A How-to Manual

Here's a draft of the Power Point I'm showing you in class for the process we'll go through as we read these texts. I may need to revise it as we go along to make it work for us, but for right now this is the way I'm seeing the process.

A Literature Process

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The Results Are In

Here are the Classic Lit Groups. If you made your first choice clear, you got it. If you left it up to the fates, this is what the fates have decided for you. The Iliad has 2 groups, Oedipus has 1, and The Inferno, the most popular choice, has 3.

Each group will need to decide on a group leader (who will coordinate tasks), a recorder (who will keep the log and keep track of documents), and a speaker (who will present for the group as we go along). Groups with four people will also have a jack of all trades who will keep track of time for tasks as well as assist with research and keeping track of documents.

Recorder will keep a log for the group at GOOGLE DOCS, using the same log-in and password as we use for the blog.

ILIAD
Ellen
Miranda
Liam

Mario
Daniel G.
Brittany
James

OEDIPUS
Breyinn
Daniel A.
Bianca
Cerafina

INFERNO
Morgan
Emily
Cassidy

Bermuda
Jordan
Dalila
Reese

Victoria
Liz
Jillian

Phase One: The Big Picture

Each person will begin by making three documents to get you oriented to the big picture for your piece of literature. You can collaborate in any way that you like within your group, but each person will need each of the three pieces in your folder. Possible resources include Shmoop and Spark Notes.

A. A Character Map (at least 10 characters)

B. A Timeline or Plot Map (at least 10 plot points--try and figure out what are the 10-12 most important points)

C. A List of Important Facts that Create Context (at least 10 facts)

Note for ILIAD GROUP---It will help you understand The Iliad if you organize your character map by which characters are affiliated with the Greeks and which with Troy. Also, consider which are mortals and which are gods and goddesses.

Note for OEDIPUS GROUP----Your character chart will be shorter (less than 10 characters) and your plot is simpler, so I am going to ask you to do more with context. Check out these sites to learn more about Greek Theater and aim for 15-20 key facts:
The Origins of Theater
The First Plays
Types of Greek Drama

Classic Literature Choices

Choices, choices, choices-----
Here are some brief descriptions & lots of resources:

THE ILIAD BY HOMER

First published on a scroll in the 8th century BC, this is
the earliest known text of European literature.
In the mood for a war story? Want to take a closer look at a warrior's rage?

The Iliad on Shmoop
Characters in Iliad
Iliad Performance on YouTube
Virtual Iliad
Textbook
The Iliad On-Line
Free audio download of Iliad
Women in the Iliad
Iliad Game
Podcast on NPR comparing film Troy to Iliad


THE INFERNO BY DANTE
Written in the fourteenth century, this is part of a larger work, The Divine Comedy, in which the hero travels through hell, purgatory and heaven. The Inferno is the account of the hell tour. Many circles involved.
Feel drawn to hell imagery? This is the one for you.

The Inferno on Shmoop
The World of Dante--tons of good resources----
Textbook
Inferno On-Line
Danetworlds--a multi-media site
Inferno Webquest
Inferno Images
Hell--comparison among different cultures at Myth Encyclopedia
Compare to another hero in hell--The Myth of Sisyphus by Camus

OEDIPUS REX BY SOPHOCLES
An ancient Greek tragedy.
A plague hits the city. The king--Oedipus--must solve the riddle to lift the curse. Tragedy ensues. It's not pretty. Interested in issues of how much control each of us has over our own destiny? This is the play for you.

Short short version of Oedipus on YouTube
Oedipus on Shmoop
Greek Choral Reading
Oedipus lesson at PBS including Full & Reader's Theater version of Oedipus Rex
Textbook
Film of Oedipus Rex--(1984)

Looking Ahead to Classic Novels

Here are works of classic and near-classic world literature that can be used for your December project or paper. More details on this project will be forthcoming. If you know you're going to need some time to read your classic, I'd suggest you begin now with this as your book of choice. You could, if you like, read it once now, just to get the plot and big ideas, and reread selected sections later.

I'd also suggest that you use a bookmark to make notes--on characters, key quotes, pivotal scenes--anything which will help you understand the book--and might help you write about it later. If you already have a good idea of how you might want to do a creative project on your book talk to me. Then you can be more focused in your notes as you're reading. You will have the option, when the time comes, of doing individual or collaborative projects.

The essential first step here, after exploring these novels a bit, and writing brief summaries of five (this an in-class activity) will be to choose your book, figure out how you can get a copy, and begin reading. Need help finding one of these books? Talk to me. Having trouble choosing? Consider reading more than one.

SIGN UP SHEET IS HERE
(Sign up using first names only--or pen names.)

1984 by George Orwell
A dystopian novel published in 1949.
Deals in a more in-depth way with many of the issues raised in The Hunger Games--totalitarian regimes and how an individual can and might respond in the face of such.
Digital booktalk
1984 on Shmoop
1984 at Amazon

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
More than a movie with Keira Knightley, this classic novel published in the early 1800's was ahead of its time in looking at marriage and at issues between women and men. It's funny too.
A short booktalk
Short short summaries
Pride and Prejudice on Shmoop


Night by Elie Wiesel
This novel, based on Nobel Peace Prize Winner Elie Wiesel's experiences in a concentration camp, is a powerful classic read and appreciated by many sophomores in World Lit classes. I have multiple copies of this.
Elie Wiesel at NPR talking about the importance of bearing witness
Night at Amazon
Night on Shmoop
Digital booktalk


The Color Purple by Alice Walker
This novel, which focuses on African-American sisters in the 1930's received both the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award in 1982. Written as a series of letters, the topic of siblings is something I thought many of you might find appealing. Has some explicit content--and deals with tragic early circumstances--but ultimately is a about the healing and empowering potential in relationships.
Book review
The Color Purple on Shmoop

We Were the Mulvaneys by Joyce Carol Oates
Another well-written novel about family. Contemporary. The story of what happens when a happy family falls apart. Could tie in well with the Persephone myth.
Book review




Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
This novel, another excellent read, published in 1937, inspired Alice Walker's A Color Purple. It's a Great Read at the Forsyth County Library and the National Endowment for the Arts this fall. The public library has multiple copies.
The Big Read
Book Review
Their Eyes Were Watching God on Shmoop


Lord of the Flies by William Golding
Like Night, this is another classic novel often read in high school. And, like Night, its author is a Nobel Prize winner. Think of this as a kind of Survivor tale with British schoolboys stranded on an island. Not a pretty story.
Digital booktalk
Review
Lord of the Flies on Shmoop

Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan
Interested in issues between mothers and daughters? Interested in the importance of stories? This novel follows four Chinese women and their Chinese-American daughters through a series of lyrical and beautifully written short stories. It deals, among other things, with the importance of stories for passing on culture from one generation to another.
Joy Luck Club at Amazon

The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende
This popular and critically acclaimed novel, first published in 1982, follows three generations of a family in Chile. Combines politics, family, romance and magical realism.
Book Review
House of the Spirits at Amazon

Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
A gothic nineteenth century novel with strong chords of romance and the supernatural. Twilight lovers may find this one appealing.
Wuthering Heights on Shmoop
Text available online



Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
First published in 1985 in Spanish, it was later translated into English. This fourth novel, again by a Nobel Prize winner, contains, like House of the Spirits, elements of magical realism.
Love in the Time of Cholera at Amazon



Siddhartha by Herman Hesse
This is yet another novel often read in sophomore World Lit classes. It follows the inner spiritual journey of a young man in India who encounters the Buddha. A great choice if you're interested in spiritual quests. I have multiple copies.
Siddhartha on Shmoop



Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer
This is the only book on the list that's not a novel (though Night is based on a true story). First appearing as an article in Outside magazine, this narrative describes the inner and outer journey of a young man who went into the wilds of Alaska. Heartbreaking story. Beautifully written. Meshes beautifully with our study of hero's journey. I know at least one student in the class is choosing this one--has already chosen it.
Excerpt
Book summary
Into the Wild on Amazon

The Hero & Heroine Gallery

Hercules & Peter (final)

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Moses and Max- A Hero's Journey

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Jonah & Anakin Final

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Achilles & William Final

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Jamal & Odysseus

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Frodo & Perseus

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Sacrifice: A Hero's Call

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Odysseus & Gerald

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Reality or Myth

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Persephone & Sayuri

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Psyche & Noah

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Ender & Odysseus

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Psyche & Aerin

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Serenity

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A Time for Sharing

I'm thinking the best way to get these slide presentations in one place for presenting and viewing is to load them to a SlideShare account that I've created for our class. Even if you trust your flash drive I'd like you to upload them so I can review them on-line following your presentation. Thanks.

Here are the steps:

1. Go to Slideshare
2. Log in with the username and password for our class (same as blog)
3. Click on upload along the top of the page
4. Choose single upload
5. Upload your powerpoint----and there you have it---no flash drive worries--you can just go to this site during class and show the presentation from there. You will want to check and make sure that it transfers without any problems.

Transformation, Transformation, Transformation

While thinking about your hero or heroine's transformation, it might be nice to have a rich vocabulary for transformation.

Remember. It's not just about what they do--or what happens to them--it's also about how they are changing as all of this is happening--and how perhaps they are changing the world around them.

Consider these synonyms for transformation:

alteration, mutation, conversion, metamorphosis, transfiguration, transmutation, sea change; revolution, overhaul; remodeling, reshaping, redoing, reconstruction, rebuilding, reorganization, rearrangement, reworking, renewal, revamp, remaking, remake; transmogrification, morphing.

What Do These Two Have in Common?

&

The Model Rough Draft Slides on Dorothy & Odysseus for the Hero/Heroine Project can be found at my school website under Useful Documents. (I had trouble getting them to upload here.)

You can certainly go above and beyond the template/notes that I provide on the model draft, but this will give you a good basic outline from which to work.

Heroes and Heroines are Multiplying

We are beginning to choose our classic and contemporary heroes and heroines. Here's a sampling of which heroes and heroines made the cut.

• The Greek Guys: Herakles, Jason, Perseus, Odysseus, Achilles, and Prometheus
• The Greek Women--these are goddesses, actually, who live out a heroine's story: Persephone & Psyche
• The Biblical Guys: Moses & Jonah
• and, last but not least, the Brits: Arthur & Beowulf

Contemporary heroes and heroines really run the gamut--a wonderful diversity:

• Ender, of course
• Katniss from the Hunger Games, of course
• Jamal in Slumdog Millionaire
• Atticus in To Kill a Mockingbird
  
• Antwone Fisher in the movie of the same name and in the memoir, Finding Fish
• Frodo
• Anakin
• Luke Skywalker, maybe
• Elizabeth Bennett from Pride and Prejudice
  
• Emma, another Jane Austen heroine, maybe
• The Dark Knight, maybe
  
• Sayuri, in Memoirs of a Geisha
• Memphis Raines in Gone in Sixty Seconds (I feel better knowing now that he stole the cars to save his brother's life.)
• Annie, in The Invisible
• William, in A Knight's Tale
• Elaine, in Avalon High
  
• Someone in The Rocky Horror Picture Show
• And more . . .

A motley and wonderful cast-------let the voyage begin-------

HERO's JOURNEY--Early Thoughts and Questions

Some ideas that emerged from class as to what hero's journey is or could be:

A hero is involved.
And a journey.
The hero's journey might follow a story arc with opening, conflict, resolution and ending.
Becoming is involved--there's a journey to BECOME a hero.
Obstacles occur.
Also setbacks.
There will be death.
There will be traveling.

QUESTIONS that emerged about HERO'S JOURNEY:

WHAT IS IT?

CAN ANYONE GO ON A HERO'S JOURNEY?

WHEN WAS IT MADE?

WHAT TIME PERIOD DOES IT TAKE PLACE IN?

WHAT'S IT FOR?

I also think it's interesting what differences were observed among the heroes and heroines chosen by class members in small groups. Here are some of the observations about differences among the chosen heroes and heroines:

Fantasy vs. Real
Male vs. Female
Star (who needs glory) vs Hero who is humble
Sincere vs. Insincere
Humble vs. Conceited
General vs. Personal
Global vs. Personal
Famous vs. Ordinary
Heroes and Heroines from different time periods

Hero Journey Resources

Hero Journey Circle Graph

Hero Journey Powerpoint

Hero Journey Steps (summary of Campbell's stages)

Encyclopedia Mythica

Heroes at Mythweb

Paleothea: Women in Greek Myths

A video clip about Jason (via Discovery Channel)

Virtual Odyssey

Psychiatrist who uses Odyssey to counsel vets

He wrote Odysseus in America

Hero journey interactive

Choosing From the Thousand

As part of our study of heroes and heroines and their journeys, each of you will be choosing, among other things, one classic hero or heroine. You'll be tracing their quest or journey and recreating it in graphic form on a sheet of cardstock. Here's a list of possible heroes and heroines:

Herakles
Jason
Theseus
Perseus
Odysseus
Prometheus
Psyche
Persephone
Sisyphus
Percival [in textbook]
Prince Gautama (Buddha)
Jonah
David
Moses
Gilgamesh [in textbook]
Beowulf
The Handless Maiden

The goal here is no more than one or two people working on the same hero or heroine so we can all learn from these.

Another classic hero or heroine you'd like to choose? Talk to me.

Contemporary Films with Quests

We're talking all different kinds of quests.
Here's a selected list of films (including a few films which are not quite so contemporary).

Films need to be viewed by Monday, October 5.

2001: A Space Odyssey
A Knight's Tale
Antwone Fisher
Batman Begins
Bend it Like Beckham
(The) Chronicles of Narnia
Close Encounters of the Third Kind
(The) Color Purple
Contact
(The) Dark Knight
Erin Brokovich
E.T.
(The) Field of Dreams
Finding Forrester
(The) Fisher King
Ghandi
Harry Potter Series
Hoop Dreams
Hotel Rwanda
Hunchback of Notre Dame
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
Jane Eyre
Lion King
(The) Little Mermaid
Lord of the Rings
(The) Matrix Series
Memoirs of a Geisha
Mona Lisa's Smile
(The) Natural
North Country
O Brother Where Art Thou
(The) Shipping News
Slumdog Millionare
Spiderman
Stardust
Star Wars Series
Thelma and Louise
Their Eyes Were Watching God
To Sir With Love
Whale Rider
(The) Wizard of Oz

How to Begin?

If we're going to correspond with these authors, rather than just compliment, and if we're going to synthesize rather than just summarize, it helps, I think, to begin with a seed of a connection to the literary work.

Here are some of the seeds that emerged in class:

• Katniss volunteering in her sister's place to enter the games--all the sibling connections one could make to that choice
• Finding a character to relate to---similarities or differences!
• A moment of being ridiculed---like Ender
• A feeling of desperation--like the feeling in The Hunger Games
• A feeling towards the government---like the characters feel in The Hunger Games
• Violence as entertainment---like in The Hunger Games
• Katniss and her mother----parent relationships---
• Being without something---like Katniss is without food in The Hunger Games
• Censorship---how on television we may only be seeing part of the true story---a connection again to The Hunger Games

Could one of these work for you?
What other connections can you make?

And remember we've also got the ideas we pooled from the model letters.

A Reading Plan. Got One?

This semester we'll be reading books together--at least two or three. You'll also continue to have choices with your reading. In the next week you need to begin putting together your own reading plan--what books you want to read--both for fun and as sources of writing topics (which might also be fun). Your reading plan will be due Friday, September 25th but you can begin working on it now.

Also, and looking ahead, begin thinking about the best ways to use writing with the books of choice that you're reading. Book reviews for the blog? Brief essays on topics of interest? Collaborative projects? Letters to your author? Rewriting endings? Poetry or stories inspired by your book? Be thinking about these kinds of writing ideas as you choose your books.

Do you already have a reading plan?
Where do you begin if you don't? Here are a few places to start:

Our Blog. Of course! See what other people in the class are reading. Add books that sound intriguing to your own to-read list. (Click in the upper right corner of this blog to connect to the class blog, Until To Morrow.)

Amazon. You can enter a book you love into Amazon and then scroll down. Check out "Customers Who Also Bought this Book Bought . . ." Or check out Listmania at the very bottom of the page for more ideas.

LibraryThing Is it the world's largest book club? Well, according to their front page it is.
This is one of my favorite sites. You can catalog your books, make wish lists, join groups, see what others think of books. Well, you can do all sorts of things. Excellent resource. Easy to join. You can turn in your book plan as pages printed from LibraryThing if you wish.

Media Center at the Career Center
The Media Center Coordinator has started a small book blog with favorites of the folks who frequent the Media Center just down the road. She's kicking off the year by introducing a fantasy series by Melissa Marr. (Anyone familiar with her?)

Best Books for Young Adults at the American Library Association Site. These are catalogued by year.

Also, any of the sites for book reviews below can be good sites for finding books.

Other places you go to find good books? Email me or write them in the comments here and I'll add them to the list.

Note: check this NYT article out. The Future of Reading? Looks like we're in good company---

What's in a Letter?

Or what could be in a letter? Inspired by the Letters About Literature Contest sponsored by the Library of Congress, we're going to be writing letters to authors Orson Scott Card and Suzanne Collins about the books we've just finished.

Today we looked at some winning letters from previous years and began pooling wisdom about what makes, or could make, a winning or inspired letter.

From the Pool:

• Successful letter writers relate their life to the work of literature--for instance, telling a story about a father--or about health issues.
• Writers write about experiences of personal growth--not just saying they grew but describing actual moments that reflect growth.
• Writers use strong visualization such as a detailed passage about a leg fracture (the right amount of detail).
• Writes use relevant quotes from the book.
• Writers describe an emotional response to the work of literature.
• Writers stay on topic.

This is a great start. We will continue to work on these in class. This batch with Mr. Card and Ms. Collins will be followed later in the semester by letters to an author of choice. And remember, hard work could pay off--literally. Look for actual prize amounts here.

Need a Point?

Make a comment here on this blog, Read, Write and Create, by Tuesday, September 15 at 8 AM and then email me that you've done so--and there you have it--an extra point added to your book review.

Also of note: I just remembered I need to sign out of Until To Morrow so others will be able to post. Oops. So----if you sign in, remember to sign back out, thus making room for someone else to take a turn. Thanks.

What Blog Doing?

The blog is beginning. We have a name which was chosen by a majority: Until To Morrow. (Yes, there were a few dissenters, but you will have other ways to make your voice heard.) So, we have a name. And we have working groups. Editing is busy editing the book reviews, getting some nice organization in place. Design is making us beautiful and helping sort work into genres. The visual group is figuring out what photos, sketches and such will add visual interest. Our managers today have begun their management and discovery tasks. And, last but not least, our tech group is helping us figure out all things technological as well as troubleshooting for us.

We're starting with each class member posting a book review, but who knows where we could go after that.

Got a great idea? Tell the Managers. They're coordinating the big picture.

Which Game Will You Choose?

As an introduction to a unit we're going to begin on Classic Heroes and Heroines and Contemporary Characters, each of you will get to choose one of two contemporary novels: either The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins or Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card. Great reads, both of them.

Need help making a decision? Check these out-----

Suzanne Collins' website
Her brand new book, the sequel to Hunger Games, is out this week and is getting a lot of attention, including an interview at NPR. But maybe wait to listen to that one--I haven't heard it yet, but I suspect it may contain a spoiler for the first book.

A page of sites on Ender's Game and Orson Scott Card
Lots of interesting links. And on the sidebar of the page above, check out "Before You Read"--a short persuasive piece on Ender's Game. (Interesting to notice what strategies he uses here for persuasion.)

And here are the videos we looked at in class:
Suzanne Collins talking about her classical and contemporary inspirations for The Hunger Games series

Ender's Game fan trailer on YouTube
As noted by more than one Ender fan in this class, the novel is more character-driven and psychological than comes across in this particular fan trailer. (You do not need to love battles to enjoy this book.)

Ender's Game, the Graphic Novel on YouTube

Can't make a decision? No worries. Pick both. Read one book now and choose the other one later for a choice book.

Come across more good sites? Email me or leave a comment here.

Need Help with Smushes (or Comma Splices)?

Here's a great site for help with all kinds of issues with writing--commas and just about everything else. It's called OWL--the online writing lab--and it is based at Purdue University. These are good basic recommendations for college writing. Everything you want to know and more.

Here's the comma page from OWL that we will look at in class.

And here's Grammar Bytes. (The Chomp Chomp site.)

Disclosure: Smush is a kind of made-up word (from the verb smush) which is descriptive but may not be found in handbooks. Handbooks will call these commas splices.

About Book Reviews

To summarize the pool of wisdom we developed in class, here are some features of a good book review to consider including in your own review:

• YOUR OPINION with supporting evidence
• CONTEXT---give us some background on your book
• JUST ENOUGH SUMMARY----not too much/not too brief---(how much is just right?)
• Give some VISUAL DETAILS to help your reader see.

Other things to keep in mind from the pool:

• Keep it interesting.
• Appeal to your reader--in this case the class. Remember. You'll be posting this book review for others in the class to read on our class blog.
• Make connections, if you can, to books and movies you think your audience already knows and likes.

And here are some places to find reviews: four sites with lots of book reviews that can be used as models. If you find another source you like, email me or write it in the comments here and I'll add it to the list.

Amazon, of course

New York Times Books

Los Angeles Times Books

Washington Post Books

And more---------(thanks)---
Barnes and Noble

A Sampling of Web Resources for the English Language Arts Classroom

I. POETRY RESOURCES
Poetry Out Loud
On-line texts of poems especially well-suited for performing out loud.

Poets.org
Academy of American Poets site----lots of resources here--
including poem texts, profiles of poets, and a nifty way to create and share poetry books or anthologies on-line

Poetry Resources for Teens---at Poets.org

How to Read a Poem

Brave New Voices
first episode

Youth Speaks

Poem a Day
180 on-line poem texts created especially for American high schools by Billy Collins, the poet laureate from 2001-2003

Classic Poetry Aloud
Audio versions of classic poems.
This page links to "If" by Rudyard Kipling
Most recent audio poems are available free on iTunes

Favorite Poem Project
Video-documentaries of people reciting favorite poems w/ connections to their lives

II. READING RESOURCES--BOOKS
LibraryThing
Create a catalog of your books on-line. Books you've read. Books you want to read. Easy and attractive way to keep track of reading.

YALSA (Young Adult Library Services Association)
Lists, lists, and more lists of books for young adults.
This particular page links to 86 books selected as best books for young adults in 2009

World of Reading
Book reviews by youth. Extensive data base. Can search by book. Sponsored by the Ann Arbor Public Library.

North Carolina Digital Library
Dowloadable audio ebooks

Gutenberg: The Audio Books Project
Free audio ebooks. Can search by title or subject.
example: download Metamorphosis by Kafka to iTunes

LibriVox
Downloadable audio ebooks in the public domain
(The link above links to Homer's Odyssey)

Manybooks.Net
Free ebooks and audio books for download---more than 23,000

III. WRITING RESOURCES
Visuwords
Online graphical dictionary

Online Etymology Dictionary
Word origins

Multigenre Writing
Extensive resources + annotated bibliography

OWL
Online writing lab at purdue

George Mason Writing Resource Center
Another site for writing resources----large number of handouts and links

IV. MYTHOLOGY RESOURCES

What is mythology?

Encyclopedia Mythica

Mythweb

Paleothea: Women in Greek Myths

Your journey through the Odyssey: A Project

Virtual Odyssey

Psychiatrist who uses Odyssey to counsel vets

He wrote Odysseus in America

Web english teacher resources

Hero journey interactive

V. RESOURCES ON USING IPODS
The iPod Experience at Brandeis University

K12 iPod Wiki

iPods in Education
At Learning in Hand

Student Podcasts
from the Nebraska Writing Project. w/ article about the Nebraska Writing Project experience

VI. ORGANIZATION
Evernote