Most people would agree that theme and controlling idea are quite similar concepts. The main difference, I would suggest, is that theme is often specifically tied to the way we respond to a work of literature, while controlling idea offers a more general way of thinking about responding to a wide range of writing, including non-fiction work.
Theme is often described as what a literary work tells us, though never directly, about life, about the problems we face as human beings, about the issues we struggle with. Theme is usually the issue the work of literature addresses plus what the story tells us about that issue.
Same thing with controlling idea, except it can tell us about a broader range of issues. For example, a controlling idea could be found in a scientific paper. The controlling idea is usually the topic addressed in the work plus what the work says about that topic.
Try looking here for what I think is a pretty good descpription of the difference between a topic or issue and what the work says about the topic or issue.
Monday, February 28, 2011
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Creative Writing Class Portfolio Etc.
Creative Writing:
As we move forward in this class, we’ll need to consider what work you will be doing as the semester progresses. I’m envisioning this process in the following way:
1) Creative Writing: This will be the imaginative writing you do inside and outside class and will be divided into two main branches --
a. Assigned creative writing exercises – this will include all the writing exercises we do in class or as homework, such as the dream writing you did last week;
b. Your own creative work. This is your work, which will be presented in a portfolio at the end of the semester. The portfolio must include the following examples of your work (see portfolio posting for the exact requirement of this aspect of the course):
i. Non-fiction personal narrative or reflection
ii. Short Fiction
iii. Poetry
2) Literary Response Essay and English Regents: This will involve honing your skills in writing tightly organized responses on theme, character, other important literary elements in response to works of literature. Key words in this domain will include: thesis statement, topic sentences, body paragraphs, use of supporting evidence from text.
3) Reading: this area of study will focus on continuing to read compelling but challenging works of literature. I’ll give the class a menu of possible directions for spheres of study. Choice will not be unlimited, and you will need to enlist at least a small group of students in your class to pursue one of the tracks. Here are three possible areas for further reading:
a.The Mary Shelley/Gothic Lit Track: Students in this group will have an opportunity to read Mary Shelley’s remarkable later novel, The Last Man,and another famous example of the gothic, The Monk by Mathew Lewis
Here’s a description of the Mary Shelley’s novel:
“This novel follows Frankenstein as one of the earliest examples of science fiction in English. It also presents characters who can be seen, in some of their aspects, to resemble certain members of the Shelley circle. The narrative begins in the late 21st century in an England which has become a republic, focusing at first on the conflicting worlds of the domestic and political. But as the plague takes hold and spreads relentlessly, the novel's view expands to encompass Europe and the world scene. Dark, even existential in its mood, The Last Man shows the demise of the human race highlighted against its greatest achievement as the ever decreasing band of survivors make their way across the Alps to the warm cities of the South.”
Here a plot description of The Monk followed by two excerpts from reviews:
“Set in the sinister monastery of the Capuchins in Madrid, The Monk is a violent tale of ambition, murder, and incest. The great struggle between maintaining monastic vows and fulfilling personal ambitions leads its main character, the monk Ambrosio, to temptation and the breaking of his vows, then to sexual obsession and rape, and finally to murder in order to conceal his guilt.
`This is the highly popular and equally highly vilified Gothic novel, written in 1794. Gruesome, voluptuous, and occasionally tongue-in-cheek, The Monk is a masterpiece of its genre.' Sunday Telegraph
`What distinguishes The Monk from a whole raft of lesser imitations is the quality of the storytelling ... There's always a danger of bathos in narratives where horror is piled on horror ... Lewis avoids that pitfall by judicious use of humour. He also writes with great visual immediacy. Lewis has a remarkable understanding of human psychology. The Monk is a stunning read. It was published 200 years ago. I hope this article is not the only celebration of that bicentenary.' Simon Brett, The Sunday Times.”
b. The Dickens track: For those less interested in Gothic literature, the chance to read Dickens’ great novel, David Copperfield, is offered. This is a deeply autobiographical novel about Dickens early life. It examines the effect of brutal parenting, poverty, and deep injustices on a child, and then goes on to depict a society in which social class and money dominate all things. It is one of the great world novels, and is filled with powerful scenes. For those interested in vocabulary development this novel offers perhaps the best chance for further development. Because the novel is longer than the others, readers of this novel will receive bonus credit for selecting it.
c. The Count of Monte Cristo track: For those with a taste for adventure writing, Alexander Dumas’ masterpiece makes powerful reading:
From a slightly edited Amazon review: “Monte Cristo is an absolutely wonderful and wonderfully written masterpiece that tells the story of a young man who could be any of several people that you and I know. It is a story of injustice, despair, remorse, cruelty, misfortune, and evil. Edmond is one of the greatest dynamic characters of all time, innocently sent to face punishment that he in no way deserves. After escaping from prison, Edmond then becomes an avenger, rewarding those that were his true friends, and exacting revenge upon those that caused him pain. A wonderful story, with excellent characters and an intricate plot.”
As we move forward in this class, we’ll need to consider what work you will be doing as the semester progresses. I’m envisioning this process in the following way:
1) Creative Writing: This will be the imaginative writing you do inside and outside class and will be divided into two main branches --
a. Assigned creative writing exercises – this will include all the writing exercises we do in class or as homework, such as the dream writing you did last week;
b. Your own creative work. This is your work, which will be presented in a portfolio at the end of the semester. The portfolio must include the following examples of your work (see portfolio posting for the exact requirement of this aspect of the course):
i. Non-fiction personal narrative or reflection
ii. Short Fiction
iii. Poetry
2) Literary Response Essay and English Regents: This will involve honing your skills in writing tightly organized responses on theme, character, other important literary elements in response to works of literature. Key words in this domain will include: thesis statement, topic sentences, body paragraphs, use of supporting evidence from text.
3) Reading: this area of study will focus on continuing to read compelling but challenging works of literature. I’ll give the class a menu of possible directions for spheres of study. Choice will not be unlimited, and you will need to enlist at least a small group of students in your class to pursue one of the tracks. Here are three possible areas for further reading:
a.The Mary Shelley/Gothic Lit Track: Students in this group will have an opportunity to read Mary Shelley’s remarkable later novel, The Last Man,and another famous example of the gothic, The Monk by Mathew Lewis
Here’s a description of the Mary Shelley’s novel:
“This novel follows Frankenstein as one of the earliest examples of science fiction in English. It also presents characters who can be seen, in some of their aspects, to resemble certain members of the Shelley circle. The narrative begins in the late 21st century in an England which has become a republic, focusing at first on the conflicting worlds of the domestic and political. But as the plague takes hold and spreads relentlessly, the novel's view expands to encompass Europe and the world scene. Dark, even existential in its mood, The Last Man shows the demise of the human race highlighted against its greatest achievement as the ever decreasing band of survivors make their way across the Alps to the warm cities of the South.”
Here a plot description of The Monk followed by two excerpts from reviews:
“Set in the sinister monastery of the Capuchins in Madrid, The Monk is a violent tale of ambition, murder, and incest. The great struggle between maintaining monastic vows and fulfilling personal ambitions leads its main character, the monk Ambrosio, to temptation and the breaking of his vows, then to sexual obsession and rape, and finally to murder in order to conceal his guilt.
`This is the highly popular and equally highly vilified Gothic novel, written in 1794. Gruesome, voluptuous, and occasionally tongue-in-cheek, The Monk is a masterpiece of its genre.' Sunday Telegraph
`What distinguishes The Monk from a whole raft of lesser imitations is the quality of the storytelling ... There's always a danger of bathos in narratives where horror is piled on horror ... Lewis avoids that pitfall by judicious use of humour. He also writes with great visual immediacy. Lewis has a remarkable understanding of human psychology. The Monk is a stunning read. It was published 200 years ago. I hope this article is not the only celebration of that bicentenary.' Simon Brett, The Sunday Times.”
b. The Dickens track: For those less interested in Gothic literature, the chance to read Dickens’ great novel, David Copperfield, is offered. This is a deeply autobiographical novel about Dickens early life. It examines the effect of brutal parenting, poverty, and deep injustices on a child, and then goes on to depict a society in which social class and money dominate all things. It is one of the great world novels, and is filled with powerful scenes. For those interested in vocabulary development this novel offers perhaps the best chance for further development. Because the novel is longer than the others, readers of this novel will receive bonus credit for selecting it.
c. The Count of Monte Cristo track: For those with a taste for adventure writing, Alexander Dumas’ masterpiece makes powerful reading:
From a slightly edited Amazon review: “Monte Cristo is an absolutely wonderful and wonderfully written masterpiece that tells the story of a young man who could be any of several people that you and I know. It is a story of injustice, despair, remorse, cruelty, misfortune, and evil. Edmond is one of the greatest dynamic characters of all time, innocently sent to face punishment that he in no way deserves. After escaping from prison, Edmond then becomes an avenger, rewarding those that were his true friends, and exacting revenge upon those that caused him pain. A wonderful story, with excellent characters and an intricate plot.”
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Vocabulary for Chapters 1-8
Here are vocabulary words for Chapters 1-8
prognosticate, imbue, dabble, deprave, ignominy, vacillate, palpitate, console, exculpate, elixir, immutable, irreparable, serene, perpetrate, imbibe, livid, multifarious, ramble, indefatigable, abode, mien, invulnerable, bauble, pittance, traverse, irreproachable, philosopher, fester, disposition, turbulence, allude, indelible, ardent, timorous, alleviate, incipient, rapture, progeny, perdition, tedious, guile, physiognomy, ignominious, emaciated, verdant, callous, menace, depravity, omnipotent, repugnance, celestial, conjecture, vagrant, sustenance, desolate, filial, eulogy, incredulous, apathy, chivalrous, impediment, inexorable, inconceivable, delirium, impenetrable, subdue, indignation, oblivion, dismal, acquisition, appall, integrity, disdain, despise, grandeur, dreary, venerable
prognosticate, imbue, dabble, deprave, ignominy, vacillate, palpitate, console, exculpate, elixir, immutable, irreparable, serene, perpetrate, imbibe, livid, multifarious, ramble, indefatigable, abode, mien, invulnerable, bauble, pittance, traverse, irreproachable, philosopher, fester, disposition, turbulence, allude, indelible, ardent, timorous, alleviate, incipient, rapture, progeny, perdition, tedious, guile, physiognomy, ignominious, emaciated, verdant, callous, menace, depravity, omnipotent, repugnance, celestial, conjecture, vagrant, sustenance, desolate, filial, eulogy, incredulous, apathy, chivalrous, impediment, inexorable, inconceivable, delirium, impenetrable, subdue, indignation, oblivion, dismal, acquisition, appall, integrity, disdain, despise, grandeur, dreary, venerable
Sunday, February 6, 2011
How to Overcome Essay Writing Anxiety
Check this post out with interesting thoughts about how to reduce anxiety about taking an essay test -- but I'd say the advice might be helpful for all forms of writing anxiety.
Friday, February 4, 2011
Frankenstein Movie Posters
As you go over your vocabulary words this weekend, here's a site that collects together some of the many cinematic images bsed on Mary Shelley's story.
Reading on Gothic Literature
Read this Wikipedia article on Gothic Fiction and come to class on Monday ready to discuss the Gothic.
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Frankenstein Vocabulary List, Letter 1-4
Look these words up and write a sentence using each one. Due Monday.
satiate, ameliorate,capitulate,peruse,lustrous, suppliant, emaciated, celestial, paroxysm, eccentricity, fastidious, illiterate, inexorable, traverse, fortitude, laborious, fervent, apparition, melancholy, famine, integrity, quiver, apt, diposition
satiate, ameliorate,capitulate,peruse,lustrous, suppliant, emaciated, celestial, paroxysm, eccentricity, fastidious, illiterate, inexorable, traverse, fortitude, laborious, fervent, apparition, melancholy, famine, integrity, quiver, apt, diposition
Grammar and Writing Do's and Don'ts
Modified No-No list Revised Fall 2010
This is a list of the most common errors found in your writing. Don't lose it; you may use it every time you write something in class or at home. Proofread! Use a dictionary.
1. Avoid these words: "Nice," " a lot," "very," "I think."
2. Maintain verb tense. Use all past tense, all present tense, or all future tense. Avoid using “had + verb”. This means that of two things that happened in the past the one with the “had” came first. You can only use this tense if you have two verbs in the same sentence.20. Wrong: “He had gone to the store.” Right: “He went to the store.” Wrong: “He had walked home.” Right: “He walked home.”
3. "Good" is an adjective. "Well" is an adverb.
4. Don't use the expression "Being that"; it's slang for the word "since".
5. Avoid the conversational "you." Don't directly address your reader if he/she is not part of your story or essay.
6. All pronouns must have antecedents and all pronouns must agree with their antecedents in number.
7. Avoid run-on sentences and sentence fragments. Remember sentences must have subjects and verbs. Dependent clauses can't be written by themselves. Independent clauses may be written by themselves. Make sure each sentence expresses a complete thought.
8. Remember these homonyms:
to (direction)
too (also, excessive)
two (2)
there (place)
their (possession)
they're (they are)
know (to have knowledge)
no (negative)
through (to pass by)
threw (tossed, passed)
its (possession)
it's (it is)
your (possession)
you're (you are)
9. Do not confuse these words:
quiet (opposite of loud) and quite (rather or very)
then (a time in the past) and than (comparative)
lose (fail to win) and loose (not tight)
accept (to take as it is) and except (to leave out)
10. People are referred to as "who" or "whom" and not "that" or "which."
11. Avoid redundancies such as "The reason why is because . . ."
Correct: "The reason is . . ."
12. "Of" is never a verb. There is no correct expression as "He would of. . ." You may use: "He would've. . ." where "would've" is a contraction meaning "would have."
13. When you write the title of a novel, underline it. The Color Purple by Alice Walker is a great book. Titles of plays, short stories and poems should be placed in quotation marks.
14. In spelling, remember: "I" before "e" except after "c", or when sounded like "a", as in "neighbor" and "weigh." These words are spelled correctly: "relieve" and "receive."
15. Past tense of the verb “to use” is “used”: I used to go to PS 321.
17. Avoid using the conditional tense: The character would be considered a hero.
16. ALWAYS USE PARAGRAPHS. Every paragraph should have a topic sentence followed by supporting details. Indent the first line of each paragraph.
17 Events occur, they aren’t a time period. “Another example is when…”. Instead write: another example occurs when..
18. When writing decades don’t use an apostrophe: 1970s not 1970’s
19. People get hanged, pictures get hung.
This is a list of the most common errors found in your writing. Don't lose it; you may use it every time you write something in class or at home. Proofread! Use a dictionary.
1. Avoid these words: "Nice," " a lot," "very," "I think."
2. Maintain verb tense. Use all past tense, all present tense, or all future tense. Avoid using “had + verb”. This means that of two things that happened in the past the one with the “had” came first. You can only use this tense if you have two verbs in the same sentence.20. Wrong: “He had gone to the store.” Right: “He went to the store.” Wrong: “He had walked home.” Right: “He walked home.”
3. "Good" is an adjective. "Well" is an adverb.
4. Don't use the expression "Being that"; it's slang for the word "since".
5. Avoid the conversational "you." Don't directly address your reader if he/she is not part of your story or essay.
6. All pronouns must have antecedents and all pronouns must agree with their antecedents in number.
7. Avoid run-on sentences and sentence fragments. Remember sentences must have subjects and verbs. Dependent clauses can't be written by themselves. Independent clauses may be written by themselves. Make sure each sentence expresses a complete thought.
8. Remember these homonyms:
to (direction)
too (also, excessive)
two (2)
there (place)
their (possession)
they're (they are)
know (to have knowledge)
no (negative)
through (to pass by)
threw (tossed, passed)
its (possession)
it's (it is)
your (possession)
you're (you are)
9. Do not confuse these words:
quiet (opposite of loud) and quite (rather or very)
then (a time in the past) and than (comparative)
lose (fail to win) and loose (not tight)
accept (to take as it is) and except (to leave out)
10. People are referred to as "who" or "whom" and not "that" or "which."
11. Avoid redundancies such as "The reason why is because . . ."
Correct: "The reason is . . ."
12. "Of" is never a verb. There is no correct expression as "He would of. . ." You may use: "He would've. . ." where "would've" is a contraction meaning "would have."
13. When you write the title of a novel, underline it. The Color Purple by Alice Walker is a great book. Titles of plays, short stories and poems should be placed in quotation marks.
14. In spelling, remember: "I" before "e" except after "c", or when sounded like "a", as in "neighbor" and "weigh." These words are spelled correctly: "relieve" and "receive."
15. Past tense of the verb “to use” is “used”: I used to go to PS 321.
17. Avoid using the conditional tense: The character would be considered a hero.
16. ALWAYS USE PARAGRAPHS. Every paragraph should have a topic sentence followed by supporting details. Indent the first line of each paragraph.
17 Events occur, they aren’t a time period. “Another example is when…”. Instead write: another example occurs when..
18. When writing decades don’t use an apostrophe: 1970s not 1970’s
19. People get hanged, pictures get hung.
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