Tuesday, November 27, 2012

November 28th

The "N word."  Should Huck Finn be banned?

Dave Chappelle and Maya Angelou discuss the N word.

The N word

Thursday, November 15, 2012

November 15th

Homework:  Huckleberry Finn read to the end of chapter chapter 11 for Monday.
Over Thanksgiving, finish chapter 16

Walden Poster due Monday, November 19th (30 pts)
On a separate sheet of paper, type at least 1/2 page single-spaced explaining how your picture illustrates the idea of the quote

Walden quotes.
25 quotes
Pick 4 quotes.  Write 1 paragraph each explaining what Thoreau is saying
For a 5th quote, write 3/4 page " "
No, none of these quotes are used for your poster.  That's a 6th quote
I prefer typed work.
Hand in Monday


Share examples of Transcendentalism in Dead Poets Society.
Hand in.  10 points

Read Huck
Discuss view of religion (heaven, Moses)

Describe Pap
What is Twain saying in the reformation of Pap passage?
irony of "Govment" passage

Thursday, November 8, 2012

November 8

We will be checking out the novel Huckleberry Finn today.  If you read the novel carefully, you will see a couple of similarities between Twain's philosophy and that of the Transcendentalists.  Twain is both a Romantic and a Realist, so this book forms a nice bridge between the two literary movements.

Tomorrow you have a vocabulary test, words 31-60
Scarlet Letter Vocabulary
Homework: Finish your Walden reading--the conclusion as well as 10 pages of your choosing.
Homework: Walden poster due Monday, November 19th.  Start thinking about your photo choice
Homework: Walden quotes due Friday, November 16th.

Watch Dead Poets' Society tomorrow

Write your ten examples and briefly state the connection to Transcendentalist ideas.  Due at the end of the period
Mr. Keating  Oh Captain, my Captain
Neal Perry
Todd Anderson (protagonist)


Transcendentalism
  • praises individual worth over society
  • shows contempt for attachment to social customs and habits
  • heart over mind.  Following your heart is more important than
  • belief in living in harmony with nature
  • great dignity in manual labor; the common man is the true hero
  • praise for the simple lifecriticism for reliance on material possessions
  • relationship with God should be personal
  • value for revolutionary thoughts and ideas
  • rejection of customs, especially traditional European ones
  • focus on individual responsibility for developing a moral code
  • value for intense feeling; Transcendentalists feel deeply and value that
  • powerful emotion.
  • belief that Nature is the Great Teacher
  • optimism
The Dark Romantics--Poe and Hawthorne--have a worldview that is, on the one hand very different from that of the Transcendentalists, and on the other, similar at its foundation.  I've reprinted the principles of transcendentalism, but this time I've changed them to show that the Dark Romantics take a similar view but put a dark, pessimistic tone to it.  The focus is still upon mankind and intense personal feeling, but . . .
  • The individual doesn't fit into society because he's damaged
  • shows contempt for attachment to social customs and habits 
  • Nature is malevolent; mankind struggles with his inner demons
  • The common man is the subject of the stories, and the protagonist is evil
  • The protagonist has a dark relationship with dark forces within (no God in these stories)
  • The protagonist has revolutionary thoughts and ideas, but they're twisted
  • rejection of customs, especially traditional European ones
  • the individual moral code is twisted and is at odds with society's values
  • value for intense feeling; stories are all about the heart and psychology
  • there is no Great Teacher.  The protagonist has no moral center.  He is alone
  • Pessimism

Friday, November 2, 2012

November 2


1. Vocabulary test, words 31-60
2. Formative Assessment
3. Notes: characteristics of Transcendentalist philosophy



4. Watch Dead Poets' Society

5. Write your ten examples and briefly state the connection to Transcendentalist ideas

Transcendentalism
  • praises individual worth over society
  • shows contempt for attachment to social customs and habits
  • belief in living in harmony with nature
  • great dignity in manual labor; the common man is the true hero
  • praise for the simple lifecriticism for reliance on material possessions
  • relationship with God should be personal
  • value for revolutionary thoughts and ideas
  • rejection of customs, especially traditional European ones
  • focus on individual responsibility for developing a moral code
  • value for intense feeling; Transcendentalists feel deeply and value that
  • belief that Nature is the Great Teacher
  • optimism
The Dark Romantics--Poe and Hawthorne--have a worldview that is, on the one hand very different from that of the Transcendentalists, and on the other, similar at its foundation.  I've reprinted the principles of transcendentalism, but this time I've changed them to show that the Dark Romantics take a similar view but put a dark, pessimistic tone to it.  The focus is still upon mankind and intense personal feeling, but . . .
  • The individual doesn't fit into society because he's damaged
  • shows contempt for attachment to social customs and habits 
  • Nature is malevolent; mankind struggles with his inner demons
  • The common man is the subject of the stories, and the protagonist is evil
  • The protagonist has a dark relationship with dark forces within (no God in these stories)
  • The protagonist has revolutionary thoughts and ideas, but they're twisted
  • rejection of customs, especially traditional European ones
  • the individual moral code is twisted and is at odds with society's values
  • value for intense feeling; stories are all about the heart and psychology
  • there is no Great Teacher.  The protagonist has no moral center.  He is alone
  • Pessimism