English 9
Good morning, all! Today we started working on a mandala that defines us - at least partially. Here's the info you should put on the mandala:

1. Name
2. What defines you? (4-6 things)
3. What defies you? (4-6 things)
4. Where are you going? (4-6 things)

Finish your mandala for homework and bring it in on Tuesday, February 28.

English 11

Today we handed in our DEJs to finish up Lord of the Flies. We discussed our final presentation for the unit and worked on the following questions:

Chapter 10

1. How do Ralph and Piggy view Simon's death? How does each of them react to it? Why does Ralph laugh as he says, "I got the conch," and why does Piggy react so strongly to his laughter? How do we explain their bizarre behaviour, and what excuses do they come up with?
2. How do the biguns seem to define a "proper chief"? What does this criterion suggest about human psychology?
3. What does Jack do that causes Roger to have doubts about his leadership?

Chapter 11

1. In what way are the twins "seeing Ralph for the first time" before they all set off for Castle Rock?
2. Why does Roger ultimately push the rock off the cliff?
3. How is the destruction of the conch symbolically significant?

Chapter 12

1. Why does Ralph think that the boy he sees is "not Bill"?
2. Why do you think Samneric decide to join Jack's tribe? Why do they tell Jack where Ralph is hidden?
3. What is the reason for Jack's hatred?
4. Explain the significance of this quotation: "Percival Wemys Madison sought in his head for an incantation that had faded clean away."
5. What is ironic about how the boys are saved? What is ironic about the fact that the boys, who have become savages, are British, and why do you think Golding chose to write about a group of British boys? Consider what the naval officer says: "I should have thought that a back of British boys would have been able to put up a better show than that."

English 11
Good morning English 11! Here's our work for the weekend:

1. Finish the book.
2. DEJ for chapter 10, 11, and 12.

English 11
Today, your DEJs are due. We'll hand them in!

Your essays are still in progress. I made little progress on them over the weekend unfortunately. I will continue to motor through them this week.

1. What does Jack proclaim he will do in Chapter 5?
2. Who was in charge of the signal fire, but had fallen asleep? (chapter 6)
3. What do the boys find at the end of their journey to find the beast? (chapter 7)

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Questions for our Class
Chapter 5

1. What points does Ralph make at the meeting? What general point does he make that he wants people to discuss? Why are these points so significant?
2. How does Jack's response to Ralph shock him?
3. What does Piggy mean by his claim that "life is scientific"? What does he mean when he suggests that "there isn't no fear, either... unless we get frightened of people"?
4. What does Simon say about the beast, and what do you think he means? How does everyone else react to what he says?

Chapter 6

1. How does "the beast from the air" connect with the novel's themes, and what does it symbolize?
2. What does Sam and Eric's description of the beast tell us about human psychology?
3. What significant thoughts does Simon have about the beast while the boys are walking to the "castle"?

Chapter 7

1. What does Simon say to Ralph that makes them both smile? Think carefully about Simon's choice of words - do you think it foreshadows something that might happen later in the novel?
2. What does the hunting party do immediately after the encounter with the pig? How is Ralph's behaviour surprising?

Question materials sourced: C. Brantley Collins, Jr. (2008)

English 11
Just a reminder for everyone to complete their homework for tomorrow: read chapter 5, 6, and 7. Write a DEJ that covers all 3 chapters.

English 11
Let's see just how much you've kept up with the reading!

Chapter 3

1. What is Simon helping Ralph with?
2. What's preventing the important work from getting done?

Chapter 4

1. What causes some of the kids to become ill?
2. Why didn't the ship save the children?
3. Name two boys who tease the littluns.

English 11
Read this story:
The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas

Answer these questions:

1. What is the meaning behind:
1. the child in the basement
2. the role of religion
3. the description of the landscape
4. the promiscuity of Omelas
2. What's the point of view? Why is this significant in Omelas?
3. How does the setting enhance the message of the narrative?
4. Would you walk away from Omelas? Why would you leave? Why might you stay?

Good morning, world!

English 11
Today we tried our hand at synthesizing ideas between our philosophers and Lord of the Flies. We then spent some time preparing for our essay tomorrow. Your essay topic is:

What is the fundamental nature of human beings? Are we naturally good, bad, or somewhere in between? Argue your position using evidence from Hobbes, Locke, and/or Rousseau. You may also draw on experiences and other texts (like Lord of the Flies, or others).

After I return your preparation work from today, we'll start writing first thing tomorrow.

Homework
Complete your first DEJ which covers both chapter 1 and 2.

English 11
Due to the weather, our attendance was not so great today, so we made a few small changes to the lesson. We'll be taking on an essay either tomorrow or Thursday. You'll have two days to work on it. Here's the criteria:



Also - our first real DEJ is coming up on Thursday. Please complete a DEJ that covers chapter 1 and 2 for Thursday.

English 11
Today we took a look at the three big thinkers on human nature. Hobbes, Locke, and Rousseau each have a take on why we act the way we do. Here are the readings we took a look at during class time:

1. Hobbes (Leviathan)
2. Locke (Tabula Rasa)
3. Rousseau (Noble Savage)

Right now, we're leaning towards Wednesday being our first composition day. I won't ask you to write a complete composition in one class, so we might use Wednesday and Thursday for this - possibly Friday if we need the time. Please be well-read on these three concepts before moving on to the composition.

**These materials are sourced from a combination of wikipedia, sparks, and:
http://www.iep.utm.edu/hobmoral/
https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/hobbes/
http://www.biography.com/people/john-locke-9384544

English 11
During class today, we discussed some of the big ideas coming out of our questions, and began applying Freudian literary theory to the short story "The Lottery". After this, we reviewed the big elements of fiction to get us all set for our class novel: The Lord of the Flies.

Here's a link to the PowerPoint we used in class.

Homework

1. Read chapter 1.
2. Create a 4 column chart, with the following names at the top of each column: Ralph, Jack, Piggy, Simon. These are fairly important characters in Lord of the Flies. In each column describe the characterization of that character. Once you have finished chapter 1, draw a line horizontally across the page just under where you finished writing down some notes on these characters.
3. Do a single Double Entry Journal item. That is, find one quote, and write one response to it. This is not for marks, but it will allow me to make sure that you're on the right track in terms of what I expect of DEJ responses. This way there won't be any major surprises when you finally do a DEJ for marks :)

English 11
Today, we read "The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson.

Here's the link!

Homework
Do the following questions:
1, 3, 4, 8, and 9

Also, respond to the following:
How does the ID, EGO, and SUPEREGO take form in "The Lottery"?