Welcome to AP Literature

Good evening.

Let me formally welcome you all to AP lit. I am excited to begin a new year, and have heard great things about all of you from your former teachers. It is a great pleasure to work with such gifted and dedicated students, and I humbled by the opportunity. The year ahead will likely be a challenging one for you, but with great challenges comes great rewards.

I will use this blog on a daily basis to keep you apprised of any changes or alterations to the schedule, or any goings-on, which I may have failed to mention in class. I will also use it to post homework assignments and friendly reminders about due dates, upcoming work, and administrative tasks. Please be sure to log in every day to check for updates.

Once again, welcome. I am eager to get started and look forward to a productive year ahead.

Homework 4/20

Good afternoon. I hope that you all had a restful break and are ready to work hard over the next three weeks. For tonight's homework, I would like you to read Coleridge's poem, "Kubla Khan." This is an extremely famous poem, and one for which I hope you develop an appreciation. Please attempt to employ one of the strategies from class today to help break the poem down. These are designed to help you when you get to the actual exam. In the end, you will use what works for you. Umberto Eco claimed in "Six Walks in the Fictional Woods," that "every text is a lazy machine asking the reader to do some of its work." So, you have to do the work to get the "lazy machine" to operate.

As far as some of the upcoming assignments, please be prepared to spend at least half the day (if not more) working on AP prep. This may include entire days of working in the AP prep guides, or having free periods to meet with you individually and allow you to develop your own study guides and lessons. In other words, you need decide what your weaknesses are. We will discuss tomorrow in class. Have a good night.

Essay for Frankenstein

Hello. I hope that you are enjoying the break thus far. At this point, you should all have finished the story. While I disagree with one student's theory that knowing the prompt is needed to guide the reading, I do appreciate one's desire to know the assignment for one's own peace of mind. I do apologize for not posting some reading guides as promised. I was literally out of touch with technology until late last night. I will attach a link to Shelley so that you can have a chance to check it out before Monday. 

Here is the assignment. In a well-organized, two page essay, please respond to the following:

Mary Shelley's story raises serious issues about the pros and cons of the progress of science.  It also addresses the classic literary conflict between passion (desire for something) and responsibility ( a moral duty). Write an essay in which you discuss Shelley's short novel as it relates to the above issues. In what ways does Shelley's story act as a warning for man? What elements or devices help Shelley convey her message(s)? How does the story present a universal theme? Moral dilemma for society?

If you have questions, or concerns, please email me, comment here. Enjoy the rest of your break. The next few days actually look nice.

Homework 4/7

Good evening. For tonight, I would like you to read William Wordsworth's "Lines Composed a Few Miles Above Tintern Abbey" (link provided). Please read the poem and use today's handout as a guide to understanding the basics. You should print it out and analyze it for meaning, paying special attention to the use of literary devices. Be prepared to discuss the poem with a partner and as a whole group tomorrow. In addition, we may  get a chance to work with the Hamlet essays in class.

When we return from break, I am going to assign additional poems by each author. Your job will be to locate, print, and read three additional poems by each author we explore in class. You will keep a journal of these poems and analyze each. I will provide you with a handout on the assignment when we return. Since we have read William Blake, you should begin by finding three additional poems by him and read them over the break. I will discuss in class tomorrow. 

In addition, I will once again put you in groups, and your group will be responsible for leading a class discussion on an author and one or two of his/her poems. Again, this will begin after the break.

Finally, for break homework, you will be reading Frankenstein. I will provide you with links and criticism. Your assignment will be a two page essay that will be due the day we return from spring break. This will be provided within the first few days of the vacation.

have a good night

Homework 4/6

For homework tonight, I would like you to read the handout on the Romantic Period. While reading, please annotate the text. This should help us begin to understand the mindset of the poets of that time. Please read William Blake's "The Chimney Sweeper" and "Introduction." Annotate the poems. I have attached the poems to the blog. Please bring a copy with you to class.

Also, begin to organize your work for the AP exam. Gather materials, study aids, handouts, flash cards, etc. Begin making a schedule for yourself. You should be studying and practicing your writing each night. Have a good night.

Sunday Comments

I apologize for not posting Friday. This has been a crazy weekend, and I was literally out the entire time. In any case, just a reminder about the Hamlet logs. As you know they are due tomorrow. So, I hope that you had a chance to work on them this weekend. 

As far as next week goes, it is going to be a a short one. I will probably assign a book over the break. I am not sure what it will be, but it will be short and it manageable for the 11 day break. We will discuss tomorrow. Also, please remember to type up your timed write. We will do some work on that essay tomorrow. 

Okay, that's it, see you tomorrow. Enjoy the last few hours of your weekend. 

Homework 4/1

For this evening, I will not assign any homework to be due tomorrow. However, you should be working on your log for Hamlet. The due date for this assignment is Monday, April 6th. I do not want to accept late work for this, so please work hard to get it completed by then. Tomorrow, we will do some additional work for Hamlet during period 5 and move to a timed write for period 6. I will assign the final I.R. book next week and we will begin a new unit soon. Have a good night.