Friday, December 18, 2015

Rewrite!

You have a rewrite opportunity over break.

It is COMPLETELY OPTIONAL.

If you want to do it, you can pick either Metacognition or JFK and rewrite it to improve your grade. DO NOT submit something with just a few grammar corrections. Don't waste my time or yours.
Rethink

  • the logical progression overall and within each paragraph
  • the use of evidence
  • the depth and insightfulness of your analysis/commentary
  • your voice
Use the writing links on the blog (look to the left and maybe scroll down a bit -- I don't think the links show up on the mobile version) to improve your writing and introduction and conclusion. 

Your original with my comments MUST remain intact. I MUST see the original to compare what you have done, or I will not accept it. 

So...

Make a copy. From the original document, choose File/Make a Copy. Retitle it the same as the original with the tag Revision. You will turn this in by sharing it with me. 

I WILL NOT ACCEPT ANY SUBMISSIONS AFTER JANUARY FOURTH!

Have a wonderful break!!!!

Friday, December 11, 2015

The Inheritance of Tools

Blog for Monday. Have a great weekend!!
  1. What is Sander's most engaging example of powerful diction? Explain why you think so. 
  2. Note 2 examples of Sander's use of parallel structures.
  3. Consider the organization of the essay, noting particularly the section about the gerbils (paragraphs 17-25). How does that section contribute to the overall effect?
  4. Discuss the significance of the gerbil section to the conclusion, which immediately follows.
  5. Read paragraph 20. Explain the purpose of Sander's reference to the grand events included there.
  6. Explain the rhetorical effect of the allusions that Sanders includes in paragraph 25.
  7. Read carefully the final sentence of the essay. Discuss the effectiveness of concluding with this selection of details.

Tuesday, December 8, 2015

Once More to the Lake

For many of us, E.B. White is in our imaginations through Charlotte's Web and Stuart Little. He excelled at creating worlds for his readers, and in this piece we begin to see why.
We're going to get to know this essay pretty well over the next week along with Inheritance of Tools. Reading it and briefly discussing it in class today was a first salvo into that knowledge. The next step is to blog your answers to the following questions by Wednesday:
  1. Characterize White’s attitude in the opening paragraphs.
  2. Note White’s selection of details in paragraphs 1-6. Indicate a specific example and explain its effect.
  3. Indicate three or four examples of figurative language and discuss their purpose. 
  4. Identify at least one appeal to each of the five senses and explain the effect on each.
  5. Discuss the rhetorical purpose served by paragraph 10.
  6. Discuss the effect of the specificity of the details in paragraph 11. 
  7. The concluding sentence of the penultimate paragraph begins with “And.” What is the effect of beginning that way?
  8. Discuss the nature of the final image of the essay. What rhetorical purpose does it serve?
  9. Read the essay a second time and count the “and”s in it. Discuss the effect of their use.
If you were absent or need another copy of the essay, here it is: Once More to the Lake.

Secondly, there is a wistful cadence to this piece that makes it rather endearing and a bit haunting. Exploring that a bit, 

Note/Mark your favorite passage. This could be one you find especially well written, or it could be one that interests you for some reason (feature, subject, etc.). You don't have to put this on the blog, but be prepared to talk about it.
Be prepared to explain your favorite passage to the class on Thursday and to be asked to explain more if your comments stay on the surface.

Wednesday, December 2, 2015

Hunger of Memory

Your task is this:
  1. Read the excerpt of Richard Rodriguez's Hunger of Memory.

  2. Write a reading response to Hunger of Memory on your blog. Use the guide linked in this post (it's also on page 33 of your AP Lang Handbook).