Week 13:

Our primary objective this week is to put closure to Kate Chopin's The Awakening, so that we could move into our next study, William Shakespeare's Othello. Please meet the project deadlines this week and next:

Tuesday, November 28: First draft, The Awakening.
Thursday, November 30: Final Paper, The Awakening.
Monday, December 4: Abstract, The Awakening.
Tuesday, December 5: Blog response, Othello.


Let us have a productive week and continue to work hard...And stay on top of things (forsee conflicts).

Week 13 MS Word

Week 13 pdf

If you have questions about these assignments, please leave a comment or email me directly. Remember, I will check the blog until 9:59 pm. You know I need my Seinfeld fix.

Week 12:

Our focus this abbreviated week is to consider your reaction to ending of The Awakening. It is ambiguous in a sense that it is subject to multiple interpretations. We must understand that even as a child Edna instinctivley apprehened the DUAL life - that outward existence which conforms, the inward life which questions. Thematically Edna's awakening is a self-discovery, an escape from tradition and authority. Her awakening is clear only when we understand the motives, attitudes, and beliefs of the people who knew, loved, or respected her.

The sea is a significant metaphor...let's try to make sense of its importance!

Have a good week and a Happy Thanksgiving!

Week 12 MS Word

Week 12 pdf

If you have questions about these assignments, please leave a comment or email me directly. Remember, I will check the blog until 9:59 pm. You know I need my Seinfeld fix.

Week 11:

Welcome to the second quarter. Our plan is to finish Chopin's The Awakening before Thanksgiving break. Think about a work of literary merit to read independently for the second quarter. Next, Monday is the deadline for submissions!

The focus this week is to consider the ways that the men in Edna's life try to possess her (Leonce, Robert, Arobin, her father). Let's consider actions and attitudes. What is Chopin saying about 19th Century's attitude towards women?

Please review the course syllabus to see if YOU have made the full committment to this course...have you? That is the question. I plan on meeting with each of you, so that you could give me that answer.

Work hard this week...Improvisers don’t look at change as an obstacle; we look at it as fuel. We know that the next great idea lies just on the other side of the change. We are constantly asking ourselves, “What can I do to incite change?” Well?
-- John SweeneySpeaker, trainer and author of Innovation at the Speed of Laughter.

Week 11 MS Word

Week 11 pdf

If you have questions about these assignments, please leave a comment or email me directly. Remember, I will check the blog until 9:59 pm. You know I need my Seinfeld fix.

Week 10:

Our focus this week is to trace the progress of Edna's awakening which essentially begins and ends with the sea. Kate Chopin drew heavily on Walt Whitman's poetry as a source of many of the images and symbols used in her book. Also, consider this question: what are your feelings about Edna neglecting her children?

This is the end of marking period 1. Now, is a good time to review the course syllabus to see if YOU have made the full committment to this course...have you? That is the question. I plan on meeting with each of you, so that you could give me that answer.

Enjoy the abbreviated week...thank you for your committment...it never goes unnoticed.

ALERT: INDEPENDENT READING ASSESSMENT IS SCHEDULED FOR MONDAY, NOVEMBER 6.

Week 10 MS Word

Week 10 pdf

If you have questions about these assignments, please leave a comment or email me directly. Remember, I will check the blog until 9:59 pm. You know I need my Seinfeld fix.