Assignment for Thursday, January 15

This assignment is slightly different than what I described in class. In Shakespeare's Much Ado about Nothing , find examples of three of the following kinds of prose. Then, identify language techniques employed in those examples (alliteration or other kinds of repetition, figurative language, allusions, puns or other kinds of word play, etc.) and explain the effects of those techniques.

1. Young women talking together excitedly or irritably; a young woman flirting and making jokes with undertones.

2. Young men joking uneasily; drunken men speaking cynically; old men speaking disapprovingly to a young woman.

3. A man choosing his words carefully so as not to offend his superior; a man offended by his superior but trying to hide it. 

4, A man desperately trying to make sense of his own sudden and overwhelming beliefs.

Be sure to write the original sentence(s) and refer to its scene and line numbers. 

Assignment for Wednesday, Jan. 7

Read and annotate Act 2 of Shakespeare's Much Ado about Nothing. As you read, identify any (but at least three) phrases or sentences that stand out because of their language.

Assignment for Tuesday, December 16

Have at least three pages written for your exploratory essay, and email them to me at mrmontasmph@gmail.com. Bring a digital copy of your essay or a laptop to work on in class.

Work for Friday, December 12

The assignment that was due on Wednesday, December 10, is now due on Friday, December 12. Email that assignment to mrmontasmph@gmail.com. Bring Much Ado about Nothing to class.

Assignment for Wednesday, December 9

Write one page of the exploratory essay for your research paper. The handout describing it is posted to the right. Email it to me at mrmontasmph@gmail.com, and bring a digital copy to work on in class. Also, be sure to bring Much Ado about Nothing to class. 

Assignment for Monday, December 8

Prepare for your poetry recitation. Here's a link to the scoring rubric that was distributed in class. If you need further clarification of any of the categories or criteria, check out this guide.

We will proceed in a random order, but the order will be listed on the board, so you'll know when you're turn is coming up. The recitations will take up most of class. After that, we will introduce the exploratory essay. You won't need Much Ado about Nothing for Monday's class.

Some students asked to watch a video of the 2014 Poetry Out Loud National Champion. It's posted below.

Poetry Out Loud: Recitation by Anita Norman, 2014 National Champion

Some students asked for a video of the most recent National Champion. Here it is:

Assignment for Thursday, December 4

Continue to prepare your poem for the recitation on Monday, December 8. Also, read and annotate Act 1 of William Shakespeare's Much Ado about Nothing. Be sure to identify any interesting rhetorical features in the characters' language.

Assignment for Tuesday, Nov. 25

In preparation for reading William Shakespeare's comedy, Much Ado about Nothing, read the handout on Shakespeare's rhetoric and then the two sonnets linked below, paying particular attention to their rhetorical features.

Reading Shakespeare's Language 

Sonnet 123

Sonnet 138 

During class, we will read most of Act 1 of Much Ado about Nothing, so bring your book with you. If you missed Friday's and Tuesday's classes, you can read Act 1 of  Much Ado about Nothing in this reliable online edition of the play.

Assignment for Friday, Nov. 21

Print a copy of your Poetry Out Loud poem. In class, you will analyze its rhetoric and begin practicing your recitation. The date of your recitation is Monday, Dec. 8.

Also, bring your copy of The Piano Lesson. We will conclude our discussion of that play.

Possible Prompts for Wednesday's Synthesis Essay

Below are possible prompts for each section of AP Lang. Pay attention to the prompts that apply to your section. You will not have a choice between the two options for your class, so be ready for either prompt. 

For the class that met FIRST block on Monday, consider the following: 

1. William Faulkner famously wrote, "The past is never dead. It's not even past." Does this quote apply to August Wilson's The Piano Lesson? Using at least three sources to support your argument, evaluate the ways characters (two or more) in The Piano Lesson employ narratives of the past to support their individual arguments about the piano.  

2. The piano is an inanimate piece of property, but it is as important as any character in shaping the outcome of August Wilson's The Piano Lesson. If the piano were free to speak, what would it say about Berniece and Boy Willie's argument about its future? Using at least three sources for support, explain the piano's position about its future. Do not write from the piano's point of view. 

For the class that met LAST block on Monday, consider the following: 

1. In August Wilson's The Piano Lesson, past events (such as the death of Berniece and Boy Willie's father over the piano, and Mama Ola's care for the piano, and Crawley's death) shape understandings of the present. How do Boy Willie and Berniece's ideas about their heritage influence their perspectives on the inheritance of the piano? Using at least three sources for support, explain how Berniece and Boy Willie's perceptions of the past influence their arguments about the future. 

2. In August Wilson's The Piano Lesson, Berniece and Boy Willie make very different arguments about the piano. Does the character who most deserves the piano also make the most persuasive argument for keeping it? Using at least three sources for support, evaluate who most deserves the piano and on what basis: the merits of their argument, or some other reason? 

Assignment for Monday, Nov. 17

Write two possible prompts for an essay about August Wilson's The Piano Lesson. Email them to me (mrmontasmph@gmail.com) and print them out for class. You will write the essay on Wednesday, Nov. 19.

In class, we will also discuss the article by Harry Elam, Jr., on The Piano Lesson.

Also, if you haven't already done so, select your poem for Poetry Out Loud. (see the link to the right). If you don't have a laptop or tablet, print out your poem. In class, you will look at your poem's rhetorical aspects. You will recite your poem on Monday, Dec. 8.

Assignment for Thursday, November 13

Read closely Harry Elam, Jr.'s article "The Dialectics of August Wilson's 'The Piano Lesson'" (available on JSTOR). First, summarize the article, then paraphrase one section of the article (three-to-five sentences).