12/12/2014

Citizen Kane papers due Monday
Citizen Kane Mis en Scene due Monday as well


Johnson

Homework

See older post for film as lit notes PP
Over the weekend, you can begin papers for Citizen Kane.
Don't forget Secret Santa fun!

Exciting News: We had a $150 donation to Hoover by one student who withdrew the money from his bank account--what a wonderful way to end our Gift Drive!

Johnson

12/03/2014

Film as Literature Power Point: Film as Literature Power Point
Film/Character Analysis Click Here!
Citizen Kane Cast List

P.S. Don't forget to Facebook your Secret Santa wishes:)

12/02/2014

Homework: Make sure short story focus notes are completed.

***Today in class, we took Film notes for Citizen Kane; we will continue notes tomorrow and start the film!

Johnson

***Be thinking about purchasing the following books:

Hamlet (only if you feel that you need it for college as I have extra copies)
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead

Novels:

Wuthering Heights (the library has some copies) Emily Bronte
The Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man   James Joyce
Cat's Cradle     Kurt Vonnegut
Things Fall Apart Chinua Achebe

11/19/2014

Please read "Araby" by James Joyce and answer your focus notes as well as fill out a "Senses Chart" with the sense on the left and one cited example on the right. Be prepared to discuss how Joyce's use of sensory imagery enhances the meaning of the work as a whole (MOAWAAW).

Ms. Johnson

Thank you for your warm welcome of Dr. Ochsner today; she left me one of her books titled People I Wanted To Be. From the title alone, I am excited to read it. You should take a look at her accomplishments; it's very impressive. Additionally, she invited us all to a very fun sounding Writer's Workshop (that's free) on the Corban campus the day after the AP Exam--what a way to celebrate huh?

11/17/2014

Thank you Jane for that wonderful motivation to start us off today!
If you missed class, we discussed "The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber."
Tomorrow we discuss "Yellow Wallpaper."

In order to better understand the "ISM" focus for "Yellow Wallpaper," please take notes on Feminism found in our Short Story Power Point: Short Story Power Point

Ms. Johnson

11/14/2014

*Please read "The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber" by Hemingway and be prepared to discuss it by Monday.
*Please have "Yellow Wallpaper" read by Tuesday and be prepared to discuss it.
Take focus notes on both of course.

Ms. Johnson

And have a good weekend!

11/12/2014

Please read "Young Goodman Brown" and answer short story focus notes questions.
Please make sure to turn in college application essay with rough draft and peer edit notes on it.

Thank you,

Johnson

11/05/2014

Please read "Cub Wants to be Pilot" and do a Rhetoric Device T-Chart for the story. You do not need to write a paragraph this time.

"Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear - not absence of fear"- Mark Twain (I love this quote--because fear will never go away, we must learn to master it!)

Ms. Johnson

Tonight's Homework: GO back through "Living Like Weasels" by Annie Dillard and create a Prospectus like the one below--due tomorrow.

Directions:

I. Create a T-Chart with three devices identified on the left and the evidence on the right. 

“Living Like Weasels” by Annie Dillard

Device              Evidence

Antimetabole	“The supposition is that the eagle had pounced on the weasel and weasel swiveled and bit as insticnt taught him . . .” (1568).
pathos
asyndeton

10/31/2014

Write college admissions essay

Rhetoric PP on my website

List of terms handed out today--pick up from me Monday if you missed class.

College Essay Assignment:

You must select a topic for either an admissions essay or a scholarship essay. Your prompt must allow for a topic that can produce an essay of at least 300-400 words. (Therefore, for many of you, short answer questions will not count.) Please do not include an essay that is significantly longer than 800 words.

If you need a prompt, go online to the Common Application site, or search for a possible scholarship topic.

You must retype the prompt at the top of the page. Then include the text of your essay and a word count. When you turn yours in, you can request comments if you're interested.

10/30/2014

NO HOMEWORK!!!!


Thank you to all of you who contributed to the poetry party today. I am impressed with the coordination and effort that went into planning this event--the hot cocoa provided such comfort on this cold, wet day. 
Additionally, congratulations on high Beast test scores! I haven't seen scores that high for a few years--this proves that study sessions work. Additionally, the camaraderie of the class as a whole working together towards one common goal results in high levels of success--so keep up the high quality work--it's working!!!

Ms. Johnson

10/29/2014

Poetry Party Tomorrow!!!!

What to bring???

• Your poem of course (must be at least 14 lines, and yes you are reading it out loud)
• Guys--healthy beverages
• Girls--fun desserts

Congratulations on all of your hard work this unit! Many of you came to the study sessions and put forth an impressive amount of effort and time to perform well on this test:)

Thank you!

Ms. Johnson

10/28/2014

*Final Poetry Essay Test tomorrow
Original Poem due Thursday for Poetry Tea Party

10/22/2014

*Excellent work on "The Dance" essays!

Homework:

• Studying for "The Beast"
• Practicing 40-minute timed poetry essay prompts
• Original Poem

***Friday: After-School Tutoring for Humanities students!

10/17/2014

Weekend homework:

Take Victorianism/Modernism notes on the the following poems:

Ulysses

Channel Firing    

Windhover

To an Athlete 

Leda and the Swan

Sailing to Byzantium 

Fire and Ice

Acquainted with the Night

Danse Russe

Monday Night readings:

Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock 

Ars Poetica

Ars Poetica

Our Daily Bread

Anyone lived in a 

10/15/2014

HW: Finish Romanticism Readings tonight and work on original poem and/or glossary (flashcards whatever form  you wish to study your poetry terms with . . .)

***Look forward to hearing from those who didn't get to answer their "frozen in time" moment and also determine for yourself what the phrase "Truth is beauty; beauty is truth" means. For that, apparently, is all we need to know in life:)


Ms. Johnson

10/10/2014

Due Tuesday, October 14th: Prospectus 4-6

***Wed/Thurs October 15th/16th Study Session: We will go over the answers from this week's review.
***Friday, October 17th, will be the first after school study session for Humanities students. The study session will start right after school at 2:30 in my room.

***Things to also be working on:

*flashcards
*original poem

Ms. J

I hope you get some rest this weekend; you deserve it!!!

10/06/2014

Begin Prospectus Work:

Prospectus #4-6 due Tuesday, October 14th.

Structure of Prospectus:

T-Chart with three devices
On left-side the name of device
On right-side the analysis of that device and a connection to your thesis.

Thesis Statement listed below T-Chart

Body Paragraph: Choose one device from T-Chart as a focus. Write a topic sentence connecting that particular POA to the thesis statement. Then write a body paragraph including textual evidence to support how that device connects to your thesis statement.
At the end of your body paragraph, include a transitional sentence as if you were going to move to a new body paragraph.

***Finish notes on your own for Metaphysical poets--I feel the class has a solid understanding of the Metaphysical traits in poems--so we shall move on next week to Romanticism!!!
***Big essay test on Thursday, so talk to me if you are going to be absent.

10/06/2014

Today we discussed "The Canonization" by John Donne.
Tomorrow we will discuss the remaining Metaphysical poems.

***Poetry Prospectus 4-6 is Due October 14th: Same format, only 3 body paragraphs instead of intros; therefore, you will need a topic sentence for each body paragraph for one POA that you wish to focus on for that particular poem.
Prospectus Poem Requirements: You must select three poems that we have not analyzed in class, and one of them needs to be from a poet laureate in the last ten years.

Ms. Johnson

Busy old fool, unruly Sun, why dost thou thus through windows and through curtains call on us? Must to thy motions lovers seasons run?

John Donne

10/05/2014

Metaphysical Readings:

***Note some of these poets are also known for Neoclassical Works; however, these readings were purposely selected as characteristic of Metaphysical in nature:

Note: I apologize for the delay in this homework request, so please only read and take notes on the John Donne poems for tomorrow’s discussion. The remaining poems will be saved for Tuesday’s discussion.

John Donne’s Poems:

“The Canonization”

“A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning”

“The Flea”

Robert Herrick: “Upon Julia’s Clothes”

George Herbert: “The Collar”

***John Milton (considered in between Metaphysical and Romantic movements) “When I consider how my light is spent”

See you tomorrow!

Ms. J

10/01/2014

Please have all of the following works read by tomorrow:

Neoclassical Readings:

Ben Jonson: “On My First Son”

Robert Herrick: “To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time”

George Herbert: “The Altar”

John Milton: “When I consider how my light is spent”

Anne Bradstreet: “To My Dear and Loving Husband”

Andrew Marvell: “To His Coy Mistress”

Alexander Pope: “from An Essay on Man

***Today I gave a lecture on the Neoclassical Poetry Period-so see me or get notes from a friend.

"One should examine oneself for a very long time before thinking of condemning others."

-Moliere

09/26/2014

Read the Renaissance poems listed below and be prepared to discuss them on Monday; take a few notes on each poem--you will not turn these notes in, but it will help you offer educated, intelligent responses yo:

Renaissance Readings: Look them up in the table of contents (if you cannot find them in the book, then read them online):

1. “Thou blind man’s mark”

2. “One day I wrote her name upon a strand”

3. “The Lie” Sir Walter Raleigh

4. “from Astrophel and Stella”

5. “Since there’s no help, come let us kiss and part” Michael Drayton

6. “When in disgrace with fortune and men’s eyes” Shakespeare

7. “Let me not to the marriage of true minds” Shakespeare

8. “My mistress’ eyes are nothing like the sun” Shakespeare 

A Sonnet is a moment's monument,--
Memorial from the Soul's eternity
To one dead deathless hour. 

09/25/2014

Great work with allegory today!

HW: Finish Poetry Glossary and study words three times:)

09/24/2014

***Find an allegorical work (poem or song) and write a brief paragraph explaining what makes the work allegorical.

***Bring the work/paragraph to class for discussion tomorrow!

***Thank you for great study session turn out-excellent!

Ms. J

09/18/2014

Read pages 492-498 in Red Book
Read pages 542-550 in Black Book

09/16/2014

Please read on "Symbolism and Allegory"
pages 457-462 Red Book
509-516 Black Book

"The true method of knowledge is experiment."

William Blake

09/15/2015

Homework:

Take Cornell Notes over pages 5-13 of the Manifesto. Be sure to write a summary of what you learned on the "Design" analysis as a result of your note-taking.

***Also, I do want to see scores on the practice AP exam, so please turn that in as well tomorrow--be sure to include your focused paragraph on what you need to study as well as a list of new unfamiliar words to study.

Ms. Johnson

09/11/2014

Rhythm and Meter Reading:

Read 480-491 Red Book

Read 531-542 Black Book

"Rhythm is a dancer; it's a sole companion--you can feel it everywhere!" (ha ha)

Johnson

09/10/2014 Homework

Read pages 465-472 in Red Book
Read pages 516-523 in Black Book

Be prepared to discuss syntax
Be thinking about your original poem

P.S. Nice teamwork today:)

Ms. J

“Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.”

- Gandhi

09/09/2014

Read pages 444-451 in Red Book
Read pages 496-502 in Black Book


Adios,

Johnson

09/08/2014

Homework:

"Diction" Reading:
Red Book: 436-444
Black Book: 488-496

"Design" essays due tomorrow for those who were absent today!

Happy almost Tuesday!

See me for "Imagery" assignment--today's lesson

"Poetry is when an emotion has found its thought and the thought has found words."

-Robert Frost

09/05/2014

Homework:

• Robert Frost's "Design" essay. Be sure to time yourself, please.
• Also, review "Imagery" handout

Ms. Johnson

"You must be the change you wish to see in the world."

~ Mahatma Gandhi

09/04/2014

Homework:

Read pages 409-422 in the Red Book and 461-474 in the Black Book
*Take notes for yourself on how to experience, interpret, and evaluate poetry.


See you tomorrow--happy almost Friday!

"The only way round is through."

- Robert Frost

09/03/2014

Welcome to AP Class and Happy Senior Year!


Wednesday's Homework:

1. Write me a letter discussing your goals for college/life after high school. Include three things about yourself that are important for me and your classmates to know about you. Also include your dream college of choice and a back-up school that you wish to attend.


2. Read syllabus with parent/guardian. Please turn in a piece of paper with your signature and that of your parent/guardian that will serve as an indication that you have read the course syllabus and understand the policies.  Retain the course syllabus for your records.

3. Take Personality Test at this link: http://www.humanmetrics.com/cgi-win/JTypes2.asp
Directions: Write down the initials of your results and your name; that's it. For example: John Smith ISTP
(If you wish to look up what your results mean, feel free to research on your own; it's fun)
***Letter and signed syllabus are due tomorrow. IF you didn't get a book today, be sure to bring your ID badge tomorrow to get an anthology.

Personality Results are due Friday!
See you tomorrow!

Ms. Johnson

05/29/2014

Wow hilarious and brilliant work on your satire film Quentin, Andrew, Colton, Alec, and Alexis!!!! And to the other students outside of class who worked on it as well. You blew us away with your talent today. I hope you enter it in a film festival!

Johnson

 "I have a way of filming things and staging them and designing sets. There were times when I thought I should change my approach, but in fact, this is what I like to do. It's sort of like my handwriting as a movie director. And somewhere along the way, I think I've made the decision: I'm going to write in my own handwriting."  -Director Wes Anderson

Here's a link to Oregon's Independent Film Festival: http://www.oregonindependentfilmfest.com/

05/29/2014

• Excellent presentations! 
• Follow TFA reading calendar and study guide for Final Exam
• Get Portrait journals in if you haven't so that your grade doesn't drop drastically.
• Talk to me about your failing grade--parents will be contacted as they need to be informed regarding graduation requirements--take care of this now.

Johnson

05/23/2014

See older post for Presentation Line Up
Today in class: Studied for final exam

05/21/2014

Satire Project Presentation Line Up:

Tuesday, May 27th: Group One- Heather, Danica L., Katelyn, Grace
Wednesday, May 28th: Group Two-Phoebe, Jamie, Sarah
                     Group Three-Hayden V, Andrew H., Chris, Daniel, Alley, Wes

Thursday, May 29th:
Group Four-Hayden M, Travis, Christy, Valerie, Brittany, Evan
Group Five-Colton, Andrew F., Alexis, Quentin, Alec


Friday, May 30th:
Group Five-Sierra, Nate, Nick, Dreagn, Erin, Danica W.

***My count is off, and I have looked back at the list like five times (ask Nate Stone). I am so very sorry to the one person that I left off this group list--I always manage to do that:) I guess you could say "at least she's consistent."

Johnson

"I think I'm the only actor in the history of film who got to slap Sam Jackson on the face and butt and lived to tell about it."

Eugene Levy

05/20/2014

Today:

• Handed out Final Exam Study Guide
• Went over Reading Calendar/Remainder of year
• Satire Project time

Johnson

Reading Calendar

05/19/2014

Congratulations on completing your second to last novel of your high school education! Today we had our final discussion on Cat's Cradle.
Check out Things Fall Apart from the library or purchase it. We start reading it tomorrow night--actually you can start tonight if you like.


Johnson

P.S. I will have a Final Exam Study Guide to you tomorrow.

05/13/2014

New Due Date for Satire Project: May 27th (Presentations begin)
We will finish reading Cat's Cradle by May 19th and ready to have our final discussion on the novel that Monday in class.

***Purchase or check out Things Fall Apart by Sunday, May 18th
We will start chapter one of the novel on May 19th.

Ms. J

“Those who believe in telekinetics, raise my hand.” 
― Kurt Vonnegut

05/12/2014

Homework: Read chapters 39-48 in Cat's Cradle.
Determine the direction of your Satire Project and who is on your team today.


Happy Monday!

Johnson

05/09/2014

HW: Cat's Cradle chapters 1-38 (chapters are only 2 pages long)


Cat's Cradle Power Point
Cat's Cradle Vocabulary
Satire Project Due May 19th
Happy well earned weekend!

Johnson

05/07/2014

You did it! Excellent work this year preparing for the exam. I am excited for you that you took it, and it's over:)

No homework!

But if you could do the following and give it to me by Monday along with your three essays from the tan test packet, that would be awesome: Tonight while it’s fresh in your mind, please answer questions on your own paper. Keep your name anonymous, so you feel more liberated to answer honestly.

1.                       In what areas did you feel the preparation in class was adequate for this exam?

2.Which areas were problematic for you, and you wished that you had more preparation?

***Check out Cat's Cradle in the library; it's available now!

Ms. Johnson

05/07/2014

Tips:

• Eight hours sleep
• Hydrate
• Eat
• Review

Open-Ended Prompts to peruse . . .

2013. A bildungsroman, or coming-of-age novel, recounts the psychological or moral development of its protagonist from youth to maturity, when this character recognizes his or her place in the world. Select a single pivotal moment in the psychological or moral development of the protagonist of a bildungsroman. Then write a well-organized essay that analyzes how that single moment shapes the meaning of the work as a whole.

2012. “And, after all, our surroundings influence our lives and characters as much as fate, destiny or any supernatural agency.” Pauline Hopkins, Contending ForcesChoose a novel or play in which cultural, physical, or geographical surroundings shape psychological or moral traits in a character. Then write a well-organized essay in which you analyze how surroundings affect this character and illuminate the meaning of the work as a whole.  Do not merely summarize the plot.

2011. In a novel by William Styron, a father tells his son that life "is a search for justice." Choose a character from a novel or play who responds in some significant way to justice or injustice. Then write a well-developed essay in which you analyze the character's understanding of justice, the degree to which the character's search or justice is successful, and the significance of this search for the work as a whole. Do not merely summarize the plot.

2011B. In The Writing of Fiction (1925), novelist Edith Wharton states the following:

At every stage in the progress of his tale the novelist must rely on what may be called the illuminating incident to reveal and emphasize     the inner meaning of each situation. Illuminating incidents are the magic casements of fiction, its vistas on infinity.

Choose a novel or play that you have studied and write a well-organized essay in which you describe an "illuminating" episode or moment and explain how it functions as a "casement," a window that opens onto the meaning of the work as a whole. Avoid mere plot summary.

2010. Palestinian American literary theorist and cultural critic Edward Said has written that “Exile is strangely compelling to think about but terrible to experience. It is the unhealable rift forced between a human being and a native place, between the self and its true home: its essential sadness can never be surmounted.” Yet Said has also said that exile can become “a potent, even enriching” experience. Select a novel, play, or epic in which a character experiences such a rift and becomes cut off from “home,” whether that home is the character’s birthplace, family, homeland, or other special place. Then write an essay in which you analyze how the character’s experience with exile is both alienating and enriching, and how this experience illuminates the meaning of the work as a whole. Do not merely summarize the plot.

2010, Form B. “You can leave home all you want, but home will never leave you.” —Sonsyrea Tate
Sonsyrea Tate’s statement suggests that “home” may be conceived of as a dwelling, a place, or a state of mind. It
may have positive or negative associations, but in either case, it may have a considerable influence on an individual. Choose a novel or play in which a central character leaves home yet finds that home remains significant. Write a well-developed essay in which you analyze the importance of “home” to this character and the reasons for its continuing influence. Explain how the character’s idea of home illuminates the larger meaning of the work. Do not merely summarize the plot.

2009. A symbol is an object, action, or event that represents something or that creates a range of associations beyond itself. In literary works a symbol can express an idea, clarify meaning, or enlarge literal meaning. Select a novel or play and, focusing on one symbol, write an essay analyzing how that symbol functions in the work and what it reveals about the characters or themes of the work as a whole. Do not merely summarize the plot.

2009, Form B. Many works of literature deal with political or social issues. Choose a novel or play that focuses on a political or social issue. Then write an essay in which you analyze how the author uses literary elements to explore this issue and explain how the issue contributes to the meaning of the work as a whole. Do not merely summarize the plot.

2008. In a literary work, a minor character, often known as a foil, possesses traits that emphasize, by contrast or comparison, the distinctive characteristics and qualities of the main character. For example, the ideas or behavior of the minor character might be used to highlight the weaknesses or strengths of the main character. Choose a novel or play in which a minor character serves as a foil to a main character. Then write an essay in which you analyze how the relation between the minor character and the major character illuminates the meaning of the work.

2008, Form B. In some works of literature, childhood and adolescence are portrayed as times graced by innocence and a sense of wonder; in other works, they are depicted as times of tribulation and terror. Focusing on a single novel or play, explain how its representation of childhood or adolescence shapes the meaning of the work as a whole.

2008 College Board authorized practice test: In many works of literature, a main character has a mentor or mentor-like acquaintance whose influence dramatically changes how the character views not only himself or herself, but the world as well. Choose a novel or play in which a mentor exhibits such a strong influence, either beneficial or harmful, on one of the main characters. Then, in a well-organized essay, discuss the nature of the mentor's influence and its significance to the work as a whole. 

2007. In many works of literature, past events can affect, positively or negatively, the present activities, attitudes, or values of a character. Choose a novel or play in which a character must contend with some aspect of the past, either personal or societal. Then write an essay in which you show how the character's relationship to the past contributes to the meaning of the work as a whole.

2007, Form B. Works of literature often depict acts of betrayal. Friends and even family may betray a protagonist; main characters may likewise be guilty of treachery or may betray their own values. Select a novel or play that includes such acts of betrayal. Then, in a well-written essay, analyze the nature of the betrayal and show how it contributes to the meaning of the work as a whole.

2006. Many writers use a country setting to establish values within a work of literature. For example, the country may be a place of virtue and peace or one of primitivism and ignorance. Choose a novel or play in which such a setting plays a significant role. Then write an essay in which you analyze how the country setting functions in the work as a whole.

2006, Form B. In many works of literature, a physical journey - the literal movement from one place to another - plays a central role. Choose a novel, play, or epic poem in which a physical journey is an important element and discuss how the journey adds to the meaning of the work as a whole. Avoid mere plot summary.

2005. In Kate Chopin's The Awakening (1899), protagonist Edna Pontellier is said to possess "that outward existence which conforms, the inward life that questions." In a novel or play that you have studied, identify a character who outwardly conforms while questioning inwardly. Then write an essay in which you analyze how this tension between outward conformity and inward questioning contributes to the meaning of the work. Avoid mere plot summary.

2005, Form B. One of the strongest human drives seems to be a desire for power. Write an essay in which you discuss how a character in a novel or a drama struggles to free himself or herself from the power of others or seeks to gain power over others. Be sure to demonstrate in your essay how the author uses this power struggle to enhance the meaning of the work.

2004. Critic Roland Barthes has said, "Literature is the question minus the answer." Choose a novel, or play, and, considering Barthes' observation, write an essay in which you analyze a central question the work raises and the extent to which it offers answers. Explain how the author's treatment of this question affects your understanding of the work as a whole. Avoid mere plot summary.

2004, Form B. The most important themes in literature are sometimes developed in scenes in which a death or deaths take place. Choose a novel or play and write a well-organized essay in which you show how a specific death scene helps to illuminate the meaning of the work as a whole. Avoid mere plot summary.

2003. According to critic Northrop Frye, "Tragic heroes are so much the highest points in their human landscape that they seem the inevitable conductors of the power about them, great trees more likely to be struck by lightning than a clump of grass. Conductors may of course be instruments as well as victims of the divisive lightning." Select a novel or play in which a tragic figure functions as an instrument of the suffering of others. Then write an essay in which you explain how the suffering brought upon others by that figure contributes to the tragic vision of the work as a whole.

2003, Form B. Novels and plays often depict characters caught between colliding cultures -- national, regional, ethnic, religious, institutional. Such collisions can call a character's sense of identity into question. Select a novel or play in which a character responds to such a cultural collision. Then write a well-organized essay in which you describe the character's response and explain its relevance to the work as a whole.

2002. Morally ambiguous characters -- characters whose behavior discourages readers from identifying them as purely evil or purely good -- are at the heart of many works of literature. Choose a novel or play in which a morally ambiguous character plays a pivotal role. Then write an essay in which you explain how the character can be viewed as morally ambiguous and why his or her moral ambiguity is significant to the work as a whole. Avoid mere plot summary.

2002, Form B. Often in literature, a character's success in achieving goals depends on keeping a secret and divulging it only at the right moment, if at all. Choose a novel or play of literary merit that requires a character to keep a secret. In a well-organized essay, briefly explain the necessity for secrecy and how the character's choice to reveal or keep the secret affects the plot and contributes to the meaning of the work as a whole.

2001. One definition of madness is "mental delusion or the eccentric behavior arising from it." But Emily Dickinson wrote: “Much madness is divinest/Sense-To a discerning Eye.” Novelists and playwrights have often seen madness with a "discerning Eye." Select a novel or play in which a character's apparent madness or irrational behavior plays an important role. Then write a well-organized essay in which you explain what this delusion or eccentric behavior consists of and how it might be judged reasonable. Explain the significance of the "madness" to the work as a whole. Do not merely summarize the plot.

2000. Many works of literature not readily identified with the mystery or detective story genre nonetheless involve the investigation of a mystery. In these works, the solution to the mystery may be less important than the knowledge gained in the process of its investigation. Choose a novel or play in which one or more of the characters confront a mystery. Then write an essay in which you identify the mystery and explain how the investigation illuminates the meaning of the work as a whole. Do not merely summarize the plot.

1999. The eighteenth-century British novelist Laurence Sterne wrote, "No body, but he who has felt it, can conceive what a plaguing thing it is to have a man's mind torn asunder by two projects of equal strength, both obstinately pulling in a contrary direction at the same time." From a novel or play choose a character (not necessarily the protagonist) whose mind is pulled in conflicting directions by two compelling desires, ambitions, obligations, or influences. Then, in a well-organized essay, identify each of the two conflicting forces and explain how this conflict with one character illuminates the meaning of the work as a whole. You may use one of the novels or plays listed below or another novel or work of similar literary quality.

1998. In his essay "Walking," Henry David Thoreau offers the following assessment of literature: In literature it is only the wild that attracts us. Dullness is but another name for tameness. It is the uncivilized free and wild thinking in Hamlet and The Iliad, in all scriptures and mythologies, not learned in schools, that delights us. From the works that you have studied in school, choose a novel, play, or epic poem that you may initially have thought was conventional and tame but that you now value for its "uncivilized free and wild thinking." Write an essay in which you explain what constitutes its "uncivilized free and wild thinking" and how that thinking is central to the value of the work as a whole. Support your ideas with specific references to the work you choose.

1997. Novels and plays often include scenes of weddings, funerals, parties, and other social occasions. Such scenes may reveal the values of the characters and the society in which they live. Select a novel or play that includes such a scene and, in a focused essay, discuss the contribution the scene makes to the meaning of the work as a whole. You may choose a work from the list below or another novel or play of literary merit.

1996. The British novelist Fay Weldon offers this observation about happy endings. "The writers, I do believe, who get the best and most lasting response from their readers are the writers who offer a happy ending through moral development. By a happy ending, I do not mean mere fortunate events -- a marriage or a last minute rescue from death -- but some kind of spiritual reassessment or moral reconciliation, even with the self, even at death." Choose a novel or play that has the kind of ending Weldon describes. In a well-written essay, identify the "spiritual reassessment or moral reconciliation" evident in the ending and explain its significance in the work as a whole.

1995. Writers often highlight the values of a culture or a society by using characters who are alienated from that culture or society because of gender, race, class, or creed. Choose a novel or a play in which such a character plays a significant role and show how that character's alienation reveals the surrounding society's assumptions or moral values.

1994. In some works of literature, a character who appears briefly, or does not appear at all, is a significant presence. Choose a novel or play of literary merit and write an essay in which you show how such a character functions in the work. You may wish to discuss how the character affects action, theme, or the development of other characters. Avoid plot summary.

1993. "The true test of comedy is that it shall awaken thoughtful laughter." Choose a novel, play, or long poem in which a scene or character awakens "thoughtful laughter" in the reader. Write an essay in which you show why this laughter is "thoughtful" and how it contributes to the meaning of the work.

1992. In a novel or play, a confidant (male) or a confidante (female) is a character, often a friend or relative of the hero or heroine, whose role is to be present when the hero or heroine needs a sympathetic listener to confide in. Frequently the result is, as Henry James remarked, that the confidant or confidante can be as much "the reader's friend as the protagonist's." However, the author sometimes uses this character for other purposes as well. Choose a confidant or confidante from a novel or play of recognized literary merit and write an essay in which you discuss the various ways this character functions in the work.

1991. Many plays and novels use contrasting places (for example, two countries, two cities or towns, two houses, or the land and the sea) to represent opposed forces or ideas that are central to the meaning of the work. Choose a novel or play that contrasts two such places. Write an essay explaining how the places differ, what each place represents, and how their contrast contributes to the meaning of the work.

1990. Choose a novel or play that depicts a conflict between a parent (or a parental figure) and a son or daughter. Write an essay in which you analyze the sources of the conflict and explain how the conflict contributes to the meaning of the work. Avoid plot summary.

1989. In questioning the value of literary realism, Flannery O'Connor has written, "I am interested in making a good case for distortion because I am coming to believe that it is the only way to make people see." Write an essay in which you "make a good case for distortion," as distinct from literary realism. Analyze how important elements of the work you choose are "distorted" and explain how these distortions contribute to the effectiveness of the work. Avoid plot summary.

1988. Choose a distinguished novel or play in which some of the most significant events are mental or psychological; for example, awakenings, discoveries, changes in consciousness. In a well-organized essay, describe how the author manages to give these internal events the sense of excitement, suspense, and climax usually associated with external action. Do not merely summarize the plot.

1987. Some novels and plays seem to advocate changes in social or political attitudes or in traditions. Choose such a novel or play and note briefly the particular attitudes or traditions that the author apparently wishes to modify. Then analyze the techniques the author uses to influence the reader's or audience's views. Avoid plot summary.

1986. Some works of literature use the element of time in a distinct way. The chronological sequence of events may be altered, or time may be suspended or accelerated. Choose a novel, an epic, or a play of recognized literary merit and show how the author's manipulation of time contributes to the effectiveness of the work as a whole. Do not merely summarize the plot.

1985. A critic has said that one important measure of a superior work of literature is its ability to produce in the reader a healthy confusion of pleasure and disquietude. Select a literary work that produces this "healthy confusion." Write an essay in which you explain the sources of the "pleasure and disquietude" experienced by the readers of the work.

1984. Select a moment or scene in a novel, epic poem, or play that you find especially memorable. Write an essay in which you identify the line or the passage, explain its relationship to the work in which it is found, and analyze the reasons for its effectiveness.

1983. From a novel or play of literary merit, select an important character who is a villain. Then, in a well-organized essay, analyze the nature of the character's villainy and show how it enhances meaning in the work. Do not merely summarize the plot.

1982. In great literature, no scene of violence exists for its own sake. Choose a work of literary merit that confronts the reader or audience with a scene or scenes of violence. In a well-organized essay, explain how the scene or scenes contribute to the meaning of the complete work. Avoid plot summary.

1981. The meaning of some literary works is often enhanced by sustained allusion to myths, the Bible, or other works of literature. Select a literary work that makes use of such a sustained reference. Then write a well-organized essay in which you explain the allusion that predominates in the work and analyze how it enhances the work's meaning.

1980. A recurring theme in literature is the classic war between a passion and responsibility. For instance, a personal cause, a love, a desire for revenge, a determination to redress a wrong, or some other emotion or drive may conflict with moral duty. Choose a literary work in which a character confronts the demands of a private passion that conflicts with his or her responsibilities. In a well-written essay show clearly the nature of the conflict, its effects upon the character, and its significance to the work.

1979. Choose a complex and important character in a novel or a play of recognized literary merit who might on the basis of the character's actions alone be considered evil or immoral. In a well-organized essay, explain both how and why the full presentation of the character in the work makes us react more sympathetically than we otherwise might. Avoid plot summary.

1978. Choose an implausible or strikingly unrealistic incident or character in a work of fiction or drama of recognized literary merit. Write an essay that explains how the incident or character is related to the more realistic of plausible elements in the rest of the work. Avoid plot summary.

1977. In some novels and plays certain parallel or recurring events prove to be significant. In an essay, describe the major similarities and differences in a sequence of parallel or recurring events in a novel or play and discuss the significance of such events. Do not merely summarize the plot.

1976. The conflict created when the will of an individual opposes the will of the majority is the recurring theme of many novels, plays, and essays. Select the work of an essayist who is in opposition to his or her society; or from a work of recognized literary merit, select a fictional character who is in opposition to his or her society. In a critical essay, analyze the conflict and discuss the moral and ethical implications for both the individual and the society. Do not summarize the plot or action of the work you choose.

1975. Although literary critics have tended to praise the unique in literary characterizations, many authors have employed the stereotyped character successfully. Select one work of acknowledged literary merit and in a well-written essay, show how the conventional or stereotyped character or characters function to achieve the author's purpose.

1975 Also. Unlike the novelist, the writer of a play does not use his own voice and only rarely uses a narrator's voice to guide the audience's responses to character and action. Select a play you have read and write an essay in which you explain the techniques the playwright uses to guide his audience's responses to the central characters and the action. You might consider the effect on the audience of things like setting, the use of comparable and contrasting characters, and the characters' responses to each other. Support your argument with specific references to the play. Do not give a plot summary.

1973. An effective literary work does not merely stop or cease; it concludes. In the view of some critics, a work that does not provide the pleasure of significant closure has terminated with an artistic fault. A satisfactory ending is not, however, always conclusive in every sense; significant closure may require the reader to abide with or adjust to ambiguity and uncertainty. In an essay, discuss the ending of a novel or play of acknowledged literary merit. Explain precisely how and why the ending appropriately or inappropriately concludes the work. Do not merely summarize the plot.

1972. In retrospect, the reader often discovers that the first chapter of a novel or the opening scene of a drama introduces some of the major themes of the work. Write an essay about the opening scene of a drama or the first chapter of a novel in which you explain how it functions in this way.

1970. Choose a character from a novel or play of recognized literary merit and write an essay in which you (a) briefly describe the standards of the fictional society in which the character exists and (b) show how the character is affected by and responds to those standards. In your essay do not merely summarize the plot.

1970 Also. Choose a work of recognized literary merit in which a specific inanimate object (e.g., a seashell, a handkerchief, a painting) is important, and write an essay in which you show how two or three of the purposes the object serves are related to one another.

05/05/2014

Today’s Announcements:

·    Purchase Cat’s Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut when you can. We will start discussing it Friday.

·    Breakfast will be served in McElliott’s Room at 7am on Thursday morning.

·     Review Sessions will take place Tuesday and Wednesday: We will take another Multiple Choice Practice Exam and discuss it.

·    I have posted AP Terminology PP on my webpage for those interested in an overview of terms.

·    This week: have a plan in place for essays. Decide how you will attack each one, take notes, outline, etc.

·    Tonight’s homework: See your tan packet for the Open-Ended Essay Prompt. You may write on a work not listed. Please include at least one quotation that you have memorized for the exam for this particular work. You can write your name or ID number at the top of the paper like last time. We will score these tomorrow, so please bring your scoring guide with you again.

·

04/29/2014

AP English Homework:

 Homework: Portrait Journal Due tomorrow.  

• Last page of Portrait Journal: Do you find Stephen's ideas about aesthetics/"esthetics," art, and or beauty convincing? Respond to one particular aspect of his long, opinionated discussion of these topics--do not try to deal with the entire thing (or it will drive you crazy)--and argue for or against that theory's validity. Support your claims by referencing some artistic medium with which you are personally familiar (music, film, literature, etc.). Be very specific.

***Next book purchase: Cat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut

04/24/2014

If you are interested, we are holding another meeting for the Italy/Greece trip on May 1st (Thursday) at 6:30 in my classroom. The deadline to sign up has been extended to May 5th.

Homework: Read the article on Stephen Dedalus and his name. Mark the text by underlining key phrases, making margin notes, and circling words that you don’t know—look up the words and write the definition above them. At the end of the article, write five new discovery statements about the novel that you now have after reading the article. Here is the link: "Stephen Dedalus: Identity in His Name" 

***Come prepared to discuss the article tomorrow in class.
***Portrait journals are due Tuesday, so work to complete those.
Today in class: We finished group questions from the journal and groups continued to work on the journal.

Happy Thursday,

Ms. Johnson

04/23/2014

AP Review PP
Test Answers for AP 1994 Exam are on my older post.
Homework: Work on completing journal for Portrait.

Johnson

Portrait HW: Read up to the point where you can answer the following question "If we must have a Jesus; let us have a legitimate Jesus."
It's around 30 pages

Here is the link for the answer key to the 1994 AP Exam (from review session):
http://ela20ap.wikispaces.com/file/view/AP+Lit+Multiple+Choice+1994.pdf


Ms. Johnson

04/17/2014

Read in Chapter four until you answer the following question in your journal: "What part of Stephen is reappearing here?"

Today in class,

We took notes on the Hero's Journey since one of your questions specifically regards that archetypal story.

• Homework: Write questions for the guest professor (see below)
• Finish chapter three of Portrait and work up through the question "Why doesn't Stephen confess at a normal church?" (pretty obvious)

Dr. Yehnert Visit Tomorrow:

·    Write three specific questions about the AP Exam essays.

·    Write two additional questions that you have about college in general.

·    Questions are due for a grade. 

04/14/2014

Due today: Nothing
Tonight's HW: Please work on the next three pages in your journal packet and answer up to question 5 that states "After confession, Stephen is joyous. Find three excerpts from the text that show how Joyce made his style joyous to echo Stephen."

***These questions will take you about a third of the way into chapter three.

***Please read!!!

***Please let me know if you will not be present for our guest speaker on Wednesday; he is a former AP scorer and very busy college professor, so we want his time well spent while he's here at Sprague with us:)


Johnson

04/11/2014

Today in class:

• Journal Checks

HW: Read Chapter Two of Portrait and work on pages 7 (or where it begins with "The Uncle Charles Principle") and end on page 12 (or just after item number #14 with the question "Where is he at the end of this section?"

***I numbered the pages. Front and Back each count as a separate page. You can number them too, so that when I refer to the pages, you know what I'm referring to!

Check the tabs at the top of my blog for "AP Test Prep," and I will continue to add test prep Power Points and practice exams etc. there.

Johnson 

04/07/2014

***First and foremost: Turn in your Wuthering Heights essay before midnight to Turnitin.com.
Here is the login information: Class ID: 7523349

Password: APENG

1. Please purchase The Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce. Buy or use an old notebook of yours to keep notes in for the novel. This journal will be worth many points at the end of the unit, so make sure to stay up on it.
2. We watched the first 22 minutes of the Joyce biography and took notes on key/interesting facts about his life that obviously were incorporated into his writing. Here is the link for that biography: http://www.biography.com/people/james-joyce-9358676

3. Here are the Research Topics available from today. The class chose right at the end of the period, and these are due tomorrow (even if you are absent and plan on returning tomorrow, you can easily get this done tonight, so pick a topic and go!):

Portrait Research Topics  

·        Catholic Prep Schools in Ireland (during Joyce’s time)— Hayden V, Daniel, Andrew H,

·        Mythology in the novel- Nate, Katelyn, Evan

v    Color Symbolism: Brittany, Christy, Jamie, Sarah

v    Parnell/Gladstone/Home Rule – Danica W. and Sierra

v    Irish Nationalism—Ireland today – Colton, Nick, and Andrew F

v    Celts – Dreagn, Travis, Grace

v    Jesuits – Heather, Chris

v    Roman Catholicism in Ireland Pre-Vatican II-Valerie and Hayden M

v    Michael Davitt –Phoebe and Ally

v    Fenians – Quentin, Wes, Danica L, Alexis

04/04/2014

Today's assignment: AP Prose Essay on a Wuthering Height's passage
HW: Purchase The Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce

Turnitin Info for Wuthering Heights essay is the same as your former research essay on Hamlet. 

Class ID: 7523349

Password: APENG

03/20/2014

Read up through chapter 30 of Wuthering Heights over break. You will have a reading quiz when you  return.
***You may re-take the drama test if you did poorly--this will help you in your preparation for the AP exam.

***Enjoy your time off!

Ms. Johnson

03/17/2014

Here is Monday, March 17th's Lesson--please be ready to discuss all these questions on Tuesday.
Wuthering Heights Review 1-9

I am sorry that I won't be in class on Monday. My father was very ill in the hospital this weekend and has just been transferred home. I should be back Tuesday.

Sincerely,

Ms. Johnson

03/14/2014

Today we discussed the study guide questions from yesterday.

Follow the reading calendar and have a great weekend!!!

Mrs. Johnson

03/14/2014

If absent today, in your green lit book Read “The Necklace”  on page 201-206

Answer “Analyzing Literature” only Questions 1-4 (page 206)
***If you left your lit book at school, you can easily read the well-known story online and quickly do the questions when you return.

Have a great weekend!

Mrs. Johnson

03/13/2014

Follow Reading Calendar of course:0

Greece and Italy Info!

WH Guide Questions 1-5

Happy almost Friday!

Johnson

03/12/2014

Today's lecture
WH Reading Calendar

03/10/2014

***AP Drama Exam tomorrow!!!

Read Wuthering Heights (Bronte) chapters 1-3 by Wednesday.

http://www.wuthering-heights.co.uk/genealogy.php (Novel Family Tree)

If absent today 3/6/2014

See me to make up your open-ended essay!
Check out or purchase Wuthering Heights--Read Chapter One through Three (short chapters)

03/04/2014

Finish R and G come ready to discuss
Open-Ended Prompt Essay Thursday
Drama Test Tuesday

03/03/2014

1. Finish reading Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead by Wednesday and finish taking notes from my Power Point on "Theater of the Absurd."
2. Discussion over R and G are Dead Wednesday.
3. Thursday: Open-Ended Essay
4. Friday: Drama Test Review
5. Monday: DRAMA TEST
Ms. Johnson