Thursday, April 30, 2015

Essay Videos

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7BVWGKcDRkQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qUNkmG7lqDM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VmeJx5-xIqU

ARGUMENT ESSAY
https://video.search.yahoo.com/video/play;_ylt=A2KLqIA8V0NVWBoAK24snIlQ;_ylu=X3oDMTByZWc0dGJtBHNlYwNzcgRzbGsDdmlkBHZ0aWQDBGdwb3MDMQ--?p=argument+essay+ap+language&vid=1b7be3d69a1d786e56198a075e836e19&l=16%3A49&turl=http%3A%2F%2Fts1.mm.bing.net%2Fth%3Fid%3DWN.70DRuJxQW5HMgFLwPXubvQ%26pid%3D15.1&rurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DkNK2cH0d7cQ&tit=AP+Argument+Essay+Review&c=0&sigr=11bdlju6p&sigt=10or9202p&sigi=11vb40adq&age=1354121538&fr2=p%3As%2Cv%3Av&fr=yhs-mozilla-001&hsimp=yhs-001&hspart=mozilla&tt=b

AP REVIEW    FRIDAY  9-12

TEST  MONDAY  LITERARY TERMS REVIEW

AP English Language Questions

AP English Language and Composition: Kinds of Questions

CliffsNotes AP English Language and Composition In general, AP English Language and Composition test questions tend to fall into just a few categories. By becoming familiar with these areas, you can more quickly understand what you're being asked. Also, you'll be more comfortable with the test format and able to work faster. As with all testing strategies, it is essential to practice recognizing the question types before the test. A brief analysis of these questions types follows.

Questions about Rhetoric

Most of the questions on the test are of this type and test your ability to understand how language works in each passage. These questions ask you to analyze the syntax (sentence structure and word order), diction (word choice), point of view, and figurative language and its effects. Your mere recognition of these elements is not enough; you must be able to understand precisely how and why the devices of rhetoric produce particular effects.
Here are some of the ways this question type may be worded on the test:
  • The shift in point of view has the effect of . . .
  • The syntax of lines _____ to _____ serves to . . .
  • The second sentence is unified by metaphorical references to . . .
  • As lines _____ and _____ are constructed, "_____" is parallel to which of the following?
  • The antecedent for "_____" is . . .

Questions about the Author's Meaning and Purpose

These question types also appear frequently on the test. They measure your ability to interpret the author's theme, meaning, or purpose. As with the rhetorical questions, these questions are closely tied to specific word choices; however, now you must determine why the author chooses the wording, not what effect it produces. These questions demonstrate the understanding of the author's thematic reason for choosing certain phrases.
Here are some of the ways this question type may be worded:
  • Which of the following best identifies the meaning of "_____"?
  • Which of the following best describes the author's purpose in the last sentence?
  • The author emphasizes "_____" in order to . . .
  • The sympathy referred to in line _____ is called "_____" because it . . .
  • What is the function of _____ ?

Questions about the Main Idea

These questions also appear quite frequently; they test your understanding of the author's ideas, attitude, and tone. To prepare for these questions, paraphrase everything that you read. First, make yourself practice this skill in writing-literally write down an author's point in a sentence or two. After such practice, you'll be able to do it internally while you read, and you'll have greater comprehension.
Here are some of the ways these questions may be worded:
  • The theme of the second paragraph is . . .
  • The speaker's attitude is best described as one of . . .
  • In context, the sentence "_____" is best interpreted as which of the following?
  • The atmosphere is one of . . .
  • Which of the following would the author be LEAST likely to encourage?

Questions about Organization and Structure

Appearing less frequently than the first three question types, these questions test your ability to perceive how the passage is organized. For example, you need to know if the passage follows a compare/contrast structure or if it gives a definition followed by examples. Other passages may be organized around descriptive statements that then lead to a generalization. These methods are just a few of the ones an author may use to organize ideas. You also need to understand how the structure of the passage works. For example, you must know how one paragraph relates to another paragraph or how a single sentence works within a paragraph.
Here are some of the ways this question type may be worded:
  • The quotation "_____" signals a shift from . . .
  • The speaker's mention of "_____" is appropriate to the development of her argument by . . .
  • The type of argument employed by the author is most similar to which of the following?
  • The relationship between _____ and _____ is explained primarily by the use of which of the following?

Questions about Rhetorical Modes

You should expect only a few questions of this type on the test. These questions ask you to identify and recognize the various rhetorical modes that authors use. You must know the difference between narration, description, argumentation, and exposition. Understanding why a particular mode is effective for the author's ideas is also helpful.
Here are some of the ways these questions may be worded:
  • The pattern of exposition exemplified in the passage can best be described as . . .
  • The author's use of description is appropriate because . . .
  • Which of the following best describes the author's method?
  • Because the author uses expository format, he is able to . . .
  • The speaker's rhetorical strategy is to . . .

Other Possibilities

Be aware that these question types do not constitute a complete list. You will encounter questions that don't seem to fit into a category. However, by understanding what question types are asked most frequently, you will increase your familiarity with the test and improve your understanding of how to find correct answers. Don't be thrown off balance by questions that don't seem to fall into set categories.

Wednesday, April 29, 2015

Song of Myself

AGENDA:

Song of Myself

James Earl Jones reading Whitman:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fVLXfIh25N0
AGENDA:

We will read several more sections of the poem to find examples of Whitman's key themes:
IDENTITY
VISION OF AMERICA
FRIENDSHIP
SPIRITUALITY
CYCLE OF BIRTH AND DEATH
INDIVIDUALISM
DEMOCRACY

https://search.yahoo.com/yhs/search?p=whitman%27s+song+of+myself+intro&ei=UTF-8&hspart=mozilla&hsimp=yhs-001

https://search.yahoo.com/yhs/search?p=whitman%27s+song+of+myself+lecture&ei=UTF-8&hspart=mozilla&hsimp=yhs-001

 Work with partner on sections 6-21 of poem using the conversational roundtable template
 Share out findings

Monday, April 27, 2015

Whitman's Preface to Leaves of Grass: The Search for an American Poet



Preface






"Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!" (Emma Lazarus). This quote is inscribed on the Statue of Liberty. These words, like Walt Whitman's 1855 Preface, speaks to and for the American people. According to Whitman, America symbolizes freedom for all citizens, not just white men, but for women, black slaves, Native Americans, the illiterate, and the poor. It is this combination that makes this country unique and different from other countries. Whitman was inspired by Ralph Waldo Emerson in his 1843 essay titled "The Poet". Whitman declares that America is a "poem" and speaks of the "greatest poet". Whitman boldly and innovatively expresses his opinions in this work. He speaks to the reader about unity and oneness. At the time this was published, 1855, America was a divided country, half were free and the other slave states. Whitman declares that we are all one people regardless of social status, degree of wealth, gender, and the color of our skin. He stresses this message when he states his view of hierarchy in the line, "President taking off his hat to them not they to him" (1), we are all equal; the President of the United States is no better or greater than the slave, the prostitute, or Native American.






Interestingly, the original 1855 version was published on or around the Fourth of July. The 1855 Preface is written in a ten page prose format and its style is lyrical and includes free verse. This was the only edition that Whitman included a preface to his Leaves of Grass and he did not include the title or the name of the author. Only later did it become known as the 1855 Preface. Whitman uses many of the same stylistic devices found in Leaves of Grass such as using compound words, ellipses instead of full sentences to indicate rhetorical pauses, and few commas so that the lines have a continuous rhythm. This is also written without use of the first person narrative. Whitman gives references to himself in many ways but without the use of "I", "me" or "myself". He is talking for everyone in America not just for himself. He speaks to all who wish to hear him. In this point of history, rich white males were the ones who could or would read something of this magnitude. Scholars and writers such as Ralph Waldo Emerson would read this. Walt Whitman knows this and that is most likely the key reason why he wrote it. He wanted the elite to see America through the eyes of the people that make America so unique.






Whitman speaks loud and clear as the voice for women's rights. Women, at the time, had no voice and had limited rights. They were not able to vote or have the same opportunities that men held. He declares throughout this essay that women should be as equal as men and emphasizes this by frequently writing both man and woman. He promotes his idea of valuing women in the workplace by usin the term workwomen. For example, he speaks about the changing roles of religion and church and says that, "The churches built under their umbrage shall be the churches of men and women"(11). He speaks about Americans having an innate passion for everything from nature to sex and love. Not only did he mention women with men but he refers to them as freewomen. These abundant references to women tie into his philosophy of freedom for all people not just the white upper-class male.






Slavery was a key issue in America during the publication of Leaves of Grass. The nation was divided between North and South (free and slave states). Whitman speaks that we are one nation with a multitude of people and there are no differences between the plantation workers in the cotton fields and the slave owners. Whitman speaks for the black slaves and embraces their beauty and perspectives on life. Although they may be owned without any rights, illiterate, and treated like animals or property, their faith is still strong, "they never give up believing and expecting and trusting."(5). Whitman projects his hopes for the end of slavery when he states, "..when I and you walk abroad upon the earth stung with compassion at the sight of numberless brothers answering our equal friendship and calling no man master…"(8). Modern critic, Marki Ivan notes of Whitman's declaration for equality of all Americans when he cites Whitman's quote, "others are as good as he, only he sees it and they do not". America has an abundance of wealth and resources. Whitman refers to the United States as the "greatest poem" and we are the poets in this great nation. Here is a nation that accepts all mankind even though in this great nation people are divided according to race and gender and status. Whitman states this throughout the 1855 Preface and also makes references to the abundance of land and its many resources. He articulates that resources should be available to all mankind not just the select few (white males). Whitman also expresses his appreciation of the beauty and diversity of its natural resources. He believes that because of these assets people should find work and thrive.

Contemporary critic Marki Ivan refers to Whitman as the "Prophet of his land" (Ivan 2). Whitman gives the reader an insight to a great poem and poet in his Preface to Leaves of Grass:


This is what you shall do: Love the earth and sun and the animals, despise riches, give alms to every one that asks, stand up for the stupid and crazy, devote your income and labor to others, hate tyrants, argue not concerning God, have patience and indulgence toward the people, take off your hat to nothing known or unknown or to any man or number of men, go freely with powerful uneducated persons and with the young and with the mothers of families, read these leaves in the open air every season of every year of your life, re examine all you have been told at school or church or in any book, dismiss whatever insults your own soul, and your very flesh shall be a great poem.


Whitman strongly believes this idea and has faith in the American people to follow his advice. He feels that by accomplishing this task we will be one with one another, an equal and undivided nation "with liberty and justice for all".

See annotated passage for answers to key questions about the poet:

http://www.vcu.edu/engweb/eng372/preface.htm 

Edgar Allan Poe:
The Poetic Principle (1850)


THE POETIC PRINCIPLE.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
IN speaking of the Poetic Principle, I have no design to be either thorough or profound. While discussing, very much at random, the essentiality of what we call Poetry, my principal purpose will be to cite for consideration, some few of those minor English or American poems which best suit my own taste, or which, upon my own fancy, have left the most definite impression. By “minor poems” I mean, of course, poems of little length. And here, in the beginning, permit me to say a few words in regard to a somewhat peculiar principle, which, whether rightfully or wrongfully, has always had its influence in my own critical estimate of the poem. I hold that a long poem does not exist. I maintain that the phrase, “a long poem,” is simply a flat contradiction in terms.
I need scarcely observe that a poem deserves its title only inasmuch as it excites, by elevating the soul. The value of the poem is in the ratio of this elevating excitement. But all excitements are, through a psychal necessity, transient. That degree of excitement which would entitle a poem to be so called at all, cannot be sustained throughout a composition of any great length. After the lapse of half an hour, at the very utmost, it flags — fails — a revulsion ensues — and then the poem is, in effect, and in fact, no longer such.

Would Whitman agree with this?

Walt Whitman

Walt Whitman and Ralph Waldo Emerson

I think Walt Whitman went to the help wanted section and found a squib that said "Wanted: National Poet." And he was innocent enough to believe there really was such a job. And if he could just write a poem that incorporated everything he felt and suspected and hoped for from America that he would have the position.
Allan Gurganus
Rocky Mount, North Carolina
Whitman had a remarkable faith in ordinary people to understand his book. It's celebrating American democracy. It's talking the language of the people. It's attacking aristocratic influences in American life. Why wouldn't this be very, very popular with the people? He expected stage drivers to stop between runs and pull out a copy of Leaves of Grass. People going out to plow the fields have a copy of Leaves of Grass...
Kenneth Price
Lincoln, Nebraska

Biography:

http://www.biography.com/people/walt-whitman-9530126

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/whitman/timeline/

http://www.whitmanarchive.org/

classroomelectric.org/cgi-bin/fipsesearch.pl


This section of the site includes two letters, one by Emerson and one by Whitman that became a part of the second edition of Leaves of Grass. This exchange began as a private note of encouragement from Emerson, a well-known poet and lecturer, to an obscure journalist at the beginning of his poetic career.
The following letter to Whitman from Ralph Waldo Emerson, 21 July 1855 is among the most famous letters ever written to an aspiring writer. Here Emerson suggests the complex foreground that preceded the publication of Leaves of Grass. Without asking Emerson's permission, Whitman gave this private letter to Charles Dana for publication in the New York Tribune on October, 1855.
DEAR SIR--I am not blind to the worth of the wonderful gift of "LEAVES OF GRASS." I find it the most extraordinary piece of wit and wisdom that America has yet contributed. I am very happy in reading it, as great power makes us happy. It meets the demand I am always making of what seemed the sterile and stingy nature, as if too much handiwork, or too much lymph in the temperament, were making our western wits fat and mean.
 
I give you joy of your free and brave thought. I have great joy in it. I find incomparable things said incomparably well, as they must be. I find the courage of treatment which so delights us, and which large perception only can inspire.
I greet you at the beginning of a great career, which yet must have had a long foreground somewhere, for such a start. I rubbed my eyes a little, to see if this sunbeam were no illusion; but the solid sense of the book is a sober certainty. It has the best merits, namely, of fortifying and encouraging.

I did not know until I last night saw the book advertised in newspaper that I could trust the name as real and available for a post-office. I wish to see my benefactor, and have felt much like striking my tasks, and visiting New York to pay you my respects.

R.W. EMERSON
Concord, Massachusetts, 21 July, 1855
Emerson's letter as well as an open letter to Emerson written by Whitman was then printed in an appendix to the 1856 edition of Leaves of Grass. In addition, Whitman printed "I greet you at the beginning of a great career. R.W. Emerson" on the spine of the book.

Wednesday, April 22, 2015

Transcendentalism

Agenda:

Day 2

BELLWORK:  TONE

Go to American Transcendentalism web:


Transcendentalism Prezi:

HMWK:

Read and annotate essay by Allan Sugg  "Transcendentalist Principles from Emerson, Thoreau and Whitman in the film Dead Poets Society"


Tuesday, April 21, 2015

Transcendentalism: Emerson, Whitman, and Thoreau

AGENDA:

Read over some quotes by Whitman. Go to:

http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/w/walt_whitman.html

 
Every moment of light and dark is a miracle.
"Always do what you are afraid to do."
-Ralph Waldo Emerson

2. READ:

"Re-examine All You Have Been Told":  Emerson, Whitman and Thoreau

"This is what you shall do: Love the earth and sun and the animals, despise riches, give alms to every one that asks, stand up for the stupid and crazy, devote your income and labor to others, hate tyrants, argue not concerning God, have patience and indulgence toward the people, take off your hat to nothing known or unknown or to any man or number of men, go freely with powerful uneducated persons and with the young and with the mothers of families, read these leaves in the open air every season of every year of your life, re-examine all you have been told at school or church or in any book, dismiss whatever insults your own soul; and your very flesh shall be a great poem and have the richest fluency not only in its words but in the silent lines of its lips and face and between the lashes of your eyes and in every motion and joint of your body… . The poet shall not spend his time in unneeded work. He shall know that the ground is always ready ploughed and manured … others may not know it but he shall. He shall go directly to the creation. His trust shall master the trust of everything he touches … and shall master all attachment."
from Whitman's Preface to Leaves of Grass (1855)

3. Open a WORD DOCUMENT.   Describe the tone of the passage above in a brief paragraph.
WHAT IS WHITMAN URGING AS A WAY OF LIVING ONE'S LIFE POETICALLY?

4. What is Transcendentalism?

Go to this website and read:

http://www.transcendentalists.com/what.htm



5. Here is the assignment for your Transcendentalism paper which will be due at the end of May.

TASK  PROMPT (Final Unit Assessment): What are the central themes of American Transcendentalism?  After reading the writings of Emerson, Whitman, and Thoreau, write a synthesis essay 5-7 pages that defines and explains the central themes of American Transcendentalism.  Support your discussion with evidence from the texts you have read.  What implications can you draw from these readings that pertain to contemporary society?


WRITING:


 On the same WORD DOCUMENT you wrote the paragraph about the tone of Whitman's quote, write your first reactions to the task prompt.  Add some notes of things you already know about these writers and Transcendentalism.  Search the web if you need more information about these writers.

At the end of the period,  print and turn in your papers. Be sure to put your name on the paper with MLA heading.

Monday, April 20, 2015

AP Review

Practice quizzes

http://www.highschooltestprep.com/ap/english-language/ 

Good review page:
http://mrgunnar.net/files/Analysis%20Essays%20Guide.pdf

Packet:
http://teachers.sduhsd.net/ppennock/ap%20resource%20packet.pdf 

http://teachers.greenville.k12.sc.us/sites/ymason/AP%20Review%20Materials/The_Complete_AP_Language_Review_Packet%5B1%5D.pdf

Spark Notes practice quiz:

http://testprep.sparknotes.com/testcenter/ap/english/

College Board:

http://www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/ap/english_lang/samp.html?englang

Literary Terms review:

http://www.proprofs.com/quiz-school/story.php?title=ap-english-language-terms-definitions-first-half

http://www.proprofs.com/quiz-school/story.php?title=ap-english-language-terms-definitions-first-half_1 

Key vocabulary

http://grammar.about.com/od/terms/a/APterms.htm 

http://www.course-notes.org/English/rhetorical_devices

Transcendentalism

Emerson, Whitman and Thoreau 

http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/w/walt_whitman.html

 
Every moment of light and dark is a miracle.
"Always do what you are afraid to do."
-Ralph Waldo Emerson


"Re-examine All You Have Been Told":  Emerson, Whitman and Thoreau

"This is what you shall do: Love the earth and sun and the animals, despise riches, give alms to every one that asks, stand up for the stupid and crazy, devote your income and labor to others, hate tyrants, argue not concerning God, have patience and indulgence toward the people, take off your hat to nothing known or unknown or to any man or number of men, go freely with powerful uneducated persons and with the young and with the mothers of families, read these leaves in the open air every season of every year of your life, re-examine all you have been told at school or church or in any book, dismiss whatever insults your own soul; and your very flesh shall be a great poem and have the richest fluency not only in its words but in the silent lines of its lips and face and between the lashes of your eyes and in every motion and joint of your body… . The poet shall not spend his time in unneeded work. He shall know that the ground is always ready ploughed and manured … others may not know it but he shall. He shall go directly to the creation. His trust shall master the trust of everything he touches … and shall master all attachment."
from Whitman's Preface to Leaves of Grass (1855)

WHAT IS THE TONE OF THIS PASSAGE?

TASK (Final Unit Assessment): What are the central themes of American Transcendentalism?  After reading the writings of Emerson, Whitman, and Thoreau, write a synthesis essay 5-7 pages that defines and explains the central themes of American Transcendentalism.  Support your discussion with evidence from the texts you have read.  What implications can you draw from these readings that pertain to contemporary society?


DAY 1 


In a quick write, write your first reactions to the task prompt.  Add some notes of things you already know about these writers and Transcendentalism.


Go to American Transcendentalism web:


Read essay by Allan Sugg  "Transcendentalist Principles from Emerson, Thoreau and Whitman in the film Dead Poets Society"

Tuesday, April 14, 2015

Literary Circle Presentations

AGENDA:

Continue working in literary circle groups for your class presentations starting tomorrow.

Herland
The Awakening
Ethan Frome
My Antonia
Henry James/Nella Larsen

Thursday, April 9, 2015

Psychological Criticism Approaches to Literature, Day 2

AGENDA:

Essential Question: 
WHAT ARE THE BASIC ELEMENTS OF PSYCHOLOGICAL LITERARY CRITICISM AND HOW CAN IT BE APPLIED TO LITERARY TEXTS? 

Guiding Question: How can psychological criticism work as a "lens" or approach to understanding the text your Literary Circle group is presenting next week to the class? What insights can this approach provide in understanding the psychology or motivations of the central character?
Herland, The Awakening, Ethan Frome



REVIEW:  Review the Prezi and activities from the previous day (2 minutes)


ACTIVITIES (Interdisciplinary:)  15 minutes preparation, 12 minutes presentation:

Freudian Group:  Create a skit or situation that involves a conflict among the id, ego and super ego.  How does the situation play out?  Which aspect of the personality wins?
http://study.com/cimages/multimages/16/Freud_Personality_Components.jpg


Jungian (archetypes) Group: Choose either Harry Potter, Star Wars, or The Hunger Games (or another popular text or movie).. Map out the character archetypes.  Which character represents each archetype (Wise Old Man, Hero/Heroine, Sidekick,  Maiden, Eternal Child, Villain, Great Mother, Shapeshifter, Trickster, etc.)?  Why is that character that archetype?
Examples Hint (use only after discussing with your group):  
http://www.chartgeek.com/jungian-archetypes-2/


Kohlberg (Moral Development) group: Create a moral/ethical dilemma (e.g. Stealing food to feed a starving family; cheating on a test; writing a letter to turn in a runaway slave like Huck Finn, etc.).  Create or imagine a character going through that dilemma.  What would your character do in that dilemma at each stage of moral development?  Why would they react that way in each particular stage?
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRyEW5xa8ieK4IOfpT_3EmxAQZaA-ktTeJQxs57jg7hdH9JR-loLg2Sags2S6XHLBfdMrFzRoRlfqtzNjMqrKYaikaUahtVV49o8P8nTmUOn6oFUwZleb9boGoqeoPTpit32A6BBg1ecY5/s1600/KOHLSTAG.GIF


PRESENTATIONS

CLOSURE (as time permits): Brief discussion of how each group can apply psychological critical approaches to their novel presentation next week.

HMWK: Study for SAT vocabulary and spelling Friday test


Wednesday, April 8, 2015

Psychological Criticism Approaches to Literary Texts, Day 1, Intro

AGENDA:



Essential Question: 
WHAT ARE THE BASIC ELEMENTS OF PSYCHOLOGICAL LITERARY CRITICISM AND HOW CAN IT BE APPLIED TO LITERARY TEXTS? 


Mini-Lesson: Prezi presentation about Psychological Criticism (25 minutes):

Freud, Jung and Kohlberg (Moral) (25 minutes)

See previous post of Prezi

1. Discuss the following basic questions to use with Psychological Criticism.
Freudian Criticism (Psychoanalytic):

What can we learn about the psychology, the workings of the mind and behavior from the literary text?  What is its psychological appeal to readers?  What psychological issues does it explore?  What might the text reveal about the psychology of the author, or the author’s society, or our society today?  What models of human mind or psychology might help us understand the text better?

Jungian Criticism (Archetypes):

What mythic elements of archetypal patterns—themes, characters,settings, symbols imagery, plots, genres, or versions of the hero’s quest—are employed in this literary work?  What do they contribute to the work as a whole? Does knowledge of these elements add anything to an understanding of the work?  Does the workaddd anything to an understanding of archetypes?  Does the work subvert or deconstruct any archetypes

Kohlberg (Moral):

What appears to be the theme or main moral issue being explored in this literary work?  Has the author offered moral dilemmas in their full complexity?  Does the work demand empathy and the enlargement of readers’ moral imaginations?  Are characters complicated, multidimensional and unstereotyped? Does the text help us understand others more deeply, particularly those with perspectives and backgrounds different than our own?

2. Introduction to the activities for Day 2. Work in their literary groups to apply  the critical lenses/approaches of psychological criticism to their specific novel as they work on their group presentations. (15-20 minutes)