Agenda for Monday, November 71. Work returned and explained

(10 min.)

2. The Scarlet Letter (40 min.)

o “The Custom House” Tier 2 Vocabulary reconciled

o “The Custom House”o Intro to the Novelo Reading Journal Expectations

3. Begin Homework (Remaining Time)

AP English 11 Your NameTier 2 Quiz November 7, 2011

o 1—5 Spell and Define • (2 x 5 = 10 points)

o 6—10 Use in a sentence correctly • (3 x 5 = 15 points)

“The Custom House” Vocabularyo Prolix (adjective) [proh-liks] extended to great,

unnecessary, or tedious length; long and wordy. o Emolument (noun) [ih-mol-yuh-muhnt] profit, salary,

or fees from office or employment; compensation for services

o Vicissitude (noun) successive, alternating, or changing phases or conditions, as of life or fortune; ups and downs

o Dotage (noun) [doh-tij] a decline of mental faculties, esp. as associated with old age; senility.

o Vitiate (verb) [vish-ee-eyt] to impair the quality of; make faulty; spoil.

o Polemical (adjective) [puh-lem-ik-uhl] a controversial argument, as one against some opinion, doctrine, etc.

“The Custom House”

• On class blog, see link below

“The Custom House”• Interest stems from his family’s long-standing

connection with Salem; when he comes to the Custom House, Hawthorne uncovers artifacts that relate to the Puritans of Salem around the 1640’s.

• Partly autobiographical, offers insight into the conflict Hawthorne experiences between the actions of his forefathers and his determination to tell the truth as he sees it.

• He discovers a faded scarlet A and parchment sheets that contain details on which the novel is based.

• Hawthorne embellishes the facts given in the manuscripts by weaving a romantic tale around the documented events.

“The Custom House” (Continued)

• The atmosphere of Salem in the 1800’s still has echoes of the Puritanical Salem of the 1600’s where a colony was founded, which concentrated on God’s teachings and a strict duty to live by his word.

• Throughout the book Hawthorne provides a full description of the events, places and in particular, his ancestors who he describes as “dim and dusky, grave, bearded, sable-cloaked and steel-crowned, bitter persecutors”.

• Hawthorne’s text shows his dislike and hostility towards the stern morality and rigidity of the Puritans. His connection to the Puritan ideal makes him a good commentator on the subject.

“The Custom House” (Continued)

• Hawthorne describes how his work at the Custom House smothers his creativity and imagination.

• He is driven to write the book due to his curiosity concerning the scarlet letter.

• The manuscript account of the events is purely factual and Hawthorne adds the romance using his imagination viewing it as a rebellion and escape from the oppressive Puritan society.

• The artifact is introduced so as to give his novel an air of historic truth.

Reading Journal Entry FormatPrior to Readingo Assignment Info: Chapter title and pages encompassed.o Vocabulary: Transfer the provided vocabulary information for

the chapter.

While Readingo Vocabulary (continued): Identify and record context clues.o Suggestion: Use post it notes to note any info that may be

useful in completing the After Reading Activity.

After Readingo Active Reading: Complete the assigned activity/graphic

organizer in your Reading Journal using information gleaned from the reading.

Homework Due Next Classo Read Chapters 1—4 of The Scarlet Letter and

complete assigned journaling activities.o Study ALL vocabulary.