Welcome to the official class blog for Deanna Dixon's English 102. Feel free to browse for helpful tips and resources regarding assignments, as well as due dates, homework, etc.

Monday, November 29, 2010

Extra Credit Response Question

This response question is due on the final day of class and will take the place of a response question that was late or incomplete. At the beginning of the post, please list what response question you would like for it to replace. For your response, please choose either a short story, a poem, or a play that we DID NOT read in class and perform a short literary analysis. Identify the theme, using at least two quotes from the work itself, and discuss at least three additional literary devices evident in the work. Remember, in order to recieve ANY credit, the post must be a minimum of 250 words.

Monday, November 8, 2010

"No Child" Response Question for W 11/8 and R 11/9

How does the play within a play reinforce the theme of "No Child"? (Remember what we discussed about the arts in education.) Discuss what we know about the play the students perform. Does it matter what play it is? Remember to follow the guidelines for the previous response questions.

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Response Question for R 10/28 and M 11/1

After reading the short story version of Trifles, "A Jury of her Peers," please compose a paragraph comparing/contrasting the two works. Which genre/version did you prefer? Why?

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Extra Credit Response Post

For next Wednesday/Thursday's class (10/20 and 10/21), you may post an extra credit response. For the response, please choose a poem that we did not discuss in class and you did not present on, and do a line-by-line explication analyzing the rhyme scheme, diction, figures of speech, etc. The post must be 250 words in order to receive any credit. Indicate in your title what response you would like for it to take the place of.

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Poetry Project Grading Rubric

Below, I've posted the rubric that I will use to grade your poetry projects. Hopefully, you will now have a good idea of what I'm looking for and how each aspect is weighted.


Requirements: 0 5 10
Does the project fulfill the requirements on
time? Does it include a visual aid, and a
line-by-line explication of a poem? Does the
student read the poem with expression?


Clarity: 5 10 15 20 25 30
Does the project give a sufficient summarization
of the poem to facilitate understanding of the work?



Critical Analysis of the Poem: 10 15 20 25 30 35
Does the project explain the form, rhyme scheme, and meter of the
poem? Does it analyze the literary devices at work?



Visual Aid: 5 10 15 20 25
Does the project include a visual aid that
is creative and contributes to the understanding
of the work? Is it of high quality and includes no
grammar/punctuation mistakes?

Monday, September 27, 2010

Response Question for R 9/30 and M 10/4

For this response question, please refer to the poem "My Last Duchess" by Robert Browning. This poem is a great example of the poetic form known as a dramatic monologue. One of the most interesting characteristics of a dramatic monologue is analyzing how the speaker inadvertently reveals him/herself through the words spoken.

In your post, please analyze what and how the speaker in Browning's poem unknowingly reveals his past and his true intentions to the audience. Make sure you reference specific lines, and if you don't know a word, look it up!

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Vocabulary Help...

If you're interested in exploring options to help you improve your vocabulary, check out the link to the following site: http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/vocabulary.htm. Read the tips they offer and explore some of the resources they suggest. Also, check out the OED (Oxford English Dictionary) Word of the Day. I've posted a link in my Writing Links and Resources section.