Modernizing Hawthorne

I've seen much debate on the Internet about whether teachers should continue to use The Scarlet Letter in the classroom. My students loathe Nathaniel Hawthorne. Last semester they read TSL. Some students (usually girls) admit that the plot is pretty good, but almost all of the kids complain that his writing is difficult to comprehend. His sentences are endless, and he takes pages and pages to say what he could say in one little paragraph. His style absolutely does not mesh with today's idea that you have to hook a reader with the first page--no, the first sentence, if not word. Even I do not enjoy trudging through TSL.

Still, TSL remains a part of our cultural literacy. If a college professor compares a character to Hester Prynn, I want my students to know what's going on. Plus, even if the prose is painful to get through, the themes of ostracism and hypocrisy are timeless. I think, next year, I might try teaching several of Hawthorne's short stories in lieu of TSL. In addition, we might watch TSL movie, just so the students have that bit of our cultural background.

I'm thinking of keeping "Young Goodman Brown," which I've always taught in conjunction with TSL. The students are able to practice their lit. analysis skills, which is crucial in my Intro. to Lit. class. I'm also adding "The Birthmark," which I taught for the first time this year. The story prompted my students to discuss unhealthy relationships and whether man can take science too far (such as in the cases of designer babies and plastic surgery). I had the students write short stories modernizing the plot of "The Birthmark." Some students flipped the gender roles, so women were criticizing men's bodies. That was definitely interesting.

I think the key to teaching Hawthorne successfully (beyond displaying your own enthusiasm for his work) is making it relevant to students. This modernization project really seemed to bring Hawthorne to life for the kids.

Note to Students

When commenting, please don't use your full name. Just post your first name and first initial of your last name. For instance, I'd post as Jill W. We don't want the internet crazies stalking you. *wink*

Grammar Thursday: Using the Subjunctive Mood Correctly

Want to know a way to sound smart instantly? Use the subjunctive mood correctly!

What is the subjunctive mood? My brilliant colleague, Miss Acton, describes it as when something isn't real or true. It's when you say something like "I wish I were asleep right now" or "If only I were a rock star." That probably sounds kind of funny to you, right? Many times, people say things like "I wish I was asleep right now" or "If only I was a rock star."

In most cases, you'll probably get away with this because it's so prevalent. For instance, in this Gwen Stefani song from 2004, she uses the subjunctive incorrectly. She should be singing, "If I were a rich girl..."

Heck, I have only recently (in the past few years) tried to force myself to use the subjunctive correctly. But, if you are in a situation where you want impress someone (your teacher, your boss, etc.), you should really try to use the subjunctive correctly.

Seniors, Post Your Favorite Poems!

This is the last week before spring break, and I know we are all itching for that week to sleep in! However, I have an assignment for you seniors. We've spent the last week studying poets such as:

Russell Edson

John Ashbery

Gary Soto

Gwendolyn Brooks

Naomi Shihab Nye

Maxine Chernoff

Now it is your turn to share a favorite poet with the class. Your assignment for Friday is to find a youtube video of a fabulous poem being recited. Please comment to this post with a link to that video and explain why you enjoy it. We will watch them in class on Friday.

Welcome!

Hello! My name is Jill Wheeler, and I am a high school English teacher at Carlisle High School. With this site, I intend to post my thoughts about content that we are studying in my classes, invite discussion among my students, and provide useful resources.

Currently, I teach three courses:

Language Arts 10: This class is a mandatory course for all sophomores. The literature we study includes To Kill a Mockingbird and Julius Caesar. We write a variety of compositions, including a personal essay, an I-Search paper, a short story, and a literary analysis. A major focus in this course is speech, and we examine and discuss rhetorical technique, as well as present persuasive, expository, impromptu, and entertaining speeches.

Senior English (which is divided into Composition I and Introduction to Literature): Seniors may elect to take this course for dual credit through DMACC. In Comp. I, we review how to avoid common grammatical mistakes and work on organizing compositions with strong thesis statements and supportive evidence. Major assignments include a comparison essay, a definition essay, a career research paper, and a literary analysis. In Intro. to Lit., we use different literary theories to study Macbeth, Native Son, and various short stories and poetry.

and last, but definitely not least,

Creative Writing (my personal favorite): In this class, we immerse ourselves in creative compositions of all kinds: one act plays, screenplays, non-fiction zines, poetry, and novellas (a la National Novel Writing Month).

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