The Great Gatsby and To Kill a Mockingbird and Your Choice

Leave a comment below to let me know you read this last blog post.  Thank you!

Our next novel will be  The Great Gatsby.  Please read this novel and be ready to discuss by March 11th.  We will meet March 11th at my house from 12:30-2:00. Think BOOK DISCUSSION.  No lecture involved. You will be the teachers and thinkers for this novel. I'll ask some leading questions and then it's all you. 

On April 15th we will meet again (same bat time: same bat location).   I decided to let you choose your own novel to read for this meeting.  It may be any novel from the beginning of American Literature until the present.  You must tell me the name of the novel and you must also receive your parents approval for the novel you choose.

Of Mice and Men
Catcher in the Rye
Age of Innocence
The Giver
Huck Finn
Grapes of Wrath
As I Lay Dying
etc... the titles are endless.

You will present a short 5 minute book report/presentation on your novel. This is NOT TO BE TURNED IN TO ME!   The goal of the presentation is to summarize the story for your classmates.  This can also include a critique.  The presentation style/mode will be up to you.  I'll accept just about anything....as long as it's your own work.  :)

On May 13th we will meet to discuss the final novel of the semester.  To Kill a Mockingbird. :) Again think BOOK DISCUSSION.  (Please note: If NITOC ends up being May 13th we will not meet... we'll just use the honor system for reading this book if that ends up being the case.

Seniors are excused from the last novel of the semester.  Happy Graduating!

One final note:
I can not emphasize enough how proud I am of each one of you.  You are all very gracious students and hard working.  Thank you for being so kind to me and patient.  I've enjoyed learning with you through this class.
Love each and every one of you! Mrs. Butler

Wrapping everything up

Study for the final and finish your essay on House of Mirth (Essay Due February 7th).  FOR THE FINAL... you may use one 4x6 index card to capture notes from the semester/year.  You can use this card when you take your test.

Your last (please keep your cheers and excitement to yourself) assignment : Please read "The Magic Barrel" by Bernard Malamud and answer the following questions through email to me. SHORT answers please. Due by 1/28  I chose this story because it offers something most mid-20th century stories do not.  I will not tell you what that is until you've read the story.  :)  In order to understand this story well you have to understand Jewish /American culture.  Draw on what you know of the Jewish culture.  If you have more questions or are curious after reading this story I encourage you to research: becoming a rabbi and arranged marriages.  Remember to read for symbolic meaning just not literal meaning.  Dead doesn't always mean "dead".  :) (I saw you roll your eyes Ryan!) 

http://www.nbu.bg/webs/amb/american/5/malamud/barrel.htm



1. The first paragraph introduces Leo Finkle--what is his profession and why is he calling on Pyne Salzman? Describe Salzman.

2. Determine the story's point of view. Determine the climax of this story. Why did you choose this as the climax?

3. Why does Finkle reject Sophi P.? Lily H.? Ruth K.?

4. What is the realization Finkle gradually comes to? What other things does he begin to realize?

5. Describe the worst week of Finkle's life. What does he resolve to do?

6. Why doesn't Salzman want to tell Finkle who the picture is of?

7. After hiding himself under the covers, what does Finkle decide to do?

8. Describe the meeting between Finkle and Stella. Do you think Salzman planned it? Why is he around a corner chanting prayers for the dead?

IN class on the 27th (This is a Monday!) We will review for the final and read Robert Frost's poetry.
Final Test: February 4th.  Final Essay Paper due February 7. 

Harlem Renaissance and Midcentury Voices

Today we will learn about Early Modern writers of American Literature.  You will see a cultural shift that permeates the worldview in all areas of culture/science/art/literature.  Next week we will spend time discussing CWV and these areas from the time span of 1915-1945.  The handout I asked you to print out will be a good study piece for your final exam. 

I. Print this sheet out for your study guide : http://www.shelbyed.k12.al.us/schools/phs/faculty/cnolen/Modern%20&%20Cont.%20Characteristics.pdf

For the following assignment I am dividing the class up into two sections.  The purpose of structuring this assignment in two sections is so you can share the workload. Each section is responsible for the information of the other section on the final exam.  Pay attention to minimum and MAX number paragraphs.  These are not research papers..... mini-briefs, if you will.  The sections are:


Section 1. Colby, Hannah G, Lauren, Nick, Stephen, Jonah, Karlyn, Jacob, Hunter:  Write an Historical Approach paper on the Harlem Renaissance.  Due 1/21. Use template below:

Historical Approach Paper template:

 

Event: Harlem Renaissance

Place: United States of America

Time Period of Harlem Renaissance: 

Event/Era Summary: 1-3 paragraphs

Major Authors and their works: 1-3 paragraphs. 



Section 2. Megan, Reesey, Jared, Haley, Grace, Sara, Ryan, Sam, Hannah L.:  Write three to four paragraphs on "The Lost Generation" of the Early Modern period.  Use these questions to help formulate your thoughts. Who were these artists? What did they believe?  What did they do? What was their significance? Who coined the phrase? What does the phrase mean? Do not feel limited by these questions.
Please email your report to the person listed below when you are finished. Of course, I want to see your final efforts in class on 1/21.  Thanks.
Megan/Colby
Hannah G/Reesey
Lauren/Jared
Nick/Haley
Stepehen/Grace
Jonah/Sara
Karlyn/Ryan
Jacob/Sam
Hannah L/Hunter

Finally : No blog question this week. 

Interesting article

http://www.humanities360.com/index.php/the-tragic-decline-of-american-literature-4-61520/

Introducing the Beginnings of Modern Literature

I am posting the assignments for the week of January 7-14th for those of you who CHOOSE to work ahead.


The assignment for January 7-14th.  Profile and Extra Credit due by January 14th.

No blog post this week.

Below you will find a list of major modernist writers. Please research the author assigned to you below. Write an author's profile and email your profile to your classmates.

Extra Credit:  In addition to the Author's Profile- Write a brief (5-10 sentences) summary of one of their major works; focus on the themes, major characters and plot  of the literary piece you choose.  You may use Shmoop or Sparknotes to complete this section.   (Worth 100 points)


Please be prepared to present the highlights of your author profile to the class on January 14th. Please email your author profile to your classmates for their information.

Major Modernist Writers

• Bishop, Elizabeth (1911-1979) -(Hannah Grant),
• Conrad, Joseph (1857-1924) (Sam Waters)
• Doolittle, Hilda (1886-1961) (Hannah Lane)
• Eliot, Thomas Stearns (1888-1965) (Colby Johnson)
• Faulkner, William (1897-1962) (Lauren Butler)
• Fitzgerald, F. Scott (1896-1940) (Jared Klimek),

Hemingway, Ernest (1899-1961) (Ryan Seay)
• Hughes, Langston (1902-1967) (Stephen Steineger)
• James, Henry (1843-1916) (Grace Karls)
• Lawrence, D. H. (1885-1930) (Karlyn Leander)
• Lowell, Amy (1874-1925) (Jacob Seay)
• Pound, Ezra (1885-1972) (Haley Greer)
• Shaw, George Bernard (1856-1950) (Jonah Karls)
• Stevens, Wallace (1879-1955) (Nick Smith)
• Williams, Tennessee (1882-1941) (Reesy Rea)
• Woolf, Virginia (1882-1941) (Megan McKinley)
• Yeats, William Butler (1865-1939) (Hunter Grant)

Study Guide for Literature FINAL:

Our final will be February 4th in class.  Final essay due by the next Friday 7th.  

Things to know:
Distinguish between each of the literary periods we have discussed in class this year.  Please focus on characteristics of each period. Be able to compare and contrast two or more literary periods.  Please review notes on specific authors and their works (only works we discussed in class). Review the blogs from this year focusing on any handouts or information I provided.

Comprehension questions on literary works we read/discussed from after Thanksgiving until the end of January including each of the short stories and House of Mirth. Review your notes.

Test will be similar to mid-term.  Multiple choice, short answer and essay. 

Matching on major works-literary period and their authors.  Focus on time period after Thanksgiving to the end of January.

Extra Credit on the exam will be a personal reflection essay.  The extra credit will be worth 10 points.

House of Mirth

Merry Christmas!  

Over Christmas break I would like you to begin reading House of Mirth by Edith Wharton. Book to be completed by January 27th in time for our final exam and in order to complete the FINAL ESSAY (see below). The reading schedule you choose is up to you.

Blog Post for this week: We read 5 short stories in the last unit.  Please choose one short story and write 2 discussion questions and post them below.  Your second blog post should answer a classmates questions.  You may not answer questions that have already been answered.  Blog Posts due by January 7th (or before).  I highly recommend you bite the bullet and just finish these questions before Christmas.

Extra Credit: Due January 7th- Write an Historical Approach Paper for the Gilded Age

Template:

Event or Era: Gilded Age
Place:
Time:
Event summary: Write an interesting one paragraph summary of the period or event.
Key players: choose 3-4 key people involved in the event and list 4-5 vividly descriptive words for each person.  Words may not be used to describe more than one character.
Discussion questions: Think carefully about the event and write three analytical discussion questions.
Turning Point: Choose an event that seems to mark a significant turning point or climax in the period or event and write a one paragraph description.
Turning Point Explanation: Why do you believe this was a significant turning point? What happened afterward? Write a fully developed paragraph explaining your choice.  Support your argument with quotes from the text or other sources.


So you know what to look for as you read House of Mirth; here is the final essay topic. 

FINAL ESSAY TOPIC:

As you read House of Mirth you can begin to formulate your essay thesis statement.  This essay is worth 200 points.   Our Final Essay will be due before February 7th.    Length of essay: minimum 10 paragraphs.  Remember to write in MLA Format. Remember to use quotes from the literary work.  In this essay you may bring in other literary works; in fact- it is required.  Please cite them accordingly.  Essays will not be accepted late unless your parent intervenes on your behalf.  In which case you will receive a 20 point deduction.  Please see grading rubric below for more information on grading.

Essay Question: 

How would you interpret the naturalistic depiction of the rich, the poor, the significance of social classes, and/or the meaning of work in The House of Mirth? 

Some Starting-Points to help you formulate a thesis statement for Essay Question: These starting points are meant to help you develop your thesis statement for a very broad essay question.  You do not have to use any of these starting points to develop your thesis statement.  They are only suggestions.  

A number of nineteenth century writers (including Helen Campbell -- see Women and Work) suggest that the problems of the working poor seem invisible to the affluent. When and why does this happen, what are the consequences, and does the revelation of this phenomenon of "invisibility" seem to make any argument? Do you believe that The House of Mirth shares these views? If so, write an essay in which you use specific scenes and passages from the novel to describe and analyze the "invisibility" of economic and social problems in the world of the affluent, and the way in which this problem is depicted I the novel reiterates, refutes, or extends the American conversation on "the invisible poor."

OR

Although poverty may sometimes have seemed invisible, the wealth of the more fortunate was always on public display in turn-of-the-century America, a phenomenon that prompted a number of interpretations. Writing in 1881, Julia Ward Howe criticized the shallowness of a life built on gilded spectacle as a "society of representation. It bears about the same relation to genuine society that scene-painting bears to a carefully finished picture." In his landmark 1899 work, The Theory of the Leisure Class, Thorstein Veblen explained the world of the affluent in this way:

Abstention from labour is not only a honorific or meritorious act, but it presently comes to be a requisite of decency. The insistence on property as the basis of reputability is very naïve and very imperious during the early stages of the accumulation of wealth. Abstention from labour is the convenient evidence of wealth and is therefore the conventional mark of social standing; and this insistence on meritoriousness of wealth leads to a more strenuous insistence on leisure. Nota notae est nota rei ipsiius. According to well established laws of human nature, prescription presently seizes upon this conventional evidence wealth and fixes it in men's habits of thought as something that is in itself substantially meritorious and ennobling; while productive labour by a like process becomes in a double sense intrinsically unworthy. Prescription ends by making labour not only disreputable in the eyes of the community, but morally impossible to the nobel, freeborn man, and incompatible with a worthy life.

 Do you see Wharton depicting a "society of representation" or a "leisure class" in The House of Mirth? If so, offer an analysis of the way that society is described in the novel and discuss the way in which Wharton's treatment of this concept reinforces, refutes, or extends the interpretations of Howe, Veblen, or others. According to your interpretation, what comment does The House of Mirth make on the relationship between the real world and the world of "representation," and/or the relationship between manners and morals?

OR

How would you explain the "humiliation" that Lily Bart experiences as a former member of the upper class when seeking work? Do the explanations provided by such organization as The Needle Woman's Friend and The Ladies' Depository earlier in the century explain any of Lily Bart's reactions to the need to work? How does The House of Mirth contribute to the American discussion of the significance of class differences particularly as they relate to women?

Grading Rubric for Essay:

MLA Style-40 Points (Points deducted for lack of MLA formatting including correct punctuation and citations)

Clear thesis statement defended with literary examples from House of Mirth-60 points

Use of outside sources to support thesis statement-40 points.

Did the essay answer the question?- 60 points.

Late Essays- Minus 20 points

Short Story Unit Continued

Finish Short Story assignments.

Here is a good link for you to print off for your literature notebooks.  A good reference to study for the end of the year final.

http://www.northbergen.k12.nj.us/cms/lib05/NJ01000984/Centricity/Domain/590/American_Realism_Notes10.pdf

I have  good news for you regarding assignments. Please remind me to tell you the news in class today.