Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Weather and Final Drafts

I know lots of you are freaking out about various things, so here's a sort of run-down on the issues:


  1. I'll do MLA questions with 8th period and any 1st or 2nd hour people who couldn't make it to school Tuesday tomorrow.  Bring your WC and questions to class.
  2. I'll extend the deadline for the paper given that some people's MLA questions, survey results, etc. were also delayed as a result of the weather.  The new deadline for the final draft is Sunday by midnight.
  3. I'm not reading ANY more drafts.  I read every single person's draft that submitted either to Turnitin (even late) or emailed it to me sometime last week.  I spent an entire week doing nothing for any of my other classes.  Now I have Lit papers to grade before I take another week to grade your final drafts.  Whatever you want feedback on you'll have to get from other sources.
  4. You have a word count range of 500-750 words. This is firm.  If your word count is below or above that range it will have an impact on your grade.  Your works cited page is NOT included in that word count.  Ways to reduce your word count:  get rid of repetition, combine and condense sentences, present info more efficiently using a visual, use parenthetical citations (they use WAY fewer words than in-text citations, cut info that is not important to your argument or is LEAST important if you've done everything else you can do.
  5. Do a final edit of your mechanics.  Check the obvious:  spelling, sentence structure, usage, punctuation.  Also use the AP English style sheet.  Many of you are using lots of stats. There are rules for using numbers in writing--make sure you LOOK THEM UP and FOLLOW them!
  6. Remember that your Works Cited page is its OWN page. Insert a page break after your argument.



Friday, February 8, 2013

Young Men & Fire

AP Language
Young Men and Fire
Reading Journal


PART ONE

  1. Maclean reveals that all the men died in the fire on page 1. How does this affect the way you will read the story?
  2. Who is Icarus? What is an Icarus Complex (p.21)?
  3. What is hubris (p.61-62)? Look it up and then look at how it applies to this passage.
  4. What is historiography (p. 101)?
  5. Maclean makes it clear that this is his story of the fire, not THE story. How does this play out in the book?
  6. What is the difference between a storyteller and a historian, according to Maclean?
  7. How does religion figure in the story?
  8. Look up the Stations of the Cross (or talk to a good Catholic). What significance do they have in this book?
  9. At the end of Part One, Maclean calls Gisborne’s death the ideal way for a scientist to die? What do you make of that?
  10. Identify the pace of Part One and the function of Part One.
 


PART TWO
  1. This section is clearly different. How? What is its purpose? How does it connect to Part 1?
  2. How does the pace compare to Part 1?
  3. On page 201, Maclean alludes to a poem. Google it and then consider how it fits this part of the book.
  4. Clearly, Maclean doesn’t believe that the personal and the scientific can be separated (p. 258). Why is he writing this story?
  5. What can you say about tragedy on pages 270-277?


PART THREE
  1. How does this section connect to Part Two?
  2. Why is it so short in comparison to the other parts?
  3. Why doesn’t Maclean want us to be detached observers?

This is a huge assignment—acknowledge that it will take you time and then DO A GOOD JOB! Answer EVERY single question in your RJ before you come to class the day it’s due. You can (and should) add to it during our discussion days, but your responsibility is to critically read ON YOUR OWN and these questions will help you focus on what's important.