Mon 4/27 Heart of Darkness pp. 238-end. Vocab: inexorable (238), infernal (239), abject, fidelity (243); Why do you think Marlow sees himself as having entered into an “unforeseen partnership” with Kurtz? In what sense has he “remained loyal to Kurtz to the last”? What does Marlow seem to think Kurtz means by his exclamation “The horror! The horror!”? What do you think Kurtz is referring to? What lie(s) does Marlow tell Kurtz’s “intended,” and why?
Tue 4/28 Introduce and view Apocalypse Now (1979; dir. Coppola) in class. Bring your notebook, and take good notes during the film.Working Thesis and Annotated Bibliography due (5 sources)
Wed 4/29 Apocalypse Now
Thur 4/30 Apocalypse Now / all Freshmen and Sophomores to KCPA 9:20-11:30
Fri 5/1 Book talks and independent reading.
Mon 5/4 Finish and discuss Apocalypse Now
Bring Heart of Darkness to class
Tue 5/5 Position paper rough draft due in class / peer editing
Wed 5/6 Read Chinua Achebe, “An Image of Africa: Conrad’s Heart of Darkness” (Story and Its Writer 779-84). Vocab: ponderous (779), felicity (780), vignette (781), epitomize (783). Prepare for short, in-class writing discussing Achebe’s essay, considering his arguments in light of your reading of Heart of Darkness. Does Achebe have some valid points? Is he misreading Conrad? Some of both? Explain your perspective, and be prepared to support your argument with examples and/or quotes from Conrad’s novel.
Thur 5/7 Introduction to Things Fall Apart and student teacher assignment / Time to read and prep lessons
Fri 5/8 Book talks and independent reading.
Mon 5/11 Chinua Achebe, Things Fall Apart, chaps. 1-4. Vocabulary: harmattan (3), plaintive (6), incipient (13), oracle (16), brusqueness (26), valediction (32), arduous (34). Pay attention to the proverbs Achebe uses in his story. How are they used? Do they seem important? Pay attention to the narrator. What kind of narrator is he, and what seems to be his attitude toward the Ibo (does he seem like an insider or an outsider?) Toward Okonkwo and other characters?
Tue 5/12 Things Fall Apart, chaps. 5-7. Vocab: harbinger (56), elusive (59). What is the difference between men’s and women’s stories in this community? How are men’s and women’s roles different in Umuofia? Are these roles any different in other villages? Position paper final draft due
Wed 5/13 Things Fall Apart, chaps. 8-10. Vocab: specious (80), esoteric (88), raffia (89). What kind of names does Ekwefi give her children, and why? Why does everyone in the village assume that Ezinma is an ogbanje child, and why is this significant?
Thur 5/14 Read Things Fall Apart, chaps. 11-13. Vocab: sinister (104), incipient (106), tremulous (121). Why do you think the priestess Chielo takes Ezinma to the cave? After Ezeudu’s son is shot, the narrator tells us “violent deaths were frequent, but nothing like this had ever happened” (124). What do you think he means by this? How is this incident exceptional? What effect does it have on Okonkwo’s life?
Fri 5/15 Book talks and independent reading.
Mon 5/18 Things Fall Apart, chaps. 14-19. Vocab: evangelist (143), callow (147), miscreant (152), abomination (153), emanation (157). Think about the questions Uchendu asks Okonkwo after he and his family arrive in Mbanta. Why is Okonkwo unable to answer these questions, and what do you think this says about him? What answers does Uchendu offer? Does his explanation complicate the very patriarchal culture and the hierarchal gender roles we’ve seen so far in Things Fall Apart, or not? What effects do the Missionaries have on this village? Who among the Ibo is attracted to Christianity, and who is not, and why?
Tue 5/19 Things Fall Apart, chaps. 20-25. Vocab: dispensation (178), zeal (178),
desecrate (186). Why do you think Okonkwo constantly regrets that Ezinma is a girl? How has Umuofia changed since Okonkwo and his family have been gone? How are Mr. Brown and Mr. Smith different, and how do these differences affect the Ibo? After you finish the book, consider it in relation to Heart of Darkness – do you see any parallels? In what sense might this book be a response to a book like Heart of Darkness?
Wed 5/20 Wrap up discussion of Things Fall Apart.
Thu 5/21 Review for final exam
Fri 5/22 Book talks / last day of class celebration.
Showing posts with label syllabus. Show all posts
Showing posts with label syllabus. Show all posts
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Monday, April 13, 2009
Heart of Darkness Syllabus Pt. 1
Tue 4/14 Introduction to Heart of Darkness
Things to watch for and think about as you read Heart of Darkness:
• How does Marlow portray Africans, African culture, and Africa?
• How does he portray Europeans, European culture, and colonialism?
• What euphemisms does he use for colonialist enterprises?
• What do we learn about Kurtz as the book progresses? About Marlow? Does Marlow seem like a reliable narrator?
• What different meanings does the idea of the “heart of darkness” take on in the course of the novel?
• How are images of darkness, whiteness, and light used?
Time in class to read for Thursday
Wed 4/15 Listen to Podcast in class / assign position essay
Thur 4/16 Heart of Darkness, pp. 185-98 (“. . . one of Marlow’s inconclusive experiences”). Vocab: ascetic (185), diaphanous, august (186), lurid (187), lugubrious, drollery, catacomb (194).. How does the anonymous frame narrator describe Marlow in relation to other seamen? What images does he use to describe Marlow’s conception of meaning? What do these suggest about the story we’re about to read? Consider Marlow’s descriptions of Africa and African people in this opening section of his narrative: what seems to be his attitude? Is it simple? Complicated? Conflicted? What reasons does Marlow give for mentioning the company’s chief accountant? Why does he call him a “miracle”? (“I shook hands with this miracle, and I learned that he was the company’s chief accountant” [197]).
Fri 4/17 Book talks and independent reading.
Mon 4/20 Heart of Darkness pp. 198-208. Vocab: inscrutable (200), entrails (201), rapacity (202), prevaricator, supercilious (203). Why is Marlow forced to stay on at the mouth of the river, instead of going “up country”? What is his opinion of the Europeans running the operation in the place he’s stranded? How does he view the Eldorado Exploring Expedition?
Tue 4/21 Heart of Darkness pp. 208-22 (“He was silent for a long time.”) Vocab: pate (213), incontinent (215), pensive, precarious, recondite (216), shoal (218). Why is “the worst of it” Marlow’s “suspicion of [the Africans] not being inhuman” (212)? Why does Marlow think his listeners won’t be able to understand his story? Topic sign-up in class / Meet in Siebel 0218
Wed 4/22 Heart of Darkness pp. 222-27. Vocab: prodigious, wraith (223), peroration (224, if you can’t find “peroration,” check “perorate”). What does Marlow mean when he says “All England contributed to the making of Kurtz” (223)? (Consider his specific meaning and more general possible meanings). Why is it ironic that Kurtz has been assigned to write a report for the International Society for the Suppression of Savage Customs? What does Marlow find “ominous” about the report? Meet in Siebel 0218
Thur 4/23 Heart of Darkness pp. 227-38 (to page break). Vocab: fatalism (228), jocose (230), hovel (231), tenebrous (233), aspiration (237). Marlow tells us that “the manager said afterwards that Mr. Kurtz’s methods had ruined the district” (230). What are some of Kurtz’s highly unorthodox “methods”? What are some of the reasons Marlow considers to explain why Kurtz’s “unlawful soul” has gone “beyond the bounds of permitted aspirations” (237)?
Fri 4/24 No School—spring holiday
Things to watch for and think about as you read Heart of Darkness:
• How does Marlow portray Africans, African culture, and Africa?
• How does he portray Europeans, European culture, and colonialism?
• What euphemisms does he use for colonialist enterprises?
• What do we learn about Kurtz as the book progresses? About Marlow? Does Marlow seem like a reliable narrator?
• What different meanings does the idea of the “heart of darkness” take on in the course of the novel?
• How are images of darkness, whiteness, and light used?
Time in class to read for Thursday
Wed 4/15 Listen to Podcast in class / assign position essay
Thur 4/16 Heart of Darkness, pp. 185-98 (“. . . one of Marlow’s inconclusive experiences”). Vocab: ascetic (185), diaphanous, august (186), lurid (187), lugubrious, drollery, catacomb (194).. How does the anonymous frame narrator describe Marlow in relation to other seamen? What images does he use to describe Marlow’s conception of meaning? What do these suggest about the story we’re about to read? Consider Marlow’s descriptions of Africa and African people in this opening section of his narrative: what seems to be his attitude? Is it simple? Complicated? Conflicted? What reasons does Marlow give for mentioning the company’s chief accountant? Why does he call him a “miracle”? (“I shook hands with this miracle, and I learned that he was the company’s chief accountant” [197]).
Fri 4/17 Book talks and independent reading.
Mon 4/20 Heart of Darkness pp. 198-208. Vocab: inscrutable (200), entrails (201), rapacity (202), prevaricator, supercilious (203). Why is Marlow forced to stay on at the mouth of the river, instead of going “up country”? What is his opinion of the Europeans running the operation in the place he’s stranded? How does he view the Eldorado Exploring Expedition?
Tue 4/21 Heart of Darkness pp. 208-22 (“He was silent for a long time.”) Vocab: pate (213), incontinent (215), pensive, precarious, recondite (216), shoal (218). Why is “the worst of it” Marlow’s “suspicion of [the Africans] not being inhuman” (212)? Why does Marlow think his listeners won’t be able to understand his story? Topic sign-up in class / Meet in Siebel 0218
Wed 4/22 Heart of Darkness pp. 222-27. Vocab: prodigious, wraith (223), peroration (224, if you can’t find “peroration,” check “perorate”). What does Marlow mean when he says “All England contributed to the making of Kurtz” (223)? (Consider his specific meaning and more general possible meanings). Why is it ironic that Kurtz has been assigned to write a report for the International Society for the Suppression of Savage Customs? What does Marlow find “ominous” about the report? Meet in Siebel 0218
Thur 4/23 Heart of Darkness pp. 227-38 (to page break). Vocab: fatalism (228), jocose (230), hovel (231), tenebrous (233), aspiration (237). Marlow tells us that “the manager said afterwards that Mr. Kurtz’s methods had ruined the district” (230). What are some of Kurtz’s highly unorthodox “methods”? What are some of the reasons Marlow considers to explain why Kurtz’s “unlawful soul” has gone “beyond the bounds of permitted aspirations” (237)?
Fri 4/24 No School—spring holiday
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Modernism, Colonialism and Postcolonialism Part I / revised
Mon 4/6 “Araby,” by James Joyce (Story and Its Writer 404-8). Vocab: career (404), garrulous (406). Describe the narrator’s feelings for Mangan’s sister. How old does he seem to be, and how old might she be? Why does he fail to buy anything at the bazaar, and what significance does this have for him?
Tue 4/7 T.S. Eliot, “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” (Packet 53), “The Hollow Men” (Packet 55). Vocab: formulated, malinger, obtuse. How would you describe the speaker of “Prufrock”? In what sense could this be considered a “love song”? How would you describe the voice(s) of “The Hollow Men”?
Wed 4/8 Introduction to colonialism and postcolonialism. William Blake,“The Little Black Boy,” Countee Cullen, “Black Majesty,” Langston Hughes, “The English,” “Africa,” and “The Negro Speaks of Rivers,” (Packet 57-58). How does Hughes depict British colonialists in “The English” and “Envoy to Africa”?
Thu 4/9 Read Louise Erdrick “Dear John Wayne” and Sherman Alexie “Scalp Dance by Spokane Indian” (X 89-90). What does John Wayne represent to the speaker of Erdrich’s poem? What is her attitude toward him and what he represents? Does this make sense to you? Who is the speaker of Alexie’s poem? She claims to be telling “the truth. All of it.” What “truth” does the painter Paul Kane seem to be trying to convey in the painting described in the epigraph? How does the speaker’s “truth” contradict or correct it?
Fri 4/10 Book talks and independent reading
Mon 4/13 “The Smallest Woman in the World,” by Clarice Lispector (Story and Its Writer 505-9). Vocab: pygmy, tepid, miasma (506), insuperable (508), sallow (509). Consider the range of reactions to “Little Flower.” What do they imply about these people? Why does the explorer feel “sick” in response to her? (There’s a specific reason, but what do you think is behind it?)
Tue 4/14 Rudyard Kipling, “If” and “The White Man’s Burden,” Henry Labouchere, “The Brown Man’s Burden” (X 61-63). Summarize the arguments of “The White Man’s Burden” and “The Brown Man’s Burden.” Independent reading.
Wed 4/15 Introduction to Heart of Darkness
Things to watch for and think about as you read Heart of Darkness:
• How does Marlow portray Africans, African culture, and Africa?
• How does he portray Europeans, European culture, and colonialism?
• What euphemisms does he use for colonialist enterprises?
• What do we learn about Kurtz as the book progresses? About Marlow? Does Marlow seem like a reliable narrator?
• What different meanings does the idea of the “heart of darkness” take on in the course of the novel?
• How are images of darkness, whiteness, and light used?
Thur 4/16 Heart of Darkness, pp. 185-89 (“. . . one of Marlow’s inconclusive experiences”). Vocab: ascetic (185), diaphanous, august (186), lurid (187). How does the anonymous frame narrator describe Marlow in relation to other seamen? What images does he use to describe Marlow’s conception of meaning? What do these suggest about the story we’re about to read? Position Essay Assigned
Fri 4/17 Book talks and Independent Reading
Tue 4/7 T.S. Eliot, “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” (Packet 53), “The Hollow Men” (Packet 55). Vocab: formulated, malinger, obtuse. How would you describe the speaker of “Prufrock”? In what sense could this be considered a “love song”? How would you describe the voice(s) of “The Hollow Men”?
Wed 4/8 Introduction to colonialism and postcolonialism. William Blake,“The Little Black Boy,” Countee Cullen, “Black Majesty,” Langston Hughes, “The English,” “Africa,” and “The Negro Speaks of Rivers,” (Packet 57-58). How does Hughes depict British colonialists in “The English” and “Envoy to Africa”?
Thu 4/9 Read Louise Erdrick “Dear John Wayne” and Sherman Alexie “Scalp Dance by Spokane Indian” (X 89-90). What does John Wayne represent to the speaker of Erdrich’s poem? What is her attitude toward him and what he represents? Does this make sense to you? Who is the speaker of Alexie’s poem? She claims to be telling “the truth. All of it.” What “truth” does the painter Paul Kane seem to be trying to convey in the painting described in the epigraph? How does the speaker’s “truth” contradict or correct it?
Fri 4/10 Book talks and independent reading
Mon 4/13 “The Smallest Woman in the World,” by Clarice Lispector (Story and Its Writer 505-9). Vocab: pygmy, tepid, miasma (506), insuperable (508), sallow (509). Consider the range of reactions to “Little Flower.” What do they imply about these people? Why does the explorer feel “sick” in response to her? (There’s a specific reason, but what do you think is behind it?)
Tue 4/14 Rudyard Kipling, “If” and “The White Man’s Burden,” Henry Labouchere, “The Brown Man’s Burden” (X 61-63). Summarize the arguments of “The White Man’s Burden” and “The Brown Man’s Burden.” Independent reading.
Wed 4/15 Introduction to Heart of Darkness
Things to watch for and think about as you read Heart of Darkness:
• How does Marlow portray Africans, African culture, and Africa?
• How does he portray Europeans, European culture, and colonialism?
• What euphemisms does he use for colonialist enterprises?
• What do we learn about Kurtz as the book progresses? About Marlow? Does Marlow seem like a reliable narrator?
• What different meanings does the idea of the “heart of darkness” take on in the course of the novel?
• How are images of darkness, whiteness, and light used?
Thur 4/16 Heart of Darkness, pp. 185-89 (“. . . one of Marlow’s inconclusive experiences”). Vocab: ascetic (185), diaphanous, august (186), lurid (187). How does the anonymous frame narrator describe Marlow in relation to other seamen? What images does he use to describe Marlow’s conception of meaning? What do these suggest about the story we’re about to read? Position Essay Assigned
Fri 4/17 Book talks and Independent Reading
Friday, March 6, 2009
Importance of Being Earnest Syllabus
Mon 3/9 “The Garden Party,” by Katherine Mansfield (Story and Its Writer 510-21). Vocab: sordid (516), fray (517). In what ways does this story connect with Emma? In what ways is it different? Introduction to Modernism and brief look at manifestos. Compare / Contrast revisions due.
Tue 3/10 Preface to The Picture of Dorian Gray (Course Packet 82). Find at least one statement in this preface that you agree with, and one that you disagree with (or several that you partly agree and partly disagree with). If this preface is a manifesto of Decadence, what might be some qualities or ideas that define Decadence?
Wed 3/11 The Importance of Being Earnest, Act I. Vocab: expurgation (p. 127), provincial (p. 128), metaphysical (p. 129), gorgon (p. 135). Identify an epigram spoken by one of the characters in Act I, and think about why it’s humorous and/or ironic in the context of this play.
Thu 3/12 Reread Earnest, Act I – do you understand it differently after our discussion yesterday? If so, how? Prepare and present short scenes from Act I (in class).
Fri 3/13 Ms. Bluhm’s last day. English tea. View Act I of Earnest. Last day of 3rd quarter.
Mon 3/16 Earnest, Act II. Vocab: utilitarian (p. 141), vacillating (p. 142), manna (p. 150); What perceived qualities in ‘Ernest’ seem to fascinate Cicely? Why is she interested in him? Why does Algernon’s posing as ‘Ernest’ disrupt Jack’s plan for ‘Ernest’?
Tue 3/17 Earnest, Act III. Vocab: skepticism (p. 174), insuperable (p. 175), mercenary (p. 179), ostentatious (p. 180), heretical (p. 183), capacious (p. 185); Having read the whole play, would you say it’s merely witty and frivolous, or do you see one or more possible “morals”? Assign scenes from Earnest
Wed 3/18 View Acts II & III in film version of The Importance of Being Earnest
Thurs 3/19 Time in class to work on scenes from The Importance of Being Earnest.
Fri 3/20 Book talks and independent reading.
Spring Break—March 23-27
Mon 3/27-Wed 3/29 Prepare and present final scenes from The Importance of Being Earnest
Tue 3/10 Preface to The Picture of Dorian Gray (Course Packet 82). Find at least one statement in this preface that you agree with, and one that you disagree with (or several that you partly agree and partly disagree with). If this preface is a manifesto of Decadence, what might be some qualities or ideas that define Decadence?
Wed 3/11 The Importance of Being Earnest, Act I. Vocab: expurgation (p. 127), provincial (p. 128), metaphysical (p. 129), gorgon (p. 135). Identify an epigram spoken by one of the characters in Act I, and think about why it’s humorous and/or ironic in the context of this play.
Thu 3/12 Reread Earnest, Act I – do you understand it differently after our discussion yesterday? If so, how? Prepare and present short scenes from Act I (in class).
Fri 3/13 Ms. Bluhm’s last day. English tea. View Act I of Earnest. Last day of 3rd quarter.
Mon 3/16 Earnest, Act II. Vocab: utilitarian (p. 141), vacillating (p. 142), manna (p. 150); What perceived qualities in ‘Ernest’ seem to fascinate Cicely? Why is she interested in him? Why does Algernon’s posing as ‘Ernest’ disrupt Jack’s plan for ‘Ernest’?
Tue 3/17 Earnest, Act III. Vocab: skepticism (p. 174), insuperable (p. 175), mercenary (p. 179), ostentatious (p. 180), heretical (p. 183), capacious (p. 185); Having read the whole play, would you say it’s merely witty and frivolous, or do you see one or more possible “morals”? Assign scenes from Earnest
Wed 3/18 View Acts II & III in film version of The Importance of Being Earnest
Thurs 3/19 Time in class to work on scenes from The Importance of Being Earnest.
Fri 3/20 Book talks and independent reading.
Spring Break—March 23-27
Mon 3/27-Wed 3/29 Prepare and present final scenes from The Importance of Being Earnest
Monday, February 23, 2009
Remaining Emma Syllabus
Mon 2/23 Finish Emma, Ch. 17-19 (16 pp.) [53 – 55]. Vocab: sagacity (308), accession (314), archly (315, check “arch”), impudent (315). Has Emma matured? Find at least three specific passages that show that she has or has not. In what sense is this novel a “comedy”? Is this a truly happy ending? Will any or all of thevarious newly married couples be happy?
Tues 2/24 Peer edit compare-contrast essay; draft due in class
Wed 2/25 Watch Clueless (1995, dir. Amy Heckerling)
Thurs 2/26 Watch Clueless
Fri 2/27 Book talks and independent reading / Compare-contrast essay due in class
Mon 3/2 No school—parent/teacher conferences
Tues 3/3 Discuss Clueless in relation to Emma. Is this film a good adaptation of Austen’s novel into a late-twentieth-century context? Why is 1990s Beverly Hills an interesting time and place to set this story? What significant connections do you see between Clueless and Emma? Does this film convey any of the significant conflicts, ideas, or themes of the novel? Introduction to modernism.
Wed 3/4 Exam review
Thurs 3/5 Quarterly exam: Pygmalion-Emma
Fri 3/6 Book talks and independent reading
Tues 2/24 Peer edit compare-contrast essay; draft due in class
Wed 2/25 Watch Clueless (1995, dir. Amy Heckerling)
Thurs 2/26 Watch Clueless
Fri 2/27 Book talks and independent reading / Compare-contrast essay due in class
Mon 3/2 No school—parent/teacher conferences
Tues 3/3 Discuss Clueless in relation to Emma. Is this film a good adaptation of Austen’s novel into a late-twentieth-century context? Why is 1990s Beverly Hills an interesting time and place to set this story? What significant connections do you see between Clueless and Emma? Does this film convey any of the significant conflicts, ideas, or themes of the novel? Introduction to modernism.
Wed 3/4 Exam review
Thurs 3/5 Quarterly exam: Pygmalion-Emma
Fri 3/6 Book talks and independent reading
Monday, February 2, 2009
Emma Syllabus Week 4
Mon 2/9 Emma, Vol. III, Ch. 8-9 (10 pp.) [44 – 45]. Vocab: abhor (247), dilatory (253). Characterize Emma’s attitude and manner during her visit to Miss Bates. Do you see a change in her, and if so, how do you account for it? How do you interpret Jane’s illness and her responses to Emma’s repeated attempts at kindness?
Tues 2/10 Emma, Vol. III, Ch. 10-11 (15 pp.) [46 – 47]. Vocab: intreat (263, check entreat), solicitude (264), tautology (268), corroborating (268). What news does Mrs. Weston give Emma about Frank? On what subjects does this news cause Emma to revise her thinking? What does the conversation Emma has with Harriet in chapter 11 indicate about the ways that Harriet has been altered by Emma’s tutelage? What feelings of Emma’s does this conversation expose?
Wed 2/11 Emma, Vol. III, Ch. 12-13 (14 pp.) [48 – 49]. Vocab: captious (275), levity (276), intimation (278), clemency (280). Do you sympathize with Emma in her anxieties about Mr. Knightley? What is your response when they come to an understanding? Compare/contrast introduction and basic outline with evidence due – we’ll spend some time in class workshopping these outlines.
Thurs 2/12 Emma, Ch. 14-16 (18 pp.) [50 – 52]. Vocab: parley (285), caviller (287, check “caviler” or “cavil” if you can’t find “caviller”), bandied (290, check “bandy”), wan (291). Do you think Frank's letter explains and/or excuses his previous behavior? What is Emma's response to the letter? What is unconventional about the arrangement Mr. Knightley suggests in chapter 15 [52] to circumvent Emma’s having to leave her father in order to marry? How is Jane’s manner toward Emma in chapter 16 [52] different than the last time Emma attempted to visit her, and why? Emma pastiche due.
Fri 2/13 No class—preregistration activities
Tues 2/10 Emma, Vol. III, Ch. 10-11 (15 pp.) [46 – 47]. Vocab: intreat (263, check entreat), solicitude (264), tautology (268), corroborating (268). What news does Mrs. Weston give Emma about Frank? On what subjects does this news cause Emma to revise her thinking? What does the conversation Emma has with Harriet in chapter 11 indicate about the ways that Harriet has been altered by Emma’s tutelage? What feelings of Emma’s does this conversation expose?
Wed 2/11 Emma, Vol. III, Ch. 12-13 (14 pp.) [48 – 49]. Vocab: captious (275), levity (276), intimation (278), clemency (280). Do you sympathize with Emma in her anxieties about Mr. Knightley? What is your response when they come to an understanding? Compare/contrast introduction and basic outline with evidence due – we’ll spend some time in class workshopping these outlines.
Thurs 2/12 Emma, Ch. 14-16 (18 pp.) [50 – 52]. Vocab: parley (285), caviller (287, check “caviler” or “cavil” if you can’t find “caviller”), bandied (290, check “bandy”), wan (291). Do you think Frank's letter explains and/or excuses his previous behavior? What is Emma's response to the letter? What is unconventional about the arrangement Mr. Knightley suggests in chapter 15 [52] to circumvent Emma’s having to leave her father in order to marry? How is Jane’s manner toward Emma in chapter 16 [52] different than the last time Emma attempted to visit her, and why? Emma pastiche due.
Fri 2/13 No class—preregistration activities
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Emma Syllabus Week 3 Linder
Mon 2/2 Emma, Vol. II, Ch. 12-14 (16 pp.) [30-32](Ch 9-11 optional – If you are not able to read 9-11, some developments: Emma feels uneasy after the Coles’s party because she has indiscreetly shared with Frank Churchill her suspicions of Jane's feelings for Mr. Dixon (she also dwells a bit on her own musical inferiority to Jane); Harriet is still thinking about Mr. Martin; Frank teases Jane Fairfax about the pianoforte and though Emma thinks Jane is secretly “cherishing reprehensible feelings” for the anonymous giver (who Emma assumes is Mr. Dixon), she is “half ashamed” because Frank has teased Jane about it in a most unseemly manner; Frank and Emma plan a ball, and all are excited at the prospect of it.) For Ch. 12-14 [31-32], vocab: allusion (171), perusal (172), reproof (174), auspices (179), pert (181). Why does Emma find Mrs. Elton an “insufferable woman”? Try to find a couple of examples of Mrs. Elton’s most egregious offenses in Emma’s eyes.
Tues 2/3 Emma, Vol. II, Ch. 15-18 (21 pp.) [33-36] Vocab: conjugal (183), licentiousness (185), penury (185), appellation (188). Find two specific passages regarding Mrs. Elton that offer some insight into Emma's distaste for her. Do other people seem to find Mrs. Elton objectionable? Do you? Consider a possible subtext in the discussion of Frank Churchill's handwriting at the end of chapter 16 [34]. Does there seem to be more at stake than his script? Characterize Jane Fairfax's attitude toward being a governess. What analogy does she use to describe the business of placing governesses in chapter 17 [35], and what does her choice of words say about her feelings toward her future profession? What is ironic about the conversation Mr. Weston and Mrs. Elton have about Mrs. Churchill in chapter 18 [36]?
Wed 2/4 Emma, Vol. III, Ch. 1-4 (18 pp.) [37 – 40]. Vocab: eminent (206), expeditious(209), reprobation (215), impelled (219). In what way does Mr. Elton insult Harriet in chapter 2 [38], and how does this reflect on him and Mrs. Elton? What do you think the narrator means when she calls Emma an "imaginist" (Ch. 3, p. 218)? Do you think Emma understands herself to be an imaginist? Look carefully at the paragraph and consider whether this seems to be the narrator's perspective strictly, or Emma's also. What does Harriet’s “confession” to Emma in Ch. 4 tell us about her? (note: our footnote says “court plaister” is adhesive tape. It’s more like a primitive form of band-aid). Emma pastiche assigned.
Thurs 2/5 Emma, Vol. III, Ch. 5-7 (23 pp.) [41-43]. Vocab: disingenuousness (227), reproof (230), arrear (231), fagged (246). What "blunder" does Frank make in chapter 5 [41]? Find the slip he makes early in the chapter, which he refers to later during the alphabet game. Consider the tense but constrained conflicts in chapter 6 between Mrs. Elton and Mr. Knightley, and later between Emma and Jane. What seems to be underneath each of these terse discussions, and which of the participants appears more favorably in each? In what way does Emma insult Miss Bates in chapter 7? Why does Mr. Knightley find this not only rude, but cruel? How does his criticism affect Emma?
Fri 2/6 Book talks and independent reading.
Tues 2/3 Emma, Vol. II, Ch. 15-18 (21 pp.) [33-36] Vocab: conjugal (183), licentiousness (185), penury (185), appellation (188). Find two specific passages regarding Mrs. Elton that offer some insight into Emma's distaste for her. Do other people seem to find Mrs. Elton objectionable? Do you? Consider a possible subtext in the discussion of Frank Churchill's handwriting at the end of chapter 16 [34]. Does there seem to be more at stake than his script? Characterize Jane Fairfax's attitude toward being a governess. What analogy does she use to describe the business of placing governesses in chapter 17 [35], and what does her choice of words say about her feelings toward her future profession? What is ironic about the conversation Mr. Weston and Mrs. Elton have about Mrs. Churchill in chapter 18 [36]?
Wed 2/4 Emma, Vol. III, Ch. 1-4 (18 pp.) [37 – 40]. Vocab: eminent (206), expeditious(209), reprobation (215), impelled (219). In what way does Mr. Elton insult Harriet in chapter 2 [38], and how does this reflect on him and Mrs. Elton? What do you think the narrator means when she calls Emma an "imaginist" (Ch. 3, p. 218)? Do you think Emma understands herself to be an imaginist? Look carefully at the paragraph and consider whether this seems to be the narrator's perspective strictly, or Emma's also. What does Harriet’s “confession” to Emma in Ch. 4 tell us about her? (note: our footnote says “court plaister” is adhesive tape. It’s more like a primitive form of band-aid). Emma pastiche assigned.
Thurs 2/5 Emma, Vol. III, Ch. 5-7 (23 pp.) [41-43]. Vocab: disingenuousness (227), reproof (230), arrear (231), fagged (246). What "blunder" does Frank make in chapter 5 [41]? Find the slip he makes early in the chapter, which he refers to later during the alphabet game. Consider the tense but constrained conflicts in chapter 6 between Mrs. Elton and Mr. Knightley, and later between Emma and Jane. What seems to be underneath each of these terse discussions, and which of the participants appears more favorably in each? In what way does Emma insult Miss Bates in chapter 7? Why does Mr. Knightley find this not only rude, but cruel? How does his criticism affect Emma?
Fri 2/6 Book talks and independent reading.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Emma Syllabus Week 2 Linder
Mon 1/26 Emma, Ch. 15-18 (to end of Vol. I; 17 pp.) Vocab: perverse (81), presumption
(89), incongruity (89), ingenuousness (92), mortification (93), expediency (96). Why are Emma and Mr. Elton both angry and insulted after their exchange in the carriage on the way home from Randalls? In what ways does Emma’s character develop as a result of the “overthrow of all her plans”?
Tues 1/27 Emma, Vol. II, Ch. 1-3 (16 pp.) [19-21] Vocab: solace (98), insidious (102), fondling (noun, 104), recantation (108), diffidence (110). What is Emma’s attitude toward Miss Bates in these chapters? Does her behavior toward her reflect her attitude, or is it more (or less) respectful than her thoughts might suggest? What are some of the reasons Emma doesn’t particularly like Jane Fairfax?
Wed 1/28 Emma, Vol. II, Ch. 4-6 (18 pp.) [22-24] Vocab: mortified (117), pique (118), reproach (119). How does Emma react to the news that Mr. Elton is going to be married? What judgments of his wife-to-be does she make, based on what she’s heard about her? Why do you think Emma anticipates Frank Churchill’s visit so much? What are her impressions of him?
Thurs. 1/29 Emma, Vol. II, Ch. 7-8 (16 pp.) [25-26] Vocab: chaise (132), foppery (132), ostentation (137), languid (149). What do you make of Emma’s attitude toward the Coles’ inviting her and her father to their dinner party? How does this reflect on her, and what does it indicate to you about her? Does the narrator seem to accept her attitudes? To subtly mock them? To critique them? Why does Mr. Knightley call Emma “Nonsensical girl!”? Do you agree with his jibe? Does Emma’s certainty about the origin of the gift of a pianoforte to Jane Fairfax seem founded? What are some of the reasons that the idea of Mr. Knightley marrying Jane perturbs Emma so much? Compare and contrast essay assigned.
Fri 1/30 Book talks and independent reading.
(89), incongruity (89), ingenuousness (92), mortification (93), expediency (96). Why are Emma and Mr. Elton both angry and insulted after their exchange in the carriage on the way home from Randalls? In what ways does Emma’s character develop as a result of the “overthrow of all her plans”?
Tues 1/27 Emma, Vol. II, Ch. 1-3 (16 pp.) [19-21] Vocab: solace (98), insidious (102), fondling (noun, 104), recantation (108), diffidence (110). What is Emma’s attitude toward Miss Bates in these chapters? Does her behavior toward her reflect her attitude, or is it more (or less) respectful than her thoughts might suggest? What are some of the reasons Emma doesn’t particularly like Jane Fairfax?
Wed 1/28 Emma, Vol. II, Ch. 4-6 (18 pp.) [22-24] Vocab: mortified (117), pique (118), reproach (119). How does Emma react to the news that Mr. Elton is going to be married? What judgments of his wife-to-be does she make, based on what she’s heard about her? Why do you think Emma anticipates Frank Churchill’s visit so much? What are her impressions of him?
Thurs. 1/29 Emma, Vol. II, Ch. 7-8 (16 pp.) [25-26] Vocab: chaise (132), foppery (132), ostentation (137), languid (149). What do you make of Emma’s attitude toward the Coles’ inviting her and her father to their dinner party? How does this reflect on her, and what does it indicate to you about her? Does the narrator seem to accept her attitudes? To subtly mock them? To critique them? Why does Mr. Knightley call Emma “Nonsensical girl!”? Do you agree with his jibe? Does Emma’s certainty about the origin of the gift of a pianoforte to Jane Fairfax seem founded? What are some of the reasons that the idea of Mr. Knightley marrying Jane perturbs Emma so much? Compare and contrast essay assigned.
Fri 1/30 Book talks and independent reading.
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Emma Syllabus Week 1 Linder
I will hand out the complete Emma syllabus in class, but will post online one week at a time as the syllabus is so very long. We also have the pleasure of a student teacher joining us this semester. Ms. Bluhm will join our class on Monday, January 26 and will be teaching a large part of Emma. Look for an introductory letter from her on the blog in the next week or so.
Week one of Emma:
Thur 1/15 Emma, Vol. I, Ch. 1 (7 pp.) Vocab: alloy (1), endeavor (6), unaffected (7). What is your initial impression of Emma? What does her father think of her? What does Mr. Knightley think of her? What does she think of herself? Does the narrator's perception of her seem different than her own? Find quotes to illustrate each perspective.
Mon 1/19 No school--MLK holiday
Tue 1/20 Emma, Ch. 2-5 (18 pp.) Vocab: benevolent (11), vicar (11), gruel (14), unmodulated (20), inducement (22). Who is Frank Churchill? Trace the connection between him and Emma. Who is Harriet Smith, and why does Emma take a liking to her? Why does Mr. Knightley object to the friendship between Harriet and Emma?
Wed 1/21 Emma, Ch. 6-8 (18 pp.) Vocab: scruple (27), approbation (28), countenance (29), inimitable (30), diffuse (35). Why do Emma and Mr. Knightley disagree on the question of whether Harriet should accept Robert Martin's proposal of marriage?
Thur 1/22 Emma, Ch. 9-10 & 13-14 (26 pp. total; Ch 11-12 optional*). Vocab: cipher (44), indisposed (71), contrivance (75), solicitous (77). Do you think Emma is correct in thinking that Mr. Elton is falling for Harriet? Find specific passages that support your view.
Fri 1/23 Book talks and independent reading
* Summary of chapters 11 & 12: Emma's sister Isabella and her husband, John Knightley, bring their five children to Harfield to spend ten days during the Christmas holidays. George Knightley is invited to dinner, and Emma is anxious to make up with him after his scoulding over her interference in Harriet's life. After dinner, there is discussin of Frank Churchill's overdue and much speculated-upon visit to Highbury, and of Miss Bates's niece Jane Fairfax, who Isabella thinks would make very good company for Emma. Isabella and her father eat a bowl of gruel together, but are unable to compel any of the other to join them.
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Pygmalion Syllabus Linder
Tues 1/6 George Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalion, Preface and Act One. Vocab: gumption (14), brogue (26), bilious (27), mendacity (28), prodigal (31). What kind of world is described in this act? What are the values, pastimes, interests and concerns of this world? Do you see any of the play’s themes emerging? If so, what do they seem to be?
Wed 1/7 Pygmalion, Act Two. Vocab: petulance (34), pathos (36), elocution (42), dogmatic (49), blackguard (53), remonstrate (54), incensed (61). How would you describe Higgins’s attitude toward Eliza? Do you think Shaw approves of this attitude or not, and why? What seems to be Shaw’s attitude toward Higgins? (consider especially his description in the stage directions).
Thurs 1/8 Pygmalion, Act Three. Vocab: caricature (66), straitened, brusque (70), pedantic (73), extricate, imprecation (75), voluble (87). What seems to be Mrs. Higgins’s attitude toward her son? Why is this different than Pickering’s attitude toward him, and how? What reaction do each of the Eynsford-Hills have to Eliza? Why is her conversation with them so humorous?
Fri 1/9 Book talks and independent reading
Mon 1/12 Pygmalion, Act Four. Vocab: cant (103), asunder (108), resplendent (113), repudiate (116), reproach, incorrigible (123). Why does Eliza react as she does to Higgins in Act Four? How has she changed over the course of the play?
Tues 1/13 Pygmalion, Act Five. Vocab.: resplendent (113), repudiate (116), reproach, incorrigible (123). After reading the end of Act Five, consider this play as a comedy. In what sense is it comedic, and how does it differ from the classical definition of comedy we discussed first semester?
Wed 1/14 Read Pygmalion “Sequel” (pp. 134-48). Brainstorm ideas for a brief comparison between Pygmalion and Frankenstein (typed, one double-spaced page, due Tuesday 1/20). What do these stories have in common, if anything, and how are their similarities significant? Does Higgins do Eliza a disservice in “re-creating” her and/or in his treatment of her throughout the play? Do Higgins and Eliza have anything in common with Victor Frankenstein and his creation? In what significant ways are they different? In class: view and discuss scenes from My Fair Lady.
Thurs 1/15 Emma,Vol I, Ch. 1 (7 pp.) Vocab: alloy (1), endeavor (6), unaffected (7). What is your initial impression of Emma? What does her father think of her? What does Mr. Knightley think of her? What does she think of herself? Does the narrator’s perception of her seem different than her own? Find quotes to illustrate each perspective.
Fri 1/16 Book talks and independent reading
Wed 1/7 Pygmalion, Act Two. Vocab: petulance (34), pathos (36), elocution (42), dogmatic (49), blackguard (53), remonstrate (54), incensed (61). How would you describe Higgins’s attitude toward Eliza? Do you think Shaw approves of this attitude or not, and why? What seems to be Shaw’s attitude toward Higgins? (consider especially his description in the stage directions).
Thurs 1/8 Pygmalion, Act Three. Vocab: caricature (66), straitened, brusque (70), pedantic (73), extricate, imprecation (75), voluble (87). What seems to be Mrs. Higgins’s attitude toward her son? Why is this different than Pickering’s attitude toward him, and how? What reaction do each of the Eynsford-Hills have to Eliza? Why is her conversation with them so humorous?
Fri 1/9 Book talks and independent reading
Mon 1/12 Pygmalion, Act Four. Vocab: cant (103), asunder (108), resplendent (113), repudiate (116), reproach, incorrigible (123). Why does Eliza react as she does to Higgins in Act Four? How has she changed over the course of the play?
Tues 1/13 Pygmalion, Act Five. Vocab.: resplendent (113), repudiate (116), reproach, incorrigible (123). After reading the end of Act Five, consider this play as a comedy. In what sense is it comedic, and how does it differ from the classical definition of comedy we discussed first semester?
Wed 1/14 Read Pygmalion “Sequel” (pp. 134-48). Brainstorm ideas for a brief comparison between Pygmalion and Frankenstein (typed, one double-spaced page, due Tuesday 1/20). What do these stories have in common, if anything, and how are their similarities significant? Does Higgins do Eliza a disservice in “re-creating” her and/or in his treatment of her throughout the play? Do Higgins and Eliza have anything in common with Victor Frankenstein and his creation? In what significant ways are they different? In class: view and discuss scenes from My Fair Lady.
Thurs 1/15 Emma,Vol I, Ch. 1 (7 pp.) Vocab: alloy (1), endeavor (6), unaffected (7). What is your initial impression of Emma? What does her father think of her? What does Mr. Knightley think of her? What does she think of herself? Does the narrator’s perception of her seem different than her own? Find quotes to illustrate each perspective.
Fri 1/16 Book talks and independent reading
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Frankenstein Syllabus
Poetry Explication Project and Frankenstein (Note: all page numbers refer to the Dover edition)
Mon 11/17 Computer work time. All classes Siebel 0218
Tue 11/18 Computer work time. 1st: Siebel 0218, 3rd: PC Lab, 4th: Various Labs
Paraphrase of poem due
Wed 11/19 Percy Bysshe Shelley, “England in 1819” and “Ozymandias” (Packet 37, 39). Vocab: tempestuous, visage, colossal. Can you find a specific argument in “Ozymandias”? Read the poem carefully several times, and consider what point Shelley might be attempting to make with this story.
Thu 11/20 Computer work time. 1st: Siebel 0218, 3rd: PC Lab, 4th: Various Labs Wiki format and rough draft of entry due to group / turn in skeleton of analysis section to Ms. Linder
Fri 11/21 Independent reading and book talks.
Mon 11/24 Introduction to Romanticism & Frankenstein. Read William Wordsworth “I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud.” (Packet 38) and Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, Frankenstein, note and Author’s Intro (pp. iii-x) . Vocab (Frankenstein): eponymous (iii), dilate (v), mortifying (vii),. In “I Wandered,” what role do the daffodils play in the speaker’s life when he first sees them, and afterward?
Tue 11/25 Read Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, Frankenstein, Letters 1-IV, ch. 1-2 (pp. 1-23). Vocab: fervent, satiate (1), inure (2), poignant (11) divine (verb, 18), predilection (20). In “Letter I,” Walton mentions his former desire to become a poet. He names certain poets he had hoped to be compared to. Which poets does he name, and what might this aspiration tell us about Walton?
Thanksgiving Break
Mon 12/1 In Class Reading Day--Frankenstein, chaps. 3-7 (pp. 23-54). Vocab: repugnance (25), abstruse (29), precept (31), tumult (35), diffident (44), salubrious (45). We hear the name Frankenstein for the first time in this section. In what context? Why now? How this moment important? Why does Victor decide to build a man (instead of, say, a dog)? Why a huge man? What is strange and/or surprising about Victor’s life in the hours, days, and months after he successfully brings the creature to life? Generally speaking, what impression do you get of Victor Frankenstein?
Tue 12/2 Frankenstein, chaps. 8-10 (pp. 54-70). Vocab: obdurate, ignominy, perdition (58), efface (62), sublime (64), ascent, precipitous (66), odious (70). Characterize the creature’s speech during his conversation with Victor. What do you notice about the way he talks and/or the things he says? Does his speech surprise you and, if so, how?
Wed 12/3 Frankenstein, chaps. 11-12 (pp.70-81). Vocab: slake (71), inclemency (74), disconsolate (75), exhortation (79). Where does the creature finally find shelter? What does he observe in this place, and why does it please him so much? Assign sublime scrapbook
Thur 12/4 Frankenstein, chaps. 13-16 (pp. 81-104). Vocab: diffuse (82), scion (84), abject (84), consummation (87), expostulate (89), sagacity (93), respite (100). As the creature learns about human society and history, what things bother him? What view of human culture(s) does the story of the DeLaceys and Safie seem to offer the creature? Why do you think he refers to his feelings toward the DeLaceys as “innocent, half-painful self deceit”? In Chapter XVI we learn that the creature has killed one person, and caused the death of another. Who, and how? As the creature finishes his story, what demand does he make of Victor Frankenstein, and why? View scenes from Frankenstein (1930)
Fri 12/5 Independent reading and book talks.
Mon 12/8 Computer work time. All classes Siebel 0218
Complete second draft due by end of class
Tue 12/9 Frankenstein, chaps. 17-18 (pp. 104-14). Vocab: concede (104), abhorred, enjoin (108), guise (110), sedulous (111). What does the creature promise in exchange for Victor granting his request? How does Victor initially respond to this demand and these promises?
Wed 12/10 Frankenstein, chaps. 19-20 (pp. 114-27). Vocab: expedite (118), sophism (121), insuperable (123), sanguinary (126), mutable (126). Where does Victor go to create a mate for the creature? Why do you think he chooses this area? How is the process different for Victor this time than last time? What are some of Victor’s specific apprehensions about creating a female creature? View scenes from Bride of Frankenstein (1935).
Thu 12/11 Frankenstein, chaps. 21-22 (pp. 128-43). Vocab: precarious (133), dissipate (133), torpor (134), erroneous (136), consternation (137), conjure (check context, 138). What impression do you get of Elizabeth from her letter in this section? Does it coincide with the view of her that Victor has given us? How does Victor interpret the “wedding day” threat? What do you think the creature is planning?
Fri 12/12 Book talks and independent reading. No reading journal entry required this week.
Final draft of poetry project due in class.
Mon 12/15 Frankenstein, chap. 23-end (pp. 143-66). Vocab: lour (146), acme (146), physiognomy (148), gibe (153). What vow does Victor Frankenstein make in this last section of the book, and what actions must he take to fulfill it? What significance does his journey have, aside from its necessity in carrying out his vow? (Consider where he goes, how he gets there, what he experiences along the way – do these things seem to have symbolic or thematic importance?) Choose what you think is the most important or interesting passage in Frankenstein. Begin Young Frankenstein (1974; Dir. Mel Brooks; 106 min) Sublime scrapbook due.
Tue 12/16 Young Frankenstein continued
Wed 12/17 finish Young Frankenstein / 2nd quarter exam review
Thu 12/13 & Fri 12/14 Exam days—English II exam, Friday AM
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Paradise Lost Syllabus
English II Linder
Syllabus: John Milton’s Paradise Lost
Wed 10/15 PSAT—no English class
Thu 10/16 William Shakespeare, Sonnet 18, Sonnet 130, and Sonnet 138 (Packet 34). Vocab: reek (find the most neutral—i.e. not negative— meaning your dictionary offers), belie. What claim do the last two lines of Sonnet 18 make? Do these three poems present compatible views of love, or do they contradict one another?
Fri 10/17 Book talks and independent reading.
Mon 10/20 Edna St. Vincent Millay, “I, Being Born a Woman,” “Love Is Not Blind,” “I Shall Forget You Presently, My Dear,” and “I Think I Should Have Loved You Presently” (Photocopies distributed in class). Vocab: propinquity, entreat, contrive, reticence. Consider these sonnets in comparison to Shakespeare’s. Are there similarities, differences, or both? Do the Millaysonnets seem more “modern”? If so, how? How do they compare to the carpe diem poems (Marvell, Herrick) we read a few weeks ago?
Sonnet assigned in class
Tue 10/21 Read Gerard Manley Hopkins, “Thou Art Indeed Just, Lord,” and Peter Meineke, “The Poet, Trying to Surprise His God” (Packet 36). Vocab: sot, eunuch. Characterize each speaker’s tone and attitude toward the figure of “God.” Do they seem to be addressing the same God?
Wed 10/22 Introduction to John Milton and Paradise Lost. For every reading assignment in Milton: Mark spoken lines with quotation marks; mark simple subject(s) and verb(s) in each sentence (circle subject and double-underline verb)
Peer-edit workshop sonnet
Thu 10/23 Read Book I (1-191; incl. “The Verse” and “The Argument”) vocab: invoke (13), confound (53), obdurate (58), suppliant (112), impetuous (175). How does Milton describe his intentions in the invocation (ll. 1-26)? Look closely at Milton’s descriptions of Satan; underline all significant descriptive phrases, and look up any unfamiliar words.
Fri 10/24 Book talks and independent reading.
Sonnet due in class
Mon 10/27 Book I (615-end)—Satan addresses the other fallen angels: vocab: repute (639), guile (646), impious (686), zenith (745), jocund (787) How does Satan describe the rebellion in heaven? What does he propose they do now? What is Satan’s main complaint against God? Underline significant descriptive phrases and look up any unfamiliar words.
Tue 10/28 Book II (Argument), Book III (Argument, 1-55), Book IV (Argument, 1-113, 358-92) vocab: suffusion (III.26), tumultuous (IV.16), vain (IV.87), innocence (IV.388). How does Milton describe sight, vision, and poetic inspiration in the invocation to Book III? How does Satan react upon first seeing Eden? How does he justify his destructive intentions? How does Satan describe Adam and Eve? Underline all significant descriptive phrases and look up any unfamiliar words.
Wed 10/29 Book IV (689-775), Books V-VIII (Arguments), Book IX (Argument, 1-191) vocab: ween (IV.741), venial (IX.5), harbinger (13), imp (89), bane (123), redound (128) In what form does Satan choose to enter the Garden and why does he choose this? How does Satan describe himself and his predicament as he contemplates God’s creation? Underline all significant descriptive phrases and look up any unfamiliar words.
Choral readings assigned.
Thu 10/30 Book IX (192-384) vocab: ply (201), affront (328). Why does Eve insist that she be allowed to work alone? What arguments does she use to support her claim? Why does Adam object? What counterarguments does he use? Why does he finally submit? Look closely at Adam’s descriptions of Eve and Eve’s descriptions of Adam. Underline all significant descriptive phrases and look up any unfamiliar words.
Fri 11/2 Book talks and independent reading.
Mon 11/3 Book IX (385-493) vocab: rancour (409), sapient (442), pent (445). Why is Satan so pleased to see Eve working alone? What effect does the sight of her have on him? What do you make of his reaction?
Tues 11/4 Book IX (494-779)—In-class group reading/no reading assigment, but look up vocabulary before class. vocab: organic (530), insatiate (535), demur (558), capacious (603), credulous (644), elocution (748).
Wed 11/5 Book IX (780-1066) vocab: ignorance (809; cf. innocence [1054]), distemper (887), fondly (999) How does Milton depict the immediate effects of the forbidden fruit on Eve? How does Adam react to her? How does she persuade him to eat it too?
Thurs 11/6 Book IX (1067-end), Book X-XII (Arguments) vocab: concupiscence (1078), impute (1145), facile (1158). What further effects of the forbidden fruit are evident here? How do Adam and Eve talk to each other, compared to earlier examples of their conversation?
Fri 11/7 Book talks and independent reading.
Mon 11/10 No school—parent-teacher conferences
Tue 11/11 Wrap up discussion of Paradise Lost. Prepare for choral readings.
Wed 11/12 Choral readings of Paradise Lost
Thu 11/13 Explication essay assigned in class. Class will meet in computer labs TBA
Fri 11/14 Book talks and independent reading
Syllabus: John Milton’s Paradise Lost
Wed 10/15 PSAT—no English class
Thu 10/16 William Shakespeare, Sonnet 18, Sonnet 130, and Sonnet 138 (Packet 34). Vocab: reek (find the most neutral—i.e. not negative— meaning your dictionary offers), belie. What claim do the last two lines of Sonnet 18 make? Do these three poems present compatible views of love, or do they contradict one another?
Fri 10/17 Book talks and independent reading.
Mon 10/20 Edna St. Vincent Millay, “I, Being Born a Woman,” “Love Is Not Blind,” “I Shall Forget You Presently, My Dear,” and “I Think I Should Have Loved You Presently” (Photocopies distributed in class). Vocab: propinquity, entreat, contrive, reticence. Consider these sonnets in comparison to Shakespeare’s. Are there similarities, differences, or both? Do the Millaysonnets seem more “modern”? If so, how? How do they compare to the carpe diem poems (Marvell, Herrick) we read a few weeks ago?
Sonnet assigned in class
Tue 10/21 Read Gerard Manley Hopkins, “Thou Art Indeed Just, Lord,” and Peter Meineke, “The Poet, Trying to Surprise His God” (Packet 36). Vocab: sot, eunuch. Characterize each speaker’s tone and attitude toward the figure of “God.” Do they seem to be addressing the same God?
Wed 10/22 Introduction to John Milton and Paradise Lost. For every reading assignment in Milton: Mark spoken lines with quotation marks; mark simple subject(s) and verb(s) in each sentence (circle subject and double-underline verb)
Peer-edit workshop sonnet
Thu 10/23 Read Book I (1-191; incl. “The Verse” and “The Argument”) vocab: invoke (13), confound (53), obdurate (58), suppliant (112), impetuous (175). How does Milton describe his intentions in the invocation (ll. 1-26)? Look closely at Milton’s descriptions of Satan; underline all significant descriptive phrases, and look up any unfamiliar words.
Fri 10/24 Book talks and independent reading.
Sonnet due in class
Mon 10/27 Book I (615-end)—Satan addresses the other fallen angels: vocab: repute (639), guile (646), impious (686), zenith (745), jocund (787) How does Satan describe the rebellion in heaven? What does he propose they do now? What is Satan’s main complaint against God? Underline significant descriptive phrases and look up any unfamiliar words.
Tue 10/28 Book II (Argument), Book III (Argument, 1-55), Book IV (Argument, 1-113, 358-92) vocab: suffusion (III.26), tumultuous (IV.16), vain (IV.87), innocence (IV.388). How does Milton describe sight, vision, and poetic inspiration in the invocation to Book III? How does Satan react upon first seeing Eden? How does he justify his destructive intentions? How does Satan describe Adam and Eve? Underline all significant descriptive phrases and look up any unfamiliar words.
Wed 10/29 Book IV (689-775), Books V-VIII (Arguments), Book IX (Argument, 1-191) vocab: ween (IV.741), venial (IX.5), harbinger (13), imp (89), bane (123), redound (128) In what form does Satan choose to enter the Garden and why does he choose this? How does Satan describe himself and his predicament as he contemplates God’s creation? Underline all significant descriptive phrases and look up any unfamiliar words.
Choral readings assigned.
Thu 10/30 Book IX (192-384) vocab: ply (201), affront (328). Why does Eve insist that she be allowed to work alone? What arguments does she use to support her claim? Why does Adam object? What counterarguments does he use? Why does he finally submit? Look closely at Adam’s descriptions of Eve and Eve’s descriptions of Adam. Underline all significant descriptive phrases and look up any unfamiliar words.
Fri 11/2 Book talks and independent reading.
Mon 11/3 Book IX (385-493) vocab: rancour (409), sapient (442), pent (445). Why is Satan so pleased to see Eve working alone? What effect does the sight of her have on him? What do you make of his reaction?
Tues 11/4 Book IX (494-779)—In-class group reading/no reading assigment, but look up vocabulary before class. vocab: organic (530), insatiate (535), demur (558), capacious (603), credulous (644), elocution (748).
Wed 11/5 Book IX (780-1066) vocab: ignorance (809; cf. innocence [1054]), distemper (887), fondly (999) How does Milton depict the immediate effects of the forbidden fruit on Eve? How does Adam react to her? How does she persuade him to eat it too?
Thurs 11/6 Book IX (1067-end), Book X-XII (Arguments) vocab: concupiscence (1078), impute (1145), facile (1158). What further effects of the forbidden fruit are evident here? How do Adam and Eve talk to each other, compared to earlier examples of their conversation?
Fri 11/7 Book talks and independent reading.
Mon 11/10 No school—parent-teacher conferences
Tue 11/11 Wrap up discussion of Paradise Lost. Prepare for choral readings.
Wed 11/12 Choral readings of Paradise Lost
Thu 11/13 Explication essay assigned in class. Class will meet in computer labs TBA
Fri 11/14 Book talks and independent reading
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Remaining Midsummer Night's Dream Syllabus
Wed 10/1 A Midsummer Night’s Dream performances. (Bring your independent-reading book in case we finish early.)
Thur 10/2 A Midsummer Night’s Dream performances. (Bring your independent-reading book in case we finish early.)
Fri 10/3 Book talks and independent reading
Mon 10/6 View and discuss A Midsummer Night’s Dream (1999, 116 min)
Tue 10/7 View and discuss A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Wed 10/8 finish viewing A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Bring your independent reading book in case we finish early
Thur 10//9 Review for exam
Fri 10/10 Book talks and independent reading.
Mon 10/13 No School—Columbus Day
Tue 10/14 Exam: Oedipus Rex – A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Thur 10/2 A Midsummer Night’s Dream performances. (Bring your independent-reading book in case we finish early.)
Fri 10/3 Book talks and independent reading
Mon 10/6 View and discuss A Midsummer Night’s Dream (1999, 116 min)
Tue 10/7 View and discuss A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Wed 10/8 finish viewing A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Bring your independent reading book in case we finish early
Thur 10//9 Review for exam
Fri 10/10 Book talks and independent reading.
Mon 10/13 No School—Columbus Day
Tue 10/14 Exam: Oedipus Rex – A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
