Grade Eleven University English Independent Study Unit Compiled by Mrs. D. Wittmann
What separates us from the rest of the living world ? What makes us human?
CULTURE There are two senses to the word “culture”. It is used by anthropologists to talk about the traditions, practices and beliefs of a society in general. But it is also used to mean the art, literature and intellectual life of a society – and it is this that most spectacularly differentiates human beings from all other animals.
The Admont Library in Admont, Austria Located in the foothills of the Alps, this beautiful library is the second largest monastery library in the world. The library hall was designed in the late Baroque style by the architect Joseph Hueber in 1776 with a nearly 230-foot-long hall that contains 200,000 volumes. The ceilings were painted by Bartolomeo Altomonte and show the stages of human knowledge, up to the high point of Divine Revelation.
Boston Public Library in Boston, Massachusetts, USA The Boston Public Library contains roughly 23 million items, making it the second-largest public library in the US. The library is known for its incredible courtyard, Italian-inspired architecture, entrance atrium, and its quintessential library reading room: Bates Hall.
Sainte-Geneviève Library in Paris, France The Sainte-Geneviève library is the main research and reference library for the students of the University of Paris. Constructed in the mid-19th century by the famed architect Henri Labrouste, the library is well-known for its cast iron column reading room. The MoMA even described the library as a “temple of knowledge and a space for contemplation.”
THE LOUVRE There are always long lines at the door but it's worth the wait to see the world's greatest and most famous museum. Leonardo DaVinci's Mona Lisa is the star, but there are literally thousands of other treasures of human civilization, from Egypt, Asia, ancient Greece and Rome.
THE BRITISH MUSEUM This museum has millions of works of art from all over the world. Its galleries are devoted to Egypt, Greece, Roman civilization, Asia, Africa, and medieval Europe, tracing human history and culture. The highlight is the Elgin Marbles that once decorated the Parthenon in Athens.
SOLOMON R. GUGGENHEIM MUSEUM Frank Lloyd Wright architected this building, now designated the youngest New York City landmark. As you walk the spiral walkway toward the dome above, you will view works from artists of the 19th and 20th century including: Brancusi, Braque, Calder, Chagall, Robert Delaunay, Giacometti, Kandinsky, Klee, Leger, Miro, Picasso, and Van Gogh.
Vincent van Gogh is widely regarded as one of the most important painters of all time and "The Starry Night" is a prime example of his command of color and brush strokes. Vincent painted this painting while housed in an asylum. The view is from his window in the asylum, just before sunrise. It is arguably one of the most recognized painting in the history of Western culture (1889).
"The Scream", by Edvard Munich, was painted in 1893 and features a man screaming in agony as the sky turns a deep orange. Munich actually painted four versions of this work. The most recognizable version is the oil, tempera, and pastel on cardboard version. The other versions include pastel on cardboard, a lithograph, and another pastel on cardboard version (1893).
"Guernica" by Pablo Picasso is one of the most moving paintings in history. It is 11 feet tall and 24 feet wide. It is a large abstract mural showing the suffering of people and the casualties of war. Some feel that the painting helped bring more attention to the Spanish Civil War and is thought to be a direct response to the bombing of Guernica (1937).
Literature, along with all forms of art, is a distinctly human legacy It is by definition an exploration of our own humanity, one of our most important tools of communication, and a force that both creates and reflects our culture. From within this cumulative library of our species’ physical, rational, and spiritual achievements—this magnifying glass on human nature we call literature—we can choose books that startle us from complacency, haunt us and permeate us, sharpen us and embroider our innermost details. The written word is a gift we’ve given ourselves, and not one we should take for granted.
The classics, and their typically universal themes, have stood the test of time; these are books in which we still find characters, experiences, emotions, and perspectives relevant today. Often an individual classic is the iconic work within a literary movement or the period in which the book was written. Usually, they are also somewhat challenging, so these are books you’ll be proud to be seen tackling. There will be no need to hide behind the anonymity of your e-reader in cafes or on public transportation. Will you like them all? Probably not, But the classics span every major literary genre, from fantasy (Lord of the Rings) to science fiction (Brave New World) to romance (Sense and Sensibility) and even children’s (Charlotte’s Web), so you’re bound to find something appealing.
Ruin a Book in One Letter Where the Mild Things Are Grave New World Of Dice and Men The Rat In The Hat Let's play!
http://www.pbs.org/the-great-american-read/books/#/
Italo Calvino's 14 Definitions of What Makes a Classic
1. The classics are those books about which you usually hear people saying: 'I'm rereading...', never 'I'm reading....' 2. The classics are those books which constitute a treasured experience for those who have read and loved them; but they remain just as rich an experience for those who reserve the chance to read them for when they are in the best condition to enjoy them. 3. The classics are books which exercise a particular influence, both when they imprint themselves on our imagination as unforgettable, and when they hide in the layers of memory disguised as the individual's or the collective unconscious.
4. A classic is a book which with each rereading offers as much of a sense of discovery as the first reading. 5. A classic is a book which even when we read it for the first time gives the sense of rereading something we have read before. 6. A classic is a book which has never exhausted all it has to say to its readers. 7. The classics are those books which come to us bearing the aura of previous interpretations, and trailing behind them the traces they have left in the culture or cultures (or just in the languages and customs) through which they have passed.
8. A classic is a work which constantly generates a pulviscular cloud of critical discourse around it, but which always shakes the particles off. 9. Classics are books which, the more we think we know them through hearsay, the more original, unexpected, and innovative we find them when we actually read them. 10. A classic is the term given to any book which comes to represent the whole universe, a book on a par with ancient talismans. 11. 'Your' classic is a book to which you cannot remain indifferent, and which helps you define yourself in relation or even in opposition to it.
12. A classic is a work that comes before other classics; but those who have read other classics first immediately recognize its place in the genealogy of classic works. 13. A classic is a work which relegates the noise of the present to a background hum, which at the same time the classics cannot exist without. 14. A classic is a work which persists as a background noise even when a present that is totally incompatible with it holds sway.
Annotating a Text: Read Actively Reading actively helps you get to know the text better, how it makes its meaning and affects, understand its inner workings, and builds a relationship with that text. 1. Emotional sparks (immediate responses) 2. Figurative Language, Tone, Diction, Syntax, Imagery 3. Patterns and Repetitions (motifs) 4. Turns and Shifts (narration, dialogue) 5. Genre (textual features) 6. Allusions and Connections 7. Questions and Difficulties
BIG IDEAS AND ENDURING UNDERSTANDINGS CHARACTER Characters in literature allow readers to study and explore a range of values, beliefs, assumptions, biases, and cultural norms represented by those characters. SETTING Setting and the details associated with it not only depict a time and place, but also convey values associated with that setting. STRUCTURE The arrangement of the parts and sections of a text, the relationship of the parts to each other, and the sequence in which the text reveals information are all structural choices made by a writer that contribute to the reader’s interpretation of a text. NARRATION A narrator’s or speaker’s perspective controls the details and emphases that affect how readers experience and interpret a text. FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE Comparisons, representations, and associations shift meaning from the literal to the figurative and invite readers to interpret a text. LITERARY ARGUMENTATION Readers establish and communicate their interpretations of literature through arguments supported by textual evidence.
“Alright then, I’ll go to hell.” – Mark Twain, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. “I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand. It’s when you know you’re licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what.” – Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird “Anything worth dying for is certainly worth living for.” Joseph Heller, Catch-22 “But I don’t want comfort. I want God, I want poetry, I want real danger, I want freedom, I want goodness. I want sin.” – Aldous Huxley, Brave New World “So much the worse for those who fear wine, for it is because they have bad thoughts which they are afraid the liquor will extract from their hearts…The wicked are great drinkers of water; As the flood proved once for all.” – Alexandre Dumas, The Count of Monte Cristo “If people bring so much courage to this world the world has to kill them to break them, so of course it kills them. The world breaks every one and afterward many are strong at the broken places. But those that will not break it kills. It kills the very good and the very gentle and the very brave impartially. If you are none of these you can be sure it will kill you too but there will be no special hurry.” Ernest Hemingway, A Farewell to Arms
“Don’t ever tell anybody anything. If you do, you start missing everybody.” – J.D. Salinger, The Catcher in the Rye “Towards thee I roll, thou all-destroying but unconquering whale; to the last I grapple with thee; from hell’s heart I stab at thee; for hate’s sake I spit my last breath at thee.” - Herman Melville, Moby Dick It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen. —George Orwell, 1984 Through the fence, between the curling flower spaces, I could see them hitting. —William Faulkner, The Sound and the Fury Mother died today. —Albert Camus, The Stranger It was a pleasure to burn. —Ray Bradbury, Fahrenheit 451 It was a queer, sultry summer, the summer they electrocuted the Rosenbergs, and I didn't know what I was doing in New York. —Sylvia Plath, The Bell Jar The cold passed reluctantly from the earth, and the retiring fogs revealed an army stretched out on the hills, resting. —Stephen Crane, The Red Badge of Courage “We shall meet in the place where there is no darkness.” – George Orwell, 1984 “Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.” – Leo Tolstoy, Anna Karenina
What are the benefits to teaching literature to teenagers these days? From the linguistic perspective, studying classic literature from the Western canon (Shakespeare, Dickens, Orwell and so on) affords students of English the opportunity to understand, analyze and evaluate language quite different from their own. Structures, trends in punctuation and in the way we speak have evolved through the ages and being aware of these developments really helps us to understand better, language in its current context. If we didn't read and study texts from the past, and only looked to the best seller list, how would we know of this evolution? In my experience, pupils' creativity runs rampant when they can remix particular structures and styles with their own writing to lend authenticity to character, story and setting.
One of the challenges teachers face is the need to edge learners beyond their comfort zones but in doing so, we challenge their thinking and we bolster their confidence to become even more skilled in the use of their own language. Or as the CBI (Confederation of British Industry) might say we're equipping them with essential skills for the real world. There are more benefits to the study of literature. Understanding a story through the experiences of a character enables us to feel what it could have been like and helps us consider the impact of events, significant or otherwise, on ordinary people. Gaining a broad view of society, through the eyes of another, fosters understanding, tolerance and empathy and the value of these capacities cannot be underestimated in today's world. Understanding the past does, we hope, prevent us from repeating the mistakes of our predecessors but, more than that, it helps us appreciate how attitudes have changed over time. This, in turn, promotes a deeper understanding of why we are who we are today.
Literary Essay Complete a literary essay proving that your classic novel is still relevant to the modern-day reader. Relevant: Meaningful or purposeful in current society or culture Great stories articulate and explore the mysteries of our daily lives in the larger context of the human struggle. The writer’s voice, style, and use of language inform the plot, characters, and themes. By creating opportunities to learn, imagine, and reflect, a great novel is a work of art that affects many generations of readers, changes lives, challenges assumptions, and breaks new ground. and reading is still considered the best way to improve intelligence IMPORTANT NOTE: ISU timelines are set so that ALL students can be successful - with extra time already built in for both IEP and ESL students - in keeping with their accommodations. This assignment spans months not weeks. Due dates are to be respected by ALL students.
THESIS STATEMENT AND DIRECTIONAL STATEMENT - COMBINED While Romeo and Juliet may be described as a silly love story about impetuous youth, its relevance to the modern-day reader is visible in the continuing struggle with teenage suicide, the on-going solving of conflicts with violence, and the ever-present struggle to seek independence from parents. THESIS STATEMENT AND DIRECTIONAL STATEMENT - COMBINED While society continues to change and grow, the appropriateness of this dramatic monologue to today's diverse readership cannot be denied as clearly proven through its revealing of the prevailing misogynistic treatment of women, the continuing hierarchy established in our social structure, and the enduring way Browning exposes jealousy as a gateway to madness.
THESIS STATEMENT AND DIRECTIONAL STATEMENT - SEPARATE Although Macbeth is infused with violence and blood, this tragedy is as relevant today as the day it was written. The timelessness of this play is guaranteed through the continuing fascination with the supernatural, the current capacity to relate to the struggles of a guilty conscience, and the lasting respect for the artistry of Shakespeare's language. THESIS STATEMENT AND DIRECTIONAL STATEMENT - SEPARATE Although the cherished person behind Gatsby's quest is suspect, the literary classic The Great Gatsby remains relevant to the modern-day reader. This ability to remain a powerful force today is reflected in the novel’s depiction of the persistent cruelty of elitism, the modern reader's ability to reflect on the folly of living in the past, and the on-going recognition of how an environment can influence human behaviour.
Beauty of simplicity Capitalism – effect on the individual Change of power – necessity Change versus tradition Chaos and order Character – destruction, building up Circle of life Coming of age Communication – verbal and nonverbal Companionship as salvation Convention and rebellion Dangers of ignorance Darkness and light Death – inevitable or tragedy Desire to escape Destruction of beauty Disillusionment and dreams Displacement Empowerment Emptiness of attaining false dream Everlasting love Evils of racism Facing darkness Facing reality Fading beauty Faith versus doubt Family – blessing or curse Fate and free will Fear of failure Female roles Fulfillment Good versus bad Greed as downfall Growing up – pain or pleasure Hazards of passing judgment Heartbreak of betrayal Heroism – real and perceived Hierarchy in nature Identity crisis Illusion of power Immortality Individual versus society Inner versus outer strength Injustice Isolation Isolationism – hazards
Knowledge versus ignorance Loneliness as destructive force Losing hope Loss of innocence Lost honor Lost love Love and sacrifice Man against nature Manipulation Materialism as downfall Motherhood Names – power and significance Nationalism – complications Nature as beauty Necessity of work Oppression of women Optimism – power or folly Overcoming – fear, weakness, vice Patriotism – positive side or complications Power and corruption Power of silence Power of tradition Power of wealth Power of words Pride and downfall Progress – real or illusion Quest for discovery Quest for power Rebirth Reunion Role of men Role of Religion – virtue or hypocrisy Role of women Self – inner and outer Self-awareness Self-preservation Self-reliance Social mobility Technology in society – good or bad Temporary nature of physical beauty Temptation and destruction Totalitarianism Vanity as downfall Vulnerability of the meek Vulnerability of the strong War – glory, necessity, pain, tragedy Will to survive Wisdom of experience Working class struggles Youth and beauty
READING NOTES: Focus on Relevancy Documenting instances of the ideas below, as well as your thoughts and reactions as you read, will provide you with thorough notes that will become the basis of your essay. Unique story elements: plot, characters, conflict setting, theme, method of narration (POV) Powerful use of plot devices: suspense, irony, flashbacks, foreshadowing Universal topics (love, hate, revenge, ...) that can be made into thematic statements Characters that reflect human characteristics - complex, heroic, understandable, sympathetic, emotional, yearning, true to life, erratic, redeemable Human experiences Iconic characters (i.e. Sherlock Holmes) Archetypes (i.e. the trickster) Text-to-self, text-to-text, text-to-world connections Linguistic perspective: impeccable prose, structures, language, trends in punctuation, styles, memorable lines and phrases (famous quotes) - great use of language History and culture in context (reflect / shape)