Monday November 15, 2010 vocab Rite of Passage

You are beginning a new unit. The novel is Richard Wright's Rite of Passage.

Please find below the vocabulary you are responsible for this week. There will be a test on Friday.

Note that the ten sentences at the bottom are homework due tomorrow: Tuesday November 16.

Rite of Passage vocabulary Test Friday
1. elation (noun) - great joy
2. garish (adjective)- showy, flashy, meant to attract
3. vestibule (noun)- foyer, waiting room
4. vacant (adjective)- unoccupied, empty
5. estrangement (noun)- separation
6. adulation (noun)- high praise, worship
7. zoot-suit (noun)- baggy man’s suit that was popular in the 1940’s.
8. austerity (noun)- having only the minimal amount.
9. to alienate- (verb)- to exclude
10. vintage- (adjective)- classic, something that has survived the test of time.
________________________________________________________________________________
Using the words above, complete the following sentences as practice. Use the correct verb tense. Tear of the bottom part. Due Tuesday 16 November
1. When heading out to the Cotton Club to hear some smooth jazz, Jimmy would put on his ______________________________.
2. Unfortunately, she and her sister were ________________________ and had not spoken in many years.
3. On VJ day, that is Victory Japan, the city of New York was filled with people hugging and dancing with _____________________________.
4. The clothing one wears to an interview should be modest, not _______________________, in order to exude professionalism.
5. People would gather to hear his wise words and listen in ____________________________.
6. __________________________ buildings should be torn down to build parks and new housing.
7. Some people prefer to shop at stores that sell _____________________________clothing, as they like the styles that have stood the test of time.
8. The congregation was asked to leave their umbrellas in the ________________________, rather than bringing them inside the church.
9. An _________________________ budget was put in place, and services were cut, as there was not enough money in the budget.
10. Because of his rude and disruptive behavior, he found himself ______________________ from his friends.

Wednesday November 10: Odyssey

Last night you were to have read the chapters The Pig Woman and Alive Among the Dead

There is no school tomorrow. By Friday, you should have finished the book. Over the weekend there is a take home final assessment on Homer's The Odyssey. This is due on Monday. I will post a copy of the test tomorrow. Write out the reponses on a separate sheet of paper, if you are absent and do not have the copy handed out in class on Friday.

AS WELL, REMEMBER YOU HAVE A VOCABULARY TEST ON FRIDAY.

Monday November 8, 2010 Odyssey

Your weekend homework was to read the first two chapters of The Odyssey by Homer: Yearning for Home and The Sea God's One-Eyed Son. Although we are reading the story in prose form, The Odyssey, like The Iliad, was an epic poem. As said in class, an epic poem is a long and highly stylized narrative poem celebrating the heroic achievements of its hero. A narrative tells a story. An epic poem also shows the values of a culture.

For Tuesday: read chapters 3 and 4: The Brass Island and The Bag of the Winds and The Pig Woman.
Below is a copy of this week's vocabulary. There will be a test on Friday.

Vocabulary 2 The Iliad and The Odyssey by Homer
1. To eliminate (verb)- to remove or get rid of
2. vengeful (adjective)- spiteful; wanting revenge
3. impervious (adjective)- incapable of being influenced, persuaded, or affected
4. ransom (noun)- the redemption of a prisoner, slave, or kidnapped person, of captured goods, etc., for a price.

5. astonished (adjective)- sudden and overpowering surprise or wonder; amaze:
6. to retrieve (verb)- to recover or regain
7. awestruck (adjective)- filled with overwhelming fear
8. to pillage (verb)- to rob with open violence
9. alliance (noun)- a formal agreement or treaty between two or more nations to cooperate for specific purposes.

10. retribution (noun)- requital according to merits or deserts, esp. for evil

11. Paris – the son of King Priam; he was living as a shepherd when he had to choose who was the most beautiful goddess. His choices were Athena (goddess of wisdom) Hera (Zeus’ wife and goddess of the home)and Aphrodite (goddess of love).

12. Homer- the author who wrote down the oral stories of the Trojan War, which became The Iliad and The Odyssey.

13. Helen- “the face that launched a thousand ships’; married to Menelaus, but taken by Paris to Troy.

14. King Agamemnon- Menelaus’ brother. He organizes the Greek forces to capture Troy.

15. Achilles- Greek warrior who killed Hector, King Priam’s son, and then desecrated his body. He is immortal, except on the back of his heel. This is where his mother Thetis dipped him into the River Styx.

16. Trojans- people from Troy.

17. Ajax- Greek warrior

18. Odysseus- Greek warrior known for his cleverness. He comes up with the ruse of the Trojan horse.

19. Cassandra- King Priam’s daughter. She can read the future, but no one will believe her.

20. Laocoon- Trojan priest, who warns King Priam not to bring the Trojan horse inside the city. A sea serpent is sent by Poseidon, god of the seas, to destroy him.

Tuesday October 26, 2010

Bell Work: abstract and concrete nouns
We are beginning a unit on Ancient Greece, where we will be reading a play version of The Iliad and a novel form of The Odyssey. Today we are reading the story of Paris and the Golden Apples. If you are absent or loose your hard copy, there is one below. There are questions at the end of the story for which you are responsible. Please write them in your notebook.


Thetis, basically the most eligible bachelorette of the Gods (until it was prophesied that her son would be far greater than his father, and then kill his father), was marrying Peleus. Everyone who was ANYONE was invited, but Eris, Ares' annoying and dangerous sidekick, was left off the guest list. It wasn't any kind of accident - the Gods knew that Eris' love of mischief would totally ruin the wedding reception. But Eris showed up anyway, and she was PISSED! She had brought with her one of her beautiful and shiny Golden Apples. The shiny Apple of Discord. This was no wedding gift to the bride or groom.
Eris threw the apple into the room, between the three Goddesses Aphrodite, Hera, and Athena. On the beautiful apple was inscribed the simple words "to the fairest." All three fell to the charm of the apple's beauty and her own divine vanity - they all demanded the apple. When they couldn't reach a consensus (shocker!), they went to Zeus. Wow. Sucks to be him. He decided to delegate that question to someone else, because he knew that whichever Goddess was chosen, the other two were going to inflict some serious revenge.
The poor kid who was chosen for answering the question was Paris (also called Alexander). Sweet little Paris was just chilling on Mt. Ida, shepherding, because it had been prophesied that he would cause the Trojan War and Troy's downfall. Zeus descended and explained the situation, and then the three Goddesses came down in all their beauty and glory, and demanded the apple. Paris made a little choking noise and almost started crying. How could he, a mere mortal, decide which of the most beautiful women he would EVER see were the most gorgeous. He couldn't decide.
But he knew he had to make a decision. The Goddesses pretty much decided that for him. Each one offered him a gift, letting him give the apple to the one with the best gift.
Hera, the queen of the Gods, offered Paris power. She filled his head with images of thrones and conquering, and promised him that he should have all of Asia at his feet. Now, that sounded pretty damn good to Paris, but being a reasonably intelligent mortal - and very capitalistic - he decided to hear the others out and go with the highest bid. But he wasn't to get any more offers of power. Each of the Goddesses had her own domain, and her gifts corresponded appropriately. Athena went next. She offered him great wisdom, almost equaling her own, and promised him great luck in battle. She swore to make him the best strategist ever. Again, Paris was ALL about the idea, but he decided to wait and hear what Aphrodite had to say. That was the problem. Paris may have been smart, but he was a guy with normal hormones. Waiting to hear what the Goddess of Lust had to say pretty much screwed him over. Aphrodite told him two things: 1) that he would have the BEST body ever 2) that he could have the most beautiful woman in the world as his mate. And I have no doubt that she promised it in her most seductive voice painting visions of ecstasy in his mind. Paris decided to go with Aphrodite.

Here his wit failed him in more than one way. Helen of Troy was the most beautiful woman in the world - but she was already married, and married to an important king, no less. HE was already married to a nymph named Oenone. Oenone had learned the art of prophesy from Rhea, and foresaw a gruesome

death for Paris should he try to take Helen. She begged him to stay, but Paris was entangled in the sexuality Aphrodite had left in his mind, and would not listen. In one more area did Paris' logic fail him. He had angered the Goddess of War and Wisdom and the Queen of the Gods who commanded power. He had no idea what he'd gotten himself into.
Paris did indeed steal Helen away - but not without cost. The theft/kidnapping/rape began the Trojan War - just as the prophesy at his birth had proclaimed. With Athena and Hera dead set against Troy, they were in for a run for their money. Troy eventually fell, and Paris was mortally wounded. His wife, Oenone, could have saved him - but she was so bitter from his betrayal that she refused. A few days later she changed her mind, but by then, it was too late, and when she found Paris dead, she hanged herself.
That is the story of the Apple of Discord - don't mess with Eris.
Please respond to the following questions in your notebook.
1. Who was not invited to the marriage of Thetis and Peleus?
2. Why was this individual not invited?
3. What did this individual do in retaliation for not having been invited?
4. What was this object known as?
5. Who were the three goddesses who thought themselves the fairest?
6. Why did Zeus decide not to be the judge of this contest?
7. Who was Paris?
8. What did Hera offer Paris for his vote?
9. What did Aphrodite offer Paris for his vote?
10. What did Athena offer Paris for his vote?
11. What were the two problems with Paris having been offered Helen as his prize?

Monday October 25, 2010

Today in class: final assessment on The Young Landlords by Walter Dean Myers.

Friday October 7, 2010

In class we are finishing the wall mural based upon The Young Landlords.

A couple of people have not put up images. They need to do so.
Next to your name below is the chapter you are personally responsible for. Look through the chapter and find examples of the following: 2 character names, 10 nouns, 10 active verbs and 10 adjectives. Once the list is completed, have me check it over. Then you are to write these on the mural, using a differenct colored crayone or marker for each topic.

Monday October 4, 2010

In class today, you are working on the following questions based upon Walter Dean Myers The Young Landlords chapters 2-6. Any work you do not finish in class is homework.

See questions below, if you are absent.
Study Questions for The Young Landlords by Walter Dean Myers
Chapter 2:
1. What is Omar’s theory concerning Chris and the stolen stereo equipment?

2. What the narrator Paul’s father do for work?

3. What were some of the messages the Action Group decided to put on the signs they were going to use to picket Mr. Harley?
Chapter 3:
1. Under what conditions can the Action Group raise the rent on the building?

2. What is Petey Darden’s position within the building?

3. Describe the Robinson women and their reaction to their new landlords.

4. Describe in detail Askia Ben Kenobi’s reaction when Dean laughed at him.

5. What happened after the above?



Chapter 4
1. What exactly was wrong with Miss Robinson’s toilet?

2. What does Paul’s father’s boss do for Chris?

Chapter 5.
1. Who is Mr. Pender?


2. What is Financial Banana?


3. Explain what Mr. Pender means when he tells Paul, “every man has his own way of carrying his burdens.”


4. According to Mr. Pender, what are the two major problems the Action Group must deal with now?


Chapter 6.
Give an itemized account of the costs of running the apartment building.