Announcements

1/19

Welcome to American Literature II! First order of business--get your textbooks ASAP. You need The Norton Anthology of American Literature Vol. CDE. ISBN#: 978-0-393-91310-1. We will discuss the prompt for Essay #1 on Thursday, so take a look in advance and prepare questions. Let's have a great semester!

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________

1/21

For homework read "The Notorious Jumping Frog of Calveras County" (121-125) and Ch. 40-43 of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Answer the following questions in paragraph form.

1. How do you respond to the ending of Huck Finn?

2. How does humor function/work in "The Notorious Jumping Frog"?

______________________________________________________________________________________________________

1/26

For homework read Booker T. Washington: from Up From Slavery “A Slave among Slaves” 675-683; “The Atlanta Exposition Address” 689-697; W.E.B. DuBois: “Of Mr. Booker T. Washington   and Others” 892-902.

3 Questions for Discussion

1. How does Booker T. Washington distinguish his own upbringing from middle-class conceptions of childhood?
2. Who was a stronger advocate for African-Americans, Booker T. Washington or W.E.B Dubois? Why?
3. In your own words, what do you think Dubois means by “double-consciousness?”

Lastly, you've heard of Rosa Parks, but have you met Ida B. Wells?

______________________________________________________________________________________________________

An awesome quote by Sir Isaac Newton relates nicely to our discussion today over Washington and Dubois. Newton famously said: "If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants."

Read Charles W. Chestnutt: "The Goophered Grapevine" 699-706; "The Passing of Grandison" 714-726; and Charlotte Perkins Gilman: "The Yellow Wallpaper" 792-804. Answer the two questions below. Type your answers, print, and turn in your work Tuesday.

Homework Questions

1. In what ways does Chesnutt's work parallel or contrast the other regionalist or local color writers we've read? What elements of Realism do you find in his work? What evidence (if any) do you find to suggest Chestnutt's attitude toward reforming postbellum America?

2. This question is related to the one above. We briefly considered the ways Twain might have used many voices in Huck Finn and "The Notorious Jumping Frog" to read out to multiple audiences. What examples of double voicing are in Chestnutt's work? How does the author speak to multiple audiences at once?

Be ready for a quiz on "The Yellow Wallpaper" on Tuesday.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

2/2

Alright. I need to catch up on grading so no homework tonight. Read "Desiree's Baby" by Kate Chopin on 551. Decide which author/story you want to write about for Essay #1.Also, I've posted some secondary readings on Perkins Gilman in the Readings folder. A book (not posted) called Managing Madness in Gilman's "The Yellow Wall-Paper" suggests the narrator may have suffered postpartum depression or postpartum psychosis. More soon! SA

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________

2/4

Over the weekend please read Kate Chopin: "The Awakening" 561-652; "The Story of an Hour" 555-557.

3 Questions

1. What awakenings does Edna go through in the book? Describe at least 2 and support your answers with quotes from the book.

2. In "The Story of an Hour" by Kate Chopin, what is the most prominent theme?

3. In any of the stories we've read thus far, involving female leads, (The Yellow Wall-Paper, Desiree's Baby, Story of an Hour, and The Awakening) what factors imprison each protagonist? Choose two different stories, two different protagonists to compare.

We will discuss these stories and paragraph development on Tuesday.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

2/9

Great discussion today on The Awakening. By now you need to have chosen a prompt and a primary source to write about. I have a conference on Thursday so class will not meet. Use that time to begin working on Essay #1. Over the weekend read Ghost Dance Stories and Black Elk Speaks. Bring your work-thus-far on Essay #1 to class on Tuesday 2/16. I'm taking a grade and going over writing about Literature.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

2/16

For homework finish a complete draft of Essay #1 including secondary sources. We will Peer Review on Thursday.

Thesis Statements: https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/owlprint/618/

FYI: On days where attendance is low, like today, you can expect a pop quiz. Come to class each time we meet and be on time. SA

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 2/18

As you know Essay #1 is due at the beginning of class on Tuesday, 2/23.

Your Take Home Test will be due next Thursday, 2/25.

We'll begin Unit 2 the Modernist Period net week, so bring book D.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

2/22

Finish reading Long Day's Journey into Night and complete the Unit 1 Take Home Test. Please use a scantron!

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

2/25

For homework, read Trifles by Susan Glaspell 253-263 and answer these questions on Long Day's Journey into Night:

Three Questions for Long Day's Journey into Night