American Romantic Period

Today we will finish presenting Unit I Projects, and then we will go over Unit 2: The American Romanticism Finally, we will read the overview of the unit - pages 305-313. Homework, finish reading this sections. Unit Learning goal: Students will demonstrate knowledge of nineteenth century foundation works of American Literature by determining how a theme is developed over the course of text by analyzing structure, author’s choice of details, and character; and, by writing an essay on how these elements (or one of them) influences the meaning of the novel as a whole. Scale/Rubric relating to learning goal: 4 – The student can write a 5-10 page essay that explores how structure, details (symbol, imagery, figurative language) is developed of the course of the novel and how it influences the meaning of the novel.  3 – The student can write a 3-5 page essay that explores how structure, details (symbol, imagery, figurative language) is developed of the course of the novel and how it influences the meaning of the novel.  2 – With some direction/help from the teacher the student can write a 3-5 page essay that explores how structure, details (symbol, imagery, figurative language) is developed of the course of the novel and how it influences the meaning of the novel.  1 – Even with help from the teacher the student is unable to the student can write a 3-5 page essay that explores how structure, details (symbol, imagery, figurative language) is developed of the course of the novel and how it influences the meaning of the novel.  Objectives (smaller chunks of overall goal) and suggested time periods At the end of this Unit the Students will be able to 1)  List and explain 3-5 symbols from the novel The Scarlet Letter 2)  Discuss the basic structure(s) of The Scarlett Letter 3)  Given the main ideas of various pieces of Romantic Literature 4)  List the key aspects of Romanticism 5)  List the key aspects of transcendentalism 6)  Discuss who the Fireside poets were and what they believed in 7)  Keep a dialectical journal while reading The Scarlet Letter 8)  Evaluate the purpose and argument of public advocacy 9)  Determine two or more themes in a text 10)          Discuss the importance of rhyme scheme and stanza structure and how they create meaning 11)          Compare Emerson and Thoreau  Major Themes addressed: The idea of individualism and the purpose of nature. The meaning of sin and forgiveness. Sometimes to be patriotic means to protest one’s government. The meaning of truth and the idea that everyone has a dark side. Is the price of progress ever too high? Anchor Text(s)/Additional Instructional Resources: The Scarlett Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne EARLY ROMANTIC LITERATURE “The Devil and Tom Walker” by Washington Irving FIRESIDE POETS “A Psalm of Life” and “The Tide Falls” by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow “The Chambered Nautilus” and “Old Ironsides” by Oliver Wendell Holmes THE TRANSCENDENTALISTS “Self-Reliance” and “Nature” by Ralph Waldo Emerson “Walden” and “Civil Disobedience” by Henry David Thoreau GOTHIC “The Fall of the House of Usher” by Edgar Allan Poe.

Wednesday

Today I'm going to have you break up into groups and outline PART 3 of the novel.

First we will look at the last "major" beat writing: Gregory Corso and "Marriage"

Go HERE

Finally we need to review what the test on Monday will look like:

Part I (50 points): In an essay of 1-2 pages discuss how the novel works as a 3-part structure make sure you incorporate how the structure reinforces a major theme and try to bring a symbol or two.  You will need specific examples from the text.

Part II (50 points)

On the Road

Also be able to do the following:

1) Discuss ho the "Road" works as a symbol in this book and connect it to a major theme (use specific examples)
2) Give examples of each of the following themes (2-3 examples of each): a) Different visions of America; b) Dissatisfaction with the status quo; c) Different versions of reality
3) Discuss the meaning of the conclusion.  What does it imply?  Why do think this?
4) Discuss how On the Road helped inspire the 60's counterculture (besides the drugs).

Their Eyes Were Watching God

1) Discuss Janie's journey - West Florida to Eatonville, Eatonville to the Everglades, and back to Eatonville.  What does she learn through these travels.
2) The Symbol of the Pear Tree.
3) Discuss and give examples of the theme of empowerment
4) Discuss on major allusion and how it works in the novel. 

Monday

So today we are going to go over PART II of your books (your outlines). 

First I will talk with On The Road and then I will talk with Their Eyes Were Watching God

First - we will look at MLA format and the beginning of HOWL

Thursday and Friday

On your own or in small groups (2-3) you should be doing the following things:

Outlining part 2 of your novels, and continuing to read and take notes on characters and themes.

Pay close attention to the reading schedule:


4/27 - page 32
4/28 - page 54
4/29 - page 76
5/2 - page 98
5/3 -- page 120
5/4 - 144
5/5 - 156
5/6 - 178
5/9 - 200
5/10 - 222
5/11 - 244
5/12 - 266
5/13 - FINISHED


THEIR EYES WERE WATCHING GOD

4/27 - page 33
4/28 - page 54
4/29 - page 76
5/2 - 98
5/3 - 120
5/4 - 135
5/5 - 150
5/6 - 160
5/10 - 180
5/11 - FINISHED
5/12 - Review for FINAL

On the Road and the BEATS

GO HERE


Overview of the BEATS

Allen Ginsberg  (Carlo Marx) - "America"

Today - you need to read to page

ON THE ROAD part I

Today, I'm going to break you up into groups and I want you to outline part I.  Remember to connect part one to a major theme and begin to think about On the Road as having three moments.  

Think about traditional plot.  How would this novel fit a traditional plot scheme?  What is the conflict in this book?  

I also want you to think about how you would compare On the Road with Huckleberry Finn.  These are two texts that are normally talked about and compared to each other.

 Remember - you need to read to page 120 for tonight. 

NOTES FROM YESTERDAY

PART I:

Sal Paradise – main character, protagonist, narrator.  Book starts after his breaks up with his wife.  He is a writer.  Lives in New York with his Aunt.

Dean Moriarty – con man, hustler, spent time in reform schools, born on the road, father was a hobo.  The catalyst for Sal’s adventures.

MaryLou – Dean’s 1^st wife.  Doesn’t want to be with Dean, but at the same time wants to be with him.  By the time Sal gets to Denver she and Dean are getting a divorce. 

1^st section of this book deals with Paradise travelling and hitchhiking to Denver, and then from Denver going to San Francisco.

Rides:

a)    Flat bed truck

b)    Eddie

c)    The old woman who lets him drive

d)   Truck drivers

He hangs out in Chicago, sees the Mississippi, and talks, drinks with other men on the road (particularly in the flat bed truck).

Jazz – bebop: Charlie Parker, Miles Davis. 

Denver:

Chad King – more serious, and appears to be an artist, but respectable.

Carlo Marx – poet, person who spends lots of time with Dean talking, and maybe helping his learn to write.

Camille – mistress of Dean, doesn’t like Carlo, blonde.  Grad students. 

San Francisco:

Sal lives and works with Remi as a security guard.  Remi steals food using a Truman quote.

Remi – Sal knows Remi from Prep School. 

Reading Schedules

On The Road - reading schedule

4/27 - page 32
4/28 - page 54
4/29 - page 76
5/2 - page 98
5/3 -- page 120
5/4 - 144
5/5 - 156
5/6 - 178
5/9 - 200
5/10 - 222
5/11 - 244
5/12 - 266
5/13 - FINISHED


THEIR EYES WERE WATCHING GOD

4/27 - page 33
4/28 - page 54
4/29 - page 76
5/2 - 98
5/3 - 120
5/4 - 135
5/5 - 150
5/6 - 160
5/10 - 180
5/11 - FINISHED
5/12 - Review for FINAL

Pre-Reading

For high school students, begin a discussion by asking:

• If you could travel anywhere in the United States by car, where would you want to go and why?
• Who would be the one person that you would most want to take with you on the trip and why?
• What difficulties would you expect to have on your trip? 

THEN GO HERE

Jack Kerouac Bio

As you read this book you should be aware of a few things:

1) Zora was an Anthropologist who immersed herself in the folklore, music and religion (including Voodoo - or Hoodoo) of Southern African-American Society. You should read "How It Feels to Be Colored Me" as an introduction to her, and look up one of her pieces of forklore - she published two books of folklore during her life. One of them happened to include Voodoo in Haiti and zombies. Her fiction arises from her folklore collecting.
2) Zora grew up in Eatonville - the town in THEIR EYES WHERE WATCHING GOD.
3) She claimed to have written the book in one month after the break-up of a relationship. She claims to have poured all the love and heartache of the relationship into the novel. You might look up Eatonville on the web (NOTE: It's outside of Orlando - I moved to Orlando and worked at Disney because of this novel. I had to see Zora's hometown).
4) Zora lied about her birth. She was ten years older than what she claimed. This would have made her about 45 when she wrote THEIR EYES WHERE WATCHING GOD.
5) She was a member of the Harlem Renaissance - considered the greatest writer of the Renaissance by some, but her books weren't published until after the renaissance was over - and even after some of the members of the Renaissance (poor Wallace Thurman) were dead. She and Langston Hughes wrote a play together and were good friends, but something happened between them and so when she left New York in the 30s her connection with the Renaissance was gone. If you know nothing of the Harlem Renaissance you need to do some brief research.
6) Think about why she uses a Southern African-American vernacular. Think who tells the story. Is there an American Dream here? Mark her imagery, symbolism and metaphors. Think beyond them. What about the title?

Okay - I've read every book Hurston wrote and Their Eyes Were Watching God both as an undergrad and as a graduate, and I helped teach a college course on The Harlem Renaissance. So - you're going to have fun!


Note - we'll be focusing on meaning of the title; author's life; structure of book; central symbols and central themes.


For those of you using the hurricane in Zora's Biographical section, you might want to look at the following:

The 1928 Okeechobee Hurricane is the hurricane presented in THEIR EYES WHERE WATCHING GOD. It is considered the 3rd most deadliest hurricane to strike the U.S. coast (greater than Katrina); it killed over 4,078 people. 

 

You might want to read up on rabies on wikipedia -- for a general overview go HERE

These question could be used to help direct your dialectical journals if you need help, or to make you glad that you're not answering other people's questions on the text (you're asking and answering your own! - wow, think about that).

NOTE: I didn't write these questions (except question 1), but I don't quite remember where they came from.

1. Their Eyes Were Watching God has been compared to Huck Finn in its use of a journey to discover self. Do you see a connection? How does this work?

2. Why does Janie choose to tell her story only to her best friend Pheoby? How does Pheoby respond at the end of Janie’s tale?
3. Did you like Janie? Do you admire her?
4. Hurston uses nature – the pear tree, the ocean, the horizon, the hurricane – not only as plot device but also as metaphor. How do they function as both?
5. The novel’s action begins and ends with two judgment scenes. Why are both groups of people judging her? Is either correct in its assessment?
6. Many readers consider the novel a coming-of-age novel, as Janie journeys through three marriages. What initially attracts her to each man? What causes her to leave? What does she learn from each?
7. In the novel, speech is used as a mechanism of control and liberation, especially as Janie struggles to find her voice. How does she choose when to speak out or to remain quiet?
8. How important is Hurston’s use of vernacular dialect to our understanding of Janie and the other characters and their way of life? What do speech patterns reveal about the quality of these lives and the nature of these communities?
9. What are the differences between the language of the men and that of Janie and the other women? How do the differences in language reflect the two groups’ approaches to life, power, relationships, and self-realization? How do the novel’s first two paragraphs point to these differences?
10. The elaborate burial of the town mule draws from an incident Hurston recounts in Tell My Horse, where the Haitian president ordered an elaborate Catholic funeral for his pet goat. Although this scene is comic, how is it also tragic?
11. How does the image of the black woman as “the mule of the world” become a symbol for the roles Janie chooses or refuses to play during her quest?
12. Little of Hurston’s work was published during the Harlem Renaissance, yet her ability to tell witty stories and to stir controversy made her a favorite guest at elite Harlem parties. Can you think of some of the passages of wit and humor in Their Eyes Were Watching God?
13. What do the names of Janie’s husbands – Logan Killicks, Jody Starks, Vergible “Tea Cake” Woods – tell us about their characters and their relationships with Janie?
14. What kind of God are the eyes of Hurston’s characters watching? What crucial moments of the plot does the title allude to? Does this God ever answer Janie’s questioning?
15. How do the imagery and tone of the last few pages of the novel connect with other moments in the novel? Does Janie’s story end in triumph, despair, or a mixture of both?
16. What is the importance of the concept of horizon? How do Janie and each of her men widen her horizons? What is the significance of the novel’s final sentences in this regard?
17. How does Janie’s journey – from West Florida, to Eatonville, to the Everglades – represent her, and the novel’s increasing immersion in black culture and traditions?
18. To what extent does Janie acquire her own voice and the ability to shape her own life? How are the two related? Does Janie’s telling her story to Pheoby in flashback undermine her ability to tell her story directly in her own voice?
19. In what ways does Janie conform to or diverge from the assumptions that underlie the men’s attitudes toward women? How would you explain Hurston’s depiction of violence toward women?
20. What is the importance in the novel of the story telling on the front porch of Joe’s store and elsewhere? What purpose do these stories, traded insults, exaggerations, and boasts have in the lives of these people?
21. Why is adherence to tradition so important to nearly all the people in Janie’s world? How does the community deal with those who are “different”?
22. After Joe Starks’s funeral, Janie realizes that “She had been getting ready for her great journey to the horizons in search of people; it was important to all the world that she should find them and they find her.” Why is this important “to all the world”? In what ways does Janie’s self-awareness depend on her increased awareness of others?

AP Study Sites

For multiple choice questions go HERE

For concepts go HERE

Contemporary Literature

Unit Learning goal: Students will demonstrate knowledge of twentieth century foundation works of American Literature by writing a short 2-3 page essay analyzing the Kerouac’s choices concerning how to structure specific parts of On The Road and it’s impact on the text as a whole.  Or write a 2-3 page essay on the structure of Their Eyes Were Watching God.

  

Scale/Rubric relating to learning goal:

4 – The student can write a strong 3-page essay discussing how specific parts of On The Road contribute to the meaning of the work as a whole.

3 – The student can write 2-3 essay discussing how specific parts of On The Road contribute to the meaning of the work as a whole.

2 – With some direction/help from the teacher the student can write 2-3 essay discussing how specific parts of On The Road contribute to the meaning of the work as a whole.

1 – Even with help from the teacher the student is unable write 2-3 essay discussing how specific parts of On The Road contribute to the meaning of the work as a whole.

Objectives (smaller chunks of overall goal) and suggested time periods

At the End of this Unit Students will be able to

1)  Break the novel On the Road into three parts discussing how each part helps create meaning in the novel as a whole

2)  List the elements of contemporary American literature

3)  Relate On the Road to Huckleberry Finn

4)  Discuss the meaning behind certain names in On the Road

5)  Discuss the meaning and give examples of the following themes: Dissatisfaction with the status quo; Different visions of America; Different versions of reality; The meaning of time; Poverty in America

6)  Discuss the meaning of the conclusion

7)  Discuss how On the Road helped inspire the 60s, counterculture movement and protest literature

Major Themes addressed:

 Dissatisfaction with the status quo, Different visions of America, Different versions of Reality, Poverty, The meaning of time, What makes an American

Thursday

We are going to continue with the peer-review workshop on your essays. 

Note - next draft will be due on May 2nd.

Persuasive Essays

Draft 1 - due tomorrow.  We will probably PEER workshop these on the screen, so make them good.

Remember turn in outlines with drafts. 

Thesis Statement, Ideas, Defining your argument, backing up your argument with proof	Ideas are fresh and original.  Thesis is narrow and manageable. Order of development clear and precise and helps development one clear main idea.  Hook and thesis connect.   Clear important details for support	Ideas are clear but might be overused.  Topic/ Thesis is fairly board.  Order of develop may ramble and may not back up thesis.  Hook is present but may not connect with thesis.  Support is attempted but not quite fulfilled with specifics.	Paper lacks a central idea or purpose.  Ideas are not developed or seem to go in several directions.  Information is limited or unclear.  Details are missing.	Not Evident
Organization	Original title. Transitions connect main ideas. Effective opening and ending.  Easy to follow.  Important ideas stand out.  Clear beginning, middle and end.  Details fit where placed.	Appropriate title.  Transitions connect sentence to sentence but not necessary idea to idea.  Good beginning.  Attempted ending.  Logical sequencing.  Key ideas are beginning to surface.  Readable.	Paper is hard to follow because transitions are weak or absent.  There is no clear beginning or ending.  Ideas may not fit together or ramble.  Paragraph structure might not be evident.	Not Evident
Voice	Point of view is evident Clear sense of audience Enthusiastic about topic.  Says more than is expected.  Words elicit both ideas and emotions.  Work is engaging and persuades	Personal treatment of standard topic.  Perspective becomes evident.  Some sense of audience.  Conveys ideas to reader.  The writer likes the topic, but is not passionate about it.  Writing persuades in some places	Paper is lifeless, mechanic, stilted.  Predictable treatment of topic.  Energy lacking.  Audience could be anyone.  Writer is indifferent to the topic.  Does not persuade at all.	Not evident
Word Choice	Precise, fresh, original words.  Vivid images.  Avoids repetitions, clichés, vagueness.  Use of figurative language.  Everyday words are used well.	Uses favorite words correctly.  Experiments with new words.  Attempts to use descriptive words to create images.	Ordinary and recognizable words.  Language is generic or cliché.  Uses repetitions or relies on slang.  Overuse of “to be” verbs.	Not Evident
Sentence Fluency	Consistent use of sentence variety.  Sentence structure is correct and creative.  Varied beginnings, varied structures, and varied lengths.  Natural flow and rhythm.  Writing is not wordy.	Sentences are usually correct, but some may not flow smoothly.  Simple and compound sentences are present.  Varied beginning.  Sections have rhythm and flow.  Writing could be cut to avoid wordiness.	Sentences are choppy, incomplete, rambling or awkward.  Meanings are not always clear.  Words are strung together.  Sentences could be extremely wordy.	Not Evident
Mechanics	There may be occasional errors in mechanics (spelling, fragments, run-ons, punctuation, capitalization, usage, etc.).  However, it is hard to find errors.	Errors in writing mechanics are noticeable but do not impair readability.	Numerous errors in usage, grammar, spelling, capitalization, and/or punctuation distract reader and impair readability.	Not Evident
Uses of Persuasive Tools	Uses 4 or more tools: expert testimony, quality of reasoning, points out flaws in opposing views, appeal to audience self-interests, radically different topics or new twists on old topics	Uses 2-3 tools.	Relies heavily on one tool.	Not Evident
References and Sources	More than five sources.  All sources of information are noted in correct in-text citation (MLA format) and correct Works Cited page.	Three to five sources. Some sources of information are noted incorrectly or not in MLA format.  Minor problems with Works Cited page.	Less than three sources.  Most information noted incorrectly.  MLA format completely missing.  Many problems with Works Cited page.	Not Evident

Persuasive Essays

1st Draft will be due on Tuesday.  I expect your outlines to be turned in with your drafts. 

Remember works cited:

Thesis Statements and 1st Paragraphs

Today - I expect to hear and discuss your thesis statements and opening paragraphs. 

Remember, outline your essays before you begin writing.  I do want you to turn in an outline with your essays. 

Essay Outline

Persuasive Essay Format

This outline comes from the following website: http://www2.powayusd.com/teachers/kkangas/Language%20Arts/Writing/persuasive_essay_format.htm  (view it here)

Intro:

*Immediately engage reader (attention getter)

·       get the reader “in the ballpark”

          *Establish context (topic of essay)

·       usually 2-3 sentences narrowing down to the point of the paper

·       cite your source with title and author (if using one source)

          *Strong & complete thesis statement

Body:

*Begin paragraphs with a clear, concise topic sentence

·       *Use concrete details (CD)

·       these include facts or quotes

·       cite sources when necessary (simplified: such as author’s last name & pg #)

·       *Create insightful commentary to support concrete details (2-3 comments per CD)

·       shoot for at least 2 CD per paragraph (+ commentary)

          *Address a counter argument

·       include a rebuttal defending your thesis (which includes CD and commentary)

                    

Conclusion:
       *Transition into summary of key points

*Restate thesis (say it another way!)

*Refer back to the attention getter and tie things up

       *Answer “So what?”

·       Leave reader feeling persuaded or at least challenged

·       This personal comment can include a universal observation
(a prediction), a call to action (a recommendation) or a scare
(a veiled threat)

Suggested sentence starter for commentary:

        “This shows that…” (eventually teach kids to eliminate it)

        “This proves that…”

“This demonstrates that…”

Suggested sentence starters for counter:

“On the other hand, some people believe ______...”
“One may argue _________; however, _____...”

Suggested sentence starters for conclusion:

        “We need to…”

        “It’s our responsibility to …”

        “It’s important to…”

        “In order to______, we must…”

        “It would be to our benefit to…”

Encourage:
        Incorporate transitions           
        Use high-level vocab

Vary sentence patterns          
Create a strong “voice”

        Show a logical argument throughout
        Edit well

*The number of paragraphs and the organization of the essay will vary.