The Awakening Questions & Comments

1. Are the Globe-Democrat and the Times-Herald reacting against Chopin's treatment of her subject or the subject matter itself?

The Awakening Questions & Comments

2. The critics [from this assignment] assert that a writer of Chopin's talent should have chosen a more appropriate subject matter. Are talent as a writer and choice of subject matter so easily separable?

The Awakening: Comments and Questions

3. Willa Cather says that Edna Pontellier, like Emma Bovary, is one of those people who "really expect the passion of love to fill and gratify every need in life" and that she is a victim "of the over-idealization of love." Does the text of The Awakening justify that description of Edna Pontellier?

The Awakening Comments and Questions

4. Are Edna's dissatisfactions the product of:

•            a. her individual personality--that is, she is spoiled.
•            b. her particular circumstances--that is, her husband is a drag;
•            c. the situation of middle-class women of the time--that is, she is given comfort in exchange for self-determination and freedom.
•             d. human nature and the human condition, which generates longings that they cannot satisfy, 

The Awakening Comments and Questions

5. Even her detractors praise Chopin's style. Describe its characteristic. Is it dated? Chopin does not fill up her scenes with inventories of concrete detail. Does she lack interest in material actuality? Or is she simply a poor observer?

The Awakening Discussion

Becoming familiar with a novel and understanding its complexities and ambiguities is crucial in writing your Question 3 Essay. Discussion stimulates a deeper understanding of the novel. Unfortunately with the snow days, we have limited time to discuss The Awakening in class. Therefore, the class blog will have to make do.  This blog will be open for discussion until Monday. Feel free to respond continually over the weekend. As an AP teacher, I feel like we have barely scratched the surface on what we need to discuss.  While you will be getting a grade for your interactions on this blog, this is more or less an open forum for you in hopes you will gain a deeper understanding of the novel. As you are discussing with your classmates, take notes!!! Whether, your are writing in your own personal copy of the novel, adding to your Major Works Data Sheets, or simply writing new notes on your own paper, its imperative that you have something to refer back to.

1. Come up with a conversation starter. It may be something that you have discussed with your group that we didn't get to talk about, your own observation, something you didn't quite understand, or commentary relating this novel to modern-day life. It really does not matter as long as your stimulating discussion in a thoughtful way.

2. Respond to your classmates. I will not tell you how many times to respond. I care more about the quality of the comments and your engagement with the text and your classmates. 

As always, when discussing be sure to make apt and specific references to the text. Since we do not all have the same novel, be sure to include chapter numbers.

Tennyson's "Ulysses"

Discuss Tennyson's "Ulysses". 

• You need to write one conversation starter (1 paragraph) about any or all of the poems. Your conversation starters can be personal or reflective in nature, or they may be analytical. Refer to specific lines and incorporate quotes in your response. You may also pose questions as well. 

•  You will also need to reply to at least one classmate's conversation starter (1 paragraph). Be sure to address (by name) the classmate(s) that you are responding to. 

You should have completed your TPCASTTs before posting.

Critical Response: Details in The Awakening

Write a Critical Response in which you analyze specific details of The Awakening. Post your Critical Response on the blog by Wednesday evening. If you can't post, and you want a grade, you should email me your Critical Response and I will post it for you.

After everyone has posted, on Thursday afternoon, respond to two of your classmates' critical responses. Do not be critical of one another's writing, but focus more on the content, or ideas, of the paragraph. Did anyone include something that you haven't thought about before? Can you add more evidence to someone else's argument? Do you completely disagree with someone's argument? Please remember to be considerate when commenting. The purpose of this is to stimulate discussion :)

Poetry: Donne, Housman, and Dylan

Discuss this week's poetry. 

• You need to write one conversation starter (1 paragraph) about any or all of the poems. Your conversation starters can be personal or reflective in nature, or they may be analytical. You may also pose questions as well. 

•  You will also need to reply to at least one classmate's conversation starter (1 paragraph). Be sure to address (by name) the classmate(s) that you are responding to. 

You should have completed your TPCASTTs before posting.

This discussion ends on February 5th at 11:59PM ET.