The Kite Runner Final Paragraph preparation

 

The Kite Runner Final Paragraph Preparation

HA English 9

OReilly

 

Explore and discuss ONE of the following topics in a tasty paragraph of at least eight sentences. You may write more than eight sentences, but do not write more than a page and a half. Please double space.

 

Kites and Afghan Kite Flying

Discrimination

Literacy and the Written Word

Family ties

Violence

Homeland and Nationality

redemption

secrecy, loyalty, coincidence, or fate

Integrating Quotes:  Avoid PQ, Plunked Quote

This is a plunked quote:

Hamlet is contemplating suicide: "To be or or to be/ Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer; The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune ..."(II.i.36).

This is not a plunked quote. It is gracefully inserted and, at the same time, explained:

When Hamlet states that he is pondering whether "to be or not to be," it is clear that he is suicidal and not sure if he wants to continue living and bear "the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune (II.i.36).

How many problems can you find in the excerpt below paragraph below? Circle and label them with the correct glossary acronym.

The "Kite Runner"

    The "Kite Runner" is a great book, and there are a lot of themes in it, but one is very prominent. That is the theme of discrimination. You can see a lot of discrimination in the novel. For one thing, Amir is  terrible friend to Hassan. I think he is a terrible friend because in Afghanistan you can't be friends with a Pashtun if you are a Hazara: "I watched them rape him, and I did nothing because he was a just a dirty Hazara" (p. 82). Also with the kite flying. Hassan cannot fly the kite, and instead must run the kite for Amir, because he is a Hazara: "Hassan the hair-lipped Pashtun kite runner" (page 32). 

PQ, 2PV, +TB, SW. VPR, 1PV, format, NC, ET, CFB

Re-write two of the sentences above so that the quotes are integrated and explained in the sentence rather than plunked.

Example of a better paragraph

 In the text, To Kill a Mockingbird,  the treatment of certain symbols mirrors the theme of the text that the destruction of innocent beings is essentially evil and that the murder of evil is morally justifiable. The titular symbol, the mockingbird, is used as an object lesson for Scout when his father warms Jem not to shoot a mockingbird because it is an innocent being that only seeks to "sing its heart out and bring beauty and pleasure to the world" (88). The blue jay, on the other hand, is a destructive bird, so Atticus admits that such a murder "is more justified" (89).  Later in the text, Scout gets another lesson from Jem when she wishes to squash a bug: "leave it alone," Jem admonishes her. "It ain't bothering you. S'wrong to smash it" he says (106), and once again, Scout is reminded that it is wrong, a sin of sorts, to kill an innocent being. Atticus's killing of the rabid dog symbolizes the justifiable murder. The dog is dangerous and must be disposed of. Atticus is not happy about being the one to do it, but, as Maude points out,   "no one else can do it" (189). Just as Atticus is the only one who can kill the dog, he is the only one who can try Ewell. Atticus alone has the skills necessary to stop evil, the evil of racism. Three symbols, the mockingbird, the insect, and the rabid dog mirror the larger theme in the text: that racism is evil because it leads to the death of innocent beings, and, furthermore, to kill an evil, dangerous being is justified.

 

 

 

Rumi Presentation

Final Group Project 2008-2009

Final Group Project 2009-2010
SAT Book/Play/Blog
OReilly

All projects may completed alone or in groups of up to five people. You will have class time to complete ONE of the following projects.

You can post your short stories or play on the class blog at oreillyb5.blogspot.com (or b6, or b7. You get the idea). You can also make your own blog and give me access to it. I suggest you use blogspot.com.

The short story book/blog:
25 HW points    You will write a book with short stories that are based on at least 25 words. You may have no more than two words per story. Your stories will be modelled after the stories I tell you everyday in class, same idea: The story will be based on or refer in some way to an SAT word.

25 HW points    Each story much contains at least four of the following parts of speech: compound sentence with conjunctive adverb, compound sentence with coordinating conjunction, complex sentence, participial phrase, complex/compound sentence, prepositional phrase, and appositive.

    •  Before each story, write which parts of speech will be in the story and highlight them the same colour that they will be highlighted in the text of the story.

 25 HW points    The story introduction/epilogue: You must include a sentence or two before or after the story that explains the story’s relationship to the word. For example: This is a story about a time I absconded. In this case, I absconded to the beach.

25 Participation points    Illustrate each story using any media. You may not simply download Google images unless you tastefully collage the images.

25 Participation points    The book must be gorgeous. On finals day, you will read in an engaging and lively fashion two short stories or one longer one.



The Play/Movie:
50 HW points    Write a one-act or play in which you correctly use 25 SAT words.  Act out the play and provide me with a typed copy with the words highlighted. 

25 points:  Your script must contain at least one of each of the following parts of speech: compound sentence with conjunctive adverb, compound sentence with coordinating conjunction, complex sentence, participial phrase, complex/compound sentence, prepositional phrase, and appositive.

    •  Below the title of your script, write the parts of speech in the script and highlight them the same colour that they will be highlighted in the text of the script.

50 Participation points    On finals day, you will act out the play with costumes and all lines memorized. The play will be acted in an engaging and lively fashion. Movie or play should not exceed 10 minutes in length. If you make a movie, you must use class time to work on it.  NOTE: If you are making a DVD, it must work in my equipment on the due date. Check it ahead of time. no exceptions.  
 

SAT word final study sheet

All the SAT words , but the vast majority on the test will be on seminal to circumvent

affect and effect
lie and lay
who and whom
pronoun antecedent

identify and properly punctuate the following:
subordinate clause
compound sentence
participial phrase
prepositional phrase
compound sentence
complex sentence
appositive
independent clause/sentence

motif
theme
personification
symbol
metaphor
simile
tone
irony

style

thesis

audience

reliable narrator
exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, denouement
MLA formatting

affect/effect

The ___________ of her negative attitude is that everyone avoids her.

I have been ___________________ by her negative attitude.

Through self-control and practice, she managed to change her odd __________________ of batting her eyes all the time.

I can't stand it when people ________________ a superior attitude.
lie/lay

present tense: She ____________ in bed all day.

Yesterday, she ____________ in bed all day.

When I have ____________ in bed all day, I feel lazy.

I ___________ the pen on the table.

I know I have _____________ it somewhere.

Yesterday, I ___________ the pen on the table.

who/whom

I will choose______________ I marry.

I do not know _____________ is getting married.

PA? is this correct?

No one wants their parents to pick their spouse.

Is this correct in formal writing?

I do not think you can be happy if your parents choose your spouse.

Part of speech? any errors?

Before I bit his neck, he smiled at me.

In the evening I leave my coffin.

I love blood and I will suck your neck.

I want to suck your blood and get to know you that way.

Sucking blood from your neck, I am reminded of cheese.

I want to suck your neck and I will suck your blood.

true or false:literary devices

motif=an insight on life

definition theme=recurs throughout the text

the wind howls=personification

he is a dumb bunny=metaphor

he is dumb as camel dung=simile

tone=author's attitude/feeling

symbol=something people respect

style=it is the unique characteristics of the writer's craft

thesis=main idea

audience=defines your purpose/person reading what is written/who the writer is seeking to convince

reliable narrator=a storyteller who is trustworthy

Here's a pretest of sample questions. This will help you with PART of the final:

dentify the underlined part of speech in the sentence below:

1. Because you deny your love of cheese, I said a little prayer to the cheese God.
a) subordinate clause
b) prepositional phrase
c) participial phrase
d) non essential element
e) none of the above

2.By the light of the moon, the cheese glowed.
a) subordinate clause
b) prepositional phrase
c) participial phrase
d) compound sentence
e) complex sentence

3. I want you to love cheese as I do, and I will secretly pray for your cheesiness
a) subordinate clause
b) prepositional phrase
c) independent clause
d) compound sentence
e) complex sentence

4. Loving cheese as I do, I imagine that cheese consumption could lead to world peace.
a) subordinate clause
b) prepositional phrase
c) participial phrase
d) compound sentence
e) complex sentence

5.You scorn my cheese, but you will regret your contemptuous, misguided behaviour and actions.
a) subordinate clause
b) independent clause
c) participial phrase
d) compound sentence
e) complex sentence

6. In heaven I will eat cheese.
a) The sentence is missing a comma after the prepositional phrase.
b) The sentence is missing a comma after the participial phrase.
c) The sentence is missing a comma after the subordinate clause phrase.
d) This is an incomplete sentence.
e) There is nothing wrong with this sentence.

7. “Look at my gorgeous cheese,” she said.
a) The comma should be outside the quotes.
b) “she” should be capitalized
c) This is an incomplete sentence.
d) There is nothing wrong with this sentence.

8. It is not true that cheese “will make you fat and zitty.” (McCheesehate)
a) The quotation marks should be after the word McCheesehate.
b) The period should be after the word McCheesehate.
c) There is nothing wrong with this sentence.
d) The period and the quotes should be after the word McCheesehate.

9. I like to eat pizza and drink mezcal.
a) There should be a comma with the coordinating conjunction.
b) There should be a comma with the conjunctive adverb.
c) There is nothing wrong with this sentence
d) This is an incomplete sentence

10. I like to eat pizza but I do not like to drink mezcal.
a) There should be a comma with the coordinating conjunction.
b) There should be a comma with the conjunctive adverb.
c) There is nothing wrong with this sentence
d) This is an incomplete sentence

11. I don’t like mezcal; however I like cheese.
a) There should be a comma with the coordinating conjunction.
b) There should be a comma after the conjunctive adverb.
c) There is nothing wrong with this sentence
d) This is an incomplete sentence

12. T or F

The difference between a subordinate clause and an independent clause is that an independent clause lacks complete thought:


13. T or F

A sentence must have a subject, a verb, an object and a complete thought :

The Arranged Marriage-Its Rationale article

http://www.sawf.org/newedit/edit08112003/reflections.asp

Arranged marriage essay and outline

Arranged marriage essay and outline
OReilly
HA English 9
Are Arranged Marriages a Good Idea?

An arranged marriage is a marriage arranged by someone other than the persons getting married. In such marriages, there is no dating, premarital sex, living together, or “playing the field.” Arranged marriages are practiced in the Middle East, parts of Kentucky and Tennessee, India, and China. Other groups that practice this custom include the Unification Movement—known as the Moonies— and royal families. It is important to note that an arranged marriage is not necessarily a forced marriage: in a forced marriage one or more of the partners—usually the woman—has no choice and must marry the chosen mate.

As a class, we have also read a public document, published on a women’s issues website, that condones and recommends arranged marriage as a practical and passionate method for choosing one’s life partner. In that article, the author describes a traditional arranged marriage and extols its virtues.

What do you think? Do you believe in arranged marriage, or do you support the recent American tradition of “dating”? In your next essay, you will refute or support the ancient custom of arranged marriages.

You will need to do the following for 85 essay points

__ Find at least three elements of the “Arranged Marriages—Its Rationale” essay that you wish to refute or support. From these arguments devise your clear and emphatic topic sentences for your body paragraphs. Example: Ganju states that dating is simply a form of promiscuity and that people who date routinely sleep with ten people before they marry. One of your topic sentences can refute Ganju’s view by stating your view of dating: Not everyone who dates is promiscuous, and dating is an effective method of meeting a variety of people in order to ascertain which traits would be desirable in a spouse. (15 points)

__ Opening paragraph: Introduce the name of the arranged marriage article in quotes and the name of the author and state her beliefs about arranged marriage. Create your thesis and plan that states your opinion about arranged marriage based on your arguments above.
(20) points)

__ Devise support for your arguments: support takes the form of properly cited examples, excerpts, and explanation. (30 points)

__ Four sources in the Works Cited: 1) The original arranged marriage article we read in class 2) An article from the internet*, a book, or magazine 3) Two interviews of adults who are or have been married.
* Find relevant articles on the Soquel High School library web site under my name in the library instruction page.

__ At the end of your paper, please include a Works Cited with at least four entries (your three sources plus the arranged marriage article). Also, include a Bibliography of at least three sources, two of which may also be an interview. You may use Wikipedia in your Bibliography only—not in your Works Cited. Consult MLA Quickie Reference form for correct citation and formatting. (20 points)
• To cite an interviewed person, place the interviewee’s last name in parenthesis after the quote or paraphrase and include the interviewee in the Works Cited according to the following format:
OReilly, Dian N. Personal interview. 31 May 2009
Remember avoid using the word “you,” “I think,” or “I feel.” Be clear and specific.
Avoid comma errors
____Staple your rough draft and this rubric with your final draft._
Possible outline and worksheet for your persuasive essay
due_____________
first draft due_________________ final draft due______________
Opening paragraph has:
• Background: Name the author and title of arranged marriage article.
• Thesis/Plan: Briefly state if you agree or disagree with author (thesis) and reasons why (plan)

• Optional: Quotation or paraphrase if any/source citation for Works Cited

Body Paragraph One
• Key idea one—your first reason why you agree or disagree with the author’s view
• Discuss the arranged marriage article author’s (Ganju’s) view

• show why the arranged marriage article author’s view is right or wrong
•
• Proof: Quotation or paraphrase and source citation for Works Cited


Body Paragraph Two
• key idea two— your second reason why you agree or disagree with the author’s view

• Discuss the arranged marriage article author’s (Ganju’s) view on key idea two

• show why the author’s view is right or wrong

• Proof: Quotation or paraphrase and source citation for Works Cited

Body Paragraph Three
• key idea three

• Discuss the arranged marriage article author’s (Ganju’s) view on key idea

• show why the author’s view is right or wrong

• Proof: Quotation or paraphrase and source citation for Works Cited Concluding Paragraph: Summarize and conclude. Do not parrot your thesis

A Very Tasty Example of a Tasty Paragraph

Building a tasty sandwich is simply a matter of having the right ingredients. The first step in creating a perfect sandwich is finding the perfect bread. Homemade whole-wheat bread smells divine and tastes heavenly. If the bread has seeds, nuts, and wheat berries adorning the crust, the slices have a crunchy, earthy taste. Homemade bread has a light yet faintly yeasty taste, which mixes appealingly with the rest of the ingredients of the sandwich. A whole grain bread is easy to digest, leaving the sandwich connoisseur with a satisfied sensation. After finding or baking a light and wholesome loaf of bread, the next ingredient to procure is fresh, homemade yak cheese. Yak cheese, although rare, is a piquant and appealing cheese that is light on fat and heavy on flavor. Thin slices of yak cheese perfectly complement the heady, crunchy taste of whole-wheat bread. Yaks, unlike cows, graze on herbs and bark, which gives yak cheese a subtle, nutty, yet tart flavor. After flying back from Asia with yak cheese, the serious sandwich consumer searches for homegrown Italian tomatoes. A firm, ripe tomato recently plucked from the vine has a flavor unlike any hothouse tomato. A Roma tomato never squirts which aids in keeping the sandwich from becoming soggy. A firm, fleshy tomato, such as a Roma tomato, adds a solid, satisfying texture to the entire sandwich. Starting with the homemade whole-wheat crunchy loaf and ending with the garden-ripe, firm Roma, the perfect sandwich is a product of only the finest parts.

Green: topic sentence and conclusion

Yellow: key ideas—reasons, details, facts

Red: Examples, explanations, evidence, excerpts

Sita Powerpoint at this URL

http://docs.google.com/present/view?id=dg94rzwk_552cf2mw8qs

SOW Sound Reasoning

SOW: Sound Reasoning and phrases to avoid 

For the thesis: The best characters are close to nature and imagery supports that theme.

NO:

Imagery puts pictures in the readers mind that helps them understand how a character is close to nature, like Shinji. Through out the text, the recurring motif of the ocean shows you how Shinji is close to nature. No "skin could be burned browner" than Shinji's, and the ocean "has bestowed gifts on him" that are better than "intellectuality" (35). The beautiful imagery helps the reader be there on the island and see how Shinji is so close to nature. 

Never say imagery puts pictures in the readers mind. That is DSO (Don't state the obvious). Imagery is an image in the mind, no need to explain. Don't say a theme or motif is "throughout the text," which is only sightly better than "through out the text." Motifs and themes recur. That is part of their definition, so you don't need to say it (more DSO).

The paragraph above only proves Shinji's connection to nature, not his nobility. You must prove both to support the thesis, as shown more effectively below. 

The imagery that describes Shinji reinforces his connection to nature and how that connection improves his character and abilities. Vivid descriptions of Shinji focus on Shinji's close interactions with nature: his skin is "browned by the sun," and his body has been "honed and muscled" by his work on fishing boats where he contends with the ocean to make a living (13). Furthermore, nature has rewarded Shinji by improving his character. The sea "bestows" Shinji with a wisdom "beyond intellectuality" (42). Shinji's "accord" with nature allows him to instinctively make decisions without the benefit of a watch or a lamp or even other people;  as he observes "the great wheel of the day turn," he automatically knows "whether or not he will go fishing" that day (98). And without a torch or light, he can "instinctively climb the treacherous path" up to the shrine, knowing, even without light, where to step.  Furthermore, it is the sea which answers all his questions in their "wordless conversation" (99). Day to day, he communes with nature, and in turn, nature provides Shinji with an instinct that precludes the need for such material and synthetic possessions as flashlights or clocks. Nature makes him independent and strong,  marks of his true nobility.

SOW: Sentence Combining/Topic sentences

Shinji does not have much of an ego. He gives credit to the gods for his good luck. He does not take credit himself. He offers a prayer to the gods for his good fortune. The Gods are part of nature. Nature is a part of his being. The sound of waves is like the beating of his own heart. Nature satisfies him and fills him with music.

Due to his lack of ego, Shinji, who is filled with happiness as a consequence of his accord with nature, attributes all his good fortune to the Gods who are imbedded in the landscape of the island. The beautiful imagery describing the island reveals the essential spirituality of Shinju’s home. As Shinju gazes at the clouds which “float like ancient gods,” he offers “a prayer of thanks to the gods for” his blessings. Shinju never considers that his luck is due to his own powers or skills. He is so full to “the core of his being” with “the opulence of nature, ” that he feels that it is nature, not his own efforts, that “satisfy his need.” Indeed the “sound of waves” on the island is tuned to the “surging of his young blood.” Shinju’s attunement with nature makes him a highly spiritual being, in tune with the beauty of the island and grateful to nature, not his own ego, for all his good luck and accomplishments (6-7).

Chapter 9

Yasua is proud. Yasuo has a big ego. Yasuo is not intuitive. Yasua is a schemer. He has evil plans. His watch is a symbol of his pride and evil nature. He uses his watch to plan his evil deeds. Shinji's relationship with Hatsue is a blow to Yasuo's pride.

Sample body paragraph for an essay about ego in which characters’ relative pride and ego are discussed.
Clear topic sentence states that Yasua has a lot of pride and is a schemer. The topic sentence also indirectly states that his watch is a symbol of his pride.
Quotes in the body paragraph are gracefully integrated.
Period comes after parenthesis.
Quotes prove Yasua is overly proud, a schemer, and that the watch, a symbol of his pride, leads to his downfall.



Yasua, whose pride and ego are evident in his fancy watch and leather jacket, is not as spontaneous or natural as Shinji or Hasue, so he uses his watch to plan his treacherous behaviour. When Yasua discovers that Shinji and Hatsue may be lovers, it is a “blow to Yasuo’s pride” (89). A scheming person, he plans to rape Hatsue, and “by looking at the water-drawing roster” he determines when Hatsue will be alone at the well. As “Yasuo is the proud” and “always bragging owner of a watch with a luminous dial,” he uses the timepiece to plan his assault. The watch becomes the symbol of his scheming nature and subsequent punishment when “the hornets come flying timidly toward the [light of] the wristwatch” and begin to sting Yasuo. Yasuo, with his watch to help him, is a schemer and a planner, unlike Shinji and Hatsue, whose actions are generally spontaneous and intuitive (90).

Use this website to find symbols in the Ramayana

http://www.dalsabzi.com/Books/Symbolisms_Ramayana/intro.htm

Symbols in the Ramayana

Ramayana Powerpoint questions

Name_________________
Date______________
Period_____________

1). True or False: The Ramayana, if one were to hear it recited, would take no longer than a few hours.


2) True or False: Originally, the Ramayana was written down by Valmiki.

3) In reality, who is Rama?

4) What is Rama’s purpose in his reincarnation? Name two
a.
b.

5) What traits does Ravanna possess that make him evil?

6) What does Sita symbolize in her union with Rama?

7) How are Ravanna’s acts similar to events in Christian and Jewish ideology?

8) Name a 6 themes (topics really) in the text with at least one example of each:

Theme:                                Example:
1.
   
2.
   
3.
   
4.
   
5.
   
6.
   
                   

Introduction to the Ramayana Power Point

Sample Outline essay SOW

Opening paragraph:

Have one or two sentences of background here

The noblest characters in Yukio Mishima’s The Sound of Waves have close ties to nature, and personification, vivid imagery, contrasting descriptions, and  serve to clarify the many ways in which nature works in the lives of the character.

 

Sample outline:

I.               Shinji is an intelligent character: personification

A. He is not intelligent in the usual way p. 7

B. Personification: the ocean “bestows intelligence upon him” (7)

 

 

II.           Shinji is able to stay peaceful due to connection with nature/

A. When he is disturbed by his meeting with Shinji, his connection to nature restores him p. 13

B. vivid imagery: A description of the rough seas immediately follows, and we see how Shinji is like a boat smoothly navigating rough seas (13)

 

III.        Shinji is unlike a city boy and can deal with problems and people well due to connection with nature.

A. Vivid imagery: Recovers easily from harm (112)

B. Contrasting imagery: When he is teased he does not take offense the way a city boy would (112)

 

IV. Review main ideas: point out how Shinji’s connection to nature allows him to triumph in the end. The island (nature) had protected them (182). But since Shinji is also a part of nature, his own strength “tided” him through (183).  

Thesis Statements and Topic Sentences

Thesis statement

No:

There are many themes and literary devices in The Sound of Waves, but the one that popped out at me were nature, vivid imagery, contrasting descriptions, and personification.

Yes:

The noblest characters in Yukio Mishima’s The Sound of Waves have close ties to nature, and vivid imagery, contrasting descriptions, and personification serve to clarify the many ways in which nature works in the lives of the character.

Topic sentence:

No: The first motif that he uses is vivid imagery and contrast.

Yes: Shinji’s connection to nature is expressed through calm, vivid imagery and by contrasting Shinji with a typical city boy.

Shinji’s connection to nature is expressed through calm, vivid imagery and by contrasting Shinji with a typical city boy. Because Shinji is not concerned with his ego and is so close to nature, he is not easily offended, and he recovers quickly from offenses or harm. When he discovers that he will no longer have the opportunity to see his beloved, Hatsue, he is not devastated or depressed. Instead the “gentle waves” calm “his heart” and his work on the ocean creates a “place of matchless rest.” Furthermore, because Shinji lacks an easily offended ego, he is not disturbed when his boss, Jukichi, teases him about his relationship with Hatsua. Since he is “not sensitive and easily wounded the way a city boy ” would be, Shinji is able to accept his friend’s good-hearted ribbing with good spirits. As a result, Jukichi is even more willing to help Shinji, and he does.

No:

The next literary device that has to do with nature is personification.

Yes:

Not only does Shinji have a personal relationship and “consummate accord” with nature, but nature takes on human characteristics, making Shinji’s relationship with nature even more personal and loving.

Plato's Cave Worksheet

Plato's Cave

English 1

OReilly
names___________________ ____________________ ____________________ ________________
date_____________ period________________

1) Draw the layout of Plato's Cave.

2) What is an allegory?

a) a metaphor

b) an extended metaphor

c) a symbol

d) a story

e) a story that symbolically represents deeper ideas

f) none of the above

3) What does the Allegory of Plato's Cave tell us about our perceptions of existence?

a) that our perceptions may be limited, and we don't realize it.

b) that sometimes someone who is telling the truth may appear crazy.

c) that our reality is only shadows of the truth.

d) the truth is blinding and disorienting.

e) we are inclined to deny the truth when we first encounter it.

f) all of the above

4) How are the inhabitants of Shinji's island like the characters in the cave? Answer in complete sentences.

5) How is the scene in the cave in the Sound of Waves relate to Plato's Allegory of the Cave?

Plato's cave: video

Plato's cave:

Answer the questions on your worksheet by watching these videos:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=69F7GhASOdM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d2afuTvUzBQ&feature=related

SOW Literary Response Essay

SOW Literary Response Essay

HA English 9

OReilly

 

You will write a 5-6 paragraph essay responding to the following prompt:

How does Yukio Mishima, author of The Sound of Waves, use literary devices to support the themes of the text?

 

Remember that you must state your theme as an insight on life, a rule for living, or an eternal truth about human existence; therefore, a theme is never one word. A theme, since it is a concept, must be a sentence. You may use one of the following themes or ferret out your own insights embedded in the text:

 

 

The natural state of human beings is to be essentially good; therefore, the noblest characters in the text The Sound of Waves have the closest ties to nature.

 

When people are essentially good and brave, they learn from their mistakes and make amends to those they have harmed.

 

Noble characters lack ego and are not concerned with their appearance, possessions, or the opinions of others; consequently, such noble souls selflessly serve others to the benefit of society.

 

Karma is at work in people’s lives, so selfless, courageous deeds are rewarded in the end, and selfishness and cowardice are punished with regret and personal pain.

 

 

You will need to modify these themes to turn them into thesis statements:

 

In the text, Sound of Waves by Yokio Mishima, karma is at work in people’s lives, so selfless, courageous deeds are rewarded in the end, and selfishness and cowardice are punished with regret and personal pain: therefore, Shinji and Hatsua, are rewarded for their selfless acts, while Chiyoko and Yasuo suffer for theirs.

 

 Your paper will show how literary devices such as imagery, characters, metaphors, simile, personification support the themes. You may also discuss how motifs, repeating elements in the texts, reinforce and support the themes. Some motifs in Sound of Waves are nature, (waves, animals, insects, seaweed etc.) spirituality, selflessness, ego, karma, courage/cowardice, honour, self awareness, pessimism, optimism, simplicity, male/female roles, gossip, city life, thought, beauty, dirtiness, education.

 

The first phase of your paper will be to write your opening paragraph. Your opening paragraph will need background, a brief statement introducing the author and the text. Please colour code your paragraph (background, blue; thesis/plan, green). Limit your background to three sentences or less. In the background you may discuss:

            • The year the text was published

            • a very brief summary of the story

            • A brief statement about the tone or theme you will discuss.

 

Your opening paragraph must also present your plan as either part of your thesis or as a separate sentence.

 

 

 

 

Here is an opening paragraph for a thematic essay about To Kill a Mockingbird:

 

To Kill a Mockingbird, a Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Harper Lee published in 1960, was instantly successful and has become a classic of modern American fiction. The novel is loosely based on the author's observations of her family and neighbors, as well as an event that occurred near her southern hometown in 1936 when she was 10 years old. The text was primarily successful due to its treatment of racial and class inequality in the south. The structure of the text, characters, metaphor, and simile reveal that racism is a form of ignorance and superstition.

 

In addition to writing your opening paragraph, make a brief outline of your key ideas including the literary devices that you will discuss. Here is an outline from the To Kill a Mockingbird essay:

 

I Structure

A.   Boo Radley is compared to Tom Robinson

B.    The rabid dog is compared to Bob Ewing

II. Characters

A.   Atticus is a model of tolerance

B.    Maudie is a model of a liberated female

C.    Bob Ewing is paragon of evil

II. metaphor and simile

A.   Sin to kill a mockingbird

B.    Squashing a bug is like killing Tom Robinson

 

 

Turn in your paper with both rubrics and your first draft.

10 points_________ Paper is properly formatted, has a clever title, and is 5-6 paragraphs. Paper is written in LP. There is an absence of mechanical and grammatical errors: CIE, CFB, RO, CS, SC, VPR. ANV

5 points _________ Your opening paragraph introduces the text and author and contains a brief background, a thesis statement, and a plan

30 points _________ Each body paragraph has a clear topic sentence. There are enough specific examples, explanations, and excerpts to support your topic sentence. Each body paragraph must have a properly formatted short quotation from the text gracefully inserted into the writing. No PQ please.

5 points _________  Your conclusion restates the key ideas of your paper without parroting your thesis statement. Rephrase your ideas bringing a freshness and a new twist.

20 points _________  You have the following types of sentences properly punctuated:

            You have two complex sentences: bold

                                    You have two compound sentences with a fan boy: bold underline

                                    You have two sentences with CNEs: bold italics

                                    You have two compound sentences with conjunctive adverbs: highlight

 

Timeline:

The opening paragraph and three body paragraph topic sentences are due _______________
The first draft, which must be typed and formatted is due _______________

The final draft is due ________________

Peer edit Sound of Waves
HA English 9
OReilly
Author’s name__________________
Peer editors__________________    __________________

Rank on a scale of 1-5.
Peer edit 1    peer edit 2
_________    _________  Paper is properly formatted and has a clever title
_________    _________  Your opening paragraph introduces the text and author
_________    _________  Each body paragraph must have a properly formatted short quotation from the text gracefully inserted into the writing. No PQ please. See example below.
Proper formatting for quotes: Quotes are “gracefully integrated,” and the commas and periods are inside the quote marks, except when there are parenthesis, like these (22).
_________     _________ You have the following types of sentences properly punctuated:
            You have two complex sentences: bold
            You have two compound sentences with a fan boy: bold underline
            You have two sentences with appositives: bold italics
            You have two compound sentences with conjunctive adverbs: highlight
   
Comments _________________________________________________________________________________

 

 

                                     

 

 

Tao Te Ching, by Lao Tsu

Tao Te Ching, by Lao Tsu

What is "Tao"?

The idea of Tao
Common dictionary translations of Tao include: road, path, way, means, doctrine. In the Tao Tee Ching, it is generally used to indicate the unseen, underlying law of the universe from which all other principles and phenomena proceed. It is described as unnamable, unfathomable and inexhaustible. Taoists attempt to be one with this principle.

Most of the Tao Te Ching describes the Tao and its manifestations so this is the best source for more detail. Since it cannot be understood on a merely intellectual level, it is best to feel the words in the Tao as well as understand them. Don't forget that the Tao is a poem. It even rhymes in many parts in the original Chinese. This may have been to make it easy to remember for illiterate people and it may also have been to help us feel the meaning rather than seek to intellectualize it.

In China, (Tao) is pronounced "dow", as in Dow Jones Index and "doe" in Japanese. You have probably heard of it already in words like :
Judo - "soft way"
Kendo - "sword way"
Karate - do - "empty hand way"

Eastern, Western, Taoist Logic

Western society strives to find "the truth," while Eastern society is more interested in balance. Westerners put more stock in individual rights; Easterners in social responsibility.

The symbol of the Tao (above) is an affront to the idea of truth in the common Western way of thinking. White lies inside black, black inside white. They are part of one another, constantly changing (indicated by the swirling shape), interdependent. There is no clear truth and therefore opinions have little value.

A Western version might look more like this: O O White circle - black circle. Static, separate. It is hard to say how much Eastern thinking was influenced by the Tao and how much the Tao was a product of a pre-existing thought.

Science
In the last 40 years, scientists have become increasingly aware of the idea of uncertainty. Chaos Theory, Heisenberg's uncertainty principle and Fuzzy Logic all helped destroy the earlier mechanistic view of the universe, that God created a universe that ran on tightly define principles that could be measured and predicted by science.

Your Tao Tr Ching Story
HA English 9
OReilly
45 points

In groups of 2-4:
Select a poem from the Tao Te Ching
Write a short story or parable in which the moral or theme of the story reflects and supports the poem you selected
Illustrate your story
Create a poster with your story and the illustration

5 points________ Include the poem on the front of your poster.
15 points________ Include your story on the front of your poster. Your story uses proper grammar, punctuation, and mechanics, and your story supports and illustrates the Tao Te Ching poem
10 points________Include your gorgeous and appropriate illustration on the front of your poster
5 points________Include your full names and period number on the front of your poster
5 points________ Include this rubric with your full names and period number lightly taped on the BACK of your poster
5 points ________ Your poster is gorgeous. Everything is well constructed and properly glued down.

Excerpts from Tao Te Ching:

Inflexible soldiers cannot win (a victory).
And the hardest trees are readiest for an axe to chop them down
Tough guys sink to the bottom, while
Flexible people rise to the top.

-Lao Tzu



If you don't trust people,
people will not trust you.

-Lao Tzu

Clay walls are moulded into a pot,
but the usefulness of the pot lies in its emptiness.

-Lao Tzu

A good door is locked without bolt or bar, but cannot be opened.
Good binding has no rope or knots, yet cannot be untied.

-Lao Tz

Great achievement looks incomplete, yet it works perfectly.
Great abundance looks like emptiness, yet its supply is never exhausted.

-Lao Tz

The softest thing can overcome the hardest,
Formless, it can enter where there are no gaps or space.
-Lao Tzu

Heaven and Earth last and last.
Why do they last so long?
Because they are not self-serving!
-Lao Tzu

Military strategists have a saying:
"Rather than act like the lord of the manor,
I would rather behave like a guest.
Rather than advance an inch,
I would rather retreat a foot."

The point of the saying is that you should:
Advance upon them without going forward
Seize their property without even bearing arms.
Attack where there is no enemy.
Prevail upon them without weapons.

-Lao Tz

Just as activity beats the cold,
and inactivity (stillness) beats the heat,
Purity and stillness can heal the world.

-Lao Tzu



A skilful soldier is not militaristic.
A skilful soldier does not get angry.
They win but do not seek to conquer.
Such capable people are humble.

-Lao Tzu

Deal with difficult tasks while they are easy.
Act on large issues while they are small.

-Lao Tzu

Great or small,
Frequent or rare,
respond to anger with virtue.
-Lao Tzu

When you value rare things highly,
you turn honest people into thieves.

If you show people exciting things,
you will make them covetous and greedy.

-Lao Tzu

If the people are free of avarice and desire,
even the most cunning grifter has no opportunity to corrupt them.

-Lao Tzu

Intelligent people know others.
Enlightened people know themselves.

You can conquer others with power,
But it takes true strength to conquer yourself.

-Lao Tzu

If you stand on tiptoe, you'll be unsteady.
If you run with long strides you can't keep it up.
If you show off, no one will be impressed.

-Lao Tzu

Even a nine-storied terrace began with a single basket of dirt.
Even a 1,000 mile journey began as a single step.


In ancient times there were great Taoist Sages.
Their way of living was so deep, so subtle,
it cannot be directly explained.
Instead, here is how they looked . . .

. . . Polite, as if they were always a guest
Yielding, like ice that is on the verge of melting
Sincere, like an uncut block of wood
Receptive, like a valley
Opaque, like muddy water

-Lao Tzu


Heaven and earth are like a set of bellows.
Although empty, they are endlessly productive.
The more you work them, the more they produce.
The mouth, on the other hand, becomes exhausted if you talk too much.
Better to keep your thoughts inside you.

-Lao Tzu


Rare goods are merely weights that slow you down.

-Lao Tzu



A virtuous person promotes agreement.
A person without virtue promotes blame.

-Lao Tzu


Heaven and Earth last and last.
Why do they last so long?
Because they are not self-serving!

-Lao Tzu


We desire to understand the world by giving names to the things we see,
but these things are only the effects of something subtle.

When we see beyond the desire to use names,
we can sense the nameless cause of these effects.

-Lao Tzu

Great or small,
Frequent or rare,
respond to anger with virtue.

-Lao Tzu

If you don’t trust people, people will not trust you.

-Lao Tzu


Be the leader, not the Lord.
This is the Way of Virtue (Te).

-Lao Tzu


If you stand on tiptoe, you'll be unsteady.
If you run with long strides you can't keep it up.
If you show off, no one will be impressed.

-Lao Tzu

Self-righteous people will be disrespected.
Self-centred people will be unloved.
Glory seekers don't attract followers.

-Lao Tzu

Nature rarely speaks.
A whirlwind doesn't even last a whole morning.
A rainstorm starts and ends in a single day.

Such things are made by heaven and earth.
If heaven and earth can't make a storm last,
how can you?

-Lao Tzu

No disaster is worse than being discontented.
No omen (for your future) worse than being greedy.
Yet, if you can find (true) contentment, it will last forever.

-Lao Tzu

Haiku: It’s the little things that count

Haiku: It’s the little things that count
Writing a haiku: group project
HA English 9
OReilly

What is haiku?
The shortest form of Japanese poetry constructed in three lines of five, seven, and five syllables respectively. The message of a haiku poem usually centers on some aspect of spirituality and provokes an emotional response in the reader. Early masters of haiku include Basho, Buson, Kobayashi Issa, and Masaoka Shiki. English writers of haiku include the Imagists, notably Ezra Pound, HD, Amy Lowell, Carl Sandburg, and William Carlos Williams. Haiku is Japanese Buddhist poetry designed to express and create the bliss and true knowledge of the divine.

English counts syllables differently than Japanese, so the syllable rules in English are not as strict. What is important is that there is a strong contrast, a mild surprise that occurs after the first or second line. There is a kind of pause first, then a very distinct change.

How nice to take a noonday nap
Feet planted against the wall.
How cool the wall

The surprise or change occurs in this haiku after the second line. The third line is not apparently relevant. Yet the reader recognizes the connection. This change, contrast, or juxtaposition surprises the reader, and moves her into a kind of recognition, a realization of the connectness of disparate aspects of nature. This is a kind of mini enlightenment created by the poem.

Winter storm:
The peering cat
Squints and blinks

What does a winter storm have to do with a cat?
Here the change or surprise is after the first line. The writer is explaining, in the briefest possible way, that tiny moment when he feels a certain enlightenment or connection with nature. In the few seconds it takes to write a three-line poem, the writer expresses the moment when he sees truth and beauty.

Stop to smell the roses:
Haikus are usually about everyday images or sights that remind us of the special moments that we ignore. These sights snap us out of our thoughts and remind us to be alive and in the moment. In the mundane, yet somehow striking image below, the change occurs after the first line.

 Breastfeeding her baby
The mother counts
All the flea bites



Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to:

• Get in groups of four and write four poems on a theme. For instance, the theme could be the seasons, and each poem would reflect one season. Other themes include times of day, emotions, phases of life, teen years, clothes, games, friends, phases of life, etc.

• Write your poem on construction paper, illustrate with any medium: drawing, collage etc.

• Tape your four haikus together to make a large poster.

• Make sure the following appears on your poster: your names, period number and haiku theme. You may add an extra strip of paper across the top or bottom for that information.

25Participation points:
8 points_________ You have four poems about one theme. (Unless you have a smaller group due to class size.)
3 points_________ Haiku are illustrated
3 points_________ Names, period number, and theme appear on the front of the poster.
4 points_________Haikus have three lines, and there is a pause or break and a “contrasting” image. See above
5 points_________ Posters are lovely
2 points _________ This rubric is lightly taped to the back with all your full names and period number










 

Mishima Power Point

Literary devices explanation and examples

Poetry devices (a major sampling):

homoeoteleuton

Similar sound endings to words, phrases, or sentences. "Near Rhyme."

• "That’s why, darling, it’s incredible

  That someone so unforgettable

  Thinks I’m unforgettable too."

  ("Unforgettable," sung by Nat King Cole)







• "Loose lips sink ships."

  (public service ad during World War II)

• 
  

• Incredibly, wonderfully, sensually delightful. Full of love, the sky above, can't get enough, of these. What is this thing of which I speak that fills my heart with ease? I'll tell you now. It's from the cow...this lovely creamy cheese. (OReilly)







• "Crispety, crunchety, peanut-buttery Butterfinger."

  (advertising slogan for Butterfinger candy bar)

It is defined as "when several utterances (i.e., words) end in a similar fashion." The word, therefore, is larger than rhyme, but similar to it.

repetition of sound: alliteration repetition of a beginning consonant sound; assonance: the repetition of vowel sounds; consonance: the repetition of consonant sounds

Langston Hughes

Dream Deferred

What happens to a dream deferred?
Does it dry up
Like a raisin in the sun?
Or fester like a sore--
And then run?
Does it stink like rotten meat?
Or crust and sugar over--
like a syrupy sweet?
Maybe it just sags
like a heavy load.
Or does it explode?

Cha Cha Cha Changes with cheese, please, give it a squeeze...

So, so, very slimy, not sweet, sensually complete

A lust a trust I must repeat

I'm not complete, I can't go a week

without it to eat, my treat

need I repeat?

choice, cheddar, actual cheese.

ORiRi

http://www.lyricsfreak.com/d/david+bowie/changes_20036790.html

lyrics to Changes David Bowie

Parts by Tedd Arnold.

"I just don't know what's going on

Or why it has to be.

But every day it's something worse.

What's happening to me?

I think it was three days ago

I first became aware--

That in my comb were caught a couple

Pieces of my hair.

I stared at them, amazed, and more

Than just a bit appalled

To think that I was only five

And starting to go bald!"

allusion:

a casual reference to someone or something in history or literature that creates a mental picture. An allusion is like a hyperlink. Embedded in the poem is a link to another entire literary work, with all its meaning and insight. Here are more literary allusions: http://www.worsleyschool.net/socialarts/allusion/page

illusion: something unreal that one thinks is real (don't confuse)

"Siren Song"

by Margaret Atwood

This is the one song everyone

would like to learn:

the song

that is irresistible:

the song that forces men to leap overboard in squadrons

even though they see the beached skulls

the song nobody knows

because anyone who has heard it

is dead, and the others can't remember

Shall I tell you the secret

and if I do, will you get me

out of this bird suit?

I don't enjoy it here

squatting on this island

looking picturesque and mythical

with these two feathery maniacs,

I don't enjoy singing

this trio, fatal and valuable.

I will tell the secret to you ,to you, only to you.

Come closer. This song

is a cry for help: Help me!

Only you, only you can,

you are unique

At last. Alas

it is a boring song

but it works every time.

analogy or extended metaphor:

Both are comparisons. An analogy is more of an argument; in an analogy one is arguing that two things are the same, like comparing the Iraq War to the Vietnam War. An extended metaphor is a bit less argumentative, it just shows how things are related. The two terms are often casually used interchangeably.

FOG

Carl Sandburg

The fog comes
on little cat feet.

It sits looking
over harbor and city
on silent haunches
and then moves on.

Nothing Gold Can Stay
by
Robert Frost

Nature's first green is gold,
Her hardest hue to hold.
Her early leaf's a flower;
But only so an hour.
Then leaf subsides to leaf.
So Eden sank to grief,
So dawn goes down to day.
Nothing gold can stay.

caesura:

the pausing or stopping within a line of poetry caused by needed punctuation.

The punctuation within the lines (in this case, all commas) are the caesura, not the punctuation at the ends of the lines.

Miss Spider's Wedding by David Kirk

"They talked of all their dreams and hopes,

Of art and nature, love and fate.

They peered through toy kaleidoscopes

And murmured thoughts I shan't relate.

Then Holley held Miss Spider's hand...

I'll say no more, you understand.

For private moments between spiders

Should not be witnessed by outsiders."

I'M NOBODY! WHO ARE YOU?

Emily Dickenson

I'm nobody! Who are you?

Are you nobody, too?
Then there's a pair of us -- don't tell!
They'd advertise -- you know!

How dreary to be somebody!

How public like a frog

To tell one's name the livelong day

To an admiring bog!

enjambement:

the continuation of thought from one line of poetry to the next without punctuation needed at the end of the previous line(s).

Trees by Joyce Kilmer I think that I shall never see A poem lovely as a tree. A tree whose hungry mouth is prest Against the sweet earth's flowing breast; A tree that looks at God all day, And lifts her leafy arms to pray; A tree that may in summer wear A nest of robins in her hair; Upon whose bosom snow has lain; Who intimately lives with rain. Poems are made by fools like me, But only God can make a tree.

hyperbole:

extreme exaggeration for effect.

Hyperbole of My Dog
Little Girl is my dog. She sleeps like a log. She has a huge mouth, And eats like a hog In her excitement Her tail is a whip times ten. When she sees food Hers eyes start to spin.

metaphor:

the comparison of two unlike things by saying one is the other.

The Soul Selects Her Own Society

Emily Dickenson

The Soul selects her own Society —

Then — shuts the Door —

To her divine Majority —

Present no more —

Unmoved — she notes the Chariots — pausing —

At her low Gate —

Unmoved — an Emperor be kneeling

Upon her Mat —

I've known her — from an ample nation —

Choose One —

Then — close the Valves of her attention —

Like Stone —

THE BLUES

By Sierra Ceballos, age 8.

When you fall off a cliff and you get hit by a buffalo,

that's the blues.

When your chicken gets hit by a car and you're not that smart,

that's the blues.

When you fall in your chair and you lose all your hair and you lose your underwear,

that's the blues.

When you hit your head and your mom sends you to bed,

that's the blues.

metonymy:

onomatopoeia

oxymoron:

personification:

the giving of human traits to non-human things incapable of having those traits.

MASK FLING your red scarf faster and faster, dancer. It is summer and the sun loves a million green leaves, masses of green. Your red scarf flashes across them calling and a-calling. The silk and flare of it is a great soprano leading a chorus Carried along in a rouse of voices reaching for the heart of the world. Your toes are singing to meet the song of your arms: Let the red scarf go swifter. Summer and the sun command you.

symbol:

Other terms (not included in project or test):

elegy: a poem of lament (extreme sorrow, such as caused by death)

free verse: a poem without either a rhyme or a rhythm scheme, although rhyme may be used, just without a pattern.

blank verse: un-rhymed lines of iambic pentameter (ten syllables with all even numbered syllables accented)

imagery: the use of words to create a mental picture

mood: the emotional effect of a poem or a story

Understanding and using these devices and terms can help improve and strengthen poetry. Imagery is essential for vivid poetry, and devices help develop imagery.

The speaker: The speaker provides structure and uniformity to a poem. In this case the speakers point of view is first person point of view:

AZTEC MASK

I WANTED a man's face looking into the jaws and throat
of life
With something proud on his face, so proud no smash
of the jaws,
No gulp of the throat leaves the face in the end
With anything else than the old proud look:
Even to the finish, dumped in the dust,
Lost among the used-up cinders,
This face, men would say, is a flash,
Is laid on bones taken from the ribs of the earth,
Ready for the hammers of changing, changing years,
Ready for the sleeping, sleeping years of silence.
Ready for the dust and fire and wind.
I wanted this face and I saw it today in an Aztec mask.
A cry out of storm and dark, a red yell and a purple prayer,
A beaten shape of ashes
waiting the sunrise or night,
something or nothing,
proud-mouthed,
proud-eyed gambler.

Structure: The structure of the poems, changes its meaning.

Hiding in the Mask

By Ellen Bauer

(Dear reader:
This is a poem for two voices.
It is meant to be read with one voice reading the left side,
the other voice reading the right.
Whenever two sentences or words are on the same horizontal  level,
they are meant to be read at the same time.
When there is a blank on one side, that reader is quiet while the
other side reads, until there are words again.)

The masks we wear Hiding Ritual flames Eyes, in masks Are the only part That lives. Masks of Death Life Rain Summer Joy Fear Weeping Beneath the mask. Hiding Of the worshipped Bringing out Our hidden one. Some wear them From shame. Some wear them During joy, Celebration. But our masks, Bringing up Ancient Are ours. The masks we wear.

The masks we wear What? Reflecting in our eyes. Eyes, in masks Of our faces That lives. Life Death Summer Rain Fear Joy Hiding tears. Weeping Love, Of the worshipped Being. Bringing out Our soul. From shame. An ancient vow. During joy, A wedding Deep with mystery, Ancient Rituals, Are ours. The masks we wear.

x

SOW: Literary Tracking sheet

The Sound of Waves, by Yokio Mishima

Literary Devices Tracking Sheet

HA English 9

OReilly

 

A theme is an insight on life. The hidden meaning of the book. The ideas or morality underlying the plot. They are complex statements not single word topics.

 

Here are some more themes from The Sound of Waves stated in a thesis statement:

 

The natural state of human beings is to be essentially good; therefore, the noblest characters in the text The Sound of Waves have the closest ties to nature.

 

When people are essentially good and brave, they learn from their mistakes and make amends to those they have harmed.

 

Noble characters lack ego and are not concerned with their appearance, possessions, or the opinions of others; consequently, such noble souls selflessly serve others to the benefit of society.

 

Karma is at work in people’s lives, so selfless, courageous deeds are rewarded in the end, and selfishness and cowardice is punished with regret and personal pain.

 

There are other themes related to topics of courage, honour, nature, spirituality, selflessness, beauty, and self awareness. They all are insights on life—fundamental truths about human existence.

 

The following literary devices create and support theme:

 

• Characters represent and display aspects of human nature about which the author is trying to make a point. In The Sound of Waves, Shinju embodies the values of courage, honesty, selflessness, and closeness to nature.

 

• Motifs are repeating elements that support the tone or theme. Some motifs in Sound of Waves are nature, (waves, animals, insects, seaweed etc.) spirituality, selflessness, ego, karma, courage/cowardice, honour, self awareness, pessimism, optimism, simplicity, male/female roles, gossip, city life, thought, beauty, dirtiness, education  

 

• Symbols are images used to stand for something else, much like a flag stands for a country. In the text Sound of Waves, the lighthouse may stand for education as it casts a light on the bucolic life on the island.

 

• A metaphor is a comparison such as, “Life is a dream.”

 

• A simile is a comparison using like or as. “Her life is like a dream.”

 

• Personification uses human qualities to describe non-human objects such as saying that “the ocean roars.”

 

• Imagery creates strong mental images in the mind of the reader to vividly and graphically underscore theme and tone. “The halibut had already been placed on a white enamel platter, where it lay faintly gasping, blood oozing from its gills, streaking its smooth white skin.”  This is a vivid image that creates an ominous, helpless tone.

 

• Foreshadowing hints at coming events. The above quote could be foreshadowing indicating that the characters are about to be “caught” and will soon be helpless.

 

Your mission should you choose to accept it:

1. For each approximately 50 pages assigned, you will pick 2 theme qualities of your own or from the list above.
2. You will directly quote the text. Cite the page number. Block quotes of more than three lines are indented on each line with the period before the parenthesis.
3. You will state which literary devices or characters appear in the quote.
4. Write commentary on the quote showing how the quote reveals theme and the supporting literary devices. In your commentary, integrate short quotes and include the page number at the end of the commentary before the period. The commentary is in LP
5. Use the following format, and do it twice for each approximately 50 pages:

 

Pages 1-54

Theme

The natural state of human beings is to be essentially good; therefore, the noblest characters in the text The Sound of Waves have the closest ties to nature.

Quote from text and page number:

 

…Skin can be burned no darker by the sun than [Shinju’s] were burned...His dark eyes were exceedingly clear, but their clarity was not that of intellectuality—it was a gift that the sea bestows upon those who make their livelihood upon it….(6)

Literary devices supporting theme:

Vivid imagery, character, personification

Commentary:

Shinju is a character who, as a fisherman, lives close to nature, so the sea shapes his personality. At the same time, nature itself appears to have a personality and human qualities; the ocean “bestows” gifts, imbuing those who live close to it with a wisdom beyond “intellectuality”(6).