You should have read up to chapter 5 (first period) and chapter 6 (second and fourth periods). You will have a quiz on chapters 1 - 5 tomorrow (Wednesday).
Like the impulse shown by Victor Frankenstein to perpetuate and enhance life, the proponents of transhumanism [check out this link: lifeboat.com] also believe that humanity's salvation rests in "fixing" our statistically certain propensity to die. Yet, like Frankenstein realizes the second after his creation comes to life, it is quite likely that there will be unforeseen consequences to any effort that attempts to circumvent the laws of nature and play God. Thus, there is an inherent antithesis involved in the stuggle to perpetuate life in ways that circumvent Nature You should have read up to chapter 5 (first period) and chapter 6 (second and fourth periods). You will have a quiz on chapters 1 - 5 tomorrow (Wednesday). Tuesday Night's Homework: Read chpt. 7-9, ready yourself for a quiz on 1-5.
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In class today, we worked in groups on several chapters of Shelley's Frankenstein. The handout for this is posted here: Frankenstein Reading Groups Handout Period 1: You were to read 2 & 3 in class and complete your group tasks; you are to read chapters 3 & 4 for homework. Period 2: You were to read 3 & 4 in class and complete your group tasks; you are to read chapters 5 & 6 for homework. Period 4: You were to read 3 & 4 in class and complete your group tasks; you are to read chapters 5 & 6 for homework. All periods: your group tasks are due tomorrow. While you do not have to type these now, you certainly may want to go ahead and get a jumpstart on this. Remember, too, that you can read the whole novel here: Shelley's Frankenstein - PDF. And it opens on iPhones, too! ![]()
HOMEWORK: Make sure to complete your reading (it's listed above). Also, we're on list 10 for our vocabulary! Sentences due Thursday, quiz on Friday.Due tomorrow: First draft of your Macbeth argument paper. Should be typed, MLA formatted, contain parenthetical citation in support of your assertions, and should have a clear and present thesis statement. Here's a checklist for the writing process: Writing Process Checklist Also, here's a guideline to formatting your paper in microsoft word 2007 (it's not that much different for subsequent versions): MLA Paper Formatting And finally, here's a link to a sample template paper that I have borrowed from http://www.sandhills.edu/academic-departments/english/wordguide/mlaformat-word2007.html This is not mine--credit for this template and guide goes entirely to sandhills.edu! It's got the template for your thesis statement and outline here: ![]()
First draft due tomorrow! Also, quiz on vocabulary list 9.Hopefully, you got your 4.10 on the 4.10. If you didn't, get it by getting it in. Remember that the pre-draft draft should be hand-written, and your first draft (Predraft) is due, typed, on Friday. That gives you two days to work on it. Make sure your typed copy has the following: * thesis statement * outline (remember that your outline can be a pre or a post; as long as you have an outline * MLA format > double-space > Times New Romans 12 pt > 1" margins > parenthetical citations * works cited page * page/number formatted correctly THESIS STATEMENTS I taught you today that your thesis statement should have 3 sections: a Limited topic, an Assertion and Support. For example: In Shakespeare's play, "Macbeth," the rhetorical device of antithesis (LIMITED TOPIC) reveals the wider structure of opposition in the play (ASSERTION), especially as seen in the statements of opposition spoken by the three witches and Macbeth's power-hungry wife, Lady Macbeth (SUPPORT). If I were writing this paper, it would follow the structure presented here in the thesis statement. Here are examples of statements that ARE NOT thesis statements as defined by the above definition: 1) Shakespeare's play, Macbeth has an amazing amount of symbolism in it. 2) After Macbeth murders Duncan, he shows a decrease of hesitation to kill others. 3) Antithesis is a rhetorical device that shows up a lot in Shakespeare's Macbeth. What's wrong with all of these? Well, for starters, they're tautological--they each say that they're going to say something, but never really say what that something is. This is similar to the guy who says, "Hey, I'd like to introduce you to my brother, Tim. He's a batchelor, and, oh, by the way, he's also not married." Rather than telling me that Shakespeare's play, Macbeth, contains symbolism, assert that the two most important symbols derive their importance by their impact on the play. It's very much like this: Think of a baseball. To tell me that baseballs exist in a neighborhood is fine, but this tells me nothing about the baseball's impact on the window of a house. I don't need a simple interpretation or description of the symbol; I want to see the application of that symbol to play. Those of you who are choosing the third "all-star" prompt, keep in mind that I warned you of this prompt's level of difficulty! HOMEWORKwednesday night - read Chapters 1 & 2 in your book - pages 29-39
vocabulary sentences for list 9 due tomorrow for friday - Rough draft (Predraft) due, typed (see above for requirements) benchmark test on Friday vocabulary quiz on Friday And so it begins... Frankenstein is afoot. Period one: read letter one (pages 11-14).
Periods 2 & 4: All letters.... (11 - 28) Also, pre-draft draft of the argument writing due tomorrow (Wednesday). Vocabulary List 9 is due on Friday! The sentences for list for 9 are due on Thursday A few things to remember about Frankenstein. First, the name Frankenstein refers to the monster's creator, not to the monster himself! Second, in the author's introduction, Mary Shelley explains how this story came to be: she speaks in terms of "birthing" this horror story, using such imagery as "dilating" (3), and such terminology as "progeny" and "offspring" when referring to her story. Shelley's impulse to listen to the current scientific research on galvanization of dead organic material , as well as theological, ethical and philosophical considerations led her to write this horror story for an audience of three others, including her husband, Percy Bysse Shelley and her husband's literary mentor, Lord Byron. This fact is important to know because in the same way that the story is her "baby", the monster is Victor Frankenstein's baby; thus, there's a parallel there between artist and the art, between scientist and experiment, between who's allowed to live, and who's not! Most everyone has experienced the grief of losing something/someone you really love, and the impulse to want to keep life going forever (immortality) is at the heart of Frankenstein. Thus, the idea that something could come back from the dead shocked Shelley's immediate audience and provided lots of ethical thinking for those who read through Shelley's book. Shelley's story, then, gets at the root of our psychology in the same way that, say, The Walking Dead speaks to a modern audience. While you read this novel, be on the look out for insight and interpretation. What are the links/connections between the novel and real-world scientific/theo-ethical situations that are current today? Last thing: this is hard work. Don't forgo the pleasure of working through this only to get to the end and have nothing to show for it! In other words, use sparknotes as a tool, but NOT AS A REPLACEMENT! Yes, as promised yesterday, here's more information regarding your midterm exam. It will consist of three components: MC (that's multiple choice), Short Answer (that's 1 - 2 sentences) and Constructed Response (that's equivalent to 3 - 4 paragraphs). It may include passages that are new to you rather than passages that are familiar. This is to keep in line with the state's MSL (Master of Student Learning) exams, which are replacing the old EOCs and are completely Common Core skills-based rather than regurgative of information previously digested. The long and the short of it is (to quote Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream): our skills-based assessment is preferred.
So, can you prepare for this beast? Yes. And no. Yes: EVERYTHING YOU DO IN CLASS AND OUT REGARDING READING AND WRITING should prepare you. If you no readee, you no preparee. No: there's not a list of material to shore up on and make sure you can recite the plot or the main characters or the...well, anything of. But you should be able read given passage and look for the author's purpose in choosing certain words for tone, thereby establishing mood, etc. On Friday, I will post a "Study Guide" which recaps the above. If you really want to study for the midterm, I suggest that you revisit our reading selections, Macbeth backwards, and make sure you have closely read the selections. Please post a comment letting me know you read your homework assignment...
For homework tonight, please make sure to do a thorough reading of Macbeth, ACT V. Pay very close attention to significant quotes, as they indicate significant events. You do not have to memorize who says what, but you should be familiar with the content of their dialogue. Here's the link to ACT V - scene 1: Shakespeare - No Fear: Act 5 Also, remember that your vocabulary list 8 sentences are due tomorrow. Have them ready to show and share. Also, the vocabulary test is Friday, in case you forgot. The midterm will be on skills rather than on specific content. More TBA. Drop me a comment saying you were here (especially those of you who shirked your posting duties last night)!
As we say goodbye to Winter (today's the last official day), we spring into the ACT IV of Macbeth. He is officially undone, as is indicated by his histrionics at the banquet in his honor. Macbeth loses it and reveals much, causing those under him to review their allegiance. Act IV can be found here: Shakespeare No Fear: Macbeth ACT IV Of course, you can always read your textbook online, which usually helps during the open-book timed reading quizzes on the material. Just sayin'. We have, as a collective, come up with some interesting theories about where right and wrong, good and evil, ethical and unethical, etc., come from. Many of you posit that they come from those around you (society). Many of you say that they come from what's practical or beneficial (self). A few of you cite external sources, such as a religious code or the Bible. What is important to realize here is that Shakespeare's audience almost certainly would have had a fairly homogeneous view of right and wrong, making them almost in full agreement that there is no ambiguity about Macbeth's transgressing the moral laws of the universe. It's also important to figure out if your own explanation of moral/ethical codes is strong or weak. Tomorrow in class, we will examine some of the various ethical theories that are current in our society. They are highly relevant to Macbeth, especially when considering Macbeth's moral choices. Did he puncture the very flesh of the universe, or was his behavior simply regrettable and unprofitable? Read Act III (Three): You can access it here: MACBETH - NO FEAR ACT III
There will be a short reading quiz to check for reading comprehension! Also please respond to the following prompt on the message board: Where does right & wrong come from? Is right & wrong simply a matter of personal opinion, e.g., "In my opinion Macbeth shouldn't have murdered Duncan." Or, is it something that is established outside of ourselves, and thus to violate what we know to be good or to do something we know to be bad actually breaks a moral/ethical rule/law that has nothing to do with our opinions? If it is established outside of ourselves, then what/who establishes it? ![]() Today is the IDES (Middle) of March (the 15th). Appropriately, we are reading Shakespeare's Macbeth, which like Julius Caesar, made famous, of course, by death and intrigue, is getting complicated. Act II shows the deed and the immediate aftermath: Macky-B and his Lady are now successful assassins, and they are worried about getting caught. The complications are now ramping up! Read ACT II -- all over the weekend. Here's the link: Sparknotes: Shakespear - No Fear We will take a short reading quiz on Monday on Act II. Make sure you've read it. Come with questions. Beware the Ides of March.
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AuthorJohnny Walters is responsible for the contents on these pages. When he's not writing, grading papers, or reading books, he's playing with his kids, his banjo, or his guitar. Archives
May 2013
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