The Broken Heart

Sad, mournful, melancholy, grievous, dark...all of these words that might be used to describe the tone found in both "The Raven" and "Annabel Lee" by Edgar Allan Poe.  Select one of the poems and briefly pull lines or words from the selection (you have a paper copy of "Annabel Lee" and "The Raven" is in textbook, as well as both works being available online) that illustrate or convey one of these tones.  Also, explain how you felt while reading this poem. (The deadline to post a response to this blog is midnight, November 1, 2012)

The Appeal of a Poet...

Our focus on Romantic poets took us through 3 works by Longfellow:  "A Psalm of Life," "The Children's Hour," and "Cross of Snow."  Select one of the poems and share your overall thoughts on the work.  How and why does it appeal to you?  (The deadline to post a response is midnight, Saturday, October 27, 2012.)

Topics, anyone?

Today, you submitted your possible research topics.  What topic do you most want to research and why?  What will you attempt to prove through this research paper? (The deadline to post a response to this this question is midnight Thursday, October 25, 2012.)

Ole Leatherstockings...

Today, as we read "A Rescue" from The Deerslayer by James Fenimore Cooper, we encountered many traits of the adventure story and the adventure hero.  Which of these traits did you find most drawing and how have you seen it repeated in recent times?  (The deadline to post a response to this blog is midnight, Tuesday, October 23, 2012.)

JUNIORS WIN HOMECOMING WEEK 2012

                 Yes, we are celebrating! Good job, my juniors!

Celebrating Wildly Famous Wednesday

Here we are.  Honors English III (first block) celebrating Wildly Famous Wednesday.  You people are some of my favorite people in the world.  Thank you for being so amazing!

The Devil take me if I have made a farthing...

Recently, we read "The Devil and Tom Walker," a folk tale written by Washington Irving. In addition to teaching a lesson, a folk tale generally contains elements of humor and vivid imagery. What is something you found humorous in the selection? Explain. What scenes did Irving make especially vivid for you? How? (The deadline to post a response to this question is midnight Saturday, October 20, 2012.)

What's inside...

We have met the four characters of The Glass Menagerie, and I think you will agree that each has something redeeming and each has something tragic within him or her.  Select one--Tom, Amanda, Laura, or Jim--and discuss this duality of his/her character.  Come to a conclusion as to how you view this character overall.  There is a catch to this post.  You must read the comments of those who have posted previously to you and you must agree or disagree with him/her.  I will start first.  (The deadline to post to this blog is Wednesday, October 10, 2012)

And the winners are...

I just finished grading your Crucible "secret" diaries.  Many, many of them were very well written.  However, there are four that I simply must recognize.  The best diaries content wise were written by Sydney A. and Hunder S.  The best disguised diaries were those by Bailey F. and Zak F.  Great job all of you!

The family that fights together...

In the conflicts between  Amanda and Laura about business college, which character do you sympathize with, and why?  What do you think Williams wants you to feel about Amanda?  In the conflict between Tom and Amanda in Scene Three, which character do you sympathize with, and why?  What do you think Williams wants you to feel about Amanda?  (The deadline to post a response to this question is midnight Friday, October 5, 2012).

BONUS! BONUS! BONUS!

Be the first student to quietly hand me a slip of paper with the correct answer to this question tomorrow and you will get 2 bonus points on your writing warm-up average.  What was the original title of The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams?