Tonight you’ll write a quick essay comparing two of the poems in the packet. It can be over any two poems, but your thesis must explain two things: what the authors are trying to convey with the poems and how your point of comparison (a theme, imagery, content, tone, etc.) helps to make the point in each.

We’ll discuss them in class tomorrow.

If you are concerned about your skill grades for the last essay, try to focus on the skills that you didn’t do well on. For example, if your formatting was poor or you didn’t include a works cited page, type up your paper according to MLA guidelines and include a works cited page. I will only grade the papers of those who ask me to. Remember: your grade in this class is based on your demonstration of your understanding of the skills. Everything I ask you to do is “practice.” If you only want feedback this time around, just tell me that.

Earlier this week you voted to write over the three short stories we’ve read so far ((“‘Repent, Harlequin!’ Said the Ticktockman,” “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas,” and “The Greatest Man in the World”)). You’ve been working alternately solo and in groups to understand what these authors are arguing about rebellion.

As we’ve moved through this writing process I’ve asked you to keep a few things in mind. As you write your rough drafts this weekend, please make sure these haven’t disappeared from your writing:

• A thesis statement and topic sentences that are argumentative rather than descriptive. “All of the rebels died/disappeared in the end” is descriptive. “The stories demonstrate that small acts of rebellion, when just, are worth any sacrifice.”
• A body composed of paragraphs that compare/contrast the works. If your topic sentences each make an argument about a pattern within the works, you’re doing it correctly.

Email or post a comment with questions. They are due at the beginning of class on Monday.

We looked quickly over the syllabus today, mostly focusing on my grading practices which may take some time to get used to. Please let me know if you or your parents have any questions!

We read and discussed “‘Repent, Harlequin!’ Said the Ticktock Man” to get things rolling. As you read through your annotations tonight, try to get a clear understanding of what Ellison is trying to convey with this work. We’ll read many others with a similar theme to get a better understanding of this intertextuality thing.

If you have questions or comments please don’t hesitate to email me.

For your enjoyment, David Tennant plays Hamlet, Patrick Stewart is Claudius. Let me know what you think!

Watch Hamlet on PBS. See more from Great Performances.

…probably enough of the Franken[portmanteaux], yes?

Just a quick overview of our process from start to finish:

1. Read and journal
2. Find patterns and group quotations underneath
3. Make meaning of these patterns
4. Find how these patterns connect with one another
5. Compose thesis
6. Polish outline, ensuring that each point (from thesis to the most basic) is an argument and all arguments are supported with quotations or paraphrasing
7. Begin rough draft

Here’s a diagram of our process showing how each step contributes to the bottom-up creation of your paper:

We’ve set tentative deadlines as follows:

• Outlines should be wrapped by Tuesday/Wednesday of this week
• Final drafts on Monday of next

If you can, please compose your outline and paper in Google Docs, as you can share the live document with me for questions/editing.