Some final links...

for the final.  Wit, it kills me.

Here are some links to things that will be on your exam:

Plagiarism

Paraphrasing, Summarizing, etc.

Journals

Due tomorrow.

5/9-what makes a good teacher? Who were some of your favorites?
5/10-free write
5/13-what high school rites of passage do you think are important? Why?
5/14-is the glass half empty of half full? Explain.
5/15-do you like tattoos? If you had to get one, what would it be? Why?
5/23-do you consider yourself an angry person? Why or why not?
5/24-what song makes you cry? Explain.
5/28-finish this statement: "when I look back on high school, I hope..."
5/29-list five pieces of advice for incoming freshmen.
5/31-final free write
6/3-one change at the oak--what would it be? Why? How?
6/4- final reflections on freshman year.

You are not special

Says this guy.  One English teacher's take on the "Me Me Me Generation."

Final Exam

Our big day is approaching.  I'll see periods 11 and 12 on Tuesday, and period 5/6 on Thursday.

Study:

Romeo and Juliet-characters, quotes, old quizzes

Shakespeare background

Rules of writing

Odyssey characters and basic plot

Research basics

Plagiarism 101

Final exam essay

Please complete one of the following essays in a 4-6 paragraph, grammatically correct, typed essay format.  This is due to me no later than Saturday, June 8th at 11:59PM.

1. Friar Laurence famously says, "These violent delights have violent ends and in their triumph die, like fire and powder, which as they kiss, consume."

I have always contended that Romeo and Juliet is not about love, but passion. Using the quote above and information from the text, discuss the play as a cautionary tale about passion.


2. Many people blame Romeo and Juliet for being stupid, melodramatic children who cause their own deaths. However Romeo and Juliet most famously focuses on fate or "the stars." Do you see Romeo and Juliet 's tragic end as a product of fate or human error? Explain, remembering to cite specific examples from the text of the play.

Romeo and Juliet: A Video Review

AND

Yes, we do!

Because I have received an above-average number of text messages, let me confirm two things:

Your study guide IS due tomorrow. Completed: )

Your Act 3 quiz is tomorrow. Study: )

See you then!

Sample Outline

Your outlines are due tomorrow.

Last year, the children completed their introductions BEFORE they wrote outlines.  YOU will be outlining your introduction as well.

Have a look at this sample from last year:

Paige Outline

And here is mine:

Emily Rock

English I Honors

20 May 2009

I.                     Introduction:

A.  There are no lines from William Shakespeare’s canon more immortal than those opening Sonnet 18. 

B. “Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day…” begins as an ode to a near-perfect love and serves to end the burdens of the earlier sonnets in the cycle

C. Sonnet 18 stands not only as a testament to the epitome of Renaissance beauty, but as a cautionary tale for wayward youths.

II.                  Sonnet 18 is really about surface love, not real love.

A.       Vendler calls it “innocuous, dulcet, light.”

B.      Love is too deep for elaboration?

C.      Real love cannot be expressed in 14 lines, but immortalization can be achieved.

III.                The theme of Nature lends itself to the ideas of reproduction

A.       Vendler discusses the idea of ‘necessity’ in the sonnet.

B.      Reminders of death, particularly with image of ‘sun.’

C.      Beauty will die first, and then the Young Man is worthless.

IV.                Sonnet 18 is , after all, a sonnet of conventions.

A.       Shakespeare takes convention and trumps them

B.      The beloved is too beautiful even for convention—beyond flattery.

C.      This pedestal foreshadows that eventual death of the relationship

D.      In the end, it is impossible to love someone so revered/perfect.(Vendler—“denigrate the perfect metaphor.”)

To Know...

How to:

Format your research paper: MLA

Use quotations: Quote Away!

AND....Today's HW:

Literary Analysis Outline

Follow this handy-dandy outline format to complete an outline for your literary analysis paper—this step is key in writing a well-organized, eloquent, paper.

I.                     Introduction

A.       Opening ‘hook’

B.      Background Information

C.      Statements/summaries about sonnet

D.      Thesis statement

II.                   Body 1

A.       Transition Sentence

B.      Backup of Thesis

C.      “Proof” with quotes, research

Etc., etc., etc.,

      V.            (or whatever)  Conclusion

                       A.  Summary of main points

                      B.  Restatement of thesis

The length of this paper is a minimum of 2 pages; the way you break this down is up to you.

Please have this neatly written or typed on Wednesday, May 15th…or many curses await you.

Read this, folks: )

The Story of the Sonnets

The link above does a great job of giving background to the Sonnets and the "characters" within; the Dark Lady, Fair Youth, and Rival Poet.  If you feel like your research is a failure, this is a good starting place.

Enjoy your weekend.

Sample Analysis Essay

Many people today were concerned with the eventual point of our research.  Therefore, I decided to post one of last year's Literary Analysis essays.  In the next week, you will be given one more resource(from me) and will craft a thesis statement about your sonnet.  You will prove this thesis within your essay, using information from your research and the lines of your sonnet.  Take a look at last year's:

Tommi's essay

This Week's Research

I've uploaded the files from this week's library trip.  If you missed a day, or forget my instructions, the links can be found below.

Library Day 1

Library Day 2

Master Journal List

1.     1.   3/22 Opinion on death and its comparison towards the Greeks' values of death
2.  3/25  Opinion on the man on the clip that called Obama the devil.
3.3/26   Should the government tell us how to live our lives?
4.3/27   Freewrite
5. 4/10  Why is Shakespeare a big deal? Why read his works? (NOT FOR 12)
6. 4/12  What fictional place would you like to live in?

**Per. 11: if you were a color, what color would you be?

**Per. 12: If you could be the best at anything, what would you choose?
7.4/16  Why do people marry? Is it necessary?
8. 4/17  What's your strangest dream?
9. 4/22  Do you believe in love at first sight? Why or why not?
10.4/24. Would you want to be a man or a woman (in another life)?
11.   4/25 What are some mistakes of parents?

Journals!*&(^^*%*^

SO....

I meant to borrow someone's journal in period 11 to write all the journals on this blog.

And then I forgot.

So--can you all come together to help one another?  Post below the list you have(the total should be 11) and I will create a new post when I have what feels like a master.

Thanks: )

Happy Birthday, Shakey!

Thanks for today.  Enjoy the link.

Should we bother?

Get your sonnet numbers here!

Below is a list of each sonnet and their assigned person; use it to share information or just to know who has what.

Sonnet 1: Jagmeet
Sonnet 3: Yarenice, D'Anna
Sonnet 5: Jala
Sonnet 7: Onyx
Sonnet 8: Nick
Sonnet 9: Aniya
Sonnet 10: Lexi
Sonnet 12: Ray, AJ
Sonnet 13: Kelly
Sonnet 16: Laiba
Sonnet 17: Maria A., Julian, Charles
Sonnet 18: ROCK
Sonnet 20: Maren, Mel
Sonnet 23: Jon
Sonnet 27: Ryan, Matt
Sonnet 29: Olivia, Lainey
Sonnet 30: Kyle O.
Sonnet 36: Gianna
Sonnet 37: Kyle R., Brandon
Sonnet 42: Emily
Sonnet 43: Riley, Billy
Sonnet 45: Rachel
Sonnet 49: Sophie
Sonnet 50: Sarah
Sonnet 54: Tiffany
Sonnet 55: Jamie, ???????????????
Sonnet 60: Aubrey, Tim
Sonnet 65: Maria S.
Sonnet 69: Lynette
Sonnet 73: Colleen, Amanda, Maya
Sonnet 81: Sam
Sonnet 100: Jenna
Sonnet 103: Alexis
Sonnet 116: Apria, Crystelle, Karlee
Sonnet 121: Autumn, Gabby
Sonnet 122: Alex P.
Sonnet 124: Nate
Sonnet 128: Jazlyn, Kaitlyn
Sonnet 130: Minh, Ryan, Celeste
Sonnet 137: Kyle O, Sebby, Tom
Sonnet 138: Jaci, Taylor
Sonnet 141: Samiyah
Sonnet 145: Dasha
Sonnet 148: Marc, Vanessa
Sonnet 153: Kartik

The Test

The following things are necessary to know for tomorrow's test:
Oh Brother notes
The Hero's journey
Epic/epic hero
Basic literary devices(your reading log stuff)
The plot and characters of Homer's Odyssey.

Sorry for the lack of punctuation--I'm on my phone.

The test will be open-ended, short essay questions.

See you tomorrow: )

Update! Get your update here!

So, in looking over the Odyssey calendar....

I realized that we are NEVER going to finish the movie in time.  So, I'm going to push the dates a bit.

We will watch the movie on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.

Logs will be due on Friday by 11:59PM to emailmrsrock@gmail.com

The test will be on Monday, April 8th.

Character sheets and study guides will be distributed tomorrow.

Hades Project info.

Here is a link to the works cited page that you worked on today.  Please hand your modified version in WITH your question answers.

Works Cited: Hades

Journal topics

2/6: Midterms
2/8: Persuasive choices
2/21: What I missed
2/22: Point of life
2/25: heroes
2/26: Love is not...
2/27: qualities in a partner
3/1: Freewrite
3/6: Luck
3/7: If you could be
Speaker/Listener: 3/13
3/14: Describe your best getaway/vacation.  What did you like so much?

Here we go again...

I'm back, and in the spirit of fresh starts, I'm going to try to bring the blog back hardcore for 3rd and 4th marking periods.  If you are missing ANYTHING in the next three months, you will find it here.  At least, I hope so.

I'm starting by adding some important links to the side: sample Odyssey logs, blank logs, and the Odyssey reading calendar.

If you forgot, the version of the book you want is FAGLES.

Link to "Odyssey of You" project:  Project sheet

Due Tuesday: )  Have a great weekend!

Thesis

Thesis Statement Elements

Controlling Thought

   -What is my topic?

   -How do I feel about it? What is important about it?

Thesis Statement

   -Combine the two components of a controlling thought into a concise sentence.

What is a thesis statement?

-It is a complete sentence that expresses your position on a given topic.

-It narrows down your topic to a specific focus of investigation.

-It establishes a direction for the entire paper, especially if it consists of sub-parts.

-It points forward to the conclusion.

-It is always stated in your introduction.

Strong Thesis Statment

-Take a stand

-Justify a discussion

-Explore one main idea

-Are Specific

Example:

(Take a stand)

Consider:

There are some negative and positive aspects to the Banana Herb Tea Supplement.

Verses:

Because Banana Herb Tea Supplement promotes rapid weight loss that results in the loss of muscle and lean body mass, it poses a potential danger to customers.

(Justify a discussion)

Consider:

My family is an extended family.

Verses:

While most American families would view consanguineal marriage as a threat to the nuclear family structure, many Iranian families believe that these marriages help reinforce kinship ties in an extended family.

(Express one main idea)

Consider:

Companies need to exploit the marketing potential of the Internet, and web pages can provide both advertising and customer support.

Verses:

Because the Internet is filled with tremendous marketing potential, companies should exploit this potential by using web pages that offer both advertising and customer support.

(Are specific)

Consider:

World hunger has many causes and effects.

Verses:

Hunger persists in Appalachia because jobs are scarce and farming in the infertile soil is rarely profitable.

What is not a thesis statement :

A thesis is never a question; it could be the answer to a question.

A thesis is not a statement of purpose.

A thesis is not simply a topic.