September 25

The Crucible

Today we will finish watching the fantastic film production of The Crucible. 

We will end the period with a discussion of the play/movie.  Which chararacters do you think are most "evil"?  Who do you now consider to be less culpable?  Remember, Arthur Miller does not see the world in black and white but, rather, in shades of gray. 

Interesting article showing inaccuracies in the film
inaccuracies in the film (if you don't feel like reading the whole thing, about three pages in you'll find bullet points)

And this article suggests that the real reason the girls appeared possessed was that they ate some rotten wheat (ergotism)
What Really Happened in 1692

Homework:  Keep reading The Scarlet Letter.  By Monday  you will need to have finished chapter 10
(And yes, I know that some of you haven't even started it yet.  And I also know that this book is very difficult for many of you.  That's why I suggested buying the Kaplan edition)

September 20

Today we are signing up for Turnitin.com accounts.
Here's our class ID: 5572052
Password: saxons

We'll be finishing up The Crucible today and tomorrow, and your assignment is to consider just where the characters fall on the "good/evil" continuum.  Remember, Arthur Miller doesn't really believe in a black and white world, so don't tell me that anyone is 100% evil or absolutely angelic.

Here's the netflix link to the film, which is available as "watch instantly"
The Crucible     I imagine that you have to own an account to see it.

The online text of the entire play can be found here:
Arthur Miller's The Crucible
(Remember, most books written more than 50 years ago are available for free on the internet if you simply search for "online text The Crucible"(or whatever the title is, of course))

YOUR    HOW TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD (THE RIGHT WAY)  ESSAYS
MUST BE SUBMITTED TO  TURNITIN.COM BY MONDAY, 11:59 PM

Ah, remember, you have a vocabulary quiz tomorrow at the first of the period.  I forgot to remind you, but you already know that you have a vocab quiz every Friday, so I don't really need to remind you, do I?  
;~)

Monday, September 17, 2012

Your reading assignment tonight is to tackle Hawthorne's "The Minister's Black Veil."  I think that you'll see some similarities between this story and The Scarlet Letter, and both stories will help us to get a handle on the Puritan's ways of dealing with guilt. 

At the same time that we are reading Hawthorne, we will be watching the movie version of Arthur Miller's play The Crucible.  In The Crucible we also see characters struggling with guilt--some in ways similar to Hawthorne's characters, and some in more contemporary ways (this play was written in 1953 and deals with issues of that time). 

Here is the link to the online text for The Minister's Black Veil.  Be ready to discuss it tomorrow.


And don't forget that you have a vocab quiz Friday (and will every Friday)

September 13, 2012

What is the point of the story Young Goodman Brown? 
Vocabulary for the week
PSAT vocabulary
chapter 1 Scarlet Letter, chapter 1

Your homework assignment is to add a quote to our Google Doc for To Kill a Mockingbird
Significant Quote--To Kill a Mockingbird

September 11, 2012

Scarlet Letter Vocabulary List
Test on first 10 Friday

September 7

You homework assignment is to print and read Nathaniel Hawthorne's story "Young Goodman Brown."  You'll find it at this link:

Young Goodman Brown

Welcome to Honors American Lit

What can I say, I love teaching Honors American Lit where the discussions are lively, the insights keen, and the writing enjoyable to read (keep it that way :~]

Rather than create a website, I've set up this blog for our class and you will be required to view it from time to time.  I prefer blogs to websites because they can be updated so easily and they also give you the opportunity to comment on the things that are said here and to give me input concerning neat and useful links to add to the "Resources" tab and the "Cool Stuff "tab.

The first thing I'd like you to do is to go to  the "Handouts" tab, open the syllabus, and print it.  Then read it, sign it, and have your parent or guardian sign it.  Detach the part at the bottom (keep the rest) and bring it to class by Friday.  Thanks!

Scarlet Letter Vocabulary List
Test on first 10 Friday, September 13th