In English 7, we began the year with a study of how authors use figurative language and imagery to enrich the experience of the reader and to bring stories to life. Our first novel, A Soldier’s Heart by Gary Pullman, is a story of a young soldier in the American Civil War. We talked about the history of the Civil War and saw some of Matthew Brady’s photographs. Pullman’s use of metaphor, simile, personification, onomatopoeia, and hyperbole helped us understand what it may have been like to participate in that war. For our final project, we wrote letters “home” as if we had been there. Using figurative language was one of the ways we made our letters realistic. When the letters were finished, we “antiqued” them and put them on display in Lassen 1.
To continue our study of figurative language and imagery, we read Shabanu, Daughter of the Wind by Susanne Fisher Staples, a story of a young girl growing up in the Cholistan Desert in Pakistan. In the novel, Ms. Staples shows us a desert that is both beautiful and terrifying. As Shabanu grows, her love for the desert and the family’s herd of camels comes in direct conflict with her arranged marriage. As a final project, we wrote poems about the desert, and though none of us has seen the Cholistan Desert, our poems, now on display in Lassen 1, reflect the impressions we formed from reading this novel.
After some discussion of our summer reading, Siddhartha, Upper School World Literature classes plunged into our studies of Ancient Greek Drama, which included Agamemnon (in the AP class), Antigone, Oedipus, Medea, and Trojan Women. After some gnashing of teeth, we finally conquered the difficult language of the plays and exercised our critical thinking by considering the ageless topic of justice that the plays share. We are now deep in The Iliad, learning about epic heroes, epic similes, and stock epithets, as well as the history and archaeology behind the legends of the Trojan War. We will also hear a few verses from Book I in the Ancient Greek and perhaps memorize a little of it.
Our study of World Literature is topically arranged into these units: Heroes, Comedy/Satire/Irony, Oppression, Risk Takers, Solitude, Society and Family, Social Responsibility, and Truth and Meaning. For each unit, we will read one major work, poetry, and selections from other works. For our current unit on heroes, in addition to The Iliad, we will also read Gilgamesh and selections from The Aeneid, El Cid, The Nibelungenlied, and the Book of Exodus from the Old Testament. For our next unit, Comedy, Satire, and Irony, we will begin with Voltaire’s Candide.
~ ~ Peggy Lauer
The 8th grade students are excelling in English this year. We have read short stories by Chaim Potok and Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech. Currently, we are reading Bless Me, Ultima by Rudolfo Anaya. I cannot say enough wonderful things about this group of students. They are asking thoughtful questions, feeling compassion for the characters, and beginning to use literary devices to improve their comprehension of literature. All of this results in full class discussions, so I am learning to be more realistic with what I hope to squeeze into each class period. The students are learning quickly how to express their thoughts through the written word, and they have already made noted progress since the beginning of the year. This group of students rises to the challenges presented. I am excited to see what new thoughts and ideas come out of the rest of the year. We will move on to the classic Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll after Winter Break.
This elective class is composed of an eclectic group of students who are working hard every Monday and Wednesday afternoon to assemble their final portfolio that will be due at the end of the semester. These students are producing plays, novels, short stories, and poetry--it is a joy to see what ignites their imaginations. One of the highlights of my time with these students is working with them one-on-one after I read their work. I am glad that the Creative Writing class has become a safe place for students to write and experiment with language in such diverse ways.
~ ~ Beth Wirth