Satire Exam

The exam over satire tomorrow will cover:

  • Dr. Strangelove
  • The Damned Human Race
  • Behind the Formaldehyde Curtain
  • Shooting an Elephant
  • A Modest Proposal
  • My Satirical Self
  • Notes on Satire and Parody

Rumor has it that two of the questions on the paragraph portion will be:

Wyatt Mason quotes the Roman Juevnal: “It is harder not to write satire. For who could endure this monstrous city, however callous at heart, and swallow his wrath. . . Today, every vice has reached its ruinous zenith. So, satirist, hoist your sails.” Explain Mason’s argument. Is satire a necessity in a world that seems to be reaching a ruinous end?

In ‘Shooting an Elephant’ George Orwell offers a narrator who seems consumed with his own grandiosity and doubts. Explain how the depiction of this character serves Orwell’s satirical look at the British Empire.

/by

Critical Issues to Remember for Wilson Analysis Essays

As we move forward with essay writing this year, please keep in mind these critical concepts in mind:

  • topic sentences should be ARGUMENTS that show purpose.
  • introductions should lead with strong, action verbs or powerful adjectives, not weak adjective phrases.
  • sentences can often be combined for more impact.
  • analysis should not be literal.
  • quotations should be embedded properly.
/by

AP Language Parent/Student Day

On Friday, March 4, the AP Language classes will be having the annual parent/student day, on which students are encouraged to invite their parents and other family members to a typical class discussion day. We will be reading and discussing “My Satirical Self” by Wyatt Mason, which will be posted on the class web site at http://classroom.quixoticpedagogue.org. Students have also been provided a hard copy of the piece. Please consider taking the time to read and coming for the discussion. It should be an entertaining and informative hour—and there won’t be a quiz.

The article we will be discussing is My Satirical Self, by Wyatt Mason.

The class schedule is listed here.

/by

Sample Essays for This I Believe

NPR has a large collection of “This I Believe” essays available on their web site, but these are a few especially interesting one:

/by

Test Questions for Grapes of Wrath

The following questions could very well appear on a test about The Grapes of Wrath:

 

  1. Ultimately, what, according to Steinbeck, is the nature of sin? Consider the point of view articulated by characters in the novel and Steinbeck’s narrative voice in the intermediary chapters.
  2. One critic argued that The Grapes of Wrath was “more effective as a stimulus to sorrowful memory than as a call to action.” Is this a fair criticism of the novel?
  3. Discuss the end of the novel. Does it fit with the rest of the book? Is it believable for Rose of Sharon to assume the role of a transcendent giver of life and for Tom to become the fulfillment of Casey’s promise?
  4. Critics have argued that The Grapes of Wrath is a collective novel, in the sense that it derives more of its impact from its critique of society as a whole than from its portrayal of individual characters. Do the Joads matter more as symbols than as characters?
  5. How does Steinbeck assert the importance of rage in the novel? How does the motif of anger transform over the course of the story?
/by