Wednesday 11/11/15 ~ Short Story #4: "By the Waters of Babylon"

*Before we get started, take a minute to give me a teacher review.
  Click here for West or Bridgette.

ROOTS

• matri - mother
• medi - half, middle, between, halfway

GRAMMAR

• More on agreement

Bridgette's Class: Here's a link to help us better understand The Masque of the Red Death

LIT NOTES

• Allusion (See side bar of blog)

SHORT STORY #4 "By The Waters of Babylon" by Stephen Vincent Benét 

1. To understand what is really happening in this story, you have to draw conclusions based on the writer’s clues and your own experience and knowledge. What do you think John is really seeing (and how are you able to tell) when he describes each of the items below? (You might want to work with a group to solve these puzzles.)

• the Great Burning
• Ou-dis-sun
• the statue of a man named ASHING
• the temple in mid-city with a roof painted like the sky at night
• the caves and tunnels where John thinks the gods kept their slaves

2. Find a place in the story where John achieves a breakthrough, and explain what he discovers. How does the first-person point of view help you appreciate his breakthrough?

3. Explain how the words of Psalm 137, verses 1-6, connect with Benét’s story.

• "Longing for Zion in a Foreign Land"
  1 By the rivers of Babylon,
  There we sat down, yea, we wept
  When we remembered Zion.
  ² We hung our harps
  Upon the willows in the midst of it.
  ³ For there those who carried us away captive asked of us a song,
  And those who plundered us requested mirth,
  Saying, “Sing us one of the songs of Zion!”
  ⁴ How shall we sing the Lord’s song
  In a foreign land?
  ⁵ If I forget you, O Jerusalem,
  Let my right hand forget its skill!
  ⁶ If I do not remember you,
  Let my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth—
  If I do not exalt Jerusalem
  Above my chief joy.
   

4. Near the end of the story, John says, “Perhaps in the old days, they ate knowledge too fast.” What do you think he means? Are we “eating knowledge too fast” today? Explain.

5. Benét wrote this story in 1937, before the first atom bomb was invented. World War II and the Cold War are over now. Do Benét’s warnings about the complete destruction of a civilization still have relevance today? Why?

6. Do you think Benét made the secret of the Place of the Gods too easy to guess, or too hard, or were the clues just difficult enough? Explain.

7. What is the narrative perspective of this story?  How does this perspective play a role in the reader's experience and theme of the work?

HW: Study your grammar (agreement) and roots (gest-mem).
*We will finish this story in class. No need to do it on your own.
*Get ahead by starting The Power of One or begin writing your short story!

Tuesday 11/10/15 ~ CAB Thesis

ROOTS

• mania- madness
• mar, meri, mer - sea

Writing Instruction

*Essays back

Notes: What makes a good thesis?

For starters: Are these Strong Thesis Statements?

1. The myth, Midas, has a great lesson.
2. My essay is about the lesson on greed in Midas. 
3. While greed is universally known to lead to disaster, Midas is one Greek myth that shows the painful effects of greed on the individual, the family, and society

How do you write a STRONG Thesis Statement?
      *In this case, strong means clear and specific.

1st -Figure out the question.
         What traits make a hero universal hero?
         Why has the hero changed?
         How has the hero changed since Greek times?
         Which traits do I view as the true hero?
         
2nd - Answer the question.  
  One possible format to use is the CAB thesis:

Contest (Acknowledge what the opposition could say against your idea)
         Although the Greek heroes were often demigods and quite selfish,
Assert (Assert the position you will prove)
          they do have some major similarities with the typical modern hero,
Because (State your areas of proof, *You do not have to use "because.")
          because they share the traits of self-sacrifice, loyalty and courage.

3rd - Check it.

• Did I take a debatable position? No Summary!!!
• Is my thesis specific enough? Avoid general words. For example, if you contain words like "good" or "successful," then state what makes it good or specifically what the standard for success is.
• Does it pass the "So What?" test? If not, you may need to clarify, connect your ideas to a larger issue, or narrow your topic down somehow. 
• Does my thesis match my body paragraphs? If the topics of your body paragraphs do not match your thesis, then one of them has to change. It is ok to change your thesis. This often happens as your write and think more deeply about a topic. For this reason, many people write the introduction to the essay last. 

For more help, go to this website.

For more practice, go to this website. 

Short Stories

• Discuss Journal 27

HW: Nope! Study roots and grammar for block day!
Bridgette's class: Don't forget your 4 thesis statements; one  for each one of the four stories. Due on quiz day. 

Monday 11/9/15 ~ Short Story #3: "The Masque of the Red Death" & Allegory

ROOTS

• magn - great
• man - hand
• mand - command

GRAMMAR

• Review Pronoun Agreement: Practice here

DISCUSS

• Go over Fish Cheeks questions.
• Now look over your thesis notes. Write a basic thesis to answer this question: What was the lesson that Tan was not able to understand until years later?

LIT NOTES ~ Add these definitions to your journals section.

• Allegory
• Symbol

SHORT STORY #3 "The Masque of the Red Death "

                                  by Edgar Allan Poe

• EQ: What is allegory?
• Who was Poe? What other works from Poe have you read?

Journal 27: 
1. Using the SAT vocab list, write a sentence using at least four words (see list below).
2. The rich and powerful might build walls around their sprawling estates to block out the upsetting parts of life. What realities of life must people face no matter who they are?
3. What is the Black Death?
4. Consider the Allegory feature. Define as many symbols as you can, bullet-point style. What is the "story below the surface"?

SAT Vocab from Masque
1. profuse - plentiful
2. sagacious - wise
3. contagion - the spreading of disease
4. imperial - majestic
5. emanating - coming forth
6. sedate - calm; quiet
7. pervaded - spread throughout
8. cessation - ceasing or stopping
9. propriety - quality of being proper
10. tangible - something that can be touched

Sit back, follow along and be prepared to explain Poe's intended effect in this story. 

HW: Finish Journal 27

Block Day 11/5-6/15 ~ Fish Cheeks

MEMORIZATION

• Beatitudes Quiz!
• When you finish, record the notes below in your journal section.

LIT NOTES
Plot - a general pattern of events that takes place in the narrative and the resolution of the conflict between the protagonist and antagonist (Turco).

• Beginning
• exposition
• complication or inciting incident (the antagonist presents an obstacle to the protagonist)
• rising action which features 
• crisis points

• Middle
• climax or ultimate crisis 
• there may be a black moment (darkest point of the climax)
• the protagonist may experience an epiphany, sudden realization, clarification, or anagnorisis

•  End
• falling action, denouement
• resolution
• open ending
• closed ending

EQ: How does a writer use the PLOT to reveal a THEME?

SHORT STORY #2: Fish Cheeks
*Discuss: Agree, Disagree, or Somewhere in the Middle?

1. My parents generally give me wise advice.
2. I like having friends over for dinner with my family.
3. My parents are embarrassing.
4. My parents have had a deep influence on who I am today.
5. I can remember a time when I tried to change myself to fit in.

*Journal 26: Fishcheeks by Amy Tan
Part A: Use the bold words from the notes above to write an explanation of the PLOT of Fishcheeks.
Part B: Answer the "Questions on Writing Strategy" section from the text.

HW: Finish Journal 26, The Power of One (Make sure it is the young reader's condensed edition ISBN# 0-385-73254-6

Wednesday, 11/4 ~ Two Kinds, cont.

REMINDER ~ Memorization on Block.


Finish Reading:
Short Story #1 ~ Two Kinds
"At first my mother thought I could be a Chinese Shirley Temple." ~ Amy Tan
 


Thesis Statement
EQ: What are the possible themes or messages Tan is communicating in our story?
EQ: What makes a good thesis statement?
Open this document to practice writing a thesis: Thesis Generator 
Include your thesis as #6 in Journal 25.

HOMEWORK
*Finish ALL (parts 1-6) of Journal 25 ~ DUE ON BLOCK

1. Meet the Author ~ Record 5-10 bullet points of bio info.
2. Vocab ~ Write a sentence using at least three of the SAT vocab words on the list below.
3. My story ~ Take the next 10 minutes to write about a time when you've experienced conflict, (internal or external). How did it motivate you or someone else involved to behave in a certain way?
4. Literary Elements ~ Record an example of both internal and external conflicts from the story.
5. How does conflict act as a catalyst of motivation for characters in this story?
6. Write a thesis defending the theme you believe Amy Tan is communicating through the story, Two Kinds.

 **MEMORIZATION QUIZ ON BLOCK**

Historical Background of The Power of One (South Africa)

Here is a quick history of the events that lead up to Apartheid in South Africa:

Racial Injustice and the Apartheid

APARTHEID

I.  History:

• The first European settlers come to the Cape of Good Hope around 1600.
• 1652, Dutch, German and French come to Cape for religious and economic motives.
• Dutch Boers (mostly white farmers) begin to move north and live with native Africans and a new culture develops:  The Afrikaner or the white African tribe.  Their language was a mix of Dutch and various African languages. 1795 the British seize control of the Cape and surrounding area and more Boers are driven north.
• Many Afrikaners died in battles with "natives" while adapting to harsh land and climate. 
• Hatred of the British and Blacks deepened Afrikaner solidarity.
• The Boer War 1899-1902:  British want gold and diamonds discovered on Afrikaner land.  A fierce war ensued with atrocities on both sides, Britain wins ultimate control and makes South Africa a commonwealth.
• Independence was granted in 1910.  While the Afrikaners made up only 13% of population, they dominated the government.

II.  Apartheid

• In 1948 the Afrikaner Nationalist Party gained control of the South African Parliament, and established the system known as apartheid.
• Apartheid means "separateness" or "apartness" and included 317 laws which reserved civil rights for 5 million whites and denied them to 25 million blacks.
• All citizens were classified by race.
• Marriage and sexual relations across color lines were made illegal.
• Separate residential areas; whites get all of the best. Over 80% of the population was crowded into areas which covered less than 13% of the total land mass.
• Economic development was outlawed in black "homelands." Jobs were made available only in white areas.
• All non-whites must carry a passbook at all times.
• All public places were segregated.
• Black schools were intentionally underfunded.

III.  Resistance

• Resistance began in the 1950's, the first outbreak of violence occurred in 1960 and was known as the Sharpville Massacre, 69 peopled were killed and 180 wounded by South African police.
• Nelson Mandela rose to leadership of the African National Congress (ANC), but was arrested in 1964 and imprisoned for 26 years.
• In the early 1970's Steven Biko founded the "Black Consciousness" movement patterned after the "Black Power" movement in the United States.  Biko was arrested, tortured, then killed while in police custody in 1977.
• In 1976 thousands of students protested in a black township in Johannesburg, this became known as the Soweto Riot.  The government killed 600 students and arrested thousands.
• In 1983 as protests continued the government declared a state of emergency and 30,000 more blacks were jailed.
• International pressure began to mount.  South Africa was expelled from the UN in 1974.
• They were banned from the Olympic Games in 1976; in 1986 the U.S. Congress banned new investment by U.S. companies.

IV.  Apartheid ends

• F.W. deKlerk becomes Prime Minister in 1989 and bowing to international as well as internal pressure negotiations begin.
• In 1990 Nelson Mandela is released from prison and the ANC works with the government to write a new constitution, which would put an end to Apartheid.
• In 1994 Mandela is elected as the first Black President of South Africa.

Click here for original document.

Tuesday, 11/3 ~ Short Story #1 ~ Two Kinds

REMINDER ~ Memorization Quiz on Block.

ROOTS
loqu, locut ~ talk, speak
luc, lum, lus, lun ~ light
macr, macer ~ lean

GRAMMAR
Practice Pronoun Agreement

EQ: What is internal and external conflict?


Journal 25: Two Kinds
1. Meet the Author ~ Record 5-10 bullet points of bio info.
2. Vocab ~ Write a sentence using at least three of the SAT vocab words on the list below.
3. My story ~ Take the next 10 minutes to write about a time when you've experienced conflict, (internal or external). How did it motivate you or someone else involved to behave in a certain way?
4. Literary Elements ~ Record an example of both internal and external conflicts from the story.
5. How does conflict act as a catalyst of motivation for characters in this story?


SAT Vocab ~ Here's a list of vocabulary words that are important for you to know in order to better understand the text. Oh yeah! I see a vocabulary quiz in your future.

1. prodigy - child of highly unusual talent or genius
2. lamented - said with regret or sorrow
3. listlessly - without energy or interest
4. mesmerizing - fascinating
5. discordant - clashing; not in harmony
6. dawdled - wasted time; lingered
7. stricken - heartbroken
8. fiasco - total failure
9. nonchalantly - without interest or concern
10. betrayal - failure to fulfill another's  hopes

Ask Yourself ~ Where should my literary focus be when reading Two Kinds?

Glad you asked that.
* You should be thinking about internal and external conflict. Where is there evidence of these two in the story?
* You should be thinking about motivation. How does conflict motivate the characters to behave in a certain way?

Hint ~ Conflict can be present in close relationships, where the characters are motivated to influence each other. Example of this might be a mother-daughter relationship.
Do you have an idea of what the story is about?

Short Story #1 ~
Two Kinds by Amy Tan

HOMEWORK
Finish Journal 25 (parts 1,2,3)