Test--Death of a Salesman

3 parts:
Part 1- Quote identification: Who said it, when, what does it reveal about the character/plot? (10 questions= 40 pts.)

Part 2- Essay. Using literary elements and techniques to analyze the play and Willy Loman. Review your notes on theme. (40 pts.)

Part 3- Poem Analysis. Like the assignment for "Shaving" and "Discovery of a Father" you will read 2 poems and analyze literary elements and techniques. Then you will be asked to discuss how the parent/child relationships are similar to those in Death of a Salesman. (2 paragraphs= 20 pts.)

Library Research Databases available at MHS

EBSCO
USERNAME: mckinleyhs
PASSWORD: mcklinleyhs
*general magazine articles or articles dealing with controversial topics

NOVEL(GALE)
USERNAME: empirelink
*general reference, social, policital, economic issues, etc.

FACTS ON FILE
*when looking for history information, science, health, general reference

This is just another one for the New Deal specifically that seemed good

Writing a Research Paper

Note-taking in the computer lab

After you have organized your essay, you will begin to take notes on the information you find. You will need to take extreme care with this portion of the project.

Option 1: Use notecards

Option 2: Use WORD and a flash drive or GoogleDocs

either way you need to have the following info:
Find:
1. Basic facts
2. Figuring various arguments
3. Gather quotations/citations that will be useful

On each notecard/section
1. Subject of the notecard/section
2. the fact/infor
3. Source info

Your Research Paper Topics

Objectives:
1. To learn how to correctly and effectively research and write a research paper
2. To learn information vital to passing the U.S. History and Government Exam

Assignment:
Choose one of the following topics to write (a min. 4 pages, double-spaced, 1 inch margin) historical/content research paper:
1. The hardships endured by the families during the Great Depression
2. Effects of the Depression on cities (Buffalo?)
3. Explanation of Hoover's plan for economic recovery and citizen reactions
4. Support or opposition to the election of FDR (New Deal)
5. Ways in which families (different types of people) are helped or hurt by New Deal legislation (slightly revised)
*see either him or Mr. Hughes for more specific sub-topics

Procedure:
You will complete source cards and note card in the library each day
You will complete an outline, a draft with a working thesis and works cited page
You will complete a revised, final copy complete with correct MLA format

Assessment:Your grade will be configured in the following way:
1. The Research Process
Day One--min. 2 sources and note cards completed
Day Two--min. 4 sources and note cards completed
Day Three-- min 4 sources and note cards completed

2. Pre-writing/Drafting Steps
An outline with revised thesis statement
A rough copy of the paper
A rough works cited page

3. The Research Paper: *YOUR PAPER MUST INCLUDE:
A minimum of 5 different reputable resources
A minimum of 5 correct in-text citations
A bibliography/works cited page
Correct MLA format

See the rubric below for final paper grading:

Skit writing assignment

1. In your group, develop a script based on either "Shaving", "Discovery of a Father", or Death of a Salesman in which:

(Choose 1 of the following)
--The son explains to someone how his father caused the problems in his life (What the father did and how it affected him)
--The "son" becomes the "father" in a different or the same way (acts like him or differently)
--The "son" explains to his "son" (now that he is the father) who his grandfather was and the kind of man he was
--A father and son have a disagreement about something and their issues with each other come out in the open
--A son discusses his problems with his father with his mother and is critical of her behavior in the family relationship

quiz #2--Death of a Salesman--Do not rewrite the questions, only the answers..Take your time please.

1. According to Willy, what does it mean to die--the "death of a salesman"? (Dave Singleman)Does he? pg. 81

2. Arthur Miller calls this play the "tragedy of the common man." How can this play be considered "tragic" and if so what is Willy's flaw that causes his problems?

3. Why does Biff say his father had all the wrong dreams? What dream/profession would have been more appropriate for him to follow according to the play and why do you think he chose not to pursue it? p. 138

4. What does Biff mean when he tells his father that they both are "a dime a dozen"? Why does this upset Willy so much? p. 132

5. According to Bernard, what instance caused Biff to "lay down" and quit his dreams? Why would this incident be enough to make him change how he felt about himself, his father, and his future?

Imagery and author's purpose

Yes, imagery is a description of the five senses that allows the reader to: see, hear, feel, taste, and smell the scene the author is portraying. However, it is more than that.
•It is the use of language to represent objects, actions, feelings, thoughts, ideas, states of mind, and any sensory or extrasensory experience

It also allows the author to effectively get his PURPOSE across.

*Look at both passages "Shaving" and "Discovery of a Father" for examples of imagery of each of the five senses--remember it can be unsaid or implied. Then, let's look at how it reflects CHARACTERIZATION and SETTTING.

*How does this imagery affect the reader's interpretation of the piece?
*How does it allow the author to show his purpose (already discussed)?

Asssignments for the first 5 wks of mp 3 and beyond (not in order)

BRING NOVEL FOR NEXT CLASS--VERY IMPORTANT!
1. 10 journals=100 pts.
2. Compare/Contrast Willy with Walter Younger or Analysis of Willy=50 pts.
3. vocabulary sentences #1-Death of a Salesman=20 pts
4. Video or Writing with Light Project=100 pts.
5. African-American Conference Essay=50 pts
6. Letter to Obama re:The possibility of the American Dream=50 pts.
7. Quiz #1-Death of a Salesman=20 pts.
8. Questions: "America and I"=30 pts.
---------new------and up and coming---------------
9. Book report=100 pts. (80 for prompts, 20 for dual-entry journal)
10. Questions for "Shaving" and "Discovery of a Father"=30 pts.
11. Death of A Salesman Test=100 pts.
12. Quiz #2 Death of a Salesman=25. pts
13. Research Paper=100 pts.

Final Play Response---not a journal, just your thoughts

1. What do you think happened between the end of Act II and the Requiem (a hymn, composition, or service for the dead)? Does Linda find out about Willy's secret, what happens to the sons, etc.? Do you think anyone truly understood Willy?

2. Biff says, "He had the wrong dreams." What was wrong with Willy's dreams? How could he have avoided his ultimate fate? If you were his son/daughter would you feel sorry for him or be angry with him for his decision?

3. How does Willy attempt to die the "Death of a Salesman"? What did he want to accomplish? What significance does the title of the play have? Think about the changing American society/business world in 1950's?

Group Video Project Possibilities....

A Video Project 1-2 minutes in length of your choice that will display the conclusions that your group has come to (this can be a: commercial, public service announcement, moc-movie trailer, or documentary-style, etc.)It is up to you to decide.

public service announcement-- is a non-commercial advertisement broadcast on radio or television, for the public interest. PSAs are intended to modify public attitudes by raising awareness about specific issues. The most common topics of PSAs are health and safety. A typical PSA is part of a public awareness campaign to inform or educate the public about an issue.

un-commercial--Commercials bombard us every day. In fact, before you got to this blog page you may have seen many pop-up ads already. Convince you to buy or "buy-into" what ever the seller wants you to consume, by convincing you it is a must in your life. Un-commercials usually parody a well-known existing commercial--remember: one of the main components of the ad is that it is simple and memorable--usually some kind of "catchy" music.

documentary-- a broad category of visual expression that is based on the attempt, in one fashion or another, to "document" reality. the "original" actor and "original" scene are better guides than their fiction counterparts to interpreting the modern world; and that materials "thus taken from the raw" can be more real than the acted article.Can include: "actual" footage, interview,still photos.

(moc)movie-trailer-- I think we all have seen enough of these to know what they are. They give the audience enough of the movie to make them want to see it. The video and music should express the tone/theme of the film--don't mislead the audience. It should contain examples of the main scenes (some with high action) WITHOUT giving away the whole movie; give them an idea about the plot--not the resolution.

link to past examples:
-------------------------
Video Day 2: By the end of period 2 you will have 2 things finished (every group member)on the worksheet I give you: a completed storyboard with description and dialogue, and a short explanation written on the back of the paper of your purpose and how you aim to connect your idea to the theme of the American Dream. Also, you must decide on rolls for your group: who will film, who will act, who will do the voiceover if needed, if you need others to be in it, and who is "project manager"--the person in charge of making sure everything gets done and on time. ALL OF THIS MUST BE FINISHED TO GET YOUR CAMERA AND BEGIN FILMING ON FRIDAY....IF YOUR GROUP MEMBERS ARE NOT HERE, THE SHOW WILL GO ON--SO HAVE A BACK-UP PLAN.

Act One Cut.....

We are going to skip a small section of Act I for lack of time and also because it is very difficult to visualize with our resources. Therefore, I will give you a short summary of the section and we will watch it on the movie.
-------------------------------
**Willy has a hallucination, not a flashback, of his brother Ben, whom he speaks to as he plays cards with Charley. Keep in mind Ben is dead. His brother moved to Alaska to follow their father, a flute-maker, and ends up in Africa becoming rich in the diamond mines. Willy gets imaginary advice from him--asks him if he is teaching his boys correctly and how he became such a success--what's the secret?. He feels if he would have followed his brother he would have been more successful, and that his boys should follow his example.
quote to know—“The jungle is dark, but full of diamonds”—Ben

quiz #1 Death of a Salesman

1. In what city does Willy Loman live?
2. Why has Willy returned home at the beginning of the play?
3. Which of his two sons is more concerned with his behavior?
4. Why doesn’t Hap accept Biff’s invitation to go West to start a farm?
5. What gift does Willy not give to Linda, even though he does give it to someone else? Who is that person?
6.Who is Ben and why does Willy idolize him?
7. Where does Linda lay the blame for Willy’s disoriented, hallucinatory condition?
8.Compare the characters of Biff and Happy. What does each want out of life, how does each act towards his parents, attitude, etc?
9.Why must Willy borrow $50 every week from Charley? What has happened to his position at work?
10.What hidden object has Linda recently found in the basement? What do they/you assume it is for?

_______________________________

Homework: Composition/writing assignment--50 pts. You can use the formats I gave you for help.

Choose one of the following: Try to write at least 1 1/2 pages.
1. Compare and contrast Walter in RITS to Willy Loman in Death of a Salesman. Think about:
*character--what type of person is each
*interactions with family--how he acts towards them/others act towards him
*motivations/dreams
*actions
*how each is portrayed by the author/perceived by the audience.

2. Decide whether or not Willy has been a victim of circumstance and society's expectations or if he is responsible for his own actions and the consequences of them. In other words write about cause and effect.

Book Report

Today you received a calendar with all of the due dates for major assignments. The first response for the book report (BDF) is due Friday. The book report will have 2 parts:
1. A dual-entry journal like we have done in class for your novel. If you are doing non-fiction, you will not have a speaker, but you can use interesting quotes by a person/authority or phrases by the author. You need a MINIMUM OF 10. 20 pts.

2. Completed Fiction/Non-fiction response prompts. You will need to choose: 20 for fiction and ALL for non-fiction. This paper should be FINAL COPY QUALITY ONLY and given a heading for each section (character, setting, etc.). Your grade will be calculated in the following way:
*FINAL COPY QUALITY
*COMPLETENESS OF ANSWERS
*SPELLING/GRAMMAR
*THOUGHTFULNESS OF RESPONSES
=80 PTS.

BOTH COMPONENTS (1 AND 2) EQUAL 100 PTS. TOTAL

AA History Month Essay

It is Mrs. Barton's expectation that all students will complete this assignment. The topic/requirements are posted below:

The People In The Mirror: What Should the People Do..... (Pick one of the following)
*To Improve Race Relations?
*To Eliminate Violence In The Community?
*To Save This Generation?
*To Improve Global Relations?
*To Eliminate the Easy Access To Drugs and Weapons In Our Communities?

Criteria:
*Essay should be typed and be at least 250 words
*Offer a logical plan which has the potential to be implemented.
*Use at least two quotes or references from persons or articles on the topic chosen. *****I can give you some to choose from.****

To be completed now: 25 pts.

Journal entry:
Consider your family's socioeconomic position. What experiences have you had in which you were perceived as having more or less than somebody else? What were your feelings? How did you react?

Think about some of the economic disparities that exist in Buffalo. Do you feel the current system of things is equitable and fair (in the country or city)? Do you feel that people with more money receive more priveleges or advantages over those that do not? Your specific letter will based on your own personal experiences

Here is a link to the The essay assignment (also available as a link on the sidebar)

Most Common Literary Elements and Techniques

Conflict--Internal/external--problems, arguments, decisions
Characterization-ADJECTIVES..what kind of person is he/she?
Setting--how are the time and place of events significant?
Irony--the opposite of what the author leads you or characters to believe will happen
Metaphor--comparison without "like" or "as"
Simile--comparison using "like" or "as"
Symbolism--something that stands for something greater than itself
Point-of-view--the perspective from which a story is told
*Mood--atmosphere or feeling of a literary work
Personification--giving human characteristics to inhuman things
Flashback--insertion of event from the past
Imagery--descriptive words--helps you imagine the scene
Foreshadowing--hint of events to come later
Repetition--the repeating of lines or phrases
*Tone--the author's attitude towards a topic

Multiple-Choice Strategies

1. Read ALL of the choices before choosing an answer
2. If they refer you to a specific line, focus on that line, but read a line or two before and after
3. Look for words such as IMPLY or IMPLIES--this means the answer is not in the text itself, you have to think about the answer based on the text
4. Pay attention to questions with numbers/dates
5. Pay attention to cause and effect
6. Use process of elimination for questions you don't understand--especially vocabulary
7.GO BACK AND DOUBLE-CHECK ALL MULTIPLE CHOICE ANSWERS BEFORE YOU TURN IN THE EXAM

Last 2 classes..

Today--we will review the outlining strategies for Tasks 1 and 2 and Critical Lens. We will go over a sample critical lens essay. We will spend most the period working on outlining and drafting a CONTROLLING IDEA ESSAY (our worst task so far).

Next class--we will go over some more sample essays. We will work on outlining again. We will go over strategies for answering multiple-choice questions and go over literary elements and techniques.

Critical Lens and Controlling Idea Hints

1. MAKE SURE YOU HAVE A THESIS BASED ON WHAT YOU ARE ASKED (for controlling idea, something about the topic, for crit. lens-your interpretation of the quote)
**sometimes it is good to break up the thesis into parts you are proving
2. Give examples from the story that prove your thesis (ALL parts)
3. Do not tell the whole story over again--only cite specific parts that relate (with enough to be understandable)
4. For controlling idea, try to cite a specific passage (in quotes)
5. Use LITERARY ELEMENTS to support your thesis and how they helped the author
6. Use TOPIC SENTENCES AND TRANSITIONS to organize and move from one topic to the next

Help for Tasks I and II

1. After reading the task, first decide whether they want you to write a mainly INFORMATIONAL or PERSUASIVE ESSAY. (most task 2s are persuasive).
2. When taking listening notes--look at the task and make sure you are getting the information relevant to the topic
3. Listen for TRANSITIONS--to hear when the author changes topics (these are the main points)
***Remember, the speaker usually gives the audience info about him/herself, the occassion/purpose (why they are writing this and why now)and the situation (time and place in which they are writing)--THESE ARE NOT THE MAIN POINTS--however some of these details can be included
4. Make sure you have: A THESIS STATEMENT which reflects what they asked you to write in the task (if it says OR--choose 1 side) and TOPIC SENTENCES that are followed by support in the body paragraphs
5. You should have at least one: quote, expert testimony, or fact or figure in each body paragraph and explain how it is important
6. For Task 2--mention that you are using the chart (specifically-state author, title, or "chart/graph")

Analysis of Walter

Character of Walter--
Selfish--uses all the money for himself, he is really only concerned about his life
Pretends to be someone he is not/low self-esteem- gives Travis the money, tells George he's been to NY, makes it sound like he knows about business
easily-defeated--he gives up immediately after every set back---to an extreme
Superficial--more concerned with money and materialistic things--he has a good family, a job--he wants things...to prove he is worth something.
Driven--always something better in life
Unrealistic idea of what the American dream is

**Dynamic character--one who changes throughout the story
static character--stays the same

In the end he has to decide between what is more important to him: the life he wants, or his pride. To admit to the world, that his family isn't worthy of living in the white neighborhood, and having money, or moving and being broke and facing more difficulty. Death of his dream, where Proctor's death is literal.

Walter and "the show"--blackface minstrel reference

Early in the 1830’s, minstrel shows featuring white performers wearing “blackface” (black makeup) and performing racially stereotypical comic skits, songs and dancing became a popular form of entertainmentin America. The first distinctly American theatrical form, blackface minstrelsy pandered to the racism ofwhite audiences by serving up grotesque and demeaning portrayals of African Americans in the name of humorous entertainment

SPARK Educator Guide – Lorraine Hansberry Theatre

Analysis of Walter as a Character--to be turned in today!

Analyze the character of Walter at 3 different points in the play. By analyze, I mean, give ADJECTIVES (at least 2 for each section), that would describe him, and examples that would prove these to be true (things he says, things he does).

Leave blanks in your notes for your answers

1. The beginning of the play (from scene 1, until he finds out Mama bought the house)
2. The middle of the play (when Mama gives him the money)
3. The end of the play (when he finds out about his investment to the end)