AP Lit & Comp 9/22 – 9/23 ‘16
1. Further clarification for Soma Five Minute
Film
2. College app essay specifics
3. Big picture and writing theme statements
4. For next class…
THIS IS YOUR BRAIN ON SOMA
You may complete this project in a group of
up to four people.
Videos will be due on Tues 10/4 (M) / Weds
10/5 (G).
Later that week, we will have a Five Minute
Film Festival in class, which should be fun.
Your job is to be as imaginative, creative, and
thoughtful as possible when creating your film.
Let’s check out the assignment, which I’ve
posted in Classroom.
THIS IS YOUR BRAIN ON SOMA
Choose one modern day soma equivalent (positive or negative) to explore and present in a Five-Minute Film.
Here are some ideas:
Illegal Drugs
Prescription Drugs
Alcohol
Reality TV Shows (or some
other TV genre)
Social Media
Consumer Culture
Video Games
Exercise
Reading
Religion
Internet
Food
Sleep
Technology
Netflix
THIS IS YOUR BRAIN ON SOMA
Each video should be no longer than five
minutes. Include start/stop times for your readers.
Each part of the video should be accompanied by
an annotation that explains how the video relates to
the topic in a meaningful way.
Close your collection with links to at least five
recommended resources (non-videos) where your
readers/viewers could find additional relevant
information on your topic.
For all links, use linked text, not merely URLs.
THIS IS YOUR BRAIN ON SOMA
You will create an introduction for your video. (Approximately 200 words) This can be done in voiceover format or in text which appears on the screen.
For each section of your video, you will include an annotation of approximately 50 words which explains that section’s meaningful relevance to your topic.
Lastly, at the end of your video, you will include a link of additional resources your viewers can consult for more information.
THIS IS YOUR BRAIN ON SOMA
Video Resources:
YouTube
TED Talks
Media Foundation (You can’t access the entire video, but sometimes the preview is enough)
Open Culture (Tons of free documentaries)
Top Documentary Films
Platforms in which to create your video. (There are many helpful on-line tutorials, if you need one.)
WeVideo
iMovie
To download and edit a video, type an “ss” in front of the word youtube.
THE RUBRIC
Introduction (25 points)
The introduction is well-organized. It gives the reader/viewer relevant information about the topic. It narrows the topic to something that can be thoroughly analyzed within the time and space restraints of the project. Paragraphing, spelling, grammar, and mechanics are mostly correct.
Videos/Annotations (40 points)
Videos seem carefully chosen and present a variety of representations of the topic. The best and most relevant parts have been isolated with start/stop time indicators. Annotations go beyond the obvious aspects of the video and try to relate them in a meaningful way to the overall topic of the project. All links are presented in text form. Spelling, grammar, and mechanics are mostly correct.
Recommended Resources (20 points)
These seem carefully chosen and reflect real and helpful resources for those seeking more information. All links are presented in text form. The descriptions, while brief, are useful to readers/viewers.
College application essay Remember that you’re wanting to demonstrate perseverance diligence curiosity discipline
ALSO HELPFUL: showing you’re a hard worker, dedicated humble and grateful for your opportunities/blessings connected to your roots confident a team player have dreams and high hopes are reflective possess insight / wisdom (relative for your age) are creative and/or innovative
College application essay
Optional draft for feedback due Fri 9/30 (M) / Mon 10/3 (G) Workshop draft (mandatory) due Tues 10/4 (M) / Weds 10/5 (G) Polished final due: Mon 10/10 (M) / Tues 10/11 (G) Here’s the assignment description. It’s also on the website and Classroom.
DEATH to the one word theme From this moment forward, never refer to a theme in a one word (or strictly subject) form, such as: “revenge,” “love,” “war,” “technology”… These are subjects, not themes. A theme is a universal truth that speaks to some aspect of the human condition. It cannot be encapsulated in one word. It needs to be a short phrase instead. Example: “The perils of unchecked technology will lead to the end of intelligent human existence.” So even though Spark Notes and Schmoop, etc. will often list themes as subjects or in one word form, realize this is wrong. A theme needs more substance and clarity than one word can provide.
HERE’S THE BIG PICTURE
To successfully study literature at an
advanced level, and to be prepared for
the AP Lit exam in May, you MUST
know how to write a theme statement.
Here’s why.
AP Essays On the AP Test = There are three essay responses.
Essay number 3 is referred to as the Open Ended Question.
It allows you to choose any piece of literature (with literary
merit) to use as the piece you reference throughout the essay
response.
Essay #3 (OEQ) is ALL about THEME. While the prompts
will vary and will ask you to look at different literary devices
and techniques, the ultimate crux of the question wants you to
talk about the meaning of the work as a whole and HOW the
author uses specific literary devices to construct that meaning.
Meaning of the work as a whole is CODE for theme.
I call it the MOTWAW. Memorize this. You MUST address
theme in question #3.
A recurring theme in literature is the classic war between a
passion and responsibility. For instance, a personal cause, a
love, a desire for revenge, a determination to redress a
wrong, or some other emotion or drive may conflict with
moral duty. Choose a literary work in which a character
confronts the demands of a private passion that conflicts
with his or her responsibilities. In a well-written essay show
clearly the nature of the conflict, its effects upon the
character, and its significance to the meaning of the work as
a whole.
Here’s some sample prompts.
Choose a novel or play that depicts a conflict between a
parent (or a parental figure) and a son or daughter. Write
an essay in which you analyze the sources of the conflict
and explain how the conflict contributes to the meaning of
the work. Avoid plot summary.
In some works of literature, a character who appears
briefly, or does not appear at all, is a significant presence.
Choose a novel or play of literary merit and write an essay
in which you show how such a character functions in the
work. You may wish to discuss how the character affects
action, theme, or the development of other characters.
Avoid plot summary.
Here’s some sample prompts.
Choose a novel or play that depicts a conflict between a
parent (or a parental figure) and a son or daughter. Write
an essay in which you analyze the sources of the conflict
and explain how the conflict contributes to the meaning of
the work. Avoid plot summary.
In some works of literature, a character who appears
briefly, or does not appear at all, is a significant presence.
Choose a novel or play of literary merit and write an essay
in which you show how such a character functions in the
work. You may wish to discuss how the character affects
action, theme, or the development of other characters.
Avoid plot summary.
Here’s some sample prompts.
Writers often highlight the values of a culture or a society
by using characters who are alienated from that culture or
society because of gender, race, class, or creed. Choose a
novel or a play in which such a character plays a significant
role and show how that character’s alienation reveals the
surrounding society’s assumptions or moral values.
From a novel or play choose a character (not necessarily
the protagonist) whose mind is pulled in conflicting
directions by two compelling desires, ambitions, obligations,
or influences. Then, in a well-organized essay, identify each
of the two conflicting forces and explain how this conflict
with one character illuminates the meaning of the work as a
whole. You may use one of the novels or plays listed below
or another novel or work of similar literary quality.
Here’s some sample prompts.
You will need to have a good number of books at
your disposal which you can use to address
whichever theme the prompt gives you.
To do this, we begin mentally cataloging books
(literally in your head) in March. However, for
everything we read this year, we will stringently
focus on theme so that you’ll have an arsenal of
themes you will recognize and discuss.
Thus…our focus on themes for Brave New World.
For essay #3 (OEQ)
The (genre) ______(title) _______
by (author) ___________ is about
(topic/abstract concept)
__________________________
and reveals (assertion about human
condition)
____________________________.
How to write a theme statement.
The novel Anthem, by Ayn Rand, is
about a futuristic society in which
humans no longer possess individual
identities and reveals that a
governmental insistence on creating
and perfecting collectivism will
essentially destroy humanity.
Here’s an easy example.
Exactly.
You would follow up this thesis with body paragraphs that specify (approximately three) ways in which the collectivist government in Anthem leads to the destruction of human identity and values.
Essay #3 is essentially a theme essay. You simply have to shape it to fit the prompt you’re writing to; however, it’s all about theme.
Looks like a thesis statement, right?
A bildungsroman, or coming-of-age novel,
recounts the psychological or moral
development of its protagonist from youth to
maturity, when this character recognizes his or
her place in the world. Select a single pivotal
moment in the psychological or moral
development of the protagonist of a
bildungsroman. Then write a well-organized
essay that analyzes how that single moment
shapes the meaning of the work as a whole.
Here’s one more example:
Let’s say I chose To Kill a Mockingbird or
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
I’d need to identify a theme from the novel
that I’m going to discuss.
Then, I’d write a theme statement.
Then, I’d discuss several ways the single
moment from the novel I chose demonstrates
the theme Harper Lee (or Mark Twain) wants
to convey.
How would I respond?
Themes you listed Emotional highs and lows are what make life worth living.
Without emotion, the world around us begins to disintegrate
Science and technology can overpower the role of mother nature to the point of extreme control and industry.
Ultimately, individuality cannot be defeated (as shown by John)
Blind conformity is a dangerous thing
Monogamy is important in a society filled with emotion and morals.
Emotion is essential for an individualistic and moral society.
If left unchecked, the power of captains of industry (such as Ford) could grow exponentially and dangerously.
Individuality is necessary to maintain our humanity.
The importance of Mother Nature and the natural world is essential to the overall scheme of life.
Life needs to be appreciated.
Science is not the most important aspect of human culture. Complexity in our emotions and ideas is what makes us human.
Relationships and true closeness are essential to make us human.
A lack of true knowledge (rather than trivial, empty information) leads to ignorance.
Choose four themes
Write a theme statement for each (of the
four you choose) and then list three specific
examples you could use from the novel to
illustrate or support that theme’s existence
and importance in the novel.
Write these on paper and turn in next class.
Here are a few samples…
The novel Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley, presents a
society of futuristic humans who are unable to think freely or feel
true emotion, revealing that advancements in technology have the
potential to destruct humanity.
In the novel Brave New World, Aldous Huxley’s World State
asserts that in order to maintain stability, individuality must be
sacrificed; however, in several passages Huxley reveals that
stability is not important when considering the great losses that
come with the forfeiture of individual identity.
In Aldous Huxley’s novel Brave New World, Huxley repeatedly
emphasizes the importance of technology, ultimately revealing that
technological advances can easily be used to strictly control the
thoughts, actions, feelings, and lives of its people.
For next class…
• Write your theme statements (G1 will
work on this next week.)
• Figure out who you’ll work with for the
soma film and start planning, looking at
possible videos, etc.
• Start drafting the college app essay
• Blog #2 due by midnight tonight
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