WEEK 3

GOOD MORNING!

You have TWO WEEKS to get this week's work done. So there will be no post on 2/2. Here's your work:

First, a reminder: Revising your work is part of the course description. Look carefully at my comments. If I'm pointing out something to revise, revise it. 

Thanks for listening. Now here's your work:

1. Finish Frankenstein.

2. (slightly altered) chapter summaries for 21 - 24:
A. 3 key events

B. Give the title a chapter and explain it.
C. Find one passage/example of any of the following: ROMANCE, GOTHIC ROMANCE, or VIOLATION/EVIDENCE OF THE TABULA RASA. These can be simple and short (e.g. a single, emotion-charged exclamation from a character might qualify as romantic).

3. Frankenstein essay, first draft. Choose ONE of these:
A. Discuss the novel as an example of Gothic romance.
B. Discuss the idea of the tabula rasa in Frankenstein. 

800 words minimum. 6 direct quotes, incorporated. Thesis and organization are up to you, but keep in mind these basics for literary analysis: no plot-retelling, formal voice, author's full name and title in the intro.

4. LBGB...  Read chapter 2 and do the following: 

a) Read the outlined BOX on page 27. What are Mr. Beals' thoughts on pronouns. I bring this up here because I use a pronoun this way on page 26. Find the reference (there are actually a few) and write the sentence out.

b) Read "Active and Passive Voice" on pages 34-37. What are the two advantages to active voice? What are the three appropriate times to use the passive voice?

c)  Write correct sentences using each of these (you may model my examples):

i. less

ii. fewer

iii. amount

iv. rise

v. raise

vi. sit

vii. set

viii. lie

ix. lay 

Due NEXT Friday (not this Friday) at midnight. 


HAVE A GREAT TWO WEEKS!

WEEK 2

GOOD MORNING!

Here's your work for the week:

Reminders: 
1) Be sure that all of your responses are in complete sentences. They don't need to be long sentences, just complete ones.  
2) By now you should be in the habit of looking back at the previous week's work. I may have added comments that I need you to read or have asked questions that I need you to answer. I don't always do that -- no comments just means I didn't need to correct you on anything or get clarification -- but sometimes I do.

1. Frontier vocab. 3 new words, 2 old ones. Yes, you may use any of the words from Brit Lit A for the old ones. Remember, entries for the old words will have all the steps except the guessing, so you'll need to go find its use in context. Googling the word in a news search is an easy way to find it.

3. Read chapters 6 through 20 in Frankenstein.

4. For each chapter, do the following summary (that's 15 total):

a. THREE key events from the chapter (complete sentences, but you can make these short and to the point)
b. Give the title a chapter and explain it. It may overlap a key event from part a, but that's ok.
c. Identify (and quote) one passage that is typically romantic and explain why (recall the sources for good romantic material: nature or high emotion [despair, ecstasy]).

5. Shelley believed that we're born as blank slates (philosophers called it the tabula rasa), that we start off completely neutral and are "written upon" by our experiences and environment. And while she attempted to give her creature a blank slate at "birth", we can pick up on several places throughout his account that suggest he wasn't exactly neutral, that he had some kind of hard wiring that would help him know what was good and what was bad. For example, he knew that the bird songs in the forest were lovely. How did he know that if he was a blank slate? Write a paragraph, 50-100 words, describing another example like this.

6. LBGB work. Our work in LBGB for this course will involve 1) reviewing the big ideas (I won't make you re-read entire chapters); and 2) practicing the definitions and Style & Usage items that we skipped in HSW1. 

This week we'll look at chapter 1. Here's your work:

A. Conjunctions: define the three types and write an original sentence for each. 

B. Define conjunctive adverb. Write three sentences (note the punctuation pattern in my examples!) using three different CAs. Here are a few to choose from: 

in addition, accordingly, furthermore, moreover, on the other hand, similarly, also, hence, namely, still, anyway, however, nevertheless, then, in fact, besides, incidentally, next, thereafter, certainly, indeed, nonetheless, therefore, consequently, instead, now, thus, finally, likewise, otherwise, undoubtedly, further, meanwhile

Make sure the word you're using is WORKING as a conjunctive adverb. Many of the words in this list can be used as other parts of speech.

C. Explain the difference between these pairs and use each correctly in a sentence: 

    all together / altogether

    ___ and I  / ___ and me.   



HAVE A GREAT WEEK!

WEEK 1

Welcome back!

Read this first (even if you think you know it already; there's new info here):

GOOGLE DOCS REVIEW...

There are three parts to your doc: the spreadsheet at the top, a section to keep essay drafts, and a section for other work. Let's look at each one:

SPREADSHEET. This where I'll put your grade for essays and weekly work. Keep an eye on this. I update it every week. And read my comments! 

ESSAYS. This section is for essays only. Paragraphs are not essays. Keep the essay assignments together (if you have three drafts on the Helmet Law essay, they should all be next to each other with the latest one on top). LABEL the essay with title and draft #, like this: "Helmet Law draft 2". Keep the most recent assignment at the top of the section.

MISC. WORK. Anything that's not a full essay goes here. Labels are even more important for this section, so include, the week and a title, like this: "WEEK 3, Skill Builder 2". Keep the most recent assignments at the top of the section.  

LATE WORK...

If you need more time, you can ask for an extension by Wednesday midnight. After that I'll grade it at half credit. I'll let you do that TWICE. We'll have two "catch-up" weeks, so that should help you stay on top of things. 

British Literature B will pick up with the Romantic Age. This week we'll start Frankenstein, the first of three novels. This course will focus heavily on the novel form because prior to Defoe's Robinson Crusoe, there really weren't any English novels to speak of. By the end of the Romantic Age, the novelist had taken over the poet as the primary mover and shaker of the literary world. So it's novels for us. Almost. Not quite yet.


Your work this week:


I. 18th Century (sort of)...
We'll be taking a whirlwind tour:

1. Read the 18th C introduction on p.309-313. Define the six "ages" (they're all highlighted terms). What are the main ideas from each of the five sections? A sentence or two for each should do it.
2. Read The Gray bio and "Elegy..." on .366-370; Answer questions 1-9.
3. Read the Burns bio and three poems on .372-375. Answer the ODD-NUMBERED questions only for those poems.   
4. Read the Blake bio and poems on .376-379. Answer the Interpreting questions only on .381.

These last three poets represent the transition between the Neoclassical Age and the Romantic Age. Gray, Burns, and Blake are considered pre-romantic. We'll look closer at the Romantic Age in the weeks to come because Frankenstein is a Romantic novel. 

II. Begin Frankenstein: read Walton's letters and chapters 1-5.

III. Frank "Letters" / c.1-5 questions:

(Letter 1) 1. Describe Walton’s expedition. What two things are motivating him?

(Letter 2) 2. Walton uses the word “romantic” 3 times. What’s he describing in each use? 

(Letter 3) 3. What “appear not to dismay them” (the men)?   Who will be “witnesses and testimonies” to his triumph? How is that Romantic?

4. (Letter 4, 2^nd entry) What caused a “dark gloom” to spread over Victor’s face?

5. (Letter 4, 3^rd entry) Why does Victor agree to tell Walton his story?

6. How are Victor and Elizabeth’s childhood personalities different?

7. Describe Victor’s early experiences with science (mention the specific “scientists” he studied).

8. Describe Krempe and Waldman. Include physical description and personality.

9. What did each of these men teach Victor? This is a 2-part question.

10. What character flaw of Victor’s do we see a hint of in these chapters? (Think about his opinion of Krempe.)

11. Read Waldman’s description of the “modern masters”. Who is he describing? What does it sound like they’re trying to do?

12. What sources does Victor use for his “parts”?

13 Gothic literature relies heavily on darkness (literal and suggested), gloom, fear, isolation, and desolation. Find two gothic passages in c.4 and quote the text for each.

14 Where are we reminded that Victor is telling a story to the narrator? 

15 What were Victor’s reactions to his creation? Comment on both his emotions and his actions. How does this square with his words in c.4 about being a creator?

16 Soon after he claps his hands for joy, he hallucinates and falls into a fit. And then he seems to have a breakdown. How might we explain this?

IT'S ALL DUE FRIDAY AT MIDNIGHT.

Have a great week!