A CHRISTMAS CAROL "FOOD FOR THOUGHT"

WRITE ABOUT ONE OR MORE OF THESE QUESTIONS DURING THE UNIT.  ALL ENTRIES ARE DUE PRIOR TO JANUARY 21ST!

1. DO YOU THINK PEOPLE CAN CHANGE THE WAY THEY ARE?  WHAT IS ESSENTIAL FOR TRUE CHANGE TO TAKE PLACE?

2. DOES EVERYONE DESERVE A SECOND CHANCE?  WHY OR WHY NOT? ELABORATE ON YOUR ANSWER.

3.  WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SAYING YOU ARE SORRY AND TRULY BEING SORRY?  HOW DOES ONE PROVE HE/SHE DESERVES FORGIVENESS?

4. HOW DOES ONE'S CHILDHOOD EXPERIENCES INFLUENCE THE ADULT ONE BECOMES?  HOW CAN THE EFFECTS OF A DIFFICULT CHILDHOOD BE REVERESED?

6. TELL ABOUT A PERSON WHO INFLUENCED YOUR VALUES AND VIEW OF LIFE (OTHER THAN A PARENT) MUCH LIKE TINY TIM INFLUENCED SCROOGE AND EVERYONE HE MET.  TELL HOW YOU KNOW THIS PERSON AND WHAT HIS/HER IMPACT ON YOU HAS BEEN.

Out of Bounds: Pivotal Moments in our Lives

Veronica in The Dare, Jacob in The  Noose, and Lily in One Day, Lily, One Day all experienced dramatic events that shaped their lives and changed them forever.  All of us have also experienced events that forced us to see the world differently and changed us forever.  Please write about such a time in your own life.  In most cases, these will be rather emotional , difficult events, but the changes they caused in our lives have helped mold us into the people we are today. 

HOW WOULD YOU REACT??

All Summer in a Day

1. If you were Margot, what do you think you would do as soon as you got out of the closet?  What would you do the next day or week after you had time to think about what had happened?

2. If youwere Margot's parents, what would you do?

3. If you were the teacher or principal, what would you do to the children who locked her in the closet?  Would you treat William any differently than the rest of the children?  Explain. 

4. What would you do as the teacher to try to improve the relationships between Margot and the rest of the class after this incident? 

5. Do you feel it is necessary for Margot to forgive them?  Why or why not?  Is there a difference between forgiving, forgetting, and moving on?  Explain each,  and which do you think you would do if you were Margot?  Explain your answer.

SHORT STORIES

All of the short stories we have read demonstrate many of the literary terms we have studied.  Give me examples from the different stories of:  Thank You M'am, Charles, Ransom of Red Chief, and All Summer in a Day. 

SITUATIONAL IRONY

INDIRECT CHARACTERIZATION

DIRECT CHARACTERIZATION

VERBAL IRONY

DIALECT

DRAMATIC IRONY

3RD PERSON OMNISCIENT

1ST PERSON  POINT OF VIEW

FORESHADOWING

SIMILE

METAPHOR

HYPERBOLE

What themes cross over from one short story to another? Give the theme(s) and tell how they are shown in the stories.  Are any of these themes the same as themes from your summer reading books and/or The Outsiders?  Explain. 

Langston Hughe's Poetry Questions

LANGSTON HUGHES POETRY

DEMOCRACY

1. What is the tone in this poem?
2. Who do you think is the speaker in the poem?  Describe him or her.
3. What clichés is the speaker tired of hearing? Why?
4. What is ironic about the title “Democracy”?

DREAMS DEFERRED

1. What does “deferred” mean?
2. To you , what was the most dramatic image evoked in the poem? Why? ?
3. What do you see as the ultimate theme presented in this powerful poem?

DREAM VARIATIONS

1.      What is the rhyme pattern here?

2.      How is the tone different here than in the prior two poems?

3.      Is there any significance in his contrast of white day, pale evening

and his own description of being black and dark?  Explain.

4.      Why is the night seen as gentle and tender and the day as quick and whirling?

DREAMS

1.      Give me an example of personification.

2.      What are the metaphors for life?

3.      What happens if we lose our faith in dreams?  

I, TOO

     1.  To what time in American history do you think the 1^st stanza relates?

     2.  When and how can shame be productive?  

     3. Recall a time you have dfeltr ashamed and learned something valuable from the experience.

MOTHER TO SON

1.      How is dialect effective in this poem?

2    What effective metaphor was used to describe the narrator's life?  

4.      What are the “landins, “light, ”“corners” and “darkness” in life? 

5.   What is the universal theme of this poem?

***After completing these questions to hand in in class, discuss on the blog what you think are two universal themes Hughe's presents over all these poems?  Support your choices by referring to lines that express your ideas.