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!