river oaks [english]

Your assignment is to write a comparison/contrast essay on these two American poets. You will be writing a "point-by-point" comparison & contrast , which means that your essay will be developed around three central points, which I will have supplied. Although your papers will be written individually, using evidence you find in the textbook, ALL students will use this same outline. Your essay should consist of five paragraphs, including the following: INTRODUCTION ~ MUST include a thesis that states the main point (i.e. their overall connection or difference) BODY ONE ~ Personality ~ Focusing on two or three main points, discuss each of the poets' biographies, especially as they relate to their writing. BODY TWO ~ Approach to Writing ~ Discuss influences, ideas, audience, vision, etc. BODY THREE ~ Writing Style ~ Using specific examples from their poems, discuss each writer's style (free verse vs. rhyme and meter). CONCLUSION ~ Should make any remaining st...

Today we talked about the Heroic Cycle (called the Monomyth by Joseph Campbell ). Basically, it is the pattern for most, if not all, stories that include a hero . I thought I'd give you a bit info on that subject before we get started on The Odyssey . You will all write about a film, eventually, using the five-stage model I discussed in class: (1) Call to Adventure (2) Crossing the Threshold (3) Trials and Tribulations (4) Reward and/or Enlightenment (5) The Return & Sharing the Wealth Some versions only give you three main stages -- Separation, Initiation, and Return -- and some include many more, like this one: Notice that, although the image is reversed, it includes the same elements (and provides examples).

Your Walt Whitman assignment is to compose three free verse poems of at least ten lines each. Below is an explination for each: (1) Describe a scene of your choosing, using Whitman as your model. You must use sensory imagery (sight, sound, smell, touch and taste) and parallel structure (repitition of verb forms, conjunctions, phrasing, etc.) to create your poem. (2) Describe a scene (or song) using auditory images only. In other words, use images that capture the sound of a place (or song). The goal here is to transport the reader through images that he/she can connect to. (3) Write from someone else's point of view. As Atticus Finch advises, "walk in another person's shoes" and you'll come to a new understanding of that person. This is, in essence, what Whitman is doing in "Song of Myself." Remember that this is free verse ; avoid conventional meter and rhyming patterns. Experiment with the sound of the language, as well. Whitman created cad...

The date is approaching for this year's National Shakespeare Competition , and all those interested will first be asked to compete here, before a panel of teachers. Each participant is required to recite one sonnet and one of the suggested monologues from one of Shakespeare's plays. The student who performs his/her piece the best will then represent River Oaks in the city-wide competition. The winner of that competition will then be awarded an all-expense-paid trip to New York City for the National Competition at Lincoln Center. First Prize for the winner of the National Competition is a summer acting course at the British American Drama Academy in Great Britain. Please let me know if you are interested.

From your book: "The two greatest American poets of the nineteenth century were so different from one another, both as artists and as personalities, that only a nation as varied in character as the United Stated could possibly contain them" (324). That is, in essence, what makes our country so great -- diversity of personality and thought, and the freedom necessary for both. As we move into this section of poetry, I want you to remain open to this diversity of ideas. Try to look past the pre-formed opinions you have of these two poets and their work. Celebrate their place in our country's literary history.

Your GROUP LETTER, using block format, is due Wednesday . Please include answers to the following questions: Intro ~ Who's in your group, and what scene are you doing? How are you staging the scene? What time period and style are you using for your setting? Body One ~ What is your shooting schedule? Where and when are you taping, and why? Body Two ~ Who is playing which parts? Who is operating the camera? Who is editing the footage, and how? Body Three ~ What do you plan to use as a set? What costumes are you wearing? What props do you plan to use? Conclusion ~ How can I contact your group if I have questions or announcements? In addition, please include any other information you believe is important and related to the shooting of your video.

Now that we have discussed Chaucer's "Prologue" and several techniques for characterization, it's time to apply that knowledge in a verse of your own. Each of you are required to write a poem of at least 20 lines of Iambic Pentameter in rhymed couplets. Iambic Pentameter = 5 iambic feet = 10 syllables with alternating stresses. Example: "Where ci vil blood makes ci vil hands un clean " (notice that when you read it, there are five stresses in the line) Your subject must be a character of your imagination, but can be based loosely on a specific person or personality type. Do NOT give your character a specific name. Refer to him/her by a general term (as in Chaucer). For your characterization, employ any of the methods used by Chaucer, including description of physical attributes/mannerisms, physiognomy, sensory imagery (touch, taste, smell, sight, sound), attitudes/actions, speech, etc. The best way to get started is to brainstorm details about your ...

Now that we have selected groups and scenes, it is time to begin your translations. Each group will turn in a modern translation of their scene, preserving the original meaning while avoiding slang (and inappropriate language). Use the book as your guide for formatting the translation; for example, capitalize the speaker's name, and indent speaking parts when they cover more than one line on the page. Group TRANSLATIONS are due TUESDAY , 1/10. Meanwhile, you should begin planning your video -- assigning parts and staging the scene (costumes, sets and props). Remember that all costumes, sets and props should all be connected to some central time period or style. Each group will be asked to provide an outline of the scene, including all information relating to the video: who's playing which parts; where the filming/taping will take place; what props and costumes are being used and when; etcetera... Group SCHEDULES are due WEDNESDAY , 1/11. In addition, each group is required...

For general information on Chaucer , go to the Geoffrey Chaucer Website from Harvard University. For those interested, here's Tom Hanks (not that Tom Hanks) reading the first eighteen lines of the Prologue in Middle English . There are also readings from the rest of the Prologue and some of the collected tales, as well.

As we begin to discuss Melville's Moby-Dick , I asked you to look up Ishmael and try to apply the origin of the name to the character in the story. Here's what Wikipedia has to say on the matter: Ishmael is the name the narrator takes for himself, it is unclear whether or not this is his actual name. "Call me Ishmael" is one of the best-known opening sentences in English language literature. A newcomer to whaling, Ishmael serves as our eyes and ears aboard the Pequod. He is, at the end, the only witness alive to tell the tale. Ishmael was the name of the first son of Abraham in the Old Testament. The Biblical Ishmael was born to a slave woman because Abraham believed his wife, Sarah, to be infertile; when God granted her a son, Isaac, Ishmael and his mother were turned out of Abraham's household. The name has come to symbolize orphans and social outcasts. From the beginning, Ishmael tells us that he turns to the sea out of a sense of alienation from human socie...

Groups of three (and sometimes four) will choose a scene from Romeo & Juliet and produce a short video using Shakespeare's original language. In addition, each student will provide a scripted translation of the scene (in modern English). As an option to the video project, groups are welcome to rehearse and perform for the class. As discussed in class, groups will compete for scenes. The winner of the spelling bee will get first choice. The test will be oral, with each student writing down the correct spelling. Individual scores will be averaged for a group score, which will then be ranked. The winner gets the first choice of scenes. THE LIST: 1. absence 2. guarantee 3. height 4. grammar 5. believe 6. development 7. leisure 8. recommend 9. rhythm 10. restaurant 11. independent 12. maintenance 13. neighbor 14. cemetery 15. embarrass 16. existence 17. privilege 18. ignorance 19. definite 20. separate 21. humorous 22. mosquito 23. biscuit 24. sandwich 25. principal