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Angela's Ashes Discussion Questions

Please be thinking about the following discussion questions for book club on Sunday.

I am looking forward to hearing your opinions and reactions to the novel.

Also, bring suggestions for the next novel. I think The Color Purple is a good choice (Danielle's pick), but I am open to other suggestions.

1. Countless memoirs have been published recently, yet Angela's Ashes stands out. What makes this memoir so unique and compelling?

2. Discuss the originality and immediacy of Frank McCourt's voice and the style he employs -- i.e., his sparing use of commas, the absence of quotation marks. How, through a child's voice and perspective, does McCourt establish and maintain credibility?

3. Ever present in Angela's Ashes is the Catholic Church. In what ways does the Catholic Church of McCourt's Ireland hurt its members and limit their experience? How does the Church protect and nurture its followers? What is Frank's attitude toward the Church?

4. McCourt writes: "I think my father is like the Holy Trinity with three people in him, the one in the morning with the paper, the one at night with the stories and prayers, and then the one who does the bad thing and comes home with the smell of whiskey and wants us to die for Ireland." Was this your impression of Frank McCourt's father? How can Frank write about his father without bitterness? What part did Malachy play in creating the person that Frank eventually became?

5. Women -- in particular mothers -- play a significant role in Angela's Ashes. Recall the scenes between Angela and her children; the MacNamara sisters (Delia and Philomena) and Malachy; Aunt Aggie and young Frank; Angela and her own mother. In what ways do these interactions reflect the roles of women within their families? Discuss the ways in which Angela struggles to keep her family together in the most desperate of circumstances.

6. McCourt titles his memoir Angela's Ashes, after his mother. What significance does the phrase "Angela's Ashes" acquire by the end of the book?

7. Despite the McCourts' horrid poverty, mind-numbing starvation, and devastating losses, Angela's Ashes is not a tragic memoir. In fact, it is uplifting, triumphant even. How does McCourt accomplish this?

8. Irish songs and lyrics are prominently featured in Angela's Ashes. How do these lyrics contribute to the unique voice of this memoir? How does music affect Frank's experiences? How do you think it continues to influence his memories of his childhood?

9. Frank spent the first four years of his life in the United States. How do his experiences in America affect Frank's years in Ireland?

Book Club Info

Our first book club will meet on Sunday, April 20th at 3pm at Gelateria on South Grand.

First Book: Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt

Gelateria Address: 3197 South Grand Ave.
St. Louis, MO 63118

MapQuest Link:
http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&q=gelateria&safe=active&ie=UTF8&ll=38.600958,-90.244167&spn=0.008016,0.014505&z=16

Please be thinking about other books for May's selection.

Vocabulary Words-Part Two

You will have a vocabulary quiz on Thursday, March 27th. Please review the definitions and synonyms of the following words in preparation for this quiz. (And yes, you can record these in your reading journals.)

1. ostensible
2. ubiquitous
3. incorrigible
4. subvresion
5. diatribe
6. voracity
7. pernicious
8.emanation
9. ingenuity
10. prodigious

Gentle Reminder

This is a gentle reminder to those of you that have not sent me anything regarding your paper.

Please, for the love of your grade and our class, send me your final drafts via email: pharris1020@gmail.com

Not only will this make me a happier teacher (because I won't be rushing to grade the papers right up til grades are due), but then the paper will be out of your hair.

See you Monday . . . please email me if you have an questions.

Anyone Interested in a 5th Hour Book Club?

Hello!

As we discussed briefly on Friday, I would interested in moderating a book club for our 5th hour class, even though, I will not be your teacher anymore (sniffle, tear).

Please let me know as soon as possible so I can start thinking about times and places for us to meet.

We could either meet directly after school or on Sundays, and I think we should try to read one book a month and meet twice a month.

Coffee shops seem to be the best place to go, depending on the size of our group.

Email me if you are interested: pharris1020@gmail.com

Enjoy your break-you deserve it. Just don't forget to your work!

Ms. Harris

Writing Prompt #2

Short Essay #2 Writing Prompt

Pick ONE of the prompts to write a two page (500-700 word) essay:

1. Gender—What different types of women and women are distinguishable in the novel? What characteristics do the men share? What characteristics do the women share?

(HINT: Choose EITHER men OR women to discuss in this essay)

2. Sexuality—How is sexuality represented in the novel and why is sexuality important? Give examples of how Marquez uses sexuality to help the characters grow.

3. Power—What conclusions can you make about Marquez’s opinion of war? More specifically, how does war affect men, their families and the community as a whole?

Rough Draft DUE: Tuesday, March 25
Revised Draft DUE: Tuesday, April 1

The same scoring guide posted on this blog is what I will be using to grade this assignment as well.

Vocabulary Words

You will be taking a vocabulary quiz on Friday. You are responsible for knowing these 10 words:

1. meticulous
2. interminable
3. nostalgia
4. squander
5. complicity
6. incredulous
7. succumb
8. rudimentary
9. premonition
10. vehement

Scoring Guide

Ms. Harris

AP English

50 Points Possible

Short Essay Scoring Guide

Writing Prompt: With which character in One Hundred Years of Solitude do you connect with most strongly? Name and explain at least 3 things you like about the character. What do you think this character says about human nature, morality, family or life in general? Write a two-page (500-700 words) essay answering these questions.

Assignment Checklist:

• Fulfills Length Requirement
• Clearly States a Thesis (or position that is arguable)
• Includes 3 specific references from the text about the character
• Responds to the larger question of what this character is saying about human nature, morality, family or life
• Paper has an introduction and a conclusion

Rough Draft /5pts

Student must hand in a rough draft prior to the final revised paper

Content /5pts

Paper clearly addresses the writing prompt and adequately fulfills the assignment requirements

Introduction /5pts

Paper has a clear introduction that grabs the reader’s interest and provides a clear guide for the reader

Thesis Statement /10pts

Paper has a strongly worded thesis statement

Organization /5pts

Paper is clearly organized and each paragraph includes a topic sentence

Support /10pts

Paper has evidence from the text to support the main ideas

Grammar/Mechanics /5pts

Conclusion /5pts

Paper has a conclusion that sums up the main ideas in a fresh and interesting way

TOTAL /50pts

Extra Credit Opportunity

OK, this is a documentary I've been dying to see and not only is it here in St. Louis, it's a FREE viewing at the St. Louis History Museum.

If you show up to the viewing, not only will you be a totally awesome "nerd herder," but you will also get extra credit towards your final grade!

(Do I hear applause?)

Anyway: here's the link to the website for information and directions: KING CORN SCREENING

Here's the documentary website for you to find out more: KING CORN WEBSITE

Happy eating!

Due to Snow Days, The ACT, and all the other Menancing things that have messed with our schedule . . .

I was looking forward to reading your papers and doing some discussion today in class, but the ACT put a wrench in the wheels we've set in motion this week.

Therefore, I have a couple of announcements I need to make (I will also send you an email if you address is on my list, but tell your friends to check the blog this weekend):

1. Your final drafts for your papers are due NO LATER than Wednesday of next week.

2. If you have your paper and access to the internet, please email me your paper, so I can look over it and email you a response with suggestions for improvement.

3. When revising your paper, you will need to look at the scoring guide (which I will hopefully have posted tomorrow). This will help you understand more clearly what I am expecting and how I will be grading your final paper.

4. Make sure to check the blog over the weekend for discussion questions for next week. YOU ARE ONLY RESPONSIBLE FOR READING UP THROUGH CHAPTER 16. We will finish the novel after spring break, but I will be assigning another short paper over spring break before your final essay at the end of the novel.

I have been checking the blog frequently, but if you have a pressing question, it might be a better idea to email me (I check my email throughout the day). Please email me over the weekend if any of the above announcements are confusing.

Thursday's Class

Due to inclement weather, we have not been able to meet the last two days, which means I got tons of work done and I read The Great Gatsby. I hope the extra days allowed everyone to complete their essays (I have only received two via email). I think we should take just the first half of class to review your papers and spend the remainder of the hour talking about the novel (lots of interesting events happen in chapter 8-12 that I want to discuss).

Remember: Your final papers are due on Monday, March 10th.

See you tomorrow . . . I am still researching something we can do as a class outside of school that will solidify the community of our class.

First Writing Assignment

This two-part essay is due on Tuesday, March 4th at the beginning of class. It should be typed, double spaced in MLA format (proper margins) with Times New Roman font and size 12 type.

Your essay should include a short introduction and conclusion, and thoroughly address the writing prompt.

Writing Prompt: With which character in One Hundred Years of Solitude do you connect with most strongly? Name and explain at least 3 things you like about the character. What do you think this character says about human nature, morality, family or life in general? Write a two-page (500-700 words) essay answering these questions.

Cast of Characters for One Hundred Years of Solitude

Although there was some heated debate in class today, you voted and here are your picks for the cast of One Hundred Years of Solitude:Jose Arcadio Buendia-Antonio Banderas

Ursula-Penelope Cruz

Colonel Aureliano-The Rock

Jose Arcadio-Oscar de la Hoya

Amaranta-Angelina Jolie

Rebeca-Selma Hayek

Pietro Crespi-Casey Affleck

Remedios-Selma Gomez

Pilar Terena-Eva Menedez

Help for One Hundred Years of Solitude

Do you remember the two websites I suggested that you visit if you find yourself struggling to comprehend the novel?

Here are the links:

Pink Monkey

Spark Notes

These are to be used as supplements only-not as a replacement for the novel.

Here are some more sample essay questions you can continue to consider when reading.

Suggested Essay Topics

1. In what ways can One Hundred Years of Solitude be seen as a fable about the history of human civilization?

2. How does García Márquez use symbolism in One Hundred Years of Solitude? To what extent does the novel function as a network of symbols, allegories, and parables; to what extent can it stand on its own as a narrative?

3. One Hundred Years of Solitude is a vastly ambitious book, attempting to bridge many dualisms and appeal to many audiences: it is both general and particular, both realistic and magical. Is the book successful in its attempts to encompass such a vast scope of experiences and voices? What are the narrative shortcomings of One Hundred Years of Solitude?

4. With which character in One Hundred Years of Solitude do you most identify? Why? Is there any character in the novel who is wholly admirable, anyone who is wholly evil?

5. What do you think is the novel’s understanding of human nature? Is it a fundamentally optimistic novel? To what extent does García Márquez believe that love is possible?

6. To what extent is the novel’s title, One Hundred Years of Solitude, an important commentary on the narrative in the book? What connections does the book make between knowledge and solitude? Is solitude an unavoidable condition of human nature?

7. To what extent do you think that One Hundred Years of Solitude is a novel particularly concerned with Latin American culture and politics? To what extent is it a novel designed to appeal broadly to all readers?

An Aching Brain is a Good Thing

I admit it has been a rocky start to this unit; however, I like to think of this time as a "growth period." Stepping outside your comfort zone is the first step to learning or experiencing something new and exciting. My reasoning for choosing such a dense novel is as follows: if you can extract meaning from a difficult book like One Hundred Years of Solitude and analyze the text, then it will easier with a less complicated novel.

The process of analyzing literature only gets easier with time and practice. You will reap the rewards of struggling through this. It will make you a better reader, a better writer and a better thinker.

I hope that you are proud of the work you have done this first week. I look forward to seeing what you have to say on Tuesday about Chapters 5-7.

Have a wonderful 4-day weekend!

Calvin and Hobbs: Shedding Light on Academia

See, you can make virtually anything academic if you put your mind to it! Maybe the key is to use really big words. We will be working on vocabulary from One Hundred Years of Solitude this week.

Happy Reading. See you Tuesday!

Ms. Harris

One Hundred Years of Solitude

Here are some "Discussion Questions" I would like you to consider as we enter into Mancondo. By no means do you need to answer all the questions, but these questions will help direct our conversation in class. Keeping these questions in mind will also assist you as you take notes and read at home.


Also, your final project for this unit will be to write an essay analyzing One Hundred Years of Solitude and some of these questions can easily be turned into paper topics. It is useful to write page numbers of significant quotes from the book that pertain to these questions; this will make it easier for you to find support from the text for your analysis.


I suggest that you print these questions off and keep them as a guide while reading.


1. What kinds of solitude occur in the novel (for example, solitude of pride, grief, power, love, or death), and with whom are they associated? What circumstances produce them? What similarities and differences are there among the various kinds of solitude?


2. What are the purposes and effects of the story's fantastic and magical elements? How does the fantastic operate in the characters' everyday lives and personalities? How is the magical interwoven with elements drawn from history, myth, and politics?


3. Why does Garcia Marquez make repeated use of the "Many years later" formula? In what ways does this establish a continuity among past, present, and future? What expectations does it provoke? How do linear time and cyclical time function in the novel?


4. To what extent is Macondo's founding, long isolation, and increasing links with the outside world an exodus from guilt and corruption to new life and innocence and, then, a reverse journey from innocence to decadence?


5. What varieties of love occur in the novel? Does any kind of love transcend or transform the ravages of everyday life, politics and warfare, history, and time itself?


6. What is the progression of visitors and newcomers to Macondo, beginning with the gypsies? How does each new individual and group affect the Buendias, the town, and the story?


7. What is the importance of the various inventions, gadgets, and technological wonders introduced into Macondo over the years? Is the sequence in which they are introduced significant?


8. What is Melquiades's role and that of his innovations, explorations, and parchments? What is the significance of the "fact" that Melquiades "really had been through death, but he had returned because he could not bear the solitude"? Who else returns, and why?


9. When and how do politics enter the life of Macondo? With what short-term and long-term consequences? Do the social-political aspects of life in Macondo over the years parallel actual events and trends?


10. What types of women (from Ursula and Pilar to Meme and Amaranta Ursula) and what types of men (from Jose Arcadio to Aureliano Babilonia) are distinguishable? What characteristics do the men share? What characteristics do the women share?


11. What dreams, prophecies, and premonitions occur in the novel? With which specific characters and events are they associated, and what is their purpose?


12. When, how, and in what guises does death enter Macondo? With what consequences?


13. On the first page we are told that "The world was so recent that many things lacked names." What is the importance of names and of naming (of people, things, and events) in the novel?


14. How do geography and topography--mountains, swamps, river, sea, etc.--affect Macondo's history, its citizens' lives, and the novel's progression?


15. What aspects of the Buendia family dynamics are specific to Macondo? Which are reflective of family life everywhere and at any time? How do they relate to your experience and understanding of family life?


16. How does Garcia Marquez handle the issue and incidence of incest and its association with violence beginning with Jose Arcadio and Ursula's marriage and the shooting of Prudencio Aguilar? Is the sixth-generation incest of Aureliano Babilonia and Amaranta Ursula inevitable?

Gates Event Canceled Due to Illness

Students:

I hope this message finds you before Sunday. I have just been notified that the Dr. Gates will be unable to speak tomorrow at the library because he is ill.

I will see you on Monday . . . enjoy One Hundred Years of Solitude.

Henry Louis "Skip" Gates Jr. in Town

Henry Louis Gates - The New NegroWhen African American intellectuals announced the birth of the "New Negro" around the turn of the 20th century, they were attempting to change the way blacks were depicted and perceived in America. The black writers featured in this volume, including W.E.B. Du Bois, Paul Laurence Dunbar, Alain Locke, Carl Van Vechten, Zora Neale Hurston and Richard Wright, tried to revolutionize how whites viewed blacks-and how blacks viewed themselves. Editor Henry Louis Gates, Jr., is the Alphonse Fletcher University Professor and director of the W.E.B. Du Bois Institute at Harvard University.

Event Info: St. Louis Public Library

Central Branch1301 Olive
St. Louis, Missouri 63103

Sunday, February 10, 2008 2:00PM

If you attend this event, you will receive the benefit of seeing an academic scholar speak and extra credit for this class. I will certainly be present for this discussion. Oh, and by the way: it's free!

Like Water for Chocolate

We have been talking about the film Like Water for Chocolate this week. Overall, the class seems to be enjoying the film and the students are starting to think more about the film as a piece of literature that can be read. (This is partially because the film is adapted from the Esquivel novel.)

So far we have been examining the relationships of the women in the film (Dona Elena, Rosaura, Gertrudis and Tita) and the role men have played in their lives. Tradition has also played a huge role in the lives of these women because the central tension in the film is between a dominant mother and a dutiful, repressed daughter.

Elements of Magical Realism are infused into this captivating story, causing us to question the realities of the world. Gertrudis very poignantly states: "The truth is there is no truth." The key to understanding "reality" in a story filled with Magical Realism is realizing that many realities exist--it is within our power to choose which truth to believe. The character of Gertrudis encapsulates this idea.

One more thought before tomorrow: think again about why Tita would suggest that Rosaura only daughter be named Esperanza (from the Spanish verb esperar--meaning to hope, to wait). Think about Esperanza's fate and what that means to Tita. This will lead you to further understand the film.

Remember, this unit is centered on reading between the lines of a text and understanding the many layers that exist within one text. Part of what we see is blatantly placed there by the author, other ideas are more subtle. Our job as readers is to bring with us our own individual experiences as we read; this includes books and stories we have previously read.

This level of analysis will change your world! Remember: there is meaning everywhere.

Ms. Harris

Greetings!

Hello 5th Hour AP English students!

I have created this space for postings, links, comments and assignments for our unit on Magical Realism. I will be checking this space regularly, so feel free to comment or ask questions, but remember that this is a public forum and others have access to viewing this blog.

I am looking forward to watching Like Water for Chocolate in class this week; however, be sure to hand in your signed permission note from a parent/guardian.

Late this week, we will be reading the short story, "The Garden of Forking Paths," by Jorge Luis Borges. You can find the full text of the story here.

Please print off a copy and have the story read no later than Wednesday, and be prepared to discuss and ask questions.

See you Monday!

Ms. Harris