Today we continued watching Dead Poets Society.
0 Comments
Due to tech difficulties, we were unable to do anything, other than just enjoy spending time together.
Today we began watching the film Dead Poets Society, which embodies many values of Romanticism and Transcendentalism (and features some of the authors we are/will be focusing on).
Today you are going to read two editorials on Henry David Thoreau, or, as you have heard me refer to him: "Hippie Hank."
The first article, "Pond Scum: Henry David Thoreau's moral myopia", appeared in the October 19, 2015 issue of The New Yorker. As you can tell from the title, author Kathryn Schulz just might share Mrs. Hopkins' opinion of Hippie Hank. You'll have to see for yourself. The second article, "In Defense of Thoreau", appeared the very next day in The Atlantic, a direct response to Schulz' treatise. Jedediah Purdy's subtitle reveals his position: "He may have been a jerk, but he still matters." Your task today is to read these two articles. Yes, they are long, but you should be able to finish them in one class period (plus, the Purdy article is in a huge font). The idea isn't that you memorize every detail--rather, it's that you get an introduction to Thoreau from ultra contemporary authors, which pretty much proves that he's still relevant, even in 2016, right? Also, the second article references the first. This is a rare opportunity to see some academic sparring at its finest. Please determine the main idea of each article. Why does Schulz hate Thoreau so much? What evidence does she cite? What advice does she give to readers? Likewise, what is Purdy's message back to Schulz? Can you tell how he feels about Thoreau? What evidence does he provide to support his view? What advice does HE give to readers? Again, don't worry about every single word in these articles. We will be going over Thoreau's work on our own with a fine-tooth comb. But take the time to read, and get a cursory familiarity with one of the founding fathers of Transcendentalism. Today we came up with different classroom layouts!
DIRECTIONS
Read each issue-statement very carefully. If you need additional details, click on the “learn more” tab at the end of the statement. Be sure to select the “other stances” option. Sometimes a simple “yes” or “no” will do, but most of us take a more nuanced opinion on controversial issues. Don’t forget to look to the left column to rate how important the issue is to you. Each section offers a handful of questions, but for this assignment you need to click the option that shows you all of the questions for each issue grouping. Once you have answered each question and rated its importance, submit your results and find out which candidate you match with. After reviewing your results, click the “Share This” tab to the right. Select the option to save an image of your results, which you will add to this document below. Be sure to do this for both the candidate and party affiliation results. Finally, click the “Share This” tab again and select the option to email the results. That will generate a link, which you will copy and paste into the document below. YOU WILL THEN SUBMIT YOUR DOCUMENT TO TURNITIN.COM. Due on Monday. Click here for the complete instructions and template. Monday, 1/18: No school in observance of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. Tuesday, 1/19: Intro final exam (please see previous post for all info) Wednesday, 1/20: Finals, Periods 1, 2, 3 Thursday, 1/21: Finals, Periods 4, 5, 6 Friday, 1/22: Watched a satire video of attack ads from 1800. Looked at poll/quiz on Isidewith.com. Your results are due next week. Detailed instructions to follow. Completed, in class, a reflection on the first semester of American Lit (please see document below). Due at end of class period. Please make sure you talk to Mrs. Hopkins before the end of the day about anything pertaining to your 1st semester grades!
We continued our presentations on Thursday, and completed them on Friday.
Today we will take a pause from learning about the nuances of American Romanticism and delve for the first time into Romantic poetry. We will be analyzing this poetry using the TPS-FASTT method (pronounced "types-fast").
We use TPSFASTT to break down poems in manageable components. It can feel daunting to read a poem and be asked to "explain" it. Here is an overview: T - Title (initial look) P - Paraphrase (what is literally happening in the poem) S - Speaker F - Figurative Language A - Attitude/Tone S - Shifts (changes in attitude/tone) T - Title (interpretation) T - Theme (topics/subject + what the poet is trying to say) Please click the following link for complete descriptions: TPS-FASTT Poetry Analysis Please familiarize yourself with this method, and complete a TPS-FASTT analysis for each of the following poems: To a Waterfowl - William Cullen Bryant Thanatopsis - William Cullen Bryant The Chambered Nautilus - Oliver Wendell Holmes Your analysis must be written in complete sentences. Some tips for reading: these poems are examples of Classic Romanticism, and they may be somewhat cumbersome to your 21st Century eyes. Take the time to define any words that you are unfamiliar with, or seem awkward to you. It may help you to write a quick summary for each stanza in order to discern the overall flow of the poem. How are these poems examples of Romanticism? For example, the narrator in "To a Waterfowl" (one of the earliest examples of American Romantic poetry) does more than just describe the flight of a beautiful sea bird, but also takes time to reflect on what this experience has taught him as the bird departs. |
Mrs. HopkinsShe's totally your favorite teacher. Archives
June 2016
Categories |