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Last Updated:
June 13, 2007 11:46 AM
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| Individual in America: Mr. Ejzak |
Overview |
| We will explore the trials of three great heroes of American literature: Hester Prynne of The Scarlet Letter , Jay Gatsbyof The Great Gatsby , and Willy Loman of Death of a Salesman . Despite the years that separate these characters, they all share struggles and societal impositions that may or may not be uniquely American. We will compare their experiences and try to evaluate why some of them succeed or fail to emerge as stronger at the end of their trials. |
Syllabus |
| Texts Due Dates Course Expectations I expect you to engage in literature and writing that could inspire you to think in ways that perhaps you hadn't before. The specific areas I describe later will help stretch your mind to think more reflectively and analytically. Of course I cannot prescribe passion, yet in many ways I believe that passion stirs us to our best work. Reading Read actively. Read with a pen. As you're reading, consider how the text develops plot, character, and theme. Make notes in the margin to capture your reactions to particular moments. We will have daily reading assignments; complete the daily reading assignments to avoid the crunch of reading a lot of challenging material all at once. Arrive to class with the text so we can refer to specific passages and hear them read aloud. Writing We will develop our voice in writing through several exercises throughout the term. Pursue the full process of writing: brainstorming, drafting, peer critiquing, and revising. In order to take advantage of that process, all writing assignments should be completed on time. Late assignments will be penalized one third of a grade per day. Speaking and Listening “The classroom is the drama with speaking parts for everyone.” Express your thoughts and feelings on our texts; the writers we explore did not produce their material because someone told them they had to—they produced these works because they felt something powerfully that moved them to write about it. Listen with care and respect to the seemingly outlandish perspective, whether it comes from one of the writers or one of your classmates. Class participation will be a part of your grade. |
Assignments |
Announcements |
Links |
| Fitzgerald Society Home Page |
Teacher: Mr. Paul S. Ejzak
Contact: (412) 968-3051
pejzak@shadysideacademy.org
Office Hours:
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