Due 9/27 (9/28 for 10G): The Yellow Wallpaper

English 10

Here’s what you should have completed thus far:

1. Read the course syllabus
2. All supplies should be in place
3. Registered for class website
4. Posted a response to the Welcome thread on the class forum
5. Completed in-class writing assignment
6. Read and annotated Where are You Going
7. Read and annotated the two poems by Emily Dickinson, Anne Sexton, and Sylvia Plath.
8. Read the bios for Sexton and Plath

You should have the following handouts printed and in your binder:

1. Course syllabus
2. Literary Terms
3. Where are You Going, Where have You Been?
4. Annotating Guidelines
5. The Bell Jar Unit Poetry
6. Confessional Poetry Guide

Completed Last Class Period:

Read and annotate Her Kind by Anne Sexton and Lady Lazarus by Sylvia Plath. As we use these poems and those of Emily Dickinson to practice writing topic sentences, keep in mind that we are laying the thematic foundation for our first unit. I remind you that this involves sensitive subjects such as depression and suicide.

After reading the poems, in bullet form identify the primary devices (i.e. metaphor, symbolism, etc) used in each poem to develop theme.

9/26: To be completed during Monday’s class–Poetry Discussion and Topic Sentence Practice

Small Group Discussion (20 minutes): Begin class in small groups and pick up where you left off last Wednesday. Discuss both poems focusing (Sexton and Plath)  on the theme in each poem and how the poet develops that theme.

Topic Sentence Practice: To begin, a topic sentence should feature both an observation and an argument. For example:

1. In Her Kind Anne Sexton’s witch, a misunderstood outcast, depicts how women are made to feel like strangers in their own body. (observation=the witch; argument= women are made to feel like strangers in their own body)
2. In Sylvia Plath’s Lady Lazarus, suicide attempts present a way for the narrator to take control over herself and the crowd. (observation=suicide; argument=suicide allows the narrator to take control over herself and the crowd)

Using the four poems (2 by Sexton and 2 by Plath), write one topic sentence per poem for a total of 4 poems.

HW:

1. Research and take notes on Charlotte Perkins Gilman, author of The Yellow Wallpaper.
2. The Yellow Wallpaper–Print the short story.
3. Feminist Criticism–Print this handout and be sure to have it with you in class!