Please do the following:

1. TURN IN YOUR HOMEWORK2. Take out your writer’s notebook3. Pick up the handout at the front of the class

WE WILL BEGIN IMMEDIATELY!

Homework: due Tuesday, Sept. 8th

Critically read the short story, “Clothes” for characterization, theme, and symbolism

Answer the following questions:

Identify the characters of the story and label whether they are flat, round, static or dynamic.

For a dynamic character like Sumita, describe how and why she changes. What events/moments/self-revelation produces these changes? Use textual evidence to support your assertion.

In “Clothes” the characters are “both liberated and trapped by cultural changes” and are struggling to carve out an identity of their own. How is this statement true in the case of Sumita’s character? Use textual evidence to support your assertion.

Learning Targets for Friday, September 4th, 2015

Today, I will…

• Examine the expectations for the AP Literature exam by analyzing and discussing the Ten Commandments of AP Literature.

• Examine the techniques authors employ in order to create a character(s) by analyzing and discussing those specific methods as well as evaluating various forms of characterization.

The Ten Commandments of AP Literature

I am the Prompt, thy Prompt; thou shalt have no other Prompt before me. Thou shalt read the Prompt with rapt attention; the Prompt is thy friend.  Thou shalt address the Prompt.  Thou shalt not just get the gist of the Prompt, nor shalt thou fight the Prompt or substitute thine own ideas for the Prompt or simply restate the Prompt.

Commandment #1

Yea, though others around thee may be scribbling hastily, thou shalt not begin until thou hast planned profitably.  Verily, thou shalt not wander into the valley of clichés, but looketh deeper to behold the glory of insight. Thou shalt not postpone, omit, or bury thy Thesis Statement.

Commandment #2

Thou shalt not confuse complexity with confusion, or subtlety with indecisiveness; thou shalt not attribute thine own insensitivity or ignorance to authorial ineptitude.  The fact that thou gettest not the point doth not mean that the passage hath no point: thou hast missed the point.  Deal with it.

Commandment #3

Thou shalt not commit plot-summary, nor shalt thou cohabit with Reading Comprehension. Thou shalt not begin thy body paragraphs with plot events and known facts rather than thoughtful, supportable ideas that address the prompt*, for it is an abomination in my sight.

Commandment #4

Thou shalt not merely identify literary, rhetorical, and stylistic devices in the passage and poem, but shalt show how they function and evaluate their effectiveness.   

Commandment #5

Thou shalt not commit free-floating generalization in the essays, but shall support and develop thy every assertion with details from the text whilst demonstrating a depth of analysis.

Commandment #6

Thou shalt not finish early.  Thou shalt spend plenty of time planning thine essay responses and shalt save enough time at the end of the test to read them over for careless mistakes.

Commandment #7

Thou shalt read every multiple choice question with the same exquisite care that thou devotest to the essay Prompt: thou shalt not just ‘get the drift.’  By the same token, thou shalt strive to read what the writer actually wrote, not what thou dost expect him or her to have written.

Commandment #8

Thou shalt guess when thou knowest not the answer.  Thou shalt not do so blindly, but shalt listen to thy gut, eliminate, and make an educated guess.  Thou shalt not choose an answer simply because thou knoweth not the meaning. Feareth not to guess, for points can be gotten therewith.   

Commandment #9

Thou shalt never permit thyself to become discouraged: I am the Prompt, thy Prompt. Thou shalt maintain thy focus, attention, and confidence.  Yea, though thou hast totally screwed up thy last essay, this essay maketh a fresh start.

Commandment #10

Analyzing Characters in Literature

CHARACTER TYPES & FORMS OF CHARACTERIZATION

What is characterization?

Breakfast Club

Two Types of Characterization

Direct Characterization Least common

Indirect Characterization Most common

DirectCharacterization

Author (speaker/narrator) comes right out and tells us (reader) what the character is like/character’s personality (this is exceptionally rare in fiction)

An example of this would be any time you watch a TV show or film where a narrator informs you a character is evil or heroic, etc.

Mean Girls

IndirectCharacterization

The narrative slowly and deliberately reveals a character’s personality, developing him or her fully

Five (5) Methods:a.) Speech = what does he/she say?

b.) Thoughts = what does he/she think?

c.) Effect on others = what other characters say or how they react to that character

d.) Actions = what does he or she do/behave/act like?

e.) Looks (appearance) = description!

Twilight

Flat vs. RoundCharacters

Flat Characters: Lack detail Stereotypical (ie. oversimplified

or representative of cultural expectations)

Round Characters: More fully developed Realistic (ie. they’re not perfectly

villainous or perfectly heroic: they’re more human and have flaws)

Static vs. DynamicCharacters

Static Characters: Stay the same throughout Villains tend to be static,

for example

Dynamic Characters: Change(develop)

throughout a narrative Heroes tend to be dynamic

(although not always!)

“Mrs. McWilliams and the Lightning” MARK TWAIN