English Midterm (Notes)

Arthur Boo Radley

recluse who never sets foot outside his house, Boo dominates the imaginations of Jem, Scout, and Dill. He is a powerful symbol of goodness swathed in an initial shroud of creepiness, leaving little presents for Scout and Jem and emerging at an opportune moment to save the children

Exposition

sets up the scene, introduces key characters, establishes situation

Symbol

something that means more than what it literally is

Finny's fall

the climax of the novel, is highly symbolic, as it brings to an end the summer session—the period of carefree innocence—and ushers in the darker winter session, filled with the forebodings of war.

Falling action

the complications of the rising action are untangled

Comma Splice

two complete sentences linked only by a comma

Heading

type in upper left corner of paper Name Due Date Period Teacher Last name and page number belongs in the upper right corner of each page

Round character

well developed; we know a lot of information about these characters

Internal Conflict

Man vs. Himself

External Conflict

Man vs. Man Man vs. Nature/Animal Man vs. Technology Man vs. Fate Man vs. Society

World War II

World War II symbolizes many notions related to each other in the novel, from the arrival of adulthood to the triumph of the competitive spirit over innocent play.

What theme is present in Keys' song?

freedom and joy is found through song

She drank milk, she didn't feel well

incorrect; comma splice She drank milk, so she didn't feel well

Rising Action

Events complicate the situation, the conflict intensifies or a new conflict is introduced

Symbols

Finny's fall Word War II The Summer and Winter Sessions at Devon

Points of View

First person, Author omniscient, limited omniscient, second person

Chet Douglas

Gene's main rival for the position of class valedictorian. Chet is an excellent tennis and trumpet player and possesses a sincere love of learning.

The novel was written by him.

passive

The novel was written. (passive or active voice)

passive

Purposes of Literature

1. Escape 2. Interpretive or Informational

Ineffective Conclusions (Writing Non-Summary Conclusions (applies to all writing))

1. Pure Summary :( 2. Introduction of thesis for the first time 3. Overly dramatic conclusions, often ridden with cliches: "We shall overcome", "America the beautiful"etc. 4. Grab Bag conclusions, including many random - but possibly interesting facts thrown together with little or no connections

Writing Effective Conclusions :Strategies

1. Synthesize; don't summarize! 2. Include a striking insight or quote that ties to the topic of your paper. The quote must be significant and meaningful. Explain connection also 3. Make an outside connection to something occurring in the world today 4. Propose a course of action or a solution to an issue 5. Play the "so what?" game. Why should the reader care? The answer will provide you with ideas to include in the conclusion

Five solutions to a comma splice

1. Use a semicolon (;) - to connect 2 full sentences 2. Use a comma and a coordinating conjunction- FANBOYS 3. Use a semicolon and a transition word: therefore, however 4. Restructure the sentence. You can often use because or although 5. Make two sentences

Charles Baker Harris (Dill)

6-7 years old.. Finches neighbor Jem and Scout's summer neighbor and friend

Jem

9-10 years old. Scout's brother. Constant playmate

Eric is washing the car

A

Kevin is doing well on this test. (P or A)

A

We need to get to the concert by 7:00 p.m.

A

Mr. Prud'homme

A Devon master, or teacher. Charmed by Finny and lulled by the casual atmosphere of the Summer Session, he does not enforce the usual school discipline.

Theme

A central idea or insight throughout a piece of literature

Conflict

A clash of actions, desires, ideas, or goals in the plot of a story

Verbal Irony

A figure of speech in which what is said is the opposite of what is meant

Leper

A shy student with an interest in nature and skiing, a friend of Gene's. The first Devon student from his class to enlist, Leper suffers a mental breakdown in the army. Leper's memory of the fall reveals Gene's guilt to Finny.

Situational Irony

A situation in which there is a n incongruity between appearance and reality, or between expectation and fulfillment, or between the actual situation and what would seem appropriate

Brinker

A student leader, friend of Gene. When Finny leaves school to recover from his fall, Brinker temporarily takes his place as Gene's closest friend. Controlling and aggressive, Brinker organizes the "investigation" into Finny's accident that becomes, in effect, Gene's trial.

Plot Triangle

A- Exposition B- Rising action C- Climax D- Falling Action E- Denouement

Phineas

Gene's roommate and best friend. A gifted athlete, Finny represents freedom and good nature. His fall from the tree ends his competition in sports and ultimately costs him his life.

Active Voice

Good A sentence is "active" when the subject is doing the action Ex. Vin scored the goal

Keys' background

Alicia Keys Musician Piano player Very smart Writes and produces own songs Poet with lyrics Caged bird

Dramatic Irony

An incongruity between what a character says or thinks and what the reader knows to be true (or between what a character perceives and what the author intends the reader to perceive)

Setting of ASP

At the Devon School

Passive Voice

Bad, wordy,boring A sentence is "passive" when the subject is being acted upon Ex. The goal was scored by Vin.

Julie was thirsty, therefore she bought a Juicy Juice.

CS Julie was thirsty; therefore he bought a Juicy Juice.

Dynamic Character

Changes throughout story

Redundancy

Do not restate examples. Instead, use new/different examples to enhance paper. Be sure to use specific info. to ensure your paragraphs are well supported

Personal Essay Don't's

Do not use "you" or "your" because you should not speak directly to the reader or make generalizations. Instead, you should be concentrating and reflecting in your own experiences...use "I, my, me, etc." Do not write about the essay in the essay..ex. in this essay I will talk about... As I said in my last paragraph... Do not write in a conversational tone. Writing as though you are chatting to a friend on your cell is too informal Do not begin sentences with conjunctions (fanboys) as they are informal and often lead to sentence fragments. Do not use contractions - "wasn't" is wrong "was not" is correct Do not begin all of your sentences the same way, and each sentence should not be the same length. Instead, change the beginning of each sentence, combine sentences to vary the sentence length and use transitions to link ideas and increase the flow of the writing

Repetition

Do not use the same words again and again .. vary your wording; use a thesaurus

2 authors that we read more than one book from and what were those books?

Dunbar (TFOPB, and another) and Updike (A&P, Tomorrow and Tomorrow, A Sense of Shelter)

Plot of ASP

During the summer session of 1942, he becomes close friends with his daredevil roommate Finny, whose innate charisma consistently allows him to get away with mischief. Finny prods Gene into making a dangerous jump out of a tree into a river, and the two start a secret society based on this ritual. Gene gradually begins to envy Finny's astonishing athletic abilities, manifested in Finny's breaking a school swimming record on his first try. He thinks that Finny, in turn, envies his superior academic achievements, and he suspects that his friend has been taking steps to distract him from his studies. Gene's suspicions transform into resentful hatred, but he nevertheless carefully maintains an appearance of friendship. Gene realizes that he has been grievously mistaken about the existence of any rivalry between them when, one day, Finny expresses a sincere desire to see Gene succeed. While still in a state of shock from the force of his realization, he accompanies Finny to the tree for their jumping ritual. When Finny reaches the edge of the branch, Gene's knees bend, shaking the branch and causing Finny to fall to the bank and shatter his leg. The tragedy is generally considered an accident, and no one thinks to blame Gene—especially not Finny. But when the doctor tells Gene that Finny's athletic days are over, Gene feels a piercing sense of guilt. He goes to see Finny and begins to admit his part in Finny's fall, but the doctor interrupts him, and Finny is sent home before Gene gets another chance to confess. The summer session ends, and Gene goes home to the South for a brief vacation. On his way back to school, he stops by Finny's house and explains to his friend that he shook the branch on purpose. Finny refuses to listen to him, and Gene rescinds his confession and continues on to school. There, Gene attempts to avoid true athletic activity by becoming assistant manager of the crew team, but he feuds with the crew manager and quits. World War II is in full swing and the boys at Devon are all eager to enlist in the military. Brinker Hadley, a prominent class politician, suggests to Gene that they enlist together, and Gene agrees. That night, however, he finds Finny has returned to school. He consequently abandons his plans to enlist, as does Brinker. Finny expects Gene to take his place as the school's sports star now that he is injured. When Gene protests that sports no longer seem important in the midst of the war, Finny declares that the war is nothing but a conspiracy to keep young men from eclipsing the older authorities. Finny tells Gene that he once had aspirations to go to the Olympics, and Gene agrees to train for the 1944 Olympics in his place. All the boys are surprised when a gentle, nature-loving boy named Leper Lepellier becomes the first one in their class to enlist. Gene and Finny go on training, shielded within their private vision of world events. During a winter carnival, which Finny has organized, a telegram arrives for Gene from Leper, saying that he has "escaped" and desperately needs Gene to come to his home in Vermont. Gene goes to Vermont and finds that Leper has gone slightly mad. Leper, who was present at Finny's accident, reveals that he knows the truth about what happened. Leper's ranting frightens Gene and makes him anxious about how he himself might react to military life. He runs away back to Devon. When Brinker hears of what has happened to Leper, he laments in front of Finny that Devon has already lost two of its potential soldiers—Leper and the crippled Finny. Gene, afraid that Finny will be hurt by this remark, tries to raise his spirits by getting him to discuss his conspiracy theory again, but Finny now denies the war only ironically. Brinker, who has harbored suspicions that Gene might have been partly responsible for Finny's accident, wants to prove or disprove them definitively. He organizes an after-hours tribunal of schoolboys and has Gene and Finny summoned without warning. The boys on the makeshift tribunal question the two about the circumstances surrounding the fall. Finny's perceptions of the incident remain so blurred that he cannot speak conclusively on the matter; Gene maintains that he doesn't remember the details of it. The boys now bring in Leper, who was sighted earlier in the day skulking about the bushes, and Leper begins to implicate Gene. Finny declares that he does not care about the facts and rushes out of the room. Hurrying on the stairs, he falls and breaks his leg again. Gene sneaks over to the school's infirmary that night to see Finny, who angrily sends him away. Gene wanders the campus until he falls asleep under the football stadium. The next morning, he goes to see Finny again, takes full blame for the tragedy, apologizes, and tries to explain that his action did not arise from hatred. Finny accepts these statements and the two are reconciled. Later, as the doctor is operating on Finny's leg, some marrow detaches from the bone and enters Finny's bloodstream, going directly to his heart and killing him. Gene receives the news with relative tranquility; he feels that he has become a part of Finny and will always be with him. The rest of the boys graduate and go off to enlist in relatively safe branches of the military. Gene reflects on the constant enmity that plagues the human heart—a curse from which he believes that only Finny was immune.

Purposes of Literature (1)

Escape: Literature written specifically for entertainment or pleasure ("escape" from reality)

What happened in Little Rock, Arkansas in 1957 regarding race and education? Explain.

In 1957 schools in Little Rock, Arkansas went through desegregation. Federal groups were sent to maintain order because the indignation and resistance were so extreme and the threat of violence was so great. During the American Civil Rights Movement, nine black student enrolled in this high school testing a landmark 1954 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that declared segregation in public schools unconstitutional.

Things to include...

Include a topic sentence at the beginning of each paragraph which gives an overview of the entire paragraph Include a concluding sentence at the end of each paragraph, which ties the paragraph together without restating exactly what has been written Use spell check, proofread your work, and read your work aloud to ensure the writing is clear

Purpose of LIterature (2)

Interpretive or Informational: Literature that provides insight into human nature; literature meant to inform or teach

The Cunninghams

Mr. Walter Cunningham - A poor farmer and part of the mob that seeks to lynch Tom Robinson at the jail. Mr. Cunningham displays his human goodness when Scout's politeness compels him to disperse the men at the jail. Walter Cunningham - Son of Mr. Cunningham and classmate of Scout. Walter cannot afford lunch one day at school and accidentally gets Scout in trouble.

Miss Caroline Fisher

New to teaching and to Maycomb and its ways, Miss Caroline is Scout's first grade teacher.

Provide a summary of the Plessy v. Ferguson case.

On June 7th of 1892, Homer Plessy was imprisoned for sitting on the white car of a train in Louisiana. Plessy could pass as white but by law, he was black. Louisiana had a strict law on segregating blacks from whites. A group called "Citizens' Committee to Test the Constitutionality of the Separate Car Law", banded together to look in these segregations. Plessy was tried in 1896 and the court proved the law constitutional.

Provide a summary of the Scottsboro Boys Trial.

On the date of March 25th, 1931, nine black boys were convicted of raping two white females. This incident occurred on the Southern Railroad freight run from Chattanooga to Memphis. For 20 years, no case had ever produced as many trials, convictions, reversals and retrials as this case did. This case opened up jury's to blacks in the south. This case may have been one of the most shameful examples of injustice in our nation's history. Not all of the boys were released and when the jurors voting on giving one boy the death sentence, they walked about laughing. This was a crime that was falsely accused and showed grime in humanity.

Experiments have been conducted to test the hypothesis.

P

It was Katie who jumped

P

The book assignment was completed by Emma. (P or A)

P

The book was written by Sue

P

Mistakes were made

P we dont know who the subject is

Format

Paper should always be typed 12 point font, TNR, and it should be double-spaced All margins should be 1 inch Include creative title - not the title of the assignment- and center it. It should NOT be bolded, underlined or italicized

Dunbar's background

Paul Laurence Dunbar Sympathy, The fnish of Patsy Barnes Mother was a slave Father escaped from slavery Faced discrimination growing up Great literary prominance from a low social class Divorce+health=depression+alcohol

Conclusions should...

Place "the cap" on your essay Allow you to have the final say, make a good final impression Demonstrate the importance of the rest of your essay Propel the reader to a new view on the subject Allow you and your reader to consider broader issues and make new connections

A&P

Plot: 3 teenage girls walk into a store with only bathing suits on. Sammy, a young guy that works there, stares at their every feature and how they act toward each other. One of the girls is the leader and most attractive of the group "Queenie". Sammy sees a future with her while his friend Stokesie is joking around about it. Lengel yells at the girls. Sammy gets furious and quits his job to impress the girls. But it's too late, the girls drive off. Setting: Grocery store Characters: Sammy, Queenie, Lengel, Stokesie,

Other clues that might indicate passive voice

Sentences that include a "to be" verb (am, is, are, was, were, be, being, been) and another verb are often passive Also the word "by" indicated that the sentence is passive

Tomorrow and Tomorrow and so forth

Plot: As his students enter the eleventh-grade English classroom, Prosser flatters himself on his ability to interpret their responses to their environment, attributing their restlessness to a change in the weather. The adolescents act out their relationships with one another as they roughhouse their way to their respective seats. Prosser is particularly aware of Gloria Angstrom, whose practically sleeveless pink sweater sets off the whiteness of her arms. His libidinous feelings toward Gloria make him a rival for her attentions with red-headed Peter Forrester. Prosser finds a paper stating that Gloria loves him. Gloria is kept after class to talk about it. Soon after, a gym teacher comes in and tells Prosser Gloria writes such letters frequently. Setting: English Classroom Characters: Mr. Prosser, Gloria Angstrom, Geoffrey Langer, Pete

The Wishing Well

Plot: Caddy tells Beezie about well, break into country club, Beezie goes down into the well, people come and throw his money back in, he gets very cold until Kozik rescues him, has his pants, only get 4 dimes and 2 quarters Setting: 2 towns... the rich town and the poor town Characters: Beezie, Kozik

A Sense of Shelter

Plot: It is snowing, William loves school, feels like a "king" loves Mary, in English decides hell tell her- sees herbin the hall after cheerleading, tells her in the stairwell, she admits insecurities Setting: School vs. outside (the outside world) Characters: William Young, Mary Landis, Zimmermans, Barry Kruppman=hypnotist, Lionel Griffin=fairy, virginia=other girl at table

The White Circle

Plot: Tucker chooses apple tree over colts, finds Anvil in his apple tree, they fight, Tucker thinks about Anvil's meanness though crazy father but decides to kill Anvil; play prisoners base and Tucker descends the hayfork, it misses and Anvil leaves Tucker is guilty Setting: farm Characters: Anvil=antagonist Tucker=protagonist, Anvils father, the 4 colts

Sucker

Plot: Unfair relationship between Sucker and Pete, Pete loves Maybelle; Maybelle starts to like Pete, Pete starts to like Sucker; maybelle ignores Pete-> pete ignores sucker, Sucker gets sickish; Maybelle tells Pete she's tired of him-> Pete snaps at Sucker-> Sucker changes Setting: school, pete and sucker's room Characters: Pete, Sucker, Maybelle

Seventeen

Plot: crazy polish boy, wants to have a woman, goes to Chinatown to find a woman goes in filthy hotel meets "hag" smiles then gets a room, leaves in half an hour thinks of world as cheap; starts to cry, mother begins to cry Setting: Characters: Sam Wolinsky, William Baxter, Jane Baxter, Lola Pratt, Johnny Watson, Clematis and Flopit

The Finish of Patsy Barnes

Plot: lived on Douglas street in little Africa, From Kentucky patsy bad boy, had watched his father die taming a horse, mother gets pneumonia doctor is racist, works as a washer woman but needs to stay dry, Patsy makes money excercising horses, mother gets worse, Patsy rides horse that killed his father=Black boy, beats mosquito and essex for Brackett, gets doctor for his mother she recovers Setting: racing place Characters: Patsy, Eliza, father

Types of Characters

Protagonist Antagonist

Static Character

Remains the same throughout the story (no change)

Atticus Finch

Scout's father, went to Montgomery to read law (5 years in Maycomb), lawyer in Maycomb

Irony

Situational Verbal Dramatic

Keys to successful story

Suspense and surprise

What were the poems we read and analyzed?

Sympathy by Paul Laurence Dunbar Caged Bird by Maya Angelou Caged Bird by Alicia Keys (song)

When was the Great Depression? What were the economic conditions during the Great Depression?

The Great Depression began around October 1929, continuing to around April 1939. It began in the United States when the stock market prices rapidly collapsed; soon spreading into a worldwide economic slump. Money was worth next to nothing and businesses shut down daily. Families struggled to survive.

Provide a summary of what the Jim Crow Laws were, and explain how they affected Americans.

The Jim Crow Laws were laws intended to keep the blacks away from the whites. Caucasians and African Americans weren't to make any contact to each other even in the slightest bit. This law was enforced because in 1810, the whites thought of the blacks as animals or slaves and that they didn't deserve any respect. They believed that the only reason they were on this earth was to work. These laws affected both the whites and African Americans. Some whites felt that everyone deserved equal rights as did the African Americans, while other whites wanted them dead. The whites felt unsafe, so they began to move North in order to receive respect.

What were the short stories that we read?

The White Circle by John Bell Clayton Seventeen by William Saroyan A & P by John Updike Tomorrow and Tomorrow and So Forth by John Updike The Wishing Well by Phillip Bonosky A Sense of Shelter by John Updike Sucker by Carson McCullers The Finish of Patsy Barnes by Paul Laurence Dunbar

Characterization

The artistic representation of human character or motives

Tone

The attitude a writer takes toward his/her subject or audience

Author Omniscient (all knowing 3rd person)

The author knows how people feel, what they think and what they do

Second person

Told from the perspective of "you" not commonly used, except in instructional writings

Who is the author of To Kill a Mockingbird? Where is she from? Provide 2 additional key/interesting facts about her life.

The author of the novel To Kill a Mockingbird is Harper Lee. She grew up in Monroeville, Alabama, after being born there on April 28, 1926. Harper studied law at the University of Alabama for four years, and then spent one year as an exchange student at Oxford University in the United Kingdom. A few months before graduating, she went to New York to pursue her writing career which is where she worked as an airline reservation clerk for Eastern Airlines and British overseas Airways.

Limited Omniscient (third person)

The author only knows how ONE character feels, The author is limited, because he does not know everything ex. Annie felt desperate, but didn't show it. John said "I'd better go now".

Denouement

The final outcome or solution is revealed or resolved

Describe 2 key events in the Civil Rights Movement between 1950 and 1965. Choose events that were not already addressed in questions 1-6.

The first ever freedom ride was on May 4th, 1961 in an effort to test the Supreme Court. Surely this was an outcast decision but it showed motivation and the strive for equality during a rough time for African American descendants. On the first ride, 7 blacks and 6 whites left on two public buses out of Washington DC. The goal was to test the ruling in Boyon vs Virginia (1960). This ruling said that segregation in interstate bus and rail systems was unconstitutional. After two weeks, the riders ended up severely beaten. The buses were even burned! Law enforcement ended up protecting these riders throughout the nation. On December 1, 1955, 42 year old seamstress Rosa Parks, decided to take the bus to get home from work. As an African American women, she sat down behind the 10 seats reserved for the white americans. Shortly after a man that stepped onto the bus with made it clear that the 4 african americans in the back had to leave for him to sit there. Rosa being a member of the NAACP calmly refused to move or leave. As a consequence she was arrested for being convicted of violating the laws of segregation. Rosa appealed her conviction and formally asserted the legality of segregation.

Protagonist

The main character/hero

Quakenbush

The manager of the crew team power over Gene no one likes him because he takes out his frustrations on them

Scout

The narrator and protagonist of the story. Lives with her father. Tomboy, intelligent.

Gene

The narrator, Finny's roommate and best friend. Gene unfolds the painful story of his growth in a New England prep school during World War II, when his jealousy caused Finny's tragic fall.

Miss Stephanie Crawford

The neighborhood gossip.

Antagonist

The person or force working against the hero

Climax

Turning point, point of strongest intensity

Flat Character

Underdeveloped, like an extra in a movie

First Person

Uses "I" and "me" frequently The story is told from the narrator's point of view

Questions associated with characterization

What does the character say? Think? Do? Look like? What do other people think of the character?

Artistic Unity

When all elements of a literary piece work together to achieve its central purpose. There are no relevant parts, only essential parts included to achieve the intended purpose

THe summer and winter sessions at Devon

The summer session at Devon is a time of anarchy and freedom, when the teachers are lenient and Finny's enthusiasm and clever tongue enable him to get away with anything. This session symbolizes innocence and youth and comes to an end with Finny's actual and symbolic fall, which ushers in the winter session, a time embodied by the hardworking, order-loving Brinker Hadley. The winter session is dark, disciplined, and filled with difficult work; it symbolizes the encroaching burdens of adulthood and wartime, the latter of which intrudes increasingly on the Devon campus.

What theme is present in Angelou's poem?

The theme of struggle for absolute freedom, as explained from views and experiences from lives of free spirits as well as ones living in confinement.

What theme is present in Dunbar's poem?

The theme of the poem "Sympathy" is racism, and the imprisoning effect it has on the soul.

Calpurnia

Their black cook

Angelou's background

This poem reveals the struggle that Maya Angelou went through during her childhood. Maya Angelou lived in the South and experienced the racial discrimination that was legally enforced way of life in the American South. She was restrained from living a life she had wished to live. As she grew older, she began to gain more freedom and do the things she desired, just as the bird began to be free and have the ability to fly wherever it wanted. When it says ¨the caged bird sings of freedom¨, it is also referring to Maya Angelou as she finally gets to pursue her dream.