each assigned section reading, you are required to participate in class discussions on the blog. I will post several questions after each assigned section and you are required to respond to FIVE questions and comment on FIVE of your peers’ responses/ comments to questions. When you answer a question, copy and paste the question into your response. When you are replying to a comment, copy and paste the comment to which you are responding and address the poster by name, offering insight as to whether you agree or disagree with their point of view. Blog discussion deadlines are listed in bold below.
• Part I: Female Down: Chp. 1 – 19 (p. 3 – 98) Wednesday, March 9, 11:59 p.m.
• Part II: After & Before: Chp. 20 – 30 (p. 101 – 170) Sunday, March 13, 11:59 p.m.
• Part III: The Downward Spiral: Chp. 31 – 40 (p. 173 – 236) Wednesday, March 16, 11:59 p.m.
• Part IV: Take Back The School: Chp. 41 – 47 (p. 239 – 302) Sunday, March 20, 11:59 p.m.
• Part V: Judgment Day: Chp. 48 – Afterword: Forgiveness (p. 305 – 370) Thursday, March 24, 11:59 p.m.
Blog Discussion:
During/after each assigned section reading, you are required to participate in class discussions on the blog. I will post several questions after each assigned section and you are required to respond to FIVE questions and comment on FIVE of your peers’ responses/ comments to questions. When you answer a question, copy and paste the question into your response. When you are replying to a comment, copy and paste the comment to which you are responding and address the poster by name, offering insight as to whether you agree or disagree with their point of view. Blog discussion deadlines are listed in bold below.
• Part I: Female Down: Chp. 1 – 19 (p. 3 – 98) Wednesday, March 9, 11:59 p.m.
• Part II: After & Before: Chp. 20 – 30 (p. 101 – 170) Sunday, March 13, 11:59 p.m.
• Part III: The Downward Spiral: Chp. 31 – 40 (p. 173 – 236) Wednesday, March 16, 11:59 p.m.
• Part IV: Take Back The School: Chp. 41 – 47 (p. 239 – 302) Sunday, March 20, 11:59 p.m.
• Part V: Judgment Day: Chp. 48 – Afterword: Forgiveness (p. 305 – 370) Thursday, March 24, 11:59 p.m.
Friday, February 18, 2011
Elie Wiesel on Oprah
Today in class you will watch the Oprah Winfrey with Elie Wisel. Yes, Oprah is slightly annoying in this interview, but I think she just wanted to fill the silence. Let me know what you think of the film when I see you again (March 2nd!)
HW: Read and analyze "No News From Auschwitz."
“No News from Auschwitz” by A. M. Rosenthal
written for The New York Times
Brzezinka, Poland—The most terrible thing of all, somehow, was that at Brzezinka the sun was bright and warm, the rows of graceful poplars were lovely to look upon, and on the grass near the gates children played.
It all seemed frighteningly wrong, as in a nightmare, that at Brzezinka the sun should ever shine or that there should be light and greenness and the sound of young laughter. It would be fitting if at Brzezinka the sun never shone and the grass withered, because this is a place of unutterable terror.
And yet every day, from all over the world, people come to Brzezinka, quite possibly the most grisly tourist center on earth. They come for a variety of reasons—to see if it could really have been true, to remind themselves not to forget, to pay homage to the dead by the simple act of looking upon their place of suffering.
Brzezinka is a couple of miles from the better-known southern Polish town of Oświęcim. Oświęcim has about 12,000 inhabitants, is situated about 171 miles from Warsaw, and lies in a damp, marshy area at the eastern end of the pass called the Moravian Gate. Brzezinka and Oświęcim together formed part of that minutely organized factory of torture and death that the Nazis called Konzentrationslager Auschwitz.
By now, fourteen years after the last batch of prisoners was herded naked into the gas chambers by dogs and guards, the story of Auschwitz has been told a great many times. Some of the inmates have written of those memories of which sane men cannot conceive. Rudolf Franz Ferdinand Hoess, the superintendent of the camp, before he was executed wrote his detailed memoirs of mass exterminations and the experiments on living bodies. Four million people died here, the Poles say.
And so there is no news to report about Auschwitz. There is merely the compulsion to write something about it, a compulsion that grows out of a restless feeling that to have visited Auschwitz and then turned away without having said or written anything would somehow be a most grievous act of discourtesy to those who died here.
Brzezinka and Oświęcim are very quiet places now; the screams can no longer be heard. The tourist walks silently, quickly at first to get it over with and then, as his mind peoples the barracks and the chambers and the dungeons and flogging posts, he walks draggingly. The guide does not say much either, because there is nothing much for him to say after he has pointed
For every visitor there is one particular bit of horror that he knows he will never forget. For some it is seeing the rebuilt gas chamber at Oświęcim and being told that this is the “small one.”
For others it is the fact that at Brzezinka, in the ruins of the gas chambers and the crematoria the Germans blew up when they retreated, there are daisies growing.
There are visitors who gaze blankly at the gas chambers and the furnaces because their minds simply cannot encompass them, but stand shivering before the great mounds of human hair behind the plate-glass window or the piles of babies’ shoes or the brick cells where men sentenced to death by suffocation were walled up.
One visitor opened his mouth in a silent scream simply at the sight of boxes—great stretches of three-tiered wooden boxes in the women’s barracks. They were about six feet wide, about three feet high, and into them from five to ten prisoners were shoved for the night. The guide walks quickly through the barracks. Nothing more to see here.
A brick building where sterilization experiments were carried out on women prisoners. The guide tries the door—it’s locked. The visitor is grateful that he does not have to go in, and then flushes with shame.
A long corridor where rows of faces stare from the walls. Thousands of pictures, the photographs of prisoners. They are all dead now, the men and women who stood before the cameras, and they all knew they were to die.
They all stare blank-faced, but one picture, in the middle of a row, seizes the eye and wrenches the mind. A girl, twenty-two years old, plumply pretty, blond. She is smiling gently, as at a sweet, treasured thought. What was the thought that passed through her young mind and is now her memorial on the wall of the dead at Auschwitz?
Into the suffocation dungeons the visitor is taken for a moment and feels himself strangling. Another visitor goes in, stumbles out, and crosses herself. There is no place to pray in Auschwitz.
The visitors look pleadingly at each other and say to the guide, “Enough.”
And so, there is nothing new to report about Auschwitz. It was a sunny day and the trees were green and at the gates the children played.
1. TAP this essay.
2. Explain why the title of the essay is ironic. What “news” does Rosenthal want his readers to know?
4. Identify, define, and evaluate the effectiveness of three rhetorical strategies.
5. Identify, define and evaluate the effectiveness of an appeal to ehthos, pathos OR logos.
5. List three examples of meaningful quotations used in this essay. After you write each quotation, explain how that quote helps convey Rosenthal’s purpose.
HW: Read and analyze "No News From Auschwitz."
“No News from Auschwitz” by A. M. Rosenthal
written for The New York Times
Brzezinka, Poland—The most terrible thing of all, somehow, was that at Brzezinka the sun was bright and warm, the rows of graceful poplars were lovely to look upon, and on the grass near the gates children played.
It all seemed frighteningly wrong, as in a nightmare, that at Brzezinka the sun should ever shine or that there should be light and greenness and the sound of young laughter. It would be fitting if at Brzezinka the sun never shone and the grass withered, because this is a place of unutterable terror.
And yet every day, from all over the world, people come to Brzezinka, quite possibly the most grisly tourist center on earth. They come for a variety of reasons—to see if it could really have been true, to remind themselves not to forget, to pay homage to the dead by the simple act of looking upon their place of suffering.
Brzezinka is a couple of miles from the better-known southern Polish town of Oświęcim. Oświęcim has about 12,000 inhabitants, is situated about 171 miles from Warsaw, and lies in a damp, marshy area at the eastern end of the pass called the Moravian Gate. Brzezinka and Oświęcim together formed part of that minutely organized factory of torture and death that the Nazis called Konzentrationslager Auschwitz.
By now, fourteen years after the last batch of prisoners was herded naked into the gas chambers by dogs and guards, the story of Auschwitz has been told a great many times. Some of the inmates have written of those memories of which sane men cannot conceive. Rudolf Franz Ferdinand Hoess, the superintendent of the camp, before he was executed wrote his detailed memoirs of mass exterminations and the experiments on living bodies. Four million people died here, the Poles say.
And so there is no news to report about Auschwitz. There is merely the compulsion to write something about it, a compulsion that grows out of a restless feeling that to have visited Auschwitz and then turned away without having said or written anything would somehow be a most grievous act of discourtesy to those who died here.
Brzezinka and Oświęcim are very quiet places now; the screams can no longer be heard. The tourist walks silently, quickly at first to get it over with and then, as his mind peoples the barracks and the chambers and the dungeons and flogging posts, he walks draggingly. The guide does not say much either, because there is nothing much for him to say after he has pointed
For every visitor there is one particular bit of horror that he knows he will never forget. For some it is seeing the rebuilt gas chamber at Oświęcim and being told that this is the “small one.”
For others it is the fact that at Brzezinka, in the ruins of the gas chambers and the crematoria the Germans blew up when they retreated, there are daisies growing.
There are visitors who gaze blankly at the gas chambers and the furnaces because their minds simply cannot encompass them, but stand shivering before the great mounds of human hair behind the plate-glass window or the piles of babies’ shoes or the brick cells where men sentenced to death by suffocation were walled up.
One visitor opened his mouth in a silent scream simply at the sight of boxes—great stretches of three-tiered wooden boxes in the women’s barracks. They were about six feet wide, about three feet high, and into them from five to ten prisoners were shoved for the night. The guide walks quickly through the barracks. Nothing more to see here.
A brick building where sterilization experiments were carried out on women prisoners. The guide tries the door—it’s locked. The visitor is grateful that he does not have to go in, and then flushes with shame.
A long corridor where rows of faces stare from the walls. Thousands of pictures, the photographs of prisoners. They are all dead now, the men and women who stood before the cameras, and they all knew they were to die.
They all stare blank-faced, but one picture, in the middle of a row, seizes the eye and wrenches the mind. A girl, twenty-two years old, plumply pretty, blond. She is smiling gently, as at a sweet, treasured thought. What was the thought that passed through her young mind and is now her memorial on the wall of the dead at Auschwitz?
Into the suffocation dungeons the visitor is taken for a moment and feels himself strangling. Another visitor goes in, stumbles out, and crosses herself. There is no place to pray in Auschwitz.
The visitors look pleadingly at each other and say to the guide, “Enough.”
And so, there is nothing new to report about Auschwitz. It was a sunny day and the trees were green and at the gates the children played.
1. TAP this essay.
2. Explain why the title of the essay is ironic. What “news” does Rosenthal want his readers to know?
4. Identify, define, and evaluate the effectiveness of three rhetorical strategies.
5. Identify, define and evaluate the effectiveness of an appeal to ehthos, pathos OR logos.
5. List three examples of meaningful quotations used in this essay. After you write each quotation, explain how that quote helps convey Rosenthal’s purpose.
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Remaining Chapters of Night
Due Thursday, February 17th:
Study Questions: Chapters SIX, SEVEN, EIGHT, and NINE
1. Throughout the memoir, what various things have Elie and Chlomo “pretended” to believe? Explain these situations and the various motivations both Elie and his father had for their actions.
2. Why and how does Wiesel portray “Death” as a character?
3. What terrible thought does Elie have about Rabbi Elizahou’s son? What do the actions of Rabbi Elizahou’s son demonstrate about how these conditions changed people in the camps?
4. Think about the following questions: Why did the two men try to throw Elie’s father from the carriage? Why did the living "rejoice" when the order came to throw out the corpses? How did the prisoners in the wagon act like animals? What incident many years later reminds Elie of this event? After thinking about your answers to these questions, contrast the actions of those involved in both incidents.
5. Citing evidence from the memoir, describe the transition between the parent/child relationship. Your analysis should examine the changes that occur.
6. In your opinion, what does Elie mean when he says “free at last” at the end of chapter eight? Why, many years later, might he feel guilty for this?
7. Analyze the Wiesel’s last line.
8. Going back to the preface of the memoir, Wiesel wrote that “the witness has forced himself to testify. For the youth of today, for the children who will be born tomorrow. He does not want his past to become their future.” In your opinion, does Wiesel achieve the purpose for his testimony?
Study Questions: Chapters SIX, SEVEN, EIGHT, and NINE
1. Throughout the memoir, what various things have Elie and Chlomo “pretended” to believe? Explain these situations and the various motivations both Elie and his father had for their actions.
2. Why and how does Wiesel portray “Death” as a character?
3. What terrible thought does Elie have about Rabbi Elizahou’s son? What do the actions of Rabbi Elizahou’s son demonstrate about how these conditions changed people in the camps?
4. Think about the following questions: Why did the two men try to throw Elie’s father from the carriage? Why did the living "rejoice" when the order came to throw out the corpses? How did the prisoners in the wagon act like animals? What incident many years later reminds Elie of this event? After thinking about your answers to these questions, contrast the actions of those involved in both incidents.
5. Citing evidence from the memoir, describe the transition between the parent/child relationship. Your analysis should examine the changes that occur.
6. In your opinion, what does Elie mean when he says “free at last” at the end of chapter eight? Why, many years later, might he feel guilty for this?
7. Analyze the Wiesel’s last line.
8. Going back to the preface of the memoir, Wiesel wrote that “the witness has forced himself to testify. For the youth of today, for the children who will be born tomorrow. He does not want his past to become their future.” In your opinion, does Wiesel achieve the purpose for his testimony?
Monday, February 14, 2011
Symbolism in Night
Today in class we:
1. In class essay: Analysis of how Walls used rhetoric and appeals to ethos, pathos and logos to describe the influence of her parents on her life.
2. Discussed Wiesel's style of writing in the first three chapters.
3. Read and analyze chapters four and five by the start of class tomorrow.
Study Questions: Chapter FOUR and FIVE
1. Analyze the significance of the hanging of the young boy (the one Elie is forced to witness). Your analysis should explain why this particular hanging bother him so much, when this is not the first hanging he has borne witness to. Your analysis should also evaluate Elie’s response to the man who asks “Where is God now?” at the end of chapter four.
2. What does Akiba Drumer say God is going to them? Contrast Akiba Drumer’s faith with Elie’s faith at this point.
3. What is Elie’s attitude toward God during Rosh Hashanah? Why does Elie refuse to recite “Blessed be the Name of the Eternal” during the Rosh Hashanah services?
4. What is the significance of Elie’s “inheritance”?
As always, continue to take annotations on the father/son relationship, Wiesel's method of presentation and the parallels and juxtapositions Wiesel uses to convey his ideas and emotions to the audience.
1. In class essay: Analysis of how Walls used rhetoric and appeals to ethos, pathos and logos to describe the influence of her parents on her life.
2. Discussed Wiesel's style of writing in the first three chapters.
3. Read and analyze chapters four and five by the start of class tomorrow.
Study Questions: Chapter FOUR and FIVE
1. Analyze the significance of the hanging of the young boy (the one Elie is forced to witness). Your analysis should explain why this particular hanging bother him so much, when this is not the first hanging he has borne witness to. Your analysis should also evaluate Elie’s response to the man who asks “Where is God now?” at the end of chapter four.
2. What does Akiba Drumer say God is going to them? Contrast Akiba Drumer’s faith with Elie’s faith at this point.
3. What is Elie’s attitude toward God during Rosh Hashanah? Why does Elie refuse to recite “Blessed be the Name of the Eternal” during the Rosh Hashanah services?
4. What is the significance of Elie’s “inheritance”?
As always, continue to take annotations on the father/son relationship, Wiesel's method of presentation and the parallels and juxtapositions Wiesel uses to convey his ideas and emotions to the audience.
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Elie Wiesel's Night
Today we began our study of Elie Wiesel's haunting memoir, Night. which the New York Times called "a slim volume of terror.
Please read through chapter three for Monday's class. These questions will help you analyze Wiesel's writing style as well as the symbolism in his writing.
As you read, please take annotations on the following:
1. The parallels between Wiesel's relationship with his heavenly and earthy father. Specifically, look to chapter one for the ways he describes the vast differences in these relationships and to later chapters as those same relationships interest, and then transform.
2. Wiesel's "sparse" style of writing. Though I personally disagree with this description, there is a distinct, telling difference between Wiesel's writing style and that of Kimmel and Walls from the previous memoirs. Think about what Wiesel is trying to achieve through his careful use of diction, appeals to ethos, pathos and logos, as well as the way he uses symbolism.
3. Finally, look for the ways Wiesel uses night, both literally and figuratively, to tell his story.
Please read through chapter three for Monday's class. These questions will help you analyze Wiesel's writing style as well as the symbolism in his writing.
As you read, please take annotations on the following:
1. The parallels between Wiesel's relationship with his heavenly and earthy father. Specifically, look to chapter one for the ways he describes the vast differences in these relationships and to later chapters as those same relationships interest, and then transform.
2. Wiesel's "sparse" style of writing. Though I personally disagree with this description, there is a distinct, telling difference between Wiesel's writing style and that of Kimmel and Walls from the previous memoirs. Think about what Wiesel is trying to achieve through his careful use of diction, appeals to ethos, pathos and logos, as well as the way he uses symbolism.
3. Finally, look for the ways Wiesel uses night, both literally and figuratively, to tell his story.
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Glass Castle Socratic Seminar
One of the best socratic seminars yet class!
Pay careful attention to the appeals to ethos, pathos and logos Walls uses to describe the effect each parent had on the way she viewed life.
In class analysis Monday!
Pay careful attention to the appeals to ethos, pathos and logos Walls uses to describe the effect each parent had on the way she viewed life.
In class analysis Monday!
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Analyzing Editorial Cartoons
Today in class we analyzed the various editorial cartoons included in this document.
Rules for Editorial Cartoon Friday Reading:
1. Identification of the speaker. This is more than simply a name. I want you to identify where you believe the speaker’s beliefs are. So, “Sarah Wheatley” would be a speaker, but if I were writing an opinion piece on the joys of parenting, then my identification would also be “mother” or “parent.”
2. Identification of the tone of the article. You need to explain how the cartoon conveys a specific tone.
3. Identification of the intended audience. You need to explain how the cartoon appeals to this specific audience.
4. A short summary of the purpose of the editorial cartoon (One to two well developed sentences).
5. A short reaction to the editorial cartoon (two to three well developed sentences)
6. A list of three rhetorical strategies used in the article. For each, identify the type of rhetorical strategy and list the specific example. YOU DO NOT NEED TO INCLUDE THE DEFINITION.(Thanks Austin!)
***Remember to include a copy of the editorial cartoon!
The Glass Castle Final Questions:
1. On page 230, Rex tells Jeannette: “The family is falling apart.” Analyze the hidden meaning of Jeannette’s reply.
2. Why is it important that, just before leaving for New York, Jeannette tells her father that she doesn't believe he'll ever build the glass castle, and that even if he does, she’s not going to be there to see it? (p. 238).
3. The first flashback Walls shares from her childhood is that of her burning herself severely at age three, and her father dramatically “rescuing” her from the hospital, telling her: "You're safe now" (p. 14). Why does the author open with this anecdote and how did it set the stage for the rest of the memoir?
4. Rex Walls often asked his children, "Have I ever let you down?" Why was this question (and the required "No, Dad" response) so important for him -- and for his kids? On what occasions did he actually come through for them?
5. Refute or defend the following statement: Though it portrays an incredibly hard life, the tone of the memoir is rarely overtly sad or depressing. (Your analysis should discuss the overall tone of the memoir and how you think Walls achieved her intended effect).
6. Analyze how the author uses rhetoric to portray her arrival in NYC and compare her arrival here to the other arrivals she describes in the book.
7. What is the overall purpose and tone of the concluding segment of the memoir, “Thanksgiving”?
Rules for Editorial Cartoon Friday Reading:
1. Identification of the speaker. This is more than simply a name. I want you to identify where you believe the speaker’s beliefs are. So, “Sarah Wheatley” would be a speaker, but if I were writing an opinion piece on the joys of parenting, then my identification would also be “mother” or “parent.”
2. Identification of the tone of the article. You need to explain how the cartoon conveys a specific tone.
3. Identification of the intended audience. You need to explain how the cartoon appeals to this specific audience.
4. A short summary of the purpose of the editorial cartoon (One to two well developed sentences).
5. A short reaction to the editorial cartoon (two to three well developed sentences)
6. A list of three rhetorical strategies used in the article. For each, identify the type of rhetorical strategy and list the specific example. YOU DO NOT NEED TO INCLUDE THE DEFINITION.(Thanks Austin!)
***Remember to include a copy of the editorial cartoon!
The Glass Castle Final Questions:
1. On page 230, Rex tells Jeannette: “The family is falling apart.” Analyze the hidden meaning of Jeannette’s reply.
2. Why is it important that, just before leaving for New York, Jeannette tells her father that she doesn't believe he'll ever build the glass castle, and that even if he does, she’s not going to be there to see it? (p. 238).
3. The first flashback Walls shares from her childhood is that of her burning herself severely at age three, and her father dramatically “rescuing” her from the hospital, telling her: "You're safe now" (p. 14). Why does the author open with this anecdote and how did it set the stage for the rest of the memoir?
4. Rex Walls often asked his children, "Have I ever let you down?" Why was this question (and the required "No, Dad" response) so important for him -- and for his kids? On what occasions did he actually come through for them?
5. Refute or defend the following statement: Though it portrays an incredibly hard life, the tone of the memoir is rarely overtly sad or depressing. (Your analysis should discuss the overall tone of the memoir and how you think Walls achieved her intended effect).
6. Analyze how the author uses rhetoric to portray her arrival in NYC and compare her arrival here to the other arrivals she describes in the book.
7. What is the overall purpose and tone of the concluding segment of the memoir, “Thanksgiving”?
Monday, February 7, 2011
The Pesky Pink Flamingo
I realize that today's in class essay (Jennifer Price's "The Plastic Pink Flamingo) was extremely challenging, but no one (especially not your dear teacher) ever said the AP exam wouldn't be. Remember, writing takes practice! Also, you should never give up just because you don't think you understand. When in doubt, analyze the style of the writing and the strategies you do notice--even if you're unsure of what the purpose is.
Tomorrow we will read examples of actual AP responses to Price's essay and then complete peer evaluations of what you wrote. Do not be alarmed...your grade will come from my analysis, not of your classmates.
Later in class we began our study of editorial cartoons. Don't forget to analyze an editorial cartoon for this week's Friday Reading!
Tomorrow we will read examples of actual AP responses to Price's essay and then complete peer evaluations of what you wrote. Do not be alarmed...your grade will come from my analysis, not of your classmates.
Later in class we began our study of editorial cartoons. Don't forget to analyze an editorial cartoon for this week's Friday Reading!
Friday, February 4, 2011
The Glass Castle, Part III (and Yoda)
Great discussion in class today, as usual. Well done everyone!
Our rhetorical strategy focus today was: anastrophe.
Anastrophe is only effective when the syntax changes the audience's focus and therefore, the meaning of the phrase!
I think most of you would agree that today's multiple choice question passage was easier than the work from Wednesday! Remember to think things through and TRUST your instincts. The majority of mistakes are made when you decide to choose an answer other than your original idea because you "thought" the latter answer "looked better!"
Monday's assignment:
Read through page 202 and answer the following questions:
1. Why does the author develop Dinitia Hewitt’s role in her life? Why do you think Dinitia was so cruel to Jeannette when the Walls family first moved to Welch?
2. Briefly reflect on Mary’s defense of Erma and Hitler.
3. List three examples from the book that note a reversal of roles in the parent/child relationship.
4. Erma’s actions lead the Walls children to make excuses for their father. Refute or defend the author’s forgiveness for her father due to his upbringing.
5. Have Jeannette’s parents become worse since moving to Welch or has the author developed a different perspective? Justify your answer.
6. How are Jeannette and her siblings changing in the way they react to their parents’ flights of fancy?
7. What does Miss Bivens give Jeannette that her own parents cannot (or will not)?
8. Identify and analyze the effect of an appeal to ethos, an appeal to pathos, and an appeal to logos.
Additonally, continue your annotations on:
1. The differences between the way Rex and Rose Mary (the author’s parents) view the world and the way the author views the world, based on the rhetoric she uses to convey the differences between these viewpoints.
2. The contrast in the way the author views her life as she grows older
3. The reversal of roles in the parent/child relationship
4. Appeals to pathos, ethos, and logos
5. The symbolism of events, places, people and things. Specifically, how do the parents and children in the memoir view these events, places, people and things differently?
Our rhetorical strategy focus today was: anastrophe.
Anastrophe is only effective when the syntax changes the audience's focus and therefore, the meaning of the phrase!
I think most of you would agree that today's multiple choice question passage was easier than the work from Wednesday! Remember to think things through and TRUST your instincts. The majority of mistakes are made when you decide to choose an answer other than your original idea because you "thought" the latter answer "looked better!"
Monday's assignment:
Read through page 202 and answer the following questions:
1. Why does the author develop Dinitia Hewitt’s role in her life? Why do you think Dinitia was so cruel to Jeannette when the Walls family first moved to Welch?
2. Briefly reflect on Mary’s defense of Erma and Hitler.
3. List three examples from the book that note a reversal of roles in the parent/child relationship.
4. Erma’s actions lead the Walls children to make excuses for their father. Refute or defend the author’s forgiveness for her father due to his upbringing.
5. Have Jeannette’s parents become worse since moving to Welch or has the author developed a different perspective? Justify your answer.
6. How are Jeannette and her siblings changing in the way they react to their parents’ flights of fancy?
7. What does Miss Bivens give Jeannette that her own parents cannot (or will not)?
8. Identify and analyze the effect of an appeal to ethos, an appeal to pathos, and an appeal to logos.
Additonally, continue your annotations on:
1. The differences between the way Rex and Rose Mary (the author’s parents) view the world and the way the author views the world, based on the rhetoric she uses to convey the differences between these viewpoints.
2. The contrast in the way the author views her life as she grows older
3. The reversal of roles in the parent/child relationship
4. Appeals to pathos, ethos, and logos
5. The symbolism of events, places, people and things. Specifically, how do the parents and children in the memoir view these events, places, people and things differently?
Thursday, February 3, 2011
The Glass Castle, Part II
Today, we focused on the rhetorical strategy of allegory:
Allegory is a device used in literature, rhetoric and art to signify a meaning that is not literal.
Other characteristics:
1. A device, a character or a symbol is considered allegory when it is symbolic of a concept, like reason or fortune.
2. An allegory can also be used to symbolize a type of person
3. An allegory can also symbolize a commonly held view of a large group of people (religious, political, etc)
4. In the modern novel, an allegory comes down to interpretation in the developing novel and the modern novel. Literary critics often argue as to whether characters are meant to be allegorical, real or stereotypical. Often literary characters can be read in multiple ways.
Modern Examples: Spiderman and Batman, for example, are all allegorical representations of the “everyman.” The evils they fight are the temptations to greed, to violence and to behavior that will in other ways disrupt society. Superheroes stand as both the everyman and the guardian against evil. One of the most interesting workings of allegory in modern television was the series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Each week Buffy would face a new demon or vampire that was also allegorical to whatever issues Buffy faced as a high school and later college student.
Aesop's Fables: Stories like The Fox and the Grapes, The Tortoise and the Hare, and The Ant and the Grasshopper that became a source of moral messages. Aesop used animals and their actions to allegorically represent human beings and our way of living.
The Bible: The "apple" that Adam receives from Eve is symbolic of the “knowledge of God and Evil” and is thus allegorical. The serpent is often read as an allegory signifying the tempter, or true evil. In the New Testament, Jesus Christ makes frequent use of the parable to make statements about “people” in general.
From Plato’s The Republic Allegory of the Cave: "And now, I said, let me show in a figure how far our nature is enlightened or unenlightened: Behold! human beings living in an underground cave, which has a mouth open towards the light and reaching all along the cave; here they have been from their childhood, and have their legs and necks chained so that they cannot move, and can only see before them, being prevented by the chains from turning round their heads. Above and behind them a fire is blazing at a distance, and between the fire and the prisoners there is a raised way; and you will see, if you look, a low wall built along the way, like the screen which marionette players have in front of them, over which they show the puppets. . . .
"And now look again, and see what will naturally follow if the prisoners are released and disabused of their error. At first, when any of them is liberated and compelled suddenly to stand up and turn his neck round and walk and look towards the light, he will suffer sharp pains; the glare will distress him, and he will be unable to see the realities of which in his former state he had seen the shadows; and then conceive someone saying to him, that what he saw before was an illusion, but that now, when he is approaching nearer to being and his eye is turned towards more real existence, he has a clearer vision."
The Allegory of the Cave is a representation of how man accepts conventions and refuses to question them. Plato conveys this message by using a group of prisoners trapped in a cave.
Divine Comedy: This epic poem is one of the best examples of allegory in literature. It depicts Dante's journey through Hell, Heaven, and Purgatory to represent the journey of one's soul to God.
The Faerie Queen: One of the longest poems in English literature, it is an allegory in praise of the life and rule of Queen Elizabeth I.
Animal Farm: George Orwell's Animal Farm is probably one of the best known examples of allegory in literature in which a farm governed by animals stands to represent the communist regime of Stalin in Russia before the Second World War.
Lord of the Flies: William Golding represented his idea of human nature and a need to put self above the rest. Featuring a group of schoolboys stuck on an island, this novel had allegorical representations of the rational mind, democracy, order and civility, and many other such abstract terms.
The following Glass Castle questions (as well as your Friday reading!) are due tomorrow:
1. How does the author’s mom use the death of Mary Charlene to make excuses for her husband? How does the author’s portrayal of the event convey her perspective to the audience?
2. How does the author use tone, diction and syntax at the end of page 31 convey her attitude toward her parents?
3. Read through p. 34 and then, at this point in the memoir, explain the symbolism of fire.
4. How does the Joshua Tree symbolizes the author’s own life?
5. Contrast the way the author views her father with the way her “friend,” Billy Deel views his. Which child’s view is more accurate?
6. How effectively does the author portray the dangers of alcoholism to the audience? (Think back to the Scott Russell Sanders essay “Under the Influence” and draw comparisons if you like).
7. Identify and analyze the effect of an appeal to ethos, an appeal to pathos, and an appeal to logos.
Allegory is a device used in literature, rhetoric and art to signify a meaning that is not literal.
Other characteristics:
1. A device, a character or a symbol is considered allegory when it is symbolic of a concept, like reason or fortune.
2. An allegory can also be used to symbolize a type of person
3. An allegory can also symbolize a commonly held view of a large group of people (religious, political, etc)
4. In the modern novel, an allegory comes down to interpretation in the developing novel and the modern novel. Literary critics often argue as to whether characters are meant to be allegorical, real or stereotypical. Often literary characters can be read in multiple ways.
Modern Examples: Spiderman and Batman, for example, are all allegorical representations of the “everyman.” The evils they fight are the temptations to greed, to violence and to behavior that will in other ways disrupt society. Superheroes stand as both the everyman and the guardian against evil. One of the most interesting workings of allegory in modern television was the series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Each week Buffy would face a new demon or vampire that was also allegorical to whatever issues Buffy faced as a high school and later college student.
Aesop's Fables: Stories like The Fox and the Grapes, The Tortoise and the Hare, and The Ant and the Grasshopper that became a source of moral messages. Aesop used animals and their actions to allegorically represent human beings and our way of living.
The Bible: The "apple" that Adam receives from Eve is symbolic of the “knowledge of God and Evil” and is thus allegorical. The serpent is often read as an allegory signifying the tempter, or true evil. In the New Testament, Jesus Christ makes frequent use of the parable to make statements about “people” in general.
From Plato’s The Republic Allegory of the Cave: "And now, I said, let me show in a figure how far our nature is enlightened or unenlightened: Behold! human beings living in an underground cave, which has a mouth open towards the light and reaching all along the cave; here they have been from their childhood, and have their legs and necks chained so that they cannot move, and can only see before them, being prevented by the chains from turning round their heads. Above and behind them a fire is blazing at a distance, and between the fire and the prisoners there is a raised way; and you will see, if you look, a low wall built along the way, like the screen which marionette players have in front of them, over which they show the puppets. . . .
"And now look again, and see what will naturally follow if the prisoners are released and disabused of their error. At first, when any of them is liberated and compelled suddenly to stand up and turn his neck round and walk and look towards the light, he will suffer sharp pains; the glare will distress him, and he will be unable to see the realities of which in his former state he had seen the shadows; and then conceive someone saying to him, that what he saw before was an illusion, but that now, when he is approaching nearer to being and his eye is turned towards more real existence, he has a clearer vision."
The Allegory of the Cave is a representation of how man accepts conventions and refuses to question them. Plato conveys this message by using a group of prisoners trapped in a cave.
Divine Comedy: This epic poem is one of the best examples of allegory in literature. It depicts Dante's journey through Hell, Heaven, and Purgatory to represent the journey of one's soul to God.
The Faerie Queen: One of the longest poems in English literature, it is an allegory in praise of the life and rule of Queen Elizabeth I.
Animal Farm: George Orwell's Animal Farm is probably one of the best known examples of allegory in literature in which a farm governed by animals stands to represent the communist regime of Stalin in Russia before the Second World War.
Lord of the Flies: William Golding represented his idea of human nature and a need to put self above the rest. Featuring a group of schoolboys stuck on an island, this novel had allegorical representations of the rational mind, democracy, order and civility, and many other such abstract terms.
The following Glass Castle questions (as well as your Friday reading!) are due tomorrow:
1. How does the author’s mom use the death of Mary Charlene to make excuses for her husband? How does the author’s portrayal of the event convey her perspective to the audience?
2. How does the author use tone, diction and syntax at the end of page 31 convey her attitude toward her parents?
3. Read through p. 34 and then, at this point in the memoir, explain the symbolism of fire.
4. How does the Joshua Tree symbolizes the author’s own life?
5. Contrast the way the author views her father with the way her “friend,” Billy Deel views his. Which child’s view is more accurate?
6. How effectively does the author portray the dangers of alcoholism to the audience? (Think back to the Scott Russell Sanders essay “Under the Influence” and draw comparisons if you like).
7. Identify and analyze the effect of an appeal to ethos, an appeal to pathos, and an appeal to logos.
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Dahir In Class Essay Results
Dahir’s NPR Commentary Analysis:
Class Results:
Class Average: 6
Grade breakdown:
8: 4 (High fives to Richie, Xander, Megan and Tali!)
7.5: 3
7: 1
6.5: 3
6: 4
5.5: 2
5: 5
4: 4
Common Problems
1. Misunderstanding Dahir’s purpose and/or point of view.
2. Eliminating aspects of the prompt.
3. Weak or overly wordy introductions.
4. Limited or completely absent identification of rhetorical strategies
5. Summarizing the commentary rather than analyzing the author’s method of presentation.
6. Lack of connection between the examples of rhetoric and how they help convey the author’s purpose to the audience.
High scorers…
1. Wrote introductions that covered all elements of the prompt.
For example:
“‘One nation under God’” are the words every U.S. student recites each morning during the Pledge of Allegiance, but what if a student does not believe in the same God referenced in the pledge? This question mirrors the issue Mubarak Dahir addresses in his commentary about his first grade year at Sharpe Elementary. Dahir effectively utilizes repetition, polysyndeton and hyperbole to argue against those who believe religion should prioritize education. Illustrating his contempt with a tone of child-like hopefulness, Dahir successfully illuminates the complications that arise from putting religion in the classroom, and shows his audience why religion and schools should not mix.” (Richie Eboka)
2. Demonstrated originality in their writing.
For example:
“Dahir’s message is still extremely relavant; teachers are sometimes preachers, and in public schools, that is isllegal…Dahir’s commentary was a spectacular reminder of the need to enforce the laws set in place to prevent occurrences like this. Everyone who reads this piece would feel inclined to side with the author, which demonstrates exactly how effective the commentary is. Dahir’s story exemplifies what public education in America should not be about.” (Tali Schroeder)
3. Showed the connection between the rhetoric and its intended effect on the audience.
For example:
“The commentary also features heavy use of repetition. Dahir focuses this strategy in places where he was exposed to Christianity: ‘a man in a black robe made us stand up and kneel and stand up and kneel and stand up and kneel.’ He employs the strategy again, discussing Sunday school: ‘And afterwards…there was lemonade and cookies and a nice woman…’ Dahir includes this repetition to great effect: the reader feels that he is almost overwhelmed by all the new stimuli, as if church happens in the fast click-click-click of a stop motion film.” (Megan Robertson)
4. Captured the overall point of view in their conclusion:
For example:
“The second to last paragraph may be the most noteworthy of the entire commentary. By using narrative, Dahir effectively recounts the events and shows that often times, when an established institution like a public school lacks diversity, it will begin to consider ethnocentrism acceptable instead of condemning it. The world is not a homogenous place, and we as a society must learn to accept that.” (Xander Miller)
Class Results:
Class Average: 6
Grade breakdown:
8: 4 (High fives to Richie, Xander, Megan and Tali!)
7.5: 3
7: 1
6.5: 3
6: 4
5.5: 2
5: 5
4: 4
Common Problems
1. Misunderstanding Dahir’s purpose and/or point of view.
2. Eliminating aspects of the prompt.
3. Weak or overly wordy introductions.
4. Limited or completely absent identification of rhetorical strategies
5. Summarizing the commentary rather than analyzing the author’s method of presentation.
6. Lack of connection between the examples of rhetoric and how they help convey the author’s purpose to the audience.
High scorers…
1. Wrote introductions that covered all elements of the prompt.
For example:
“‘One nation under God’” are the words every U.S. student recites each morning during the Pledge of Allegiance, but what if a student does not believe in the same God referenced in the pledge? This question mirrors the issue Mubarak Dahir addresses in his commentary about his first grade year at Sharpe Elementary. Dahir effectively utilizes repetition, polysyndeton and hyperbole to argue against those who believe religion should prioritize education. Illustrating his contempt with a tone of child-like hopefulness, Dahir successfully illuminates the complications that arise from putting religion in the classroom, and shows his audience why religion and schools should not mix.” (Richie Eboka)
2. Demonstrated originality in their writing.
For example:
“Dahir’s message is still extremely relavant; teachers are sometimes preachers, and in public schools, that is isllegal…Dahir’s commentary was a spectacular reminder of the need to enforce the laws set in place to prevent occurrences like this. Everyone who reads this piece would feel inclined to side with the author, which demonstrates exactly how effective the commentary is. Dahir’s story exemplifies what public education in America should not be about.” (Tali Schroeder)
3. Showed the connection between the rhetoric and its intended effect on the audience.
For example:
“The commentary also features heavy use of repetition. Dahir focuses this strategy in places where he was exposed to Christianity: ‘a man in a black robe made us stand up and kneel and stand up and kneel and stand up and kneel.’ He employs the strategy again, discussing Sunday school: ‘And afterwards…there was lemonade and cookies and a nice woman…’ Dahir includes this repetition to great effect: the reader feels that he is almost overwhelmed by all the new stimuli, as if church happens in the fast click-click-click of a stop motion film.” (Megan Robertson)
4. Captured the overall point of view in their conclusion:
For example:
“The second to last paragraph may be the most noteworthy of the entire commentary. By using narrative, Dahir effectively recounts the events and shows that often times, when an established institution like a public school lacks diversity, it will begin to consider ethnocentrism acceptable instead of condemning it. The world is not a homogenous place, and we as a society must learn to accept that.” (Xander Miller)
Monday, January 31, 2011
The Glass Castle
Today's planned in-class analysis was moved to Tuesday.
Today in class we discussed the strategy of distinctio. Used carefully, distinctio can be quite effective. Since words can be rather ambiguous at times, distinctio allows the author to clarify their point. This clarification can be the difference between a point being understood and a point being taken to mean something entirely different.
1. Distinctio is usually used with a linking phrase like “which is to say” or “by which I mean,” but it can also be used by putting a definition in parenthesis immediately after the term you’re defining.
2. Words that indicate how “good” something is, how “likely” something is to happen, or how “difficult” something is. Many words that often need clarification because of their abstract interpretations.
3. Distinctio should only be used when it’s needed to maintain the integrity of a sentence…if an essay is rife with distinctio it will be ineffective.
4.Distinctio can also be used to add humor to a speech or essay.
We began reading and discussing Jeannette Walls' The Glass Castle
As you read, take annotations on the following:
1. The differences between the way Rex and Rose Mary (the author’s parents) view the world and the way the author views the world, based on the rhetoric she uses to convey the differences between these viewpoints.
2. The contrast in the way the author views her life as she grows older
3. The reversal of roles in the parent/child relationship
4. Appeals to pathos, ethos, and logos
5. The symbolism of events, places, people and things. Specifically, how do the parents and children in the memoir view these events, places, people and things differently?
We discussed the purpose of the Dylan Thomas quote at the beginning of the memoir and how it provides insight into Walls' overall purpose. Remember how often I've mentioned that an author does not include a quote just for kicks--there's always a reason.
We discussed the surprising juxtapostion between mother and daughter in the first few pages. Some of the topics we discussed: How does this set up some of the themes for the entire memoir? How does Walls' attempt to demonstrate that she is a reliable memoirist? What suprises you about Rose Mary's homelessness?
The following questions (through p. 25) are due tomorrow:
1. What purpose do you think the quote from the Dylan Thomas poem at the beginning of the memoir serves?
2. What is the purpose of Part I: A Woman on the Street? What do the various anecdotes in this introduction establish?
3. Compare and contrast Jeannette’s home with her parents and her “home” at the hospital, citing rhetorical strategies the author uses to show this view.
4. What similarities did you notice about the way Jeannette viewed her father and the way Zippy viewed her father?
5. List three examples from the book that note an underlying darkness about the author’s upbringing.
6. What is the symbolism of the Glass Castle?
7. Identify and analyze the effect of an appeal to ethos, an appeal to pathos, and an appeal to logos.
Today in class we discussed the strategy of distinctio. Used carefully, distinctio can be quite effective. Since words can be rather ambiguous at times, distinctio allows the author to clarify their point. This clarification can be the difference between a point being understood and a point being taken to mean something entirely different.
1. Distinctio is usually used with a linking phrase like “which is to say” or “by which I mean,” but it can also be used by putting a definition in parenthesis immediately after the term you’re defining.
2. Words that indicate how “good” something is, how “likely” something is to happen, or how “difficult” something is. Many words that often need clarification because of their abstract interpretations.
3. Distinctio should only be used when it’s needed to maintain the integrity of a sentence…if an essay is rife with distinctio it will be ineffective.
4.Distinctio can also be used to add humor to a speech or essay.
We began reading and discussing Jeannette Walls' The Glass Castle
As you read, take annotations on the following:
1. The differences between the way Rex and Rose Mary (the author’s parents) view the world and the way the author views the world, based on the rhetoric she uses to convey the differences between these viewpoints.
2. The contrast in the way the author views her life as she grows older
3. The reversal of roles in the parent/child relationship
4. Appeals to pathos, ethos, and logos
5. The symbolism of events, places, people and things. Specifically, how do the parents and children in the memoir view these events, places, people and things differently?
We discussed the purpose of the Dylan Thomas quote at the beginning of the memoir and how it provides insight into Walls' overall purpose. Remember how often I've mentioned that an author does not include a quote just for kicks--there's always a reason.
We discussed the surprising juxtapostion between mother and daughter in the first few pages. Some of the topics we discussed: How does this set up some of the themes for the entire memoir? How does Walls' attempt to demonstrate that she is a reliable memoirist? What suprises you about Rose Mary's homelessness?
The following questions (through p. 25) are due tomorrow:
1. What purpose do you think the quote from the Dylan Thomas poem at the beginning of the memoir serves?
2. What is the purpose of Part I: A Woman on the Street? What do the various anecdotes in this introduction establish?
3. Compare and contrast Jeannette’s home with her parents and her “home” at the hospital, citing rhetorical strategies the author uses to show this view.
4. What similarities did you notice about the way Jeannette viewed her father and the way Zippy viewed her father?
5. List three examples from the book that note an underlying darkness about the author’s upbringing.
6. What is the symbolism of the Glass Castle?
7. Identify and analyze the effect of an appeal to ethos, an appeal to pathos, and an appeal to logos.
Friday, January 28, 2011
Procatalepsis, Hypophora and Sallie Tisdale analysis
Today in class we analyzed and discussed the purposes and differences of procatalepsis and hypophora.
In class, we read and analyzed Sallie Tisdale's "We Do Abortions Here: A Nurses' Story."
1. TAP the essay.
2. Answer question # 3.
3. Using evidence from the text, list an appeal to ethos, pathos and logos.
Choose a side on the abortion issue and create three hypophoras for your point of view.
4. Now, write three procatalepsis for the other side.
Use information from Tisdale’s essay to create your hypophora and procatalepsis.
In class, we read and analyzed Sallie Tisdale's "We Do Abortions Here: A Nurses' Story."
1. TAP the essay.
2. Answer question # 3.
3. Using evidence from the text, list an appeal to ethos, pathos and logos.
Choose a side on the abortion issue and create three hypophoras for your point of view.
4. Now, write three procatalepsis for the other side.
Use information from Tisdale’s essay to create your hypophora and procatalepsis.
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Analyzing Lars Eighner's "On Dumpster Diving"
In class:
We discussed the rhetorical strategy of anaphora. Do not confuse anaphora with repetition. While anaphora does contain repeated phrases, those phrases must build to a climax.
Read and analyze Lars Eighner's "On Dumpster Diving" (p. 22).
1. TAP the essay.
2. List an example of a specific appeal Eighner makes to ethos, pathos and logos in his essay. For each appeal, cite the example and explain the connection.
3. Eighner has a decidedly educated style of writing. What is the effect of his diction and syntax on the audience in terms of the subject he is discussing?
4. In paragraph eight, Eighner presents three principles one must follow to eat safely from a Dumpster; in paragraphs 59-60 he explains how to go through a Dumpster; and throughout the essay he includes many cautions and warning. Clearly, he does not expect his audience to take up Dumpster diving. What, then, is his purpose in including such detailed explanations?
5. This essay contains three one-sentence paragraphs. Why does Eighner isolate these sentences? How would their effect be different if they were combined with their adjacent paragraphs.
6. Eighner’s essay includes a number of lists that catalog items he came across (paragraph 5, paragraph 50). What is the purpose of these extensive lists?
7. Eighner concludes his essay with the line “I feel sorry for them.” Identify and analyze THREE rhetorical strategies Eighner uses to illustrate this point of view.
Remember, you have a Friday reading too!
We discussed the rhetorical strategy of anaphora. Do not confuse anaphora with repetition. While anaphora does contain repeated phrases, those phrases must build to a climax.
Read and analyze Lars Eighner's "On Dumpster Diving" (p. 22).
1. TAP the essay.
2. List an example of a specific appeal Eighner makes to ethos, pathos and logos in his essay. For each appeal, cite the example and explain the connection.
3. Eighner has a decidedly educated style of writing. What is the effect of his diction and syntax on the audience in terms of the subject he is discussing?
4. In paragraph eight, Eighner presents three principles one must follow to eat safely from a Dumpster; in paragraphs 59-60 he explains how to go through a Dumpster; and throughout the essay he includes many cautions and warning. Clearly, he does not expect his audience to take up Dumpster diving. What, then, is his purpose in including such detailed explanations?
5. This essay contains three one-sentence paragraphs. Why does Eighner isolate these sentences? How would their effect be different if they were combined with their adjacent paragraphs.
6. Eighner’s essay includes a number of lists that catalog items he came across (paragraph 5, paragraph 50). What is the purpose of these extensive lists?
7. Eighner concludes his essay with the line “I feel sorry for them.” Identify and analyze THREE rhetorical strategies Eighner uses to illustrate this point of view.
Remember, you have a Friday reading too!
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Analyzing Scott Russell Sanders' "Under the Influence"
In class:
Traded practice multiple choice questions and provided justified answers, including the rationale for elimintating choices.
In conjunction with our new book next week, we read Scott Russell Sanders' "Under the Influence" on page 140 of the Norton Reader.
Homework:
TAP Sanders' essay.
Answer questions #1, #2 on page 150.
Identify and analyze THREE allusions that help Sanders convey his purpose to the audience.
Traded practice multiple choice questions and provided justified answers, including the rationale for elimintating choices.
In conjunction with our new book next week, we read Scott Russell Sanders' "Under the Influence" on page 140 of the Norton Reader.
Homework:
TAP Sanders' essay.
Answer questions #1, #2 on page 150.
Identify and analyze THREE allusions that help Sanders convey his purpose to the audience.
Monday, January 24, 2011
Essays, Zippy and Multiple Choice questions
Today's in class essay was an analysis of Mubarak Dahir's NPR commentary. Essays will be returned to you next Monday, January 31st (barring serious injury or death of your teacher).
Grades will be based on:
1. How well you interpreted the purpose of the essay. This is where you should not let the title fool you--the purpose was not to explain the difficulties of being the only Muslim in a classroom led by a Christian teacher. The author used the anecdotal evidene to convey his real purpose--the importance of separation of church and state.
In class:
Broke into groups of two and created eight AP style multiple choice questions, complete with answers (on a separate page). These questions can focus on rhetoric, purpose and motifs from Zippy.
Grades will be based on:
1. How well you interpreted the purpose of the essay. This is where you should not let the title fool you--the purpose was not to explain the difficulties of being the only Muslim in a classroom led by a Christian teacher. The author used the anecdotal evidene to convey his real purpose--the importance of separation of church and state.
In class:
Broke into groups of two and created eight AP style multiple choice questions, complete with answers (on a separate page). These questions can focus on rhetoric, purpose and motifs from Zippy.
Friday, January 21, 2011
Critical Reading and the AP exam
Today in class we began practicing for the mulitiple choice portion of the AP Language exam. As stated in class, the best way to arrive at the correct answer is to always eliminate the wrong answers first. Since the College Board is no longer penalizing students for incorrect answers, it is to your absolute advantage to take an educated guess on EVERY question.
On Monday, you will take an in-class essay. It will NOT be over Zippy. Instead, you will read a short passage and write a response based on the prompt provided. You will have 40 minutes total to read and write.
Remember your Zippy reading ("ESP" through "Reading List") and rhetorical analysis is due Monday as well.
After the essay Monday, you will break into pairs and create your own AP Language MC style questions over the rhetoric found in Zippy. More details will be provided in class Monday.
We will begin Jeannette Walls' The Glass Castle Monday, January 31. You MUST have the book by that date.
Enjoy the weekend...next week is the first five day week this semsester. Can you believe it took us until the fourth week of school to get here? I don't know about all of you, but I'm over the snow/ice days and ready for things to warm up!
On Monday, you will take an in-class essay. It will NOT be over Zippy. Instead, you will read a short passage and write a response based on the prompt provided. You will have 40 minutes total to read and write.
Remember your Zippy reading ("ESP" through "Reading List") and rhetorical analysis is due Monday as well.
After the essay Monday, you will break into pairs and create your own AP Language MC style questions over the rhetoric found in Zippy. More details will be provided in class Monday.
We will begin Jeannette Walls' The Glass Castle Monday, January 31. You MUST have the book by that date.
Enjoy the weekend...next week is the first five day week this semsester. Can you believe it took us until the fourth week of school to get here? I don't know about all of you, but I'm over the snow/ice days and ready for things to warm up!
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Langston Hughes and Haven Kimmel: Parallels Between Authors
Today in class we participated in a mini Socratic seminar. We began our disucssing by reading and analying Langston Hughes' heartbreaking narrative, "Saved." I say "heartbreaking" because Hughes' despair at the end of the essay could have been so easily avoided if the adults in his life and spoken to him like the child that he was. "Saved" is a wonderful companion piece to Kimmel's "Slumber Party" essay because both authors show their respective audiences the power of adult influence. Continue to pay careful attention to the way Kimmel develops her religious motif in the memoir.
Some of the major questions concerning the religios motif in Zippy that we discussed in the seminar were:
1. Is Zippy really an atheist? Cite evidence supporting or refuting your assesment.
2. Kimmel begins her "Slumber Party" essay with a paradoxical quote from Einstein. How does this quote lend iteself to the various paradoxes within the essay itself?
3. Is Zippy's father a negative or a positive influence on her religious beliefs?
Homework:
Friday reading due tomorrow.
In Zippy, read "ESP" through "Reading List" for Monday. Your chapter rhetorical strategy analysis is due Monday as well.
Some of the major questions concerning the religios motif in Zippy that we discussed in the seminar were:
1. Is Zippy really an atheist? Cite evidence supporting or refuting your assesment.
2. Kimmel begins her "Slumber Party" essay with a paradoxical quote from Einstein. How does this quote lend iteself to the various paradoxes within the essay itself?
3. Is Zippy's father a negative or a positive influence on her religious beliefs?
Homework:
Friday reading due tomorrow.
In Zippy, read "ESP" through "Reading List" for Monday. Your chapter rhetorical strategy analysis is due Monday as well.
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Improving Quickwrites
Today in class we discussed our darling Zippy, the strategy of antithesis and strategies for improving quickwrites.
Remember, antithesis is very common in political rhetoric, but just as effective in other works. When you incorporate antithesis into your own writing, be careful not to overuse the strategy. Like any rhetorical device, antithesis will lose its impact if you don't use it correctly.
Please do not despair if your first Zippy quickwrite did not go like you planned. Many of you are not used to the analytical style of writing, so it will take more than one or two tries to get it right. In the meantime, review the suggestions from previous blog posts and class notes. Pay close attention to the notations I make on your assignments--they are there to help you know what you did well and what you can improve upon. A basis of this class is to help you learn to develop this style...and I am always here to help! The examples from class today are helpful because you can review the success some of your peers have had.
In class today: Read and analyze Sonia Shah's "Tight Jeans and Chana Chorris" from the Norton Reader. (p. 304). TAP the essay and answer questions 1 -3.
Homework: Read and analyze "Diner" and "Slumber Party." Be prepared for another Zippy quickwrite tomorrow! You DO get to use your books on the quickwrite, so don't forget to bring Zippy.
Remember, antithesis is very common in political rhetoric, but just as effective in other works. When you incorporate antithesis into your own writing, be careful not to overuse the strategy. Like any rhetorical device, antithesis will lose its impact if you don't use it correctly.
Please do not despair if your first Zippy quickwrite did not go like you planned. Many of you are not used to the analytical style of writing, so it will take more than one or two tries to get it right. In the meantime, review the suggestions from previous blog posts and class notes. Pay close attention to the notations I make on your assignments--they are there to help you know what you did well and what you can improve upon. A basis of this class is to help you learn to develop this style...and I am always here to help! The examples from class today are helpful because you can review the success some of your peers have had.
In class today: Read and analyze Sonia Shah's "Tight Jeans and Chana Chorris" from the Norton Reader. (p. 304). TAP the essay and answer questions 1 -3.
Homework: Read and analyze "Diner" and "Slumber Party." Be prepared for another Zippy quickwrite tomorrow! You DO get to use your books on the quickwrite, so don't forget to bring Zippy.
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Welcome Back!
It was great seeing you all again after the ten day weekend. Thankfully, because of all the work you diligently completed over the snow break, we are on track and do not have to worry about doubling up on assignments just to catch up.
Today in class we:
1. Discussed Zippy at length. I appreciated all of your contributions and personal insights into the author's use of rhetoric, character development, purpose, etc.
2. Reviewed strategies for identifying and analyzing rhetoric.
3. Homework: Read and analyze "Location."
Today in class we:
1. Discussed Zippy at length. I appreciated all of your contributions and personal insights into the author's use of rhetoric, character development, purpose, etc.
2. Reviewed strategies for identifying and analyzing rhetoric.
3. Homework: Read and analyze "Location."
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Don't forget..."summer" reading Tuesday!
I'm sure you wouldn't dream of forgetting, but we will finally have our first in-class essay Tuesday! Scroll through previous posts for some hints about the specificty of the topic. I really can't wait to see all of you!
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Pinnacle (You know you love it!)
I updated Pinnacle for everyone...whoo-hoo a whole three grades! Don't forget to email me your quickwrites by noon today; I'll grade them this afternoon and post grades by tomorrow morning.
Some of you may have noticed that you are no longer listed on the AP Language roster. This is because the class was over capacity and eliminations are based on prerequisites for the course.
The prerequisite for Honors and AP courses at Wheeler are:
1. An 85 or higher to remain in the Honors course This is where there can be confusion; because AP is considered a higher level course, if you earn below a 92 in an H class, but earned at least an 85, you technically do not have the prerequisite to take AP.
2. A 92 or higher to "move up" in a course In other words, if you earned a 92 or higher in Honors British Literature, you fulfill the prerequisite to "move up" to an AP course. Caveat: If you took on-level 10th Lit and earned a 92 or higher, this qualifies you to move to Honors American Literature, but not AP Language.
A handful of the class met the "92 or higher" requirement, so those students have a secured position. From there, students were selected based on how high of a grade they had in Honors British Literature.
If you still want to take AP Language and you are no longer on the roster, you and your parents need to fill out a waiver form and turn it into the guidance office. Please do not take the waiver personally. Unfortunately, scheduling is a numbers game, and the fairest and easiest way to balance class sizes is it use the prerequisite system. It doesn't mean I don't like you or that I think you can't do the work. You can access the waiver form on the Wheeler website.
If you would like to discuss your status personally, please send me an email and I will help you in any way I can.
Some of you may have noticed that you are no longer listed on the AP Language roster. This is because the class was over capacity and eliminations are based on prerequisites for the course.
The prerequisite for Honors and AP courses at Wheeler are:
1. An 85 or higher to remain in the Honors course This is where there can be confusion; because AP is considered a higher level course, if you earn below a 92 in an H class, but earned at least an 85, you technically do not have the prerequisite to take AP.
2. A 92 or higher to "move up" in a course In other words, if you earned a 92 or higher in Honors British Literature, you fulfill the prerequisite to "move up" to an AP course. Caveat: If you took on-level 10th Lit and earned a 92 or higher, this qualifies you to move to Honors American Literature, but not AP Language.
A handful of the class met the "92 or higher" requirement, so those students have a secured position. From there, students were selected based on how high of a grade they had in Honors British Literature.
If you still want to take AP Language and you are no longer on the roster, you and your parents need to fill out a waiver form and turn it into the guidance office. Please do not take the waiver personally. Unfortunately, scheduling is a numbers game, and the fairest and easiest way to balance class sizes is it use the prerequisite system. It doesn't mean I don't like you or that I think you can't do the work. You can access the waiver form on the Wheeler website.
If you would like to discuss your status personally, please send me an email and I will help you in any way I can.
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
More on Our Girl Zippy
Thursday Assignment:
I. For Zippy, read the following and analyze two rhetorical strategies per chapter:
1. Blood of the Lamb
2. Unexpected Injuries
3. The Kindness of Strangers
II. Take annotations!
III. Friday reading!
Some notes about the theme of religion:
We didn't get to discuss this in class today, so I hope some of these examples will help guide you for when we reunite. Kimmel does a fantastic job of explaining her confusion about her religious beliefs in "Blood of the Lamb." Do you think Zippy's father is a positive or negative influence on her religious beliefs? He doesn't hide the fact that he hates church, but he doesn't support Zippy when she agrees with him.
p. 53: "I not only had to spend countless hours of my life worshipping a God I didn't believe in, I could even complain about it, whereas Dad just sat down in his chair and called it like he saw it."
p. 53 - 55: The anecdote about Kimmel's tricks ("I Can't Find My Other Shoe" and "I've Lost My Little Pink New Testament") to avoid church and her father's assertion that she still go.
p. 55: "When I think of getting up for church, it is always winter, but when I think of the actual walk...it is always a perfect summer day that will wither in my absence." Think about the contrast here between the symbolism of the seasons.
p. 60: The entire page provides an insight into the way Zippy views religion. What seem to be her chief complaints at this point? Is this a natural child reaction?
I love the way Kimmel uses diction and syntax to capture her childlike point of view. Consider these examples from "Unexpected Injuries":
p. 63: "...off we'd go, driving less than an hour to the campground, with me flying around in the back like a little wayward piece of popcorn."
p. 63: Kimmel's description of Petey immediately resonates with the audience--this is an evil child (she even acknowledges that the visual of Petey is a cliché). My favorite line in this paragraph is the one about Petey's bicycle being made of the Devil's own parts.
Other things to notice about this chapter:
1. Zippy's anecdote about the frogs (p. 62) offers a brief comment on her religious views.
2. Zippy's father, Bob, once again takes justice into his own hands when it comes to his daughter's pets.
3. Zippy's father's reaction to the Scroggs men killing the rabbits while Zippy watched. (How was this different than when Zippy watched Minnie kill her chickens?)
In "The Kindness of Strangers," what does Zippy learn about her father? How does this essay serve as a nice companion for "Favors For Friends," the essay that follows?
I love the way Kimmel describes Andy Hicks (p. 84): "There are people in this world so perfect that the fact of them feels like a personal gift, and Andy was one of those people." Did you pick up the juxtaposition between her view of Petey Scroggs and her view of Andy Hicks? We also gain some insight into the way Zippy's dad "gets" his daughter (p. 89) "I knew Dad would never mention Jiggers again, no her life or her death or her grave."
Friday Assignment:
I. For Zippy, read the following and analyze two rhetorical strategies per chapter:
1. Favors for Friends
2. Haunted Houses
3. Professionals
4. Chance
5. A Short List of Things My Father Lost Gambling/Won Gambling (You DO NOT need to analyze rhetorical strategies for these...just read).
6. The World of Ideas
II. Take annotations!
NOTE: "Haunted Houses" is a loooooong chapter, I know, but the theme of life and death (and religion) was obvious. What did you all think of Zippy's dad letting her watch the dogs and cats pulled out of Edythe's house? Why do you think Kimmel dedicated such a lengthy amount of essay space to Edythe? What do you think of the exchange between Zippy and her dad on p. 104-105 concerning Christianity?
III. Read Barbara Taylor Aldrich's "Why I Live in a Small Town." Aldrich describes different sort of small town life than Capote's portrayal of small town Holcolmb and Haven Kimmel's description of small town Moreland, Indiana, there are similarities between the citizens and the culture of these places. Think about that as you read.
Questions for the Aldrich essay:
1. TAP. Include two examples of evidence from the essay to support each part of TAP.
2. Aldrich arranges her essay into several sections. What is the purpose of this arrangement and how to these sections connect with one another?
3. Aldrich wrote this essay in 1933. Cite three words or phrases from the essay that hint at this era. For each word or phrase, explain its meaning in Aldrich’s time and contrast its meaning today.
4. Contrast Aldrich's ideas about small town life with city life.
I. For Zippy, read the following and analyze two rhetorical strategies per chapter:
1. Blood of the Lamb
2. Unexpected Injuries
3. The Kindness of Strangers
II. Take annotations!
III. Friday reading!
Some notes about the theme of religion:
We didn't get to discuss this in class today, so I hope some of these examples will help guide you for when we reunite. Kimmel does a fantastic job of explaining her confusion about her religious beliefs in "Blood of the Lamb." Do you think Zippy's father is a positive or negative influence on her religious beliefs? He doesn't hide the fact that he hates church, but he doesn't support Zippy when she agrees with him.
p. 53: "I not only had to spend countless hours of my life worshipping a God I didn't believe in, I could even complain about it, whereas Dad just sat down in his chair and called it like he saw it."
p. 53 - 55: The anecdote about Kimmel's tricks ("I Can't Find My Other Shoe" and "I've Lost My Little Pink New Testament") to avoid church and her father's assertion that she still go.
p. 55: "When I think of getting up for church, it is always winter, but when I think of the actual walk...it is always a perfect summer day that will wither in my absence." Think about the contrast here between the symbolism of the seasons.
p. 60: The entire page provides an insight into the way Zippy views religion. What seem to be her chief complaints at this point? Is this a natural child reaction?
I love the way Kimmel uses diction and syntax to capture her childlike point of view. Consider these examples from "Unexpected Injuries":
p. 63: "...off we'd go, driving less than an hour to the campground, with me flying around in the back like a little wayward piece of popcorn."
p. 63: Kimmel's description of Petey immediately resonates with the audience--this is an evil child (she even acknowledges that the visual of Petey is a cliché). My favorite line in this paragraph is the one about Petey's bicycle being made of the Devil's own parts.
Other things to notice about this chapter:
1. Zippy's anecdote about the frogs (p. 62) offers a brief comment on her religious views.
2. Zippy's father, Bob, once again takes justice into his own hands when it comes to his daughter's pets.
3. Zippy's father's reaction to the Scroggs men killing the rabbits while Zippy watched. (How was this different than when Zippy watched Minnie kill her chickens?)
In "The Kindness of Strangers," what does Zippy learn about her father? How does this essay serve as a nice companion for "Favors For Friends," the essay that follows?
I love the way Kimmel describes Andy Hicks (p. 84): "There are people in this world so perfect that the fact of them feels like a personal gift, and Andy was one of those people." Did you pick up the juxtaposition between her view of Petey Scroggs and her view of Andy Hicks? We also gain some insight into the way Zippy's dad "gets" his daughter (p. 89) "I knew Dad would never mention Jiggers again, no her life or her death or her grave."
Friday Assignment:
I. For Zippy, read the following and analyze two rhetorical strategies per chapter:
1. Favors for Friends
2. Haunted Houses
3. Professionals
4. Chance
5. A Short List of Things My Father Lost Gambling/Won Gambling (You DO NOT need to analyze rhetorical strategies for these...just read).
6. The World of Ideas
II. Take annotations!
NOTE: "Haunted Houses" is a loooooong chapter, I know, but the theme of life and death (and religion) was obvious. What did you all think of Zippy's dad letting her watch the dogs and cats pulled out of Edythe's house? Why do you think Kimmel dedicated such a lengthy amount of essay space to Edythe? What do you think of the exchange between Zippy and her dad on p. 104-105 concerning Christianity?
III. Read Barbara Taylor Aldrich's "Why I Live in a Small Town." Aldrich describes different sort of small town life than Capote's portrayal of small town Holcolmb and Haven Kimmel's description of small town Moreland, Indiana, there are similarities between the citizens and the culture of these places. Think about that as you read.
Questions for the Aldrich essay:
1. TAP. Include two examples of evidence from the essay to support each part of TAP.
2. Aldrich arranges her essay into several sections. What is the purpose of this arrangement and how to these sections connect with one another?
3. Aldrich wrote this essay in 1933. Cite three words or phrases from the essay that hint at this era. For each word or phrase, explain its meaning in Aldrich’s time and contrast its meaning today.
4. Contrast Aldrich's ideas about small town life with city life.
Ice, Ice, Baby...
By now, I've reached almost all of you and told you about the assignments. Please read this blog thoroughly to make sure you're on track for whenever we see each other again. I'm not sure when that will be exactly. The roads are extremely scary and icy (I just arrived home from the airport and while the interstates are clear, the local roads are a mess. I'd like to say they're a "hot mess," but the irony there is too easy, so I'm leaving well enough alone).
However, I couldn't resist the cliche title of today's blog post because it ties in with today's rhetorical strategy focus: allusion. As stated in the handout, many many allusions are Biblical in nature; probably because the Bible was one of the first printed texts that widespread groups of people had access to. As a result, all literature that followed alludes heavily to the Bible (and Shakespeare for that matter!) An easy example of allusion in Zippy comes from the chapter "Daniel," when Kimmel mentions her brother's name would "see him through his time with the lions..." This is an allusion to the story of Daniel in the Lion's Den. As I've said before, when we discuss Biblical works in class, we will be doing so from a literary standpoint.
As you know from my phone calls last night (funny: your parents seemed thrilled, most of you--eh, not so much!) you know you need to read through "There She Is". Remember, you can't use the same rhetorical strategy more than once per assignment. I'm breaking down the chapters into their assignments below. (NOTE...there will be another blog post coming shortly for Thursday, Friday and the weekend...just in case!)
Monday Assignments:
I. For Zippy, read the following and analyze two rhetorical strategies per chapter:
1. Prologue
2. Baby Book
3. Hair
4. The Lion
II. Take annotations!
Tuesday Assignments:
I. For Zippy, read the following and analyze two rhetorical strategies per chapter:
1. Qualities of Light, or Disasters Involving Animals
2. Julie Hit Me Three Times
II. Take annotations!
Today in class we would have discussed what characterizes Kimmel's style of writing. Something you probably all noticed was how easily the author conveys a childlike tone through use of observation, detail, anecdotes and diction. Did you happen to notice hyperbole in every other sentence? (wink, wink) Personally, I love Kimmel's use of imagery. ("Kai turned out to be the color of coins falling from a winter sky," p. 19 is certainly more compelling than "Kai was gray.")
Additionally, I'd like you to pay close attention to the relationship Kimmel portrays with her father and mother. It's pretty obvious which parent she favors over the other. Her father seems to be indulgent and free spirited while her mother seems to be the enforcer of rules. What child wouldn't favor the parent that gained her admission into the mafia and wreaked havoc on the dogs who would dare to eat her beloved Speckles?
In the next section of assigned reading, pay attention to the relationship Zippy has with her brother and sister as well as her contradicting views on religion.
Wednesday Assignment:
I. For Zippy, read the following and analyze two rhetorical strategies per chapter:
1. Daniel
2. There She Is
II. Read and answer the following prompt in 250 words or less (the snow day version of a 5 minute write)! You must email me your analysis (saritawheatley@gmail.com)by 12 p.m. Thursday. (That's noon, not midnight!)
In a brief analysis, explain how Kimmel uses rhetoric to show her favoritism between her parents. In your analysis, you should cite specific text that supports your assertion.
III. Take annotations!
Some reminders and tips about analyzing essays in class:
1. Focus on analysis rather than summary.
2. Remember to include the author’s name, the title of the work, and address the TAP in your response. In a quickwrite, try to get all of this in the opening sentence. In essays, make sure they're in the first paragraph.
3. When you identify a rhetorical strategy the author uses, give the example and then explain the effect that strategy has on the audience and how it helps convey the author’s purpose.
4. Strong opening sentences are key!
Ex prompt: Analyze how Kimmel uses the death of her chicken, Speckles, to illustrate her relationship with her family.
Ex opening answer: Haven Kimmel’s portrayal of her family’s reactions to the death of her beloved chicken, Speckles, effectively conveyed how she viewed her family members to the audience. Balancing a lighthearted tone and childlike diction, Kimmel accurately captured the emotions of a devastated six year old in this humorous anecdote from “Qualities of Light, or Disasters Involving Animals,” making it clear to the reader that her father understood "chicken love."
Follow the formulas below to help you develop your style. As you become more comfortable with analysis, you'll be able to move away from the formula.
So, how can you improve your opening sentences?
In ____________________ (title), __________________ (author) effectively/ineffectively uses ________________ (name specific rhetorical strategies) that demonstrate/develop/show/illustrate, etc. to the audience ________________________ (the purpose).
So, how can you improve your analysis of purpose and rhetorical strategies?
______________________ (author) reinforces her ______________________ (purpose or position) with the use of ______________________ (rhetorical strategy). ___________________ (author) writes “QUOTE THE AUTHOR’S WORDS CONTAINING THE IDENTIFIED STRATEGY HERE,” which demonstrates/shows the audience (whatever it shows).
As you progress with your analysis this semester, I would expect that you will develop your own style and will not need to rely on the formula.
However, I couldn't resist the cliche title of today's blog post because it ties in with today's rhetorical strategy focus: allusion. As stated in the handout, many many allusions are Biblical in nature; probably because the Bible was one of the first printed texts that widespread groups of people had access to. As a result, all literature that followed alludes heavily to the Bible (and Shakespeare for that matter!) An easy example of allusion in Zippy comes from the chapter "Daniel," when Kimmel mentions her brother's name would "see him through his time with the lions..." This is an allusion to the story of Daniel in the Lion's Den. As I've said before, when we discuss Biblical works in class, we will be doing so from a literary standpoint.
As you know from my phone calls last night (funny: your parents seemed thrilled, most of you--eh, not so much!) you know you need to read through "There She Is". Remember, you can't use the same rhetorical strategy more than once per assignment. I'm breaking down the chapters into their assignments below. (NOTE...there will be another blog post coming shortly for Thursday, Friday and the weekend...just in case!)
Monday Assignments:
I. For Zippy, read the following and analyze two rhetorical strategies per chapter:
1. Prologue
2. Baby Book
3. Hair
4. The Lion
II. Take annotations!
Tuesday Assignments:
I. For Zippy, read the following and analyze two rhetorical strategies per chapter:
1. Qualities of Light, or Disasters Involving Animals
2. Julie Hit Me Three Times
II. Take annotations!
Today in class we would have discussed what characterizes Kimmel's style of writing. Something you probably all noticed was how easily the author conveys a childlike tone through use of observation, detail, anecdotes and diction. Did you happen to notice hyperbole in every other sentence? (wink, wink) Personally, I love Kimmel's use of imagery. ("Kai turned out to be the color of coins falling from a winter sky," p. 19 is certainly more compelling than "Kai was gray.")
Additionally, I'd like you to pay close attention to the relationship Kimmel portrays with her father and mother. It's pretty obvious which parent she favors over the other. Her father seems to be indulgent and free spirited while her mother seems to be the enforcer of rules. What child wouldn't favor the parent that gained her admission into the mafia and wreaked havoc on the dogs who would dare to eat her beloved Speckles?
In the next section of assigned reading, pay attention to the relationship Zippy has with her brother and sister as well as her contradicting views on religion.
Wednesday Assignment:
I. For Zippy, read the following and analyze two rhetorical strategies per chapter:
1. Daniel
2. There She Is
II. Read and answer the following prompt in 250 words or less (the snow day version of a 5 minute write)! You must email me your analysis (saritawheatley@gmail.com)by 12 p.m. Thursday. (That's noon, not midnight!)
In a brief analysis, explain how Kimmel uses rhetoric to show her favoritism between her parents. In your analysis, you should cite specific text that supports your assertion.
III. Take annotations!
Some reminders and tips about analyzing essays in class:
1. Focus on analysis rather than summary.
2. Remember to include the author’s name, the title of the work, and address the TAP in your response. In a quickwrite, try to get all of this in the opening sentence. In essays, make sure they're in the first paragraph.
3. When you identify a rhetorical strategy the author uses, give the example and then explain the effect that strategy has on the audience and how it helps convey the author’s purpose.
4. Strong opening sentences are key!
Ex prompt: Analyze how Kimmel uses the death of her chicken, Speckles, to illustrate her relationship with her family.
Ex opening answer: Haven Kimmel’s portrayal of her family’s reactions to the death of her beloved chicken, Speckles, effectively conveyed how she viewed her family members to the audience. Balancing a lighthearted tone and childlike diction, Kimmel accurately captured the emotions of a devastated six year old in this humorous anecdote from “Qualities of Light, or Disasters Involving Animals,” making it clear to the reader that her father understood "chicken love."
Follow the formulas below to help you develop your style. As you become more comfortable with analysis, you'll be able to move away from the formula.
So, how can you improve your opening sentences?
In ____________________ (title), __________________ (author) effectively/ineffectively uses ________________ (name specific rhetorical strategies) that demonstrate/develop/show/illustrate, etc. to the audience ________________________ (the purpose).
So, how can you improve your analysis of purpose and rhetorical strategies?
______________________ (author) reinforces her ______________________ (purpose or position) with the use of ______________________ (rhetorical strategy). ___________________ (author) writes “QUOTE THE AUTHOR’S WORDS CONTAINING THE IDENTIFIED STRATEGY HERE,” which demonstrates/shows the audience (whatever it shows).
As you progress with your analysis this semester, I would expect that you will develop your own style and will not need to rely on the formula.
Monday, January 10, 2011
Snow Day (x2)
Hello AP Langers!
I'm sure none of you are disappointed to have two snow days off. I hope we're all reunited Wednesday.
In the meantime, this means you had two extra days to prep for the essay, so my expectations are higher than ever. Likewise, don't forget to complete the Zippy work I assigned in the event of a snow day today.
See you soon! (I hope!)
I'm sure none of you are disappointed to have two snow days off. I hope we're all reunited Wednesday.
In the meantime, this means you had two extra days to prep for the essay, so my expectations are higher than ever. Likewise, don't forget to complete the Zippy work I assigned in the event of a snow day today.
See you soon! (I hope!)
Friday, January 7, 2011
In Cold Blood Socratic Seminar
Wow! I thoroughly enjoyed listening to your Friday reading discussions. Thanks so much for sharing! It tends to take classes a few seminars to start being so open, but this class was eager to share. I loved it!
Some hints about Monday's essay:
If you're checking this blog, I think you deserve a reward! As stated in class, your "summer" (eh, winter break) reading analysis will center on the ways Capote uses rhetoric in In Cold Blood. More specifically, expect your prompt to come from one of the three below:
Prompt #1:
Using evidence from the book to support your point of view, explain how Truman Capote uses rhetoric to create sympathy for Perry and/or Dick.
Prompt #2
Using evidence from the book to support your point of view, analyze the effectiveness of Truman Capote’s writing style in telling the story of the murders (think parallelism, etc.)
Prompt #3
Using evidence from the book to support your point of view, analyze the appropriateness of the title, In Cold Blood.
There will be ONE prompt given in class Monday. If we don't have class Monday due to inclement weather, the essay will be Tuesday.
We discussed one of the best rhetorical strategies in the history of the world, no the universe today: hyperbole.
The assigned work for Zippy today is due Tuesday, regardless of a "snow Monday" or not. You need to read and analyze rhetoric in the first three chapters and be prepared to discuss the motifs of the memoir Tuesday.
As you read, use either post-it notes or the margins and take thorough annotations on the following motifs of the memoir:
1. Reoccurring rhetorical strategies
2. Zippy’s relationship with family and friends
3. Zippy’s views of small town life
4. Zippy’s view of religion
All work should be typed, double-spaced, 10-12 point font.
The following assignment is due the day after reading that chapter. You will select TWO rhetorical strategies per chapter, including the chapters read and discussed in class. So, if we read two chapters in class and you read two for homework, you would turn in eight rhetorical strategies.
For each chapter, note rhetorical strategies Kimmel uses to develop her theme/purpose.
For each strategy include the following:
a. The name and definition of the strategy.
b. The example of the strategy from the book, include the page number.
c. A sentence or two evaluating the effectiveness of the strategy.
Example:
a. IMAGERY: Use of language to convey sensory experience, most often through the creation of pictorial images through figurative language.
b. page 24 -25. “I have never in my life seen kinder or more sparkly eyes than hers, and every time she gave me the silencing look I realized how much she knew that I would never know. The arc of that piglet through the air into the dog pen contained more comedy than I will ever see again in my life, but my heart still ached.”
c. Kimmel’s use of diction in this paragraph: “sparkly,” “silencing,” and “the arc of the piglet” are effective in that the reader is able to identify the emotion Zippy felt when the pig died. Specifically, the use of “silencing look” to describe Julie’s reaction lets the reader know that, in Julie’s opinion, there was no choice but to feed the piglet to the dogs and that Zippy should have no averse opinion in the matter.
Please note: You may only use a specific rhetorical strategy ONCE per homework assignment (not ONCE per chapter).
Some hints about Monday's essay:
If you're checking this blog, I think you deserve a reward! As stated in class, your "summer" (eh, winter break) reading analysis will center on the ways Capote uses rhetoric in In Cold Blood. More specifically, expect your prompt to come from one of the three below:
Prompt #1:
Using evidence from the book to support your point of view, explain how Truman Capote uses rhetoric to create sympathy for Perry and/or Dick.
Prompt #2
Using evidence from the book to support your point of view, analyze the effectiveness of Truman Capote’s writing style in telling the story of the murders (think parallelism, etc.)
Prompt #3
Using evidence from the book to support your point of view, analyze the appropriateness of the title, In Cold Blood.
There will be ONE prompt given in class Monday. If we don't have class Monday due to inclement weather, the essay will be Tuesday.
We discussed one of the best rhetorical strategies in the history of the world, no the universe today: hyperbole.
The assigned work for Zippy today is due Tuesday, regardless of a "snow Monday" or not. You need to read and analyze rhetoric in the first three chapters and be prepared to discuss the motifs of the memoir Tuesday.
As you read, use either post-it notes or the margins and take thorough annotations on the following motifs of the memoir:
1. Reoccurring rhetorical strategies
2. Zippy’s relationship with family and friends
3. Zippy’s views of small town life
4. Zippy’s view of religion
All work should be typed, double-spaced, 10-12 point font.
The following assignment is due the day after reading that chapter. You will select TWO rhetorical strategies per chapter, including the chapters read and discussed in class. So, if we read two chapters in class and you read two for homework, you would turn in eight rhetorical strategies.
For each chapter, note rhetorical strategies Kimmel uses to develop her theme/purpose.
For each strategy include the following:
a. The name and definition of the strategy.
b. The example of the strategy from the book, include the page number.
c. A sentence or two evaluating the effectiveness of the strategy.
Example:
a. IMAGERY: Use of language to convey sensory experience, most often through the creation of pictorial images through figurative language.
b. page 24 -25. “I have never in my life seen kinder or more sparkly eyes than hers, and every time she gave me the silencing look I realized how much she knew that I would never know. The arc of that piglet through the air into the dog pen contained more comedy than I will ever see again in my life, but my heart still ached.”
c. Kimmel’s use of diction in this paragraph: “sparkly,” “silencing,” and “the arc of the piglet” are effective in that the reader is able to identify the emotion Zippy felt when the pig died. Specifically, the use of “silencing look” to describe Julie’s reaction lets the reader know that, in Julie’s opinion, there was no choice but to feed the piglet to the dogs and that Zippy should have no averse opinion in the matter.
Please note: You may only use a specific rhetorical strategy ONCE per homework assignment (not ONCE per chapter).
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Varying Meanings of "Home"
Great class discussion today!
If you missed class, we discussed the following topics and ideas raised by the stories:
“Coming Home Again”
1. What is the effect of the first sentence?
2. page 1, paragraph 2: “The world of our house.” What is the significance of this use of diction?
3. Why is food such an important association? Look at the imagery here. Why the focus on food?
4. Why title this story Coming Home AGAIN? What is the significance of “again”?
5. page 5, paragraph 4: “immaterial.” Why might the mother feel immaterial? How does Chang-Rae Lee feel about her now vs. childhood?
6. “Often enough, my mother was the object of my derision.” How did he feel in relation to his mother?
“On Going Home”
1. What is the difference between the author’s own home and her home growing up?
2. Why does Didion feel guilty about her daughter’s sense of “home”? How was it different from her childhood.
3. How does Didion refer to her family members? She doesn’t name them, she simply calls them husband, brother, mother, aunt, baby. What is the significance of this?
Perceptions of Home:
1. How is your home life different from the home life of your parents? Your grandparents? What mitigating factor represents the biggest difference between your grandparent’s generation and your generation?
2. What does she mean by “classic betrayal” in reference to marriage?
Religion and Family:
How important is religion in the family setting?
Homework:
Complete your first Friday reading. If you have questions, remember to email me at saritawheatley@gmail.com if it is after 4 p.m.
Bring your copy of Capote's In Cold Blood. We will discuss the various ways Capote elicts sympathy for the murderers as well as the ways he crafts the text to achieve his purpose.
If you missed class, we discussed the following topics and ideas raised by the stories:
“Coming Home Again”
1. What is the effect of the first sentence?
2. page 1, paragraph 2: “The world of our house.” What is the significance of this use of diction?
3. Why is food such an important association? Look at the imagery here. Why the focus on food?
4. Why title this story Coming Home AGAIN? What is the significance of “again”?
5. page 5, paragraph 4: “immaterial.” Why might the mother feel immaterial? How does Chang-Rae Lee feel about her now vs. childhood?
6. “Often enough, my mother was the object of my derision.” How did he feel in relation to his mother?
“On Going Home”
1. What is the difference between the author’s own home and her home growing up?
2. Why does Didion feel guilty about her daughter’s sense of “home”? How was it different from her childhood.
3. How does Didion refer to her family members? She doesn’t name them, she simply calls them husband, brother, mother, aunt, baby. What is the significance of this?
Perceptions of Home:
1. How is your home life different from the home life of your parents? Your grandparents? What mitigating factor represents the biggest difference between your grandparent’s generation and your generation?
2. What does she mean by “classic betrayal” in reference to marriage?
Religion and Family:
How important is religion in the family setting?
Homework:
Complete your first Friday reading. If you have questions, remember to email me at saritawheatley@gmail.com if it is after 4 p.m.
Bring your copy of Capote's In Cold Blood. We will discuss the various ways Capote elicts sympathy for the murderers as well as the ways he crafts the text to achieve his purpose.
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
In a Family Way
Many of our readings this semester will focus on how our family and background shape how we think, how we view the world, and how we develop. Specifically, you will be asked to focus on how the parental role
Today's assignment:
Read Chang Rae Lee's "Coming Home Again" and Joan Didion's "On Going Home" in the Norton Reader, p. 1 - 11.
“Coming Home Again”
1. TAP the essay, citing specific evidence (specific diction or a sentence) that supports your assertion.
2. p. 9, q. 1, 2 (discuss three flashbacks, not all of them), 3 and 4.
“On Going Home”
1.TAP
2. p. 11, q. 1, 2
Tomorrow, we will discuss the essays as well as review the Pitts analysis you turned in today.
Today's assignment:
Read Chang Rae Lee's "Coming Home Again" and Joan Didion's "On Going Home" in the Norton Reader, p. 1 - 11.
“Coming Home Again”
1. TAP the essay, citing specific evidence (specific diction or a sentence) that supports your assertion.
2. p. 9, q. 1, 2 (discuss three flashbacks, not all of them), 3 and 4.
“On Going Home”
1.TAP
2. p. 11, q. 1, 2
Tomorrow, we will discuss the essays as well as review the Pitts analysis you turned in today.
Monday, January 3, 2011
Second Semester AP Language and Composition...and so it begins!
Hello wonderful AP Langers!
I am thrilled to have you in class this semester. I love reading and writing, and I love that my job as a teacher allows me to share this with you. This is my last semester at Wheeler High School and I'm determined to make it the best semester yet. I'm so excited about the opportunity to get to know you.
Here's are some links to the documents handed out the first day of school:
1. AP Language and Composition Syllabus Spring 2011.
2. What is sure to become your most used piece of material in this course: Ms. Wheatley's Handy Guide to Rhetorical Strategies.
Tone and Diction.
Read and analyze Leonard Pitts, Jr.'s "A Twisted Joke on a Teen Girl." You need to identify the tone, audience and purpose (and give supporting citations) as well as analyze how effective the piece was in conveying the purpose.
Remember to purchase the books for the course as soon as possible so you can save money and be prepared.
We'll start "A Girl Named Zippy" next week. There are enough classroom copies, so you don't need to purchase this book.
I am thrilled to have you in class this semester. I love reading and writing, and I love that my job as a teacher allows me to share this with you. This is my last semester at Wheeler High School and I'm determined to make it the best semester yet. I'm so excited about the opportunity to get to know you.
Here's are some links to the documents handed out the first day of school:
1. AP Language and Composition Syllabus Spring 2011.
2. What is sure to become your most used piece of material in this course: Ms. Wheatley's Handy Guide to Rhetorical Strategies.
Tone and Diction.
Read and analyze Leonard Pitts, Jr.'s "A Twisted Joke on a Teen Girl." You need to identify the tone, audience and purpose (and give supporting citations) as well as analyze how effective the piece was in conveying the purpose.
Remember to purchase the books for the course as soon as possible so you can save money and be prepared.
We'll start "A Girl Named Zippy" next week. There are enough classroom copies, so you don't need to purchase this book.
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