I used to live a few miles from Ft. Monroe in Hampton, Virginia. The fort was an active military base and was important during the Civil War. The battle of the Monitor and Merrimack, the first iron-clad ships, took place just beyond the moat of the fort. Today, a bridge-tunnel allows cars and trucks to travel across and under the water where the famous battle took place. Fort Monroe was an active Army fort until a few years ago. Many of the high school students I taught lived within the walls of the fort. Several swore that they actually saw ghosts that have been reported to live in the various houses on the fort. To hear the stories from the mouths of my students to watch their faces led me to believe that there was truth to the tales. One young student noted that a boy about six used to come and sit on the foot of her bed at night. He made no noise and caused no trouble. She had no brothers. He was the ghost of a child who died and had lived in her room years earlier.
Here is a newspaper account of some of the ghosts: http://www.army.mil/article/27725/The_haunting_of_Fort_Monroe/
and http://www.ghostsofamerica.com/2/Virginia_Fort_Monroe_ghost_sightings.html
L. B. Taylor, a Virginia author, wrote many books about ghosts of Virginia. He often came to the high schools where I taught to speak about his work and to share his writing tips with the creative writing students. He noted that h is books were not so much ghost stories as they were history. When he set out to find new writing ideas, he was looking for the history of the place. The ghost stories just came along with the research.
What do you think? Are ghosts real? Have you ever been on a ghost tour? I have been on three. One was in Williamsburg, Virginia, on a foggy October evening. The group toured five historical buildings and listened to story tellers relate the ghost tales. On that foggy night, it was not difficult to believe. The second ghost tour was in Williamsburg in July - no fog then and no chill in the air. The stories were great, but without the fog, it seemed to be a bit too ordinary.
The third tour was in New Orleans. With the above-ground cemeteries and the Voodoo shops on every corner, ghosts seemed to be natural inhabitants.
What are your experiences with ghosts and/or ghost stories? Please share and react to the postings of others. (Your original post = 25 points. Three responses to others: 30 points) Total: 55 points
Week #7 - Assignment #2 -" Porphyria's Lover" by Robert Browning
A. Read and listen to the poem:
- Text: http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems-and-poets/poems/detail/46313
- Audio Reading: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fE6PjB1kn4w
B. Read the definition of a dramatic monologue before answering these questions. These are discussion questions, but since this is an on-line class, the back-and-forth of an in-class discussion is not possible. So. your answers will be in dramatic monologue form! You will have to imagine what the "audience" might reply.
Definition of a Dramatic Monologue: https://www.poets.org/poetsorg/text/poetic-technique-dramatic-monologue
Questions to answer:
1. Why does Porphyria go out in the wind and rain to see the narrator? What impact does wind and rain have on the setting/tone?
2. Who is the narrator? What is he to Porphyria? What is his social status?
3. Who is Porphyria? How old is she? What is her social status?
4. Porphyria's hair is yellow. Why yellow? In what ways would the story change if she had brown or red or black hair?
5. Her hair was wrapped three times around her neck. Why three times? Why not one or two? What is important about three?
6. Porphyria's eyes are blue. Why is the color important? In what ways would the story change if Porphyria had brown or green, or gray eyes?
7.Why were Porphyria's eyes happy and proud after the narrator killed her? Why compare her eyes to a closed flower with a bee inside? How does that image relate to your interpretation of the poem or your understanding of the narrator?
8.Look back at the lines about the fireplace. How does the fireplace foreshadow the events of the poem, or does it? Explain.
9. Why did the narrator choose strangulation? Why not murder her in some other fashion - a candlestick to the head or poison in a drink perhaps? What makes strangulation the perfect choice?
10. What was Porphyria's "darling one wish?"
11. Why did the narrator decide to kill her when he realized that Porphyria worshipped him?
12. Why was the narrator's love "all in vein?"
13. Why has God not said a word?
14. For how long do you think the two will sit together?
15. Why name the woman Porphyria - a disease? How does that relate to the actions of the characters and the plot?
FYI:
Porphyria - the disease: http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/porphyria/basics/symptoms/CON-20028849
(60 points)
Here is one analysis - you do NOT have to agree with this. I want to know what you think and how you read and respond to this poem. : http://www.victorianweb.org/authors/rb/porphyria/best1.html
Week #7 - Assignment #3 - Robert Browning
Find out about Robert Bowning. Here are three places to start:
- https://www.poets.org/poetsorg/poet/robert-browning
- http://www.victorianweb.org/authors/rb/rbbio.html
- Documentary about Robert Browning and Elizabeth Barrett Browning: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fE6PjB1kn4w
Week #7 - Assignment #4: What is the rest of the story?
Creative writing time: You are now the investigator who discovers Porphyria and her lover. Or, you may prefer to be an investigative reporter for the local newspaper of the time. Maybe you will want to be an employee in the grand mansion - think Downtown Abby - who knows more than one usually lets on.
Tell the real story behind the murder. What are the real details? What happened before that fateful night? What happens after? Perhaps there is a trial where the truth comes out. Your narrative report should be 1-3 pages in length. Be creative. Have fun. (50 points)
Week #7 - Assignment #5 -"The Yellow Wallpaper" by Charlotte Perkins Gilman
1. Read or listen to the story.
A. React in two or three paragraphs - is this a story of insanity, sleep deprivation, isolation, depression, or is the house haunted? Justify your answer with lines and events from the story. (20 points)
Text: http://www.pagebypagebooks.com/Charlotte_Perkins_Gilman/The_Yellow_Wallpaper/The_Yellow_Wallpaper_p1.html
Audio: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gYIBJ9YXDJk
B. Who is Charlotte Perkins Gilman? Read about her life and times. Then, report on the parallels between her life and the events in "The Yellow Wallpaper." Cite your sources. (20 points)
- "Why I Wrote 'The Yellow Wallpaper'". http://www.charlotteperkinsgilman.com/2008/04/why-i-wrote-yellow-wallpaper-charlotte.html
- Biography: https://www.radcliffe.harvard.edu/schlesinger-library/exhibition/woman-human-life-and-work-charlotte-perkins-gilman
C. View the PBS movie of the short story. Be the critic. Rate each segment. What do you like about it? What is weak? If you were the director, what would you change?
Movie in 8 parts: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL54A86EACAA247777 (Click each segment to move along.) (40 points)
D. Conduct some investigative reporting on post partum depression, depression in general, and the treatment of both types in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Then, relate that information to John's treatment of the narrator in "The Yellow Wallpaper." Is this a "haunted house", or was the narrator driven mad by the cure? (20 points)
Reminder: You need to read a contemporary Gothic/horror novel for Week 8. Also, find a horror movie to watch - pick your favorite!
No comments:
Post a Comment