We are doing three Caught-yas this week in order to finish the story. Complete Caught-yas 128, 129, & 130. After rewriting the sentences, watch the videos below and make any corrections that you missed. We won’t be doing a Caught-ya in class next week, so these are your last three!
In case you missed it, here is 127 which we did in class.
Read The Importance of Being Earnest
For the last book of the semester, read The Importance of Being Earnest, by Oscar Wilde, a comedic play criticizing Victorian society. Wilde creates a comedic tone by using literary devices, such as satire, puns, hyperbole, and verbal, situational, and dramatic irony. Look for examples of each as you read! Next week we will be watching the movie in class (the 2002 version starring Colin Firth).
Write a short story (optional)
Write a 3-7 page short story using as many literary elements as you can! This is an optional assignment, but we would love to read them!
And if you haven’t already, finish your final essay. It’s not too late to turn it in next week!
We are doing two extra Caught-yas this week in order to complete the story by the end of the semester! Complete Caught-yas 123, 124, 125, & 126. After rewriting the sentences, watch the videos below and make any corrections that you missed.
In case you missed it, here is 122 which we did in class.
Watch Satire Videos
Watch the following videos about satire BEFORE reading the short story, Harrison Bergeron.
The first video explains what satire is, and the second video is an example of comedy using satire.
Read Harrison Bergeron
Once you have watched the videos about satire, read Harrison Bergeron, a satirical short story written by Kurt Vonnegut Jr. in 1961. The story is set in an American utopian society in 2081 where everyone is equal. Your task is to figure out what point you think the author is trying to make. In order to do this, research a little bit about the time period in which the story was written. Bring all your great ideas to class!
Looking ahead…
Our final essay was due last week. If you haven’t finished it yet, meet with your writing mentor and get it done so you can turn it in this week 🙂
For those who have already turned it in, you will be given your essay back this week. Then you get to choose whether to make revisions to your essay OR write a 3-7 page short story. The short story should incorporate some of the literary elements we have been learning about this year.
Complete Caught-yas 120 & 121. After rewriting the sentences, watch the videos below and make any corrections that you missed.
In case you missed it, here is 119 which we did in class.
YAY!!! Your FINAL Paper!!
USE YOUR WRITING MENTOR!
Your paper is due April 13th (two weeks to write it, but one of those weeks is spring break). It needs to be 5 to 7 pages long, same format as before. You are allowed to write on ANY of the books we have covered in class, INCLUDING The Great Divorce, which you are assigned to read during these two weeks as well. Choose a book and thesis that you are interested in. Show us how well you understand that book/character/theme/literary device, etc. PROVE to us that your interpretation is correct with detailed analysis and supporting quotes/evidence directly from the book. This is your time to take what you have learned and present it in one culminating and brilliant display of skill, prowess, intelligence, and magnanimity! You guys have come a long way from where we started with Animal Farm. Really push yourself these last few weeks. I think you will be amazed and very proud of how far you have come!
Here are the study questions. Use these to help you understand what is going on and to think deeper about what C.S. Lewis is telling us about the reality of heaven and why someone may not want to go there. Be prepared to come to discuss what holds us back from reaching our potential.
BEFORE reading The Great Divorce, consider watching “The Fantasy Makers,” a documentary about George MacDonald, C.S. Lewis, and J.R.R. Tolkien. You can find it on Amazon Prime, but I also just saw it’s on YouTube, so that would be cheaper, in fact… here you go…
There are MANY resources to learn about Lewis, Tolkien, and MacDonald. I am sorry we don’t have more time to really dive into them. Feel free to deepen your understanding by reading other books by these authors, listening to podcasts discussing their works, or watching other documentaries (Watching the Lord of the Rings movies DOESN’T count… but it certainly is not a bad idea!)
Complete Caught-yas 117 & 118. After rewriting the sentences, watch the videos below and make any corrections that you missed.
In case you missed it, here is 116 which we did in class.
OUTLINING Assignment
Read the article linked HERE called “Rethinking the Rod of Iron.” This is a very recent religious studies publication from BYU Studies. I want you to notice the STRUCTURE of this article. Especially see if you can pick out his textual evidence and his analysis. He quotes A LOT of scripture (textual evidence – it’s easy to find) but then explains the scriptures and gives his ideas. This is his analysis. This is a fascinating essay that presents familiar information in a very new light and enlightens and opens our understanding to a well-known Book of Mormon story in a new enriching and uplifting way.
Your assignment is to make a short outline for his essay. It does NOT need to be super detailed or super long – half a page to a page is fine. (A full page may even be too long.) I don’t want this assignment to bog you down, but I DO want you to see for yourself how important the structure of an essay is. Notice how his ideas flow into each other. I will be collecting your outlines at the beginning of class next week. (You are welcome to type up your outline also. Sometimes this is easier because the computer will do the formatting for you.)
If you aren’t familiar with outlining, here is a video to get you started. (Don’ worry, there are no grades! This is an exercise is becoming familiar with structure and finding textual evidence and analysis.) One thing he does wrong, though, is for every 1 there has to be a 2 and for every A there has to be a B, so on and so forth. He has that little “a” down there without a “b” under it and that’s bugging me. If you are going to put an A, make sure you have a B (you can also have a C, D, E, etc.) and if you are going to have a 1, make sure you have a 2 (you can also have a 3, 4, 5, etc.) Same with all the levels. You can’t just have 1 thing at that level. There has to be AT LEAST 2. If that doesn’t make sense, don’t worry about it. No grades, remember. This is an exercise in seeing structure, not making a perfect outline.
FINISH reading Life of Pi
This week’s reading assignment is page 256 to the end – page 319. This is only 63 pages.
Feel free to skip from the top of page 307 “We’re all alone..” to the top of 311 “Mr. Chiba: What a horrible story.” These pages, really, are the only difficult ones to read. The rest of the reading assignment is REALLY interesting! So if the book has been difficult so far because of the gore, just know there isn’t much gore or disgusting material in the story – with the exception of those pages. Once you skip them, you may be able to pick up from context clues what happened. But if not and you’d like to know, email me or slack me and I’ll fill you in.
Keep marking up interesting/possible important symbols, themes, motifs, etc. Come to class prepared to share themes (remember, universal phrases – not just ideas like “fear” or “survival”) with the class.
FUTURE information
You will be assigned your FINAL paper on March 30th WHICH IS THIS UPCOMING WEEK. It will be due April 13th (two weeks to write it, but one of those weeks is spring break). It will be 5 to 7 pages long, same format as before. You are allowed to write on ANY of the books we have covered in class. Choose a book and thesis that you are interested in. Show us how well you understand that book/character/theme/literary device, etc. PROVE to us that your interpretation is correct with detailed analysis and supporting quotes/evidence directly from the book. This is your time to take what you have learned and present it in one culminating and brilliant display of skill, prowess, intelligence, and magnanimity! You guys have come a long way from where we started with Animal Farm. Really push yourself these last few weeks. I think you will be amazed and very proud of how far you have come!
Complete Caught-yas 114 & 115. After rewriting the sentences, watch the videos below and make any corrections that you missed.
In case you missed it, here is 110 which we did in class.
PICKLES Body Part Assignment
In class we practiced writing the the body paragraphs to an essay about The Fire Cat. I gave you the intro and thesis, and then in groups you had an assignment to write the body paragraphs to fit with the thesis. Your homework is to finish these paragraphs at home on your own. (You do not have to use what your group came up with, but you can if you want.) You MUST keep the following in mind:
1. All paragraphs MUST have a topic sentence. This sentence dictates what the paragraph is about. All quotes in your paragraph should support this topic sentence.
2. The argument of all your paragraphs together should directly support and prove your part of the thesis. Each individual paragraph doesn’t have to refer back to the thesis, but the paragraphs (topic) as a whole should reinforce and reference the thesis in obvious and direct ways. It makes sense to directly reference the thesis in your last paragraph.
If you weren’t in class, just pick a section to write.
Here is the thesis: In the coming-of-age story, “The Fire Cat,” Averill shows Pickles’s progression towards maturity through his relationship and understanding of the other cats around him, his relationship and understanding of the people around him, and his relationship and understanding of himself.
As a quick review:SHOW PROGRESSION FROM IMMATURE TO MATURE
Section 1: relationship and understanding with other cats — (3 paragraphs maybe)
cats in the yard, cats in the house, 1st cat up a tree — cruel, bully
cats in the firehouse — change
2nd cat up the tree — hero
Section 2: Relationship and understanding with people (3 paragraphs maybe)
Mrs. Goodkind – ungrateful, selfish
Joe – trying to fit in, a friend
the Chief – proves himself, a subordinate
Section 3: Relationship and understanding with himself (2 paragraphs maybe)
cruel, bully, selfish, lazy, mixed-up cat
purpose, applies himself, goals
remorse for past poor behavior, hero
CONTINUE reading Life of Pi
This week’s reading assignment is page 98 through 256 (or up to chapter 92).
The following pages/sections are intensely gory. It is hard to avoid ALL the gore, but hopefully these warnings will prepare you for the really intense parts. If a part of the story is really upsetting you, feel free to skim over it lightly or skip it.
page 125 – beginning of 126 – The hyena eats the zebra.
page 131 – last paragraph up until the end of the chapter – the orangutan dies.
page 201- very bottom of 201 to the end of the first paragraph on 202 – Pi kills and eats a turtle.
Keep marking up interesting/possible important symbols, themes, motifs, etc. Come to class prepared to share themes (remember, universal phrases – not just ideas like “fear” or “survival”) with the class.
FUTURE information
You will be assigned your FINAL paper on March 30th. It will be due April 13th (two weeks to write it, but one of those weeks is spring break). It will be 5 to 7 pages long, same format as before. You are allowed to write on ANY of the books we have covered in class. Choose a book and thesis that you are interested in. Show us how well you understand that book/character/theme/literary device, etc. PROVE to us that your interpretation is correct with detailed analysis and supporting quotes/evidence directly from the book. This is your time to take what you have learned and present it in one culminating and brilliant display of skill, prowess, intelligence, and magnanimity! You guys have come a long way from where we started with Animal Farm. Really push yourself these last few weeks. I think you will be amazed and very proud of how far you have come!
Complete Caught-yas 111 & 112. After rewriting the sentences, watch the videos below and make any corrections that you missed.
In case you missed it, here is 110 which we did in class.
FINISH your “Book Thief” Paper
If you turned your paper in LAST week, you should have it back already with LOTS of comments. (You did a good job!! The comments aren’t criticisms of you, but suggestions to help you clarify and make your paper as perfect as you can possible get it – because you are awesome and can do this hard thing. We believe in you!)
Rewrite your paper – USE YOUR WRITING MENTOR. Turn it back in next week on March 16th.
If you have NOT turned in your paper, get that thing finished ASAP! The semester will end sooner than you think. We have one more paper due this semester – the BIG one – and you don’t want to be stuck with TWO papers at the same time.
If you turned in your paper today (March 9th), we’ll hand it back to you next Thursday with some suggestions. You’re rewrite will be due the following week.
START reading Life of Pi
Read starting with the Author’s Note (page vii – in italics). That is part of the book! Then read ALL of part one. It will be pages 1 through 93.
ANNOTATE your book like crazy. Write down notes in the margins, questions, circle words or phrases that stand out. When we get back together next week we will get in small groups and discuss all the things you marked and try to pick up the beginning of themes, motifs, ideas, topics, and other things interesting to look for.
Don’t worry about answering study questions at this point, but if YOU come across anything weird and you want to discuss it with the class, write it down so you remember! We’ll take time to discuss everyone’s ideas and questions next week and every week until we finish the book.
FUTURE information
You will be assigned your FINAL paper on March 30th. It will be due April 13th (two weeks to write it, but one of those weeks is spring break). It will be 5 to 7 pages long, same format as before. You are allowed to write on ANY of the books we have covered in class. Choose a book and thesis that you are interested in. Show us how well you understand that book/character/theme/literary device, etc. PROVE to us that your interpretation is correct with detailed analysis and supporting quotes/evidence directly from the book. This is your time to take what you have learned and present it in one culminating and brilliant display of skill, prowess, intelligence, and magnanimity! You guys have come a long way from where we started with Animal Farm. Really push yourself these last few weeks. I think you will be amazed and very proud of how far you have come!
IMPORTANT: This book is about an old man trying to catch a fish. Yep, all 124 pages of it! But obviously, it’s not actually only about a fishing trip. Your assignment is to read the book (more than once if you’d like/need to) and determine for yourself who/what the old man represents and who/what the fish represents. Come prepared to class with EVIDENCE from the book to back up your claim. We will be putting you on trial and you will need to convince the jury that your idea, although not necessarily the ONLY interpretation, is a VALID interpretation! (Don’t worry if your idea isn’t perfect. We are practicing interpreting texts by finding and following ideas, etc. while we read a book.)
TIPS: While reading – even the very first time – make notes EVERYWHERE in your book about things you think may be important later. Write questions in the margins, underline passages, write key words for specific topics/ideas you see floating around the book. Use sticky notes or bookmarks or SOMETHING so you can go back and quickly look through the book again for your evidence. In the end, you wont need everything you’ve marked, BUT if you do this as you go, it will benefit you IMMENSELY after you have decided who/what the man/fish is/are 😉 and you start gathering your evidence. Write up your notes in a way that will be easy for you to present to the class.
We will vote as a class on who makes the most convincing argument and the winner will get something dumb I pick up at dollar tree (or something better if I can think of a cool prize in time).
(Feel free to work a little bit on your presenting skills. We wont be judging your for that, just your ideas. But class will be more entertaining if we really get some classy speeches and testimonials going from the witness chair!)
DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES LOOK ONLINE FOR SOMEONE ELSE’S ANALYSIS.
Complete Caught-yas 105 & 106. After rewriting the sentences, watch the videos below and make any corrections that you missed.
In case you missed it, here is 104 which we did in class.
FINAL THOUGHTS on The Book Thief
I closed class up today sharing some of the research a fellow student and I had presented at a student symposium at BYU back in 2004. As I was reading The Book Thief, all I could think about was “Nazideutsch” and the corruption of the German language during this time period, even to the extent that I had a hard time seeing so many other symbols and themes in the novel. I am fairly certain Markus Zusak was not aware of how Nazideutsch affected the Jews in Germany during this period and afterwards. However, knowing this cultural context will help YOU expand and deepen your understanding of this topic (words/language/books) and this theme (the power of words to create and destroy). In class I spoke briefly on the difference between “closed reading” vs reading literature as part of a great conversation. These essays help open up and enhance the meaning of the book by taking us beyond the questions of just how the book makes us feel personally, by helping us apply these ideas and themes to real people, real historical events, and other pieces of literature.
My paper is a literary analysis, looking specifically at one prose piece written by a German speaking Jew who was deeply traumatized by the theft and destruction of his language. “The Separation of Voice and Language in Paul Celan’s Gespräch im Gebirg” by Anna Berwick (Mock). https://drive.google.com/file/d/1p93QBbBYD2IyzNXWgXoQ18MJPmVoFjkg/view?usp=sharing
Hopefully these papers will be good examples of structuring a longer essay, incorporating textual evidence, and expending your analysis.
WRITE your “Book Thief” essay
By now you have had plenty of time to read through the essay prompts and choose which prompt you would like to use. PLEASE REMEMBER to utilize your writing mentor. A typical scenario for your writing progress this week my look like the following:
Friday/Saturday – write your paper
Monday/Tuesday – sent your first draft to your writing mentor. Have them make corrections/suggestions on your paper. Meet with them to discuss these suggestions.
Tuesday/Wednesday – use the feedback from your mentor to polish up your first draft. Make it nice!
Thursday – turn in your polished 1st draft STAPLED to the draft of your paper containing the written markings from your writing mentor. This helps us see your writing progress and helps guide us in the comments we will make on the cleaned up paper you turn in to us.
Here is a link to the essay questions if you need them again:
DON’T FORGET to read the very short story “The Bet” by Anton Chekhov
This is a VERY short story. The language is NOT complicated. Books play a prominent role. But NOBODY dies. (That’s a little bit of a spoiler alert, but oh well.) You MUST read this short story before coming to class or else you MAY feel dumb. We’ll be playing a lot of games – and although winning isn’t everything, it’s usually a lot more fun than losing.
Complete Caught-yas 102 & 103. After rewriting the sentences, watch the videos below and make any corrections that you missed.
In case you missed it, here is 101 which we did in class.
Continue to think about your essay
Read through The Book Thief essay questions found at the back of the study guide. You will choose ONE of the options for your essay. It isn’t due until March 2, but thinking about the questions and marking passages as you read will make it much easier to write your essay!
Finish reading The Book Thief and complete the study guide questions. Filling out the study guide questions helps us to have a great discussion in class!
Complete Caught-yas 99 & 100. After rewriting the sentences, watch the videos below and make any corrections that you missed.
In case you missed it, here is 98 which we did in class.
Begin thinking about your essay
Read through The Book Thief essay questions found at the back of the study guide. You will choose ONE of the options for your essay. It isn’t due until March 2, but thinking about the questions and marking passages as you read will make it much easier to write your essay!
Read through page 403 of The Book Thief and complete the study guide questions through Part 7. You will need to be caught up in the reading for the activity we are doing next week!