Apply Texas Day, November 1st

November 1^st is Apply Texas Day at Memorial. Seniors have begun their Apply Texas through their Government or Economics class. Some were able to finish but many have not. Ms. Herrera will be in the Library to help any senior finalize their applications from 9:00AM to 12:00PM. 

To Prepare for Friday's Lecture

Read Existentialism in a Nutshell, which is found in our class folder.

Homework - Symbolism

A symbol may be roughly defined as something that means more than what it is.

Read Robert Frost's The Road Not Taken.
Does the speaker feel that he has made the wrong choice in taking the road "less traveled by" (19)? If not, why will he "sigh" (16)? What does he regret?

Homework - Personification & Apostrophe

Personification consists in giving the attributes of a human being to an animal, an object or a concept. It is really a subtype of metaphor, an implied comparison in which the figurative term of the comparison is always a human being. Closely related to personification is apostrophe,  which consists in addressing someone absent or dead or something nonhuman as if that person or things were present and alive and could reply to what is being said.

Read David Mason's Song of the Powers.
In stanzas 1 through 3 the pome employs personification to convey the attitude of each element - stone, paper, and scissors - to its own unique power. Why is having the elements speak in their own voices more effective than if their viewpoints were merely described?
Does the speaker of the poem agree with what the individual elements say?
What does the final stanza say about the nature of power? Is physical power finally destructive or affirmative?

Read John Keats' Bright Star.
The speaker repeats "still" (13). What relevant denotations does the word evoke, and how does the repetition add intensity and meaning to this apostrophe?

Please comment your answers below.

Volunteer Opportunity!

The McAllen Public Library is hosting the McAllen Book Festival on November 8, 2014. There are volunteer opportunities. Help the Valley become an interesting place to live.

Homework - Imagery

Imagery is the representation through language of sense experience. There are many types, some are:
visual imagery - a mental picture seen in the mind's eye (frequently used in poetry)
auditory imagery - sounds
olfactory imagery - smells
gustatory imagery - tastes
tactile imagery - touch (such as hardness, softness, wetness, heat, cold)
organic imagery - internal sensation (hunger, thirst, fatigue, nausea)
kinesthetic imagery - movement or tension in the muscles or joints

Read Robert Browning's Meeting at Night and give several examples of imagery.  Then determine what the poem is about. Post comments below.

Homework - Denotation & Connotation

The denotation of a word is the dictionary meaning or meanings of the word.
The connotation of a word is what it suggests beyond what it expresses: its overtones of meaning.

Read Emily Dickinson's poem There is no Frigate like a Book. Pay particular attention to her word choice. What is lost if miles is substituted for "Lands" (2) or cheap for "frugal" (7)? Are there any other words that, if modified, would change the meaning/impact of the poem? Comment your answers below.

Introduction to Poetry Unit

I know some of you will be absent today, so I've uploaded the handout to our class folder (the poetry folder - poetry strategies)

It is a reminder of what & how TPCASTT is used and my preferred method of poetry analysis - the 3 column model.

30. IGNORAMUS

Don't listen to that ignoramus; he probably doesn't even know how to tie his shoes.
N. Ignorant person, dunce; uninformed, stupid individual
Synonyms: dunce, idiot, dolt
Antonyms: sage

29. SAGE

• When the people didn’t know what to do, they turned to the sage for advice.
• N. or Adj. A wise person, someone respected for his judgment or knowledge
• Synonyms: guru, expert, authority
• Antonyms: idiot, moron

28. PRODIGIOUS

• The dictator’s prodigious appetite for power induced him to execute or exile all of his enemies.
• Adj. Wonderfully great in degree, size, quantity, or extent; monstrous, immense
• Synonyms:  immense, enormous, amazing
• Antonyms: insignificant, minuscule

27. CONCISE

• The prime minister’s concise response was in marked contrast to his critic’s lengthy attack.
• Adj. Expressing much in few words; brief but comprehensive
• Synonyms:  pithy, succinct, terse
• Antonyms: lengthy, wordy, verbose