Beowulf: on the quest

After re-reading (and yes, I do expect you to actually re-read it) chapter one of How to Read Literature Like a Professor, list the five things involved in a quest. Choose a quest you've read about in a book or seen in a movie and identify those five elements of that quest. Each explanation should be approximately 2-5 sentences (remember, length is not so much important as getting your full point across is).

This blog is due no later than 8am Monday. I suggest doing this before reading Beowulf. Here is the rest of your homework for the weekend, in case you didn't see it on the fb page. 


Homework over the weekend:

1. DO THIS FIRST: Reread How to Read Literature Like a Professor. Respond to SHORT blog.

2. Read AND ANNOTATE Beowulf lines 1-300 (page 3-21). 
Pay special attention to kennings, caesura, characteristics of the Anglo-Saxon man, traits of an epic hero, elements of epic poetry, themes we discussed in class, etc.

3. Study your epic vocabulary. Be prepared for a quiz.

I know this seems like a lot of work for the weekend, but if you really look at it, this should take an hour at most. Being prepared on Monday will allow for us to have a fuller and more informed discussion on Monday. SO PLEASE, for my sake and the sake of your classmates, come prepared to class on Monday! Don't procrastinate on this and you may actually find it enjoyable.

Beowulf: on names

In the preface to Beowulf (between the introduction and the beginning of the poem), there is a page entitled A Note on Names. Read this page carefully. Then, loosely using the rules of Anglo-Saxon compound names, create your own compound name that accurately describes you. For example, I could be Knowledge-bestower, Grade-inflicter, or Language-informer. Or, if I really wanted to get creative, I could make my name even sound Old English. 

The student with the most authentic and creative Anglo-Saxon name gets a blog pass! 
Post your name on this blog with a brief (1-3 sentence) explanation of why this name describes you.

YOU MAY NOT USE A BLOG PASS ON THIS BLOG.
This blog is due ABSOLUTELY NO LATER THAN 8am Friday, September 28.

on scholarships: week II

Zinch.com posts a weekly $1000 scholarship for a 2-3 sentence essay responding to a given topic (a different topic each week). 

Go to the website: http://www.zinch.com/scholarships/weekly
You can look at the past winners there to get an idea of what they like.
Write your 2-3 sentence essay.
Post it on here by 8am, Monday.
Submit your "essay" on the website by October 1 to see if you can win a thousand bucks!

poetry: on autumn

This blog is two parts. Make sure you do both things!

1. The poem "The Exam" by Joyce Sutphen introduces the season of fall. I found this poem appropriate seeing as how this weekend brought the first days of fall. In a short paragraph, discuss the picture she paints of this season. What are her feelings toward it? What images are created in your mind? What associations does she make with the season? At the end of your paragraph, identify the tone of this poem (e.g., tone: reminiscent).

2. Then, write your own poem. What are your feelings toward fall? What associations do you make with this season? In mimicking Sutphen, introduce the poem with your picture of what fall looks like to you, then reveal what fall means to you (i.e., for Sutphen, fall is associated with fall classes, school, taking exams, her parents' marriage and anniversary...).

This blog is due tomorrow, Wednesday September 26 by 8am.

on scholarships

Zinch.com posts a weekly $1000 scholarship for a 2-3 sentence essay responding to a given topic (a different topic each week). I'd like for you guys to try this scholarship every week! The deadlines are on Mondays. 

Go to the website: http://www.zinch.com/scholarships/weekly
You can look at the past winners there to get an idea of what they like.
Write your 2-3 sentence essay.
Post it on here by 8am, Monday.
Submit your "essay" on the website by September 24 to see if you can win a thousand bucks!

On writing

It's no secret that I like to do a rather significant amount of writing practice in English class. This is not to inflict torture in writing form upon you; rather, I'm training each of you to become better writers. This is a good thing, believe it or not. You cannot become a better writer if you don't write. So we write.

Reflect on your own writing--your attitudes toward it, your style, your positive and negative experiences with writing. What are your strengths? What are your weaknesses? After considering this, I just want you to write reflectively about how you would like to grow as a writer this year. Yes, this is technically an assignment, but I really want you to  consider this. This goes beyond me merely assigning things for grades. Set goals for yourself now so that, come May, you can look back on this year as more than a year you survived, but as a year that you took advantage of having the opportunity to get a good education. 

There is no word limit for this blog--you will be graded according to the thoughtfulness of your response.

Due tomorrow, Wednesday, by 8am!

PS your last timed writings (from last week) really did improve across the board. What an encouragement!

College applications: on essays

Register for the school website of one of the colleges you are applying to. After beginning the application process, look for the essay prompt required for your school. Post that prompt on here. This will be the essay you are writing for my class! So pick a good one.

If you do not post a prompt by Thursday, you will be assigned a generic college essay prompt that may not actually be useful for you as you apply to your school of choice.

DUE THURSDAY 9/6