Homework for Saturday Group due 3/3

1. Satirical Essay / Short Story / News Article

Create a work of satire. In writing your satire, please follow these steps:

1. Decide on an object (target) for your satire. Keep in mind that the best objects are clear, current, and well-known.
2. Decide on a genre: fiction, essay, or mock journalism.
3. Create a rough draft. Your draft should be approximately one page long (typed, single-spaced). 
4. Revise your rough draft. (Make sure you leave yourself at least one day to revise your draft.)

Formatting guidelines:

Your work should adhere to standard MLA formatting guidelines. In other words:

• typed
• single spaced*
• standard 12 pt. font
• name
• date
• title
• 1" margins

*MLA documents are normally double-spaced.

2. Find three examples from Cat's Cradle to use in your timed, in-class essay. 

The essay will be based on the following prompt:

"Discuss one object of satire in Cat's Cradle. Explain what Kurt Vonnegut satirizes and how. Provide three examples from the novel to support and clarify your discussion."

Cat's Cradle Vocabulary, ch. 91 - 127

Define all words in context. Most of the vocabulary terms here are selected because the author uses them in their secondary or tertiary definitions, and I want you to learn these uses. Pay attention to the part of speech (n., v., etc.) to help you know which definition of a word to use. Always read with a dictionary, notepad, and pen or pencil within reach.

diaphanous (adj. 203)

precipice (n. 212)

novelties (n. 214)

dinghy (n. 216)

apotheosis (n. 224)

bureaucrats (n. 227)

caricature (n. 229)

sublime (adj. 233)

futile (adj. 237)

cogent (adj. 242)

pyre (n. 243)

serenity (n. 246)

pomp (n. 250)

tableau (n. 250)

petered out (v. 251)

parapet (n. 253)

fustian (adj. 253)

bombast(ic) (adj. 253)

jubilation (n. 254)

oratory (n. 254)

complacent (adj. 258)

mitigate (v. 264)

discretely (adv. 268)

reticent (adj. 268)

spurious (adj. 272)

translucent (adj. 275)

abated (v. 275)

addled (adj. 279)

onerous (adj. 281)

aphorisms (n. 284)

Homework for Tues/Thurs Group Due 2/23

Create a work of satire. In writing your satire, please follow these steps:

1. Decide on an object (target) for your satire. Keep in mind that the best objects are clear, current, and well-known.
2. Decide on a genre: fiction, essay, or mock journalism.
3. Create a rough draft. Your draft should be approximately 1 page long (typed, single-spaced). 
4. Bring your rough draft to class on Thursday. Be prepared to share your draft with your classmates.

Your final draft will be due on Tuesday, 2/28.

Cat's Cradle Vocabulary, ch. 65 - 90

Define all words in context. Most of the vocabulary terms here are selected because the author uses them in their secondary or tertiary definitions, and I want you to learn these uses. Pay attention to the part of speech (n., v., etc.) to help you know which definition of a word to use. Always read with a dictionary, notepad, and pen or pencil within reach.

catatonic (adj. 146)

martyrs (n. 149)

conscripted (v. 149)

mutiny (n. 160)

chagrin (n. 174)

apoplexy (n. 174)

transfixed (adj. 182)

brazenness (n. 192)

timbre (n. 194)

camaraderie (n. 195)

worldly (adj. 196)

premonition (n. 200)

sordid (adj. 201)

listless (adj. 201)

Homework for Tues/Thurs Group Due 2/2

Read and annotate "The Big Trip Up Yonder". Write a 1-2 paragraph response to the prompt that is included with the story.

Homework for Tues/Thurs Group Due 1/26

Write a letter from Lucille to Ruthie explaining why you decided to leave home. Use Lucille's voice in your letter, and cite examples from Housekeeping to justify your decision. Your letter should be at least two paragraphs long and may be typed or handwritten.

Example of a Bell Jar

Example of Shorthand

Homework for Saturday Group due 12/17

1. Finish reading The Bell Jar
2. Study vocabulary
3. Read "The Yellow Wallpaper" excerpts and write your answers to the discussion questions
4. Read "I Want a Wife" and consider how the essay portrays a woman's position in society. What similarities do you notice between womanhood as portrayed in this essay and in The Bell Jar?
5. Write a paragraph in response to the following prompt:

          Does Sylvia Plath's poem "Metaphors"offer a positive, negative, or mixed               image of pregnancy?

          Your paragraph should be typed and organized as follows:

• Sentence 1: State your claim (your answer to the prompt) and introduce your evidence (e.g. diction, imagery)
• Sentences 2 - ?: Explain how your evidence supports your claim
• Last Sentence: Restate your claim in stronger, broader terms

Homework for Tues/Thurs Group Due 12/6

Use Sylvia Plath's sketches of Doreen and Betsy on pages 4 and 6 as models to write two, paragraph-length  character sketches of characters that you invent. These sketches should present two different fictional individuals as caricatures of a particular profession (e.g. high-school students, parents, athletes, teachers, etc.), one reflecting the positive characteristics that are associated with that profession and the other reflecting the negative. Try to incorporate some humor into your sketches, and remember to use good judgement in rendering your characters.