English 3 - Research Paper Topic Selection

What to consider when looking for a research paper topic?

Use the card catalog or search through the shelves for books; write down topics and titles as you find them.

If you can answer YES to the following questions, you may submit your research paper topics to me for approval.

• Are you interested in this topic?
• Will you be able to interview someone with knowledge of your topic?
• Can you locate 5 sources (varied sources - they can not all be from the internet) in addition to your interview?
• Can your topic be converted into a thesis question? 
• Will you be able to write 6-8 pages on this topic and provide your opinion about the topic?
• Does the Media Center have any information on your topic, so that you will be able to do some of your research at school?

Symbolism in The Crucible

The Doll: The doll found on Elizabeth Proctor's shelf is a traditional symbol of voodoo and witchcraft. In The Crucible, the doll (as well as Rebecca Nurse) symbolizes the transformation of good to evil: dolls, in a normal society, represent childhood innocence and bring happiness. In Salem, dolls represent evil. This extends to the Puritan government and church, both being entrusted to protect its citizens, yet both doing the opposite.

The Stones: Giles Corey refuses to make an official plea in court. In order to persuade him to make a plea, officials of the court stack concrete stones on him and eventually crush him. The stones symbolize the weight of Salem's sins that are crushing the good in its society.

Elizabeth Proctor's Pregnancy: Elizabeth's execution is stalled on account of her pregnancy. This represents hope that the future may be different.

The Boiling Cauldron: The controversy begins with Salem girls running wild through the forest around a cauldron of boiling water. This cauldron symbolizes the wildness of the girls, or more specifically, their repressed sexual desire bubbling over.

John Proctor's Leaving the Courtroom: This occurs in the movie. After Proctor is accused of witchcraft, he runs into a small pond and with arms spread shouts, "God is dead." Proctor is in water, symbolic of baptism, and his arms are spread, symbolic of the Biblical Christ on the cross. Proctor sacrifices himself for the good of Salem and to honor those saints (Rebecca and Martha) who refuse to lie.

The Witch Trials: In addition to the similarities between McCarthyism and The Crucible already discussed, the trials symbolize the effect of intolerance, extremism, and hatred.

The Forest: Puritans believed that the forest was the devil's dominion. They failed to recognize, however, that Salem's evil and destruction came from within. The forest, therefore symbolizes the evil present in all humans.

Similarities between McCarthyism and The Crucible

Understanding symbolism in The Crucible means understanding the similarities between McCarthyism and The Crucible.

McCarthyism: In the 1940s and 1950s Americans feared the encroachment of Communism. The Soviet Union was growing in power and the threat of a nuclear holocaust was on the forefront of American minds. Eastern Europe had become a conglomerate of Communist satellite nations. Throw in China and Americans began to feel they were surrounded by a Communist threat. Paranoia ensued.
The Crucible: Salem established itself as a religious community in the midst of evil. Salemites considered the forest the domain of the devil. Salem was surrounded by forest. Paranoia ensued.

McCarthyism: Joseph McCarthy, U.S. Senator, made unsubstantiated claims that more than 200 "card carrying" members of the Communist party had infiltrated the United States government. He had no proof.
The Crucible: Delusional girls make unsubstantiated claims about the existence of witches in Salem. They have no proof.

 

McCarthyism: McCarthy's unsubstantiated claims ruined lives and led to increased hostility.
The Crucible: The girls unsubstantiated claims ruin lives and lead to increased hostility in Salem.

McCarthyism: Those who were accused were assumed guilty, put on trial, and expected to divulge the names of other Communist sympathizers. Failure to do so led to sanctions.
The Crucible: Those who are accused are assumed guilty, put on trial, expected to confess, and expected to accuse others of being witches. Failure to do so leads to death.

McCarthyism: The media were not willing to stand up to Senator McCarthy for fear of being accused of being a Communist.
The Crucible: Townspeople are not willing to stand up to the court for fear of being accused of being a witch.

McCarthyism: Arthur Miller was called before the House Un-American Activities Committee and subsequently blacklisted.
The Crucible: Arthur Miller wrote it.

 

The Crucible Review - Acts 1 & 2

Things You Need To Know:

• Setting of the play - time and place (exact location of each act)
• Relationship between John and Elizabeth Proctor
• Mary Warren's present to Elizabeth
• Who has been accused and arrested because of witchcraft
• Why has Abigail been fired from the Proctors
• What's Abigail's role in the trials
• Why does John hesitate to tell the court what Abigail told him
• What would the court accept as evidence of witchcraft
• What group of characters are against the court
• Why does Hale come to the Proctor's house
• How does Proctor respond to Mary Warren's claim that Abigail will charge Proctor with lechery

The Glass Menagerie - Allusions

Allusion - a brief reference, explicit or indirect, which comes from history or literature that is purposely used to enlarge upon or enhance an author's point.

English 2 Honors students - research the following allusions that are found in the The Glass Menagerie:

1.  Guernica
2.  DAR
3.  D.H. Lawrence
4.  Garbo
5.  "Ava Maria"
6.  Franco
7.  Berchteesgaden
8.  A. Neville Chamberlain
9.  "Dardanella"
10. Dizzy Dean

The Great Gatsby & The Roaring Twenties

About The Great Gatsby

• Even though this novel was written in 1925, its style and content would be categorized as a work of the Romantic Period of literature.
• F. Scott Fitzgerald is considered to be one of the primary spokesmen of the era he named the "Jazz Age" - the period beginning with the end of WW I in 1918 and ending with the stock market crash in 1929.
• The Great Gatsby is considered to be his finest work and , in fact, one of the classic masterpieces of American Literature. 

About the Roaring Twenties

• Music was important
• People danced the Charleston.
• The Depression started.
• Fitzgerald was a spokesperson for his generation.
• Fitzgerald captured the American Dream - its good and bad points.

Newsletter - The Great Gatsby & A Separate Peace

We'll be in the Media Center on Nov. 1st and 2nd. 

This assignment will be graded as a Test Grade for the 1st Marking Period. 

It is due on Nov. 4th - no late newsletters will be accepted because the marking period ends on the 4th!


REQUIREMENTS

2 pages - printed in black & white, including the following:

• Title
• Volume
• Issue
• Date
• Special Points of Interest
• Inside this Issue (those are simply the titles of your articles)
• 3 or more articles (1 must be about the 1920's for The Great Gatsby OR 1940's for A Separate Peace and 2 about the novel)
• 3 pictures or clip art (1 must be a picture and have a caption underneath it)
• Your name should not appear on the front of the newsletter - write it on the back of both pages

The Great Gatsby - Ch. 2 Questions

1.  Describe the Valley of Ashes?  What does it symbolize?
2.  Does Tom try to keep his affair with Myrtle a secret?
3.  Nick goes with Tom to visit Myrtle.  Describe her and her husband, and what happens during the course of the evening?
4.  Explain the significance of the puppy episode.
5.  What gossip about Gatsby does Nick learn at the party?
6.  What shows Myrtle's lack of sophisitication?

Sites relevant to understanding A Separate Peace

The following websites provide information about topics related to the novel, A Separate Peace.

Devon School is modeled after Phillips Exeter Academy in New Hampshire.  This link takes you to the school's A Separate Peace home page.  http://www.exeter.edu/libraries/553_4390.aspx

This website includes an exhaustive day by day timeline, covering every event that occured during World War 2, by military theatre and in chronological order from 1939 to 1945.  http://www.worldwar-2.net/

American cultural history of the time is important in understanding the novel, as well, as can be found on this website.  http://kclibrary.lonestar.edu/decade40.html

Parent Teacher Conference

Good evening,

Welcome to your son or daughter's English class! 

My e-mail address:  lomardeb@yahoo.com

This blog can provide you with details of the works your child is studying at the time and information about some homework projects, upcoming tests, etc.

Thank you for coming.  Have a wonderful night!

Transcendetalism Quotes - Test Review

Who said it – Emerson or Thoreau?

What work is it found in & what does it mean?

1.  "To go into solitude, a man needs to retire as much from his chamber as from society."
2.  "To speak truly, few adult persons can see nature."
3.  “It is remarkable how easily and insensibly we fall into a particular route, and make a beaten track for ourselves.”
4.   “Nature never wears a mean appearance.”
5.  “Envy is ignorance, imitation is suicide."
6.  “The only obligation which I have a right to assume is to do at any time what I think right.”
7.  “Whoso would be a man must be a nonconformist.”
8.  “What I must do is what concerns me, not what the people think.
9.   “To believe your own thought, to believe that what is true for you in your private heart is true for all men, - that is genius.”
10.  “We should be men first, and subjects afterward.”
11.  “Simplicity, simplicity, simplicity!”
12.  “Trust thyself:  every heart vibrates to that iron string.”
13.  “That government is best which governs not at all.”
14.  "Nature always wears the colors of the spirit."
15.  “Our life is frittered away be details.”

Haiku - Poetry Contest

What adventures does your future hold?  Tell Dell about it!  Here's a fun haiku-writing contest with prizes from Dell!

This contest is open to students in grades 7–12 (who are 13 or over) and it’s easy to enter! Here’s all they have to do:

1. Write an original haiku in an unrhyming, 5-7-5 style that answers the question: What adventures does your future hold?
2. Submit your haiku at http://www.scholastic.com/dellhaiku. Deadline: 11/18/11.
3. Check back in December 2011 to see the winning haiku!

Transcendentalism – a philosophical movement that occurred in the middle of the 19^th century (the 1800s) which influenced a great deal of writing of that time period.

Characteristics of Transcendentalism

·       Simplicity of life

·       A need to live in solitude

·       A lack of necessity of material items

·       A need to follow your own rules

·       More focus on the inner self

·       Relying solely on yourself and having the ability to think for   yourself

·       Breaking free from conformity

·       A strong sense of nature

English 3 - Poe Unit Test Review

You need to know the following:

All 3 works we covered, which are as listed below:

• "To Helen"
• "The Raven"
• "The Pit and the Pendulum"

Also, you must know some information on the author (page 285) and the Gothic characteristics (found in the post below this one).

Study, study, study!!!  :-)

Characteristics of the Gothic Story - English 3

 

• Setting is medieval - a caste or dungeon
• The mood is of mystery or suspense
• Metaphors of fear, horror, dread (ex. thunder, footsteps, creaks, bells, fog, etc.)
• Omens,visions, or haunting dreams are mentioned
• Supernatural, evil, or violent events occur
• "Mad" characters
• Merciless villains
• The Inquisition is mentioned (and their method or torture)
• Myths or legends are mentioned

"The Pit and the Pendulum" - Eng. 3

Here's a link to the e-text:

http://www.literature.org/authors/poe-edgar-allan/pit-and-pendulum.html

"The Raven" - Edgar Allan Poe

English 3 students - here's a link to "The Raven"

http://famouspoetsandpoems.com/poets/edgar_allan_poe/poems/18848

English 3

Romanticism

What comes to your mind when you hear the word Romanticism?

Information about Romanticism:

• This refers to a time in American Literature between 1770 and 1860

• What else is going on in American during this time period?

Civil War

Revolutionary War

Forced migration of Native Americans

Influx of immigration

Industrial Revolution

Global Trade

Propaganda

Common Sense

 The American Frontier promised opportunity for expansion, growth, freedom.

 There is an increased spirit of optimism invoked by the promise of new discovery.

 Immigration brought new cultures and perspectives.

 Growth of industry.

 There is an increased need to become more spiritual.

• Some famous “romantic” writers include Washington Irving, Edgar Allan Poe, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Nathanial Hawthorne, Emily Dickinson, Herman Melville…just to name a few.

• There are several characteristics that mark a “romantic” piece of literature. They are:

1. Emotion

2. Individualism

3. Revolutionary

4. Love of nature and solitude

5. Full of fantasy and/or introspection

6. Subjective perception

7. Right-brained (more creative and emotional than logical and analytical)

8. Strong sense of nationalism

9. Provides an outcast or savage character

10. Mysterious settings

11. Focus on the supernatural

• The Romantic period in American literature brings about the basis for two important literary movements … Gothicism and Transcendentalism

"The Legend of Sleepy Hollow"

Below is the link to access the e-text - "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow"

http://www.enotes.com/legend-sleepy-hollow-text

"The Devil and Tom Walker"

Find the e-text at this address:

http://www.pagebypagebooks.com/Washington_Irving/The_Devil_And_Tom_Walker/The_Devil_And_Tom_Walker_p1.html

MLA Format

Double space
12 point font
Times New Roman

Do not do anything special to the title - it should appear in the same format as everything else on the page (see above).

Heading goes as such:

Your name
Teacher's name
Subject ( English __ - Period __ )
Date (day first, followed by the month, and finally the year)

Anthem - Important Terms

1.  Collectivism
2.  Individualism
3.  Altruism
4.  Egoism
5.  Conformity
6.  Obedience
7.  Independence

Class Requirements

Needed in Class Daily

1.  Blue or black pen (colored pens are not acceptable)

2.  #2 Pencil (for use on test scantron sheets)
3.  Notebook

4.  Textbook (which I will hand out on 9/6)
3.  A mind open to learning
4.  A pleasant demeanor

Welcome Message

Hello there!

As my very first post on this blog for the 2011-2012 year, I want to welcome you, my students, to what I'm sure will be a wonderful academic year.  I encourage you to listen, learn, and experience the amazing world of literature.  However, English isn't just about reading books and writing essays, but taking what we learn in literature and applying it to our lives. 

You are about to embark on an adventure - fasten your seat belts and enjoy the ride!  I should add one more thing, which is in order to enjoy the ride, you must follow directions and that means pay attention in class, do the assigned work - whether classwork, homework, or group work - it all counts, and that includes studying for quizzes and tests, so do your best on everything and if you feel you are having a tough time understanding something, make sure you see me for extra help or clarification because you don't want to be left behind. 

Good luck!

Memorial Day Weekend Reading

The Five People You Meet in Heaven

You must read pages 1-131 over the weekend.  Quiz on 5/31.

The following is the schedule for the next two week:

5/31 - pages 132-159
6/1 - pages 160-196
6/2 - discuss/review
6/3 - test

6/6 - 6/8 - exam review
6/9 - exams begin


That's all folks!  :-)

"The Lottery" - English 3

Link to an E-text of "The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson

http://www.americanliterature.com/Jackson/SS/TheLottery.html

Twelve Angry Men ~ Themes & Motifs

Themes

• Justice
• Duty
• Formality
• Poverty
• Family
• Compassion
• Loss
• Logic
• Resolution

Motifs

• Coping with bigots
• Seeking consensus
• Assuming the role of leader
• The triuph of reason over bias

The Catcher in the Rye - Novel Project

After you are assigned a partner and your chapters, you will complete each of the three assignments below on ONE poster-sized paper.  All three assignments must be on the same paper; do not complete three separate assignments.  This will be a TEST grade.

1.  Choose one quote per chapter that you believe to be essential to your chapters.
2.  Summarize the entire chapter (beginning to end).
3.  Present a visual image of your chapter by creating one of the following:

• A collage of images that appear in the chapter (using magazine pictures, articles, newspaper clippings, etc.)
• A drawing that depicts specific events in the chapter

This project is DUE on Friday, March 18, 2011

Themes - The Catcher in the Rye

Themes - The Cathcer in the Rye

•  Youth and Innocence
• Loneliness and Isolation
• Sexuality and Sexual Identity
• Madness, Depression, and Suicide
• Wisdom, Knowledge, and Academic Success
• Lies, Deceit, and Phoniness

         ***   “Phony” is the most frequently repeated word in this novel. Holden applies “phony” to anything hypocritical, shallow, superficial, inauthentic, or otherwise fake. “Crazy,” “madman,” and “depressed” rank close behind it.   *** 

American Cultural History - The 1940's

•The 1940's were dominated by World War II (1939-1945).

•US isolationism was shattered by the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor.

•War production pulled us out of the Great Depression.

•World War II changed the order of world power; the United States and the USSR became super powers.

•Women were needed to replace men who had gone off to war, and so the first great exodus of women from the home to the workplace began.

•Rationing affected the food we ate, the clothes we wore, the toys with which children played.

•The successful use of an antibiotic, penicillin, by 1941 revolutionized medicine.

•After the war, the men returned, having seen the rest of the world.

•The GI Bill allowed more men than ever before to get a college education.

Women had to give up their jobs to the returning men, but they had tasted independence.

The Catcher in the Rye - Vocabulary (Chapters 1-3)

1.  hemorrhages
2.  foils
3.  ostracized
4.  grippe
5.  chiffonier
6.  lagoon
7.  compulsory
8.  falsetto
9.  hound's tooth

The Crucible Essay

English 3

To think about as you view the movie... 

Money, power, and greed have been motivating the actions of people for hundreds of years and are still great motivators today. 

After viewing the movie...

In a 4-6 paragraph essay in which you use specific and vivid details from The Crucible, explain how and why this is true.