Reacting to Charlie Chaplin's "City Lights"

Briefly discuss your reaction to Chaplin’s film, “City Lights.” Has viewing the film changed your opinion about silent (and/or black and white) films? Would you recommend it to a friend to view? Bring your work to class, word processed, next Wednesday. Write between 150 and 200 words.

Writing a List Poem Based on "A Note"

Beginning with "Life is the only way," write your own list poem using "A Note" as a model. Your poem must use the same (with minor variations) number of words and structure as Szymborska's. Use what you learned this week to compose a stronger poem.

Try to find a rhythm to the words you choose (note the number of syllables as well as the number of words). Be careful to punctuate exactly the same way and be aware of how the poet has used punctuation to divide and compare ideas. Post a copy of your poem to the blog before coming to Wednesday's class.

Be prepared to do a recital of your poem (please practice ahead of time!) and speak for one to two minutes on the process you followed and any difficulties you experienced.  Marks will be assigned as follows: quality of poem—50%; recital—25%; remarks on process—25%.

NOTE: Your full draft of the narrative essay is due on Friday, May 17, in class. No need to post it here.

My Experience with Poetry; Choosing a Poem to Share

Write a 50-word paragraph that refers to your personal experiences with poetry. The experiences do not have to be at school, although they may be if you wish. Be specific please. Bring your printed work to class along with a printed copy of your chosen poem.

You must choose your poem from one of these three online sources of quality poetry. Remember that you will need to defend the poem's quality in group work that day, so be sure to choose well.

Poems at Slate.com (each poem is read by the poet; a good way to decide if you like the way it sounds)

Canadian Poetry Online (from the University of Toronto library; a list of poets that links to poems from each one)

Poetry Daily Archive (alphabetical archive of poems by title; here you can look for an interesting title and see if you can find a poem you like)

A Persuasive RSA Animate

View two or three examples of RSA Animates and then choose the one you find most persuasive.

In a paragraph, explain why you find it persuasive (in a way, persuade us that we should also watch it!). Post your paragraph here (100 to 150 words) before coming to class.

Be sure to bring your work to class, word processed, next Wednesday.

Brad's First Half Draft: Examples

I've decided to save my full draft for class on Wednesday. Instead, I will provide a series of examples, including Friday's anecdote to help you with your writing.

Good luck on your drafts, but please do not post them here. Bring them, word processed and ready for discussion on Wednesday.

Homework for "The Woman of the House"

Write an answer based on information found on the page you have been assigned. Try, as best you can, to connect what happens on that page to events that occur either before or after in the story. Use at least one literary term (setting, conflict, plot, irony etc.) in your answer. Quote the story at least once, but no more than 20 words, maximum, for all quotes. Identify the page number, please, as a heading before your paragraph. See my model answer for more ideas on what to do.

Write between 150 and 200 words. Bring your word processed work to class on Wednesday.

NOTE: For a page number to do, use the first letter of your first name as a guide. If your name begins with A or B, do page one. C or D, do page two. Go on through the letters in the same way (for example, if your name begins with "M" it would be page seven). Sorry, but Charlotte must not have gotten my second email with these instructions!

Making a Pitch for the Narrative Essay

Write a short (100 to 150 word) pitch for your narrative essay idea. Why would we be interested in the person you chose? What makes this person interesting? What influence have they had on you that is interesting to others?

Please bring a copy of your pitch to class on March 27, word processed and printed.

Answers for the Story, "Literally"

Put your answer to the question you received in class today as a comment to this post. Please identify which question you are answering first, before your paragraph. A good answer will range from 150 to 200 words and use one or two short quotations. It will be easier if you relate your answer to the overall "gist" of the story (how does the element you discuss fit with in the story in other words). I will provide a model answer here by Saturday noon.

Also, remember to annotate your story before coming to class next week. Bring your annotated story and word processed answer to class. Thank you!