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Gatsby Notes
Speech/Debate
English III
AP Language
AP Literature
Gatsby Notes As we read and discuss The Great Gatsby, the notes from class will be available in this folder.
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Speech/Debate Debate is an elective open to students in all grades. My goal is to help you become a more critical consumer of argumentation and someone whose insight is not limited to sound bites, but in-depth understanding. We are going to learn about the foundations of argument, techniques for persuasion, and tools for evaluating the advocacy of others. Speech is an elective open to students in all grades. Class notes are available here.
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English III English III is the study of American literature. During the year, we will explore the study of American literature thematically using topics ranging from "The Wilderness in the American Imagination" to "Images of War and Peace." Before you explore more, please consider enjoying Henry David Thoreau's blog.
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AP Language AP Language is an elective course open to all juniors and seniors at Helena High School. It does not receive credit for English, but does prepare students for the AP Language and Composition exam, which offers college credit for passing students. The course will be focused on the study of argumentation, rhetoric, and analysis. We’ll spend a great deal of our time analyzing and evaluating interesting non-fiction, though the course will also cover the occasional fiction piece. This will be a very different experience from your normal English class.
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AP Literature English IV: AP Literature is a course focused on helping students become a stronger writers and more critical thinkers. We will focus on deep criticism of literature and effective writing strategies for college and for the AP Literature exam. In the words of the critic Northrop Frye, "The skill developed from constant practice in the direct experience of literature is a special skill, like playing the piano, not the expression of a general attitude to life, like singing in the shower.” We'll work on developing that special skill with some great literature by authors like Ellison, Marquez, and Miller.
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" Two hundred million Americans, and there aint two good catchers among em. "

Casey Stengel


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AP Language Satire Exam

AP Language - AP Language News

The materials for the AP Language exam on satire are located in this folder. For the test, you should be familiar with the following readings and materials:

 

  • Satire Notes
  • My Satirical Self (Wyatt Mason)
  • Shooting an Elephant (George Orwell)
  • A Modest Proposal (Jonathan Swift)
  • Behind the Formaldehyde Curtain (Jessica Mitford)
  • The Damned Human Race (Mark Twain)
  • Bringing Sexy Back (Maureen Dowd)
  • Dr. Strangelove
  • The iMe

 

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Great Gatsby Exam

English III - English III

Two of these questions will be on the exam over The Great Gatsby tomorrow in  English III. For each, you need to be prepared to write a detailed response, incorporating details from the text and our class discussion.

 

  1. F. Scott Fitzgerald famously said that "there are no second acts in American lives." Do the life and death of Jay Gatsby demonstrate this claim or refute it? Does the novel ultimately argue that one can never re-invent himself?
  2. Point of View is one of the most powerful techniques of The Great Gatsby. Explain how Fitzgerald's use of a 'witness' point of view impacts the reader and allows Fitzgerald to develop his themes. Why does he occasionally transgress this point of view, and with what impact?
  3. Fitzgerald is known as the preeminent chronicler of the Jazz Age, perhaps better depicting its excesses and virtues better than anyone. How does Nick Carraway demonstrate both attraction to and repulsion from the lives of the incredibly rich inhabitants of Long Island?
  4. How does Fitzgerald use the juxtaposition of Carraway/Gatsby and Buchanan/Carraway to reveal more about each character?
  5. What is ultimately the most to blame for the tragic end of the novel: Gatsby's nostalgic desire for the past, Daisy's selfishness, or Nick's silence?

 

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Extra Credit Opportunity for All Classes!

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If you login to the web site and leave a comment on the bottom of this, it’s worth 5 pointsextra-credit-300x270 (American) extra credit.

 

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