Prometheus

After reading the section on Prometheus:
1. Why do you think George calls Walter Prometheus? (Meaning, what about the way he is acting would cause George to compare him to this tortured character?)It is an insult, right?
2. What does the reaction of Walter and Ruth to this comment say about the differences between the two and George and Beneatha?

How to write a controlling idea essay

*First, look at the topic they want you to write about (FOR THIS ONE PARENT-CHILD RELATIONSHIPS): so as you read, think about how the literature relates to this topic.
*For each piece of literature, make some sort of graphic organizer to write down the main points that relate to the topic
*Compare the two lists and see what they have in common
*Decide on a CONTROLLING IDEA THESIS STATEMENT-an idea that can show what BOTH pieces show (have in common)about the given topic
*Decide on literary elements or techniques that help the author show this to be true
(similar to critical lens in the fact that at this point you will give textual examples to prove your thesis, and use lit. terms to prove your thesis)

Quick review for homework--simile, metaphor, personification

This is all in your GIANT packet of all the worksheets you will ever need that I gave you. However, here is a short and sweet version:

simile--a comparison that uses "like" or "as"
metaphor-- a more direct comparison. Does not use "like" or "as"
personification--the use of human characteristics to describe an inanimate (non-human) object

simile ex: He was like an animal on the field.
metaphor ex: He was an animal on the field.
personification: The leaves danced through the air as they fell.

5-week assignments/ assignments soon to come...

At this point the following grades are such: (remember tests/quizzes are 50% and essays are 30% of your grade!)
1. The Crucible written test- 100 pts.
2. The Crucible essay- 50 pts.(rewrites were available)
3. The critical lens essay (William Faulkner quote)- 100 pts. (again, rewrites also)
4. Vocabulary RITS sentences- 20 pts.
5. Vocabulary RITS flashcards- 20 pts.
6. Factual Report Practice (bicyles)-25 pts.
7. In-class timed factual report (traffic)-25 pts.
8. Castle Learning August 2003 (2)- 20 pts. (also verb extra credit)

This/Next week: (subject to change)

9. Act I questions RITS
10. Quiz #1 RITS
11. Practice controlling idea essay ("A Private Talk w/Holly")- 25 pts.
12. Response to symbolism
13. Homework questions RITS
14. Take-home practice essay (all 4 tasks!)- 100 pts. (25 pts./task, for completion)

Symbolism--what is it?

Symbolism- something that stands for something greater than itself (for example, the American flag stands for freedom, a cross for religion, etc.)

In the following passages Mama describes her plant:

"If it don't get more sun--it ain't never gonna see spring again."
"They got spirit--Bennie and Walter---Like this little old plant that ain't never had..sunshine or nothing--and look at it."
"..I always wanted me a garden...This plant is as close as I ever got to having one."

What does the plant symbolize about:(15 pts.)
Mama
Bennie and Walter
The family itself
The possibilities for people of their race/socioeconomic status

How to Draft an Essay in 5 Steps---A Model of Procedure to Follow

The main thing is OUTLINING YOUR ESSAY FIRST! What is each paragraph going to be about? What are the topic sentences/transitions for each paragraph? What will your supporting details be? How will you connect those details to the thesis?

How to Answer a Question Completely...Act I RITS

1. The play takes place on the South side of Chicago around the 1950's. The apartment is small and cramped. It has only one window, no bathroom, and only 2 bedrooms. The furniture and carpet are worn out.

2. Walter feels like he is 35 and has not accomplished very much. He hates his job and wants to own his own business. He feels his family, especially Ruth, does not support him in his dreams and blames both his race and females for holding him back. He is selfish, a dreamer, frustrated, confused. Others see him as someone who is lots of talk and little action.

Another MAJOR grammar error we are making....

singlular--1 person, place, thing, or group (he, pollution, team)
Is(present)/Was (past)

Are/Were--plural--more than 1 thing, person, place, thing (they, dogs, bicyles)

So, fill in the blanks (yes, now, the whole sentence in your notes)

1. Bicyling ____ one way to help stop pollution. (is, are)
2. Many forms of pollution ___________(is, are) harmful to our environment.
3. Before the 1950's, bicyles __________ (was, were) commonly used by most people.
4. In the 1940's, bicyling _______ (was, were) a major mode of transportation.

Notes on Setting/Title: RITS

The title: a line from Langston Hughes’s 1951 poem (already in notes)focusing on the frustration African Americans experience when they cannot fulfill their dreams, presumably because of racial discrimination.

The setting: is a cramped apartment in a tenement in the South Side of Chicago around 1950's. The apartment has: 1 "real" bedroom (Walter and Ruth) 1 other "bedroom" (Beneatha and Mama), a tiny kitchen, living room (also the bedroom of Travis), 1 window, and NO bathroom (in the hall; they share with the neighbors).
The entire play takes place inside the apartment, emphasizing the importance of the "home".

"Montage to a Dream Deferred"- Langston Hughes, 1951

"Harlem"

What happens to a dream deferred? (delayed)

Does it dry up
like a raisin in the sun?
Or fester like a sore -
And then run?
Does it stink like rotten meat?
Or crust and sugar over -
like a syrupy sweet?

Maybe it just sags
like a heavy load.

Or does it explode?

-------------------------
1.What central question does the poem ask?
2.What is Hughes' message about dreams deferred?
3.How do "dreams deferred" relate to the American Dream?

"Fame and Fortune" and "How to Keep a Job"

According to Horatio's Alger's "Fame and Fortune," what characteristics does one have to have in order to become rich and famous? Do you think this is realistic? Why or why not?

According to the video clip: "How to Keep a Job" (Coronet Instructional Films, 1949) What characteristics/behaviors make a good and successful worker?
What characteristics/behaviors make a poor and unsuccessful worker?
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(Note: These types of films are typical of the time period. They were often set up to show examples of the "right" way to do things, versus the "wrong" way--using 2 characters shown one after the other to illustrate the differences. These were not supposed to be funny,they were seriously meant to be instructional and many times aimed to teenagers.)

Here is our example from last year demonstrating the behaviors necessary to attain the "American Dream".

The Åmerican Dream: An Instructional Video

January Exam Information

Tuesday January 26th-afternoon-Session One

Task 1-Listening Passage/Report (mult. choice)
*Task 2-Factual Reading/Report (mult. choice) chart/graph*

(Day One--no literature/no literary elements--factual)

Wednesday January 27th-afternoon-Session Two

Task 3-Controlling Idea--(2 pieces of literature)(mult. choice)
Task 4-Critical Lens--(you give 2 stories you read and relate to quote)

(Day Two--all literature/you need to write about literary elements)

What is the American Dream?