Make-up Assignment for Quiz on Book 21

Please answer these questions only if you missed the quiz for Book 21. These are due on November 30.

Please answer the following questions in complete sentences:

1. Who is the first to try to string the bow? Describe what happens.
2. Odysseus reveals his true identity to what two men? Why does he choose these two men?
3. What do Odysseus and Telemachus tell the women servants to do? Why?
4. Where is Penelope during this entire incident? Who tells her to go there?
5. Who gives the beggar Odysseus the bow? What is the outcome of this event?
6. What are Odysseus and Telemachus about to do at the very end of the book?

Extra Credit Opportunities for Quarter 2

You may complete one of the following for extra credit in Quarter 2. I will make another option available at the end of the quarter. The assignment below is due by Friday, Dec. 4, 2009.

The Road: Movie vs. Novel
The movie version of The Road will be released on November 25. As an extra credit opportunity, you should attend the film with a parent/guardian. Then complete the following steps in order to earn up to 5 extra credit points. Trust me; these seemingly small assignments do make a difference in your overall grade for the quarter.

1. Go to the theater and watch the movie, The Road. You will need to attend this with a parent/guardian since the movie is rated R.
2. Save your ticket stub to submit with your paper.
3. Create a detailed double bubble comparing/contrasting the movie to the novel. Each bubble requires a specific example from the film and the novel.
4. Type a one-page, thoughtful observation about the most striking similarities and differences between the film and movie. This must provide evidence that you considered both texts carefully. Do discuss at the end of your paper which version of the story you preferred and why. Offer specific examples.
5. Discuss the film's themes and comparisons to the book with your adult viewing partner. After this discussion ask the parent/guardian, with whom you viewed the film, to hand write or type his/her reflections about the film and sign the paper.
6. Submit the movie stub, double bubble, your paper, and your adult's reflections (these can be brief) by Friday, December 4.

If you are unable to attend the film but would still like to do an extra credit assignment, complete the following:


Invocation of the Muse
Your Task: Imitate the first sixteen lines of The Odyssey, imagining that this is the opening to an epic about your life.

Procedure:

1. Think about a Hero Quest you’ve taken in your own life. Make this the basis of your piece.
2. Begin with an invocation to the Muse: “Tell me, Muse…” or “Sing to me, Muse…” or similar.
3. Include epithets about yourself and the other characters of your epic.
4. Give a snapshot of your quest.
5. Include a bit of “formal-sounding” language. The idea is to play with Homer’s language in order to become more comfortable with it.
6. Describe the setting. Make the setting sound grand in scale.

Example:

Tell me, Muse, about the man of many miles,
Who many times dashed as he ran through the streets of Santa
Monica. He saw the Fatigue of his teammates and knew their pain.
On the course, he too suffered great pains within his lungs,
Yearning for the finish line, and his teammates’ success.
He could not guide his team to victory, though he wanted to:
His teammates had lost the race because of their laziness.
The slackers had disregarded the wise words
Of the well-traveled coach Cady, who knew the path to victory.
Tell the tale for us, beginning with the previous day,
Sometime after the piercing bell had sounded.
When all the others, seeking refuge from the torments of school
Had fled, light-footed to the safety of their homes.
Yet he alone, longing for the final mile and his own return,
Wan confined by sound-minded Coach Cady, who strives for excellence,
To the fenced-in, crimson rubber surface that was his training ground.

Odyssey Test Details

Here are a few details for The Odyssey test tomorrow. On the writing portion think deeply and work to say something that is original and interesting. In order to do well, your paragraph must move beyond plot to explain what is important about the topic.

25 questions Scantron test - Multiple Choice, Quote Identification and Matching

Theme Paragraph:
Consider one of the following topics, develop it into a theme that is still meaningful and relevant today:

• Hubris
• Loyalty
• Role of women
• Role of the supernatural
• Hospitality
• Revenge
• Role of Heroism

Sample Topic Sentences:

Not So Good: There are many goddesses and women who work with Odysseus and battle against him. (This just summarizes plot and is not specific about details from the text.)

Better: In The Odyssey, Homer reveals that women ,who exert their powers through intellect and seduction, are ultimately more powerful than men who exercise their power through violence. ( This makes a universal statement and asserts an idea with which a reasonable person might disagree.)

The Week Ahead: November 16-20

Tuesday, November 17th - Final Drafts of The Road Essay due. Vocabulary Review.


Wednesday, November 18th - Book 21 of The Odyssey due. Read Book 22 in class.


Thursday, November 19th - Book 23 of The Odyssey due.

Friday, November 20th - Final Test -25 questions multiple choice and theme paragraph.

Tuesday, December 1st - The Odyssey Vocab and Transformation test.

The Road Essay - One Day Extension

Hello Students,
I have extended the final due date for The Road essay to Tuesday, November 17th. (I hope the sub conveyed this message to you.) Tuesday, at 3:10 p.m., is the last day to submit the essay without penalty. Please remember to bring a copy of the rough draft (that I initialed) to submit with your final draft. Make sure to ask questions if you still have them. Also, review the Tips for a Better Essay sheet, as well as the grading rubric before submitting your final draft. Be sure to attend to the details; they are important. I am looking forward to seeing some insightful thinking and solid improvements in these essays. I'll see you on Monday.

Regards,
Ms. B

Odyssey Character Chart

You will be responsible for knowing the importance of each of the following characters. As we watch the film, make note of adjectives to describe each character, as well as their relationship(s) to one another.

As you read Books 9, 10, 12, 21, 22, and 23 pay special attention to the epithets (or nicknames) that Homer uses to describe each character. Write these epithets into the chart, with page numbers. These epithets often provide a strong indication of the most vital aspects of the character's internal motivations.

The Odyssey Characters

Odysseus
Telemachus
Penelope
Laertes
Eurycleia
Anticleia
The Suitors
Eumaeus
Zeus
Poseidon
Athena
Hermes
Calypso
Circe
Polyphemos
Scylla and Charybdis

The Odyssey and Our World

Tiresias the blind prophet of the Underworld tells Odysseus, "The journey is your life, not the destination." Although Odysseus' sole focus is to return home, it is the trials and tests that he must battle along the way to his goals that define his character. While Odysseus' battles may seem far-fetched, the lesson is not lost on us today. How often do we spend more time focusing on what lies ahead instead of upon the challenges we must face in the moment?

The Road Essay

A Reminder:
The purpose of analytical writing is to examine the literature closely. You should look closely at the language and how it contributes to a larger theme. Take the pieces apart and put them back together (synthesize) so that you and the reader of your essay will have a new understanding of the text. Strive to anwer how and why questions, to say something original and to think deeply.

Due Dates
Blue Outline Packet: Monday, November 9
Typed Draft in MLA format: Wednesday, November 11
Final Draft Window: Thursday, November 12 - Monday, November 16 at 3:10 p.m.

1 day late = 25% off
2 days late or more= 50% off

The Assignment
In a well-organized and thoughtful essay answer one of the following questions. Work to say something that is uniquely your own about this text and to move beyond plot summary to thematic analysis.

1. What is McCarthy’s thematic message about good versus evil? Create a complex thematic statement and use well-selected evidence to support your statement. To get at your theme statement you may compare and contrast good and evil in a double bubble or examine causes and effects of both good and evil in two multi-flow maps.

2. Is this novel optimistic or pessimistic about humanity? In other words, does McCarthy believe that humans are basically good or evil? Take a stand on one side or the other and use convincing evidence from the text to prove your position.

3. According to McCarthy, what causes people to remain good in the face of evil and what are the effects on their humanity? Create a complex thematic statement and use insightful quotes to defend your ideas.


Grading Rubric

Organization:
___ The introduction engages the reader, introduces the topic, and includes a thesis statement that will serve as a blueprint for the main ideas developed in the body paragraphs.
___ Body paragraphs follow solid paragraph structure by beginning with a topic sentence, including two or three PIEs, and ending with a concluding sentence which refers clearly to thesis statement. PIE = Point, Illustration, Explanation
___ Transitions from part to part and paragraph to paragraph are smooth and logical.
___ Conclusion summarizes the ideas presented in the paper and leads the reader to an interesting idea—the So what? or the So why does this matter to life?

Ideas:
___ Thesis is clearly stated, fully expanded, specifically states the main ideas of your paper
___ Thesis says something specific about the topic being explored. Theme = topic + author’s lesson about topic
___ Ideas are presented logically and clearly in body paragraphs that are relevant to the thesis
___ Each paragraph includes at least two illustrations quoted from the text to support ideas.
___ All ideas are explained and analyzed fully.
___ Papers that exceed expectations also analyze how the elements of McCarthy’s style contribute to the theme—in other words, how McCarthy uses language to convey a message.

Conventions:
___Words are clear, precise and spelled correctly
___ Sentence formation is clear and varie
___ Proper punctuation is used, especially with conjunctions.
___ MLA format is used to document direct quotations, and a works cited entry for The Road is included at the end of the essay. Other sources used are properly cited.

A Few Thoughts on the End of Q1

Phew, I have been working diligently to return The Namesake essays to you, so my updates on the blog have been lagging this week. Remember that writing is a process that requires much of you in terms of thinking and doing. Commit to the process - brainstorming, prewriting, drafting and revising - and you will improve your skills. We are not born writers; we must become writers.

I will have all of the make-up work that you have submitted (and there has been lots of this) due to illness, posted to Edline by the end of the week.

Here are the final assessments that will be part of your Quarter 1 grade. All are scheduled for Thursday, November 5:

The Road Final Reading Quiz (20 points)
Vocab Quiz (All Road and Transformation Vocabulary) (20 points)
Notebook Check (20 points)

Looking to the end of the week, we will be leaving the post-apocalyptic 21st century and voyaging back to the eighth century B.C. to travel with Greek war hero Odysseus as he sets sail for home in Ithaca, after ten years of fighting in the Trojan War. In the ten years that it takes him to reach home, he must battle monsters and gods, face down temptresses, and ward off supernatural forces of epic proportions. All the while, his home is being ravaged by suitors in hot pursuit of Odysseus' earthly possession and his wife Penelope. And you thought high school was tough?

Stay tuned...