Question 3 Thesis writing practice

UPDATE: With the gorgeous weather yesterday, and with today being Easter, I'm guessing many of you are having trouble finding time to get this done.  I'm happy to give extensions-- if you need more time (even if you just WANT extra time), come talk to me Monday morning and I can give you extra time.  Enjoy this wonderful, blessed day, and the time with your families!!

Hello you wonderful people.

The goal with this assignment is to:

1. Get you familiarized with Question 3 prompt wording
2. Prompt your deeper reflection and critical thinking of the novels you've read the last couple years (i.e. "Huh.  How DOES exile contribute to the meaning of the work as a whole...?")
3. Make you aware of any aspects of those novels that you may want to review (in other words: after going over all these prompts, do you feel like you could answer just about any question with at least ONE of the classic works you're familiar with?)
4. Get you super practiced in coming up with specific, arguable, prompt-answering thesis statements, quickly.

For each of the Question 3 prompts below, identify an AP-quality play, epic, or novel that you could use to answer the prompt.  Then, write a thesis statement, answering that prompt with the work you've identified.  I don't care if you type it out or write it out.  What I DO care about, is that you make your thesis statements specific, clear, and that you answer all parts of the prompt.

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Here's an example:

1997. Novels and plays often include scenes of weddings, funerals, parties, and other social occasions. Such scenes may reveal the values of the characters and the society in which they live. Select a novel or play that includes such a scene and, in a focused essay, discuss the contribution the scene makes to the meaning of the work as a whole. You may choose a work from the list below or another novel or play of literary merit.

My thesis: The Netherfield ball featured in Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice highlights not only the countless social expectations required of Austen's characters, but also the artifice and prejudice that a society like this could breed; significantly, it is only by escaping from the claustrophic society cultivated in a setting like the Netherfield ball that Elizabeth and Darcy are able to see each other with any real clarity.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Okay?  I identified WHAT "social occasion" I would be discussing, and then specified how that revealed the values of Austen's society, and how it contributed to the major themes in the novel.

For each of the 20 prompts below, write a thesis.  When you need a distraction, watch this.

1999. The eighteenth-century British novelist Laurence Sterne wrote, "No body, but he who has felt it, can conceive what a plaguing thing it is to have a man's mind torn asunder by two projects of equal strength, both obstinately pulling in a contrary direction at the same time."

From a novel or play choose a character (not necessarily the protagonist) whose mind is pulled in conflicting directions by two compelling desires, ambitions, obligations, or influences. Then, in a well-organized essay, identify each of the two conflicting forces and explain how this conflict with one character illuminates the meaning of the work as a whole. You may use one of the novels or plays listed below or another novel or work of similar literary quality.

2000. Many works of literature not readily identified with the mystery or detective story genre nonetheless involve the investigation of a mystery. In these works, the solution to the mystery may be less important than the knowledge gained in the process of its investigation. Choose a novel or play in which one or more of the characters confront a mystery. Then write an essay in which you identify the mystery and explain how the investigation illuminates the meaning of the work as a whole. Do not merely summarize the plot.

2001. One definition of madness is "mental delusion or the eccentric behavior arising from it." But Emily Dickinson wrote

Much madness is divinest Sense-
To a discerning Eye-

Novelists and playwrights have often seen madness with a "discerning Eye." Select a novel or play in which a character's apparent madness or irrational behavior plays an important role. Then write a well-organized essay in which you explain what this delusion or eccentric behavior consists of and how it might be judged reasonable. Explain the significance of the "madness" to the work as a whole. Do not merely summarize the plot.

2002. Morally ambiguous characters -- characters whose behavior discourages readers from identifying them as purely evil or purely good -- are at the heart of many works of literature. Choose a novel or play in which a morally ambiguous character plays a pivotal role. Then write an essay in which you explain how the character can be viewed as morally ambiguous and why his or her moral ambiguity is significant to the work as a whole. Avoid mere plot summary.

2002, Form B. Often in literature, a character's success in achieving goals depends on keeping a secret and divulging it only at the right moment, if at all. Choose a novel or play of literary merit that requires a character to keep a secret. In a well-organized essay, briefly explain the necessity for secrecy and how the character's choice to reveal or keep the secret affects the plot and contributes to the meaning of the work as a whole. You may select a work from the list below, or you may choose another work of recognized literary merit suitable to the topic. Do NOT write about a short story, poem, or film.

2003. According to critic Northrop Frye, "Tragic heroes are so much the highest points in their human landscape that they seem the inevitable conductors of the power about them, great trees more likely to be struck by lightning than a clump of grass. Conductors may of course be instruments as well as victims of the divisive lightning." Select a novel or play in which a tragic figure functions as an instrument of the suffering of others. Then write an essay in which you explain how the suffering brought upon others by that figure contributes to the tragic vision of the work as a whole.

2003, Form B. Novels and plays often depict characters caught between colliding cultures -- national, regional, ethnic, religious, institutional. Such collisions can call a character's sense of identity into question. Select a novel or play in which a character responds to such a cultural collison. Then write a well-organized essay in which you describe the character's response and explain its relevance to the work as a whole.

2004. Critic Roland Barthes has said, "Literature is the question minus the answer." Choose a novel, or play, and, considering Barthes' observation, write an essay in which you analyze a central question the work raises and the extent to which it offers answers. Explain how the author's treatment of this question affects your understanding of the work as a whole. Avoid mere plot summary.

2004, Form B. The most important themes in literature are sometimes developed in scenes in which a death or deaths take place. Choose a novel or play and write a well-organized essay in which you show how a specific death scene helps to illuminate the meaning of the work as a whole. Avoid mere plot summary.

2005. In Kate Chopin's The Awakening (1899), protagonist Edna Pontellier is said to possess "That outward existence which conforms, the inward life that questions." In a novel or play that you have studied, identify a character who outwardly conforms while questioning inwardly. Then write an essay in which you analyze how this tension between outward conformity and inward questioning contributes to the meaning of the work. Avoid mere plot summary.

2005, Form B. One of the strongest human drives seems to be a desire for power. Write an essay in which you discuss how a character in a novel or a drama struggles to free himself or herself from the power of others or seeks to gain power over others. Be sure to demonstrate in your essay how the author uses this power struggle to enhance the meaning of the work.

2006. Many writers use a country setting to establish values within a work of literature. For example, the country may be a place of virtue and peace or one of primitivism and ignorance. Choose a novel or play in which such a setting plays a significant role. Then write an essay in which you analyze how the country setting functions in the work as a whole.

2006, Form B. In many works of literature, a physical journey - the literal movement from one place to another - plays a central role. Choose a novel, play, or epic poem in which a physical journey is an important element and discuss how the journey adds to the meaning of the work as a whole. Avoid mere plot summary.

2007. In many works of literature, past events can affect, positively or negatively, the present activities, attitudes, or values of a character. Choose a novel or play in which a character must contend with some aspect of the past, either personal or societal. Then write an essay in which you show how the character's relationship to the past contributes to the meaning of the work as a whole.

2007, Form B. Works of literature often depict acts of betrayal. Friends and even family may betray a protagonist; main characters may likewise be guilty of treachery or may betray their own values. Select a novel or play that includes such acts of betrayal. Then, in a well-written essay, analyze the nature of the betrayal and show how it contributes to the meaning of the work as a whole.

2008. In a literary work, a minor character, often known as a foil, possesses traits that emphasize, by contrast or comparison, the distinctive characteristics and qualities of the main character. For example, the ideas or behavior of a minor character might be used to highlight the weaknesses or strengths of the main character. Choose a novel or play in which a minor character serves as a foil for the main character. Then write an essay in which you analyze how the relation between the minor character and the major character illuminates the meaning of the work.

2008, Form B. In some works of literature, childhood and adolescence are portrayed as times graced by innocence and a sense of wonder; in other works, they are depicted as times of tribulation and terror. Focusing on a single novel or play, explain how its representation of childhood or adolescence shapes the meaning of the work as a whole.

2009. A symbol is an object, action, or event that represents something or that creates a range of associations beyond itself. In literary works a symbol can express an idea, clarify meaning, or enlarge literal meaning. Select a novel or play and, focusing on one symbol, write an essay analyzing how that symbol functions in the work and what it reveals about the characters or themes of the work as a whole. Do not merely summarize the plot.

2009, Form B. Many works of literature deal with political or social issues. Choose a novel or play that focuses on a political or social issue. Then write an essay in which you analyze how the author uses literary elements to explore this issue and explain how the issue contributes to the meaning of the work as a whole. Do not merely summarize the plot.

2010, Form B. “You can leave home all you want, but home will never leave you.” —Sonsyrea Tate
Sonsyrea Tate’s statement suggests that “home” may be conceived of as a dwelling, a place, or a state of mind. It
may have positive or negative associations, but in either case, it may have a considerable influence on an individual. Choose a novel or play in which a central character leaves home yet finds that home remains significant. Write a well-developed essay in which you analyze the importance of “home” to this character and the reasons for its continuing influence. Explain how the character’s idea of home illuminates the larger meaning of the work. Do not merely summarize the plot.

The Valley of Towers/ The Field of Grace

Ecclesiastes is one confounding little quagmire.

Several verses warrant more consideration than I could muster last night in my sleepy fuzz. Here's one:

10:8
"Whoever digs a pit may fall into it."

I find the word "MAY" interesting here because it's so non-committal. It's not: "If you dig a pit, then you'd BETTER expect to fall in, smartypants!!" But rather: "if there's a pit yawning beneath you and you've put time and effort into digging it... you may just fall in."

I think I interpret this to be about toying with sin. Like: boyfriend and girlfriend go further and further physically-- that's digging a pit. In other words: you set yourselves up to fail. If you keep going that direction, boyfriend and girlfriend may very well "fall in" eventually and whoops, there's the sex, and there's the bottom of the pit. THEN what happens? Shame, condemnation, self-flagellation, pointing fingers, myriad complications, and so on. When I think about how hard it was to move on from my last relationship and then I think about what it would have been like trying to climb out of a deep pit on top of that-- holy smokes. Getting over a broken heart just became waaaay harder.

Even the pit-digging process can be damaging though. If there's a pit opening up beside you, of COURSE you're going to start feeling insecure and fearful of potential pain. Because holy moly, there's a pit right there! Boyfriend/girlfriend slip in to an extent and stumble a bit down the side... And pit-digging physicality takes a toll on a relationship because of how much insecurity it unearths. Even the pit digging process, the nibbling of sin-- that in itself can be damaging.

Unfortunately, I have experience in this area.

I think people trying out drugs, or checking out porn, or indulging in self-pity, or what-have-you-- that's sort of like pit-digging. And you MAY or may not fall into the pit-- you MAY or may not get addicted... But the pit's right there and there's a good chance you'll fall in. And even if you don't fall in, the process of pit digging is not exactly productive.

This all is rather didactic. Not exactly in line what what I feel God's been teaching me about grace lately.

This is what I have been learning about the Land of Grace:

Actually, before I talk about the Land of Grace, I should explain about the Valley of Towers.

The Valley of Towers is full of gray skyscrapers labeled "SHOULD" and "SHOULD NOT." There are towers labeled "SHOULD-FEEL" and "SHOULD DO" and "SHOULDN'T-FEEL" and "SHOULDN'T DO." People who live in these towers feel very safe because they know exactly what they should or shouldn't do in any situation. They know this because all over the walls of their tower rooms they have lists: "I should do this; I should not do this." They know when they are doing well because the lists tell them so. They know when they are being bad because the lists tell them so. There are formulas and codes and rules wallpapering those walls, and all the Tower People have to do is follow them. It's nice living in the SHOULD towers because you don't have to think very hard; all you have to do is follow the rules and you can trust that everything will be fine and you will be safe.

Although, sometimes an earthquake makes the whole tower fall over, but that's another blog.

For a long time, I have been living in the Valley of the Towers, and have been insisting that other people live in those towers as well. But I've moved, now, to the Land of Grace, and am doing my best to adjust. It's sort of a scary transition, believe it or not. In the Land of Grace I can't take up residence in any of those towers, nor can I insist anyone else take up residence in any of those towers, because, in the Land of Grace, there ARE no towers!

In the Land of Grace, there are only big wide open fields, and spacious breezes, and barefoot dancing.

This is the thing though: it's far easier to dig a pit when you're barefoot in a field than when you've locked yourself in a tower. if you're way up high in a "SHOULD" tower and you want to dig a pit-- hey, it's possible, but it essentially requires that you jump out of the building. Pit-digging, when locked in towers, is pretty catastrophic-- the fall is SO high and the shame is SO deep, that it's extremely difficult to recover.

That's why people who live in the Valley of the SHOULDs and the SHOULD-NOTs are so adamant about what people should and should not do. They want to make sure everyone has the key to their own rooms and knows exactly how to lock themselves inside. If everyone is locked inside their tower cells, then it's safe and near impossible to dig a dangerous pit.

However.

People get darn claustrophobic in those tower cells. Sometimes, a person gets so desperate for air, they leap from their tower and fall into a pit-abyss. This is devastating because, if they'd had a little more freedom, they never might have toyed with the idea of pit-digging at all.

Let's get back to the fields of Grace, the place of love and freedom.

In the Land of Grace, it's far more complex to discern what one should or should not do, because there are no giant labeled towers; there are no explicitly marked road signs. There are no formulas in the Land of Grace. There is most ostensibly-- just-- FREEDOM. And because of that, it's far more difficult to figure out where to go.

And ALSO because of that, it's easier to wiggle your toes in the dirt, and then pull up a few river rocks, and then dig a little deeper to examine all of the fascinating critters, and before you know it-- you've begun digging a pit.

The nice thing about the Land of Grace though is that it's far easier to climb OUT again. True, we may remember the tower-people who would frown deeply from their perches in the SHOULD-NOT cells; we may momentarily burn with shame, imagining that our fall was far longer, that we are far deeper, that our pit is one of permanent condemnation.

But in the Land of Grace, that feeling can't last long because there is Jesus crouching beside the pit and offering help out. "Don't be scared, little one," He tells me. "I've got you!"

And even if I'm weeping and saying, no, no, it's too deep, He grins and says, "Pits are never too deep in this place."

And even if I insist that I can't get out, then He just shrugs, hops on down into the pit with me, and boosts me out. "You good?" He calls.

Back up on those spacious fields, He's pushed me out into a thatch of bright blue cornflowers. "Yeah. I'm good again," I call with a sniff. "But how are YOU going to get out?"

He floats on up out of the pit, like a helium balloon. Maybe He even does a heel click before landing beside me. I see scars on His hands, His feet, His side, His forehead, and I want to throw myself back into the pit out of guilt.

"Nope," He says. "We'll have none of that here." He adopts an Italian accent for a second. "For-a me, getteeng out of de pitz eez-a no problemo!" He gets serious again. "The debt has been paid darling. You're free. You're loved. Go twirl."

I think that's the important part about the word "may" in Solomon's musing. There AREN'T formulas-- the Land of Grace is more complex to navigate. And that's why it's a dance. Grace is not about adhering to stringent codes or punishing oneself in an isolated tower room... It's about dancing with a partner in a spacious wildflower field and letting Him take the lead.

Research Tips and Resources

To eliminate a deluge of lame-o pop-up sites when typing in a search on Google...

When going to Google, click on the tiny link near the search bar which says, "Advanced Search."  In the bottom bar, you should see "Search within a site or domain."  Try putting in :edu or :org.  That will only bring up sites with .edu (only bringing up sites affliated with educational organizations) or .org (only bringing up not-for-profit sites), and will eliminate the more illegitmate .com sites.

Also, you can access the King County Library system by going here (you'll need your library card):
http://www.kcls.org/databases/

Then click on the "Arts and Literature" link.  That will provide you with links both to poetry commentaries, and to a Literature Resource Center where you can look up author biographies and literary commentaries, etc.

Remember: start with a research QUESTION.  You won't articulate your thesis until after you've assembled all your research.

Schedule for 3/14-3/18

Mon: Introduce research paper assignment; LT Review game

·         DUE: n/a

·         HW: Determine tentative focus and critical lens for research paper to report TUES; read through Ch. 9 of Invisible Man for discussion and quiz on FRI.; LTs: nemesis, objectivity/subjectivity, oxymoron, omniscient narrator due FRI.

Tues: Work day for research paper

·         DUE: n/a

·         HW: see above

Wed: Timed write

·         DUE: n/a

·         HW: see “Mon.”

Thurs: Work day for research paper

·         DUE: (by the end of class)—at least one print source (outside of text) and two internet sources need to be identified.

·         HW: LTs, Invisible Man reading

Fri: Quiz; discuss Invisible Man through Ch. 9

·         DUE: LTs, Invisible Man reading

·         HW: CDs for research paper due Mon (at least 12)

AP Schedule: 3/7-3/10

Mon: Quarter-finals for Poetry Madness

Match-ups:  Angelou (Maddie H.) vs. Heaney (Jecca)

Bishop (Kelsey) vs. Berry (Kelly)

Donne (Kelly) vs. Millay (Maddie H)

Housman (Christina) vs. Hughes (Kelsey)

·         DUE: Lit terms: lyric, masculine rhyme, melodrama, metaphor AND simile

·         HW: Poet competitors need to be ready for Tuesday with their semi-final poem, and a poem ready for the final match; read through Ch. 4 of Invisible Man for Wed. 3/9; satire lesson due Thurs. 3/10;  all ten poetry journals due Fri. 3/11 before we leave for Ashland; no LTs this week

Tues: Finals for Poetry Madness

Match-ups: Previous day’s winners (all winners need to be prepared to play two matches; you don’t need to have 15 copies of the poem you’d use for the final; after the semi-finals, we’ll take a five minute break and I’ll make those final round poem copies during class.)  End-of-class Poetry Madness reflection.

·         DUE: n/a

·         HW: see above

Wed: Discuss Invisible Man—begin w/quote nugget.  End w/5-10 minutes for group project planning

·         DUE: reading for Invisible Man

·         HW: Poetry journals, satire lesson

Thurs: Satire Lesson—preparing for “Imaginary Invalid.”  Weisman: review purpose/history of Moliere’s plays; four groups each present a brief satirical sketch (think SNL, Portlandia, the Daily Show, etc.) and explain purpose, rhetorical devices used, and ultimate social commentary

·         DUE: Satire lesson

·         HW: Poetry journals

Fri: Leave for Ashland!!!

·         DUE: (when you get to school) Poetry Journals

·         HW: n/a

Schedule for 2/28- 3/3

AP Lit Schedule 2/28—3/3

Mon: Poetry Madness

Match-ups: Donne vs. Blake, Emerson vs. Bishop, Tennyson vs. Berry, and Hughes vs. Auden

·         DUE: Poetry Madness sheets, LTs

·         HW: Poetry Madness work, MOR w/reading card (due Wed.), LTs: lyric, masculine rhyme, melodrama, metaphor AND simile (please distinguish between the two). Due Mon 3/7

Tues: Multiple Choice work

·         DUE: n/a

·         HW: MOR, reading card

Wed.: MOR reports

·         DUE: MOR and reading card

·         HW: work on reading Invisible Man, LTs due Mon.

Thurs: Poetry timed write discussion

·         DUE: n/a

·         HW: see above

Heads up: You need to have read through Chapter 4 in Invisible Man by next Wed.  Also, THERE IS NO MOR BOOK FOR MARCH; this is due to the work load you’ll be carrying with our research paper and the rapid pace we’ll be moving through Invisible Man.

Schedule for 2/22--2/25

Tues: Poetry Madness

• DUE: LTs, any Poetry Madness pages needed
• HW: Read through Ch. 1 of Invisible Man by Fri for discussion; prepare for Poetry Madness matches; LTs due Mon: irony (please identify/distinguish between situational, dramatic, AND verbal irony), lament, and loose and periodic sentences (please explain both).

Wed: Poetry Madness
Matches for today:
ANGELOU (Harris) vs. RICH (Wilson)
TENNYSON (Doyle) vs. BERRY (Jansen)
MILLAY (Harris) vs. KEATS (Chapman)
HUGHES (Kelsey) vs. AUDEN (Ellie) <-- victor of this match will compete with Housman on Thurs.

• DUE: Poetry Madness work
• HW: see above

Thurs: Poetry Madness
Matches for Thursday:
HEANEY (Jecca) vs. THOMAS (Noel)-- rematch
EMERSON (Ellie) vs. BISHOP (Kelsey)
DONNE (Kelly) vs. BLAKE (Nolan)
HOUSMAN (Christina) vs. [winner of HUGHES vs. AUDEN]

• DUE: Poetry Madness work
• HW: see above

Fri: Discuss first chapter of Invisible Man

• DUE: reading + discussion question and/or signficant quote
• HW: LTs and MOR (due Wed.)

Deadlines coming up:
LTs due 2/28 (Mon)
MOR due 3/2 (Wed)
10 Poetry Madness sheets due 3/4 (Fri)

Reader Response blog prompt: Pride and Prejudice

For this blog, please do the following:

1.) Identify a key theme in Austen's novel and address its presence in and/or relevance to the novel's overall meaning.  Please include concrete details and extrapolate on these with commentary.

2.) Identify how the "ideal reader" or "universal reader" should understand Austen's commentary on this theme.  (I know it's ironic to ask you think as a universal reader because P&P highlights the subjectivity of all our views, but try. :)  In other words, if you're discussing marriage as a theme, in your second paragraph you should comment on how the "ideal reader" should interpret Austen's presentation of marriage.

3.) Offer your own thoughts related to this theme.  This paragraph can be purely personal.  Do you agree with the implications in Austen's novel?  What is your personal view on the theme you've discussed?  How does this novel support or contradict your own feelings of what is true, or of how you seek to live your life?

Shoot for about three meaty paragraphs.

Pride and Prejudice Reading Schedule

We will discuss through Volume 1 on Monday 1/24

We will discuss through Volume 2 on Mon. and Tues. 1/31 and 2/1

We will discuss through the end of the book on Mon. and Tues. 2/7 and 2/8

Death of a Salesman Analysis: viewing it through a critical lens

Pick a point from Death of a Salesman to analyze, and write about this point from one of the critical theory perspectives.  For instance, if you want to analyze the character of Linda, you might choose to examine her through the Feminist Theory lens.  If you choose to analyze Willy's hallucinations, you might examine those through the Psychological lens.  If you'd like to discuss the various characters' pursuits of the "American Dream," a Historical approach might be fitting.  I encourage you to use the notes you gathered in your annotations and on your book-marks while reading as a brain-storming launch point.

Shoot for about three paragraphs; as always, your analysis should be persuasive, working to prove one main argument.  Please do incorporate evidence and CDs from the text. :)

Have fun at homecoming!

Senorita Weisman's Walk

From my Reflective Photo walk. :)  

Hope you all enjoyed this assignment-- I did!

He has made everything beautiful in its time.  

Amen.