Analyzing Shakespeare in Writing

PERIOD 6 - Please find our introduction to analyzing Othello here.

PERIOD 7 - Our introduction can be located by clicking here.

Revising Your Narrative

Revision of Narratives

Consider the following as you revise your narratives.  Look at the two sample narratives for examples.  Have your partner help you to identify these elements in your own narrative and consider how you may improve them.

• Presence and purpose of flashbacks, tangents, allusions
• Elements used to characterize
• Language - Is it consistent throughout?  What, if any, slang terms have you used?  Do you sound like Holden?  If so, is it forced or appropriate? Do you have a clear voice and tone, and do your language choices help to establish these?
• Use of italics, dashes, sentence structure (varied short and long) - have you used them? If so, for what purpose?
• Dialogue - Is it used?  If so, is it used effectively and written correctly?
• Realization - Is it cliche?  How is it written?  Does it stay in the same tone/voice of the rest of the piece? Do you lead up to it well?
• Beginning - Is it effective?  Does it throw your reader right in? Does it establish your voice from the onset?
  
  
  Be sure to distinguish between long, rambling sentences and run-on sentences. Remember that two or more independent clauses cannot be joined with just a comma even in this type of assignment.

Catcher Inspired Narrative Assignment

Here is the product descriptor and rubric for the Catcher Inspired Narrative, which is due on Tuesday, 12/15.


Here is the sample narrative that I wrote.

Comma Practice

Place commas wherever they are needed in the following sentences.

1. There was no question that John's painting a huge colorful and ugly mural was the worst entry in the art exhibit.

2. Werner von Braun Willy Ley and Edward Teller noted authorities in the field of rocket development have done much to guide the missile program of the United States.

3. Mr. Cready's ability to say the wrong thing at the wrong time is I believe amazing.

4. Running around the house the dog was abruptly stopped by a fence.

5. If the opposition should win our candidate would never have any political future.

6. Glamour the woman's fashion magazine recently incorporated with Charm another fashion journal.

7. Joe was born on May 7 1955 and his best friend was born exactly two months later on July 7 1955.

8. Mr. and Mrs. Kwon my parents' best friends sat in front of us at the football game.

9. The woman that had the red sweater on began yelling at her child in the supermarket.

Socratic Seminar Rubric

Here is the rubric for the Socratic Seminar.

Catcher Socratic Seminar

The Catcher in the Rye Socratic Seminar

Points for Discussion

In preparation for the Socratic Seminar, please consider the following points.  Please bring in notes to help guide your comments.  If there are any other points you wish to bring to the discussion, please feel free to add them.

1.  Consider the following statement:  We see the truth about people and the world through Holden's eyes.

Do you agree with this statement or not?  Point to specific places in the text to back up your opinion.

2.  In what ways is Holden a typical teenager?  In what ways is he atypical?  Would you be friends with him?  Why/why not?

3. What does it mean to reach “adult” status? How and when does an individual become an adult? What are the benefits to becoming one? What are the negatives?

4.  What aspects of people/life/the world does Holden find particularly enjoyable?  What does he find particularly abhorrent?  Is he justified in his views?

5.  Consider this question as it relates to Holden: How does our past dictate who we become?

6. Which moments in the text are the most significant to the meaning of the book as a whole?

7. What themes come up in this book?  How does Salinger develop these themes?  

8. What does this book help us to understand about the teenage (or, more generally, the human) experience?

9. Many people are dissatisfied with the book’s ending.  Were you?  Even if you were, how might the ending be considered appropriate for the book?

10.  Why do you think Salinger chose to name the book as he did?

11. Consider how the book is structured and the way that Salinger wrote it. How does this impact your reading of it?

Sample Passage Analysis

In J.D. Salinger’s Catcher in the Rye, there is a passage in which Holden reflects at great length about the Museum of Natural History in NYC.  In this passage, Holden illustrates how much he struggles with change.  At this point in the book, Holden is in a low place as he wanders aimlessly around the city.  He gets to the museum and thinks back on all of the fond memories that he has from his childhood there.  For all of the positives that he remembers, though, he explains how, “The best thing, though, in that museum was that everything always stayed right where it was” (121).  The fact that Holden identifies this quality of staying the same as “the best thing” about the museum highlights how important consistency is to him.  Holden has experienced so much dramatic change in his life, such as losing his brother and being kicked out of numerous schools.  Therefore, having something like the museum that will always be there is of critical importance to him.  In Holden’s eyes, “Certain things they should just stay the way they are” (122).  He feels that “You ought to be able to stick them in one of those big glass cases and just leave them alone” (122).    If Holden had been able to put his own childhood inside of a “big glass case”, then he would still have Allie alive; if the things in his life could have “just stay[ed] the way they [were]”, then Holden’s life would be a lot less complicated than it is now.  He longs for the simplicity of childhood, and he uses the museum as a way to show how he wishes things could have remained as they were when he was a child.

Vocabulary Lesson 13

Complete the following sentences and analogies with words from list 13.

1. In order to ____________________ an argument with my mother, I made sure to do the dishes before she got home.
2. As a form of _________________, the family received ten thousand dollars from the accident.
3. She had a breakdown because of all of the ________________ she was experiencing.
4. Every morning when I walk into school, I am verbally ___________________ by people in the hallway who bombard me with questions.
5. While the population of elephants has diminished greatly in the last few years, they are still __________.
6. The ____________________ for the fight was the insult that John made against Steve's mother.
7. While the president's words were meant to mollify the crowd, they only served to further ___________________ them to action.

8. _________________ is to refuse as reconcile is to argue.
9. __________________ is to insignificant as intrinsic is to external.
10. __________________ is to soothe as augur is to predict.

Catcher Passages - Ch 16-18

Click here for passages to examine from chapters 16-18 and group assignments.

Catcher in the Rye: Analyzing a Passage

Click here for a detailed description and example of how to analyze a passage.

Vocabulary Lesson 13 Practice

Use the following to practice with the words from lesson 13.

Period 6 Class Work 11/2

Hi Everyone,
Here is your work for today.

1. Complete the following journal prompt:

Reread pages 38-39 in Catcher, in which Holden describes Allie's baseball mitt and uses this as a way of telling us about Allie and his death.

Make a note of anything you notice about Holden's writing/thinking style in this passage.  What do you notice about his language, sentence length, the way he tells the story, describes Allie, etc.

In your journal, write about an object that is of great significance to you.



2. At your tables, share your points for discussion that you brought in.  Spend about fifteen minutes discussing these points.


3. At your tables, make a list of any/all observations that you have about literary and writing strategies that you have noticed in Holden's speech and thoughts.  (ex: flashback, direct language, etc.)

4. For Thursday, read chapters 8 and 9.  Identify one of the writing or literary strategies from your list in one of these chapters.  Write a paragraph in which you explain the effect of this strategy.  Bring in 3 more points for discussion from these chapters.

5. You may also work on vocabulary lesson 13 A and B, which is due on Wednesday.

Omniscient Narrator Book Groups

Please read the descriptions of the possible titles for the Omniscient Narrator unit.  Then, use the form to select the book you would like to read.

Descriptions


Form

Catcher in the Rye: Journal Prompts

1. How are you different now than you were in third grade? Middle school?
2. What are the things you look forward to about getting older? What bothers you about getting older?
3. What do you like most and least about high school?
4. What do you like most and least about the groups listed below?
1. adults in general?
2. your parents?
3. siblings?
4. your peers?

Questions Ch 1-4

1. What bothers Holden so much about his interaction with Mr. Spencer? Come up with at least three distinct points and a quotation to back up each point.

2. How would you describe Ackley? Find two direct quotations that characterize him well.

3. How would you characterize Stradlater? Find two direct quotations that characterize him well.

4. What do we learn about Holden from the way he reacts to others? Consider how he interacts with Mr. Spencer, Ackley, and Stradlater. Remember to distinguish between his thoughts and his words/actions.

5. What can you infer about Holden's relationship with Jane Gallagher? Find one line that is suggestive of something significant about their relationship.

6. Identify a tangent/aside that Holden goes off on. What function does this tangent serve?

7. What are a few key phrases that you have noticed that Holden uses a lot?

8. What, if anything, have you noticed about his thought or speech patterns? In other words, how does he talk and/or think?

Catcher in the Rye - Responding to a quote

The following are examples of how you might respond to a quote from the story.

"People never notice anything" (9).

Holden says this, or rather thinks this, when he is over at Mr. Spencer's house getting reprimanded for failing out of school.  It seems to really bother him when someone doesn't see the truth in something, and I think that is what he is referring to here.  For example, he talks a lot about people being phony and how much this bothers him.  I think that the fact that people don't notice things bothers him for the same reason, because people only see what they want to see and don't see the whole, actual truth.  

"I had to sit there and listen to that crap.  It certainly was a dirty trick" (11).

Holden has this thought as Mr. Spencer reads a passage aloud from Holden's exam.  This indicates to me that Holden is embarrassed by his writing.  He refers to it as "that crap", which clearly indicates that he doesn't hold it in high regard.  The fact that he calls it a "dirty trick" seems to indicate that he is upset with Spencer for making him listen to his own writing, which perhaps indicates that he is embarrassed by the quality of what he wrote.  This shame suggests to me that he is capable of better writing, because otherwise he wouldn't feel ashamed.  It also suggests to me that he values Spencer's opinion of him and doesn't want to think about the fact that he turned in such "crap" to a teacher whose opinion is important to him.

Q1 Grammar Summative: Review and Practice

Review the following document and complete the practice.

New York Times Article

Please read the following article from the New York Times on delayed adulthood.

Short Story Practice

Answer the following questions about "Sweetness" as practice for the assessment.

1. In paragraph 1, Sweetness says, "You might think she's a throwback, but a throwback to what?"
Explain what she means by "throwback."


2. In paragraph 2, Sweetness describes her parents with a tone of
a. neutrality
b. condescension
c. pride
d. indifference

3. In paragraph 3, when Sweetness uses the term "pickaninny", the surrounding sentences suggest that she probably does so with a tone of
a. disdain
b. affection
c. confusion
d. rage

4. Which of the following sentences best summarizes paragraph 5, which begins, "I never did convince..."
a. Sweetness's husband Louis never let go of the idea that she had cheated on him.
b. Sweetness was discriminated against by landlords for having such a dark skinned daughter.
c. Life at the time was unfair for dark skinned people.
d. Mr. Leigh was a decent landlord despite the racism of the time.
e. Sweetness suffered a variety of hardships due to Lula Ann's dark skin color.

5. When Sweetness describes how she asked Lula Ann to call her Sweetness rather than "Mother" or "Mama" because, "It was safer," the word "safer" is suggestive of what?
a. the emotional distance Sweetness wanted to establish between her and Lula Ann
b. the fact that Sweetness doesn't want to think of herself as being Lula Ann's mother
c. the fact that Sweetness wants to protect herself from the judgement of other people
d. the fact that Sweetness is vain about her age
e. all of the above
f. a, b, and c

Micro-Narrative Examples

Here is a document with some examples of the portfolio pieces.

"Sweetness" Activities

Pick one of the following writing activities:

• Using a brief section of the story as inspiration, compose a dialogue of at least twenty lines between Sweetness and Lula Ann.
• Rewrite a paragraph from Lula Ann’s perspective.
• Rewrite a paragraph about Sweetness from an omniscient narrator’s perspective.
• Describe the setting (Winston House) from an omniscient narrator’s perspective.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Jigsaw Activity:
  
  
  1. Did Sweetness do “the best for [Lula Ann] under the circumstances” as she suggests?  What specific evidence from the story supports your answer?  Look for direct quotations/lines.
  
  
  2. In the paragraph about Winston House, Sweetness says that she is too young “for pasture.”  Explain what this metaphor means. Look for another example of figurative language in the story and explain its effect.
  
  
  3. How does Sweetness feel about Lula Ann’s refusal to speak to her now?  Is she understanding or resentful?  Find a direct quote that supports your position.
  
  
  4. In the paragraph that begins, “Oh, yeah,” reflect on the significance of the flashback.  
  
  
  5. Is Sweetness correct in saying that “Lula Ann was a burden”?  Explain/justify your answer with evidence from the story.
  
  
  6. How would you describe Sweetness’s tone at the end of the story?  Identify three lines throughout the story that are examples of how her tone shifts throughout the story.
  
  
  7. Find one passage that you feel best exemplifies a theme of the story. Explain in your own words what this theme is and how it is developed in the story.

Vocabulary Lesson 10 Practice

Here is a practice document to use with vocabulary lesson 10.

Micro-Narrative Portfolio

Here is the product descriptor for the Micro-Narrative Portfolio

Understanding Allusions

J.D. Salinger's "A Perfect Day for Bananafish" makes a number of allusions that contribute to the tone and mood of the story.

-He references the German poet Rilke.
-He quotes a line from T.S. Eliot's "The Waste Land" - "mixing memory and desire" - when he and Sybil are discussing Sharon Lipshutz.
-He mentions the story Little Black Sambo.
-The name Sybil is also an allusion.  Look up what a sybil is and think about how this may connect with the story and Sybil's character.


Here is the first line from "The Waste Land" that contains the line Salinger alludes to.  Consider how this line may connect with the story as a whole.  Why do you think Salinger may have included it?  In what ways is the world in which Seymour lives a type of wasteland?

The Waste Land

I. THE BURIAL OF THE DEAD APRIL is the cruellest month, breeding
Lilacs out of the dead land, mixing
Memory and desire, stirring
Dull roots with spring rain.
Winter kept us warm, covering	5
Earth in forgetful snow, feeding
A little life with dried tubers.
Summer surprised us, coming over the Starnbergersee
With a shower of rain; we stopped in the colonnade,
And went on in sunlight, into the Hofgarten,	10
And drank coffee, and talked for an hour.
Bin gar keine Russin, stamm’ aus Litauen, echt deutsch.
And when we were children, staying at the archduke’s,
My cousin’s, he took me out on a sled,
And I was frightened. He said, Marie,	15
Marie, hold on tight. And down we went.
In the mountains, there you feel free.
I read, much of the night, and go south in the winter. Practicing with allusions:  Think of yourself as a character in a real life situation that you have been in in the past week.  Then, think of a song, poem, book, or movie that relates in some way to the situation you were in.  Try making an allusion by weaving in a line from this work in the same way that Salinger does in "Bananafish."

"A Perfect Day for Bananafish" by J.D. Salinger

Here is the short story "A Perfect Day for Bananafish" by J.D. Salinger

"I.D." by Joyce Carol Oates

Here is the short story "I.D." by Joyce Carol Oates


In your groups, do/answer the following:

What are some of the “big ideas” in this story?  What is it really about? Come up with one statement that captures a theme based off of one of these big ideas.

Summarize the story in a maximum of five sentences.

Overall, how would you describe Lisette’s character?  Her mother?  Her father?  What are two key adjective you would use to describe each? For your adjective, come up with a piece of specific textual evidence that supports your adjective. This evidence may be from direct or indirect characterization.

Writing Scavenger Hunt:

Try to find examples of the following strategies in "I.D."

-a flashback

-a tangent/aside (when a character goes off on something that is seemingly unrelated to the present)

-an effectively used verb in dialogue

-an effectively used adverb in dialogue

-a sentence that discusses/establishes the setting and/or mood

-two effective uses of figurative language

Vocabulary Chart

Vocabulary Chart for Lesson 7

Theme Question

Consider the following ideas and how they play out in the story:  technology, morality, power, human nature.  Choose one and come up with a sentence that expresses a theme from the story.  If you are struggling, you may want to begin by thinking about possible lessons that Bradbury may be trying to teach us.

"The Veldt" Questions

In groups, complete the following questions on "The Veldt" by Ray Bradbury.

"The Veldt" by Ray Bradbury

Here is a link to a digital version of "The Veldt" by Ray Bradbury.

Short Story Unit: Key Literary Terms

Theme -- the underlying meaning of a piece of literature

Summary -- a concise, accurate, and objective review of information presented surrounding the events that take place. A good summary only relays important material.

Inference -- An educated guess based on evidence and reasoning.

Characterization -- How an author reveals the personality of a character. This may come through dialogue, actions, descriptions, etc.

Allusion -- A reference to a person, event, thing, or another text.

Point of View -- The perspective a text takes when presenting its plot and narrative. For instance, an author might write a narrative from a specific character’s point of view, which means that that character is our narrative and readers experience events through his or her eyes.

First Person -- I

Second Person -- You

Third Person -- He, She, They, It, or a character’s name
Figurative Language - language that expresses meaning that is different from the literal interpretation. Ex: simile, metaphor, personification, hyperbole.