Tag Archives: Calypso

Calypso

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First period completed the first step to a literacy essay by taking a Burke Reading Interview. We’ll be working in pairs Monday to discuss it. (Tomorrow we’re finally beginning Word Friday — a weekly focus on vocabulary and word formation.)

Second and sixth periods looked at the importance of point of view in a narrative. We used passages from Nightjohn to see how radically a change in point of view changes everything.

Calypso's Island, Departure of Ulysses by Samuel Palmer

Calypso's Island, Departure of Ulysses by Samuel Palmer

Fourth period went over the Calypso section, seeing how the epic narrative works. We also found our first example of a Homeric simile. The kids were thrilled, whooping and hollering with excitement. “Just what I’ve always wanted!” was the common refrain.

Homework
  • First, second, and sixth periods: none.
  • Fourth period: read “I am Laertes’ son” and “Lotus Eaters.”

Poetry, Poetry, Poetry Everywhere

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All classes are working on poetry. First period has spent a couple of days doing a refresher on the basic elements of poetry. We’ll have a quiz tomorrow.

Fourth and sixth periods began poetry today. We took a leisurely time discussing poetry and what it is for us personally.

Second period is working on the poem, the foundation of Western literature: the Odyssey. Today we finished up Odysseus’s adventures with Calypso, comparing what we read in the epic with Suzanne Vega’s song “Calypso.” I would quote the relevant portions, but this is what I got when I went to find the lyrics online:

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You can find the lyrics here.

Homework
  • First period: quiz tomorrow on basic terms.
  • Second period: complete reading “I am Laertes’ son.”
  • Fourth and sixth periods: none.