Category: Writing

Two famous adaptations of
Romeo and Juliet
leave Paris out of Act V, scene iii. What information is lost without his presence? Give specific examples from the play to support your answer.

What is poetic diction?
A. a poem written in a specific rhyme scheme
B. mostly slang
C. mostly metaphor and simile
D. the use of elevates language over ordinary language

Create a Works Cited entry for John Steinbeck’s “The Chrysanthemums” in the anthology mentioned below. Use the MLA format for an entry in an anthology. See page 2056 for one example of a entry that’s of a story in anthology. The model on page 2056 is for Octavia Butler’s “Bloodchild.” Another sample is on page 2068 for Joyce Carol Oates’ “where are you Going, Where Have You Been?” Follow either example exactly. For a detailed review of each component, see pages 2064-2074. These pages will define the author element and so forth. For your short story, use the pages on the short story handout.
1. editors: X. J. Kennedy and Dana Gioia
2. anthology title:
Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, Drama, and Writing
3. edition: 13th
4. year: 2014
5. Publisher: Pearson

1. What does the context suggest is the most likely meaning of
deterred
as it is used in this sentence from “What’s the Rush?”
While adults are also guilty of this carelessness, teenagers are less deterred by the terrifying statistics, laws, and danger: the possible consequences don’t always rank when that phone starts to buzz.
a.
motivated to analyze something
b.
inspired to learn about something
c.
encouraged to discuss something
d.
discouraged from doing something
2. What is the most likely meaning of
anticipate
as it is used in this quotation from “What’s the Rush?” Choose the meaning based on context clues in the passage.
[I]n a part of the brain called the prefrontal cortex is the area that has an important job: it helps boss around the other parts of your brain so that you can make solid decisions, organize your thoughts, plan ahead, and anticipate consequences.
a.
analyze
b.
understand
c.
predict
d.
generate
3. Which phrase from the quotation is a context clue that most clearly supports the answer to the question above about the word “anticipate”?
a.
other parts of your brain
b.
the area . . . has an important job
c.
it helps boss around
d.
you can . . . plan ahead
4. What does the author of “What’s the Rush?” mean when she says that “risk-taking is like a dress rehearsal for real danger”?
a.
The author believes that people learn by practice and repetition.
b.
The author believes that teens act out danger scenarios to prepare for serious situations later in life.
c.
The author believes that teens never take truly serious risks.
d.
The author believes that people enjoy acting at all ages, but teens are especially good at it.
5. Which quotation from the passage best supports the answer to the question above about risk-taking?
a.
The only problem is that the prefrontal cortex . . . does not seem to be fully developed until about age 25.
b.
Before that time, young people sometimes take risks that seem silly or dangerous to adults.
c.
Though it may seem safe in the moment, distracted driving can quadruple the chance of a crash.
d.
[S]ince our brains learn from experience, we take risks when we are young to learn how to make good decisions when circumstances get really serious

answer the question
Read the selection in your Student Edition and choose the best answer to each question.
Letter from Birmingham Jail
by Martin Luther King Jr.
1 Based on the rhetoric Dr. King uses in his letter, his intended audience are clergymen who are —
confused by his efforts
unfamiliar with his efforts
disapproving of his efforts
undecided about his efforts
2 Which statement best explains how Dr. King’s introduction of the four steps of a nonviolent campaign in paragraph 6 serves his argument?
It justifies the need for nonviolent action.
It shows the power of nonviolent action against segregation.
It advances nonviolent action as a negotiation tool.
It clarifies why nonviolent action is as effective as violence.
3 Read the sentence from paragraph 6.
There can be no gainsaying the fact that racial injustice engulfs this community.
Based on context in this sentence and the paragraph, what is the meaning of gainsaying?
Explaining
Concealing
Contradicting
Resolving
4 Throughout paragraph 14, Dr. King mostly supports his argument for immediate action by —
using logical appeal
using emotional appeal
establishing his authority
establishing his credibility
5 What purpose do paragraphs 21 and 22 serve?
They provide evidence to support a claim.
They develop an opposing claim.
They add emotional appeal to a claim.
They use parallelism to amplify a claim.
6 What is the purpose of the allusions Dr. King makes in paragraphs 3 and 31?
7 Which statement best explains the rhetorical device Dr. King uses in paragraph 45 and its effect?
The repeated use of parallelism imparts Dr. King’s mounting outrage.
The logical use of appeals conveys Dr. King’s wish for better treatment.
The forceful use of antithesis suggests Dr. King’s hope for societal change.
The consistent use of overstatement emphasizes Dr. King’s observations.
8 A logical fallacy Dr. King addresses in his letter is that peaceful protests are bad because they lead to violence. What effect does addressing this logical fallacy have on the essay?
It proves the point that oppressors never grant protesters freedom voluntarily.
It reinforces the point that action can be effective even if it is nonviolent.
It supports the point that white moderates are blocking the flow of progress.
It makes the point that blaming protesters for the acts of others is illogical.
9 Which two statements best express Dr. King’s rebuttal to the opposing claim that his action in Birmingham is untimely?
The new city administration would be as unresponsive as previous ones.
The Supreme Court outlawed segregation in public schools in 1954.
People must oppose unjust laws because they are used to oppress minorities.
African Americans have waited in vain over 340 years for freedom.
There are four steps in organizing nonviolent campaigns.
10 Dr. King compares just and unjust laws in order to explain why African Americans —
have been afraid to protest laws
are resentful of the judicial system
have the right to break some laws
are facing an unfair judicial system
11 Which two lines from the selection are examples of concessions?
You may well ask: “Why direct action? Why sit-ins, marches and so forth? Isn’t negotiation a better path?” You are quite right in calling for negotiation.
(paragraph 10)
The purpose of our direct-action program is to create a situation so crisis-packed that it will inevitably open the door to negotiation.
(paragraph 11)
You express a great deal of anxiety over our willingness to break laws. This is certainly a legitimate concern.
(paragraph 15)
How does one determine whether a law is just or unjust? A just law is a man-made code that squares with the moral law or the law of God.
(paragraph 16)
Who can say that the legislature of Alabama which set up that state’s segregation laws was democratically elected?
(paragraph 18)
12 This question has two parts. First, answer Part A. Then, answer Part B.
Part A
Based on the selection, what can the reader infer about Dr. King’s feelings toward the members of the clergy whom he addresses in his letter?
He has a very close relationship with them and works with them on a regular basis.
He is disappointed in their willingness to avoid supporting what is morally right.
He is fearful of their power to strip him of his leadership position.
He has a great deal of respect for them because of their stance on social issues.
Part B
Which two excerpts from the selection best support the answer to Part A?
We have gone through all these steps in Birmingham. . . . Birmingham is probably the most thoroughly segregated city in the United States.
(paragraph 6)
On the basis of these promises, the Reverend Fred Shuttlesworth and the leaders of the Alabama Christian Movement for Human Rights agreed to a moratorium on all demonstrations.
(paragraph 7)
Individuals may see the moral light and voluntarily give up their unjust posture; but, as Reinhold Niebuhr has reminded us, groups tend to be more immoral than individuals.
(paragraph 12)
There comes a time when the cup of endurance runs over. . . . I hope, sirs, you can understand our legitimate and unavoidable impatience.
(paragraph 14)
Human progress never rolls in on wheels of inevitability; it comes through the tireless efforts of men willing to be coworkers with God, and without this hard work, time itself becomes an

Based on
Dominicanish
by Josefina Báez.
The Diaspora Strikes Back,
by J
uan Flores, When reading Dominicanish I r
ecommend to review last page (#46) to contextualize the references included.
Quesitons for discussion: Select two questions from the list below. In your selection include at least one of these three (1, 3 or 6)
Dominicanish i
nclude multiple cultural references. Do you identify any of them? Explain.
The narrative voice (I), who is this character and how would you describe her?
Have you observed any class, race or gender intersectionality in
Dominicanish
? Explain and quote.
Could be
Dominicanish
considered as a text which use “Linguistic Terrorism” (Anzaldúa)? Explain and quote.
How will you compare the poem Bilingual Bilingüe by Rhina P. Espaillat with
Dominicanish
?
Select a passage of
Dominicanish
that caught your attention. Explain why. Analyze it and share your insights.

Read the short story “The Censors” by Luisa Valenzuela, and answer questions 29 to 38.
The Censors
by Luisa Valenzuela
Poor Juan! One day they caught him with his guard down before he could even realize that what he had taken as a stroke of luck was really one of fate’s dirty tricks.
These things happen the minute you’re careless and you let down your guard, as one often does. Juancito let happiness — a feeling you can’t trust — get the better of him when he received from a confidential source Mariana’s new address in Paris and he knew that she hadn’t forgotten him. Without thinking twice, he sat down at his table and wrote her a letter. The letter that keeps his mind off his job during the day and won’t let him sleep at night (what had he scrawled, what had he put on that sheet of paper he sent to Mariana?).
Juan knows there won’t be a problem with the letter’s contents, that it’s irreproachable, harmless. But what about the rest? He knows that they examine, sniff, feel, and read between the lines of each and every letter, and check its tiniest comma and most accidental stain. He knows that all letters pass from hand to hand and go through all sorts of tests in the huge censorship offices and that, in the end, very few continue on their way. Usually it takes months, even years, if there aren’t any snags; all this time the freedom, maybe even the life, of both sender and receiver is in jeopardy.
And that’s why Juan’s so down in the dumps: thinking that something might happen to Mariana because of his letters. Of all people, Mariana, who must finally feel safe there where she always dreamed she’d live. But he knows that the
Censor’s Secret Command
operates all over the world and cashes in on the discount in air rates; there’s nothing to stop them from going as far as that hidden Paris neighborhood, kidnapping Mariana, and returning to their cozy homes, certain of having fulfilled their noble mission.
Well, you’ve got to beat them to the punch, do what everyone tries to do: sabotage the machinery, throw sand in its gears, get to the bottom of the problem so as to stop it. This was Juan’s sound plan when he, like many others, applied for a censor’s job — not because he had a calling or needed a job: no, he applied simply to intercept his own letter, a consoling but unoriginal idea. He was hired immediately, for each day more and more censors are needed and no one would bother to check on his references.
Ulterior motives couldn’t be overlooked by the Censorship Division, but they needn’t be too strict with those who applied. They knew how hard it would be for those poor guys to find the letter they wanted and even if they did, what’s a letter or two when the new censor would snap up so many others? That’s how Juan managed to join the Post Office’s Censorship Division, with a certain goal in mind.
The building had a festive air on the outside which contrasted with its inner staidness. Little by little, Juan was absorbed by his job and he felt at peace since he was doing everything he could to get his letter for Mariana. He didn’t even worry when, in his first month, he was sent to Section K where envelopes are very carefully screened for explosives.
It’s true that on the third day, a fellow worker had his right hand blown off by a letter, but the division chief claimed it was sheer negligence on the victim’s part. Juan and the other employees were allowed to go back to their work, albeit feeling less secure.
After work, one of them tried to organize a strike to demand higher wages for unhealthy work, but Juan didn’t join in; after thinking it over, he reported him to his superiors and thus got promoted.
You don’t form a habit by doing something once, he told himself as he left his boss’s office. And when he was transferred to Section J, where letters are carefully checked for poison dust, he felt he had climbed a rung in the ladder. By working hard, he quickly reached Section E where the work was more interesting, for he could now read and analyze the letters’ contents. Here he could even hope to get hold of his letter which, judging by the time that had elapsed, had gone through the other sections and was probably floating around in this one.
Soon his work became so absorbing that his noble mission blurred in his mind. Day after day he crossed out whole paragraphs in red ink, pitilessly chucking many letters into the censored basket. These were horrible days when he was shocked by the subtle and conniving ways employed by people to pass on subversive messages; his instincts were so sharp that he found behind a simple “the weather’s unsettled” or “prices continue to soar” the wavering hand of someone secretly scheming to overthrow the Government.
His zeal brought him swift promotion. We don’t know if this made him happy. Very few letters reached him in Section B–only a handful passed the other hurdles–so he read them over and over again, passed them under a magnifying glass, searched for micro print with an electronic microscope, and tuned his sense of smell so that he was beat by the time he made it home. He’d barely manage to warm up his soup, eat some fruit, and fall into bed, satisfied with having done his duty. Only his darling mother worried, but she couldn’t get him back on the right road. She’d say though it wasn’t always true: Lola called, she’s at the bar with the girls, they miss you, they’re waiting for you. Or else she’d leave a bottle of red wine on the table. But Juan wouldn’t overdo it: any distraction could make him lose his edge and the perfect censor had to be alert, keen, attentive, and sharp to nab cheats. He had a truly patriotic task, both self-denying and uplifting.
His basket for censored letters became the best fed as well as the most cunning basket in the whole Censorship Division. He was about to congratulate himself for having finally discovered his true mission, when his letter to Mariana reached his hands. Naturally, he censored without regret. And just as naturally, he couldn’t stop them from executing him the following morning, another victim of his devotion to his work.
1) In the context of line 11, “irreproachable” means
Select one:
a.
meaningless
b.
peerless
c.
blameless
d.
powerless
2) Juan’s observation that “You don’t form a habit by doing something once” (line 45) is a reference to
Select one:
a.
his reporting to his superiors
b.
his refusal to support a strike
c.
the writing of his letter to Mariana
d.
the negligence of his fellow employee
3) The “right road” that Juan’s mother sought to return him to (lines 63-64) was the road of
Select one:
a.
socializing and leisure
b.
being faithful to Mariana
c.
responsibility and dedication
d.
overthrowing the government
4) Juan’s basket is referred to as “the most cunning basket” (lines 69-70) because it
Select one:
a.
was secretly supervised
b.
was thought to be bottomless
c.
contained letters perceived to be highly devious
d.
symbolized the fallibility of censorship
5) The terms “noble mission” (line 52) and “true mission” (line 71) reflect
Select one:
a.
Juan’s awareness of failure
b.
the nature of Juan’s society
c.
the nature of Juan’s struggle
d.
Juan’s change of attitude
6) Juan’s purpose in joining the Censorship Division is to
Select one:
a.
sabotage the government
b.
gain a better position
c.
ensure the safety of Mariana
d.
prove his patriotism
7) The GREATEST irony in the story is that Juan is
Select one:
a.
sure he can defeat the system
b.
directly involved in his own execution
c.
acting to save Mariana
d.
aware of the censors’ methods
8) The MAJOR implication of the story is that
Select one:
a.
government control pervades all society
b.
individual freedom requires great acts of sacrifice
c.
obsessive commitment is potentially dangerous
d.
censorship is impossible to restrain
9) Because this story illustrates an idea that may be interpreted both literally and symbolically, it may be referred to as a type of
Select one:
a.
allegory
b.
caricature
c.
fantasy
d.
anecdote

Review the poems read this week, then answer the following:
“Today Was a Bad Day Like TB”
1. What argument about the ways whites relate to Native Americans is Chrystos making? What assumptions about whites does Chrystos seem to have? What stereotypes does the seem to harbor?
“In Response to Executive Order 9066”
2. What claim is Okita making in the last stanza? On what assumption about friendship is it based?
3. Sine there was no evidence that Japanese American citizens ever gave any “secrets/ away to the Enemy” (lines 18-19) during World War II, why do you think Denise and millions of other Americans made that assumption?
“Today Was a Bad Day Like TB” and “In Response to Executive Order 9066”
4. Okita creates a young female narrator to speak for him. Does this make his poem less direct than Chrystos’s?
5. Is the alienation described by Okita more or less painful than that described by Chrystos?
“Legal Alien”
6. Explain the significance of the “token” metaphor in line 16.
“Legal Alien” and “Today Was a Bad Day Like TB”
7. Compare Mora’s tone with Chrystos’s.
8. Which of the stereotypes in these poems seems the most psychologically damaging? Why?
“Black Boys Play the Classics”
9. Why does the poet offer a description of the boys’ clothes? Does it have to do with our stereotyped expectations?
10. How would you state the theme of this poem? Do you agree with it? Who is the “we” in the next-to-last line?

I need the work cited for these two in an MLA format
Hoffman, Andrew J. Monsters: A Bedford Spotlight Reader chapter Homer, From The Odyssey
Hoffman, Andrew J. Monsters: A Bedford Spotlight Reader chapter Any Fuller. “The Evolving Legend of La Llorona”
Hoffman, Andrew J. Monsters: A Bedford Spotlight Reader. ISBN: 978-1-319-05633-9

The fall of Fort Sumter in April, 1861, did not produce the Civil War crisis. For many months, the gigantic struggle then imminent had been painfully discernible to far-seeing men. In 1858, Lincoln had forewarned the country in his “House Divided” speech. As early as the beginning of the year 1860 the Union had been plainly in jeopardy. Early in February of that momentous year, Jefferson Davis, on behalf of the South, had introduced his famous resolutions in the Senate of the United States. This document was the ultimatum of the dissatisfied slave-holding commonwealths. It demanded that Congress should protect slavery throughout the domain of the United States. The territories, it declared, were the common property of the states of the Union and hence open to the citizens of all states with all their personal possessions. The Northern states, furthermore, were no longer to interfere with the working of the Fugitive Slave Act. They must repeal their Personal Liberty laws and respect the Dred Scott Decision of the Federal Supreme Court. Neither in their own legislatures nor in Congress should they trespass upon the right of the South to regulate slavery as it best saw fit.
These resolutions, demanding in effect that slavery be thus safeguarded—almost to the extent of introducing it into the free states—really foreshadowed the Democratic platform of 1860 which led to the great split in that party, the victory of the Republicans under Lincoln, the subsequent secession of the more radical southern states, and finally the Civil War, for it was inevitable that the North, when once aroused, would bitterly resent such pro-slavery demands.
And this great crisis was only the bursting into flame of many smaller fires that had long been smoldering. For generations the two sections had been drifting apart. Since the middle of the seventeenth century, Mason and Dixon’s line had been a line of real division separating two inherently distinct portions of the country.
Which of the following correctly summarizes the main point of the first paragraph?
1) The civil war had been developing for a long time before the fall of fort sumter
2) Congress should have protected slavery throughout the united states to prevent war
3) Lincoln had warned the country about the growing divide threatening the country
4) No legislature had the right to limit the rights of the southern states to regulate slavery