Assignment for Friday, Oct. 12

In Shakespeare's Henry IV, Part 1, read Act 2, scenes 1-2 (pp. 27-34). Act 2, scene 1 might be  tricky to navigate. Gadshill is at an inn, and Chamberlain (the inn keeper; sometimes called the Chamberlain) helps him identify travelers who would be easy to rob. The main purpose of Act 2, scene 2 is to make the audience laugh. Some of the humor, especially toward the end, must be imagined in the actions, not words, of the characters. Remember: Think about the characters' audience and purpose as they speak to each other. 

Here is your writing assignment: Regardless of your sense of humor, identify and explain specific lines that aim to establish the humor in this scene. How does Shakespeare's language attempt to make the audience laugh? What makes the lines funny (or attempt to be funny). Write about one solid paragraph, two if you're feeling ambitious or you find it very funny. If you're in Google Classroom, submit it there; otherwise, email it to me by the start of class.

Last thing: Bring a printed copy of your college essay. On Friday and next Tuesday, we'll go over ways you can improve it.

Assignment for Wednesday, Oct. 10

Read this handout on classical rhetorical figures and Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address. Then practice using some of these rhetorical figures by writing sentences for at least four of them. Label each rhetorical figure clearly, and write sentences that demonstrate them. For some of the rhetorical figures, you will need to write more than one sentence to demonstrate them. If you are not yet in Google Classroom, email your sentences to me. If you are in Google Classroom, submit your work there.

Class work for Friday, Oct. 5

I’m out sick, so here are some instructions for class.

An important part of oral rhetoric is making your words sound like you mean them, and adding perhaps some other movements and gestures to get your points across. This is very similar to—you guessed it—acting! Today, you’ll spend some trying to sound and behave like the characters in Henry IV, Part 1 as they engage in Act 1, scene 3’s shifting rhetorical situation. In other words, you will act, but I want you to think rhetorically while you do so. (The following exercises are from tbe Cambridge School Shakespeare edition of Henry IV, Part 1.)

First, in groups in groups of three or four, stage lines 1-21 (up to Worcestor’s exit) to greatest dramatic effect. Consider the following:

• How can the entrance be staged to express the conflict between King Henry and the Percies before the first line is spoken? Think of this as establishing the rhetorical situation for the audience. 
• Is Henry instantly angry and confrontational, or might he speak his first nine lines in a calm and controlled manner? 
• Worcestor claims that tbe Percy family (“Our house”) does not deserve harsh treatment from the king,  especially as they had helped him depose King Richard II and so become king himself. Suggest how Worcestor can make every word count. 
• Work out how Worcestor makes his exit. Does he show or conceal his true feelings? What is the rhetorical effect of either choice? 

Then, in your group, try to understand Hotspur’s character based on his opening monologue (lines 30-70). Work out the following questions, and then read together Hotspur’s monologue, taking turns sentence by sentence.

• Pick out all the comparisons Hotspur uses to describe the courtier. Many are similes. Dies Hotspur speak each line contemptuously? 
• Identify whee 
• Hotspur might mimic the courtier’s voice, e.g., “untaught knaves,” “unmannerly,” etc. 
• The king wants to know why Hotspur refused to give up his prisoners. Hotspur puts the blame on the courtier whose behavior irritated him. He says the courtier so exasperated him that he “Answered neglectingly” (without thinking). Think carefully about lines 53-54 to decide what kind if answer Hotspur gave, and how he might speak those lines. 
• Hotspur is a soldier. The courtier represents everything he detests. Identify all of the words Hotspur uses to express his irritation. Suggest why they represent the opposite of Hotspur’s values. 
• Now that you’ve worked through Hotspur's words, say them! Take turns going sentence by sentence through his monologue. 

More to come. When you finish these activities, refresh the page to see the next steps.

Okay, Hotspur wasn’t being candid about the Scottish prisoners. As King Henry reveals, Hotspur wants to use the prisoners to secure the release of Mortimer, “that Earl of March.” (Look for Mortimer in the character list in your book and the one I handed out to you. What is important about Mortimer?) That deception and Hotspur’s desire to free Mortimer enrage King Henry.

• In your group, look closely at lines 78-93. Identify a word or phrase in each line that King Henry soeaks that reveals the strength of his true feelings about Hotspur, Mortimer, or Glendower. 
• Then speak the lines to each other giving your chosen words special emphasis. For example, in line 78, King Henry might stress “Why” to show his exasperation and disbelief, and to express his rejection of Blunt’s peacemaking effort. 
• Now go to lines 114-124. Now King Henry is really angry as he accuses Hotspur of lying and again demands the Scottish prisoners. 
• Speak King Henry’s lines emphasizing each word or phrase he might intend as an insult or rebuke. For example, in this confrontation, Henry’s use of “sirrah” can express contempt. 
• In this reply, Henry shifts from using “I” and “me” to the style monarchs use to describe themselves: “we” and “us.” As you speak his lines, emphasize each pronoun, and discuss why he changes his style. 

Now, King Henry gets really mad, and he accuses Hotspur of lying and again demands the Scottish prisoners.

• Speak King Henry's lines emphasizing each word or phrase he might intend as a threat, insult, or rebuke. For example, in these lines, "sirrah" can express contempt. 
• I his angry reply, King Henry shifts from using "I" and "me" to the style monarchs use to describe themselves: "we" and "us." As you speak his lines, emphasize each pronoun, and discuss why he changes his style. 

Okay, we'll continue the rest of this scene in class next week. In the meantime, the weekend will give you a break from King Henry IV, Part 1 as we look at some more aspects of rhetorical figures by reading Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address.  If you finish all of these class activities, you may start the homework posted above.

Assignment for Friday, Oct. 5

In Henry IV, Part 1, read and annotate Act 1, scene 3 (pp. 16-26). Be sure to annotate this reading; I will be checking your books on Friday.

Assignment for Wednesday, Oct. 3

In William Shakespeare's Henry IV, Part 1, read Act 1, scenes 1 and 2 (pp. 4-16).  While you're reading, pay attention to anything that stand out rhetorically. Then, identify a passage at least five lines in length (it could involve more than one character) and email to me a few sentences about what makes it rhetorically interesting. If you can, write about both the rhetorical effect and the meaning generated by the passage, but that might be hard to do at this stage. Be sure to identify the act, scene, and lines you are writing about.

Assignment for Monday, Oct. 1

Follow the directions on this handout. By the start of class, email your response to me; if you're in Google Classroom, submit it there. Be careful not to submit your assignment as a Pages document; convert it to Word or a PDF before submitting it. (If you missed class, take a look at the handout with the definitions of rhetorical figures posted to the right. Don't worry about the names; take note of the definitions and examples.)

Please keep in mind the following: What I’m asking you to do is kind of like listening to a song for the first time, and noticing the hooks and other little details that make it different; or looking at a photograph or painting, and noticing the things that make it stand out; or watching a game and noticing the team’s strategies and individual player’s moves. Just pay attention to what you see and hear, and take note of anything that looks a little different than usual in the arrangement of the words.

Assignment for Tuesday, Sept. 25

Complete the STP action and research plan. (If you misplaced the handout, it is posted to the right.) When you email it to me, put “STP action plan” in the subject line. Please don’t send it as a Pages doc. If you use Pages, convert it to a Word document before sending it. If you are on Google Classroom, please go there and submit it through Google Classroom.

Assignment for Friday, Sept. 21

Use the handout on rhetorical modes posted to the right to guide you as you take another look at Baldwin's "Notes of a Native Son." (As I post this, the handout is still in progress; it's about two-thirds ready.) The definitions on this handout barely scratch the surface of these modes, but hopefully you can use them to identify some of Baldwin’s strategies.

Here's your assignment (you don't have anything to write): Come prepared to discuss in detail how Baldwin uses two or more of these rhetorical modes to develop "Notes of a Native Son" and move the reader in particular ways. As always, think of the effects of Baldwin's choices: At any given point in the essay, why would Baldwin write in one mode instead of another?

Assignment for Tuesday, Sept. 18

Read James Baldwin's essay "Notes of a Native Son," which was handed out in class and is posted to the right. Take the DIDLSS element you were assigned and write one well-developed paragraph that analyzes its effect on the essay. Email this to me by the start of Tuesday's class.

If you don't remember which DIDLSS element you were assigned, see the list below:

F Block:
Sarah A. Diction
Naldo C. Structure
Ethan H. Language
Charlie M. Imagery
Lyla O. Syntax 
Malachy R. Syntax 
Jacob R. Details
Grace Z. Structure

D Block:
Ren B. Structure
Claudia C. Syntax
Ahmad E. Imagery
Iris F. Language
Taylor G. Syntax
Grant L. Diction
Maddy M. Diction
Kyleigh M. Imagery
Jack M. Details
Kolby R. Language
Angelina S. Details
Sydney S. Imagery
Sarah S. Structure
Hannah W. Structure

Assignment for Friday, Sept. 14

Read Joan Didion's essay "On Keeping a Notebook," and write a one-page response that analyzes two (your choice) of the six elements of DIDLSS that we reviewed in class. If you misplaced the handout or you were absent, it is posted to the right; DIDLSS is explained on the second page.

Assignment for Wednesday, Sept. 12

Please complete this survey about the Make Your World a Better Place summer assignment.

Sign and return the AP contract (which is posted to the right).

Register here with the New York Times here; use your MPH email address; you can create your own site-specific password.

In the CliffNotes AP Lang book, read the passages on pp. 15-16, and p. 18. Do not answer any of the multiple-choice questions, or even look at them. (We won't even answer them in class.) Instead, use the rhetorical triangles to explain the distinctive features of the writing in each passage. Write one well-developed paragraph for each passage, and email this to me at fmontas@mphschool.org by the start of Wednesday's class.

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Welcome!

Welcome to AP Lang! Click here for the first handout of the year, which covers the rhetorical triangles we discussed in Wednesday's class. Use this handout selectively as you prepare for Friday's essay.

And click here is the prompt for Friday's essay. In preparing for it, use the handout distributed in Wednesday's class, which is also linked in the classroom.

Summer Assignment

Congratulations on completing your junior year! I'm very excited to teach you in September. Click here for the AP Lang summer assignment. See you at the end of the summer!