Extra Credit Blog

You may only complete extra credit if you have completed all of the previous blogs regardless of point value...that's how extra credit works for Ms. O'Rourke.

This post is due by Wednesday, August 22, 2012 at 5pm.

• Which of the three novels that you read this summer was the most intriguing/interesting for you and why?


• How difficult were the blog questions for you to answer?


• What questions do you have about the course?

Final Required Blog Question

I hope you realize that each blog post can be used as portions of your summer assignments.  Last week you were asked about literary analysis in The Grapes of Wrath.  Another salient point to examine in text (and the focus of AP Language) is the language the author uses.  Since you have not been trained yet in how to analyze language nor what to look for I am asking you to complete a much more basic version of language analysis.  In approximately 150 answer the following questions:  What did you notice about the overall structure of the novel?  What sorts of patterns did you notice?  Were there lots of similes and/or metaphors? dialogue? Any particular dialects?

Due by next Sunday when the extra credit blog post is published

A Word of Concern

I am a bit concerned by the lack of responses to all of the blogs this summer as it was part of proving that you are ready for an AP course.  For each blog answer you did not complete by the next blog's posting you will receive no credit.  There is NO CREDIT for late work in AP or Honors (the exceptions were the two of you who were at LMU science camp and could not get access to email/Internet).  Some of you will be starting the course off with an F and will spend weeks trying to get to a "C" because of the lack of completing the blog postings on time.  Please also note that we will be meeting once a week before  school at 7am-8am starting the second week of school.  These meetings are when we focus more on AP test taking skills and other items that do not necessarily apply to the honors students.  You receive additional assignments for these morning sessions and your attendance at these meetings is part of your grade.  We also have a breakfast rotation.  This is the point in which you need to consider if you should take honors versus AP (you receive the same GPA bonus for each).  Another word of warning if you do not have the correct summer assignments on the first day of class you will be asked to move to Americn Literature.  I am not trying to be negative, but only to  show you that AP is a challenging and prestigious course.

Week #6 Question

When reading any piece of literature it is important to examine what is often called "literary analysis" Literary analysis includes such elements as history, culture, religion, mythology, references to other pieces of literature, famous people, places, etc. When looking at the Grapes of Wrath, identify at least 10 distinct pieces of literary analysis. Include what each one means in and out of the context of the book, and why you believe Steinbeck used it. You must also use pieces that the other student's posts don't include if posted before you submit your response. be sure to respond before midnight on Sunday.

Example--Element #1: The Dust Bowl
"The Dust Bowl" was also called "the Dirty Thirties". It was a period of time in which there were severe dust storms that caused major ecological and agricultural damage. It swept across both the American and Canadian prarie lands in the 1930s. It was started by a severe drought combined with years of irresponsible farming without using various techniques to prevent erosion. Eventually, farmers were unable to raise successful crops and farmers went bankrupt. Tens of thousands of families were forced to travel west in order to find work. This event also corresponded with The Great Depression. It is not only part of the setting of the novel, but also the motivation for the Joads to go west.

Week #5

Before Mark Twain wrote the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn he received numerous requests from fans of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer to write a continuing story.  Mark Twain really had no true interest to continue to write about the much loved character Tom Sawyer; however, in order to satisfy his fans Twain wrote several short stories which were published in newspapers throughout the country.  Unfortunately, many of the stories did not survive until today.  Twain was done with the character of Tom, and despite all of the other things he had published since, his fans still wanted another novel.  So how did Twain finally please both himself and the public by writing The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn?  This is a lot more difficult than it seems on the surface.

Reminders

• Please only answer blogs from 2012...you will not receive credit for blogs answered from 2011 and older posts.
• If you believe one of your friends from the class has signed up for AP you may want to remind them to answer the blog...students enrolled in AP who do not complete the blogs on time will be removed from AP as the blog is part of the summer assignment.
• If you transfer from AP to Honors (or even American Literature) and completed the blogs, your work (points) will transfer with you (we'll figure this out if it happens).
• Please remember to cite your sources in blogs if it is not purely your thoughts...I am a stickler for plagiarism and will also drop you from AP if you plagiarize parts of your blog responses...I also will not write a letter of recommendation for you for college (something highly valued amongst my students) if you plagiarize. 

Scroll down for Week #4's Question

Week #4 Question

Most people focus on Huckleberry's moral dilemmas such as helping a "runaway slave", "stealing" versus "borrowing", making everyone believe he is "dead",  etc., but rarely do people discuss Jim's moral dilemmas.  Explain in an approximately 150 word (you may need more than 150 words) response the various moral dilemmas Jim encounters throughout the novel.  Identify what they are, why they are moral dilemmas, what Jim decides to do, and whether or not you believe he is "right".

Week #3 Question

Many people reading The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn miss Twain's point.  The journey taken by two people down a river, is rarely thought of as anything more than just an adventure. However, Mark Twain uses his novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, to explore and poke fun of many problems facing American society. Huck, the main character, is considered an uneducated boy who is constantly under pressure to conform to the civilized aspects of society. Jim, who accompanies Huck, is a runaway slave seeking freedom from the world that has denied it to him for so long.  In an approximately 150 word response explain how Twain uses satire to demonstrate many of civilizations problems.  Don't worry we will be Twain for another two weeks.

Week #2 Question

One last question with regard to Black Elk Speaks...in an approximately 150 word response explain what the inherent problem with the book is.  Next week we are moving on to Huckleberry Finn.  Make sure you have read the first 23 chapters before responding to week #3's question.

Hello AP Students from the Class of 2014

WEEK #1 Response

Yes, I know I posted this a little late...I'm sorry.
I know that you began to read Black Elk Speaks with Mr. Mallen, therefore I believe that is the best place to start.  In an approximately 150 word response explain the significance of the text.