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| 4/7/2011 Day 1 Similes and Metaphors | 4/8/2011Day 2 Imagery and Alliteration: Sounds and Sights | Day 3 4/11/2011 Symbolism in Literature | Day 4 4/12/2011 Diction, Mood in Literature | Day 5 4/13/2011 Assessment#1 (Writing) How does a writer use literary devices, such as imagery, symbolism, mood, metaphors to convey her or her central idea ? | Day 6 4/14/2011 Poetic Devices #1: Langston Hugh's poem-Juke Box | Day 7 4/15/2011 Claude MacKay's "Tropics in New York" Poetic Devices #2 | Day 8 Assesment #2 4/29/2011 Poetry Analysis | Extra Credit Project |

Objective: Student will be able to identify and explain the meaning of symbolism in literature.

Materials: Mentor Text – The Black Cat by Edgar Allan Poe, Paragraphs 15 - 22

Agenda

Do Now: 1. A green piece of paper with George Washington's picture on it symbolizes one dollar. What does the one-dollar bill represent to the following?
a. billionaire -
b. beggar -

2. Look up the following vocabulary words- a brief definition and part of speech
1. Evince
2. Odious
3. Pertinacity
4. Chimaera
5. Contemptuously
6. Goad

Part I: Introduction - Symbolism allows people to communicate beyond the limits of language. Humans use symbolism all the time. Words themselves are mere symbols for something else. A symbol is a person, place, or object that stands for something beyond itself.

Symbolism is when the author uses an object or reference to add deeper meaning to a story. Symbolism in literature can be subtle or obvious, used sparingly or heavy-handedly. An author may repeatedly use the same object to convey deeper meaning or may use variations of the same object to create an overarching mood or feeling. Symbolism is often used to support a literary theme in a subtle manner.

Important: National, religious, and cultural symbols have standard interpretations as well as a personal significance for each individual.

Common Cultural Symbols:
When looking for cultural symbols in literature, you'll want to think of what symbols represent moral standards, beliefs or patriotic themes for a culture or country. Here are some cultural symbols you might see:

Sometimes cultural symbols are more specific to a particular cultural group. A mohawk haircut or an anarchy symbol indicate a punk rocker. Medals and swords symbolize a member of the military. Nets and ropes can symbolize a fisherman or sea captain.

Part II: Read the short story, "The Black Cat ", by Edgar Allen Poe, and identify examples of symbolism.

Sampler Response: In ancient Roman mythology, Pluto was the King of the Underworld, ruling over the abode of the dead. In Greek mythology, on which the Romans based their mythology, Pluto was called Hades. Pluto the cat, thus, seems to symbolize death/misfortune to the narrator. That he gave the cat this name suggests that he thought it a sinister creature from the moment he first saw it. Second Black Cat, a cat that resembles the first black cat and may be a reincarnation of the first or so the narrator may think.

For Example, Symbolism: “It was now the representation of an object that I shudder to name - and for this, above all, I loathed, and dreaded, and would have rid myself of the monster had I dared - it was now, I say, the image of a hideous - of a ghastly thing - of the GALLOWS ! - oh, mournful and terrible engine of Horror and of Crime - of Agony and of Death !”

Sampler Response: The second cat resembles the first in just about every detail, including the lost eye. The appearance of the image of the gallows in the cat’s fur, which demonstrates the narrator’s increasing perverseness and guilt, marks a change in the story from realism to symbolism and the story’s preoccupation with evil and guilt.

Meaning Making: Read your book for 10 minutes and take notes using the following guiding questions:

Transfer: What does the American flag or your national flag symbolize to you?

HW#20: Read for 30 minutes. Write a paragraph explaining how the author uses symbolism to serve his or her purpose. For example, to create a mood or support the central idea/theme of the book you are reading?

Objective: Students will be able to identify the mood of a text and understanding its meaning.
Students will be able to identify and analyze the author’s purpose by the use of diction in literature.

Aim: How does understanding the author’s choice of words (diction) help me better understand the mood of the text?

Materials: Mentor Text – The Black Cat by Edgar Allan Poe, Paragraphs 23 - 30

Agenda

2. Look up the following vocabulary words- a brief definition and part of speech

Acquisition – Diction
Part I: Introduction - Mini Lesson: Diction refers to the author’s choice of words.

Student should rarely skip words they do not know when studying serious literature. (It’s like wearing earplugs to a symphony.) To understand voice, students must “hear” the words and “feel” their effects. Diction reflects the writer’s vision and steers the reader’s thought. Effective voice is shaped by words that are clear, concrete and exact.

Good writers eschew words like pretty, nice, and bad. Instead, they use words that invoke a specific effect:

Specific diction brings the reader into the scene, enabling full participation in the writer’s world.
When studying diction, students must understand both connotation (the meaning suggested by the word) and denotation (the word’s literal meaning). When a writer calls a character slender, the word evokes a different feeling from calling the character gaunt. A word’s power to produce a strong reaction in the reader lies mainly in its connotative meaning.
The writer’s purpose—whether to convince, entertain, amuse, inform, or plead—partly determines diction. Words chosen to impart a particular effect on the reader reflect and sustain the writer’s purpose. If the author’s purpose is to inform, the reader should expect straightforward diction. Colloquial diction and slang borrow from informal speech and are typically used to create a mood or capture a particular historic or regional dialect.
Mood: The general atmosphere created by the author’s words. It is the feeling the reader gets from reading those words. It may be the same, or it may change from situation to situation.
Authors set a MOOD in literature by conveying an emotion or emotions through words. The way a person feels about an idea, event, or another person can be quickly determined through facial expressions, gestures and in the tone of voice used. Mood is the emotions that you (the reader) feel while you are reading.
Some Literature gives:

Writers use many devices to create mood, including images, dialogue, setting, and plot. Often a writer creates a mood at the beginning of the story and continues it to the end. However, sometimes the mood changes because of the plot or changes in characters.
Examples of MOODS include: suspenseful, joyful, depressing, excited, anxious, angry, sad, tense, lonely, suspicious, frightened, disgusted
Part II: Read the short story, "The Black Cat ", by Edgar Allen Poe, and identify the mood through the author’s choice of words (diction).

For Example, Mood: "The officers bade me accompany them in their search. They left no nook or corner unexplored. At length, for the third or fourth time, they descended into the cellar. I quivered not in a muscle. My heart beat calmly as that of one who slumbers in innocence. I walked the cellar from end to end. I folded my arms upon my bosom, and roamed easily to and fro. The police were thoroughly satisfied and prepared to depart. The glee at my heart was too strong to be restrained. "
Sampler Response: The mood of "The Black Cat" is one of suspense, tension, fright, and apprehension. The suspense is generated when "the solution to the mystery is held back until the very end of the story." Hence, the tension continually builds throughout the plot until the solution to the mystery at the end of the story.
For Example, Diction: “I blush, I burned, I shudder, while I pen the damnable atrocity”
“fiendish malevolence”, “vile haunts” and “apparition”
"monster," the "beast," the "playmate," the "brute" and the "apparition."
Sampler Response: Poe uses diction and detail to place disturbing images into the reader’s head. In "The Black Cat" the narrator declines from sanity to madness. The narrator states that "[his] original soul seemed, at one, to take flight from [his] body,” due to alcoholism; he loses all control and every fiber of his soul is ripped out. This detail creates a scary effect and sets the scene for more to come. One of the most horrifying events in the short story was the hideous attack on the black cat, "I blush, I burned, I shudder, while I pen the damnable atrocity", Poe's skillful use of detail definitely set the dark mood of this story. Dark words such as "fiendish malevolence", "vile haunts" and "apparition: added an eerie effect. Another way Poe uses diction is with synonyms, for the cat. The cat was not only the "black cat," it was also known as the "monster," the "beast," the "playmate," the "brute" and the "apparition." Poe's choice of detail and diction splendidly creates a morbid picture for the readers.
Meaning Making: Read your book for 10 minutes and take notes using the following guiding questions:

Transfer: Can you give an example of a time when you had to choose your words very carefully to paint a positive picture of a very bad situation?

HW#21: Read for 30 minutes. Write a paragraph explaining how the author of your book uses certain words or a type of diction (regional, slang, everyday speech, etc). How does this influence you as the reader?

Day 5 04/13/2011 Lesson: (Writing) How does a writer use literary devices, such as imagery, symbolism, mood, metaphors to convey his or her central idea?

Objective: Students will be able to write an effective literary essay using literary devices to explain a writer’s purpose.

Aim: How can I write an effective literary essay with all of the necessary elements?

Materials: Check List, Rubric, Literary Essay Outline, Sample Literary Essay

Agenda

Do Now: 1. Complete your essay outline sheet and exchange with your partner. Does it meet the requirements? Use the checklist below as your guide:

Mini Lesson: The purpose of a literary analysis essay is to carefully examine and sometimes evaluate a work of literature or an aspect of a work of literature. As with any analysis, this requires you to break the subject down into its component parts. Examining the different elements of a piece of literature is not an end in itself but rather a process to help you better appreciate and understand the work of literature as a whole.

Answer the following question: How does a writer use literary devices, such as imagery, symbolism, mood, metaphors to convey his or her controlling idea/theme?

Choose three literary techniques to explain how a writer uses the devices to convey his or her controlling idea/theme.

Literary Analysis Essay Elements Descriptions

Element	Explanation
Grabber, Orientation	First sentence catches reader’s attention. Then writer identifies the author, book title, and gives a brief, accurate description of the story (in the first paragraph).
Thesis: General Subject	thesis describes what the author is trying to say about a general subject, like love, relationships, society, gender or race.
Thesis: Specific Focus	what you say the author says, about the general subject, is specific and precise. Also, it fits the book and your evidence.
Topic sentence	Each topic sentence supports part of the thesis
Evidence: Context/ Events: Quantity	Writer uses at least three events from the book.
Evidence: Context/ Events: Quality	These all connect to the thesis. No big events in the book should have been addressed, based on your thesis, but were not. You thoroughly describe what’s happening, filling in details for those who haven’t read the book. Every paragraph has a topic sentence.
Evidence: Quotes: Quantity	Every paragraph gets a quote or two (for at least three total).
Evidence: Quotes: Quality	Quotes match the context/event they are connected to. Most are blended into context sentences.
Evidence: Commentary/ Connections to thesis	All evidence is clearly, explicitly shown to connect to the thesis. The wording is not repetitive, though.

Meaning Making: Read the following sample essay and identify the essay elements in the rubric from the sample-

Sample Introduction: (Title/Author/Analysis) In the play A Doll House, by Henrik Ibsen, the convention of marriage is examined and questioned for its lack of honesty. (Brief Summary)The play is set in the late 1800s, which provides the backdrop for the debate about roles of people in society. (Theme/Analysis) Ibsen uses the minor character, Dr. Rank, to help develop the theme of conflicts within society. This, in turn, creates connections with the plot. (Thesis Statement) Dr. Rank's function in the play is to foreshadow, symbolize, and reflect upon the truth of life and society and to break down the barrier between appearance and reality.

Transfer: What techniques have you learned from the sample essay that can be used as a guide when writing your literary essay?

HW#22: Read for 30 minute. Continue writing your literary essay using the essay outline, rubric and checklist as your guide.

Extra Credit: Poster Board Project – Create a poster using a literary device

The poster will present a literary device used in the short story The Black Cat by Edgar Allan Poe. Design your poster using one literary device (metaphor, simile, alliteration, imagery, symbolism, diction, or mood) as the controlling idea/theme of your poster. The poster you create should provide viewers with a visual of what you (the reader) imagine (in your head) when you read the chosen metaphor, simile, alliteration, imagery, symbolism, diction, or mood sentence from the story.

Week 10 Lesson: Symbolism in Literatures

Agenda

Agenda

HW#21: Read for 30 minutes. Write a paragraph explaining how the author of your book uses certain words or a type of diction (regional, slang, everyday speech, etc). How does this influence you as the reader?

Agenda

Literary Analysis Essay Elements Descriptions