Wishing you the very best---Happy Holidays and New Year!!!
Today---work on your short stories, read, and prepare entries for contests...
How to Talk to a Hunter
http://books.google.com/books?id=ZaBr2XUCa5wC&pg=PA9&lpg=PA9&dq=how+to+talk+to+a+hunter&source=web&ots=0Vd46M-GOP&sig=0xv4obs0jIYBlxjq8iASth2wcMs&hl=en#v=onepage&q=how%20to%20talk%20to%20a%20hunter&f=false
Homework over the two week break:
Finish Stewart O'Nan's A Prayer for the Dying
Continue to work on and think about your 2nd person short story
Friday, December 17, 2010
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
More 2nd person stories
Read Nathaniel Hawthorne's "The Haunted Mind"
http://www.ibiblio.org/eldritch/nh/hmind.html
Read Italo Calvino's "If on a winter's night a traveler...""
http://www.sccs.swarthmore.edu/users/00/pwillen1/lit/winter.htm
Another example:
They are coming for you, to take you to the firing squad, the gallows, the stake, the electric chair, the gas chamber. You have to stand up; but you can't. Your body, gorged with fear, is too heavy$to move. You'd like to be able to rise and walk between them out the open door of your cell with dignity; but you can't. So they have to drag you away.
Or, it is coming, it is upon you and the others; bells or sirens have gone off (air raid, hurricane, rising flood), and you've taken shelter in this cell-like space, as out of harm's way as you can be, and out of the way of those trained to cope with the emergency. But you don't feel safer; you feel trapped. There's no place to run, and even if there were, fear has made your limbs too heavy, you can barely move. It's an alien weight that you shift from the bed to the chair, the chair to the floor. And you are shivering with fear or cold; and there is absolutely nothing you can do except try not to be any more terrified than you already are. If you remain very still, you pretend that this is what you have decided to do.
(Susan Sontag, The Volcano Lover 2.4.217; original emphasis(1))
Homework:
Continue to work on your 2nd person narrative and read Ch. 5 in Prayer for the Dying for Friday
http://www.ibiblio.org/eldritch/nh/hmind.html
Read Italo Calvino's "If on a winter's night a traveler...""
http://www.sccs.swarthmore.edu/users/00/pwillen1/lit/winter.htm
Another example:
They are coming for you, to take you to the firing squad, the gallows, the stake, the electric chair, the gas chamber. You have to stand up; but you can't. Your body, gorged with fear, is too heavy$to move. You'd like to be able to rise and walk between them out the open door of your cell with dignity; but you can't. So they have to drag you away.
(Susan Sontag, The Volcano Lover 2.4.217; original emphasis(1))
Homework:
Continue to work on your 2nd person narrative and read Ch. 5 in Prayer for the Dying for Friday
Monday, December 13, 2010
UNTIL GWEN--Dennis Lehane
What about "Until Gwen" sticks out the most to you? You could focus on a scene, an image, a character, the style, the point of view, a theme--anything really. Write a perfect paragraph of 5-7 sentences in response.
Post your comments!
Continue reading A Prayer for the Dying, Ch. 3 and 4 to pg. 94 for Wednesday.
Current Contests: Sokol--a poem and/or story
Gannon--1-3 poems
Lelia Tupper Scholarship---essay, and creative writing variety, (up to 12 pages total--4 essay and 8 creative writing)
What does this picture say about the story?
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Last Day
I just wanted to take the time to thank everyone for being so helpful throughout the past four weeks. You were great and made my student teaching experience so worthwhile! The projects and short stories turned out better than I could have imagined! I would love for everyone to take the time to email me a copy of your cartoon write ups so I can put them in my portfolio.
Please keep in touch! I will miss you all!
Ms. Snyder
My Email: NatashaKSnyder@gmail.com
Please keep in touch! I will miss you all!
Ms. Snyder
My Email: NatashaKSnyder@gmail.com
Monday, December 6, 2010
Prayer for the Dying
Discuss the following questions in a small group. We will come back as a class and share what was discussed.
Questions to Consider for Chapter One
The town of Friendship will be going through a lot of changes throughout the book. Describe the town of Friendship and what we have learned about it so far. This will allow us to look at the changes the town goes through as we read.
How does the second person narrative add to the reading experience of the book? How does it take away from the book?
Jacob was called to claim the body of a dead solider, who is dressed in his uniform, the same uniform Jacob wore in the War. The solider can function as a type of metaphor for Jacob. What can it be?
Jacob’s character plays a large role in Friendship. He is the constable, preacher and undertaker. What types of characteristics can describe Jacob? Compare Jacob’s characteristics in relation to the town. Does Jacob have a positive or negative effect?
Questions to Consider for Chapter One
The town of Friendship will be going through a lot of changes throughout the book. Describe the town of Friendship and what we have learned about it so far. This will allow us to look at the changes the town goes through as we read.
How does the second person narrative add to the reading experience of the book? How does it take away from the book?
Jacob was called to claim the body of a dead solider, who is dressed in his uniform, the same uniform Jacob wore in the War. The solider can function as a type of metaphor for Jacob. What can it be?
Jacob’s character plays a large role in Friendship. He is the constable, preacher and undertaker. What types of characteristics can describe Jacob? Compare Jacob’s characteristics in relation to the town. Does Jacob have a positive or negative effect?
Horror Genre
We will be reading a short story written by Stewart O'Nan called "Summer of 77". Keep the following characteristics of horror stories in mind while reading it:
Horror fiction has these common elements:
Highly improbable and unexpected sequences of events that usually begin in ordinary situations and involve supernatural elements
Contrast the oddness of these events with the minutiae of daily life so readers identify with the characters
Explores the dark, malevolent side of humanity
Main characters are people we can understand and perhaps identify with although often these are haunted, estranged individuals
Lives depends on the success of the protagonist
Mood is dark, foreboding, menacing, bleak and creates an immediate response by the reader
Setting may be described in some detail if much of the story takes place in one location
Plot contains frightening and unexpected incidents
Violence, often graphic, occurs and may be accompanied by explicit sexuality
Most stories are told in the third person
The style is plain
The key ingredient in horror fiction is its ability to provoke fear or terror in readers, usually via something demonic.. There should be a sense of dread, unease, anxiety, or foreboding. Some critics have noted that experiencing horror fiction is like reading about your worst nightmares.
There is some debate as to whether "horror" is a genre or, like "adventure" an aspect that may be found in several genres. Horror is a certain mood or atmosphere that might be found in a variety of places.
Traditionally, horror was associated with certain archtypes such as demons, witches, ghosts, vampires and the like. However, this can be found in other genres, especially fantasy. If horror is a genre, then it deals with a protagonist dealing with overwhelming dark and evil forces.
Horror fiction has these common elements:
Highly improbable and unexpected sequences of events that usually begin in ordinary situations and involve supernatural elements
Contrast the oddness of these events with the minutiae of daily life so readers identify with the characters
Explores the dark, malevolent side of humanity
Main characters are people we can understand and perhaps identify with although often these are haunted, estranged individuals
Lives depends on the success of the protagonist
Mood is dark, foreboding, menacing, bleak and creates an immediate response by the reader
Setting may be described in some detail if much of the story takes place in one location
Plot contains frightening and unexpected incidents
Violence, often graphic, occurs and may be accompanied by explicit sexuality
Most stories are told in the third person
The style is plain
The key ingredient in horror fiction is its ability to provoke fear or terror in readers, usually via something demonic.. There should be a sense of dread, unease, anxiety, or foreboding. Some critics have noted that experiencing horror fiction is like reading about your worst nightmares.
There is some debate as to whether "horror" is a genre or, like "adventure" an aspect that may be found in several genres. Horror is a certain mood or atmosphere that might be found in a variety of places.
Traditionally, horror was associated with certain archtypes such as demons, witches, ghosts, vampires and the like. However, this can be found in other genres, especially fantasy. If horror is a genre, then it deals with a protagonist dealing with overwhelming dark and evil forces.
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