Walton

Today's focus was on Walton and his role in Letter 1 of Frankenstein. In class, groups added to the character chart or Walton with quotes and analysis befitting his role as the introductory Romantic character. For homework, you are to either make a digital copy of the class chart (do not add directly to the class chart outside of class) or create one on notebook paper, adding to Walton's characterization and Victor's characterization.

Those Indolent Slugs!

In second hour, we were quite taken by the metaphor of an indolent slug purposed by Wollstonecraft in her chapter 12 argument regarding her opinions of private, public, and home schooling and its detrimental effects on the uneducated virtues of the masses. As with most of Wollstonecraft's work, the metaphor becomes quite the powerful literary element to further (passive-aggressively) her argument to her audience of "educated" men.

Our agenda, centered around our Marys:

1. Wollstonecraft presentations. We do have 2 left in second hour, and 6th hour is finis.
2. The vocab "quiz," a creative exercise that you can do from home! Write a letter to modern day society (you can specify a group or person if you would like) from Mary Wollstonecraft. Mary has basically jumped into a time machine or been reincarnated to view modern day society, so it is her impression of the current world and not her prediction for it. During the letter, you are required to incorporate at least 10 vocab words from unit 7. With that requirement is met, you are welcome to bring in more from any of the other units.
3. Discuss the biography of Mary Shelley and her husband (fill in the blank here).
4. Read the introduction, the preface, and letter 1 of Frankenstein. I always like the introduction to the novel since Shelley basically shows a favoritism in her diction to Lord Byron and a little biting sass to that "cultivated" hero in his own mind, her husband (fill in the blank here, but use a synonym to make it fun). Anywho, the intro sure bespeaks a Romantic upbringing and mindset with imagination, nature, and rebellion. With Letter 1, pay close attention to the characterization of Walton because we are going to make charts on Friday together regarding his character (my "F" key is sticking on my computer, and I am recognizing how much I use the letter "F" is my diction). You may also want to consider why Walton is our first character in this epistolary novel when the book is titled Frankenstein. Whatever could Mary Shelley be doing here? I'm sure you'll have some thoughts.

Today, Mother; Tomorrow, Daughter

This week will emphasize the mother-daughter combination of Mary Wollstonecraft and Mary Godwin Shelley. While young Mary did not know her mother, her reputation, philosophy, and overall adulation by Percy Shelley (I think you remember that fun fact) did give her much understanding of independence, writing, and Romantic inspiration. Tuesday into block day will be the Wollstonecraft presentations, which so far have proven to have similar motifs, analogies, gender roles, and argumentative techniques laced throughout all of the chapters. Wednesday will be the completion of these presentations and the transition into the second generation with Mary Shelley's biography that you will prep and the immersion into Frankenstein, an epistolary novel. I glanced at the calendar, and we will be able to put a significant dent in the novel prior to spring break - yes!

Prose & Wollstonecraft

Today was a work day after vocab with you prepping the rangefinders for the Estrella prompt and/or close reading, writing, and preparing presentation for Wollstonecraft next week.

Vindication

After vocab, we spent quality time in groups recapping the philosophy, gender politics, historical milieu, common analogies and motifs, and all-around argumentative styling of Wollstonecraft's dedicatory letter and introductory section. With that completed, you received the assignment or Vindication and your chapter that you will be responsible for close reading, writing analytical paragraphs, and presenting next week. I also gave you the rangefinders for the Estrella prose prompt, which you will evaluate in 1-6 and in thesis, evidence, and sophistication. We will be analyzing these and your own essays on Monday. Ergo, tomorrow after vocab will be a work day so that you can can prep either or both of these elements.

Wollstonecraft

To continue forward with Romantic ideology and the Feminist criticism lens, we will be looking at Mary Wollstonecraft's most famed text, A Vindication of the Rights of Woman, which commenced in our class with the dedicatory letter and introduction. Whatever was not read in class, make sure to have annotated with your thoughts regarding her argument style, her argument content, her Romantic qualities, and anything else that strikes your fancy.

The Rhyming LIfe

I don't know about you, but after writing the class prologues for second and sixth hours, I have found myself rhyming more in random occasions! I thoroughly enjoyed crafting the overview of your characters, and you gave me such depth of characterization to make a fairly easy task.

With the end of our bon voyage party comes the end of our more creative pursuits in AP Lit. Did you realize that all of our creative endeavors actually helped you with your analysis too? Being able to pick out key lines of a text and emphasize the diction (Metamorphosis poem), clarify adjectives to depict a characterization (Cherry Orchard character chart), and construct a rhyme scheme and work with narration (our Canterbury Tales) are all components of analyzing passages and preparing for the AP exam. See, I'm sneaky - you've been doing all the "hard stuff" all along!

For tomorrow's class, have ethos on Mary Wollstonecraft and her biography. My dad says I'm the reincarnation of both Mary Wollstonecraft and Mary Shelley. I don't know if that is a compliment or not.

It's Almost Time for our Tale!

Today was vocab and a practice MC passage and figuring out party food for our own Canterbury Tale on Tuesday!  See you then with your prologue and your tale!

Surprise!

It must have been a surprise since the desks were not in rows! Our block day, beyond copying down new vocab and voting for our future MC passages, involved a prose prompt diagnostic essay. It's about time to write again! To finish class, we looked at the Romantic Era, which means all those terms that have been introduced in class are expected from you in the near future.

The Pardoner & The Falcon

Continuing our perusal of frame stories, the class was divided up into 2 groups, each one in charge of analyzing the themes, characters, motifs, and so forth. Afterwards, we returned to the district MC passages, the poem of a play and the Austen one. Going over the answers, and looking at the passages again, hopefully aided in your comprehension and improve your accuracy next time around.

On the Road

Today's class was primarily about your characters for our own Tale to Flavortown/Monster University. I learned a lot about your imaginations! At this point, both hours have completed their vocab quiz for unit 6. For readings, you have The Pardoner's Tale and Federigo's Falcon from The Decameron for discussion tomorrow. Sorry so short! I will have a more desultory ramble in the near future since AP Lang has had the longer blogs as of late.

A Little MC Break

Today's class was primarily dedicated to the district MC exam, 2 passages at 30 minutes. We will use these passages for analytical purposes next week, so you will see them again.

Otherwise, make sure you study your vocab, bring your allusion posters back, read "The Pardoner's Tale," and have your character brainstorming work completed for tomorrow's class.

A Peregrination We Shall Go

The plot for both classes today: vocab, discuss The Wife of Bath's Tale in regards to its plot and what message the Wife is sending regarding her society and its treatment of women and men, figure out our place of peregrination for our own Canterbury Tale, which has been assigned and is due on Tuesday, February 18, select characters for our creative assessment and fill out character brainstorm page for this Friday. If absent, you shall select your role next time around, which will also include the last round of allusion posters and the district MC.

*Second hour, don't forget to read "The Pardoner's Tale" for Friday; sixth hour, you have "The Pardoner's Tale" for Wednesday.

The Wife of Bath First, As It Should Be

After resuming vocab, we spent the majority of the hour getting to know the characters populating the peregrination to Thomas a Becket's shrine, ranging from the devout, the gluttonous, the salacious, the generous, and a few people belonging in Dante's circles of hell for their lacking morality. As you may have noted, each character is known as a title/job/relationship (the knight, the pardoner, the wife of Bath), indicating Chaucer's perspective regarding the societal roles. This sets up the eventual character's tale, such as the Wife of Bath's, which will be our first reading. As with each character, the Wife of Bath has her own introductory prologue prior to the start of her tale, which could be subtitled "what women want." Through her own desultory means, the Wife of Bath manages to criticize a fellow traveler, bring in mythological references, and end with having an "old hag" be the centerpiece of the story. You may debate about the justice of the ending regarding the knight (I know I sure do), but it is probably indicative of how knights and other members of the influential classes could get away with anything and still have that "happy ending." I probably foreshadowed a bit too much there regarding the story! Oh, well. Make sure you have read The Wife's Tale for next time. We will over-analyze bits and pieces and skip some of her redundancies/chaff that have nothing to do with the overall plot.

In addition, make sure to bring in a brainstorm of places we can go for our own Canterbury Tale. Thus far, we have been to the Bermuda Triangle, Middle Earth, Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory, Alcatraz, Neverland, Hogwarts, Jurassic Park, the Underworld, and Far, Far Away. I think that's it!