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.

Short Story Unit Continued

  See previous post for assignments.

Short Story Week

Short Story Week!

I am posting this assignment as scheduled. However there is nothing due on December 3rd.  I thought some of you might want to get ahead in reading assignments.  

Please read the following short stories and complete the assignments outlined in this blog: Pay attention to DUE DATES!   There will be no blog post this week.  THERE ARE 3 PARTS TO THIS ASSIGNMENT.  Read the entire post to make sure you understand what is due and when.  Extra Credit is available this week.

Mary E Wilkins Freeman The Revolt of Mother (15 pages) http://www.tarleton.edu/Faculty/sword/The%20Revolt%20of%20Mother.pdf

Henry James The Real Thing (30 pages) http://www2.hn.psu.edu/faculty/jmanis/hjames/real-thing.pdf

Sara Orne Jewett The Country of the Pointed Firs (60 pages) http://s3.amazonaws.com/manybooks_pdf_new/jewettsaetext95pfirs11?AWSAccessKeyId=AKIAITZP2AAM27ZGISNQ&Expires=1385956742&Signature=cB%2FgWWi3JY2olyWfvgcq%2ByDQPTk%3D

Bret Harte The Outcasts of Poker Flat (10 pages) http://swc2.hccs.edu/kindle/Harte_Bret_The_Outcasts_of_Poker_Flat.pdf

Jack London   To Build a Fire (14 pages) http://americanenglish.state.gov/files/ae/resource_files/to-build-a-fire.pdf

PART ONE:  Read the above short stories (All available online) over the next two weeks. However:

PART TWO: Expect a comprehension quiz on The Country of Pointed Firs on December 10th. Expect comprehension questions on the rest of the stories on December 17th.

PART THREE: Using the template below-Complete two Literary Analysis' on TWO of the five stories listed above. (DUE December 17th)

--------------------
Literary Analysis Template: (Worth 100 points each analysis) 

Novella or Short Story Title:

Author:

Theme of the Story: What is the main idea that the author wants to convey? The theme is the big idea illustrated by the story's plot and characters.  (One or two paragraphs)

Characterization: WHO is the story about and what are they like? How does the author show you this? (Quotes and citations please.) Can be a list in table format if you'd like.

Plot: What happens in the story? (One or two paragraphs) Remember to use Freytag's plot structure when analyzing.

Setting: When and Where does the story take place? (Quotes and Citations please) (One Paragraph)

Style: HOW does the author create a mood and tell the story? (Quotes and Citations please) (One Paragraph)

Realism:  Provide examples from this story that show characteristics of Realism. (Quotes and Citations please) (One or Two paragraphs)  Is the story an example of Regionalism or Naturalism? Explain.


-------------------------------

EXTRA CREDIT: Write an Author's profile on two of the author's from this week.   Worth 50 points per profile. Due December 17th

American Realism

Last week in class I introduced American Realism.  Here is a handy chart for your reference: http://webs.anokaramsey.edu/stankey/eng2230/docs2230/romantic/romretbl.htm I would print this chart out and put it in your notebooks. It seems a very appropriate resource for the end of the year final.

Your assignment this week is 3 Parts- Author Profile on Mark Twain- Questions on the Reading and the Blog questions.  There is an extra credit assignment available this week.

For your reading this week I've selected a short story by Mark Twain called The Notorious Jumping Frog of Calaveras County.  Please read the short story: http://twain.lib.virginia.edu/projects/price/frog.htm and complete an Author's profile for Mark Twain.  If you have not read Huckleberry Finn I would highly recommend you put this book on your "must read" list.

Please answer the following questions to be turned in NOVEMBER 26th or before via email.  Since we are NOT meeting the Tuesday of Thanksgiving week I need you to email me this assignment. Assignments (Author Profile-Blog and questions)  not received by 12:00pm on November 26th will not be accepted.  

1. Twain captures the flavor of oral yarn by creating a humorous narrator who slowly spins out his tale. What is humorous about Wheeler's character? Cite several examples of his getting side-tracked in his narration.
2. Twain chooses a narrator who tells this story in frontier dialect -using peculiar sentence patterns-mispronunciations and grammatical deviations.  What tone is conveyed by this use of dialect?  (Tone is defined as the author's attitude toward his or her subject and audience.  Tone- which may be stated or directly implied- conveys the emotional meaning of a work. It may be revealed by the author's word choice-the details included or the arrangement of ideas and descriptions).
3. In his narrative-Wheeler describes the frog as "whirling in the air like a doughnut" and flopping down on the floor as solid as a gob of mud." How are these similes appropriate to the yarn-spinner?

4. How does “The Notorious Jumping Frog of Calaveras County” reflect the characteristics of American Realism?

Blog Question DUE BY 11/26:  Mark Twain was a man with many opinions and a very witty writer.  Our blog post this week will give you an opportunity to read several of his quotes.  Please find a Mark Twain quote to share with the class. Provide your own take on his quote or tell us why you chose that quote. You can use this website for research if you'd like: http://www.twainquotes.com/A.html. Feel free to use other websites for your research on Mark Twain.

EXTRA CREDIT DUE 12/3: Read the following story by Sarah Orne Jewett http://www.public.coe.edu/~theller/soj/awh/heron.htm . There will be no partial credit given for incomplete assignments.  (Worth 100 Points)

Part One
Write an Author's Profile on Sarah Orne Jewett and answer three of the following questions:

Part Two
1. Discuss the relationship between humans and nature in "A White Heron."

2. In refusing to betray the White Heron's secret to the ornithologist, what, in the context of the story, is little Sylvia apparently rejecting? What force does the hunting scientist represent?

3. Considering her character, does the little girl's name, Sylvia, have any significance? (Look up the word sylvan for a clue.)

4. Why must Sylvia climb to the top of the old pine tree in order to find the White Heron?  What does the pine tree, the oldest and tallest tree in the forest, come to represent to her?  What does she gain from her vision at the top?

5. How does Jewett view the two different worlds, nature and society, in this story?  Is Sylvia's choice of the heron over the young man necessarily the better one in the view of the tale? Support your argument with passages from the story.

Before we leave the Romantics

We are ending our unit on the Romantics and Transcendentalism.  Our next literary period is known as American Realism.  Before we leave the Romantics I would like for you to write an author profile on Herman Melville.  Please turn this profile in on November 19th. 

In addition-  Read Melville's  What Redburn Saw in Launcelott's-Hey (Just so you know in my head when I read the title I hold the "hey" out for a long time.  Like- Heeeeeeeeeey!)

http://www.angelfire.com/ma2/danimal/p&w&q/write5.html and write a short 3 paragraph essay as described in the following paragraph:

The Redburn we meet at the beginning of this narrative is different from the Redburn described in the end.  Write a three paragraph essay describing the change of character for your classmates.  In the first paragraph describe the qualities-actions and attitudes that the young sailor initially displays.  In the second paragraph describe the same characteristics as displayed at the end of the narrative.  Finally- write a paragraph in which you make a generalization about the influence that his encounter with evil has had on Redburn.  These three paragraphs are due on November 19th in class.

Blog Question this week: None.  

Walden

Finish the Walden assignment from last week that I so graciously allowed you to delay because of your history exam. The sections you did not complete last week are listed below:

2. Write an author's biography on Ralph Waldo Emerson http://www.biography.com/people/ralph-waldo-emerson-9287153 and Henry David Thoreau (Exactly like the one you did on Harriet Beecher Stowe). http://www.biography.com/people/henry-david-thoreau-9506784?page=1  You may use these websites as a jumping off point for your biography.  Please be thorough in your author profiles. Due 11/12 in class.

3. Read the following selections from Walden:

These selections due by November 12.

Economy

Where I Lived and What I Lived for

Solitude

Spring

Conclusion

Expect a comprehension quiz on these selections.

4. THE BLOG QUESTION IS DUE BY NOVEMBER 11 @ midnight.  The blog question for this week isn't really a question.  Please identify one example of Thoreau's use of aphorism, paradox, or proverbs in the selections you read this week. Obviously you must know what each of these terms mean-so look it up.   In addition to quoting the phrase-please explain his meaning and if there are any cultural relevance for today. Listen to the following documentary for examples: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZpS5yxy8O0w

Remember you are responsible for 2 blog posts.  One in response to my question and the second in response to at least one classmate.

Extra Credit for this week: Read a legend with Davey Crocket- Paul Bunyan- John Henry and Johnny Appleseed.  You can use this link to find legends or use another source- http://sherertalltales.wikispaces.com/John+Henry+-+Page+1

When you are finished reading the four legends-one legend for each of the four characters listed above-answer the following question via email.  Every country has its narratives of exaggerated feats by superheroes.  What qualities distinguish the American superhero in these four selections?  How do the compare and/or contrast with Washington Irving's characters at the beginning of this literary period? As always- MLA format.  Answer the question with specific examples.

FINALLY-
I will leave you with this quote “What you do speaks so loudly that I cannot hear what you say.” 
― Ralph Waldo Emerson  

Or in modern day lingo-

"Be the person your dog thinks you are." Unknown.