…due 11/30! Don’t forget. If you have questions over the break, feel free to email me. We’re off to Frankenstein next!

We’ve read three stories so far:

• “‘Repent, Harlequin!’ Said the Ticktock Man” by Harlan Ellison
• “Harrison Bergeron” by Kurt Vonnegut
• “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas” by Ursula K. LeGuin

In the first two we are presented with protagonists (heroes? rebels?) who are less than successful in their endeavors. The last story presents us with a whole community that seems idyllic but requires the pain of a child to sustain it.

Your goal by the end of this is to write a thematic comparison of the three works (or four, if you decide to read the final story). Right now, you should look over your annotations and make note in your journals of any connections you find. After this, take a step back (watch some Netflix, eat dinner, mow the lawn) and look at your connections. Is there a pattern? Is there an ethos emerging? Are there any outliers?

I will miss part of class tomorrow to take a group to RSU, but will likely be back by the end of the hour. I’m looking forward to seeing what you’ll have done.

You guys are great.

Great class today. If you managed to lose your copy of the reading between the class and reading this, you can find a copy here. Make sure you’ve gone over your annotations tonight, defining any unfamiliar terms and thinking about what the author is trying to say.

If that last bit seems unclear, don’t worry! We will discuss it throughout class tomorrow. In the meantime, you can simply write questions (or question marks) next to passages that are unclear.

As always, email me with questions!

We wrapped up Frankenstein over the weekend ((right?? if not, you have some reading to do!)) and began outlining the essays in class today. The prompt is straightforward:

Is Frankenstein a Romantic work according to the Romantic sources we read earlier? Use at least two sources and the book to support your argument.

The trick is to look at how each presents its worldview or ethos: what does Prometheus seem to value in Byron’s poem? What does Victor? As statements of morality, do they align?

We will continue to work on these through the week, turning them in on Monday.

I’ve been looking over your journals in class this week and shared some ideas about organization with each of you. I will ask for them periodically, but if you ever make progress and want to share, just show me before class. Remember that your current grade can always jump up if you show progress, but your journal is graded holistically; if you only have vocab from the last half of the novel, your best grade will be 3/5. Watch your progress in the grade book and adjust your habits accordingly.

The reading schedule is straightforward—a chapter a night:

Read this (by this date)
Front cover–chapter 2 (Monday 14th)
Chapter 3 (Tuesday 15th)
Chapter 4 (Wednesday 16th)
Chapter 5 (Thursday 17th)
Chapter 6 (Friday 18th)
Chapter 8 (Monday 21)
etc.