10H English @ NSHS

The Morality of Science

Today in class we considered the following quote from Frankenstein:

“Learn from me, if not by my precepts, at least by my example, how dangerous is the acquirement of knowledge and how much happier that man is who believes his native town to be the world, than he who aspires to become greater than his nature will allow” (39).

We asked the following questions and posed our own new ones.

Why does Victor say this and what does he mean?  Can you make a connection between his message and your own life? Explain.

Then we read the following article and had a class conversation on the morality of science and what Mary Shelley believes about whether or not we should study science at all.

The Frankenstein Syndrome

REMINDER: Tomorrow you will have a short reading quiz on Frankenstein, chapters 9-16, pgs. 77-134.

 

Reading Schedule

1.   “Introduction,” by Diane Johnson; “Author’s Introduction,” by Mary Shelley, Friday, 4/30

2.     “Preface,” and Chapters 1-8 (pgs. 1-76)  Friday, 5/7

a.    Response due Monday, 5/10

3.    Chapters 9-16 (pgs. 77-134),  Friday, 5/14

a.    Response due Monday, 5/17

4.    Chapters 17-24 (pgs. 135 – 213), Friday, 5/21

a.    Response due Monday, 5/24

 *Supplemental reading will be supplied as needed.

Response Options: CHOOSE A DIFFERENT RESPONSE EACH WEEK!

1.    Keep a “dialogic journal” (at least 10 entries).

2.    Write a poem using only words/phrases from the text that conveys the events or character(s) in the selected reading. Write one paragraph explaining your poem and its connection to the book.

3.    Write a letter to the author (1-2 pages) in which you ask the author about questions you have and explain your thoughts on the reading.

4.    Make a list of 10-12 objects mentioned in the reading.  Choose one and write a paragraph in the author’s voice describing that object in much further detail.

5.    Response paper: Write a 4-5 paragraph essay detailing your thoughts on the novel.  You should have a thesis statement (your opinion of the text), details and quotes from the text, and avoid plot summary.

Chapter 5

In today's class we reread chapter 5 and asked ourselves how Victor must have seemed to Clerval when they met in Ingolstadt, just after Victor created his monster.

In both classes we created a list of questions that we thought would have been running through Clerval's mind when he met Victor.  In pd. 1 (we had a double) we changed the direction of the story a bit and imagined what it would have been like if Clerval took Victor immediately to a psychologist to work out his problems (he seemed to be very troubled and sick at that time).  The students wrote the dialogue that Victor would have had with a doctor at that time.

Collaborative, Gothic, & Epistolary

Your group writing project is due tomorrow!  : )

Epigraph

In literature, an epigraph is a phrase, quotation, or poemthat is set at the beginning of a document or component. The epigraph may serve as a preface, as a summary, as a counter-example, or to link the work to a wider literary canon, either to invite comparison or to enlist a conventional context.

In the original publication of Frankenstein, the following epigraph appears on the title page of the novel:

“Did I request thee, Maker from my clay
to mould me man?
Did I solicit thee,
from darkness to promote me?”

--from Paradise Lost, by John Milton

Please leave a comment offering your interpretation of the epigraph, and pose one discussion question about Frankenstein to the class. In your own comment, look at the questions posed by your classmates and choose one or two to answer. Think of this assignment as an online conversation about Frankenstein - don't just give your answer, but consider those of the students who commented before you and try to move the conversation forward with your own comment.  At the end of your comment please leave your first name only.  I will review your comments and include this work in your class participation grade.

somewhere i have never travelled,gladly beyond

by E. E. Cummings
somewhere i have never travelled,gladly beyond any experience,your eyes have their silence: in your most frail gesture are things which enclose me, or which i cannot touch because they are too near your slightest look easily will unclose me though i have closed myself as fingers, you open always petal by petal myself as Spring opens (touching skilfully,mysteriously)her first rose or if your wish be to close me, i and my life will shut very beautifully ,suddenly, as when the heart of this flower imagines the snow carefully everywhere descending; nothing which we are to perceive in this world equals the power of your intense fragility:whose texture compels me with the color of its countries, rendering death and forever with each breathing (i do not know what it is about you that closes and opens;only something in me understands the voice of your eyes is deeper than all roses) nobody,not even the rain,has such small hands

Your Course Review

Below is a visual representation of the feedback I got from you all in your anonymous Course Review.  Wordle is a website that takes a piece of text (I typed up most of your comments... I'm a really fast typist!) and creates an image in which the largest words are the ones used the most frequently.  In contrast, the smaller words are the ones used most infrequently. 

www.Wordle.net

You can also read all of your comments to me. 

I like the 10 minutes of free writing because I feel de-stressed afterwards. * I like that you don’t beat a dead horse for details and explanations. * The projects could be simpler and maybe all the sheets & rubrics could be handed out at once. * I like expressing how I feel through writing. * Analyzing poems takes away meaning. * We have really good arguments about the topics but sometimes we fool around too much, which makes us unproductive.* I liked the way we shared work with the walk-around style. * I want to eat in class.  End of story. * I would like an example of the things you write.  I understand that grading takes a very long time, but maybe an example or suggestion to make it better for that specific situation would be awesome. * I liked the project online. * I hate freewriting.* The honors project is tedious. * it’s a good class but not like amazing. I don’t like doinga lot of analyzing and we do a  lot of that in this class. * I am completely content and look forward to this class. * I like that it’s chilled out and not and essay every day, but not too chilled out. * I think it could be more rigorous. * It’s not perfect but it’s up there with the thought process behind each lesson. * I like the creative projects. * More free write! * The poetry is very interesting. *  I like the power points that explain the projects and the website. *  You really explain things. * The poetry is very interesting. * I would like to eat in class! * I don’t like analyzing poems.  * We are a very productive class. * I love the creative aspects you incorporate with our projects. * Very open and we had a lot of freedom. * The internet stuff could have been more organized. * I feel like you didn’t make many grammar or other notes on how the essay can improve, instead you wrote about the author’s ability. * You are very fair and interactive, provide help whenever we need, and just the system you use is good.   I personally just don’t like the reading and sharing of personal work. * I liked the poetry unit we did, with allowing us to write about a place we feel connected to, allowing us to express our emotions well. * I do not like the discussions we have in class.  We DO NOT stay on topic and usually don’t come out of class having discovered some deeper meaning of the poem/story. * I don’t understand your comments. * We are not productive in class. * I like the poetry; I feel like we get to express ourselves with topics that we want to.  I also like your website and power points because they clearly explain what is going on and what to do. * Write more comments on what to improve on with our essays. * Many can be disrespectful and rude. Sorry : ( * One aspect that could have been done better is the gallery walk.  I don’t always like to share with the class. * The comments were helpful because I could read them. However, they didn’t give a lot of information that could help improve on what we’ve written. * Sometimes people write inappropriate things on the gallery walk. * Alternative methods of presentation are much better than regular presentations. * Stay with the creative pieces. The analytical essays get plain boring. * I would like to use my Ipod a bit more as it helps me concentrate on independent work much better. * The essay writing could be done in the computer room with Ipods allowed. * I like how you’re very open to different ideas and views which creates a very open, free-spirited environment in the class.  But at the same time it’s very controlled and careful, which I like. It’s a great balance of surroundings. * I want to focus more on themes, and analysis of them. * I like creative projects that we do.  Not the honors essay though. * the focus of the students in the class often drags the majority of the rest down as well. * I think the course is good the way it is now. * I liked the poetry unit because I love poetry. * I think that your comments are very helpful because then I know what to work on. * I like the poem walk things. * Explaining projects could be done a lot better. * I think we should read a book in the class and have a fun project on it. * I don’t feel challenged and I feel like we are doing lessons that are on lower grade levels and we should be reading Frankenstein not poems. * Less poems, more books. * We basically do thte same thing everyday. * You tend to be a harsh grader. * It’s calm and fair. * I think it should be more about writing and not recording stuff, making pictures… the group work wasn’t successful because one person could do all the work and it wouldn’t come across as that/wouldn’t be acknowledged. * I like the group work we do. * I do not enjoy school, but if I had to choose the part of English class I like the most is walking around and analyzing poetry.  I get a feel for other people’s work so that I can make mine better.*

The Gothic Novel

 At the beginning of class the students completed a quick, open-book reading quiz on the two Introductions to Frankenstein they read last night.

Then, we talked about how Frankenstein is considered one of the great Gothic novels (even though it is in some ways a departure).  We reviewed some of the elements of the Gothic Novel, and worked in groups to create outlines or rough drafts for Gothic stories that contained those four elements (Setting, Plot, Characterization & Theme). **See handout below for details.

The Gothic Novel Download The Gothic Novel

Monsters!

What are monsters and why are we, as a culture, obsessed with them?  In today's class we talked about what makes a monster, made a list of all the monsters we see in pop culture, and questioned why they are so appealing to us.  We discovered that the monsters we create...

1. can reveal our innermost fears.

2. are appealing in some ways because they can do all of the things that we can't do (they are socially inappropriate).

3. tend to be most popular in times of stress (i.e. horror films like Frankenstein and Dracula were made during The Great Depression).

4. can tell us about what we value as a society.

I really enjoyed our class conversations today.  The students, as usual, made excellent & insightful comments!

**NOTE: A reading schedule is posted here for Frankenstein.Download Frankenstein reading schedule

Frankenstein begins...

In today's class we considered images of Frankenstein in popular culture and how they compare to our own perception of Frankenstein and to Mary Shelley's actual description of the creature.  Here are a few of the images we looked at:

  

April 10, 1815: Tambora Explosion Triggers 'Volcanic Winter'

April 10, 1815: Tambora Explosion Triggers 'Volcanic Winter'

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