Hon./CP English 11 Dickinson Poem Links

Here are links to the poems for which you'll be responsible:

CP & Honors:

"Because I could not stop for Death"
"I heard a fly buzz--when I died"
"There's a certain Slant of light"
"My life closed twice before its close"
"The Brain--is wider than the sky"
"Water, is taught by thirst"

Honors:

"The Soul selects her own Society"

Honors English 11 Vocab Week 9

The words for this week will be gathered from the works of Walt Whitman in the textbook. You can get a preview here and here.

01. castes
02. slough
03. stalwart
04. ampler
05. disdaining
06. audacity
07. candor
08. physiognomy
09. indecorous
10. susceptibility
11. slight (n.)
12. "loafe" = loaf (v.)
13. distillation
14. inception
15. equanimity
16. fratricidal
17. impalpable
18. fathomless
19. tenacious
20. acquisitive

Honors English 11 Vocab Week 8

The following vocabulary words are gathered from the text here.

01. expedient [1]
02. inexpedient
03. impose [2]
04. alacrity
05. fain
06. conscientious [4]
07. whit
08. palpitation
09. unscrupulous
10. reminiscence
11. philanthropist [6]
12. commodities [8]
13. tinge [11]
14. prevail
15. asserts
16. forthwith [12]
17. demagogue
18. inducement
19. gregariousness
20. virile

Honors 11 Civil Disobedience

You can find the link here. Be prepared to discuss Thoreau's indictments of government.

CP English 10: Proverbs Assignment

Our standard course of study includes making comparisons between historical and contemporary issues. The ability to govern one's own actions is a very personal and political issue. Look at the proverbs on page 130-131 in the text and browse some of the many proverbs here. Complete the following:

1. Write the three proverbs you picked for homework and explain what they mean in formal English.
2. For each proverb, note its origin (i.e., what region of Africa they are from).
3. On the site linked above, search for a proverb from another culture that has the same general meaning and copy it, noting its origin.
4. Answer: How are the proverbs different? What does this suggest about cultural differences?

Honors English 11: Nature

Read the introduction and first chapter of Nature.

Honors English 11: Nature

Read the introduction and first chapter of Nature.

Answer and be prepared to discuss the following questions:

Introduction:

1. From where does the current generation derive its understanding of God and nature? According to Emerson, what's wrong with this method? In turn, what flaws do you find in Emerson's argument?

2. Emerson makes a strong claim in the second paragraph ("Undoubtably we have..."). What is the claim? Read Emerson with the most charitable interpretation possible. How can you challenge this claim?

3. Note Emerson's value of a "sound judgment." What does this value correspond to in "Self-Reliance"?

4. What is Nature?


Chapter 1:

1. What is Emerson's conception of solitude? Why does he drone on about the stars? Note the presence of the sublime (this is an English Romantic concept).

2. Note the third paragraph ("When we speak..."). What qualifications does Emerson add to his definition of Nature? Why?

3. Why do children see the sun when adults do not? To what part of "Self-Reliance" does this belief correspond?

4. How does Emerson feel when immersed in Nature? What is the significance of this feeling?

5. What is all this nonsense about the "transparent eyeball"? What is the connection between man, Nature, and God?

6. What else is as beautiful as Nature?

7. What kind of relationship is Emerson developing with vegetables? This sounds inappropriate, but again, read Emerson with the most charitable definition possible.

8. In the last paragraph, in what way does Nature reflect human nature? As a critical thinker, challenge this assertion.

CP English 10: 1,001 Arabian Nights Imagery Exercise

1. Browse the tales offered here and here. Pick a tale other than "The Fisherman and the Jinnee" and read it.

2. On a sheet of paper, answer the following questions:
I. Who are the main characters?
II. What is the main action of the plot?
III. What are the most important images in your tale?

3. Using a sheet of unlined paper, recreate the one most important image in your tale. You may use the art supplies or magazine images for a collage. At the bottom of your paper, provide the quote from the text that serves as the basis for your image. The project is due at the end of class.

Honors English 11 Vocab Week 7

The following terms are from the copy of Ralph Waldo Emerson's Self-Reliance:

01. eminent (1)
02. admonition
03. latent
04. ascribe
05. naught
06. firmament
07. envy (n.)
08. manifest (2)
09. invalids
10. oracles
11. disconcerted
12. prattle
13. piquancy
14. nonchalance
15. disdain
16. conciliate
17. eclat
18. formidable (3)
19. aversion
20. ephemeral

CP English 11 Vocab Week 7

1. proprietor (p. 408) -
2. unmolested (p. 409) -
3. exude (p. 409) -
4. celestial (p. 409) -
5. terrestrial (p. 410) -
6. resignation (p. 410) -
7. rout (p. 410) -
8. sublime (p. 410) -
9. superfluous (p. 410) -
10. evitable (p. 410) -
11. frittered (p. 410) -
12. fluctuating (p. 410) -
13. spartan (p. 411) -
14. mean (p. 413) (check context) -
15. disreputable (p. 413) -

Honors English 11 Transcendentalism Webquest

Open another Firefox tab and go to the Transcendentalism webquest here. Complete the following:

1. Read the information in the links in Step 1. In your notes, answer the question: what is Transcendentalism? The link here is particularly helpful (knowing the philosophical term "a priori" as a high school student will get you major respect when you hang out with your friends already in college).

2. In Step 2, read about Emerson, Thoreau, Whitman, and Dickinson. These are the people you will be reading and need to know (i.e., "What characteristics make Emerson "Emerson"? Be prepared to look at a representative text and tell me which of the four wrote the text).

3. Be prepared to briefly explain the impact Transcendentalism had on education reform, the women's rights movement, and the Abolitionist movement (Steps 4-6).

CP English 11 Vocab Week 6

1. protege (p. 390) -
2. cordial -
3. exhilaration -
4. perpetual -
5. decorum -
6. calamity -
7. egotism -
8. frolic (392) -
9. aversion (394)
10. rude (p. 395) -
11. alight (p. 397) -
12. courier -
13. tumultuous -
14. eccentric (404) -
15. dilapidated (408)-

Honors English 11 Test 2 Study Guide

The Crucible

Points to Consider:

1. What are the motivations of the following characters:
Abigail Williams
John Proctor
Elizabeth Proctor
The Putnams
Revs. Parris and Hale
Judges Danforth and Hathorne

2. At what point does dramatic irony begin to ratchet the tension of the drama?

3. Who best represents to voice of reason in this drama?

4. Who best represents the voice of fear/hysteria?


In terms of the Poe short stories, be prepared to answer various questions asking you to identify various elements of the dramatic structure of the stories, talk about mood, and discuss symbolism.

CP English 10 Islam Webquest

In conjunction with our readings from The Koran and 1,001 Arabian Nights, we will take a closer look at the world religion of Islam. Your in-class assignment for today and tomorrow is to follow the webquest on Islam found below. Powerpoint presentations will be presented in-class on Friday (March 7). This will be your final test grade of the 6 weeks.

Islam Webquest

Honors English 11 Vocabulary Week 6

The following words are collected from the copy of "The Fall of the House of Usher" I handed out last week.

01. insufferable (1)
02. pervaded
03. sedges
04. aught
05. sublime
06. precipitous
07. lurid
08. tarn
09. boon
10. malady
11. munificent (2)
12. orthodox
13. equivocal
14. appellation
15. affinity
16. pestilent
17. valet (3)
18. phantasmagoric
19. trepidation
20. pallor (4)