Friday December 21, 2018
1:00 - 3:00; 120 min. -
English Lit:
Joseph Conrad -
Natalie and I started a section on Joseph Conrad and the book Hearts of Darkness. We examined the life of Joseph Conrad, using a timeline in the book, and compared the forward in two different editions of the book. We also examined what was happening in the world during the life of Mr. Conrad. We then started to read Hearts of Darkness. Homework: read Hearts of Darkness.

Alaya further prepared for her final in British Literature with John Donne's poem, The Sun Rising. We followed the procedure given by her regular English teacher -- read it through and then create three structured paragraphs (bullets for now) to explicate. Alaya did very well with this explication, answering probing questions I posed as we went through in a close reading, and appreciating my comments and the hidden humor of the second stanza. I recommended some analysis terms from critical thinking to use in her explication: point of view and inference. I also gave her a couple of tips for during the exam to do her best.

Student: Taylor continued reading the next chapter in her novel, Rebecca. She was then given several related inquiries to complete for next class.

We discussed the end of the novel "Rebecca" as well as Taylor's answers to her final exam questions. She scored a 97%. I then gave her some contextual information about Alfred Hitchcock's adaptation of Rebecca from 1940, including its critical reception and the censorship of its original script. Taylor began watching the film.

Taylor continued reading the concluding chapters of "Rebecca." We discussed the protagonist's reaction to her husband's news and her motivations for staying with him, and how the reader's sympathy changes throughout the novel. We also talked about the pacing of the final chapters, and went over the plan for Taylor's final assessment on Friday. She will answer three analytical questions in a one-paragraph response per question. Taylor will read the final chapters for Friday.

Taylor would have continued reading and discussing the final chapters of the novel and reviewed topics for her final essay/exam.

Taylor continued working on the next chapters of the novel Rebecca, and answered discussion questions for each chapter. We discussed the psychological profile and motivations of the character Rebecca, and Taylor made some really observant connections between this book and the classic Gothic novel.

Taylor finished chapter 17 and began reading chapter 18. We discussed characters' motivations and relationships, as well as the pacing and passage of time in the novel. Taylor noticed that more recent chapters feature a slowing down of time, and that the unfolding of major plot developments occurs in just a couple of days in the characters' world, although a great deal of time in the text is spent on them.

Taylor finished an assignment for her Spanish class, answering reading comprehension questions on a story about cultural differences between the United States and Mexico. She then read and discussed Chapter 17 of Rebecca.

Taylor read and discussed chapters 15 and 16, and answered questions regarding the plot development and the role of these chapters within the context of the novel as a whole.