Frankenstein: on description

Today in class, we read Shelley's physical description of Frankenstein's monster. I want you to choose a person (someone you know, a fictional character, a celebrity...) and in 100-200 words, describe his/her physical features. Pay attention to specific details. You want me as your reader to get an accurate image in my mind of the person you're describing. Don't tell me who your person is. 

THIS BLOG IS DUE TOMORROW, FRIDAY AUGUST 17 BY 8AM.

Frankenstein: on new life

In 100-200 words, write a first-person narrative (a story written from your point of view) of what your day would be like if you had just been born into your current body today. If today were your first day of life, how would you react? What would seeing, hearing, smelling, feeling things be like? Would you know to eat or drink? Would you know what to eat or drink? How would you react to other people? How would they react to you? How would you try to communicate? Think through what you would and wouldn't be able to do as a new person in a 17 or 18-year-old's body. Be creative. 

REMEMBER THIS IS DUE TOMORROW, WEDNESDAY AUGUST 15 BY 8AM.

*extra credit post only*

This post is for extra credit only. You may not respond to this question to fulfill one of your assigned 4 questions per novel. You may only receive extra credit for this question if you have already responded to 4 questions for Frankenstein and 4 questions for The Importance of Being Earnest. 

I want to know your thoughts on the books you read this summer. Did you like them? Dislike them? Give me specific reasons why. 

Now I want you to think about what these books have to do with life. You spent a significant amount of time reading these texts (at least, I trust that you did...), so tell me what you can take away from them. Even if you didn't enjoy the novel and play, what can they teach you about people? about life? about yourself? Were there any characters, themes, ideas that seemed to relate to your life or life in general? Discuss the good, the bad, the ugly.

Responses should still be 250+ words. You may choose to answer this question using one or both of your summer reading texts. If you choose to respond to both Frankenstein and The Importance of Being Earnest, respond to them in separate posts and identify which you're responding to. 

Question Five: Frankenstein

Frankenstein: on theme

A theme is a recurring idea throughout a work of literature. What's something you noticed that seemed to keep appearing in Frankenstein? If you can't think of a theme on your own, do some shallow research to identify some themes from the novel. In your comment, tell me what theme you chose to talk about, briefly summarize the specific places (note: places being plural!) you see this theme in the text, then spend the majority of your words telling me about the significance of this theme. Why was this theme important? How does it relate to real life? Why would Shelley choose to focus on this theme? 

You will respond to this question by leaving a comment on this post. 

Responses should be at least 200 words each.

Remember: you must respond to at least 4 questions per novel. 

Extra credit will be awarded if you respond to more than 4 questions.

*and remember, this is a blog--write with good English and use your inner intellectual, but speak casually!

Question Four: Frankenstein

Frankenstein: on Greek mythology

The alternate title to Mary Shelley's Frankenstein is The Modern Prometheus. Do a quick search of the Greek mythological character Prometheus. What is he known for? After finding out a little about him, consider what similarities he has to Dr. Frankenstein and his monster. Why would Shelley classify her character as a modern Prometheus? How does this mythological allusion affect your understanding of the novel and its characters?

Please cite (just post the link) what website you found your information about Prometheus from. 

You will respond to this question by leaving a comment on this post. 

This response must be at least 250 words. 

Remember: you must respond to at least 4 questions per novel. 

Extra credit will be awarded if you respond to more than 4 questions.

*and remember, this is a blog--write with good English and use your inner intellectual, but speak casually!

Question Three: Frankenstein

Frankenstein: on Hollywood


Over the years, Hollywood has done, redone, overdone, and done again the story of Frankenstein. As the story has been told in different ways, it's changed. We now associate the name  Frankenstein with the monster, but as the novel tells us, Frankenstein is the name of the doctor who created the monster. Why do you think the monster was never given a name in Shelley's novel? Why do you think Hollywood decided to name the monster Frankenstein? Compare the Frankenstein of Hollywood to the Frankenstein we see in Shelley's novel. What are the similarities? differences? How did your preconceived notions of Frankenstein affect your reading of the novel? Discuss anything that relates the novel to the images of Frankenstein we see in the media. 

You will respond to this question by leaving a comment on this post. 

Responses should be at least 200 words each.

Remember: you must respond to at least 4 questions per novel. 

Extra credit will be awarded if you respond to more than 4 questions.

*and remember, this is a blog--write with good English and use your inner intellectual, but speak casually!

a note on annotations

Hey guys!

Though I'm not looking forward to summer drawing to a close, I am excited about having you in English IV this year. I'm looking to try some new and creative things this year, so I think we're going to have a good yet challenging time. 

Anyway, I just wanted to clarify my expectations for your annotations:

Yes, you need to annotate each of your books.

However. This need not be a complicated process. All I ask is that you highlight and mark important quotes/sections of your books.

Chances are, you'll forget parts of the books by the time we get to discussing them the first few weeks of school. Marking your books as you read them will help you to interact with the text and to give you places to look back at as we're discussing in class. It makes life easier for everyone. You don't need to mark literary devices or anything. You don't even need to write many notes. If you have a question about a part of the book, place a question mark by it. If you thought something was funny, go ahead and write "lol" or "haha." If you thought something was ironic, write "ironic." 

Don't make annotating any harder than it has to be--it should be a natural interaction of your mind with your reading. It's a practice that we'll be doing all school-year long, so pick up your favorite color highlighter and get to reading with your highlighter in hand!

Make the most of your last few weeks of school and please post on here or email me if you have any questions!