702& 703
HW#12: October 28th, 2011
1. You are to work on your "Partner Grid Projects" where you describe and list the literary elements that are found in each of the 7 works that we have studied this first marking period. This project is due November 4th! Work well... work diligently. I will post a blog page or topic where you can hash out discussions with each other. As always, make sure that you learn from doing the work, otherwise it is pointless! If you are unclear how to use some of the terms the following guide should help you:
http://www.readwritethink.org/files/resources/interactives/lit-elements/overview/
2. Make sure that you study for your literary term test this Wednesday, November 2nd.
3. Write an essay whre you explain the importance of setting in "The Cask of Amontillado" Be sure to address the moral implications of this work. I will also provide an area on our log for this discussion to take place, so that you can gather ideas.
4. Watch the video link here on how to create excellent introductions:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=clPtbFT23Bshttp://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/
HW#11: October 25 and 26th, 2011
1. Blog about argument writing!!! Post under the heading/page "Arguments Worth Having...Which Ones are Those"
2. Complete and answer the following in your homework notebook:
a. Write a summary and critique of "The Cask of Amontillado"
b. Explain the role of setting in "The Cask of Amontillado" How does it affect the story.
c. What are the moral implications imbedded within "The Cask of Amontillado" Were there any lessons that you learned?
3. Independent Reading
HW#10: October 24, 2011
1. Independent Reading
2. Write a list of all the things that make you laugh from the time this assignment was given earlier in the day until just before you go to bed. Please be detailed and explain how laughing makes you feel. If nothing makes you laugh give a detailed list of the events that happened and your assessment as to why nothing made you laugh.
HW#9: October 21, 2011
1. Independent Reading.
2. This is where, as my father would say, we separate the men from the mice! I will be looking all weekend to see which group members are discussing the questions of the "The Cask of Amontillado" TEST the most. Before you make your comment, you will type your class and group, for example 703-4, which means that you are in class 703 and in group 4. Discuss the answers to questions, have sidebar conversations about those things that interest you and stem from the short story, integrate your thoughts concerning literary devices in these discussions too. The winners gets a prize (I'm thinking pizza party) next Friday! REMEMBER, I AM LOOKING FOR HIGH QUALITY CONVERSATIONS USING THE LITERARY TERMS YOU HAVE BEEN LEARNING AS WELL AS THE POINTS BROUGHT UP ON THE TEST BELOW (WHICH YOU ARE ALSO SUPPOSED TO FINISH), CLASS DISCUSSION, AND THE READING THAT YOU HAVE DONE.
“The Cask of Amontillado” Test
Multiple Choice
1. The insult that Fortunato inflicts on Montresor
a) concerns Montresor’s home.
b) concerns Montresor’s heritage.
c) concerns Montresor’s knowledge of wine.
d) is not revealed in the story.
- When Fortunato offers to judge the wine, Montresor responds by
a) being sincerely eager.
b) being sincerely reluctant.
c) pretending to be eager.
d) pretending to be reluctant.
- Why does Montresor tell his servants that, even though he will not return until morning, they are not to leave the house?
a) Deep down, he wants to be stopped.
b) He thinks he may need their help.
c) He knows this will make them leave.
d) He wants them to testify that he wasn’t there.
- If Fortunato had not been under the influence of alcohol, he might have wondered why Montresor
a) mentioned Luchesi.
b) offered him wine.
c) expressed concern for him.
d) was carrying a trowel.
- Montresor stops working when Fortunato begins rattling his chains because Montresor
a) is exhausted.
b) feels remorse.
c) wants to savor Fortunato’s torture.
d) worries that someone will hear.
- Who is the narrator in “The Cask of Amontillado?”
a) Fortunato
b) Luchesi
c) Edgar Allan Poe
d) Montresor
- The setting of “Cask of Amontillado” takes place
a) in the catacombs.
b) near the river outside Montresor’s palazzo.
c) in Fortunato’s palazzo.
d) at the carnival.
- Montresor states to Fortunato, “You are a man to be missed.” This is an example of
a) irony.
b) foreshadowing.
c) theme.
d) both answers a and b.
- Fortunato says,” Enough, the cough is a mere nothing; it will not kill me. I shall not die of a cough.” This is an example of
a) irony.
b) theme.
c) character.
d) point of view.
- Which line below hints that maybe Montresor had second thoughts or doubts about Fortunato?
a) “I drink to the buried that repose around us.”
b) “Nemo me impune lacessit.”
c) “My heart grew sick—on account of the dampness of the catacombs.”
d) “I grew impatient.”
True or False A = TRUE / B = FALSE
- Montresor indicates to Fortunato that he is a mason by showing him a trowel.
- All the reader knows about the motive behind Montresor’s revenge is
that a thousand injuries and an insult by Fortunato were done to him.
- The specific insults that Fortunato placed upon Monstresor were explained in detail.
- Montresor is the protagonist in “The Cask of Amontillado.”
- Fortunato’s statement, “I shall not die of a cough” is an example of irony.
- The exposition of the story in which many men are drinking, there is chaos and confusion, and everyone is in a good mood, plays a role in Montresor’s plot for revenge.
- It is stated in the story that Fortunato is a man who is wealthy, well-respected, and a connoisseur of fine wines.
- Fortunato is not at all surprised at the end in the crypt when he finds no Amontillado.
- Montresor states in the beginning that he will not only punish, but that he will punish and get away with it.
- The climax occurs when Fortunato realizes that Monstresor is going to suffocate him in the crypt.
- Characterizations of Montresor includes that he is rich, he is clever, he is two-faced, and he likes to inflict pain upon people.
- Fortunato is susceptible to Montresor’s use of reverse psychology when he dismisses the nitre and his cough. Instead, Fortunato is determined to go deeper into the catacombs to taste the Amontillado.
Visual Representations
****THESE QUESTIONS WILL NOT BE AVAILABLE ONLINE DUE TO ISSUES WITH THE REPRODUCTION OF IMAGES. YOU HAVE YOUR HARD COPIES IN EACH GROUP IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO REFER TO THESE QUESTIONS.****
September 2011 Graded Homework Assignments
702 ELA & 703 ELA
1#: Write a well constructed essay about who you were, who you are, and who you would like to be. Exhibit your best practies in the construction of this work.
2#: Create a well thought out advice essay to this year's 6th graders. What issues can you help them avoid. Give at least two sound and elaborated on pieces of advice.
3#: Either write a summary, critique, or connection to Reggie Hatchett's narrative poem, "Somebody...Please Listen" and use details (quotations) from the narrative poem to enrich your writing. Also show a list of at least 3 lines of the poem that stood out to you for some reason.
4#: Graphic Organizer Pack (3) Make them beautiful inside and out! Go through the Sherman Alexie and me connections (similarities and differences) t-chart that you made earlier in the week, the past, present, future graphic organizer, and the Sherman Alexoe/Nicholas Gage important lines chart, add to them and re-create them on construction or computer paper. Quanity word processed documents will score higher than their and handwritten counterparts.
5#: In a well written essay, explain what you have learned from Sherman Alexie and Nicholas Gage through the reading of their narratives, "Superman and Me" and "The Teacher Who Changed My Life" respectively. What have you learned about what matters in life? What have you learned about things you can do, starting right now, to better your live? How can you as a writer, someone communicating to someone through the use of the written word, can be done to make your writing better? Think deeply and broadly and construct an amazing essay.
6#.
Elaborate on the themes brought up in the four quotations below. Explain what they mean and support your interpretation of the quotation with evidence from your life experiences in four well developed paragraphs.
Life is a promise; fulfill it.
-Mother Theresa
The bend in the road is not the end of the road unless you refuse to take the turn.
-Anon
Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it.
-Confucius
Though we travel the world over to find the beautiful, we must carry it with us, or we find it not.
-Ralph Waldo Emerson
HW#8: October 20, 2011
1. As discussed in class today, make sure that you make the necessary adjustments to last night's homework. Be sure that your grid includes all the information required below. If you have questions, of course you can always email me, but it is even more useful to post to our blog http://ravensview.edublogs.org/ under Questions Concerning Tonight’s Homework…HELP ME!!!
I know that you will do extremely well. I am looking forward to tomorrow's class. Have a wonderful evening.
HW#7: October 19, 2011
1. After today's discussion, group work, and the work you have done for the past few days concerning "The Cask of Amontillado" and literary devices, please re-read the version of 'Cask of Amontillado" found at this link ( http://www2.ivcc.edu/rambo/
http://quizlet.com/95316/the-cask-of-amontillado-vocabulary-flash-cards/
http://quizlet.com/95316/the-cask-of-amontillado-vocabulary-flash-cards/
2. Fill out the chart below to enable you to better understand this short story and these very important literary terms tht you have been studying and working with.
TERM (28 terms) DEFINITION EXAMPLE OF THE TERM QUOTED FROM "CASK" PG/PARAGRAPH EXPLAIN IMPORTANCE
allegory
alliteration
antagonist
characterization
climax
conflict
critique
dialogue
exposition
falling action
genre
irony: dramatic
irony: situational
irony: verbal
metaphor
mood
motif
narrator
paradox
plot
point of view
protagonist
resolution
rising action
setting
short story
theme
tone
3. Independent reading, as always.
HW#6: October 18, 2011
1. Go to http://www.quia.com/quiz/860597.html?AP_rand=416070643 to take a really cool online "Cask of Amontillado" quiz. Help review for tomorrow's assessment.
2. Do independent reading, as you should do every night. As you read, ask yourself if you would handle things the same way as the protagonist in your work.
3.
HW#5 October 17, 2011
1. As was mentioned a few times in class today, your homework is to go to http://www2.ivcc.edu/rambo/
2. Go through the vocabulary cards that you have made and review the highlighted terms. Also be prepared for these terms to be on a test as soon as Wednesday. Be prepared to recognize these terms in context.
HW#4 October 14, 2011
1. Read, on your own "The Cask of Amontillado" and have a discussion on our blog about it with each other. Discuss literary technique and meaning. Take you r learning to the next level! I can't wait to read this and get in the conversations!!!
2. Create flash cards (on paper or digitally) for yourself to review the literary terms I highlighted in class today. Be sure to look under HANDOUTS on this website for this document. Know these terms so that you can speak about them intelligently and identify them in literature. A fun activity will accompany this assignment, one where those who do the best will receive immediate reward.
3. Be sure to read independently over the weekend, as you should every night.
HW#3 October 13, 2011
1. In an insightful and descriptive essay, explain how "Dreams" relates to"Thank You Ma'am" "Early Autumn" and your life. Use descriptive literary language and the best writing practice you know to write this essay. These powerful works by Langston Hughes have a relationship with one another. Explain what that relationship is.
HW#2 October 12, 2011
1. Answer the following questions as short answer responses in your homework notebook:
Early Autumn Questions
1. This story is told mostly through
A. flashback.
B. foreshadowing.
C. dialogue.
D. description.
2. What significance does the sentence "Then a little frown came quickly between his eyes" have to the development of this story?
A. It contributes to the physical description of Bill.
B. It establishes that Bill is concerned for Mary's safety because she lives in the city.
C. It emphasizes the coldness of the weather.
D. It hints that Bill is uneasy that Mary lives in the city where he lives.
3. The tone of the story is revealed by the characters' conversations, which is
A. humorous.
B. strained.
C. angry.
D. relaxed.
4. From what point of view is this story told?
A. first person, directly involved in the story
B. first person, a witness to the story
C. second person, directly involved in the story
D. third person, all knowing
5. Describe the mood in this short story. How does the author achieve this?
6. What are some similarities and differences that exist between the two short stories of Langston Hughes, "Early Autumn" and "Thank You Ma'am" As you answer this question, think along the lines of the story elements (this hand out should be pasted in your CW notebook).
HW #1 October 11, 2011
1. Make sure that you copy the discussion questions in your ELA HW Notebook and answer them completely while restating the prompt. Give your best effort. Remember to skip 6 pages in the beginning for your new Table of Contents. 703 students, we will form the Table of Contents together in class tomorrow, but be sure to skip the pages as we did with our CW book today.
2. Independent Reading, as always. Rememver today's IRF: Could the situation in your novel/short story/nonfiction work have been avoided? What type of conflict is this?
October HW Handout
Literary Terms
Authors and poets use many different techniques when they write. These techniques help to convey ideas and feelings and create memorable works of literature. As you become more familiar with these, you will begin to incorporate them in your own writing.
What Is It Called? | What Does It Mean? | What Does it Look Like? |
Allegory | The representation of ideas or moral principles by means of symbolic characters, events, or objects | Arthur Milller’s The Crucible uses the Salem Witch Trials as an allegory for the hunt for Communists in America during the 1950s. |
Alliteration | The repetition of a consonant sound to create rhythm and aid memory | The falling flakes fluttered to the ground. The s wift, s ilent s erpent s lithered along. |
Allusion | A brief reference to a historical or literary person, place, object, or event | Biblical allusions are frequently used in English Literature; a writer may refer to Adam, Eve, Serpent or The Garden to tap into associations that already exist for the reader. |
Analogy | The comparison of two similar things so as to suggest that if they are alike in some respects, they are probably alike in other ways as well | Learning to walk is a good analogy for learning to ride a bike; you start slowly, you are a little wobbly at first, but once you have your balance, you are zooming along. |
Anecdote | A short narrative that tells the particulars of an interesting and/or humorous event | My father and mother often used anecdotes as a way to teach us various safety rules. |
Antagonist | A person or thing that opposes the protagonist or hero/heroine of a story | The antagonist is not always a person; it may be a force of nature or a corrupt institution. |
Apostrophe | A figure of speech where someone (usually absent or dead),an object, some abstract quality, or a nonexistent person is directly addressed as though present and real | "Roll on, thou deep an dark blue ocean--roll!" (Byron) "Death be not proud, though some have called thee Mighty and dreadful, for thou art not so." (Donne) "How do I love thee? Let me count the ways." (E.B. Browning) |
Blank Verse | Unrhymed, but otherwise regular verse, usually iambic pentameter | Most of the text in Shakespeare's plays is written in blank verse, although he often liked to rhyme the last couplet of a scene so the audience would know it was ending. |
Caricature | A representation or imitation of a person's physical or personality traits that are so exaggerated or inferior as to be comic or absurd | When a villain is not a caricature, it makes him/her much more complex and interesting which adds depth to the piece. |
Characterization | The creation of imaginary persons so that they seem lifelike. | The six elements used to create a character are: physical description, speech, thoughts/feelings, actions/reactions, what other characters say about them and possible direct comments from a narrator. |
Cliché | A word or phrase that is so overused that it is no longer effective in most writing situations | "Never judge a book by its cover." "Don't count your chickens before they are hatched." Avoid cliches "like the plague." (irony intended) |
Climax | A high point or turning point in a piece of literature, the point at which the rising action reverses and becomes the falling action or denouement | At the climax of the play the true villain was revealed to the audience; no one had suspected her at all. |
Coherence | The parts of a composition should be arranged in a logical and orderly manner so that the meaning and ideas are clear and intelligible. | When we write essays, we want to check for coherence during the revision process so that our message is as clear and precise as possible. |
Conflict | The problem or struggle that that the characters have to solve or come to grips with by the end of the story. | There are five types of conflict: Person vs. Person Person vs. Society Person vs. Nature Person vs. Self Person vs. Fate (God) |
Connotation | The emotions and feelings that surround a word; they may be negative, neutral or positive, depending on their context. | When people want to "soften" the word "died," they may use the phrases: "passed away," "at rest," or "atpeace," so that the connotation is not as harsh. |
Context | The environment of a word, the words that surround a particular word and help to determine or deepen its meaning. | Often you can figure out the meaning of a word by re-reading the sentence or paragraph and looking for context clues that give you additional information about the word. |
Couplet | In poetry (verse), two consecutive lines that rhyme | "Tiger! Tiger! Burning bright In the forests of the night ," (Blake) |
Critique | A critical examination of a work of art to determine its nature and how it measures up to established standards. | Writing a critique of a book helps us to sharpen our critical thinking skills and deepen our understanding of what we look for in good literature. |
Denotation | The literal or basic meaning of a word (the dictionary definition) | The denotation of the word "died" is "to cease living." |
Denouement | The resolution or outcome of a play or story | In the denouement of a play, the loose ends of the plot get tied up or answered. |
Dialogue | The conversation between two or more characters in a work of literature. | To indicate dialogue in a novel, characters' exact words are enclosed in quotation marks, but in a play, where all the lines are made up of dialogue, the playwright does not need to use quotationmarks. |
Diction | The writer's choice of words based on their clarity and effectiveness | Mark Twain once said, "The difference between the right word and almost the right word is the difference between lightning and a lightning bug." |
Drama | A story told by actors who play the characters who reveal the conflict through their actions and dialogue. | If the actors in a drama give a great performance, they seem to become the characters they are taking on and we get emotionally hooked. |
Editorial | A short essay in a newspaper or magazine that expresses the opinion of the writer. | In the editorial section of the newspaper, the editor, as well as community members, can express their opinion on a current issue or topic. |
Elegy | A formal poem that meditates on death or another solemn theme | Thomas Gray's "Elegy Written in a CountryChurchyard," was composed as the poet wanderedin an old cemetery and thought about other people's deaths and his own as well. |
Empathy | When you put yourself in someone else's place and imagine how that person must feel | Sympathy is "feeling sorry for," someone, while empathy takes us closer to the experience by "feeling the same as" someone else. |
Epic | A long narrative poem about the deeds of a great hero that reflects the values of the society that produced it. | Beowulf is the oldest surviving piece of English literature; it is an epic that describes the gory details of gruesome battles between men and monsters. |
Epitaph | A short verse or poem in memory of someone | Epitaphs are often engraved on tombstones. |
Essay | A piece of prose that expresses an individual's point of view; it is a series of closely related paragraphs that discuss a single topic. | All strong essays need a clear and specific thesis statement that lets the reader know the writer's opinion and direction he/she will take. |
Eulogy | A formal speech praising a person or thing | A eulogy can be written for the living as well as for the dead. |
Euphemism | When you replace one word or phrase for another in order to avoid being offensive | Corporate "restructuring" or "downsizing" are euphemisms for "laying off" or "firing" workers. |
Exposition | The introductory section of a play or novel that provides background information on setting, characters, and plot | Exposition helps the reader to get a sense of the who, when, and what a story or play is about. |
Fable | A brief tale told to point to a moral | Aesop, a Greek slave living about 600 B.C., wrote several fables that use animals as their main characters. In modern times, some of Walt Disney's animal stories and Jim Henson's muppet stories can |
|
| be classified as fables. |
Falling Action | The last section of a play or story that works out the decision arrived at during the climax | During the falling action in a tragedy, the hero's fortunes will take a turn for the worse and often end in disaster or catastrophe. |
Farce | Literature that has essentially one purpose, to make the audience laugh | Farce often depends less on plot and character than on improbable situations. Many situation comedies on television can be classified as farce. |
Figurative Language | Language that cannot be taken literally since it was written to create a special effect or feeling | Writers use figurative language to add depth and interest to their pieces. |
Figures of Speech | A literary device used to create aspecial meaning in a piece of writing | The most commonly used figures of speech are: apostrophe, hyperbole, metaphor, metonymy, personification, simile, symbol, and synecdoche. |
Flashback | Insertion of a scene or event that took place in the past, for the purpose of making something in the present more clear | A novelist may include a flashback to reveal achildhood incident in the life of an adult character. |
Foil | The term is applied to any person who through contrast underscores the distinctive characteristics of another. | In the tragedy Hamlet, the characters of Laertes and Fortinbras serve as foils for the main character Hamlet; they offer a contrast since they are able to take swift action of which he is incapable. |
Foreshadowing | The suggestion or hint of events to come later in a literary work | Gray clouds at the beginning of a story may foreshadow turmoil or conflict that occurs later. |
Free Verse | Verse written without rhyme, meter or regular rhythm | For centuries, many poets used regular patterns of rhyme, meter and rhythm in their poetry, but in the 18th century they began to free themselves from these strict conventions. |
Genre | A French word used as a synonym for type or form of literature | The most common literary genres are: essay, drama, poetry, novel, screen play, short story, etc. |
Hamartia | The error, frailty, mistaken judgment, or misstep through which the fortunes of a tragic hero are reversed | Hamartia is similar to tragic flaw, yet is distinguished by the fact that it is not so much a defect in the character as it is a misjudgment or error that causes a definite action or failure to act. |
Heroic Couplet | Two consecutive lines of rhymedverse written in iambic pentameter | "But when to mischief mortals bend their will, How soon they find fit instruments of ill." |
Historical Fiction | Fiction whose setting is in some time other than that in which it is written | Arthur Miller's The Crucible was written in the 20th century, but is a fictional account of the Salem witch trials. |
Hyperbole | A type of figurative language that makes an overstatement for the purpose of emphasis | I was so embarrassed, I could have died. I’m so tired I could sleep for years. |
Iambic Pentameter | A line of poetry that contains five iambic feet; an iamb is a foot consisting of an unaccented syllable followed by an accented syllable | "And we / are put /on earth / a litt / le space, That we / may learn / to bear / the beams / of love." (William Blake) |
Imagery | The use of descriptive words or phrases to create vivid mental pictures in the minds of the reader, often appealing to sight, sound, taste, or smell | The tree roots clutched the ground like gnarled fingers. The frightened screech of an unseen animal tore through the night. |
Irony: Dramatic | When the audience knows more than the characters on stage, which creates tension | Horror films use dramatic irony to create suspense: the audience knows that the ax murderer is in the closet, but the unsuspecting victim is totally unaware …until it is too late! |
Irony: Situational | A situation or event that is the opposite of what is or might be expected | It would be ironic if a lifeguard had to be saved from drowning. |
Irony: Verbal | The expression of an attitude or intention that is the opposite of what is actually meant | When a late-comer is told sarcastically, “Thanks for joining us.” |
Legend | A narrative or tradition handed down from the past; distinguished from a myth by having more historical truth and perhaps less of the supernatural. | Johnny Appleseed is a famous American legend. |
Limerick | A form of light verse that follows a definite rhyme scheme where the first, second, and fifth lines rhyme and the third and fourth lines rhyme (patterns may vary) | "There once was a lady from Maine, Who was as thin as a cane; When her bathing was done And the water did run, She slid through the hole in the drain." |
Lyric | A short poem that expresses the personal feelings and thoughts of a single speaker | Types of lyrics include the elegy, epitaph, ode and sonnet. |
Malapropism | When two words become jumbled in the mind of a speaker because they resemble each other and he/she uses the wrong one | In Ulysses , Joyce's character, Molly Bloom speaks of "the preserved seats" in a theatre, instead of "reserved seats." |
Melodrama | An exaggerated, sensational form of drama which is intended to appeal to the emotions of the audience | Many television soap operas fall into the category of melodrama. |
Metaphor
Direct Metaphor
Indirect Metaphor | A type of figurative language that makes a comparison but does not use “like” or “as”
When the writer directly states both of the things being compared
When the writer states one of the things and the reader must infer the other | The girls were tigers on the playing field, devouring the competition. All the world is a stage.
Life is a long road with many twists and turns.
You have come to a fork in the road and cannot go back. |
Metonymy | The substitution of an object closely associated with a word for the word itself | Instead of referring to a monarch, often you might hear a reference to "the crown." |
Mood | The feeling a piece of literature arouses in the reader | The mood of the murder mystery was suspenseful and scary. |
Motif | Recurring ideas, images, and actions that tend to unify a work | The motif of love and its complications runs through many of Shakespeare's comedies. |
Myth | A traditional story that presents supernatural beings and situations that attempt to explain and/or interpret natural events | The Greek myth of Demeter and Persephone was created to explain how the seasons came about. |
Narrator | The person who is telling the story | See point of view for the different choices of narration. |
Novel | Covering a wide range of prose materials which have two common characteristics: they are fictional and lengthy | Because of the length of a novel, the reader has the opportunity to see a character grow and develop as a result of events or actions. |
Objective | When a writer makes every attempt to simply present the facts, without opinion or bias | The reporting of the news should be done in an objective manner so the reader can make up his/her own mind on the issues and events. |
Onomatopoeia | A type of figurative language in which words sound like the things they name | bang, buzz, crackle, sizzle, hiss, murmur, and roar |
Oxymoron | A self-contradictory combination of words (usually paired) | Jumbo shrimp, dear enemy, sweet sorrow, bittersweet, |
Parable | A short descriptive story whose purpose is to illustrate a lesson or moral | Many religious works will use parables to teach the desired learning of that religion. |
Paradox | A statement that at first seems contradictory, but in fact, reveals a | "I must be cruel, only to be kind." (Shakespeare) "Death, thou shalt die." (Donne) |
| truth |
|
Parody | When a writer imitates an already existing form for the purpose of humor | The television show, Saturday Night Live, uses parody to poke fun at famous people and political figures. |
Personification | A type of figurative language that gives animate (living) characteristics to inanimate (nonliving) things | The sun smiled down on the village. The leaves danced in the wind. The thunder growled in the distance. |
Plot | The action of a story; all of the events that occur from the beginning to the end. | There are five basic parts or elements that make up the plot line or plot structure: exposition, risingaction, climax, falling action and resolution (denouement). |
Point of View: First Person Second Person Third Person Omniscient
Limited Omniscient | From whose angle the story is being told
When a character in the story tells the story using "I" or "We" (F or NF)
Used in nonfiction, primarily for the purpose of writing instructions or directions, using "you" (NF)
When the narrator is telling the events from "outside" the story from a neutralor unemotional viewpoint, using "he," "she," etc. (F or NF)
When the narrator can see into the hearts and minds of more than one of the characters in the story
When the narrator can see into the mind and heart of only one of the characters in the story | Writers think very carefully about their choice of point of view since it has a tremendous impact on the story.
I strolled into the classroom, not knowing what to expect on my first day of class.
When you are a new teacher, you should try to be as well prepared and as confident as possible.
The young teacher strolled into his classroom looking confident and competent.
The teacher was giving himself a silent pep talk about making his first day great. Casey, who always sat by the window, thought he looked like a pretty nice guy.
The teacher’s head was spinning with what he should say first; Casey, who sat by the window, glanced up to take a look at the new teacher. |
Protagonist | The main character in a work; the action revolves around this person and the antagonist, or opposing force | The protagonist will never have a hard time finding an antagonist since their struggle is what creates the conflict and action of a story. |
Pseudonym | Means "false name" and is used by some writers instead of their real name | Samuel Langhorne Clemens used the pseudonym Mark Twain when he published his work. Charlotte Bronte used the pseudonym Currer Bell when she began since women often were not published unless they disguised their gender. |
Pun | A word or phrase which has a "double meaning" as intended by the writer; often these words sound the same (or nearly the same) but have different meanings | When Hamlet says, "I am too much in the sun," he is making a play on the words "sun" and "son." |
Repetition | Repeating a word or group of words for emphasis or effect | There in the sudden blackness, the black pall of nothing, nothing, nothing – nothing at all. |
Resolution | The portion of a play or story where the problem is solved | Resolution does not always mean a happy ending; in some stories or plays, especially tragedies, the resolution of the conflict may end sadly. |
Rhetorical question | A question asked only for effect or to make a statement, but not to get an answer | How much longer will we put up with this injustice? Isn’t it time that we took action? |
Rising Action | The portion of a play after the initialincident (introduction of the conflict) where the action is complicated by the opposing forces ending with the | In a novel, play, or movie, the rising action moves the story along and the plot usually becomes more complicated. Because rising action leads to climax, there is usually building tension throughout the |
| climax | rising action |
Satire | A type of writing that uses humor, irony, or wit to make a point | At this rate, we might as well dump garbage straight into the ocean if we’re not going to increase the penalty for polluting the environment. |
Setting | The time and place of a story | The setting often plays an important role in a story, influencing characters, conflicts, and themes. In the case of Call of the Wild by Jack London, for example, the northern, snow-covered tundra plays an important role in the outcome of the story. |
Short Story | A relatively brief fictional narrative in prose (500-12,000 words) | Edgar Allen Poe's short stories often delight readers with their intrigue and suspense. |
Simile | A comparison using "like" or "as" | Her eyes gleamed like stars. The house was as large as a castle. |
Soliloquy | A long speech given by a character alone on stage that reveals his/her innermost thoughts and feelings | One of Shakespeare's most famous soliloquies begins with the line, "To be, or not to be, that is the question . ." spoken by the main character, Hamlet. |
Sonnet | A poem of fourteen lines written in iambic pentameter that follows one of several rhyme schemes | Elizabeth Barrett Browning used the line, "How do I love thee? Let me count the ways," as the opening to her famous love sonnet for her husband Robert Browning. |
Stereotype | This is a pattern or form which does not change; this term is applied to oversimplified mental pictures or judgments | For many centuries, women were stereotyped as delicate and helpless creatures that needed a man to come in and rescue them from peril. |
Structure | This is the organization or planned framework that a writer creates for his/her piece of literature | Carefully examining a writer's structure may help readers deepen their understanding of the work. |
Style | This refers to how the author writes (form) rather than what he/she writes (content) | Style is a combination of a writer's diction, tone, and syntax. |
Subjective | When a writer inserts opinion or bias into the piece of writing | An editorial is subjective since its purpose is to make clear one's opinion on a current topic. |
Symbolism | A symbol is something that stands for something larger than itself | A rose symbolizes beauty. The flag symbolizes the country. Darkness symbolizes evil or the unknown. |
Synecdoche | When a part represents the whole or when the whole represents the part | All hands on deck for duty! The law came to his door to issue a warrant for his arrest. |
Syntax | The arrangement of words within aphrase, clause or sentence. Factors such as: the type of sentence, the length of the sentence, the use of punctuation and the use of language patterns can all contribute to an effective use of syntax. | When the writer wanted the narrative pace to build, she lengthened her sentences and used very few pauses; then, just before the story's climax, she began to use short choppy sentences to build suspense which was an effective use of syntax. |
Theme | A statement of the central idea of a piece of writing. | Courage can be the topic or subject of a piece of writing, but the statement, "It takes a great deal of courage to stand up against one's peers," is a theme. |
Tone | The attitude of the author toward his/her subject and audience | Comic, serious, formal, informal, solemn, playful, sarcastic, intimate, distant, etc. |
Tragedy | Classical tragedy: A dramatic work where a noble hero's tragic flaw causes him/her to break a moral law that leads to his/her downfall. Modern tragedy: A dramatic work where the hero is often an ordinary person who faces their circumstances with dignity and courage of spirit. | Oedipus Rex and Antigone are classical tragedies that deal with the fall of their respective hero and heroine due to a series of seemingly unavoidable circumstances.
The Crucible , Death of a Salesman, and All My Sons are modern tragedies written by Arthur Miller. |
Unity | A piece of writing is organized so that all of its parts belong and are well integrated. | When you revise a piece of your writing, check unity by making sure all of the sentences in a given paragraph belong and connect to the main idea. |
Writer's Voice | The writer's awareness and effective | The more familiar a writer is with all of the possible |
| use of such elements as: diction, tone, | literary devices and techniques, the stronger his/her |
| syntax, rmity, coherence and audience to create a clear and distinct | writer's voice will become. |
| "personality of the writer." |
SEPTEMBER HOMEWORK
September 2011 Graded Homework Assignments
702 ELA & 703 ELA
1#: Write a well constructed essay about who you were, who you are, and who you would like to be. Exhibit your best practies in the construction of this work.
2#: Create a well thought out advice essay to this year's 6th graders. What issues can you help them avoid. Give at least two sound and elaborated on pieces of advice.
3#: Either write a summary, critique, or connection to Reggie Hatchett's narrative poem, "Somebody...Please Listen" and use details (quotations) from the narrative poem to enrich your writing. Also show a list of at least 3 lines of the poem that stood out to you for some reason.
4#: Graphic Organizer Pack (3) Make them beautiful inside and out! Go through the Sherman Alexie and me connections (similarities and differences) t-chart that you made earlier in the week, the past, present, future graphic organizer, and the Sherman Alexoe/Nicholas Gage important lines chart, add to them and re-create them on construction or computer paper. Quanity word processed documents will score higher than their and handwritten counterparts.
5#: In a well written essay, explain what you have learned from Sherman Alexie and Nicholas Gage through the reading of their narratives, "Superman and Me" and "The Teacher Who Changed My Life" respectively. What have you learned about what matters in life? What have you learned about things you can do, starting right now, to better your live? How can you as a writer, someone communicating to someone through the use of the written word, can be done to make your writing better? Think deeply and broadly and construct an amazing essay.
6#.
Elaborate on the themes brought up in the four quotations below. Explain what they mean and support your interpretation of the quotation with evidence from your life experiences in four well developed paragraphs.
Life is a promise; fulfill it.
-Mother Theresa
The bend in the road is not the end of the road unless you refuse to take the turn.
-Anon
Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it.
-Confucius
Though we travel the world over to find the beautiful, we must carry it with us, or we find it not.
-Ralph Waldo Emerson