Honors English 11: Crucible 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?

Honors English 11 Vocabulary List Week 6 (Quiz 10/03)

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 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.

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. On a sheet of notebook paper, answer the question: what is Transcendentalism? The link here is particularly helpful but doesn't seem to be working today. The link here is not as helpful, but worth a look. Just know that Transcendentalists believe in an a priori condition of knowledge (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. As a primer for this assignment, read the excerpted texts on the website and, on your paper, list the characteristics of each writer's writing.

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

Honors English 11 Vocabulary List Week 5 (Quiz 09/26)

The following words are from the Revolutionary Materials packet as well.

01. consanguinity (3)
02. acquiesce
03. rectitude
04. absolved
05. levy
06. tranquility
07. posterity
08. celestial
09. impious (4)
10. infidel
11. ague
12. touchstones
13. penitentially
14. solemnize
15. baseness (6)
16. servile
17. disaffected (7)
18. ardor
19. decamped (8)
20. precipitate

August 2008 Mixtape Up

If you are interested in experimental/underground music, see me or send me an email for a copy of the following August 2008 mixtape:

Song - Time - Artist - Album - Genre

01. Beams 3:55 Tape Luminarium Electronic
02. Moss Man 9:02 Zelienople His/Hers Experimental Rock
03. Heard Them Stirring 3:02 Fleet Foxes Fleet Foxes Indie Rock
04. Fort 1:35 Pumice Quo Experimental Rock
05. Executive Focus 11:34 Endless Boogie Focus Level Classic/Krautrock
06. Alphabets 2:43 GZA/Genius Pro Tools Hip-Hop
07. Clear Shapes 2:37 Zomes Zomes Lo-Fi Rock
08. Under The Singing Sea 3:08 Ilyas Ahmed The Vertigo of Dawn Psych-folk guitar
09. Never Coming Back Again 4:10 Final Solution Brotherman OST Funk/R&B
10. Hope You All Are Gone 3:25 TK Webb & The Visions Ancestor Bluesy Indie-Rock
11. Rubiinilasia 5:04 Lau Nau Nukkuu Experimental Folk
12. Motown 3:41 Harvey Milk Life...The Best Game In Town Experimental sludge metal
13. Good & Evil 15:20 Aidan Baker Book Of Nods Drone
14. Side A 14:48 Andrew Coltrane Gongs of Violence c30 Noise

Honors English 11 Vocabulary List Week 4 (Quiz 09/19)

The following terms come from the Revolutionary Materials page I'll hand out on Monday.

01. endowed (1)
02. prudence (1)
03. transience (1)
04. usurpations (1)
05. evinces (1)
06. despotism (1)
07. assent (1)
08. convulsions (1)
09. endeavored (2)
10. naturalization (2)
11. appropriations (2)
12. tenure (2)
13. erected (2)
14. jurisdiction (2)
15. arbitrary (2)
16. abdicated (2)
17. perfidy (2)
18. insurrections (2)
19. redress (3)
20. disavow (3)

Honors English 11 Vocabulary List Week 3

The following vocabulary words are from the Penguin Plays edition of The Crucible:

01. surmised (2)
02. inert (3)
03. ordinances (4)
04. predilection (5)
05. rankle (5)
06. parochial (5)
07. ingratiating (6)
08. autocratic (6)
09. junta (6)
10. repression (7)
11. injunctions (7)
12. dissembling (9)
13. apprehension (9)
14. abominations (11)
15. deference (12)
16. providence (13)
17. grievances (14)
18. vindictive (14)
19. smirched (15)
20. corroborating (15)

Honors English 11 Vocabulary Week 2 (Quiz 9/5)

You will be responsible for the following vocabulary words from The Scarlet Letter:

01. practicable (182)
02. contiguous (182)
03. effervescence (182)
04. eminence (183)
05. fortitude (183)
06. countenance (183)
07. inducements (183)
08. feebleness (184)
09. ominously (184)
10. eccentricities (185)
11. endowment (187)
12. pathos (187)
13. gradations (187)
14. plaintiveness (187)
15. diffuse (187)
16. auditor (188)
17. ignominy (188)
18. indefatigable (188)
19. boorish (189)
20. repugnance (189)