Ms. Wheatley

AP Language & Compostion: Tuesday, April 28th, 2009: SENIORS

SENIORS

Today we began reading What is the What by Dave Eggers. Please get a copy if you don’t have one yet. See if you can find a student from AP Lang last semester who has a copy that you can beg, borrow, or steal. I suggest merely begging or borrowing though.

Make sure you don’t lose your copy of the Prose New York Times book review!

Read through Chapter Five and answer the following questions for class on Thursday. This is a FIFTEEN POINT assignment!

Chapter One through Five questions:

1.       “I have no reason not to answer the door so I answer the door.” Thus begins What is the What. In a paragraph, discuss Valentino’s actions and the reasoning behind them for deciding to open the door.

2. On page 4, reread the paragraph that begins “I sit and now he shows me the handle of the gun. He has been holding it all along…” In one sentence, analyze the rhetoric of this paragraph.
3. a. Powder tells Valentino they are brothers, but Valentino vehemently disagrees. How does Powder “relate” to Valentino, and why does Valentino feel so betrayed?

b. Valentino, on page 6, says Powder looks at him as though he is a child. In this scene, how is Powder like a parent and Valentino like a child?

4. How does Eggers balance the robbery with Valentino’s past traumas? Evaluate the effectiveness of this style of writing.
5. On page 10, Valentino says “But everyone disappears, no matter who loves them.” Analyze the tone of this statement and the effect it has on the reader.
6. Evaluate the effectiveness of Eggers’ strategy of using other people to move events along in Chapter One.
7. In Chapter Two, how is Valentino’s character depicted? (By character, I mean his system of beliefs). How does this depiction influence the reader?
8. In Chapter Two, Valentino writes “The Lost Boys is not a nickname appreciated by many among our ranks, but it is apt enough.” Think about the connotation of this term and analyze why some would object, but why Valentino seems not to mind.
9. Contrast Valentino’s pre-conceived notions about

   America

   with the

   America

   he has come to know.
10. What is meant by the last sentence of Chapter Two?
11. Evaluate the juxtaposition between TV Boy and Young Achak in Chapter Three.
12. Analyze the effectiveness of flashbacks in Chapter Three.
13. What tone does Valentino use at the end of Chapter Three. Is this tone effective? Explain.
14. Analyze the effectiveness of Chapter Four. In your evaluation, speculate on the realities of the dream day and actual events from Achak’s life.
15. Evaluate the meaning behind the last line of Chapter Five.

AP Language & Composition: Tuesday, April 28th, 2009: JUNIORS

JUNIORS:

Homework:

1. Read through Chapter Eight (and complete questions) of Angela’s Ashes for Monday. Here’s a copy of the questions if you need them: Download QUESTIONS
2. In class today, we discussed the rhetoric of Puritan sermons. Here’s the nifty powerpoint: Download Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God
3. Need another copy of Jonathan Edwards’ “Sinners in the Hands of An Angry God”? Here you go: Download Sinners in the Hands of An Angry God by Jonathan Edwards
4. You need to write your own Puritan sermon. This is due Friday. Here are the guidelines: Download Write your own sermon
5. With your partner, complete the following work from “Sinners.” This is due AT THE END OF CLASS THURSDAY. This is a FIFTEEN POINT assignment.

Critical Questions for ‘Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God’:

1) What was stirring, striking, or memorable to you in reading this sermon?

Part II: “O sinner, consider the fearful danger you are in!”

1) What images or analogies does Jonathan Edwards use to evoke the situation of the unconverted? (What does it mean to be unconverted?)

2) What are the most prominent themes communicated by these images?

3) How are listeners meant to feel?

4) Come up with another image that conveys a predicament similar to the plight of the sinner that Edwards speaks of.

5) Edwards communicates the danger of death and damnation that faces the unconverted. What might his listeners think would preserve the wicked? How does Edwards counter these assumptions?

6) What is the predicament of the unconverted, including those among his listeners? Also perhaps look together at the summary paragraphs on pp. 6 & 9, beginning with “So that thus it is…” and “O sinner! Consider the fearful danger…” respectively.

Part III: “This is a day of mercy.”

1) What is the purpose of his sermon? How are people meant to respond?

Part IV: Thinking about how the sermon works

1) How does this sermon work? What makes/made it effective?

2) What are Edwards’ sources of authority or credibility? How does he elicit a response from his listeners?

Critical Questions for “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” (1741)

SELECT FIVE OF THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS TO ANSWER.

1. Identify at least three images and/or metaphors that Edwards pulls directly from the Bible. For each image/metaphor, consider the following:                                      

                - What is the purpose of the image/metaphor?                                                                           

- Is it important that the image/metaphor is from the Bible? Why?                        

- Do you think Edwards uses the image/metaphor effectively? Why?

2. Identify the metaphor or image that, in your opinion, is Edwards’ weakest. What makes it weak?
3. Identify the metaphor or image that, in your opinion, is Edwards’ strongest. What makes it strong?
4. What literary strategies does Edwards use to disarm his listeners? What popular notions or mindsets does he attack? Why does Edwards seek to disarm his listeners?
5. Identify the main shift towards the end of the sermon. What is the effect of this shift?
6. Identify some messages, images, or phrases that Edwards repeats frequently. What is the purpose of this repetition? What is the effect?
7. Edwards puts emphasis on the “pleasure of God.” How would you define the ‘pleasure of God’? What kind of picture of God does Edwards paint for his listeners when he discusses the ‘pleasure of God’?
8. Identify at least three instances in which Edwards uses diction, imagery, and/or metaphor to describe or emphasize God’s strength. What is Edwards’ purpose in convincing his audience of God’s strength?
9. According to Edwards’ characterization of God, is God irrational? Why?
10. What does Edwards assume his audience is afraid of? How does he utilize these fears to his advantage? What new fears does he cultivate?
11. Does Edwards ever describe hell? What effect does this have on the reader/listener?
12. Identify at least three places in which Edwards describes God in particularly anthropomorphic terms. What is the purpose of this anthropomorphosis?
13. What does Edwards believe about the fundamental nature of human beings? How does he demonstrate this opinion?
14. Examine the seventh paragraph from the end, in which Edwards discusses the possibility of one parishioner being condemned to hell. What is the effect of Edwards’ discussion of the ‘one person’?

AP Language: Friday, April 24th, 2009: SENIORS

FIRST…APOLOGIES TO ALL ON THE TYPEPAD SLACKING! I couldn’t get the site to work Tuesday or Wednesday, and I forgot yesterday. FORGIVE ME! Love, Ms. Wheatley

SENIORS:

1. We finished the September 11^th documentary. Read “9.11.01. The Skyscraper and the Airplane” on page 292 of the Norton Reader.  P. 298, # 1 - # 4. For # 4, write a paragraph, not an essay.
2. Read GWBush’s address to the nation on September 11^th, 2001. TAP it. For the tone, include three examples that demonstrate your assertion. For the purpose, list three points Bush makes that demonstrate his purpose. Finally, list three examples of rhetoric Bush uses. For each, list the example, name the strategy, and one sentence evaluating it’s effectiveness. Download George W Bush September 11

AP Language: Friday, April 24th, 2009 JUNIORS

FIRST…APOLOGIES TO ALL ON THE TYPEPAD SLACKING! I couldn’t get the site to work Tuesday or Wednesday, and I forgot yesterday. FORGIVE ME! Love, Ms. Wheatley

JUNIORS:

1. Read the research paper by Rachel Pifer on the Doomed Rhetoric of Revolutionary Era Women. TAP it. Write a thorough paragraph (8 to 10 sentences) explaining how Pifer develops her argument that the rhetoric of these women was doomed. YOU ARE NOT ANALYZING PIFER’S RHETORIC! YOU ARE ANALYZING HOW SHE CRAFTS HER ARGUMENT ABOUT THEIR RHETORIC!
2. Read Chapters Three and Four of Angela’s Ashes. Answer these questions:

Chapter III

1. Find four examples of especially well-chosen diction and say how each of the 4 words you have chosen helps to create a great image of the McCourt’s Christmas.
2. Once again, we see two sides of Malachy. Analyze McCourt’s dual presentation of his father, citing specific evidence from the text.
3. McCourt describes such a horrendous childhood, but he does it in an uplifting way. List two examples where McCourt presents seemingly terrible events in an uncharacteristic manner.
4. Create two questions (include answers) about rhetoric from this chapter.

Chapter IV

1. Frankie’s classmates are really characters! Choose one of them, and describe him in your own words.
2. School was certainly different for Frankie than it is for us today! In one paragraph, analyze the the differences and similarities presented in chapters three and four.
3. Frankie says that “First Communion day is the happiest day of your life.” How is that ironic?
4. Create two questions (include answers) about rhetoric in this chapter.

AP Language & Compostion: April 20th, 2009

In class:

We read “Go Carolina” by David Sedaris. You’ll have to get a copy from me directly. TAP it. List five examples of rhetoric and in a sentence or two, evaluate the effectiveness of each.

Homework: Read “How Teachers Make Students Hate Reading” p. 420 of the Norton Reader. TAP it. Questions #1, #2. List three points the author uses to illustrate the purpose.

 

Juniors: ANGELA’S ASHES FOR WEDNESDAY.

Seniors: WHAT IS THE WHAT FOR MONDAY, APRIL 27^th.

Monday, April 13th, 2009: AP Language & Composition

Today in Class:

We began watching the documentary film “Bowling for Columbine.” The following questions are due Wednesday.

 

BOWLING FOR COLUMBINE

SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS

 

Directions: For each question, write a short (1-2 sentences) response that utilizes a specific logical fallacy to make your point. Please list the logical fallacy used after making each point. You MAY NOT use the same logical fallacy more than once.

 

1. When young people commit violent acts, who and/or what is to blame?

 

2. What are the rights to gun ownership in other countries (e.g.

Canada

,

Great Britain

,

Japan

,

Australia

,

France

,

Germany

, etc.), and how do these laws compare to our own laws?

 

3. In our democratic society, what is the media’s responsibility to the American public?

 

4. Does the media play on our fears or create new messages? Why/why not?

 

5. Does the

U.S.

media reliably report what is happening around the world?

 

6. Consider all the shots and scenes with bowling pins. What do you think they symbolize and why?

 

7.

Moore

uses various editing styles throughout the film (dramatic, humorous, shocking, satirical, etc.) to convey his messages. Describe and explain the most effective.

 

8.

Moore

uses various editing styles throughout the film (dramatic, humorous, shocking, satirical, etc.) to convey his messages. Describe and explain the least effective.

 

9. According to filmmaker Michael Moore, the number of household guns in a country does not necessarily equate the degree of gun violence in that country. If it’s not the number of guns, what factors do contribute to the violent nature of a society?

 

10. Other than the gun violence, what other forms of violence does

Moore

point to in the film?

Moore

has stated that sometimes governmental acts, such as

Michigan

’s Welfare to Work program, amount to state-sponsored acts of violence on the poor. What do you think he means by this? Do you agree or disagree?

 

EXTRA CREDIT: (10 points)

What song would you select to convey the overall feel of this film? Bring a copy of the song to class. You will play the song and then deliver a three minute POWERPOINT presentation that PERSUADES the class about the connections between the song and the feeling of the film. Please provide a copy of the lyrics for each of your classmates and your teacher.

 

SUGGESTED FORMAT for your PP:

• TOPIC (introduce the chosen theme, explain why you feel this song connects to the theme)

• SPECIFIC STATEMENT (introducing the evidence from the film and the song)

• TEXTUAL EVIDENCE (a paraphrase from the film connecting to lyrics from the song)

• ANALYSIS (analyzes the thematic connection – proving the point)

• SPECIFIC STATEMENT

• TEXT EVIDENCE

• ANALYSIS

• CLOSING

 

AP Language & Composition: Friday, March 27th, 2009

HAPPY FRIDAY DEAR HEARTS!

JUNIORS:

Today we took a vocabulary quiz and read Niccolo Machiavelli’s “The Morals of the Prince” p. 864 – 870.

Classwork:

1. TAP “Morals”
2. p. 870, #1 - #4. Read modifications below:
   1. # 1: Identify two points Machiavelli makes in each of the four sections.
   2. # 2: Rewrite the sentences from # 1 in a “less forcibly and shockingly, and more palatable” way.
   3. # 3: AS IS.
   4. # 4: Pick a current leader (President Obama, Mr. Thayer, etc.) and write a piece of advice for that person pertaining to the four sections from “Morals”.

Homework:

1. Work on your Twain # 4 and # 5 assignments that are due TUESDAY!

# 4 List TEN quotes, points, etc. from the book that you especially enjoyed. List the quote, the page, and describe the tone. Additionally, explain what you liked about the quote and how it helped Twain achieve his purpose.

# 5 Pick a chapter topic from the book and write your own essay, in the style of Mark Twain, in which you analyze an event, etc. This should be one page, typed, double spaced.

SENIORS:

In class: Read “Existentialism” p. 1199 in the Norton Reader. TAP it. p. 1207: # 1, # 2, & # 4. For # 4 do not write an essay, but instead explain how Kesey demonstrates the existential belief though his actions in EKAAT.

Homework: EKAAT: Chapters 22 – 27.

Tom Wolfe’s

THE ELECTRIC KOOL-AID ACID TEST

Chapters Twenty Two through Twenty Seven Questions

1. What to the “Diablos” represent to the citizens of Mazatlan?
2. In two or three sentences, analyze the message Wolfe seems to send through his portrayal of Black Maria.
3. In Mexico, the Pranksters begin reading the Bible and Kesey likens himself to Esau. Analyze the Genesis story of Esau and explain why Kesey might liken himself to the biblical figure. Download Esau
4. How is Mexicodifferent than the Pranksters thought it would be?
5. What are Kesey’s new ideas to take the Prankster’s “beyond acid”?
6. A year after his adventures conclude, Sandymeets with Wolfe and tells the author “You know…I’ll always be on the bus.” In one or two sentences, analyze what Sandymeans by this statement and why Wolfe chose to include it in the book.
7. In “The Cops and Robbers Game” Wolfe analyzes the growth of the hippie movement in comparison to the peace and student movements. List FIVE examples of rhetoric from “The Cops and Robbers Game” Wolfe uses to demonstrate the differences in these three movements. Name the strategy, include the example, explain the purpose of the strategy, and explain how Wolfe uses the strategy effectively.
8. In two or three sentences, analyze the parallels between “Black Shiny FBI Shoes” (chapter one) and “Graduation” (chapter twenty seven).

AP Language & Composition: Tuesday, March 24th, 2009

Juniors: Tomorrow I will collect Chapters 3, 4, 5 and 6 from Twain.

 

Seniors:

2^nd Block: Read Chapters 14 and 15. Turned in by the end of class.

Tom Wolfe’s

 

THE ELECTRIC KOOL-AID ACID TEST Chapter Fourteen and Fifteen Questions

1. In one paragraph, about five sentences, analyze the effectiveness of the arrangement of the first few pages of “A Miracle in Seven Days.” (“oh the vi-bra-tions…Into the Angel blue. Oh, the vi-bra-tions…”) In your analysis, be sure to note rhetorical strategies used and how well these strategies convey the general idea of the chapter.
2. What is the “miracle” in “A Miracle in Seven Days”?
3. How does Wolfe portray the Pranksters’ belief they are part of a religious movement?
4. What effect does Wolfe create with his use of capitalization (OUTSIDE, I AM THE ACE AND FAYE IS THE RED QUEEN, etc.) in the concluding pages of “A Miracle in Seven Days”?
5. Analyze the purpose of Mountain Girl in chapter fifteen, “Cloud.”
6. What do The Beatles symbolize to the Pranksters throughout “Cloud”?

 4^th Block read and discussed “Salvation” by Langston Hughes. It’s in the Norton reader, page 1125. We verbally TAPped it and discussed the questions that followed. We also discussed the connections between the salvation the Pranksters search for and the meaning of Spirituality. Additionally, we discussed Kesey’s view of himself as the “savior” for his “followers.”

 

Homework for EKAAT:

THE ELECTRIC KOOL-AID ACID TEST Chapter Sixteen and Seventeen Questions

1. Wolfe beings chapter sixteen, “The Frozen Jug Band” with the words “Synchronicity spoken here!” Synchronicity is the experience of two or more events which are casually unrelated occurring together in an alleged meaningful manner. These events should be unlikely to occur together by chance. What synchronicity occurs, if any, in “The Frozen Jug Band”?
2. What is Wolfe referring to when he says that something is “gone out of the anti-war rally”?
3. In one paragraph, about five sentences, analyze the TAP of chapter seventeen, “Departures.” Your analysis should include the rhetoric used in the chapter and the effectiveness of that rhetoric in conveying the tone and purpose to the audience.

AP Language & Composition: Monday, March 23rd, 2009

Lovely Juniors:

How was your test? Good luck tomorrow!

Don’t forget the work due tomorrow. If exam extension time means class doesn’t meet tomorrow, then chapter three, four, and five, as well as chapter six is due Wednesday. These due dates were announced in advance of the exam schedule, so it is your responsibility to make sure they are met.

SENIORS:

2^nd Block: Chapters 1 – 13 due tomorrow, though you should have it done already. Email it to me if you like. Your assignment today is to read Chapters Fourteen and Fifteen and answer the corresponding questions. Of course, this won’t actually be assigned until tomorrow, but if you feel like showing initiative you can turn them in tomorrow and impress me:

Tom Wolfe’s

THE ELECTRIC KOOL-AID ACID TEST

Chapter Fourteen and Fifteen Questions

1. In one paragraph, about five sentences, analyze the effectiveness of the arrangement of the first few pages of “A Miracle in Seven Days.” (“oh the vi-bra-tions…Into the Angel blue. Oh, the vi-bra-tions…”) In your analysis, be sure to note rhetorical strategies used and how well these strategies convey the general idea of the chapter.
2. What is the “miracle” in “A Miracle in Seven Days”?
3. How does Wolfe portray the Pranksters’ belief they are part of a religious movement?
4. What effect does Wolfe create with his use of capitalization (OUTSIDE, I AM THE ACE AND FAYE IS THE RED QUEEN, etc.) in the concluding pages of “A Miracle in Seven Days”?
5. Analyze the purpose of Mountain Girl in chapter fifteen, “Cloud.”
6. What do The Beatles symbolize to the Pranksters throughout “Cloud”?

 If you’d like all the assigned questions, here you go:

 Download Chapters fourteen though twenty seven questions 2

The schedule of assignments:

Chapters 14 – 15: Tuesday, March 24^th

Chapters 16 – 17: Wednesday, March 25^th

Chapters 18 – 19: Thursday, March 26^th

Chapters 20 – 21: Friday, March 27^th

Chapters 22 – Epilogue: Monday, March 30^th

 

^{Socratic Seminar: MONDAY}

^{In class essay: TUESDAY}

AP Language & Composition: March 19th, 2009

Today in Class:

Juniors: Turn in Chapter Two work from Twain.

Seniors: Work on EKAAT. Try and read through Chapter Five in class.

NIGHT/Schindler’s List Essay due TOMORROW!

NO FRIDAY READING!

Did you forget the essay topic? Are you frantically calling friends, checking Facebook, or texting Darpan to get the prompts? No worries:

If you are absent, please email your essay to me before your class start time.

1.             Dehumanization is the process by which the Nazis gradually reduced the Jews to little more than "things" rather than human beings. Discuss specific examples of events that occurred which dehumanized Eliezer, Chlomo, and/or fellow Jews in NIGHT and/or SCHINDLER’s LIST.

2.             Discuss the role of symbolism in NIGHT and/or SCHINDLER’s LIST. Explain how the books and/or film uses this rhetorical strategy to convey deeper meaning and how this symbolism helped to relay events in the work.

3.             In his memoir, NIGHT, Wiesel writes about two contrasting pieces of advice he received about how to survive in the camps. One was from a young Pole, a prisoner in charge of one of the prison blocks, and the other was from the head of one of the blocks at Buchenwald who spoke to Wiesel as his father lay dying. Discuss the wisdom of each philosophy.

4.             Analyze and compare the rhetoric of Oskar Schindler’s speech to Amon Goeth about power with the rhetoric of Goeth’s speech to his fellow SS officers before the liquidation of the ghetto.

Schindler: “They fear us because we have the power to kill arbitrarily. A man commits a crime, he should know better. We have him killed and we feel pretty good about it. Or we kill him ourselves and we feel even better. That's not power, though, that's justice. That's different than power. Power is when we have every justification to kill - and we don't.”

Goeth: You think that’s power?

Schindler: That’s what the Emperor said. A man steals something, he’s brought in before the Emperor, he throws himself down to the ground. He begs for his life, he knows he’s going to die, and the emperor…pardon’s him. This worthless man, he lets him go.

Goeth: I think you are drunk.

Schindler: That’s power, Amon. That is power.

Goeth: “Today is history. Today will be remembered. Years from now the young will ask with wonder about this day. Today is history and you are part of it. Six hundred years ago when elsewhere they were footing the blame for the Black Death, Casimir the Great  -[aside] so called-  told the Jews they could come to Krakow. They came. They trundled their belongings into the city. They settled. They took hold. They prospered in business, science, education, the arts. With nothing they came and with nothing they flourished. For six centuries there has been a Jewish Krakow. By this evening those six centuries will be a rumor. They never happened. Today is history.”

SENIORS: Here’s the EKAAT Information:

Tom Wolfe’s

THE ELECTRIC KOOL-AID ACID TEST

Questions: Chapters One through Thirteen

This is a 40 point assignment, please take it seriously.

Questions 1, 14, and 15 are each worth five points.

All other questions are worth 2 points.

DUE: Monday, March 23^rd

1.        Wolfe writes EKATT in the “new journalism” style, describing real people and events in a fiction manner. Wolfe also uses a unique syntax to convey the experiences of the characters in his book. Find FIVE examples of how Wolfe uses this style of writing (in chapters one through thirteen) to portray a character’s experience. List the example, the page number, and analyze (in one sentence for each example) if Wolfe’s method of presentation is effective. Your analysis could include what Wolfe’s diction says about this person, why you think he chose to describe her/him in this way, and what the purpose of this character is.

2.        In one sentence, discuss the differences in his physical description of the Pranksters and the “mainstream” (marshmallows), and how Wolfe crafts the readers’ perception of these groups.

3.        In one to two sentences, analyze the symbolism behind the word “chief” to describe Kesey? (Think about why the Pranksters offer Kesey their unwavering support and ways in which Kesey seem to think he is better than everyone else).

4.        Hippies have a reputation of being accepting of others. In two sentences, explain if Wolfe’s portrayal of the Pranksters defends or refutes this belief. Cite evidence.

5.        What does Wolfe hint at between the relationship between Kesey and Mountain Girl? Cite evidence.

6.        In one or two sentences, analyze Wolfe’s style of writing at the beginning of chapter five and evaluate its effectiveness in conveying Wolfe’s point of view to the reader.

7.        How does Wolfe use Stark Naked to convey an attitude toward LSD?

8.        In one or two sentences, compare the author’s tone in the last paragraph of “The Bus” with the first paragraph of “Unauthorized Acid.”

9.        Explain the significance of “Further” at the end of “Testing the Multitudes.”

10.     What is the “unspoken thing” Wolfe refers to in Chapter Eleven? (A couple of words will suffice).

11.     Analyze Wolfe’s presentation of the police in “The Bust.” Does his diction and/or syntax indicate his personal attitude toward the police?

12.     Compare the League for Spiritual Discovery with The Merry Pranksters.

13.     What does Wolfe mean when we writes that “the Hell’s Angels were real life”?

14.     Find three examples of coinage in the first thirteen chapters. List the example and page number, explain what their meaning most likely is and what subculture group “owns” the word.

15.     Find three examples of symbols and symbolism in the first thirteen chapters.  List the example and page number, explain what the object is, what it represents, and to whom (the representation can apply to either the character or the audience). Some examples: the unfinished Vietnam novel, Perry Lane, etc.

Yes, I realize this is 39 points. If you fully complete the assignment you get the extra point. If you’re missing one question or all questions, you do not get that point.