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.