Merry Christmas paper

Over the Christmas break, please study for a comprehensive midterm over everything we've studied this semester! 

...

...

gasp! what?

JUST KIDDING. Actually, instead, I'd like you to take the movie we watched in class today and write a paper about it. Here's the assignment. PLEASE READ CAREFULLY!!! 

Here's the outline you should use to write your paper. Do not turn in an outline, but use this outline to write your paper:

I. Introduction. Describe the main argument and the point of the movie. What premises is Ben Stein working from?

II. Analyze the method used to develop the main argument of the movie (example: gathering information by interviewing authorities, historical background, analogies, etc.). If you can remember, try to use some concrete examples of the methods.

III. Analyze the opposing argument. What was Ben Stein trying to oppose? What arguments did they use? What were their premises?

IV. Logical Fallacies and Tools of Persuasion. Were there any logical fallacies you detected in the movie? Remember to evaluate both sides of the argument. What tools of persuasion were used by both sides?

V. Conclusion. Was the movie effective? Do you think it accomplished it's goal? Can you think of anything that would have made it stronger? Anything that weakened it?

This is a substantial paper! But... look at it this way, I've already done half the work for you! :)

IMPORTANT: The rough draft of this paper is due JAN 15th, second day of class next semester.

So, Merry Christmas!!! Enjoy your time with the family! See you in January!

Last Day of Class!!

No, we're not throwing our brains out the windows and expelling logic, but we are going to celebrate our new-found ability to analyze logic. 

Here is my plan: To accompany our theme of logic and reasoning, we will be having a film viewing of Expelled this Thursday during class-time. Your assignment will be to write a report on the film over the break (more details in the next post), so come prepared with festive munchies and note-taking tools! Be prompt so that we have plenty of time to watch the movie and have a short discussion afterward.

See ya then!

Joanna

How Not to Practice Logic

Hi students! For your reading assignment, you can link to the document as usual! Hurray! No more funny download files! 

It should be a fun read for you. Take note of all the logical fallacies he talks about in his story. We'll be engaging in a discussion about logical fallacies on Tuesday.

In addition, please don't forget to do your grammar assignments: 

p.86 B odds, 

p.87 D all, 

p.89 A,B,C all

You guys are gonna be sentence-crafting pros in no time!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Technical Difficulties

It looks like the link isn't working for you guys, which I was afraid might be the case.

We'll have to do it the old fashioned way! I'll bring copies to class tomorrow. 

Your jobs just got a whole lot easier!

Joanna

Dust off your thinking cap!

For Thursday, analyze and evaluate the article, "I Want A Wife" by Judy Brady. Be prepared to discuss the following questions in class:

What is her tone? 

What is her goal in writing; what is she trying to persuade her audience about? 

Who is her audience, do you think? 

Is she effective in accomplishing her purpose? 

What premises underly her argument? 

Does she employ mostly rational tactics, or nonrational tactics? 

Why do you think she chose to construct her argument this way?

By the way, the article link opens up a downloadable file instead of a published web page (part of the technical difficulty I spoke of), but if you save it and open it with Microsoft File Viewer or some such program, it should work. Please tell me if you're having troubles with the file!

West Virgina Drop-outs Make for Bad Drivers

Well, you guys were great at putting those thinking caps on today! Discussing this West Virginia law, we came up with quite a few potential problems with the law. Yet, apparently, at least 10 states felt that the benefits outweigh the problems.

However, it's always easier to criticize, then to lead the way. So, here's my challenge to you:

After reading the handout I gave you, come up with a law of your own instead of the West Virginia law. Keep in mind the following:

1. What is the ultimate goal of the law? Are there several goals? (For example, is it to keep people from dropping out of highschool? or is it to increase education standards among highschool students? does the first necessarily accomplish the second?)
   
2. Based upon our premise that good parenting will go much farther at accomplishing the above goal, is there a way to fashion a law that will encourage this relationship, rather than discourage it?
   

This is your chance to put that creativity we've been cultivating to good use! So, read the handout, then come to class prepaired with your ideas!

Creativity marries Logic

For Thursday, you'll be turning in your last assignment in our "creative writing" section of the class. Write 2 paragraphs describing some aspect of your Thanksgiving holiday. Be descriptive. Use colorful words and verbs! And don't forget to proofread. :)

Tonight, I'm going to try to scan in your reading assignment, so check back this evening. If I still can't get it up there, I'll just make copies and we'll go over it in class. We'll be taking a look at argumentative/persuasive writing, and learning how to both analyze other writer's persuasive pieces, and how to construct our own. The thing we must always remember is: evaluate premises. More about this in class. 

For now, don't throw out your creativity! As we have seen, just because guidelines, rules, or logic are present, doesn't mean you can't be creative. In fact, perhaps creativity takes some of it's most useful forms in the boundaries of logic. 

So, I hope your Thanksgivings were wonderful! See you Thursday!

Thanksgiving is coming!!! ...but for now be thankful for one more class. :) then eat turkey.

Tuesday's to-do's:

First, write a poem! It must be at least 14 lines long.

Second, write a journal entry on one of the poems we have studied. Tell me what you think the poem is communicating, and how it uses it's poetic devices to accomplish this. Try to be specific! Use examples from the poem. Don't forget your topic sentence, and it must be a good two paragraphs long. 

Hasta Martes! (See ya Tuesday.. en espanol)

Finishing up... check the updated link, please!

I've posted an updated link, entitled "Modern Poetry, pt2," for Thursday's class. Please, don't miss it! And don't forget to study for the quiz! It will be short answer, definitions for terms of grammar and terms of poetry that we have learned. Please look over your notes,  and email me if you have any questions. See ya in 50-something hours. :) 

Well, ya know... Poetry!

So, if you didn't get a chance to read the Modern Poetry for Thursday, providence has smiled on you and given you a whole extra weekend's worth of time to catch up! It's a wonderful life! This next Thursday, we'll have a quiz (more info in class on Tuesday), so don't think this is all in vain! :)

Also, for Tuesday, we'll be working on compliments, sentence fragments, and run-on sentences in your grammar handbook. You will find the helpful exercises on p. 46 (odds), p. 47 (odds), and p. 49 (all). I'm sure you guys will knock these out of the park!

See you on Tuesday!

...and more poetry!

Sorry so late in the day! There were so many fascinating examples of modern and contemporary poetry, I just couldn't contain myself! 

Starting with T.S. Eliot, we have an example of post "Great War" (which is what people called it before WWII came along) poetry. You may notice the darker tones. I didn't include a whole lot of poetry from this period, because it is a bit depressing (Justin, you'll LOVE it! haha.) Also, some Irish poetry from W.B. Yeats--a great example of Niche-like hatred for traditional religion.

Roethke is a bridge from modern to contemporary, the poem here serving as a great example of existential thinking (becoming by being).

Then I just went straight to contemporary poetry, because it was so enticing! In the poetry of Kunitz, you see reflections of Freidian thought, while finally in Collins' works, we have a turning to slightly happier tones. Collins was held the position of Poet Laureate in America, from 2001-2003, so his reputation is fairly estabilished. 

More on Thursday! Enjoy!

.... and more poetry....

I've posted a link to your sampling of poetry from the Romantic Period. Come ready to discuss how they are different from the sonnets we've been reading! See ya on Tuesday!

Poetry, poetry, poetry!

Hi guys! Sorry, I didn't get a chance to post yesterday! 

So, is your head swimming with alphabet soup and rhyming couplets after yesterday's discussion? We've got Petrarch and Shakespeare. They both wrote sonnets, which we learned was a 14-line type of poem that juxtaposes two ideas in order to communicate a point. 

Sonnets written in the Petrarchan style had two parts, called an octave and a sestet. The first 8 lines (octove) had a rhyme scheme something like abbaabba, followed by the six lines of c's, d's, and e rhymes, not usually ending in a couplet.

The Shakespearean sonnets usually went more like ababcdcdefef, followed by a rhyming couplet [gg].  This format was better suited to the English language because of it's flexibility and easier rhyme scheme. 

Both kinds of sonnet contain what we call "the turn," where the rhyme scheme changes, signifying a change in thought.

SO, in the packet of poems I gave you (feel free to explore more of them!), there are five religious poems at the end. For a journal entry due tomorrow, please pick out one of the five and tell me:

1. the rhyme scheme,
   
2. followed by a paragraph on what two ideas, images, objects, etc the poem is juxtaposing, where the turn is, and what is the poem's final conclusion or question raised. 
   

As, always, please let me know if you have any qestions!

Poetry, Short Story

For Tuesday, all you need to do is finish your short stories. I will bring in copies of your reading assignment to go over in class, as we will be starting our short survey of poetic forms! 

So get your iambic pentameter on, and be ready to scan some poetry on Tuesday!

To recap today's lecture:

-Discovered the plot of the Aeneid.

-Background for why Virgil was writing.

-Background for why Dryden was translating

-Dryden's poetic form, iambic pentameter, and strong word choice.

By the way, you can take a lesson from Dryden's skill in choosing clear, forceful words as you write your stories! Just ask yourself, "What would Dryden do?" :D 

Looking forward to reading your final creative projects! See you on Tuesday!

Pamper your Muse

Your "muse" is your creative inspiration, the term originating from early Greek mythology. Writers throughout history talk about trying to "find their muse," meaning they are trying to find their creative inspiration. (Apparently, if you were cool in the 1980s this is what your muse would have looked like). So, hopefully by now you've found your muse, your creative inspiration. Now, you must pamper her! :) In other words, try to keep her from going away! 

How? Keep a pad of paper and a pencil to jot down ideas in case they come to you while you aren't working on the story. Often, because of the way our brains work, you will get really creative in really inconvenient moments: exercising, showering, going to sleep at night, listening to music while you drive. Having a pen and paper handy helps you to capture those brilliant ideas when they come to you! 

But your muse is not perfect. After you finish getting all that creative inspiration stuck to the paper, it needs to be organized, polished, and applied to the element of reason. Make sure it makes sense, and that your muse isn't speaking a different language than your readers! Haha... you want them to understand. 

So, I wish you luck as you work to turn in those short story masterpeices on Tuesday! 

Also, to help keep your muse from flying through the clouds, do Grammar Exercise C, page 34, ODDS. Your readers will thank you!

See you guys on Thursday! We'll be discussing the Aeneid!

Controversy in Class

Well, I think that was one of my favorite classes so far! Thanks all of you who vocalized your thoughts with firm conviction! Sometimes it's hard to have a good discussion if everyone agrees with each other, and I know we all have different personalities and preferences, so disagreements are bound to liven things up! We learn more from each other that way!

To summarize, James Joyce was an interesting guy, bent on pushing the status quo. There are some good things about this, and there are some bad things about this. Depending on your preferences, you may or may not like the direction he pushed things, but we all must admit, that he had a bit of writing talent. :) 

If his goal was to get you guys thinking about the literature and to ruffle some feathers, I'd say he definitely acheived his goal. 

So, now back to your own short story! Whether experimental or conventional, do your best! Bring your rough drafts in on Tuesday for some peer editing.

Finally, please read the excerpt I've posted from John Dryden's translation of the Aeneid. 

See ya on Tuesday!

Three cheers for Grammar!! (I'm sure that's what you're saying after class today.)

Well, you are all on your way to becoming subject/predicate pros! Pretty soon, you'll be diagramming sentences like the one above, just for FUN! ;P 

For Thursday, please read the excerpt from James Joyce's Ulysses, which I have posted on the side panel. As you are reading it, remember that the main character Stephen is modeled after Ulysses. 

For your journal entry, jot down some thoughts on how you think this version of the Odyssey differes from Homer's, especially regarding the following aspects:

• Point of View
  
• Tone
  
• Setting
  

In addition to the reading assignment and journal entry, don't forget to do the even problems on your grammar Exercise C, pg. 44. Good luck!

Short Stories gallore!

Well, I hope your "brainstorming" time in class has you off to a good start - squirrels and all! For Tuesday, please bring in journal entry, with the following information. (You can fill in each catagorie with a few sentences):

Original: (write what you are keeping from the original story here)

Main Character: (tell me a little about the main character of your story here. what is important about him? Make sure the details you focus on, support your plot.)

Setting: (Tell me where your story is, when your story is, and maybe how it looks).

Plot: (Draw or outline a plot diagram here, including all the peices of the plot we learned earlier. This part might change as you begin writing, especially in it's fine-tuning, but having a good overall picture to begin with, will help guide your imagination toward something outstanding!)

Also, please read the last chapter posted on the Homer site. I also will have a rough outline of the entire Odyssey, like the one we looked at in class (except maybe with some better art :D ), so keep checking for that.

Have a fabulous weekend!

This Thursday

Here we go! If your head isn't reeling from trying to figure out what a compound-complex sentence is... you weren't paying attention. :) So, for the next class, here's what to do!

1. Read sections three and four in the Odyssey.
   
2. Bring your idea for what story you'd like to use for your short story remake. Keep in mind that you can use little pieces or parts of the Iliad for your short story as well!
   
3. Do the "diagnostic" exercises on page 37 in your workbooks. Please do all of the exercises. 
   

See you in two days!

Creativity and Story!

Ok my wonderful pupils! Put your creative hats on, and start thinking about your short stories. Remember, the qualification you have so far are:

1. It must be a retelling of one of the tales in the Odyssey
   
2. It can be a creative twist to your liking (new time period, new perspective, new ending, more details, etc.... get CRAZY!)

Also, please refer to the new "Homer" link for all things Homeric... like your next reading assignment. I've consolidated the links to both the Illiad, and the Odyssey on that one site to make it a bit easier to navigate, I hope.

Finally, prepare yourselves for a quiz on the Illiad characters. It will be matching.

As always, please contact me if you have any questions!! :)

Future film-makers of Australia

Oh, and let's not forget, the creative and low-budget interpretation from the minds of kids like you. If you can make it through the first scene without throwing up, you should enjoy. :) 

At least I laughed. 

and here's another one, that's not quite as good, but I enjoy watching the 3 "seiges" upon the wall.

a wee bit late

Sorry guys! Somewhere I dreamed I had already posted the homework... but Ameena and Alicia brought me back to reality. Thanks girls!

So, here is the assignment for tomorrow:

Read the excerpt from the Odyssey, which you will find posted on the side. Be thinking of how the tone, style, and perspective differs, if at all. And just enjoy the story!

For grammar: Do exercises A & B, evens, on page 19. 

No journal entry.

See ya tomorrow! Also, I regretfully inform you that we have no fall break. But if you play your cards right, I must just have a sick day at some point this semester, so save your excitement. :)

Journal Entry Grading Criteria

Just in case you're wondering, here are the guidelines for how I grade your journal entries. Each aspect is graded on a scale of 1-5 (1 being poor and 5 being excellent). The total possible points are 35, but I calculate your grade out of a total 30 points. This means, it's possible (though very difficult) to get extra points on your journal entries! 

So, the aspects of your paper include:

1. Responded fully to the assignment

2. Clear topic sentence, expressing the main point or position

3. Exercises good critical thinking, going beyond surface ideas.

4. Provides adequate supporting arguments with reasons, examples, etc.

5. Is focused, well-organized, and unified.

6. Free of errors in grammar, punctuation, word choice, spelling, and format

7. Displays originality and creativity.

Some of these may look a bit different than usual on your current journal entry, but I assure you, they are still applicable. So, try your best, and please ask questions if you don't understand your grades. I'll be happy to go over them with you. Have a stupendous weekend!

The finish line!

Over the weekend, pat yourselves on the back (but not too confidently... I wouldn't want it to go to your heads), because we're finishing the Iliad! So read to the end and then we have two projects:

1) Write a journal entry on all the different narrative terms as applied to the Iliad. So you'll be giving me a general overview, if you will, of the Iliad, in the following outline:

I. point of view

II. setting (all of it)

III. plot 

• a-exposition, 
  
• b-crisis, 
  
• c-climax, and 
  
• d-resolution
  

IV. elaborate on one of the following themes (1 paragraph): 

a) human responsibility vs. involvement of gods, 

b) the cause of suffering

d) necessity of courage vs. the limits of courage

Sound good? I'm looking forward to some fabulous journal entries! These do not have to be in paper format (with an intro/conclusion/thesis). Instead, you can simply put it in outline format, as per the above outline. On point IV, please do write in paragraph format, with a good topic sentence. 

If that's clear as mud, feel free to post follow-up questions for clarification. :)

See ya'll on Tuesday!

Gratzi!

Thanks for writing some spectacular poetic creations, ladies and gentlemen! I'm thoroughly enjoying my readings. :)

For this Thursday, please read down to chapter 24: "The slaying (or chopping up into little peices, according to Alicia) of Hector." We're so close to the finish line! woohoo! 

And thanks for all your terrific thoughts on creativity! More to come on that topic later. "Just you wait Henry Higgins, just you wait."  (guess what movie that's from?) See ya Thursday!

Have a fab weekend!

Over this weekend, please read Chapters 15-19 of the Iliad, and if you want, go ahead and finish it, because that's the assignment for Thursday! :)

And for your grammar assignment: please do all the odd problems of exercises A & B, on page 9. You'll be capitalizing fiends in no time!

It's EASY... right?

All you have to do for Thursday is read the assignment! No quiz, no journal entry, no grammar exercise! Who could ask for better? :)

So, your reading assignment is to read chapters 11-14: "The Battle on the Plain" through "The Story of Old Phoenix." You don't have to read "The Adventure of Diomed and Ulysses" unless you just want to read ahead. :)

See you guys on Thursday! I'll be there with grammar books in hand! Woohoo!

G.K. Chesterton on "Courage"

I love this quote from one of C. S. Lewis's contemporaries, G.K. Chesterton. And it goes swell with what we're reading right now! Think about this (if it doesn't make your brain turn upside down) and then think about it in relation to the Iliad. We'll discuss it more in class!

So here's the quote:

"Courage is almost a contradiction in terms. It means a strong desire to live, taking the form of a readiness to die. 'He that will lose his life, will save it,' is not a piece of mysticism for saints and heroes. It is a piece of everyday advice for sailors or mountaineers. It might be printed in an Alpine guide or a drill book. This paradox is the whole principle of courage; even of quite earthly or quite brutal courage. A man cut off by the sea may save his life if he will risk it on the precipice. He can only get away from death by continually stepping within an inch of it. A soldier surrounded by enemies, if he is to cut his way out, needs to combine a strong desire for living with a strange carelessness about dying. He must not merely cling to life, for then he will be a coward, and will not escape. He must not merely wait for death for then he will be a suicide, and will not escape. He must seek his life in a spirit of furious indifference to it; he must desire life like water and yet drink death like wine."

More battles:

So, we talked about how Homer focuses on individuals within the battle in order to draw out qualities of heroism, while at the same time, relating both the progress of the battle and the participation of the gods. This is an intentional choice of perspective that helps to make the story more fascinating and relatable to his readers.

So, we're going to keep reading more of these accounts over the weekend! Start with Chapter 8, "Of Glaucus and Diomed," and read down to (but not including), Chapter 11, "The Battle on the Plain."

Also, don't forget we have a QUIZ!!!

Please look over the following vocabulary words and their meanings to prepair for the quiz:

• Plot: Exposition, Crisis, Climax, Resolution
  
• Point of view: 1st-person, 3rd-person omniscient, 3rd-person limitted, objective 3rd-person
  
• Theme
  
• Setting
  
• Style
  
• Tone
  
• Symbol
  
• Allegory
  

Feel free to help each other if someone didn't catch one of the above definitions! Have a terrific weekend! Maybe enjoy this weather and do your homework outside! :) See you guys on Tuesday.

On Bravery

Haha! Since we're talking about bravery, I thought I'd post an example of what Paris might have thought about it. :)

Thanks for a great class today! You guys have great questions and thoughts, and so far, I'm quite excited about your perceptive reading. Keep up the good work! :D

So, for this Thursday, please read the next chapter, entitled "Concerning Other Valient Deeds." 

Also, for your first Journal Entry, I'd like to hear what you think:

• Do you think that the story itself values bravery as a quality? If so, or if not, what clues in the story lead you to this conclusion? 
  

Your answer should be at least 2 good paragraphs if typed, or about a page, handwritten.

Over the weekend

Don't forget! Read up to, but not including, the chapter entitled "Concerning Other Vallient Deeds."

Here's a question to kick around in the comments section: If you were going to tell the story from the perspective of one of the characters, which character would you choose?

See ya Tuesday!

Thursday Assignment

The link to the Iliad is to the left. Again, let me know if you have problems trying to print it. The version I've posted is as follows:

The Iliad for Boys and Girls, Told From Homer in Simple Language (New York: The Macmillan Company, 1929), by Alfred John Church

If you're looking for a hard copy at the library, according to the catalogue, there are several copies at different locations. Here's a link!

So, for the assignment: Please read the first three chapters (down to "The Duel of Paris and Menelaus"). And don't forget to post a comment on who your favorite character is so far and why! (I know... it might be hard at this point, since you don't know much about them yet, but be creative!) 

See you guys Thursday!

Taylor Mali on speaking with conviction

Here's the video I was going to show you guys in class! Enjoy!

Welcome!

Hello, everyone! For those interested in my class, I've posted some additional information on the sidebars! You should find, to your left:

• A link to Registration
• A Calendar for the class (note: Class begins SEPT. 9th)
  
• A Class Syllabus (providing the general direction of the class).

If you have questions, you can either email me directly, or feel free to post a comment on the most recent post. It's preferable to post a comment, just in case anyone else may be wondering the same question! :)

Thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to spend time with your children, talking about literature! Your trust and enthusiasm have been an encouragement to me.

See you in a few weeks!