SENIORS Study Guide

Hello my seniors. Almost half-way there!

There are fifty(!) questions on Brave New World. These questions are really kinda basic actually; they are really more about remembering names and facts and events from the book. The questions aren't that deep but will test your knowledge of the book. Your essays are how I judged your deeper understanding of the book.

There are eleven questions about Beowulf. These questions are not only about the names and events, but also the motivations of the characters.

There are thirty-two questions about Canterbury Tales. Why so many? We have three chapters, essentially, to cover. The Prologue, The Wife's Tale and the Pardoner's Tale are all covered. As with Beowulf, you not only need to know the main characters and the main events of the plot, but also their motivations.

The remaining forty-two questions are about Macbeth, asking specific questions about each act. Again, know the main characters (mainly Macbeth to be honest), the things they do, and their motivations for them.

All of these works of literature, except obviously Brave New World, are in your large literature book. It's big, it's heavy, but you'll need to review what's inside them. You have your copy of Brave New World with you; I'd also review your dialectical journals to help you remember what is going on.

If you have specific questions, remember, I might not be able to answer them but I will try to do my best. Please ask them here so that everyone has a chance to see the answers.

Good luck!

Freshmen Study Guide

Hello.

Here is the following information you need to know for the Final on Thursday, January 17.

One question for The Necklace.
Five questions for The Most Dangerous Game
Five questions for Two Kinds
Three questions for Annabel Lee & The Bells poems
Six questions for The Cask of the Amontillado
Five questions for Angela's Ashes
Two questions for Song of the Open Road & The Road Not Taken poems
Four questions for the I Have A Dream speech
Four questions for I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings
Five questions for The Scarlet Ibis

All of these works can be found in the Freshman Literature book. We've read all of them and we have discussed all of them, and you we've probably done homework on nearly all of them.

ALSO:

Fifteen questions for Of Mice & Men

and

Twenty questions for The Hobbit.

That's a total of 75 questions. There are sixty-five multiple choice and ten true false.

So what do you need to know for each of these works of literature?

In general, you need to know the main characters by name and by general motivation. You will need to know the major plot points and events and know a detail or two about those. I really can't go into specifics; if you can tell me, say, five things about The Most Dangerous Game you are probably in the right ballpark.

If you have specific questions, I can't promise I will be able to answer them (I can't give away specifics after all) but I will try to. Please ask those questions here.

FRESHMEN: The Hobbit

It's a pretty easy book, but if you have questions about what is going on, especially now that Bilbo and the dwarfs have finally reached the mountain and come upon Smaug. Ask away!

SENIORS: Brave New World Questions

Please post any questions you may have about the readings you have to do over the break. Remember, by now John the Savage is back in the World State and there will be a great amount of adjustment on both sides. It might be slightly confusing, so ask away!

SENIORS: Brave New World Essay

As promised, here are the guidelines again for the essay I will be expecting by January 6 at midnight.

Times New Roman font, size 11. Not double spaced, please one and half (1.5) times spacing.

2-3 pages.

Your topic? Is our world, in 2007, on the path to becoming the Brave New World? Yes or No?

Take a side, do some light research, and email me the essay you write. Please embed the essay text in the email message itself; NO ATTACHEMENTS!

The email address is mrejameson@yahoo.com.

Ask if you have specific questions.

Enjoy!

SENIORS: Macbeth & Shakespeare

Our next work of literature is Macbeth, by the immortal bard, Shakespeare. He has a very poor reputation, in that it is commonly thought to be very difficult for most people to work through and understand Shakespeare. But if that was the case, why do they keep doing Shakespeare in plays, in schools, and in movies? My question is what have your experiences with Shakespeare been like? Do you like his work, or try to avoid it whenever possible? Hard to understand or do you know what to do?

FRESHMEN: Prepare for M&M

No, not the candy-shell covered chocolate candies, nor the white rapper from Detroit. Of Mice & Men is the next novel we are going to be reading in class. One of the central themes of the novel is that of friendship. So I ask you, what does friendship mean to you? What is a friend?