Deep Thoughts

I'm a little backlogged on grading, but I'm working late tonight to catch up. Just me. Alone here in 262. Sigh.

Anyway, to prove that I've been making some progress (and to help you understand what makes a great literary analysis) I'm posting some exemplars for the ATPH test passage.

To get an A on this part of the test, you had to do the following: 1) Respond to all elements of the question; 2)Correctly identify a motif and articulate a theory about what it represents that goes beyond the obvious (Not just "blood symbolizes death." What else could the blood symbolize, or at the very least what truths about death is McCarthy hinting at); 3)Comment clearly on how the passage contributes to a thematic idea. Your comment should include inightful ideas that go beyond the surface; and 4) Use your three supporting passages to inform a well-written thesis statement that answers the question "What about your thematic idea is important in this novel?"

Here are some examples of parts of successful papers:

From Erik R.:

"This passage expands upon the idea of nature's ability to both give and take away. John Grady Cole has just killed a doe, which is a gift from nature. However, as the doe dies, Cole begins to recognize nature's ability to take away. Not only does he indirectly compare Alejandra and the doe, but he also eventually recognizes that nature's 'heart beat at a terrible cost' and that no matter what he did "the world's pain and its beauty moved in a relationship of ... equity.' this is a moment of epiphany for Cole since his opens his eyes to the little beauty for which he has suffered so much."

from Maureen K.:

"Red is repeated several times within the whole book, as is blood, and I think that it symbolizes death. Wetness is also repeated several times in this passage, and I think it symbolizes tears or lack of them. Through everything that happened while he was in Mexico, he only cried once or twice. He dwelt a lot on what had happened but didn't show any emotion attached to the events. Pain and beauty are grouped together which is odd, but it comments that they moved together in a relationship of equality, one never overpowering or making itself more present than the other. "Cold" and "blue" I think could hint at the melancholy disappointment that John is feeling at this point before he leaves Mexico."

From Annie D.:

"Throughout the book, McCarthy uses the motif of darkness, death and cold to reinforce the idea of loneliness. In this passage, specifically, McCarthy uses works like "dark," "cold," "cold blue," "dying light," and "darkening landscape." Even though these are in relation to the setting, it strengthens the motif of darkeness and cold while simultaneously enhancing the theme of loneliness because he shows that John is all alone in a dark, cold world. This is seen throughout the book when Alejandra leaves John, when Rawlins returns home, when John must face the judge alone, and finally when he rides off in the sunset alone at the end of the novel. The effect of the motif is that it further reinforces the idea that John is rebelling against the rest of society and striking out on his own to try to reconnect with an older era. This is because the darkness and loneliness that he encounters is a direct result of the choices he made along his journey. Theis motif could symbolize the empirical truth about humanity that is if we pursue womething whole-heartedly, especially if it stands in contrast to the rest of society, we will inevitably face obstacles such as loneliness."

Podcasting Project!

We're going to do a podcasting project with some third graders at Fairview Elementary School in Bloomington, Indiana.

On Wednesday, we're going to listen to the third graders' podcast, and then we're going to think about how to respond. Our topic will be censorship and literature.

To help us, I've compiled some links relating to these topics. You can find them on my Diigo page here:

Links!

I hope that works.

Here's the link to the Fairview kids' podcast!

Overdue Comments from 6th Hour

Here are some comments about the pieces published by Hot Paper Press:

Regarding Kelly D.'s piece: "As a haiku book, the style was very minimalistic but the theme was deep and made you think about each issue brought up."

Regarding Annie D.: "It made a lot of sense and I felt really happy after I finished reading it."

"Emma Cooperstein wrote the poem 'Hope.' I thought her poem was intriguing because it gave different definitions of hope, faith, life, etc. that were really thought-provoking."

"'The Repercussions of War' by James Neville was a piece that stood out for me because it was in depth and had very prominent point of view."

Regarding Jackie W.: "I like how there are so many little things that make people happy; they don't have to be big."

Regarding Addy Z.: "Lots of work was put into it, clear and insightful analysis, educational and interesting."

"I really liked Tyler's play. From what I read, it was very witty."

"I liked Addy's project because it was a good insight into the religions of the world and it was multicultural."

"I really liked Maureen's piece because it related to a very interesting topic and all of the information she included was true, which make it more exciting."

5th Hour Publishing Party!

Here are some of the comments from 5th hour:

"I liked [Fletcher's] because it was an argument/discussion about the laws and instincts of man."

"[Mary and Justin's] was a really cool idea and had lots in common with Davita's Harp."

"Patchy the Polar Bear was creative and I could tell they put effort into it."

"[Jon's] were fun and light-hearted. They were also creative in their word choice."

"I liked [Fumi and the Bird of Peace] becaues it used simple but powerful experiences to portray meanings that go deeper than words."

"I really liked the whole presentation of [Fumi and the Bird of Peace], from the music to the origmai bird."

"Caitlin R.'s untitled piece was intriguing because it reflected a teenager's voice."

"I liked Jon's Here Ye Here Ye piece because it rhymed well, had a beat, and made me laugh."

"Micaela's book was well organized and showed how to reach Buddhist enlightenment."

"I would like to hear more about Max's. It was about The Odyssey and how Odysseus shouldn't be considered a hero because he killed so many people and sought revenge."

"I liked Elsa's poem because it wasn't just describing feelings, but there was irony incorporated."

"Lisa's poem/story looked very well done and touching."

"I liked Jeff B's Darkness and Repentence because it sounded mysterious yet intriguing."

Thanks for doing all of that thought-provoking work! I'm looking forward to discussing ATPH on Monday - finish the book!

Creative Writing Party!

Yesterday, you got to share your creative writing with each other. I wanted to share some of the comments you made about each other's work. We'll start with the comments from 4th hour:

"I really liked Kalyna's 'Lonely Face' piece because the drawing was detailed and cool and the metaphor was great."

"I really liked ER's story. I wanted to hear more about her main characters and the life they lead. The story seemed very thrilling."

"I liked Emily's because she made a great point about gender inequality. David also made good points about how inflated sexuality has become in society."

"I really liked Rebecca's idea! Very controversial... we could discuss that for a long time."

"I really liked David K's because the piece had clever sources, and was somewhat an uncomfortable thing to write about, and I think he pulled it off well."

"I really enjoyed Jerry's project because of the 'change' quotes that were in it."

"I really liked Molly's. I liked her drawings and thought it was really creative. She should do more of those! It made me happy. And it made ER happy."

"Anna B. drew a face made of words that were saying 'no make-up,' etc. and the girl was gcrying since it wasn't true. I thought it was creative and had good insight into society."

"I really enjoyed Anne's because it covered an idea that I often think about, she voiced her thoughts very well, and it really challenged the term 'happiness.'"

There were also a few others expressing appreciation for the more visual pieces - Kalyna's, Molly's, and Anna's.

We Made It Through Quarter One!

We're on to another quarter. Hooray!

One thing I want to stress is that quarter grades are an important benchmark; however, they never appear on a permanent record. Your semester grade is what you'll carry on your transcript. Your semester grade is an average of your two quarter grades, with your semester exam grade figured as 10% of your second quarter grade.

I also want to stress that As and Bs are very solid grades - a great way to begin your sophomore Enriched English. A C is not terrible, but rather a reminder that you'll need to put a high percentage of your time and effort into your English work in the coming months.

Overall, about a third of you earned As this quarter. More than a half of you earned Bs, and about ten percent of you have Cs.

And with that, I think it's time to move on and discuss more important matters. Like your creative writing. Look for a post about your first publishing house pieces later today.

Once Upon a Time...

Holy moly, this week has flown by! We have a lot happening with today marking the end of the quarter and the middle of ATPH rising up and swallowing us whole. As I mentioned when we began, McCarthy takes about 100 pages to really bring you into the belly of this story, but now we're there. Enjoy! And read to page 180 by Monday.

Also this week, I assigned a short story to be written in the pattern of the hero quest. Our writing schedule is as follows:

11/6: Work day in computer lab.
11/11: 1st publishing house piece due! Launch party!
11/13: Work day on short stories. You must be settled on an idea/plot by the end of the hour.
11/18: Peer review on short stories. Rough draft due.
11/20: Story sharing - final drafts due.

Have a good weekend, Sophs!