Shake 38

Between April 19-23, the Shakespeare Festival and community actors will be performing all of Shakespeare's 38 plays for free. While that may sound a little long-winded, the majority of the performances are adapted in modern vernacular, setting, or context. Here is the link if you are interested: https://www.sfstl.com/in-the-streets/shake-38/

And, no, we can't take a field trip to the Taming of the Shrew-inspired yoga class. 

Part I

Today was the first part of the full AP test. Tomorrow, surprisingly, will be the second part.

The Day Before the Full Test

Tomorrow will begin our full test: poetry, prose, free response, and multiple choice. As evidenced by our tally sheet review today, you should review our terms and methods so that you may score well on the exam and show off your analytical abilities.

Romantic Poet Tone List

I typed up a list of all the tone words used during our Wordsworth, Blake, Byron, and Shelley tone paragraphs. Some tone words do repeat, which suggests that you should know these very well at this point in time. Reviewing these words will help you will the full AP Lit test, which begins on Thursday.

• ·         Accusatory
• ·         Admiration
• ·         Ambivalent
• ·         Ardent
• ·         Bellicose
• ·         Cathartic
• ·         Condescending
• ·         Condescending
• ·         Contemptuous
• ·         Contemptuous
• ·         Demoralized
• ·         Didactic
• ·         Discontent
• ·         Elegiac
• ·         Facetious
• ·         Flabbergasted
• ·         Flippant
• ·         Frustrated
• ·         Frustrated
• ·         Grandiose
• ·         Idealistic
• ·         Incredulous
• ·         Inflammatory
• ·         Inquisitive
• ·         Inquisitive
• ·         Inspirational
• ·         Intimate
• ·         Laudatory
• ·         Laudatory
• ·         Laudatory
• ·         Laudatory
• ·         Lugubrious
• ·         Nostalgic
• ·         Obsessive
• ·         Ominous
• ·         Omnipotence
• ·         Quizzical
• ·         Reverent
• ·         Scathing
• ·         Sentimental
• ·         Skeptical

The Romantics Skit

After sharing our Shelley tone paragraphs, we read "Bright Star" by John Keats and discussed the tones best covering my boyfriend's writing. Then, you worked in small groups to discuss the tone of all the Romantic poets. Last, you were assigned a group to create a skit featuring our Romantic fellows, which you will commence working on during break.

Upon return, Tuesday will be a prep day, Wednesday will be a performance day, and Thursday will commence our full AP test. This will take 4 class sessions to complete.

Scholar Quiz Trivia Night

As the Scholar Quiz coach is your teacher and as the Scholar Quiz captain is your classmate, I would like to promote our trivia night this year. For $90, you reserve a table for 8 of your family and friends, which includes 10 free mulligans (a free point per round). This year we have a theme: Decades! We are encouraging people to dress up and decorate their tables. The questions are written by the Scholar Quiz team and are directed at all age groups and levels of experience. While I cannot reveal our round topics, I can share that each round will feature questions from the 1920's to present day and the last round is inspired by the captain and me. We hope to see you there!

Byronic

After sharing our Blake paragraphs, we analyzed the Byron packet and started the interpretation of "Childe Harold" to wrap up the hour. For homework, write a paragraph with Bryon's tone. We will be wrapping up Byron and starting his buddy Shelley tomorrow.

Blake & Byron

The beginning of the hour focused on boys and girls -- lost and found -- and Cupid! Afterward, we met Lord Byron, the clubfooted lover of the nineteenth century. While you may not always agree with his hedonistic lifestyle, his progeny, Ada Lovelace, revolutionized technology. Here she is https://www.sdsc.edu/ScienceWomen/lovelace.html

Homework tonight includes the tone chart for Blake, a tone paragraph written by Blake (i.e. you as Blake), and the first two poems in the Byron poetry packet. Shelley and Keats left to go...

My AP Test

Since we have reached the deadline for registering for the test, it is time for me to start considering the true test I must take every year: the purchase of shoes to celebrate my AP classes. Below are the previous years' shoes: AP Lang/Lit 2014, AP Lit 2015, and AP Lang 2016. Obviously, I try to select fun styles in order to reflect my fond memories of working with all of you. Any suggestions for this year?

Charlotte Olympia Ice Cream, Sophia Webster Banana Amanda, Sophia Webster Flamingo

Oh, Blake

As evidenced in class by my growing vehement tone throughout the "Revolution" poem, I do have a hankering for Blake's writing and his questioning of faith, power, and industrialized society. For homework, you will need to close read the remaining poems -- boy, girl, Cupid if you want a preview of the content. We will be completing a tone chart and tone paragraph for this fellow, so you are welcome to start that process as well.

Plans for the rest of the semester (in a nutshell, not bounded to it or anything): Byron, Shelley, Keats, Romantic Poetry Prompt, Romantic Poetry Skit, Full Practice Test, Marxism with Wuthering Heights, Wuthering Heights Prompt, Review of multiple choice, prose passages, poetry passages, free response passage, Full Practice Test, AP Test, Brave New World Book Club. That sure seems busy!

P.S. Anyone catch the allusion in my blog post today? Just recalled why I know the alluded quote by heart: A Nightmare on Elm Street. "Were it not that I have bad dreams..."

Innocence & Experience

http://a1.files.biography.com/

Since U2's last album was entitled Songs of Innocence, I can't help but combine Bono and Blake into a poetic union of sorts. And surprise Google search, Blake once had flowing long locks like a certain Irishman in the 80's (sigh). Wait, should we be comparing and contrasting Blake's poetry with Bono's lyrics? Wait, does that mean we can listen to U2 music during class? I would love to say that will happen tomorrow, but we do have several other Romantic gents (Byron, Shelley, and Keatsy) to read and tone up before spring break commences.

For homework tomorrow, select 3 tones that encompass Wordsworth and complete the tone chart for him. In addition, write a tone paragraph from Wordsworth's perspective regarding his society.

https://whenskippylovedmallory.files.wordpress.com/2014/03/bono-earring-final.jpg

Wollstonecraft News!

Check out this article regarding Mary Wollstonecraft's soon-to-be statue! (In addition, it reviews the many women who have reflected independence from patriarchy.)
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/mar/07/mary-wollstonecraft-sylvia-pankhurst-statues-women

Wordsworthian

During class, we spent quality time analyzing nature, or the interconnecting theme of Wordsworth's poetry via "Expostulation," "Lucy," and "To a Skylark." To end the class today, you were divided into two groups to analyze another Wordsworth poem, which you will share tomorrow. Make sure you complete your next book card and check out Blake's art work for class.

Our Time Travelling Friend

First of all, THE DEADLINE TO REGISTER FOR THE AP LIT EXAM IS FRIDAY, MARCH 11! March 11. March 11. March 11. March 11. March 11. March 11. March 11. March 11. March 11.

As with our great time travelling friend Wordsworth, repetition creates a lasting, memorable effect on the reader. Namely, that we need to find our true spirits through nature and absolve our reliance on the industrialized world. I guess that means I need to memorize a blank verse poem tonight while I watch Monty have a run in the yard.

Close read the Wordsworth poem packet for tomorrow's class. We will discuss/present the devices, themes, and Romantic genre components inherent in his texts. We will also read a couple more to make it lively.

Peer Review Day

Seniors, you are putting the finishing touches on your last multi-draft essay this weekend. (If you are feeling melancholic over that announcement, you still have several in-class writing prompts during fourth quarter to keep you busy!) The Modern Prometheus essay deadline is Monday at 2:45 p.m.

Allusion Quest

After presenting our fourth book card on Grendel, we had a class-wide allusion quest. If absent, you will make up this quest after school at a later date with other absentees.