Week of December 5th--Native Son!

Sunday, December 5, 2010

Week of December 5th--Native Son!

1. Describe some of the many ways in which Bessie Mears, Bigger's girlfriend, is trapped in a life that is not of her own choosing (use concrete details).

2. Describe the way Bigger is hunted down after he has fled the Dalton home. How would this manhunt have been different if Bigger were white?

3. Mr. Dalton's private investigator, Mr. Britten, alternately expresses his hatred of African Americans and of Communists. After he interrogates Bigger, Bigger thinks to himself that "Mr. Britten was familiar to him; he had met a thousand Brittens in his life." What is it about Mr. Britten's thinking that makes him so easy for Bigger to understand, and how does Bigger intend to use Mr. Britten's prejudices to his own advantage?

Sunday, November 28, 2010 Week of November 28th

Sunday, November 28, 2010

Week of November 28th--Native Son!

1. Compare and contrast Bigger's attitude toward the world around him and Mrs. Thomas'.

2. Mr. Dalton and Jan Erlone both profess to be friendly towards African Americans, yet they are hostile to each other. Compare and contrast their attitudes towards African Americans and explain their mutual hostility?

3. How is really fear to blame for the muder of Mary (this is a comprehensive question, be thoughtful and think of all aspects of fear that lead to the murder of Mary)?

Blog questions for week of November 14th

Sunday, November 14, 2010

Week of November 14th--Native Son!

1. At the beginning of the novel, we are introduced to the Thomas family. Describe this family and the conditions in which they live? Be descriptive and use concrete details!

2, The title of Book One is Fear, how is this title symbolic and prophetic at the same time? What was Wright's intention with this title?

3. What initial event happens in the beginning of the novel that is clearly a foreshadowing of events to come?

4. How does Bigger feel about his home and its surroundings?

5. Who are Bigger's friends and what event takes place that creates a level of aggression with these friends?

6. Who are the Dalton's, and where and how do they live?

Week of November 8th Blog Questions

Week of November 7th--Native Son!

1.       In the introduction, written by the author Richard Wright, Wright discusses at length the making of his protagonist, Bigger Thomas; he reflects on his childhood all the way up to his adulthood, and outlines specific examples of when he met a Bigger and the informing aspect of each incident. Please discuss the many Biggers that Wright experienced in the course of his life, and what did they ALL have in common. Please use concrete details to support your analysis.

2.       Analyze the following quote from the introduction to Native Son, written by Richard Wright:

From these items I drew my first political conclusions about Bigger: I felt that Bigger, an American product, a native son of this land, carried within him the potentialities of either Communism or Fascism. I don’t mean to say that the Negro boy I depicted in Native Son is either a Communist or a Fascist. He is not either. But he is product of a dislocated society; he is a dispossessed or disinherited man; he is all of this, and he lives amid the greatest possible plenty on earth and he is looking and feeling for a way out.

3.       What is at the heart of Bigger’s fears?

Week of October 24th blog question

Directions: Each member of each blog group must write their own Gothic Literature short story using their understanding of the tenents of Gothic Literature. For this week only, you have to write and post your Gothic Literature stories for your members to read and discuss. Good Luck!

Week of Oct.18 The Cask of Amontillado

Level Two Question-
Is alcohol the reason for his demise?


Level Three Question-
Is it worth risking your life over something you really want?

Week of Oct. 11 2010, questions

Discuss who could be the protagonist and antagonist in The Black Cat; explain your logic and reasoning for why? Please remember to use details and specifics from the story to support your response. 

What Gothic Literature that we've read so far is your favorite, explain why? (The Raven, The Masque of the Red Death, The Minister's Black Veil, or The Black Cat)

What are some similarities between all the Gothic Literature stories we've read so far? Again, be specific and use details in your response.

Level Two Questions on The Black Veil

1. Why does Mr. Hooper decide to wear a black veil

2.What kind of person is Mr. Hooper?

Week of September 27th Questions

Week of September 27th--Gothic Literature!

With your blog group, develop 2 level two questions that reflect your reading of Hawthorne's "The Minister's Black Veil"; you must also respond thoughtfully to these 2 level two questions! Remember, you should post these 2 level two questions, then respond to them. You are expected to refine and inform your blog at least three times throughout the week.

Old man's eye

This is a good representation of what the old man's eye would have looked like since it has a veil over it.

Tell-Tale Heart questions

Discuss who could be the villain (antagonist) in Tell-Tale Heart? Consider your many options for the villain and discuss your rationale for your final choice. 

What is the narrators motivation in reciting the crime? Consider the details he provides as he recites the crime from the beginning to the end. 

What is the ultimate irony in Tell-Tale Heart and how does it relate to the title of the story?

The Tell Tale Heart eye

According to the description of "The Tell Tale Heart", the evil eye the old man possessed was blue and it was the cause as to what freaked out the narrator(who happens to also be the protagonist) and give him the desire of wanting to murder the old man. (Athena Baker.)

Heart from "Tell Tale Heart"

The heart shown in this picture is suppose to represent the old man's heart in "Tell Tale Heart" by Edgar Allen Poe. In the story, the heart "revealed"(it beated still)  to the antagonist and the police that the antagonist himself murdered the old man.

Week of September 20th Questions

Discuss who could be the villain (antagonist) in Tell-Tale Heart? Consider your many options for the villain and discuss your rationale for your final choice.

What is the narrators motivation in reciting the crime? Consider the details he provides as he recites the crime from the beginning to the end.

What is the ultimate irony in Tell-Tale Heart and how does it relate to the title of the story?

Posted by lcskellysusanneliterature at 12:55 PM

Dagger in "The Masque of Red Death"

The dagger in "The Masque of the Red Death" symbolizes Prince Prospero's power. In the story, Prince Prospero tries to chase away the Red Death(who symbolizes the Prince's mortality) by using his dagger. Throught the course of the story however, the Prince suddenly drops his dagger which symbolizes the fall of his power.

The Masque of the Red Death--Week of September 13th


1. Describe the internal and external workings of the Protagonist (Prince Prospero).



2. Why does Prince Prospero voluntarily isolate himself?



3. Who does Prince Prospero invite to his great fete?



4. Describe Prince Prospero's great fete and the physical description of each of the seven apartments (chambers).



5. Who is the villian and how does he represent the "repressed emotions" of Prince Prospero?