Question & Thesis

Post your question and your working thesis in the comment box.

Polis Is This

Polis is This (part one)

Polis is This (part two)

Polis is This (part three)

Polis is This (part four)

Polis is This (part five)

Polis is This (part six)

Use the film to help you respond to the prompts on the handout.
(Given in class. Pasted below.)
Be prepared to discuss in class.

Critical Viewing of Polis is This,

a documentary directed by Henry Ferrini

BEFORE VIEWING

Define Polis:

WHILE VIEWING

Identify some of the places shown in the film

Identify some of the people in the film

Identify some of the poems used in the film

WHILE VIEWING AND AFTER VIEWING JOT DOWN IDEAS ABOUT

Olson’s Childhood Relationship to Gloucester

The effect on Olson of the U.S. dropping the Nuclear Bomb & the Discovery of Buchenwald and other Concentration Camps

Olson’s View of Wholistic Knowledge and Wholistic Education (“The Present” a course at Black Mountain College)

Olson’s View of Writing Poetry (Projective Verse; Robert Creeley: “we began to respond to what was happening…a much more active way of proceeding”; “form is never more than an extension of content”)

Olson’s Cosmology (study of the universe and man’s place in it) (Robert Creeley: “men could care about the kind of world they live in…why kind of world are men and women caring to have.”)

Olson’s View of changes in Gloucester in the 1960s and our role—the citizen’s role—in those changes

The implication of Olson’s thinking upon our relationship to our polis (immediate world) and cosmos (large world) today

AP English Language Rhetoric Vocabulary

Allegory:

An allegory is a fictional work in which the characters represent ideas or concepts. In Paul Bunyan’s

Pilgrim’s Progress, for example, the characters named Faithful, Mercy, and Mr. Worldly Wiseman

are clearly meant to represent types of people rather than to be characters in their own rights.

Allusion:

An allusion is a passing reference to a familiar person, place, or thing drawn from history, the Bible,

mythology, or literature. An allusion is an economical way for a writer to capture the essence of an

idea, atmosphere, emotion, or historical era, as in “The scandal was his Watergate,” or “He saw

himself as a modern Job,” or “Everyone there held those truths to be self-evident.” An allusion

should be familiar to the reader; if it is not, it will add nothing to the meaning.

An allusion is a reference, usually oblique or faint, to another thing, idea, or person. For example, in

the sentence, “She faced the challenge with Homeric courage, “Homeric” is an allusion to Homer’s

works, The Illiad and the Odyssey.

Ambiguity: (ambiguous)

When something is ambiguous, it is uncertain or indefinite; it is subject to more than one

interpretation. For example, you might say, “The poet’s use of the word is ambiguous, “to begin to

discuss the multiple meanings suggested by the use of the word and to indicate that there is an

uncertainty of interpretation.

Analogy:

Analogy asks a reader to think about the correspondence or resemblance between two things that are

essentially different; a form of comparison in which the writer explains something unfamiliar by

comparing it to something familiar. For example, if you say, “The pond was as smooth as a

mirror,” you ask your audience to understand two different things: “pond” and “mirror” – as being

similar in some fashion. A second example is: A transmission line is simply a pipeline for electricity In the case of a water pipeline, more water will flow through the pipe as water pressure increases.

The same is true of a transmission line for electricity.

Analytical Reading:

Reading analytically means reading actively, paying close attention to both the content and the

structure of the text. Analytical reading often involves answering several basic questions about the piece of writing under consideration: What does the author want to say? What is his or her main point?

Why does the author want to say it? What is his or her purpose? What strategy or strategies does the author use? Why and how does the author’s writing strategy suit both the subject and the purpose? What is special about the way the author uses the strategy? How effective is the essay? Why?

Antecedent:

Every pronoun refers back to a previous noun or pronoun - the antecedent; antecedent is the

grammatical term for the noun of or pronoun from which another pronoun derives its meaning. For

example, in the sentence, "The car he wanted to buy was a green one," the pronoun "one" derives its

meaning from the antecedent "car."

Antithesis:

Antithesis is an opposition or contrast of ideas that is often expressed in balanced phrases or clauses.

For example, “Whereas he was boisterous, I was reserved” is a sentence that balances two antithetical

observations.

Appositive:

An appositive is a word or phrase that follows as noun or pronoun for emphasis or clarity.

Appositives are usually set off by commas. For example, in the sentence, "The Luxury train, The

Orient Express, crosses Europe from Paris to Istanbul in just twenty-six hours," the name "The

Orient Express" is the appositive for "train."

Argument:

Argument is one of the four basic types of prose. (Narration, description and exposition are the

other three.) To argue is to attempt to convince the reader to agree with a point of view, to make a

given decision, or to pursue a particular course of action. Logical argument is based on reasonable

explanations and appeals to the reader’s intelligence.

Assertion:

The thesis, claim, or proposition that a writer puts forward in argument.

Attitude:

Attitude describes the feelings of a particular speaker or piece of writing toward a subject, person or

idea. For example, a writer can think very positively or very negatively about a subject. In most

cases, the writer’s attitude falls somewhere between these two extremes. This expression is often

used as a synonym for tone.

Audience:

An audience is the intended readership for a piece of writing. For example, the readers of a national

weekly newsmagazine come from all walks of life and have diverse opinions, attitudes and educational

experiences. In contrast, the readership for an organic chemistry journal is made up of people whose

interests and educational backgrounds are quite similar.

Bathos:

A false or forced emotion that is often humorous. Whereas pathos draws upon deep emotion, bathos

takes this emotion to such an extreme that the reader finds it humorous rather than touching.

Beginnings/Endings:

A beginning is the sentence, group of sentences or section that introduces an essay. Good beginnings

usually identify the thesis or controlling idea, attempt to interest the reader and establish a tone.

Some effective ways in which writers begin essays include (1) telling an anecdote that illustrates the

thesis, (2) providing a controversial statement or opinion that engages the reader’s interest, (3)

presenting startling statistics or facts, (4) defining a term that is central to the discussion that

follows, (5) asking thought-provoking questions, (6) providing a quotation that illustrates the thesis,

(7) referring to a current event that helps establish the thesis, or (8) showing the significance of the

subject or stressing its importance to the reader.

An ending is the sentence or group of sentences that brings an essay to closure. Good endings are

purposeful and well planned. Endings satisfy readers when they are the natural outgrowths of the

essays themselves and convey a sense of finality or completion. Good essays do not simply stop;

they conclude.

Claim:

The thesis or proposition put forth in argument.

Cliché:

A cliché is an expression that has become ineffective through overuse. Expressions such as quick as a

flash, dry as dust, jump for joy and slow as molasses are all clichés. Good writers normally avoid such

trite expressions and seek instead to express themselves in fresh and forceful language.

Coherence:

Coherence is a quality of good writing that results when all sentences, paragraphs and longer divisions

of an essay are naturally connected. Coherent writing is achieved through (1) a logical sequence of

ideas (arranged in chronological order, spatial order, order of importance or some other appropriate

order), (2) the thoughtful repetition of key words and ideas, (3) a pace suitable for your topic and

your reader, and (4) the use of transitional words and expressions. Coherence should not be confused

with unity.

Colloquial Expressions:

A colloquial expression is characteristic of or appropriate to spoken language or to writing that seeks

its effect. Colloquial expressions are informal, as chem., gym, come up with, be at loose ends, won’t

and photo illustrate. Thus, colloquial expressions are acceptable in formal writing only if they are

used purposefully.

Concrete / Abstract:

A concrete word names a specific object, person, place or action that can be directly perceived by the

senses: car, bread, building, book, Abraham Lincoln, Toronto or hiking. An abstract word, in

contrast, refers to general qualities, conditions, ideas, actions or relationships that cannot be directly

perceived by the senses: bravery, dedication, excellence, anxiety, stress, thinking or hatred.

Although writers must use both concrete and abstract language, good writers avoid using too many

abstract words. Instead, they rely on concrete words to define and illustrate abstractions. Because

concrete words affect the senses, they are easily comprehended by the reader.

Connotation / Denotation:

Both connotation and denotation refer to the meanings of words. Denotation is the dictionary

meaning of a word, the literal meaning. Connotation, on the other hand, is the implied or suggested

meaning of a word. For example, the denotation of lamb is “a young sheep.” The connotations of

lamb are numerous: gentle, docile, weak, peaceful, blessed, sacrificial, blood, spring, frisky, pure,

innocent and so on. Good writers are sensitive to both the denotations and the connotations of

words and they use these meanings to advantage in their writing.

Description:

Description is one of the four basic types of prose. (Narration, exposition and argument are the

other three.) Description tells how a person, place or thing is perceived by the five senses.

Objective description reports these sensory qualities factually, whereas subjective description gives

the writer’s interpretation of them.

Diction:

Diction refers to an author's choice of words. For instance, in the sentence, "That guy was really

mad!" the author uses informal diction ("guy," "mad"); whereas in the sentence, "The gentleman was

considerably irritated," the author uses more elevated diction ("gentleman," "irritated"). A writer's

diction contributes to the tone of a text.

Ethos:

Ethos is the characteristic spirit or ideal that informs a work. In "The Country of the Pointed Firs"

by Sarah Orne Jewett, for instance, the ethos of the work is derived from the qualities of the

inhabitants, who are described as both noble and caring.

Ethos also refers more generally to ethics, or values of the arguer: honesty, trustworthiness, even

morals. In rhetorical writing, authors often attempt to persuade readers by appealing to their sense

of ethos, or ethical principles.

Euphemism:

A euphemism is a mild or pleasant sounding expression that substitutes for a harsh, indelicate, or

simply less pleasant idea. Euphemisms are often used to soften the impact of what is being discussed.

For example, the word “departed” is a euphemism for the word “dead,” just as the phrase “in the family way” is a euphemism for the word “pregnant.”

Evaluation:

An evaluation of a piece of writing is an assessment of its effectiveness or merit. In evaluating a

piece of writing, you should ask the following questions: What is the writer’s purpose? Is it a

worthwhile purpose? Does the writer achieve the purpose? Is the writer’s information sufficient and

accurate? What are the strengths of the essay? What are its weaknesses? Depending on the type of

writing and the purpose, more specific questions can also be asked. In response to an argument a reader might ask: Does the writer follow the principles of logical thinking? Is the writer’s evidence convincing?

Evidence:

Evidence is the data on which a judgment or argument is based or by which proof or probability is

established. Evidence usually takes the form of statistics, facts, names, examples or illustrations and

opinions of authorities.

Exposition:

Exposition is one of the four basic types of prose. (Narration, description and argument are the

other three.) The purpose of exposition is to clarify, explain and inform. The methods of

exposition include process analysis, definition, division and classification, comparison and contrast,

exemplification and cause and effect analysis.

Figures of Speech:

Figures of speech are brief, imaginative comparisons that highlight the similarities between things

that are basically dissimilar. They make writing vivid and interesting and therefore more memorable.

The most common figures of speech are these:

Simile: An implicit comparison introduced by like or as: “The fighter’s hands were like stone.”

Metaphor: An implied comparison that uses one thing as the equivalent of another: “All the world’s a stage.”

Personification: A special kind of simile or metaphor in which human traits are assigned to an

inanimate object: “The engine coughed and then stopped.”

Fiction:

The word “fiction” comes from the Latin word meaning to invent, to form, to imagine. Works of

fiction can be based on actual occurrences, but their status as fiction means that something has been

imagined or invented in the telling of the occurrence.

Foreshadowing:

Foreshadowing is a purposeful hint placed in a work of literature to suggest what may occur later in

the narrative. For instance, a seemingly unrelated scene in a mystery story that focuses on a special

interest of the detective may actually foreshadow the detective’s use of that expertise in solving the

mystery.

Hyperbole:

Hyperbole is a figure of speech in which exaggeration is used to achieve emphasis. The expressions,

“my feet are as cold as an iceberg” and “I’ll die if I don’t see you soon,” are examples of hyperbole.

The emphasis is on exaggeration rather than literal representation. Hyperbole is the opposite of

understatement.

Idiom:

An idiom is a word or phrase that is used habitually with a particular meaning in a language. The

meaning of an idiom is not always readily apparent to nonnative speakers of that language. For

example, catch cold, hold a job, make up your mind and give them a hand are all idioms in English.

Image:

An image is a mental picture that is conjured by specific words and associations, but there can be auditory and sensory components to imagery as well. Nearly all writing depends on imagery to be

effective and interesting. Metaphors, similes, symbols and personification all use imagery.

Irony:

Irony occurs when a situation produces an outcome that is the opposite of what is expected. In

Robert Frost’s poem, “Mending Fences,” for instance, it is ironic that the presence of a barrier – a

fence – keeps a friendship alive; Frost’s observation that “Good fences make good neighbors” is both

true and ironic. Similarly, when an author uses words or phrases that are in opposition to each other

to describe a person or an idea, an ironic tone results. For example, in The Yellow Wallpaper by

Charlotte Perkins Gilman, when the speaker says, “I am glad my case is not serious!” the reader –

who is also aware of just how “serious” her case is – is aware of the irony of the statement.

Juxtaposition:

When two contrasting things - ideas, words or sentence elements - are placed next to each other for

comparison, a juxtaposition occurs. For instance, a writer may choose to juxtapose the coldness of

one room with the warmth of another, or one person's honesty with another's duplicity.

Juxtaposition sheds light on both elements in the comparison.

Logical Fallacies:

A logical fallacy is an error in reasoning that renders an argument invalid. Some of the more

common logical fallacies are these:

Oversimplification: The tendency to provide simple solutions to complex problems: “The reason

we have inflation today is that OPEC has unreasonably raised the price of oil.”

Non sequitur (“It does not follow”): An inference or conclusion that does not follow from

established premises or evidence: “It was the best movie I saw this year and it should get an

Academy Award.”

Post hoc, ergo propter hoc (“After this, therefore because of this”): Confusing chance or

coincidence with causation. Because one event comes after another one, id does not necessarily

mean that the first event caused the second: “I won’t say I caught cold at the hockey game, but I

certainly didn’t have it before I went there.”

Begging the question: Assuming in a premise that which needs to be proven: “If American

autoworkers built a better product, foreign auto sales would not be so high.”

False analogy: Making a misleading analogy between logically unconnected ideas: “He was a brilliant basketball player; therefore, there’s no question in my mind that he will e a fine coach.

Either/or thinking: The tendency to see an issue as having only two sides: “Used car salespeople are either honest or crooked.

Logos:

The use of reason as a controlling principle in an argument. In rhetorical writing, authors often

attempt to persuade readers by appealing to their sense of logos, or reason.

A type of argumentative proof having to do with the logical qualities of an argument: data, evidence,

factual information.

Mood:

Mood is the prevailing or dominant feeling of a work, scene or event. The opening scene of

Macbeth in which three witches are center stage, for instance, sets a mood of doom and tragedy for

the first act of the play. Mood is similar to atmosphere.

Narration:

Narration is one of the four basic types of prose. (Description, exposition and argument are the

other three.) To narrate is to tell a story, to tell what happened. Although narration is most often

used in fiction, it is also important in nonfiction, either by itself or in conjunction with other types

of prose.

Objective / Subjective:

Objective writing is factual and impersonal, whereas subjective writing, sometimes called

impressionistic writing, relies heavily on personal interpretation.

Opinion:

An opinion is a belief or conclusion not substantiated by positive knowledge or proof. An opinion

reveals personal feelings or attitudes or states a position. Opinion should not be confused with

argument.

Parallelism:

A literary technique that relies on the use of the same syntactical structures, (phrases, clauses,

sentences) in a series in order to develop an argument or emphasize an idea. For example, in the

declaration, "At sea, on land, in the air, we will be loyal to the very end," the parallel phrases at the

beginning of the sentence emphasize the loyalty and determination of a group of people.

Parallel structure is the repetition of word order or form either within a single sentence or in several

sentences that develop the same central idea. As a rhetorical device, parallelism can aid coherence

and add emphasis. Roosevelt’s statement, “I see one third of a nation ill-housed, ill-clad, illnourished,”

illustrates effective parallelism.

Parody:

Parody is an effort to ridicule or make fun of a literary work or an author by writing an imitation of

the work or of the author's style.

Pathos:

authors often attempt to persuade readers by appealing to the sense of pathos, or their emotions.

A type of argumentative proof having to do with audience: emotional language, connotative diction

and appeals to certain values.

Persona:

Persona is the character created by the voice and narration of the speaker of a text. The term,

"persona" implies a fictional representation or an act of disguise (that the speaker is not the author,

but a created character).

Point of View:

The particular perspective from which a story is told is called the point of view. Stories may be told

from the point of view of specific characters or a narrator. The narrator, in turn, may be a

subjective narrator (who may or may not be involved in the story), or an all - knowing (omniscient)

narrator. (An omniscient narrator can tell you everything about the characters - even their inner

feelings and thoughts.) Examining the person of the pronouns used can further describe point of

view. Some literary works blend different points of view for emphasis and experimentation.

For example, a first person point of view uses the pronoun I and is commonly found in

autobiography and the personal essay; a third person point of view uses the pronouns he, she, or it

and is commonly found in objective writing.

Purpose:

Purpose is what the writer wants to accomplish in a particular piece of writing. Purposeful writing

seeks to relate (narration), to describe (description), to explain (process analysis, definition, division

and classification, comparison and contrast and cause and effect analysis), or to convince (argument).

Rhetoric, Rhetorical Purpose:

Rhetoric is the art and logic of a written or spoken argument. Rhetorical writing is purposeful;

examples of rhetorical purposes include to persuade, to analyze, or to expose.

The lines between purposes, strategies, and devices are blurry. To accomplish a rhetorical purpose, a

writer develops a rhetorical strategy, and then uses rhetorical devices to accomplish the goal.

Consider shelter as an example. If your purpose in constructing a shelter is to protect you from

inclement weather, one strategy for doing this might be to build a house (other strategies might

involve a tent or a cave, for instance). Devices would be the choices that you make as you build the

house, such as whether to use wood or bricks, the number and location of doors and windows, and so

on.

In the same way, to achieve a purpose in writing you need a strategy and devices. To use a more

literary example, when arguing to persuade the world that Americans deserved to be independent

from England (rhetorical purpose), the writers of the Declaration of Independence refused to

recognize Great Britain's legislative authority (rhetorical strategy). To achieve this in their prose, the

writers used syntax (rhetorical device) that presented all Americans as adhering to one idea ("We the

People ... ") and diction (rhetorical device) that affirmed their right to be independent ("self-evident"

and "endowed by their Creator").

Rhetorical, or stylistic devices:

The specific language tools that an author uses to carry out a rhetorical strategy and thus achieve a

purpose for writing. Some typical language devices include allusion, diction, imagery, syntax,

selection of detail, figurative language and repetition.

Rhetorical Question:

A rhetorical question is a question that is asked for the sake of argument. No direct answer is

provided to a rhetorical question; however, the probable answer to such a question us usually implied

in the argument. “When will nuclear proliferation end” is such a question. Writers often use

rhetorical questions to introduce topics they plan to discuss or to emphasize important points.

Rhetorical Strategy:

A strategy is a plan of action or movement to achieve a goal. In rhetoric or writing, strategy

describes the way an author organizes words, sentences and overall argument in order to achieve a

particular purpose.

Selection of Detail:

The specific words, incidents, images or events the author uses to create a scene or narrative are

referred to as the selection of detail.

Sequence:

Sequence refers to the order in which a writer presents information. Writers commonly select

chronological order, spatial order, order of importance, or order of complexity to arrange their

points.

Style:

Style is the individual manner in which a writer expresses his or her ideas. The author’s particular

selection of words, construction of sentences and arrangement of ideas create style.

Syntax:

Syntax refers to the way words are arranged in a sentence. For example, the following two sentences

share a similar meaning, but have different syntax, or word order: "The big blue sky beckoned her,"

essentially says the same thing as, "She was beckoned by the big blue sky."

Technical Language:

Technical language, or jargon, is the special vocabulary of a trade or profession. Writers who use

technical language do so with an awareness of their audience. If the audience is a group of peers,

technical language may be used freely. If the audience is a more general one, technical language

should be used sparingly and carefully so as not to sacrifice clarity. See also Diction.

Tension:

Tension, in a work of literature, is a feeling of excitement and expectation the reader or audience

feels because of the conflict, mood, or atmosphere of the work.

Texture:

Texture describes the way the elements of a work of prose or poetry are joined together. It suggests

an association with the style of the author - whether, for instance, the author's prose is rough-hewn

(elements at odds with one another) or smooth and graceful (elements flow together naturally).

Theme:

The theme of a work is usually considered the central idea. There can be several themes in a single

work. In The Woman Warrior, for instance, Maxine Hong Kingston includes endurance, loyalty,

bravery, intelligence, fortune and risk as themes variously treated and dramatized.

Thesis:

A thesis is a statement of the main idea of an essay. Also known as the controlling idea, a thesis may

sometimes be implied rather than stated directly.

Title:

A title is a word or phrase set off at the beginning of an essay to identify the subject, to capture the

main idea of the essay or to attract the reader’s attention. A title may be explicit or suggestive. A

subtitle, when used, extends or restricts the meaning of the main title.

Tone:

Tone, which can also be called attitude, is the way the author presents a subject. An author's tone

can be serious, scholarly, humorous, mournful or ironic, just to name a few examples. A particular

tone results from a writer’s diction, sentence structure, purpose and attitude toward the subject. A

correct perception of the author's tone is essential to understanding a particular literary work;

misreading an ironic tone as a serious one, for instance, could lead you to miss the humor in a

description or situation. See also Attitude.

Topic sentence:

The topic sentence states the central idea of a paragraph and thus limits and controls the subject of

the paragraph. Although the topic sentence most often appears at the beginning of the paragraph, it

may appear at any other point, particularly if the writer is trying to create a special effect.

Transitions:

Transitions are words or phrases that link sentences, paragraphs and larger units of a composition to

achieve coherence. These devices include parallelism, pronoun references, conjunctions and the

repetition of key ideas, as well as the many conventional transitional expressions, such as moreover,

on the other hand, in addition, in contrast and therefore. Also see Coherence.

Understatement:

understatement. For example, if a writer refers to a very destructive monsoon as "a bit of wind," the

power of the event is being deliberately understated.

Unity:

Unity is achieved in an essay when all the words, sentences and paragraphs contribute to its thesis.

The elements of a unified essay do not distract the reader. Instead, they all harmoniously support a

single idea or purpose.

Voice:

How the speaker of a literary work presents himself or herself to the reader determines that speaker's

unique voice. For example, the speaker's voice can be loud or soft, personal or cold, strident or

gentle, authoritative or hesitant, or can have any manner or combination of characteristics.

Voice is also a grammatical term. A sentence can be written in either active or passive voice. A

simple way to tell the difference is to remember that when the subject performs the action in a

sentence, the voice is active (for example: "I sent the letter."); when the subject is acted upon, the

voice is passive (for example, "The letter was sent by me."

Writing Process:

The writing process consists of five major stages: prewriting, writing drafts, revision, editing and

publication. The process is not inflexible, but there is no mistaking the fact that most writers follow

some version of it most of the time. Although orderly in its basic components and sequence of

activities, the writing process is nonetheless continuous, creative and unique to each individual writer.

Gloucester Poems

I was going to pass out Gloucester poem packets today but ran out of time.
Your assignment is to annotate* particular poems in the packet. (Look for your name below.)
Bring the poems and annotations to class on Monday, May 14.
Post a substantial commentary on the poems Monday night (or before).

Here are the poems each of you has been assigned:
Pauline C: Olson & Ferlinghetti's "The Sea and Ourselves at Cape Ann"
Katie R: Olson & Eliot's "Dry Salvages"
Jessie C: Olson & Crane's excerpts from Sea Birds
Matt C: Olson & Moody's "Gloucester Moors"
Meryl G: Olson & Crane's excerpts from Sea Birds
Romy H: Olson & Moody's "Gloucester Moors"
Rachel M: Olson & Longfellow's "The Wreck of the Hesperus"
Winslow P: Olson & Ferlinghetti's "The Sea and Ourselves at Cape Ann"
Elizabeth S: Olson & Lansing's three poems from Heavenly Tree Soluble Forest
Danielle P: Olson & Longfellow's "The Wreck of the Hesperus"
Abby A: Olson & Dorn's "From Gloucester Out"
Maddy M: Olson & Eliot's "Dry Salvages"
Zoe P: Olson & Dorn's "From Gloucester Out"
Mr. J. Cook: Olson & Lansing's three poems from Heavenly Tree Soluble Forest

You'll each get a hard copy of the packet on Friday but I've attached a copy to an email I've sent to you in case you want to get started and/or in case you prefer to read on the computer.

*Annotating poems is a little different from annotating prose passages. Use whatever is useful in the following three methods. (1) To help take notes on what the poems "says" (both literally and figuratively), on how the poems "play" with language (rhymes, rhythms, alliteration, metaphors, puns, allusions, spacing on the page), and on what the saying and playing might "suggest" or imply". This is say-play-imply annotation. (2) Also annotate based on the SOAPSTone method. Think about the poem's speaker, the occasion, the audience, the purpose, the subject, and the tone. (3) Finally, consider the TPCASTT method. Think about the title, a paraphrase, connotations of words and images, the speaker's attitude (or tone), shifts in the poem's structure, reconsider the poem's title now that you have read it thoroughly, and end by considering themes. (4) Write down very specific questions that might help us generate meaning and a richer experience of the poems.


See you Monday.
all the best,
Mr. James Cook

Rhetorical Analysis of "Why Bother?" by Jonathan Franzen

In the passages selected from Jonathan Franzen's essay "Why Bother?," which you have read and annotated, Franzen explores issues related to the question, "why bother reading and writing fiction?" Take forty minutes or so to plan and write a short essay in which you analyze the strategies--such as but not limited to allusions, selection of detail, personal anecdote, expert testimony--Franzen uses to develop his perspective on reading and writing novels in our time.

Do this before class on Monday.

Responding to "Teacher Fired over Trayvon Martin Fundraiser"

Responding to "Teacher Fired over Trayvon Martin Fundraiser"

I've written the prompt below in the form of an SAT English essay question.

Think carefully about the issue presented in the following excerpt and the assignment below. 

~

"There is a reason Michigan's English Language Proficiency Standards call for students to 'engage in challenging and purposeful learning that blends their experiences with content knowledge and real-world applications.' Students learn better this way. Real life is not clean. It is not clear cut. It is not safe. But it is the world our students live in and they will be required to navigate it as adults. Teachers must bring this outside world into the classroom."

~

Assignment: Should teachers bring the outside world into the classroom? Plan and write an essay in which you develop your point of view on this issue. Support your position with reasoning and examples taken from your reading, studies, experience, or observations.

***
For a general overview of the SAT essay click here.

For sample SAT essay prompts go here.

Find example essays and scoring information here.

Over Vacation

Nothing will be due on the Monday we return but there are two assignments you could work on.

1. Work on the third set of AP Language multiple choice questions. (The one that begins "With Imagination in the popular sense...") This will be due on Tuesday, April 24.

2. Work on the assignment pasted below. It will be due on Monday, April 30.

Directions:

Over the next two weeks you will read a narrative (options are listed below*) in which depictions of Gloucester -- or parts of Gloucester -- play a significant role.

While you read you will maintain a double-entry journal, which will be collected on Monday, April 30.

Read the directions carefully.

On the left side of your journal you will record quotations from throughout the book -- at least ten.

Select quotations in which some aspect of Gloucester -- people in or from Gloucester, places in Gloucester, the history of Gloucester, etc. -- is depicted or in which a direct statement about Gloucester is offered. Choose passages that seem significant in presenting a particular perspective on Gloucester and set of perceptions about Gloucester. (Note: If your book has sections that do not deal with Gloucester you may select up to five quotations that are not directly related to Gloucester people, places, history, etc. These quotations should still be significant in some way to the book as a whole.) Also, make sure you choose passages from the beginning, middle, and end of the book. You will write down each quotation and the page on which you found it.

On the right side of your journal you will respond to the quotation.

Make inferences. What does the depiction of Gloucester suggest? How is it significant? What does it seem to mean?

Respond to how the way the book is written contributes to its meaning, especially its depiction of Gloucester. Think about narrative voice, characterization, imagery, selection of detail, conflict, theme, etc. Think about the connection between the quotation and the book as a whole.

Respond personally. Do you agree or disagree with the depiction? Are you skeptical? Are you surprised? Do you have a personal or family connection to the way Gloucester is depicted in the quotation? (Show me that you are reading with your head and your heart.)

Ask and suggest answers to questions of your own.

To help generate responses remember the essential questions:
How do writers depict Gloucester? How are the differing depictions significant? What's at stake in differing projections of the polis? (How is Gloucester used by the writer? What does the writer suggest about Gloucester? Does Gloucester seem to represent something -- an ideal, an alternative, a warning, a trap, a set of values -- in the book? Does Gloucester’s identity seem static (staying the same) or fluid (always changing)?

* Some Gloucester-Related Narratives
All of these works can be found at Sawyer Free Library. Many can be found in the GHS library.

FICTION

Captains Courageous by Rudyard Kipling

Out of Gloucester by James B. Connolly

The Last Days of Dogtown by Anita Diamant (three copies in the GHS library)

Broken Trip by Peter Anastas

Decline of Fishes by Peter Anastas (two copies in the library)

Prologos, Gloucesterbook, Gloucestertide, or Gloucestermas by Jonathan Bayliss

The Siege of Salt Cove by Anthony Weller (in library)

NONFICTION

The Perfect Storm by Sebastian Junger (four copies in the library)

Dogtown: Death and Enchantment in a New England Ghost Town by Elyssa East

The Last Fish Tale by Mark Kurlansky (seven copies in the library)

The Finest Kind: the Fishermen of Gloucester by Kim Bartlett (copies in the library)

Cape Ann, Cape America by Herbert Kenny (copies in the library)

Hammers on Stone (quarrying) and A Village at Lane's Cove by Barbara Erkkila

Voices  (an ethnographic study of Fiesta in the 1970s) by Richard M. Swiderski

When Gloucester Was Gloucester (a series of oral histories about Gloucester in the mid

and early twentieth century) edited by Peter Anastas and Peter Parsons

The Hungry Ocean by Linda Greenlaw (copies in the library)

Gone Boy by Gregory Gibson (one copy in the library)

At the Cut by Peter Anastas

The Lone Voyager (about Howard Blackburn) by Joseph Garland (twenty-four copies in

the library)

The Fish and the Falcon (about Gloucester's involvement in the War (formerly called

Guns Off Gloucester) by Joseph Garland (two copies in the library)

History of Gloucester by John Babson (copies in the library)

History of the Town and City of Gloucester, Cape Ann, Massachusetts by James Robert

Pringle (copies in the library)

DRAMA

New England Blue: 6 Plays of Working-Class Life by Israel Horowitz (in GHS library)

There are other books in which depictions of Gloucester plays a significant role. If you’d like to read something not on this list ask me or send me an email. I’ll let you know if the book is appropriate for the assignment.

Postscript

Here a couple collections of poetry you could read to fulfill the assignment’s expectations.

POETRY

The Maximus Poems by Charles Olson (in GHS library)

Know Fish by Vincent Ferrini (in GHS library)

Responding to "Politics and the English Language" & an excerpt from *Amusing Ourselves to Death*

Respond to George Orwell's essay. When developing your response consider the questions below. Use specific evidence from the text to support your position. Make sure your response is substantial.

Understanding
What's your understanding of George Orwell's argument?

Analysis
How does he make the argument? (Analyze his rhetorical strategies.)

Evaluation
What do you think about his argument? Is it well-made? Is he right? Are there flaws to the argument? Does he overlook anything? What modifications would you make? Is the argument still relevant?

Here's a link to a copy of the essay if you need one.

Post your comments by class time Monday, April 9

***

Next week we'll continue our study of Neil Postman's use of Brave New World and 1984 in Amusing Ourselves to Death. You'll write a blog response to the questions: How does Neil Postman use the two dystopian novels to make his argument? Is Postman right?

Here is some material to familiarize yourself with.

1. excerpt from Amusing Ourselves to Death by Neil Postman

We were keeping our eye on 1984. When the year came and the prophecy didn't, thoughtful Americans sang softly in praise of themselves. The roots of liberal democracy had held. Wherever else the terror had happened, we, at least, had not been visited by Orwellian nightmares.

But we had forgotten that alongside Orwell's dark vision, there was another—slightly older, slightly less well known, equally chilling: Aldous Huxley's Brave New World. Contrary to common belief even among the educated, Huxley and Orwell did not prophesy the same thing. Orwell warns that we will be overcome by an externally imposed oppression. But in Huxley's vision, no Big Brother is required to deprive people of their autonomy, maturity and history. As he saw it, people will come to love their oppression, to adore the technologies meant undo their capacities to think.

What Orwell feared were those who would ban books. What Huxley feared was that there would be no reason to ban a book, for there would be no one who wanted to read one. Orwell feared those who would deprive us of information. Huxley feared those who would give us so much that we would be reduced to passivity and egoism. Orwell feared that the truth would be concealed from us. Huxley feared the truth would be drowned in a sea of irrelevance. Orwell feared we would become a captive culture. Huxley feared we would become a trivial culture, preoccupied with some equivalent of the feelies, the orgy porgy, and the centrifugal bumblepuppy. As Huxley remarked in Brave New World Revisited, the civil libertarians and rationalists who are ever on the alert to oppose tyranny "failed to take into account .man's almost infinite appetite for distractions.'' In 1984, Huxley added, people are controlled by inflicting pain. In Brave New World, they are controlled by inflicting pleasure. In short, Orwell feared that what we hate will ruin us. Huxley feared that what we love will ruin us.

[We also read this in class last Monday.]

2. "Amusing Ourselves to Death" by Stuart McMillen (comic)
After you follow the link click on the long image on the left to make it bigger.

http://digg.com/newsbar/topnews/Amusing_Ourselves_to_Death_COMIC


3. "1984" Macintosh Apple Advertisement

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HhsWzJo2sN4

4. Terms from George Orwell's 1984 that might help you better understand Postman's argument.

http://www.gradesaver.com/1984/study-guide/glossary-of-terms/

5. Huxley's letter to Orwell

http://www.lettersofnote.com/2012/03/1984-v-brave-new-world.html

[You also received a copy of this in class.]

Responding to Aldous Huxley's 1946 Foreword to Brave New World

Responding to Brave New World

Open Response

How did Huxley respond to rereading his own work fifteen years later?

Write a page addressing the following writing prompt:

In 1931 Aldous Huxley wrote Brave New World. Then, in 1946 he wrote a “Foreword” addressing the limitations and successes of the book he had written fifteen years before. How did Huxley’s ideas change between writing the novel in 1931 and writing the foreword in 1946? How did other ideas stay the same or grow stronger? Refer to specific details from the passage. Quotations and specificity are a must.

Retraction

http://www.thisamericanlife.org/play_full.php?play=460&podcast=1

Allegory of the Cave

Plato's Allegory of the Cave

image from St. Rosemary Educational Institutional

Brave New World: "Savage Reservation" Malpais, New Mexico

Consider the World State and the Savage Reservation from the following points of view:
Bernard, Lenina, John, Linda, Pope, and an American Indian woman.
What would each say about how people should and shouldn't live? What experiences, observations, and cultural norms would each refer to when answering the question.

A couple sources for your synthesis paper

This has been making the rounds on Facebook:

People are taking the piss out of you everyday. They butt into your life, take a cheap shot at you and then disappear. They leer at you from tall buildings and make you feel small. They make flippant comments from buses that imply you’re not sexy enough and that all the fun is happening somewhere else. They are on TV making your girlfriend feel inadequate. They have access to the most sophisticated technology the world has ever seen and they bully you with it. They are The Advertisers and they are laughing at you.
You, however, are forbidden to touch them. Trademarks, intellectual property rights and copyright law mean advertisers can say what they like wherever they like with total impunity.
[Expletive] that. Any advert in a public space that gives you no choice whether you see it or not is yours. It’s yours to take, re-arrange and re-use. You can do whatever you like with it. Asking for permission is like asking to keep a rock someone just threw at your head.
You owe the companies nothing. Less than nothing, you especially don’t owe them any courtesy. They owe you. They have re-arranged the world to put themselves in front of you. They never asked for your permission, don’t even start asking for theirs.
- Banksy

*

 Click here for the "Mr. Daisey and the Apple Factory" transcript.

*

Synthesis Essay on consumerism and Commodification

AP English Language and Composition

Synthesis Essay on Consumerism and Commodification

Consumerism is a term used to describe a social and economic system that encourages the ever-increasing consumption of goods and services. Commodification (or commoditization) is a related term used to describe the process of turning ideas, values, and other entities not normally regarded as a commodities into a commodity ( economic products). 

Imagine that a school district looking to make its curriculum more relevant to life in the 21^st century has asked you to evaluate the role of consumerism and commodification in contemporary American culture. Carefully review the sources I've provided in this unit. Then synthesize information from at least five (5) of the sources and incorporate that information into a coherent, well-developed essay that identifies the key issues associated with consumerism and commodification and that examines their implications for life in the 21^st century.

Make sure that your argument is central; use the sources to illustrate and support your reasoning. Avoid merely summarizing the sources. Indicate clearly which sources you are drawing from, whether through direct quotation, paraphrase, or summary. Cite the sources using the information provided below in parentheses.

Source A (The Ad and the Ego)                      Documentary film

Source B (Daisey)                                            “Mr. Daisy and the Apple Factory” (radio nonfiction story)

Source C ("Psychographic Groups")

Source D (Waterson)                                       The comic in the packet

Source E (Kruger)                                            The art collage in the packet

Source F (Frank)                                              “Dissent Commodified” (commentary)

Source G (Vanderbilt)                                      “The Gaudy and the Damned” (essay)

Source H (McLuhan)                                        excerpt from The Medium is the Massage

Source I (Fortune)                                            excerpt from Working edited by Studs Terkel (oral history)

Source J (Chaddha)                                          “How many Che T-shirts…” (commentary)

Source K (Seel and Wilensky)                          “The World According to Abercrombie & Fitch” (commentary)

Source L (Johnson)                                          “When Teens Talk, Companies Listen” (newspaper feature article)

Due March 2, 2012. Think three to five pages (1000-1500 words) or so.

Here is a link  to an AP English Language and Composition Question 1 (Synthesis Question)

and here is a link to model essays that respond to that the question.