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?

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.

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?

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!

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.

Reponse Question for R 9/23 and M 9/27

For your response, select one of the poems listed on your syllabus ("Mirrors," "A Valediction Forbidding Mourning," and "Digging") and identify and describe all of the figures of speech that you can find. Make sure that it is at least 250 words!

Link to the poem for R 9/23 and M 9/27

Here's a link to the Seamus Heaney poem "Digging" for class. Please print out a copy and bring with you.

http://www.wussu.com/poems/shdigg.htm