April 30-May 4

Frankenstein


1. Discuss how the episolary style (letters) of the novel affect your understanding/enjoyment of it.

2. Discuss the following quotes:

a. " None but those who have experienced them can conceive of the enticements of science. In other studies you go as far as others have gone before you, and there is nothing more to know; but in a scientific pursuit there is continual food for discovery and wonder."

b. "I am malicious because I am miserable. Am I not shunned and hated by all mankind?"

March 26-30

Hamlet

Agree or disagree on the following and discuss:

1. Revenge is sweet.
2. It is wrong to kill another human being for any reason.
3. Hatred is a useless emotion.
4. There is no such thing as pure evil.

March 5-9

Time

Discuss how "To His Coy Mistress" and "To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time" deal with the pressure and constraints of time. How does Marvell use the words "coy" and "mistress"? Is that different from how we use those words today? Do Marvell's graphic and disturbing images of death help or hurt his argument of seduction? How is Herrick's argument perhaps more sincere than Marvell's?

February 20-24

Wuthering Heights

Okay, class, write me chapter 9 1/2! Have fun, be creative, and stay true to the gothic style of literature!

February 6-10

Wuthering Heights

1. The gothic style of literature was popular in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. It is characterized by gloomy settings and an atmosphere of terror or mystery. Do you think this is a popular style today? Does the gothic style of literature appeal to you as a reader? Discuss.

2. What is a "soulmate?" Look up some of the history of the soulmate belief. Do you believe in the concept of soulmates? Do you think everyone has one? Discuss.

January 30-February 3

Brave New World

1. Leisure-time activites were of great importance in the World State. Are Americans filling leisure time intelligently or are we allowing ourselves to be shaped by the media and Big Business?

2. Compare Brave New World with other dystopian novels you have read (1984, Fahrenheit 451, Animal Farm). Note the differences in the ways the characters of each novel are kept in complete submission.

January 23-27

Brave New World

1. If you had to choose between happiness or truth, which would you choose? Discuss.

2. How accurate is Huxley's vision of the future (remember Brave New World was first published in 1932)? Think about America as you know it today.

3. What about the novel do you find the most disturbing so far? Discuss.