In-Class Writing 4/24
Choose ONE of the following passages and craft ONE argumentative paragraph in which you contextualize the quote you are given with a lead-in sentence, analyze Sophocles’ word choice and imagery, and explain the significance of the quote. As always, you aren’t simply contextualizing or summarizing. Your topic sentence MUST be an original, argumentative claim, supported by two quotes from the passage you are given. Your paragraph should contain rich analysis that makes connections to the major themes of the play as a whole. How can you connect this passage to larger themes present in Sophocles' tragedy?
Submit your work to turnitin.com by the end of class.
Passage 1:
Now my curse on the murderer. Whoever he is,
A lone man unknown in his crime
Or one among many, let that man drag out
His life in agony, step by painful step--
I curse myself as well...if by any chance
He proves to be an intimate of our house,
Here at my hearth, with my full knowledge,
May the curse I just called down on him strike me! (Lines 280-287)
Passage 2:
So,
You mock my blindness? Let me tell you this.
You with your precious eyes,
You’re blind to the corruption of your life,
To the house you live in, those you live with--
Who are your parents? Do you know? All unknowing
you are the scourge of your own flesh and blood,
The dead below the earth and the living here above,
And the double lash of your mother and your father’s curse
Will whip you from this land one day, their footfall
Treading you down in terror, darkness shrouding
Your eyes that now can see the light! (Lines 468-478)
Passage 3:
People of Thebes, my countrymen, look on Oedipus.
He solved the famous riddle with his brilliance,
He rose to power, a man beyond all power.
Who could behold his greatness without envy?
Now what a black sea of terror has overwhelmed him.
Now as we keep our watch and wait the final day,
Count no man happy till he dies, free of pain at last. (Lines 1679-1685)
Comparative Poetry Essay
1) Take the draft that you began in class last week.
2) Thoroughly expand upon and revise this draft into a fully-fledged essay.
You will need a proper intro paragraph, TWO full argumentative body paragraphs, and a concluding paragraph.
3) You need proper proofreading and MLA formatting. You will lose significant points if your final essay is not formatted properly.
Please review POWER POINTs for Intro Paragraphs, Body Paragraphs, and Concluding Paragraphs.
Dates:
Peer Editing in class Thursday 4/12 (You need a PRINTED COPY of your draft to earn proper credit here).
Final Draft due on Sunday 4/15 at 9:59 pm on turnitin.com
In Class Writing 4/5
Comparative Poetry Essay: Draft
You are going to write a rough draft for a larger comparative essay on poetry in class today.
Here are your expectations.
Produce a thesis statement that represents an original argument about how two poems compare and contrast.
Write TWO argumentative body paragraphs. These should each follow the format we have worked on all year.
You may find that the time in class is insufficient to say everything you want to say. Please remember that this is a DRAFT and will be assessed primarily on effort and progress. You will have opportunities to revise, polish, and fully flesh out your draft for resubmission next week.
Choose ONE poem from Group A and ONE poem from Group B.
Compare and contrast the themes in these poems. Pay close attention to the speaker of each poem and that speaker’s point of view. What imagery stands out and why is it significant?
As always, you are striving to create argumentative, insightful sentences that demonstrate advanced critical thinking skills.
Submit your draft to turnitin.com by the end of class.
Here are your choices:
Group A:
Marvell, “To His Coy Mistress” (382)
Dickinson, “I Heard a Fly Buzz—When I Died” (463)
Sandburg, “Chicago” (483)
Shakespeare, “Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer’s Day” (492)
Shakespeare, “My Mistress’ Eyes Are Nothing Like the Sun” (492)
Keats, “La Belle Dame sans Merci” (581)
Shelley, “Ozymandias” (587)
Group B:
Alexie, “The Facebook Sonnet” (495)
Byron, “She Walks in Beauty” (566)
Frost, “The Road Not Taken” (575)
Hopkins, “Pied Beauty” (578)
Hughes, “Harlem” (579)
Milton, “When I Consider How My Light is Spent”
Tennyson, “Ulysses” (589)
Video Project
1)You are to MEMORIZE a poem of at least 14 lines in Literature to Go. Any of the poems in the anthology may be chosen, but you MUST first get my approval.
2) You are to create a video in which you recite the poem in a way that highlights the poem’s meaning or message. You are encouraged to be CREATIVE here.
3) Your grade for the project will be broken down as follows:
60% Proper memorization of the poem: You are NOT allowed to read your poem in the video. Memorization of your poem is an essential component of the project. If you try to pretend to memorize and simply read your poem, you may be prompted to recite your poem. If you are unsuccessful in this endeavor, this will be considered a case of academic dishonesty and will be reported to the Dean.
20% Creative video production: The visual component. The video production should highlight some important theme of the poem. This may involve props, costumes, or backdrop, camerawork/editing.
20% Proper audio quality and dramatic gravitas: The auditory component. The poem may be memorized, but if you recite your poem in a pedestrian and humdrum manner, then you will lose points. Make a special effort to endow your recitation with some dramatic force. Accentuate key words in the poem.
You MAY use a voiceover in your video and show scenes or images in your video that highlight the meaning of the poem. You may also include background music. However, it is essential that you MEMORIZE THE POEM and be ready to recite it on demand (see above).
This video will be assessed as a 20 point writing grade in the Papers/Projects category in the grade book. Take it seriously!
Your video must be uploaded to Youtube (private channel if you choose) Wednesday 3/28. We will watch the videos in class on Thursday 3/29.
In-Class Writing Assignment: Lyric Poetry: Thursday 3/8
Choose any THREE poems in Literature to Go.
Please restrict your choices to poems by the following authors: William Wordsworth, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, John Milton, William Shakespeare, Percy Shelley, John Keats, or Robert Frost.
Once you have chosen your three poems, read and annotate each carefully. Then answer the following questions for EACH poem in written form.
Your work will be submitted to turnitin.com by the end of the period for a daily work/participation grade (NOT a major essay grade). Your work must be 100% your own. You will be assessed on your EFFORT and on the overall thoughtfulness of your responses. Avoid hasty and perfunctory responses at all costs!
Answer each question in thoughtful, complete sentences. Remember, you are performing this procedure for THREE poems and will submit answers to the questions below for all three poems.
CLEARLY INDICATE WHICH POEMS YOU HAVE CHOSEN.
1. Who is the speaker of the poem and what appears to be his/her viewpoint?
2. Do you like the poem? Why or why not? (Give thoughtful reasons here).
3. What images do you find especially interesting in the poem? Why?
4. What do you think can be learned from this poem?
5. Write out your favorite line from the poem. Reflect in 1-2 sentences what you think makes this line interesting or noteworthy.
Creative Writing Assignment (2/15) The Odyssey
Some scholars have asserted that the ending to Homer's great epic is unsatisfying. Perhaps it is your calling to change that.
Imitating Homer's grandiose epic style, offer an alternative ending to the Odyssey. You should draw upon some of the same epic conventions you have observed in the epic (Homeric epithets, long, flowing sentences) and craft an ending that you deem altogether appropriate for the epic.
You will need to use at least 20 vocabulary words from units 1-12. You are free to choose these words. Make sure you are using them correctly.
As always, have fun with the assignment, but remember to be appropriate at all times.
You will be assessed on your success in imitating Homer's style, your creativity, and your use of the vocabulary words.
Word count: at least 350 words
AMDG
Due: Monday before 9:59 pm on turnitin.com
2/15 In Class Essay
Carefully read the passage below at least twice.
Pay close attention to the imagery and language choices of the passage. Why does the author employ a particular image or word? How does this word or image augment the dramatic effect of the passage and reinforce an overarching theme in the work?
Then compose ONE argumentative body paragraph in which you argue how this passage illuminates a central theme from the work from which it is chosen. As always, you will begin this paragraph with an original, arguable claim about how this passage highlights a prominent theme in the work. You will use two quotes from the passage to support your argument and provide rich, thoughtful analysis of how the imagery and diction (word choices) of the passage support the themes of the work. You should follow the model of the argumentative body paragraph that you have learned in class this year.
You will be assessed on your ability to create original, argumentative insights centered around the images and language employed by the author.
Note: You MAY use your book for this assignment, especially to consult your notes and annotations. You may also consult a dictionary to look up words. You MAY also review the argumentative body paragraphs PowerPoint on my website (See English I Power Points). However, you may NOT use any other online resources.
You do NOT need a Works Cited but you SHOULD double space your essay and include a proper MLA header. Parenthetical citations of the line numbers are NOT needed for this assignment.
Your work is due at the end of class to turnitin.com
Passage 2 (Period 4)
Just now Eurymachus held the bow in his hands,
Turning it over, tip to tip, before the blazing fire
To heat the weapon. But he failed to bend it even so
And the suitor’s high heart groaned to bursting.
“A black day,” he exclaimed in wounded pride,
“A blow to myself, a blow to each an here!
It’s less the marriage that mortifies me now--
That’s galling too, but lots of women are left,
Some in seagirt Ithaca, some in other cities.
What breaks my heart is the fact we fall so short
Of great Odysseus’ strength we cannot string his bow.
A disgrace to ring in the ears of men to come.”
“Eurymachus,” Eupithes’ son Antinous countered,
“It will never come to that, as you well know.
Today is a feast-day up and down the island
In honor of the Archer God. Who flexes bows today?
Set it aside. Rest easy now. And all the axes,
Let’s just leave them planted where they are.
Trust me, no one’s about to crash the gates
Of Laertes’ son and carry off these trophies.
Steward, pour some drops for the god in every cup,
We’ll tip the wine, then put the bow to bed.
And first thing in the morning have Melanthius
Bring the pick of his goats from all his herds
So we can burn the thighs to Apollo, god of archers--
Then try the bow and finish off the contest.” (Book 21, 274-299)
Passage 1 (Period 3)
So he forced his spirit into submission,
The rage in his breast reined back--unswerving,
All endurance. But he himself kept tossing, turning
Intent as a cook before some white-hot blazing fire
Who rolls his sizzling sausage back and forth,
Packed with fat and blood--keen to broil it quickly,
Tossing, turning it, this way, that way--so he cast about:
How could he get these shameless suitors in his clutches,
One man facing a mob? ...when close to his side she came,
Athena sweeping down from the sky in a woman’s build
And hovering at his head, the goddess spoke:
“Why still awake? The unluckiest man alive!
Here is your house, your wife at home, your son,
As fine a boy as one could hope to have.”
“True,”
The wily fighter replied, “how right you are, goddess,
But still this worry haunts me, heart and soul--
How can I get these shameless suitors in my clutches?
Single-handed, braving an army always camped inside.
There’s another worry, that haunts me even more.
What if I kill them--thanks to you and Zeus--
How do I run from under their avengers?
Show me the way, I ask you.”
“Impossible man!”
Athena bantered, the goddess’ eyes ablaze.
“Others are quick to trust a weaker comrade,
Some poor mortal, far less cunning than I.
But I am a goddess, look, the very one who
Guards you in all your trials to the last.
I tell you this straight out:
Even if fifty bands of mortal fighters
Closed around us, hot to kill us off in battle,
Still you could drive away their herds and sleek flocks!
So, surrender to sleep at last. What a misery,
Keeping watch through the night, wide awake--
You’ll soon come up from under all your troubles. (Book 20, 25-58)
1/25 In Class Writing
Instructions:
- Carefully read the passage below at least twice. Make notes regarding the most meaningful words or images in the passage.
- Compose ONE argumentative body paragraph on the passage in which you explain its significance and relate it to the larger themes of the epic. This paragraph should be modeled on the argumentative body paragraph structure that we have practiced all year. If you still have doubts about what this looks like, then you should refer again to the Power Point on my website. The paragraph should be properly formatted, double spaced, 12 point font (Times New Roman) and contain two quotes from the passage. You should only quote from the passage. Do not supply quotes from other parts of the epic.
- Submit your argumentative body paragraph to turnitin.com before the bell rings. Work submitted after the bell may receive a grade reduction.
- You MAY use your book if you’d like assistance understanding the context of the passage or to review any annotations you might have. You do NOT need to quote anything besides the lines of your passage, however, to construct your argument.
Remember, you are NOT summarizing, but analyzing!
Submit your work to turnitin.com by the end of class
Period 7
My message broke their spirit as they recalled
The gruesome work of the Laestrygonian king Antiphates
And the hearty cannibal Cyclops thirsting for our blood.
They burst into cries, wailing, streaming live tears
They gained us nothing--what good can come of grief?
And so numbering off my band of men-at-arms
Into two platoons, I assigned them each a leader:
I took one and lord Eurylochus the other.
We quickly shook lots in a bronze helmet--
The lot of brave Eurylochus leapt out first.
So he moved off with his two and twenty comrades,
Weeping, leaving us behind in tears as well...
Deep in the wooded glens they came on Circe’s palace
Built of dressed stone on a cleared rise of land.
Mountain wolves and lions were roaming round the grounds--
She’d bewitched them herself, she gave them magic drugs.
But they wouldn’t attack my men; they just came pawing
Up around them, fawning, swishing their long tails--
eager as hounds that fawn around their master,
Coming home from a feast,
Who always brings back scraps to calm them down.
So they came nuzzling round my men--lions, wolves
With big powerful claws--and the men cringed in fear
At the sight of those strange, ferocious beasts...But still
They paused at her doors, the nymph with lovely braids,
Circe--and deep inside they heard her singing, lifting
Her spellbinding voice as she glided back and forth
At her great immortal loom, her enchanting web
A shimmering glory only goddesses can weave.(Homer 236-37)
Period 6
So I shouted. They snapped to each command.
No mention of Scylla-how to fight that nightmare?
For fear the men would panic, desert their oars
And huddle down and stow themselves away.
But now I cleared my mind of Circe’s orders--
Cramping my style, urging me not to arm at all.
I donned my heroic armor, seized long spears
In both my hands and marched out on the half-deck,
Forward, hoping from there to catch the first glimpse
Of Scylla, ghoul of the cliffs, swooping to kill my men.
But nowhere could I make her out--and my eyes ached,
Scanning that mist-bound rock face top to bottom.
Now wailing in fear, we rowed on up those straits,
Scylla to starboard, dreaded Charybdis off to port,
Her horrible whirlpool gulping the sea-surge down, down
But when she spewed it up--like a cauldron over a raging fire--
All her churning depths would seethe and heave--exploding spray
Showering down to splatter the peaks of both crags at once!
But when she swallowed the sea-surge down her gaping maw
The whole abyss lay bare and the rocks around her roared,
Terrible, deafening--bedrock showed down deep, boiling black with sand
And ashen terror gripped the men. (Homer 278)
Friday 1/19
Creative Writing Assignment (Vocabulary/Odyssey)
Step 1: Go through Vocab Book Units 1-10
Write out 20 words that you consider useful/interesting. Ideally, these would be words that you have not yet mastered.
Step 2: Compose a CREATIVE text, incorporating all 20 of these words. Your text needs to be at least 300 words. It will be submitted to turnitin.com by 9:59 pm on Sunday 1/21.
Use the following prompt to guide your work:
Imagine you are Homer, transported to modern day Strake Jesuit. Compose a modern day epic (or 300 words or more) in which you depict some aspect of life here at SJ. Imitate as best you can the grandiose language of Homer, and incorporate at least THREE original HOMERIC EPITHETS into your text.
DUE Sunday evening (1/21) at 9:59 pm on turnitin.com
You will be assessed on your creativity, your correct use of the vocabulary in context, and your overall effort to imitate the style of Homer.
In-Class Writing: Odyssey Books 1-8 (12/5)
Instructions:
- Carefully read the passage below at least twice. Make notes regarding the most meaningful words or images in the passage.
- Compose ONE argumentative body paragraph on the passage in which you explain its significance and relate it to the larger themes of the epic. This paragraph should be modeled on the argumentative body paragraph structure that we have practiced all year. If you still have doubts about what this looks like, then you should refer again to the Power Point on my website. The paragraph should be properly formatted, double spaced, 12 point font (Times New Roman) and contain two quotes from the passage. You should only quote from the passage. Do not supply quotes from other parts of the epic.
- Submit your argumentative body paragraph to turnitin.com before the bell rings. Work submitted after the bell may receive a grade reduction.
Passage One (Day 6, Sixth Period)
And the old charioteer replied,
“Now that you mention it, dear boy, I do recall
A mob of suitors, they say, besets your mother
There in your own house, against your will,
And plots your ruin. Tell me, though, do you
Let yourself be so abused, or do people round about you,
Stirred up by the prompting of some god, despise you now?
Who knows if he will return someday to take revenge
On all their violence? Single-handed perhaps
Or with an Argive army at his back? If only
The bright-eyed goddess chose to love you just
As she lavished care on brave Odysseus, years ago
In the land of Troy where we Achaeans struggled!
I’ve never seen the immortals show so much affection
As Pallas openly showed him, standing by your father
If only she’d favor you, tend you with all her heart,
Many a suitor then would lose all thought of marriage,
Blotted out forever.” (Book Three 239-255)
Passage Two (Day 6, Seventh Period)
“Alcinous!”
Wary Odysseus countered, “cross that thought from your mind.
I’m nothing like the immortal gods who rule the skies,
Either in build or breeding. I’m just a mortal man.
Whom do you know most saddled down with sorrow?
They are the ones I’d equal, grief for grief.
And I could tell a tale of still more hardship,
All I’ve suffered, thanks to the gods’ will.
But despite my misery, let me finish dinner.
The belly’s a shameless dog, there’s nothing worse.
Always insisting, pressing, it never lets us forget--
Destroyed as I am, my heart racked with sadness,
Sick with anguish, still it keeps demanding,
“Eat, drink!” It blots out all the memory
Of my pain, commanding, “Fill me up!”
But you
At the first light of day, hurry, please,
To set your unlucky guest on his own home soil.
How much I have suffered...Oh just let me see
My lands, my serving-men and the grand high-roofed house--
Then I can die in peace.” (Book Seven: 242-261)
COMPARATIVE ESSAY (SHORT FICTION)
In an essay that features a full introductory paragraph (with thesis), TWO argumentative body paragraphs (that follow the model we have introduced and studied), and a concluding paragraph, consider ONE of the following topics as it pertains to TWO of the works we have read in Literature to Go:
- Point of View. Contrast the vital role of point of view in TWO of the stories we have read. What are the limitations of point of view in the works you have chosen? How does point of view shape the way characters appear to us and contribute to characterization? Are the narrators reliable, or do we have reasons to doubt the accuracy or legitimacy of the narrative?
- Isolation. Identify and diagnose the profound isolations of TWO characters you have encountered in two different stories. Why are these characters isolated? What psychological factors exacerbate their isolation? Is the character himself/herself to blame for the isolation or is society the culprit?
- Morality/Immorality/Amorality. Several characters we have encountered operate according to moral principles that we might find abnormal or unethical. What morality (or lack thereof) informs the action of these characters? Choose TWO considers from two different stories and consider the varying conceptions of morality that these characters represent.
Texts to consider for your comparison/contrast: Choose TWO!
Faulkner: "A Rose for Emily"
Hemingway: "Soldier's Home"
Melville: "Bartleby, the Scrivener"
Hawthorne: "The Birthmark"
Joyce: "Eveline"
Crane: "The Bride Comes to Yellow Sky"
Poe: "The Cask of Amontillado"
Note: This essay MUST conform to the MLA formatting that we have worked on this year. This means that it has all of the following:
- A proper MLA header, title, and page number
- Double spacing, 12 point font, Times New Roman
- Standard margins
- A Works Cited that is properly formatted according to MLA style (No EasyBib allowed)
Remember also that this is NOT a book report, but an argumentative, analytical essay. Plot summary has no place in your essay. Everything in your essay should serve your argument. Elements not essential to your argument should be left out.
As always, NO outside sources (Sparknotes, Shmoop, etc.) may be consulted. Use of these or other similar internet sites will be reported to the Dean as academic dishonesty.
Due Dates:
Rough Draft: Tuesday, November 7 at 9:59 pm on turnitin.com (20 points in "Papers" Category, assessed on EFFORT)
Peer Editing (Bring a printed copy of your rough draft) on Wednesday, November 8(10 points, Daily Work grade)
Final Version: Sunday, November 12 at 9:59 pm on turnitin.com (100 points, "Papers" grade)
Creative Writing Assignment 10/23
1) Consider the stories that we have read so far and the critical role that Point of View plays in each story. Choose ONE of the stories we have read and tell the same story from another point of view. For example, you may wish to narrate "The Birthmark" from the point of view of the brutish servant Aminadab or "A Rose for Emily" from Emily's point of view.
You will be assessed on your creativity and the effectiveness with which you retell the story from another point of view.
Word Count Minimum: 300 Words
Please submit your work by the end of class to turnitin.com
In Class Writing 10/4
1) Complete 1-7 of Considerations for Critical Thinking and Writing on pg. 59 of Literature to Go
Provide thoughtful responses to each question. These questions are due at the end of the period. Your work must be 100% your own.
In Class Writing 9/29
1) Go through your vocabulary workbook units 1-4.
2)Write down 20 words from the units on a document.
3) Then, craft a creative text in which you use ALL 20 words you have written down correctly. You can write a story, dialogue, or pseudo-historical account. Use your creativity and have fun but make sure you are using the words correctly.
There is no minimum word count but good texts usually run around 400-600 words. Quality counts more than quantity of course.
PLEASE INCLUDE AN MLA HEADER, DOUBLE SPACING AND 12 POINT FONT (TIMES NEW ROMAN). You do NOT need a Works Cited since you are not citing any sources here.
Submit your work to turnitin.com before the bell rings! Any work submitted after the bell is LATE.
This will be assessed as a 10-point writing assignment in the Papers category.
Directions: Now that you have read John Knowles’ novel, A Separate Peace, over the summer and
we have discussed the novel in class, you are expected to craft an analytical paragraph concerned
with one major theme of the novel. You may choose any theme from the list provided in class (see
below). You must support your claims with two specific quotes from the text and diligently follow the argumentative body paragraph structure we have worked on.
● Paragraphs must follow the standard paragraph structure covered in class.
● You must use at least two direct quotes, cited correctly according to the MLA.
● Use proper MLA format for headers and quotes. Only use 1” margins. Deductions will be
assessed for improper formatting.
Guidelines:
● Rehashing what has already been discussed in class is both unoriginal and insufficient. You
may use class lectures/discussions as a springboard, but your essay should consist of your
own ideas and argument.
● Analysis and argument, not observation. This means no plot summaries.
● Any use of outside sources is prohibited (Wikipedia.org and sparknotes.com are considered
outside sources, among others). Your paper and ideas should be your own. Anything that
may be construed as plagiarism or academic dishonesty will be construed as such.
● Take the necessary time and effort to craft a cohesive, argumentative, and neat paragraph.
Sloppiness or lazy editing will result in a grade reduction.
Theme List:
● Friendship and Rivalry
● Guilt and Forgiveness
● Outsiders and Insiders: Detachment and Inclusion
● Conflict and Resolution
● Identity and Dependency
● Personal Ethics vs. Social Ethics
● Rivalry and War
Due Dates:
Rough Draft: POSTPONED DUE TO INCLEMENT WEATHER. STAY TUNED FOR FURTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS
Revised "final" Version by Thursday, August 31 at 9:59 PM to turnitin.com (50 point writing grade)