1. Make sure you’ve finished Hamlet, Act 1.

2. Find the deepest four lines from Act 1.

3. Call (415) 294-0802 and leave a one-minute podcast in which you:

• Recite the four lines slowly, clearly and dramatically. (Pretend you’re the character. No British accents.)
• Then translate Shakespeare’s language into your own words.
• Then identify one literary device that you notice and analyze what Shakespeare is doing.

(Only rule: You can’t use the Hamlet soliloquy we did yesterday in class.)

I try to teach you lots of stuff — how to write clearly, how to read closely, and how to care about your world.

But this year, here are the two most important things I’m teaching.

1. To accomplish something big, you have to work hard to get it.

You can’t just dream it. You can’t just hope that it’ll happen. Rather, you must work hard every day — not just sometimes, not just when you feel like it.

2. You have to honor the commitments you make with others.

You can’t say one thing then do another. Never should you hide behind an excuse that “things came up.” Care about people who care about you.

I hope you’ll take these lessons seriously, even after you pass my class.

Sincerely,
Mr. Isero

His reasoning? Nobody stepped up to deserve the award.

Bedlam ensued. Some students looked to Mr. Isero for guidance. How could this happen? What does this mean for order and tranquility and all that is good in the world?

The usually respectful and kind APers demanded retribution. At one point, a majority vote called for a change in leadership, even if that meant revenge (perhaps like Chillingworth). One student asked for democracy and “checks and balances.”

After Chris’s controversial announcement, the rest of Forced Fun took on a more contentious tone than usual. Stephanie received criticism for her wrapping skills, Mr. Isero got booed for his $300 field trip grant, Rashada’s card included an inappropriate word obviously learned as a result of reading The Scarlet Letter, and Marco chose not to sing “Happy Birthday” until his lips were forcibly moved.

So many questions remain. What will happen tomorrow at AP Saturday? Will Chris be punished, and if so, by whom? Will he usurp Mr. Isero’s teaching role and run the class himself? Or will there be a revolution? Stay tuned.

Congratulations to Antonio, this week’s Essay of the Week recipient. He is our second two-time winner. Antonio blends solid analysis (particularly in his structure and point of view paragraphs) with sophisticated language. Leave comments about what you like!

Insatiable Desires

In the poem, “A Story” by Li-Young Lee, the author conveys a father’s torment in not being able to provide the stories that his son desires. The son seeks new stories from his father because the son has heard them all. However the father is unable to respond with a new story. This causes the father great anxiety and causes him to imagine a bleak future for him and his son. In order to describe the emotions that the father is feeling toward his son, Lee uses structure, point of view, and tone.

The use of structure in this poem shows the complex relationship that the father has with his son and how the father feels about his inability to satisfy his son’s desires. The author separates the poems into three distinct units, each highlighting a different stage of the boy’s feelings toward his father. The stages of the boy’s love are separated by the different stanzas in the poem. The beginning of  the poem shows the boy’s love for his father; the boy sits on his father’s lap, eagerly waiting for a story. This is shown in the second stanza where it says, “His five-year-old son waits in his lap” (3). In the middle, the boy’s attitude toward his father dramatically shifts as he is packing up so he can leave his father. This is shown when it says, “but the boy is packing his shirts” (15). The shift in the boy’s feelings toward his father is shown when the father tries to tell stories to convince his son to stay, while the son remains unfazed by his father’s efforts. Finally, in the last stanza, the boy’s feelings go back to normal and he is back to loving and depending on his father when the setting returns to the present and the father is still unable to tell a new story. This is shown when it says. “but the boy is here” (19). The author’s use of structure shows the relationship that the father has with his son.

The author’s use of point of view further displays the complex relationship that the father has with his son. The author uses third-person (limited) point of view in order to describe the feelings of the father. It is third-person (limited) point of view, because the poem only uses the father’s point of view and does not allow the reader into the thoughts of the son. The author initially displays the father’s point of view when his son asks for him to tell a new story. The father feels that even amongst all the knowledge that surrounds them, he is unable to do anything for his son. This is explicitly described when it says, “In a room full of books in a world of stories, he can recall not one” (5-8). The father is feels that even if he has all the resources around him, he is unable to provide what his son wants. The father’s point of view is further shown when the son is packing his belongings and the father tries to persuade him to stay. The father is shown as desperate in his attempts to persuade his son into staying. The father’s point of view in this situation is best described when he exclaims “don’t go” (11). Through the author’s use of point of view, the relationship between the father and son is clearly shown.

Finally, the author uses a desperate tone in order to explain the relationship between the father and his son. The tone of the words used in the poem reveals the father as a desperate man, struggling to please his son. The rash tone is specifically shown when the father is trying to stop his son from leaving. The father exclaims, “don’t go”, a venturesome attempt at making his son stay once his attempts at story-telling have failed. The father has failed in persuading his son to stay using normal means and had to resort to begging. The act of the father begging his son to stay show the father’s desperation and this act of rashness further shows the complex relationship that the father has with his son.

Through the author’s use of literary devices, Lee succeeds in showing a father’s relationship with his son. She uses structure to illustrates the change in the the son’s feelings toward his father. The point of view shows how the father feels about not being able to satisfy the desires of his son and the use of tone illustrates the father’s feelings of desperation in not being able to get his son to stay.

1. Listen to another Grammar Girl podcast. You choose the topic.

2. Write an “iseroma right now” (a status update on the right sidebar) about one grammar topic that you are improving. Keep it positive. It should be 2-3 lines long.

Have a wonderful weekend!

PS – As always, work really hard to reduce your grammar errors in your essay. Your best effort is due on Monday at 11 p.m. Try to get as close to zero errors as possible.

The truth is, There’s a big debate going on in colleges.

Read this recent New York Times article and then write your opinion in the comments. 

It’s easy to print out one document. But what do you do if you have to print several Google Docs all at the same time? For example, what if you want to print out all your AP essays so far this year? Or your entire portfolio (just for fun)?

Check out this YouTube demo video. It’s really easy.

I hope you found this tip helpful. Remember that technology is your friend! 

It’s called “Raccontami di Te,” which means, “Tell me about yourself.”

Maybe this is what you should say when doing the secret AP handshake?

Extra credit for people who can translate the lyrics.

Chillingworth’s meaning of justice is evil. Maybe it’s just me but I don’t think he wants to know who the father of Pearl is, just because he loves (or loved) Hester so much.I think it is just to torment both of them, although he seems to like tormenting Dimmesdale a lot more. His means of justice isn’t uncovering the truth, but it is to punish Dimmesdale. I’m not sure but I just noticed that maybe (just maybe) he may be punishing Dimmesdale for not owning up to his actions like Hester had done (or maybe I’m just making things up to somehow redeem Chillingworth).

Even though Chillingworth thinks he will fulfill his revenge and bring justice in a simultaneous act, I do not think he will be satisfied. If he still had some redeeming quality, he would see that he is just making a bigger mess and he would stop. Unfortunately I don’t think that will be the outcome. He may just see that he is making much more destruction and not mind at all, which is what makes him so evil.