A Rose for Emily

We are now beginning to study the Modern era in literature (1900 to 1950′s). This era is where authors began to look at America with a more cynical attitude. They began taking a more bold approach in their writing styles, and disputing the “American Dream.” In studying this era, we will read two stories.

One is the short story by William Faulkner entitled “A Rose for Emily“. If you missed this story, you can access it from the link, being the title of the story. You must then complete the following dinner menu assignment. We discussed the appetizer in class; however, you are responsible for the other assignments. If you lost your study guide, you may access it here too. Be sure to follow the directions to avoid doing any other extra work that will not be counted.

Have fun with this project, and if you need some assistance, email us or send us a message by commenting on this post.

Realism

We have moved into the era of Realism - where authos experience what they write about in order to give thier readers a realistic view. For this time period, we have chosen to read Jack London’s “The Call of the Wild.” This book is a story about a dog and his journey into new land, new experiences, and a new perspective on life.

We read chapter one together. For the remainder of the book we will read in groups called literature circles. After completing each chapter, your task will be to complete one of the five following assignments.

The Dark Romantics – Edgar Allan Poe

The Raven

Continuing with Poe, we will read his classic poem “The Raven.” This poem follows Poe’s style of mystery and madness. You can read this poem in the textbook on page 326 or by visiting this link.

Upon completing the poem, complete the following assignment.

The Fall of the House of Usher

We will continue learning about the romanticism era by starting off with Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Fall of the House of Usher.” This short story is filled with excitement and suspense based on a mysterious man and the house in which he lives in. This story can be found on page 308 of the textbook, or you can read the text directly from the Internet.

After finishing the text, you are required to complete the questions at the end of the story in the text on page 325. Your final assessment will be to create a brochure selling Usher’s house using the vivid details that was described to you in the story. For a rubric of this assignment, click here.

Welcome Back!

We hope you all had a wonderful holiday break. We’d like to take this time to welcome you to American Literature and American Literature Honors.  Some of you are new to our class, and we’d like to welcome you to an adventure in literature and writing that you will never forget.

You will find a copy of the spring 2009 syllabus by clicking the tab that says “About” at the top of the page. Please become acquainted with the requirements and expectations of the class. Also, you can always have access to your teacher through this blog, email and via telephone. For Mr. D’Agostino’s or Ms. Royal’s contact information, click the tab at the top that reads “About.” Please take advantage of this site as a tool to assist you with staying connected to your class.

Final Project for The Crucible

As we are now half way through reading The Crucible, we have assigned the final project for the play. This project is divided into two sections. The first part is for you to take on the role as one of the characters in the play and create an original diary. For more detail, review the diary assignment guidelines.

The second portion of this assignment involves a great deal of creativity and inventiveness. This is called The Crucible Tic-Tac-Toe. Just like in the game where you must make three matches in a row, you must choose three activities, either going horizontally, diagonally, or vertically and complete all three. Be creative and have fun with this!

The Crucible

Now that we have familiarized ourselves with events that occurred during the Salem Witch trials, we will begin reading Arthur Miller’s “The Crucible.” This riveting play is based off of events that transpired during the late 1690′s in the New England British colony of Massachusetts.

In class, and for the duration of this play, we will read “The Crucible” in groups of 4 to 5 people. Within these groups, each person will read their assigned character. Upon completing each Act, each student will complete their assigned role as being a member of their literature circle. For more detailed information about these roles click here. The roles (including Summarizer, Connector, Illustrator, Vocabulary, and Passage Master) are rotated amongst each group member; therefore, every person will have a chance to complete each role/task.

Please be reminded that the grades that you earn are based off of the individual work that you turn in. You are ONLY reading in a group. To know what you will be graded off of, please take a look at the grading rubric.

Good Reading

Before we start reading The Crucible, we are going to examine and analyze another story about witches and the Salem witch trials. This classic short story, Young Goodman Brown, written by Nathaniel Hawthorne in 1835, is a riveting tale that examines many themes including good vs. evil in human nature. The attached story is numbered by paragraphs. While reading the story, annotate each paragraph to help you better understand the events that transpire. As you annotate this story, look for these key aspects:

• Figurative Language
• Unknown vocabulary (look up the definition)
• Write any questions that you may have regarding the section(s)
• Character analysis
• Important/unusual information

After we finish reading Young Goodman Brown, there will be a project to complete based on a 5-star tier project. You will be required to do two projects pertaining to YGB to total 5-stars. For more detailed information regarding this latest project, click to view the project’s parameters.

Introducing the Puritans

When we studied Pre-colonialism, we learned that the Native Americans did not have books because all of their stories were communicated verbally. However, we were able to read about their beliefs, rituals, and lifestyles.

Now we are going to enter a period in history known as Puritanism. During this time period, the people know at Puritans, came from England to settle in America. Because of their different religious ideas, they sought new land to freely express their ideas. To their surprise, this land was already occupied by the Native Americans, to whom they could not identify with because of the differences between the two groups. Different was not a good thing in the Puritan society. Not only were the Native Americans ostracized, but individuals that they could not identify with were labeled as evil and were scorned, exiled, or even put to death.

To get a better understanding of the Puritans, their beliefs and how they dealt with outsiders, you will have to read two articles. The first is about a woman named Joan of Arc. She was mistreated because of her difference of opinion with the church in England in the early 1400′s. Then you will read an introduction to the Salem witch trials. With these two articles, and the questions you must answer, you should have a more clear understanding of Puritanism.

 For more background information pertaining to the Puritans, view this powerpoint presentation.

Evidence Gathering Journals

In preparation of the upcoming Georgia High School Graduation Writing Test and American Literature writing standards ELA11W1 and ELA11W1, our classes will begin to keep a writing journal. Over the course of ten weeks, or every 3 class periods for students on an A/B schedule, we will write on specific current event issues that affect each and every one of us.

 

Within your journal you must collect three (3) different articles from three different sources. Each article must pertain to the week’s topic and be used as supportive evidence in your persuasive one page essay about the topic. View the writing journal presentation to view specific guidelines. Below you will find links to a list of topics and possible sources to find supporting evidence. Please click on the appropriate link for the course you are taking.

 

 

Honors American Lit.	American Literature A/B

 

Logical vs. Emotional Appeal

Emotional appeal is a technique of writing that strengthens a persuasive argument by playing on the audience’s emotions it using fear or sympathy. When appealing to your audience’s emotion, the use of strong adjective and clear outlines the consequences if an objective is not met. 

Logical appeal is another technique to writing that is abased on rationality and logic, such as statistics and hard facts to support the argument. A perfect example of using logical appeal:  “The divorce rate in America for a person’s first marriage is 41%.” 

Class Exercise or Homework:

Many students do not think the subjects they study in high school prepare them for the real world they will face after graduation. The principal at your school is asking students for their opinions about new courses that could be offered to prepare students for life after high school. What new course do you think should be offered?

Directions for Writing

Write a letter to convince the principal that your new course should be offered. Be sure to explain why your new course is needed, using specific examples and details.