CP - Dealing with Disillusionment

In Chapter 26 of The Chocolate War, Jerry finally musters up the nerve to call Ellen Barrett. Unfortunately, he is disappointed by what he hears: "The word 'crap,' echoing now in his mind, had destroyed all illusion about her. Like meeting a lovely girl and having her smile reveal rotten teeth" (Cormier 176).

On your blog, describe a time when you became disillusioned and disappointed about someone or something. This post should be approximately two paragraphs in length. Because you are writing about yourself, first-person pronouns ("I," "me," "my," "we," "us") are appropriate. Here is one way to structure your response:

• 1st paragraph: describe what made the person or thing great in your mind
• 2nd paragraph: explain when you became disillusioned/disappointed. What happened? How have you been changed as a result?

Honors - Fear and Memory

In Life of Pi, Pi Patel says the following about fear: "[F]ear, real fear, such as shakes you to your foundation... nestles in your memory like a gangrene: it seeks to rot everything... . So you must fight hard to express it. You must fight hard to shine the light of words upon it. Because if you don’t, if your fear becomes a wordless darkness that you avoid, perhaps even manage to forget, you open yourself to further attacks of fear because you never truly fought the opponent who defeated you" (Martel 161-162).

Think about this message. Please write a reflection of approximately two paragraphs on this quotation. What does Pi mean by telling people to "shine the light of words" on their fears? How can fear settle in memory "like a gangrene"? Do you agree or disagree with Pi? 

This post will be graded as a 10-point quiz.

CP - "Life was rotten, there were no heroes..."

In Chapter 16, young David Caroni meets with Brother Leon. By the end of the conversation, Caroni realizes the following: "that life was rotten, that there were no heroes, really, and you couldn't trust anybody, not even yourself" (Cormier 115).

On your blog, please do the following:

1. Explain why Caroni has come to this conclusion. What does he mean? Find at least 1 piece of textual evidence to support your answer. (One paragraph; please follow rules of formal writing--no first person pronouns, use present tense verbs, use correct citations.)

2. Write about whether you agree or disagree with Caroni. Why do you feel the way you do? (One paragraph; first-person pronouns encouraged, as this is personal reflection.)

CP - Chapter 11 - Archie and Brother Eugene's room

This assignment is for you to complete after we discuss Ms. Meyer's observations of the Archie/Brother Leon blog post.

First, review your summary for Chapter 11 of The Chocolate War (p. 70-74). Then review the chapter as needed.

On your blog, write a one-paragraph response to the following question:
What is Archie’s opinion of the Assignment in Brother Eugene’s room? 

Begin your paragraph with a clear topic sentence. Follow all “Freshman 5” writing guidelines.

Freshman 5 Writing Guidelines

1. No first/second person pronouns
2. Use correct tense (literature=present, history=past)
3. Use correct citations
4. No casual language (contractions/slang)
5. Use commas correctly

DUE: next class meeting

Per. 7: Wednesday, Nov. 28

Per. 6: Tuesday, Dec. 4

CP - Teachers vs Students in The Chocolate War

In Chapter 6 of The Chocolate War, Brother Leon tells the class that "a certain discipline must be maintained in school. A line must be drawn between teachers and students. We teachers would love to be one of the boys, of course. But that line of separation must remain" (Cormier 41). In a well-developed paragraph, please answer the following question: Are Archie and Brother Leon similar to or different from one another? In your response, which should include 1-2 pieces of textual evidence, you should consider Chapters 4, 5, and/or 6.


Some reminders before you write:

• Do not use first- or second-person pronouns. (No "I," "we," or "you.")
• Use present tense verbs when writing about literature.
• Begin your paragraph with a clear topic sentence that answers the question.
• Cite all textual evidence with an appropriate MLA citation. There is an example in the question above.

Honors - Is religion darkness or light?

In Chapter 4 of Life of Pi, Pi says he knows that "zoos are no longer in people's good graces. Religion faces the same problem. Certain illusions about freedom plague them both" (Martel 19).

When Pi describes his first meeting with Satish Kumar, the biology teacher at Petit Seminaire, they have the following exchange:

"Religion will save us," I said. Since when I could remember, religion had been very close to my heart.
"Religion?" Mr. Kumar grinned broadly. "I don't believe in religion. Religion is darkness."
Darkness? I was puzzled. I thought, Darkness is the last thing that religion is. Religion is light. Was he testing me? (Martel 27)

In a well-developed blog post of 1-2 paragraphs in length, please answer the following questions:

• Does religion provide freedom or restrict freedom?
• Is religion better characterized as darkness or light, and why?

This post should be a personal reflection on a complex idea presented by the text, so it is appropriate to use first-person pronouns. Please cite textual evidence, real-world examples, or both in your response.

Honors - A Theory of Writing

Yann Martel begins his 2001 novel Life of Pi with an Author's Note, with an author character revealing both what lead him to Pi Patel and many ideas about writing. Identify one of these ideas, explain what the author character means, and respond to the truth of that idea, citing a specific example from your own reading experiences that either proves or disproves the idea.

CP - Advantages and Disadvantages of Conformity

Describe a specific example of a time you have conformed with a group. In this instance, was conformity an advantage, or a disadvantage? If you could relive this situation, would you make the same decision--why, or why not?

Remember, your blog entries should be at least one well-written paragraph in length.

CP - Mercy Toward the Suitors?

Before Odysseus takes his revenge on the suitors, Eurymachus tries to blame everything on Antinous and beg for mercy toward the rest of the suitors. Do you think Odysseus should show mercy toward the suitors? Why/why not?

Honors - Writing Your Own Siren Song

The poem "Siren Song" by Margaret Atwood presents one possibility for what the Sirens' song could be. Re-read the song that the Sirens sing to Odysseus (Homer 12.200-207), then read Atwood's poem. Your task: write the siren song that would cause you to jump overboard. Think about what the sirens could say to draw you in...

DUE: Monday, 10/22
Minimum 12 lines!

CP - Making Difficult Decisions

In a response of at least one paragraph, please choose one of the following topics. Create a new post on your blog called Making Difficult Decisions.

1. Describe a time when you had to make a difficult decision. What was the situation, what were your two choices, and what did you finally decide to do? How did you make this decision?

2. Explain the expression "the lesser of two evils." What does this phrase mean? Give an example of how it could be applied.

Odyssey Themes - Book 9 (The Cyclops)

Book 9 of The Odyssey (The Cyclops) reveals several of the poem's important themes: the qualities that the ancient Greeks looked for in their heroes, the importance of hospitality, and the way that hubris (excessive pride) can weaken us.

Choose one of these themes. In a well-developed paragraph, use textual evidence to show how Homer advances this theme in Book 9. Be sure to follow all of the Middle School Musts and the Freshman 5!

Due:
Sunday 10/7 at 6pm.

This paragraph organizer might help you.  (You can click on the link and print it out.)


This post will be a 10-point essay grade as follows:

9-10: Clear, accurate, well-written explanation of how Homer advances the selected theme; response is supported by thoughtfully chosen textual evidence
6-8: Clear explanation of how writer believes Homer advances the selected theme; response is supported by textual evidence
3-5: Attempted explanation of how Homer advances the selected theme; response is not supported by textual evidence
0-2: Response is off-topic or not completed

Double Standards in Society? (ENG9H)

Does our society hold men and women to different expectations or standards? If so, how/in what way? Please cite specific examples from your observations or your knowledge of history and/or current events to support your answer.

EDIT: Please revise this post by Wednesday, Oct. 3 at 5pm. Add another paragraph answering the following question: "Is there a double standard present in The Odyssey?" Use textual evidence from Book V or elsewhere, and please treat this as formal writing. 

Summer Reading Analysis

After you re-read your summer reading assessment, you will determine how you can improve your writing on essays this year--whether you write these essays in class or out of class. Please create a blog post--minimum of two paragraphs--called Summer Reading Analysis. 

To help you with your essay, you can refer to the summer reading essay rubric and the Google Presentation we viewed in class.

Remember that for "Conventions," teachers looked at 3 things:
1. Pronouns - no first- or second-person. So, no "I," "me," "we," or "you"!
2. Verb tense - writing about literature should be in the present tense.
3. Casual language - there should be no contractions, abbreviations, or slang in your essays.


You will be graded as follows:

• 15-20: thoughtful, accurate reflection on steps student should take to improve
• 10-14: thoughtful reflection on steps student should take to improve
• 5-9: attempt to reflect on steps student should take to improve
• 0-4: post is not complete or demonstrates little thought 

DUE:
Period 6 - Friday, 9/28
Period 7 - Wednesday, 10/3
Period 5 -  Tuesday, 10/9

Journal #3

Choose one of the following topics. Please post a response on your blog - the post should be titled Journal Entry #3. 

1)What is an odyssey? How is it different from a trip or a vacation?

2)Imagine you have been separated from your family and home for a long time. Describe how you would feel during this separation. What would you miss?

Reader Response to Story Endings

Now that you've finished reading your first story, please respond to the following question in a minimum of 1 paragraph. This blog post will be graded as a 10-point quiz. Please use the subject line Journal Entry #2 as the title of your post. 

College Prep: Joan Aiken, the author of "Sonata for Harp and Bicycle," has said that "A flat or unsatisfactory ending is the worst sin a writer can commit." Is the ending of "Sonata for Harp and Bicycle" satisfactory or not? Why? How does it compare to the movie/story that you believe has a very a satisfying ending?

Honors: Is the end of "The Most Dangerous Game" satisfying--why or why not? Explain how the author could have extended the story.

Setting up your blog

You will be doing most of your writing this semester on a blog that you will create today. It is important that you post all of your writing here, as this blog will eventually become the place you will submit your portfolio. Your portfolio will make up a significant part of your semester grade.

1. Log into your school Google account.
2. Navigate to Blogger. (Open this site in a different tab or window.)
3. Click "New Blog" on the left-hand side of your page to create your blog.
4. Give your blog a title that follows this format: First name Last initial's English Portfolio. For example, if your name is John Smith, your blog should be called John S. English Portfolio.
5. Give your blog a custom URL that follows this format: First name Last initial English Portfolio. For example, if your name is John Smith, your blog URL should be johnsenglishportfolio.blogspot.com. 
6. Choose a template (you may choose whatever template you like, and you can feel free to change this later).
7. Once your blog is set up, fill out this form to make sure I have all of your blog information. THIS STEP IS VERY IMPORTANT! I will be reading and commenting on your blog posts throughout the semester, and I will certainly need this URL to grade your portfolio.
8. Finally, write an introductory post on the topic below. Please use the subject line Journal Entry #1 as the title of your post. 
Think of a story that you have read or a movie you have seen where you feel satisfied by the ending. Explain what made the ending feel "right" to you. 


Please review this article about online safety for teens. Remember, you should never post personal information online!