river oaks [english]

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving... Congratulations to the guys for the great win last week -- looking forward to the game on Thursday! This will be a short week, but we have much to do (of course): First, although I didn't give any homework over the break, you should be finishing up DEAR books and any other outside reading assignments. Your papers will be due soon on those. Seniors , I'll give you your research papers on Monday to REVISE. We'll discuss the final format and answer general questions concerning your papers. I'm happy to say that many (most?) of your papers are close to finished, and I believe you've produced some good writing overall. However, as noted, I have made corrections/suggestions on ALL of your papers (three each, for those who have completed the assignments), and I fully expect you to follow my suggestions for revision. Those of you who are behind need to catch up. All grades are due in about three weeks, which means you have

UPDATE: Rough draft is due Thursday 11/17, Final draft on 11/18 Your assignment is to write a two-three page essay on an aspect of medieval life (topics below). Your report must include information from no more than two sources, cited according to MLA. Note that all information from your sources – whether quoted directly, paraphrased or summarized – must be cited. MLA requires that the author include the author’s last name (or first word of the title in quotes) and a page number (none for web pages) at the end of the sentence, in parentheses. Your essay must be typed. With the final draft, you must also include a copy of each source you used. Print out web pages and make copies of books or magazines. Staple everything together, with the essay on top. Below is a list of possible topics: Social Order Knighthood Feudalism Chivalry & Courtly Love Slavery / Serfdom Religion in the Middle Ages Pilgrimage Heresy The Crusades Holy Grail Judaism Paganism Science & Medicine Humora

For those interested, I've provided links to the E.A. Poe Society and the Edgar Allan Poe Museum . Both of these sites have numerous links to material on Poe, including biographical information (he was not a drug addict, as many have claimed) and literary criticism. We'll read " The Red Masque of Death " and " Fall of the House of Usher " and discuss a couple of his poems, as well.

Seniors, you'll need to know about the following for your exam: Early History of England Celtic ( Briton ) culture/influence Roman invasion/influence (for 400 years) Anglo-Saxon Period Anglo-Saxon invasion (5th century) Culture and Language Anglo-Saxon Poetry (scops,kennings, alliteration, caesura, etc) ~ Beowulf ~ The Seafarer Middle Ages Norman Conquest (1066) Culture (feudalism, plague, Magna Carta, crusades, etc) Romantic Literature (chivalry & courtly love) ~Frederigo's Falcon Arthurian Literature (sources and authorship) ~Sir Gawain & the Green Knight ~Death of Arthur Finally, you'll have to write about the Heroic Cycle (called the "monomyth" by Joseph Campbell).

Juniors , bring money for your book ASAP! We'll begin reading Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter later this week, and everyone needs the same edition . I'm placing a bulk order soon, so I need to collect $6.00 from everyone. Thanks.

UPDATE: Your rough draft is due Thursday; final draft is due Friday. Everyone should have now picked his/her character. If you have a serious problem with your choice, then please let me know via email and we'll discuss alternatives. The assignment for your essay on To Kill A Mockingbird is below: Overview Each of you will write a two-three page paper tracing a character’s development (Honors students will write at least three pages). Character selection will be random, and you will each then begin the process of accumulating evidence from the novel. The paper will be formatted according to MLA and will follow English Department guidelines – typed, double-spaced, 12-point Times New Roman. Organization Your paper should be developed around a central thesis – one that makes an overall statement about the character’s development and how changes in that character affect the overall narrative. Your introduction must include your subject and topic (the novel and character) and shou