In case you think Kenneth Branagh’s version of Hamlet is too old and too British, here’s another one from PBS Great Performances. I like it. (For one thing, Hamlet is younger in this performance.)
If you want to watch the whole thing, it’s just three hours long. Check it out!
Hi APers. One of the best ways to study for the AP English test is to make thesis statements and outlines based on old prompts.
At our last AP Saturday, we did some practice.
I highly suggest that you use these open essay prompts (also on your Google Docs) and practice from them. They’re a wonderful resource.
Hi APers. Keep on posting — and not just on the weekends!
Continue to proofread your posts. Also, please watch this little screencast. I have three other things I want you to do to make sure that your posts are organized correctly. Thank you!
(Note: I hope the school’s filter doesn’t block the embed.)
It’s time for another Weekender!
Continue to use iseroma.com as your place to express yourself, share your thinking, comment on your peers’ work, and keep the conversation going.
Talk about Hamlet, about your growth in grammar, about current events and what’s happening in the news, about the AP test — about anything you like. Maybe you can connect Hamlet and one of its themes to something that is happening in your life.
Add photos, embedded video, links to other sites — whatever you want. Also, add updates to “iseroma right now,” offer suggestions to improve iseroma.com, and explore the site.
iseroma mobile does not have all the features and functionality as the main site, but some recent improvements should be noted.
1. You can read posts. Always stay up to date, even when you’re on the go!
2. You can comment on posts. Let your peers know what you think.
3. You can check out the AP English Page. This means you have access to daily agendas, assignments, and all your peers’ pictures and posts.
4. You can search the site. Every post is at your fingertips through search.
5. You can post. David did this during class! All you need to do is log jnto your account. Then you can reach your admin page. It’s not as easy to post as it is on a computer, but it is quite possible!
I hope you enjoy the new iseroma mobile!
If you’re truly serious about being an excellent student, and if you’re truly interested in passing the AP English test in May, you’re looking for resources to improve your reading, writing, and test-taking skills. You’re doing more than just what’s required in my class.
Here’s a neat resource I found on another AP English teacher’s website. Thank you, Christie McCormick.
Many of Ms. McCormick’s suggestions are similar to mine, but there are some good extras. Check them out, and if you’d like, write what you learned in the comments.
A debate is going on between Anne Trubek, who wrote an article in Wired Magazine, and Mignon Fogarty, our favorite Grammar Girl.
Yes, it’s about spelling.
Read Ms. Trubek’s recent article in Wired Magazine, “Proper Spelling? Its Tyme to Let Luce!” She says that having rules for spelling is “snobbery.”
Ms. Fogarty disagrees. She thinks standard spelling is crucial for clarity. Listen to her podcast.
(My favorite part of the podcast is Grammar Girl’s discussion of “adviser” vs. “advisor.” My colleagues and I have debated the word’s spelling for years.)
More Quizzards this week! I’m really proud. It’s clear that you’re reading more and studying more. Keep it up.
In total, we had nine perfect 10s: Esteffany, Ellie, Carmen, Dezmond, Kevin, Brenda, Sarai, Wendy, and Chavonni.
Let’s get the number of Quizzards up to at least 15 next week!
Next Friday, the AP English class will perform an abridged version of Hamlet.
Kevin’s Group: I.i.
JC’s Group: I.v.
Ellie’s Group: III.i.
Sarai’s Group: III.iv.
Stephanie’s Group: IV.1-ii.
Dezmond’s Group: IV.v.
Great! Now understand the scene, understand your lines, and memorize your lines! Rehearsal is next Wednesday.
I like this mobile website! I can do my Weekender while in class! Well, I will talk a little about Hamlet. The play is kind of cool, but it is hard to understand. That is just how Shakespeare’s work is. Some of his other work is cool and easy, like Romeo and Juliet. Just at this moment, we are doing ‘close reading’ to have a better understanding of his work! Other than all this school stuff, I am going to Los Angeles this weekend, and I don’t feel like going, only because it is a long drive, but I guess it will be fun.
Congratulations to Chavonni, the Grammarian of the Week. Chavonni made sure to come to office hours to get her essay down to zero errors.
I am pleased by Chavonni’s dedication to grammar. Her writing is improving, and her message in her essays has become more clear because her conventions have become more solid.
Like many things in life, growing in grammar takes dedication, and sometimes, you don’t always know that you’re improving.
As with most things in life, consistent hard work leads to benefits.
I applaud Chavonni for her commitment to grammar.
The New York Times is considered by most people as the best-written newspaper in the country. The average writer makes $125,000, and each article is checked several times for accuracy and grammar.
But sometimes, even NYT writers don’t get to zero errors.
That’s why The New York Times has a blog reviewing the newspaper’s grammar. It’s called “After Deadline.” It’s a great way to learn grammar. Check it out: http://topics.blogs.nytimes.com/tag/after-deadline/.
A good blog post to start with is the one about misplaced modifiers. Here’s the tip on modifiers:
Remember that when a participle construction, appositive or other modifying phrase starts a sentence, the person or thing being described should generally come directly after the modifying phrase.
Read more about modifiers here: http://topics.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/01/03/warning-danglers-ahead/.
Because so many of you loved “Nessun Dorma,” here’s another Italian song — this time a little more modern.
It’s called “Raccontami di Te,” which means, “Tell me about yourself.”
Maybe this is what you should say when doing the secret AP handshake? 
Extra credit for people who can translate the lyrics.
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Check out the new AP English page. Here are some of the new features:
1. There’s a new “Our Pics” page. Pictures from the class are organized in reverse chronological order, and they’re easy to view.
2. There’s a new “Our Posts” page. That’s where you can view all of your peers’ posts. Nothing from Mr. Isero there.
3. There are dedicated pages for Students of the Week (more pictures!) and Essays of the Week (yes, essays).
And projects and news and daily agendas and assignments and audio books!
As always, you can click on your picture — or the picture of a peer — to read related posts.
Hello, APers! I hope you’re doing great. Don’t be lazy — do the Weekender today!
Prompt
Help to restore iseroma.com to its right and proper place: the place to be online.
Be creative. Make your contribution. If you’re stuck, choose 1+ of these things to do:
1. Comment like crazy. Give your peers your appreciation and your thoughtful feedback.
2. Add content about Hamlet. Do some thinking and some research about the play, and then write a post. Add images, audio, and/or embedded video (via Schooltube).
3. Share iseroma.com content on Facebook, Twitter, or Google Plus. Find your favorite posts and then share them using the icons on the bottom.
4. Suggest improvements to iseroma.com. Scour the site, brainstorm ideas to make iseroma.com better, and then write a post about your suggestions.
5. Add content about your life. Write a post about what’s going on (positive or negative). And consider updating your status at “iseroma right now.”
Important: Always proofread. If you post, be sure to add tags.
After Chris’s dictatorial rule led AP English to the brink of anarchy, Brenda restored justice, order, and peace last week in her measured reign as Student of the Week.
Last Friday, she dutifully and respectfully ceded power to Dezmond, current Student of the Week. Brenda noted Dezmond’s humor and all-around goodness.
Dezmond has many other talents as well, including his ability to call out random numbers in his role as “Crazy Number Person.”
Dear Students,
I am thinking about expanding user privileges to make it possible for you to publish directly on iseroma.com without my approval.
I think this is a good idea. It makes sense. After all, iseroma.com is not my personal website; rather, it is our shared website. In addition, my hope is that with greater posting privileges, you will take iseroma.com to the next level.
Some people may think this is not a good idea. What if somebody posts something inappropriate? Yes, this is possible, but I trust you deeply, and I believe strongly in the First Amendment. I am not worried. Of course, if someone does abuse his or her posting privileges, I will follow up with consequences.
I’m much more worried about grammar and typographical errors. This is a public blog that is open to the entire world, so I cannot stress enough that you check your spelling, do some heavy proofreading, and triple check your posts before publishing them. I want to make sure that you represent yourself well.
I will likely change user privileges soon. Remember that iseroma.com is yours. Think deeply, express your thoughts and yourself, have fun, and contribute to the conversation of ideas.
Sincerely,
Mr. Isero
Antonio: Kindle Whisperer
Remember how the wonderful Ms. Buono donated a Kindle yesterday? That was really kind. We like Ms. Buono, and she likes us.
Well, there’s a subplot: It turns out that the Shift key had malfunctioned, and as a result, there was no way to type in the password and to access the Kindle.
Forlorn, disappointed, bordering on morose, I called up Amazon last night, and the representative declared the Kindle “defective.” There was no hope.
Until Antonio, the Kindle Whisperer, came to town.
During SSR today in Advisory, I gave Antonio a seemingly impossible mission: Fix this Kindle by Monday.
He cracked the code in less than 10 minutes.
Thank you, Antonio, for your skill. You have just restored all that is beautiful in the world.
I am very happy to announce the Essay of the Week recipient: Marco! This is his second win. Congratulations. As usual, Marco writes a clear essay with a strong thesis, along with solid organization. Particularly impressive is his last body paragraph, in which talks about Amy Tan’s use of point of view.
Congratulations also to the EoW finalists: Nathaly, Pauline, Ellie, and Esteffany.
Please read Marco’s essay and leave comments. Thank you.
Eating Symbols
In a novel, an eating scene can symbolize much more than just a meal. In the Joy Luck Club, by Amy Tan, a dining scene between Lindo and Waverly Jong, Rich Shields who is Waverly’s husband, and Waverly’s family, reveals a lot about a family’s Chinese tradition. In her book, Tan expresses how the traditions in Chinese culture fit into the lives of their Americanized offspring.
Through the dining scene, Tan reveals the significance of Chinese tradition. The scene revolves around Waverly’s husband, Rich, who is not aware of the traditions Waverly’s family holds. At the dinner table, Rich drinks two glasses of wine, while the family had only drank less than half of one. Here, Rich is not aware that the glass of wine is just for tasting, and not for pleasure. Following this event, Rich takes a big portion of the best dish prepared by Lindo Jong. Since it is the best plate at the table, everyone is supposed to take a small portion of it, and then wait to get more until everyone else at the table had had a portion of it. Finally, in the end of the scene, Rich unknowingly criticizes Lindo’s cooking. It is Chinese cook custom for the cook to insult their dishes, but only those cooked with best pride. Instead of proclaiming it to be the best dish she had cooked, Rich instead adds on condiment to it in order for it to taste better. The dinner scene here reveals the importance of knowing the customs and traditions of other cultures besides your own.
The scene incorporates the main theme of keeping customs and traditions in each culture. The novel follows four daughters who have been Americanized and their four Chinese mothers. Throughout the novel, the daughters want to prove to their mothers that they are capable of being on their own, and following their new American traditions. Although they want to be independent, they still want to maintain their Chinese traditions. Each daughter wants their parents to accept their American partner, so it is important for them to also know the Chinese customs. Rich proves to Waverly’s mother and family that he is not aware of their customs, and therefore cannot show the family respect. Rich does not prove that he is not a rude person, he just is ignorant of the customs he needs to follow. The ignorance Rich holds is what Waverly’s mother does not want in the family.
The dinner scene is effective at portraying the message Tan expresses in her novel. Without this scene in the novel, the significance of following a different culture’s traditions would not be there. The scene has a bit of humor in it, allowing the reader to sympathize for Rich as he blindly insults Chinese traditions. Having Waverly explain the scene, and not Rich or Lindo also makes the scene effective. Her point of view allows for the reader to see what he is doing wrong, and allowing the character to express her mother’s and her feelings towards the traditions. If the point of view of the scene had been from Rich’s perspective, the reader would not be aware of the mistakes he is making. The scene from the perspective of Lindo would show anger towards Rich which would lead the reader to believe he is just a rude person in general.
It is through this dinner scene that the reader can see the importance of being aware of a different cultures traditions. The novel shows the importance of keeping customs in each culture. Rich being an outsider and not knowing Chinese culture is what Lindo tries to protect her daughter from.
APers, thank you very much for your letters of support to the District Board of Trustees. Last Tuesday, our school had a hearing in front of the superintendent and the Board, and the commissioners spoke highly of our school.
The letters really mattered. Strong writing, in general, really matters in life.
Also, thank you to Pauline for speaking to the Board about her experience.
I am very confident that the Board will vote to renew the school’s charter next Tuesday.
I am happy to announce this week’s Quizzards, students who received perfect 10s on Quiz #6.
Monae Ellie Brenda
Congratulations to the Quizzards! Overall, there weren’t as many perfect scores, but overall, the quiz grades are going up. Remember that the quiz is an extremely easy way to raise your grade.
All you have to do is read, study the words, and study the literary devices.
I’m looking forward to better quiz scores in the future. Let’s make it happen.
APers, in case you think our secret handshake is too intimate (and possibly inappropriate for school), check out Jeremy Lin’s.
Do the Weekender today!
1. Make sure you’ve finished Hamlet, Act 1.
2. Find the deepest four lines from Act 1.
3. Call (415) 294-0802 and leave a one-minute podcast in which you:
(Only rule: You can’t use the Hamlet soliloquy we did yesterday in class.)
After 20 weeks of peaceful transfer of power, Chris today left AP English in chaos today after deciding not to choose a successive Student of the Week.
His reasoning? Nobody stepped up to deserve the award.
Bedlam ensued. Some students looked to Mr. Isero for guidance. How could this happen? What does this mean for order and tranquility and all that is good in the world?
The usually respectful and kind APers demanded retribution. At one point, a majority vote called for a change in leadership, even if that meant revenge (perhaps like Chillingworth). One student asked for democracy and “checks and balances.”
After Chris’s controversial announcement, the rest of Forced Fun took on a more contentious tone than usual. Stephanie received criticism for her wrapping skills, Mr. Isero got booed for his $300 field trip grant, Rashada’s card included an inappropriate word obviously learned as a result of reading The Scarlet Letter, and Marco chose not to sing “Happy Birthday” until his lips were forcibly moved.
So many questions remain. What will happen tomorrow at AP Saturday? Will Chris be punished, and if so, by whom? Will he usurp Mr. Isero’s teaching role and run the class himself? Or will there be a revolution? Stay tuned.
Congratulations to Antonio, this week’s Essay of the Week recipient. He is our second two-time winner. Antonio blends solid analysis (particularly in his structure and point of view paragraphs) with sophisticated language. Leave comments about what you like!
Insatiable Desires
In the poem, “A Story” by Li-Young Lee, the author conveys a father’s torment in not being able to provide the stories that his son desires. The son seeks new stories from his father because the son has heard them all. However the father is unable to respond with a new story. This causes the father great anxiety and causes him to imagine a bleak future for him and his son. In order to describe the emotions that the father is feeling toward his son, Lee uses structure, point of view, and tone.
The use of structure in this poem shows the complex relationship that the father has with his son and how the father feels about his inability to satisfy his son’s desires. The author separates the poems into three distinct units, each highlighting a different stage of the boy’s feelings toward his father. The stages of the boy’s love are separated by the different stanzas in the poem. The beginning of the poem shows the boy’s love for his father; the boy sits on his father’s lap, eagerly waiting for a story. This is shown in the second stanza where it says, “His five-year-old son waits in his lap” (3). In the middle, the boy’s attitude toward his father dramatically shifts as he is packing up so he can leave his father. This is shown when it says, “but the boy is packing his shirts” (15). The shift in the boy’s feelings toward his father is shown when the father tries to tell stories to convince his son to stay, while the son remains unfazed by his father’s efforts. Finally, in the last stanza, the boy’s feelings go back to normal and he is back to loving and depending on his father when the setting returns to the present and the father is still unable to tell a new story. This is shown when it says. “but the boy is here” (19). The author’s use of structure shows the relationship that the father has with his son.
The author’s use of point of view further displays the complex relationship that the father has with his son. The author uses third-person (limited) point of view in order to describe the feelings of the father. It is third-person (limited) point of view, because the poem only uses the father’s point of view and does not allow the reader into the thoughts of the son. The author initially displays the father’s point of view when his son asks for him to tell a new story. The father feels that even amongst all the knowledge that surrounds them, he is unable to do anything for his son. This is explicitly described when it says, “In a room full of books in a world of stories, he can recall not one” (5-8). The father is feels that even if he has all the resources around him, he is unable to provide what his son wants. The father’s point of view is further shown when the son is packing his belongings and the father tries to persuade him to stay. The father is shown as desperate in his attempts to persuade his son into staying. The father’s point of view in this situation is best described when he exclaims “don’t go” (11). Through the author’s use of point of view, the relationship between the father and son is clearly shown.
Finally, the author uses a desperate tone in order to explain the relationship between the father and his son. The tone of the words used in the poem reveals the father as a desperate man, struggling to please his son. The rash tone is specifically shown when the father is trying to stop his son from leaving. The father exclaims, “don’t go”, a venturesome attempt at making his son stay once his attempts at story-telling have failed. The father has failed in persuading his son to stay using normal means and had to resort to begging. The act of the father begging his son to stay show the father’s desperation and this act of rashness further shows the complex relationship that the father has with his son.
Through the author’s use of literary devices, Lee succeeds in showing a father’s relationship with his son. She uses structure to illustrates the change in the the son’s feelings toward his father. The point of view shows how the father feels about not being able to satisfy the desires of his son and the use of tone illustrates the father’s feelings of desperation in not being able to get his son to stay.
Hi APers. For your Weekender (do it on Friday, but it’s due on Sunday), please do the following two things:
1. Listen to another Grammar Girl podcast. You choose the topic.
2. Write an “iseroma right now” (a status update on the right sidebar) about one grammar topic that you are improving. Keep it positive. It should be 2-3 lines long.
Have a wonderful weekend!
PS – As always, work really hard to reduce your grammar errors in your essay. Your best effort is due on Monday at 11 p.m. Try to get as close to zero errors as possible.
Which form of writing is most important for college and for life? Is it the long research paper (like the Theme Study), the short essay (like the AP Essay), or the short blog entry (like the iseroma post)?
The truth is, There’s a big debate going on in colleges.
Read this recent New York Times article and then write your opinion in the comments.
Do this Weekender on Friday! It’s due on Sunday at 11 p.m.
The Weekender has TWO parts:
1. Write a 2+ paragraph iseroma.com post on ONE of the following prompts:
My vote for the AP English Theme Song: “Nessun Dorma,” by Giacomo Puccini.
It is nighttime. Calaf, the “Unknown Prince,” has solved Princess Turandot’s three riddles and is now ready to marry her. But if the Princess finds out his name before the morning, she can have him beheaded. In this aria, Prince Calaf is confident that he will triumph.
Italian English
Nessun dorma! Nessun dorma! Nobody shall sleep! Nobody shall sleep!
Tu pure, o Principessa, nella tua fredda stanza,
Guardi le stelle che tremano d'amore e di speranza.Even you, o Princess, in your cold room,
Watch the stars that tremble with love and with hope.
Ma il mio mistero è chiuso in me,
Il nome mio nessun saprà!But my secret is hidden within me,
My name no one shall know!
No, no, sulla tua bocca lo dirò quando la luce splenderà!
Ed il mio bacio scioglierà il silenzio che ti fa mia!No, no, on your mouth I will tell it when the light shines.
And my kiss will dissolve the silence that makes you mine!
Dilegua, o notte! Tramontate, stelle! Tramontate, stelle!
All'alba vincerò! Vincerò, Vincerò!Vanish, o night! Set, stars! Set, stars!
At dawn, I will win! I will win! I will win!
Congratulations to Paulina, recipient of this week’s “Essay of the Week.” This is not only the best essay this week, but it is also the best essay so far this year. Study this essay — for how it answers the prompt, doesn’t waste words, includes solid topic sentences, and stays focused in analysis. Paulina is our first person who has won Essay of the Week twice!
Avoiding Reality
The introduction in the passage of The Secret History by Donna Tart, sets the tone for the rest of the novel. In the introduction, the author immediately characterizes the narrator’s attitude toward Bunny’s death. The narrator’s heartless, shameful, inhumane, and hostile attitude is shown by the authors use of literary techniques. Furthermore, the disinterest and uncaring attitude is demonstrated with the use of simile, symbolism, and irony.
The use of simile throughout the passage demonstrates the narrator’s heartless attitude. When the narrator describes Bunny’s murder, he compares each event with a less important and almost irrelevant analogy. The narrator describes, “…remember piling gratefully into the car and starting down the road like a family vacation…with Henry driving clench-jawed through the potholes and the rest of us leaning over the sears and talking like children” (54-60). Here, two continuous simile descriptions are purposely embedded in the passage to show the narrator’s heartless attitude toward the murder. After having left Bunny in the wilderness, he describes his trip back “like a family vacation” and the group of criminals “talking like children.” The narrator compares his actions and the group’s actions with happy events after having killed Bunny. Overall, the narrator’s attitude is seen when he uses the similes because he shows disinterest and a spirit of heartlessness.
The symbol of the ravine describes the narrator’s mental struggle and shameful attitude toward Bunny’s murder. There are two instances where the ravine appears in the passage and it seems as though it symbolizes struggles and Bunny himself. The narrator mentions, “…and though once I thought I had left that ravine forever on April afternoon long ago, now I am not sure..” (35-36). In this sentence, the word ravine could be easily replaced by the word struggle or murder. The ravine does not just mean a bird, but it symbolizes and demonstrates the narrator’s personal struggle with Bunny’s murder. The fact that he cannot name his struggle or talk about what he has committed shows that he has a battle with himself. In other words, he is ashamed and shows a spirit of remorse because the novel mentions, “I thought I had left the ravine forever…now I am not sure.” Here, he is almost questioning and complaining to his past by saying, why should the memories of his past come back if he had left them forever? All in all, the ravine is used to portray the narrator as someone who is ashamed of his past and is therefore, unwilling to face the reality.
Finally, the narrator’s hostile attitude reveals itself when he uses irony by mentioning the color white and introducing Bunny’s murder. The narrator automatically begins the passage with a pleasant and beautiful description of snow. Snow and the the color white appears many time in the passage. For example, the narrator mentions in the beginning of the introduction, “The snow in the mountains…” (1-2). The fact that the narrator clearly uses the color white in the introduction shows the narrator’s attitude and hostile intentions. Also, he uses the same irony when he says, “…though I remember the walk back and first lonely flakes of snow” (54-55). The narrator uses the color white to mock and minimize the extremity of the situation he is in. Right after he has killed Bunny he purposely describes the scenery and includes the “flakes of snow.” Within these sentences there is irony because during a horrid situation he uses the snow flakes and the color white, which ironically mean something pleasant and positive. To finalize, irony is used to show that the narrator is hostile and gruesome because he purposely goes around in circles when he explains the murder to distract the reader from reality.
In the novel, the use of simile, symbolism, and irony are used to portray the kind of attitude the narrator has in the introduction. These literary techniques allows the author to portray the narrator as someone gruesome, hostile, shameful, heartless, and inhumane. In conclusion, all these examples and techniques allow the tone to establish for the rest of the appalling novel.
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