English I Honors
“How many a man has dated a new era in his life from the reading of a book.
The book exists for us, perchance, which will explain our miracles and
reveal new ones. The, at present, unutterable things we may find somewhere
uttered. These same questions that disturb and puzzle and confound us have
in their turn occurred to all the wise men; not one has been omitted; and
each has answered them according to his ability, by his word, and his life.”
Henry David Thoreau
Passages. . .
from the Ordinary to the Heroic 1st quarter
Do some people and situations seem so ordinary that we fail to notice their
meaning or heroic nature? Can a good story teach us some of these powerful
meanings? Can such stories help us to see the heroic nature in simple
events or learn how characters must make difficult and heroic choices?
Readings: “A Worn Path”—Eudora Welty (classic short story)
Joseph Campbell’s “The Hero’s Journey” (film)
Oedipus & Antigone—Sophocles (Greek play)
“Ulysses”—Alfred, Lord Tennyson (dramatic monologue)
“Christa McAuliffe: An Ordinary Hero”—Mike Pride (essay)
from Suffering to Redemption 2nd Quarter
How does suffering or adversity affect us? Can suffering lead us toward
strength or even redeem us? How can literature help us see how others have
reacted to situations that challenge them physically, mentally, or
emotionally?
Readings: “Theme for English B”—Langston Hughes (poem)
The Five People You Meet in Heaven—Mitch Albom (short novel)
To Kill a Mockingbird—Harper Lee (classic novel)
“Sonny’s Blues”—James Baldwin (short story)
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from Control to Rebellion 3rd quarter
Do all human beings crave freedom and independence? How do other people or
institutions attempt to control us? How do we try to break free or rebel
from such constraints? How can literature teach us how others have broken
free or rebelled?
Readings: “The Unknown Citizen”—W. H. Auden (poem)
1984 –Orwell (dystopian novel) and/or Animal Farm—Orwell
(satirical novella)
“Politics and the English Language”—George Orwell (essay)
from Generation to Generation 4th quarter
How do families pass down customs and advice from generation to generation?
Can storytelling do this? How can reading stories tell us about family
culture? What has been passed down to us from generation to generation?
Readings:
Romeo and Juliet—Shakespeare (classic play)
“A Rose for Emily”—William Faulkner (classic short story)
Their Eyes Were Watching God- Zora Neal Hurston
A note about the class:
*Late papers/assignments will be accepted ONE day late for half credit.
*Students MUST bring all materials with them to class each day.
Failure to do this will result in a 2-point deduction of total points for
each day of coming to class unprepared. Each student will receive ONE
WARNING (per quarter) before points are deducted.
