Poetry - Winter Assignment

Directions: This project encourages you to enjoy an independent study of poetry related to a topic of your own choice. A major goal of the assignment is for you to become more sensitive to, and aware of, the poetic forms and the language and musical devices that a poet considers when writing a poem. We'll become more acquainted with these forms and devices by reading Perrine's Sound and Sense and by working on a variety of activities related to poems.

A list of some of the devices you should note as you read your poems:
Speaker, Audience, and Occasion
Imagery - sensory language
Figurative Language - simile, metaphor, personification, apostrophe, synecdoche, metonymy, paradox and oxymoron
Musical Devices - onomatopoeia, assonance, consonance, alliteration, rhyme
Understatement/Overstatement
Irony/Paradox
Connotation of Words - the emotional associations that words inspire
Syntax - the arrangement of words
Organization/Structure/Pattern - fixed and open poetic forms
Allusion

Assignment:
Step One: Due: Tuesday, January 6th 2009
Locate and read at least 10 poems of literary merit on one self-selected topic. Type out the titles and poets for each of these 10 poems. Enclose the title of each poem within quotation marks; spell the poet's name correctly. As you read, locate poems that reveal a variety of attitudes towards your topic. For example, let's say that you have selected "the sea" as your subject. Look for poems, from different historical periods, that reveal a variety of viewpoints toward the sea: its destructive quality; its calming influence; a source of adventure or mystery; a metaphor for freedom; a way to escape; the beauty of the natural world; a source of knowledge.

Step Two: Due: Tuesday, January 6th 2009 Select 2 poems from the 10 poems you have read. Each poem must suggest a different point of view about your subject. Make sure that these 4 poems, as a group, contain a rich variety of poetic forms and language devices. Look at the "Poetry Explication" for each poem and address those concepts from the Explication that poem:

http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/poetry-explication.html

Step Three: Due: Tuesday, January 6th Using the selected 2 poems write 2 Poetry Explication Essays. Again refer to the web site for an explication of how to write this essay. Yes, they do need to be typed and in MLA format.

The Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Frankenstein Project

Literary Theory and Schools of Criticism:

•In this final project, we will be constructing a critical theory blog that will analyze an arbitrary text (Frankenstein) using various critical approaches covered in the class. Your individual responsibilities are outlined below.

•Phase One: Sign up for a theorist, reread the sections concerning your theorist in our text, conduct research on your theorist:
Moral Criticism, Dramatic Construction (~360 BC-present)
Formalism, New Criticism, Neo-Aristotelian Criticism (1930s-present)
Psychoanalytic Criticism, Jungian Criticism(1930s-present)
Marxist Criticism (1930s-present)
Reader-Response Criticism (1960s-present)
Structuralism/Semiotics (1920s-present)
Post-Structuralism/Deconstruction (1966-present)
New Historicism/Cultural Studies (1980s-present)
Post-Colonial Criticism (1990s-present)
Feminist Criticism (1960s-present)
Gender/Queer Studies (1970s-present)

•Phase Two: Build two types of blog pages. This portion should be completed by your final exam date in the second week of December. Email me your URL and post a comment on my blog that you are done.
•First, create an information page about your theorist. This could contain a brief biography explaining the contribution this theorist makes to the ‘critical tradition’ of literary criticism and links to useful web sites on your theorist.

•Second, provide an application of theory to our core text (Frankenstein). Your application should be around 750-1000 words.

•Phase Three: Review and analyze how your theorist’s contributions and your theoretical application relate or ‘link’ to your classmates projects. Another words, compare your theory with another theory presented by your classmates.

•Make a list of where your interpretation connects with our core text (chapters 3-5) and the other interpretations. This is done in Journal style.

•Finally, you will present your theory to your class as well as your paper. The medium you choose to present is up to you. Presentations will start on Thursday.

Jane Eyre Journal

Journals are due: September 27th by 12:00. Comment Here when you are done and email me.

You must have 30 Journals in the following format:

Entry #:

Date:
Quote/Plot summary with Page number:

Your Reflection with needs to be at least 8 sentences:

JANE EYRE

JANE EYRE

SOME GREAT LINKS:

ANALYSIS OF RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN CHARACTERS-

http://www.universalteacher.org.uk/prose/janeeyre.htm

FAMILY TREE-

http://www.webenglishteacher.com/cbronte.html

Charlotte Bronte (1816 - 1855)-

http://www.ipl.org/div/litcrit/bin/litcrit.out.pl?au=bro-36

Victorian Web:

http://www.victorianweb.org/authors/bronte/cbronte/brontbio.html

DEATH OF A SALESMAN BY ARTHUR MILLER

DEATH OF A SALESMAN

AND THE SOCRATIC SEMINAR

This method is known as the Socratic Seminar, named for the famous Socrates. Socrates was a famous Greek philosopher. His method of teaching encouraged students to question everything. The Greek government became uneasy with this method, for when people begin to question everything, they are no longer blinded by what they are told. Instead, they look at everything with a critical eye. Because Socrates’ methods made the Greek government nervous, they sentenced him to death. His death sentence was to drink a poisoned drink (hemlock). One of his students was so inspired by Socrates, that he dedicated his life to writing down everything Socrates ever said – that student was Plato. Today, thousands of years later, we realize how brilliant his methods were. What we’re going to embark on the next couple days is based on Socrates' methods – the Socratic Seminar.

Seminar Reflection:
1. What do you think the value is of Death of a Salesman?
2. What did you learn from this seminar?
3. How did you feel about this seminar?

Summer Assignment #2

Summer Reading Allusions to the Bible:



Much of what we read in Western Literature refers to either Mythological or Biblical Allusions therefore; it is critical for you to understand Biblical Allusions.



You are responsible for turning the following Biblical Allusions on the second day of school. Not completing these tasks fully or completing them at a level unsuitable for AP will result in your automatically being removed from the course. Remember we are not focusing on religion but, the Bible as it focuses on Literature. This assignment must be in MLA format.



FAMILIARITY WITH THE BIBLICAL/RELIGIOUS ALLUSION.

IDENTIFY AND EXPLAIN AT LENGTH THE FOLLOWING. GIVE THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE EVENT:

-THE FALL

-THE FLOOD

-THE CREATION

-THE MARK OF CAIN

-LOT AND HIS WIFE

-SODOM AND GOMORRAH

-THE NATIVITY

-LAZARUS

-THE CRUCIFIXION

-THE DENIAL

-THIRTY PIECES OF SILVER

-DAVID AND GOLIATH (PHILISTINES)

-BUDDHA/BUDDHISM

-GOLGOTHA

-THE PRODIGAL SON

-REVELATIONS (FOUR HORSEMENT, NUMBER OF THE BEAST, ETC.)

-JONAH AND THE WHALE

-SAMSON AND DELILAH

-MOSES AND THE FLIGHT FROM SLAVERY IN EGYPT

Summer Assignment 2008

Directions: Choose one of the following books for summer reading. when finished, complete the assignment. This assignment is due on the second day of class; if it is not completed you will be dropped. Click on the picture above for a link to a list of books: (www.shoshone.k12.id.us/waltthue/biblio2.doc)

This is a recommended list. Because AP Lit. is a college level course, some of the books on this list have a mature subject matter and/or language. You can research on the internet, ask a librarian or email me (sbosch@patterson.k12.ca.us) if there is a concern; but understand that books that we read in class next year will have similar themes.

These novels, may be bought at any book store or they can be checked out from the library.

Summer Reading Book Analysis:

Select a work from the provided list. Read the words critically and prepare an analytical paper on it. The following are requirements for the paper:

-Five typed pages.
* MLA Format (see MLA OWL Purdue: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/557/01/


The paper needs to contain all of the following sections:
-A critical biography of the author, no more than a page long. The biography will consist only of biographical information relevant to the work you've read and the distinguished literary characteristics of the author's work. You may also include a brief discussion of the historical/socio political factors that influenced the author, and the impact of his or her work on history. Be sure to reference your sources using MLA.

-A Brief (about one-half page) synopsis of the plot.

-An analysis of two major themes of the work, supported by evidence from the plot. This analysis must include quotes from the book that emphasize the themes that you have chosen, and an explanation of how those quotes emphasize the themes.

-A discussion of another element of the work (character, setting, point of view, style, imagery, etc. as to how it contributes to the theme.)

-A brief conclusion (about a half page) that explains why you believe the work should be included on a list of works of high literary merit.

*On the second day of class you will be required to turn in this paper. It will be important to you for two reason: 1.) It is worth points and will set the stage for your first grading period, and 2) it is your pass to being in the class-if you don't do this then I will have you dropped from the class. The due date is firm-if you are not present on the first day of school, then make sure your paper is here somehow.

* When you turn in your paper, you will need to email me a copy. I will run the paper through the plagiarism website to make sure the work you did is 100% your own. Any sign of plagiarism will result in severe consequences, such as your removal from the AP Lit. course, parent contact, etc.