Hour of the Star by Clarice Lispector

          The Hour of the Star  by Clarice Lispector

Blog Groups Listed Below!

Adam, Sarah G., Dante, Gabrielle, Maleane, Jared, Kaylee, Eirik, and Nick! 
What a handsome group!  
Tres Chic!

` Reading Guide and Journal Entry Guidelines

Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
APRIL  25 Ext UNITY	ODD                    26 SBAC	EVEN 27 Ext 4/5	ODD  28 SBAC	April    29 TEACHER GRADING DAY
EVEN  MAY 2 (Ext 6-7)	ODD 3 Finish No Exit Presentations HOTS Packet and research topic HW: Research your topic	EVEN     4 (Ext 1-2)	ODD 5  Background Presentations START CLOSE READING ASSIGNMENT HW: BLOG on Journal #1	EVEN     6 (Ext 3-A)
ODD 9 CLOSE READING DISCUSSION (one pages 1-21) HW: BLOG on  #2	EVEN    10  (Ext 4-5)	ODD 11 Vocab Test #11 HW: BLOG on Journal #3	EVEN   12 (Ext 6-7)	ODD 13 HW: BLOG on Journal #4
EVEN  16 (Advisory 90)	ODD                  17 VOCAB #12 HW: BLOG on Journal #5	EVEN   18 (Advisory 90)	ODD 19 FISHBOWL HW: Reflection	EVEN 20 (Advisory 90)
ODD 23 Fishbowl Reflection Due Vocab Test #12 (LAST ONE!!!!) Lispector Interview	EVEN   24 (Ext 1-2) SBAC MATH	ODD                  25 SBAC MATH	EVEN                    26	May 27 NO SCHOOL STAFF DEVELOPMENT DAY
MAY          30          NO SCHOOL MEMORIAL DAY HOLIDAY	ODD            31 Hour of the Star Supervised Write	EVEN                    1	ODD  2Start Written Assignment—Process, Seniors Discuss, Folders, etc.	EVEN                    3
JUNE 6  ODD Written Assignment	JUNE 7  EVEN (Ext 6-7)	JUNE 8  ODD Written Assignment	JUNE 9 EVEN (Ext 1-2)	JUNE 10 Written Assignment
JUNE 13	JUNE 14 Period 2 Final (Then 4, 6, 1, 3, 5, 7)	JUNE 15 Periods 1 and 3 Finals	JUNE 16 Periods 4 and 6 Finals	JUNE 17 Periods 5 and 7 Finals

YES—we will have a final exam!  I will tell you more about it later!
Journaling:  Your blog will look a bit different from previous works as we explore Hour of the Star.  Rather than a blog about whatever you want, you will have six (6) separate entries to complete.  The due dates after each should be adhered to as your responses and reflections will fuel class discussions.

Background Information—After reading/annotating the reading about Clarice Lispector, write a reflection . . . what insights have you gained from this reading?  How does knowing Lispector’s background affect your interpretation of the novel?

1.        Passage Analysis Discussion Prep—After color-marking your assigned passage and discussing it with your partner, write a reflection analyzing the significance of the details/patterns you noticed in your passage.  What affect does the use of these details have on the reader and/or the story as a whole?

2.       Class Discussion—Answer three to five questions from the “Guided Study Questions” and find evidence to support your responses. 

3.        Biblical References—Identify 5-10 Biblical references; look up each reference; explain what it is and what it might mean in context of the novel as a whole.  .

4.       Many have noted that Lispector’s novel explores the dehumanizing effect of the urban world, particularly on the poor.  One of the ways she emphasizes this is through Rodrigo’s cold treatment of Macabéa as a person and as a creation of his.  Identify at least six (6) moments in the novel when Lispector does this.  For your journal, analyze her deliberate “objectivity” of Rodrigo to underscore the dehumanizing impact of the urban world. 

5.        In most 20^th century Experimental Novels there is an “anti-hero,” often not very likeable and possessed of an “ordinariness” or “less than ordinariness.”  Yet the work is also very complex with “action” deriving from the internal conflicts of the vast psychological world within a character.  Irrationality abounds.  He is motivated by deep unconscious sources of his nature.  –Given this description of the Experimental Novel, select four (4) examples that support Hour of the Star as Experimental and explain each. 

Guided Discussion Questions

1.        What was Lispector’s purpose in writing this book?  What is the theme?

2.       What is the significance of the beginning, where Rodrigo talks about the beginning of the world?  How does that relate to the rest of the story?

3.        Was Macabéa happy?  Are we meant to feel sorry for her?  If she is self-content, is she so pitiful after all?

4.       Why do you think Macabéa “loved” Olímpico?

5.        What is the reason for Olímpico’s character in the story beyond the obvious reason of adding to Macabéa’s terrible life?

6.       Why does the author sometimes use “He”/”She” when Macabéa and Olímpico are talking, but sometimes use just a hyphen?  Why in some places, but not in others?

7.       What does Macabéa’s death represent?  How does it fit in with the overall message of the book?

8.       What is the significance of dying a virgin?

9.       What is the significance of the reference to Julius Cæsar (“Et tu, Brute” p. 84)?

10.     What is the point of Rodrigo’s introduction?

11.      Is Rodrigo the protagonist of this novel?  Or is it Macabéa?

12.     What is the significance of Rodrigo’s use of syntax (complex sentences, use of dashes/hyphens, unusual use of punctuation, like colons, etc.)?

13.     How are the philosophical thoughts presented throughout this story reflected in the plot of Macabéa’s story?

14.     How are the philosophical thoughts reflected in Rodrigo’s narration?

15.     How is Latin American culture reflected in this novel?  If Macabéa were an American woman, would the story change in any way?

16.     What role does gender play in the story?  Why is the narrator male?  Is there cultural and/or thematic significance for the gender roles?

17.     What other questions would you like the class to discuss?

BLOG GROUPS 2016
Period 5
Group 1:  Katie, Eirik, Nam,  Morgan, Brittany, Jared, and Maleane
Group 2:  Kaleelah, Adam, Isaac, Abhi, Sarah G., Issabell, and McKenna
Group 3:  Gabrielle, Cullen, Dan, Avery, Bella, Emily, Esther, and Katja
Group 4:  Elicia, Dante, Felix, Kaelin, Al, Nick, and Sarah P.
Group 5:  Noah, Ariel, Cyan, Hajir, Zeyad, Justin, Jack, and Rishi

Period 7
Group 1:  Nathan, Rebekah, Gabriela, Maya, Alicia, Jessica and Amber
Group 2:  Chris M., Thomas, Andrea, McKenna, Kaylee, and Casey
Group 3:  Kris M., Elise, Jin, Diana, Karim, Sophia, and Holly
Group 4:  Brady, Rachel, Delfina, Laurel, Elliot, Molly, and Kylie

Quirky Quotes from Clarice!

"My history is that I have no history"

“I write and that way rid myself of me and then at last I can rest.”

“Love is now, is always. All that is missing is the coup de grâce- which is called passion.”

“I do not know much. But there are certain advantages in not knowing. Like virgin territory, the mind is free of preconceptions. Everything I do not know forms the greater part of me: This is my largesse. And with this I understand everything. The things I do not know constitute my truth.”

"I, who live sidewise, I’m to the left of whoever comes in. And in me the world trembles."

"Do you know that hope sometimes consists only of a question without an answer?"

"Oh! My love, don’t be afraid of neediness: it is our greatest destiny."

Cartoon images from http://tecidovivo.blogspot.com/2010/12/9-de-dezembro-clarice-lispector-tecido.html

No Exit Blog Topics for W 4/13 & F 4/15

"Hell is other people"--Jean-Paul Sartre

In your responses, be sure to use references and quotes from the play itself to support your opinions.

For Wednesday 4/13/16
Period 5
Group 1:  How is TIME, as a philosophical topic, represented in the play?
Group 2:  How is DEATH, as a philosophical topic, represented in the play?
Group 3:  How is EXISTENCE, as a philosophical topic, represented in the play?
Group 4:  How is FREEDOM, as a philosophical topic, represented in the play?
Group 5:  How is INDIVIDUALITY, as a philosophical topic, represented in the play?

Period 7
Group 1:  How is TIME, as a philosophical topic, represented in the play?
Group 2:  How is DEATH, as a philosophical topic, represented in the play?
Group 3:  How is EXISTENCE, as a philosophical topic, represented in the play?
Group 4:  How is FREEDOM, as a philosophical topic, represented in the play?

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
For Friday 4/15/16
Period 5
Group 1:  Is Sartre's depiction of hell really hellish? Is it all that bad?
Group 2:  What is the role of sight/vision/eyes in the play?
Group 3:  Try to make sense of Estelle's comment: "When I can't see myself I begin to wonder if I really and truly exist.
Group 4:  What do you make of Inez' statement; "One always dies too soon--or too late.  And yet one's whole life is complete at that moment, with a line drawn neatly under it, ready for the summing up.  You are--your life, and nothing else" (43).
Group 5:  Who is/are the torturer's?

Period 7
Group 1:  Is Sartre's depiction of hell really hellish? Is it all that bad?
Group 2:  What is the role of sight/vision/eyes in the play?
Group 3:  Try to make sense of Estelle's comment: "When I can't see myself I begin to wonder if I really and truly exist.
Group 4:  What do you make of Inez' statement; "One always dies too soon--or too late.  And yet one's whole life is complete at that moment, with a line drawn neatly under it, ready for the summing up.  You are--your life, and nothing else" (43).

Blog Post for Monday 4/11/16

For Monday, April 11, 2016
These questions are from the sheet you discussed today in groups--so if you are thinking, "Hey, these look familiar!,"you are right!  Be sure to include evidence from the story to support your responses.

Period 5
Group 1:  Choose ONE of the following characters and discuss his or her symbolic significance in the novel:  Meursault, The Arab, The Priest, Marie.

Group 2:  Choose ONE of the following characters and discuss his or her symbolic significance in the novel:  Raymond, Salamano (and his dog), Maman, The Robot Woman.

Group 3:  As an outsider looking in on Mersault, what reasons for the events do YOU see? Why do you think the events (of the crime) unfold as they do?

Group 4:  Do you think Meursault ever felt remorse for his crime?

Group 5:  What do you think is the most impactful/important quote of the ENTIRE novel in terms of existential philosophy?  Include this quote at the beginning of your response, then explain your reasoning.

Period 7
Group 1: Choose one of the following characters and discuss his or her symbolic significance in the novel:  Meursault, The Arab, The Priest, Marie.

Group 2:  Choose ONE of the following characters and discuss his or her symbolic significance in the novel:  Raymond, Salamano (and his dog), Maman, The Robot Woman.

Group 3:  As an outsider looking in on Mersault, what reasons for the events do YOU see? Why do you think the events (of the crime) unfold as they do?

Group 4:  What do you think is the most impactful/important quote of the ENTIRE novel in terms of existential philosophy?  Include this quote at the beginning of your response, then explain your reasoning.

Stranger/No Exit Blogging Topics

Look for your group # and respond to that question for the date indicated.

For Friday 4/1
Often Existential themes in literature and film appear in the form of characters experiencing and "existential crisis" of some type.  These themes go way back, all the way back, to the earliest stories -- Gilgamesh when Enkidu dies; Achilles when he faces his own impending death; Hamlet when his father dies, his mother remarries, and he, himself, is denied the throne -- but they are even more prevalent in contemporary literature, and you'll quickly learn to see the influence in all kinds of pop culture, such as the darker versions of Batman, Daniel Craig's 007...anywhere, it would seem, where the protagonist is stripped of his or her most basic assumptions, faces the absurdity of existence, and asks "what's it all about?"

The following statements are from the packet.  First tell whether you agree with the statement or not, then thoroughly explain why.  (200-300 words--I'm giving you this word count because I know you did not have a lot of time to prepare for this and you have other homework tonight.  You are welcome to write more than this, but hopefully, this helps ease your mind a bit.)

Period 5
Group 1:  Whether or not God exists is irrelevant because of free will.
Group 2:  Day to day existence is filled with anxiety and fear.
Group 3:  Political philosophies, religious dogma, societal beliefs are irrelevant to me and do not define me.
Group 4:  The idea that I am born into a particular time, place, family, and economic environment is absurd.
Group 5:  Ultimately, I am alone in this world, alienated from everything that attempts to define me.

Period 7
Group 1:  When I am born, I am undefined without any prior essence or preconceived personality or soul.
Group 2:  In life, I must make choices regardless of what’s best for others. I can only choose what’s best for me.
Group 3:  Society cultivates deception and hypocrisy.
Group 4:  My most authentic moment in life is death.

____________________________________________________________
For Tuesday 4/5
Period 5
Group 1:  In what ways can Sisyphus be seen as a universal figure?
Group 2:  Camus uses the imperative, saying “We must imagine [Sisyphus] happy?” Why this word "must"? What implications does this suggest for human beings?
Group 3:  Why does Camus ultimately opt for defiance over self-sacrifice? How is this stance noble, even heroic?
Group 4:  How does man’s encounter with the absurd change his perspective?
Group 5: Why does Camus see philosophical suicide as undesirable, and can one possibly avoid it?

Period 7
Group 1:  Camus uses the imperative, saying “We must imagine [Sisyphus] happy?” Why this word "must"? What implications does this suggest for human beings?
Group 2:  Why does Camus ultimately opt for defiance over self-sacrifice? How is this stance noble, even heroic?
Group 3:  Why does Camus see philosophical suicide as undesirable, and can one possibly avoid it?
Group 4: In what ways can Sisyphus be seen as a universal figure?

____________________________________________________________
For Thursday 4/7

Period 5
Group 1:  Pick two characters, from Part 1, and discuss what are the various effects of isolation on these characters throughout this section?
Group 2:  Weather and its effect on the motivations of characters or foreshadowing plot events in Part 1.
Group 3:  What’s the difference between indifference and acceptance in Part 1 of the novel.
Group 4:  We see several relationships dominate Part I. Pick ONE such relationship (Salamano & his dog; Marie & Mersault; Raymond & Mersault, etc.) What ties these individuals together? Do you think this relationship is true or valid?
Group 5:  Absurdist philosophy—how does it play out in this portion of the novel? What other information from the "Founding Fathers of Existentialism" can you connect to the novel so far?

Period 7
Group 1:   Pick two characters, from Part 1, and discuss what are the various effects of isolation on these characters throughout this section?
Group 2:  Weather and its effect on the motivations of characters or foreshadowing plot events in Part 1.
Group 3:  What’s the difference between indifference and acceptance in Part 1 of the novel.
Group 4:  We see several relationships dominate Part I. Pick ONE such relationship (Salamano & his dog; Marie & Mersault; Raymond & Mersault, etc.) What ties these individuals together? Do you think this relationship is true or valid?

____________________________________________________________
For
Period 5
Group 1:
Group 2:
Group 3:
Group 4:
Group 5:

Period 7
Group 1:
Group 2:
Group 3:
Group 4:

Stranger Danger

You guys, I'm so sorry that I don't have the blog groups ready yet.  I'll have it ready by tomorrow (3/31) in the morning!  Be patient with me.
xoxo
Mrs. M

Chronicle of a Death Foretold by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

Chronicle of a Death Foretold TASKS

1. Kitty Genovese Activity—In your journals, write three questions using the following parameters: WE WILL BE DISCUSSING THESE IN CLASS!

a)     CLOSE-ENDED QUESTION:  Write a question about the text that will help everyone in the class come to an agreement about events or characters in the articles.  This type of question usually has a “correct” answer.

b)    OPEN-ENDED QUESTION:  Write an insightful question about the articles that will require proof and group discussion and “construction of logic” to discover or explore the answer to the question.

c)     WORLD CONNECTION QUESTION:  Write a question connecting these news stories to your world.  (How does this affect the way you see the world, how you might react, how you look at other events you read and experience?)

2. Magical Realism:  Write a paragraph of what you understand magical realism to be.  What’s the definition?  Why is it used?  What’s its history?  Also, add any questions you still may have after reading the article.

3. Make a collection of cryptic quotes (quotes that have more than one possible interpretation.) Find at least 2 from each chapter, and provide your best interpretation with each one.  You can do this through post-in noting if you’d like, but be able to get to them quickly for discussion!

BLOGGING:

Because we want you to be ready to actively participate in each group’s chapter presentation, you’ll need to be finished re-reading the book by the day each group presents.  Thus, you’ll see on the calendar that there are some days you are required to blog on TWO chapters.  As a result, we moved the blog COMMENTING until the end.  Some days you will have two posts—but you will not ALSO have to comment those days.  The total count is this: five blog posts—one per chapter—and TWO replies (to be done after you’ve re-read the entire book)=SEVEN TOTAL ENTRIES (to be completed on time, of course).

A Doll's House by Henrik Ibsen

A Doll's House by Henrik Ibsen

Blog Groups, Blogging, Journaling, and Calendar! 

For our discussion/reading of A Doll’s House, you will be reading the play in small groups.  As you read, you will be post-it-noting, discussing, and analyzing.  Doing well with that part will help with your blogging and journals immensely!  We will also be having small and large group discussions—as always! J

For Doll’s House blogging, you have specific instructions each night!  Please refer to your calendar.  You will blog WITH your reading group.  To keep your “finger on the pulse of the class,” you will reply ONLY to posts from OTHER groups in your same class period. This will allow you to pay attention to reading the comments from people who are NOT in your reading group.  Are they talking about the same things your group is talking about?  Find interesting things to bring up with YOUR group the next day.

Post-it noting: make sure you STOP at the end of every few pages and mark down things which you think are worth of post-it-noting!

The groups are as follows:

PERIOD 5

GROUP 1: Morgan, Cullen, Jack, Bella

GROUP 2: Al, Katja, Emily, Felix

GROUP 3: Maleane, Hajir, Elicia, Rishi

GROUP 4: Dante, Eirik, Brittany, Katie

GROUP 5:, Adam, Sarah G., Nam, Cyan

GROUP 6: Kaelin, Nick, Abhi, Esther

GROUP 7: Noah, Justin, Kaleelah, Gabrielle , Dan

GROUP 8: Isaac, Issabell, McKenna P., Ariel

GROUP 9: Sarah P., Zeyad, Jared, Avery

 PERIOD 7

GROUP 1: Karim, Andrea, Ana, Rebekah

GROUP 2: Jessica, Brady, Diana, Chris

GROUP 3: Kelly, Kylie, Delfina, Sophia, Jin

GROUP 4: Maya, Kaylee, Thomas, Molly

 GROUP 5: Alicia, Casey, Amber, Kris

GROUP 6: Holly, Nathan, Gabriela, Rachel

GROUP 7: Elise, Laurel, Elliot, McKenna Z.

Doll’s House Calendar—Ballard/Murai—IB English HL I—2016                                                                                           ODD DAY CALENDAR

2/1 Semester Two Expectations Receive Vocab List #7 Begin A Doll’s House: Ibsen Intro & Victorian Era Discussion “Dressing the Scene” Calendar/Blog Requirements HW: Finish “Dressing the Scene”	2/2 (ext ½)	2/3 Share “Dressing the scene” Finish PPT Victorian Period Begin reading groups HW: Blog on something you found interesting while reading/discussing today from ACT I AND comment on a post from another group (in your class period)	2/4 (ext 3/adv)	2/5 Continue Reading A Doll’s House in groups Act One Questions HW: Post on something interesting you discussed/ read in class today from Act I or II AND comment on a post from another group (in your class period).
2/8 (ext 4/5) 5th Extended:  Receive College Presentation information	2/9 Vocab Test 7 New Vocab List Whip Continue Reading in groups HW: Choose a specific QUOTE you found interesting from ACT II and post on that quote.  What made it so interesting?  Why is it important to the play?  Don’t neglect literary devices! AND comment on a post from another group (in your class period)	2/10 (ext 6/7) 7th Extended:  Receive College Presentation information	2/11 Continue A Doll’s House Should be reading ACT II – III by now in groups Beginning of Act Three discussion questions HW: Post on something interesting you talked about today in your group from Act III AND comment on a post from another group (in your class period)	2/12 (Advisory 90)
2/15 NO SCHOOL PRESIDENT’S DAY HOLIDAY! J	2/16 Cont. reading the play.  You should be close to being done! HW: Post on something you found interesting from the play AND comment on a post from another group (in your class period). ALSO work on the TWO paper journal responses. Prepare for fishbowl!	2/17 (ext ½)	2/18 FISHBOWL HW: Prepare for the test/reflective statement	2/19 (ext 3/cram the cage)
2/22 DOLL’S HOUSE TEST HW: prepare for supervised write	2/23 (ext 4/5) Extended 5th:  Counselor Visit?	2/24 Doll’s House Supervised Write REFLECTIVE STATEMENT DUE	2/25 (ext 6/7)	2/26
2/29 (ext ½) Start Chronicle of  Death Foretold	3/1  Counselor Visit?	3/2 (advisory 90)	3/3	3/4

CHOOSE TWO OF THE FOLLOWING AND RESPOND TO THEM IN YOUR PAPER JOURNAL.  EACH SHOULD BE ROUGHLY ONE PAGE HAND-WRITTEN:

1.       Many readers find Nora an admirable character for having the courage to make a radical change in her life. However, one question that must be considered in evaluating her character is this one: Was she right to abandon her children? 

2. Research the life of Ibsen, then discuss whether he would defend male preeminence in in the home or advocate equality between spouses. You might be surprised by what your research turns up. 

3. Why did Ibsen include Dr. Rank in the play? What purpose does he serve?

4. Does Torvald have any redeeming qualities?

Interactive Oral and Supervised Writing

Remember, the Interactive Oral is a discussion that will be graded on participation that the whole class will have at the end of the unit.  We will structure it in a way that allows everyone the opportunity to participate. After the Interactive Oral will be the “Supervised Write.”  This is an in-class writing that will be based upon the Interactive Oral and all the information and insights you glean from discussion. 

Later in the semester, you will be writing the “Written Assignment” based on at one of the works we read this semester.  The topic for this paper MUST come from the Supervised Writings you do.  If you are not in class for the Interactive Oral, you cannot use that particular work for the Written Assignment. I’m telling you this now so that you realize how important your attendance is (if you already didn’t know! J).  Plus, making up an “interactive oral” is very difficult, if not impossible.  So it’s not great for your grade, either!