Skip to main content

August 22 Review and Homework

Today we discussed the Salem Witch Trials, how political strife and adolescence might have contributed to the phenomenon, and how these witch hunts have become a metaphor for our society today. I'd like you to keep making these connections as you finish reading The Crucible. Remember, instead of the academic paragraph this week, you are to work on your job for the literary circles. Most of you will have about a half a page of writing to turn in for that. You also need to start on the essay due September 5th. If you'd like my feedback on a draft, send it to me by email and I'll look it over, but you'll need to do that by next week or I won't have enough time.

Also, you still need to do your research for the history portion. I'll copy that list here:


Political Developments (British, Political Traditions, Great Awakening, Enlightenment Ideas, and the Colonial Experience) Key events: Magna Carta, habeas corpus, English Bill of Rights, Glorious Revolution), John Peter Zenger

You do not need to write an academic paragraph on the history this week, but I'd encourage you to jot down some notes for discussion. I'm waiving the second paragraph in favor of great discussions. If you aren't participating in these, I will add it back. Today's discussion was great. Many of you did some thorough research and helped your peers gather information across multiple topics. Teamwork pays, right? You don't have to research everything if each of you work together. Let's work smarter, not harder.

If you cannot remember the topic list for the essay, or if you are struggling with the syllabus, here are some ideas:

Short essay assignment on one of the following prompts (2-3 paragraphs for beginners) (4-5 paragraphs for advanced writers)-Due September 5.

1.    Why was the separation of church and state considered such a radical idea, even a century and a half after Roger Williams established his colony?

2.    How has the principle of religious toleration contributed to the uniqueness of American society?

3.    How has the freedom of the press influenced American Society?

4.    Are freedoms of press and religion essential to the preservation of liberty?


 Remember, I am giving you some space here. If there was a topic of great interest to you, you can explore that in more detail, but do not just recycle an academic paragraph. This essay should demonstrate that you are able to make a larger connection between that topic and its larger contribution to American History or literature. For example, if you want to discuss the Salem Witch Trials, connect it to either its influence on our government today, our use of evidence in court, or its effect on theocracy in America. Don't just summarize what happened. I am sure you are all fairly well acquainted with what happened. I'm more interested in those bigger questions, like "Why did this happen?" or "How does this affect us today?" 

If you have a topic you are unsure of, email me your idea and I'll respond as quickly as I can. 

Also, remember all those MLA tips you learned today. Those are definitely required for your essay. If you run into trouble or confusion, check out the links under "Things I'm Picky About" or bring me your questions next week in class. 

As usual, I had fun today. It is an absolute pleasure working with such bright students. You make my job both joyful and challenging. I hope you are also finding that history and literature can be fun. :) 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Flannery O'Connor Analysis on "A Good Man is Hard to Find"

               Grace and Theology: A Necessary Discussion of Flannery O’Connor’s “A Good Man is Hard to Find” by Heather Chandler             D.H. Lawrence asserts in his Studies in Classic American Literature, that “the proper function of a critic is to save the tale from the artist who created it” (8). While this approach is helpful and necessary in many works of literature, it is both misleading and damaging to do so with Flannery O’Connor’s “A Good Man is Hard to Find.” A popular new way of interpreting her work is to look through a secular lens, but separating her Catholic beliefs and allusions reduces her work to a simplistic ambiguous tale, molded to suit our own postmodern desires; and, this is essentially as misguided as looking at Da Vinci’s Last Supper and refusing to note its religious connotations. Instead, we should look at the larger picture,...
Post a Comment
Read more

Tiny House Living and Transcendentalism

This week's class will explore transcendentalism, Emerson, and Thoreau. But like most of the topics we've studied so far, we can find modern connections. Transcendentalism was a religious movement that grew out of Romanticism between 1836-1860. We can define it as a spiritual, philosophical, literary movement with ties to the Unitarian Church around Boston. Like Romanticism, this movement emphasized individual rights and inspiration, the latter, especially within nature. Transcendentalists believed that individuals can discover truth for themselves, rather than learning it through tradition. It differs from Romanticism in that it focused on God. Transcendentalists believed that God was everywhere and could be discovered through intuition and that all people have a divine inner light. By accessing this light or intuition, they can transcend the ordinary and experience the spiritual. The five tenets of Transcendentalism: 1. Nonconformity 2. Self-Reliance 3. Importanc...
Post a Comment
Read more

September 12th Review and Homework

Sorry for the late post. I wanted to have this up last night, but I host a writing group once a month. Yes, I am still working on my own writing. Yesterday, you all read The Declaration of Independence ! That's pretty awesome, right? I think that already puts you above most of the population. And we tackled Phillis Wheatley's "Providence," which is certainly no easy task. Not only are you dabbling in some of America's greatest works, you are learning some very important analysis skills. This is something you will use your entire life! Even if you do not choose to read lots of great literature when you leave my class, (but I hope to convince you otherwise), you will be surrounded by music, advertisements, arguments, and political debates. You must learn to analyze those messages around you in a very critical way. What allusions are they making? Why is that significant? How does it influence their message? Or your stance? We are going to continue working on our ...
2 comments
Read more