"Spring Ahead" Weekend!

DON'T FORGET TO TURN YOUR CLOCKS AHEAD ONE HOUR ON SATURDAY NIGHT!


Sophomores: We started reading Act V, scene 1 in class today. When the play is over, we will have a quiz on Acts IV and V.

Freshmen: Here are the notes from today's class. We used Theodore Roethke's My Papa's Waltz as our sample poem to read and explicate.

COMPLETE EXPLICATION OF A POEM

To explicate a poem means to clarify it, illuminate it, expose information about it, explain it, and reveal meaning about it.

Step #1: Read the Title of the Poem
The title is a big clue as to what the poet wants you to give your attention.

Step #2: Get an Overall First Impression
Read the poem through once and think about the overall feelings, emotions or gut response that you are experiencing. Write down the overall tone of the poem and, if possible, a brief summary which states what you think the poem is about.

Step #3: Examine the Words
Look up any whose literal meaning you are not absolutely sure of or consider looking up words that may possibly have any connotative meanings. Be sure to look out for words you think you may know because they are used commonly in our language, but might have other meanings (these are the words where symbolism may lie). Find the dictionary meaning of these words for clarification.

Step #4: Translate the Poem on a Literal Level
What does the poem seem to be about in its literal, or actual, meaning?

Step #5: Translate the Poem on a Symbolic Level
First, read through the poem again replacing your circled words with their actual and alternate definitions. Ask yourself if the poem seems to make more sense now, if there is any symbolism that you may have missed before that is now apparent, and if there is any pattern in word usage.

Now look at how the overtones of the words used affect the feeling level of the poem. This may reveal an even deeper level of understanding of the poem’s meaning.

Step #6: Apply the Author’s Biography to the Poem’s Meaning
Although this step may not always suit the poem, looking at the author’s biography or historical context of the poem’s origin may add a deeper understanding as to what message the author was trying to convey. Apply what you know about the author’s background, beliefs, or life history and the date that the poem was written to see if there are any connections relating to its theme or topic. note: A Roethke biography appears in the textbook a few pages after the poem itself.

updates for all the traveling students

It seems as if a lot of people have been out of class this week because of various school activities. I hope that everyone is doing well (especially DECA, Damn Yankees, and Kickline nationals)! Here is what you've been missing in English class.

9th Grade: We just started a poetry unit that includes writing an original poem modeled after George Ella Lyon's "Where I'm From." Today in class we started our mini-author study on Edgar Allan Poe, reading his biography and the poem Annabel Lee.

10th Grade: So far we've read up to the end of Act IV in Julius Caesar. Expect another short test when the play is completed. Tonight's homework was to complete study guide questions on page 777 of the text: 2-6, 8.