For Honors English 3

May 14^th – May 18^th

On Monday, we need to take care of your test on Chapter 13, Clauses. Because we lost two class periods last week and did not have the opportunity to review, you may have some questions on these or some points that need clarification, so we will take a little time at the beginning of the period to address these. Your test will not require the entire period, so we should have ample time, even though we will be on abbreviated schedule.

On Tuesday, we need to complete our work on The Great Gatsby. Hopefully, everyone has finished reading the novel so that we can discuss it in its entirety and then view the film on Wednesday. Your test on Gatsby will be on Thursday, and, again, should not take the entire period.

However, we are not finished with literature since there are two other authors that we must complete, specifically Emily Dickinson and Walt Whitman. We will take a look at some of the works of these two very important American poets beginning on Friday and for the remaining class periods that we have next week. After that, we will go into exam review mode and begin to prepare for the final.

To repeat what was in the message that I posted last week, we will first look at the poetry of Emily Dickinson. Since she was not particularly interested in getting published and wrote her poetry primarily for self-expression, there is a freedom of subject, thought, and message in her poetry that makes it very personal but at the same time reflective of many of the questions or “musings” which we all pose to ourselves in the privacy of our own minds.

Whitman strongly believed in the importance of personal freedom, and this had an effect on the development of his poetry. His free verse does not use a regular meter and rhyme pattern, but instead uses cadence, a distinct beat similar to the pattern utilized in speeches by good orators. It gives his poems a discernable pulse and intonation that illustrate his message. Whitman also used catalog, a listing technique, specifically in his poem “I Hear America Singing,” which you might remember reading during freshman year. This type of poetry is not necessarily easy to memorize [which you will not be asked to do], but the format is more effective for his message.

After we have finished our work on these two poets, which will include a test, I will be able to calculate exemptions. In order to be exempt, a student must have completed all of the work due for the course and earned an A for the year. Therefore, exemptions cannot be announced until our last class period before exams.

As for the burning question, I will return your research papers to you this week. I know you are anxious to get these back, but it was simply not possible to return them earlier. Remember that, according to the original stipulation of this assignment, the grade you have earned on the paper will be averaged as a double test grade.