The Short Story – This unit is used to introduce students to literary terms they will use frequently during the year. Literary terms: theme, plot, irony (dramatic, situational and verbal), foreshadowing, direct and indirect characterization, static and dynamic characters, point of view, allusion, conflict, first and third person narration, flashback, antagonist, protagonist, symbol, and setting.
Macbeth (Shakespeare) –Shakespeare’s Scottish tragedy was written in the early reign of James I, the Scottish king who succeeded Queen Elizabeth on the English throne in 1603. The play is less about legitimacy and usurpation than about the divided self, and it focuses on the mind of the hero. The drama of Macbeth is really a matter between Macbeth and his ambition, the witches, his wife, his hallucinations and his own tortured soul. There is also drama in how Macbeth understands the prophecies and riddles, what he decides to do about them, and how they, in themselves, constitute vengeance.
The Crucible (Miller) – The place is Salem, Massachusetts, in 1692, a commune of rigid devoutness (holiness). Its inhabitants believe unquestioningly in their own purity. However, in this work, that very belief will have poisonous consequences when a vengeful teenager accuses a rival of witchcraft, whose accusations eventually multiply to consume the entire village. This play primarily explores the threshold between individual guilt and mass hysteria, personal spite and collective evil.
The Great Gatsby (Fitzgerald) – A classic 20th century piece of literature – Fitzgerald’s work has become identified with an American decade: The Jazz Age, The Roaring Twenties or The Boom. The Great Gatsby is appropriately set in the get-rich-quick decade that brought about the organization of crime as an affiliate of Prohibition. An essential aspect of this American novel is that it is about money and the Land of Opportunity that promises the chance for financial success. However, Gatsby does not understand how money works and expects that he can buy anything.
The Catcher in the Rye (Salinger) – The highly successful Catcher is J. D. Salinger's only published novel. It is narrated by seventeen-year-old Holden Caulfield, a schoolboy in rebellion against the uncertain values of the adult world. In 1949, while "recovering" in a southern California sanitarium, 17-year-old Holden relates events that occurred during three December days in 1948--when he was sixteen. Within this part of the story, Holden frequently flashes back to experiences and people from earlier in his life.
Additional Areas of Study
Writing/Grammar – Regents/SAT Preparation
Vocabulary– Vocabulary in context, literary/poetic terminology
Poetry – Students will read and analyze various works. Many poems studied will be related to the works of literature being covered.
Research – The process of writing a research paper is critical in high school and beyond. Students will learn the correct and current way to write a research paper. We will focus on the ten vital steps: topic selection, composition of thesis statement, compilation of diverse sources, creation of a working bibliography, proper note-taking skills, MLA in-text citation, annotations, works cited page, rough draft and final paper.