TODAY IN CLASS
Some extra absences due to field trips, counselor visits, etc.
Read Ch. 38 carefully.  Know as much as you can about what the doctor thinks/suspects, and how Edna responds to him.  What has she been thinking about?  Look closely at her thoughts as she is about to enter her house, expecting to see Robert there.

Why EXACTLY has he left?

She stays awake all night long, lying on the couch in the sitting room (living room).  A few of you believe that she drowned accidentally; that is, she swam out too far, became exhausted, realized there was not much use fighting it, and basically gave in to the inevitable without much of a fight.  Most of you believe she made a willful decision at some point.  Where/when, exactly; and WHY (precisely). These (personal) answers have a deep bearing on your (personal) view of the the meaning of the work as a whole.

4th got back the papers that were returned in 3rd last week.

FOR TOMORROW
Bring the Paradise Lost material; you don't need to have Frankenstein with you. Later tonight, if possible, I'll get some material online for you, but it's okay with me if you don't see it before class tomorrow; I'd just as soon finish out some in-class work on Milton first.

BUT, tonight, find Perrine (not lost, I hope), and start thinking about connections between major characters (usually protagonists) in the following stories:
"The Chrysanthemums" (hand-out; I've got some more)
"Miss Brill"
"Araby"
"A & P"
"The Rocking-Horse Winner"
"Sonny's Blues"
even Metamorphosis

and beyond . . .
1) You are going to do a pairs essay, on an assigned topic with pre-set parameters of comparison/contrast.  Some parts will be written out in full, others in bulleted quick format. Although depth and insight of thesis and major points is of course desirable and WILL BE REFLECTED in the scoring, the main purpose is frankly pedagogical; we are getting everyone on the same page in terms of comparison/contrast essays, knowing that people are bringing in different levels of experience.

You will have Wednesday and Thursday in class to work on this, and it will be due (typed) on Friday.

2) There will be an online-only follow-up to Paradise Lost/Frankenstein--not an essay, exactly, but some responses to . . . Again, by tomorrow it should be online in full. It is the "homework" component of the week since the bulk of the pairs essay work will be done in class.

3) By Thursday, you will receive the major comparison/contrast essay for A Doll House and The Awakening. The first draft will be due late in the week we return from break, and the final draft 4-6 days later (will definitely include a weekend).

You might not have any ability (or interest) in working on that essay over break. That's okay.

But you might be willing/wanting to read:
Option 1:  Read Hamlet.  Yes, just read it.  Straight through (not at one sitting--but it only takes 2 or 3 hours to "read" the text.  Then as each act is assigned, and we will start in earnest the day you return,  you'll have a heads- up on what's going on.  But this is optional.

OR
Option 2:  Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment will follow Hamlet.  It's long. Some people want to start reading it over break.

Okay, I'm hitting Publish for this, but tonight, with more time, I hope to add to this with something further on the PL/Frankenstein material.