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Mr. William Kuhl



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Projects/Reading Assignments

Reading #1.                     The Old English Period
                         The Early Literature of the Anglo-Saxons

   The People - For the beginnings of English Literature we must go back to a
time before our Anglo-Saxon forefathers came to England, when they were still
living on the shores of the North Sea in Denmark and in northern Germany.
These people were German tribes, allied more closely to the modern Dutch than
to the modern Germans both by language and blood. It is thought that they did
not penetrate far into the swamps and forests of the interior, but lived along
the shore and on the sea. They were uncivilized people, but not savages. Their
literature shows- and we always go to literature to find out the inner life of
a people-- that they loved their homes, reverenced their women, felt the
influences of Nature, believed in many gods, loved personal freedom, and
sought honor and glory. They were very adventurous seafarers, stern of heart
and strong of hand; but they were not pirates. 

   Their Gloomy Life - Their life was rather dreary(gloomy).The lands of
Denmark and Germany where these people lived are lands of clouds and mist.
During the entire year the sun can be seen only a third of the time that it is
above the horizon. In winter, darkness comes in the middle of the afternoon.
Moreover, the struggle with storm and the sea was long and hard. No wonder
these people were a stern and somber race of individuals, with a gloomy
religion,and with melancholy ideas of fate and life. For these people, life
was almost without joy except for perhaps the joy of conflict(war); and the
whole of man's life, with whatever joy it might have, was but the flicker of a
candle between two great darknesses; the gloomy life on earth and the dreary,
dark life after death. The essential gloom of it was well expressed somewhat
later in a piece of literature entitled Northumbria by a chief.

     "You remember, it may be, O king, that which sometimes happens in winter
when you are seated at a table with your thanes (nobles). You fire is lighted,
and your hall warmed, and you are inside without rain, snow, and storm. Then
comes a swallow (bird)  flying across the hall; he enters by one door, and
leaves by another. The brief moment that he is within the hall is pleasant to
him; he feels not rain nor cheerless winter weather; but the moment is brief,
and he passes from winter to winter. Such, methinks, is the life of man on
earth, compared with the uncertain times beyond. It appears for a while; but
what is the time that comes after - the time which was before? We know not.
If, then, this new doctrine  (Christianity) may teach us somewhat of greater
certainty, it were well that we should regard it."

   Please note how the idea of Christianity presents a much more pleasant view
of life after death; that there is a reward for those who follow the ideas of
Christianity. They enter paradise.So many of these people were more than
willing to convert to Christianity because it presented to them a sense of
hope and not despair. That there is(was) something good after this life on 
earth. 

   Literature of Tradition - Life, however, was not always terribly gloomy.
There were times of joy and some festivities. In the long winter evenings the
Lord and his nobles (thanes)gathered in a great hall and sat around the mead
tables, (mead - alcoholic beverage brewed from honey), drinking together and
listening to the song of the scop (person who composed and sang a poem about
the adventures of someone special). These poets/reciters of stories kept alive
the traditions of the people, interpreting their ideals in myth, legend, and
heroic story. This was their literature; not books nor manuscripts. Stories of
gods and heroes passed from generation to generation by word of mouth. Some of
the stories are history; most of them, myths about the struggles of people
with the sea, storms, and pestilence.

   "Beowulf" The scene of the early part of this story is Denmark. Hrothgar,
King of the Danes, had built a splendid mead hall by the sea, where he and his
thanes gathered to feast and to listen to the songs of the scops. Now read the
story of Beowulf and notice how the poem exemplifies the ideals of  these
Germanic people.

   This poem was probably sung a very long time ago in the many mead halls all
across northern Europe and parts of England. It is also considered an epic
poem. Thus type of poem tells a story of a hero who unfortunately has a tragic
end. 

   In Beowulf we see the scenes with which our forefathers were familiar,
we discover their hopes and fears, and realize their passion for honor and 
glory,their high feeling of duty, and the stern heroism with which they took 
leave of their life.

   The Celts in Britain - The people who inhabited England or Britain as it
was called back then - before the Anglo-Saxon conquests, were Celts. These
Celts lived all over various areas of France, Spain, the British Islands
before the time of recorded history in Europe. Julius Caesar had fought
against many of the Celtic tribes in Gaul (France) and in 55 B.C. had crossed
over into Britain and defeated the Celtic tribes living there. Eventually,
Britain became a Roam province, adopting a certain extent the civilization of
Rome. By the early part of the fifth century, however, the Roman army withdrew
from Britain to protect the city of Rome from various tribes of northern
Europe who were attacking the imperial city (Rome). Thus, the Celts of Britain
were left alone to defend themselves from the Anglo-Saxon invaders
who had come from Denmark and northern Germany. Little by little the Celts
were driven back into the mountains of Wales and Scotland. Some even traveled
by boat and settled in Ireland while others traveled to northwest coast of
France. Eventually, all of these Celts, living in different lands, developed
their own distinct culture and literature. 

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Reading # 2. Characteristics of a Tragic Hero. 

     1. The individual must perform a very difficult feat or task which a 
normal individual would never do or accomplishsh.
     2. The individual must have a noble, honorable character.
     3. The individual must overcome, leave behind any weaknesses or 
temptations that might cause him to not be the noblr person he is suppossed 
to be.
     4. The person must be committed to his goal,and never give up.
     5. The person has to experience dangers, agonies,and pain beyond those 
of normal men/women.
     6. The hero must do it alone; he has to do the deed. Those who may help 
have no real bearing on the situation.
     7. The goal, whatever it may be, must be difficult.
     8. The hero must have something in common with the meekest of people. We 
need to see in the hero many of the qualities we find in ourselves.(grit, 
fortitude,courage,nobility,sacrifice, etc.)
     8. The tragedy is that with the individual is a flaw, an imperfection in 
the personality/character of the person which overwhelms him/her to the point 
that the individual does things he/she might not or should not normally do. 
Thus, the flaw in the individual causes the hero to fall. 

     You should be able to explain how each of these items is exemplfied 
in "Beowulf."

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                          The Venerable Bede
                        Reading assignment # 3. 

          The Venerable Bede (673 - 735 ) Father of English History.
   He probably was of Irish descent and was a monk of the Order of Saint 
Benedict. He wrote the famous book History of the English Church and People. 
Another word for history is "chronicle." I mention this because there are 
times when a writer uses this word instead of the word history in describing 
Bede's work. There are even references to this book asd being called "The 
Ecclesiastical History (chronicle) of the People of England. (Ecclesiastical 
refers to religious, the church. In any case it is the first major book 
published in England and was of course handwritten by monks in the 
scriptorium, a special room in a monastery, dedicated just to the skill of 
writing. 

   During this time period Christianity was attempting to re-establish itself 
in Britain after the Fall of the Roman Empire (476 AD). During the reign of 
the Romans they accepted Christianity as the official religion of the whole 
empire. However, with the fall of the Roman Empire and the invasion of the 
Germanic tribes such as the Anglos and the Saxons into England, many old 
pagan practices crept back into practice in Britain. (Check out the pictures 
of Stonehedge in England).

   The purpose of Bede's book was to show how Christianity re-asserted itself 
with the help of many pious monks and other people from various religious 
communities. One such person was a cleric ( member of a religious community) 
by the name of Caedom. By the way, those who are not members of a religious 
community are called the laity. 

   At the same time that all of this was happening, we have developing what 
is referred to as "Elegiac Poetry." This style of poetry is a serious 
meditative type of poetry. This style was written up to the 16th century. 
These poems were done by scops and bards and were written in a very formal 
and sustained manner. This simply means that the poems were serious and 
rather classy in nature. They are sustained in that they are filled with many 
examples as to how the individual feels. Thus, they can be a little long 
since you are dealing with a person's feelings and emotions. 

   What the poem does is lament (discuss, explain in a sorrowful mannewr) the 
death, loss of a person, place, or thing of great importance in a somber, 
sad, melancholy tone.

   To the people living during this timeiod , this type of poetry was 
considered "animistic" in nature. This means that to these people, every 
person, place, or thing is alive and has a soul. So, the loss of an item such 
as a Mead Hall or castle,or whatever, could be very upsetting to a warrior 
since it was like losing a real person. The loss of the Lords ( ruler of the 
area) would be even more disturbing since the warrior would have no one to 
whom he could pledge his loyalty. The warrior would lament his loss since he 
had no leader, no home, no family,no sence of belonging to anything or 
anyone. This warrior was then considered a "wrecca", a wreck, a stranger, a 
stranger wandering hopelessly. It is as if the warrior were a homeless person 
who had nothing. 

   Please check out pages 46 - 47 of your Green text book that I gave you in 
the beginning of the year. Read the poem "The Wanderer". It is a classic 
Elegiac poem that explains a warrior's loss of his Lord and castle. Perhaps 
you could check out the poem on-line and print it out since we will discuss 
it in class.  
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               # 4.  Special Assignment concerning A Christmas Carol.

     The title of this novel is a bit misleading in that it is not about 
Christmas so much as the author uses the season of Christmas to accomplish a 
number of things. One of these important ideas is that no matter who you are, 
no matter how evil you are, self-centered, arrogant, rude, etc. a person can 
change for the better. Charles Dickens uses the meanest, nastiest, selfish, 
money grubber in the world, Ebenezer Scrooge to prove his point. 
     
     Additionally, Dickens is a social critic of English society. He is truly 
disgusted with the way England is handling its social problems. Notably, he 
is disgusted with the way the poor are treated. He should know because as a 
child his family was very poor.

     Since you will have to write a persuasive essay and incorporate 
citations in your paper, you might want to use page markers or make a list of 
the pages that discuss the many social problems such as: poor working 
conditions, no child labor laws that forbid little kids from working, no 
unemployment compensdation, lack of employment opportunities, lack of 
mandatory educational laws for kids, remember those two little kids named 
Want and Ignorance - they could become a threat to society and cause a 
revolution in England, poor wages for workers, lack of medical 
coverage for workers/families, the ability of the employer to fire a worker 
any time and for no reason, terrible housing for the poor, far too many 
homeless, no unions for workers, lack of government programs to help workers-
families-homeless. Now,to add to all of this misery, it is the season of 
Christmas and it is cold , cold, cold.

     Dickens uses this Christmas season to get the readers' sympathies so that
they might petition the government to help those who are less fortunate. Our 
author understood that it is so easy to look the other way when we see an 
individual who has fallen on hard times.

     By the way, Charles Dickens did not trust the upper classes because he 
knew that they never help those in need. For example, pleasse notice how he 
treats those who are rich. Note that wealth is treated as a sign of moral 
corruption and greed. Does Scrooge want to help the less fortunate? No. 
However, it should be understood that a person can change and the way he uses 
his wealth for the greater good should be noted and honored. He also disliked 
the English government's attitude toward the economy, that Laissez Faire 
attitude towards capitalism.

     Additionally, by using the Christmas season, Dickens wants us to 
appreciate our past so that we will be able to understand our present 
situation so that we can enjoy a future filled with love and kindness. 
Remember, at the end of the novel, the coldest, meanest, nastiest person in 
all of England changes and becomes a wonderful caring person. 

     So why does this happen? The answer lies in understanding that it is not 
always about you or me. It's about our fellow man who needs our help. It is 
not about having money and material possessions, it is what is in our hearts 
and souls that really matters. It is believing that on earth, God's work must 
truly be our own. And if you don't believe me, then read the Gospel of Saint 
Luke, Chapter 20, verses 1 to 20.  Well then, don't just sit there and read 
this, get up and get a Bible and read the verses. 

     Extra Credit Project.
     
     At Macy's department store in center city is the Charles Dickens 
Christmas Village, along with the spectacular Christmas Light show. Go watch 
the show and visit the village. Get a brochure or take a picture or two or 
three to prove that you were there. Perhaps you could use your cell phone 
camera. 
     Do you have to do this alone?
     Are you kidding? No way. Why not go as a group of class mates, or take a 
few members of your family and enjoy the day downtown. Maybe you might take 
your little sisters or brothers too and treat them to lunch. Perhaps you and 
your Mom could go and you treat her to lunch. I assure you the day will go by 
so quickly and you will make wonderful memories. How do I know this? I know 
this because every student that has done this over the years has told me that 
they had a great day. By the eway, this extra credit project has been a part 
of your British Literature course for many, many years. The people at Macy's 
working at the village look forwad to you coming. 

     Additionally, in the entire world there is only one statue of Charles 
Dickens, and it is right here in the city of Philadelphia. Why not find it 
and take a few pictures to prove you were there. King Arthur and his knights 
had their quest, now you have your own quest. Good luck and enjoy. Remember 
though, the joy of a quest is not just finding the item, but searching for 
the prize is just as exciting. Remember, to get any credit, you need to show 
me proof. 


               Assignment # 5 A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. 
                      Please print out these notes for class.

        In December 1843 Charles Dickens wrote the following message in his 
novel A Christmas Carol. "I have endeavoured in this Ghostly little book to 
raise the Ghost of an Idea, which shall npt put my readers out of hunour with 
themselves, with each other, with the season, or with me. May it haunt their 
houses pleasantly, and no one wish to lay it (down)."

     Isn't it interesting that Dickens uses ghost in his novel. Usually 
ghosts are in a story to scare people and the reader. However, not all of the 
ghost do this . As a matter of fact some of them act rather funny, while 
there are some that act in a horrific manner. Thus, Dickens blends humor and 
horror together to attain a certain effect. Some act rather funny and look 
funny, but they certainly scare Scrooge when they show him certain things. 
Please give an example of this situation.
     
     I would also like you to notice that the ghosts have a few things in 
common with each other. Can you name a few items? When you read, notice their 
differences. Check out how they dress and act so differently. Notice their 
colors and their sizes and how they appear to Scrooge. It is all done with a 
purpose. Explain what some of these similarities are and what are some of 
their differences. About two will do for each category
      
     Please make sure you know the following items.

1. Allegory - a story in which the characters, settings, and events stand for 
abstract or moral concepts as well as their literal meanings. For eg. the 
Ghost of Christmas Past is dressed in white. The color of the robe is white 
and it is simply a robe. However, the white symbolizes purity and innocence. 
A Christmas dinner is a dinner, but it is so much more. It means love, 
generosity, family, caring, and so many other wonderful things which are 
abstract in nature.

2. Foreshadowing- hints to the reader or to the main character of what might 
happen, could happen in the future. Check out the Ghost of Christmas Yet to 
Come and tell me what is his purpose?

3. Flashback - situation in the story where the reader/main character is 
taken back to the past to see/understand what happened. It is done to help 
the reader/main character understand why the person is what he/she is in the 
present. Who you are right now is greatly determined by what happened in your 
past. Give an example as to why Scrooge is so nasty. Remember the answer 
comes from his past. 

4. Symbolism - A person, place, or thing that does not just have a literal 
meaning, but it has another deeper (symbolic) meaning. For example, each 
ghost is what he/she is, but they are symbols of so much more. Even the items 
that they hold or wear are symbolic of something. Pick an item that is 
associated with a ghost and briefly explain its symbolic meaning.

5. Theme - the main message of the story, the moral of the story. After 
reading a story, ask yourself, what did the author try to teach me. That 
answer is theme. By the way, each ghost tells a story in his/her own stave. 
So that means each of these staves has a seperate theme. Okay, pick a stave 
and tell me briefly what is the theme.

6. Point of View - How is the story seen,from whose perspective. It would 
seem that the way Scrooge sees things and the way Bob sees the same things 
are not the same at all. Is it 1st person, 3rd. person, 3rd person omniscient?
Give me a situation where two individuals see/experience the same things but 
see it differently. 

7. Conflict - the problem in the story. There could be a few of these. Who 
has a problem? Scrooge- yes, Tiny Tim - yes, Bob - yes, Marley - yes. Each 
has a different problem (conflict) Unfortunetly, Marley will never solve his 
problem.  There are a bunch of kids singing Christmas Carols. They really 
have a problem. What is it? 

8. Protagonist - the character or characters that move(s)the story forward. 
Is it Scrooge or is it the ghosts, or who is it? Answer the question please 
and explain why?

9. Antagonist - the character(s) that does not want to move the story 
forward. This character is quite important in the story. Many times he/she is 
the bad character. However,that is not always the case. Generally speaking, 
he/she wants to keep things as is. So who is the antagonist and why?

10. Please check out the papers on the different types of literature. 
     Melodramatic - Victorian - Realistic - Romantic - Gothic. 
         Please read the notes on each type of literature.
     Give one example of each type of literature that exemplfies the five 
different types of literature. 

11. Parable - a short allegorical story that teaches a moral or religious 
lesson about life. Each of the ghosts tell a parable and each has a moral 
theme.

12. Stave - please note that the name of the story is A Christmas Carol. A 
carol is a song. Well, every song is divided into sections called staves. In 
literature, we would call them chapters. Dickens divided his novel into 
staves because he is writing a christmas CAROL. 

13. The 3 middle staves -  each has a seperate theme and each is a parable. 
Each stave has Scrooge being taken to his past, present, and his future. Each 
is telling him a story and get a message to him (theme).

14. The Big Bad Ghosts - Check out where each takes Scrooge. Notice the 
various places, not just the past, present, future.

Ghost of Christmas Past - represents human memory, his youth, childhood 
innocense. As a child Scrooge is still in touch with human (social) contact. 
He was even in love once (human contact) The ghost is dressed in white which 
represents purity, innocence just as a child is. The ghost also has a glowing 
head. This light represents the power of the mind, the ability to recall. The 
ghost does not restrict himself/herself from showing Scrooge just good 
memories, but also some rather sad, bad memories. Which ones do you think 
Scrooge allowed himself to be more influenced by? Please answer and tell me 
why.

The Ghost of Christmas Present - this ghost is dressed in green which 
represents life, food, prosperity. It also represents social responsibility . 
Each individual has a social responsibility  to show charity, 
empathy,generosity, good will towards all men/women. It is a time to show 
joy. It is a season when the Church wants people to enjoy the season, to 
enjoy the gift of Christ. It is the season to live life, to appreciate the 
vitality of life. It is true that the ghost does show Scrooge some really 
depressing scenes, but it is to inspire, to stimulaste Scrooge and all of us 
to help those who are in need. It is our "social responsibility" to help. 
Christmas should stimulate within people a concern for the wants and needs of 
others and a euphoric joy in fullfilling these desires.

Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come - this ghost represents fear of death, fear of 
judgement by God. This creature portrays the immenent moral reconing, the 
dispensation of justice for all of us(Scrooge) has/have done on this earth. 
Perhaps the best way to express this idea is this way. The ghost says to you, 
me, Scrooge: What have you done in your life? Have you  been greedy, selfish. 
inconsiderate? Well, what do you think is the judgement? Always remember 
though, E. Scrooge does make choices. And even at the end he still has a 
choice.

15. Political/Socail Critique. - Is this a Christmas story or is it a story 
in which Dickens uses the Christmas season to help foster political and 
social change in Endland? It seems that merry olde England is not so merry 
for so many. They have serious social and political problems. Check out the 
list above. Many of them exist in our own country right now. Give one example 
where Merry Olde England is not so Merry for certain individuals?

16. Advancement of Christian Ideals. - With each ghosts' tale functioning as 
a parable, A Christmas Carol advances the Christian moral ideals for your 
community, and for all of Victorian England in general. The novel also offers 
a distnct modern view of Christmas. It is less concerned with solemn 
religious ceremony and is defined by more joyous traditions - the sharing of 
gifts, festive celebrations (parties), and displays of prosperity. Finally, 
warmth, generosity, and goodwill overcome Scrooge's bitter apathy as he 
encounters and learns from his memory (Ghost of Christmas Past, the ability 
to empathize (Ghost of Christmas Present), and his fear of death,judgement 
(the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come). Give one example as to how one of these 
Christian ideals is exemplified in the novel.

          Make sure you do this assignment in MLA format. Your assignment is 
due Friday, December 18, 2009. 
     ________________________________________________________________

                       Assignment # 6. 
     
     In your set of typed notes entitled A Christmas Carol by Charles 
Dickens, on page two is a list of the various social problems that existed 
during Dickens' time. Pick out three of these social problems and make sure 
you can prove that they exist by using any situations in the novel. However, 
you must provide the reader with a citation. This simply means that you must 
tell the reader on what page is the situation that proves your social 
problem. For example,after you explain the situation, you would type the name 
of the author, (Dickens, then the page number), then the period.
       Example: it would look like this (Dickens 24).

     The essay is to be typed, double space, 12 font, in MLA format. Value of 
essay is 100 points. Ten points will be deducted for each day the essay is 
late. You must also follow the 25 Commandments of Writing. 

     Paragraph 1. This is your introduction paragraph with the usual who, 
what, when, where, how, why. Do some research as to when the novel was 
written and published. The last sentence is your thesis sentence. 

     Your thesis sentence is as follows: A Christmas Carol is indeed a 
criticism of British society and its goverment in which it aims to enlighten 
its people of the major problems of __________, __________, and _________ 
that exist in the country. 

     Paragraph 2. You will follow the format of T-S-E-AE-R formula. 
Transition-statement-example-application of example or to put it another way, 
explain how the example proves your statement-refocus ( summarize this 
paragraph's findings in a general sentence.

     Open this paragraph with a nice transition phrase or transitional 
sentence. Now give your statement (explain what Dickens wants to enlighten 
people about ( this is your first item in your thesis statement.)Now, give an 
example from the novel that proves this particular social problem with your 
citation. Note, you must provide a citation for all examples in your essay. 
Since you will have examples in paragraphs two-three-and four, you will have 
three citations. Along with this, now explain how the example proves your 
point. This explanation is very important because it helps the reader 
understand that your example has a deeper meaning than just a literal 
meaning. Now conclude the paragraph with a solid general sentence that summs 
up your paragraph. 

     Paragraph # 3   Same as paragraph two except you use a different social 
problem, your second one listed in your thesis statement.


     Paragraph # 4.  Same as paragraph two and paragraph three except you use 
a different social problem, your third one listed in your thesis statement.

     Paragraph # 5. Conclusion paragrph
           Summarize  what you have produced in your entire essay. Remember 
to have some variety of vocabulary. Since this novel was written to produce 
social changes in British society, perhaps you could include a consequence or 
two or an implication or two in this paragraph. Do not just summarize, give 
more (implication/consequesnce/ or both. 
     
   (implication - long range effect) - (consequence - immediate effect)

     Now, if you do not want to do this thesis on the social problems, 
perhaps you might be interest in something different. Here are two other 
thesis statements from which you can pick.

     It certainly seems quite apparent that A Christmas Carol truly 
exemplifies __________, ___________, and ____________ literature.
     Pick any three types of literature from the five and do this one.
     Remember you need citations for this one too.

                                 OR

     The reason why the characters ________, __________, and __________ are 
so memorable is that Charles Dickens exaggerates their qualities and 
personalities in A Christmas Carol.
      Pick any three characters from the list and prove this thesis.
      Remember you need citations for this one too.


     You now have three different thesis statement. Pick one and prove.
                   Due Date: Tuesday, January 5th, 2010.
                   Note: 10 points deducted for each day late.
 ***** If you want to show me anything concerning this essay before Christmas 
break, please do so.  
     Today's date: 12-19-2009.







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