The Almost Final Awakening

AP Lit will soon find out the answers to many Awakening questions: When Robert returns from Mexico, will Edna still be in love with his hairstyle? Were single men the largest population in Louisiana? Will the parrot learn new French phrases? Will Chopin describe more characters by their hands? Will Edna ever swim again? 

Finish the text tonight and we will wrap up all those analytical classifications (theme, characterization, gender roles, and motifs). I assume we will spend a great deal of time on the ending -- I promise not to give anything away -- at the moment. 

While listening to your thoughts about The Awakening, I see such dynamic analysis. I wish I could say that I understood all those motifs and characterizations at age 19, when I first read the text in college. 

The Twenty-Eighth of August

It looks like Kate Chopin and our reading schedule are synchronous! Alas, we were not able to awake at midnight and traverse the Gulf beaches looking for Edna's spirit. I didn't have time to have that field trip approved.

For Monday's class, we will return to vocabulary experts and resume our Awakening analysis. Will Edna go for another swim? Will she swim alone? Why does one particular lady like to wear black and skulk about the beach? All these questions and more to be continued with our motif-loving author, Kate Chopin. Read Chapters 17-27 and prep for more theme, character, motif, and literary analysis.

Don't forget to make a dent in your own Chopin presentation assignment. While you are reading "short" stories, if you procrastinate until the last minute to do your reading, you will most likely find Chopin's writing quite long.

*A little tip for literary discussions - incorporate your literary terms as you verbalize your impressions of the text. If you are referencing a particular color, perhaps mention symbolism. If you are recognizing a comparison of two characters, perhaps mention juxtaposition. Those little details add to your analysis and, of course, your written analysis, and, of course, to your AP Lit grade.

To the Sea

http://www.oceanconservancy.org/assets/feature-images/standard/restoring-the-gulf-of-mexico.png

Would you agree that the above image is apropos for The Awakening's burgeoning motifs? Today's discussion focused on the first five chapters and its characterizations of Monsieur and Madame Pontellier, the perfect handed Adele, and that pesky Robert fellow (I am purposely avoiding any related color symbolism). Make sure you read Chapters 6-16 to see if Edna spends more time at the sea and out of her "cage." 

Lord Byron's lines from "Childe Harold's Pilgrimage" could be Edna's theme song: "...there is rapture in the lonely shore, there is society where none intrudes, by the deep sea, and music in its roar; I love not Man the less, but Nature more."

Your individual Chopin presentations will occur Tuesday/Wednesday, depending on the completion of The Awakening. One of the most important components of the presentation is the connections you make between multiple texts. I highly recommend reading as much of Chopin's short stories as possible. 

Lastly, don't forget to sign up for college credit, if you are so inclined for AP Lit. The deadline is September 4, and UMSL is the sponsoring school for the course. 

Still Close Reading

http://www.katechopin.org/bust/

Rather exciting to receive a new book in class -- especially one full of a stories from a St. Louis writer. To the right is the Central West End bust dedicated to Kate Chopin, who once lived on McPherson Avenue. Chopin wrote of her nineteenth century world, one in which gender roles dictated reputations, lifestyles, and behaviors. Via The Awakening and her short stories, you will have a sense of that nineteenth century environment and how she influenced generations of writers and literary theory.

To start our analysis, you are assigned the first 5 chapters of The Awakening. 

To recap today's class, don't ever forget to CLOSE READ. I know I sound like the cliched "broken record," but finding literary devices and thematic elements prior to multiple choice work helps you in the long run! 

Lastly, I hope this class encourages you to read more diverse genres and become familiar with great authors. My second favorite novel is Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier, and it is the first novel that made me cry while reading its climactic conclusion. Every December I read the tale of the outlier Inman and the belle Ada. Most importantly, the character of Ada, whose name means noble, inspired me to give my rabbit this beautiful name. Today would have been her 8th birthday, and I would like to celebrate her memory and the novel that has changed my life in so many ways. Happy reading. 

And the blog begins...

 First, Hachacha convinces me to start a Scholar Quiz Twitter page, and now I am blogging about AP Literature. This first blog is more of a test to see what will happen, so there will not be any groundbreaking news, announcements, or study information. (We'll save that for the next one -- if this works!) Instead, I thought a little reminder of the AP spirit was an order: the "goofy" poses of last year's AP testers. 

 AP Literature is a whole different beast (sorry, Grendel) than AP Lang. We have moved from non-fiction's purpose to literary characterization and themes. And with that in mind, we will sample the greatest works of literature: Petrarch and his poetry to Laura, Donne and his metaphysical conceits, Macbeth's wondrous witches, Gregor Samsa's infamous metamorphosis, Chaucer's storytelling pilgrims, Mary Wollstonecraft and her daughter Mary Shelley's greatest works, A Brave New World, and, of course, my beloved Keatsy and Heathcliff. 

"To be an artist includes much; one must possess many gifts - absolute gifts - which have not been acquired by one's own effort. And, moreover, to succeed, the artist much possess the courageous soul."

The above sentiment is from Kate Chopin, our first new author after summer reading. I thought it was appropriate as my AP Lit students exhibit courage to speak, analyze, and strive for success every day.