Class Notes

These notes are meant to help you study for your weekly quizzes. Sometimes I will put other special topics here that only our class has talked about. The earliest information is at the bottom, and the most recent is at the top.

Week Four
We went over descriptive writing using a Power Point and I should have given some advice about using sensory language, interesting adjectives, and complex sentences. As to Animal Farm, there will be no posting of new vocabulary from the third section of the book. Please review the vocabulary from the previous two sections for synonyms, and expect that other words from section three will be shown with the original sentence, and that you should be able to explain the meaning of the word from context. Key passages have been alluded to in HW5, but any others you should find from your own critical thinking and our class discussion during week five.

Week Three
New vocab to notice:
Pretext (45), publican (46), dynamo (48), incubators (49), peculiar (52), moonshine (55), arable (62), solicitor (64), regarded (67), gale (69), malignity (70), indignation (70), capitulated (76), categorically (82), cowered (82), collaborated (83), countenance (83), retribution (85)

Highlights of Chapters V – VII
Chapter V
Mollie disappears (46), “The whole farm was deeply divided on the subject of the windmill.” (50), Napoleon forces Snowball off Animal Farm (52 – 53), no more debates (54), Boxer adds a second personal maxim (56), Napoleon plans to build the windmill in two years and claims it as his own idea (57).
Chapter VI
Napoleon decides to engage in trade by selling hay, wheat, and eggs (63), gets Mr. Whymper to handle business and legal affairs for the farm (64 – 65), pigs sleep in beds (66 – 67), a storm blows over the windmill but Napoleon blames Snowball (70).
Chapter VII
Whymper is deceived and reports to the outside world that there is no food shortage on Animal farm (75), the hens rebel against Napoleon but are starved into submission (76 – 77), Snowball’s courage at the battle of Cowshed is attributed to Napoleon (80 – 82), four pigs confess their crimes (83 – 84) and are killed immediately, then other animals confess too, and they are killed as well. Clover notices the changes in Animal Farm (87), the animals sing the Beasts of England sadly (87), but then are told by Squealer (88) that the song has been outlawed.

We missed class on Monday due to the 2/28 holiday. So Tuesday, our class roared ahead by making up our Masque of the Red Death quiz, then doing a quick review, and taking the Animal Farm part one quiz. On Wednesday, we had time to explore chapter 5 in some detail. Groups analyzed the characters (by examining observable actions, what they said, and other evidence): Mollie, Napoleon and Snowball. We evaluated two visions for the future of Animal farm - one contained a windmill that would bring about an "Animal Renaissance." Please remind me to make that connection with you next week and explain how it related to the Masque story. Finally, we saw Edward (Snowball) and Henry (Napoleon) square off in a debate. Somehow, the history of the Qing dynasty got into our debate! However, our Napoleon was "out of character" as he tried to logically debate his opponent, whereas the Napoleon in the book would have...what would that Napoleon have done?
Check back this weekend for vocabulary helps for next week's quiz.

Week Two
Animal Farm (pages 3 to 44) chapters 1 to 4 were to be read last week. The quiz is scheduled for next week (week three). However, in this class, we are behind on quizzes, so we'll see.

Vocabulary helps: (underlined words are on your 75 SAT words list for Animal Farm, more at bottom)
Hideous (7) - horrible, terrible
Apathy (16) - lack of concern, no feelings
Maxim (34) - saying, motto
Adjoin (38) - border, be next to
Shrewd (38) - clever, sharp-witted
Cannibalism (39) - eating your own kind, usually humans eating other humans
Tractable (39) - obedient, dutiful
Irrepressible (40) - unmanageable, out of control
Skirmish (41) - initial combat, early battle
Maneuver (41) - tactic, battle plan
Flight (41) - escape, running away
Ambush (41) - surprise attack, trap
Stone (42) - a British unit of weight equal to 14 pounds (6.4kg)
Bolt (42) - a sprint, dash, or quick run
Ignominious (42) - shameful, dishonorable
Sentimentality (43) - over-romanticizing, over-emotionality
Impromptu (43) - unplanned, spontaneous
Unanimously (44) - undisputedly
Decoration (44) - medal, award
Confer (44) - to give, to present with
Posthumous (44) - done after death

More SAT words from your list and on what page they can be found in Animal Farm: abolish (9), benevolent (4), cryptic (30), dole (28), ensconce (4), falter (10), forelock (33), fortnight (38), gambol (22), generation (9), hoist (30), implement (27), inscribe (24), league (32), leisure (7), prosperity (10), scullery (23), seclusion (35), toil (13), trotter (10), unison (13), vicious (41), wean (35), whelp (35), windfall (35).


In class, we went through chapter one in some detail, both in small groups and as a whole class, and discussed why Old Major's speech was persuasive. We found four parts of the talk that night in the barn (chapter one), and the class was given HW3 (see post above). For your convenience, I'm including highlights of chapters 1 to 4 and the page numbers, so you can easily find them.

Old Major's speech is persuasive because:
1. He treats the other animals as equals
2. He builds their anticipation (leaves some mystery)
3. Uses simple, direct language
4. Uses emotional language to appeal to each group of animals
5. Asks emotional questions, then gives logical answers
6. Appeals to unity by identifying common problems among all animals
7. Identifies a common enemy for all animals - Man
8. Appeals to a sense of duty to destiny, ancestors or religion by use of a dream
9. Uses an easy-to-remember song to stir emotions
10. Plants the idea of freedom as a legacy to future generations, with no immediate self gain.
11. Uses a vote during his speech to show he is listening to the opinions of his audience
12. Draws on his respect on the farm, and his comparatively long years of wisdom

The four parts of the talk that night:
1. The speech, which is interrupted by the vote
2. The vote on whether or not wild animals are comrades
3. The dream
4. The song - Beasts of England

Highlights in Animal Farm chapters 1 to 4
I. Old Major's Speech (see above)
II. The Rebellion
Moses the Raven and Sugarcandy mountain (pages 17-18) - heaven for animals?
The Rebellion (page 19) - lack of food and mistreatment
Pigs can read! (page 23)
The Seven Commandments (pages 24-25)
III. The Republic of Animal Farm
Benjamin's attitude towards Rebellion is neutral (page 30)
Meetings and debates (page 31) Snowball and Napoleon both active and in opposition
Snowball's committees (page 32)
Animalism's single maxim (page 34) - four legs good, two legs bad (how about birds?)
Napoleon concentrates on education of the young (page 34)
Squealer persuades other animals why pigs need milk and apples (page 36)
IV. The Battle of Cowshed
The Enemy approaches (page 40)
Skirmish (page 41)
Feint (41)
Attack from the rear and cut them off (41)
Heat of Battle (42)
The Enemy retreats (42)
Animal Hero, First Class (44) for Snowball and Boxer

Articles (usually from The New York Times)

If the article is required, it will be handed out in class. If not required, please search for the title on the New York Times web site, Google, or follow the link below. Required articles often have special questions I've made for them (for week one I amended those questions). If there are no questions provided, I expect a 150-word minimum summary and a 250-minimum reaction to the article.

Here is a list of the articles we will do, which will be updated as we do them:

Week One: New York Times - Equal Rights Ascending this article's questions were amended!
Week Two: (not required) New York Times - Why Does College Cost So Much?
Week Three: (not required) New York Times - Absorbing the Pain
Week Four: Fool.com When Rich People Do Stupid Things HW6 questions due 3/14
Week Five: (not required) New York Times - China's Winning Schools - 7 questions attached
Week Six - no article (test week)
Week Seven: New York Times - One Hundred Years of Multitude - 5 questions attached: HW8
Week Eight: Long weekend for tomb sweeping day: spend time with your family - no article.
Week Nine: HW10: article on autism, called "children with Asperger often live in fear of teasing"  - due on Wednesday, 13 April - 150-word summary and 250-word reaction (opinion).
Weeks Ten and Week Eleven: You will be away on your bike trip around Taiwan. There is a New York Times article for homework extra credit called Times of Upheaval for which you should provide the usual summary and reaction. I hope at some point you can put a reflection on your blog about your bike trip, perhaps with some photos. Good luck and enjoy!
Week Twelve: Due Friday 5/6 HW11 Article (reaction only of 250 words!) 10 Natural Wonders to See Before they Disappear
Week Thirteen: When We Hated Mom - optional - due 5/13 for extra credit - 250-word reaction only, worth up to +5 bonus points on your homework
Week Seventeen: an extra article to read and post on if interested:

D-Day Veterans Recall World War II Turning Point

Week Eighteen: HW16 Article reaction due 6/20 (250 words) on 96 year-old Dutch woman confesses to World War II-era murder I added this homework assignment so that we could have four this marking period, which means we can drop the lowest.

My main reasons for offering articles are:
To give you more examples of "authentic text," which are things written in English that are meant for native speakers, not for students. This gives you a real feel for the language, and a goal to shoot for.
To introduce some non-fiction into the curriculum. We do a lot of fiction in literature class, but as a reading class it is doing you a disservice to not let you read at least some non-fiction, which will be readily apparent in your lives both at university and work. It can also be useful and quite interesting.
To support the themes that are in our books, and provide more information about them, perhaps for projects or further research.
To tie-in with other courses or subjects you are studying now, or other book themes you have done in the past, or current events that shape our world, or for insight into other culture through those events or articles.
Finally, just to have interesting discussions or writing topics. It's good at times to get away for the usual things we do.

You ARE Awesome!

I've already heard good things about you guys. I'm anticipating an outstanding class. Let's make this a memorable semester, and start out by getting curious. Curious about what, you ask? Well, my dear Watson, not only about things or people not there, but about how situations get out of control. When change happens, there can be unintended consequences, and that, in a nutshell, is what we will be reading about and discussing, for the most part, this semester.

I believe this will be a great chance for us to set up a wonderful foundation for future success.