Byrne's English 12AP

AP Resources

2008-04-30T09:22:00.000-07:00

The AP lit exam is Thursday, May 8, 2008.

Here are some resources...

http://ozpk.tripod.com/AP

This is a site with multiple AP resources, including sample test questions

http://apcentral.collegeboard.com/apc/public/repository/52272_apenglocked5_30_4309.pdf

College Board sample test. There are two tests on this site; one is the Language exam and one it the Lit.

http://www.angelfire.com/fl/apenglishlit/index.html

This is an AP class website with many, many resources, including sample test questions.

Terms to know for take-home test

2008-04-07T09:32:00.000-07:00

When writing the take-home test, I expect your answers to the poetry questions to reflect fluency with poetic terms you have learned throughout the year, as well as the following terms specifically:

extended metaphor

dramatic framework

allusion

rhetorical stress

figurative language

3 types of irony

paradox

lesson or moral of poem

thought or main idea of poem

speaker

occasion

persona

voice

Here is a link to a Glossary of Poetic Terms: http://www.poeticbyway.com/glossary.html

The following poems will be included:

Owen - Dulce Et Decorum Est p. 7

Frost - Acquainted With the Night p.256

Eliot - Journey of the Magi p.145

Milton - On His Blindness p.140-141

Shelley - Ozymandias p. 121

Your analysis should include an accurate interpretation of meaning, as well as references to poetic terms and devices used in the poem.

DATE: 4/10/08 DUE: 4/14/08
The test will be given to you on Thursday 4/10/08.
It will be due on our first day of class after the break 4/14/08.
You will be writing three-four essays.

Please time yourself as you write and notate your time after each essay.

Friday's Class: Assignments

2008-04-05T09:05:00.000-07:00

The AP English Literature Exam is scheduled for May 8.
We have about one month to prepare.
It's time to put the pedal to the metal, people.

I would like to schedule a voluntary poetry / lit review session after school, at a location that is convenient to you: Starbucks, Joe's, Barnes & Noble....or I am open to suggestions. (I'd offer my house, but it's quite a hike from Webster. )

Everyone should have read up to page 200 of Light in August by Tuesday.

Please be prepared to discuss the plot, themes, characters. Especially the following-

The burden of the past
Race
Search for identity
Innocence

Does the similarity in the character's names add to or confuse the story?
What do you think of Joe Christmas?
What does Faulkner's descriptions of Joe's relationships with women say thematically ?

Also, read the poem "Dulce Et Decorum Est" by Wilfred Owen in your Sound and Sense book. Answer question 1-4. This is for credit.

Nest week please be prepared to discuss the novel, as well as answer practice AP questions in class.

This may include a 40-minute block to write practice essays.

Yesterdays' Poetry Powerpoint: Terms

2008-04-03T07:39:00.000-07:00

Poetic Terms.
Alas, they are not all that interesting, but you do have to know them for the AP exam.

Yesterday, we talked about the following terms in poetry:

Dramatic Framework- situation ( whether actual or fictional, realistic or fanciful) in which author places his/her characters to express a theme .
Examples were: Frost's "Out,Out-";Eliot's "Prufrock"

Rhetorical Stress- stressing of words or syllables as to emphasize meaning & sentence structure.
What examples of this have we seen in poetry thus far?

Also, know the three types of irony and in what works to find them. :
Verbal irony- what is said is the opposite of what is meant
Dramatic irony -author implies a different meaning than what is written
Situational irony -differential between actual circumstances and what should be appropriate

Our next group of poetic terms will include:

Fixed form - a traditional patterns that is applied througiut the whole poem.
In French poetry, these would include rondeaus, villanelles, ballades, triolets, etc.
In English poetry, there are two major forms: villanelles and sonnets

Sonnet- a poem of 14 lines,with iambic pentameter

Petrarchan or Italian sonnet- consists of an octave ( eight lines) and a sestet (six lines) which act as a division of thought within the poem.

English or Shakespearean sonnet- Consists of three quatrains (four lines) and a rhyming couplet (two lines). These units also mark a division of thought.

Villanelle- consists of 5 three-line stanzas (tercets) and a four-line concluding quatrain. First and third line of first stanza are repeated refrian.

Light in August : Colloquial Language

2008-04-01T17:32:00.001-07:00

Faulkner uses dialectical language of the South to really immerse the reader in the environment of Yoknapatawpha County. It's an auditory experience- as if Faulkner want us to catch all the nuances of Southern life.

What do you think of his use of dialect in the book? Which specific examples stand out as memorable?

On page 76, Faulkner is using the narrator to explain what Gail Hightower sees coming down the street from his front window on a Sunday night :

"But on a Sunday evening, and with the echo of the phantom hooves still
crashing soundlessly in the duskfilled study, he watches quietly the puny,
unhorsed figure moving with that precarious and meretricious cleverness of
animals balanced on their hinder legs....."

Faulkner uses a combination of e.e. cummings-type poetic language, in "duskfilled", and "unhorsed", coupled with higher-level vocabulary words like "precarious" and "meretricious", then throws in a colloquialisms like "hinder legs" just so you know you're still in backwoods Mississippi.

See if you can find examples of colloquial language Faulkner uses that sticks in your mind.

Poetry: By the People, For the People

2008-03-27T17:46:00.000-07:00

As you know, I frequently participate in English Nerd Seminars. I posted the following poems with an explanation of Poetry in the Round and here is what we received back.......

This also gives Charles, Andy and Eric a chance to see what we read in class after they left....without the hilarity.

Plan on another "round" soon.

And now, I give you, your words.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Shut up, Nerd

"Shut up, Nerd.
Said an angry fellow classmate
pointing a razor-sharp pencil
surrounded by pencil shavings and half-chewed erasers.
Into her unsuspecting nose
Which crinkled up, and cried a little
as snot dripped onto the pencil.

Ew, that’s gross
said the weird kid in
the corner, but nobody cared."

And this was the comment:
"It evokes great imagery for me (ever watched a little kid shove something up their nose, screw up their face and start to blub? That image, in half the words)."
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

The Silent Bird Sings of Morn

"The silent bird sings of morn.
Black dew-drops - drunken tufts of sky
laying midnights and yellows on the righthand
branch.
An ocean of suspended petals
Drift in and out of the light
Forming pictures of the early
morning as I gaze out my window."

And the comment:
".."The silent bird sings of morn.."
Pretty zen... is this kid studying
"Set Theory" in math, maybe?"

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Black, Hollow & Timeless

"Black, hollow, and timeless
Slowly disappearing in the
explosion of the citadel
opening the portal

Recalling the names of each,
the faces of none, the will
of only one.

Free the frail and restless bones
shackled and poor.
Let us measure our worth once more."

And the comment:
"...around here, and Citadel reference would have brought on an argument about the Clemson/USC rivalry...Can you imagine poetry in the round with 14 year olds. Any snot reference would render the class incapable of learning for at least 15 minutes."

Guilt or Innocence?

2008-03-26T07:54:00.000-07:00

When reading the short stories, ask yourselves the following quesiton: Who is Guilty? Who is Innocent?

The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber

Is Margo guilty of murder?

If you think so, then you probably see Margo as emasculating, overbearing, controlling. Francis has struggled and finally broken her hold over him, and now she must kill him.

In this light, Margo is a classic femme fatale, a fading beauty who will blackmail, belittle and cuckcold men to get what she wants. The shooting is a deliberate act to prevent her husband from leaving her, and taking away her power.

OR.....

Was the shooting an accident?
Did Francis reach his potential, overcome his fears, find himself, only to find that life is over? Does Margo really try to "save" Francis? He has come from a crewcut, henpecked 35-year-old to a confident, masculine, self-assured man. Is the buffalo hunt his final act of courage that culminates his life? Kind of nihilistic, eh?

As we read the three estrogen-based short stories, think: Who is innocent in the story? Who is guilty?

What does Mrs Mallard's feelings about love say about her?

"And yet she had loved him--sometimes. Often she had not. What did it matter! What could love, the unsolved mystery, count for in the face of this possession of self-assertion which she suddenly recognized as the strongest impulse of her being!"

What is most important to her?

In "The Yellow Wallpaper", what effect does love have on the protagonist? Is this really love? Can you love someone who calls you "goose"?

What effect has love had on Granny Weatherall? What does she look for as she lies in her deathbed?

This week in English 12AP

2008-03-24T09:06:00.000-07:00

THis week we will continue to read and analyze Hemingway's short stories "The Killers" and "The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber."

If you did not pick up a copy of the story on Thursday, you can access it here.

http://www.duke.edu/~ss57/macomber.pdf

We will also be reviewing poetic analysis again in class. We will be trying to find the "deeper meanings" in poetry, those elements and themes which convey universal applications.

Poetic elements and analysis questions we will review this week are:

Persona- Who is the speaker?

Setting - What is the occasion?

Tone / Theme - What is the central idea or purpose of the poem?

Syntax - What is the diction, structure, development?

Development - How does imagery, metaphor, simile, juxtaposition allow meaning to develop?

We will be re-reading Frost's "Out, Out"- , "(p. 178) "Dulce et Decorum Est" by Wilfred Owen (p 7-8), William Carlos Williams "The Red Wheelbarrow" and "Constantly risking absurdity" by Lawrence Ferlinghetti (17-18).

We will also be discussing reading assignments for the remainder of the short story/ poetry unit.
Everyone will need to take a copy of the short story anthology from the classroom.

Update 3/24: I have reviewed the anthology. The following short stories will be required reading for this week and next week:

"The Story of an Hour" by Kate Chopin (p. 63)

"The Yellow Wallpaper" by Charlotte Perkins Gilman (p. 82)

"The Jilting of Granny Weatherall" by Katherine Ann Porter (p. 206)

"Cathedral" by Raymond Carver (p. 388)

That's four short stories.

We'll take Chopin, Gilman & Porter as homework for 3/27.

Review women's roles and themes in each one. Look at questions of identity, gender roles and feminism in each one. There will be an essay assigned to compare these three stories under this thematic evaluation.

Literary Notes.....

Today ( 3/24) is the birthday of poet, publisher, and bookstore proprietor Lawrence Ferlinghetti, (books by this author) born in Yonkers, New York (1919). His Italian father died while his French-speaking mother was pregnant, and his mother had a nervous breakdown and went to a mental hospital the year after he was born. He was sent to live with an aunt, who divorced her husband and took Lawrence to France. Four years later, she returned to New York, placed him in an orphanage until she could find work, then brought him into the rich household where she had found a position as governess. She disappeared and later died in an asylum, and the family she worked for adopted and began to educate the boy with classic literature.

After college, he served in the Navy during World War II. He was sent to Nagasaki shortly after the blast and said, "Before I was at Nagasaki, I was a good American boy. I was an Eagle Scout; I was the commander of a sub-chaser in the Normandy Invasion. Anyone who saw Nagasaki would suddenly realize that they'd been kept in the dark by the United States government as to what atomic bombs can do." He became staunchly antiwar. While in graduate school in New York and Paris, he began to write poetry and to draw and paint. He moved to San Francisco and wrote poems, book reviews, and columns for various Bay Area publications, including the City Lights magazine published by Peter Martin.

In 1955, Ferlinghetti started a publishing company, which that year published his first book of poetry, Pictures of the Gone World. He hoped to publish volumes slim enough that workers would be able to slip them into their pockets to read during their lunch breaks. Later that year, he went to a poetry reading called "Six Poets at the Six Gallery," organized by the poet Kenneth Rexroth. There he saw a poet named Allen Ginsberg read a new poem called "Howl." Ferlinghetti was deeply impressed, and after the reading, he sent Ginsberg a telegram that said, "I greet you at the beginning of a great career. When do I get the manuscript?"

The next year City Lights published "Howl," which was seized on its way back from the London printer by customs officials for violating obscenity laws. Ferlinghetti was put on trial for printing and selling lewd and indecent material. The ACLU defended him and he was acquitted, and the publicity from the trial benefited his bookstore and helped "Howl" to become one of the most widely read poems of the century. Ferlinghetti said, "The San Francisco [customs office] deserves a word of thanks. It would have taken years for critics to accomplish what the good [customs office] did in a day." From then on, he could publish what he wanted.

Paradigms: Scientific or Literary?

2008-03-15T05:57:00.000-07:00

We've had an interesting discussion about paradigms in literature and literary analysis. The way in which we interpret literature has changed from that of an authority dictating meaning to us, to a variety of meanings, public interpretation and personal interpretation.

And when Charles sits on his desk, breaking the student paradigm of constraint behind a sturcture, he has interpretive epiphanies....coincidence?

(I hear you: is she making this all up?)
For your consideration.....

As we all know,things change. Or as our man Yeats said;

"Things fall apart, the centre cannot hold
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
The ceremony of innocence is drowned;

The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity.
Surely some revelation is at hand;
Surely the Second Coming is at hand. "

Was Yeats talking of paradigms shifting in Ireland? In the world?

Speaking of paradigms....this is where the term originated: (from wikipedia & noelweidbrocht.com)

Paradigm shift, sometimes known as extraordinary science or revolutionary science, is the term first used by Thomas Kuhn in his influential 1962 book The Structure of Scientific Revolutions to describe a change in basic assumptions within the ruling theory of science. It is in contrast to his idea of normal science.

It has since become widely applied to many other realms of human experience as well even though Kuhn himself restricted the use of the term to the hard sciences. According to Kuhn, "A paradigm is what members of a scientific community, and they alone, share.” (The Essential Tension, 1997). Unlike a normal scientist, Kuhn held, “a student in the humanities has constantly before him a number of competing and incommensurable solutions to these problems, solutions that he must ultimately examine for himself.” (The Structure of Scientific Revolutions).

A scientist, however, once a paradigm shift is complete, is not allowed the luxury, for example, of positing the possibility that miasma causes the flu or that ether carries light in the same way that a critic in the Humanities can choose to adopt a 19th century theory of poetics, for instance, or select Marxism as an explanation of economic behavior. Thus, paradigms, in the sense that Kuhn used them, do not exist in Humanities or social sciences. Nonetheless, the term has been adopted since the 1960s and applied in non-scientific contexts.

So as you return your tray table to it's locked and upright position, think of any paradigms that may have shifted in Kafka's Metamorphosis, and as we read Hemingway, look for evidence of paradgims that may or may not have shifted during travel...

Today in Literature: Have you read Julius Ceasar? she asked.

2008-03-15T05:44:00.000-07:00

Today is the infamous Ides of March. Two thousand fifty-two years ago on this day, the Roman emperor Julius Caesar was stabbed to death by senators who called themselves the Liberatores (Liberators) and claimed they were preserving the integrity of the Roman system. Although Caesar ostensibly refused to be named king, he had no qualms about stamping his face on coins (a spot previously reserved for gods), and he happily assumed the title "dictator for life" in February of 44 B.C.E., just a month before his assassination. The most famous of the Liberators is Marcus Brutus, a man personally connected to Caesar. Brutus's mother, Servilia, was one of Caesar's lovers, and Caesar singled Brutus out as a young man of promise and gave him a government position. It's not certain why Brutus conspired to kill Caesar, but the young man did come from a family of anti-authoritarians — his ancestor Junius Brutus overthrew the last king of Rome in 509 B.C.E.

Of course, William Shakespeare wrote a play about this. In it, Ceasar is told to "Beware the Ides of March"(Act 1, sc.ii) because, well, something bad was going to happen. Like his bff Brutus was a backstabber. Literally. After Brutus had killed Ceasar, he gave a big funeral speech. "I come to bury Ceasar, not to praise him" he told the mob. "I loved him, but loved Rome more" he also said. Deflection: a useful political tool.

Have we witnessed any other political deflections in the Shakespearean works read so far this year?

NEXT UP: Ernest Hemingway

2008-03-15T05:14:00.000-07:00

Ernst Hemingway (1899-1961) was an expatriate American writer. His writing career started with a stint as reporter for the Kansas City Star in 1917. His short stories and novels are noted for their understated and succinct writing style, which evolved from his journalistic style. He once said that his writing was influenced by the Star's style guide : "Use short sentences. Use short first paragraphs. Use vigorous English. Be positive, not negative."

Hemingway's novels include "The Sun Also Rises", "For Whom the Bell Tolls" , "A Farewell to Arms" and "The Old Man and the Sea."

Hemingway lived and wrote in Paris after World War I. Many of his novels focus on Americans living in Europe after the war. His novels also include manly activities as bullfighting, the running of the bulls in Pamplona, and hunting trips. His writing is categorized by economy in writing, featuring stoic male protagonists who exhibit what is known as "grace under pressure." His writing -the style, characters and themes- had a great influence on the development of modern fiction. He was a contemporary of F. Scott Fitzgerald, Gertrude Stein, and Ezra Pound ( remember him? Imagists?) who was Hemingway's artistic mentor for a time. Hemingway said"Ezra was right half the time, and when he was wrong, he was so wrong you were never in any doubt about it."

The short stories of Hemingway we will read are:

The Snows of Kilimanjaro
The Killers
The Short happy Life of Francis Macomber

As we read these short stories ( actual short stories, not novellas like Kafka's Metamorphosis), watch for how Hemingway uses economy of language to tell his story, to describe people and settings, and how his use of dialogue fleshes out a story or character.

We will also evaluate whether or not Papa ( Hemingway's nickname) stuck to his Kansas City Star style manual guidelines, using short sentences, short first paragraphs, vigorous English.

Since these stories are so short, we will try to read & annotate them in one sitting, with discussion and analysis for the remainder of the week.

Socratic Circles and a Birthday of Note.

2008-03-12T16:04:00.000-07:00

Once upon a time, Socrates had an idea.

If he allowed students to have structured dialogues between themselves, he theorized, they might, just might, come up with some intelligent ideas of their own in the discussion.

Socrates believed that it was important for students to think for themselves instead of just having him fill their head with alleged "correct" answers.

A good Socratic seminar suspends biases and allows students to listen and question each other based on a discussion. The discussion is exploratory; that is, there is no specific "end point" that has to be reached in the discussion.

In today's discussion, several good points were made throughout the discussion. Characters, symbolism and the idea of authority were discussed, along with whether or not cockroaches have eyelids.

A character development question was raised: Why didn't Gregor Samsa leave?

So, what were your opinions of the Socratic Circle? Do you have any suggestions on how it could have been improved? Did you learn anything from this experience?

For Homework:

We will have our Irish Literary Festival on Friday.
If you can find a poem, literary piece, or biographical information on an Irish author, bring it along.

Today is also the birthday of Jack Kerouac, born Jean-Louis Kerouac in Lowell, Massachusetts (1922). He was part of the "Beat Generation," and he came up with the name. He said, "To me, it meant being poor, like sleeping in the subways ... and yet being illuminated and having illuminated ideas about apocalypse and all that." Later, Kerouac decided that "beat" stood for "beatific."

His parents were from French-speaking Quebec, and he did not start learning English until grade school. He skipped second and third grades, and as a 16-year-old senior, he ditched class in order to go alone to the public library and read what he wanted: Hugo, Goethe, Hemingway, William Saroyan, Thomas Wolfe, history books, the Encyclopedia Britannica, and books of chess problems. He was a good football player and received a scholarship to Columbia University, but he broke his leg in the first season and didn't play anymore. He dropped out of Columbia, joined the Merchant Marine and then the Navy, and was given a psychiatric discharge after only two months, having been labeled as a "schizoid personality." The next fall, he went back to Columbia where he dropped out again almost immediately, but kept his apartment near campus and it became a gathering place for young intellectuals. During that time, he met Allen Ginsberg, William S. Burroughs, Carl Solomon, Neal Cassady, and others who would help found the Beat Movement.

He spent the next seven years hitchhiking around the United States and Mexico, and in 1949 he and his friend Neal Cassady drove a Cadillac limousine from California to Chicago, going over 100 miles an hour on two-lane roads until the speedometer broke. In 1951, he sat at his kitchen table, taped sheets of Chinese art paper together to make a long roll, and wrote the story of Cassady and their trips. It had no paragraphs and very little punctuation. Allen Ginsberg called it "a magnificent single paragraph several blocks long, rolling, like the road itself." It took him only three weeks to complete and became his novel On the Road (1957).

Kafka and Zeno's Paradox

2008-03-07T07:34:00.000-08:00

As you know, this is an English class, not a Math class. But sometimes, especially in works of sureralism or magical realism, philisophical or mathmatical paradoxes can act as supporting actors in framing the text. Think of how Zeno's Paradox could frame some of the the ideas of conflict in "The Metamorphosis"

Zeno's Paradox may be paraphrased as follows:

Suppose I wish to cross the room. First, of course, I must cover half the distance. Then, I must cover half the remaining distance. Then, I must cover half the remaining distance. Then I must cover half the remaining distance . . . and so on forever. The consequence is that I can never get to the other side of the room.

What this actually does is to make all motion impossible, for before I can cover half the distance I must cover half of half the distance, and before I can do that I must cover half of half of half of the distance, and so on, so that in reality I can never move any distance at all, because doing so involves moving an infinite number of small intermediate distances first.

So, we never get anywhere.

Motion is impossible.

See what biographical information you can unearth about Kafka that might contribute to the tone of "The Metamorphosis." How would social,political, and personal factors convey Kafka's view of life through his literature?

After watching the Salvador Dali video in class, I was astounded at the way motion was used in conjunction with the surealistic images. What did you think? Did Dali convey a message or was it all unconscoius mumbo-jumbo?

The Theory of Everything: From Thursday's class

2008-03-07T04:08:00.000-08:00

Due to popluar demand, here is the info from Thursday.

REMINDER: Take home test due Monday. Answer 2 questions: 1 Poetry and 1 Macbeth.

HOMEWORK: Read Kafka's "The Metamorphosis" and annotate.

Literary Theory: Paradigm
*A framework of generally accepted assumptions and perspectives
*An example or pattern
*Relationship to accepted ideas is understood within the profession
*Allows research without continual justification of methodology (ex. Copernicus)

Paradigms in Literature
*Can you get meaning from a text through a paradigm?
*Can using a “methodology” lead to authentic interpretation?

Paradigm vs Theory
*Theory= nothing “goes without saying”
*Each and every term must be defined and re-defined contextually
*Terms such as “gender politics”, “political propaganda”, “phallocentric” – reflective of theory

Why Theory?
*No consensus exists about a canon
*People, critics (yes, they are people too) theorize in analysis
*Analysis & theory replace paradigms

Three questions when readingWhy, What, How?

*Why read literature?
*Literature attempts to bring together in a system of values which transcend class, economy, race, gender

Theory of Everything

*What should we read?
*Do we want to change the world or merely learn about it?

How should we read?

*Is interpretation the same for every reader?
*Private associations and public meaning
*Persona / person

Educational lolcats

2008-03-04T06:15:00.000-08:00

WARNING: This may have no educational value whatsoever.....

Jane Austen has one.....
Mr Darcy! !

If you take AP Physics,
You may recognize Schroedinger's lolcat.

Shakespeare has a lolcat too....

While in the midst of reading student tomes
I came upon a common theme
Why? asked the writers if as one
Does the Bard use end rhyme in his sceme?
I will not try to answer that.
Instead I'll leave you with lolcats.

Imagist Poetry

2008-03-02T11:07:00.000-08:00

IMAGISM & IMAGIST POETRY

"Imagism" refers to a poetic movement in the early 20th century. Imagist work, which rejected the formal poetic structure of Romantic and Victorian poetry, was a precursor to Modernism.

Imagist poetry is characterized by precise imagery, and clear, sharp language. Ezra Pound, considered one of the founders of Imagist poetry, said that the poetry relied on "luminous details" to isolate a single image to convey its essence, and thus its meaning.

Imagists were influenced by the ancient Japanese poetic form of haiku, which focused the mind on one image.

Compare:

This is an excerpt of Victorian poet William Ernest Henley's Invictus -

Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the Pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever Gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.

Compare this with Ezra Pound's In a Station of the Metro-

The apparition of these faces in the crowd;
Petals on a wet, black bough.

(This is the whole poem)

What images does Pound evoke in your mind?

This poetic movement existed at the same time as avant-garde visual arts were developing.

See if you can identify painters who were producing work at the same time as Pound ( 1915-17) and which artistic movement they are associated with.

(Carafe, Jug & Fruit Bowl, Picasso 1909 [l] ; Violin & Palette, Braque 1909[r])

Upcoming in English 12AP

2008-03-02T09:59:00.000-08:00

I have included a lolcat as a way to raise the collective cultural consciousness of our class....if you can find the source of this lolcat's reference, you will get extra bonus points.... (meaningless on your overall AP exam score, of course, but hey)

This week, we will conclude our discussion of Shakespeare's Macbeth with the following question:

Are there any "power couples" in recent history that might be compared to Lady Macbeth & her Thane? These don't necessarily have to be murderous or evil people, who have caused bloodshed; just a couple where the man seems to be driven by or changed (for better or worse) by the actions of his Lady.

Also consider this: What scenes would you add to the play? Many events are left for the audience to figure out on their own, such as Lady Macbeth's demise. What do you think will be the next step in the Malcolm/Macduff strategy?

There will be a take-home test on Thursday this week, which will consist of essays and interpretations of Macbeth, along with connections to the poems we have read as accompaniment pieces.

The poems will include:

"The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" by T.S. Eliot
"The Poison Tree" by William Blake
"Are There Not Fireflies" by Lawrence Ferlinghetti
"next to god of course america i" by e.e.cummings
"In a Station at the Metro" by Ezra Pound

The next unit we will read will include the following short stories (subject to availability) :

Kafka:
"The Metamorphosis"

Hemingway:
"A Clean, Well-Lighted Place"
"Hills Like White Elephants"
"The Snows of Kilimanjaro"

Joyce:
"The Dead"

To balance out the testosterone, we'll also read

Gilman:
"The Yellow Wallpaper"

Chopin:
"Story of an Hour"

Porter:
"The Jilting of Granny Weatherall"

We will be reading these works with a critical eye to look for themes of Identity.

There will be supplemental poetry readings as well. TBA.

There will be a literary analysis paper required for this unit.

Poem of the Day: Ezra Pound

2008-03-01T08:59:00.000-08:00

You think it's easy being a poet? Well, it's not all Parisian garrets, fountain pens and rejection letters that poets suffer. Some poets actually go to jail. Poetry is a hard life, sometimes. Look at Ezra Pound, for instance.

Ezra Pound (1885-19720) was an expatriate poet, intellectual rabble-rouser, and one of the primary figures in the Modernist movement in poetry. He was a friend of T. S.Eliot, Ernest Hemingway and William Carlos Williams. He promoted their work along with the work of writers Robert Frost, James Joyce, and Marianne Moore. Pound met the poet William Butler Yeats in London, and acted as his secretary for a time.

In 1915, Pound published Cathay, an ostensible translation of several Chinese poems into free verse. Critics notes the more literal interpretation of the works by Pound's use of conversational diction. Pound's accuracy in the translations are often questioned, and the poems are seen more as a combination of meditations on violence and friendship with an effort to "rethink the nature of an English poem." (The Pound Era. New York: New Directions, 1971. 199).

Pound protested the U. S. involvement in WWII. In 1942, as an expatriate living in Italy, he began making radio broadcasts criticizing America's role in the war; some of his messages were heavily anti-Semitic. He was charged with treason against the U.S. and arrested in Italy. While he was interred in Pisa, Italy, he suffered a nervous breakdown. Pound began writing the Pisan Cantos while in an internment camp, which are seen as a reflection on his ruin, and the ruin of Europe after the war. In 1945, he was tried on the treason charges and found not guilty by mental defect.

Pound was then committed to St Elizabeth's Hospital in Washington D.C. from 1946- 1958. upon his release, he returned to Italy, where he remained until his death in 1972.

Of America, Pound said "America is a lunatic asylum".

This is from Pound's Cathay

The River-Merchant's Wife

While my hair was still cut straight across my forehead
I played about the front gate, pulling flowers.
You came by on bamboo stilts, playing horse,
You walked about my seat, playing with blue plums.
And we went on living in the village of Chokan:
Two small people, without dislike or suspicion.
At fourteen I married My Lord you.
I never laughed, being bashful.
Lowering my head, I looked at the wall.
Called to, a thousand times, I never looked back.

At fifteen I stopped scowling,
I desired my dust to be mingled with yours
Forever and forever and forever.
Why should I climb the look out?

At sixteen you departed,
You went into far Ku-to-en, by the river of swirling eddies,
And you have been gone five months.
The monkeys make sorrowful noise overhead.

You dragged your feet when you went out.
By the gate now, the moss is grown, the different mosses,
Too deep to clear them away!
The leaves fall early this autumn, in wind.
The paired butterflies are already yellow with August
Over the grass in the West garden;
They hurt me. I grow older.
If you are coming down through the narrows of the river Kiang,
Please let me know beforehand,
And I will come out to meet you
As far as Cho-fu-Sa.

Macbeth: Thematic Elements

2008-02-28T16:31:00.000-08:00

We have discussed many thematic elements of Shakespeare's Macbeth.

These include:
Unchecked ambition
Self-destructive character traits
The deviousness of women
The idea of manhood
Madness
Guilt
Hubris

Such a happy little play.

We haven't really discussed the characters who are still alive at the end of the play. Macduff & Malcolm do some heavy soul-searching in Act 4, scene iii. They redefine some of the concepts of manhood and leadership.

Macbeth is often seen as Shakespeare's most misogynistic play. The portrayal of women is primarily unfavorable. Let's take a little inventory and see what we find.....

Lady Macbeth: Well, we all know she can be a real nag. She asks to be "unsexed" and to have the ability to be cruel. Her husband even tells her she would only make a good mother for boys. She pushes Macbeth into murder by questioning his manhood; this opens the door for him to go on a bloody rampage. The repercussions of his bloodbath start to haunt Lady Macbeth, and she ends up going mad, sleepwalking, and it is unknown if she commits suicide or is murdered. (Act 5, scene ix, 35-36)

The Witches: We all know what kind of gals these hags are. They mess with men's lives based on the actions of their wives. Macbeth, though, seems to never have met a woman he couldn't trust, so why not trust your fate to three bearded old specters?

Lady Macduff: Here is the epitome of Scottish womanhood. She dies as an innocent, although she is a little upset with her husband for running off and leaving them. She is probably the only sympathetic woman in the play.

Based on these observations, would you agree with Ben's observation last class that Shakespeare was a feminist through his strong portrayal of female characters? Or do you feel the plays King Lear and Macbeth demonize women?

Literary Terms We Have Known

2008-02-28T10:23:00.000-08:00

Welcome to Byrne's 12AP English.

Please take a moment to look around you and remember what you have learned so far this year.

In the unlikely event of a quiz, please make sure you know where the nearest literary terms are located. In the rare case of loss of cranial pressure, lists and review sheets will be supplied. This is one of those sheets.
So far we have discussed:

Objective Correlative
Deconstruction
Deonation
Connotation
Scansion

We will also discuss:
tension
carmen figuratum
canon

Today's Poem: e.e. cummings

2008-02-26T10:02:00.000-08:00

Today (2/26) is the birthday of Buffalo Bill Cody, Christopher Marlowe and Victor Hugo.

Unfortunately, none of them were poets.

Fortunately, e.e.cummings was.

How does cummings use diction, style, punctuation to convey his meaning? Do you think it would be as poetic with traditional and typical form?

This is a link to this poem in the style cummings wrote it

e e cummings

Buffalo Bill's

defunct

who used to

ride a watersmooth-silver

stallion

and break onetwothreefourfive pigeonsjustlikethat

Jesus

he was a handsome man

and what i want to know is

how do you like your blueeyed boy

Mister Death

Poem of the Day: William Blake / The Poison Tree

2008-02-24T08:21:00.000-08:00

William Blake (1757-1827) was a poet, printer, artist, and free spirit. He started out as an engraver and artist, then became a printer and poet. Blake challenged the traditional views of religion, morality and was considered idiosyncratic and mad by most of the artistic establishment in England.Blake often used visual artistry and poetry in tandem to convey his artistic vision. Blake's painting at left is from The Song of Los, one of Blake's "illuminated books".

The Poison Tree

William Blake

I was angry with my friend:
I told my wrath, my wrath did end.
I was angry with my foe;
I told it not, my wrath did grow.

And I water'd it in fears,
Night & morning with my tears;
And I sunned it with my smiles
And with soft deceitful wiles.

And it grew both day and night,
Till it bore an apple bright;
And my foe beheld it shine,
And he knew that it was mine,

And into my garden stole
When the night had veil'd the pole:
In the morning glad I see
My foe outstretch'd beneath the tree

Macbeth Act 4: The night is long that never finds the day

2008-02-24T07:49:00.000-08:00

Don't put all your eggs in one basket. Diversify your portfolio. He who does not trust enough will not be trusted. Or: If you must play, decide upon three things at the start: the rules of the game, the stakes, and the quitting time.

Has Macbeth really thought through this plan of his? Did he really have a plan in the first place? Or has he been thrust into a situation where he is only reacting to prompts? How does his rejection of all advisers other than the witches affect the events in this act?

As Act 4 opens, we see the three witches in what is arguably one of Shakespeare's more familiar (no pun intended) rhyming scenes. Macbeth has rejected seeking counsel with Lady Macbeth, instead seeking out the Weird Sisters for advice. They show him some omens, which Macbeth believes, and which affect his confidence. He gets a little cocky, saying "Then live Macduff;what need I fear of thee?" (93).
Why does he feel this way?

The witches also give him confidence in the form of riddles: Macbeth won't be defeated until the woods rise and move to a hill; and no man born of woman can harm Macbeth. Well, that would make me feel invincible.

How do you think this will contribute to Macbeth's downfall? Check the definition of hubris and see if you think it applies to Macbeth.

Scene ii shows how Macbeth's drive for absolute power has corrupted him. He will kill innocents without a second thought.

Scene iii contains dialogue between Macduff and Malcolm that is either a) a test of Macduff's loyalty or b) an ominous portent that Scotland is doomed to be ruled by bad leadership.

Malcolm says: "I speak not as in absolute fear of you./ I think our country sinks beneath the yoke./ It weeps, it bleeds,and each new day a gash/ Is added to her wounds" (48-50).

How is this a universal theme? How does the last line of this act: "The night is long that never finds the day" pertinent to the events of this act?

Think of how Shakespeare might have used King James's heritage in writing this part of the play.

Macbeth Act 3: Absolute Power Corrupts Absolutely

2008-02-24T07:14:00.000-08:00

Lord Ashton once said "Power corrupts; and absolute power corrupts absolutely." How do the events of Act 3 show this happening to Macbeth?

You think it's easy being King of Scotland? You claw your way to the top, and what do you find? You can't trust your friends. You have to entertain as head of state. (Those parties are not always fun.) You start seeing things. You stop confiding in your wife. And you are sure that there are forces conspiring against you.

Yes, it's lonely at the top.

Macbeth's murderous acquisition of the kingship of Scotland has not come without consequences. Now that Duncan is dead, and his sons have run away, Macbeth should be happy, right? But he is starting to realize that he can't trust anyone, even his bff Banquo. It's easier to just kill him and move forward. But this action will coma back to haunt him, literally & figuratively.

Macbeth laments the "good old days" in Scotland where killing someone for the good of the country "purged the gentle weal" (92) and made the country stronger. Now, Macbeth laments, you no sooner slay someone for the good of the country, and they're out of the grave, haunting your state dinners.

What significance does the appearance of Banquo's ghost have to Macbeth's plans?

Another change we see in Macbeth is his overall distrust of everyone. Rather than take a chance and trust his Lady, Macbeth starts keeping his plans a secret. Maybe after the murder of Duncan, he is a little afraid of her. The one "trustworthy"source Macbeth clings to are the Weird Sisters.

Why do you think Macbeth turns and returns to them for advice?

Scene v includes a visit from Hecate, who was the goddess of witchcraft. She seems a little put out with how the Weird Sisters have been meddling with Macbeth, and not including her. This passage was marked in our text as probably not authored by Shakespeare. You can see the difference in diction, in the form of rhyming couplets employed by Hecate in her speech.

Act 3 also contains information in scene vi, with a discussion between Lennox and the other lord. This information shows the growing distrust in Macbeth as a leader among the other thanes. There is also foreshadowing in mentioning King Edward and England's role in Scottish politics.

Poem of the Day: Lawrence Ferlinghetti

2008-02-23T07:07:00.001-08:00

Lawrence Ferlinghetti was one of the original Beat Poets. He was the co-founder of the City Lights Bookstore in San Francisco, which also evolved into a publishing house for new poets. In 1956, Ferlinghetti published Allen Ginsberg's seminal book of poems, "Howl". Ferlinghetti was arrested on charges of obscenity after selling the book to undercover police. After a long trial, the judge decided "Howl" was not obscene, and Ferlinghetti was acquitted.

The poem "Are There Not Still Fireflies" was written by Ferlinghetti in response to the 9/11 attacks.

Think of the form the poem takes- one long question- and the idea of positive/negative as far as what there is and is not.

Lawrence Ferlinghetti:

"Are There Not Still Fireflies"

Are there not still fireflies
Are there not still four-leaf clovers
Is not our land still beautiful
our fields not full of armed enemies
our cities never bombed
by foreign invaders
never occupied
by iron armies
speaking iron tongues
Are not our warriors still valiant
ready to defend us
Are not our senators
still wearing fine togas
Are we not still a great people
in the greatest country in all the world
Is this not still a free country
Are not our fields still ours
our gardens still full of flowers
our ships with full cargoes
Why then do some still fear
the barbarians coming
coming coming
in their huddled masses
(What is that sound that fills the ear
drumming drumming?)
Is not Rome still Rome
Is not Los Angeles still Los Angeles
Are these not the last days of the Roman Empire
Is not beauty still beauty
And truth still truth
Are there not still poets
Are there not still lovers
Are there not still mothers
sisters and brothers
Is there not still a full moon
once a month
Are there not still fireflies
Are there not still stars at night
Can we not still see them
in bowl of night
signalling to us
our manifest destiny?"

Poem of the Day: Edna St. Vincent Millay

2008-02-22T06:06:00.000-08:00

February 22, 2008
I will post poems here that may or may not be on the suggested reading list for the AP exam. They will all be (in my opinion) relevant and part of an overall canon for you to incorporate into your personal body of knowledge.

Today is the birthday of Edna St. Vincent Millay (1892-1950).
Besides being a poet, wild woman, and literary icon, she translated the French Symbolist poet Baudelaire, who was an influence of Oscar Wilde & the Decadents.

See how everything in literature is connected?

Here are two of her poems.

First Fig

MY CANDLE burns at both ends;: It will not last the night;
But ah, my foes, and oh, my friends--: It gives a lovely light!

Second Fig

SAFE upon the solid rock the ugly houses stand:
Come and see my shining palace built upon the sand!

Macbeth Act 2: Absolute Power

2008-02-22T05:37:00.000-08:00

Well, after reading this act, I'd think twice about spending a night at Macbeth's castle. Sure, the hospitality is fine, food is great, and there's even a room for your bodyguards to hang out. But there are ghostly daggers floating, and watch out for that late night drink...

The opening of Act 2 shows how Macbeth is thought of as a good person, loyal soldier and all-around good guy. Banquo, Macbeth's best friend, tells our anti-hero that King Duncan has not only rewarded Macbeth with a promotion to Thane of Cawdor, but also given MacB a big diamond for his Lady. Banquo is still troubled by what the Weird Sisters said, but Macbeth says he never thinks about it.

Do you believe him?

When Banquo leaves, Macbeth sees a ghostly dagger, pointing the way to Duncan's chamber. Where did this come from? Is it a "dagger of the mind, a false creation/proceeding from the heat-oppressed brain?" Or, is this some supernatural vision, sent by supernatural powers to prod Macbeth to murder?

Macbeth alludes to the presence of witchcraft in this passage. Is he acting on his own, or are there other forces propelling him to kill Duncan?

After Duncan's murder, Macbeth is so shaken up that he forgets to leave the dagger behind. It's part of the big frame-up, and Lady Macbeth is a little upset with him.

Men. You can't get them to follow the simplest of directions.

Now Lady Macbeth has blood on her hands, literally and figuratively.

She realizes that her husband is going to have to do some pretty good acting to cover themselves. What does she tell Macbeth to do? What does Lady Macbeth do to further increase the dramatic reactions to Duncan's death?

Scene iii shows another example of Shakepearean wordplay. It's interesting how Shakespeare uses minor character to provide some comic relief in this scene, while staying true to the plot and overall tone of the work. See if you can find specific examples of this in the drunken porter's dialogue.

Macbeth: Act 1 sc . vii: A Simple Plan

2008-02-22T04:54:00.000-08:00

Did you ever make plan, then reconsider it...only to have someone talk you right back into it?

That's the situation our protagonist finds himself in when he return to the castle.

"On the one hand, I'll have power...and I'll be king. But OTOH, I'll have to live with the guilt of killing such a great king, whom everyone loves, and I don't know if I can do that...Nah. Fuggetaboutit."

When Macbeth is faced with killing Duncan to become king, he is ambiguous about it. In Act 1, sc. vii, Macbeth debates with himself if he should kill Duncan, listing all the good things Duncan has done. In this debate, Macbeth acknowledges the heinousness of this plan, and that Duncan's murder will bring with it grave consequences.

If this were a novel or short story, the internal conflict would have been carried on as thoughts inside the protagonist's mind. Since it is a drama, dramatic devices have to be used to convey this conflict to the audience. Which specific dramatic devices are employed to show Macbeth's internal conflict?

At the beginning of scene vii, Shakespeare uses wordplay with the word "done". While not uncommon in Shakespeare's other works, in Macbeth the language is more direct and straightforward, with less wordplay.

Why do you think Shakespeare used this terse, tense diction in Macbeth? Remember, we are looking for ways in which language- whether poetic couplets, rhyme, meter, alliteration, etc. - drives the play, pointing the reader/audience to interpretation.

At the end of Act 1, Macbeth looks like he's not going to go through with his plan to kill Duncan. But, after he's been talked to by his Lady, he returns to the plot.

Look for examples of Lady Macbeth's dialogue that may have helped to get Macbeth back on track with his plot.

The other question here is of power. Who is more powerful, Macbeth or Lady Macbeth? Look for specific passages to support your point of view.

Macbeth : Act 1 sc ii-iv

2008-02-19T06:14:00.000-08:00

So, what do we know about this Macbeth character, anyways?

We know a wounded captain in the King's army says he is a fierce warrior. Macbeth's seeming valor has no trouble "unseaming" a foe, even one he knows personally,without so much as a handshake. Macbeth doesn't seem to be afraid of much, either. He shows little fear, welcoming fresh battle. For this he is rewarded by the King Duncan.

Think about these characteristics of Macbeth. How would you categorize him, knowing what you know from this third person description? Is he brave? Loyal? The epitome of a hero?

So now it's scene iii and Macbeth has only appeared via description and his name on the Globe Theatre Marquee.

And the first thing we see in scene iii are...Witches, with their evil rhyming couplets and ominous warnings. In walks Macbeth and his pal Banquo, fresh from battle. The witches make foreshadowing statements to Banquo & McB, which they don't understand.

But are they predictions? or are they planting a seed? Starting a thought? Building a mystery? Do the witches have any power other than the power of suggestion?

The idea that supernatural forces are at work in the play is probably why this play is so different from Shakespeare's other works. Since drama is a visual representation of literature, how would an objective correlative a la Eliot fit into this play?

Macbeth : Act 1 scs i-ii

2008-02-19T05:49:00.000-08:00

The opening scenes of the play illustrates some of the ways Shakespeare uses language to paint a picture,develop characters, and use dramatic devices to convey tone and meaning to the audience.

(Since this is a dramatic /performance piece of literature, we will refer to "audience" rather than "reader". Shakespeare would have wanted it that way.)

The first thing the audience hears is the three witches.The opening dialogue consists of rhyming couplets, which creates a certain rythym when reading or listening.

*Ask yourself: What feeling does this rythym evoke? Does it remind you of anything? How does this contribute to the overall tone of the opening?

Structurally, the Witches replace the chorus traditionally employed by Shakespeare at the beginning of an Act. Their use of the phrase "Fair is foul, and foul is fair" will reappear throughout the play,in various manifestations.

One question to keep in mind: If the witches are "foul" or "fair"...are they telling Macbeth the truth inform of prophecy, or are they planting seeds of evil in his consciousness?

My personal take on this is that inside the Globe Theatre, voices in number would signify something to the audience: "Introduction", "The Scene is Set", or "Put Down Your Tankard of Mead & Pay Attention" are some of the messages that could be sent by using multiple voices in addressing the audience. It's important to remember the setting, which may have played a part in how Shakespeare developed his dialogue.

2008-02-14T15:54:00.001-08:00

Here are some of the books and short stories that have been mentioned in class. They are not required for reading, but you may find them interesting.I plan to add to the list as I think of it...

On The Road by Jack Kerouac. This novel is considered one of the defining works of the Beat Generation.

The Garden of Forking Paths by Jorge Luis Borges. A complete text version is available here

assignments from 2/14/08
MACBETH ASSIGNMENT:
Read in it’s entirety over break

At end of each scene, write reactions to play.

Include plot summary, character development, and cite any specific use of language which you find unique or which helps to drive the plot.
(Remember, we are looking for things that strike you, don't go "fishing" to find examples. Go with your gut.)

The journal will be graded as follows:

Timeliness- handed in on time- 25%
Completeness- It’s done- 25%
Depth- I see thought has gone into the responses- 25%
Breadth- The journal covers the entire play- and includes character development, plot, and use of language in responses.-25%

If you want to email me over break, you can reach me at: alpha_byrne@hotmail.com

Have a good break.

Theater Superstitions and Macbeth

2008-02-14T07:22:00.000-08:00

Theatre People are superstitious folk.

There are many things theatre people think can bring bad upon a house, an actor, or a production.

Macbeth is one of those plays that is associated with very bad luck in the theatre.
Here is an exceprt from the Steppenwolf Theatre's website which explains some of the curses associated with Macbeth, er, The Scottish Play.
*************************************************************

The "Scottish Curse.”
Don’t say Macbeth, or even quote that play, in a theater. Ever. Theater people believe it will bring disaster. In actual fact, Constantine Stanislavski, Orson Welles and Charlton Heston all suffered some catastrophe during or just after a production of “The Scottish Play.” In 1849, more than 30 New Yorkers were killed when rioting broke out during a performance of the play. Abe Lincoln read it the night before he was assassinated. If someone else quotes from “The Scottish Play“ inside a theater, you must utter the words “Angels and ministers of grace defend us!” Then the offender must leave the house, turn around widdershins (counterclockwise) three times, swear and knock to be readmitted.

The superstition seems to have arisen, in part, from the play’s depiction of witchcraft, still a vital (though contested) belief in 1606, when the play was first performed. Like Marlowe’s Doctor Faustus, in which staged incantations were occasionally reported to have raised real devils, “The Scottish Play“ was believed to flirt dangerously with the “Powers of Evil,“ bringing catastrophe down upon productions over the succeeding centuries.

Those seeking rational reasons for the “Scottish Curse” have pointed to several features of the play as conducive to accidents: dim lighting and stage combat chief among them. Authentic productions often use broadswords, which are heavy and difficult to wield deftly, capable of inflicting considerable blunt trauma. Moreover, as Shakespeare’s shortest and one of his most popular plays, Macbeth has often been a last–minute addition to a company’s repertoire when the company is in financial straits late in the season. Therefore, it can be dangerously under–rehearsed, and it can portend the closing of the company (which probably would have closed regardless which play was chosen).

http://www.steppenwolf.org/backstage/article.aspx?id=23

Historical Context in Shakespeare's "Macbeth"

2008-02-14T07:01:00.000-08:00

The play "Macbeth" was written by Shakespeare around 1606, as a tribute to King James I.Prior to ascending the English throne, James was known as James IV in Scotland. Shakespere, already a successful and well-know poet & playwright, wrote the play in homage to James's Scottish heritage.

The play is loosely based on history, like a "ripped from the headlines" tv show. Set in Scotland in the 11th century, the plot follows the storyline of “Macbeth mac Findlaech,” or Macbeth McFinley, who was a general who became a ruler. This time was a time of warlords and chieftains, where the best protection for a kingdom was to have a strong ruler, and the best protection as king was to kill all your enemies.

This is a link to the Royal Shakespeare Theatre which allows you to hear actor's interpret various aspects of Macbeth.

This site also gives a lot of historical info on Scotland and the "real" Macbeth.

Decoding the Objective Correlative in Eliot's "Prufrock"

2008-02-13T08:49:00.000-08:00

The objective correlative is the use of objects, symbols or descriptions in art by which certain emotions are evoked. For example, if you are watching a movie in which there are people dressed in black, carrying umbrellas in a cemetery under a thick voer of dark rainclouds while solemn organ music intones in the background, the driector is obviously tying to evoke a feeling of grief, sadness and loss, such as one would feel at a funeral.

Consider, then if this scene continued on to show a single mourner, a woman, turning away from the grave. She raises her face under her umbrella, and sees a ray of golden light piercing through the grey clouds. What emotions might this evoke in a viewer?

Eliot thought that by using a combination of many object together, he was creating a formula, similar to an algebraic equation, that would invoke meaning across the board to any reader. (And you thought there was no Math in English. Hah!)

It goes something like this:"black clothes + umbrellas + cracked gray headstones + darkening sky + rain droplets + faces of stone angels + veil + wedding ring + faint sobbing + turning away" is an artistic formula that equates with a complex sense of sadness. Throw in: raised face + ray of sun + piercing cloud = hope for the future?
Eliot uses this type of imagery in the poem "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock".

When Eliot uses the phrases:

"When the evening is spread out against the sky
Like a patient etherised upon a table;"

in lines 2-3, and then

"And when I am formulated, sprawling on a pin,
When I am pinned and wriggling on the wall,"
in lines 57-58, it brings forth an image of helplessness, of feeling ensnared, of impotence.

As you read "Prufrock", be aware of the feelings that Eliot tries to call forth by his use of images juxtaposed with each other. What emotions do you feel when you read certain passages? What words contribute to those emotions? How does this contribute to the overall interpretation of the poem?

Some additional info you may find useful:

The first few lines of the poem are in Italian, a passage from Dante Alighieri's Inferno (Canto 27, lines 61-66). They are spoken by Guido da Montefeltro in response to the questions of Dante, who Guido supposes is dead, since he is in Hell:. The flame in which Guido is encased vibrates as he speaks: "If I thought that that I was replying to someone who would ever return to the world, this flame would cease to flicker. But since no one ever returns from these depths alive, if what I've heard is true, I will answer you without fear of infamy."

A link to Hamlet and His Problems, the original essay by Eliot.

English 12AP: Week of 2/11- 2/15

2008-02-11T09:15:00.000-08:00

Ms Byrne's 12AP English

This blog will serve as the class website. I encourage postings, discussions and questions in regards to the curriculum, readings, and assignments for this class.

Our assignments this week will allow us to review the satire of Oscar Wilde, it's effectiveness in engaging the reader, and the relevancy of satire in today's world.

TUESDAY, FEB. 12: As a closure activity, we will watch a clip from the movie "Paris, je T'aime" and compare the syntax and subject matter used in the movie to "The Importance of Being Earnest". We will also read a current satire that appeared in the Rochester City Newspaper, titled A City in Wales, and compare the two satiric pieces.

THURSDAY, FEB. 14: For Valentine's Day, we will discuss T.S.Eliot's "The Love Song of J.Alfred Prufrock". A link to a full text of the poem can be found here. The poem is also in your text, Sound and Sense on pages 285-290. Please be prepared to discuss the poetic elements Eliot uses in the poem, including syntax and diction, irony, symbolism and the "objective correlative".

The objective correlative is defined as follows by Robert Clark:

A term introduced by T.S Eliot in his essay “Hamlet and His Problems” (1919). Eliot observes that there is something in Hamlet which Shakespeare cannot “drag into the light, contemplate, or manipulate into art”, at least not in the same way that he can with Othello’s jealousy, or Coriolanus’ pride. He goes on to deduce that “the only way of expressing emotion in the form or art is by finding an ‘objective correlative’; in other words, a set of objects, a situation, a chain of events which shall be the formula for that particular emotion; such that when the external facts, which must terminate in a sensory experience, are given, the emotion is immediately evoked.” (Selected Essays, [London: Faber and Faber, 1951], pp. 144-5).

Over February break, you will be reading William Shakespeare's "Macbeth". I would like you to keep a reading response journal and write down your ideas as pertains to plot, character development and thematic elements such as conflict and power.

Also, be thinking of how to apply the following quote to this text and to Shelley's "Frankenstein"

"Whoever fights with monsters should see to it that he does not become one himself"
Friedrich Nietzche

Questions?
email or post them.