7th - 8th Writing, March 6

Lesson:
We spent the class period discussing the students' reactions to The Cask of Amontillado by Edgar Allen Poe.

After defining a few vocabulary terms, we identified basic literary elements. This story is set in an undisclosed European city (presumably in Italy) at an undisclosed time (probably late 1700s or early 1800s). The action occurs from dusk into darkness "in the supreme madness of the carnival season" (similar to Mardi Gras) and descends progressively from street level to the deepest recesses of ancient catacombs.

The protagonist (though not the typical "good guy") is Montressor. Montressor is a French name meaning "My treasure". It is the name of a noble French family and their accompanying castle and small town. The Montresor motto in our story is the actual motto of the Scottish royal family and also of the Scottish Order of the Thistle, a knighthood which sometimes included knights from non-Scottish European noble families. However, the coat of arms is quite different. Poe apparently borrowed ideas from different times and places to weave his tale of horror.

The antagonist is Fortunato, an Italian nobleman and wine connoisseur, whose very name is ironic, considering his fate. (Since he mentions his Lady Fortunato, we may conclude that he is, himself, Lord Fortunato.)

The tale is told in Montressor's words, which, since Montressor is at least twisted, if not insane, categorizes our reading as being in the first person unreliable point of view.

The story is rich in symbolism, irony, and word play, which we discussed at length.

Assignment:
Each student will write a five-paragraph literary analysis essay about Poe's The Cask of Amontillado. Each essay will follow standard format, with the three body paragraphs discussing setting, character, and theme, in that order. Various other literary elements, such as Poe's use of irony and symmbolism, should be discussed wherever appropriate.

9th - 12th Writing, March 6

Lesson:
We spent the class period discussing the students' opinions and ideas of The Giver by Lois Lowry. All agreed that it was well-written, easy to read, intriguing, and thought-provoking.

Among their observations:
This fictional novel, set in an undisclosed future time and place, discusses what at first appears and then is eventually discovered behind the scenes of a utopian (or rather, dystopian) society, where emotion, memory, autonomy, and even color have been relinquished for safety and Sameness.

The point of view is third-person limited omniscient, as the narrator relates the inner thoughts and feelings of the protagonist Jonas, and the observed actions of other characters.

The plot conflict is primarily person vs. society, with elements of person vs. self and person vs. nature.

The title itself has some significance --- who is the Giver?

The ending is deliberately written to be ambiguous --- do Jonas and Gabe live or die?

Assignment:
Students are to write a five-paragraph literary analysis of The Giver. This may follow the usual format in which the three body paragraphs are devoted, in turn, to the author's use of setting, character, and theme. Students also have the option of choosing a particular aspect of the author's work to explore. In any case, the essays should include mention of the various literary elements we have been used to including.

Students who choose to explore a theme must be certain to analyze this from the novel itself, and not just use the story as a jumping-off point for an essay about a theme. In other words, it WOULD be valid to discuss how the author establishes the tradition of ceremonial "release" to Elsewhere, and then allows Jonas to discover that "release" means death by euthanasia. It would NOT be valid simply to discuss euthanasia in abstract.

7th - 8th Writing, February 20

Lesson:
We read aloud and critiqued student papers, looking especially for how well the students discuss the literary elements and incorporate snippets of text to support their observations and opinions.

In general, the students are progressing well. We will continue to practice this type of essay, since it is so common is high school and college.


Assignment:
The students will read, reread, and make notes on a well-written short story in preparation for writing their next literary analysis essay.

I prefer that the students' next story be a work of Poe, specifically The Cask of Amontillado, which can be downloaded here.

(I thank Janine Angrisano for emailing all the students the link and vocabulary list, since my printer is not working properly.)

9th - 12th Writing, February 20

Lesson:
At this level, most lessons involve discussion of the reading and writing the students have been doing. This is what we did this lesson, as well, discussing how to understand and write about characters, conflict, symbolism, irony, and ambiguities in literature.

Assignment:
Students are to read a short novel and make notes for analysis. I am suggesting The Giver by Lois Lowry. Written for junior high and up, this controversial book has won more acclaim (ten prestigious awards) and stirred more challenges (efforts to ban) than perhaps any other work in recent times. Its delicate treatment of important but disturbing themes has made it a "must-read" in almost every curriculum in the nation, including among many Christian homeschooling programs. It is easy to read, yet difficult to digest. All of that makes it ideal for literary analysis at this level.

I am providing copies for students to borrow and parents to review. Any parents who object to The Giver may offer alternate titles for analysis.

7th - 8th Writing, February 13

Lesson:
This week, we discussed the story the students had read for their first literary analysis essay. We talked through the various literary elements such as point of view, nature of conflict, symbolism, and so on, and discussed how to feature those in their essays.

Assignment:
Students are to write five-paragraph literary analysis essays of the story they have analyzed. The three body paragraphs should discuss the author's use of setting, character, and theme, in that order. Other elements may be discussed in the intro paragraph or in whatever body paragraph suits best. Quoted excerpts are to be woven into the essay.

9th - 12th Writing, February 13

Lesson:
For this class period, the students each read aloud for critique a paragraph from their literary analysis essays on The Curious Case of Benjamin Button by F. Scott Fitzgerald. We used the students' completed essays as a springboard for our discussion of how to integrate quoted excerpts of the literary work into their analyses.

Assignment:
I suggested several short stories for our next assignment, notably some by Poe. Students are to choose a short story, read it through at least several times to understand and make notes, and then write a finished five-paragraph literary analysis essay this week.

7th - 8th Writing, February 6

Lesson:
These students have been asking for some time to begin literary analysis, and, at last, we began.

For convenience, I am simply copying a previous blog entry I made about this topic.

Lesson:
This week, we launched into literary analysis.

First, we discussed basic dramatic structure:
Exposition - intro to setting, main characters, situation (Older works often devote a chapter or more to this, though modern writers usually shorten this or skip it altogether to begin the story in medias res, in the middle of things.)
Complication - the inciting moment that sets up the conflict
Rising action - the unfolding of the conflict leading up to a crisis
Crisis - moment of decision when protagonist commits to a course of action
Climax - peak point of conflict; turning point
Falling action - unraveling/aftermath of conflict
Resolution - also called denouement; conclusion
Moral - sometimes clearly stated in older works; seldom included in modern works

Though not every story has all these elements fully developed, nearly every work will have rising action, climax, and resolution, at least.

In a short story, the dramatic structure is efficiently condensed, with nearly every word or detail packed with significance, which makes short stories an excellent genre for literary analysis.

Next, we defined and discussed essential literary terms and devices, such as:
setting
character (especially protagonist and antagonist)
theme
conflict (of various types, man vs. man, man vs. nature, etc.)
point of view
and more.

I explained the general structure of a five-paragraph literary analysis essay, with intro and concluding paragraphs framing the three body paragraphs devoted to setting,character, and theme.

Assignment:
Students are to select and analyze a short story. I suggested that students read their selections three to five times. The first reading is for the story itself; the subsequent readings are to ferret out the various literary elements, especially as they relate to setting, character, and theme. Students will make notes, highlight passages, etc., in preparation for writing an essay next time.

9th - 12th Writing, February 6

Lesson:
We covered the basic format for a five-paragraph literary analysis essay, then read through an example together.

After that, we discussed the short story which is the subject of this week's homework: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.

Assignment:
Each student is to compose a five-paragraph literary analysis essay on this week's reading. As in our previous assignment, the three body paragraphs are to discuss setting, character, and theme; incorporate brief quotations of the work to support your statements. The other literary elements may be discussed either in the intro paragraph or in the body paragraphs, wherever they seem to fit best. The thesis statement should include the full title and author of the work.

9th - 12th Writing, January 30

Lesson:

Most students were missing class, due to conflicting events such as a speech and debate tournament, so the class ended up being more of a tutoring session.

The rest of the class will need to read the homework assignment in time for our next class.

Assignment:
Students will read and analyze F. Scott Fitzgerald's short story The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. It can be downloaded here. Note literary elements, particularly those related to setting, character, and especially theme.

(Note: I have not seen the film, so do not know how it follows the story. I assume the movie adds in more. We are analyzing the written story, not the film.)

9th - 12th Writing, January 16

Lesson:
Students had read and made notes on the short story The Most Dangerous Game by Richard Connell. We spent the class period discussing the story, particularly how the author's choices contributed to his desired effect.

Assignment: Each student will compose a five- paragraph literary analysis essay on the selected short story. The main body paragraphs will discuss the setting, character, and theme of the work.

9th - 12th Writing, January 9

It was great to be back after a long break. We will be picking up the pace this second semester, since the students are ready for more challenging writing.

Lesson:
We embarked on our study of literary analysis this week.

First, we discussed basic dramatic structure:
Exposition - intro to setting, main characters, situation (Older works often devote a chapter or more to this, though modern writers usually shorten this or skip it altogether to begin the story in medias res, in the middle of things.)
Complication - the inciting moment that sets up the conflict
Rising action - the unfolding of the conflict leading up to a crisis
Crisis - moment of decision when protagonist commits to a course of action
Climax - peak point of conflict; turning point
Falling action - unraveling/aftermath of conflict
Resolution - also called denouement; conclusion
Moral - sometimes clearly stated in older works; seldom included in modern works

Though not every story has all these elements fully developed, nearly every work will have rising action, climax, and resolution, at least.

In a short story, the dramatic structure is efficiently condensed, with nearly every word or detail packed with significance, which makes short stories an excellent genre for literary analysis.

Next, we defined and discussed essential literary terms and devices, such as:
setting
character (especially protagonist and antagonist)
theme
conflict (of various types, man vs. man, man vs. nature, etc.)
point of view
and more.

I explained the general structure of a five-paragraph literary analysis essay, with intro and concluding paragraphs framing the three body paragraphs devoted to setting,character, and theme.

Assignment:
Students are to analyze a short story from those provided. I suggested that students read their selections three to five times. The first reading is for the story itself; the subsequent readings are to ferret out the various literary elements, especially as they relate to setting, character, and theme. Students will make notes, highlight passages, etc., in preparation for writing an essay next time.

AP Writing, December 11

Lesson: As is typical for an AP class, we discussed the selected literary readings. Our main focus for this class was the author's craft --- why he or she might choose a particular point of view or setting or pacing, etc. I encouraged them to look past whether they like the story, past the overall theme or impact, into whether or how the author's choices work effectively. Our aim was to evaluate the stories not as readers but as writers.

By way of example, when I listen to music, I enjoy it (or not) based simply on whether it appeals to me. If I think about it more, I might say it depends on the overall sound, especially the melody and lyric, and perhaps the mood. I usually don't hear more than that unless I make a deliberate effort. However, my husband and children who can work a soundboard and play various instruments (among them, guitar, bass, drums, piano, clarinet, mandolin, harmonica) easily hear much more than that. With their musical sensibilities more attuned, my family cannot help but hear each instrument, how it contributes to the overall sound, and how the production values affect the mix. They can appreciate the skill (or notice the lack thereof) in a musical piece, whether the style suits them or not.

Likewise, literary analysis is not about how we like a story, but, rather, how the author weaves the various literary elements into a finished composition. It is linguistic 'backwards engineering.'

Assignment:
Students were to submit their literary analysis papers for their selected short story.

AP Writing, December 4

These students continue to excel. I enjoy seeing how they apply what we discuss from week to week.

Assignment:
Having examined selected short stories, students will write five-paragraph literacy analysis essays with emphasis on setting, character and theme.

AP Writing, November 20

Lesson:
We spent most of the class period evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of the students' literary analysis compositions. Overall, the students' insights were more than satisfactory and their writing was solid.

Assignment:
We will not meet during Thanksgiving week, resuming again December 4.
Before the next class, each student is to choose another short story, reading it least several times and making notes for the next literary analysis.