The novel's preface,"The Custom House" " is an integral portion of the novel. As such, I pointed out that according to the author, his seeming inability to live other than in Salem, Massachusetts, is in part due to his family's long history there, especially his ancestor's participation as a judge in the Salem witch trials. This mirrors actions of the main character in the book. We discussed the author's seeking forgiveness for his ancestor's historical sin, and how the novel's theme of elusive expiation is introduced in the preface. We briefly noted the role of shame in Puritan society versus in today's society . Remaining focused on the preface's language, I pointed out how the author explains how his imaginative facilities were indispensable to creating the Romantic style. We then worked on a grammar and usage exercise focused on a variety of issues tested by the ACT and SAT. Olivia has a good working knowledge of grammar and usage,but we will continue to address areas where additional review is warranted. For homework, I assigned reading pages 35-40 of the novel and correcting 5 sentences with subject -verb agreement errors.
Olivia raised good questions about the historical context of the novel and its introductory preface known as "The Custom House". We discussed the Hawthorne's family ties to the witch trials and placed them in the context of the novel which takes place in 1640, and the introduction which takes place when the author/narrator purports to find the manuscript of the novel's underlying story while working in the Salem Custom House in 1849. I then placed on the whiteboard a methodology for analyzing literature focusing on symbols, imagery, figurative language, and theme. We reviewed these terms. For homework, I assigned reading the second chapter of the novel, and completing a grammar exercise which I will use as an assessment tool for studying grammar/writing relevant to the ACT exam.
As an introduction to Hawthorne's " The Scarlet Letter" ,on the whiteboard, I reviewed characteristics of Transcendental philosophy and its influences on the Romantic literary style in American literature. We then discussed Emerson's essay ," Nature". Olivia participated in class discussion analyzing Emerson's writing style and locating passages evidencing the Transcendentalist philosophy . We then discussed Emerson's famous essay "Self Reliance" . Olivia did a good job recognizing Emerson's value on individualism , and his disdain for conformity. I discussed how this element of Transcendentalism finds a voice in " The Scarlet Letter "and in some of the other works we will study where the individual, often a woman, fails to conform to societal norms and faces consequences. We further discussed the influence of Thoreau and Emerson on the cultural revolution of the 60's . I began introducing "the Scarlet Letter ", and Hawthorne's historical ties to the Salem witch trials . For homework, I assigned reading a portion of the novel's introductory preface known as "The Custom House".
In order to introduce, Hawthorne's " The Scarlet Letter", we are first examining literary movements in America starting with the 18th Century's Age of Reason, or the Enlightenment. On the whiteboard, I created a chart identifying the characteristics of Enlightenment thinking, and of the later Romantic movement -a rejection of reason in favor of emotion and imagination- prevalent in the first half of the 19th Century. I then noted how the American Transcendentalist movement was an offshoot of the Romantic movement , and on the whiteboard identified the elements of Transcendentalist writers such as Thoreau and Emerson. We discussed how the Transcendentalists influenced Hawthorne , Poe and Melville as evidenced by these authors' reliance on imagination,symbolism, and emotion rather than reason and logic as a means of imparting theme. To assist Olivia in her reading of Emerson, I elaborated on Emerson's philosophy that through a study of nature ,man can "transcend" physical reality and join with what Emerson described as a "universal oversoul". For homework due Monday,I assigned reading from the literature book on the Transcendentalists , as well as Emerson's essays , "Nature" and "Self - Reliance" .
For our introductory session, we surveyed the prior literature Olivia has studied, and discussed her interests and plans to take the ACT exam. I spent some time identifying and describing various novels and plays in order to determine what critical works and areas we will need to concentrate on during the year.
As Olivia mentioned her interest in working on some ACT/SAT prep and college essays, we discussed that my plans were to conduct grammar/writing instruction by using SAT prep materials and practice tests. In that vein, I placed a number of SAT/ACT vocabulary words on the whiteboard as they arose in our discussions.
We had a productive session that will enable me to formulate an interesting and challenging syllabus for her senior year.
Alexa needed to pick her room and move in; I helped her. We also briefly discussed the academic plan for the new school year. We talked about setting goals and getting started.
Natalie prepared a character analysis outline for Atticus Finch and Jem. She listed adjectives describing each character and referenced some examples from the book supporting her characterizations. She even included two illustrations she drew!! I mentioned that a salient characteristic of Atticus is that he is not judgmental. Natalie was able to cite textual support for this characteristic and recalled Atticus' statements that one should always try to put oneself in the other person's shoes before judging him.
Natalie completed reading Part I of the novel, and completed a good list of events in the novel evidencing racial prejudice. We discussed Harper Lee's sequel in which she depicts Addicas Finch as no different from other prejudiced Southerners during the 1930s. Natalie expressed quite a few insights into the book and has a very good understanding of the reading she has completed.
Samantha is about to conclude reading "Lord of the Flies." She gave some predictions as to how she thinks the book will end. I asked Samantha what she thinks the main message is in the book because it is a classic message. Sam provided excellent literal meanings about the plot and characters of the story. We discussed the universal message behind the book. This is a story that has a human, societal and political message that is timeless. We discussed these messages and Sam said that although she finds the text material dry to read, she does appreciate the thematic, timeless message(s) of the book. Sam will complete reading the remainder of the book for homework.
