Week 13

The writer is the person who stands outside society, independent of affiliation and independent of influence. The writer is the man or woman who automatically takes a stance against his or her government. There are so many temptations for American writers to become part of the system and part of the structure that now, more than ever, we have to resist. American writers ought to stand and live in the margins, and be more dangerous. Writers in repressive societies are considered dangerous. That's why so many of them are in jail.

--Don DeLillo, from the 1988 interview with Ann Arensberg

How have your novels spoken to you? Do they...

-expose society's flaws
-critique humanity's weaknesses
-explore and uncover mysteries of the human heart
-challenge preconceived notions or assumptions
-bring out the extraordinary from the ordinary
-suggest what's worth fighting for, etc.

Use one of the above phrases as a sentence starter and write about your author/topic.

For example: The books I read challenge assumptions about...

Week 12

Please look over your thesis journal. What tags show up most frequently? Find at least three (try to include both literary devices and big ideas). In the front cover of your PS3 book (or on a post-it note that you can place there), write down these labels and assign each one a symbol (e.g., if I had nature imagery for a label, then I might use a drawing of a tree or just the letters "NI" when marking such imagery). Look for these devices/ideas while you read PS3!

Week 11

For regular thesis students: Let me know if you're having trouble locating secondary sources. 

If you do not have a copy of PS3, then check in with me.

For capstone pilot students: Let me know if you're having trouble locating additional sources.

If you do not have a copy of your long-form fiction or non-fiction, then check in with me.

Week 10

"The study of literature is the study of language."

Some common literary devices (i.e., methods) to look for in quotations you've chosen from your primary sources: http://literary-devices.com/frontpage?page=6.

A quick link to the Gale databases available through the BHS library: http://www.galepages.com/mlin_m_belmonths.

We begin a new quarter today! Let's reflect on what went well and what we can improve upon from first quarter.

-reading and annotating
-journaling
-researching secondary sources
-thinking critically 
-making connections