Warrior Scholars,
First and foremost, I want to take the time to thank you all for being so supportive this week. I'm still going through one of the most difficult moments of my life. I've been so emotionally and physically drained, but when I'm in class with you all, you have made me laugh and smile and I am thankful for that! With the help of my family, close friends, writing, and all of you, I will find the strength to move forward.
This week we read Kurt Vonnegut's short story, "Harrison Bergeron" and focused our class discussions on equality. We then looked at what techniques Vonnegut used to drive his story forward and defined the literary terms satire and dystopia. Vonnegut uses satire to criticize the Handicapper General's desire to create "equality" by stripping people of their individuality. Below you will find a mini review session for the material covered in class this week.
SATIRE REVIEW:
1. Definition: The use of humor, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and criticize people's stupidity or vices, particularly in the context of contemporary politics or other topical issues.
2. Examples of satire:
*Taken from: http://www.grammar-monster.com/glossary/satire.htm
First and foremost, I want to take the time to thank you all for being so supportive this week. I'm still going through one of the most difficult moments of my life. I've been so emotionally and physically drained, but when I'm in class with you all, you have made me laugh and smile and I am thankful for that! With the help of my family, close friends, writing, and all of you, I will find the strength to move forward.
This week we read Kurt Vonnegut's short story, "Harrison Bergeron" and focused our class discussions on equality. We then looked at what techniques Vonnegut used to drive his story forward and defined the literary terms satire and dystopia. Vonnegut uses satire to criticize the Handicapper General's desire to create "equality" by stripping people of their individuality. Below you will find a mini review session for the material covered in class this week.
SATIRE REVIEW:
1. Definition: The use of humor, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and criticize people's stupidity or vices, particularly in the context of contemporary politics or other topical issues.
2. Examples of satire:
*Taken from: http://www.grammar-monster.com/glossary/satire.htm
"Sexiest Man Alive"
http://www.theonion.com/articles/kim-jongun-named-the-onions-sexiest-man-alive-for,30379/
Dystopia Review:
1. Definition: an imagined place or state in which everything is unpleasant or bad, typically a totalitarian or environmentally degraded one.
Examples of Dystopia:
HW:
1. Find three examples of satire in "Harrison Bergeron" and make sure you use evidence from the text (direct quote or paraphrase) and your rationale for why this example is satire.
2. One example of satire from "The Onion" and a response in which you explain what is being criticized.
3. A short story that emulates Kurt Vonnegut's writing style in "Harrison Bergeron." 3/4 of a page to one full page. You have full artistic license in your short story. Remember this is a rough draft. I don't expect it to be perfect. My main objective with this is to get you writing creatively (we don't always do this in an English classroom, especially once we start writing essays). Have fun!
4. Read the "Scarlet Ibis" in your literature textbook.
5. Have a great and safe weekend! If you have questions, please email me!
6. Please don't forget your notebooks. We will need them on Tuesday!
Best,
Ms. Parra
1. Definition: an imagined place or state in which everything is unpleasant or bad, typically a totalitarian or environmentally degraded one.
Examples of Dystopia:
- "The Hunger Games" series
- "Divergent" series
- "The Maze Runner" series
- "The Uglies" series
- "The Giver"
HW:
1. Find three examples of satire in "Harrison Bergeron" and make sure you use evidence from the text (direct quote or paraphrase) and your rationale for why this example is satire.
2. One example of satire from "The Onion" and a response in which you explain what is being criticized.
3. A short story that emulates Kurt Vonnegut's writing style in "Harrison Bergeron." 3/4 of a page to one full page. You have full artistic license in your short story. Remember this is a rough draft. I don't expect it to be perfect. My main objective with this is to get you writing creatively (we don't always do this in an English classroom, especially once we start writing essays). Have fun!
4. Read the "Scarlet Ibis" in your literature textbook.
5. Have a great and safe weekend! If you have questions, please email me!
6. Please don't forget your notebooks. We will need them on Tuesday!
Best,
Ms. Parra