Literature 7-8
Like "Lochinvar, " Edgar Allan Poe's "Raven" is a narrative poem. The style and the tone are very different. "Lochinvar" is a tale of adventure, heroic deeds, and true hearts united. (The Princess Bride, anyone?) "The Raven," on the other hand, is a dark story of loneliness and loss. The rhyme pattern and meter for "Lochinvar" are simple; in "The Raven" they are more complex. Both poems are about true love, but that love is seen from two very different angles.
Read the poem aloud to yourself or listen to it: here (read by famous horror actor Christopher Lee), or here (read by renowned actor James Earl Jones--the voice of Darth Vader and Arby's "We have the meats"!). The second one comes with some creepy artwork.
Next, go back and look again at each stanza (there are 18 of them, though short). Number your paper from 1 to 18, one for each stanza. In one sentence each (not a word, not a phrase, but a sentence), state the main thing that is happening in the stanza. Due tomorrow, Friday, March 27, no later than 5:00 pm.
American Literature
(Read this first.) Here are a few notes on the latest chapters of the novel. The youth uses words like "monster" and "dragon" to describe the approaching enemy. He knows they are just human beings like himself, but his fear exaggerates their size and ferocity. He tries to rationalize his running away, tries to make himself feel that his failure was not really failure. He was one of the smart ones, he tells himself; the ones who stayed and fought were fools. He throws a pinecone at a squirrel, who naturally enough dodges it. The youth takes that as a lesson from Nature: When people are hurling things at you, it's only good sense to get out of the way. He almost believes it. He finds, he thinks, safety and peace in this "chapel" of trees behind his own lines.
Then he has a kind of epiphany: He sees the dead soldier. Unlike the first one he saw, this one is a Northerner, and he's been dead for a while. The description is suggestive without being graphic. The corpse wakes the youth up from his daydream. He ran away, but others stayed and fought--and pushed back the attack, curse them! Now what does he do? To return to his unit now would expose him to the shame of being a coward. But what choice does he have? We leave him there as he ponders what to do.
Read chs. 8-9. Follow the same directions as for chs. 6-7. Due tomorrow, Friday, March 27, no later than 5:00 pm.
British Literature
The novel 1984 continues to be a point of reference for many in the world today, especially in the field of politics. Using your favorite search engine, type in Newspeak terms like "Big Brother,"
"doublethink,""memory hole," "thoughtcrime" and "Newspeak" itself. Also try some lesser-known terms like "crimestop,""blackwhite,"and "duckspeak." Filter out references to the novel itself, and give priority to political writing. Report on your findings. Give quotations and links where desirable. it should be about 250 words or one normal page in length. Go longer if you really need to. Due tomorrow, Friday, March 27, no later than 5:00 pm.
C.S. Lewis
See previous post.
Luke and Acts
Read Acts 9:23-43 and answer the following questions. Due tomorrow, Friday, March 27, no later than 5:00 pm.
1. What rather undignified way did Saul use to escape Damascus?
2. Sometimes running away is an appropriate response. Why did Saul flee?
3. Tell of another time in Acts that Christians ran away from persecution.
4. Saul went back to Jerusalem. Why did the Christians there fear him?
5. Who was the "son of encouragement" who defended Saul?
6. How did he encourage Saul here?
7. What encouraging thing had this man done before?
8. Tell how someone who has encouraged you over the past week or so.
9. What is a way that you can be an encourager during this time?
10. What group did Saul dispute with in Jerusalem?
11. Once again, Saul flees the city. He goes to Caesarea. Describe where that is.
12. From there he goes to his hometown of Tarsus. Describe where that is.
13. Summarize v. 31 in your own words
14. Next Luke follows Peter in his work. Peter goes to Lydda. Describe where that is.
15. How is the healing of Aeneas like a resurrection?
16. Peter had earlier done another miracle similar to this one. What was it?
17. After that, Peter performed an actual resurrection. The woman's name was Dorcas or Tabitha. How specifically had she demonstrated that she was a disciple of Jesus?
18. This miracle took place in Joppa. Describe where that is.
19. How do widows come into this story?
20. Where in Joppa did Peter stay after this?
Poets and Prophets
In the next chapters of Isaiah, the prophet moves from Babylon to Assyria, Moab, Damascus, and Cush. if you don't know where those places are yet, find out. Answer the questions below from ch. 19. Due tomorrow, Friday, March 27, no later than 5:00 pm.
1. This chapter is largely about Egypt. What important role has Egypt played in Israel's history?
2. The Lord is depicted as riding on a cloud. What is one place where have seen similar imagery before?
3. The Egyptians prided themselves on their unity. How will the Lord deal with that?
4. They also prided themselves on their wisdom. Indeed, they had a reputation for wisdom throughout the ancient world. How will the Lord upset that?
5. The Egyptians enslaved people like the Hebrews. What kind of king will they now have?
6. The Nile is even today the lifeblood of Egypt.
a. What will happen to the river itself?
b. What will happen to those who depend on it for their livelihood?
7. How does the prophet use the image of drunkenness?
8. The second part of the chapter (16-25) is in prose and has a very different tone and message. But first Isaiah sets the stage. How will the Egyptians be like women?
9. How will Egypt's language change?
10. What do you think that means in less literal terms?
11. What will be a) in the center of Egypt and b) at its border?
12. What does that mean (vv. 20ff.)?
13. The Lord will strike them, but that will be a good thing. Explain.
14. Tell about the highway.
15. Write out the quotation at the end of v. 25.
16. How is this quotation in some sense being fulfilled in the Christian church of today?
Beginning French
Do ch. 11 the same way you did ch. 10 for today. Due tomorrow, Friday, March 27, no later than 5:00 pm.
Intermediate French
Write in good French your own original (shorter) story of mystery and spookiness. You may collaborate if you wish on one story. In any case, it should be no shorter than one page or about 250 words. It may be longer, but don't overdo it. (I'm looking at you, Sabrina!) Don't use online translators; I want your original work, even with mistakes. Due Tuesday, March 31, no later than noon.
Advanced French
Email me questions, progress reports, etc.
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