Literature 7-8
" I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" (p. 381ff.). Read the first part of the selection carefully (pp. 381-383) and respond in complete sentences. Due no later than noon on Monday, May 4.
1. Where was this selection taken from? 2. According to the author, what ensured the Store's success? 3. The Store was more than a place to buy things. Briefly explain. 4. What was for sale there that you probably couldn't find at the local Walmart? 5. What was Maya's job there? 6. What were her two favorite things to eat? 7. How about you? 8. Read aloud the paragraph that begins on p. 382 with "Until I was thirteen...." Did you do it? 9. What makes this paragraph an effective piece of writing? Be specific.
10. The Store was a special place for Maya, and she describes it with love. Choose a location that is or was special to you. Do your best to bring it to life in words. Say something about what it looks like, sounds like, etc. Say something about why it is special to you. As Maya Angelou did, let your love for this place shine through your words. It should be about 100 words, and use standard spelling, capitalization, etc.
American Literature
We return to "Mr. Flood's Party" (p.517 ff.). Some party. Please respond in complete sentences. Due no later than noon on Monday, May 4.
1. What words in the first stanza suggest that Mr. Flood is not only alone, he is lonely? 2. What in the second stanza suggests that his life may be drawing to a close? 3. How may it be significant that he sees the harvest moon? 4. In the third stanza, how is it ironic that the speaker compares Mr. Flood to a legendary hero? 5. What suggests that his friends have died, and not simply rejected him? 6. Why in line 24 do his eyes become dim?
7. What, according to the fourth stanza, has Mr. Flood learned about life? 8. How does that knowledge direct his behavior here? 9. Much in this poem is both comic and sad. Give an example from the fifth stanza. 10. Why are there two moons in line 47? 11. He has been literally alone this whole time. Why does line 52 say that he is "again alone"? 12. What is the sad note on which the poem ends? 13. Why do you suppose people would act this way?
14. The author, Edwin Arlington Robinson, often used people's names in poem titles. The names often suggest something about the person named. For example, in his poem "Aaron Stark" he depicts the title character this way: "Withal a meagre man was Aaron Stark, --/Cursed and unkempt, shrewd, shrivelled, and morose./A miser was he, with a miser's nose,/And eyes like little dollars in the dark." One meaning of "stark" is "harsh and inflexible." (I know what you're thinking, so just be quiet!) Eben Flood's name suggests the phrase :ebb and flood" or "ebb and flow," which is used to describe (literally) low and high tide or (figuratively) the mutability (changeableness) of things. How does that work for this poem? Briefly explain.
British Literature
One very important motif in The Power and the Glory is children. Respond in complete sentences. Feel free to use email responses and material from the Zoom session. 1. Discuss the complex relationship between the priest and Brigitta. (100+ words) 2. Discuss the significance of the last scene in terms of Luis's development as a character. (100+ words) 3. (AP students only) There are a number of dead children in the novel--the little girl being buried, Mr. Tench's children, the little Indian boy, and Coral Fellows. Discuss the significance of this in terms of the world depicted in the novel. (100+ words). You may turn this in any time before Tuesday at 5:00, but do not send anything today.
We will soon begin The Lord of the Flies, our final novel of the school year. Read the biographical note on the author, William Golding, here. After you have done so, tell me a little about his life outside of writing. Due no later than noon on Monday, May 4.
C.S. Lewis
In connection with our discussion of Perelandra, we have noted in passing the Arthurian legend of the Fisher King. Ransom is in many ways a Christ-figure, but there are echoes of the King Arthur stories as well. That will become more obvious as we move into the final book of the trilogy, That Hideous Strength. Here is a helpful note on the Fisher King and the Holy Grail. Please read it, and after you have done so, summarize it in your own words.
However, apart from Arthur’s own story, one among the most enduring, and also peculiar mysteries related in the famous Arthurian legends is that of the Fisher King. This character is an enigmatic — and also tragic — ruler who is recognized in the stories as the last in a long line of Grail-keepers. Many different versions of his story exist, with the earliest telling of the paladin Perceval (or later, Percival) coming into his company, and learning a remarkable, though somewhat strange lesson while held in his court.
Among the earliest references to this meeting between Perceval and the Fisher King is that of Chrétien de Troyes’ Perceval (hence the archaic spelling of the knight’s name used here). In Chrétien’s account, it is during Perceval’s meeting with the Fisher King where the Grail is first spied. However, there is more to the story as well, which involves not only the mythical grail, but also another unusual relic of high-symbolism:
“Perceval then returns to his seat and continues his conversation with the lord of the castle. They talk well into the evening and enjoy a splendid conversation, but while they are speaking something odd happens. First, one of the attendants enters the great hall from one of the chambers carrying a white lance upright around its middle. The boy proceeds with the lance in between the fire and the lounge in which they are sitting. As he does so, a drop of blood emerges from the tip of the lance and trickles down the weapon to the boy’s hand. He watches in awe and amazement at the sight and longs to ask the lord of the castle about it, but then he remembers the instructions of his mentor. His mentor had warned him sternly to beware of talking too much.”The account above, excerpted from The Holy Grail: The History and Legend of the Famous Relic, is but one of many retellings of the story. Subsequent to this episode with the mysterious bloody lance, a young girl passes carrying what is taken to be the grail itself; finally, a third youth passes through the hallway, carrying a large silver platter. One may note here that, of all the three relics presented at the home of the Fisher King, it is interesting that the grail had stood out as it did among the legends; arguably, the imagery presented by the bloody lance is the more striking of the three.
For Wednesday, read chs. 1 & 2 in the novel. As you finish each chapter, send me an email that should include the following: 1) a brief but thoughtful response to what you have read; do not write a summary; 2) a sparkle and a short comment on it; 3) questions you have about the book.
You may read ahead as often and as much as you like, but do not send me your responses until I ask for them.
Luke and Acts
The second missionary journey continues. Read Acts 18:1-17. Respond in complete sentences. Due no later than noon on Monday, May 4.
1. Aquila and Priscilla: a) Why are they no longer in Rome? b) What business are they involved in? c) What business was Lydia involved in in ch. 16?
2. Paul's work: a) What is he doing weekdays? b) What does he do on the Sabbath? c) How does that change when Silas and Timothy arrive? d) What response does he get from many of the Jews? e) What new location does he move to? f) What success does he have in this new location?
3. Paul's visions: a) What is the message he receives here? b) What vision did he have in ch. 16? c) What vision did he have in ch. 9?
4. A legal challenge to the church: a) What was the charge? b) Who is Gallio? c) Why is he unwilling to hear the case? d) What happens to the synagogue ruler, Sosthenes?
Poets and Prophets
See yesterday's post.
French students: check your inbox.
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