Monday 11/2

English A: "Translations" -- through Act 2 Scene 1.

This has been an excellent class this first semester half -- due to your individual energy and interest. This excellence makes Wednesday's class all the more surprising and disappointing.

Look to your class by looking at yourself! Don't take student directed (Laurel) education for granted -- it is fragile, delicate, and hopelessly dependent on multiple trusts. There are always one or two who will rely on the class, but when your classmates who have read/prepared are stranded in a classroom full of those who have not, damage is done to a class as a whole and damage to the incentive of you each individually -- damage that is not easily unwound.

If you feel you need an incentive to read (and read carefully), I will create a reading quiz for this purpose. We all need incentives from time to time; incentives improve and support interest.

The reading assignment assumes Wednesday's class did not occur.

I will bring the quiz on Monday.

English B: Capek's "War with the Newts" -- to the end.

Don't get bogged down in Capek's satire -- especially his send up of scientific writing -- feel free (if you have time restraints) to skip and skim -- keep looking for the "big targets" -- what is Capek's larger messages/morals?

English C: "The Great Gatsby" -- Chapter 4 and Chapter 5

The story and the story within the story kick into high gear.

1. Both Gina and Grace have called attention to Nick as a narrator; keep an eye on what this narrative view means to you as the reader. Has Nick grown/changed as a person?
2. The class has done wonderful things (both in discussion and in your writing work) investigating "honesty" in this novel. Keep building on this most essential theme.
3. We get to learn a lot about Gatsby in these chapters -- both from stories about him and from his described actions. What, do you think, is "really" this person Gatsby -- what is real what is fake; what is truth and what is fiction; what is honest and what dishonest?
4. What does Daisy do and why? What would you have done and why?
5. Be thinking about your definition of romantic love. Do you see it in this story?
6. Why is this book called "The Great American Novel?" What themes/aspects make this prototypically American or Great?

As I recall -- we are going to have a full class Monday for Western Civ and a full class Tuesday for English C -- I will be ready for anyone who wants to discuss Chapter 4 "early" to meet from 11:45 - 12:15 Monday. There is so much in these two chapters we won't even get all the broad outlines in one class.

As usual, make record of your reading -- record questions, reactions (most excellent) but also make note of favorite lines, images, language from the story with specific page notes so that we can all benefit from your favorite parts.

English D: Read Strindberg's "The Stronger" like you were an actor (or director) of this play. Decide not only what happens but what your performance/play would look/sound like on stage. By all means read it out loud......