Before finishing the short story, we first reviewed vocabulary words from the text and literary terms such as :protagonist, antagonist , simile, and double entendre(meaning) . Lena then completed the story and discussed the ending wherein the depraved Zaroff meets his nemesis. I then asked Lena to on her own reread the first pages of the story and to make a list of the characters who appear in the first pages and to then indicate their roles in the story.. Lena did well in this exercise and then took a final test on the short story.She did very well on the test also.
As an introduction to our contemporary drama unit,I first discussed the structure of a play i.e. the function of Acts and scenes. I then noted how the playwright. ,Gibson, in stage directions indicated his dramatic vision was to create a fluid movement from scene to scene without breaks. In this regard, we then viewed a number of stage sets for the play "The Miracle Worker" . These sets were designed with " open" or non-existent walls , and I explained how scene shifts were accomplished through lighting changes ,not by drawn curtains or by the stage darkening. I further defined the stage terms: stage left, stage right, upstage and downstage . We then examined the play's setting and character list followed by viewing a short biographical video about Helen Keller's life and influence. Last, I introduced. the Freytag pyramid which divides plot into : exposition, rising action, climax, falling action , and resolution . For homework due Thursday -read Act I.
Today's board work entailed Lena's taking notes on the three types of literary conflicts: Man v Man, Man v Nature ,and Man vs Society. I noted how the story begins with a conflict between man and nature but quickly develops into a conflict of Man v Man as the depraved Zaroff engages the protagonist in a hunt where the protagonist is the prey. I further placed on the board the dual meaning of the word"Game" as it applies to the story. We then continued reading the short story in class stopping to note vocabulary words, plot development, and elements of suspense created by the author's writing techniques .
We examined Marcel's homework which ,based on my comments, required him to rewrite portions of his Dickens essay so as to reorder sentences within paragraphs, to move modifiers, and to redraft certain sentences to remove awkward constructions. He did very well with the rewrite exercise. We then examined his "Metamorphosis" essay and addressed how to correct verb tense shifts within the essay. As Marcel requested instruction on how to write a personal essay, I then discussed how to draft a personal essay by "showing " not "telling". I drafted some sample paragraphs on the board based on Common Application essay prompts which we discussed. We then examined how Marcel could incorporate some of his experiences into a personal essay using the demonstrated techniques . I last handed out a poetry analysis checklist which I reviewed. For homework due Monday ,read the 3 assigned poems and write an analysis of two of the poems using the outline in the distributed poetry analysis checklist .Optional - write a personal essay for further discussion and review.
Bobby took the essay portion of the exam on the novel ,"Call of the Wild ", during today's session. I assisted him in organizing the essay into four paragraphs , and in supporting his topic sentence with examples from the novel. For homework, complete the essay comparing the novel with the short story"To Build a Fire.".
To introduce our next work of fiction, the short story,"The Most Dangerous Game", Lena first took notes defining certain vocabulary and literary terms such as;protaganoist, antagonist , simile, and suspense. After reading the first pages, we then discussed the term "setting" and Lena placed details of the story's setting into her notebook. Additionally , as elements of suspense arose, gunshots for example, we stopped and noted how the author creates suspense and mystery both in plot and setting. We further noted and defined vocabulary and other allusions as we read.
As tomorrow 's exam is an essay question comparing two works of fiction by Jack London, today , by underlining portions of the text , we traced the protagonist's growing recognition that his arrogance in the face of the overpowering forces of Nature will inevitably cause his death. We then prepared an outline comparing the setting, plot, characters and theme of "Call of the Wild " to these elements in "To Build A Fire." Bobby did a good job articulating plot similarities, and we discussed the motifs , the recurring patterns in both stories, of an arrogant newcomer to the Yukon , due to arrogance and greed ,ignoring the advice of experienced prospectors warning of the power of nature. We further noted the Man v Nature conflict in both stories. For homework -study for test.
