Additional Questions - A brief thought

Hello, I hope that you are finding your way through the novel and making some sense out of Camus' style and philosophical ideology. One thought to convey as we work through the book. Part of preparing for college is finding a way to organize your time effectively. Although college is a time of personal growth, learning, and of gaining self-awareness, it is primarily a test of how well you can manage your time and prioritize your obligations and assignments. You have to look at all you have to do and determine the actual amount of time required by each assignment. You do yourself a disservice to merely look at the work and judge it based on the amount of space it takes up on a page. Ask yourself, "what is it really asking me to do?" "How can I organize my time?" "How much work/time is it really?" Often, you will find that it can be done in less time than you initially think. In short, time management is the one essential skill that you will need t0 get through you undergraduate degree and this is good practice for you. 

Some additional questions:

1. (Ch. 3) "I noticed that everyone ... that strange impression of being odd man out, a kind of intruder. Why is this an ironic statement? 

2. (Ch. 5) ... "Well, so I'm going to die ... In fact, nothing could be clearer." How does this reflect Camus' theme?

3. (Ch. 2) After a while, you could get used to anything." How does this statement capture the essence of the dark tone of the novel and Camus' beliefs about human nature? 

More Questions/Thoughts

Here are some other points to consider:

1. How is the novel existential in nature? Can you make connections? 

2. "If you go slowly, you risk getting sunstroke.  But if you go too fast, you work up a sweat and then catch a chill inside the church. She was right. There was no way out." How is this quote representative of the existential mood permeating the novel?

3. How do Salamano's responses to marriage and life, reflect the narrator's philosophy on life? Is the narrator an extension of Camus or merely a removed, lead character in the novel?

5. Last line of chapter 6, "And it was like knocking four quick times on the door of unhappiness." What is the meaning here? What does the statement indicate about most human actions in life?

6. What elements of existentialism are darkly and discernibly evident in the passage about Salamano and his dog in chapter 3?

These are some random questions to consider from various parts of the book. You can use them as a guide. I will post other questions soon. Hope all is well.

Some Guided Questions for the Reading

Hello. I hope you are all enjoying your break so far. Here is a brief thought and a few questions to consider while reading.

First, let me address the concerns that have been expressed by some of the members of our class. I do appreciate the fact that this is a lot of work and many of you are in need of a vacation. While planning this break work, I tried to find a book and  an assignment that could be completed within the two week time period. Please keep in mind that as an AP teacher there is a tremendous amount of pressure to get through an extensive variety of literary works. In order to accomplish this lofty goal, I must use every opportunity to introduce new novels and to take advantage of the breaks afforded by the school system. To make things easier, I will eliminate the need to answer questions. You can use them as a guide. The vocabulary should not take more than two hours. The passage is written for you; you just need to type it. The essay is a short 4 paragraph AP style task. It should not take too long, and you need not spend days writing it. The reading is the biggest time commitment, and even that can be accomplished in the time off with 10 pages dedicated per night. The writing assignments are likely less intense than they appear, and can be completed with minimal effort. In short, do your best. I am a reasonable person. This is, after all, an extra assignment. If it is too much, I will take your word for it. Do not stress over it. Have fun. Read the book. Write the paper. 

Some questions:

1. After being placed in a nursing home, why does Meursault visit his mother so infrequently?

2. What is the value of Madam Meursault desiring a religious burial?

3. Does Meursault give an explanation for wanting/not wanting to see the open casket? What is significant about this?

4. What is important about Meursault's last thoughts at the Burial?

5. What is important about the vigil?

6. What does Meursault do on Sunday's? What does this say about him?

7. What does Meursault mean when he says, "It occurred to me ... nothing had changed."?

More to follow. Post any other comments if necessary.

Break Homework

First I would like to take this time to wish you all a happy, healthy, and safe holiday season. I hope you get some much needed rest and have a chance to spend some quality time with family and friends. Now that that is out of the way, let's get the "heart" of the matter - no pun "intended" - I could go on all day.

Now, there is one quick point to address. I believe that there may have been one or two people who read The Stranger for the first I.R. assignment. For those students, please read the book - closely - again. This is an opportunity to really get to know the nuances of a text and its rhetorical devices.

For the break, the assignment will consist of several parts. Each part (except the book notes of course) should be typed and turned in together on the 5th. 

1. You will need to conduct a close reading of the book. Take notes and use post-it notes to   isolate important passages, quotes, words, character, conflict, themes, setting, rhetorical devices, syntax, diction, etc.

2. Vocabulary. You should make a list of 20 words you do not know. Give the definition of the word, write the sentence that the word appears in from the text, write your own sentence, and give the pronunciation. This can all be done on the computer. You do not have to do these on index cards.

3. I will post some guided questions on the blog by Christmas Eve. These questions should be answered completely and turned in.

4. Finally, I would like you to isolate one passage and type it up (it can be short). Then, write a 4 paragraph essay on a topic of your choice. In other words, why did you isolate this passage?What, in the passage, made you feel it had rich literary merit? Was it a rhetorical device, diction, syntax, structure, imagery, etc.?  This will be the basis for your essay. Feel free to email me or comment on the blog if you have a question or concern.  I want you to use your knowledge of the AP exam and write an essay about something appropriate for the exam. I know this is not easy, but it is important that you gain some confidence in your own understandings of the text and its rhetorical devices. The essay is AP style, so it does not have to be excruciatingly long - nor should it be. 

Have a great break, I know I will. I will leave you with words from Benjamin Franklin and Socrates:

"Energy and persistence conquer all things."

- B.F.

"The way to gain a good reputation, is to endeavor to be what you desire to appear."

- Socrates

Weekend Homework: 12/19 - 12/21

Sorry for not posting earlier. I have been traveling and without internet. Fortunately, we discussed the homework in class. Just to reiterate, read up to page 66. Complete and type the essay from passage 1. 

For our short week I am trying to consider how to get through everything I need to get through before break. The reading for the break will be Camus' The Stranger. I will hand out books tomorrow and post the assignment on the blog during the break. I want to give another close reading for Heart, and a multiple choice diagnostic as well. 25 questions and a few passages. I would love to show Apocalypse Now, but that may have to wait until we return from break as a separate assignment. As far as Independent Reading goes, We will postpone the due date for the project to January 16th. This should allow you time to get through both books. I would also like to assign another close reading/essay for Heart. I know this is a lot. Good thing you are are young. 

Homework 12/18

Hello. For this evening, please read to the end of part 2 in the book. I would like you to continue to isolate passages that we can use in small group discussions. You should also complete the vocabulary for the week. Tomorrow we will use the remainder of the period to discuss the reading and work on our essays. You will complete the essay at home and bring it in typed on Monday, 12/22. Have a good night. 

Homework: 12/17

For this evening, you should read the next 6 pages of the book. Please come in tomorrow with at least 3 discussion points or questions you wish to address in small groups. We will also work on the essay in class, as I enjoy having a chance to see your work while still in the process. It helps me work individually with students and provide some guidance for your writing. 

We will work on the essays for one more day in class, then you will complete them at home and turn them in. 

The next four days look something like this:

Reading for homework. At 6 pages per night (including weekends) I am estimating that we finish the book by Next Tuesday. 

We will do another essay on Friday. A close reading of passage 2 and that will be do on Monday, 12/22. 

In thinking about the independent reading assignment, I would really like to assign another book over the holiday break. I was thinking that we would be reading two books if we were in class during that time anyway, and being off gives us additional time to read and write. I'm sure that as students in an AP Lit class, you feel the same way. If that means we need to adjust the I.R due dates, I can live with that. I will get some feedback tomorrow. 

Have a good night.

Homework: 12/15

For this evening's homework, I would like you to try to read the next 6 pages. I am hoping to have all of you up to page 36 (class edition) by tomorrow. Please look at today's handout as a guide for your reading and complete the questions as you come across them. I will have you work in groups at some point to compare answers, or to answer the questions together. 

Looking forward, there are a few things coming up: the reading cards are due on Wednesday, we will have a timed write this week at some point, vocabulary is listed in this email - due Friday. 

In addition you have worked on two paragraphs for me in class. These paragraphs should be kept in your writing portfolio and brought with you to class. These should be completed. If you did not do the assignment in class, you need to do at home. 

Vocabulary:

Pestilence 

Deplorable

Impudence

Edifying

Languidly

Sententious

Prodigious

Fecundity

Propensity

Ascetic

Sunday 12/14

I apologize for not posting earlier. As a result, Homework will be limited to the assignments you have due. For reading, you should try to read at least three pages, but if you don't get to it, I will understand. Enjoy the rest of your Sunday.

Homework: 12/11

Good evening. For tonight you should read the rest of part 1 of the book. Do your vocabulary and come prepared for a quiz on  the words - regardless of whether we have one or not. We will spend the last hour of the class taking an AP diagnostic. Copies should be ready by 5th period. This is a one hour, 55 question, multiple choice practice test. There is no essay. 

Make sure you choose a book for the independent reading assignment. Reading cards due soon (17th) and your reading schedule due on the (15th). We will work on more paragraphs as we move on. I will give you an official schedule for Heart of Darkness and due dates for the I. R. assignment on Monday. 

The reading schedule should be a typed, formal breakdown of the five sections of the book with a reading schedule and plan for completing the book by January 5th, 2009. 

Homework: 12/10

Please read the next 6 pages of the book this evening. Continue to isolate passages of particular interest/relevance/significance. Tomorrow we will spend the first part of the class allowing Tanya, Marcia, and Jeffery to present their group analysis of the text. They have decided to do a close reading of the first part of the book. They will discuss Conrad's use of language to convey larger ideas and provide some insight into the meaning of the words. Please come prepared to contribute to the presentation having read and taken notes on the readings so far.

Two Comments. I must say that I was happy with some of the paragraphs I read today in class. I noticed a definite improvement in structure and organization of your ideas. The key to good writing - at least on school-based assignments - is clarity and organization. A clear thesis leads to solid topic sentences, which in turn leads to well-structured and well-organized essays. Let's continue to work toward that end.

Lastly, there is still too much talking during our writing assignments. Writing is a key component to AP Literature and COMPOSITION, and therefore should be taken seriously. It is very difficult to write effectively and organize one's thoughts without absolute quiet. Please do not force me to become the teacher I do want to be. I am asking you all to self-govern and show academic respect and maturity. I know that many of you are legitimately discussing the text, but an individually assigned writing task is not the time to do so. I have a lot of respect for all of you and I ask that you respect the class and your classmates. I want to avoid classroom confrontation as that only serves to weaken a class and creates a negative tone. I can handle a little talking, but please pick appropriate times. I am confident that this will be all that is necessary to solve this minor issue.

Homework: 12/09

Good evening, 

Please read the next 6 pages of the book. Then, I would like you to once again bring in at least two passages for discussion. You should also make notes of the specific use of literary devices, elements, etc. Have a good night.

Homework: 12/08

I hope that you are all finding the book manageable at this point. I will not require any additional reading tonight, but you should go back and take a look at the selection from the weekend reading. You should also read the handouts distributed in class today to gain some context and understanding of the author, time period, history, etc.

Please come prepared to work in small groups and discuss the reading from the first 10 pages. Please bring in questions for the discussion, as well as a brief passage that you found difficult, significant, meaningful, or insightful. These passages - which need not be long -  will fuel the group discussions and allow for a vibrant discourse between group members.

I will set a date of Monday, December 15th for your Reading schedule for the new independent reading assignment. I will give you a due date for the book, but you can count on a similar schedule with staggered due dates for each individual component. I will change the assignment for the next I.R. project, but we will keep it the same for this one. 

Also, we need to begin to make up the writing conferences for those who missed or were rescheduled, and schedule meetings for those who have not done so yet. 

One last thing. The school is doing a canned food drive for the less fortunate. They have decided to run it through the English department this year. The winning class get some kind of a prize. I keep forgetting to mention it, so remind me tomorrow. Let's all think about bringing in cans to help the cause. 

Weekend Homework: 12/05 - 12/06

For this weekend I would like you to do two things. First, Read the first 10 pages of the book. While reading, begin to take note of the motifs found in the book. Exploration, light and dark imagery, trade, imperialism, colonialism, race. Be aware that there is some racism in the book, so we must understand its significance as well. You should also take note of the use of the "framing narrative," essentially the the name we use for books that have a story within a story. How does the narration allow for critical interpretation? Begin to use post-it notes and read closely and carefully.

Second, Read and annotate the poem, "The Hollow Men," by T.S. Eliot. We will discuss on Monday in class. 

Homework: 12/04

Hello. For this evening, you should complete the vocabulary homework assignment and be prepared for a quiz tomorrow. Words are included in this email.

A few things to consider:

We will begin Conrad's Heart of Darkness  this weekend and do some preliminary work with the book starting tomorrow. We will also spend some time working to perfect the paragraphs for Roethke's poem. The next five reading cards are due on Wednesday, December 17th. As per request, the next independent reading list is found at the end of this email. Same assignment, but we will go over that in class. Next week we will have a multiple choice diagnostic. 

Words for vocabulary:

Ostentatious, Iridescent, Attenuate, Recrudescent, Cajole, Venerable, Punctilious, Temerity, Obstreperous, Fractious.

Independent Reading Assignment List:

1. Arthur Miller - Death of a Salesman

2. Ken Kesey- One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

3. Tim O'Brien - The Things They Carried 

4. Richard Wright - Native Son 

5. Henry James - Portrait of a Lady

6. Leslie Marmon Silko - Ceremony

7. Khaled Hosseinii - The Kite Runner

8. Louise Erdich - Love Medicine

9. Thomas Hardy - Tess of the D'urbervilles

10. Miguel de Cervantes - Don Quixote