The Necklace

Mathilde Loisel is a pretty woman who married a clerk and has a standard of living where basic necessities are nothing to worry too much about.  However, she believes she deserves a life more luxurious and rich than the one she has now.  She daydreams about fabulous parties, extravagant furnishings, and fancy foods.  Her inner conflict becomes more complicated when she receives an invitation from her husband's work to attend a fancy party.  She turns down the invitation because she doesn't feel that she has anything to wear good enough for such an event.  This is IRONIC because the narrator shows the reader how much she wants to be part of the aristocracy (high-class folks), yet when the opportunity comes around she does the opposite of what we would expect -- she turns down the invitation.  However, this doesn't stop her and she must find a way to "dress to impress".  What price will she pay to live one night of her dream-come-true?

This story is a popular one because of the surprise ending.  The author's use of SITUATIONAL IRONY really makes the reader think about CHARACTER MOTIVATION.  What could Mathilde have done to avoid that situation?  Why do you think she refused to tell her friend Madame Forrestier the truth?

The Cask of Amontillado by Edgar Allan Poe

Edgar Allan Poe uses an UNRELIABLE narrator in this tale of revenge to create suspense and add a mysterious dimension to the villain storyteller.  The story is told by Montresor whose elaborate plan for revenge on Fortunato leaves out a few details that has the reader questioning the narrator's credibility.  What did Fortunato do to insult Montresor?  Does Fortunato know if he did anything wrong?

If you liked this story as much as I have visit the site below for more Edgar Allan Poe:

http://www.poestories.com/

BELLWORK DUE!

Hello Scholars!

Eleven (11) Bellworks are due on Friday, December 9, 2011.  The list is posted in the yellow butcher paper in the classroom

Also, I will be grading the following items in your notes:

• TEN BAD LISTENING HABITS
• COMMON MISTAKES YOU BETTER NOT MAKE

PROGRESS REPORT IS COMING UP!!!

        

       MONDAY DECEMBER 19, 2011   

      EXTRA CREDIT for students whose PARENTS or GUARDIANS pick them up.

Marigolds by Eugenia Collier

In short, this is a story about 'Lizabeth, a 14 year old girl who grows up after her last act of childish behavior.  This story is told in first-person point of view with a shifting perspective.  The voice of the narrator moves from reflecting as a mature woman to retelling the episode with Miss Lottie's marigolds as a 14 year old girl.

This is also a story about BOUNDARIES.  Some boundaries are clearer than others such as a fence around a property or a line on a map.  Many boundaries, however, are not so clear.  Some examples include the boundaries between: personal and public space, appropriate and offensive behavior,  and childhood and adulthood.  One may argue that being a teenager is a time when a person lives ON that boundary.

Lizabeth sees Miss Lottie as an old witch as a child, her father for his strength and laughter, and childhood as innocence

As a woman, Lizabeth sees things much differently. She now has compassion which she says cannot exist alongside innocence.  You can't escape the feeling of guilt when you feel sorry for someone.

AMERICAN HISTORY by Judith Ortiz Cofer

In this story, Elena is infatuated with the new boy, Eugene, who lives in a small house across the street from her apartment building.  This story gives us a nice example of INDIRECT CHARACTERIZATION.  This is where the author can build character traits by SHOWING the reader rather than telling us the kind of person he or she is.  This is done when the author shows the reader how a character feels, thinks, behaves, what they look like, what they say, etc.  Elena learns a lot about herself and her world after seeing how Eugene's mom reacts to her on the day they made plans to study for their American History class.  At the same time, on November 22, 1963, an event that will be written in American History had just taken place.  At the end of the story, Elena learns about herself and the American people by observing their reactions to this tragic event.