IWA #6: Fahrenheit 451, et. al.

Write a well-developed essay on the following prompt:

In some literary works, the author creates a unique society or community in order to make an important point about humanity. Examples of such works are Lord of the Flies, Anthem, and Fahrenheit 451. Discuss how the authors of these novels use their fictional society to convey important ideas about mankind and society in general. Be sure to clearly identify the “important ideas” they express.

Tips to success:

Extensive plot summary will result in a REDO grade (no points), not a REVISE (85 points). Look at diction, metaphor, imagery, setting (time and place), etc., and how the author’s use of these techniques contributes to meaning.

Remember that only REVISE and ACCEPTED essays will be taken for a grade, so submit your IWA early, rather than at the last minute to ensure that your essay will count!

*** More than 5 careless spelling mistakes and 5 careless punctuation errors will result in a REDO grade***

All essays must be typed and adhere to the MLA formatting requirements (see below). All essays must be submitted with the draft in the LEFT pocket (inside front cover) of a 2-pocket portfolio folder. Failure to meet these minimum requirements will result in the draft being returned to the student unevaluated and with no score recorded.

• Type your paper on a computer and print it out on standard, white 8.5 x 11-inch paper.


• Double-space the text of your paper (paragraph settings). Use Times New Roman (Garamond if you're “fancy”); the font size should be 12 pt. (font settings).


• Leave only one space after periods or other punctuation marks.


• Set the margins of your document to 1" on all sides.


• Indent the first line of paragraphs one half-inch from the left margin. MLA recommends that you use the Tab key as opposed to pushing the Space Bar five times, or set your paragraphs to indent the first line 0.5". Do not skip a line (i.e., leave a blank line) between paragraphs.

Drop-Dead Deadline: Thursday, May 26, 2011.
(If no work is received by 5/13, a "Missing" grade (counts as a 0) will be entered into the grade book; some work may receive a temporary "Incomplete" grade (no effect on grade), but that will be replaced with a "Missing" on 5/20.)

Meaning in Anthem

Didn't copy down the graphic showing how to explain the meaning of Anthem based on your analysis of literary devices?

Download it here.

You're welcome.

Anthem Socratic Seminar Questions

Be prepared to discuss these questions in class on Thursday, January 27, 2011.
If you missed the seminar, submit well-thought out written responses to two questions (100%; one question=80%).

If you were in class and did not respond twice, use the back of your remaining half-sheets ("buns") to respond to the questions. If you respond to a question discussed in class, your response must add to the conversation we had. (+10 pts. each.)

WORLD CONNECTION QUESTIONS
How do you think you'd react if you were exiled from a group, team, clique, or organization because of your ideas/thoughts? --J.C. (1st)

How do you think you'd feel if you discovered that everything you know was a lie? --A.B. (3rd)


CLOSE-ENDED QUESTIONS
What did Equality 7-2521 discover in Chapter 3? --L.T. (8th)

What does "equal" mean in Anthem? --P.H. (7th)

What was Equality 7-2521's job? --G.O. (7th)


OPEN-ENDED QUESTIONS
Why did Equality 7-2521 say he was born with a curse? --F.T. (3rd)

Why doesn't the Council allow the citizens to think? --V.A. (7th)


UNIVERSAL THEME / CORE QUESTIONS
Can a Eugenics program like the one in the book ever work? --J.H. (1st)

If fighting for your rights was considered a crime, how would you fight for them? --C.R. (3rd)

Why do people try to control others? --K.M. (8th)


LITERARY ANALYSIS QUESTIONS
How does the dystopian setting help establish the mood of the story? --E.G. (1st)

What is the significance of the two allusions made in Chapter 12? --L.M. (3rd)

How does the mood of the story change from the beginning to the end? --P.J. (8th)

Socratic Seminar Question Types: Anthem

Submit one (1) of each of the following by Wednesday, January 26th. I will pick several and post them to the website that evening. Be prepared to discuss them in class on Thursday., January 27th. Questions may address any and all aspects of Anthem, but particular emphasis should be placed on the second half of the book.


WORLD CONNECTION QUESTIONS
Write one question connecting the text to the real world.

Example: How do you feel when others depend on you for success of the group?


CLOSE-ENDED QUESTIONS
Write one question about the text that will help everyone in the class come to an agreement about events or characters in the text. This question usually has a “correct” answer.

Example: In Chapter 3, which two chemical elements does Equality 7-2521 use to create an electrical current?


OPEN-ENDED QUESTIONS
Write one insightful question about the text that will require proof and group discussion and “construction of logic” to discover or explore the answer to the question.

Example: Why does the Council reject Equality 7-2521's light bulb?


UNIVERSAL THEME/ CORE QUESTIONS
Write one question dealing with a theme(s) of the text that will encourage group discussion about the universality of the text.

Example: After reading Anthem, do you feel it is more important to live individually or as part of a group?


LITERARY ANALYSIS QUESTIONS
Write two questions dealing with HOW an author chose to compose a literary piece. How did the author manipulate point of view, characterization, poetic form, archetypal hero patterns, for example?

Example: In Anthem, why does Rand surround the village by an "uncharted forest"?

Anthem Meaningful Sentences

Use ten of these fifteen vocabulary words from Anthem to write meaningful sentences. Sentences that do not conform to the formula will not receive credit, nor will sentences with misspelled vocabulary. (Due 1/24/2011)

Vocabulary Words:
(click link for dictionary.com entry; number in parentheses is page number in book)

• Transgression (17)
• Vocation (17)
• Portal (19)
• Taut (40)
• Eugenics (41)
• Reprimand (45)
• Humble (66)
• Wretch (71)
• Infamy (71)
• Reverence (93)
• Edict (94)
• Vindicate (95)
• Covet (96)
• Depraved (97)
• Creed (97)

Remember:

• a meaningful sentence is made up of two independent sentences combined with a semicolon (;)


• the first sentence includes a vocabulary word


• the second sentence contains the definition of that vocabulary word


• the first word of the second sentence is not capitalized


• you should underline the vocabulary word and its definition

For instance, if the vocabulary word was:

Anthem (n): a song of praise, devotion, or patriotism.

a meaningful sentence would be:

Before the Super Bowl, a celebrity always sings our national anthem, "The Star-Spangled Banner"; that song fills me with pride for America whenever I hear it.

Pre-AP: IWA #4

Choose one of the following prompts:

Novelists and playwrights often use the names of their characters to add meaning to their work. In a well-organized essay, analyze the significance of character names and name-changes in Anthem, and explain how they contribute to the novella’s meaning.

Darkness and light have long been used to symbolize ignorance and knowledge or sin and redemption. In a well-organized essay, analyze Rand’s use of darkness and light in Anthem, and discuss the way these symbols contribute to the overall meaning of the novella.

Tips to success:

Extensive plot summary will result in a REDO grade (no points), not a REVISE (85 points). Look at diction, metaphor, imagery, etc., and how the author’s use of these techniques contributes to meaning.

Remember that only REVISE and ACCEPTED essays will be taken for a grade, so submit your IWA early, rather than at the last minute to ensure that your essay will count!

*** More than 10 careless spelling mistakes will result in a REDO grade***

All essays must be typed and adhere to the MLA formatting requirements (see below). All essays must be submitted with the draft in the LEFT pocket (inside front cover) of a 2-pocket portfolio folder. Failure to meet these minimum requirements will result in the draft being returned to the student unevaluated and with no score recorded.

• Type your paper on a computer and print it out on standard, white 8.5 x 11-inch paper.


• Double-space the text of your paper (paragraph settings). Use Times New Roman (Garamond if you're “fancy”); the font size should be 12 pt. (font settings).


• Leave only one space after periods or other punctuation marks.


• Set the margins of your document to 1" on all sides.


• Indent the first line of paragraphs one half-inch from the left margin. MLA recommends that you use the Tab key as opposed to pushing the Space Bar five times, or set your paragraphs to indent the first line 0.5". Do not skip a line (i.e., leave a blank line) between paragraphs.

Drop-Dead Deadline: Friday, February 18, 2011.
(If no work is received by 2/4, a "Missing" grade (counts as a 0) will be entered into the grade book; some work may receive a temporary "Incomplete" grade (no effect on grade), but that will be replaced with a "Missing" on 2/11.)

Listen to Anthem

For a free audiobook of Anthem, visit LearnOutLoud.com.

Note: I have not listened to this recording beyond the introduction, so I only know that the reader has a pleasant voice and doesn't know how to pronounce Ayn Rand's first name.

The reader may go nuts and start swearing uncontrollably halfway through for all I know.

...and if that possibility doesn't encourage some of you to download it right now and start listening along as you read, I don't know what will.

Enjoy!

Pre-AP: Ayn Rand/Anthem PowerPoint

Can't get enough of that Ayn Rand/Anthem PowerPoint?

Check it out at Ms. Farinas' Class Blog.