Category Archives: Honors IV

Blake’s “Jerusalem”

Originally crafted as the preface to William Blake’s epic poem Milton, A Poem, “Jerusalem” refers to the common English belief that Joseph of Arimathea traveled to Britain with his nephew, Jesus, during the lost years of Jesus’s life not recorded in the Gospels. British church tradition views Jerusalem as a metaphor for heaven, a state of universal peace and love. These lines were set to music in 1916 by Sir Hubert Parry. The resulting hymn is now an unofficial anthem of England. It is sung annually at the Last Night of the Proms, an eight-week series of summer classical music concerts conducted at the Royal Albert Hall. It has also been sung at cricket and football matches, the opening ceremonies of the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, the royal wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, various films, and, memorably, in sketches by Monty Python.

This is a nice video of the British countryside accompanied by a choral arrangement of the hymn. Enjoy!

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Johnson’s Updated Dictionary

johnsonAfter our study of Samuel Johnson’s dictionary, we decided to apply our knowledge of satire and create some definitions of our own. Here are some especially good examples of modern additions to the Dictionary:

alligator – an aggressive mascot that protects Florida from Seminoles.

Apple – company that brainwashes people to buy anything they sell; a fruit.

boyfriend/girlfriend – intimate partner for arguing and special moments.

cell phone – something everyone under the age of 50 can’t be without; brain tumor; a device that enslaves humans to a small screen.

college – main cause of gaining 15 lbs.

dance – event students use to do inappropriate things in front of administrators.

eyebrows – hair above your eyes so your face doesn’t look weird.

Facebook – website used to get to know someone without ever talking to them; acceptable stalking.

female – sex that produces ova or bears young, makes all smart decisions, should be president, wears the pants, and according to Beyonce, “runs the world.”

Hollister – the cave where kids work for pennies.

Instagram – social media website where everyone is a photographer; device used by females to get the attention of males.

male – sex that produces sperm.

money – something the government takes away from you.

senioritis – the lack of caring about how scientific this definition should be.

soccer (football) – a sport the whole world except the U.S. plays.

sour gummies – God’s gift to the world.

teacher – a human who ruins children’s hopes and dreams.

television – a brain microwave; the device which major corporations use to brainwash the populace.

trench coat – attire that should be illegal in all states except Rhode Island; used by pocketwatch vendors and your mom’s felon uncle.

UF – college where people who think they are smart and good sports go to get beaten by FSU; acronym for the University of Florida.

word – this.

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Macbeth Final Writing

chasseriau_macbethNow that we have completed our reading of Macbeth, you will be submitting an analytical essay of the play as your final assessment. The objective is to reveal your knowledge of how evidence presented in Macbeth supports a major theme of the work.

In your essay, you will select a theme from the ones introduced in the Macbeth Anticipation Guide. Your task is to show, through specific evidence from the text, how Shakespeare presents the theme and the conclusion Shakespeare draws about it. For example, if you pick the statement Patriotism requires obedience to the government authority, you would need to consider Macbeth’s actions (he knowingly kills the king and usurps the throne), Malcolm and Donalbain’s position (although Malcolm is named Duncan’s heir, the nobles follow Macbeth as the new king), and Macduff’s decision to distance himself from Macbeth’s court.

As evidence, you need to consider character actions, speeches, and even scenes. When you record information to use as your support, remember to include the Act and Scene numbers. For example, if you are discussing Lady Macbeth’s sleepwalking scene, you would need to reference V.1 (Act V, Scene 1). If you quote a particular line, then you would use the line numbers as well:

“Out, damned spot! Out, I say!” (V.1, 31)

You may also include your Act and Scene reference within the paragraph itself. If you do that, then any direct quotation you include would only need to list the line numbers after the quote:

The price of ambition is the main topic of conversation between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth in Act I, Scene 7. At this point in the play, Macbeth is having second thoughts about killing King Duncan. Lady Macbeth chides Macbeth to stick with his original decision, telling him, “But screw your courage to the sticking-place, and we’ll not fail.” (60-61).

If you are including multiple lines of dialogue, then you need to indent and single-space the quotation:

Banquo, impressed with the witches’ prophecies to Macbeth, asks for a prophecy of his own. The witches’ reply is less specific:

First Witch: Lesser than Macbeth, but greater.
Second Witch: Not so happy, but happier.
Third Witch: Thou shalt get kings, though thou be none. So all hail, Macbeth and Banquo!
First Witch: Banquo and Macbeth, all hail! (I.3, 65-69)

You will use the version of Macbeth printed in the textbook for your Act, Scene, and line references.

A printed draft of the essay is due in class Monday, February 25 for peer review and commenting. You will receive a grade for your participation in the peer review session, so be sure you have a draft ready to go! Your final essay of no more than 750 words (three double-spaced pages) should be submitted to Edmodo by the end of the day Wednesday, February 27. You will upload your essay to the posted assignment in .doc, .docx, or .pdf format. Other formats do not permit me to make annotations for your review. See me if you have submission issues.

Good luck, and happy writing!

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Florida Teens Read Titles 2012-2013

Panthers are invited once again to take part in the Media Center’s Florida Teens Read/Paw Prints program for this year. Students who read one of the FTR or PP books may come to the media center to take a quiz.  A passing score is 70%.  Students who pass will be given a symbolic charm for that book and a quiz certificate.  Extra credit may be earned by reading if you show me your successful certificate! We only allow a student to retake a quiz if the teacher authorizes it.  Students who pass the most quizzes will be invited to the teen literature celebration in May.

Bedford, Martyn. Flip.

Alex is not expecting to wake up in someone else’s body, and doesn’t know how to convince his “new” family that he is not their son Phillip (Flip). He discovers that he and Flip have switched souls, but what happened to his original body and is there a way back home?

 

Condie, Ally. Matched.

Cassia looks forward to her matching ceremony where the Society will reveal the man she will marry.  Her match seems perfect until a computer error causes Cassia to question the trust she has in the Society’s choice for her as well as the other aspects of life and death that are controlled by them. She now has many dangerous secrets to keep including an illegal poem and her growing love for someone other than her ideal match.

 

de la Pena, Matt. I Will Save You.

Kidd has run away from a group home and his past.  He finds a job at the beach and meets rich girl Olivia.  Devon has a death wish and follows Kidd to the beach; Devon’s not leaving until he teaches Kidd some lessons about life, and about Olivia.

 

Flinn, Alex. Cloaked.

From being an average teenager working at his family’s shoe repair shop in the South Beach area of Miami, Johnny is all pulled into a fairytale world.  He meets talking animals, giants, witches, a princess, a prince, giants and the girl of his dreams.  Based on several obscure fairytales, Johnny’s travels take him from Miami to the Florida Keys, to Europe, and Manhattan as he tries to do what is right while he saves the day.

 

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Grennan, Conor. Little Princes: One Man’s Promise to Bring Home the Lost Children of Nepal.

Conor Grennan takes a year-long trip around the world with plans to volunteer for three months at an orphanage in Nepal. At first he is surprised to find that he really cares about the children. Then he figures out that they are not really orphans, but instead children who have been stolen from their homes.  Conor makes it his mission to reunite the children with their families.

 

Hautman, Pete. Blank Confession.

Detective Rawls is going to be late for dinner.  Sixteen-year-old Shane Blank has just calmly walked into the police station and said he killed someone.  Shane won’t get to the point though.  Who? Where? So, the detective must listen as Shane tells his confession, but is that the whole story? Mikey, Shane’s unusual friend, also has a suspenseful story to tell about drug dealing, bullies, the killing, and a high school superhero.

 

Herbach, Geoff. Stupid Fast.

Felton Reinstein’s  sudden growth spurt transforms him from a geeky loner into a popular athlete–strong, fast and stupid. Dazed and confused, Felton is busy with his new friends, sports, and beautiful girlfriend. Meanwhile, his younger brother is obsessed with their father’s suicide, and his mother is sliding into mental illness.  Can Felton get smart in time to save his family?

 

Johnson, Maureen. The Name of the Star.

Rory is from rural Louisiana and is very different from her peers at their London boarding school.  Her main issues include having to play field hockey and avoiding Charlotte, the head girl, until series of gruesome murders makes headlines for copying the Jack the Ripper crimes from over a century ago. Her school is located in the middle of the Ripper’s territory and Rory is only one who has seen the killer. She wants to help the police, but how do you catch a murderer who is a ghost?

 

King, A. S.  Please Ignore Vera Dietz.

Vera has kept her best friend Charlie’s secrets for years; she secretly loves him.  Charlie betrays Vera then dies under mysterious circumstances.  Will Charlie quit haunting Vera as she tries to grow up and make the best of the mess that is her life?  Will Vera share the secrets that will clear Charlie’s name?

 

Maberry, Jonathon. Rot & Ruin.

Newly apprenticed zombie hunter Benny Imura discovers that love and life aren’t always what they seem while on an adventure with a super hot “wild” girl, the girl next door, and his loser older brother.  Fighting through valleys of zoms, tracking several rogue zombie hunters, and experiencing his first kiss make Benny’s first few weeks on the job unforgettable.

 

Matson, Morgan. Amy & Roger’s Epic Detour.

After the death of her father Amy must travel to a new city.  Enter Roger to do the driving.  As Amy and Roger travel across the country from California to Connecticut trying to pick up the pieces of their lives, their road trip ends up being a series of detours.  As they travel from place to place and meet a series of other characters they learn more about each other which leads to discovering more about themselves.

 

Nelson, Blake. Recovery Road.

While in a rehabilitation facility for drug and alcohol abuse, Maddie meets Stewart, who is also in treatment. While there, they fall in love. Once released, Maddie tries to rebuild her life, but Stewart struggles with staying sober. In the end Maddie has to decide what she really wants from life and how Stewart fits into her plans.

 

Resau, Laura. The Queen of Water.

When Virginia is taken from her poor farming village in Ecuador to work as a servant for an upper-class family, she dreams of getting an education and a new life. However, the opportunity is not what it seems, as she is treated like a slave and has to study in secret as she struggles to find her place in the world. Based on a true story.

 

Revis, Beth.  Across the Universe.

Amy and her parents are cryogenically frozen for their 301-year journey on the ship Godspeed to start life on a new planet. Something goes wrong and Amy is “unplugged” early. It appears someone on the ship is trying to murder the frozens. Elder has been raised on the ship and he will one day take over leadership of the crew and the important mission of getting the frozen colonists to the new world.  Amy and Elder must unravel the mystery before her parents and others are left to thaw and die.

 

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Roth, Veronica. Divergent.

In this dystopian society, each person is forced to join one of  five factions, determined by taking a personality test. Sixteen year old Beatrice “Tris” Prior chooses the physically daring Dauntless faction, and embarks on a gruelling initiation reminiscent of The Hunger Games.  Meanwhile, Tris must keep secret that she is actually a Divergent, a misfit, who would be targeted for death by the dangerous ruling class.

Happy Reading!

 

 

 

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Congratulations, NEHS Members!

Congratulations to the sustaining and newly-inducted members of NEHS!

Courtney Alakan
Alex Azzopardi
Karina Baron
Jennifer Carvajal
Priyanka Chandra
Harrison Chau
Drew Doyle
Kristen Edson
Stephanie Gomez
Adel Hanna
Tyissha Hudson
Kerlande Joseph
Linda Le
Ricky Liang
Michelle Maki
Josiah Martin
Eve Miller
Michaela Myers
Denise Nguyenphu
Nick Roberts
Ana Salas
Shannon Satorre
Stephanie Schreiber
Marianne Scotti
Shane Thomas
Justice Thornton
Dazhane Turman
Lexus Walker
Joanne Zamora
Valerie Zephyr

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Lord of the Flies Final Writing

Now that we have completed our reading of Lord of the Flies, you will be submitting a college-style essay as your final assessment in lieu of a test. The objective is to reveal your knowledge of the work through your use of specific examples from the selected text to support your viewpoint.

In your essay, you should name a quality or characteristic you believe to be vital for successful survival. Some possibilities are communication skills, intelligence, strength, leadership, etc. Your essay should show, using examples from the book, why that trait is so important. So if you pick intelligence, for example, you can include information from the book to show where intelligence helped the boys. You can also show how ignoring intelligence caused problems (which reinforces why it’s so vital).

Your 500-word essay (that’s two double-spaced pages) should be submitted to Edmodo by the end of the day Wednesday, October 9. You will upload your essay to the posted assignment in .doc or .docx format. Other formats do not permit me to make annotations for your review. See me if you have submission issues.

Good luck, and happy writing!

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