Satire blog pt II

The Onion is a website (so it's italicized!) dedicated to writing satirical news articles (whose titles are in quotation marks!). Satire, irony, sarcasm... it's relevant in our culture. It appeals to our humors. Read this article that I think you will find is quite relevant to you. Analyze its satirical elements as you read it.

http://www.theonion.com/articles/girl-moved-to-tears-by-of-mice-and-men-cliffs-note,2029/

Then I want you to accomplish the following:

I. Compose a thesis (http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/545/1/)

II. Write a 2-3 sentence introduction.

III. Identify the elements of satire within the article (irony, sarcasm, paradox, etc.). Then choose one of these elements to focus on. Hone in on 2-3 pieces of evidence (words, phrases or sentences) within the text that utilizes your chosen element. Quote the evidence and explain how the author uses satire to make her point. This will be one paragraph.

IV. Write a 1-2 sentence conclusion that does not merely repeat your introduction. 

This, in effect, should be a miniature timed writing/analytic essay. It will have a brief introduction with a thesis, one analytic body paragraph, and a brief conclusion (there is no minimum word count...focus on your content here). Easy peesy!

THIS BLOG IS DUE NO LATER THAN 8AM TOMORROW, FRIDAY AUGUST 24

literary devices: speaking of tone...

SATIRE: Satire is primarily a literary genre or form, although in practice it can also be found in the graphic and performing arts. In satire, vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, ideally with the intent of shaming individuals, and society itself, into improvement. Although satire is usually meant to be funny, its greater purpose is often constructive social criticism, using wit as a weapon. (Wikipedia)

One of my absolute favorite devices used in literature is SATIRE. My appreciation for dry and witty humor runs deep in my literary soul. I find that satire is especially ubiquitous (<--look it up!) in our American entertainment culture. Find a current piece of satire (a song, a YouTube video, a show/show clip, a comic, a meme, a website article, etc.). If nothing comes to mind, just trying Googling or YouTubing "satire." As always, make this school appropriate. Post your piece (or a link to your piece) of satire on this blog post. THEN, in ~150+ words, explain your satire. What is it literally? What is it satirizing? What specific elements clue you in to the fact that this is satirical? What is the effect on you, the reader/viewer? 

literary devices: on tone

Read this pericope (<--- look this word up!) from Edgar Allan Poe's "The Tell-Tale Heart" (1843). 

As you read, think about the narrator's mood. How do you react to the reading? How does it make you feel? What words or images does it bring to mind? Then identify one or two tone words that most accurately depict this piece (here are some tone words: http://valenciacollege.edu/east/academicsuccess/eap/documents/tonewords.pdf).

After you identify the tone, tell me specifically what diction and imagery (quote evidence from the text... no need to cite) enforces this tone. BE SPECIFIC. The passage makes you feel the way you feel for a reason. Identify those reasons.

Your post should be 100-200 words.

"Now this is the point. You fancy me mad. Madmen know nothing. But you should have seen me. You should have seen how wisely I proceeded --with what caution --with what foresight --with what dissimulation I went to work! I was never kinder to the old man than during the whole week before I killed him. And every night, about midnight, I turned the latch of his door and opened it --oh so gently! And then, when I had made an opening sufficient for my head, I put in a dark lantern, all closed, closed, that no light shone out, and then I thrust in my head. Oh, you would have laughed to see how cunningly I thrust it in! I moved it slowly --very, very slowly, so that I might not disturb the old man's sleep. It took me an hour to place my whole head within the opening so far that I could see him as he lay upon his bed. Ha! would a madman have been so wise as this, And then, when my head was well in the room, I undid the lantern cautiously-oh, so cautiously --cautiously (for the hinges creaked) --I undid it just so much that a single thin ray fell upon the vulture eye. And this I did for seven long nights --every night just at midnight --but I found the eye always closed; and so it was impossible to do the work; for it was not the old man who vexed me, but his Evil Eye. And every morning, when the day broke, I went boldly into the chamber, and spoke courageously to him, calling him by name in a hearty tone, and inquiring how he has passed the night. So you see he would have been a very profound old man, indeed, to suspect that every night, just at twelve, I looked in upon him while he slept."

REMEMBER THIS BLOG IS DUE TOMORROW, WEDNESDAY AUGUST 15 BY 8AM.

a note on annotations

Hey guys!


Though I'm not looking forward to summer drawing to a close, I am excited about having you in AP this year. I'm looking to try some new and creative things this year, so I think we're going to have a good yet challenging time. 


Anyway, I just wanted to clarify my expectations for your annotations:


Yes, you need to annotate each of your books.
However. This need not be a complicated process. All I ask is that you highlight and mark important quotes/sections of your books.
Chances are, you'll forget parts of the books by the time we get to discussing them the first few weeks of school. Marking your books as you read them will help you to interact with the text and to give you places to look back at as we're discussing in class. It makes life easier for everyone. You don't need to mark literary devices or anything. You don't even need to write many notes. If you have a question about a part of the book, place a question mark by it. If you thought something was funny, go ahead and write "lol" or "haha." If you thought something was ironic, write "ironic." 


Don't make annotating any harder than it has to be--it should be a natural interaction of your mind with your reading. It's a practice that we'll be doing all school-year long, so pick up your favorite color highlighter and get to reading with your highlighter in hand!


Make the most of your last few weeks of school and please post on here or email me if you have any questions! (and don't forget about your movie assignment for How To Read Literature Like a Professor.)

*extra credit only post*

This post is for extra credit only. You may not respond to this question to fulfill one of your assigned 4 questions per novel. You may only receive extra credit for this question if you have already responded to 4 questions for The Great Gatsby and 4 questions for The Importance of Being Earnest. 


How to Read Literature Like a Professor discusses the significance of meals in literature and film. Identify one or more meal/food scene in your summer reading and, using Foster's theories, analyze the significance of food in the scene(s). Refer to specific places in the text and cite the scenes/quotations, using page numbers.


Responses should still be 250+ words. You may choose to answer this question using one or both of your summer reading texts. If you choose to respond to both The Great Gatsby and The Importance of Being Earnest, respond to them in separate posts and identify which you're responding to. 

Question Five: The Importance of Being Earnest

The Importance of Being Earnest: on the play

The play format differs greatly from a novel format. However, you're reading the play instead of seeing it performed as it is meant to be. How does a play differ from a novel? How does reading the play affect, both positively and negatively, your experience with this piece of literature? If you've seen this play performed, how did your experience with being a spectator differ from your experience with reading it? 

You will respond to this question by leaving a comment on this post. 

Responses should be at least 250 words each.

Remember: you must respond to at least 4 questions per novel. 

Extra credit will be awarded if you respond to more than 4 questions.

*and remember, this is a blog--write with good English and use your inner intellectual, but speak casually!

Question Four: The Importance of Being Earnest

The Importance of Being Earnest: on wit

You'll notice that Wilde's writing (and not only this play... all of his writing) is absolutely dripping with wit, irony, puns, and sarcasm. How does this affect the play and how does it affect your reading of it? Think back (if you were on the field trip to see this play at the Orlando Shakespeare Theater last fall) to when you saw the play--what reactions did you have to the witty dialogue when the play was actually performed? How does this differ from your reading of the work? How would the play be different without this element? Consider these questions as you express your feelings about Wilde's witty writing (alliteration, anyone?) style.

You will respond to this question by leaving a comment on this post. 

Responses should be at least 250 words each.

Remember: you must respond to at least 4 questions per novel. 

Extra credit will be awarded if you respond to more than 4 questions.

*and remember, this is a blog--write with good English and use your inner intellectual, but speak casually!