consider becoming a tutor

If you have a B or better in your writing classes, consider becoming a tutor at De Anza. One of the best ways to learn is to teach. Tutoring also fosters good communication skills and can often be fun. Oh, and you get paid. If you'd like to do it, feel free to ask me for a recommendation.

grades submitted

I have submitted grades for both section 18 and section 62. I don't know when they'll be available to view on MyPortal.

Have a good break and consider reading some of the other stories in our book.

EWRT1B Final

Section 18's final is Tuesday, March 24th from 4-6 in our classroom, L46.

Section 62's final is Tuesday, March 24th from 6:15-8:15 in our classroom, L46.

Bring…

• Your Frankenstein reading notes. Hand back in your old ones. I'll check them over and give them back to you along with the ones you turned in Thursday. They are the only notes you can use on the final.
• A print copy of Frankenstein. Print only. I will bring one extra copy.
• Paper, pens, and a print dictionary (if you'd like).

Get a good night's sleep and I'll see you then.

End of Frankenstein and Reading Response 8

If you haven't submitted your final draft of Essay 3 to Turnitin, you must do so.

We will turn in the last set of reading notes, chapters 17-21 and 22-end, Thursday.

As I said in class, for Reading Response 8 I want you to chose one of the reading questions for Frankenstein and use it as a prompt. Please put the number of which question you are responding to in your title. Your answer to the question is your argument; support it with specific evidence from the book. This is due Thursday, March 19th.

Research paper final draft

And here we are. The final draft of the research paper is due Tuesday. Remember…

• Submit your paper to Turnitin. This is required. The assignment is listed as "Essay 3 final draft." If your originality report is above 20%, then you need to fix your citations and resubmit your paper. If you are confused, please contact me.
• Hand back in your first draft with your final draft Tuesday. I want to see your changes.

Remember that there is a good revision list on page 1675 of our book. Also, consider rereading the handout for Essay 3 to make sure your paper is on track and meets the requirements. Again, the paper should be an analysis of one of our stories using outside research to do that analysis. Organize around your points, not around the sources. The sources should support your voice. Be sure to cite all your sources. MLA is a requirement. If you are freaking out or getting stuck, please contact me.

Frankenstein reading notes and Reading Response 7 Thursday

So we'll be turning in the reading notes up through chapter 16 this Thursday. See the former post here.

Reading Response 7 will be done in class. I'm hoping that your reading notes will help you with the response.

And just for fun, here's a link to Percy Bysshe Shelley's poem "Mont Blanc."

Research paper first draft due Tuesday, March 10th

Here are a few thoughts on the first draft…

• Review the section in our book about drafting the paper- 1665-1666
• Consider refining the thesis statement before you begin.
• The thesis should be an answer to your original question, but it is possible that your focus has changed based on your research.
• The goal is to analyze the primary text, the story. Your research is just helping you to do that.
• Use your outline to find potential problems before you begin writing.
• A draft is a complete essay. So make this as complete as possible.
• Use full MLA citation. That means in-text citation and a works cited list. This is your last chance to see if you are doing MLA citation right before you are graded for it.
• All that in mind, this is just your first pass at this paper. Be nice to yourself.
• Please submit your draft to Turnitin. This is mostly a test; I haven't used Turnitin for a research paper before, so I want a dry run before the final draft. Also, it can help you see where you may have failed to quote your sources properly.

Frankenstein map

Remember, the reading notes for Frankenstein will be turned in March 12th, not March 10th.

Here is a map that shows Walton's and Victor's locations in the beginning of the book. Click to embiggen.

Reading Response 6

Reading Response 6 - Frankenstein, letter 1 - chapter 4

Due: Thursday, March 5 

Choose one. Provide specific evidence from the novel to support your argument.

1. Walton’s desire is to discover the North Pole and the external conflicts he faces stem from that. But what drives him to do it? In other words, describe Walton’s inner conflict. Look at what we know of his past and consider comparing Walton with what we know of his sister, Mrs. Margaret Saville.

2. Compare and contrast the ambitions of Victor and Walton.  How do the two men see their responsibilities to themselves and others?  What kinds of values and motivations may be operating for each person?

3. What do you think of Victor at this point? What kind of character is he? Consider looking at his relationship with his family, with Elizabeth, and/or to his education.

4. Choose your own focus for analysis.

Frankenstein reading questions

Use these questions to help focus your reading. If you want to print this out, a pdf of this is on the class site through MyPortal.

1. Is Victor Frankenstein a dynamic character? In other words, does he change throughout the novel? Does he learn anything?

2. Is the novel saying that too much knowledge is a bad thing? Are exploration and discovery portrayed as misguided or noble?

3. What does the novel tell us about education? Look at both Victor and the Creature, but don’t forget Clerval and Safie. Does education help characters to overcome barriers or does it create more problems? 

4. What is the cause of Victor’s guilt, according to him? According to the Creature? According to you?

5. Which characters have a voice in society and which do not? Why are certain characters denied voice? Is there a pattern?

6. Is the Creature good or evil? Is he innately so or is he made that way? Is there a villain in this novel?

7. Why does Victor remain silent about the Creature until the end? Is his silence justified?

8. Why doesn’t the Creature simply kill Victor early on? Look at how the Creature behaves over Victor’s coffin. Does this scene give you any other insights as to why the Creature didn’t kill Victor?

9. Look at how women are treated in this novel. Is there some kind of pattern? Do the women inhabit similar worlds? Contrast that with the worlds inhabited by the men.

10. Is Victor a reliable narrator? Is Walton? Is the Creature? Who do you trust the most? Why?

Frankenstein reading notes

Take reading notes for every group of chapters assigned from Frankenstein. For instance, for Thursday take notes for "Letter 1" through "Chapter 4." We will be turning in the notes twice: Thursday, March 12 and Thursday, March 19. A template is below. Either download it and print it out or follow the format on your own piece of paper.