Class Notes

These notes are meant to help you study for your weekly quizzes. Sometimes I will put other special topics here that only our class has talked about. The earliest information is at the bottom, and the most recent is at the top.

Week Four
We went over descriptive writing using a Power Point and I should have given some advice about using sensory language, interesting adjectives, and complex sentences. As to Animal Farm, there will be no posting of new vocabulary from the third section of the book. Please review the vocabulary from the previous two sections for synonyms, and expect that other words from section three will be shown with the original sentence, and that you should be able to explain the meaning of the word from context. Key passages have been alluded to in HW5, but any others you should find from your own critical thinking and our class discussion during week five.

Week Three
New vocab to notice:
Pretext (45), publican (46), dynamo (48), incubators (49), peculiar (52), moonshine (55), arable (62), solicitor (64), regarded (67), gale (69), malignity (70), indignation (70), capitulated (76), categorically (82), cowered (82), collaborated (83), countenance (83), retribution (85)

Highlights of Chapters V – VII
Chapter V
Mollie disappears (46), “The whole farm was deeply divided on the subject of the windmill.” (50), Napoleon forces Snowball off Animal Farm (52 – 53), no more debates (54), Boxer adds a second personal maxim (56), Napoleon plans to build the windmill in two years and claims it as his own idea (57).
Chapter VI
Napoleon decides to engage in trade by selling hay, wheat, and eggs (63), gets Mr. Whymper to handle business and legal affairs for the farm (64 – 65), pigs sleep in beds (66 – 67), a storm blows over the windmill but Napoleon blames Snowball (70).
Chapter VII
Whymper is deceived and reports to the outside world that there is no food shortage on Animal farm (75), the hens rebel against Napoleon but are starved into submission (76 – 77), Snowball’s courage at the battle of Cowshed is attributed to Napoleon (80 – 82), four pigs confess their crimes (83 – 84) and are killed immediately, then other animals confess too, and they are killed as well. Clover notices the changes in Animal Farm (87), the animals sing the Beasts of England sadly (87), but then are told by Squealer (88) that the song has been outlawed.

We used Wednesday and part of Thursday preparing for the quiz, and the rest of Thursday taking it. HW4 should have been received by me Thursday. Friday we can examine chapter V in some depth, and perhaps get into chapter VI as well. The quiz on part two of the book is still scheduled for next Wednesday right now. Please check back this weekend for vocabulary help on part two of the book.

Week Two

Vocabulary helps: (21 words from chapters one to four; the nine bolded words are already on your 75 SAT College Prep word list, and 25 more words from that list will be given below, without definitions, but with page numbers so you can find them)
Hideous (page 7) – terrible, horrible

Apathy (page 16) – lack of concern, no feelings

Maxim (page 34) – saying, motto, proverb

Adjoin (page 38) – border, be next to

Shrewd (page 38) – clever, sharp-witted

Cannibalism (page 39) – the idea of humans eating other humans, eating your own kind

Tractable (page 39) – obedient, dutiful

Irrepressible (page 40) – unmanageable, out of control

Skirmish (page 41) – initial combat, early battle

Maneuver (page 41) – tactic, battle plan (British spelling adds an “o”)

Flight (page 41) – escape, running away

Ambush (page 41) – surprise attack, trap

Stone (page 42) – a British unit of weight equal to 14 pounds (6.4kg)

Bolt (page 42) – a sprint, dash, or quick run

Ignominious (page 42) – shameful, disgraceful, dishonorable, embarrassing

Sentimentality (page 43) – over-romanticizing, sappiness, corniness, over-emotionality

Impromptu (page 43) – spontaneous, unplanned, unrehearsed

Unanimously (page 44) – undisputedly, “with one voice,” a vote with no opposition

Decoration (page 44) – honor, medal, award

Confer (page 44) – to give, present, or award

Posthumous (page 44) – done after death

Other words from Animal Farm 75 SAT College Prep vocabulary words list appearing in chapters one to four (if you know of others, please email me): abolish (7), benevolent (4), cryptic (30), dole (28), ensconce (4), falter (10), forelock (33), fortnight (38), gambol (22), generation (9), hoist (30), implement (27), inscribe (24), league (32), leisure (7), prosperity (10), scullery (23), seclusion (35), toil (13), trotter (10), unison (13), vicious (41), wean (35), whelp (35), windfall (35).


In class, we went through chapter one in some detail, both in small groups and as a whole class, and discussed why Old Major's speech was persuasive. We found four parts of the talk that night in the barn (chapter one), and the class was given HW3 (see post above). Then, we discussed a break-down of the highlights of the four chapters, which I will put at the bottom for you.

Old Major's speech is persuasive because:
1. He treats the other animals as equals
2. He builds their anticipation (leaves some mystery)
3. Uses simple, direct language
4. Uses emotional language to appeal to each group of animals
5. Asks emotional questions, then gives logical answers
6. Appeals to unity by identifying common problems among all animals
7. Identifies a common enemy for all animals - Man
8. Appeals to a sense of duty to destiny, ancestors or religion by use of a dream
9. Uses an easy-to-remember song to stir emotions
10. Plants the idea of freedom as a legacy to future generations, with no immediate self gain.
11. Uses a vote during his speech to show he is listening to the opinions of his audience
12. Draws on his respect on the farm, and his comparatively long years of wisdom

The four parts of the talk that night:
1. The speech, which is interrupted by the vote
2. The vote on whether or not wild animals are comrades
3. The dream
4. The song - Beasts of England

Highlights in Animal Farm chapters 1 to 4
I. Old Major's Speech (see above)
II. The Rebellion
Moses the Raven and Sugarcandy mountain (pages 17-18) - heaven for animals?
The Rebellion (page 19) - lack of food and mistreatment
Pigs can read! (page 23)
The Seven Commandments (pages 24-25)
III. The Republic of Animal Farm
Benjamin's attitude towards Rebellion is neutral (page 30)
Meetings and debates (page 31) Snowball and Napoleon both active and in opposition
Snowball's committees (page 32)
Animalism's single maxim (page 34) - four legs good, two legs bad (how about birds?)
Napoleon concentrates on education of the young (page 34)
Squealer persuades other animals why pigs need milk and apples (page 36)
IV. The Battle of Cowshed
The Enemy approaches (page 40)
Skirmish (page 41)
Feint (41)
Attack from the rear and cut them off (41)
Heat of Battle (42)
The Enemy retreats (42)
Animal Hero, First Class (44) for Snowball and Boxer

Articles (usually The New York Times)

If the article is required, it will be handed out in class. If not required, please search for the title on The New York Times web site, Google, or follow the link below. Required articles often have special questions I've made for them. If there are no questions provided, I expect a 150-word minimum summary and a 250-minimum reaction to the article.

Here is a list of the articles we will do, which will be updated as we do them:

Week One: New York Times - Equal Rights Ascending - questions were amended!
Week Two: (not required) New York Times - Why Does College Cost So Much?
Week Three: (not required) New York Times - Absorbing the Pain
Week Four: Fool.com - When Rich People Do Stupid Things HW6 questions due 3/14
Week Five: (not required) New York Times - China's Winning Schools - 7 questions attached
Week Six: no article (testing week)
Week Seven: New York Times - One Hundred Years of Multitude - 5 questions attached: HW8
Week Eight: Long weekend for tomb sweeping day: spend time with your family - no article.
Week Nine: HW10: article on autism called "children with Asperger often live in fear of teasing due on Thursday, 14 April - 150 summary and 250-word reaction (opinion).
Weeks Ten and Week Eleven: You will be away on your bike trip around Taiwan. There is a New York Times article for homework extra credit called Times of Upheaval for which you should provide the usual summary and reaction. I hope at some point you can put a reflection on your blog about your bike trip, perhaps with some photos. Good luck and enjoy!
Week Twelve: HW11 Article due Friday 5/6 250-word reaction only on 10 Natural Wonders to See Before They Disapppear
Week Thirteen: When We Hated Mom for extra credit by 5/15 - 250-word reaction only (+ 5 points)
Week Seventeen: an extra article to read and post on if interested:

D-Day Veterans Recall World War II Turning Point

Week Eighteen: article reaction (250 words) 96 year-old Dutch woman confesses to World War II-era murder due 6/17

My main reasons for offering articles are:
To give you more examples of "authentic text," which are things written in English that are meant for native speakers, not for students. This gives you a real feel for the language, and a goal to shoot for.
To introduce some non-fiction into the curriculum. We do a lot of fiction in literature class, but as a reading class it is doing you a disservice to not let you read at least some non-fiction, which will be readily apparent in your lives both at university and work. It can also be useful and quite interesting.
To support the themes that are in our books, and provide more information about them, perhaps for projects or further research.
To tie-in with other courses or subjects you are studying now, or other book themes you have done in the past, or current events that shape our world, or for insight into other culture through those events or articles.
Finally, just to have interesting discussions or writing topics. It's good at times to get away for the usual things we do.

A preview

We're going to be doing several things that might help you look at stuff from an unusual viewpoint. I remember when I first read Crime and Punishment, and the main character was going into the rich lady's apartment to axe her to death for her money, and he did not close the door to her apartment, I wondered out loud "But he did not close the door!" And that was his undoing. Do you notice things, or clues, in something you are reading? Things that are not there, or something left unsaid? Why is that person gone, or what would have happened if that character stayed? Why did the author write it this way, and not another?

If you ask questions like this you will be well on your way to becoming a better reader. But I hope you can also become more aware of other cultures and people who have different perspectives than you do. Some people may look quite different or seem unusual, but if you listen closely to what they are saying, instead of how they are saying it, perhaps, you could learn a lot.