Incoming English II Students: Discussion Boards for "Araby" and "A&P"

9/26 Update: At this point all responses need to be made on paper. Please submit your COMPLETE (not partial) responses when all 12 questions have been answered.

"Araby" by James Joyce
(Listen to an audiofile of "Araby" as you read; right-click audiofile link to save file to your computer.)

• Background: What is an Araby (also referred to as a bazaar)? What is it similar to here in Dallas/America (or Mexico)? If you've been to one, what did you think of it? If not, what do you think your experience going to one would be like? Compare or contrast your reaction to the narrator's.


• Personification: How does Joyce personify the streets and houses in the opening paragraph? Refer to another segment of the book with similar personification and discuss how Joyce's use of the technique helps build his "message" or theme.


• Foreshadowing: How does Joyce hint at the fact that the outcome will not be all the narrator desires? (You may need to re-read part or all of the story. Don't be afraid.) Discuss.


• Alliteration: What pairs of words utilize alliteration in the final paragraph? Discuss how the alliteration contributes to the reader's perception of the story's ending.


• This story is told in First Person point of view. This POV helps the author provide the reader with direct access into the narrator's thoughts and emotions.Discuss what Joyce gains by giving the reader a direct line to the narrator's feelings.

"A&P" by John Updike

• Allusion: An allusion is a reference to a historic or literary character or event. What is the narrator referring to when he says in the second paragraph, "... if she'd been born at the right time they would have burned her over in Salem." Support your answer with evidence from the first paragraph and discuss how Updike uses this to reveal the narrator's character.


• How does Updike's use of punctuation and conjunctions effect the story when he writes

  ... and they all three of them went up the cat-and-dog-food-breakfast-cereal-macaroni-rice-raisins-seasonings-spreads-spaghetti-soft drinks-crackers-and-cookies aisle.

  and

  ... if you stand at our front doors you can see two banks and the Congregational church and the newspaper store and three real-estate offices and about twenty-seven old free-loaders tearing up Central Street ...

  Consider the narrator's attitude to what he's seeing in each case, and discuss how these techniques help the reader understand the narrator.


• Metaphor: The narrator refers to the store's customers as sheep several times (and once as pigs). Discuss what this reveals about the customers, the narrator, and the setting.


• Like "Araby," this story is told in First Person point of view. In addition to giving the reader access to the narrator's thoughts and feelings, Updike also uses it to tell the story with the narrator's -- Sammy's -- voice. Discuss what this reveals about Sammy, and then re-write the climactic confrontation from the perspective of Lengel, Stokesie, Queenie, or one Queenie's "attendants." What changes from Updike's version to yours?

If you have other elements of the stories you'd like to discuss, add them in the comments and I'll create a discussion board. Thanks!

Incoming Pre-AP English II Students: Week 3 Reading Assignment

A coming-of-age story shows the change of maturity or psychological growth of the protagonist as he or she transitions from being a youth to becoming a young adult. Please pick one of these two stories to read for Week 3:

• Araby, James Joyce
  (Listen to an audiofile of "Araby" as you read; right-click audiofile link to save file to your computer.)


• A&P, John Updike

Of course, you can always read both.

Incoming Pre-AP English II: Discussion Boards for "Lottery" and "Open Window"

9/26 Update: At this point all responses need to be made on paper. Please submit your COMPLETE (not partial) responses when all 12 questions have been answered.

Last week you needed to read either "The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson or "The Open Window" by Saki (or both, if you're cool like that). This week, pick two questions for one of the stories (two for the same story), click the "Discuss" link, and add your response to the message board for that question.

I'll be checking the boards throughout the week; I look forward to your responses. In some cases I may prod for deeper thinking if you've just scratched the surface with your answers.

The Lottery by Shirley Jackson
("Lottery" audiofile)

• Character Names: Mr. Summers, Mr. Graves, and Mr. Warner are three characters in the story. What significance can be attributed to Jackson's name choices for these three characters? Discuss.


• One form of irony occurs in a story when the opposite of what is expected occurs. What is ironic about the title of this story? Discuss.


• Re-read the story. What clues did Jackson provide early in the story that subtly foreshadow the ending? Discuss.


• This story is told in Third Person Omniscient point of view. This POV helps the author keep the narrator at a distance from the characters, even though the narrator can read their thoughts. What does Jackson gain by keeping the reader's perception at a distance from the characters? Discuss.

The Open Window by Saki (H.H. Munro)
("Open Window" audiofile)

• Character Names: Vera is the name of the self-possessed young lady of fifteen Framton Nuttel meets. The origin of her name ver is the Latin root for Truth (e.g., veracity, verity, veritable, etc.). Why is this ironic? Discuss.


• What details of her aunt's sitting room does Vera use to contribute to the believability of her story/stories? Discuss.


• Early in the story the narrator expresses some of Framton Nuttel's inner turmoil like this

  Framton Nuttel endeavoured to say the correct something which should duly flatter the niece of the moment without unduly discounting the aunt that was to come.

  How does this help the reader better understand Nuttel's character? Discuss. (Discuss other aspects of Nuttel's portrayal, including perhaps, his name, here also.)


• This story is told in Third Person Omniscient point of view. This POV helps the author keep the narrator at a distance from the characters, even though the narrator can read their thoughts. What does Saki gain by keeping the reader's perception at a distance from the characters? Discuss.

If you have other elements of the stories you'd like to discuss, add them in the comments and I'll create a message board. Thanks!

Incoming Pre-AP English II Students: EASY EOC

Last spring's English I Writing EOC required you to write three compositions in four hours (along with three revising/editing sections).

Next month will be your first opportunity to re-take the test for a higher score. I found out yesterday that the re-test will only have two compositions and one section each of revising and editing. If you haven't found out your EOC score yet, please contact your English I teacher. If you have found out your score and it wasn't at Level II: Satisfactory, please reconsider a) enrolling in my EOC test prep class (starting next week), or at least b) retaking the test on July 9th.

The English I Reading EOC re-test will be offered July 10th. It will also be one-third shorter in content, but you'll still have the full four hours to complete the test. Please retake the test if necessary.

Ray Bradbury RIP (1920-2012)

In Pre-AP English II we study Fahrenheit 451. On the day of author Ray Bradbury's passing (if not every day), I think it's important to reflect on the three things Faber, a character in 451^F, says are needed for books to make a difference in the world.

After you read them, go out and make a difference in the world.

1. Quality of information: "...it means texture. This book has pores. This book can go under the microscope. You'd find life under the glass, streaming past in infinite profusion. ... Telling detail. Fresh detail. The good writers touch life often."


2. Leisure to digest it: "You can shut [books] and say, 'Hold on a moment.' You play God to it. ... Books can be beaten down with reason."


3. "The right to carry out actions based on what we learn from the first two."

For more on Ray Bradbury, see this article.

Last Year's Freshmen: EOC Writing

I'd like to get a handle on what worked for the essay and short story on the EOC -- and what, unfortunately in many cases, didn't. If you remember how you wrote your essay and story -- did you use the fake research company, did you use the characters we made in class, etc. -- or anything else about your strategies, please email me.

cmikesell-at-dallasisd-dot-org

Thanks, and have a great rest of your summer.

All Students: Free Pizza at Pizza Patron

Today, from 5 to 8pm, you can get a free large pepperoni pizza at Pizza Patron if you order in Spanish.

For those of you who struggle with Spanish, that'd be "KEE-air-oh PEET-zah, por FAH-vor."

Enjoy!