May, 2010

Reading Schedule and Questions for Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

 

On this day...	You should read ...
May 5, 2010	Chapters 01-05
May 6, 2010	Chapters 06-08
May 7, 2010	Chapters 09-13
May 10, 2010	Chapters 14-15, and chapter 16, pages 106-107 through “…he could most always start a good plan when you wanted one.” Stop there, and resume reading on page 123 with “I didn’t wait to kiss good bye, but went overboard and broke for shore.” Continue to end of chapter.
May 12, 2010	Chapters 17-18
May 13, 2010	Chapters 19-21
May 14, 2010	Chapters 22-24
May 17, 2010	Chapters 25-27
May 18, 2010	Chapters 28-29
May 20, 2010	Chapters 30-31
May 21, 2010	Chapters 32-35
May 24, 2010	Chapters 36-38
May 25, 2010	Chapters 39-41
May 26, 2010	Chapters 42 & Chapter the Last

 

QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER WHILE READING

 

 Adventures of Huckleberry Finn: Chapters 1-5

1. Does Huck understand how people feel about him?
2. What are the differences between the widow Douglass and Miss Watson? Which one earns Huck’s respect more and why?
3. What ideas govern Huck’s universe? Would you call him primitive?
4. Does Jim know the boys are there? Explain why you think he does or does not.
5. How does Huck view Jim and how do you know?
6. Why does Jim tell the story of the witches and wear the five cent piece?
7. Where does Tom get his ideas? What sorts of values do these ideas promote?
8. What do we learn about Huck’s background?
9. How does Tom use money? Is it admirable?
10. Is Pap sincere when he tells the judge he wants to turn over a new leaf?

Adventures of Huckleberry Finn: Chapters 6-8

1. Why does Huck want to spite pap, even if it means pap will beat him?
2. Why does pap kidnap Huck?
3. Think carefully about what he tells us: he is kidnapped by his physically abusive, impoverished father and held captive in the woods across the river where he is beaten daily, and yet he tells us he gets "used to being where I was, and liked it" (30). What exactly does he like?
4. What are the reasons that finally drive Huck to seek escape?
5. Why do you suppose Twain includes pap's tirade about the "govment"? What do we learn about the responsibilities of government and citizen from it?
6. Why isn't Huck more deeply affected by pap's imprisonment of him and his efforts to murder him?
7. Would you characterize Huck as violent?
8. Why does Huck wish Tom were there?
9. When the ferry containing all of the people he's been connected to--good or bad--comes along, Huck is noticeably silent about the effect of his apparent murder on them, and the fact that to maintain the ploy, Huck can never talk to them again. Why is he seemingly indifferent to this?
10. Why is he terrified by the discovery of the campfire?
11. Why is Huck so happy to see Jim?
12. What hints do we have early on in the conversation Huck has with Jim that Jim does not trust him?
13. Why does Huck agree to keep Jim's secret?
14. Are Jim and Huck's escapes comparable in any way? If so, how?
15. Would you say Huck and Jim are smart? Qualify this a bit and explain what you mean.
16. The explanatory notes about Jim's unusual investments are helpful.
17. How is the final quote of chapter 8 a loaded one?

Aventures of Huckleberry Finn: Chapters 9-13

 

Page 61: “I didn’t look at him at all. Jim throwed some old rags over him, but he needn’t done it; I didn’t want to see him.” [emphasis mine]

Page 63: “After breakfast I wanted to talk about the dead man and guess out how he come to be killed, but Jim didn’t want to.” [emphasis mine]

What accounts for the change? Why doesn’t Jim want to talk about the dead man?

Why doesn’t Huck tell Jim about his role in putting the snake on his bed?

Why does Judith Loftus want to help Huck?

Why does Jim agree to land on the boat? Why does he hesitate to do it?

What are some of the things Huck misses (i.e. remains unaware of) in last night’s reading?

Why is Huck concerned about the gang?

Why is Huck’s story to the ferry captain an effective one?

Why does Huck wish the widow knew what he did to save the men on the wreck?

“I felt a little bit heavy-hearted about the gang, but not much, for I reckoned if they could stand it, I could” (91). What does this mean?

Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Class Journal: Chapters 14-16 (do not read 107-122)

1. What do Jim and Huck try to teach one another in their conversation about Solomon and language? (93-98)
2. “I reckoned Jim had fetched up on a snag, maybe, and it was all up with him. I was good and tired, so I laid down in the canoe and said I wouldn’t bother no more” (101-2). Why isn’t Huck troubled by this thought?
3. Why does Huck play a trick on Jim?
4. Why does Jim use the word “boss” when addressing Huck?
5. Does Jim really think he was dreaming?
6. Consider what happens to Huck and Jim in these chapters: Huck tries to find out where Cairo is but is unsuccessful. (123); Huck thinks about turning Jim in. (123-124); Huck convinces the slave catchers that there is smallpox aboard the raft so they don’t find Jim. (125-126); A steamboat hits the raft and Huck is unaware if Jim survived. (130-131). Consider/Review all of these events, and then carefully consider your answer to the following question: On the whole, is Huck loyal to Jim?

Adventures of Huckleberry Finn: Chapters 17-18

Huck arrives at the Grangerford home. SEE EXPLANATORY NOTES 415-422

1. What does Huck notice about the Grangerfords’ behavior?
2. What are some of the descriptive details of the family (character)?
3. By what is Huck impressed at the Grangerfords’ (setting)? Create a list.
4. On the whole, why is Huck impressed by the family? Should he be?

THE GRANGERFORDS

1. How does Col. Grangerford compare to pap? (142-143)
2. Why doesn’t Harney try to shoot Buck? (144-145)
3. Do the Grangerfords and Shepherdsons respect one another? (146-147)
4. Why is the feud continuing? (146-147)
5. What contradiction does Twain expose in Huck’s description of the Sunday sermon? (147)
6. What clues does Twain give us about the elopement before it happens?

REUNITING WITH JIM

1. Why does Jack use the excuse of going to see water moccasins? Why not tell the truth? (149-151)
2. Is Huck glad to see Jim again? (149-151)

THE FEUD

1. Why doesn’t Huck want “to talk about the next day” (151)? What are other indications that this has been a traumatic event for him?
2. Think about the Social Worker activity you went through for chapters 6-8. How is Huck’s mental health?

Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Class Journal: Chapters 19-21

 

LEAVING THE GRANGERFORDS

1. Huck begins this chapter with a long description of quiet, lazy days and nights on the river. Why? What mood do his descriptions establish? Why make such a contrast with what came before?

THE DUKE AND KING

1. Why does Huck rescue the duke and king?
2. Why do the duke and king claim to be descended from aristocracy?
3. Does Huck believe them? Does Jim?
4. What principles guide the duke and kings actions? Huck’s? Jim’s?
5. Why do the duke and king stay with Huck and Jim?
6. Are the duke and king an asset or liability to Huck and Jim’s journey?

HOW JIM AND HUCK CHANGE AROUND THE KING AND DUKE

1. What signs do we have that Jim and Huck are still building a solid relationship, even with the interlopers on board?
2. Up until now, Huck “used to slip ashore towards ten o‘clock at some little village and buy ten or fifteen cents worth of meal or bacon or other stuff to eat” (79). This ad hoc approach has worked just fine until now, but something changes. Why does Jim send Huck with the duke and king into the one-horse town under the pretense that they need coffee (170)?
3. Why does Jim laugh on the night of the storm?

HOW POOR, RURAL SOCIETY BEHAVES

1. What do we learn about people and religion in the town meeting?
2. Why are they eager to help the king?

SHERBURN-BOGGS

1. Is Sherburn justified in his response to Boggs?
2. What do we learn about mob mentality from this episode?

Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Class Journal: Chapters 22-24

1. Why does the lynching attempt fail?
2. How does the circus fool Huck several times over? What is Twain reminding us about Huck and why is it necessary for him to do so?

BRIEF PLOT REVIEW

1. What is “The Royal Nonesuch”? Why does it run for three nights if it is so awful?
2. What conclusions do Huck and Jim reach about kings and dukes?
3. What story does Jim tell about his daughter (201-202)?
4. How do the king and duke find out about the Wilks family? (204-206)
5. What is the Wilks’ family tree? (206)

INTERPRETIVE QUESTIONS

1. Based on everything we have seen so far, how would you judge the quality of the king and duke’s acting abilities? Why do people fall for them?
2. Who’s more pathetic in “The Royal Nonesuch”? The audience or the actors? Why is the name of the production significant?
3. Why does Twain put the story about Jim’s daughter here? What effect does it have on you and how you think about Jim? About the people around him? About what happens to him at the beginning of chapter 24?
4. Why doesn’t Jim just leave when Huck, the duke and the king are gone?
5. If the king and duke aren’t so great at acting, why do people believe them as the Wilks brothers?
6. How are the duke and king contributing to Huck’s moral growth?

Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Class Journal: Chapters 25-27

1. What is buried in the Wilks’ basement (214)?’
2. What’s the “deffisit” (215)?
3. Why do the duke and king give the money to the girls? (215-216)
4. What does Doc. Robinson say about the king and duke? What are people’s responses? (218-219)
5. How do the duke and king get people to trust them even more? How does that change your opinion of them?
6. Why don’t the people believe Doc Robinson when he calls the duke and king frauds? How do the prior discussions of mob mentality help us understand what happens at the Wilks’ place?

BRIEF PLOT REVIEW

1. Summarize the conversation Huck and Joanna have (221-224).
2. What question does Joanna ask about servants and what is Huck’s answer (223)?
3. Why exactly is Mary Jane so upset with Joanna (224-225)? What is the effect of her anger on Huck (225)?
4. Why does the duke want to leave (226-227)?
5. Why does the king want to stick around, and how does he explain why it’s OK if they do (227-228)?
6. Where does Huck finally hide the money and why (230)?
7. What disrupts the funeral (232)?
8. Why is Huck so concerned when the undertaker screws the lid on the coffin (233)?
9. What does the king say will happen now that the funeral is over (234)?
10. What is the first thing the king sells and what effect does it have (234)?
11. How does Huck divert the king’s suspicion that he took the money (234-237)?

INTERPRETIVE QUESTIONS

1. Why is it important that Huck has had to act as the king and duke’s servant? What has his having to do so taught him?
2. What happens on page 225 three times? What does this show us?
3. Why isn’t Mary Jane troubled to hear that Huck might have been telling lies?
4. What are Huck’s feelings about Mary Jane?
5. Why does he choose to steal the money (225-226)?

 

April 30. 2010

Today, we began class with a quiz on last night's reading.  We then spoke about the implications raised by last night's reading.  Specifically:

FUNDAMENTAL ASSUMPTIONS FROM LAST NIGHT’S READING:

• Language shapes reality and capacity for thought. Limit language, and you limit human endeavor, potential, and relationships.
• The human spirit can be destroyed by external forces.
• Mass producing consumer culture poses threats to the vitality of the human spirit in much the same way a fear-mongering totalitarian dictatorship does.

ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS RAISED BY THE NOVEL:

• Are human beings inherently good?
• Does truth exist objectively?
• What should be the role of government? 
• What should be the role of citizen?
• What flaws in human nature threaten both individual and society?

DETERMINING THE NOVEL’S LIMITS: DOES IT APPLY TODAY?

• The most radical recent shifts in the English language have taken place with the advent of technology. Grammar and style have become less formal in written correspondence. Text messaging, emailing, and instant messaging have inspired all sorts of abbreviations (OMG, BTW, BFF, IMHO, etc.) and have blurred the lines between acceptable and unacceptable. For example, Marsalis feels comfortable calling Macbeth a BAMF in class, but I suspect would not feel comfortable describing Macbeth with an extended version of that acronym because of societally agreed upon features of formal classroom relationships. The change in the language has also changed how we relate. How does the language of text messaging distance you from/bring you closer to peers and older adults? Do you agree with Orwell that language does shape reality? Is it possible to conceive of concepts without the words for them (e.g. justice, honor, freedom, integrity, virtue, loyalty, etc.)? Does technology or language have a greater impact on personal behavior and collective relationships? In other words, are Orwell's assumptions correct, and are his warnings about the change in language accurate?
• Orwell’s book was written in response to the rise of totalitarian regimes in nation states and the arms race that resulted. The political landscape is much different now. Nations remain sovereign, but operate often in concert, as they do through the UN, NATO or the European Union. Our enemies are not necessarily nations, but rogue bands of ideologues, like fundamentalist Islamist groups like the Taliban or Al Quaeda. Rather than a quest for resources, these groups are motivated by cultural beliefs and a profound rejection of Western concepts and practices. Rather than conventional warfare, they engage in insurgency and guerilla tactics, targeting civilians on both sides as well as conventional military targets. Does Orwell’s message about the dangers of excessive government/world powers still apply?

YOUR ASSIGNMENT

• In truth, we barely scratched the surface of these questions in class, though it is obvious you enjoyed the book and felt it gave you plenty to think about.  That sentiment is the motivation for tonight's assignment.  For Tuesday, I would like you to ponder these questions, and any other questions you feel the book raises, and develop a substantial typed journal entry at least a page in length about the book.  The topic is entirely your choosing.  You should have a focused, coherent perspective on an aspect of the book that you explore in depth.  Can't think of what to write? Read all of the above again to help focus your thinking.  Other questions to consider:
• Are Julia and Winston admirable rebels? Are their methods of rebelling effective, even if the ultimately fail? Were their efforts worthwhile in any way?
• At the end of the Afterward, Erich Fromm writes "the new form of managerial industrialism, in which man builds machines which act like men and develops men which act like machines, is conducive to an era of dehumanization and complete alienation, in which men are transformed into things and become appendices to the process of production and consumption" (291). In other words, according to Fromm, this book tells us just as much about corporate indoctrination as it does about government overreaching.  Think about the vast cubicle land satirized in movies like "Office Space."  Consider what you saw in the movie "Metropolis." In a vast consumer economy, Big Brother is not the government, but the corporation that produces--be it brand name clothing (Ugg boots, Tori Burch shoes, etc.) or our own equivalent of "prolefeed" (MTV Real Life, cable news & infotainment, etc.).  Is there any element of truth to what Fromm claims here? Do you see this book teaching us anything about the dangers of losing human dignity to the oppressive powers of a consumerist society?
• Given what is missing from Winston and Julia's life, what ingredients is Orwell saying are essential to human fulfillment? Do you agree?
• Is the Chestnut Tree cafe like Starbucks? Is the Ministry of Truth like school? Is the Golden Field like a vacation spot? What parallels can you draw between Winston's life and our own, and what do those parallels show us about ourselves?

Hopefully, this will give you some topics to get you started.  You can write on some other aspect entirely.  Again, this is open ended.  What am I looking for?  Proof that you can:

• Develop a focused, developed, arguable, personal opinion about a text
• Sustain that opinion in a meaningful way through layers of developed thought, and not just superficially scratch the surface
• Incorporate quotations effectively to demonstrate how you come by your thinking
• Effectively use formal written conventions. In other words, your paper should use correct format, and be grammatically sound and stylistically engaging.

You don't need to use the 12 sentence format, though you are welcome to do so.  What I would like you to focus on is your ability to have a fully developed and well-articulated perspective about the book.  In other words, focus on developing a concise and original thesis statement that explains why this book effectively or ineffectively instructs us about some aspect of modern life.  Then, back it up with some cogent and substantiated prose.

April 21, 2010

We opened today with a look at discussion grading:

TO EARN THE FOLLOWING DISCUSSION GRADES, A STUDENT DEMONSTRATES THE FOLLOWING


A -/+
Engaged, attentive, ready to go, actively making connections, offering interpretations, asking interesting questions, providing thoughtful and focused ideas, seeking references in text, taking notes and annotating the novel.

B -/+
Engaged, reciting factual knowledge of reading, asking questions for clarification, seeking references in text, taking notes.

C -/+
Engaged, observant, called upon if asked, referring to passages referenced by others, jotting down a note or two.

D -/+
Observant, but tunes out every now and then; seems familiar with the reading but misses a few facts if asked; avoids note taking and referencing text.

F -/+
Distracting to others, unprepared, offers goofy answers when called upon, takes no notes, doesn’t refer to book.


We will continue with reading #6 tomorrow.

APRIL 16, 2009

Today, we took a quiz, which also served as a sample for you about the types of quizzes you might write.  The benchmark should be: write a quiz that people who have read and paid attention while reading will do quite well on without difficulty.  It should not be so easy that someone who breezed through the reading or stuck only with Sparksnotes can ace it.  It should not be so hard that only people who have memorized it word for word can do it. 

We then spoke about chapters 3-5.

On Monday, Kayleigh and Maddie will run the class, arriving with a quiz and a handout for all of the class (make one of each for me, too, please!). You offered the suggestions of a debate, a competition, and the offering of edible prizes as ideas to get them started.  On Tuesday, Catie and Kelly will be leading the class.  The same rules apply.

At a bare minimum, ALL OF YOU should come to class fully prepared to discuss the questions provided to you.

QUESTIONS FOR MONDAY'S READING
1. Why does recalling the evening with the prostitute inspire such violent reactions in Winston?

2. How does life differ for Party members and the proles?
3. “The aim of the Party was not merely to prevent men and women from forming loyalties which it might not be able to control. Its real, undeclared purpose was to remove all pleasure from the sexual act” (58). Why? What purpose does this serve?
4. Why aren’t the proles supposed to have gin? Why are they allowed to be promiscuous and divorce one another, but Party members are not?
5. Why does Winston think “If there is hope, it lies in the proles” (61)? Explain what his reasoning is likely to be.
6. “The ideal set up by the Party was something huge, terrible, and glittering -- a world of steel and concrete, of monstrous machines and terrifying weapons -- a nation of warriors and fanatics, marching forward in perfect unity, all thinking the same thoughts and shouting the same slogans, perpetually working, fighting, triumphing, persecuting -- three hundred million people all with the same face” (65). What about this is appealing?
7. What does the literacy rate imply about life in Oceania?
8. What sort of person hangs out at the Chestnut Tree Café?
9. What do you supposed in meant by the lyrics on page 68?
10. Why did he throw away the photograph then, and why would he keep it now?
11. Why does he think he is writing the diary for O’Brien?
12. Explain the logic that motivates the lines: “Freedom is the freedom to say that two plus two make four. If that is granted, all else follows” (72).

QUESTIONS FOR TUESDAY'S READING
1. Who is bombing the proles and why?

2. Why does Winston approach the old man with such uncharacteristic openness and determination?
3. Why does he find the answers from the old man at the bar annoying but the similar quality of answer from Mr. Charrington interesting?
4. Does Winston have courage?
5. Why does the dark haired girl write that particular message when she has never spoken to Winston? Does she mean it?
6. Why does he want to see her?
7. We end Book One in this reading assignment. Such sections of books are generally unified sections, distinct from one another. What are some of the unifying themes of Book One? Just from the first chapter, can you tell if Book Two is going to focus on something different?
8. Should Winston trust the dark haired girl? Do you?
9. Just from the way the dark-haired girl goes about shadowing him, then attracting Winston’s attention, learning about him and then arranging a meeting with him, what can we tell about her? (see pages 8, 10, 12, 27, 54, 55, 89, 93-4, 98-103)
10. Why does everyone rush to see the prisoners? What can we tell from their expressions?

APRIL 14, 2009

Today, we sopke about chapters 1 and 2 in 1984, and highlighted the physical appearances of a few characters (we spoke about Winston Smith, Emmanuel Goldstein, Mrs. Parsons and her children). Don't forget about the dark haired girl and O'Brien, as well as Big Brother.  We identified the four ministries and their purposes and spoke about the meanings behind the slogans.  We also spoke about the purposes behind Newspeak.  Read the entry on 266.

For Friday, I asked you to read chapters 3-5 and to develop a discussion question you want to address.  This question should be on a piece of paper, ready to turn in.

April 13, 2009

Today, we finished watching the National Geographic documentary on North Korea. (It's worth reading some of the Amazon reviews for criticism of it.) The documentary is available via Youtube:











Your homework tonight is to read pages 1-25 of George Orwell's 1984. That's chapers 1 and 2. And, you are to answer the study guide questions.

FOR APRIL 05-APRIL 09, 2010

THE MAIN HANDOUT
(Contains all of the poems)


Today, we read pages 2-5 carefully and gave some thought to how sonnets are structured. A number of the sonnets we will read in this class and which you'll see in history class as well break from these structures, deliberately and to great effect. It helps to know the form they deviate from in order to see how useful that deviation is in supporting the meanings of the poems.

HOMEWORK FOR MONDAY NIGHT, DUE TUESDAY
Complete the worksheet distributed in class. (This is for the poem found on on page 13 of the poetry handout)

HOMEWORK FOR TUESDAY NIGHT, DUE THURSDAY (no class on Wednesday)
Complete the worksheet passed out in class. (This is for the poem found on page 9 of the poetry handout)


THURSDAY'S HOMEWORK, DUE FRIDAY.
On Thursday, we will look at some sample passages together.  One of the sample passages is on "Arms and the Boy," by Wilfred Owen, and the other is on "A Song," by Charles Alexander Richmond. You will be doing similar work of your own for Friday, and your final product should closely resemble the work done in the sample for "A Song."

The Assignment:
WRITE A PARAPHRASE/MODEL PASSAGE ON ONE OF THE POEMS IN THE PACKET, NOT COVERED BY ANY OTHER HOMEWORK OR THE REFERENCE SHEETS BELOW. YOU SHOULD PICK A POEM, WRITE A PARAPHRASE OF IT, AND IN A FEW SHORT PARAGRAPHS, EXPLAIN THE LARGER MEANINGS IN THE POEM. (YOU WILL BE ASKED TO DO THE VERY SAME THING ON THE FINAL EXAM USING A POEM I'LL GIVE YOU THEN.) YOUR FINAL PRODUCT SHOULD BE A PAGE OR TWO IN LENGTH.

Welcome Back from Spring Break! Get ready!

When we left off:

versus

Will the forces of evil grow loud enough to wake the forces of good ?

• Macbeth is unhappily king. He does not sleep, can’t shake his anxiety, and is paranoid about everyone. He successfully had Banquo murdered, but Banquo’s son Fleance escaped.

• Macbeth is going mad. He sees the ghost of Banquo at a dinner party he hosts, and Lady Macbeth has to ask all of the guests to leave quite suddenly. Chaos reigns in his mind, in his home, and in his country. Macbeth vows to go see the weird sisters to get some answers.

• Macbeth is an awful tyrant. Scotland suffers terribly under his rule. He keeps a spy in every household, and indirect clues point out that the populace suffers. People are unwilling to speak openly about their fears and there is talk of failed crops, damaged livestock, empty tables, personal suffering, lack of trust and decency, etc.

• Macbeth has his scary sights on Macduff. Macduff, the nobleman who had come to Macbeth’s castle to fetch the king the morning after Macbeth murdered Duncan, had earlier refused to attend Macbeth’s crowning ceremony and instead stayed at home in Fife (see Act II, scene iv). Macduff had also failed to attend the party that Macbeth threw (where Macbeth went bonkers), and now Macbeth is vowing revenge against this traitor.

• Hecat, Chief Witch, has plans for Macbeth. Annoyed that her underlings have toyed like mere amateurs with Macbeth (whom she accuses of murdering Duncan not for a love of Satan’s evil, but merely for his own ambition), Hecat decides that she will show Macbeth a thing or two, promising that “He shall spurn fate, scorn death, and bear / His hopes ‘bove wisdom, grace and fear—“ and reminds us that a sense of security is man’s chief enemy (if Duncan were still around, no doubt he’s say “Amen!” to that!).

• Scotland’s nobles and Duncan’s rightful heirs are plotting Macbeth’s demise. A conversation between Lennox and another lord lets us know that Macduff did not attend the dinner because he has gone to England to join rightful Crown Prince Malcolm (Duncan’s son), who is working with English King Edward and two English lords, Northumberland and Siward, to raise armies to invade Scotland and overthrow Macbeth. We also learn that Macbeth, being rightfully suspicious of Macduff’s absence, is preparing for war.  Lennox and the Lord worry about Macduff’s fate, but place their prayers with him.

Here are the questions we will address on the three remaining days we have devoted to Macbeth:

ACT IV - QUESTIONS
Scene i
1. Mabeth wants answers from the witches even at what cost?
2. Describe the apparitions Macbeth is shown and what they tell him.
3. At the end of the scene, Macbeth promises that “From this moment,” what will happen?
4. What does Macbeth vow to do to Macduff?
Scene ii
1. Why is Lady Macduff so angry at her husband?
2. What comment does her son make about the presence of deceitful men in Scotland?
3. What is the fate of Lady Macduff and her son?
Scene iii
1. Why is Malcolm suspicious of Macduff?
2. Malcolm tries to convince Macduff that he is what?
3. Why does Malcom lie to him in this way? Give his explanation in your own words.
4. What is the news that Ross delivers about Scotland? About Macduff’s family?
5. What is Macduff’s response?
Scene iv
1. Mabeth wants answers from the witches even at what cost?
2. Describe the apparitions Macbeth is shown and what they tell him.
3. At the end of the scene, Macbeth promises that “From this moment,” what will happen?
4. What does Macbeth vow to do to Macduff?
ACT V - QUESTIONS
Scene i
1. Why has the gentlewoman called for the doctor?
2. What exactly do the gentlewoman and doctor see and what do they hear?
Scene ii
1. What places do Angus and Caithness mention? Where have we heard them before?
2. According to Angus, how do Macbeth’s soldiers feel about him?
3. According to these assembled lords, what do they hope to do?
Scene iii
1. According to Mabeth’s opening rant in this scene, what’s going on with his supporters?
2. Why doesn’t he care?
3. Judging by what Macbeth says to the servant who enters, what does the servant look like? Why do you think he looks this way? (Think about the news he brings Macbeth)
4. How does Macbeth take the news the servant brings?
5. What does Macbeth ask Seyton to help him with?
6. What two issues does Macbeth ask the doctor about?
Scene iv
1. What does Malcolm specifically instruct his soldiers to do in lines 4-8? Make some predictions about why this matters.
Scene v
1. Why isn’t Macbeth meeting the English army “beard to beard”?
2. What response does Macbeth have to the screams of women within the castle?
3. According to Seyton, why did the women scream?
4. In the famous “Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow” monologue, what is Macbeth saying?
5. What remarkable news does the servant bring?
6. What is Macbeth’s response to this news? Why does he choose to respond this way, do you think?
Scene vi
1. What are Malcolm’s orders?
Scene vii
1. On what is Macbeth now basing all of his confidence?
2. What happens to Young Siward (Siward’s son)?
3. According to Macduff, why must he be the one to kill Macbeth and why won’t he fight anyone else?
4. According to Malcolm and Siward, how’s the battle going, overall?
Scene viii
1. Why does Macbeth think that Macduff’s efforts to fight him are in vain?
2. What interesting fact about himself does Macduff reveal?
3. How does Macbeth respond to the news? What does he say he will do?
4. Macduff then asks Macbeth to do what?
5. Why won’t Macbeth comply?
6. Do you admire Macbeth for his choice? Why?
7. Why is Siward OK with his son’s death?
8. What is the first promises Malcolm makes as king?
9. How did the queen die?
10. With what specific words and phrases in Malcolm’s speech do we know that order is being restored?

HOMEWORK:
Tuesday night:
Complete Act IV and write out answers to the questions above.

DAY 5 - CYCLE 7 - SEMESTER 02: 03-09-10

THE BLOG IS BACK!!

After a long hiatus, it's back.

HANDOUTS FROM TODAY:
None.

THE PLAN FOR THIS WEEK:
PLAN FOR MONDAY, MARCH 08th THROUGH FRIDAY, MARCH 12th


MONDAY
Act III, scene 1 review
Act III, scene 2
Central questions
• How are the Macbeths doing now that they got what they wanted?
• Does each know how the other feels?
• What are they hiding from one another?
• What is Macbeth’s emotional state as he speaks to his wife? What is hers?
• What advice do they give one another?
Act III, scene 3
Central questions
• Why has Macbeth sent a third murderer?
• What happens to Banquo and Fleance?

TUESDAY
Act III, scene 4 – the Banquet Scene

We will read the scene together and watch two versions of the scene, then reconvene to discuss which is most convincing, based on our knowledge of the characters.

WEDNESDAY
Lord of the Flies – Final discussion (pages 126-202)

THURSDAY
Act III, scenes 5 & 6

FRIDAY
In class essay:
In the first three acts of Macbeth, we see both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth undergo remarkable changes in their individual characters and in their relationship to one another. You are to explain exactly how one of these characters changes (from what to what), why the change occurs, and then analyze how three lines of the text demonstrates that change taking place. A sample thesis: While Duncan begins the play disgusted and angered by the treachery surrounding him, his thrill over Macbeth’s wins prevents him from learning his lesson, and he ends his life still being naively trusting of the men surrounding him. Your lines may be taken from any of the first three acts, and need not be spoken by the character you are analyzing. However, they must be well selected to show a transformation taking place. All quotes must be introduced, and you must explain how they show the thesis in action. This essay will be all but impossible without a clear thesis, so think carefully!

IN CLASS TODAY:

We quickly finished Act III, scenes 2 and 3, and then moved into scene 4--the banquet scene. We watched three different versions:






If time allowed, we talked about the following questions:
Which version best capture Macbeth's emotional and psychological states?
What were the key differences?
What directorial choices helped you understand the play better?
Which choices made it harder?

CLASS NOTES:

Whatever you took in our books, which should be plenty!

HOMEWORK:

1. Complete your reading of Lord of the Flies.  Our next quiz and discussion day will be tomorrow.
2. Look ahead to Frida's essay, and give thought to the lines you'll choose.

HANDOUTS FROM TODAY:
There were no handouts for today.

IN CLASS TODAY:

We covered the first five words of vocabulary from unit 7:

• allay: (verb) to calm or pacify, set to rest. Let me allay your fears by telling you that the test will not be hard.
• bestial: (adj.) beastlike; beastly, brutal; subhuman. The guards at the concentration camp were guilty of bestial crimes against humanity.
• convivial: (adj.) festive, sociable, having fun together. There is almost always a convivial gathering in the lodge during recess.
• coterie: (noun) a circle of acquaintances: close-knit group. Paris and her coterie of friends could be seen shopping around Beverly Hills.
• counterpart: (noun) a person or thing closely resembling or corresponding to another; a complement. I often speak to my counterparts in the guidance offices of other schools to get their insights.

Use the sentences above and the ones from the book as models, and practice writing your own. That's the best way to study and truly learn new words.

We then got through Act I, scene vi of Macbeth. 
Act I, scene iv:

• Duncan asks about Cawdor's execution and is told the man looked honorable in death and regretted his treason. Duncan seems doubtful, saying that there's no way to tell a man's sentiments by looking at his face, and that he had trusted Cawdor absolutely. Macbeth and Banquo arrives, and Duncan praises them and is so moved by them that he actually cries a little.  Macbeth and Banquo praise Duncan. Duncan then tells everyone that he is naming his son Malcolm the crown Prince of Cumberland, and that he'll be staying at Macbeth's house that night. Macbeth claims to be thrilled, but quickly breaks into an aside where he admits to seeing Malcolm's rise as an impediment to his own rise, and calls upon the heavens and his conscience not to pay attention to the actions his hands plan to undertake.

Act I, scene v:

• Lady Macbeth reads a letter from Macbeth about his encounter with the witches and is delighted with the promises they made, but she fears that her husband is just too much of a goody two-shoes to get power.  She clearly believes that getting to the top must involve some underhanded deceit, and she wants Macbeth to get home so she can be the one to convince him of this.  Then a messenger arrives saying that Duncan will sleep at the Macbeth's castle tonight, and this makes her crazy with murderous anticipation. She casts off her civilizing forces of femininity and calls upon the forces of darkness to hide the actions she is willing to undertake to make sure Macbeth becomes king. Macbeth arrives, and she tells him he must look innocent but be cruel.

Act I, scene vi

• Duncan arrives with Banquo and says how incredibly happy he is to be at the castle. Lady Macbeth greets Duncan and they express all kinds of gratitude, affection and loyalty to one another.

Tomorrow, we resume Macbeth and Unit 7 vocabulary, and we really need to pick up the pace!

CLASS NOTES:

Whatever you wrote in your Macbeth books, and I hope it was a lot, serves as your notes for today.

HOMEWORK:

1. Continue reading in Lord of the Flies.  Our next quiz and discussion day will be Wednesday, February 24th, when you should be through page 94 (chapter 5).
2. Translate Act I, scene vii in Macbeth. Here is where Macbeth reasons out his desires and contemplates their consequences, and Lady Macbeth tries to convince him as well.  What kind of argument does she make: pathetic? logical? ethical?
3. Bring your vocabulary book to class.

DAY 04 - CYCLE 05 - SEMESTER 02: 02-16-10

HANDOUTS FROM TODAY:
You received a set of questions about Lord of the Flies

IN CLASS TODAY:

You took a quiz on Unit 6 vocabulary and the first two chapters of Lord of the Flies.  Mostly, we stuck with basics of plot and character, but were starting to get to the more interesting questions about why Piggy is unliked, about Ralph and Jack's qualities and deficits as leaders.  Take a look at the questions you received today for more worthwhile considerations.

Tomorrow, we resume Macbeth and Unit 7 vocabulary, and we really need to pick up the pace!
CLASS NOTES:

Notes for today's class may be found here.

HOMEWORK:

1. Continue reading in Lord of the Flies.  Our next quiz and discussion day will be Wednesday, February 24th, when you should be through page 94 (chapter 5).
2. Review scenes 5-7 in Macbeth and come prepared to discuss them.  Look at yesterday's blog post for links to performances, and if you feel especially clueless, be sure to watch the bottom animated version to fill you in.  Tomorrow, we need to head into Act 2.
3. Bring your vocabulary book AND your literary terms handout (given last week).

DAY -3 - CYCLE 05 - SEMESTER 02: 02-11-10

HANDOUTS FROM TODAY:
No handouts today

IN CLASS TODAY:

We did the chapter 6 vocabulary review exercises and watched Act I of Macbeth.
I am concerned about the ease with which many of you give up attempting to understand Shakespeare. In today's viewing, we saw Banquo's and Macbeth's encounter with the witches, and Macbeth's response to learning he has been named Thane of Cawdor. This tidbit of information inspires joy, but also ugly thoughts, and we see him wrestle with these visions of murder:


We also saw Lady Macbeth's response to a letter Macbeth wrote her explaining what has transpired and about the witches' prophesies:



You might also find it helpful to view the first three scenes as portrayed by others:


Finally, All of Act I is presented here as an abbreviated/animated version. You should be able to understand all of the plot elements from this, and be acquainted with many of the important lines, but not all.


CLASS NOTES:

There were no notes for today.

HOMEWORK:
Finish your reading of the first two chapters of Lord of the Flies (pages 1-47). Forgot your book? Not a problem! Click here:

DAY 05 - CYCLE 04 - SEMESTER 02: 02-05-10

HANDOUTS FROM TODAY:
Today, you received a handout of literary terms.

IN CLASS TODAY:

We moved ahead in Macbeth finishing scene ii and moving into scene iii, where Angus and Ross tell Macbeth that he has been made Thane of Cawdor. We studied Macbeth's reaction to this news, and Banquo's reaction to Macbeth's reaction, looking carefully at the warning Banquo gives him, and Macbeth's response. We also tried to figure out what Macbeth thinks about when he hears this news.


Macbeth and Banquo seem to respond to the witches' prophesies in different ways.

PHASE 1: During and immediately following the encounter with the witches
BANQUO: Curious, distanced, wary, interested but uninvested
MACBETH: Scared, spellbound ("rapt"), curious, invested, eager, disbelieving, hopeful, excited

PHASE 2: During and immediately following the encounter with Ross and Angus
BANQUO: Leery, cautious, disbelieving (cleary distrusts the source="Can the devil speak true?")
MACBETH: Reckless, ambitious, mesmerized with more concrete images of Duncan's death, eager, seeming to rationalize.

These two have just been in battle together and are good friends. What does this difference in responses, and the increasing divergence between them, tell us about their relationship?

Then, if time allowed, in your table "pie pieces" groups, I had you do two things:

Write stage directions for the types of facial expressions and gestures both Macbeth and Banquo would use from lines 104-146 of scene iii.

Make conjectures about what Banquo will say to Ross and Angus when he pulls them aside for "a word."

CLASS NOTES:

There were no notes for today.

HOMEWORK:
FINISH the essay assignment.  Remember to consult the questions on the assignment sheet!!

Bring your vocabulary books with you Monday. We will conclude unit 6.

TIP FOR TESTS & EXAMS!
 Look at the two scenes we discussed today.  What would you say are important quotes and why?  Flag them in your book, and write a note of explanation.  Keep this up as we go through the play!

DAY 04 - CYCLE 04 - SEMESTER 02: 02-04-10

HANDOUTS FROM TODAY:
Today, you received a handout about Fortune

IN CLASS TODAY:

We discussed the following question for the entire class:
Is it all right to get ahead at any cost?

The majority of you placed yourself on the right hand side of a spectrum where the word "never" appeared on the left and "always" appeared on the right.  Collectively, you seemed to indicate that it's all right to get ahead at any cost on most occasions, though some restraint is called for on some occasions.

This led to a larger discussion about cheating in general.  Cheating on homework is not as repugnant to you as cheating on a test because the consequences for such infringement aren't as steep. You also indicated that cheating on a test in comprhensible, given the weight tests carry.  While you all indicated that maintaining integrity is important, and honesty is probably the best policy, depending what's at stake, cheating in some form is understandable, even acceptable, so long as no harm results.

But that last statement bears scrutiny, as harm comes in many forms. Forrest wisely indicated that no one would want to be treated by a doctor who cheated his way through med school.  I wouldn't want  a financial advisor who cheated her way through business school managing my money.  We'd like to think that the ingredients listed on the side of the box are really what's actually in the food, and not some toxic or contaminated concoction that went unnoticed because the food plant inspector cheated his way through college chemistry and can't recognize dangerous problems or understand industry reports.  Cheating in school always has consequences because it comes at the expense of genuine mastery, and over the long haul, it has consequences for more than just the cheater.

As we move ahead in Macbeth, consider the nature of pursuing power.  Is it OK to grab it through unethical methods? What are the consequences of taking power you haven't earned? How does one justify doing that?

CLASS NOTES:

There were no notes for today.

HOMEWORK:
Work on the essay assignment.  Tonight, you should continue analyzing the essay in depth.  Consider ethical arguments, or appeals the author makes to gain the reader's trust.

Remember to consult the questions on the assignment sheet!!

Bring your vocabulary books with you tomorrow. We will conclude unit 6.

TIP FOR TESTS & EXAMS!
 Look at the two scenes we discussed today.  What would you say are important quotes and why?  Flag them in your book, and write a note of explanation.  Keep this up as we go through the play!

DAY 03 - CYCLE 04 - SEMESTER 02: 02-02-10

HANDOUTS FROM TODAY:
There were no handouts for today.

IN CLASS TODAY:

We started Macbeth!  We look at Act I, scenes 1 and 2, and just got a sense of who these people are and the world they live in. 

We started by talking about tricks to figure out the language.

We then read the scenes to figure out plot.

We focused on several lines to practice this.

• 1. For brave Macbeth
• 2. —well he deserves that name—
• 3. Disdaining fortune,
• 4. with his brandish'd steel,
• 5. Which smoked with bloody execution,
• 6. Like valor's minion
• 7. carved out his passage
• 8. Till he faced the slave;
• 9. Which ne'er shook hands,
• 10. nor bade farewell to him,
• 11. Till he unseamed him from the nave to th’ chops,
• 12. And fixed his head upon our battlements.

 We identified the unresolved questions we have to carry us into the next scenes.

CLASS NOTES:

There were no notes for today.

HOMEWORK:
Work on the essay assignment.  Tonight, you start analyzing the essay in depth.  Begin by listing stated and unstated premises (assumptions) the author makes throughout, and identifying what qualifies as evidence.

Remember to consult the questions on the assignment sheet!!

Bring your vocabulary books with you tomorrow. We will conclude unit 6.

TIP FOR TESTS & EXAMS!
 Look at the two scenes we discussed today.  What would you say are important quotes and why?  Flag them in your book, and write a note of explanation.  Keep this up as we go through the play!

DAY 02 - CYCLE 04 - SEMESTER 02: 02-01-10

HANDOUTS FROM TODAY:
Today, you received an overview of the essay that you will be working on for homework all of this week.

IN CLASS TODAY:

We carefully went over the essay assignment.  It is important that you self advocate.  If you are confused about ANYTHING, please tell me so I can help you!

We played a memory game about Macbeth, which we begin tomorrow.

We talked about what we know about Macbeth.

CLASS NOTES:

There were no notes for today.

HOMEWORK:
Work on the essay assignment linked to above.  Tonight, you should pick your essay and read it through thoroughly.  At the end, you should have a good sense of just what the author wants you to do, feel or think as a result of reading this essay.

Tomorrow, you can start your analysis in depth.

DAY 04 - CYCLE 03 - SEMESTER 02: 01-28-10

HANDOUTS FROM TODAY:
Today, you received an article about the history of the State of the Union Speech. 
You also recieved a handout of the material posted below, but which you may get here, too.

IN CLASS TODAY:

Together, we discussed the logical arguments in Martin Luther King's "Letter from Birmingham Jail."  We began by listing the essay's Major Premises and Enthymemes. We then looked at Minor Premises.  The goal is for you to become increasingly comfortable determining premises, stated and unstated, and to be able to state them crisply and clearly. It will take practice!

At this point, you should feel somewhat comfortable doing the following when reading an essay, looking at an ad, or hearing a speech:

• Recognizing the author's basic assumptions (the major premises and unstated beliefs, or enthymemes), i.e. what does the author believe is true about human nature and the world we live in?
• Identifying the specific cases used in the argument (the minor premises or samples), i.e. what does the author believe about specific people or specific situations? What evidence is the author providing?
• Determining how ethos is established, i.e. how is the author seeking to gain your trust?
• Discerning appeals to your emotions, i.e. how does the author want you to feel? Why? How does the author seek to create this emotional response?
• Understanding the author's purpose, i.e. what does the author want you to do, feel, or think? Are you being asked to change anything about yourself or your actions?
• Understanding the author's sense of audience, i.e. who does the author think he or she is speaking to? Is his or her understanding of the audience accurate?

CLASS NOTES:

Class notes for today may be found here.

HOMEWORK:

• 1. Listen to the State of the Union Speech (8:00 central statndard time), the Republican response, and apply the above principles and questions to these speeches. Be ready to discuss your answers in class with J.S. tomorrow.  I know that some of you have late practice, but you should be able to find links to the speech or to the text of the speech at http://www.whitehouse.gov/, and check out the Republican response at http://www.gop.com/, or through any major newspaper site.
  
  2. Apply these same questions to “College Pressures” and be ready to discuss that essay further on Friday.
  
• 
  
• COMING UP:
  

After the "College Pressures" essay, we will read George Will's "Virtue Versus Values."  Mr. Stephens will be your sub on Thursday and Friday of this week.  At the end of next week, you will be turning in a written analysis of an essay from the book OR of the State of the Union address (televised tonight).  In that analysis, you will be asked to answer the questions posed above in an essay of several paragraphs.  This assignment will be given to you on Monday, but you have enough information here to get started.

DAY 03 - CYCLE 03 - SEMESTER 02: 01-25-10

HANDOUTS FROM TODAY:


Today, you received a handout with questions for analyzing "Letter from Birmingham Jail."

IN CLASS TODAY:

Together, we diagrammed the following sentences from the book:
Have you met my friend Mary?
The renters altered, that is, nearly destroyed, the apartment
They have strength, speed, and mental toughness--the right qualities.
We then started to go over "Letter from a Birmingham Jail," studying the different types of appeals and answering questions about the essay.  We practiced identifying major premises and fallacies, too.

CLASS NOTES:

Class notes for today may be found here.

HOMEWORK:

• Read "College Pressures" by William Zinsser on page 396 of the Essays book.  Using the handout from today's class, use colored pencils or highlighers to identify passages employing logos, pathos and ethos.  Do the entire essay.  On Wednesday, we will discuss this essay and do an analysis of it.

COMING UP:
After the "College Pressures" essay, we will read George Will's "Virtue Versus Values."  Mr. Stephens will be your sub on Thursday and Friday of this week.  At the end of next week, you will be turning in a written analysis of an essay from the book OR of the State of the Union address (televised later this week).  In that analysis, you will be asked to:
- Identify and explain the logical, ethical and pathetic appeals.
- Determine the intended audience.
- Expose the presence of any fallacies.
- Justify your agreement or disagreement with the argument using your own appeals.

DAY 02 - CYCLE 03 - SEMESTER 02: 01-21-10

HANDOUTS FROM TODAY:
There were no handouts for today.

IN CLASS TODAY:

Today, we began with a review of the first five words from unit 6 and added five more: effigy, equity, inane, indictment, and indubitable.

We then brought out our sheets observing classroom behavior from other classes, and in small groups, I had you complete the following statements based on your own observations and conjectures:

In classes, girl students tend to ______________________, while boy students tend to _______________.  This is because ___________________________________.  Meanwhile, male teachers tend to ___________________________, while female teachers tend to _______________________.

We then reconvened as a group to start picking apart Katha Pollitt's essay, looking at her major premises.  We went back and looked at Tannen's essay, revisiting her major premises.

Pollitt says the major differences between genders are created by society and we should move past them.  Deborah Tannen says our major differences are hard-wired and we should cater to them.  What are their biases? The strengths and weaknesses of their arguments? You've done your own observations, enough to form an opinion of your own.  What do you think?  What are your biases?

The purposes of reading these two essay were:

1. To start practicing assessing arguments and analyzing the parts of them.
2. To engage you to the point of having an opinion of your own.

That's what good analysis can do--drive you to have new ideas and beliefs that make life (and class) more interesting.

Incidentally, American Heritage Dictionary defines "doll" as follows:
doll (dŏl): n. A child's usually small toy having the likeness of a human.

Just sayin...


CLASS NOTES:

No class notes for today.

HOMEWORK:

• Read Martin Luther King's "Letter from a Birmingham Jail" in your Essays book. List ALL of the major premises (stated or enthymemes) you can find on a separate piece of paper and bring it with you to class.
• Review the unit 7 of Sentence Diagramming.
• Bring your vocabulary book with you to class Monday.

DAY 01 - CYCLE 03 - SEMESTER 02: 01-20-10

HANDOUTS FROM TODAY:
Worksheet on Deborah Tannen's Premises and Arguments in "Conversational Styles"
Worksheet on classroom dynamics for your other classes.

Worksheet on Katha Pollitt's "Why Boys Don't Play with Dolls."

IN CLASS TODAY:

You took a quiz on the elements of rhetoric.

We then started our discussion of Deborah Tannen's article, "Conversational Styles." I opened with the question, "How true is this essay?"  After you debated about the essay in general for a while, I had you take a look at her specific premises and state your agreement or disagreement with them on a case-by-case basis, and then revisit the debate.  I asked you to focus your comments on specific premises rather than the overall thrust of the essay and to seek an alternative view to your own; in other words, to conduct conversation like you're shopping for a new opinion.

I then passed out a worksheet so you can put her theories and your own to the test by oberving what happens in other classrooms.  We'll discuss this tomorrow and see whose theories hold up under testing.

CLASS NOTES:

Class notes for today may be found here.

HOMEWORK:

• Read Katha Pollitt's "Why Boys Don't Play with Dolls" in your Essays book.  Complete the worksheets (links to both are at the top of this post):
• Worksheet on classroom dynamics for your other classes.
• Worksheet on Katha Pollitt's "Why Boys Don't Play with Dolls."
• Bring your vocabulary book with you to class tomorrow.

DAY 05 - CYCLE 02 - SEMESTER 02: 01-19-10

HANDOUTS FROM TODAY:

There were no handouts for today.

IN CLASS TODAY:

We covered the material in the rest of the introduction, except the fallacies for pathetic and ethical arguments.  You'll find examples in the power point.

CLASS NOTES:

You took your own, but you must review the Power Point for more.

HOMEWORK:
Quiz on introductory material will be on Wednesday. Review the Power Point and prepare for the quiz on that material tomorrow. Read "Coversational Styles" and annotate by Deborah Tannen on page 253 of the Seagull Reader: Essays book (if you are using the first edition, the essay appears on 231). Try to determine areas of strength and weakness in her argument using the information you learned in the introduction.

DAY 04 - CYCLE 02 - SEMESTER 02: 01-18-10

HANDOUTS FROM TODAY:

There were no handouts for today.

IN CLASS TODAY:

We began the day by diagramming the following sentence: Do you know your friend Adam's email address? Do you remember how? (HINT: There's an appositive!)

Then, we looked at a Power Point presentation starting to cover the following:

LOGOS: LOGICAL ARGUMENTS
Deductive
major premise
minor premise
conclusion
valid
sound
true
false
enthymemes

Inductive
sufficiently large
Accurate
Representative

Tomorrow, we will cover the following:
Deductive Fallacies
Invalid
Non sequitur
Red herring
false-cause fallacy (post hoc, ergo propter hoc)
Begging the question
either-or fallacy

Inductive Fallacies
Hasty generalizations
Anecdotal evidence
Flase analogy
Special Pleading

ETHOS: ETHICAL ARGUMENTS
What defines them?
Ad hominem

PATHOS: PATHETIC ARGUMENTS
What defines them?
bandwagon
appeal to tradition
appeal to pity


CLASS NOTES:

You took your own, but check out the Power Point for more.

HOMEWORK:
Quiz on introductory material will be on Wednesday. For Tuesday, read "Coversational Styles" and annotate by Deborah Tannen on page 253 of the Seagull Reader: Essays book (if you are using the first edition, the essay appears on 231). Try to determine areas of strength and weakness in her argument using the information you learned in the introduction.

DAY 03 - CYCLE 02 - SEMESTER 02: 01-14-10

HANDOUTS FROM TODAY:

There were no handouts for today.

IN CLASS TODAY:

First, we resumed unit 7 in the Sentence Diagramming workbook.  Tricky stuff, but we did a few sentences together and you have answers to the rest.

Then we (barely) talked about the introduction to the Seagull Reader: Essays book and just tried to clarify the material covered by the introduction, which included some basic terms:

LOGOS: LOGICAL ARGUMENTS
Deductive
major premise
minor premise
conclusion
valid
sound
true
false
enthymemes

Inductive
sufficiently large
Accurate
Representative

Deductive Fallacies
Invalid
Non sequitur
Red herring
false-cause fallacy (post hoc, ergo propter hoc)
Begging the question
either-or fallacy

Inductive Fallacies
Hasty generalizations
Anecdotal evidence
Flase analogy
Special Pleading

ETHOS: ETHICAL ARGUMENTS
What defines them?
Ad hominem

PATHOS: PATHETIC ARGUMENTS
What defines them?
bandwagon
appeal to tradition
appeal to pity


CLASS NOTES:

No notes today.

HOMEWORK:
Review the introductory essay to make sure you understand its elements.  We will cover it in depth on Monday.  Really.  Even if I have to use a cattle prod. You will have a quiz on Tuesday on the material.  And then we will start judging the arguments of others: wheeeeee!  For Tuesday, read "Coversational Styles" and annotate by Deborah Tannen on page 253 of the Seagull Reader: Essays book (if you are using the first edition, the essay appears on 231). Try to determine areas of strength and weakness in her argument using the information you learned in the introduction.

DAY 02 - CYCLE 02 - SEMESTER 02: 01-13-10

HANDOUTS FROM TODAY:

Today, you received a copy of several advertisements from a magazine.  Because I photocopied the pages, they are not available for download from the class wikisite. Please see me if your need a copy.

You also received a handout about appositives in sentence diagrams. 

IN CLASS TODAY:

Today, we worked on Unit 7 in the Sentence Diagramming Workbook, and you received an additional handout on appositives.  Remember that an appositive (a word, phrase or clause) renames another word phrase or clause in the sentence.  Wondering if something is an appositive?  Take out a word and see if it still works:
- Those flowers are pretty.
- Those flowers are pretty. Yup. This makes sense.
- Those Flowers are pretty. And this makes sense too.
So... Those (flowers) | are \ pretty
We also looked at possessives used as nouns, and expletives.  Today's lesson was tricky.  We'll practice these concepts tomorrow, too, before moving on.
After that, we spoke about yesterday's video clip and started to analyze HOW he tried to persuade the judges.  We looked at appeals to reason, to emotion, and how he tried to present himself as being worthy of listening to.  We also looked at his intentions.

Afterward, we analyzed a few advertisements, and the hidden assumptions behind them.  We used a chart to help:
               REASON                  EMOTION                 AUTHORITY

THINK



DO




FEEL

HOMEWORK:
Read and annotate the introduction in your Seagull Reader: Essays (2nd Ed.), Edited by Joseph Kelly.
The introduction appears on pages 3-21 of the text. It is not an easy read throughout, since it presents information in much the same way a textbook does. The toughest part will be understanding "logical arguments," but the rest should go fairly smoothly. Take notes, concentrate, read it AWAY from the computer/cell phone/TV/anything with an on switch and do your best. We'll start talking about the ideas tomorrow, and you'll have a quiz on the introduction on Thursday. Why a quiz? Because the material presented in the introduction constitutes the set of tools we will be using in the rest of the unit to build a better understanding of the art of persuasion: if you don't fully understand the tools and how they work, you can't build much. If you have questions about what you read or are having trouble, feel free to post a comment here. That way, I'll have a good idea of where we need to focus our efforts tomorrow!

DAY 01 - CYCLE 02 - SEMESTER 02: 01-12-10

HANDOUTS FROM TODAY:

There were no handouts for today.

IN CLASS TODAY:

Today, we began with the first five words of Unit 6 in the Vocabulary Book: abject, agnostic, complicity, derelict, and diatribe.

We also officially began the Argument Unit, in which we will:

• learn methods of persuasion,
• analyze a variety of arguments presented to us in a variety of media,
• evaluate some examples of argument for effectiveness,
• and attempt our own written argument in response to an issue raised in our studies.

In having you incorporate an argument based in reason, an argument based on emotions, and a demonstration of mastery of the material in your essay on Montana 1948, I was giving you a bit of a pre-test for this unit.

Today, we wrestled a bit more with the concepts that in the next few days we'll be naming: logos, pathos and ethos.

To begin, I had you talk to a partner about the ad and the article you brought in, answering the following questions about each.

1. Does the article/ad want you to DO something or THINK something or FEEL something (or a combination of these)? Name its intention.
2. You chose these articles and advertisements because you thought them effective.  Justify that choice.  (Be aware that with the article, part of your motivation may be "Because it reaffirms what I already think.")  What are the sources of their effectiveness?
3. For whom is the article/ad intended? What makes you think that?
4. From the prespective of both the article and the ad, I asked you to complete the following statement: "You,     describe intended audience member here    , should        do/think/feel  what?           because                                           ."   For example, an ad for an athletic shoe might read You, an athlete who takes his/her workout seriously, should wear our brand of shoe because its precisely engineered for intense athletics.

Tomorrow, we'll be talking more about just HOW articles and ads get you to think this way, but for today, we're still just getting our feet wet.

To continue, we looked at the following sample of an argument taken from the television series Boston Legal (included here with thanks to Mr. Daniel Sharkovitz of Martha's Vineyard Regional High School).  We watched the clip twice.  The first time, I just had you watch.  The second time, you watched with pen in hand, and I asked you to look at how the protagonist tried to score points with his arguments.  We discussed his approaches and tried to see some patterns in our ideas.




CLASS NOTES:

There were no notes for today.

HOMEWORK:
For Wednesday:Write up an explanation of HOW the lawyer in the clip above seeks to changethe minds of the judges. Consider not only his message, but how he delivers it.  Your analysis will form the basis of our discussion tomorrow, sobe thorough.  I will check homework again.  For tomorrow night, you will need to use the book that appears below.  Please make sure that you own it.  Bring your Sentence Diagramming workbooks to class. 

COMING UP ON WEDNESDAY NIGHT (DUE THURSDAY):
Read the introduction which appears on pages 3-21 of the Essays text.  It is not an easy read throughout, since it presents information in much the same way a textbook does.  The toughest part will be understanding "logical arguments," but the rest should go fairly smoothly.  Take notes, concentrate, read it AWAY from the computer/cell phone/TV/anything with an on switch and do your best.  We'll start talking about the ideas tomorrow, and you'll have a quiz on the introduction on Monday.  Why a quiz? Because the material presented in the introduction constitutes the set of tools we will be using in the rest of the unit to build a better understanding of the art of persuasion: if you don't fully understand the tools and how they work, you can't build much.  If you have questions about what you read or are having trouble, feel free to post a comment here. That way, I'll have a good idea of where we need to focus our efforts on Thursday!

DAY 05 - CYCLE 01 - SEMESTER 02: 01-11-10

HANDOUTS FROM TODAY:

There were no handouts for today.

IN CLASS TODAY:

1. You wrote your verdicts judging Wes innocent or guilty of being liable for Frank's death. You were to base your arguments in a reasonable appeal, and appeal to emotion, and a demonstrated knowledge of the book.

CLASS NOTES:

There were no notes for today's class.

HOMEWORK:
Find and print (or copy) ONE advertisement and ONE newspaper opinion-editorial that you would describe as "effective" for whatever reason (the ad doesn't even need to have words).  Bring your vocabulary book to class tomorrow; we will begin unit 6.  You will find links to op-ed sections below (listed alphabetically).
The Boston Globe
The Chicago Tribune
The Financial Times
The Los Angeles Times
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
The New York Post
The New York Times
The Wall Street Journal
The Washington Post (you have to create a free account to get to their material)

DAY 04 - CYCLE 01 - SEMESTER 01: 01-08-10

HANDOUTS FROM TODAY:

There were no handouts for today.

IN CLASS TODAY:

1. We opened by discussing rules for discussion so that everyone gets a change to make his or her case fully. 
   
2. Then, we discussed!

CLASS NOTES:

Notes for today may be found here.

HOMEWORK:
Using Wednesday's and Friday's notes to help you, you are to write a full summary of both the case for and the case against Wes. That means you will have two summaries. Each should outline both the argument and the key pieces of evidence. No matter which side you agree with, do both sides justice, and represent them as fairly and thoroughly as possible.


These documents will be extremely useful in the in class writing assignment on Monday in which you issue a verdict for or against Wes, making a case for your decision. Your goal is to convince me that your verdict is the right one because it is reasonable given the facts of the case, inspires in me an appropriate emotional response to Wes's character, and demonstrates a firm command of the novel's evidence. You may use the 12-sentence format, or deviate from it as your argument requires, but your final product must have three pieces of evidence.

You will turn in both your summaries and your verdicts at the end of the period.