Links to Poe Stories

As per request, here are some links to the Poe poe-ms and stories we've been reading/we will read.

Annabel Lee
The Bells
The Black Cat
The Raven
The Cask of Amontillado
The Tell Tale Heart
The Masque of Red Death
The Pit and the Pendulum
The Devil in the Belfry

Work for the week of Nov. 28th - Freshmen

 

Due Monday Nov. 28^th, 2011

Welcome back from Thanksgiving break.  It’s time to get back to work.  We will be finishing 1984 over the next week or so, so please keep up with the reading.  You’ll be receiving a creative assignment in the next week based upon our reading of 1984, so keep your eyes peels.  This week, we will be watching a dystopian film to compare to our book.  Let’s get to work.

Due Tuesday Nov. 29^th, 2011

Read 1984 Book II Ch. 1-3 pg. 105-136

Due Wednesday Nov. 30^th, 2011

Read 1984 Book II Ch. 4-5 pg. 137-156.

Due Thursday Dec. 1^st, 2011

Read 1984 Book II Ch. 6-8 pg. 157-179

Due Friday Dec. 2^nd, 2011  - End of the 1^st marking period

Read 1984 Book II Ch. 9 pg. 179-217

Due Monday Dec. 5th, 2011

Perfect Paragraph Due - Topic - How does Julia use her sexuality as a tool of rebellion?

Work for the week of Nov. 28th - Juniors

Due Monday Nov. 28^th, 2011

Welcome back from Thanksgiving break.  It’s time to get back to work.  We will be working on crafting an introduction, particularly for your draft due this Thursday.  Please remember that the end of the marking period is this Friday.  If you have any concerns about your grade, be sure to discuss these matters with me.

SAT Vocabulary: Galleon, Stevedore

Due Tuesday Nov. 29^th, 2011

Please create an outline for your paper.  What gothic characteristic will you analyze in your paper?  How does this element improve the stories/movie?  What examples will you select from the text?  How can you begin to discuss this idea in an interesting introduction?

Link to VirtualSalt Gothic Elements page.

Link to UNC-Chapel Hill Writing Center suggestions on introduction writing.

SAT Vocabulary: Virulent, Moribund

AS PER REQUEST: Here is a link of your third essay assignment.

Due Wednesday Nov. 30^th, 2011

Please have an introduction draft ready.  This draft should include an attention grabbing sentence, background, and a cohesive thesis statement.  We will be peer reviewing today.

SAT Vocabulary: Vociferous, Garrulous

Due Thursday Dec. 1^st, 2011

Read and annotate “the Black Cat” paying special attention to the gothic characteristics of the text. 

SAT Vocabulary: Contusion, Corpulent

Due Friday Dec. 2nd, 2011 - End of the 1st marking period

 Read and annotate "The Pit and the Pendulum" paying special attention to the gothic characteristics of the text. 

SAT Vocabulary: Tyro, Zenith

Due Monday Dec. 5th 2011  

First draft of third paper due.  Please complete your introduction and begin at least one body paragraph.  Please have some ideas for a conclusion to discuss.  We will be peer editing today.

Revolution Rock

In the spirit of revolutions across the world, from Tahrir Square to Syria to UC Davis, let's take this opportunity to listen to a popular sub-genre of music; the protest song.  I'd like you to listen to any of the following songs and attempt to compare their lyrics/message to any current revolution in the news or to our book, 1984.  Please be sure to clarify the song and the revolution of your interest in your post.

Song List
It's a Hard Rain Gonna Fall by Bob Dylan
Revolution by the Beatles
Zombie by The Cranberries
We Need a War by Fischerspooner
The Revolution Will Not Be Televised by Gil Scott Heron
Aalu Anday by Beygairat Boys
When the President Talks to God by Bright Eyes
Fight the Power by Public Enemy
Killing in the Name Of by Rage Against the Machine

Juniors - Extra Credit

In the 1980s, the "goth" subculture took England by storm.  The subculture grew and expanded into various forms of expression, particularly music, literature, film, and fashion. 

For extra credit, let's determine the music, literature, film, and fashion someone who considers him/herself goth might indulge in.  Here are some ideas. 

In your explanation (pictures are encouraged), try to explain what makes your subject "goth" and how we can connect this subculture to the gothic elements of the literature that we've been reading.

Music: Joy Division, Bauhaus, the Cure, Souixsie and the Banshees, the Damned, the Birthday Party, the Cramps

Literature: H.P. Lovecraft, Anne Rice, Washington Irving, Baudelaire, E.T.A Hoffman

Film: Lost Boys, The Crow, Edward Scissorhands, A Nightmare Before Christmas, Nosferatu

Fashion: Victorian, Haute goth, steampunk, Theda Bara, macabre

Work for the week of Nov. 21st - Juniors

Due Monday November 21^st, 2011
SAT Words: Nebulous, Obfuscate

Due Tuesday November 22^nd, 2011

How can we compare the  discussion of Lenore to “Annabel Lee” to other Poe works?

Please have your creative writing assignment prepared for today.

SAT Words: Abscond, Relegate

Due Wednesday November 23^rd, 2011

Read, print, and annotate Poe’s famed work"The Raven."Consider the following questions:

How does this work exemplify gothic literature?

Supposing the raven is a metonymy, what does it signify?

Please research Poe’s life and attempt to connect his tragic history with “The Raven.”

Is the raven real?

Are their forces in our lives that constantly proclaim “Nevermore”?

SAT Words: Bacchanalian, Atrophy

 

For Thanksgiving Break:

 I cannot stress this point enough.  This is your vacation time.  See a movie.  Hang out with friends.  Reconnect with family.  While work is important, rest and relaxation is of equal importance.  Let your collective brains and bodies rest.  Enjoy your time off.  I look forward to seeing you all upon your return.  Rest up Stuy!

Work for the week of Nov. 21st - Freshmen

Due Monday November 21^st, 2011

Read chapter six and seven of 1984.  Finish your perfect paragraphs.  Due to my absence on Friday, if students need an additional day to finish their perfect paragraphs, I will understand.

Questions to consider:

How are sexual relations an act of rebellion in this book?

Why does Winston continue to write in his diary if the consequences are so dire?

Due Tuesday November 22^nd, 2011

Finish book one of 1984 (for Wednesday).  Final deadline for perfect paragraphs.

Due Wednesday November 23^rd, 2011

Finish book one of 1984.

Focus upon Orwell’s discussion of the proles and their existence.

How can we compare this existence to the mantra of Occupy Wall Street: “We are the 99%?

For Thanksgiving Break:

I cannot stress this point enough.  This is your vacation time.  See a movie.  Hang out with friends.  Reconnect with family.  While work is important, rest and relaxation is of equal importance.  Let your collective brains and bodies rest.  Enjoy your time off.  I look forward to seeing you all upon your return.  Rest up Stuy!

Juniors - Week of Nov. 14th - 18th

Due Tuesday Nov. 15th, 2011

Print and read “The Masque of Red Death.”   Take notes by writing on and around text that discusses gothic elements and find definitions to difficult vocabulary.

SAT words of the day: Mendacious, Inimical

Due Wednesday Nov. 16^th, 2011

Begin to rewrite the Masque of Red Death utilizing vocabulary from the story in a 1930s noir setting.  You are expected to complete a retelling in no more than two pages that incorporates elements of Poe's story in an updated context.  You will tell the story from a first person perspective, you being a private investigator attending this masquerade.  It is your responsibility to tell the tale in the style of the films below.  Use these links as motivation and inspiration for your task.  And have fun.

Double Indemnity
Lost Highway
Dark City
Fritz Lang's M
Cape Fear
The Maltese Falcon
Vertigo

SAT word of the day: Philistine, Guile

Due Thursday Nov. 17^th, 2011
Continue working on creative writing assignment.

SAT words of the day: Frivolous, Bellicose

Due Friday Nov. 18^th, 2011

Continue working on creative writing assignment.

SAT words of the day: Embroil, Conundrum

Next Week...
Vocabulary Quiz on SAT words

Freshmen - Week of Nov. 14th - 18th

Due Tuesday Nov. 15^th, 2011

-Define “dystopia.”

-10 post-its of quotes with explanation of how said quotes show an example of a dystopian society in 1984.

Due Wednesday Nov. 16^th, 2011-Create a perfect paragraph that answers the question: How 1984 is a dystopia?  Please use two quotations.  Cite accordingly.

Due Thursday Nov. 17^th, 2011

Print and Read “The Good Cook”, New Yorker article about N. Korea.  Please take notes in the margins that relate to our reading.  This article can be found on my Stuyvesant teacher page. 

Due Friday Nov. 18^th, 2011

Please find 5 comparisons between “The Good Cook” and 1984.  Please create 5 explanatory post-its to support your point.

What books do you love?

I was thinking how reading is so incredibly important towards our academics, but also, towards the enrichment of our lives.  And so I thought, why not start a thread where we can list some of our favorite reads.  If you don't read for pleasure, here is a list of books that others read for pleasure.  Maybe we can convert you to understanding how reading can be a truly enjoyable activity.

So I'll get this list started:

House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski
One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway
Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Doestoyevsky
Bonfire of the Vanities by Tom Wolfe
The Electric Kool Aid Acid Test by Tom Wolfe
Hells Angels by Hunter S. Thompson
East of Eden by John Steinbeck
Steal This Book by Abbie Hoffman
Dispatches by Michael Herr
Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut
The New York Trilogy by Paul Auster
Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad


Okay students, you're up.

Work for the week of Nov. 7th - Juniors

Franz von Stuck's Lucifer (1890).

Due Monday Nov. 7th, 2011

Please have a  draft ready for peer editing.

Due Wednesday Nov. 9th, 2011

Please print and read the "Elements of the Gothic Novel." You can find a link here. 

Please find and write up 10 examples of gothic influence in Melville's short stories.

Due Thursday Nov. 10th, 2011 

-Papers are due today.  You will be handing back your copies of Billy Budd as well.   

-Please find and write a COMPLETE definition of "film noir" and be sure to describe what makes this style different from 

other types of cinema.  Please do not cut and paste from the Internet.

Due Monday Nov. 14th, 2011

-Print and read the Cask of Amontillado.  Identify 10 gothic elements of this story.  Be sure to bring this story to class.

Work for the week of Nov. 7th - Freshmen

Due Monday Nov. 7th, 2011

Please have a perfect paragraph ready for peer editing.

Due Wednesday Nov. 9th, 2011

-Please bring in your corrected draft.
-Read Chapter One of 1984.  

To be completed in class:
-Write up the definition of the following terms: 

Proles, Big Brother, The Party, Telescreen, Thought Police, Two Minute Hate

-Answer the following questions for class:

What are Winston’s living conditions?

What is Winston’s occupation?

What is the inherent irony of the names of the Party’s ministries?

What is the motto of the Party?  What does it mean?

Due Thursday Nov. 10th, 2011
-Read chapters two and three of 1984.

-Continue defining terms: 

Thoughtcrime, the Junior Spies, the Golden Country, the Physical Jerks, Oceania, Eastasia, Eurasia

-Answer the following questions for class:

What are the Parson’s living conditions?

What is the significance of the word Shakespeare?

What is the history of the party?

Due Monday Nov. 14th, 2011

-Read chapters four and five. 

-Find a COMPLETE definition of propaganda.  Please write this definition in your own words.

-Please watch the following videos in entirety and be prepared to discuss their contents, particularly their relation to propoganda.  The videos are linked below.

Anti-Communist Cartoon

Anti-Hitler Cartoon

Anti-America Cartoon (This video is not in English but is valuable to our discussion.  Please watch it in its entirety.)

Extra Credit - Freshmen and Juniors

Please read the following story, "Patriotism" by Yukio Mishima.  Comment on this post to receive credit.

Freshmen - Please comment on this story based upon its discussion of confomity to society's standards.  How does this story make you feel?  Are the general and his wife choosing the correct course of action?  Why or why not?

Juniors - Please comment on this story based upon our discussion of rebellion and mutiny.  Is the general an honorable character or a victim of a tragic incident?  Who is the narrator of this story?  Why is it important to consider who is telling this story?

Fall Back Spring Forward

Ladies and Gentlemen, this weekend, at exactly 2 A.M. on Sunday November 6th, 2011.

Please be sure to change your watches, alarm clocks, cell phones, iPods, and microwaves accordingly.

Summer is officially over.  Here comes the cold...

Songs from Show Don't Tell

Freshmen - Here is a list of the songs that we've listened to and some recommendations of other songs to listen to based upon your interest.

Múm - I'm 9 Today

The Zombies - Summertime

Other songs by The Zombies: She's Not There, Time of the Season, Care of Cell 44

Refused - Tannhauser/Derive

Other songs by Refused - New Noise, Liberation Frequency, Blind Date

1 Mile North - In 1983 He Loved to Fly

Grandaddy - A.M. 180

Other songs by Grandaddy - Hewlett's Daughter, the Crystal Lake, Laughing Stock 

Enjoy!

Extra Credit for Juniors

Please comment on the following podcast for extra credit.  Try to connect the discussion of human morality to whether or not we are inherently good, evil, or some strange amalgam of both:

Listen here Morality - Radiolab