Twelfth Night Worksheet

I have had a few questions about the handout from yesterday.

It is basically a worksheet to guide you in collecting information about the play. You can't complete it all because we haven't read the whole play yet.

You are to locate definitions for the terms listed at the bottom (exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution) and also do a bit of research to find out what you can learn about the five-act play structure. You can find this in your textbook and also online.

You are to fill it out as much as you can (only exposition and rising action on the plot diagram) with what we were assigned to read. We will use that to lead discussion and participate in lecture in class on Thursday this week.

In class on Thursday last week, I assigned reading Act I and Act II (this includes all scenes in Act I and Act II). I have not assigned any further reading beyond that. DO NOT COME TO CLASS WITHOUT READING ACT I AND II.

Test Questions - Important

You cannot do questions #3, #5, and #14 cannot be completed because those items have been taken off your reading list. Please do not attempt these questions! Thank you!

NCLive Remote Password

When on campus or in a public library, you do not need a password to access the databases in NCLive. To access it from home, however, you will need to select your institution and enter its password.

When you have selected Gaston College as your institution, enter the word buckhear as the password. The password is good until the end of the fall semester (December 2012). A new one will be issued in the beginning of the spring semester. If you forget the password, cards with the login information can be obtained at the campus library or the Writing Center.

Conferences with Walker

If any of my wonderful Early College students signed up for conferences with Mrs. Walker on Monday or Tuesday next week, please see her to reschedule since those dates are fall break days. Thank you!

Class Recap and Homework for 10/4

Class Recap:

• In class today, we discussed pronunciation of Middle English vowels and consonants. Get class notes from a friend if you were absent so that you have the guide for this. Alternatively, you may search online for a ME pronunciation guide and find many audio clips to listen to as examples. 
• We read (orally) the first 50ish lines of "The General Prologue." If you are unsure of which lines you have been assigned, look for a blog posting later today that has everyone's name and the lines for which he/she is responsible. The oral reading of these lines counts as a class participation grade. You are not graded on accuracy, but participation and effort. It is an important part of the class to work with literature in the original texts.
• We discussed the structure of The Canterbury Tales. We also learned the meanings of some new words: "pilgrim," "misogynist/misogyny," and "experience" (ME contexts for all). Important - know the difference between the prologue of each character/speaker and his or her tale. 
• Homework reading assigned (Read before class next Thursday) - "The Wife of Bath's Prologue" and "The Wife of Bath's Tale." Try to gloss over these without assistance on the first reading. Use the footnotes and annotations in the text only. Once you have done this, you may then use NCLive to access an e-book (downloadable) to hear the texts read out loud, if you feel that would assist your reading and comprehension. You may also consult sites like enotes.com and www.sparknotes.com to find summaries and "modern translations" that will help you understand the reading. PLEASE, PLEASE, PUH-LEASE try to read these first before you use any aids.
• After lecture/class, we went to the computer lab to finish final edits on Short Essay #1. I gave out grading rubrics to show how the essays would be graded. I accepted any papers that were completed at the end of class. THE DUE DATE FOR THE FINAL COPY OF YOUR REVISED PAPER IS OCTOBER 11TH. Make sure you have turned in the essay by this date.
• The due date for your essay test is TUESDAY, OCTOBER 16TH. By this time, we will have covered the "Wife of Bath" and Chaucer enough for you to have completed the test. 
• You should have all of your grades back no later than Thursday, 10/18 so that you have an average.
• Please e-mail Ms. O with questions. Remember, NO CLASS ON TUESDAY, OCTOBER 9TH due to student/faculty fall break. :) Enjoy! Also, please continue to check the blog for updates and helpful hints.

Class Recap from 10/2/12

Homework was to revise introduction. Copy and paste your introduction into a new Word document. Have two classmates proofread for you. E-mail it to me after it has been proofread twice.
 

·      Next, work on making revisions from the copy that Ms. O gave back to you. Correct everything marked as best as you can. Work on this throughout the class period. If you finish typing your corrections, you may go to the Writing Center to have a coach proofread your work with you. If you go to the WC, please get a blue sheet.

For next class on 10/4: We are coming to the computer lab. Bring your paper (it could be in a finished state, or not). We will take a few minutes to work on the computer and print revised copies if needed, and then we will move on to Chaucer, so please bring your book.

When to Use Ellipsis Dots (...)

Notes on Formatting Blocked Quotes

How to Format a Blocked Quote - Screen Shot

Recap from Class on 9/27/12

We had class in the computer lab today so that we could revise our first papers. The essays had some great ideas and wonderful interpretations! I do think there are some areas, as a class, that we can improve upon through revision, so that's what we're going to do. The paper hasn't been assigned a formal "grade," yet, but will be after revision. I will give you a copy of the rubric in class so that you can see where points come from. Today, we focused on revising only the introductions to the essays. I have posted the lecture notes that I displayed on the overhead. If you have questions, please ask me or ask a classmate. The assignment for today was to revise ONLY the introduction to your essay. If you need to pick up your graded essay, you may pick it up from the Writing Center by asking at the front desk during business hours (7:30 a.m - 9:00 p.m. M-Th and 7:30 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. on Fridays). I will see you in class on Thursday, and we will meet in the computer lab on the first floor of RCB, room 127. Please bring your essay, handouts from class regarding revision and citation, a Wadsworth Handbook if you still have one, and also a jump drive or log-in for your e-mail so you have a way to save your work. Let me know if you have any questions. I look forward to helping you revise your papers.

Lecture Notes from 9/27 Lab Day

·    Academic Writing:

·    Do not state the obvious.

·     Do not retell the story.

·     Do not use first or second person.

·     Do not use slang.

·     Do not use an empty sentence as the opener to the paper.

Thesis Statement: Claim or argument that controls the essay. Must be a debatable point. Must convey an opinion. MUST MAKE A POINT.

è Be as specific as possible.

è Form + Content = Meaning

“The Dream of the Rood” is a dream vision poem. The poem shows that God is a strong, heroic, warrior-like figure who is capable of saving mankind. =

 

This dream-vision poem presents a heroic God in a prophetical, mystical way that appeals to the values brotherhood and unity that defined Anglo-Saxon culture.

Don’t tell what happens. Tell what you think about what happens.

Introduction to a Literary Analysis Essay

è Effective opening sentence. Do not state the obvious. Do not be boring. It happens with old literature.

è Background is necessary. Context is necessary. Don’t leave either of them out.

è 2 sentence summary – hit the highlights.

è Historical/literary context

o Date (estimation)

o Author (unknown/anonymous)

o What’s goin’ on?

o Relate these things. So what?

Work towards a point.

       1-2 sentences

*The best thesis in the world is the one that makes a point. And it’s your point.

è Do not open with a quote. (lit is okay)

è Do not piggyback quotes. (dropped quotes)

è Leave out first and second person (I, me, my, you, your, you’re)

è “one” à the reader – he/she, his/her

Extra Credit Opportunity

Extra Credit Opportunity for ENG 241 Students: Attend this event for points to be added to Take-Home Test #1. Ask for a Blue Sheet from any Writing Coach. More points to be added if you read something, preferably from our textbook (Shakespeare's sonnets are always a hit!)

The Writing Center invites the campus community to attend Poetry Viva Voce, our monthly open-mic event, on Thursday, 9/27 at 6:00 p.m. in RCB 236. Our featured reader this month is Mike Farmer, who serves as an adjunct English Instructor in the Department of Arts and Communications. A drama enthusiast, he has several years of performing experience, including work with The Shenandoah Shakespeare (now The American Shakespeare Center).  The event is free and open to the public, and everyone is encouraged to participate, either by sharing an original work or reading a piece by a favorite author. 

Assignment for 9/25/12 Class

I will be out today due to illness. Please sign the roll sheet that Ms. Jordan from the Dean's Office will bring up to the classroom. Your assignment is as follows:

• Make sure you have read the entire General Prologue to The Canterbury Tales. 
• "Translate" the lines you were assigned for oral reading as best as you can into PDE (Present Day English) without using any help. This is not graded! This is just practice, so no worries if it isn't perfect! This is just like what we did with the recipe for the marzipan - just try to re-word it in modern speech as closely as you can without using any help except for footnotes provided in your text. Write your "translation" in your class notes.
• "Card" the General Prologue as we have done other texts in class.
•  Find Chaucer's death date and list it on your timeline, as well as the date for The Canterbury Tales. 
• Skim read "The Pardoner's Tale" and "The Wife of Bath's Tale" and identify any examples of cap-a-pie that you can find. Read "The Wife of Bath's Tale" carefully for general understanding of plot. If you need to, you may use plot summarizes to support your reading but PLEASE read through the tale on your own first. Even if you struggle to understand, it is important that you push yourself through and read each word. It won't kill you - it will only make you stronger!
• I will see you in class on Thursday and hand your papers back.
• Feel free to e-mail me with any questions that you may have.

Test #1 Due Date

I did not put a due date on Take-Home Test 1, and that seems to have caused some confusion. My apologizes! Because this is a take-home test that requires written responses, as I mentioned in class, I would be giving you adequate time to work on completing it. The test will be due on October 4th. Please let me know if you have any questions.

Reminder

Lobby of the Hilton Portland, where Ms. O will be staying this week. 

I will be in Portland, OR from Wednesday, 9/19 through Sunday, 9/23. I will still have access to my GC e-mail and will be checking the blog daily. Feel free to send any questions to me by e-mail or post them as a comment here on the blog. I will try to post some pictures from my trip - one of the places I am going is Powell's City of Books, the world's largest bookstore, which occupies a whole city block! The store specializes in rare and out-of-print books, so who knows what I may find there.

Tuesday this week we will begin our study of Chaucer and will prepare for oral reading of The General Prologue to The Canterbury Tales. We will also view some of the other tales, including The Wife of Bath's Tale and The Pardoner's Tale.

On Thursday, a writing coach will visit our classroom and show you the documentary film In Search of the Holy Grail. Please take good notes while watching this film as you will be able to use them on your Take-Home Exam #1 and for Short Essay #2. On this day, you will receive copies of your take-home exam as well as some assigned homework reading, a handout titled "Medieval Literature: Chaucer and the Alliterative Tradition." You should read this handout prior to class next Tuesday, 9/25.

Papers due next class!

Your papers are due 9/13 (Paper 1: OE). Please print them BEFORE class and turn them in inside a folder labeled with your name and our class name. Please, no large binders, and do not worry about stapling your papers. A simple, two-pocket folder (no prongs) is good.

How to Cite Textbook

Thank you for this example, Cassi! Here is a quick snapshot of how to cite our textbook for your first paper. Remember to enclose "Dream of the Rood" and "The Wanderer" in quotation marks (with period inside the quotation marks) and italicize Beowulf since it is a long poem. The title of the textbook should be in italics. I forgot, in class, to indicate putting the page number at the end (page numbers of the text you used). If you write on both "Rood" and "Wanderer," you must include a citation for both. Yes, go ahead and groan- it won't kill you, but it will make you stronger! ;)

Homework Assigned 9/4

No reading assigned - make sure you have paper topics (either from your e-mail or from this site). Choose ONE of the three topics and begin planning your essay. Read the guidelines and instructions thoroughly. Essays are due 9/13 (next Thursday).

In class on Thursday, we will discuss Sir Gawain & The Green Knight and continue reading orally in class.

Have a great day!

Overhead Notes from 9/4

You have three minutes.

Take out a blank sheet of paper in notes.

This is not a quiz. Or a test. Or anything bad. ;)

You have three minutes – list everything you know about King Arthur/or the Arthurian legend. Go!

·       He was a kingà Artorius, 5^th C. king of the Britons (Brunanburgh) uniting the Angles, Saxons, and Jutes

·       Legend – he pulled the sword from the stone. He was the only one who could do it! Fated to become king.

·       Merlin (wizard/magician/sorcerer) à Druid, advisor to Arthur

·       Arthur is betrayed by Lancelot (Knight of the Round Table)à known as “the knight of the cart”

·       The round table? No one at the head of the table. Everyone is equal when they sit down together.

o  MEDIEVAL ESTATE

§  Men who work

§  Men who fight

§  Men who pray

Guinevere  - “gentle queen”

Arthur is symbolic of Christ.

EPIC and ROMANCE

Links to Important Speeches in Beowulf

Read for class on 9/11. These are in your textbook, but here are online links for easier access/viewing of isolated passages:

• Beowulf, II. The Hall Heorot
• Beowulf, V. The Errand
• Beowulf, VIII. Hrothgar Tells of Grendel
• Beowulf, VII. Hrothgar's Welcome
• Beowulf, III. Grendel's Visits

Short Paper Assignment Due 9/13

ENG 241 D01/Osborne                                                              Short Paper 1 Topics

DUE DATE: 9/13

Choose one of the following topics and develop a 3-4 page essay in MLA format. Please submit your essay in a folder labeled with your name and the class name. Do not staple your essay; a cover page is not necessary. The essay should utilize quotations from the literature and any research or secondary sources should be cited accordingly. Do not use Wikipedia as a source, ever. Plagiarized essays will receive a grade of zero.

*Extra credit opportunity: Take a draft of your essay to the Writing Center and receive a “proof of attendance form” (blue sheet) or submit your essay online (proof of attendance automatically generated to instructor) and you will get 5 extra credit points added to your essay grade. Submission instructions and Writing Center information were provided during class presentation.

Topic Choices:

1.  Given what you know about Anglo-Saxon society, explain how “The Dream of the Rood” could have functioned as a successful conversion tool. In particular, how does the verse form/poetic genre influence its success?

2. Compare and contrast “The Wanderer” with “The Dream of the Rood.” Discuss the poet’s tone, the treatment of the afterlife, and the depiction of God in both poems as part of your analysis. Other attributes may be examined, as well. (A review of the poems in the original text and any linguistic observations you might include would take this assignment to the next level for anyone considering further study in English as a major. I would be happy to guide/assist in this type of study!)

3. Considering any of the passages excerpted from Beowulf that we studied in lecture, select one to analyze as a representative component of epic poetry. In other words, how does this particular passage exemplify the epic genre? Your analysis should consider the relationship of the passage you chose to the poem as a whole.