Chapters 5-8

After starting up our last round of vocabulary, we completed the 2 page analyses of chapters 5-8. To end the hour, you received paperwork for the AP exams, a reminder of the due date - March 8, and my annual power point encouraging you via argumentative techniques to sign up for the exam.

For Thursday, you need to be through chapter 14 with your reading. We will be breaking up into groups to do some over-analysis.

And, t-shirt designs are needed by Friday!

Calling All T-Shirt Designs

If you would like to submit a design for your hour's AP Lit t-shirts, I will need those by this Friday!

Oh, Victor

After copying down our last set of vocab words for AP Lit (we will do tone work next quarter if you need to learn more "big kid" words), individuals selected 2 pages to analyze to the class. Thus far, we have looked at Victor's abandonment of his baby, the arrival of caregiver Clerval, and Elizabeth's opinions of Justine (she's a caregiver, so we know what will happen to her; hold on, I just categorized Clerval as a caregiver...) and cherubic Willy. Absentees, you will be added to the end of the analysis pages tomorrow. In the meanwhile, read chapters 9-12. If Victor's narrative style bothers you, then you are in for a treat when our Creature takes over the tale.

Dad, Mom, Sis, Friend

Before we meet the folks, don't forget that fourth hour had a vocab quiz today and any absentees will need to make this up next week. Also, the character charts were turned in today.

As for the main portion of today, we looked at those idealized members of the Frankenstein family and Victor's circle of friends: Father, Caroline, Elizabeth Lavenza, and Henry Clerval. As noted in fourth hour, all of their characterizations are flavored with a laudatory butter as Victor is nostalgically recalling his childhood past, a world that no longer exists with people that no longer exist (not really a spoiler on that one - he is alone hanging out in the northern regions of the world and lamenting his current situation). In groups, you shared your perceptions of these "minor" characters. I use quotation marks as these "minor" characters have a significant role in forming Victor and his eventual reactions to his own bambino.

After those four had their time, we looked at Victor and how a boy can change when he ends up off at college and without any discipline or guidelines for behavior. Instead of joining a frat and skipping classes, Victor instead decides to use his "materials" and construct a "creature" with lustrous black hair. A success at this, of all things, leads to the realization that Victor has not considered what to do with a large, reanimated "baby" that cannot speak, has trouble walking, and has very unfortunate yellow eyes. Ah, parenthood for the perpetual teenager, Victor Frankenstein. Make sure to read chapters 5-8 for Monday. In second hour, we are two pages into Victor's parental reactions, epithets of affection for his newborn, and the creature's attempts to bond with his father.

Bromance Part I

After a vocab quiz (2) and a vocab review (4), we spent the hour discussing Robert Walton and Victor Frankenstein, or the bromance that has formed from their like obsessions, ambitions, and insecurities. As noted, Walton wants notoriety from his singular exploration northward. As the letters progress, we see another side of Walton: a closet literary loving poet, a man with beliefs of fate, a vulnerable lone figure searching for a buddy, Fortunately, by the time letter four arrives, Walton has found a similar figure of madness: hello, Victor! As their interlocutions expand beyond formalities, we find Victor, brotherless and friendless, attempting to counsel Walton on his obsessions and, on a side note, find absolution for his own god-like ambitions. So, why do we have this opening part with Walton and Victor? To add to the mystery? To dangle a carrot that Victor's story, while nearing its end, has still not reached a conclusion? To make this a moral for the reader and not just for Walton? In both classes, we discussed Victor as a Byronic hero, and Noah mentioned that Walton sure seems a lot like Shelley. Inspiration from the Swiss travels and the infamous storytelling competition?

For homework, read chapters 1-4. Each of you has a minor character and you will create a chart - akin to the Walton/Victor assignment - highlighting quotes reflecting the character and analysis of characterization. Abigail S., you are to create a character chart for Henry Clerval; Maddi, you are to create a character chart for Victor's father.

And, today is the anniversary of one of the greatest losses our literary world has had to suffer: the death of my beloved Keats. As you are quite aware, Keatsy suffered from tuberculosis and spent the last years of his life suffering through blood, pain, heartbreak, and Shelley's fondness for his poetry. (O.k. I admit "suffering" does not fit the adulation Shelley had for this Adonais, but you know I am not a Shelley fan - even if he had a copy of Keats poetry on his person when his body was found after that ill-advised pleasure cruise.) Here is an article celebrating the beauty of my Keats: https://wordsworth.org.uk/blog/2016/08/18/picturing-john-keats/. Oftentimes, he is presented as a frail weakling awaiting the return of Fanny. However, this blog gives another perspective, one of Keats as a young man of dynamic power, beauty, and truth (yep, that was an allusion for all of you Romantic poet fans). 

Hey, Walton

Second hour finished their review of vocabulary today, so that means you will have your quiz tomorrow. Meanwhile in fourth hour, you finished the last three words today, so that means you will have a review tomorrow.

The emphasis of class today was Robert Walton and his characterization in letter one. Our dashing, determined adventurer dreams of legendary feats in a world untouched by human interaction. Does that make him a Romantic dreamer or a hubristic fool? Only time will tell. Or, at least the interaction with a stranger, our darling Victor, will tell. For homework, you will complete characterization charts for letters 2-4 for Walton and Victor. If you were absent, draw a line down your notebook paper. On the right side, list a quotation from the text for Walton or Victor; on the left side, write analysis of character for each quote.

The Mother of Frankenstein

As Doug, our text introduction writer, suggests, the story of Victor Frankenstein is not just about ghoulish, monstrous behavior. Mary Shelley has crafted a look at parent-child relationships and responsibilities in a time of scientific modernism. For homework, read letters 1-4. We will over-analyze those texts tomorrow with character charts for Walton and Victor.

Bon Voyage!

What a fun way to end our week with our character prologues and tales from our pilgrimages to Hogwarts and Jurassic Park. I think my favorite prologue -- or at least the most dramatic of the bunch - was Anna's split personality doctor and his sudden dialect alterations.

I hope you enjoy the weekend! We will be starting Frankenstein on Tuesday. If you want to show off to your peers, read up on Mary Shelley and her biography.

The Allusion Scavenger Hunt

In exciting news, AP Lit classes finished 1-2 in the AP Allusion Scavenger Hunt Results. Fourth hour had the most correct: 282 out of 300.

Tomorrow is the great Bon Voyage Shindigs for our trips to Hogwarts and Juraissic Park! Make sure you have your prologue and story in the room or digitally available at the beginning of the hour. We will read our prologues and sum up our stories before your four day weekend commences.

Happy Valentine's Day

My AP Lit Cupids, whether you believe in that mythology or not, I hope you have a lovely evening writing in iambic pentameter and preparing your magic wands or your dinosaur training moves.

Here is our Valentine's Day present: another exclusive adoption with the St. Louis Zoo for the Coquerel's Sifaka. No, I don't know how to pronounce it :)  http://animals.sandiegozoo.org/sites/default/files/2016-11/animals_hero_coquerels_sifaka_0.jpg

The Two Days NOT To Be Absent

We finished the Wollstonecraft presentations, which means next week will be focused on the "raw materials" of Victor Frankenstein.

In the meanwhile, the next two days will involve full on fun!

Wednesday will be our class allusion scavenger hunt, in which five teams will show off your knowledge of the Bible, mythology, literature, history, and pop culture.

Thursday will be our Canterbury Tales Bon Voyage Party, so be ready with your prologue, tale, treats, and costumes. I already have Harold ready to go. I need to figure out what Ally would wear to represent her clueless understanding of her job.

Your Wollstonecraft Presentations

Day one of presentations (8 in second hour; 9 in fourth hour) are complete; we will finish -- yes, we will, the remaining presentations tomorrow. As a result of presentations taking 2 days, your allusion scavenger hunt will be during Wednesday's class.

Meeting Your Characters

After copying down new vocab for unit 8, you has the rest of the hour to work on your AP Lit assignments, including the Wollstonecraft analysis that is due for presentation on Monday. During your work time on Monday, I also spoke with each of you regarding your character and the little quirks, details, and descriptions that I will need to establish in the overall prologue. If you were absent today, send me an e-mail highlighting your character so I may incorporate your persona into the prologue.

A Vindicating Dedication

After our verbal vocabulary quiz, we transported to a different time and place, where women were not allowed education, were subjected to immoral models of masculine manners, and were ill-equipped to further the patriotism of their own offspring. After reading the Dedicatory Letter to A Vindication, you picked up your specific section, which you will close read, write paragraphs, and present for Monday's class.

Don't forget that your prologue and tale are due at the start of the hour next Thursday, February 16. If absent, you are still expected to turn this in - by hand if in school and digitally if absent - by the start of the hour.

Feminism + Romanticism + Wollstonecraft

After reviewing vocab and Federigo's poor decision-making skills in sacrificing his best buddy for a dinner party, you leaned more about feminist criticism, Romanticism, and Mary Wollstonecraft. On Thursday, you will put this knowledge into action as we look at Wollstonecraft's work.

To Florence!

We finished up the last of the 15 words in vocab unit 7 and then launched into the official assignment for our version of the Canterbury Tales. For your tale, you are required to create a prologue and a tale. All of this will be due on our bon voyage party day, February 16.

Meanwhile, we had a little wiggle room for you to look at our Bikini Bottom Tales from last year, check out your evaluation for the Estrella essay, and substitute "boring" verbs for more "hot" verbs that will boost your level of mature diction.

At the end of the hour, you heard all about Boccaccio, his friendship with Petrarch, and his frame story for his Decameron. For homework, read the tale of "Federigo's Falcon" and be ready to talk characterization, plot, happy endings, and the overlap with Chaucer's writing.

Hello From Harold & Ally

Today began with our vocabulary, moved to "The Pardoner's Tale," and ended with the selection of your character. For homework, complete you character handout to prep for next week's official assignment.

See you on Monday,

Magician Harold, The Valiant Valentine
Tour Coordinator Ally

That Saucy Wife of Bath

The Wife of Bath, or Cameron's new gal pal, provides us with a look at patriarchy, wifely duties, the inadequate justice system towards the upper classes, the disappearance of fairies, and saucy theory on women's wants and desires. As with all of Chaucer's Tales, the story begins with a prologue from the character's point of view and then segues into her story of a non-chivalrous knight and his wise, powerful savior. (When you begin to write, you will do the same strategy.)

Our class today was so productive with vocabulary, The Wife of Bath, allusion poster 4, and the rangefinders for Estrella's characterization. Let's see what we can do tomorrow as we discuss The Pardoner's Prologue and Tale and, hopefully, decide our characters and motivation of our pilgrimages.