Style in Writing

Click on the title of this post in order to access a powerpoint document on style in writing. The powerpoint discusses how an author's writing style can often determine meaning in text. The powerpoint also provides several examples of how authors manipulate language in order to create a distinct voice in writing.

Lamb to the Slaughter - Organization

Bonus Blog Assignment

How is the organization (chronological order) of the events in Lamb to the Slaughter important? How does this order of events impact you as a reader? What would happen to the story if the order of the events was changed?

Organization in Writing

Organization is an important element of your writing. You need to be able to analyze organization in both your own writing and in the writing of others. The title of this post links to a powerpoint presentation that discussed the curricular outcomes that are all related to organization in writing.

When you are asked to analyze stylistic techniques that create impact and affect meaning, organization is an element that you could talk about.

Ideas in Writing

Watch the linked powerpoint presentation on Ideas in Writing. Click on the title of this post in order to follow the link. The powerpoint includes a definition for Ideas in Writing and what it means for assessing your writing. There are also several examples of student writing for you to read and assess for other students' ideas in their writing.

After watching the powerpoint, and reading the student examples, answer the following question.

What is the main idea (theme) from "Lather and Nothing Else"? What ideas are included in the plot that best support this theme?

Post your response by commenting to this post.

Short story link - Lather and Nothing Else

Questions link - Lather and Nothing Else

The Last Word

Here is the link to The Last Word poem. You will need acrobat reader in order to view the file as it is saved as a pdf file.

La Belle Dame sans Merci - John Keats

Here is the poem, La Belle Dame Sans Merci by John Keats. Compare the relationship of Gatsby and Daisy to that of the relationship between the Knight and the Faer Lady.

You may either attach your response as a comment to this post, or you may turn it in to me in class. Your response is due Monday, March 9th.

La Belle Dame Sans Merci - John Keats (1819)

Oh what can ail thee, knight-at-arms,
Alone and palely loitering?
The sedge has withered from the lake,
And no birds sing.

Oh what can ail thee, knight-at-arms,
So haggard and so woe-begone?
The squirrel's granary is full,
And the harvest's done.

I see a lily on thy brow,
With anguish moist and fever-dew,
And on thy cheeks a fading rose
Fast withereth too.

I met a lady in the meads,
Full beautiful - a faery's child,
Her hair was long, her foot was light,
And her eyes were wild.

I made a garland for her head,
And bracelets too, and fragrant zone;
She looked at me as she did love,
And made sweet moan.

I set her on my pacing steed,
And nothing else saw all day long,
For sidelong wold she bend, and sing
A faery's song.

She found me roots of relish sweet,
And honey wild, and manna-dew,
And sure in language strange she said -
"I love thee true".

She took me to her elfin grot,
And there she wept and sighed full sore,
And there i shut her wild eyes
With kisses four.

And there she lulled me asleep
And there i dreamed - Ah! woe betide!
The latest dream I ever dreamt
On the cold hillside.

I saw pale kings and princes too,
Pale warriors, death-pale were they all;
They cried - "La Belle Dame sans Merci
Hath thee in thrall!"

I saw their starved lips in the gloam,
With horrid warning gaped wide,
And I awoke and found me here.
On the cold hill's side.

And this is why I sojourn here
Alone and palely loitering,
Though the sedge is withered from the lake,
And no birds sing.

Question 1

1) How has the setting (time and place) been used in this chunk to develop an emotional effect on the reader?

The setting is a significant part of the story which can deliver an emotional effect to the readers. In this story, the economy was growing which means many people were after the money. During this time, it can show how people can be self-centered. Since the story took place in New York during the 1920's, most people at this time have the same attitudes towards each other. While reading the story, I can imagine the characters' feelings and attitudes to other people. An example would be the Buchanans, they are very rich but also shallow and selfish. They have everything that many people desire, from the money to a beautiful mansion. Even though they have it all, I can sense that they are not satisfied of what they have. These emotions are created just by knowing the setting of a story. The readers can make a better connection towards the characters by having an understanding of where the story took place.

=)