Friday, May 22, 2015
Satire is on the menu at ECCHS!
Write a piece of satire. The subject, your high school!!!! Have fun with it.
Friday, May 15, 2015
Saturday, May 9, 2015
Letters and Lessons
Milada Horáková is someone you will all love after reading this letter she wrote to her 16 year old daughter before her death. In it she talks about life lessons. Read this letter. Then make a list of 10 things you have learned from people you associate with Elk County Catholic High School. These people can be friends, enemies, teachers, coaches, staff, people you met at events who are not even associated from the school, anyone really. Tell us who the person is and what you learned from this person. Next, list three things that you taught others.
http://www.lettersofnote.com/search?q=+graduation
http://www.lettersofnote.com/search?q=+graduation
Friday, May 1, 2015
Damned Brangwens!
The following passage is from D. H. Lawrence’s 1915 novel, The Rainbow, which focuses on the lives of the
Brangwens, a farming family who lived in rural England during the late nineteenth century. Read the passage
carefully. Then write an essay in which you analyze how Lawrence employs literary devices to characterize the
woman and capture her situation.
It was enough for the men, that the earth heaved and opened its furrow to them, that the wind blew to dry the wet wheat, and set the young ears of corn wheeling freshly round about; it was enough that they 5 helped the cow in labour, or ferreted the rats from under the barn, or broke the back of a rabbit with a sharp knock of the hand. So much warmth and generating and pain and death did they know in their blood, earth and sky and beast and green plants, so 10 much exchange and interchange they had with these, that they lived full and surcharged, their senses full fed, their faces always turned to the heat of the blood, staring into the sun, dazed with looking towards the source of generation, unable to turn around. 15 But the woman wanted another form of life than this, something that was not blood-intimacy. Her house faced out from the farm-buildings and fields, looked out to the road and the village with church and Hall and the world beyond. She stood to see the far- 20 off world of cities and governments and the active scope of man, the magic land to her, where secrets were made known and desires fulfilled. She faced outwards to where men moved dominant and creative, having turned their back on the pulsing heat of 25 creation, and with this behind them, were set out to discover what was beyond, to enlarge their own scope and range and freedom; whereas the Brangwen men faced inwards to the teeming life of creation, which poured unresolved into their veins. 30 Looking out, as she must, from the front of her house towards the activity of man in the world at large, whilst her husband looked out to the back at sky and harvest and beast and land, she strained her eyes to see what man had done in fighting outwards to 35 knowledge, she strained to hear how he uttered himself in his conquest, her deepest desire hung on the battle that she heard, far off, being waged on the edge of the unknown. She also wanted to know, and to be of the fighting host. 40 At home, even so near as Cossethay, was the vicar, who spoke the other, magic language, and had the other, finer bearing, both of which she could perceive, but could never attain to. The vicar moved in worlds beyond where her own menfolk existed. Did she not 45 know her own menfolk; fresh, slow, full-built men, masterful enough, but easy, native to the earth, lacking outwardness and range of motion. Whereas the vicar, dark and dry and small beside her husband, had yet a quickness and a range of being that made 50 Brangwen, in his large geniality, seem dull and local. She knew her husband. But in the vicar’s nature was that which passed beyond her knowledge. As Brangwen had power over the cattle so the vicar had power over her husband. What was it in the vicar, that 55 raised him above the common men as man is raised above the beast? She craved to know. She craved to achieve this higher being, if not in herself, then in her children. That which makes a man strong even if he be little and frail in body, just as any man is little and 60 frail beside a bull, and yet stronger than the bull, what was it? It was not money nor power nor position. What power had the vicar over Tom Brangwen— none. Yet strip them and set them on a desert island, and the vicar was the master. His soul was master of 65 the other man’s. And why—why? She decided it was a question of knowledge.
It was enough for the men, that the earth heaved and opened its furrow to them, that the wind blew to dry the wet wheat, and set the young ears of corn wheeling freshly round about; it was enough that they 5 helped the cow in labour, or ferreted the rats from under the barn, or broke the back of a rabbit with a sharp knock of the hand. So much warmth and generating and pain and death did they know in their blood, earth and sky and beast and green plants, so 10 much exchange and interchange they had with these, that they lived full and surcharged, their senses full fed, their faces always turned to the heat of the blood, staring into the sun, dazed with looking towards the source of generation, unable to turn around. 15 But the woman wanted another form of life than this, something that was not blood-intimacy. Her house faced out from the farm-buildings and fields, looked out to the road and the village with church and Hall and the world beyond. She stood to see the far- 20 off world of cities and governments and the active scope of man, the magic land to her, where secrets were made known and desires fulfilled. She faced outwards to where men moved dominant and creative, having turned their back on the pulsing heat of 25 creation, and with this behind them, were set out to discover what was beyond, to enlarge their own scope and range and freedom; whereas the Brangwen men faced inwards to the teeming life of creation, which poured unresolved into their veins. 30 Looking out, as she must, from the front of her house towards the activity of man in the world at large, whilst her husband looked out to the back at sky and harvest and beast and land, she strained her eyes to see what man had done in fighting outwards to 35 knowledge, she strained to hear how he uttered himself in his conquest, her deepest desire hung on the battle that she heard, far off, being waged on the edge of the unknown. She also wanted to know, and to be of the fighting host. 40 At home, even so near as Cossethay, was the vicar, who spoke the other, magic language, and had the other, finer bearing, both of which she could perceive, but could never attain to. The vicar moved in worlds beyond where her own menfolk existed. Did she not 45 know her own menfolk; fresh, slow, full-built men, masterful enough, but easy, native to the earth, lacking outwardness and range of motion. Whereas the vicar, dark and dry and small beside her husband, had yet a quickness and a range of being that made 50 Brangwen, in his large geniality, seem dull and local. She knew her husband. But in the vicar’s nature was that which passed beyond her knowledge. As Brangwen had power over the cattle so the vicar had power over her husband. What was it in the vicar, that 55 raised him above the common men as man is raised above the beast? She craved to know. She craved to achieve this higher being, if not in herself, then in her children. That which makes a man strong even if he be little and frail in body, just as any man is little and 60 frail beside a bull, and yet stronger than the bull, what was it? It was not money nor power nor position. What power had the vicar over Tom Brangwen— none. Yet strip them and set them on a desert island, and the vicar was the master. His soul was master of 65 the other man’s. And why—why? She decided it was a question of knowledge.
Friday, April 24, 2015
Thank You Mr. Heaney Sir!
Read the essay I gave to you about Seamus Heaney. After reading it, consider someone you know who is completely inexperienced with poetry. Name that person and find a poem that you think would relate to your person and tell us why. Include the poem! Have fun with it. You may choose a real person or a fictional character. You may also choose a real person who is inaccessible to you, like a movie star, or an author or someone who is no longer alive.
Friday, April 10, 2015
Thank You Mary Oliver!
Carefully read the following poem by Mary Oliver. Then write a well-organized essay in which you analyze how
Oliver conveys the relationship between the tree and family through the use of figurative language and other poetic
techniques.
Wednesday, April 1, 2015
Spy Day
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/810680/lh17-6_gangland_to_promised_land.mp3
Listen to this presentation. It is about 50 minutes total. After listening, talk about how the author, or speaker, uses literary devices to appeal to his audience. Then, react to the presentation. What do you think of it. At the end of your blog, I want you to list 3 talents you feel you have been given by God.
Listen to this presentation. It is about 50 minutes total. After listening, talk about how the author, or speaker, uses literary devices to appeal to his audience. Then, react to the presentation. What do you think of it. At the end of your blog, I want you to list 3 talents you feel you have been given by God.
Saturday, March 28, 2015
Oh George!
The following poem is by the sixteenth-century English poet George Gascoigne. Read the poem carefully. Then
write an essay in which you analyze how the complex attitude of the speaker is developed through such devices as
form, diction, and imagery.
For That He Looked Not upon Her
You must not wonder, though you think it strange,
To see me hold my louring1 head so low;
And that mine eyes take no delight to range
About the gleams which on your face do grow.
The mouse which once hath broken out of trap
Line Is seldom ’ticèd2 with the trustless bait,
But lies aloof for fear of more mishap,
And feedeth still in doubt of deep deceit.
The scorchèd fly which once hath ’scaped the flame
Will hardly come to play again with fire,
Whereby I learn that grievous is the game
Which follows fancy dazzled by desire:
So that I wink or else hold down my head,
Because your blazing eyes my bale3 have bred.
(1573)
1 gloomy 2 enticed 3 misery
For That He Looked Not upon Her
You must not wonder, though you think it strange,
To see me hold my louring1 head so low;
And that mine eyes take no delight to range
About the gleams which on your face do grow.
The mouse which once hath broken out of trap
Line Is seldom ’ticèd2 with the trustless bait,
But lies aloof for fear of more mishap,
And feedeth still in doubt of deep deceit.
The scorchèd fly which once hath ’scaped the flame
Will hardly come to play again with fire,
Whereby I learn that grievous is the game
Which follows fancy dazzled by desire:
So that I wink or else hold down my head,
Because your blazing eyes my bale3 have bred.
(1573)
1 gloomy 2 enticed 3 misery
Friday, March 20, 2015
"Martyrdom covers a multitude of sins" -Mark Twain
The following words are all synonyms for MARTYRDOM. The discussion on martyrdom came up appropriately and beautifully in our seminar on Tale of Two Cities. Choose a martyr from the bible and tell his or her story. Then, compare your martyr to a character from a classic piece of literature.
Friday, March 13, 2015
Literary Devices Anyone
The following poem, written by Edward Field, makes use of the Greek myth of Daedalus and Icarus.* Read the poem carefully. Then write an essay in which you analyze how Field employs literary devices in adapting the Icarus myth to a contemporary setting.
Icarus
Only the feathers floating around the hat
Showed that anything more spectacular had occurred
Than the usual drowning. The police preferred to ignore
The confusing aspects of the case,
5 And the witnesses ran off to a gang war.
So the report filed and forgotten in the archives read simply
“Drowned,” but it was wrong: Icarus
Had swum away, coming at last to the city
Where he rented a house and tended the garden.
10 “That nice Mr. Hicks” the neighbors called him,
Never dreaming that the gray, respectable suit
Concealed arms that had controlled huge wings
Nor that those sad, defeated eyes had once
Compelled the sun. And had he told them
15 They would have answered with a shocked, uncomprehending stare.
No, he could not disturb their neat front yards;
Yet all his books insisted that this was a horrible mistake:
What was he doing aging in a suburb?
Can the genius of the hero fall
20 To the middling stature of the merely talented?
And nightly Icarus probes his wound
And daily in his workshop, curtains carefully drawn,
Constructs small wings and tries to fly
To the lighting fixture on the ceiling:
25 Fails every time and hates himself for trying.
He had thought himself a hero, had acted heroically,
And dreamt of his fall, the tragic fall of the hero;
But now rides commuter trains,
Serves on various committees,
30 And wishes he had drowned.
Friday, March 6, 2015
Saturday, February 28, 2015
Flex Your Creative Muscles
Morality Play
This (very short) article defines the morality play. After reading this, write a story or a poem or a play that fits into this genre. This is an assignment that asks you to use your creativity. Have fun with it. I think in order to commit to all of the difficult reading and thinking you are currently doing, your brain needs to be stretched a bit. This assignment will help!
This (very short) article defines the morality play. After reading this, write a story or a poem or a play that fits into this genre. This is an assignment that asks you to use your creativity. Have fun with it. I think in order to commit to all of the difficult reading and thinking you are currently doing, your brain needs to be stretched a bit. This assignment will help!
Thursday, February 19, 2015
It's All About the Plot...bout the plot bout the plot!
Read A Rose for Emily. Analyze the short story's plot—not only how it develops
in the text, but what effect it has on the work as a whole. To help you with this task, keep this
definition of an analysis in mind.
An analysis, instead of trying to examine all the parts of a work in relation to the whole,
selects for examination one aspect or element or part that relates to the whole…A literary
work may be usefully approached through almost any of its elements…so long as you relate
this element to the central meaning of the whole (1373).—Perrine’s Literature: Structure,
Sound, and Sense
Friday, February 13, 2015
Happy Valentine's Day!
Whether you have started dating or not, this is an important talk about dating in our current culture. Listen to this presentation and take notes. When you are finished, analyze the presentation by discussing the type of diction used and how that establishes the tone of the piece. Does Jason Evert use imagery or figurative language? Give examples of each. Also identify any shifts in the presentation and explain how they enhance his message. Then, give an overall reaction to the talk.
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/810680/LH_Y_27-How_To_Date_Your_Soulmate.mp3
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/810680/LH_Y_27-How_To_Date_Your_Soulmate.mp3
Friday, February 6, 2015
Fiction Anyone?
Read Hunters in the Snow by Tobias Wolff. Explain how it's artful pattern of plot structure, characterization and point of view result in a consummately "well made" story.
http://www.classicshorts.com/stories/huntsnow.html
http://www.classicshorts.com/stories/huntsnow.html
Friday, January 30, 2015
THE NECKLACE
http://photos.state.gov/libraries/hochiminh/646441/vantt/The%20necklace.pdf
After reading "The Necklace" by Guy de Maupassant, discuss what makes it a good short story. What elements does it contain? Think about the stories plot and structure. React to the characterization. Consider the theme. What about the point of view? How does the author's decision on point of view impact the story? And finally, what role does irony play in the success of the story?
After reading "The Necklace" by Guy de Maupassant, discuss what makes it a good short story. What elements does it contain? Think about the stories plot and structure. React to the characterization. Consider the theme. What about the point of view? How does the author's decision on point of view impact the story? And finally, what role does irony play in the success of the story?
Friday, January 23, 2015
Slavery a Pro-Life Issue?
Let's think GLOBALLY! Tie the issue of slavery to the pro-life movement. (Remember that the pro-life movement is not just about abortion). In this link to St. John Paul II encyclical Evangelium Vita, you will find a section titled "What have you done?"(scroll down until you get to number 10. That is where the section starts). Read it and explain how "slavery" is a "pro-life" issue. Remember to focus on our theme: FREEDOM! Then find and post a poem about being free. Do not be afraid to think outside the box.
Thursday, January 15, 2015
Stop the Ride....I want to hop on!!!!!
Welcome. You have been very busy since I have been gone. Tell me what you have learned. What have been your favorite assignments. What are you finding are your strengths in AP Literature? What readings have you enjoyed the most and what do you hope to learn during the second half of the year?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)