Work on essays.
Author and His Times will be Due on Monday. If you finish this essay before Monday please move onto the next essay. All essays will be due by December 13th
THEMES to think about or consider:
* The Effects of War
* Identity (Do any of these people completely know who they are?)
* The Power of Stories/The Power of Words
* Colonialism/Imperialism
* What does it mean to be human? What will a person do for their passions?
* The destructive nature of WWII
* Connections between people during stressful times
* Racism - West vs East
CHARACTERS:
Hana (a nurse)
Caravaggio (a former thief put in the secret service)
Kip (an Indian sapper who defuses bombs for the English Army)
The English Patient (?)
Setting - Italy, 1944/1945
What do you need to know about Italy during WWII? What do you get from the title? Do you see any allusions?
Michael Ondaatje was born in 1943 in Sri Lanka, moved to England in 1954, and then to Canada in 1962.
"Never again will a story be told as if it were only one" - This is one of Ondaatje's favorite quotes.
It
is a moral imperative, isn’t it? Especially in current western
politics, which seems so determined to cancel the multiplicity of
viewpoints from all over the world, or at least to pretend that they
don’t exist. (this is from a recent interview with Ondaatje) and this
is - in part - what the novel is about.
The English Patient - ASSIGNMENT
(This assignment should equal about 20 pages)
This particular writing project requires you to read and write
an in depth style analysis of a challenging work of literary merit. Due
to the independent nature of the project, you will need to be vigilant
in completing all of the tasks required because I will not be reminding
you every week to work on this. There are two parts to this assignment.
First, there is a dialectical journal you must keep while reading your
novel (the guidelines for that journal will be provided separately) .
Second, you must complete all of the sections detailed in this document.
For this project, you need to write about each of the areas
below. For the sake of clarity and organization, please make sure that
each of your sections has the proper heading, and that the sections are
dealt with in the order in which they are listed on this assignment
sheet. Due to the nature of this research paper you do not need to
provide transitions between the different sections, you merely need to
provide the heading. This assignment must be typed, with a standard 12
point Times New Roman font, and 1.5 spaced. The cover sheet should
contain your name, class period, and date submitted. All of the
standards for proper conventions are expected. A paper that has a
distracting number of errors will only be eligible to receive a “C” or
lower.
Each section has a series of questions that are meant to
stimulate your thinking and writing. They are not intended to be
answered in order, but instead are intended merely to act as a guide for
your analysis.
One last important note: FOR EACH SECTION, make
sure that you connect your commentary both to DIRECT TEXT EXAMPLES
(always cited with the correct page number!) as well as to the NOVEL AS A
WHOLE. Only papers that accomplish this will receive an “A” grade.
1.
THE AUTHOR AND HER/HIS TIMES: Biographical and historical information
pertinent to the novel. What important family, community, national, and
world events helped inform this material? Do not provide an exhaustive
biography; merely provide those details that can be directly linked to
the novel in a manner that is convincing. This is one of the few
sections that will require some outside research, so please remember to
cite your source(s).
2. FORM/STRUCTURE, PLOT: How is the novel
organized and what techniques are used? Discuss techniques such as
sequencing, multiple, complex, or simple plot, foreshadowing, chapter
choices. Then, provide a BRIEF outline of the events of the plot (no
more than 200 words). For some modern novels, the plot may be difficult
to describe succinctly – but try to do it anyway. When you discuss
structure, remember that you need to discuss the effect of the
intentional internal arrangement of parts.
3. POINT OF VIEW/
PERSPECTIVE: From what vantage point does the reader receive the
information? Is the perspective reliable, or is it highly subjective?
How are important ideas received? Is there an agenda that the narrator
seems to have, either consciously or subconsciously? Does the
perspective shift, and if so, to what end? Are characters explicit in
their dialog, or does on omniscient narrator fill the reader in
concerning the larger issues? Why is the perspective used particularly
effective for this novel?
4. CHARACTER: Are each of the
characters highly developed, or is most of the writing devoted to one
character? Do you learn about them through what is not included in the
text? How is character revealed for the most part? Is through what they
say? What they do? What they wear? What they think? The people with
whom they associate? What the narrator says about them? How complex are
the people that you meet? Describe the central characters including
what you find out about their names, ages, physical descriptions,
personalities, functions in the novel – in other words, the responses to
the questions asked in the preceding sentence. Also include one short
quotation that reveals their character, and explain why the quote
reveals character.
5. SETTING: Where and when does the novel
occur? How many locations are described? Are there connections between
the setting(s) and character(s)? How is the atmosphere described? Are
there any important settings that contrast or parallel each other? Why
is this setting so effective in supporting the ideas in the novel as a
whole? Conversely, if the setting is ambiguous, what details seem most
important and what is the effect of the ambiguity? Why is this story
best told in this setting? When discussing setting, remember that it
does not only mean the geographical location (topography, scenery) but
also the cultural backdrop, social context, and the artificial
environment (rooms, buildings, cities, towns) as well.
6. THEME:
Identify one major theme (a central or controlling idea) and explicate
the theme using specific moments from the text, either paraphrased or
directly quoted. What is the abstract concept being addressed and what
is the evaluation of that concept through the text? Are there any
“universal” truths are revealed, supported, or challenged by this theme?
Be aware that a theme cannot be expressed in a single word, and with
complex works of literary merit the elucidation of a theme requires a
full paragraph or more. Also note that the theme is rarely stated
explicitly, but rather is implicit. Remember that a theme has TWO (2)
PARTS: An abstract concept AND the author’s commentary on or evaluation
of that concept through the text.
7. CRITICAL REVIEW: Find one
critical review (not a Cliffs Notes or similar source) of you novel and
offer your opinion of the critic’s analysis in two or three paragraphs.
Attach a copy of the critical review to your paper, and cite it
directly. When expressing your response to the review, be specific in
your discussion. If you agree, then explain why and carry the argument
beyond what the critic pointed out. If you disagree, provide support for
your position from the text.
8. DICTION: Analyze the novelist’s
word choice. Is the language high or formal, neutral, informal? Does
the novelist employ slang(faddish words)? Colloquialisms (nonstandard
regional ways of using language(like someone from Boston asking where
you “paah-ked yeh caaah”)? Jargon (language associated with a particular
trade)? Dialect (think Tom Sawyer)? Is the language plain? Flowery?
Concise? Vulgar? Dense? Elevated? Select a passage that illustrates
your observations and discuss this passage directly.
10. TONE:
What is the author’s attitude towards the subject of the novel? Discuss
how the author creates the tone you identified through a variety of
vehicles including plot, characterization, setting, and anything else
that contributes to tone. Use specific text examples to support your
findings.
11. TITLE: Why is this title so appropriate for the
novel? Does it have literal or symbolic significance? Does it actually
appear in the novel, and if so, what is the situation? Is the title an
allusion, and if so, why would the title include this allusion? Does the
title implicitly connect to the theme of the work?
12. MEMORABLE
QUOTE: Choose and type out one quotation that you believe to be
significant or noteworthy. Please explain your choice. Is it an
especially moving moment? Is it especially well-written? Why does this
quote stand out for you?
13. PERSONAL RESPONSE: What did you
enjoy about the novel and why? What did you not enjoy about the novel
and why? Are you eager to read another novel by this author? Would you
recommend this novel to a friend? Make a case for either adding the
novel to the AP curriculum, or give reasons why it should not be a part
of this course.
In order to prepare you to write the above - you'll need to keep a
dialectical journal of these that you find interesting. If you don't
know what a dialectical journal is - I'll explain:
Effective students have a habit of taking notes as they read. This
note-taking can several forms: annotation, post it notes, character
lists, idea clusters, and many others. One of the most effective
strategies is called a dialectical journal. The word “dialectical” has
numerous meanings, but the one most pertinent is the “art of critical
examination into the truth of an opinion” or reworded “The art or
practice of arriving at the truth by using conversation involving
question and answer.” As you read, you are forming an opinion about what
you are reading (or at least you are SUPPOSED to be forming an
opinion). That opinion, however, needs to be based on the text – not
just a feeling. Therefore, all of your opinions need to be based on the
text.
The procedure is as follows:
1. Either in your textbook or in a spiral notebook and draw a line down the center of each page of the
notebook or on your computer. NOTE: I expect you to publish these journal entries on your
blogs nightly and number them as you go.
2. As you read, pay close attention to the text.
3.
Whenever you encounter something of interest (this could be anything
from an interesting turn of phrase to a character note), write down the
word/phrase in the LEFT HAND COLUMN making sure that you NOTE THE PAGE
NUMBER. If the phrase is especially long just write the first few words,
use an ellipsis, then write the last few words.
4. In the RIGHT
HAND COLUMN, WRITE YOUR OBSEVRATIONS ABOUT THE TEXT you noted in the
left-hand column. This is where you need to interact in detail with the
text. Make sure that your observations are THOROUGH, INSIGHTFUL, and
FOCUSED CLEARLY ON THE TEXT.
Requirements:
1) For The English Patient you will need to complete a MINIMUM of 55 entries if you
wish to be eligible for an “A”. 35 is the minimum for a passing grade.
Make sure you number your entries.
2) A completed dialectical journal should be brought to class each day a reading assignment is due.
When should you write things down?
• When certain details seem important to you
• When you have an epiphany
• When you learn something significant about a character
• When you recognize a pattern (overlapping images, repetitions of idea, details, etc.)
• When you agree or disagree with something a character says
• When you find an interesting or potentially significant quote.
• When you notice something important or relevant about the writer’s style.
• When you notice effective uses of literary devices.
• When you notice something that makes you think of a question
That
is all there is to it. This way, once you have read your text you will
already have a great set of notes on which to draw when you write your
paper. You also should have gained a great deal of insight about your
particular text.
Grading (based on 55 entries, if you have 45 entries an A= B, B= C, 35 entries A=C)
A—Detailed,
meaningful passages, plot and quote selections; thoughtful
interpretation and commentary about the text; includes comments about
literary elements (like theme, diction, imagery, syntax, symbolism,
etc.) and how these elements contribute to the meaning of the text; asks
thought-provoking, insightful questions; coverage of text is complete
and thorough; journal is neat, organized, numbered and readable.
B—Less
detailed, but good selections; some intelligent commentary about the
text; includes some comments about literary elements (like theme,
diction, imagery, syntax, symbolism, etc.) but less than how these
elements contribute to the meaning of the text; asks some
thought-provoking, insightful questions; coverage of the text is
complete and thorough; journal is neat, organized, numbered and
readable.
C—A few good details about the text; most of the commentary
is vague, unsupported or plot summary/paraphrase; some listing of
literary elements, but perhaps inadequate discussion, but not very
thoroughly; journal is relatively neat.
D—Hardly any good or
meaningful details from the story; notes are plot summary or paraphrase;
few literary elements, virtually no discussion on meaning; no good
questions; limited coverage of text, and/or too short.
