How to Do a Reading Log for The Odyssey

The Contents of the Reading Log: 

The reading log should include at least three vocabulary words + their definitions
Plus a brief summary of the plot
Plus any thing pertaining to theme; to character; to figurative language: metaphor, simile, personification, imagery, idioms, etc.











The Reading Log Should Include the Following Episodes: 

The Lotus Eaters
Calypso
The Cyclops
Circe
The Land of the Dead
Circe
The Sirens
Scylla
Charybdis
The Isle of Helios

Example of What a Reading Log Should Look Like: 
Page 684:
The Isle of Helios:
The Isle of Helios is still in flashback. Odysseus is in the court telling what happened to him and his men while they were on the island of the Sun God.
Gales: very rough gusts of wind; not quite hurricane level but very intense
Insidious: treacherous; more dangerous than apparent
Teireisias tells Odysseus  in the Underworld  not to eat the cows and sheep of the god Helios for the sheep and cattle are magical - they are never born and they never die.

 Odysseus and his men are driven by hurricane force winds and lashing rains to land on the island of Helios, where they are trapped for weeks due to the wild raging storms.  Odysseus' ship has some food, but after a month they run out. The men are starving and try to survive by fishing and hunting, but they are not having any luck - the gods have turned their backs on them and are not helping them find food.  Slowly, the men are starving. Odysseus has warned them not to eat the sheep and cows, which belong to the sun god, but the men are in agony and are starving to death. Odysseus is also starving and is heart sick over his men's suffering. He goes off by himself to a quiet place to pray to the gods so that the gods may help his men with their hunting and fishing. But Odysseus, weak from hunger, falls asleep, and while he sleeps, the men, overcome with the pain and suffering that comes with starvation, butcher Helio's sheep and cows and eat them. Odysseus awakens and when he discovers what his men have done, knows that the prophecy must come true - his men will be destroyed by the gods and he will be the only one who survives.

Heart sick with the secret knowledge he holds of his men's impending deaths, Odysseus orders the men back on board the boat to try to sail home. And faithful to the prophecy, Zeus, angered by the men's actions, sends a thunderbolt to Odysseus' ship, drowning all the men on board, save Odysseus.

Analysis: 

Odysseus and his men land on the island due to bad weather. The men have barley on board which they eat, but eventually, after about a month, they run out of food.  The men try to fish; they try to hunt, but without any luck. But notice that the men are starving. The gods do nothing to help them. The gods could, if they wanted, send them rain and help them with their fishing and with their hunting, but they don’t; the gods ignore their pleas. Despite the men’s best efforts at hunting and fishing, they catch nothing and are suffering the long, slow and painful death of starvation.
While Odysseus, overcome with exhaustion, tries to pray, he falls asleep, and while he is sleeping the men mutiny, ignore his orders, and kill the sheep and the cows.

Zeus sends the lightning to strike the boat, setting the fire and the men all drown, except for Odysseus who swims to the island of Calypso, which takes us back to the beginning of the story where we first meet Odysseus sitting on Calypso’s beach crying from homesickness.

Theme:

The theme of this particular story is pretty complex. The theme is stated in a form of a sentence: it must have a subject, should state what happens as a consequence of a character flaw or an action.
The theme is a moral or a point of the story.
According to Greek philosophy, destiny is determined by the gods and cannot be changed.
Those who disobey the gods will be destroyed or punished.
Those who obey the gods will be spared.
Those who are tested by the gods and who are loyal to the gods will prevail.

December 12, 2016 - December 16, 2016 Weekly Agenda; The Trojan War

Monday, December 12th: 

The Trojan War Part Three

Read it aloud; brief discussion; summarize it!

Vocabulary:

Fragrant: sweet smelling

Appalled: horrified

Shroud: a burial cloth

Truce: a period where fighting is called off either permanently or temporarily

Overwrought: overcome by emotion

Summary:

Achilles now has his new armor from Hesphaestus to replace the one taken by Hector. Hector, knowing that he is fated to die before Achilles, goes willingly into his final battle with Achilles for he wants to defend his country.

The Gods also take sides: Athena, the goddess of Wisdom, knocks down Ares, the god of War, and Hera takes the bow away from Artemis (Diana) and boxes her ears.

The fateful day of the battle arrives and Achilles, with Athena’s help, kills Hector. Achilles is still angry over the death of his friend, Antiloclus and refuses to return Hector’s body to his parents, Priam and Hecuba. Zeus intervenes and sends Iris, his messenger, to tell Priam what he must do to convince Achilles to give him back his son’s body.  Iris tells Priam that Achilles is not evil, but overwrought by the death of his friend, Antilocus. Priam must go to Achilles as a supplicant, and kiss the hand that slayed his son and give him gifts.

Achilles’ heart has been softened by the funeral for Antilochus and he is moved by the sight of the aged parents of Hector, so he agrees to give them the body of their son whom he killed on the battle field.

Achilles guarantees a truce for Hector’s funeral rites and orders his servants to anoint Hector’s body with fine oils and cover it with a  beautiful robe.

The mourning for Hector’s death continues for nine days.  Then Hector’s body is placed on a funeral pyre where it burns until it is reduced to ashes. Then the bones and ashes are placed in a golden funeral urn which is covered in a purple shroud and placed in a grave marked with huge stones 

Read aloud The Trojan War, Part Four; summarize it.

Vocabulary:

Exhilarated: extremely happy, ecstatic, joyous

Tuesday, December 13th:
Final Preparation for the final tomorrow

Wednesday, December 14th:

The Iliad final test

Collected

Went over answers

 

December 5, 2016 - December 9, 2016 9th Grade English Agenda; The Trojan War

Monday, December 5th:
Finish watching The Odyssey 
Work on your AR reading log and book
This will be due on Friday, December 11th.

Tuesday, December 6th:  

Star Reading Test

Work on your AR reading log and read your book. The AR reading log and AR test are due on Friday, December 11^th.

Wednesday, December 7th: 
Work on the AR reading log and read your book.
Went over the results of the Star Reading Test and the Smarter Balance Test.

Thursday, December 8th: 
 

Period 3:

Passed out “The Trojan War” handout

Read aloud to the third line of “Helen of Sparta” on the second page of the packet

CLASS NOTES:

An epic poem is a long narrative that relates (telling) the deeds of heroes. 

The Trojan War was compiled in an epic poem called The Illiad by Homer. Homer was believed to be the author of the poem, but he didn’t write it down.  Many scholars believe that he was blind and wandered from city to city orally relating  the stories of the Greek and Trojan heroes.  When stories are told rather than written down, it is said to be in an "oral tradition". However, there are some scholars who believe Homer never actually existed. Some scholars believe that it was actually many wandering poets who told the stories about the Trojan War over many years, and eventually, the stories were written down.

The Illiad is about the events that occurred before The Odyssey.

Vocabulary: 

Discord: arguments, fights, lack of harmony between people.

Quarreling: arguments, verbal fighting

The Apple of Discord:

Discord: arguments, fights, lack of harmony between people.

Quarreling: arguments, verbal fighting

Eris was the goddess of Discord

Eris was not invited to the wedding of Peleus and Thetis. This made her very mad, so she decided to get even. How did she get even?

Jasmin:  Eris inscribed “To the Fairest” on the apple and threw it into the wedding where it rolled to the feet of Athena, Aphrodite, and Hera. Fairest means the most beautiful. The three goddesses started fighting over the apple.

 The goddesses went to Zeus to decide who should get the apple, but Zeus was too smart for that and directed them to Paris, the son of Priam, who was said to be a good judge of feminine beauty.

Each goddess promised him a gift if he gave her the apple.

What did Athena offer him?

Wisdom and glory in war

What did Aphrodite offer him?

The most beautiful mortal woman in the world

What did Hera offer him?

Kingly power

Who did Paris choose? Aphrodite!!!!!

Helen of Sparta

The most beautiful woman in the world was Helen of Sparta, whose step father Tyndareus was offering her hand in marriage to the worthiest man in the kingdom.

Friday, December 9th:  

3^rd Period:

As we are reading, we will stop and discuss.  You will be asked to write the main idea and pertinent details.

Helen of Sparta:

Helen is the most beautiful woman in the world. Her father was Zeus and her mother was Princess Leda. Her stepfather was a very rich man named Tyndareus who was offering her hand in marriage to an appropriately rich and influential man.

Helen had many suitors and Tyndareus, her step father, was worried that the suitors who were not chosen would not accept his decision and start trouble. So Tyndareus had all of Helen’s suitors sign an agreement, which read:

I,_____________________________, agree to accept King Tyndareus’s decision in the selection of the husband for Helen of Sparta. I also agree to join King Tyndareus in going to war against any suitor or suitors who challenge his choice for Helen’s husband.

Carolina: That the ties between the guests and the hosts are sacred and that Paris violated that trust.

Eli: It was important that Helen’s father was Zeus, which was the reason so many men wanted to marry her.

Tyndareus choses Menelaus as her husband, a nice guy but kinda boring – unlike Paris.  Aphrodite made a promise to Paris that he would be rewarded with the most beautiful woman in the world and she arranged that Paris would visit the newly weds at the home, and that Menelaus would have to leave on a business trip, leaving Helen, the most beautiful woman, and Paris, the world’s biggest playboy, alone together. Predictably, they fell in love and  ran away to Paris’ home, Troy, thus triggering the agreement that all the suitors signed – that anyone who failed to accept Tyndareus’ decision would be punished, and that everyone who signed the agreement would have to be the punishers.

Trojan War Part 2

Valiant Warriors!

Vocabulary:

Valiant: courageous, brave, strong in the face of adversity

Agamemnon gathered together several ships to sail to Troy to get Helen back. Some of Greece’s most valiant solders were on the ships, including Achilles, the greatest warrior of them all. 

The war lasted nine long years and rocked both heaven and earth – even the gods took sides!

The Death of Patroclus and the Rousing of Achilles

Hector killed Patroclus, the cousin and very close friend of Achilles. Patroclus was wearing Achilles’ armor which was taken by Hector as the spoils of war. Achilles was grief stricken over the loss of his best friend and vowed to take revenge. Concerned for her son, Thetis went to Hephaestus, the blacksmith of the gods, to make a beautiful shield and armor for Achilles to wear in battle against Hector.

Please bring your class notes, your “Trojan War Packet, Parts 1, 2, 3, and 4”, and your “Fill-in-the-Blank” handout to class on Monday so that we can finish. The final will be over “The Trojan War”.

 

November 28, 2016 - December 2, 2016 Weekly Agenda for 9th Grade English; The Odyssey

Monday, November 28th:
Watch The Odyssey

Tuesday, November 29th:
Watch The Odyssey 

Wednesday, November 30th:
Watch The Odyssey 

Thursday, December 1st:
In the auditorium
Watch the rehearsal for Peter and the Starcatcher

Friday, December 2nd:
Watch The Odyssey 

November 14, 2016 - November 18, 2016 Weekly Agenda for 9th Grade English; The Death of Poe; Research Paper

Monday, November 14th:
Friendly Reminder:
The final day to turn in your second  AR book, reading log and test will be this Friday, November 18th.
Finish reading "The Death of Edgar Allan Poe"

Finished reading “Poe’s Final Days”

Discussion

Reread silently from “the company of his friends…” to the end of the article.

Vocabulary:

Euphemistically: (adverb) a phrase which is used to say something that is embarrassing, uncomfortable or in appropriate. Example: Instead of saying someone is dead, some people say “He passed.”

Encephalitis: inflammation of the brain.

Clad: to wear. Example: Despite the chilly weather, he was clad only in shorts and a tee-shirt.

Attributed: (verb) to attribute. It means the given cause of something.

The cause of Poe’s was attributed to advanced alcoholism.

Vigorously (adverb) root word is vigorous. Done with great energy and effort.

 

1.     Who was Poe calling for?

2.     Who did Dr. Moran call to see Poe in his final days?

3.     Who showed up to see Poe?

4.     Describe how he died?  (This can be found at the bottom of  page 186)

5.     What did the doctors believe was the cause of Poe’s death?

6.     What was the euphemism used to describe his death?

7.     What did Elmira Shelton remember about Poe before he left Richmond?

Make sure you write down your notes for the article
Be sure you make at least three note cards from the article
Read "Edgar Allan Poe Died From Rabies"
Make sure you make at least three note cards from the article
Read the letters regarding the rabies theories
Make sure you make at least three note cards from the article

Tuesday, November 15th:
Answer the questions from yesterday.

3^rd Period:

Vocabulary:

Lethal: deadly

Please answer the following questions. Do not write the questions, but incorporate the questions in your answer.  The questions will be due at 10:37

1.     Who was Poe calling for?

2.     Who did Dr. Moran call to see Poe in his final days?

3.     Who showed up to see Poe?

4.     Describe how he died.  (This can be found at the bottom of page 186)

5.     What did the doctors believe was the cause of Poe’s death?

6.     What was the euphemism used to describe his death?

7.     What did Elmira Shelton remember about Poe before he left Richmond?

1.     The doctors are not sure who Poe was calling for but they think that he calling for either someone named Reynolds or perhaps one of the Herrings.

2.     Dr. Moran asked for the Herring family to see Poe before he died.

3.     Only one of the Herring daughters came to see Poe. The family didn’t like him because he was abusive and ungrateful when they gave him and his family a home to stay in.

4.     Poe had a fever at first, then he became semi-conscious, fell into a stupor, began to rave, and then quietly moving his head, he said, “Lord help my poor soul,” and then he expired.

5.     The doctors believe he died from encephalitis caused by extreme alcoholism and exposure to the elements.

6.     The term “congestion of the brain” was the euphemism used to explain death from alcoholism.

7.     Elmira Shelton remembered that Poe had a fever before he left for Baltimore.

After you finish answering the above questions, go back and find evidence to prove that Edgar Allan Poe died from extreme alcoholism and exposure.

Carolina: Edgar Allan Poe had been an alcoholic for many years.

Create a time line for Poe's illness as provided by the article on Poe's death, "Poe's Final Days".
List all the relevant facts provided by the article.


Wednesday, November 16th:
Continued from yesterday's reading "The Final Days of Poe" 

Three pieces of evidence to show that Edgar Allan Poe probably died from advanced alcoholism and exposure to the elements:

His battle with alcohol was well known and he had been an alcoholic for many years.

He was intoxicated when he was found pale and in a stupor in a tavern.

He had the delirium tremens which is common in alcoholics who are dying from alcoholism.

He was also ranting,  raving and hallucinating before he died. 

Read  “Poe’s Death is Rewritten as Case of Rabies, Not Telltale Alcohol” – page 187

Vocabulary:

Cardiologist: a doctor who specializes in heart disease

Maligned: (adjective) falsely accused of bad conduct, slandered

Comatose: in a coma

Belligerent: angry and aggressive or ready to fight.

Succumbed: to fall prey to, to give into, to be killed by, or to be seduced by

Debauched: characterized by extreme indulgence in pleasure

Hypothetical: adjective; having to do with a theory that needs to be tested

Render: to  create

Discussion

How did Dr. Benetez discover Poe’s case? What was he doing that he would be analyzing the evidence surrounding Poet’s death?

Find three pieces of evidence to support Dr. Benetez’s argument that Poe died from rabies.

Read “If Poe Had Succeeded When He Said Nevermore to Drink”

Discussion

Find three pieces of evidence Burton Pollin and Robert E. Benetto supply that refute Dr. Benetez’s theory that Poe did not die from alcoholism but from rabies.

According to Pollin and Benetto what is the major weakness of Benetez’s theory?

Read “Rabies Death Theory”

Thursday, November 17th:

What is due tomorrow?

AR reading log and AR test will be due tomorrow.

The next reading log and AR test will be due on Friday, December 9^th. 

Your essay on the final days of Poe will be due tomorrow, November 18th.

It must be five paragraphs

It must be typed. 

Please get out your notes from the last three days

Go over your notes and choose one of the possible causes of Poe’s death:

You should have  three reasons from each theory.

The two theories concerning how Poe died are: either rabies encephalitis or acute encephalitis from alcoholism and exposure

Thesis for alcoholism being the reason for Poe’s death:

The most plausible cause of Poe’s death is encephalitis from alcoholism and exposure.

Thesis for rabies encephalitis as being the best cause for Poe’s death:

The most plausible cause of Poe’s death is Dr. Benetez’s theory of rabies encephalitis.

The introductory paragraph:

You must have the thesis statement.

You must briefly discuss Poe’s death in two sentences.

You must briefly discuss the theory of Poe’s death as a result by alcoholism in one sentence

You must briefly discuss Dr. Benetez’s theory of Poe’s death as a result of rabies encephalitis.

The concluding sentence of the introductory paragraph should be your conclusion as to how Poe died.

Three Body Paragraph:

A mini-thesis statement

You need to include two paraphrases of the evidence

You need to discuss the paraphrase

You may also include quotations

If you include quotations you must cite it, and then explain it.

Conclusion:

You restate your thesis statement.

Include your three pieces of evidence to support your thesis.

Then write your final concluding statement as to how Poe died.

 
Work on the counter claim for your essay
Finish working on the first draft of your essay
Go over check list and rubric for the essay

Friday, November 18th:
Your essay is due today.
Final day to turn in your second AR reading log and test 
You may turn in your essay on googledocs.com
My email is jkatbridge2004@gmail.com

November 7, 2016 - November 10, 2016 9th Grade English Agenda: The Death of Poe; Research Paper

Monday, November 7th: 
Reminder: The last day to turn in your second AR reading log and test for full credit will be Friday, November 18th. 

Review for the test over "The Cask of Amontillado"
Test on "The Cask of Amontillado"
Vocabulary
Comprehension
Irony: Verbal and Dramatic Irony
"The Cask of Amontillado" packet is due today before the test! 

Tuesday, November 8th: 
Meet in Room 427 for CAASP testing 

Wednesday, November 9th: 
Read "The Life and Death of Edgar Allan Poe"
Annotate

“If Only Poe Had Succeeded When He Said Nevermore to Drink” 

DIRECTIONS:

Pass out the Edgar Allan Poe packet

Annotate the essays.

Annotating means to underline important ideas, write comments, or definitions.

FACTS and VOCABULARY to HELP YOU UNDERSTAND the TEXT: 

Heroin: is a drug, an opiate

Heroine: is a female hero

Poe set off for Baltimore on the four a.m. steamer on Thursday, September 27^th.

There is no reliable witness or evidence regarding Poe’s whereabouts or activities between September 27^th and October 3^rd, when he is found sitting in a stupor at Gunnar’s Hall, a Baltimore tavern, strangely dressed and semi-conscious.

Tavern: a bar with a restaurant. In the 19^th century, many taverns also had rooms to rent.

Watering Hole: a slang term for a bar where many people, particularly locals, go to drink, socialize, and find out the latest gossip. 

Polling Place: where one votes

Dire: serious, urgent, darkly urgent

Onlookers: people who are standing around looking at or watching the event that is taking place.

Vacant stupidity: when one is not feeling well and is sitting staring, unfocused.

Dingy: dirty

Cast off clothing: Snodgrass thought that Poe had been robbed of his clothes, and that Poe was wearing  the clothes that had been “cast off” or thrown away by  someone else.

Muddy was Poe’s mother-in-law and his aunt. Poe married his cousin who was thirteen at the time of their wedding. 

Why did Herring refuse to take care of Poe?

 Herring had taken Poe and his family in when they needed shelter, and he thought Poe  was ungrateful, and when drunk he was abusive to Herring.

In what state was Poe in when he was carried into the carriage?

Insensible means not aware of your surroundings.  Poe was insensible and muttering when he was put into the carriage.

To Adorn means to decorate or to make more beautiful.

Stupor: Unaware of his surroundings, semi-conscious.

Tremor: a trembling or a shaking of the limbs

Delirium: a feverish hallucination

Spectral: ghostly

Why does Poe not like his cousin, Neilson?

 Poe believed Neilson was jealous of Poe’s literary reputation.

 Neilson offered a home just for Poe’s wife and mother-in-law, so they could get away from Poe.

 Poe thought Neilson was bitter.

Incoherent: unintelligible; not making any sense; crazy

Degradation: decline

Rouse: to raise up; to cheer up; to uplift someone’s spirits;

Feeble: weak

Exertions: extreme physical efforts

Euphemism: a phrase used to hide the unpleasant nature of something. An example would be using the term “cerebral inflammation” to hide the fact that the cause of death was alcoholism. We use euphemisms every day. We say,” I have to go powder my nose” or “I have to see a man about a horse” when we have to leave to go to the restroom. Even the word “restroom” is a euphemism for it disguises what we are actually doing there. We don’t “rest” in the restroom.

Cerebral: having to do with the brain

Inflammation: swelling

Cerebral inflammation: swelling of the brain.

What are the three explanations given for Poe’s death?

Create a time line from September 27^th to October 7^th detailing what we know about Poe’s life.

TIME LINE of the LAST TEN DAYS of EDGAR ALLAN POE'S LIFE: 

After his engagement was broken off with Elmira Shelton, Poe left Richmond, Virginia,  for Baltimore on the four a.m. steamer on Thursday, September 27^th.

There is no reliable witness or evidence regarding Poe’s whereabouts or activities between September 27^th and October 3^rd, where he is found sitting in a stupor at Gunnar’s Hall, a Baltimore tavern, strangely dressed and semi-conscious.

Poe was admitted into the hospital at five in the afternoon of Thursday, October 3^rd.

Poe arrived at the hospital in a stupor. He remained unconscious until three a.m. the next morning, Friday, October 4^th, when he developed tremors and became violently delirious, resisting the efforts of two nurses to keep him in bed.

Poe violently raved from 3 a.m. Friday, to Saturday evening – approximately, thirty hours.

Saturday evening he began to call out someone’s name until three o’clock Sunday morning, when he expired or died. He was deliriously calling out someone’s name for nine hours.

Poe raved a full day or more, through Saturday evening, October 6^th, when he started deliriously calling out someone’s name until three o’clock, Sunday morning, October 7^th.

Vocabulary:

Binge: an intense indulgence in something that is not particularly good for you.

Elizabeth tries to keep a healthy diet but every once in a while she engages in a chocolate binge.

Dylan Thomas was a Welsh poet who was as famous for his binge drinking as he was for his brilliant poetry.

Strewn: to be thrown about

Anselmo’s mom got mad at him when she found his clothes  strewn about the floor.

Ascribe: to attribute to someone.

The short story was ascribed to Dalicia.

Whitewash: to make someone seem better than s/he is; to paint or gloss over the flaws of someone.

Sentence: To make it seem that Poe died of rabies rather than the chronic alcoholism he suffered from is to whitewash the truth of his life and his death.

What are the names of the writers of this article, “If Only Poe Had Succeeded When He Said Nevermore to Drink”

The writers are Burton R. Pollin  and Robert E. Benedetto

The writers are refuting Dr. Bentitez’s claim that Poe died from rabies.

Refuting: rejecting or showing why an argument is incorrect.

They are saying there is no medical evidence to support the rabies argument.

Find their rebuttal and underline it.  

Rebuttal of Benitez’s claim that Poe died of rabies:

Jayla: Caterina, Poe’s beloved kitty, died of starvation and not rabies.

Salome: Every person who knew Poe at the time of his death would not have agreed with the rabies explanation. Every person who saw Poe during his last days said he was drunk. Even Poe’s letters were filled with references to his drinking.

According to eyewitnesses, Poe was drunk when he was discovered in a Baltimore saloon three days before his death.

According to eyewitness accounts, Poe was drunk and was suffering from chronic alcoholism at the time of his death.

The eye witnesses were people who knew Poe well. One was a doctor, Dr. John J. Moran, who treated Poe as he was dying; another was an editor, Dr. Joseph Snodgrass, who had worked with Poe and was called to help when Poe was discovered dying; another was a printer, Joseph Walker, who found Poe in what he described as an “alcoholic stupor” outside a tavern in Baltimore.

Furthermore, Dr. John J. Moran, the attending physician at Poe’s death, had corresponded with Poe’s aunt and mother-in-law, Marie Clemm, regarding Poe’s alcoholic condition in the final week of his life. And even Poe’s letters to his wife, and his mother-in-law/aunt confirmed the history of his alcoholic binges.

Vocabulary:

Incubation: a period during which a disease is asymptomatic. The patient has been exposed to the virus or bacteria, but does not have the symptoms yet – in other words,  is asymptomatic. The virus or the bacteria has invaded the body; for example, someone sneezes, spreading the cold virus, and you, unluckily breathe it in, allowing it access into your body.  The virus is now spreading throughout the body, invading cells but you are asymptomatic (without symptoms) and are unaware at that point that you are infected.

Assignment:

Read “Rabies Death Theory” by R. Michael Benitez, M.D.

Find the main idea

Find and highlight or underline the evidence Dr. Benitez uses to support his main idea

Circle or underline any words you do not understand.

Important Points of Dr. Benitez's Argument: 

Rabid patients cannot always recall the moment of contact with a diseased animal.

The incubation period for rabies can be as long as a year.

The site of the bite is often small and not detectable by the patient.

Nowhere did Benitez suggest that Caterina, Poe’s beloved cat, was the agent for the transmission of the disease – that she bit Poe and gave him rabies.

VOCABULARY:

Incubation: In medicine, the time from the moment of exposure to a disease until the symptoms begin to appear.

Incubation: a period during which a disease is asymptomatic. The patient has been exposed to the virus or bacteria, but does not have the symptoms yet – in other words,  the patient is asymptomatic. The virus or the bacteria has invaded the body; for example, someone sneezes, spreading the cold virus, and you, unluckily breathe it in, allowing it access into your body.  The virus is now spreading throughout the body, invading cells but you are asymptomatic (without symptoms) and are unaware at that point that you are infected.

Inoculation: A deliberate introduction into a human or animal of serum made with weakened or dead cells from a disease, which causes the white blood cells to fight the disease. This causes the person or animal to then be immunized or protected from the disease. 

Rhabdovirus: the active agent in the bodily fluids of a rabid animal or human. It is this virus that causes rabies.

Dr. Benitez's Points: 

Isabel:

Benitez: He does not admit that the lack of a bite or scratch is a weakness.

Lynn:

The incubation period for rabies may be as long as a year.

Asiah:

The lack of  a bite or a scratch does not mean that he didn’t die of rabies.

Kristina:

Just because Poe’s cat, Caterina, did not die from rabies does not mean that Poe didn’t contract it from another sources.

Application:

Imagine that you are writing a biography of Edgar Allan Poe. Write the last few paragraphs of your book, in which you tell about Poe’s death.

Structure of the Essay:

 First paragraph:

Set up the tragic circumstances of Poe’s last ten days.

Set up the question regarding the mysterious way Poe died. 

Briefly state the two theories regarding Poe's death - he either died from alcoholism and the complications of alcoholism, or he died from rabies. 

Second paragraph:

You may want to use the account of Dr. John J. Moran, Poe's attending physician, and the accounts of the eyewitnesses of Poe's death.  The information from the time line will be useful here. 

Third paragraph:

You need to include Dr. Benitez’ opinion that Poe died from rabies. You MUST USE his evidence.

Fourth paragraph:

You have to show how either Benitez is correct and use evidence to support Benitez’ claim, or show how Dr. Moran’s claim that he died from alcoholism is correct and use evidence to support his claim. 

You must use a counter claim to show why your opinion is right and why the other opinion is wrong.

Fifth Paragraph:

Final concluding paragraph in which you restate the main idea, briefly list your arguments, and briefly state why the opposing argument is wrong.  The last sentence should be your final thoughts about Edgar Allan Poe and his death.

Bill Murray as Edgar Allan Poe 

Start working on your five paragraph “last page of your Edgar Allan Poe biography” essay in which you discuss the various theories of how Poe died. The essay must include the medical and forensic (the letters from Poe to his family, and eyewitness accounts) evidence which suggests he died of alcoholism, cerebral inflammation, or exposure, or all three, and the medical evidence which suggests he died from rabies. Choose one of the theories – alcoholism or rabies – and use the evidence to defend your choice.

Structure of the Essay:

 First paragraph:

Set up the tragic circumstances of Poe’s last ten days.

Set up the question regarding the mysterious way Poe died.

Set up the two competing theories of how Edgar Allan Poe died: either from alcoholism or rabies.

Second paragraph:

You may want to use Dr. John J. Moran’s account of how Poe died, and the eye-witness accounts.  In this paragraph you may want to refer to the time-line you constructed of Poe’s final days to help you. 

Third paragraph:

You need to include Dr. Benitez’ opinion that Poe died from rabies. You MUST USE his evidence.

Fourth paragraph:

You have to show how either Benitez is correct, that Poe died from rabies, and use evidence to support Benitez’ claim, or show Dr. Moran is correct, that Poe died from alcoholism and its complications,  and use evidence to support Moran's claim. 

You must use a counter claim to show why your opinion is right and why the other opinion is wrong.

Fifth Paragraph:

Final concluding paragraph in which you restate the main idea, briefly list your arguments, and briefly state why the opposing argument is wrong.  The last sentence should be your final thoughts about Edgar Allan Poe and his death.

To help you get started, reread your notes, annotations, and the sources to refresh your memory. Then do a quick write where you quickly, and without regard to punctuation, grammar or spelling, write down everything you know about the topic. Everything - in whatever order the ideas come to you.  After you are finished, reread it and then begin organizing the information according to the structure above. The organizing of the information will be your first draft. 

One possible way to start your essay: 

It was on an unseasonably cold and rainy October afternoon in Baltimore that Joseph Walker found a drunken man in filthy, odd fitting clothes lying in a gutter. However, the drunk was not just any drunk; the drunk was the one of the greatest American writers of the nineteenth century. He was Edgar Allan Poe, the great master of horror and mystery stories, whose own mysterious death rivals some of his own greatest mystery stories.  The physicians, friends, and family members who were present with Poe at the time of his illness and death, seem to believe that Poe died from his long struggle with alcoholism – a battle he fought long and hard for many years and ultimately lost. However, one hundred fifty years later, a medical doctor working on the test case of a drunken man found in the gutter whose initials were E.P. realized that the case was that of Edgar Allan Poe, and that the great author did not die from alcoholism and its complications, but of rabies. 

The last ten days of Poe’s life were baffling.  According to documents we know that Poe boarded a steamer on Thursday morning, September 27th  at 4 a.m. from Virginia headed to Baltimore, but after that we know nothing about his whereabouts or what he was doing until he was found, in  a drunken stupor in a Baltimore saloon, dressed in an other man’s shabby, cast-off clothes. 

Thursday, November 10th: 

Continue working on the Poe essay 

October 31, 2016 - November 4, 2016; The Cask of Amontillado

Monday, October 31st: 
Not here. A guest teacher will teach the class.

Tuesday, November 1st:

If you STILL have not turned in your animal research paper, you may e-mail it to me at jkatbridge2004@gmail.com or turn it into turnitin.com.

Briefly reviewed “The Cask of Amontillado” and finished reading the story from page 178 to the end. 

Write a brief summary of the story. 

THE CASK OF AMONTILLADO

CASK is a barrel.

AMONTILLADO is a very fine Spanish wine.

Catacomb: is an underground place where wine and bodies are buried.

Carnival: Mardi Gras. We celebrate Mardi Gras in February or March. It is usually the five days leading up to  the beginning of Lent.  Lent begins forty days before Easter. During Lent the devoted give up something they love in order to experience the suffering Christ endured during the crucifixion.

During Mardi Gras – WE PARTAY!!!!!!!!!!!

During Mardi Gras we wear masks and we SINNNNNNNNN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We drink and we dance and we smoke and we eat too much, and we kiss random people.

Fortunato is a man at whom the narrator is mad.

Injuries: bruises, pain, suffering

Borne: to endure, to suffer, to put up with

Ventured upon insult: Fortunato began to insult the narrator.

Utter: to say a word

Utterance: the things you say.

The narrator never uttered a word of a threat to Fortunato.

Definitiveness: definitely

Avenge: payback

Precluded: action taken before hand to prevent something from occurring.

Redress: to right a wrong

Unredressed: to not be avenged.

Redresser: someone who rights a wrong.

Impunity: without punishment; to get away with something and not get punished for it.

Retribution: punishment; the act that avenges the wrong committed against another.

Fortunato: he  prides himself on his connoisseurship in wine.

The narrator didn’t care how long it took to take revenge on Fortunato

As long as he did not get punished.

If the redresser gets punished then the wrong still remains unpunished.

It remains unpunished if the punisher (the avenger) does not make the wrongdoer feels (realize) the same amount of pain as he did when he was hurt.

Quack: a rip-off artist; a fraud

Luchesi: a rival with Fortunato in his knowledge of fine wines.

The name of the narrator and his family is the Montresors. Montresor is very similar to the word monster. 

Orbs: round spheres or globes. It refers to Fortunato’s eyes.

Rheumy: watery discharge

Intoxication: a state of drunkenness.

“My poor friend”  Montresor calling him “my poor friend” would suggest sympathy or friendliness.  Do you think Montresor, the narrator, likes him?  What kind of irony might this be – saying something that might not reflect how you’re really feeling?

Puns and Irony: A bricklayer is not always a Mason. 

Mason: a secret organization open only to Christian men. It is very exclusive and not open to everyone who  applies for admission. Women are are not allowed in the Masons. 

Mason: also a brick layer.

A trowel: a tiny hand shovel used by masons to lay brick and mortar.

The Unreliable Narrator:

The narrator is unreliable. This technique is used a lot by Poe.

Can we trust the narrator, Montresor, in “The Cask of Amontillado”?

Going beyond the story: 

There are a few clues that hint at the reasons Montresor hates Fortunato. They are:

Montresor: “You are rich, respected, admired, beloved; you are happy, as I once was. You are a man to be missed.”

What is implied  when he says he was once admired and respected?

“You will become sick and I cannot be held responsible.”

Why is it important that he not be held responsible for Fortunato’s ill health?

“The Montresors were a great and numerous family.”

What do you think happened to his family?

"You? A mason? Impossible!" 

Why would Fortunato expressed incredulity at Montresor being a member of the exclusive and secretive Masons?

 Assignment: 

Write down a brief story, description or scenario explaining Montresor’s hatred for Forunato.  Use the limited information given or implied by Montresor to explain what possibly may have happened. 
Fortunato continually put Montresor and his family down for many years.

Why would Fortunato express incredulity at Montresor being a mason?

Fortunato: “You? Impossible! You’re a mason?”

What do you think happened in the past to Montresor and his family?

Vocabulary: 

Crypt: an underground vault where dead people are buried.

Recess: a shallow closet or depression in a wall without a door.

Explain the visual pun Montresor does when he holds up a trowel to Fortunato’s question,”Are you a mason?”  Why is this ironic?

Puns: 

What’s a pun? It is a play on words. Example:  That was very punny!

A penny saved is a penny earned.  A benny shaved is a benny urned.

Why cantalope with me? Because the celery won’t lettuce.

Assignment: 

 Draw a picture of the crypt to which Montresor leads Fortunato. (The description is on page 177.)

Vocabulary: 

From one of these (iron staples) depended a short chain, from the other (chain) a padlock.  The word “depend” comes from the Latin word for “hang down.”

Fetter: to chain up or to tie. 

Wednesday, November 3rd: 

Your second AR book will be due on Friday, November 18^th. Please remember you need to write your reading log, which must have a minimum of five individual entries with comments and predictions. You must also take and pass the AR test on your book. (And remember the book must be an AR book, which you can tell by the white label on the binder marked “AR”.)

Open the literature book to “The Cask of Amontillado” and write a brief summary of the story.

Please explain how Montresor persuaded Fortunado to go with him down into the crypt. 

Turn in your brief summary of "The Cask of Amontillado".

Discussion of the plot, ironies, manipulations, characters, etc. in the short story.

Tomorrow please bring the “The Cask of Amontillado” packet and we will finish the packet in class.

Thursday, November 4th:

AR book check!
Remember:
Your second AR book, reading log (minimum of five entries) and AR test will be due on Friday, November 18th! 
 

Get out your “The Cask of Amontillado” packet

Montresor is the unreliable narrator.

Fortunado is the unlucky guy who dies.

Montresor kills him by bricking him up in a crypt.

The Cask of Amontillado

Dramatic Irony:

 Dramatic Irony occurs when the reader or audience knows something that  a character does not know.

Verbal Irony:

Verbal irony occurs when the speaker says the opposite of what s/he intends or means. However, the person to whom s/he is speaking does not realize he is lying.

2.

Onyx: Fortunato does not realize that Montresor is planning to kill him and he thinks they are having a good time.

Montresor and we the readers know that Montresor is going to kill Fortunato, but Fortunato does not know he is about to die.

3.

Dramatic

Rachel: It is dramatic because Montresor tells Fortunato that those who attack us will go unpunished.  Fortunato does not understand that he is saying he is going to kill him.

4.

Verbal

Because Montresor does not care about Fortunato’s health.

5.

 Verbal

Because Montresor is lying to him about caring for his health and comfort.

Applying Skills:

Fortunato continues insulting Montresor even after they go into the crypt. Fortunato insists on going down into the crypt to get the amontillado. Fortunato is drunk. Fortunato is a very bad judge of character for he trusts a man whom he has insulted. Fortunato is also naware of his own behavior and how it might cause someone like Montresor to seek revenge against him. 

Reader’s Response:

Eli: We knew Montresor was going to kill Fortunato that night  when Montresor told the servants “not to leave the house, knowing that that would insure they would leave.”

Sandy: We knew that tonight was the night Montresor had planned on killing Fortunato because he kept getting Fortunato drunk.

Montresor stated at the beginning of the story that he was going to kill him.  He obviously had planned on killing Fortunato during the Carnival season for he made sure the servants would not be home.

For homework tonight:

Please do “For Heightened Style” and “Revising Two Paragraphs”.

Friday, November 4th:

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Please bring your packet to class, which we will finish in class today.

“The Cask of Amontillado” packet will be due on Monday when you take the test.

“The Cask of Amontillado” reading logs will be due at the time of the test.

On Monday there will be a test over “The Cask of Amontillado”

On Tuesday we will meet in 427 to take the CAASPP test, also known as the Smart and Balance test, which will test your reading comprehension and vocabulary.

On Friday, November 18^th your AR reading log (a minimum of five entries per reading life) and your AR test will be due.

Open your book to “The Cask of Amontillado”, page 175. Turn to exercise 2, “Writing in an Ornate Style”.

Carolina found the first quotation from “The Cask of Amontillado”. It is the first line of the story!

Jasmin found the second one; page 176

Jasmine found the third one; page 176, 3^rd paragraph

Carolina found the fourth one, page 176, 3^rd paragraph

Rachel found the fifth one, page 178, at the top of the page on the left.

Simile is comparing two unlike objects using like or as.

Metaphor is comparing two unlike objects not using like or as.

Simile:

You are as blind as a bat.

You are as big as an elephant.

You are as tall as a giraffe.

You are as shady as a tree.

He runs like a cheetah.

He laughs like a hyena.

Metaphor:

It’s raining cats and dogs.

In the water, she is a fish.

Her voice is a thunderclap!

She is a bird when she sings.

 Heightened Style:

Here are some features of a heightened, ornate (fancy, complex) style

1.     Words of many syllables, poetic or uncommon words

2.     Allusions to history, or myths, or literature, or art

3.     A very formal tone

4.     Figures of speech, such as metaphors, similes, personifications

Exercise 1. Identifying Features of a Heightened Style

 At the (1)most remote end of the crypt there appeared (1) another less spacious.

Please turn to Edgar Allan Poe “A Haunted Life”

Another word for tuberculosis is consumption.