Mr. Pfeiffer read out a number of the short story assignments highlighting such things as effective dialogue, foreshadowing a story's conflict in the opening lines, and having indeterminate endings. Story marks ranged from 2 out of 6 to 6 out of 6.
Today we read quietly -- students should be near the middle of chapter 13 in their reading. At this point, the Chrysalids final exam is slated for Friday, although I might bump that to Monday. So . . . make sure your reading is done.
Today we also started working on a paragraph assignment. The topic is to discuss David as a dynamic character (a character who undergoes a change). Below is the assignment sheet I handed out which includes three examples of paragraphs that I wrote. This assignment will be due Friday or Monday.
English 10 -- Chrysalids In-Class
Paragraphs
Choose the topic below and write two good
paragraphs. Use quotations from the
novel to support your ideas. Refer to
our notes and exercises on quoting properly.
Topic: David is a dynamic character (he undergoes a change during the
course of the novel). Discuss.
Requirements
Ink or typed
Double-spaced
Proper use of quotations
Rough and Final copy must be submitted
Due today at the end of the class
********************************************************************
Example
Topic
Several characters in the novel display
courage. Select one or two and discuss.
Lousy Paragraph (this would
not get a passing grade)
The
Chrysalids is an interesting story about a group of telepathic people. The book keeps you reading. The characters take risks like when they all
accidentally meet to help Petra when she is drowning and the author says, “
Petra was on the bank, shivering.” If I
was almost drowning I sure wish I could telepathically get help. Being telepathic would be quite a neat thing
to have and I hope that by the end of the novel, that David and Rosalind and
Petra will “get away” from the bad guys.
Marginal Paragraph (Better
-- this would get a passing grade -- barely)
In,
The Chrysalids, a small group of people risk their lives. The telepaths stand up to resist the
prejudice of this world. The torture of
Sally and Katherine shows this:
“Katherine has admitted it; confessed.
I have confirmed it. They would
have forced me to in the end . . .
[with] the hot irons” (p. 130).
After torture, the telepaths confess.
The two captured telepaths confessed after submitting themselves to
torture. One would think that Sally and
Katherine’s confession would make the others want to give up. It is the courage, not the confession, that
the two girls showed which helped the rest.
Improved Paragraph (this
would get an ‘A’)
In
John Wyndham’s science fiction novel, The Chyrsalids, a small group of
people show extraordinary courage.
Moreover, they risk their lives to survive amidst a futuristic world
where their telepathic powers are viewed as being evil. Rather than bowing down to the overwhelming
majority of people, the telepaths stand tall, against overwhelming odds, to
resist the prejudice in this futuristic world.
The torture of Sally and Katherine illustrates this resistance
well: “Katherine has admitted it;
confessed. I have confirmed it (p. 130)”. Furthermore, Sally reveals that no matter
what she does they would “have forced [her] to in the end . . . [with] the hot irons” (p. 130). From these words we learn that Sally’s was startlingly
courageous as she refused to confess to authorities the details of her fellow
telepaths. It is only through unbearable physical torture, then, that Sally and
Katharine confess. One would think
that Sally and Katherine’s confession would dull the defiant attitude displayed
by the rest of the group, but these two brave characters help to strengthen the
determination of the other telepaths to stay alive. It is the courage, not the confession, that
the two girls showed which goes a long way in helping to sharpen the determination
of the others.
