English HL Poetry Portfolio

Kindly take note of the following deadlines:

1) Adaptation of Auden’s “The Unknown Citizen” – Friday, July 8

2) The Four Glimpses of ____ – Monday, July 11

3) Poem based on film clip – Friday, July 15

Each poem should be at least 4 stanzas long and each stanza should have a minimum of four lines each.  It is recommended for novice poetry writers to focus on one symbol or one type of mood; their word choices are then determined by this symbol or setting. The goal is to craft a single dominant impression of a scene, an idea, a person, or an object.

This is the link to the rubrics by which your poems will be graded.

Print out hard copies of your poem on short bond paper (you may use recycled paper). After the title, write down a pseudonym (i.e. “The Four Glimpses of The Godfather” by The Patron); then on the upper right-hand corner at the back, write down your name (i.e. Miki Chua).

Introductory Poems (HL)

Introduction to Poetry

 

by Billy Collins

 

I ask them to take a poem

and hold it up to the light

like a color slide

 

or press an ear against its hive.

 

I say drop a mouse into a poem

and watch him probe his way out,

 

or walk inside the poem’s room

and feel the walls for a light switch.

 

I want them to waterski

across the surface of a poem

waving at the author’s name on the shore.

 

But all they want to do

is tie the poem to a chair with rope

and torture a confession out of it.

 

They begin beating it with a hose

to find out what it really means.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We Real Cool

by Gwendolyn Brooks

 

 

 

THE POOL PLAYERS.

SEVEN AT THE GOLDEN SHOVEL.

 

 

 

We real cool. We

Left school. We

 

Lurk late. We

Strike straight. We

 

Sing sin. We

Thin gin. We

 

Jazz June. We

Die soon.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cross

 

by Langston Hughes

 

My old man’s a white old man

And my old mother’s black.

If ever I cursed my white old man

I take my curses back.

If ever I cursed my black old mother

And wished she were in hell,

I’m sorry for that evil wish

And now I wish her well

My old man died in a fine big house.

My ma died in a shack.

I wonder were I’m going to die,

Being neither white nor black?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Four Glimpses of Night

by Frank Marshall Davis

 

 

Eagerly

Like a woman hurrying to her lover

Night comes to the room of the world

And lies, yielding and content

Against the cool round face

Of the moon.

 

2

Night is a curious child, wandering

Between earth and sky, creeping

In windows and doors, daubing

The entire neighborhood

With purple paint.

Day

Is an apologetic mother

Cloth in hand

Following after.

 

3

Peddling

From door to door

Night sells

Black bags of peppermint stars

Heaping cones of vanilla moon

Until

His wares are gone

Then shuffles homeward

Jingling the gray coins

Of daybreak.

 

4

Night’s brittle song, silver-thin,

Shatters into a billion fragments

Of quiet shadows

At the blaring jazz

Of a morning sun.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We Are Seven

 

by William Wordsworth

 

–A simple child,

That lightly draws its breath,

And feels its life in every limb,

What should it know of death?

 

I met a little cottage girl:

She was eight years old, she said;

Her hair was thick with many a curl

That clustered round her head.

 

She had a rustic, woodland air,

And she was wildly clad:

Her eyes were fair, and very fair;

–Her beauty made me glad.

 

“Sisters and brothers, little maid,

How many may you be?”

“How many? Seven in all,” she said,

And wondering looked at me.

 

“And where are they? I pray you tell.”

She answered, “Seven are we;

And two of us at Conway dwell,

And two are gone to sea.

 

“Two of us in the churchyard lie,

My sister and my brother;

And, in the churchyard cottage, I

Dwell near them with my mother.”

 

“You say that two at Conway dwell,

and two are gone to sea,

Yet ye are seven! I pray you tell,

Sweet maid, how this may be.”

 

Then did the little maid reply,

“Seven boys and girls are we;

Two of us in the churchyard lie,

Beneath the churchyard tree.”

 

“You run about, my little maid,

Your limbs they are alive;

If two are in the churchyard laid,

Then ye are only five.”

 

“Their graves are green, they may be seen,”

The little maid replied,

“Twelve steps or more from my mother’s door,

And they are side by side.

 

“My stockings there I often knit,

My kerchief there I hem;

And there upon the ground I sit,

And sing a song to them.

 

“And often after sunset, sir,

When it is light and fair,

I take my little porringer,

And eat my supper there.

 

“The first that died was sister Jane;

In bed she moaning lay,

Till God released her of her pain;

And then she went away.

 

“So in the churchyard she was laid;

And, when the grass was dry,

Together round her grave we played,

My brother John and I.

 

“And when the ground was white with snow

And I could run and slide,

My brother John was forced to go,

And he lies by her side.”

 

“How many are you, then,” said I,

“If they two are in heaven?”

Quick was the little maid’s reply,

“O master! we are seven.”

 

“But they are dead; those two are dead!

Their spirits are in heaven!”

‘Twas throwing words away; for still

The little maid would have her will,

And said, “Nay, we are seven!”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

How Do I Love Thee? (Sonnet 43)

 

by Elizabeth Barrett Browning

 

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.

I love thee to the depth and breadth and height

My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight

For the ends of being and ideal grace.

I love thee to the level of every day’s

Most quiet need, by sun and candle-light.

I love thee freely, as men strive for right.

I love thee purely, as they turn from praise.

I love thee with the passion put to use

In my old griefs, and with my childhood’s faith.

I love thee with a love I seemed to lose

With my lost saints. I love thee with the breath,

Smiles, tears, of all my life; and, if God choose,

I shall but love thee better after death.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Unknown Citizen

 

by W. H. Auden

 

(To JS/07 M 378
This Marble Monument
Is Erected by the State)

He was found by the Bureau of Statistics to be

One against whom there was no official complaint,

And all the reports on his conduct agree

That, in the modern sense of an old-fashioned word, he was a

saint,

For in everything he did he served the Greater Community.

Except for the War till the day he retired

He worked in a factory and never got fired,

But satisfied his employers, Fudge Motors Inc.

Yet he wasn’t a scab or odd in his views,

For his Union reports that he paid his dues,

(Our report on his Union shows it was sound)

And our Social Psychology workers found

That he was popular with his mates and liked a drink.

The Press are convinced that he bought a paper every day

And that his reactions to advertisements were normal in every way.

Policies taken out in his name prove that he was fully insured,

And his Health-card shows he was once in hospital but left it cured.

Both Producers Research and High-Grade Living declare

He was fully sensible to the advantages of the Instalment Plan

And had everything necessary to the Modern Man,

A phonograph, a radio, a car and a frigidaire.

Our researchers into Public Opinion are content

That he held the proper opinions for the time of year;

When there was peace, he was for peace:  when there was war, he went.

He was married and added five children to the population,

Which our Eugenist says was the right number for a parent of his

generation.

And our teachers report that he never interfered with their

education.

Was he free? Was he happy? The question is absurd:

Had anything been wrong, we should certainly have heard.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dirge Without Music

by Edna St. Vincent Millay

 

I am not resigned to the shutting away of loving hearts in the hard ground.

So it is, and so it will be, for so it has been, time out of mind:

Into the darkness they go, the wise and the lovely. Crowned

With lilies and with laurel they go; but I am not resigned.

 

Lovers and thinkers, into the earth with you.

Be one with the dull, the indiscriminate dust.

A fragment of what you felt, of what you knew,

A formula, a phrase remains,—but the best is lost.

 

The answers quick and keen, the honest look, the laughter, the

love,—

They are gone. They are gone to feed the roses. Elegant and curled

Is the blossom. Fragrant is the blossom. I know. But I do not

approve.

More precious was the light in your eyes than all the roses in the

world.

 

Down, down, down into the darkness of the grave

Gently they go, the beautiful, the tender, the kind;

Quietly they go, the intelligent, the witty, the brave.

I know. But I do not approve. And I am not resigned.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

One Art

 

by Elizabeth Bishop

 

The art of losing isn’t hard to master;

so many things seem filled with the intent

to be lost that their loss is no disaster.

 

Lose something every day. Accept the fluster

of lost door keys, the hour badly spent.

The art of losing isn’t hard to master.

 

Then practice losing farther, losing faster:

places, and names, and where it was you meant

to travel. None of these will bring disaster.

 

I lost my mother’s watch. And look! my last, or

next-to-last, of three loved houses went.

The art of losing isn’t hard to master.

 

I lost two cities, lovely ones. And, vaster,

some realms I owned, two rivers, a continent.

I miss them, but it wasn’t a disaster.

 

 

–Even losing you (the joking voice, a gesture

I love) I shan’t have lied.  It’s evident

the art of losing’s not too hard to master

though it may look like (Write it!) like disaster.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Road Not Taken

 

by Robert Frost

 

 

 

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,

And sorry I could not travel both

And be one traveler, long I stood

And looked down one as far as I could

To where it bent in the undergrowth;

 

Then took the other, as just as fair,

And having perhaps the better claim,

Because it was grassy and wanted wear;

Though as for that the passing there

Had worn them really about the same,

 

And both that morning equally lay

In leaves no step had trodden black.

Oh, I kept the first for another day!

Yet knowing how way leads on to way,

I doubted if I should ever come back.

 

I shall be telling this with a sigh

Somewhere ages and ages hence:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I–

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Helen of Troy Does Countertop Dancing

 

by Margaret Atwood

 

The world is full of women

who’d tell me I should be ashamed of myself

if they had the chance. Quit dancing.

Get some self-respect

and a day job.

Right. And minimum wage,

and varicose veins, just standing

in one place for eight hours

behind a glass counter

bundled up to the neck, instead of

naked as a meat sandwich.

Selling gloves, or something.

Instead of what I do sell.

You have to have talent

to peddle a thing so nebulous

and without material form.

Exploited, they’d say. Yes, any way

you cut it, but I’ve a choice

of how, and I’ll take the money.

 

I do give value.

Like preachers, I sell vision,

like perfume ads, desire

or its facsimile. Like jokes

or war, it’s all in the timing.

I sell men back their worse suspicions:

that everything’s for sale,

and piecemeal. They gaze at me and see

a chain-saw murder just before it happens,

when thigh, ass, inkblot, crevice, tit, and nipple

are still connected.

Such hatred leaps in them,

my beery worshippers! That, or a bleary

hopeless love. Seeing the rows of heads

and upturned eyes, imploring

but ready to snap at my ankles,

I understand floods and earthquakes, and the urge

to step on ants. I keep the beat,

and dance for them because

they can’t. The music smells like foxes,

crisp as heated metal

searing the nostrils

or humid as August, hazy and languorous

as a looted city the day after,

when all the rape’s been done

already, and the killing,

and the survivors wander around

looking for garbage

to eat, and there’s only a bleak exhaustion.

Speaking of which, it’s the smiling

tires me out the most.

This, and the pretence

that I can’t hear them.

And I can’t, because I’m after all

a foreigner to them.

The speech here is all warty gutturals,

obvious as a slab of ham,

but I come from the province of the gods

where meanings are lilting and oblique.

I don’t let on to everyone,

but lean close, and I’ll whisper:

My mother was raped by a holy swan.

You believe that? You can take me out to dinner.

That’s what we tell all the husbands.

There sure are a lot of dangerous birds around.

 

Not that anyone here

but you would understand.

The rest of them would like to watch me

and feel nothing. Reduce me to components

as in a clock factory or abattoir.

Crush out the mystery.

Wall me up alive

in my own body.

They’d like to see through me,

but nothing is more opaque

than absolute transparency.

Look–my feet don’t hit the marble!

Like breath or a balloon, I’m rising,

I hover six inches in the air

in my blazing swan-egg of light.

You think I’m not a goddess?

Try me.

This is a torch song.

Touch me and you’ll burn.

 

 

 

 

Tonight I Can Write

by Pablo Neruda

 

Tonight I can write the saddest lines.

 

Write, for example, ‘The night is starry

and the stars are blue and shiver in the distance.’

 

The night wind revolves in the sky and sings.

 

Tonight I can write the saddest lines.

I loved her, and sometimes she loved me too.

 

Through nights like this one I held her in my arms.

I kissed her again and again under the endless sky.

 

She loved me, sometimes I loved her too.

How could one not have loved her great still eyes.

 

Tonight I can write the saddest lines.

To think that I do not have her. To feel that I have lost her.

 

To hear the immense night, still more immense without her.

And the verse falls to the soul like dew to the pasture.

 

What does it matter that my love could not keep her.

The night is starry and she is not with me.

 

This is all. In the distance someone is singing. In the distance.

My soul is not satisfied that it has lost her.

 

My sight tries to find her as though to bring her closer.

My heart looks for her, and she is not with me.

 

The same night whitening the same trees.

We, of that time, are no longer the same.

 

I no longer love her, that’s certain, but how I loved her.

My voice tried to find the wind to touch her hearing.

 

Another’s. She will be another’s. As she was before my kisses.

Her voice, her bright body. Her infinite eyes.

 

I no longer love her, that’s certain, but maybe I love her.

Love is so short, forgetting is so long.

 

Because through nights like this one I held her in my arms

my soul is not satisfied that it has lost her.

 

Though this be the last pain that she makes me suffer

and these the last verses that I write for her.

English HL Schedule of Activities (First Semester, AY 2011-2012)

IB English HL (COHORT 1)

Schedule of Lessons and Activities 

(First Semester AY 2011-2012)

Prepared by: Ms. Barbara Magallona

 

Unit I. POETRY (7 cycles = 21 meetings)

A. Elements of Poetry

B. Discussion of poems: “Introduction to Poetry” by Billy Collins, “We Real Cool” by Gwendolyn Brooks, “Tonight I can Write” by Pablo Neruda, “Cross” by Langston Hughes, “Four Glimpses of Night” by Frank Marshall, “The Road Less Traveled” by Robert Frost, “How Do I Love Thee” by Elizabeth Barrett Browning, “The Unknown Citizen” by W.H. Auden, “Helen of Troy Does Counter-Top Dancing” by Margaret Atwood, “The Passionate Shepherd to His Love” by Christopher Marlowe, “The Nymph’s Reply to the Shepherd” by Sir Walter Raleigh, Shakespeare’s Sonnets 18 and 29.

C. Discussion: Walt Whitman:  “Great Are the Myths”, “Who Learns My Lessons

Complete”, “Faces”, “There Was A Child Went Forth”

1. Discussion: Sylvia Plath: “The Queen’s Complaint”, “I Want, I Want”, “Cinderella”, “Daddy”, “Metaphors”, “Barren Woman”, “Heavy Women”, “Widow”, “I Am Vertical”, “The Munich Mannequins”, and “Edge”

Activities: close reading activity, visual poetry

Assessments: Creative Output (CO) #1, Mini Literary Analysis Paper #1, Individual Oral Presentation (IOP)

 

Unit II. SHAKESPEARE (6 cycles = 18 meetings)

A. Shakespearean World View and the Tragic Hero

B. Discussion of King Lear

C.  Discussion of Much Ado About Nothing

Activities: practice essays, literature circles, dramatic reading, film-viewing,

Assessments: Creative Output # 2, Individual Oral Presentation (IOP), Mini Literary Analysis Paper #2

 

Unit III.  THE ESSAY (3 cycles = 12 meetings)

A. Research on the Essay

B. Discussion of eight essays from V.S. Naipaul’s “The Writer and the World”: “In the Middle of the Journey”, “Jamshed into Jimmy”, “The Ultimate Colony”, “Power?”, “A New King for the Congo: Mobutu and the Nihilism of Africa”, “Columbus and Crusoe”, “Steinbeck in Monterey”, “Argentina and the Ghost of Eva Peron – 1972-1991”

Activities: practice essays, Socratic circles, film showing

Assessments: Individual Oral Presentation (IOP)

 

FINAL EXAM: IB OFFICIAL ESSAY on Part I 

GRADING SYSTEM (Xavier School report card grade)

 

 

IB Official Essay (predicted grade) – 50%

Literary Analysis Paper – 40%

CO – 10%

Sample Commentary

Magician

by Gary Miranda

 

What matters more than practice

is the fact that you, my audience,

are pulling for me, want me to pull

it off—this next sleight*. Now

you see it. Something more than

whether I succeed’s at stake.

 

This talk is called patter. This

is misdirection—how my left

hand shows you nothing’s in it.

Nothing is. I count on your mistake

of caring. In my right hand your

undoing blooms like a cancer.

 

But I’ve shown you that already—

empty. Most tricks are done

before you think they’ve started—you

who value space more than time.

The balls, the cards, the coins—they go

into the past, not into my pocket.

 

 

Source:

Miranda, G. Grace period. Princeton: Princeton University Press.

_____________________________________________________________

* sleight: as in “sleight-of-hand”, clever use of the hands in order to deceive

 

 

IB HL Student’s answer for his/her Paper 2: (as written on the IB official Answer Sheet)

 

The poem “Magician” is as clever and deft as the tricks it describes. Through the use of concealed metaphor, combined with terse and logical language, Miranda expresses the human desire to hide from the harsh realities of life and conveys to the reader that people cannot turn to ‘magic’ for answer—we must discover them for ourselves.

 

The title of the poem is frank and self-explanatory—the single word ‘Magician’. There is certainly no magic here—no colorful metaphor or exposition. The title takes on clearer significance, however, once the central messages of the poem become apparent. By the last line, the reader will see the Magician as a powerful, maybe even supernatural figure: this idea is developed through the poem.

 

The opening line is swaggering, confident—“What matters more than practice/ is the fact that you, my audience…want me to pull it off”. The alliteration of ‘matters more’ and subtle half rhymes of ‘fact’, ‘that’ and ‘practice’, ‘audience’ convey a certain smugness, and the idea that the magician’s act is perfect; the magician’s deceptions are effortless, because the audience want to believe him. Half his work is done.

Lines four and five contain some very adroit phrases—‘next sleight’ is smooth and collected, and the word ‘sleight’ in itself is a clever reference to how the magician’s tricks are “sly”.* A somewhat sinister tone enters the poem in this second half of the first verse: we are told that ‘something more’ is at stake than whether the trick works or not. Miranda is trying to tell the reader that the Magician’s sleight of hand has a wider application. His tricks are a form of escapism for the audience, which is why they are pulling for [him]’; if he succeeds, they can believe in ‘magic’ for a little longer.

 

* ‘Now you see it’ invites the reader to finish with, “and now you don’t”, but we are cheated out of this expected conclusion.

 

The second verse is a continuation of this dynamic between the Magician and his audience. The magician, the lyric 1, grows noticably more condescending, because he knows the power he holds over them—he ‘patters’ to his audience: “misdirects’ them—they are his playthings. However, he is honest, at least, in this unspoken narration to his act: ‘My left hand shows you nothing’s in it.’  There is an inversion in the sentence order, and the left hand is personified into a showman in its own right. His words and ‘talk’ are tricky, but his actions aren’t—there really is nothing in his left hand—he holds no answers.*

 

*Life can also be divided into two, like left and right—one can let themselves) be deceived, or seek the truth.

 

The magician repeats himself, emphasizing the falsity of his “magic”, yet the lure of power is too great. “[He] counts on your mistake of caring,” and in his right hand, the Magician holds “your undoing”. This harsh consonance of ‘count’ and ‘mistake’ sharpens this idea that falling for cheap tricks and magic is wrong. The ‘mistake of caring’ is an ambiguous phrase, but could relate to the under picture: it is caring that causes us pain in life, that drives us to seek another world where we can escape reality It is human to err, to make ‘mistakes’, but without them, the Magician would lose his supernatural power because his form of escapism wouldn’t be needed.*

 

* This is why he keeps them hanging on.

The audience’s ‘undoing’  ‘blooms like a cancer.’ This is an ugly and unsettling similie, and again, sharp consonance in ‘ke’ and ‘ca’ pierces the reader. The reader realizes that deceiving oneself can consume us, such is the danger of looking for answers in the wrong places. The likening of caner to a blooming flower betrays a Machiavellian streak in the Magician: He nurtures this cancer and helps it grow.

 

Line 13 repeats that there is no magic; the dash at the end of the line creates a suspense, but again, our hopes are extinguished with the word ‘empty’: Again, the Magician is condescending and arrogant, and expresses his feelings of superiority with ‘Most tricks are done/ before you think they’ve started—you/ who value space more than time! This interesting accusation gives the poem a context outside of a theatre hall, and outside of the present. The reason people are tricked by cheap magic is because they don’t realize the power the past has to dictate the future. The ‘balls, the cards, the coins’ are trivial items, but they are not safe in the Magician’s ‘pocket’, they are lost to the ‘past’. If one extends this metaphor to the things we hold dear in life, we can understand that it is our actions and the paths we have travelled—right or left—that have brought us to the present. The only way we will find answers or relief to the things that pain us is by accepting that there is ‘nothing’—no magic solutions, no fate, no God.

However, this does not mean that we cannot find solace. If the past dictates the present, then the present can dictate the future. Miranda’s ultimate message is that we must live life with open eyes, with a sense of perspective”. –To wait out for salvation, whether from a Magician or God, is to be fooled; we must rely on ourselves.

 

The structure of the poem reflects the aesthetic content. It is written in free verse, without rhyme and hence without reason or purpose. The poetry is disguised* half rhymes and repetition of letter are Miranda’s only concession to poetic convention.

 

*– there is certainly no flamboyance or magic in his language. Miranda’s poetry is sleight—

 

The sentence structure is curt and frank, some ‘as short as two words: ‘Nothing is.’ This conveys the “matter of fact” attitude of the Magician, and the contempt he feels towards the audience. There is also a lot of pronoun interaction: the poem is full of ‘I’ and ‘you’, ‘my’ and ‘your’; this division into two also demonstrates that there is no third-party—no supernatural element.

 

Ultimately, it is the absence of poetry in ‘Magician’ that makes its message so effective, and shows the reader that God does not exist. Miranda’s deft and adroit language both exposes human weakness and points to where the real answers can be found.

 

Source:

Olson, L. (ed.) (2010) Asia pacific regional workshops DP English A1 (category 1) workbook. Hongkong: International Baccaulaureate Organization.

 

Schedule of Lessons and Activities, 1st Sem 2011-2012 (SL)

Unit I. COMMENTARY WRITING (3 cycles)

1. Commentary vs. Essay
2. Close-reading

Activities: practice writing, close-reading, informal Individual Oral Presentation (IOP)

Assessments: Creative Output (CO) #1

 

Unit II. POETRY (6 cycles)

1. Review of Elements of Poetry
2.  Discussion of poems from 16^th to 21^st Century

Activities: practice writing, close-reading, poetry circles, film showing: “Dead Poets Society”

Assessments: Unseen Written Commentary #1 (UWC), CO #2

 

Unit III. Selected Poems of SYLVIA PLATH & TED HUGHES (6 cycles)

1. Research on 20^th Century Poetry and Modernism
2. Discussion of poems

Activities: poetry circles, close-reading, poetry circles, film showing: “Sylvia”

Assessments: Unseen Oral Commentary (UOC), CO #3

 

UNIT IV. “MACBETH” by WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE (6 cycles)

1. Research on Elizabethan Theatre and Influences of Shakespeare to Modern Literature
2. Discussion with elocution of lines

Activities: dramatic reading, close-reading, Socratic circles, film showing: “Macbeth”

Assessments: UWC #2, CO #4

 

 

FINAL EXAM: IB OFFICIAL INDIVIDUAL ORAL COMMENTARY (IOC) on Part 2 texts

 

 

GRADING SYSTEM (Xavier School report card grade)

 

IB Official IOC (final grade) – 50%

Unseen Written Commentary – 40%

CO – 10%

SL Books for next year

This is the final list. Shakespeare’s Macbeth is easy to find anywhere; the other books with their corresponding ISBN numbers will be ordered by XS; however, you also have the option to buy them for yourselves.

Third Semester

Part II: Detailed Study

1. Macbeth by William Shakespeare (English drama, 17th C)

2. The Collected Poems by Sylvia Plath (American poetry, 20th C) ISBN-10: 0061558893; ISBN-13: 978-0061558894

3. Birthday Letters by Ted Hughes (English poetry, 20th C) ISBN-10: 0374525811; ISBN-13: 978-0374525811

 

Fourth Semester

Part III: Literary Genres

1. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald (American novel, 20th C) ISBN-10: 0684801523; ISBN-13: 978-0684801520

2. Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro (English novel, 20th C)

ISBN-10: 0679731725; ISBN-13: 978-0679731726

3. The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera (Czech novel, 20^th C) ISBN-10: 0061148520; ISBN-13: 978-0061148521

On Preparing Questions for a Group Discussion

These are some good tips to help you prepare questions for our group book discussions:

Read The Book!

Obviously reading the book is crucial to setting good questions. When reading the book keep a note pad and pen to hand and make a note of any issues that arise. For instance if there is a point in the book which has you spluttering with disbelief, laughter or tears, make a note of the page number. This will help provide an important source of question material. When reading the book make notes of features such as:

• Characters: The characters and personalities in the book make good discussion material. The stronger the character the more there is to talk about. These needn’t be the main characters, often the minor characters can make a meaningful contribution to the plot and warrant exploration further.
• Relationships: How the characters in the book interact is an important part of the book and it is often the forming or breaking down of a relationship that moves the plot on in a book. These form a good basis for discussions, for instance, how did the break down of the relationship between X and Y alter the course of the book.
• Location: Discussing the importance of a particular location to the plot can lead to interesting discussions. Questions might include whether the story would work as well if the book was set in town A instead of city B.
• Writing Style: If the author used a different or unusual writing style then a interesting question would be how this influenced the understanding and enjoyment of the book. For instance. did the fact that the author wrote the book using flashbacks add to your understanding or enjoyment of the book.
• Overall Feelings About the Book: After reading the book how do you feel? Are there any immediate thoughts that come to mind or scenes you keep replaying to yourself? Again, these immediate thoughts at the end of the book will indicate some of the important points in the story and will make interesting discussion. For instance if you are left wondering ‘well how did that happen’ or ‘what happened to…’, the chances are someone else will be thinking the same and interesting discussions can follow.
• General Questions: In addition to specific questions such as those above, some more general questions are useful to encourage discussion. These might include the very basic – what aspect of the book did you enjoy the most / least, or more specific questions such whether a particular event influenced the outcome of the book.

There are a few rules to setting good book discussion questions. Make sure the questions are:

• Interesting: Boring questions will get boring answers
• Relevant: Questions that are not relevant to the book just cause confusion. This is particularly important with books that are part of a series.
• Accessible: Make sure the questions are easy to understand. People don’t want to feel stupid because they don’t understand what the questioner is alluding to. When writing your own book discussion questions, avoid questions that are too general, like “What did you think of the book?” Also avoid questions that have yes or no answers. You want to ask questions that are open-ended and help people talk about themes and how the book relates to deeper issues.

Other tips on facilitating a book discussion:

1. Write down important page numbers – If there are parts of the book that made an impact on you or that you think may come up in discussion, write down the page numbers so that you can access the passages easily while preparing and leading your group’s discussion.
2. Let others answer first – When you are asking questions, you want to facilitate discussion, not come off as a teacher. By letting others in the book club answer first, you will promote conversation and help everyone feel like their opinions matter. Note: Sometimes people may need to think before they answer. Part of being a good leader is being comfortable with silence. Don’t feel like you have to jump in if no one answers immediately. If needed, clarify, expand or rephrase the question.
3. Make connections between comments – If someone gives an answer to question 2 that connects well with question 5, don’t feel obligated to ask questions 3 and 4 before moving to 5. You are the leader and you can go in whatever order you want. Even if you go in order, try to find a link between an answer and the next question. By connecting people’s comments to the questions, you’ll help build momentum in the conversation.
4. Occasionally direct questions toward quiet people – You don’t want to put anyone on the spot, but you want everyone to know their opinions are valued. If you have a few talkative people who always jump right in, directing a question to a specific person may help draw out the quieter people (and let the loud people know it is time to give someone else a turn).
5. Don’t feel obligated to get through all the questions – The best questions sometimes lead to intense conversations. That’s a good thing! The questions are there as a guide. While you will want to get through at least three or four questions, it will probably be rare that you finish all ten. Respect people’s time by wrapping up the discussion when the meeting time is over rather than pushing on until you finish everything you planned.
6. Wrap up the discussion. Review the major points discussed and thank everyone for participating. Maybe leaving some points for reflection can also make the group think beyond what came up in the discussion and remember the most important aspects of the book and the discussion.

Sources:

http://www.suite101.com/content/setting-book-club-questions-a41548

http://bestsellers.about.com/od/bookclubresources/ht/how_lead_talk.htm

English HL: Battle Hymn of the Republic

Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord;
He is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored;
He hath loosed the fateful lightning of His terrible swift sword;
His truth is marching on.
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! His truth is marching on.

I have seen Him in the watch fires of a hundred circling camps
They have builded Him an altar in the evening dews and damps;
I can read His righteous sentence by the dim and flaring lamps;
His day is marching on.
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! His day is marching on.

I have read a fiery Gospel writ in burnished rows of steel;
“As ye deal with My contemners, so with you My grace shall deal”;
Let the Hero, born of woman, crush the serpent with His heel,
Since God is marching on.
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! Since God is marching on.

He has sounded forth the trumpet that shall never call retreat;
He is sifting out the hearts of men before His judgment seat;
Oh, be swift, my soul, to answer Him! be jubilant, my feet;
Our God is marching on.
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! Our God is marching on.

In the beauty of the lilies Christ was born across the sea,
With a glory in His bosom that transfigures you and me:
As He died to make men holy, let us live to make men free;
[originally …let us die to make men free]
While God is marching on.
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! While God is marching on.

He is coming like the glory of the morning on the wave,
He is wisdom to the mighty, He is honor to the brave;
So the world shall be His footstool, and the soul of wrong His slave,
Our God is marching on.
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! Our God is marching on.

Lyrics: Julia Howe

Music: to the tune of “John Brown’s Body”

Guide questions:

a) How would you describe the speaker of the song and its audience?

b) What do you think is the context of the song?

c) What is the theme of the song?

d) What types of conflicts are alluded to in the song?

e) How would one apply the Marxist framework of alienation and exploitation in the song?

f) What does the phrase “grapes of wrath” mean?

 

Structured Discussions Mechanics for SL Students

To practice for the IOP, you will be tasked to facilitate a literary structured discussion which you may choose as the format of your oral requirement this semester. We will be using selected chapters of Yann Martel’s “Life of Pi” as the main material.

Each session, there will be an assigned chunk of chapters. The division of the novel is as follows:

Session 1-2: Author’s Notes up to Chapter 15 (Introduction to Pi Patel, Animals)

Session 3-4: Chapters 16-28 (Religions)

Session 5: Chapters 29-42 (The Incident)

Session 6: Chapters 43-62 (Richard Parker)

Session 7-8: Chapters 63-93 (Surviving)

Session 9-10: Chapters 94-100 (The Interview)

Session 11-12: Synthesizing the entire novel

Each session you are required to prepare 5 questions as there will be drawing of lots to determine the facilitators for the session. You are required to be prepared, otherwise, you will be sanctioned accordingly.

You may choose from any of the following formats for the questions:

A. a question about a single character or characters

B. a question which focuses on theme, motif, symbolism, structure, style, and other elements of fiction

C. a question which focuses on lines from the novel

D. a question based on a personal observation, reflection or idea

E. a question which connects the novel to an external reading (preferably a text we read in class previously)

You may come up with at most two questions from any of the categories above.

Preparing the Questions:

The questions should be analysis questions, not simple-recall questions, because you will invite your classmates to discuss these. It might be helpful if you try to answer the questions yourself and see whether the questions are too easy to answer or too complex to bear meaningful discourses. You are also encouraged to anticipate the answers and strategically come up with follow-up questions.

Avoid the simple “wh” questions (such as Who is the brother of Pi? ) unless the question could generate arguable or debatable answers (e.g. What makes Pi an intriguing character? )

Prepare quotes as well to contextualize and support your questions and answers.

Facilitating the Structured Discussion:

I. Preparation and Introduction: (1 minute)

You are encouraged to make your presentation engaging by thinking of an engaging way to start your discussion. Here are some ideas that you might want to explore:

a. Read a striking line from the novel.

b. State a trivia related to a certain detail or the nature of the novel or the part of the novel which you are discussing

c. State a unique opinion on any aspect of the novel

d. Show an interesting photo or artwork.

e. Engage your classmates in a short game.

II. Asking of Questions (12 minutes)

Even though you’re facilitating questions, remember that YOU are the one being graded. Therefore, be careful to allot time in your presentation to answer your own questions or share your personal opinions.

When throwing questions, ask your classmates respectfully and allow them considerable amount of time to answer. Call your classmates by their names and keep a positive energy so that the discussion would be engaging. The success of the discussion lies on your facilitating skills.

You are required to ask at least 3 questions, depending on the time your classmates discuss the questions. Do NOT repeat questions which have been discussed already by previous facilitators.

III. Wrapping Up (2 minutes)

Conclude the discussion by citing your own personal observation or learning based on the discussion and your previous reading. Don’t forget to thank your classmates for participating in the discussion.

You have only 15 minutes to facilitate the structured discussion.

Final Reminders:

Practice and come prepared so that you won’t be nervous.  You might be called upon to facilitate TWICE or THRICE until the end of the sessions.

IOP (Individual Oral Presentation) Requirement

The individual oral presentation (IOP) is one of the two compulsory oral activities that all IB English students must complete. The score on this assessment is worth 15% of your overall IB score. You must base your presentation on a work or works studied in part 4 the syllabus. This presentation is based on a topic that you have chosen in consultation with your teacher.

Choice of topic

When thinking about what topic you are going to choose as the subject for your oral presentation, know that you may choose a topic which reflects your personal interests. Obviously if you choose a topic that you may have some interest in you are likely to produce a more effective and interesting presentation than if you choose a topic you find boring. You have quite a wide choice, as it can be based on any work required in this semester. Your topic may be based on an aspect or aspects of the work(s) studied, including:

• Cultural setting of the work(s) and related issues
• Thematic focus
• Characterization
• Techniques and style
• Author’s attitude shown in particular elements of the works such as character(s), subject matter
• Interpretation of particular elements from different perspectives.

Possible activities

The range of activities that you could choose for your individual oral presentation is very wide and the suggestions that follow are simply examples of the kinds of things you could do. You may certainly come up with your own unique idea. You should discuss your own ideas with your teacher and select an activity that is appropriate to the topic you have chosen.

Oral exposés

These could be:

• An introduction to writer, work or a particular section of the text
• An explanation of a particular aspect of an authors works
• The setting of a particular writer work against another body of material, such as details on social background or political views
• A commentary on the use of a particular image, idea, or symbol in a work or work(s)
• A commentary on a passage from the text
• An imitation of the work (a chapter or poem written in the manner of the text). This activity should be followed by some explanation of, and discussion on, what you have tried to do and to show
• Create an original piece of writing in response to the text; explain the process, critique your work, and explain what it reveals about the original work
• A comparison of two passages, two characters, or two works
• A commentary on an extract from a work you have studied in class which has been prepared at home
• An account of your developing response to a work

Structured discussions

These could be:

• Class discussions where you have made advance preparation, such as by giving a short report, adopting a provocative position, etc, then inviting the whole or part of the class to participate (note, however, that only the presenter will be assessed)
• The presentation of material that promotes class discussion such as presenting opposing readings of work. This would probably involve the presenter answering questions from the class
• A game or other structured activity that involves the class

Role Play

This could involve:

• Performance of a monologue by a character or characters at an important point in the work – costumes might be appropriate
• Reminiscences by a character from a point in later life
• An author’s reaction to a particular interpretation of his or her work
• Mime a basic relationship or conflict in a novel; explain how the mime reflects the text

Creative Response

• Create a visual response – a painting, drawing, collage, photomontage, etc. – that explore and reveal some aspect of the text. Describe the creation and explain / support the choices (including choice of medium, form, and content)
• Present a verbal collage of striking sentences / images from a work, perhaps adding your own images / sentences, explaining supporting all choices.
• Prepare and present a series of visual responses to a text
• Add a chapter, a prologue or an epilogue to a text
• Write music and/or lyrics to reflect a text
• Choreograph a dance to reflect a text

Whatever form you choose, especially if you choose to do a creative response or role-play, you must provide a rationale explaining what you have done and what you hoped to achieve through your interpretation and response.

Focus of your individual oral presentation

The main focus of your oral presentation will depend very much on the nature and scope of the topic that you choose.  However, in order to do well in your presentation, you will be expected to show a sophisticated level of literary appreciation.  Whatever the topic you choose you will be expected to show:

• Knowledge and understanding of the work(s)
• Thorough appreciation of the aspect(s) discussed
• Knowledge and use of the linguistic register (e.g. use of vocabulary, tone, sentence structure, and modes of expression) appropriate for the type of presentation
• Consideration of the effects created by the ways in which the writer(s) have explored the material you are presenting.

Structure of your individual oral presentation

Again, the precise structure of your oral presentation depends, to a large extent, on the type of activity you have chosen and your topic.  You should decide on the type of presentation most likely to achieve the objectives you have for your topic.  Whatever you choose, however, you should bear in mind that all presentations must have some kind of coherent structure.

Also bear in mind the limitations of the facility in which you give your presentation: we have only this classroom available. If you want to give your presentation in a different place (here on campus), we will have to make special arrangements. If you need other students to be part of the presentation, you must consider how they figure into your plans (and remember that only YOU are assessed in your presentation – YOU must demonstrate knowledge etc.).

Preparation of your individual oral presentation

You will be expected to do the preparation work for your individual oral presentation outside class time.  When you have chosen your topic it is your responsibility to:

• Select appropriate material for your presentation
• Organize the material into a coherent structure
• Choose and rehearse the appropriate register for your presentation

In terms of consultation for your topic, we will proceed through the following steps:

1. Propose your topic and identify the work(s) you will interpret. No two students may have the same topic, so topic approvals are first-come, first served, although usually we can differentiate topics well enough so everyone is happy.
2. Present a working thesis for approval and suggestions (samples will be given)
3. Once the working thesis is approved, you should begin to plan and outline your presentation. Preliminary outlines may be brought in for suggestions. Outlines should include text support to be used.
4. You may consult literary criticism. If you use it in your presentation, cite it (to cite orally, say “According to (Name), “quotation.”).
5. You will be required to turn in a final outline of your presentation, both hard copy for the teacher and soft copy emailed to your teacher, with a bibliography.

Some recommendations for preparation:

1. • Practice! Plan it all out, pace yourself, and know where you will be standing so you don’t block anything you want the audience to see.
   • Do not simply read note cards. You might want to memorize your speech, but this is not required. Remember, this assessment is an oral activity, not a read/written activity. You must work to sound naturally articulate in speech. This means no language fillers (uh, like, and stuff, etc) and appropriate register.
   • Use the text! Quotations / support from the text is required. You do not need to memorize quotations, but they must be part of your presentation.
   • Be precise in your language. Call the work a “novel,” not a “book.” Know your literary terms. Use them.  Love them.
   • Test out all technical needs BEFOREHAND. Come in at least two days before your presentation to make sure all computer files needed will run properly.
   • Make sure your interpretation or creative piece and analysis are clearly connected. Your presentation should be cohesive, unified and focused.

Presentation and discussion

Your presentation time is 15 minutes. Once you have started to give your presentation you will not be interrupted and you will not be allowed any assistance.

When you have completed your presentation your teacher will discuss the material with you further to explore your knowledge and understanding of the work(s) or topic you have presented.  Your teacher will want to make sure that you can justify your selection of:

• The material used in your presentation
• The activity you have chosen to present the topic
• The linguistic register you have used for the presentation of your topic.

Your teacher must have time to ask you some questions, and that questioning session is part of your time, so plan your presentation to last 10-13 minutes.  The whole class may take part in the discussions following your presentation.

All note cards, outlines, or any papers / materials composed for and/or used as part of the presentation must be turned in at the end of the presentation. All written work (outlines, bibliography, and supplemental writing) must be handed in hard copy.

Assessment of your presentation

Your presentation will be assessed against a number of criteria. These are: A) knowledge and understanding of the next; B)interpretation and personal response; C) presentation; and D)use of language. In order to achieve a good result you will need to show:

• Good knowledge and understanding of the content of the extract or work (shown thorough close, detailed analysis; extensive reading; and productive manipulation of the content in ways that could be considered creative).
• Though knowledge of the appropriate context of the extract or works
• A valid and detailed interpretation of the thought and feeling expressed in the extract or work including a considered critical response.
• A good awareness and detailed analysis of the effects of the literary features of the extract or works.
• A clear and logical structure to the response
• A focused response presented in a clear, coherent, effective, and convincing manner
• Integrated supporting references (quotations)
• A clear, varied, and precise use of language using an appropriate register and style, and relevant literary terms.

Please see the rubric / chart for specific scoring criteria (next page).

A final (but very important) note

You must be prepared to give your presentation on the day it is scheduled. Absences, even excused ones, are not sufficient reasons for missing your scheduled time slot. Technical difficulties are no excuse – you will have to go on despite them, if they occur. The date fixed for presentation may be renegotiated to accommodate adverse circumstances such as bereavement or serious illness, however no other considerations may be given. Presentations may not be repeated. IB examination requirements state that we may not make exceptions.

This is the rubric which will used to grade the activity:

A: Knowledge and Understanding of Extract or Work(s)  How well does the candidate know and understand the content of the extract or work(s)? How well does the candidate situate the extract or work(s) within the context of the larger work from which it has been taken or the body of works to which it belongs, where relevant?
0	The candidate has not reached level 1.
1	Little knowledge of the extract or work(s)  (little knowledge or understanding of the content of the extract or work(s) – little knowledge of the appropriate context of the extract or work(s), where relevant.)
2	Some knowledge of the extract or work(s)  (some knowledge but superficial understanding of the content of the extract or work(s) – some knowledge of the appropriate context of the extract or work(s), where relevant.)
3	Adequate understanding of the extract or work(s)   (adequate knowledge and understanding of the content of the extract or work(s) – adequate knowledge of the appropriate context of the extract or work(s), where relevant.)
4	Good understanding of the extract or work(s)   (good knowledge and understanding of the content of the extract or work(s) – good knowledge of the appropriate context of the extract or work(s), where relevant.)
5	Excellent understanding of the extract or work(s)  (thorough knowledge and understanding of the content of the extract or work(s) – precise knowledge of the appropriate context of the extract or work(s), where relevant.)

B: Interpretation and Personal Response  How valid is the candidate’s interpretation of the extract or work(s)? How well has the candidate identified and analysed the effects of literary features in the extract or work(s), such as diction, imagery, tone, structure, style and technique? To what extent does the candidate’s response show critical thinking and originality? How precise and relevant are the candidate’s references to the extract or work(s)?
0	The candidate has not reached level 1.
1-2	Little interpretation of the extract or work(s)  (little interpretation of the thought and feeling expressed in the extract or work(s) – response consists mainly of narration and/or repetition of content – little awareness of the literary features of the extract or work(s).)
3-4	Some interpretation of the extract or work(s)   (some interpretation of the thought and feeling expressed in the extract or work(s) including some elements of a relevant personal response, where appropriate – some awareness of the literary features of the extract or work(s) – the response is supported by some references to the extract or work(s).)
5-6	Adequate interpretation of the extract or work(s)   (a generally valid and adequate interpretation of the thought and feeling expressed in the extract or work(s) including some degree of a critical personal response, where appropriate – adequate awareness and some analysis of the effects of the literary features of the extract or work(s) – the response is generally supported by relevant references to the extract or work(s).)
7-8	Good interpretation of the extract or work(s)  (a valid and generally detailed interpretation of the thought and feeling expressed in the extract or work(s) including a considered critical response, where appropriate – good awareness and detailed analysis of the effects of the literary features of the extract or work(s) – the response is supported by relevant references to the extract or work(s).)
9-10	Excellent interpretation of the extract or work(s)  (a convincing and detailed interpretation of the thought and feeling expressed in the extract or work(s) including a fully considered and independent critical response, where appropriate – excellent awareness and critical analysis of the effects of the literary features of the extract or work(s) – the response is fully supported by precise references to the extract or work(s).)

C: Presentation  How structured is the candidate’s response? How effective and convincing is the candidate’s presentation? How appropriately does the candidate integrate supporting references to the extract or work(s)?
0	The candidate has not reached level 1.
1-2	Little sense of a focused and developed response  (little evidence of a structure to the response – little attempt to present the response with coherence and focus – the response is supported by few references to the work(s) or extract.)
3-4	Some sense of a focused and developed response  (some evidence of a structure to the response – some attempt to present the response with coherence although it is not always focused – supporting references to the work(s) or extract, where relevant, are not appropriately integrated into the body of the response.)
5-6	A generally focused and developed response  (adequate structure to the response – the response is generally focused and presented in a coherent and effective manner – supporting references to the work(s) or extract, where relevant, are sometimes appropriately integrated into the body of the response.)
7-8	A focused and developed response  (clear and logical structure to the response – the response is focused and presented in a clear, coherent, effective and convincing manner – supporting references to the work(s) or extract, where relevant, are appropriately integrated into the body of the response.)
9-10	A clearly focused, well-developed and persuasive response   (purposeful and effective structure to the response – the response is focused, coherent and presented in a very effective and persuasive manner – supporting references to the work(s) or extract are well integrated into the body of the response.)

D: Use of Language  How accurate, clear and precise is the language used by the candidate? How appropriate is the candidate’s choice of register and style for the occasion? (Register refers, in this context, to the candidate’s sensitivity to elements such as the vocabulary , tone, sentence structure and idiom appropriate to the task.) Literary terms are taken in the widest possible sense, for example, novel, play, poem, persona, character, narrator.
0	The candidate has not reached level 1.
1	The language is rarely clear or coherent  (the speech is not readily comprehensible – many lapses in grammar and expression – vocabulary is rarely accurate or appropriate)
2	The language is only sometimes clear and coherent   (some degree of clarity and coherence in the speech – some degree of accuracy in grammar and expression – vocabulary is sometimes appropriate for the discussion of literature.)
3	The language is generally clear and coherent  (clear speech, appropriate to the occasion – only a few significant lapses in grammar and expression – attempts to use a register appropriate to the oral activity.)
4	The language is clear, varied and precise  (clear, varied and precise speech, appropriate to the occasion – no significant lapses in grammar and expression – uses a register and style appropriate to the oral activity – some literary terms used appropriately.)
5	The language is clear, varied, precise and concise   (clear, varied, precise and concise speech, appropriate to the occasion – no significant lapses in grammar and expression – an effective choice of register and style – precise use of wide vocabulary and varied grammatical structures – literary terms used appropriately.)