Since I flubbed up last week's entry, I'm starting early this week. Sorry sorry sorry for the inconvenience and confusion . . . But now I'm back on track and all should be right with the world.

So, where are we? In terms of our learning, we've been spending time on details in writing - especially on distinguishing between GOOD details (potatoes) and BAD details (snoozers) and on working to include more of the potatoes in our writing. We're even getting started thinking about characterization - how authors develop characters and how to use potatoes to better develop them. We're going to be SUCH GOOD WRITERS! In C period, we're working on smiley-face tricks: magic three, repetition for effect, expanded moments, and hyphenated modifiers to begin. We read The Rattletrap Car - remember how much fun that was? "Junie shook her head. Jakie shook his head. The baby shook her three-speed, wind-up, paddle-wheel boat."

We've also been working on the strategies of good readers. We've explored the strategy known as "ACCESSING BACKGROUND KNOWLEDGE." We've made text-to-self connections, text-to-text connections, AND text-to-world connections. The text-to-world connections piece led to some excellent discussion about racism and segregation in the past, in society, and in our school. Next we'll be talking about how to practice these strategies when you are faced with a difficult text on your own.

Let's quickly review the upcoming assignments:

B period - Vocabulary 13 sentences and quiz due Thursday; drafting pages due Thursday; polished writing piece due Friday 1/4.
C period - Vocabulary 7 quiz due Thursday; writing piece due Thursday.
D period - Vocabulary 13 sentences and quiz due Thursday; drafting pages due Thursday; polished writing piece due on
Thursday. Let's have dialogue journals due on 1/4.
F period - Vocabulary 13 sentences due Wednesday; Vocabulary 13 quiz due Friday; drafting due Friday; polished writing piece due Thursday, 1/3.
H period - Vocabulary 13 sentences due Wednesday; Vocabulary quiz 13 due Friday; drafting due Friday; polished writing due on Friday; dialogue journals due Thursday, 1/3.

Okay? Also, we've discussed the mid-term exam. Start planning now.

Vocabulary 13 -

1. bellicose - adj. - war-like, quarrelsome
2. abjure - v - to renounce; to shun or avoid
3. ingratiate - v - to get on someone's good side
4. judicious - adj - wise, showing good judgment
5. levity - n - lightness, lack of seriousness
6. corrosive - adj. - acidlike, eating away; bitterly sarcastic
7. pariah - n - outcast
8. stentorian - adj. - extremely loud
9. obviate - v - to anticipate and prevent; to eliminate
10. retrogress - v - to move backward

Honors only -

11. browbeat - v - to bully or intimidate
12. brazen - adj. - bold and shameless
13. jubilation - n - joy, rejoicing
14. reprehensible - adj. - terrible and deserving blame
15. waggish - adj. - mischievous

Extra credit:
kobold -n
pandect - n
polyhistor - n
tummler - n
ziggurat - n

I know, I know. I'm running late. I've been grading and interim reporting and just going generally CRAZY. Here are this week's vocabulary words . . .I'll update everything else tomorrow.

Vocabulary lesson 12:

1. circumspect - adj. - careful, cautious
2. histrionic - adj. - over-acting, dramatic
3. debilitate - v - to weaken
4. gesticulate - v - to make gestures while talking
5. dismantle - v - to take apart
6. bucolic - adj. - rural, country, bucolic
7. enervate - v - to weaken
8. evanescent - adj. - fleeting, short-lived
9. didactic - adj. - instructive, meant to teach
10. garner - v - to collect
11.squander - v - to waste, to use extravagantly
12. pandemic - adj. - epidemic over a large region
13. grueling - adj. - exhausting, difficult
14. belligerent - adj. - ready to fight
15. lurid - adj. shocking and sensational; glowing through flames
Extra credit:

pye dog - n
purulence - n
doggo - adv
belles lettres - n

Okay - more tomorrow!

It's already TUESDAY!!! How can that be? The weeks between Thanksgiving and vacation seem to go by soooooooo quickly. So much to do, so little time . . . Speaking of SO MUCH TO DO, have you been doing all of your required STUFF? You do, too, know what I'm talking about!

By tomorrow, Wednesday, EVERYONE in class periods B, D, F, and H should have handed in a polished draft. I want to get another polished draft from D and H periods BEFORE vacation. Yes, BEFORE.

Vocabulary sentences are due in F and H periods on Wednesday. Quizzes are on Friday.

Vocabulary sentences are due in B and D periods on Thursday. Quizzes are on Thursday for B, C, D periods.

Dialogue journals are due in D and H this week. It's next week for B and F.

Everyone has drafting pages due on Thursday and Friday this week . . . and EVERY week. That just makes it so easy, doesn't it?

Did you know that interim reports go out on 12/11? Neither did I, but they do! We all better get cracking.

Vocabulary Lesson 11:

1. ingenuous - adj. - innocent and sincere
2. altruistic - adj. - selfless
3. arduous - adj. - difficult, hard
4. venal - adj. - open to bribery, corrupt, unethical
5. capricious - adj. - changeable, unpredictable
6. sycophant - n - suck up, one who will do ANYTHING to get on someone's good side
7. vacuous - adj. - empty; stupid and ridiculous
8. ungainly - adj. - awkward, clumsy
9. quell - v - to suppress or quiet
10. strident - adj. - loud and harsh, discordant

Honors only:

11. cherubic - adj. - angelic, innocent
12. meddlesome - adj. - nosy, interfering
13. reprisal - n - retaliation
14. ebullient - adj. - enthusiastic
15. dogged - stubborn, persevering

Extra Credit:

straw boss - n
ennead - n
susarration - n
compendium - n
lachrymose - adj.

Hey, while you're reading, notice yourself making text to text and text to self connections. . .

Are you using smiley-face tricks in your writing? Are you revising your writing? After it's graded, you can revise and hand it in again for a revised grade. That's what I WANT you to do!!! So do it, silly!

Aaaaaaahhhhhhhh...It's a pleasure to be back at school after Thanksgiving, isn't it? I'd had enough of sleeping late and eating when I wanted and curling up with a good book and taking walks and shopping and . . . Actually, I think I'd like a little more of that. Oh, well. We ARE back at school, so we may as well have a good attitude about it! And the sun is shining and our next vacation is right around the corner and we have reading and writing and vocabulary and ENGLISH class to enjoy . . .

So does everyone know what's new and what's due? (I'm a rhyming fool; that's cool; especially at school; I can follow the rule; I don't want to fight in a duel. . . I could go on FOREVER!)

B period: Vocab. sentences due Wed., 11/28; vocab. quiz on Fri., 11/30; drafting pages due on Fri., 11/30; polished writing due by Tues., 12/4; dialogue journals due Fri., 12/14; 3-week project selfless act due Tues., 12/18.
C period: Selfless act due Tues., 12/18
D period: Vocab. sentences due Wed., 11/28; vocab. quiz on Fri., 11/30; drafting pages due on Fri., 11/30; polished writing due by Fri., 11/30; dialogue journals due Thurs., 11/6; 3-week selfless act due Tues., 12/18.
F period: Vocab. sentences and quiz due on Thurs., 11/29; drafting pages due on Thurs., 11/29; polished writing due by Wed., 12/5; dialogue journals due Thurs., 12/13; 3-week selfless act due Mon., 12/17.
H period: Vocab. sentences and quiz due Thurs., 11/29; drafting pages due on Thurs., 11/29; polished writing due by Mon. 12/3 or Wed. 12/5; dialogue journals due Fri., 12/7; 3-week selfless act due Mon., 12/17.

How about a little vocabulary?

Vocabulary List 10:

1. quisling - n - traitor; one who betrays his/her country
2. painstaking - adj. - very careful
3. nefarious - adj. - extremely wicked and evil
4. preclude - v - to prevent or make impossible
5. provincial - adj. - unsophisticated or countrified
6. recalcitrant - adj. - unmanageable, refusing to follow rules
7. sybarite - n - a person devoted to luxury and pleasure
8. juxtapose - v - to place side-by-side to compare or contrast
9. fecund - adj. - fruitful, productive
10. gamesome - adj. - merry, playful

Honors only:

11. dolt - n - a stupid person
12. agape - adj. - open-mouthed
13. impeccable - adj. - perfect, flawless
14. resplendent - adj. - brilliant, lustrous
15. perorate - v - to lecture, to give a sermon

Extra Credit:

caduceus - n
extremophile - n
dilatory - adj.
fenestration - n
targe - n

Get to work!

I have to applaud all of you. I am impressed by the amount of writing you've been doing and your positive attitudes and your reading. I am proud of you and happy to be your teacher. Thank you for your effort and your willingness to learn.

Hello, my friends!

Whew - this is a short week and next week's even shorter. Savor every word of this week's blog, because next week, in honor of Thanksgiving, there will be NO BLOGGING!

School has been so much fun lately, hasn't it? And by school, you know I mean English class. Has anyone else bought or checked out my boyfriend Nick Hornby's new book Slam? It sure was good. That man is a genius! No wonder he's my boyfriend! I'm thinking about sending him a letter. What do you think? I'm sure he'll fall head-over-heels-in-love with me based on my poetic and lyrical writing style. Hmmmmm...I'm swooning.

Anyway, lots of stuff due. Here's the rundown:

B period: Dialogue journals due Thursday; grateful lists due Thursday; vocabulary due Thursday; drafting due Monday.
C period: Grateful lists due Thursday
D period: Same as B period above
F period: Dialogue journals due Friday; grateful lists due Friday; vocabulary due Friday; drafts due Friday (wink).
H period: Same as F period

And I want to start getting polished pieces in. I'm thinking Wednesday and Thursday after T'giving for Honors and Friday and Monday after T'giving for C1. What do you think about that? I think it's a BRILLIANT idea!

This week's vocabulary . . .

Vocabulary 9:

1. duplicity-n - deceitfulness, lying
2. emulate - v - to try to equal or surpass
3. euphemism - n - a nice way of saying something harsh
4. fastidious - adj. - hard to please, fussy, particular
5. garbled - adj. - confused, jumbled
6. hierarchy - n - organization by rank or class
7. impassive - adj. - without feeling or emotion
8. indigent - adj. - poor, poverty-stricken
9. jargon - n - specialized vocabulary of members of a group
10. lethargic - adj. - drowsy, dull, sluggish

Honors only:
11. panache - n - flair, flamboyance
12. inept - adj. - incompetent
13. disconsolate - adj. - sad, inconsolable
14. somnolent - adj. - half-asleep
15. nepotism - n - favoritism to a relative

Extra credit:
scofflaw - n
perspicuous - adj.
perspicacious - adj.
operculum - n
interstice - n

That about does it; I'm burning dinner! See you tomorrow!

Hello, Rock Stars!

Yes, you! You rock!!! I mean, how could you not? You are lucky enough to have ME for an English teacher!

Are you getting scared because the end of the quarter is rapidly approaching and you have a 47 in class and you don't know what to do? Don't be afraid! You should all know exactly what you are missing and know exactly what to do to correct it - remember, I gave you your grade sheets! (If you were absent or daydreaming, see me! I'll get you the info. you need.) And you'll bring it in to me on Thursday, not Friday. And being scared won't solve the problem anyway. You just have to face up to the situation and tackle it. Don't be PUSILLANIMOUS! Be BRAVE!

Okay, what's on your new TO-DO list? (Did you see that new and to-do rhyme? That's assonance, you know!)

B period: vocabulary 8 - Thursday, 3-5 pages of draft - Thursday, dialogue journal - Thursday, 11/15 (next week), grateful lists - Thursday, 11/15, polished draft - after Thanksgiving

C period: vocabulary 4 - Thursday, grateful lists - Thursday, 11/15

D period: vocabulary 8 - Thursday, 4-6 pages of draft - Thursday, dialogue journal - Thursday, 11/15 (next week), grateful lists - Thursday, 11/15, polished draft - before Thanksgiving

F period: vocabulary 8 quiz - Friday, 3-5 pages of draft - Friday, dialogue journal - Friday, 11/16, grateful lists - Friday, 11/16, polished draft - after Thanksgiving

H period: vocabulary 8 quiz - Friday, 4-6 pages of draft - Friday, dialogue journal - Friday, 11/16, grateful lists - Friday, 11/16, polished draft - before Thanksgiving

And now you want this week's vocabulary? You are SOOOOOOOOOOOO demanding!

Vocabulary Lesson 8:

1. adulterate - v - to corrupt, contaminate, or pollute
2. aloof - adj. - standoffish, indifferent, disinterested
3. apochryphal - adj. - false, counterfeit
4. belittle - v - to trivialize or make unimportant
5. capitulate - v - to surrender, to give in
6. crestfallen - adj. - disappointed, discouraged, SO SAD
7. conciliatory - adj. - meant to soothe or reconcile
8. dearth - n - shortage
9. desecrate - v - to treat with disrespect
1o. diffident - adj. - shy, unassertive

Honors:
11. spectral - adj. - ghostly
12. mendacious - adj. - lying, false
13. guffaw - n - boisterous laughter
14. bilk - v - to swindle or cheat
15. pusillanimous - adj. - cowardly

Extra Credit:

aviophobia
arachibutyrophobia
coulrophobia
pharmacophobia
emotophobia

Don't you love phobias?

Coming soon: Smiley-face tricks on the blog! Can't wait!

Greetings and salutations!

I'm channelling Charlotte's Web . . . We were talking about that in B period on Monday. Has a book ever been written that's better than Charlotte's Web? Remember Templeton the rat (thanks, Caleb)? And how the little girl feeds Wilbur from a bottle when he's just a baby? And the fair? Ah . . . I'm feeling nostalgic. Go back and take a look at that book again. If you haven't read it since you were little, it will probably surprise you.

Anyway, we've had a lot of work due lately and plenty more to come. Reminders for what should have been submitted and what is upcoming:

B period: Dialogue journals were due last Thursday; polished drafts were due Monday, 10/29; 3-5 pages of draft are due on Friday, 11/2; 8 grateful lists are due on 11/15 or 11/16; extremely difficult projects were due last Thursday.

C period: Character sketches are due next class (10/31) - they should be a minimum of three paragraphs; extremely difficult projects were due last Thursday; vocabulary quiz 3 was last Thursday. We will be starting vocabulary lesson 4 on Wednesday, 10/31.

D period: Polished writing and 4-6 pages of draft and extremely difficult projects were due last Thursday; 4-6 pages of draft due Friday, 11/2; dialogue journals due 11/2; 10 grateful lists due 11/15 or 11/16; work on revising polished drafts.

F period: Dialogue journals were due last Friday; polished drafts were due Friday and so were 3 - 5 pages of draft; extremely difficult projects were due last Wednesday; 3-5 more pages of draft are due on Thursday, 11/1; 8 grateful lists are due on 11/15 or 11/16.

H period: Polished writing and 4-6 pages of draft were due last Friday; extremely difficult projects were due last Wednesday; dialogue journals are due this Thursday; 4-6 pages of draft due this Thursday; work on revising polished drafts.

And, of course, vocabulary. Here's the word list:

Vocabulary 7:

1. quintessence - n - the purest form, the most typical example
2. tentative - adj. - hesitant, uncertain
3. repugnant - adj. - disgusting, loathsome
4. venerate - v - to honor or treat with great respect
5. sophomoric - adj. - immature and over-confident
6. stultifying - adj. - causing to appear stupid or useless
7. stark - adj. - desolate, grim, bleak
8. rebuff - v - to reject, to snub
9. voracious - adj. - greedy, ravenous, gluttonous
10. quiescent - adj. - sleeping, dormant, at rest

Honors only:
11. xenophobia - n - fear of foreigners/strangers
12. besmirch - v - to taint or sully or tarnish or dirty
13. imprudent - adj. - not careful
14. penurious - adj. - stingy, parsimonious
15. perfunctory - adj. - superficial, not thorough, just enough to get by

Extra credit: nictitate - v
oenophile - n
slugabed - n
thaumaturge - n
ultimogeniture - n

Phew! I'm tired just writing about all of this work. Look on the bright side, though - November is a pretty short month with Veteran's Day and Thanksgiving. And tomorrow's Halloween! Trick or Treat!

Hello, my friends!
Are you all feeling relaxed and well-rested during this week of half-days? Catching up on your napping and socializing and homework and what-have-you? All I can say is: LUCKY YOU! I'm feeling tense and nervous and CRAZY!!!! However, I have been LOVING your parents! You are some lucky kids to have such devoted and kind parents and guardians.

Hopefully you have been using at least SOME of your time to work on upcoming projects/papers/assignments. This week we completed our second three-week projects. I distributed assignment sheets for recording what you did that was EXTREMELY difficult. Those are due on Wednesday (today) or Thursday. Some of them have already trickled in - people have done ALL their math homework, avoided the computer for days on end, scored goals, made amends with angry friends (HEY! Amends rhymes with friends! I'm a poet!), cleaned rooms, handled spiders, etc. You are amazing and brave!

Other items that are due include:

B period: Polished writing, vocabulary sentences, dialogue journal entries - all due Thursday, 10/25
C period: Vocabulary 3 sentences, quiz on Thursday
D period: Drafting, polished writing, vocabulary sentences - due Thursday, 10/25
Dialogue journals due next Friday, 11/2
F period: Polished writing, dialogue journal entries, 3-5 pages of drafting - all due Friday, 10/26
H period: Polished writing, 4-6 pages of drafting, polished writing - due Friday, 10/26
Dialogue journals due next Thursday, 11/1

Remember: Drafting is due EVERY week!
Reading is homework at least THREE nights a week!

Oh, yes - vocabulary for this week. LOVE the vocabulary!

Vocabulary lesson 6 (If you are in C period, look at last week's posting for your words!)

1. heretic - n - someone who goes against a church
2. laudable - adj. - praiseworthy
3. propensity - n - tendency, habit, inclination
4. indefatigable - adj. - tireless
5. fulsome - adj. - abundant, generous in amount and spirit, wholehearted
6. espouse - v - to adopt, support, endorse
7. peruse - v - to study, to read carefully
8. concomitant - adj. - accompanying, happening together
9. mitigate - v - to make less intense, to relieve
10. contravention - n - opposition, something contrary to something else

Honors:
11. dawdle - v - linger, lollygag (What a GREAT word!)
12. doddering - adj. - shaky
13. glutinous - adj. - sticky
14. malediction - n - curse
15. pundit - n - a learned person

Extra credit:
bandog
georgic
shoat
concatenation
redoubtable

All right - enough blog reading! Get out there and do your drafts!

Oh my goodness! I'm trying to do everything before I'm out of school for the day tomorrow . . . So in other words, I'm running around like a crazy woman. What else is new?

This week's vocabulary:

Vocabulary 5:

1. chimerical - adj. - absurd, wildly fanciful, imaginative
2. cogent - adj. - strong and to the point
3. cursory - adj. - quickly and without attention to details
4. derogatory - adj. - degrading, negative, berating
5. discerning - adj. - perceptive, observant
6. dormant - adj. - asleep, in a state of rest
7. embroil - v - to involve or engage (in a quarrel)
8. deft - adj. - skillful, nimble
9. fallacy - n - false idea, mistaken belief
10. galvanize - v - to inspire or motivate or stir up

Honors only:

11. extirpate - v - to tear up by the roots, to destroy totally
12. craven - adj. - cowardly
13. impecunious - adj. - without mooney, poor
14. restive - adj. - unmanageable
15. turbid - adj. - muddy

Extra Credit:
joypop - v
judder - v
entomophagous - adj.
nice-nelly - adj.
tardive - adj.


We should probably talk about what's due in the next little bit. LOTS OF ASSIGNMENTS!!!!!!!!!!

Everyone has a 3-week project due next Monday or Tuesday.
B period - 3-5 pages of draft due this Friday; next set is due next Thursday.
Dialogue journals are due next week on Thursday.
A polished piece of writing with at least two drafts is due at the beginning of next week.
Vocabulary 5 sentences due on Wednesday and quiz is Friday.

D period - 4-6 pages of draft due next Thursday; next set is due the following Friday.
Dialogue journals are due this Friday.
A polished piece of writing with at least two drafts is due at the beginning of next week.
Vocabulary 5 sentences due on Wednesday and quiz is Friday.

F period - 3-5 pages of draft due this Thursday; next set is due next Friday.
Dialogue journals are due next week on Friday.
A polished piece of writing with at least two drafts is due at the beginning of next week.
Vocabulary 5 sentences and quiz are due on Thursday.

H period - 4-6 pages of draft due this Thursday; next set is due next Friday.
Dialogue journals are due on Thursday.
A polished piece of writing with at least two drafts is due at the beginning of next week.
Vocabulary 5 sentences and quiz are due on Thursday.

Have you got all that?

Busy, busy, busy . . .

Howdy, cowpokes!

Exciting news - no vocabulary this week! WHAT? Can you believe it? You'll have to wait until next week to find out what "joypopping" is . . . What with field trips and assemblies and advisories this week, it didn't seem sensible to try to squeeze in vocabulary, too. You can feel free to thank me with flowers or cookies or candy or . . . be creative.

H and F period will get next week's vocabulary words on Friday; I'm going to be out next Tuesday, but I still want you to have the quiz on Thursday next week.

Upcoming due dates:

B period - 3-5pp of draft due on Thursday, 10/11
D period - 4-6pp of draft due on Monday, 10/15
F/H periods - drafting due on Wednesday, 10/10 (F - 3-5pp, H - 4-6pp)

3-week projects are due October 22 or 23

Dialogue journals are due in H and D periods on 10/18 or 10/19; they are due in F and B on 10/25 or 10/26

A writing assignment of any kind with a minimum of two drafts is due some time between 10/12 and 10/19

GET TO WORK!WHAT ARE YOU DOING JUST READING THE BLOG! You probably have some writing to do . . .

As always, it's a pleasure blogging to all my peeps at MVRHS . . .

What's new this week? Well, first of all, you should have handed in your three-week projects by now. There were some excellent ones: leg waxing, skinny dipping, shark catching, kayaking, cooking, running, abstaining from the computer, etc. Way to go, superstars! Now you have a new one - do something EXTREMELY difficult. If it doesn't make you feel uncomfortable (in a tolerable way), it's probably not difficult enough. Use your judgment.

We're also starting the writing production regulations this week. Honors classes should have 4-6 pages by next Wednesday or Thursday; C1 classes should have 3-5 pages by next Wednesday or Thursday. These are drafts, rough drafts; they are NOT final copies. Let's think about having a multi-drafted piece ready to submit somewhere around 10/12 - 10/19.

Oh and the dialogue journal letter-essays . . . we've been talking about these this week. Honors classes haven't had full disclosure on those yet, but you will! C1 classes will have the first entries due on Oct. 25 or 26. Honors - let's wait until we go over the details.

I feel like we're starting a lot of new things all at once, and they are all important. I'm worried I might be confusing some of you. Ask questions!!!! Don't feel dumb if you don't get it. I'll explain it as many ways as I can until you understand. Okay? This is too important to let it go.

C period - we haven't talked about the new three-week project yet. We'll do that on Thursday. Make sure you look over your words for your vocabulary quiz 2 this week. I received most of the sentences but not all. Most of the flashcards but not all. Most of the paragraph edits but not all. Are you sensing a theme? On Thursday, we have a quiz and I want to have you finish the penny stories and I want to do some art work . . . That's a lot for one day.

Vocabulary list 4:

1. aversion - n - strong dislike
2. unequivocal - adj. - obvious, very clear
3. alleviate - v - to relieve
4. voluminous - adj - large, enough to fill volumes (Remember the encyclopedia story? So sad. . . )
5. callous - adj. - unfeeling, insensitive
6. tenets - n - beliefs, principles, truths
7. abstinence - n - the giving up of certain pleasures like food, drink, sex, etc.
8. antithesis - n - direct opposite
9. validate - v - to verify or substantiate
10. surreptitiously - adv. - sneakily, slyly

Honors only:

11. fracas - n - fight, brawl, melee
12. munificent - adj. - very generous
13. complacent - adj. - self-satisfied
14. veracious - adj. - truthful
15. mendicant - n - beggar

Extra Credit:

nidicolous - adj.
niddering - n
tatty - adj.
hoyden - n
vaticinate - v

Okay, folks - that's it! Have a lovely week! Read, write, be happy. Long weekend . . . more time for READING!!!

Okay, usually I blog on Wednesday, but this week I've gotten a little ahead of myself so. . . ENJOY!
Hey, a few things of note around the classroom: 1) on the front yellow bulletin board, I have a blank (ish) piece of paper for book recommendations - if you love a book or hate a book, add it to the list - Rant is already on it; 2)check out the wall of fame - Ashley Drake has an artistic rendering of the word "zephyr" up there, and as we begin to do more writing, you'll have LOTS of chances to get YOUR work up there for EVERYONE to see; 3)did you see my new "Action Assignment" board posted under the clock? It will just give you a broad overview of the week, and I think it's COOL! Oh, and that white laundry basket over there - that's for recyclable paper!

Did you do your 3-week project? Something you've never done before? I did! You must have done it by Thurs. if you are in F or H period or by Friday if you are in A, B, or C period. You don't need to write anything down until class. Thursday and Friday are also picture days - look pretty!

Vocabulary lesson 3:

1. meticulous - adj. - particular about details, fussy
2. opulent - adj. - wealthy, luxuriant
3. peripheral - adj. - external, tangential, not central
4. ponderous - adj - heavy; dull or tiresome
5. prolific - adj. - producing a lot; producing many children
6. raze - v - to destroy or tear down
7. repudiate - v - to reject
8. salutary - adj. - healthy; useful
9. unlettered - adj. - unsophisticated, ignorant, unschooled
10. stringent - strict or severe

Honors:
11. coddle - v - to spoil or to treat indulgently
12. spendthrift - n - one who wastes money
13. hoodwinked - v - deceived or cheated
14. tatterdemalion - n - a raggedy person, a hobo
15. gingerly - adv. - carefully

Ex. Credit:
sphygmomanometer
unciform
elephant folio
anaphora
iatraliptic

Phew! I think that's everything! Don't forget sentences or studying for the quiz!
Are you reading at home? Get to it!
This week is one of my favorites, because we talk about my PASSION for reading and for making meaning from the text and for choosing our own books and dialogue journals! Hooray!

Hi, there! Did you miss me yesterday? Did you notice I wasn't here? Did you cry? Never fear! I'm back again!

REMEMBER: Three-week projects are due NEXT WEEK (9/27 or 9/28)! Have you got a plan? I do. I just hope I can get it finished in time.

Would you like the vocabulary words for week 2? I am happy to oblige . . .

Vocab. 2

1. dogmatic - adj. - certain that opinions and beliefs are true, arrogant
2. embellish - v - to decorate; to elaborate upon or add to
3. esoteric - adj. - understood by only a select few
4. facilitate - v - to make easier
5. furtive - adj. - sneaky, secretive
6. hedonist - n - one who lives for pleasure
7. immutable - adj. - never changing
8. incorrigible - adj. - unable to be reformed
9. irrefutable - adj. - cannot be disproved
10. latent - adj. - present but invisible, hidden and undeveloped

Honors:
11. amorphous - adj. - shapeless
12. benison - n - blessing
13. celerity - n - speed, rapidity
14. doldrums - n - blues, sadness
15. extemporaneous - adj. - impromptu, unplanned

Extra Credit:
tarantism
grok
psychasthenia
zoolatry

Excellent!
All classes have vocabulary quizzes on Thursday and Friday this week. Study! Write your sentences! Get a 100!

We're starting work on writing this week. You'll be getting an "Expectations for Writing Workshop" sheet in class. Pretty soon we'll be getting "Smiley Face Tricks." Are you pumped or what?

Don't forget to read at home!

Hello, my friends!

Wow! You're visiting my BLOG! It's taken me a week to get things up and running (I forgot my password), but here we are!

Don't you love English so far? Reading and writing territories and "fablious" stories about nose rings and concussions and all the rest. . .

Okay, a few business reminders:
1) 3 week projects due 9/27 or 9/28 - do something you've never done
before
2) Vocabulary 1 quizzes are on Thursday and Friday for B,D,F,H pds.
3) We still need to talk about homework!!!!!!!!!!!
Honors: You should be reading 1/2 hr. per night at least
four nights per week and doing writing (starting
next week) for at least 1 hour per week.
C1: You should plan on 1/2 hr. per night at least three
nights per week and writing 1/2 hour per week.
C2: We'll talk in class!
4) Honors folks - make sure you've turned in your notecards and
Fahrenheit 451 books.
5) Has everyone turned in the reading and writing survey?

This week's vocabulary is:

Vocabulary 1:

1. aberration - n - something unusual, a deviation; a mental disorder
2. august - adj - majestic, awesome, inspiring respect
3. antagonism - n - hostility, anger
4. autonomy - n - independence, self-government
5. cajole - v - to persuade with flattery or pleasant words
6. chastise - v - to scold or criticize
7. commodious - adj - roomy, spacious
8. cryptic - adj - secret, having hidden meaning
9. deprecate - v - to express disapproval, to berate
10. diminution - n - a reduction or lessening

Honors only:
11. vociferous - adj - noisy
12. winsome - adj - agreeable, gracious, engaging
13. wizened - adj - withered, shriveled
14. yokel - n - country bumpkin
15. zephyr - n - gentle breeze

Extra credit: granny dumping, tintinnabulation

HELLO FROM UCONN!
I hope everything is going well at MVRHS. Good luck in your last few weeks!

~Miss S

C1 Final Exam Guide
Miss Simison
EXAM~ 24/25 May


A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Remember that discussion we had when you wrote all that fun stuff you knew or wanted to know about Shakespeare on the board? Here are a few things that might be on your test:

SHAKESPEARE, YAY!

Here's a snapshot of what we talked about in class today..........

Did you know the word 'housekeeping' was a Shakespeare invention?
Believe it or not, Shakespeare literally invented 1,700 words in the English language. He was the first person to use words like - aerial, critic, submerge, majestic, hurry, lonely, road, assassination, laughable, reliance, exposure...... 'Break the ice', 'All that glitters is not gold', 'Hot-blooded', 'In the mind’s eye', 'Housekeeping', 'It’s all Greek to me', 'The naked truth', 'One fell swoop', 'Method in his madness'..... Shakespeare is probably in all our lives in some way every day.

Box Office!
Ever hear of a box office? Of course you have! Know where the name comes from? Well...... In Elizabethan times many of Shakespeare’s plays were performed at The Globe Theatre in London. To get in, you put one penny in a box by the door. Then you could stand on the ground in front of the stage. To sit on the first balcony, you put another penny in the box held by a man in front of the stairs. To sit on the second balcony, you put another penny in the box held by the man by the second flight of stairs. Then when the show started, the men went and put the boxes in a room backstage - the box office.

'The Globe' The Globe Theatre didn’t just show plays. It ‘acted’ as a bear pit, brothel, and a gambling house.

No Copyright In Shakespeare’s time copyright didn’t exist, so the actors only got their lines as the play was in progress. They only got to know who else was playing what the day of the performance. They did "cue acting", which meant that there was a person backstage that whispered the lines to the person right before he was going to say them. Actors were not considered trustworthy people, and the market for good plays was large.

No women allowed, ewwww girls have cooties! The actors were all men in Shakespeare's day. The parts of women were played by boys who still had light voices.

Images of him There are only two authentic portraits of William Shakespeare. An engraving of him by Martin Droeshout first published on the title page of the 1623 First Folio, yes you're looking at it right there! And the monument of the great playwright in Stratford's Holy Trinity Church in Stratford. I've seen the engraving.....it's at the National Portrait Gallery in London. However, it is often traveling and can be found in places like Connecticut!

No BA Shakespeare, one of literature’s greatest figures, never went to university.

Nearly missed out William never published any of his plays. We read his plays today only because his fellow actors, posthumously recorded his work as a dedication to their fellow actor in 1623, publishing 36 of William’s plays.
This collection known as The First Folio is the source from which all published Shakespeare books are derived and is an important proof that he authored his plays.

Shakespeare since the 17th Century…..modern interpretations such as the one we saw in Boston or the movie we watched in class.

Brush up on your knowledge of A Midsummer Night’s Dream:
Characters, Conflicts, the four intertwined plots etc and BRING YOUR HANDOUTS!


SHORT STORIES
Make sure you know the elements of a short story:

SHORT STORY ELEMENTS!

SETTING -- The time and location in which a story takes place is called the setting.
For some stories the setting is very important, while for others it is not.
There are several aspects of a story's setting to consider:

a) place - geographical location. Where is the action of the story taking place?
b) time - When is the story taking place? (historical period, time of day, year, etc)
c) weather conditions - Is it rainy, sunny, stormy, etc?
d) social conditions - What is the daily life of the character's like? Does the story contain local colour (writing that focuses on the speech, dress, mannerisms, customs, etc. of a particular place)?
e) mood or atmosphere - What feeling is created at the beginning of the story? Is it bright and cheerful or dark and frightening?


PLOT –
The plot is how the author arranges events to develop his basic idea;
It is the sequence of events in a story or play. The plot is a planned, logical series of events having a beginning, middle, and end. The short story usually has one plot so it can be read in one sitting. There are five essential parts of plot:

a) Introduction - The beginning of the story where the characters and the setting is revealed.

b) Rising Action - This is where the events in the story become complicated and the conflict in the story is revealed (events between the introduction and climax).

c) Climax - This is the highest point of interest and the turning point of the story. The reader wonders what will happen next; will the conflict be resolved or not?

d) Falling action - The events and complications begin to resolve themselves. The reader knows what has happened next and if the conflict was resolved or not (events between climax and denouement).

e) Denouement - This is the final outcome or untangling of events in the story.


CONFLICT-- Without conflict there is no plot.
It is the opposition of forces which ties one incident to another and makes the plot move.
Conflict is not merely limited to open arguments, rather it is any form of opposition that faces the main character.
Within a short story there may be only one central struggle, or there may be one dominant struggle with many minor ones.
There are two types of conflict:
1) External - A struggle with a force outside one's self.
2) Internal - A struggle within one's self; a person must make some decision, overcome pain, quiet their temper, resist an urge, etc.

1) Man vs. Man (physical) - The leading character struggles with his physical strength against other men, forces of nature, or animals.

2) Man vs. Circumstances (classical) - The leading character struggles against fate, or the circumstances of life facing him/her.

3) Man vs. Society (social) - The leading character struggles against ideas, practices, or customs of other people.

4) Man vs. Himself/Herself (psychological) - The leading character struggles with himself/herself; with his/her own soul, ideas of right or wrong, physical limitations, choices, etc.


CHARACTER -- There are two meanings for the word character:
1) The person in a work of fiction.
2) The characteristics of a person.

Persons in a work of fiction - Antagonist and Protagonist
Short stories use few characters. One character is clearly central to the story with all major events having some importance to this character - he/she is the PROTAGONIST. The opposer of the main character is called the ANTAGONIST.

The Characteristics of a Person -
In order for a story to seem real to the reader its characters must seem real. Characterization is the information the author gives the reader about the characters themselves. STARRD

Characters are convincing if they are: consistent, motivated, and life-like (resemble real people)

Characters are...
1. Individual - round, many sided and complex personalities.
2. Developing - dynamic, many sided personalities that change, for better or worse, by the end of the story.
3. Static - Stereotype, have one or two characteristics that never change and are emphasized e.g. brilliant detective, drunk, scrooge, cruel stepmother, etc.

THEME -- The theme in a piece of fiction is its controlling idea or its central insight.
It is the author's underlying meaning or main idea that he is trying to convey.
The theme may be the author's thoughts about a topic or view of human nature.
The title of the short story usually points to what the writer is saying and he may use various figures of speech to emphasize his theme, such as: symbol, allusion, simile, metaphor, hyperbole, or irony.

Some simple examples of common themes from literature, TV, and film are:
- things are not always as they appear to be
- Love is blind
- Believe in yourself
- People are afraid of change
- Don't judge a book by its cover

Short Stories you may have read:

“Santaland Diaries”
“A Convalescent Ego”
“Dr. Jack O’ Lantern”
“The Necklace”

CATCHER IN THE RYE

The Catcher in the Rye
J.D. Salinger
Miss Simison
Handout I

Setting: Early 1950's. The beginning of the novel takes place at Pency prep school. Holden leaves Pency and goes to various places in New York City.

Background: The entire novel is written in flashback. Holden fails out of Pency. It is not the first school that has expelled him. Holden has a younger sister, Phoebe; an older brother, D.B. who is a screenplay writer in Hollywood; and a younger brother, Allie who died years ago of leukemia. After getting kicked out of Pency, Holden must go home and tell his parents. Instead of deciding to face them with his failure, he wanders around the streets of New York City, and comes into contact with some interesting characters.

Major Characters:
* Holden Caulfield- the narrator
* Robert Ackley- One of Holden's acquaintances at Pency.
* Stradlater- Holden's roommate whom he envies.
* Mr. Antolini- teacher who lets Holden stay at his apartment.
* Phoebe Caulfield- Holden's ten-year old sister.
* Jane- an old friend of Holden, who dates Stradlater.
* Mr. Spencer- teacher at Pency who informs Holden of his expulsion.

Possible Themes:
* innocence- Holden tries to protect the innocence of children.
* family- Holden's relationships with his parents and siblings have deteriorated.
* loss- Holden lost his brother, Allie.
* betrayal- Holden constantly feels betrayed throughout the novel.
* alienation- Holden feels alienated from society.
* adolescence- Holden is an adolescent in search for an identity.
* maturity- Holden is very immature, but believes that he is mature.
* failure- Holden is constantly being kicked out of schools.
* sexual experiences/frustration- Holden is a typical hormonal teenage male, yet he doesn't have
sex with the prostitute when she offers.

Key Issue so far:
Holden is alienated from society. He feels that no one understands him and that everyone is a "phony". He thinks that no one is honest, and everybody wants to be something else. He feels that the only person who understands him is Phoebe. He does not have relationships with girls, or anyone because he feels that he is the only genuine person in the world..


Life Applications:
Holden is an atypical teenager. He is alienated more than most adolescents. He also is in the midst of an identity crisis. All teenagers go through these phases, so everyone can relate to Holden to some extent. Holden is socially inept. Although he has many friends and acquaintances, he can not form lasting, meaningful friendships. Most teenagers, although they do have insecurities, are able to function in relationships.

Holden has to deal with loss. He loses his brother, Allie, to leukemia, and feels a tremendous loss. Allie wrote poems on an old baseball glove, and Holden cherishes this, and speaks about it in great detail. His brother D.B. lives in Hollywood, and is a screenwriter. Holden regards him as a "phony" and has little contact with him. He regards D.B. as a figurative prostitute, who writes only to make money, and not for intellectual redemption.

Another issue in Catcher is betrayal. Holden constantly feels betrayed, and that is a possible cause of his problems. Early in the novel, Mr. Spencer betrays him. He was one of the few teachers at Pency that Holden liked. Spencer broke the news of Holden's expulsion, and Holden felt betrayed. Stradlater betrays Holden by dating his best friend, Jane, whom Holden also had a crush on. When Holden returns home to see Phoebe, she is disappointed in him that he failed out of Pency. He thinks that she should accept him unconditionally, so he feels betrayed.

Holden does not mature through the novel. He actually regresses back to a child-like state of mind. He is constantly dwelling on the death of his younger brother, and avoids his parents, and feels like the only person he can talk to is his ten year old sister.

Holden holds Allie and Phoebe in such high esteem because they are innocent. Holden's goal is to protect innocence in the world. When he hears the "Catcher in the Rye" song being sung by a little boy, he decides that he wants to be the person that keeps children from falling off a cliff. That cliff symbolizes the transition from childhood to adulthood, and he wants to keep them as innocent children, not phony adults.

Symbols
Symbols are objects, characters, figures, or colors used to represent abstract ideas or concepts.

The “Catcher in the Rye”
As the source of the book’s title, this symbol merits close inspection. It first appears in Chapter 16, when a kid Holden admires for walking in the street rather than on the sidewalk is singing the Robert Burns song “Comin’ Thro’ the Rye.” In Chapter 22, when Phoebe asks Holden what he wants to do with his life, he replies with his image, from the song, of a “catcher in the rye.” Holden imagines a field of rye perched high on a cliff, full of children romping and playing. He says he would like to protect the children from falling off the edge of the cliff by “catching” them if they were on the verge of tumbling over. As Phoebe points out, Holden has misheard the lyric. He thinks the line is “If a body catch a body comin’ through the rye,” but the actual lyric is “If a body meet a body, coming through the rye.”
The song “Comin’ Thro’ the Rye” asks if it is wrong for two people to have a romantic encounter out in the fields, away from the public eye, even if they don’t plan to have a commitment to one another. It is highly ironic that the word “meet” refers to an encounter that leads to recreational sex, because the word that Holden substitutes—“catch”—takes on the exact opposite meaning in his mind. Holden wants to catch children before they fall out of innocence into knowledge of the adult world, including knowledge of sex.

Holden’s Red Hunting Hat
The red hunting hat is one of the most recognizable symbols from twentieth-century American literature. It is inseparable from our image of Holden, with good reason: it is a symbol of his uniqueness and individuality. The hat is outlandish, and it shows that Holden desires to be different from everyone around him. At the same time, he is very self-conscious about the hat—he always mentions when he is wearing it, and he often doesn’t wear it if he is going to be around people he knows. The presence of the hat, therefore, mirrors the central conflict in the book: Holden’s need for isolation versus his need for companionship.
It is worth noting that the hat’s color, red, is the same as that of Allie’s and Phoebe’s hair. Perhaps Holden associates it with the innocence and purity he believes these characters represent and wears it as a way to connect to them. He never explicitly comments on the hat’s significance other than to mention its unusual appearance.

The Museum of Natural History
Holden tells us the symbolic meaning of the museum’s displays: they appeal to him because they are frozen and unchanging. He also mentions that he is troubled by the fact that he has changed every time he returns to them. The museum represents the world Holden wishes he could live in: it’s the world of his “catcher in the rye” fantasy, a world where nothing ever changes, where everything is simple, understandable, and infinite. Holden is terrified by the unpredictable challenges of the world—he hates conflict, he is confused by Allie’s senseless death, and he fears interaction with other people.

The Ducks in the Central Park Lagoon
Holden’s curiosity about where the ducks go during the winter reveals a genuine, more youthful side to his character. For most of the book, he sounds like a grumpy old man who is angry at the world, but his search for the ducks represents the curiosity of youth and a joyful willingness to encounter the mysteries of the world. It is a memorable moment, because Holden clearly lacks such willingness in other aspects of his life.
The ducks and their pond are symbolic in several ways. Their mysterious perseverance in the face of an inhospitable environment resonates with Holden’s understanding of his own situation. In addition, the ducks prove that some vanishings are only temporary. Traumatized and made acutely aware of the fragility of life by his brother Allie’s death, Holden is terrified by the idea of change and disappearance. The ducks vanish every winter, but they return every spring, thus symbolizing change that isn’t permanent, but cyclical. Finally, the pond itself becomes a minor metaphor for the world as Holden sees it, because it is “partly frozen and partly not frozen.” The pond is in transition between two states, just as Holden is in transition between childhood and adulthood.


GRAMMAR
There will be a short grammar section on the final, including a couple sentences and a paragraph edit



VOCABULARY!


VOCABULARY 26~

tangential~adj~ touching on a subject; diverging or digressing

trepidation~n~ apprehension, dread, fear

untenable~adj~ can't be defended or maintained

vindictive~adj~ revengeful, unforgiving, bitter

folderol~n~ foolishness, nonsense

aesthetic~adj~ artistic, showing appreciation of beatuty

analogous~adj~ comparable, similar

dodger~n~ a shifty, dishonest person, a trickster

buffoon~n~ a clown, a fool

caustic~adj~ stinging, biting

VOCABULARY 25

SNARKY~ADJ~ IRRITABLE, SHORT-TEMPERED

PAUCITY~N~ SCARCITY, SMALL AMOUNT

FIDDLE-FOOTED~ADJ~ EXCITABLE OR NERVOUS; INCLINED TO WANDER

FREEBOOTER~N~ A PERSON WHO PILLAGES AND PLUNDERS, ESPECIALLY A PIRATE

QUERULOUS~ADJ~ FAULT-FINDING, COMPLAINING

FLEER~ V/N ~ V~TO LAUGH OR SMIRK IN DERISION; N~ A TAUNTING LOOK OR GIBE

RETICENT~ADJ~ NOT SAYING MUCH, ESPECIALLY ABOUT SELF

SCRUPULOUS~ADJ~ HONEST, CONSCIENTIONS, CAREFUL ABOUT DETAILS

SPURIOUS~ADJ~ COUNTERFEIT, FALSE

SUPERCILIOUS~ADJ~ PROUD AND SCORNFUL, HAUGHTY, LOOKING DOWN ON

VOCABULARY 24

EFFERVESCENT~adj~ bubbly, producing bubbles; full of energy

AGOG~adj~ highly excited by eagerness

CONTRABAND~n~ goods smuggled into or out of a place where they are illegal

PORCINE~adj~ resembling a pig, related to a pig

EBULLITION~n~ a sudden violent outburst

VERSLIBRIST~n~ a writer of free-verse

INCIPIENT~adj~ beginning

INSIPID~adj~ dull, bland

NEBBISH~n~ a timid, meek, or ineffectual person

RAPSCALLION~n~ rascal

VOCABULARY 23

IMPLACABLE~ADJ~ NOT ABLE TO BE SATISFIED OR PACIFIED; UNYEILDING, RELENTLESS

AMELIORATE~V~ TO MAKE BETTER, TO IMPROVE

BOMBASTIC~ADJ~ USE OF IMPRESSIVE SOUNDING LANGUAGE WITH LITTLE MEANING

CATHARSIS~N~ EMOTIONAL PURIFICATION OR RELIEF

ATROPHY~V~ TO WASTE AWAY

CLEMENCY~N~ MERCY, MILDNESS

PEJORATIVE~ADJ~ NEGATIVE, UNFAVORABLE

PROWESS~N~ BRAVERY; SKILL, ADEPTNESS

DEVOID~ADJ~ ENTIRELY WITHOUT; LACKING

TRUCULENT~ADJ~ FIERCE AND CRUEL, BRUTAL, SAVAGE

VOCABULARY 21

REFURBISH~V~ to make like new

RESPITE~N~ interval of rest, a break

SCOFF~V~ to mock or make fun of

SPORADIC~ADJ~ occuring irregulary

SUMPTUOUS~ADJ~ lavish, costly, extravagant

TALON~N~ claw

TIRADE~N~ long, angry scolding speech

UNSCATHED~adj~ unharmed

VILIFY~V~ to defame or slander

WITHER~V~ to dry up or shrivel

VOCABULARY 20

UNFEIGNED~ADJ~ GENUINE, REAL

INADVERTENT~ADJ~ ACCIDENTAL, UNINTENTIONAL

INSCRUTABLE~ADJ~ IMPOSSIBLE TO UNDERSTAND

SEDULOUS~ADJ~ DILIGENT, HARD-WORKING

LUCID~ADJ~ CLEAR, UNDERSTANDABLE

VITUPERATIVE~ADJ~ ABUSIVE, SCOLDING

PARTISAN~ADJ~ ONE-SIDED, PREJUDICE; COMMITTED TO ONE PARTY

PLACATE~V~ TO SOOTHE OR PACIFY

ICHTHYOLOGY~N~ THE STUDY OF FISH

QUANDARY~N~ DILEMMA

VOCABULARY 19

CLANDESTINE -adj- secret

INVECTIVE -n- abuse (verbal)

DEFERENCE -n- great respect

INVEIGLE -v- to lead astray, OR..... to wheedle (which means cajole, or beg and beg and beg until you get what you want

DISPARITY -n- lack of equality, difference

EFFACE -v- to wipe out, to erase

EMENDATION -n- correction of errors, improvement

POTABLE -adj- suitable for drinking

TRUNCATE -v- to cut the top off

GRATUITOUS -adj- freely given; unnecessary, uncalled for, negative

VOCABULARY 18

TACTLESS -adj- having no skill in dealing with people; rude; insensitive

THWART -v- to stop something from happening; to hinder. oppose, or frustrate

UNOBTRUSIVE -adj- not noticeable; inconspicuous, seeming to belong

VICARIOUS adj- to experience through someone or something else

WHET -v- to increase, sharpen, stimulate

ADMONISH -v- to caution or warn, to criticize or warn midly but firmly

AMBIVALENCE -n- indecision, experiencing contradictory emotions

ASSUAGE -v- to soothe, make less severe, to satisfy, ease, lessen

BLITHE -adj- cheerful, carefree

CATALYST -n- something which causes reactions in other things without being affected itself

VOCABULARY 17

NONCHALANCE ~n~ carelessness, lack of interest or concern

PARSIMONIOUS ~adj~ too thrifty, stingy, cheap

PIQUE ~v~ to hurt feelings; to excite or arouse interest

TACIT ~adj~ unspoken, silent but implied

PUGNACIOUS ~adj~ eager to fight

REDUNDANT ~adj~ repetitive

LIMPID ~adj~ clear (like water), clear (easy to understand)

MARTINET ~n~ a strict disciplinarian

SOPOROFIC ~adj~ producing sleep

SAGACIOUS ~adj~ very wise


VOCABULARY 16

INSIDIOUS~adj~ sneaky, sly, meant to deceive or entrap, treacherous

ENGENDER~v~ to cause or exist or to develop; produce

EXACERBATE~v~ to make worse, to make more violent

GIBE~v~ to mock or ridicule
~n~ an expression of scorn or derision

GARRULOUS~adj~ tiresomely talkative, wordy and rambling

ALACRITY~n~ cheerful willlingness, eagerness

IMPLAUSIBLE~adj~ difficult to believe, provoking disbelief, not plausible

PHLEGMATIC~adj~ having or showing a slow and stolid temperament, having a sluggish temperament, unemotional

CONSECRATE~v~ to decleare or set apart as sacred, dedicated to a sacred purpose

LISTLESS~adj~ lack of interest, energy, or spirit, lethargic


BBQ: 25 May~ After School until whenever………..30 Bayes Hill Road, OB!
From the High School: Take left out of driveway. At stop sign turn right onto Barnes Road. Bayes Hill is about two miles down on the right….white gates and flowers. Take right onto Bayes Hill; when road straightens out, house is fourth on the left. It’s a white house with a pink wreath on the front door and there will be a dark blue VW Passat in the driveway. Bring whatever food you want! Yes, Miss Wallace will be there! And Hannah!
IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR ARE STRESSING AND THINK YOU MIGHT DIE BECAUSE YOUR FINAL IS IN A WEEK, my mobile number is 860-539-6688.

Honors Final Exam Review Guide
Miss Simison
EXAM: 24 May 2007

A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Remember that discussion we had when you wrote all that fun stuff you knew or wanted to know about Shakespeare on the board? Here are a few things that might be on your test:

SHAKESPEARE, YAY!

Here's a snapshot of what we talked about in class today..........

Did you know the word 'housekeeping' was a Shakespeare invention?
Believe it or not, Shakespeare literally invented 1,700 words in the English language. He was the first person to use words like - aerial, critic, submerge, majestic, hurry, lonely, road, assassination, laughable, reliance, exposure...... 'Break the ice', 'All that glitters is not gold', 'Hot-blooded', 'In the mind’s eye', 'Housekeeping', 'It’s all Greek to me', 'The naked truth', 'One fell swoop', 'Method in his madness'..... Shakespeare is probably in all our lives in some way every day.

Box Office!
Ever hear of a box office? Of course you have! Know where the name comes from? Well...... In Elizabethan times many of Shakespeare’s plays were performed at The Globe Theatre in London. To get in, you put one penny in a box by the door. Then you could stand on the ground in front of the stage. To sit on the first balcony, you put another penny in the box held by a man in front of the stairs. To sit on the second balcony, you put another penny in the box held by the man by the second flight of stairs. Then when the show started, the men went and put the boxes in a room backstage - the box office.

'The Globe' The Globe Theatre didn’t just show plays. It ‘acted’ as a bear pit, brothel, and a gambling house.

No Copyright In Shakespeare’s time copyright didn’t exist, so the actors only got their lines as the play was in progress. They only got to know who else was playing what the day of the performance. They did "cue acting", which meant that there was a person backstage that whispered the lines to the person right before he was going to say them. Actors were not considered trustworthy people, and the market for good plays was large.

No women allowed, ewwww girls have cooties! The actors were all men in Shakespeare's day. The parts of women were played by boys who still had light voices.

Images of him There are only two authentic portraits of William Shakespeare. An engraving of him by Martin Droeshout first published on the title page of the 1623 First Folio, yes you're looking at it right there! And the monument of the great playwright in Stratford's Holy Trinity Church in Stratford. I've seen the engraving.....it's at the National Portrait Gallery in London. However, it is often traveling and can be found in places like Connecticut!

No BA Shakespeare, one of literature’s greatest figures, never went to university.

Nearly missed out William never published any of his plays. We read his plays today only because his fellow actors, posthumously recorded his work as a dedication to their fellow actor in 1623, publishing 36 of William’s plays.
This collection known as The First Folio is the source from which all published Shakespeare books are derived and is an important proof that he authored his plays.

Shakespeare since the 17th Century…..modern interpretations such as the one we saw in Boston or the movie we watched in class.

Brush up on your knowledge of A Midsummer Night’s Dream:
Characters, Conflicts, the four intertwined plots etc


Short Stories
Make sure you know the elements of a short story

SETTING -- The time and location in which a story takes place is called the setting.
For some stories the setting is very important, while for others it is not.
There are several aspects of a story's setting to consider:

a) place - geographical location. Where is the action of the story taking place?
b) time - When is the story taking place? (historical period, time of day, year, etc)
c) weather conditions - Is it rainy, sunny, stormy, etc?
d) social conditions - What is the daily life of the character's like? Does the story contain local colour (writing that focuses on the speech, dress, mannerisms, customs, etc. of a particular place)?
e) mood or atmosphere - What feeling is created at the beginning of the story? Is it bright and cheerful or dark and frightening?


PLOT –
The plot is how the author arranges events to develop his basic idea;
It is the sequence of events in a story or play. The plot is a planned, logical series of events having a beginning, middle, and end. The short story usually has one plot so it can be read in one sitting. There are five essential parts of plot:

a) Introduction - The beginning of the story where the characters and the setting is revealed.

b) Rising Action - This is where the events in the story become complicated and the conflict in the story is revealed (events between the introduction and climax).

c) Climax - This is the highest point of interest and the turning point of the story. The reader wonders what will happen next; will the conflict be resolved or not?

d) Falling action - The events and complications begin to resolve themselves. The reader knows what has happened next and if the conflict was resolved or not (events between climax and denouement).

e) Denouement - This is the final outcome or untangling of events in the story.


CONFLICT-- Without conflict there is no plot.
It is the opposition of forces which ties one incident to another and makes the plot move.
Conflict is not merely limited to open arguments, rather it is any form of opposition that faces the main character.
Within a short story there may be only one central struggle, or there may be one dominant struggle with many minor ones.
There are two types of conflict:
1) External - A struggle with a force outside one's self.
2) Internal - A struggle within one's self; a person must make some decision, overcome pain, quiet their temper, resist an urge, etc.


CHARACTER -- There are two meanings for the word character:
1) The person in a work of fiction.
2) The characteristics of a person.

Persons in a work of fiction - Antagonist and Protagonist
Short stories use few characters. One character is clearly central to the story with all major events having some importance to this character - he/she is the PROTAGONIST. The opposer of the main character is called the ANTAGONIST.

The Characteristics of a Person -
In order for a story to seem real to the reader its characters must seem real. Characterization is the information the author gives the reader about the characters themselves. STARRD

Characters are convincing if they are: consistent, motivated, and life-like (resemble real people)

Characters are...
1. Individual - round, many sided and complex personalities.
2. Developing - dynamic, many sided personalities that change, for better or worse, by the end of the story.
3. Static - Stereotype, have one or two characteristics that never change and are emphasized e.g. brilliant detective, drunk, scrooge, cruel stepmother, etc.

THEME -- The theme in a piece of fiction is its controlling idea or its central insight.
It is the author's underlying meaning or main idea that he is trying to convey.
The theme may be the author's thoughts about a topic or view of human nature.
The title of the short story usually points to what the writer is saying and he may use various figures of speech to emphasize his theme, such as: symbol, allusion, simile, metaphor, hyperbole, or irony.

Some simple examples of common themes from literature, TV, and film are:
- things are not always as they appear to be
- Love is blind
- Believe in yourself
- People are afraid of change
- Don't judge a book by its cover

“99”
“Santaland Diaries”
“A Convalescent Ego”
“Dr. Jack O’ Lantern”
“The Necklace”

Poetry
Origination of the word and background (notes from board)
Loaded Words
Concrete Poetry
Villanelle~ Middle Ages, Europe, Troubadors traveled and told stories. The Villanelle evolved from Italian folk song, formalized in the 1500s.
Form: 5- 3 line stanzas
1 4-line stanza

Based on two repeating lines; line 1 and line 3 of the first stanza alternate as last lines to succeeding stanzas
Last stanza uses line one and three as the final couplet

Rhyme Scheme
ABA
ABA
ABA
ABA
ABA

ABAA

Usually Iambic Pentameter

Requires a subject that is cyclical or has an urgent message because you are repeating so much
The repeating lines are carefully crafted to deepen in meaning with each verse and to be flexible

You will also be responsible for whatever we cover in class on 22 May.

Invictus

By William Ernest Henley

Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the Pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds, and shall find me, unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.


Essay
There will be one essay on the exam. It will be a standard essay (5 paragraphs etc) and the entire exam will be geared so you will have about 40 minutes to complete it. I would give yourself ten minutes to plan and 30 to do your writing. It will, MOST LIKELY, be Shakespeare related.

Grammar
There will be a couple sentences and a paragraph edit

VOCABULARY!
VOCABULARY 26~

tangential~adj~ touching on a subject; diverging or digressing

trepidation~n~ apprehension, dread, fear

untenable~adj~ can't be defended or maintained

vindictive~adj~ revengeful, unforgiving, bitter

folderol~n~ foolishness, nonsense

aesthetic~adj~ artistic, showing appreciation of beatuty

analogous~adj~ comparable, similar

dodger~n~ a shifty, dishonest person, a trickster

buffoon~n~ a clown, a fool

caustic~adj~ stinging, biting

virulent~adj~ extremely poisonous

wary~adj~ very cautious

protract~v~ to prolong

puerile~adj~ childish

maelstrom~n~ whirlpool

VOCABULARY 25

SNARKY~ADJ~ IRRITABLE, SHORT-TEMPERED

PAUCITY~N~ SCARCITY, SMALL AMOUNT

FIDDLE-FOOTED~ADJ~ EXCITABLE OR NERVOUS; INCLINED TO WANDER

FREEBOOTER~N~ A PERSON WHO PILLAGES AND PLUNDERS, ESPECIALLY A PIRATE

QUERULOUS~ADJ~ FAULT-FINDING, COMPLAINING

FLEER~ V/N ~ V~TO LAUGH OR SMIRK IN DERISION; N~ A TAUNTING LOOK OR GIBE

RETICENT~ADJ~ NOT SAYING MUCH, ESPECIALLY ABOUT SELF

SCRUPULOUS~ADJ~ HONEST, CONSCIENTIONS, CAREFUL ABOUT DETAILS

SPURIOUS~ADJ~ COUNTERFEIT, FALSE

SUPERCILIOUS~ADJ~ PROUD AND SCORNFUL, HAUGHTY, LOOKING DOWN ON


ADULATION~N~ FLATTERY, ADMIRATION

AFFABLE~ADJ~ COURTEOUS, PLESANT

ANTIPATHY~N~ AVERSION, DISLIKE

CEREBRATION~N~ THOUGHT

PRATE~V~ TO SPEAK FOOLISHLY, TO BOAST IDLY

VOCABULARY 24

EFFERVESCENT~adj~ bubbly, producing bubbles; full of energy

AGOG~adj~ highly excited by eagerness

CONTRABAND~n~ goods smuggled into or out of a place where they are illegal

PORCINE~adj~ resembling a pig, related to a pig

EBULLITION~n~ a sudden violent outburst

VERSLIBRIST~n~ a writer of free-verse

INCIPIENT~adj~ beginning

INSIPID~adj~ dull, bland

NEBBISH~n~ a timid, meek, or ineffectual person

RAPSCALLION~n~ rascal

PRODIGIOUS~adj~ enormous in size or quantity; amazing

UNFLEDGED~adj~ not fully developed, immature

WARREN~n~ a place where rabbits live; a crowded tenement

BENIGHTED~adj~ being in a state of intellectual darkness, ignorant

TYRO~n~ a beginner, a novice

VOCABULARY 23

IMPLACABLE~ADJ~ NOT ABLE TO BE SATISFIED OR PACIFIED; UNYEILDING, RELENTLESS

AMELIORATE~V~ TO MAKE BETTER, TO IMPROVE

BOMBASTIC~ADJ~ USE OF IMPRESSIVE SOUNDING LANGUAGE WITH LITTLE MEANING

CATHARSIS~N~ EMOTIONAL PURIFICATION OR RELIEF

ATROPHY~V~ TO WASTE AWAY

CLEMENCY~N~ MERCY, MILDNESS

PEJORATIVE~ADJ~ NEGATIVE, UNFAVORABLE

PROWESS~N~ BRAVERY; SKILL, ADEPTNESS

DEVOID~ADJ~ ENTIRELY WITHOUT; LACKING

TRUCULENT~ADJ~ FIERCE AND CRUEL, BRUTAL, SAVAGE

QUAGMIRE~N~ BOG, MARSH

BADINAGE~N~ TEASING CONVERSATION

DESULTORY~ADJ~ AIMLESS, JUMPING AROUND

INIQUITOUS~ADJ~ UNJUST, WICKED

SMATTERING~N~ SMALL AMOUNT

VOCABULARY 21

REFURBISH~V~ to make like new

RESPITE~N~ interval of rest, a break

SCOFF~V~ to mock or make fun of

SPORADIC~ADJ~ occuring irregulary

SUMPTUOUS~ADJ~ lavish, costly, extravagant

TALON~N~ claw

TIRADE~N~ long, angry scolding speech

UNSCATHED~adj~ unharmed

VILIFY~V~ to defame or slander

WITHER~V~ to dry up or shrivel

POLEMIC~N~ controversy, argument supporting a point of view

MUTABLE~ADJ~changing in form

GLOWER~V~scowl

BANDY~V~discuss lightly

UNWITTING~ADJ~ unintentional

VOCABULARY 20

UNFEIGNED~ADJ~ GENUINE, REAL

INADVERTENT~ADJ~ ACCIDENTAL, UNINTENTIONAL

INSCRUTABLE~ADJ~ IMPOSSIBLE TO UNDERSTAND

SEDULOUS~ADJ~ DILIGENT, HARD-WORKING

LUCID~ADJ~ CLEAR, UNDERSTANDABLE

VITUPERATIVE~ADJ~ ABUSIVE, SCOLDING

PARTISAN~ADJ~ ONE-SIDED, PREJUDICE; COMMITTED TO ONE PARTY

PLACATE~V~ TO SOOTHE OR PACIFY

ICHTHYOLOGY~N~ THE STUDY OF FISH

QUANDARY~N~ DILEMMA

BASTION~N~ FORTRESS, DEFENSE, STRONGHOLD

COMPLICITY~N~ PARTICIPATION, INVOLVEMENT

MALINGERER~N~ ONE WHO PRETENDS TO BE SICK TO GET OUT OF RESPONSIBLITY

TOADY~V~ TO FLATTER FOR FAVORS

VENTURESOME~ADJ~ BOLD, DARING

VOCABULARY 19

CLANDESTINE -adj- secret

INVECTIVE -n- abuse (verbal)

DEFERENCE -n- great respect

INVEIGLE -v- to lead astray, OR..... to wheedle (which means cajole, or beg and beg and beg until you get what you want

DISPARITY -n- lack of equality, difference

EFFACE -v- to wipe out, to erase

EMENDATION -n- correction of errors, improvement

POTABLE -adj- suitable for drinking

TRUNCATE -v- to cut the top off

GRATUITOUS -adj- freely given; unnecessary, uncalled for, negative

BENEFICENT -adj- kindly, good

IMPROVIDENT -adj- not thrifty

INVIDIOUS -adj- designed to create ill-will or envy

MEIN -n- demeanor, bearing, the way you carry yourself

RAMSHACKLE -adj- rickety, falling apart

VOCABULARY 18

TACTLESS -adj- having no skill in dealing with people; rude; insensitive

THWART -v- to stop something from happening; to hinder. oppose, or frustrate

UNOBTRUSIVE -adj- not noticeable; inconspicuous, seeming to belong

VICARIOUS adj- to experience through someone or something else

WHET -v- to increase, sharpen, stimulate

ADMONISH -v- to caution or warn, to criticize or warn midly but firmly

AMBIVALENCE -n- indecision, experiencing contradictory emotions

ASSUAGE -v- to soothe, make less severe, to satisfy, ease, lessen

BLITHE -adj- cheerful, carefree

CATALYST -n- something which causes reactions in other things without being affected itself

BLANDISHMENT -n- flattery, sweet talk

COEVAL -adj- of the same or equal age, or duration, originating or existing during the same period

MOLLIFY -v- appease, calm, to pacify

PRETEXT -n- a false reason put forth to hide the real one

RECTIFY -v- to correct, to straighten, amend, revise, set right

VOCABULARY 17

NONCHALANCE ~n~ carelessness, lack of interest or concern

PARSIMONIOUS ~adj~ too thrifty, stingy, cheap

PIQUE ~v~ to hurt feelings; to excite or arouse interest

TACIT ~adj~ unspoken, silent but implied

PUGNACIOUS ~adj~ eager to fight

REDUNDANT ~adj~ repetitive

LIMPID ~adj~ clear (like water), clear (easy to understand)

MARTINET ~n~ a strict disciplinarian

SOPOROFIC ~adj~ producing sleep

SAGACIOUS ~adj~ very wise

TITANIC ~adj~ gigantic

GADFLY ~n~ an animal biting fly, an irritating person

PURLOIN ~v~ steal

ARDOR ~n~ passion, heat, zeal

WAX ~v~ increase, grow

VOCABULARY 16

INSIDIOUS~adj~ sneaky, sly, meant to deceive or entrap, treacherous

ENGENDER~v~ to cause or exist or to develop; produce

EXACERBATE~v~ to make worse, to make more violent

GIBE~v~ to mock or ridicule
~n~ an expression of scorn or derision

GARRULOUS~adj~ tiresomely talkative, wordy and rambling

ALACRITY~n~ cheerful willlingness, eagerness

IMPLAUSIBLE~adj~ difficult to believe, provoking disbelief, not plausible

PHLEGMATIC~adj~ having or showing a slow and stolid temperament, having a sluggish temperament, unemotional

CONSECRATE~v~ to decleare or set apart as sacred, dedicated to a sacred purpose

LISTLESS~adj~ lack of interest, energy, or spirit, lethargic

PREVARICATE~v~ to lie, to stray from or evade the truth

EXTOL~v~ to praise highly, exalt, glorify or honor

BEFUDDLE~v~ to confuse, perplex

YEN~n~ strong desire or inclination, a yearning or craving

MUTINOUS~adj~ rebellious, unruly, turbulent, uncontrollable


LAST BUT NOT LEAST: THE BBQ
Friday, 25 May: After School until whenever
30 Bayes Hill Road, OB
From the High School:
Take left out of driveway. At stop sign turn right onto Barnes Road. Bayes Hill is about two miles down on the right….white gates and flowers. Take right onto Bayes Hill; when road straightens out, house is fourth on the left. It’s a white house with a pink wreath on the front door and there will be a dark blue VW Passat in the driveway. Bring whatever food you want! Yes, Miss Wallace will be there! And Hannah!
IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR ARE STRESSING AND THINK YOU MIGHT DIE BECAUSE YOUR FINAL IS IN A WEEK, my mobile number is 860-539-6688

HONORS!

Invictus
By William Ernest Henley

Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the Pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds, and shall find me, unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.












TO BE MOMORIZED BY 16 or 24 of MAY!!!

MND ACT III Scene ii
Miss Simison
8 February 2007
Handout IV

I know, I know, it was a long scene! But it was wonderful, right?

Puck tells Oberon about Bottom’s transformation and how the ass is the new object of Titania’s love.
“When in that moment, so it came to pass,
Titania wak’d and straightway loved an ass.” (lines 33-34)

Oberon is more than pleased with the result.

How do you think Puck feels when he is telling Oberon all the mischief he has been causing?


Who’s in the dark?
Demetrius: He left Helena before she woke Lysander up and was beloved of him because of the love-
charm. All he knows is that Helena told him of the planned elopement and he wants Hermia for himself and is searching for her.
Hermia: Lysander left her sleeping when he left to follow Helena. When she wakes up, she sees Demetrius, and we see Hermia begging Demetrius for information on Lysander’s location. Hermia says that Lysander would NEVER leave her side, and accuses Demetrius of killing Lysander.

As we know, Puck has made the mistake of applying the love-charm to Lysander instead of Demetrius.
“What hast thou done? Thou hast mistaken quite,
And laid the love juice on some true-love’s sight.
Of thy misprision must perforce ensue
Some true love turn’d, and not a false turn’d true.” (lines 88-91)

Puck has turned a true love into a false one and has not turned any false love true.


Oberon and Puck realize the mistake and as a quick fix, Oberon enchants Demetrius and sends Puck to find Helena so Demetrius can fall in love with her.

What is the simile Oberon uses to describe how Demetrius will see Helena when he wakes up?

Uh oh: both men love Helena and this makes for an interesting scene when all four lovers are together.
When Lysander and Helena enter the spot where Demetrius is napping, the moment when Lysander argues that Demetrius loves Hermia and not Helena is the same moment when Demetrius wakes up and immediately declared his great love for Helena:
Lysander: Demetrius loves her, and he loves not you
Demetrius: (Awakening) O Helen, goddess, nymph, perfect, divine! (lines 136-137)

Helena’s reaction?


How does Hermia think Helena has won Lysander?

Yes, even back in the 16th century, there were girl fights, and the argument that ensues between Hermia and Helena is priceless.

Oberon has an antidote for the love-charm and instructs Puck to apply it to Lysander. Oberon will apply it to Titania once he has the little Indian boy.

Puck and the voices:
Puck sees Lysander searching for Demetrius
Puck speaks in Demetrius’s voice and Lysander goes toward the voice
Demetrius enters after hearing Lysander’s voice.
Demetrius calls Lysander a coward.
Puck eggs Demetrius on by speaking like Lysander.
Puck leads Demetrius away.
Lysander comes back, is tired, and decides to rest
Puck tires Demetrius out and he, too, falls asleep.
Helena enters, also very tired, and asks for sleep in hopes that it will put her out of misery.
Hermia enters, exhausted and also falls asleep.

What are Hermia’s last words before she falls asleep?



Puck chants Lysander and gives him the antidote,



We leave the scene with all four lovers sleeping.

MND ACT III Scene i
Miss Simison
6 February 2007
Handout IV

Yep, we’re still in the woods. And we are re-visited by the Athenian Workmen Quince, Snug, Bottom, Flute, Snout, and Starveling. In yet another comical scene, they rehearse their play.
Bottom alerts Quince to things in the play that may not please the audience:
1.

Solution:

2.

Solution:

There are two other production problems:

1.

Solution:

2.

Solution:

They way the Athenian tradesmen treat the play intensifies the relationship between ______________ and _______________. The men insist on differentiating between the two during their performance of ‘Pyramus and Thisbe.’ The result? Comedy, which is a contrast to all the confusions in the play.

Perhaps the most important part of this play with when Puck places the head of an ass on Bottom. The rest of the men flee the wood because they fear they are haunted and Bottom is alone. Keep in mind that this takes place right after the men have made sure the man playing the lion is recognized as a man, and not a lion, so as not to confuse the audience. What does this make them think about the seemingly solid world?

Bottom is very confused as to why his friends have left him and figures they are playing a practical joke on him.

Now that Bottom is an ass from the neck up, is there a better creature for Titania to fall in love with? Nope!
Bottom’s whistling wakes Titania and she’s in love!
How does Bottom respond?

We also meet four fairies……what is Bottom’s response the following two?

Cobweb:


Mustardseed:

MND ACT II Scene ii
Miss Simison
31 January 2007
Handout III

The way these Fairyland characters speak is very light and graceful, which Shakespeare did to express their spirit-like nature. The fairies use bat wings for elf coats:
“Some war with rere-mice (bats) for their leathern wings,
To make my small elves coats; and some keep back….” (lines4-5)

This reminds us that……..what?

We read both a lullaby by the fairies and an incantation by Oberon:
The lullaby tries to ward off spells and charms The incantation puts a charm on Titania.
The lullaby names eight small animals and The incantation adds six large animals to the list.
insects plus a nightengale.
The lullaby asks that nothing come near the queen. The incantation asks for something to come near, and that the viler it is, the better.

What is not covered by either song?

So what’s up with Hermia and Lysander? We haven’t seen very much of either of them but they’re supposed to be meeting in the woods and Helena and Demetrius are out there looking for them!

Does Lysander seem confident to you? Why?


What is his response to Hermia hoping he’ll love her till he dies?


This is a scene when things really pick up! When Oberon told Puck to go find the two mortals wearing Athenian clothes, what did he not take into account?

Convenient coincidence:
Hermia made a big issue over not sleeping too near Lysander:
“Nay good Lysander. For my sake, my dear
Lie further off yet; do not lie so near.” (lines 43-44)

So, to wrap things up:
Titania’s eyes have been enchanted! She awaits being awakened by her destined “beloved.”

Puck has mistaken Lysander for Demetrius, OOPS! Now Lysander will love Helena!


We have an even worse situation than we had at the beginning: neither man loves the woman who loves him.
Hermia‡ Lysander ‡ Helena ‡ Demetrius ‡ Hermia
Got it? Good! Everyone dance!

MND ACT II Scene i
Miss Simison
29 January 2007
Handout II

The clandestine meeting in the woods……..
As you all probably recall, the Duke’s wood is the designated meeting spot for the characters from the two preceding scenes. We finally meet Puck (Robin Goodfellow), when he and a fairy enter the scene. We learn from Puck that Oberon (King of Fairies) is angry at Titania (his queen). Why? She has stolen an Indian boy and Oberon wants the child for his own. Because Titania won’t give the boy up, she and the King get in the biggest fights every time they see each other and scare the elves into hiding in acorn cups:
“But they do square (quarrel), that all their elves for fear
Creep into acorn cups and hid them there.” (lines 30-31)

The King and Queen end up meeting by accident and greet each other as “proud Titania” and “jealous Oberon.” This is important because in just a few lines we learn their identities and how they feel about each other:
∑ Titania accuses Oberon of coming to for the wedding only because Hilppolyta is a former girlfriend.
∑ Oberon responds with saying Titania is in love with Theseus.
∑ Important: Titania has foresworn Oberon’s bed and company:
“What, jealous Oberon! Fairies skip hence,
I have foresworn his bed and company.” (lines 61-62)
Once again, the course of love is running less than smoothly, a theme we are already familiar with. This relates back to the first scene of the play:
* Hermia might have to foreswear forever what Titania chooses to give up
* Helena has already had to do so against her will

Ah, Cupid: Of course he has to play a part in this! HE tried to shoot and arrow and it missed its target, hitting a flower instead:
“Yet mark’d I where the bolt of Cupid fell:
It fell upon a little western flower,
Before milk-white, now purple with love’s wound,
And maidens call it love-in-idleness.” (lines 165-168)

Oberon sends Puck out to get the flower because the juice from it, when put on the sleeping eyelids of a man or woman, will cause the person to fall madly in love with the very first live creature that is seen when they wake up.

We then learn in a soliloquy that Oberon intends to put the juice on Titania’s eyelids in hopes that she will be distracted by whatever it is she sees when she wakes up. He will take that opportunity to steal the Indian boy from her.

Oberon then hears two people coming and makes himself invisible……….it’s Demetrius and Helena!
Helena is being really annoying and Demetrius just wants to be left alone! He’s looking for Hermia and Lysander….remember they are eloping! After they leave, Oberon sends Puck off with the flower to Titiania, but tells him to look for Lysander and Helena as well, and to use some juice on Demetrius.

Ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch CHANGE: Such a focus on change!
1. Quarrel between Oberon and Titania is over a changeling
2. The cause and result of the quarrel concerns change
3. The solution to the quarrel is possible because of a change in a flower
4. The power of the changed flower is to transform (change) love-sight

Puck: He is the jester to the king and is one of, if not the most, memorable character of MND. From the fairy, we learn that Puck is responsible for all of the following and more:
1. Frightening village maidens
2. Skimming milk so it wont churn
3. Taking the kick out of liquor
4. Misleading people who travel at night
5. For those who treat him well, doing work and bringing luck
WHAT A RASCAL!
For years, Puck was featured at the top of many Sunday comics, with the banner "What fools these mortals be."
Fairies!!! The fairies in A Midsummer Night’s Dream are Shakespeare’s invention. There had been fairies in English folklore before, but Shakespeare’s differ in several important respects:
1. They are tiny! Miniscule, tiny, itsy bitsy!
2. They are associated with flowers
3. They are caring, compassionate, and generous
It is these fairies that have remained in the public’s imagination ever since the first production of MND.
MND inspired four hundred years of stories and pictures of tiny, butterfly-winged people living in the woods. Walt Disney's fairies are their descendants.

VOCABULARY 26~

tangential~adj~ touching on a subject; diverging or digressing

trepidation~n~ apprehension, dread, fear

untenable~adj~ can't be defended or maintained

vindictive~adj~ revengeful, unforgiving, bitter

folderol~n~ foolishness, nonsense

aesthetic~adj~ artistic, showing appreciation of beatuty

analogous~adj~ comparable, similar

dodger~n~ a shifty, dishonest person, a trickster

buffoon~n~ a clown, a fool

caustic~adj~ stinging, biting


ADDITIONAL 5 FOR HONORS:

virulent~adj~ extremely poisonous

wary~adj~ very cautious

protract~v~ to prolong

puerile~adj~ childish

maelstrom~n~ whirlpool

VOCABULARY 25

SNARKY~ADJ~ IRRITABLE, SHORT-TEMPERED

PAUCITY~N~ SCARCITY, SMALL AMOUNT

FIDDLE-FOOTED~ADJ~ EXCITABLE OR NERVOUS; INCLINED TO WANDER

FREEBOOTER~N~ A PERSON WHO PILLAGES AND PLUNDERS, ESPECIALLY A PIRATE

QUERULOUS~ADJ~ FAULT-FINDING, COMPLAINING

FLEER~ V/N ~ V~TO LAUGH OR SMIRK IN DERISION; N~ A TAUNTING LOOK OR GIBE

RETICENT~ADJ~ NOT SAYING MUCH, ESPECIALLY ABOUT SELF

SCRUPULOUS~ADJ~ HONEST, CONSCIENTIONS, CAREFUL ABOUT DETAILS

SPURIOUS~ADJ~ COUNTERFEIT, FALSE

SUPERCILIOUS~ADJ~ PROUD AND SCORNFUL, HAUGHTY, LOOKING DOWN ON

ADDITIONAL 5 FOR HONORS:

ADULATION~N~ FLATTERY, ADMIRATION

AFFABLE~ADJ~ COURTEOUS, PLESANT

ANTIPATHY~N~ AVERSION, DISLIKE

CEREBRATION~N~ THOUGHT

PRATE~V~ TO SPEAK FOOLISHLY, TO BOAST IDLY

Welcome back from vacation! Here's what's up for this week:

B and C:
Your Short Story Chats are due this Thursday. If anyone wants to bring food or drink, feel free! If you've lost your project options, there is a link to the left of this post that will make them magically appear.
Looking ahead: Your short stories are due on 4 May; you will have at least one more class period to work on them.

A and F: (this schedule could change depending on how class goes)
Monday/Tuesday:
Read Act IV of MND in class, there will be a quiz on Act III
In class work: pgs 25-27 in packet

Wednesday/Thursday:
Read Act V of MND in class; there will be handouts and discussions for anyone who is lost.

Friday/Monday:
Showing of MND in class. Bring snacks!

Tuesday/Wednesday:
Test on MND

Ah, the week before vacation. Because of so many absences, we DO NOT HAVE VOCABULARY THIS WEEK! You're welcome! Anyone who's going anywhere, whethere it's a school trip to France, Ireland, or Germany, or just heading south to Florida or the Carolinas (like me!), have fun and be safe!

B and C:
Your Short Story Chat is due on Thursday, 26 April. If you loose the handout with all the project options, look to the left and there is a blog post you can print out
Your Short Story is due on 4 May. Make sure it is based on a personal experience or an experience of someone you know. We will spend this week in class with the laptops brainstorming and drafting so you have a good start.

A and F: We will be finishing up A Midsummer Night's Dream after vacation. Due this week on Wednesday or Thursday is the following:
Study Guide: pg 13-15, 17-19, 21-23, and the Extending Your Response: "Literature Groups" on pg 15.
If you've lost your handouts, they are available to print by clicking the appropriate link on the left!

Short Story
Telling Your Own!
HONORS B an C Only!
DUE: Friday, 4 May

Remember a personal experience that you would be willing to share with the class. Or, recall another’s experience worthy of telling. Write the story down in rough draft format. Embellish the story as much as you like, exaggerating, stretching the truth etc., to make it captivating. You will have the opportunity to share it with the class if you choose. Then, use this story as the foundation for the original short story you will be writing.

Short Story Chat
Miss Simison
Honors B and C Only!
CHAT DATE 26 April 2007


Options:

1. Bring in a couple physical artifacts to interest people in the story. These objects can be symbolic, represent something important to the character, represent a setting or mood, or represent a response to the story.

2. Select two pieces of music that in some way illustrates something in the story. Put it on a CD or your iPod it so it can be played during the chat. Make sure to have a written explanation of why you chose the piece; this can include textual evidence and your own interpretation.

3. Find or write a poem that illuminates some aspect of the short story. Write it out neatly, illustrate it if desired, write an explanation of how it connects to the story.

4. Create a collage or mobile that illuminates the setting or theme or some other aspect of the story.

5. Create an advertisement for your story. It can be a print ad, a radio ad, or a TV ad if you have a recorder available to you. What about the story would you highlight and market?

6. Create a comic strip that illustrates the conflict or climax of the story without giving away the resolution. If desired (and you can’t draw!), use a Comic Creator (http://www.readwritethink.org/materials/comic/) to create a final copy.

If you have an idea that is not on this list, make sure to run it by me first!


Make sure to bring in a copy of your short story when the project is due. Maybe make a copy or two in case your peers are really interested in reading it. This way, it will be accessible to the class. If you need help making copies, just ask!

***Please do not “wing it;” this project should actually require some thought and be mildly interesting to the class!***

Midsummer Night's Dream ACT I HANDOUT
Miss Simison


So, you’ve read the first chapter…..love it? Hate it? Don’t really care about it?

A few important things to remember:
We are introduced to the play’s theme of love and marriage early on with the speeches of Theseus and Hippolyta. Where do these crazy names come from? Well, Shakespeare learned of Theseus from a book called Lives of the Noble Grecians and Romans; to him and his contemporaries, Theseus was not a legend, but historical fact. Back in the day, Theseus was most heroic during a war on the Amazons, a mythical nation of women-warriors.

Stichomythia~ (stick-o-myth-eee-ah) a fun word! Ever heard of it? Well, it’s a technique in drama or poetry, in which alternating lines, or half-lines, are given to alternating characters, voices, or entities. The term originated in the literature of Ancient Greece, and is often applied to the dramas of Sophocles, though others like Shakespeare are known to use it. Etymologically it derives from the Greek stichos ("rows") + mythos ("speech"). Stichomythia occurs very rarely in Shakespeare where characters speak single alternating lines. As you have probably noticed, it is present in A Midsummer Night’s Dream


Stichomythia is particularly well suited to sections of dramatic dialogue where two characters are in violent dispute. The rhythmic intensity of the alternating lines combined with quick, biting ripostes in the dialogue can be quite powerful.

So here’s what we have:
Scene I : Theseus and Hippolyta are to be married
Hermia and Lysander want to be married but…..
Egeus, Hermia’s father, wants her to marry Demetrius but….
Demetrius is loved by Helena, his ex-girlfriend

The plan: All four lovers will go to the woods the next night, Hermia and Lysander to elope; Demetrius to prevent the marriage (Helena warned him); and Helena in hopes of being with Demetrius

Scene II: We’ve got some strange characters who are completely different from the ones we met in the first scene, they speak comically, as opposed to the formal poetry spoken by the lovers. Funny enough, they are very connected to our lovers:
1. The men are preparing a play to entertain and the wedding where Hermia must announce her decision
2. The subject of their play is very relevant to Hermia’s plan
3. They have a plan to rehearse the next night in the Duke’s wood, which puts them in the same geographical location as the lovers. There must be a reason for this!



Just when you thought soap operas were a modern-day invention…………


And we haven’t even met the fairies yet!