Assignments for March 28 to April 4.

Monday, March 28 (Day 1), and Tuesday, March 29 (Day 2): Write one sentence at least twenty words in length for three of the following categories: an historical event, a political development, a social fad or trend, a sporting performance, an artistic creation or performance, a natural phenomenon, or a personal habit. Keep in mind, as we discussed in class, that your sentence can aim to inform, persuade, criticize, evaluate, describe, narrate, analyze, or summarize, among other functions. Bring your copy of Status Anxiety to class as we prepare for the in-class essays on Wednesday and Thursday.

Wednesday, March 30 (Day 3), and Thursday, March 31 (Day 4): Score the AP sample essays distributed in class. Focus only on the strengths of each essay, and follow the scoring guidelines to give each a score out of 9. In class, you will write two essays in response to Status Anxiety; one essay will require a rhetorical analysis, the other an argument.

Friday, April 1 (Day 5), and Monday, April 4 (Day 6): In Advanced Composition Skills, complete Lesson 17 (pp. 117-122). For the Focus on Writing exercises (p. 120 and p. 122), just write an outline; do not write an essay unless you really want to.

Assignments for March 22-March 25

Tuesday, March 22 (Day 3): Read and annotate pp. 175-213 of de Botton's Status Anxiety.

Wednesday, March 23 (Day 4): Read and annotate pp. 192-213 of de Botton's Status Anxiety. Write a sentence about something that (following Steve Jobs) makes your heart sing.

Thursday, March 24 (Day 5), and Friday, March 25 (Day 6): Read and annotate pp. 217-293 of de Botton's Status Anxiety (it's not as much as it seems; this section is heavily illustrated).  Write a sentence that captures your reaction to this book. As we discussed in class, it might help to envision a particular context and audience for this sentence.

Snow Day Adjustment and a Short Blog Post on Status Anxiety and College

This applies to the even-day class only: We will go ahead with the multiple-choice practice AP exam on the morning of Wednesday, March 9. You will write the Huck Finn synthesis essay in class next Tuesday, March 15, when you return from the long weekend. You should stick to the schedule posted below for reading Alain de Botton's Status Anxiety.

The schedule for the odd-day class remains unchanged.

David Brooks has begun a new blog on human nature and one of his first posts is on college and status anxiety. Click here to read it; the post is short and worth your time.

Upcoming Assignments

Even-Day Classes:
Monday, March 7 (Day 6): Read and annotate up to p. 21 of Alain de Botton's Status Anxiety including the definitions that appear right after the table of contents. In class, you will write a synthesis essay on Mark Twain's Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.
Wednesday, March 9 (Day 2): Read and annotate pp. 23-44 of Alain de Botton's Status Anxiety. In class, you will have sixty minutes to complete the multiple choice section of one AP Lang practice exam.
Tuesday, March 15 (Day 4): Read and annotate pp. 47-102 of de Botton's Status Anxiety.  In class, we will review the synthesis essay and the multiple choice questions.
Thursday, March 17 (Day 6): Read and annotate pp. 107-145 of de Botton's Status Anxiety.
Monday, March 21 (Day 2): Read and annotate pp. 145-192 of de Botton's Status Anxiety.

Odd-Day Classes:
Tuesday, March 8 (Day 1): Read and annotate up to p. 44 of Alain de Botton's Status Anxiety, including the definitions that appear right after the table of contents. In class, you will have sixty minutes to complete the multiple choice section of one AP Lang practice exam.
Thursday, March 10 (Day 3): Read and annotate pp. 47-71 of de Botton's Status Anxiety. In class, we will review the synthesis essay and the multiple choice questions, in addition to discussing Status Anxiety.
Wednesday, March 16 (Day 5): Read and annotate pp. 73-145 of de Botton's Status Anxiety.
Friday, March 18 (Day 1): Read and annotate pp. 147-172 of de Botton's Status Anxiety.
Tuesday. March 22 (Day 3): Read and annotate pp. 175-213 of de Botton's Status Anxiety.

Huckleberry Finn Delay

I'm not sure if I mentioned this in both classes: the Huckleberry Finn reading that was due Monday and Tuesday is delayed to Wednesday and Thursday. I would rather move forward with the writing workshops. So, for Monday and Tuesday, bring three revised pages of your essay. Those of you who are sharing your work should bring enough copies for me and your classmates (16 in the odd-day class; 13 in the even-day class).

On Wednesday and Thursday, we'll spend about thirty minutes checking in on your progress with Huckleberry Finn (you will have some questions to answer and to think about for the next check-in), and we'll spend the remainder of class workshopping two student essays and reviewing additional writing strategies.

Snow Day Revisions

For Thursday, Feb. 3 (Day 1), bring your revised essay. As we discussed in class, focus on the nouns and the sentences. Read the handout distributed in class.

For Friday, Feb. 4 (Day 2), bring 1-2 pages of the essay on the topic of your choice, as was scheduled for Wednesday.

Assignment for Tuesday, Feb. 1 (Day 5), and Wednesday, Feb. 2 (Day 6)

Bring two pages of your essay on the topic of your choice. It will be helpful to bring at least two copies of your writing.

Assignment for Friday, Jan. 28 (Day 3), and Monday, Jan. 29 (Day 4), and Huck Finn Check-In Dates

Read and annotate Mark Twain, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, from the "Notice" (which appears two pages before the start of Ch. 1) to p. 28. Also, decide on the topic for the essay you will write about anything you wish. (If you didn't finish the in-class readings, you will need to finish them sometime soon.)

As I've mentioned, you will be reading Huckleberry Finn mostly on your own. We will discuss the novel during the classes listed below. On those days, you will have questions to answer about the book, and you must bring your book because I will check your annotations. The first day in a pair is always a Day 3, the second a Day 4.

• February 7 & 8: Up to p. 141.
• February 15 & 16: Up to p. 260.
• March 2 & 3: Up to p. 362. 

Assignment for Wednesday, Jan. 26 (Day 1) and Thursday, Jan. 27 (Day 2)

Read Mark Twain's "The Late Benjamin Franklin" and write one typed page that explains the rhetoric of its humor. It runs from pages 211-215 of The Writings of Mark Twain, Vol. 19, which is linked below. After following the link, click on "preview this book," then enter "211" in the box to the right of "Contents."

The Writings of Mark Twain, Vol. 19

Assignment for Thursday, Jan. 20, and Friday, Jan. 21

Write 1-2 pages of your funny story. Try to incorporate the rhetorical elements of humor that we discussed in class (e.g., the conceit and unexpected contrasting elements), but do not get hung up on making it funny the first time around; in class, we will work on making it funny.

Readings for Tuesday, Jan. 18, and Wednesday, Jan. 19, and Some Other Stuff You Might Find Amusing

Read the following essays from McSweeney's Internet Tendency, and once again identify three or four elements in each that contribute to the humor.

Marissa Medansky, Oompa Loompa Revolutionaries
Seth Reiss, "Eyewitness News with Tom Denardo and Cheryl Clayburn"

On Tuesday and Wednesday, we will also discuss the previously assigned humor pieces, so you may wish to review those.

Here are two other pieces you may find amusing: Fran Lebowitz's "Introduction by the Author," a short list that rephrases clichés in amusing and thoughtful ways, and this clip of standup by Hannibal Buress, a 30 Rock writer whose routine here reminds me of Bill Cosby:

Homework for Thursday, Jan. 13 (Day 5), and Friday, Jan. 14 (Day 6)

No additional reading. We will discuss the comic pieces that were assigned for Tuesday and Wednesday but that we didn't get to in class. Also, give some thought to pieces you would like to write but have never had a chance to. This could be a nonfiction piece on any topic, of any length, in any nonfiction genre. We won't start writing it until February, but I'd like you to start thinking about what that might be now.

Political Rhetoric and Recent Events

Here are some articles that address the relationship between violent political rhetoric and violent actions:

"Tucson Rampage Casts Light on Toxic Political Tone"
"Bloodshed in Arizona Casts New Light on Vitriol in Politics"
"In the Shock of the Moment, the Political Bickering Stops...Until It Doesn't"
New York Times Room for Debate: Assassins and American History
"Beck Channels Palin on Tucson Shooting"
"In Defense of Inflamed Rhetoric"
"Sometimes a Tragedy Is Just a Tragedy"