Link to Black Boy notes for essay tests

See the disclaimer for Wuthering Heights above...some holds true for these notes. Use them to springboard you into choosing your support for the essay questions.

 1. Describe the evolution of Richard’s attitude toward white people. At what points do we detect a shift in his attitude?

• Communists: comfortable at first...jewish white person invites him to dinner...after: angry. goes to New York , only housed white people
• North: uneasy, quiet, scared...white women bump into him in cafe
• Memphis...cautious because of previous experiences (fear)...lies to Jewish people because he doesn’t know how they’ll react
• Work in South...fear of white people...optical place (didn’t know why they hated him or what set them off)
• Pre-working in South; doesn’t really see white people; generic hate; standing on corner talking about hating white people with his friends
• A change when he goes to sell the dog to the white lady but won’t sell it to her because she is only a few cents short. He never shows respect because he doesn’t call the men “sir”
• Uncle got killed by a white man (enemy)
• grandmother is “white”
• professor killed a white woman
• selling the dog
• Mr. Crane from optics office who taught him...or tried...a trade.
• Memphis, Chicago
• Communist club -- John Reed
• Directly after moving to Chicago from Memphis, he gets a job at a small restaurant and a white girl got too close and acted different towards him. He realized how different the white people were from down South. 
  
  He began to feel anger towards white people after he was driven out of the optical place. He didn't want to sell his dog to a white girl, he felt confused about race.
  
  In the beginning he doesn't understand the difference between whites and blacks and rewards everyone the same until Gibbs explained to him that he is inferior then when he moved he remained they were big fat meanies.
  
  First he didn't know what to think about blacks and whites,  he wasn't sure what the difference was or what it meant. 
  Second he worked for a white woman but did not want to obey her when she told him what to do. 
  Third, he finally made his own decisions to talk with white people and to quit listening to the outside influences 
  Fourth, he worked side by side with the white people as a writer

3. Richard’s mature character is formed both by the kind of knowledge only gained through experience in the world and by the kind of knowledge only gained through reading books. With respect to Richard, does one of these types of knowledge seem more important than the other? Why or why not?

• books are more important to Richard because he doesn’t care for people. Helps him analyze people in a different way. Stalin books gave him a new view.
• Both are important experience. Allows him to fit in with the ones around him and taught him how to act around white people and books gave him knowledge beyond his community
• he learns that Menke has a different voice from other white people and it helps Richard start to find his voice through writing
• When Richard is learning through the world, he sees oppression and fear, but with books, he see the real emotions people feel beyond what he sees in the real world

• Richard cares more about reading; he is opening his mind and developing point of view. Mencken books...prejudices...learns more about how white people think/act
• He gains knowledge from both. With his jobs he gains a lot of experience and becomes street smart...like he knows how the gangs work and how to treat white men. With reading, he becomes book smart. This gives him a leg up because not many other black kids are able to read well.
• The job at the optical place make him want to move
• Uncle getting killed
• Playwriting controversy with the actors
• Girl who introduced him to books
• Judges people on how literal people were
• called an intellectual though he was going to do the party wrong

9. What are the messages that Richard receives about his own self-worth through his interaction with adult characters, and how do these messages affect him?

• they don’t help fuel his feeling of self-worth. His passive external attitude towards authority and whites becomes easier to turn on and off.
• One morning when Richard was giving his uncle sass, he starts a fight between them and Uncle Tom expects him to bend over backwards
• When Richard is chastised for eating walnuts in his aunt’s class even though he was not responsible for the crumbs, he is shown that he has to place adults above his self-worth

• Family makes him seem worthless/bad/a failure. Employers: most think he’s worthless (exceptions being the Optical guy and the Jewish couple, and the family with Bess and Mrs. Moss.

Reading Calendars

Here are the reading calendars for both books. Regardless of whether you are in school or not, you are responsible for keeping yourself on schedule.

Wuthering Heights:
3/16: Chapters 1-4
3/17: Chapters 5-8
3/18: Chapters 9-10
3/19: Chapters 11-13
3/20: Chapters 14-16
3/21: Chapters 17-19
3/22: Chapters 20-22
3/23: Chapters 23-27
3/24: Chapters 28-32
3/25: Chapters 33-34

Black Boy:
3/16: Chapters 4-5
3/17: Chapters 6-7
3/18: Chapters 8-9
3/19: Chapters 10-11
3/20: Chapters 12-14
3/21: Chapters 15-16
3/22: Chapters 17-18
3/23: p. 329-359
3/24: p. 360-384

Literary Terms

Here are the terms that some of you may have missed due to absences. The test over the terms is Thursday, March 12.

Billy Collins

Book of the Quarter Assignment

Here is the assignment for the Book of the Month assignment. Once you have completed it, post it on our Kid Blog. Make sure you can sign in before it's too late. The assignment must be posted by midnight Sunday, January 18. If it is later than that, you will lose points. The smart choice is to post it early. Don't forget to make sure it posted. While Sunday night is the deadline, you can turn it in any time between now and then. And now, the assignment:

Book-of-the-Quarter

For your outside reading book, provide the following:

Title

Author

Image of book cover

Rating of book (1-10)

Briefly summarize the book (1-2 paragraphs)

In addition to the above, choose 3 of the prompts below and answer them for your novel. Your responses should be 1-2 paragraphs for each prompt:

1.       Choose one of the following sentence starters and write a brief reflection for it.

I noticed…I wonder…I was reminded of…I think…I was surprised that…I’d like to know…I realized…If I were…The central issue(s) is (are)…One consequence of ___________________________could be…If _________________, then…I’m not sure…Although it seems…

2.       Describe the character/person who changed the most from the beginning of the book to the end of the book. Explain the change and what caused it.

3.       Describe a minor character/person in the book who had major importance. Explain.

4.       Describe on major external conflict and on major internal conflict found in this book.

5.       Above you rated this book. Explain in detail why you gave this book that score.

6.       Evaluate the ending of this book. Considering how the book unfolded, is it an effective ending? Why? Why not?

7.       If this book had gone one more chapter, what would have happened? Explain.

Angela's Ashes Sample Essay Response

Here is the sample essay from this morning. Remember to use specifics from the quote you have chosen, and remember to include the theme in each paragraph in  some way. Also, show your thought process...explain your thoughts...your writing should be like thinking out loud on paper.

Kid Blog Links

Here are the links for the Kid Blog pages. Click on the one associated with your hour, then sign up for the class once you get there.

2nd Hour

3rd Hour

4th Hour

5th Hour

Meetings for Essay

I will be making myself available for questions about the essay on Monday, August 25, at 7pm and Wednesday, August 27 at 7pm at the Bedford Branch Library next to the junior high. If you have specific questions or need clarifications, I will be glad to address these at the above meeting times. I can do it by email, too, but face-to-face is often better. This is by no means mandatory. I am just providing an opportunity for you to have some answers before you start writing. I will not have time to look at any essays before school starts, but I can answer specific questions about the prompt or my expectations for the essay.

School Email Password Reset

If you need your new login info for the school email, I can get that for you. Just send me an email from another account or private message me on facebook or twitter. I can give you the info you need.

Possible Comment Posting Issues

The school has inadvertently reset all the passwords for your Bedford email accounts, so those of you using that account to comment on the blog will not be able to post. This does not exempt you from posting, of course. You will just have to use an alternate email to send the comments to me via email...or you will need to set up another account using a different email. If you do so, just make sure your user name is something that includes some version of your name so that I can easily identify you when giving credits for the posts. This will most greatly affect those of you who are procrastinators, of course. Those who are not will have plenty of time to post using these alternative methods.

If you use an email account other than  the one from the school, your ability to post will not be affected.

As for your school emails, you will be given instructions on what your passwords have been changed to when you return to school so that you can reset them and use the accounts upon your return.

Paper Questions

I will be meeting with students tomorrow night (Monday, August 11) at the Bedford Branch Library at 7pm to field questions about the essay. If you can make it, you are welcome to come and ask questions. If you can't make it tomorrow night, don't fret. I will do this once more before school starts, and you can always ask questions via email...just make sure they are specific questions.

Another Note for Your Posts

As you can see, there are only four sections up here for this section of the novel...and you are required to comment five times...But I don't want you to think you have to do one comment in each one. You can do two or three comments under one heading, as there are many questions you could possibly address.

As long as you have five comments, I don't care which headings they fall under.

Sound familiar? 

Curious Incident: p. 223-226, or Appendix

Photo credit: http://www.met.reading.ac.uk

There is clearly significance to the fact that Christopher adds this appendix to his story. What can you discern from this in terms of symbolic meaning? What does Christopher solve besides this math problem?

Curious Incident: p. 198-221, or chapters 229-233

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What do you make of Christopher's dream here? What is significant about it? Why do you think it makes him happy?
What is your take on Mr. Shears' reaction to having Christopher stay with them? What does this tell you about him? What does it tell you about the relationship between the couple?
What is your take on Christopher's mother? How is her behavior awkward or unmotherly? How is she motherly?
Christopher is bent on taking his math test. What does his persistence on this matter tell us about him?
Why doesn't he empathize with his mother's situation at all?
Christopher's mother essentially steals Mr. Shears' car to take Christopher back home. Why is this significant? What does her move back there indicate?
Do you think Christopher and his mother will have a better relationship now, or not? What details inform your choice?
Do you think Christopher will ever trust his father again? What details inform your answer?
Why was the math test so important but the results so much less important?
What is significant about Christopher receiving a dog to replace Toby?

Curious Incident: p. 179-198, or chapter 227

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What do you think of Christopher's coping mechanisms at the train station? Which one do you find particularly clever? Which one doesn't make sense to you?
Christopher's close call while retrieving Toby seems to be intense to everyone but him. What reactions during this situation help us understand some of his limitations? What is his focus? What is the focus of those around him? What is the difference between these areas of focus and what does this difference tell us?
What do the reactions of the people who are trying to help Christopher tell us about them or society in general?
A lot of detail is given about Christopher's time in the train station, but not so much detail is given about his time on the tube (subway). Why do you think that is? What is the significance of the details he does give us about his brief ride on the tube?
London is a very large international city, yet Christopher is much more calm navigating the city than he is at the train stations. Why do you think this is the case? What tools does he use for navigation here that he can't use in the train station?
Once Christopher finds his mother and Mr. Shears, it is not long before his father shows up. This is a very emotionally charged atmosphere, yet Christopher seems to tell this part of the story like a reporter. What accounts for his detachment from the chaotic emotional landscape that he finds himself in here?
The three adults have very different points of view and reactions to the situation at hand. Explain one adult's emotional state and how it is justified or unjustified, using examples.

Curious Incident: p. 115-140, or chapters 163-179

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How does the anecdote about the Smarties demonstrate the idea that Christopher didn't understand that other's have minds?
What is the Turing test? How do the results of this test support Christopher's thoughts on the human brain?
What are your thoughts on Christopher's explanation of how the brain works? Does it make sense? What is confusing? What is enlightening about it?
Christopher spends nearly the entire chapter explaining the inner-workings of the brain, but he explains feelings/emotions in one sentence. Why?
Why is Christopher so detailed about his father doing the laundry? Why is he doubling by 2s?
The mystery of Wellington's death is solved. Is Christopher right to be scared of his father?
What does Christopher's initial attempt at running away behind the house tell you about him? Look at the details.
What point seems to be underneath Christopher's discussion of the naming of Orion? Why does he end this discussion by stating, "And that is the truth"?

A Note for Your Posts

As you can see, there are only five sections up here for this section of the novel...and you are required to comment five times...But I don't want you to think you have to do one comment in each one. You can do two or three comments under one heading, as there are many questions you could possibly address.

As long as you have five comments, I don't care which headings they fall under.

Curious Incident: p. 100-115, or chapters 151-157

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What did you learn about the relationship between Christopher and his mother from the letters he reads here?
What is the point of the analogy of the frog population fluxuations?
"Sometimes a mystery isn't a mystery." What does Christopher mean by this?
Christopher points out the amazing way in which all water is and remains connected. How does that relate to the rest of the chapter?
What is Christopher's emotional reaction to the revelation that his mother is not dead? How is his emotional state explained or shown through his own account here?
What are your thoughts about how his father handles the situation here? Does this make his father more or less likable?

Curious Incident: p. 74-99, or chapters 109-149

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Do you believe that Christopher isn't sad about the affair between his mother and Mr. Shears? What do you think of the logic he uses to explain why he isn't sad? Is it plausible? Does it make sense?
Do you notice anything interesting about the way in which Christopher remembers people? Anything that stands out as being different from how most of us remember people?
Our memories are often filled with images from our past. Explain in your own words how Christopher's mental visuals are different or are used differently than most people use their visual memories.
Why is Christopher's father so angry about the book?
Why do you think Christopher's father dug the book out of the trash and hid it in his room? Why not burn it or destroy it in some other way if he was so angry about it?
Christopher's father hits him, but he states that he did not mean to...did he mean to? If he didn't mean to, then how do you think that could have happened?
Why do you think the altercation is immediately followed by a chapter on why he hates brown and yellow?
Christopher's father appears to be genuinely sorry for his actions. What does he do or say that indicates that he feels badly for his actions?
Christopher has gotten sidetracked from finding the killer of the dog. How might his mention of Occam's razor indicate that he hasn't completely forgotten that investigation?
Dramatic irony occurs, essentially, when the reader knows more than the characters in the story do. For instance, we know long before Christopher does that his mother is not dead but has run off with Mr. Shears. Why do you think it took someone as smart as Christopher so long to figure this out?

Curious Incident: p. 50-74, or chapters 83-107

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 "Intuition can sometimes get things wrong. But logic can help you work out the right answer." Does Christopher's use of logic lead him to the right answers? 
Why does Christopher's father lie about his mother? Was it wrong of him to lie? Do you think less of him due to this lie, or do you understand him a little bit more? 
 "The world is full of obvious things which nobody by chance ever observes." Do you agree with this quote from Hound of the Baskervilles?
Why is Christopher so obsessed with being an astronaut? 
Do you think Siobhan knows about the Shears? Is she just protecting Christopher? 
What is it about Mrs. Alexander that makes Christopher able to talk to her even though she's a relative stranger? 
Mrs. Alexander tells Christopher (twice) that he can talk about things with her anytime. What do you think her motivation for saying this is? 
What is the purpose of Christopher's discussion of The Monty Hall Problem? Is there some symbolism here?
What do you think the smell is on Christopher's father and Rhodri? 
What does Christopher's inability to describe the garden show us?
What is the purpose of the extended explanation of the Sherlock Holmes story?