1. Shakespeare's Julius Ceasar

Before we begin reading this play, do a web quest searching for information on Shakespeare and/or Julius Ceasar (the play or the man).

Post a comment with 5 facts. 

Thou common-kissing, base-court, applejohns ;)

1. Library Agenda - English II

Today, you must do your research for your Holocaust paper and start writing!

The journal is a free write. 

Click on this link for the SAT Question of the Day. 

Happy researching :)  Please do not talk and be on your best behavior.  

AP. Shakespeare's Othello

Post a comment with your first impressions of the play, Shakespeare, etc. Also post information (in your own words) about the Bard or Othello. This is due Tuesday. I am expecting a good paragraph at minimum. 

Link to full text of William  Shakespeare's Othello. 

AVID. Vocab 14 for Speak

Post a comment with a real life example and the definition of one of your words this week. 

My example: Cubist - adj. a descriptive term for art that is modeled after Picasso or a style of painting and sculpture developed in the early 20th century in Paris, France, characterized chiefly by an emphasis on formal structure, the reduction of natural forms to their geometrical equivalents, and the organization of the planes of a represented object independently of representational requirements.

This is Picasso's "Woman in Blue."  How does it relate to Melinda in the novel?

1. Vocab 14 for Holocaust

Post a comment with a real life example and the definition of one of your words this week. 

My example: preamble - n. an introductory statement. The Constitution has a preamble...

All. Why do we celebrate ________?

Today, I want you to post a comment explaining a reason why we celebrate a certain something during the holidays. 

To me, Christmas especially has become so commercialized, we often forget the real reason for the season...it is so much more than presents. It is about gratitude and celebrating some of life's greatest gifts money cannot buy: the birth of Jesus and all the blessings we have. 

I wish each and every one of you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Remember, it is never too late to be what you might have been. 

Enjoy this video...there is more nice than naughty in the world...I still believe. 

AVID. Vocabulary

Choose ONE of your vocabulary terms for this week and look up where it has been used in a famous book, movie, play, poem, or by a famous person. Explain where your word has been used in the real world. You may also paste links to examples. Be sure to include your word's definition.

Example: post traumatic stress disorder - noun. a severe anxiety disorder that can develop after exposure to any event that results in psychological trauma. This arises after events such as rape, hostage situations, exposure to war, natural disasters like hurricanes and tornadoes, etc. In this clip, Jaycee Dugard discusses how she survived being held hostage and abused for years. She is a survivor of A Stolen Life. 

AVID. Emily Dickinson's "I'm Nobody"

Now that we understand the premise of the novel Speak and have discussed it in detail, I want us to explore a poem that connects to one of Anderson's themes she conveys. 

We will read and analyze Emily Dickinson's poem "I'm Nobody" today. At the end of class, your exit ticket is to write a thoughtful paragraph where you outline the thematic connection between the poem and the novel. Be sure to thoroughly explain the theme. 

"I'm Nobody"

by Emily Dickinson

I'm Nobody! Who are you?

Are you Nobody – too?

Then there's a pair of us!

Don't tell! They'd advertise – you know!

How dreary – to be – Somebody!

How public – like a Frog –  

To tell one's name – the livelong June –  

To an admiring Bog!

AP. Southerners Faulkner & Flannery

A huge part of American Literature is the rise of Southern writers at the turn of the 20th century. Moreover, the portrayal of women in literature is cause for great concern and in-depth analysis. This week, as we wrap up the AA Lit unit, we are transitioning into Women's literature.  As you read William Faulkner and Flannery O'Connor, take note of the contrasts between the portrayal of Southern white women compared to Janie Crawford in Their Eyes Were Watching God. 

William Faulkner, a white man, writes a white female protagonist in "A Rose for Emily."  

Flannery O'Connor, a white woman, also writes about females in "The Life You Save May Be Your Own."

Before we delve into these two stories, research these two American titans from the canon and post a paragraph on each.  Take into consideration personal as well as professional information about their life's work. Be sure to write in your own words...do not copy and paste. Also, look at the biographical sketches in your book that precede each story. 

What do Faulkner and Flannery have in common with their rhetorical style as Southerners? 


This blog post is due by the end of class today, Tuesday, 12.4.12. 

1. Vocabulary 13 - English 2

You know the drill...same as last week. Post a comment that is a virtual vocabulary presentation based on words for Devil's Arithmetic. 

This post is due by Friday, December 7th. 

This picture is of a girl suffering from post traumatic stress disorder after the Holocaust. They asked her to draw "home."  This is an example of the intensity (noun - exceptionally great concentration, power, or force) of the atrocities that took place during that time. 

AVID. Themes in Hunger Games

Choose one of the themes or essential questions from The Hunger Games and write one paragraph explaining how it relates to you and your life. Katniss Everdeen, the protagonist, is a typical teen. In what ways can you relate to her, even though this is a post-apocalyptic tale? 

1. Devil's Arithmetic Vocabulary

Choose ONE of your vocabulary terms for this week and look up where it has been used in a famous book, movie, play, poem, or by a famous person. Explain where your word has been used in the real world. You may also paste links to examples. Be sure to include your word's definition.

Example: resilient - adj. strong in the face of hard times; able to bounce back after great trial or suffering. Bern Williams once said, "Man never made any material as resilient as the human spirit." This man was an outfielder for the NY Yankees and is a Puerto Rican musician. Although he is very different than the subject of this novel, the theme is still true: all people go through trials that prove their resilience. 

Love Letters to Strangers

After viewing the TED Talk, write your own love letter. Then post a comment with how it felt to write this anonymous letter. 

This letter writing assignment is required for AVIDears and recommended for AP and English II. 

By writing all the things we want to hear, did it empower you to look for what you deserve in relationships more? 

How would it feel to get your letter?

Here is a link to Hannah Brencher's site for more info on what do with the letters and how to write them: moreloveletters

AP. Analyzing Janie

Now that you are into Their Eyes Were Watching God, I want you to do a deep character analysis of the protagonist. 

Use these questions to guide you: 
1. What is her motivation in life? 
2. Is she typical or unusual? Explain your reasoning. 
3. Choose one quote from your dialectic journal as evidence for your analysis. 
4. In what ways is Janie a liberated woman?
5. In what ways is Janie still a slave to the AVE/EVA dichotomy as well as a second-class citizen in her society?
6. Does Janie still hold relevance as a character in today's society? Why or why not?
7. Sometimes it helps to analyze a character in juxtaposition to another character. How are Janie and Pheoby foil characters? How is Janie similar to/different from the men in her life?

1. Holocaust Facts

In anticipation of our reading The Devil's Arithmetic, I want EACH of you to post 10 new facts you never knew before about the Holocaust. 

Be sure to number your findings. 

All: Cavs for Country

Write a letter to one of the Veterans on our list. Use these prompts to help you. Make your letter look however you'd like. We will compile them and Mrs. Roberts will mail them. I will review with you how to address an envelope and set up your paper for a friendly letter. 

• What does the word "veteran" mean to you? Brainstorm a list of as many related words as you can and create a word web, More advanced writers may select ten words to use in an original poem or story.
• Work with a small group to brainstorm a list of ways you can show your appreciation to/for your nation's veterans.
• Write a thank you note to a veteran.
• Write an acrostic poem using the word "veterans." 
• Brainstorm a list of character traits that you believe a good soldier needs. Choose one or more of these and write an extended definition of it.
• How might you life be different had men and women in your country's past not been willing to fight for your freedom? 

These soldiers all have ties to Southern Lee and are bravely serving our country.

Staff Sergeant (SSgt) Jacob E. Harvey
136 Chownings Dr, Sanford, NC 27330
Pope Army Airfield, NC
He has served in the US Air Force for 7 years and is a C-130 Crew Chief (plane mechanic).  He is the spouse of Heather Harvey, an English teacher at Southern Lee.

PVT Kevin Showalter
HHC 121 INF Box #296
Schofield Barracks, HI 96857
 He has been in the US Army for 7 months and is stationed in Hawaii and his MOS is 11C, indirect fire infantryman. His mother teaches Math at Southern Lee and is a Southern Lee graduate. 
  
SPC John Bivans
 5960 Rothwell Street
A Btry, 1-79th FA, 1st Platoon
Fort Sill, OK 73503
John Bivans is the son of Mr. Bivans, history teacher.  Many students may know him from the two years he worked at Southern Lee as a substitute teacher.  He joined the army just 2 months ago and his MOS is 13F, Fire Support Specialist.  He is currently in Oklahoma.  

ET3 Benjamin Stan Cameron
1440 Cromwell Circle
Unit #82
JBPHH, HI  96860
 Stan Cameron, Petty Officer 3rd class, has been in the Navy for 2 years.  He is stationed at Pearl Harbor (Hawaii) and assigned to the USS Texas which is a Virginia class nuclear attack submarine.  He is an electronics technician.  

PVT Fuller Roberts
165th IN DBE, 1-61 IN RGT
C Co, 3 PLT “Marauders”
11901 Golden Arrow Road
Fort Jackson, SC  29207-6823
Fuller joined the National Guard of North Carolina in July.  He is completing his 3 months of army basic training at Fort Jackson, SC and will train at Fort Rucker, AL in 15P Aviation Operations Specialist- Helicopter aviation unit, until April 2013.  Fuller is a 2012 graduate of Southern Lee and is the son of Mrs. Roberts, Business teacher.

AP. Context for Zora Neale Hurston

Do a web inquiry using Shmoop and other sources (not Wikipedia) to look up the context of the novel Their Eyes Were Watching God. You can use the timeline in your book as well as the foreword in order to construct a well developed paragraph explaining the subject, occasion, audience, purpose, speaker, and tone of the novel.

End your comment with a discussion question for the class about the book.

Note: This class has been compartmentalized by "people types," which we all fundamentally know is incorrect--there are no types of people--there are only people.  However, society does group people into their boxes. Also, it is impossible to deconstruct what we read if we do not pay attention to the lens of cultural bias and historical context.  The exigency for Hawthorne is going to be markedly different from Hurton's exigency because they come from two different worlds; albeit, we must realize the central humanity of all writers.  No human's experience or writing is more or less valid than another's; we have learned that human nature has not changed, even though historical and cultural contexts may. Therefore, as we embark on the SYNTHESIS unit, remember that you can use ANY sources to relate to a common theme.  You don't have to just use Puritan pieces to argue about hypocrisy or just use AA lit to argue about double-consciousness. Thoreau would also work. 

1. Oedipus Vocabulary

Choose ONE of your vocabulary terms for this week and look up where it has been used in a famous book, movie, play, poem, or by a famous person. Explain where your word has been used in the real world. You may also paste links to examples. Be sure to include your word's definition. 

Hubris

Here is an example of hubris - extreme pride or arrogance that becomes a tragic flaw if left unchecked. 

AP. Appeal to Pathos: Fear

In both The Scarlet Letter and The Crucible, the authors use their plots to appeal to fear.  They use this rhetorical strategy to highlight the allegory in both of their works. 

Please comment with a learning log on Arthur Miller's The Crucible and our overall understanding of The Transcendentalists (Thoreau, Hawthorne, and Emerson). 

I am looking for you to answer questions such as: 

• What is the allegory in The Crucible?
• What is the allegory in The Scarlet Letter? 
• How do these works underscore the major tenets of Transcendentalist thought?
• Why is the appeal to fear so powerful in both of these works but also in contemporary society? 
• What have you learned from Emerson, Thoreau, Hawthorne, and Miller that you will take away from this class and remember? 

1. Franz Kafka's "The Metamorphosis"

This is "Fear Week."  Post a comment that is a learning log of what we have discussed this week, including the following: 

1. Who was Franz Kafka and how did he impact literature?
2. To what time period or movement does this story belong? 
3. Why is his short story called "The Metamorphosis?"
4. Why are people intrigued with fear? 
5. Who/what are the antagonists in this story?
6. What is the significance of the portrait of the woman in the fur coat? 

AVID. Fear Week

This comment is a three-parter: 

1. Research how Halloween began and post a link to the website you are quoting (no Wikipedia allowed!).

2. You were to write a psychological thriller this week using your vocabulary words.  Under your Halloween History, include a brief synopsis of your story and ONE sentence from your story using a vocabulary word.  Write the vocabulary word in ALL CAPS. 

3. This is "Fear Week."  We examined the fears of the characters in The Help in addition to our own and those of our stories' protagonists. In your own words, explain the phenomena with fear. Why do people enjoy being frightened and morbid at Halloween time? Why are we more interested in a flawed character with fears (like Skeeter - a round, dynamic character), than someone who is idealistic and seemingly perfect (like Mary Jane in "Spiderman" - a flat, static character)?

ALL: Library Agenda - Midterm Reflection

All courses need to follow this agenda today: 

In your notebooks...
1. Journal - In this class, what have you learned?  What do you believe you still need to work on more?  How/can you use what you have learned in other contexts? I have two requests as you write: write something substantial and please refer to and point directly to things we have done in this course. 
2. SAT Question - go to this link and complete the question. You may have to click the link that says "view passage."
3. ACT Question - go to his link and complete questions 1-5.

During class time...

• study for your midterm
• work on your midterm projects - remember, you can print while we are here! 
• comment on this post with one thing you like about this class or one thing you have learned up to this point in the semester

Hang in there :)  I am here if you need me, but please whisper if you need to talk and avoid getting out of your seat unless it is absolutely necessary. 

Reminders: 

1st and 3rd block midterm projects are due WEDNESDAY (tomorrow!).

1st and 3rd block midterms are THURSDAY. 

2nd block midterm projects are due THURSDAY. 

2nd and 4th block midterms are FRIDAY. 

AP. "Love is a Fallacy"

Comment on the rhetorical strategies Shulman uses in this story/essay.  Also add your reaction to the reading.  Find a "real-life" example of someone using a fallacy and include a link to the fallacy use and explain the type used: Dicto Simpliciter, Hasty Generalization, Post Hoc, Contradictory Premises, Ad Misericordiam, False Analogy, Hypothesis Contrary to Fact, and/or Poisoning the Well. 

Here is an example of Post Hoc ergo Propter Hoc.

Raccoon Coat

Here is a link to watch "Love is a Fallacy."

AVID. What is AVID?

Research AVID programs and post a comment explaining the purpose of AVID.  Also post a link to an AVID video from YouTube. We will be making our own soon! 

This is my favorite: Cardboard Confessionals

1. Ishmael Beah

Research the author and the impact of the book. Post a comment with what you learned about the context. 

1. Child manipulation is a global problem.

Sierra Leone, Africa (the setting for A Long Way Gone) is not the only place children have been manipulated by adults.  Research other places in the world where this kind of atrocity has occurred. 

Post a well-developed paragraph explaining the example you found of child manipulation in the world and a link to any site that gives more information on your example. 

Here are some leads for you:    

Uganda's Invisible Children      
 Children of the Night

AVID. Foil Characters

In The Help, there are at least two sets of foil characters: Aibileen and Minny, Skeeter and Hilly. 

We define foil characters as a minor character which has traits that are in contrast with main character. It is used to make the traits of a main character emphasized.

Explain in your own words why one of these pairs are a good example of foil characters. 

Then find one example from a movie, TV show, or literary work who are also foil characters. Explain why they are a good example. Include a link with more info on the example. 

A modern example of foil characters: Edward and Jacob
from Twilight series;
one brings out the other's weaknesses.

AP. Virtual Vocabulary Presentation

This week, I want each of you to choose a vocabulary word and find a quote where someone has used the word in an article, speech, or famous quip.  You are virtually presenting your word to the class. We will view these on Friday in class. 

Please post a comment with the word, its definition, the etymology of the word (language of origin, etc.), and a little context about the quote you found. Particular information about the person who used the word is key. 

Happy hunting :) 

"Apotheosis of the Dollar" by Salvador Dali, in which you can see on the left Marcel Duchamp masquerading as Louis XIV behind a Vermeerian Curtain which is the Invisible Face, but Monumental, of Hermes by Praxiteles.

Example: 

apotheosis 
n.  elevation to divine status : deification; the perfect example : quintessence 

etymology - from Ancient Greek ἀποθέωσις, from verb ἀποθεόω (“deify”) (factitive verb formed from θεός (“God”) with intensive prefix ἀπο-)

Stephen King wrote in The Gunslinger, "The desert was the apotheosis of all deserts, huge, standing to the sky for what looked like eternity in all directions. It was white and blinding and waterless and without feature save for the faint, cloudy haze of the mountains which sketched themselves on the horizon and the devil-grass which brought sweet dreams, nightmares, death. An occasional tombstone sign pointed the way, for once the drifted track that cut its way through the thick crust of alkali had been a highway. Coaches and buckas had followed it. The world had moved on since then. The world had emptied.”

Stephen King is a renowned author of horror and other fiction. He is from Portland, Maine. His major influences are Ray Bradbury and Shirley Jackson. After his parents separated when Stephen was a toddler, he and his older brother, David, were raised by his mother. Parts of his childhood were spent in Fort Wayne, Indiana, where his father's family was at the time, and in Stratford, Connecticut. When Stephen was eleven, his mother brought her children back to Durham, Maine, for good. Her parents, Guy and Nellie Pillsbury, had become incapacitated with old age, and Ruth King was persuaded by her sisters to take over the physical care of the elderly couple.  King met his wife Tabitha when they both attended the University of Maine. He worked as a high school English teacher for many years, starting in 1971, until his writing career took hold. 


People talking ABOUT apotheosis: 

“We are creators, and yet we naively play the role of "the created." We see ourselves as helpless sheep buffeted around by the God who made us. We kneel like frightened children, begging for help, for forgiveness, for good luck. But once we realize that we are truly created in the Creator's image, we will start to understand that we, too, must be Creators. When we understand this fact, the doors will burst wide open for human potential.”
― Dan Brown, The Lost Symbol

“This is part of what it means to be a God, that You are a general principal of Being, instantiated throughout all of Being.”
― Sam Webster, Tantric Thelema

AVID. The Help

Post a comment reflecting on what you have learned about the Jim Crow Era and the perspectives of African Americans as well as whites then, particularly Aibileen, Minny, and Skeeter. 



You may also post one or more of your responses to this unit's essential questions: 

• Have people changed? Explain your reasoning. 
• How can writing help forge social change? 
• How much of a person's character is shaped by the times in which they live? 
• How much forgiveness does someone deserve for ignorance? 
• Who has the most influence over a child's life? 

AP. Puritan Mindset

Now that we have delved deeper into the Puritan mindset by reading "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" and gotten further in The Scarlet Letter, I want you to reflect on how/if times have changed in America.

How is Hester Prynne's situation still plausible today? What makes her a relevant character?

Moreover, after being an audience member and taking on the role of giving a Puritan sermon, how do you think Hester and the townspeople would have felt at the time? Would the Puritan mindset have stymied you in your thoughts and actions? 

Going back to our original moral dilemma, knowing what you know now, do you think Hester was right to stay in Boston, or should she have fled? What were the ramifications of her choice? 

Please post your thoughts in a well-developed paragraph or two or three. 

1. A Long Way Gone Intro.

As your exit slip today, I want each of you to reflect on our Philosophical Chairs discussion about Child Soldiers, as well as the other parts of today's lesson: essential questions, literary terms, and background on Sierra Leone in Africa. 

Please comment with a detailed explanation of what you learned about the context of the book, A Long Way Gone, as well as your own opinion on Child Soldiers. 

1. Epic of Gilgamesh

I need a hero. Your mission today is to list the qualities of a hero in a well developed paragraph.  There should be at least three key character traits. Then, you must find an example of this hero archetype in the world (including stories and media) and describe why this person/character typifies the hero archetype.  Include a link to a video or picture of the hero you choose. 

This is class work, and no late grades will be accepted. 

Interesting link to view the original tablets of the Epic of Gilgamesh: The British Museum

AP. Context of The Scarlet Letter

Before we begin Nathaniel Hawthorne's novel, The Scarlet Letter, I would like you each to research the cultural and historical context leading up to him writing this piece.  Please also include details about Hawthorne's life. It may be beneficial to look back to the Puritan/Colonial mindset and the Salem Witch Trials, as these historical events would definitely have connected to the exigency of Hawthorne's work.

Post a comment with detailed information about the context of The Scarlet Letter. This is CLASS WORK, so publish during 2nd block. I will not accept late posts. 

Loose (pun intended) Parody of Scarlet Letter, "Easy A" (Link to NY Times Review)