HW Due Tuesday, June 1

http://www.eliewieselfoundation.org/nobelprizespeech.aspx

Visit the above website to read Elie Wiesel's speech at his Nobel Prize awards ceremony in 1986. What is his message?

HW Due Thursday, May 27

WOOOOLLLLFFFF!!! Hey guys and dolls- I know it's been a long while since I posted here. I know you have been DYING for homework reminders! Here goes the HW for the day:

Copy down a dictionary definition for the following words. Include the part of speech and ALL definitions associated with that word. DO NOT just pick one of the several that will be listed.

Words to define:
1)VICTIM
2)PERPETRATOR
3)BYSTANDER
4)RESISTANCE

ALSO: Period 8, you are also reading up to page 26 for homework. That will take you to the end of chapter 2. You MUST bring the book you borrowed in class today BACK to school tomorrow and return it to Ms. Hanemann at the start of
7th period TOMORROW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

TEST REVIEW

TEST March 26, 2010

Jane Eyre


Character Identification:
JANE
MRS. REED
BESSIE
MR. LLOYD
GEORGIANA
ELIZA
JOHN
HELEN
MR. BROCKLEHURST
MS. TEMPLE
MS. SCATCHERD
UNCLE REED
MRS. FAIRFAX
ADELE
GRACE POOLE
ROCHESTER
Setting Description/Significance

MRS. REED’S HOME
RED-ROOM
LOWOOD SCHOOL
TRIP TO THORNFIELD
THORNFIELD
TRIP TO /FROM HAY

- Red room as a symbol of Jane’s being “locked in” to her class role as an orphan. The overarching metaphor is that when one is “locked in,” to a role, they are simultaneously “locked out” of opportunities. When we meet Jane as an orphan staying with Mrs. Reed, we understand her as a romantic character who desires more than what her “locked in” position can provide.

- Know that the novel contains Gothic elements, romantic conventions, and know that it is an example of a social critique (of the Victorian Era)

- Gothic / horrifying elements: some examples: 1) Jane gets locked in the red-red room 2) Jane sees her ghastly reflection in a mirror and gets creeped out 3) setting is remote and desolate, often taking on a life of its own

- Romantic conventions: some examples: 1) Jane has a strong will and stands up for her self in the face of injustice (tells Mrs. Reed she is a liar, and that she does not love her) 2) Cannot understand how Helen “bears” her punishments 3) Determined young woman who desires to go out beyond the experiences of Lowood and adventure 4) Knows she can be more than she is 5) The way she feels after she meets Rochester on the road for the first time (before she realizes it’s Rochester!)

- Social Criticism: some examples 1) Jane challenges social preconceptions 2) challenges ideas about social class 3) challenges ideas about gender 4) challenges ideas about injustice
***In other words, Jane’s character is the antithesis of the typical Victorian “ideal” woman

- Reciprocal Determinism- The idea that one’s personality influences and shapes environment in the same way that environment influences and shapes personality.

- What are the “Big Five Traits?” To what degree do we see these personality traits in Jane? Be able to discuss Jane’s personality traits and the ideas of reciprocal determinism when you are presented with quotes.

- Describe the Lowood Institute. Know the students, the teachers, the master. What are the day-to-day tasks? For what do the students get punished?

- Who is Helen? What is her role in Jane’s life? How does her death influence Jane’s personality? Be able to discuss friendship as an art, a phenomenon, an equation, and/or a science.

- Be able to discuss how acts of kindness towards Jane affects her. Know the scenes where Helen offers advice to Jane, where Ms. Temple talks with Helen and Jane over shared bread, tea, and cake, and the scene where Ms. Temple clears Jane’s name to the entire school.

- Be able to discuss the “setting as character” idea. How does the setting take on a life of it’s own? Especially be ready to discuss how Rochester’s introduction (as a background fact of the setting) symbolizes his importance in the novel and to Jane

- CONNECTION TO A SEPARATE PEACE: You will be asked to compare the two friendship dynamics: Helen and Jane compared to Gene and Finny

Grammar Topics and Writing:
- simple subject
- simple predicate
- understood subject
- compound subject
- compound predicate
- direct object
- compound direct object
- indirect object
- compound indirect object
- parts of speech (noun, pronoun, verb, adverb, adjective, interjection, preposition, conjunction)
- triple s squared method for paragraphing

HW Due Friday, March 5, 2010

Choose one theme from today's discussion and notes to write about. Explain how your chapter "speaks" to this theme. What does it "say"?

HW Due Thursday 2/11

BLOCK SCHEDULES ARE CANCELLED FOR WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY!!!

This means that the following homework is due on Thursday FOR ALL SECTIONS:

-Direct / Indirect Object Worksheet (all excercises)
-Study Unit 7 Vocabulary Words (TEST THURSDAY on spelling/sentences/definitions/synonyms/antonyms/parts of speech)

HW Due Monday / Tuesday Block

-Complete Unit 7 Vocabulary packet
-Complete all qs in "More on the Eight Parts of speech" packet
-Complete all qs on the "subject and predicate" worksheet

Make sure that you bring your book to class. You will need it to write your in-class essay.


REMINDERS:
A Separate Peace by John Knowles must be read by 2/26. I will check to make sure you have obtained a copy for yourself on Monday/Tuesday.

You must have a Marble Notebook with you (new/not shared with any other classes) by this Monday/Tuesday

Regents Week and Other Info

BRAINSTORM QUESTIONS
1. How did the character affect Hamlet? How was the character affected by Hamlet?

2. In each scene where your character appears, what is his or her motivation and objective? (Sometimes this will be difficult or impossible to determine, so you talk about the various possibilities of what he or she could want.)

3. What do other characters say about your character and how do they react to him or her? How does your character feel about other characters?

4. What questions are raised by your character’s words and/or behavior?

THE “SKELETON” OF YOUR PAPER
Paragraph 1: a description of the character
Paragraph 2: an explanation of the character’s significance in the play
Paragraph 3: your opinion about the character’s changes during the play and the importance of the changes
Paragraph 4: a comparison of your character Hamlet

We will write the actual paper when we return from Regents Exam week. Upon return, the following items must be complete:

1)Brainstorm questions above
2)Skeleton of your paper (4 paragraphs detailed above)
3)Your mini-lesson for the part of speech you were assigned. In depth details for this will follow in an upcoming post.

* All together, that’s 8 paragraphs and a page or two of writing to prepare to teach your lesson. We will watch Act V of Hamlet together in class. Some interesting films to watch clips of (or the film in full, if you can are as follows.)
-Hamlet starring Ethan Hawke (this is what we have been watching)
-Hamlet starring and directed by Mel Gibson
-Hamlet starring Lawrence Olivier (it’s the token black and white film… funny old-time costumes)
-Hamlet cartoon (youtube it)
-This American Life (podcast, so you have to listen to it… there’s no video…) presented a -Hamlet version of Act five, acted out by actual prisoners. It’s amazing. (Those of you who were here the day before winter break got to hear parts of this… the entire podcast is amazing)

I love everything Hamlet, so if you are interested in other recs, let me know!

Homework Due Friday, January 22

Complete the brainstorm packet for your character analysis. Start by answering all of the questions presented. Then find AT LEAST 3 quotes SAID BY YOUR CHARACTER and analyze them. To analyze, you must make inferences about your character and his or her behaviors BASED ON THE WORDS he or she uses. Ask yourself why the character says what he/she says and what the words reveal about him or her. Then ask yourself how these words play into the overarching themes of the play.

**For example, if your friend said, "O that this too too sullied flesh would melt, thaw, and resolve itself into a dew," you might say to another friend: I'm worried about my friend. He wishes that his flesh would melt! Plus, he says that his flesh is sullied! For some reason, he thinks that he is contaminated, or ruined. Maybe that's because his girlfriend's father prohibited her from speaking to him. So because her dad doesn't like him, he feels like there's something wrong with him.... hmmm.. this plays into the fact that he has an inferiority complex. I mean, he did say another time that he was not like Hercules. He sees himself as weak and contaminated. Ugh. I'm sure that the fact that his dad, the king, was killed, has something to do with this. And then his mom married his uncle. No wonder he feels sullied. His family name is sullied. His father's honor is sullied. And he is part of his father, so now he thinks he is sullied too. I wonder why he chose to say that his flesh would "melt" rather than just disappear or something. Maybe he sees himself as cold as ice, like he's thinking cold thoughts. This wouldn't surprise me, given what he is going through. He has no warmth left! Poor guy. And resolve itself into a dew? Well, when I think of dew, I think of morning. Maybe he wants to be like the residue left on the trees in the morning on a warm day. Dew is crysal clear, it's easily swept away to nothing, and it evaporates in the sun. So, he wishes he would evaporate. I would be REALLY worried about him, except for the fact that he's such a smart and witty guy. I hope that his sense of humor and wits will carry him through this. Come to think of it, when I think of morning, I think of mourning, and he's definitely mourning........ (kids, I could go on forever here, so I'm just going to stop now... I think you get the idea)....


You should be able to fill out all three pages of the packet by following these directions, this example, and the 15 page paper you read on Hamlet.

Now get to your analysis brainstorm and make it good!!!!!!!!!!!

MIDTERM REVIEW TERMS

Hello students,

TEST FORMAT: Multiple Choice and Fill in the Blanks

DATES: Period 7: Wednesday, January 20
Period 8: Thursday, January 21

YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO: Define the words, use them in sentences, tell which part of speech the word is, match the words to synonyms and/or antonyms

UNIT #1
ADMONISH
BREACH
BRIGAND
CIRCUMSPECT
COMMANDEER
CMBERSOME
DEADLOCK
DEBRIS
DIFFUSE
DILEMMA
EFFACE
MUDDLE
OPINIONATED
PERENNIAL
PREDISPOSE
RELINQUISH
SALVAGE
SPASMODIC
SPURIOUS
UNBRIDLED

UNIT#2
ADJOURN
ALIEN
COMELY
COMPENSATE
DISSOLUTE
ERRATIC
EXPULSION
FEINT
FODDER
FORTIFY
ILLEGIBLE
JEER
LUCRATIVE
MEDIOCRE
PROLIFERATE
SUBJUGATE
SULLY
TANTALIZE
TERSE
UNFLINCHING

UNIT #3
ABRIDGE
ADHERENT
ALTERCATION
CHERUBIC
CONDONE
DISSENT
EMINENT
EXORCISE
FABRICATE
IRATE
MARAUDER
OBESITY
PAUPER
PILFER
RIFT
SEMBLANCE
SURMOUNT
TERMINATE
TRITE
USURP

UNIT #4
ABSCOND
ACCESS
ANARCHY
ARDUOUS
AUSPICIOUS
BIASED
DAUNT
DISENTANGLE
FATED
HOODWINK
INANIMATE
INCINERATE
INTREPID
LARCENY
PLIANT
POMPOUS
PRECIPICE
RECTIFY
REPRIEVE
REVILE

UNIT #5
ACCOMPLICE
ANNIHILATE
ARBITRARY
BRAZEN
CATALYST
EXODUS
FACILITATE
INCORRIGIBLE
LATENT
MILITANT
MOROSE
OPAQUE
PARAMOUNT
PRATTLE
REBUT
REPRIMAND
SERVITUDE
SLAPDASH
STAGNANT
SUCCUMB

UNIT#6
ATONE
BONDAGE
CREDIBLE
DEFRAY
DILIGENT
DOLEFUL
GHASTLY
HAMPER
HEW
IMPOVERISHED
INCESSANT
INTRICATE
LUCID
POSTHUMOUS
PRIM
SARDONIC
SUPERFLUOUS
SUPPLANT
TAUNT
TENACIOUS

HW Due Wednesday, 12/23

Write a 1-2 page analysis of Hamlet. Do not attempt to analyze the entire play, because that would be IMPOSSIBLE in 1 or 2 pages. Rather, analyze an aspect of the play. I think the best way to get started would be to select a passage or two from the Trojan War myth and ask yourself what it could suggest about the play. Take it from there. For example, you may choose to write all about Gertrude's role in the play and in the murder of King Hamlet. Maybe you'd like to write about "all the advice giving" in the play and what it shows. Or perhaps you find that Polonius knows more than we give him credit for. Even still, you might be interested in how Hamlet's language changes, based on who he is talking to. The point is to analyze deeply an aspect. DO NOT SUMMARIZE THE ACTION. I ALREADY KNOW THE PLAY!!!! Tell me something I don't have a definite answer to.

This assignment must be typed and submitted in class tomorrow. Handwritten assignments will only be accepted if you spoke to me in class today about it before you left the room.


For those of you who asked for this, here is a copy of the file I used for the stations in class today. The quotes are from the Trojan War myth. The thoughts/questions are my annotations.

“All that was left of Troy was a band of helpless captive women, whose husbands were dead, whose children had been taken from them. They were waiting for their masters to carry them overseas to slavery. Chief among the captives was the old Queen, Hecuba, and her daughter-in-law, Hector’s wife Andromache. For Hecuba, all was ended. Crouched on the ground, she saw the Greek ships getting ready as she watched the city burn. Troy is no longer, she told herself, and I— who am I? A slave men drive like cattle. An old gray woman that has no home” (286).

Is this how it’s all going to end for Gertrude? Are Gertrude and Ophelia these “captive women?” The “who am I without a husband” idea interests me. Do you think this is what motivates Gertrude? Has Gertrude been in on King Hamlet’s murder this whole time? Or do you think the “who am I without a husband” idea motivates her to keep her mouth shut after having figured it out? Or do you think she is completely in the dark?


“In the middle of the night the door in the horse opened. One by one the chieftains let themselves down. They stole to the gates and threw them wide, and into the sleeping town marched the Greek Army. What they had first to do could be carried out silently. Fires were started in buildings throughout the city. By the time the Trojans were awake, before they realized what had happened, while they were struggling into their armor, Troy was burning. They rushed out to the street one by one in confusion. Bands of soldiers were waiting there to strike each man down before he could join himself to others. It was not fighting, it was butchery. Very many died without ever a chance of dealing a blow in return” (286).

This makes me think about Hamlet’s plan to take Claudius by surprise. Is it fair fighting to take someone by surprise? Is it a cowardly act for Hamlet to try to take Claudius by surprise?


“They saw clearly by now that unless they could get their Army into the city and take the Trojans by surprise, they would never conquer. Almost ten years had passed since they had first laid siege to the town, and it seemed as strong as ever. The walls stood uninjured. They had never suffered real attack. The Greeks must find a secret way of entering the city, or accept defeat. The result of this new determination and new vision was the stratagem of the wooden horse. It was, as anyone would guess, the creation of Odysseus’ wily mind. […]Whatever happened they would be safe; they could sail home if anything went wrong” (283).

How is Hamlet’s “play within a play” scheme similar to Odysseus’ plan about the Trojan horse? Is trickery the only way to get want you want in Hamlet? Where do we see “trickery and the idea of “disguise” in Hamlet? Try to think of examples that are less than obvious. How does Hamlet’s plan allow him space to “sail home if anything went wrong”


“At nightfall he went to find them and he had reached their quarters when Athena struck him with madness. He thought the flocks and herds of the Greeks were the Army, and rushed to kill them, believing that he was slaying now this chieftain, now that. Finally he dragged to his tent a huge ram which to distracted mind was Odysseus, bound him to the tent-pole, and beat him savagely (278).”

… Hold your horses! Is it possible that maybe Hamlet really is “mad” (in the crazed sense)? Is it possible that his “feigned disposition” and “antic behavior” actually turned him antic? How does this happen to a person?!




“Then his frenzy left him. He regained his reason and saw that his disgrace in not winning the arms had been but a shadow as compared with the shame his own deeds had drawn down upon him. His rage, his folly, his madness, would be apparent to everyone (279).”

This makes me think of how Hamlet talks about Pyrrhus’s awakened fury. He says that “just as a raging thunderstorm is often interrupted by a moment’s silence,” Pyrrhus’s bloody sword “mercilessly falls on Priam.” Is Hamlet ready to act? Will he be ready to act if the play within the play scheme works?


“Olympus laughed pleasantly to himself when he saw god matched against god” (273).

Remember earlier when Hamlet said, “man in action is like an angel… in apprehension how like a god.” Are Hamlet and Claudius like gods opposed? Do they have hubris and behave as if they are gods? Are they apprehensive with each other? Why don’t they act against one another, if Hamlet seeks revenge, and Claudius seeks safety from revenge?


“He felt shame before them and he told them he saw his own exceeding folly in allowing the loss of a mere girl to make him forget everything else. But that was over; he was ready to lead them as before. Let them prepare at once for the battle” (273).

This got me thinking… It’s too late for Claudius to ask forgiveness from anyone. His brother is dead, so there’s no forgiveness there. Hamlet is enraged and wants revenge, and it’s unlikely that he would forgive Claudius. He’s in too deep with Gertrude; that is, if she didn’t know about the murder already. Shame will need an outlet for Gertrude. The outlet for his shame seems to be lying. Where do we see Claudius lying? To whom does he lie? Doesn’t he also lie to himself? I see him lying to himself when he trusts that Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are going to report everything back to him that Hamlet does around them. I see him lying to himself when he just believes Voltemand, who says that Fortinbras’ uncle says that Fortinbras says he retreat from Denmark and stay away. It seems foolish to believe such hearsay—and this makes me think that Claudius doesn’t even believe the lies he tells himself.

“Grief took hold of Achilles, so black that those around him feared for his life. Down in the sea caves his mother knew his sorrow and came up to try to comfort him” (272).

This makes me think of the idea that grief has the power to take control of people’s lives. How has this happened in Hamlet? In what ways has his grief taken over? Talk about three or four ways his life and worldview is turned upside down.


“O Zeus, in after years may men say of this my son when he returns from battle, ‘Far greater is he than his father was’” (268).

This reminds me of when Hamlet says that Claudius is “no more like my father than I to Hercules,” which got me thinking that maybe Hamlet has an inferiority complex. He does NOT see himself like Hercules at all, because we know that he sees his real dad as superior than Claudius. Maybe we can look at this play as a coming of age for Hamlet, where a boy is just growing into a man and wants to outdo his father as part of the “growing up” experience.


“My dear lord,” she said, “you who are father and mother and brother unto me as well as husband, stay here with us. Do not make me a widow and your child an orphan” (268).

Maybe this idea is why so many directors cross that line with family loyalty and love. Perhaps the configuration of love should be understood as “life giving” and supportive. We know that Gertrude is “life-giving,” literally, as Hamlet’s mother. But is she supportive in any way? Is she loyal? Is she loving?


“He was of more than royal blood; his mother was Aphrodite herself, and when Diomedes wounded him she hastened down to the battlefield to save him. She lifted him in her soft arms, but Diomedes, knowing she was a coward goddess, not one of those who like Athena are masters where warriors fight, leaped toward her and wounded her hand. Crying out she let her son fall, and weeping for pain…”(266).

Is it me, or does this passage remind you of Gertrude? How does Hamlet see himself as “of more than royal blood”? Think about how he thought of his dad. And based on the way his dad treated Gertrude, we could say that she was treated like a goddess of beauty. Is Gertrude like this “coward goddess,” who could not fight “where warriors fight”? How does Gertrude symbolically “let her son fall”? What has he “fallen into”?



“But although his mother failed him Aeneas was not killed” (266).

Maybe Hamlet uses what he perceives as his mother’s weaknesses and fragility (remember, he says “frailty, thy name is woman”) to motivate him. Perhaps he’s thinking, “what doesn’t kill me will make me stronger.”