Edgar A. Poe Bio Notes

*Born in Boston January 19, 1809
*Mother dies when he is very young
*Father deserts him
*He is taken in by John and Francis Allan (family friends)
*Foster mother dies
*Foster father disowns him
*Became close with his aunt Maria Clemm and daughter Virginia
*Marries Virginia (14)1836
*Wife dies of tb in 1847
*He dies at age 40, Oct. 7, 1849--no one knows why
*He was found wandering around Baltimore, semi-conscious, in someone else's clothes
*possibly died of alcoholism, brain problems (congestion)
*"claim" that his final words were "Lord help my poor soul"

Hw: Letter to a Young Child...

Over break I would like you to draft a letter, a real letter, with an envelope, heading, closing, etc. in part, because it seems to be a lost art form. This letter should be written to a young child (family member or child whom you care about, or a future child you will have), telling him or her about:
1. The world as it is in your eyes today. This could include world/current events, condition of your immediate world, your thoughts/feelings etc.
2. Your hopes for the future, for him/her and yourself, and any advice you would like to give to help him/her (what you have learned about the world and life so far).

Make it serious. It will be written in preparation for the piece we will read when we return from Regents Week.

Notes on "TheTell-Tale Heart"

Major plot events of "The Tell-Tale Heart"
*Narrator begins by telling you he is not crazy-- he just hears everything in heaven and hell( Would a crazy man be able to describe the murder he committed so calmly?)
*tells you the old man never did him wrong, he doesn't want his money, the old man loves him---it's his "evil eye" he hates!
*he is nicer to him than normal, not mean
*goes into his room each night and shines a light on the eye, waiting for it to open
*finally decides to kill him by suffocating him
*chops up his body and hides it underneath the floorboards
*feels so confident in his plan that he invites the police in to have tea over the body
*thinks he hears the old man's heart beating beneath the floorboards *he can't take it anymore and the police are shocked when he confesses the deed

The midterm...

Our 10th gr. midterm will take place next week Jan. 12-16th. You will most likely need 2 class days (4 periods) to finish. It will consist of a controlling idea essay and multiple choice questions, critical lens essay, and factual report (reading/mult. choice/no essay). For the lens you may use any literature we have read so far this year including your independent novels.

Scary Story Notes

for the test ---things to know

vocabulary matching
vocabulary fill in the blank sentences

pieces of evidence against the boy
how they were disproved (show a doubt)

contrasting jurors #3(antagonist) and #8(protagonist)/short-answer

*an essay (you may do this at home or the day of the test)

Juror Characterization Project--Check calendar--Due by Dec. 19th!!

Choose any juror you wish, and use what you know about that character to come up with a complete characterization of who that person is. The format is up to you to choose--be creative! This will include:
*A picture
*age, height, weight
*eye color/hair color
*favorite foods
*music he listens to
*car he drives
*favorite movie
*hobbies
*nickname
*spouse/family life (both early on and current)
*types of clothes he wears
*education/profession
*life description (paragraph)
This project is worth 50 pts. so put some effort into it. I am getting bored with the lackluster work that some of you keep putting forth at this point.