A Literary Guide

1. A Literary Guide By Meghan Moretti, Christy Zaleski, Alex Bolig, Samm Cerminaro

2. What’s the guide about? This literary guide is to be used as a supplement to your reading of the four stories currently being covered in class. For each story, you will find helpful information covering; characters, plot, and the author. Instructions Select a book on the Book Menu to view its guide. Use the guide’s menu buttons to navigate through the guide. If at anytime you wish to return to the Book Menu, press the House Icon at the bottom right corner.

3. Objectives • Read and understand various works of literature. • Analyze relationships, uses and effectiveness of literary elements used. • Analyze the effectiveness, in terms of literary quality, of the author’s use of literary devices. • Analyze and evaluate in poetry the appropriateness of diction and figurative language. • There is also a worksheet that you will complete. Answers will be acquired through the reading and the guide.

4. What are you reading?

6. Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there wondering, fearing, Doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before.

7. Guide to The Raven The Raven is a short narrative poem written by Edgar Allan Poe. It was first published on January 29, 1845, in the New York Evening Mirror. The poem centers around a theme of self-destruction with the narrator’s obsession over the death of a woman. To begin learning more about the poem and the author click on the links to the left. If at any time you want to return to the book selection menu, click the home button in the bottom right corner.

8. About the Author Edgar Poe was born in Boston, Massachusetts, on January 19, 1809. His life was filled with hardships and disappointments. A gambling addiction damaged ties to his family, and he was court-martialed at the United States Military Academy at West Point at the age of 21. However by then he had published two books of collected short stories and poems. On September 22, 1835, Poe secretly married his cousin Virginia, whom was 13 years old. Living with his wife, he wrote for several publications facing both successes and failures. Poe’s mental state was always at question, and after his wife’s death in 1847, he became more unstable. Before his death on October 7, 1849, he was found on the streets of Baltimore delirious. He was brought to Washington College Hospital, where he died.

9. About the Author Edgar Allan Poe’s works were not a huge financial success, but are milestones in American Literature. He opposed didacticism, a literary concept that states that literature must provide some moral or ethical instruction. Poe stated that literature should focus more on being a beautiful work of art. Poe promoted short stories and poems, which were published through magazine literature. Such literature at the time was considered vulgar and low art. He insisted that such literature had artistic value and helped to increase the support for the art. Edgar Poe’s work continues to be found throughout modern literature and art, as artists of all disciplines draw inspiration from the author of the macabre. Click HERE to see a video about Poe’s professional life.

10. Characters The Narrator – The protagonist of the poem suffers from guilt. He is constantly in anguish over his lost love and is on a path of self-destruction. Lenore – The narrator’s deceased love. She never appears in the poem, but her presence is felt by the narrator. The Raven – The source of the talking raven is unknown. It appears suddenly, and brings out the anguish in the narrator.

11. Plot Analysis The Raven can be seen as a study of guilt. However we must be careful in the use of the word “guilt.” Today, we may believe that guilt is felt for doing something immoral. Guilt for Poe is a human’s self destruction, or in his own words, “The Human Thirst for Self-Torture.” We are introduced to the unnamed narrator, who has lost his love, Lenore. While in many of Poe’s other tales, the narrator is frequently the killer of the tale’s victim, we do not know how Lenore has died. In this tale, the narrator is simply existing in anguish, existing in guilt. The raven’s arrival is described as coming from the “Plutonian shore.” This is an allusion to Roman mythology allows the raven to often be interpreted as a messenger from the underworld. The raven speaks only the word “nevermore” to the narrator which furthers his anguish. The bird is very mechanical in its way and doesn’t change its behavior throughout the poem. The narrator does undergo change from the conflict. What is up for debate is whether the raven is truly an antagonist or if the narrator is fighting himself. We can argue that guilt is the antagonist, the raven only bringing it to the surface. And like in many of Poe’s tales, the story ends bleakly. There is no redemption or remedy to the guilt. The narrator finishes with the line “my soul from out that shadow shall be lifted nevermore!” He has been consumed by guilt, in masochistic form.

12. Other Material The Simpsons’ Raven – Watch an animated version of The Raven. This link takes you to YouTube. The Poem – This link takes you to a complete online copy of the poem.

14. Markus Zusak ~considered one of todays most innovative and poetic novelists ~recipient of a 2006 Printz Honor for excellence in young adult literature http://www.randomhouse.com/features/markuszusak/excerpt_bookthief_ch2.html

15. Characters It's just a small story really, about, among other things: * A girl* Some words* An accordionist* Some fanatical Germans* A Jewish fist fighter* And quite a lot of thievery

16. Narrator DEATH ***A REASSURING ANNOUNCEMENT *** Please, be calm, despite that previous threat.I am all bluster--I am not violent. I am not malicious.I am a result.

17. PLOT Set during World War II in Germany this is the story of Liesel Meminger. Liesel scratches out a meager existence for herself by stealing when she encounters something she can’t resist–books. With the help of her accordion-playing foster father, she learns to read and shares her stolen books with her neighbors during bombing raids as well as with the Jewish man hidden in her basement before he is marched to Dachau.

18. ABC News

19. To Kill a Mockingbird Plot Memorable Quotes/Trailer About the Author Characters Harper Lee

20. Plot • Atticus Finch represents an African-American man accused • of taking advantage of a white woman • Scout and Jem get a visitor named Dill who they go on • Adventures to Arthur ‘Boo’ Radley’s house • The Finch’s face a lot of hard times considering that Atticus • is going against everything and representing a person from • Another race • Racism is proven to be a huge factor in the town of Maycomb, • Alabama and is one of the main themes of the book • In the end, Tom Robinson is shot and killed and the whole • Town witnesses a tragedy of a man being wrongfully convicted

21. Tom Robinson Atticus Finch Characters Scout Jem Arthur “Boo” Radley

22. Tom Robinson Played by Brock Peters Born in New York City, New York July 2nd, 1927 Died August 23, 2005

23. Arthur ‘Boo’ Radley Played by Robert Duvall Born in San Diego, California January 5th, 1931

24. Atticus Finch Played by Gregory Peck Born in La Jolla, California April 5th 1916 Died in Los Angeles, California June 12, 2003

25. Scout Played by Mary Badham Born in Birmingham, Alabama October 7th, 1952

26. “I never expected • An sort of success • With Mockingbird. • I was hoping for a • Quick and merciful • Death at the hands • Of the reviewers but, • At the same time, I • Sort of hoped some- • One would like it • Enough to give me • Encouragement. About the Author • Born on April • 28th, 1926 • Attended law • School at the • University of • Alabama in 1945 • Pulitzer Prize • Winning novel • To Kill a • Mockingbird • Published July 11 • 1960 Nelle Harper Lee Public Encouragement. I hoped for a Little, as I said, but I got rather a whole Lot, and in some ways this was just About as frightening as the quick, Merciful death I’d expected.” -Harper Lee 1964

27. “If you just learn a single trick, Scout, you’ll get along a lot better With all kinds of folks. You never really understand a person until You consider things from his point of view … Until you climb inside Of his skin and walk around in it.” –Atticus Finch TRAILER “I remember when my daddy gave me that gun. He told me that I Should never point it at anything in the house; and he rather I’d Shoot at tin cans in the backyard. But he said sooner or later he Supposed the temptation to go after birds would be too much, and That I could shoot all the blue jays I wanted – if I could hit ‘em; but To remember it was a sin to kill a mockingbird. I reckon because Mockingbirds don’t do anything but make music for us to enjoy. They don’t eat people’s gardens, don’t nest in the corncrib, they Don’t do one thing but just sing their hearts out for us.” –Atticus

28. Jem Played by Philip Alford Born in Gadadsen, Alabama September 11, 1948

30. Do I Dare Disturb the Universe?

31. Plot Author Characters Can you Believe?

32. Plot New boy at the very strict Trinity Catholic High School, Jerry Renault, is bullied into selling boxes of chocolates for the school's annual fund-raising event. The sadistic headmaster, Brother Leon, and The Vigils, a vicious gang of school thugs, make Jerry's life hell when he decides he won't be pushed around anymore. After he decides to say no to the chocolate sale, to Brother Leon, and to The Vigils, Jerry is at first idolized by the other students; they even begin refusing to sell chocolates, until The Vigils get a hold of the school once again. Students begin tormenting Jerry but he even gets beat up by the school bully yet, he stands his ground and continues to refuse the sale. It is not until a school assembly that the chocolate sale comes to an end. The Vigils decide that Jerry must fight the school bully to make up for his refusal of the chocolate sale. Jerry complies and is very badly hurt. However, Jerry never conformed; he stood his ground until the very painful end.

33. Author-Robert Cormier (January 17 1925- November 2, 2000) He lived in Leominster, Massachusetts, USA. He grew up and married there and he raised four children (three daughters and a son). Cormier was a newspaper reporter and columnist for 30 years. Cormier began his professional writing career scripting radio commercials and went on to become an award-winning journalist. Cormier became a full-time writer after the success of his first novel for teenagers, The Chocolate War, followed by others such as I Am The Cheese and After The First Death. He soon established a reputation as a brilliant and uncompromising writer. Included in his awards is the Margaret A Edwards Award of the Young Adult Services Division of the American Library Association. This award is presented in recognition of those authors who provide young adults with a window through which they can view the world, and which will help them to grow and understand themselves and their role in society.

34. Characters Jerry Renault -  The protagonist of the story. Jerry decides that he dares to disturb the universe. Archie Costello -  Archie is the antagonist of the novel and the head of The Vigils. He designs psychological punishments for students. Emile Janza - . Archie uses Janza as a thug to back up The Vigils and to beat up Jerry. The Vigils -  A gang of kids who run the school by scaring, commanding and torturing other students. Obie -  Secretary of The Vigils. Obie is understands that Archie is horribly cruel. Carter -  President of The Vigils. Carter provides some physical back up to the group. Brother Leon -  The corrupt head administrator of the school. In charge of sale and involved with The Vigils. Roland Goubert aka the Goober -  Jerry’s only ally in the book.

35. Can You Believe? -The Chocolate War has been challenged as an inappropriate novel for school age children since its release in 1974. -Its has also been receiving unfavorable reviews since its release. -The top reasons for its being banned is for its sexual content and offensive language. -It is #5 of 50 on Herbert Foerstels Banned Books in the USA. -It is #4 of 100 most frequently challenged books of 1990-2000. -The Chocolate War is currently being challenged. In 2006 it was #2 on the list of most frequently banned books in history. -Robert Cormier’s response: "I feel like I must have done something right, there wouldn't be all these concerns about an ineffective book."