Toxophilus Unleashed!

Read pages 48-56/86-94 in the TLC book (read carefully for understanding, not for completion) and apply one of the techniques enumerated therein (pp. 48-56/86-94) to the Toxophilus excerpt from this book written by Roger Ascham in 1545 and dedicated to King Henry VIII. Explain how the technique you used helps make the piece more accessible to a 21st century audience.

I've linked the Toxophilus excerpt in a Google Docs version so you can copy the text into your Google Docs or Word if you wish. Using tables, you can do the graphic organizer on Google Docs and you can annotate using comments. You may wish to bring something in done by hand, though. Not sure if you can circle and draw arrows in the way you may wish to in a Google Doc. I do encourage you to try your hand at the graphic organizer.


Enjoy your trip back into the scientific observations and practical concerns of the mid-Sixteenth Century England!

Due Thursday in class.

Orwell's Politics and the English Language

Finish reading Orwell's Politics and the English Language and blog your answers to the questions on rhetoric and style 1-3; 5-9 (do NOT do 4 and 10) on page 718 (or 780 on the pdf).

In the same blog post, write about what you think of his ideas on writing. What's good about what he has to say? Explain. Is there anything you disagree with or think is out of date? Why do you think so?

What was he thinking?

Having read Thinking as a Hobby, consider the different ways that the statuettes are positioned. Golding is pretty clear that their positioning indicates a philosophy of life held by Golding or the headmaster at various points in time. Think about the elements symbolized by these three statuettes: the thinker, the leopard, and the Venus de Milo.


Your task is to lay out the three different arrangements from the essay. Then explain what each arrangement means in the context of the article.  What philosophy/worldview/outlook does each arrangement represent?

I would contend he reveals more about himself than perhaps he meant to in the final arrangement. What might he have revealed that he did not intend?

Please blog your writing on this.

Initial rhetorical analysis

We'll discuss this image in class today. It's here for you to pull up on your Chromebooks.

Summer Reading

Welcome to AP English Language and Composition!

We have a summer assignment. Don't worry; it's not too onerous. It's a little reading, a little thinking, and a little writing. Be thoughtful, but don't make it more than it is. Follow the link above for instructions and materials. Have a wonderful summer and I'll see you on September 5th!

If you have questions, please feel free to email me!

NOTE: The summer assignment link sends you to a folder with pdf files hosted by Google Drive. You can view them in your browser, but I strongly suggest downloading the Huck Finn articles to your computer and either printing them or opening them from your computer. The browser interface won't allow you to rotate the articles (they are scanned from a book and are flipped on their side). One student told me she had a hard time reading them as it was uncomfortable to turn her head. ;) You have other options!

High School Confidential

For Monday, blog your answers to the Questions 1-8 on pdf page 886. If anyone has the time and inclination, watch Election and report back to the class. Is it as good as DeHighnby says it is?

There is No Unmarked Woman

Charge of the jumpsuits!

So, this idea of marked and unmarked gender styles is interesting. The more I think about it, the more I think it is true. But Deborah Tannen's article (p 590 on the PDF or 552) is constructed in an interesting manner as well. To examine that structure and the techniques she used to get her point across, blog the questions 1-8 on page 594-5 or 556-7.

Human Barbie: Creepy

I Want a Wife

Mr. Mom: 1983

Now that we've read I Want A Wife. Please do the Exploring the Text questions (1-2, 4-6, 8) on page 541 (PDF pg 579) of the Language of Comp 2nd Ed.

We talked about question 7 a bit in class, and #3 just didn't make the cut. Poor #3. ;)

Women's Brains

Please read the whole thing
Brains....brains....braaaaaiiiiiiinnnnnssss!

Please read the whole post.

As we wrestle with the unpleasant, but important to understand Women's Brains by Stephen Jay Gould, work on the Rhetoric and Style questions 1-12 on pages 323-4 of the TLC book as well as the Discussion Question #1. They are due Monday.

As you work with this essay, think about the implications of the ideas in the essay -- both those of Gould and of those he quoted. Are there echoes of those ideas alive and kicking today? How? When? Where? To what extent? ;) Append a brief reflection on those questions at the end of questions 1-12.

Next week we'll look at some more gender themed stuff while also hitting the test prep with another timed write and more multiple choice.

Putting Down the Gun

After reading the essay Putting Down the Gun by Rebecca Walker in your textbook (pg 611 of the pdf or 573 of the text), blog the 5 questions after the essay.

Also, don't forget to upload your letter to the Classroom assignment. Don't share it with me. Attach it to the assignment. I don't want to look all over for them.  Don't send it yet. We'll do that early next week.

Naps: A Response

Finish annotating Naps by Barbara Holland. Turn that in when you get back on Wednesday. 

On your blog, write a Reading Response on this article (pg 42 of your Credible Hulk Handbook).

Want support for naps that's more up to date? 

Inheritance of Tools

Blog your answers to the following questions. 6th period, we were ahead and did #1 in class, so omit #1 as we discussed.

1. Cite two examples of parallel syntax and explain their effect. (1st period only)
2. 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?
3. Read paragraph 20. Explain the purpose of Sanders’s reference to the grand events included there.
4. Explain the rhetorical effect of the allusions that Sanders includes in paragraph 25.
5. Read carefully the final sentence of the essay. Discuss the effectiveness of concluding with this selection of details.