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Wednesday, August 31, 2016

Diction Exercises

Cite three words that signal to you clearly the register of each of these excerpts. Just for the sake of clarity choose only one of the following: colloquial, informal, formal or ceremonial.

    1.        One can easily conclude that the concepts of faith and religion were acknowledged by humans out of the desire to fill a certain empty void they felt in their hearts and minds. In the past, religion has often served as an explanation for life and the universe, as well as morals. With the growth and evolution of science, humans generally do not deem the coarse explanations provided by religious texts as necessary. However, primarily, science cannot answer the need of moral guidance or logic in relation to human nature.

      2.            In Brooklyn days, I wanted to be Carlos Ortiz, lightweight champion
of the world from Ponce, Puerto Rico. I gazed at the radiance
of the black and white television till it spoke to me in tongues,
a boy spellbound by the grainy spirits who stalked each other in the ring.

    3.        More than monuments, that will be the legacy of 9/11 -- a legacy of firefighters who walked into fire and soldiers who signed up to serve; of workers who raised new towers, citizens who faced down fear, and children who realized the dreams of their parents. It will be said of us that we kept that faith; that we took a painful blow, and emerged stronger.
"Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning."
With a just God as our guide, let us honor those who have been lost; let us rededicate ourselves to the ideals that define our nation, and let us look to the future with hearts full of hope. May God bless the memory of those we lost, and may God Bless the United States of America.

    4.        Dunbar’s emotion is evident in the passionate plea at the end of the poem. He is longing for the leadership and voice of reason that Douglass possessed. At a time when a black American was abused on every front, the African-American community was in desperate need of a “strong arm to guide the shivering bark” (l. 12) and a “voice high-sounding o'er the storm” (l. 11). Douglass was well known for his rhetorical prowess and his ability to sway even his most stubborn adversaries with the might of his oratory.

    5.        Sir did you great my redo of the first essay?

Thomas

Tuesday, August 30, 2016

Leaves of Grass Questions

Read pages 21-25 of Leaves of Grass. Answer these questions in your notebook.

A.      What inspires the speaker?
B.      Who is the speaker? What clues does the writer provide?
C.      Define the word “vex”. How is it used on the bottom of page 22?
D.      Compare this to other poems we read why does this differ?
E.       Why do you think Walt Whitman is still widely read today?

What is a blog?


Thursday, August 25, 2016

Daniel Alarcón on Lost City Radio

Here´s an interview, for those interested, with Daniel Alarcón about the novel we just read. You might find some interesting descriptions of his thought process.


Wednesday, August 24, 2016

Rhyme and Rhythm Quiz

We'll have a quiz on rhyme and rhythm in poetry next Wednesday. It will be six poems, twelve questions and it will be multiple choice. Study all of the related terms from class in preparation for it (i.e, different types of rhyme, iambs, etc.). 


Poetry Karaoke Assignment

For next Friday, September 2nd, you should have complete a poetry karaoke video. 


What is poetry karaoke?

That's when you scan a song and then find a poem of more or less the same meter and combine. Then you sync the instrumental with your poetry version.

Wanna see an example? This is Shakespeare's renown Sonnet 18 matched with Pharrell Williams's "Happy".

So take a song scan it and try to match it to a poem. You should only use this search engine to guarantee you have a renown poem. Try sticking to poems before the 20th century. That will almost guarantee that you´ll have some form of meter.

This will be a summative assignment. It will be graded according to this rubric.


Monday, August 22, 2016

Rhythm Review

Here you can review some of what was discussed in class about rhythm in language.


Thursday, August 18, 2016

Rhyme Video Two


Writers Workshop Write Now

Go to noredink.com

Log in with your school gmail account.

Join our class. The code is 3xkke8cc

Wednesday, August 17, 2016

This Weekend

This weekend you must print out the lyrics to a song you like.

Identify the rhyme scheme and scansion.

Bring these to our next class.

Tuesday, August 16, 2016

Rhyme Video


Find the Lost City

We'll begin discussing Lost City Radio next class.

As such, your homework is to bring in a copy (hard copy or digital) of the Daniel Alarcón´s novel.

Our exam on the novel will be Monday August 22nd. It will be an essay prompt. 

Thursday, August 11, 2016

Welcome to AP English Literature and Composition

On this blog you'll find all of our assignments as well as mini-lesson videos.



For now, you only need to complete the summer reading for next Tuesday.