Academic Coaches Conference

A Program of the Indiana Association of School Principals

Senior English

Senior English – Hoosier Heritage

I. Novel – 40%

A. The Magnificent Ambersons by Booth Tarkington

II. Short Stories – 30%

A. from Welcome to the Monkey House by Kurt Vonnegut

1. “Harrison Bergeron”

2. “Who Am I This Time?”

3. “EPICAC”

4. “Adam”

Senior English – Hoosier Heritage

III. Poetry – 30%

A. James Whitcomb Riley

1. “Dusk”

2. “Art and Love”

B. Mari Evans

1. “When in Rome”

2. “Where Have You Gone”

Senior English 2016 “Hoosier Heritage” Approaching the Fiction

The fiction in this year’s competition is by two Hoosier writers.

Booth Tarkington – novel

Kurt Vonnegut – short stories

Four steps to careful and close reading of poems

1. Read each story more than once. If possible, read the novel more than once.

2. Keep a dictionary by you and use it.

3. Keep track of characters, noting descriptions, attitudes, relationships, etc.

4. Keep a notebook, especially for the novel, noting character traits, values, and

changes.

Distinguish Between Denotation and

Connotation

1. Denotation – dictionary definition (Know

the meanings of every word in every poem.)

2. Connotation – the force or impact

carried by a term that goes beyond denotation

Character

1. Development

a. Direct presentation – The narrator or the characters tell straight out what the

characters are like

b. Indirect presentation - The writer reveals the characters through their actions,

through what they say to one another, and/or through their thoughts

2. Types

Flat characters usually have only one or two predominant traits; they can be

summed up in a sentence or two.

Round characters are comprehensive and many-sided; they have the three-

dimensional quality of real people.

Stock characters are stereotypical figures who has recurred so often in fiction

that we recognize them at once as a familiar type or role

Static characters remain essentially the same person from the beginning of the

story to the end; they do NOT grow

Dynamic characters undergo some distinct change of character, personality, or

outlook.

Foil - A minor character whose situation or actions parallel those of a major

character, and thus by contrast sets off or illuminates the major character; most

often the contrast is complimentary to the major character

Protagonist – the central or main character, the character on whom the story

focuses

Plot

1. Conflict is a clash of actions, ideas,

desires, or wills.

● Physical

● Mental

● Emotion

● Moral

Point of View

1. Point of view is determined by who tells the story and how the story is told.

First-person point of view –

● the narrator is a character speaking in the first person

● his/her knowledge is limited to what he/she can see, hear, smell, taste and

touch

● what he/she thinks or feels

● what he/she can interpret behavior he/she cannot see inside the characters’

minds and hearts

Objective (or dramatic) point of view –

● the narrator is a sort of “camera” speaking in the third person

● his/her knowledge is limited to what he/she can see and hear

● he/she cannot interpret behavior

● he/she can not see inside the characters’ minds and hearts

Omniscient point of view

● the narrator is a third person not involved in the story

● his/her knowledge is unlimited

● he/she can interpret behavior, and comment on the

significance of the story

● he/she can see inside the characters’ minds and hearts

Third-person limited point of view

● a third person not involved in the story

● his/her knowledge is limited to what he/she can see, hear,

smell, taste and touch; what he/she thinks or feels; and what

he/she can interpret behavior

● he/she cannot see inside the characters’ minds and

hearts

Theme

1. Theme is the central idea or unifying generalization

implied or stated by a literary work

● A reflection of the central purpose: what view of life it

supports or what insight into life it reveals

● Whatever central generalization about life arises from the

specifics of the story

● The central insight, the one that explains the greatest

number of elements in the story and relates them to each

other

● The unifying concept that brings all the elements of the

story together

Theme2. Guidelines for writing a theme statement

● Theme statement must have a subject and a predicate.

● State the theme as a generalization about life. (Don’t name characters

or note specific places or events.)

● Avoid words like every, all, always in favor of some, sometimes, may.

● The theme statement must arise from the whole story but not from

assumptions or the reader’s own experience.

● There is no sole way of stating the theme. However, that does NOT

mean that a story means whatever the reader wants it to mean. The

theme arises from the details and techniques employed by the author.

● Avoid clichés. (If one comes to mind, think again more deeply and

thoroughly about the author’ purpose.) A theme is NOT a “moral to the

story” ala Aesop’s Fables.

Figurative Language

The facts about verbal irony

1. Verbal irony – saying the opposite of what one means

2. Sarcasm – bitter or cutting speech, intended to wound another’s

feelings

3. Satire – ridicule of human folly in order to bring about change

The manifestations of dramatic irony

1. An incongruity or discrepancy between what a character says or

thinks and what the reader knows to be true

2. An incongruity or discrepancy between what a character

perceives and what the author intends the reader to perceive

The concept of situational irony

1. A situation in which there is an incongruity

between appearance and reality

2. A situation in which there is an incongruity

between expectation and fulfillment

3. A situation in which there is an incongruity

between the actual situation and what would seem

appropriate

Allusion

1. An allusion is a reference to something historical,

artistic, or cultural which the poet or speaker expects

the reader to recognize

2. It is a means of suggesting more than it says (as

does a connotative word or symbol

3. Appreciating allusions requires researching terms that

you may not be as familiar with as the poet assumes

Tone

1. The writer’s or speaker’s attitude toward the subject, the

audience, or himself/herself

2. The emotional coloring, or emotional meaning, of a work

3. All the elements of a story contribute to creating or evoking

tone

● Connotation

● Imagery

● Metaphor

● Irony

● Understatement

● Detail

● Sentence construction

● Organization or structure

Understanding and Evaluating Fiction1. Who is the protagonist? What are the conflicts?

2. How does the author reveal character?

3. What motivates the characters?

4. Are the characters flat or round, static or dynamic? Is a character a

stock character? If the character grows, in what way/how does he/she grow?

5. What is the setting in time and place? How do you know? Is the setting

essential to the story?

6. State the central idea or theme of the poem in a sentence.

7. What point of view does the story use? Who tells the story? Is the

narrator reliable or unreliable? How do you know?

Understanding and Evaluating Fiction

8. Does the story employ any symbols? If so, do the symbols carry,

or merely reinforce the meaning of the story?

9. Does the story employ fantasy?

10. Does the story employ humor?

11. What are the characteristics of the author’s style?

12. What is the significance of the title?

13. What is the central purpose of the story?

14. Criticize and evaluate the story.

Students need to be aware of all unfamiliar vocabulary they

encounter in the assigned reading.

● Keep a running notebook or electronic document of

unfamiliar words as they are encountered.

● Note the page and line of each recorded word for easy

reference.

● At the end of a scene, story, or book, consult a dictionary

to learn the definition(s), pronunciation(s), and usage (if

given) of the word.

Senior English 2016 “Hoosier Heritage”

Approaching the Poetry

The poems in this year’s competition are by two Hoosier

poets.

● James Whitcomb Riley is a traditional poet (rhymed verse)

● Mari Evans is a modern poet (free verse)

Five steps to careful and close reading of poems

1. Read a poem more than once.

2. Keep a dictionary by you and use it.

3. Read poetry aloud (or lip-read) slowly.

4. Pay careful attention to meaning. [On the first reading you should

determine the subjects of the verbs and the antecedents of the

pronouns.]

5. Practice oral interpretation.

a. Read affectionately, but not affectedly.

b. Read slowly enough that each word is clear and distinct and

that the meaning has time to sink in.

c. Read so that the rhythmical pattern is felt but not exaggerated.

Distinguish Between Denotation and

Connotation

1. Denotation – dictionary definition (Know the

meanings of every word in every poem.)

2. Connotation – the force or impact carried by a

term that goes beyond denotation

Imagery

1. Imagery is the use of language to represent or evoke

sensory experience

2. Imagery occurs in several types

a. Visual (sight)

b. Auditory (sound)

c. Olfactory (smell)

d. Gustatory (taste)

e. Tactile (touch)

f. Organic (internal sensation)

g. Kinesthetic (motion)

Figurative Language

The essentials of simile

1. A simile is an explicit comparison

2. Uses like, as, than, similar to, resembles, seems, and similar

diction

3. Has two parts: literal and figurative

a. The literal is the actual thing the poet wishes to describe

or evoke

b. The figurative is the thing to which the poet is comparing the

literal

c. Purpose: to evoke a comparison in the reader’s mind that will

reveal how the two items are alike, often in some

unexpected way

The essentials of metaphor

1. A metaphor is an implicit comparison between two things that are essentially unlike

2. Like the simile, the metaphor has a literal part and a figurative part

3. Has four forms

a. The literal term is named directly, and the figurative term is named directly

EXAMPLE: “Sorrow is my own yard” – Sorrow the literal term is named, yard the

figurative term is named {“The Widow’s Lament in Springtime” – William Carlos

Williams}

b. The literal term is named directly, but the figurative term is implied

EXAMPLE: “Leaves got up in a coil and hissed” – Leaves the literal term is

named, snake the figurative term is implied by “got up in a coil and hissed”

{“Bereft” – Robert Frost}

c. The literal term is implied, but the figurative term is named directly

EXAMPLE: “It fills with Alabaster Wool/The Wrinkles of the Road—” – It the

literal term is implied [snow], Wool the figurative term is named {“It Sifts from

Leaden Sieves” – Emily Dickinson}

d. The literal term is implied, and the figurative term is implied

EXAMPLE: “It sifts from Leaden Sieves—” – It the literal term is unnamed

[snow], flour the figurative term is implied by “sifts” {“It Sifts from Leaden Sieves”

– Emily Dickinson}

The essentials of personification

1. Personification attributes human qualities to an animal, an object, or a concept

2. A kind of metaphor that also has literal and figurative parts

EXAMPLE: “Season of mists an mellow fruitfulness,/Close bosom friend

of the maturing sun” – The implied literal element is Autumn, the named

figurative term is “Close bosom-friend of the maturing sun”

The second personification in the quotation takes the sun as its named

literal term and “close bosom-friend as its named figurative term.

In both cases – Autumn and the son – each literal term is attributed the

human quality of friendship. {“To Autumn” – John Keats}

The essentials of apostrophe

1. In apostrophe the speaker addresses someone absent or dead or

something nonhuman as though it were alive and present and could reply

EXAMPLES: The entirety of A. E. Housman’s “To an Athlete Dying Young” is

addressed to the titular deceased athlete.

The entirety of William Blake’s “The Tiger” is addressed to the titular tiger.

The entirety of John Keats’ “Bright Star” and “To Autumn” is addressed to the

bright star and the season.

2. It is closely associated with personification

The essentials of metonymy

1. A metonymy used some significant aspect or detail of

someone or something to represent the whole

EXAMPLES: “Friends, Romans, countrymen/Lend me your

ears” – Antony uses ears to represent listening since ears

are closely related to (essential to) listening. {Julius Caesar

– William Shakespeare}

“The pen is mightier than the sword” – The speaker uses

pen to stand for persuasive writing since the pen is the

instrument of writing. He uses sword to represent the armed

might of armies a sword is closely associated with an army.

The essentials of symbol

1. Image, metaphor, and symbol shade into each other and are sometimes difficult to

distinguish.

a. An image means only what it is.

b. The figurative term in a metaphor means something other than what it

is.

c. A symbol means what it is and something more, too.

2. A symbol functions literally and figuratively at the same time.

3. A symbol defines an area of meaning, and any interpretation that falls within that area is

permissible. Whenever the meaning is open, the reader is justified in bringing personal

experience to its interpretation.

4. Because a symbol may be rich in meanings, it requires the greatest tact in interpreting it.

5. Just because the meaning of a symbol is more or less open, do not assume to make it

mean anything you choose. Whatever your interpretation of a symbolic poem, it must be

tied firmly to the facts of the poem.

The essentials of paradox

1. An apparent contradiction that is nevertheless somehow true

2. Either a situation or a statement

3. Its strength lies in its ability to shock by absurdity

The essentials of hyperbole (overstatement)

1. Exaggeration in the service of truth

2. May be used for a variety of effects

3. Its strength lies in its ability to shock by absurdity

The essentials of understatement

1. Saying less than is meant

2. Basis of British humor

The facts about verbal irony

1. Verbal irony – saying the opposite of what one means

2. Sarcasm – bitter or cutting speech, intended to wound

another’s feelings

3. Satire – ridicule of human folly in order to bring about

change

The manifestations of dramatic irony

1. An incongruity or discrepancy between what a character

says or thinks and what the reader knows to be true

2. An incongruity or discrepancy between what a character

perceives and what the author intends the reader to

perceive

The concept of situational irony

1. A situation in which there is an incongruity between

appearance and reality

2. A situation in which there is an incongruity between

expectation and fulfillment

3. A situation in which there is an incongruity between the

actual situation and what would seem appropriate

Allusion

1. An allusion is a reference to something historical, artistic, or cultural which the poet or

speaker expects the reader to recognize

2. It is a means of suggesting more than it says (as does a connotative word or symbol

3. Appreciating allusions requires researching terms that you may not be as familiar with as

the poet assumes

Tone

1. The writer’s or speaker’s attitude toward the subject, the audience, or himself/herself

2. The emotional coloring, or emotional meaning, of a work

3. All the elements of a poem contribute to creating or evoking tone

● Connotation

● Imagery

● Metaphor

● Irony

● Understatement

● Rhythm

● Sentence construction

● Formal pattern

Sound Devices

1. Alliteration - the repetition of initial consonant sounds

2. Assonance - the repetition of vowel sounds

3. Consonance - the repetition of final consonant sounds

4. Rhyme - the combination of assonance and consonance in the repetition of

the accented vowel sound and all succeeding sounds

a. Perfect rhyme – the rhyme in which the rime sounds are identical

b. Internal rhyme - the inclusion of one or more riming words within the

line

c. End rhyme - placement of riming words at the end of the lines

d. Approximate rhymes (slant rhymes) -use of words with any kind of sound

similarity, from close to fairly remote

5. Refrain - the patterned repetition of whole words, phrases, lines, or groups of

lines

6. Rhyme scheme – the fixed pattern of rhymes characterizing a whole poem or

its stanzas

7. Enjambment - the running on of the thought from one line, couplet, or stanza

to the next without a syntactical break

Meter

1. Meter is “regularized rhythm, language in which the accents are arranged to occur at

apparently equal intervals of time.

a. Metrical language is called verse or poetry

b. Non-metrical language is called prose.

2. The units of meter

1. Foot – the basic metrical unit, normally consists of one accented syllable plus

one or two unaccented syllables, though occasionally there may be no unaccented

syllables, and very rarely there may be three.

a. Iamb unstressed - stressed

b. Trochee stressed - unstressed

c. Anapest unstressed - unstressed - stressed

d. Dactyl stressed - unstressed - unstressed

e. Spondee stressed - stressed

3. Line – the secondary unit of measurement; it is measured by

naming the number of feet in it

4. Stanza – the third unit of measurement, consists of a group of

lines whose metrical pattern is repeated throughout the poet

● Couplet – Two rhymed lines

● Quatrain – Four lines with a rhyme scheme

● Sestet – Six lines with a rhyme scheme

● Octave – Eight lines with a rhyme scheme

Monometer one foot

Dimeter two feet

Trimeter three feet

Tetrameter four feet

Pentameter five feet

Hexameter six feet

Heptameters seven feet

Octameter eight feet

Patterns

Sonnet - fourteen lines of rhymed iambic pentameter

● Petrarchan (Italian) sonnet – an octave using two rhymes arranged

abbaabba and a sestet using any arrangement of either two or three rimes; the

division between the two usually indicates a division in thought and often is

indicated with a space

● Spenserian sonnet – a sonnet in which the lines are grouped into three

interlocked quatrains and a couplet and the rhyme scheme is abab, bcbc, cdcd,

ee.

● Shakespearean (English) sonnet – three quatrains and a closing couplet,

riming abab cdcd efef gg; the units frequently correspond to divisions of though

● Miltonic sonnet – Uses the Petrarchan (Italian) rhyme scheme for both octave

and sestet but eliminates the division between the octave and sestet

UNDERSTANDING AND EVALUATING POETRY

1. Who is the speaker? What kind of person is the speaker?

2. Is there an identifiable audience for the speaker? What can we

know about it (her, him, or them)?

3. What is the occasion/situation?

4. What is the setting in time (hour, season, century, and so on)?

5. What is the setting place (indoors or out, city or country, land or

sea, region, nation, hemisphere)?

6. What is the central purpose of the poem?

7. State the central idea or theme of the poem in a sentence.

8. a. Outline the poem so as to show its structure and

development, or

b. Summarize the events of the poem.

9. Paraphrase the poem.

10. Discuss the diction of the poem. Point out words that are

particularly well chosen and explain why.

UNDERSTANDING AND EVALUATING POETRY

11. Discuss the imagery of the poem. What kinds of imagery are

used? Is there a structure of imagery?

12. Point out examples of metaphor, simile, personification,

apostrophe, and metonymy, and explain their

appropriateness.

13. Point out and explain any symbols. If the poem is allegorical,

explain the allegory.

14. Point out and explain examples of paradox, overstatement,

understatement, and irony. What is their function?

15. Point out and explain any allusions. What is their function?

16. What is the tone of the poem? How is it achieved?

17. Point out significant examples of sound repetition and explain

their function.

18. a. What is the meter of the poem?

b. Copy the poem and mark its scansion.

19. Describe the form or pattern of the poem.

20. Criticize and evaluate the poem.

Students need to be aware of all unfamiliar vocabulary they

encounter in the assigned reading.

● Keep a running notebook or electronic document of

unfamiliar words as they are encountered.

● Note the page and line of each recorded word for easy

reference.

● At the end of a scene, story, or book, consult a dictionary

to learn the definition(s), pronunciation(s), and usage (if

given) of the word.