Welcome to English 10

Ms. Russo 2014-2015

Unit 1:  POWER & THE AMERICAN DREAM

identifying, evaluating and navigating power structures in society on the path to your dreams

Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck (whole class)

Unit 2:  ORDER vs. FREEDOM examining social structures and inherent contradictions as

they impact the individual and the communityThe Crucible by Arthur Miller (whole class)

Culminating Text: A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry / The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros (online blog in small groups)

American Literature: an overview of English 10

 Unit 3:  CULTIVATING IDENTITY: THE JOURNEY TO

SELF-DISCOVERY looking at myself now; exploring the coming-of-age process so I have a

stronger awareness of where I want to go in the futureThe Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger & America by ER Frank (split class literature circles)

Unit 4: AMERICA: PAST, PRESENT & FUTURE with a stronger understanding of myself and of society, how can I be an

agent of change?To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

~Also, throughout the year, we will read and study other short texts including works of nonfiction, poems, short stories, etc.

~Our writing in this course will be primarily persuasive in nature. Therefore, the final exam will be a research project to demonstrate the culmination of skills practiced throughout the year.

American Literature: an overview of English 10

What is the American Dream?

How is it achieved? Who do you know that has achieved it?

What are your dreams for the future?

What qualities and skills do you need to make your dreams come true? What are your strengths? What are your weaknesses?

How do you know?

What can get in the way of achieving your dreams?

Thinking about your life…

How do the stories of others influence us?

How can literature allow us to explore the changes in our society?

In what ways does literature become a vehicle through which we engage in critical thinking? What is critical thinking? What are some other ways you use critical

thinking skills?

Thinking about literature…

Let’s review!!!

Literary Terms

Direct Characterization When a writer uses this method, we do not have to

figure out what a character’s personality is like—the writer tells us directly.

Indirect Characterization When a writer uses this method, we have to exercise our

own judgment, putting clues together to infer what a character is like—just as we do in real life when we are getting to know someone.

Characters are often classified as static or dynamic. A static character is one who does not change much in

the course of a story. A dynamic character, on the other hand, changes in

some important way as a result of the story’s action.

CHARACTER-ization

WHERE? …in the structure of the text

Narration What he does, etc.

Dialogue What he says, what others say to him or about him

Note: Other structures such as stage direction and narrative essays will exist when studying a play

HOW? …with his or her craft elements Setting (including historical context) and Mood Tone, Diction, and Style Connotative and Figurative Language

Characterization, contd.

What do we need to do to learn the historical context of a piece of

literature?

RESEARCH …the time period; use the internet and other resources

ANNOTATE You have to sift through and find the important “stuff”

CONNECT …what you learn about the time period to the characters in

the story-their conflicts, their motivation, their choices, etc. (text to world, text to self, text to text) WHY? …to enhance your understanding of the story and of American life in the present by comparing, contrasting, and stepping into the shoes of the characters’ of our past.

APPLY …what you learned to the context of the story told using

visualizing, questioning, inferencing, predicting and synthesizing strategies.

Setting & Historical Context

MOTIVATION:   The reasons for a character’s behavior.

In order for us to understand why characters act the way they do, their motivation has to be believable, at least in terms of the story. At times a writer directly reveals motivation; in subtler fiction we must use details from the story to infer motivation. It is helpful to understand the setting and historical context of a story to better understand conflict and motivation .

MOOD:   The overall emotion created by a work of literature. Mood can usually be described with one or two adjectives such

as bittersweet, playful, or scary. All the elements of literature, including sound effects, rhythm, and word choice, contribute to a work’s mood.

Motivation & Mood

TONE:   The attitude a writer takes toward the

subject of a work, the characters in it, or the audience. In speaking we use voice inflections and even body

language to show how we feel about what we are saying. Writers manipulate language in an attempt to achieve the same effect. Tone is dependent on diction and style, and we cannot say we have understood any work of literature until we have sensed the writer’s tone. Tone can usually be described in a single word: objective, solemn, playful, ironic, sarcastic, critical, reverent, irreverent, philosophical, cynical, and so on.

Tone

Diction & Style

Tone is dependent on diction

DICTION:   A speaker’s or writer’s choice of words. Diction can be formal, informal,

colloquial, full of slang, poetic, ornate, plain, abstract, concrete, and so on. Diction depends on the writer’s subject, purpose, and audience. Some words, for example, are suited to informal conversations but are inappropriate in a formal speech. Diction has a powerful effect on the tone of a piece of writing. Tone is dependent on

style

STYLE :  The distinctive way in which a writer uses language. Style can be plain,

ornate, metaphorical, spare, descriptive, and so on. Style is determined by such factors as sentence length and complexity, syntax, use of figurative language and imagery, and diction.

CONNOTATION:   The associations and emotional overtones that

have become attached to a word or phrase, in addition to its strict dictionary definition. The words determined, firm, rigid, stubborn, and pigheaded have similar

dictionary definitions, or denotations, but widely varying connotations, or overtones of meaning. Determined and firm both suggest an admirable kind of resoluteness; rigid suggests an inability to bend and a kind of mindless refusal to change. Stubborn and pigheaded, on the other hand, have even more negative connotations. Stubborn has associations with a mule, and pigheaded with the pig, which, wrongly or not, is an animal often associated with mindless willfulness. Words with strong connotations are often called loaded words or suggestive words.

Here are some other words that are more or less synonymous but which have vastly different connotations: fastidious and fussy; day-dreamer and escapist; scent, odor, smell, and stink

Connotation

Something that stands for something else.

Typically it is two things that are not typically synonymous with one another. A dove is a symbol for peace The two items below are not symbols for peace.

WHY?

Symbol

A common thread or repeated idea that is

incorporated throughout a literary work. A theme is a thought or idea the author presents to the reader that may be deep, difficult to understand, or even moralistic (like a lesson to be learned). Generally, a theme has to be extracted as the reader explores the passages of a work. The author utilizes the characters, plot, and other literary devices to assist the reader in uncovering the theme(s).

Theme