Paper Topics for Things Fall Apart

FromEDSITEMENT.neh.gov:
Choose one of the following to write your essay on:
1)The relationship between Achebe's title of Things Fall Apart and William Butler Yeats' poem "The Second Coming"
2)What purposes are served by Achebe's weaving of oral art forms such as African proverbs and folktales into the narrative
3)Achebe's decision to use English as the language of the novel and to integrate Ibo words and concepts into the text without translation
4) How Achebe uses specific linguistic devices and literary strategies to complement the content and message of the novel

Porta Portal

my sonnet

Spiteful Letter

Shaking, my heart skips as I sit thinking
It is better to have had loved and lost
Not true! The sorrow leaves my heart sinking.
Love, like winter, my ground is full of frost.
Regretting what I did I seek to turn
Back. Please can you help me figure this out?
For intimacy does my cold heart yearn
As I stand here in ice, cold in my doubts
Knowing that you will miss my tender touch
Now desperate decisions are what you make
Now what comes next will give you a clear hunch
That what I have said so far is all fake
Cause roses are red and violates are blue
I never loved, but in fact hated you.

Sonnet to the lost soul of a lover (No More Us)

Shaking my heart skips as I sit thinking
it's better to have love and lost,
not true ! The sorrow leaves my heart sinking
Love like winter, my ground is full of frost
Regretting what I did I seek to turn
back, please can you help me figure this out?
For intimacy does my cold heart yearns
As I stand here in ice, cold in my doubts
Knowing that I will miss your passionate
soul, the radio is playing bad grunge
nirvana all apologies too late
my heart is soaked in sadness like a sponge
my head bent low I weep all night for you
I can't take this anymore nor can you

ICE

Shaking my heart skips as I sit thinking
it is better to have love and have lost,
not true ! The sorrow leaves my heart sinking
Love like winter, my ground is full of frost
Regretting what I did I seek to turn
back, please can you help me figure this out?
For intimacy does my cold heart yearns
As I stand here in ice, cold in my doubts
Knowing that I will miss your passionate
soul, the radio is playing bad grunge
I feel electricity thats lit
Who is that over there looking fine
Forget ice I'm going to make him mine
BY Luz Ovalle
AP English

Finish the Sonnet

Tonight's homework was to finish the sonnet we started in class. Your job is to write the rhyming couplet. We will listen to all the new poems those two little lines will create tomorrow. Next week, we'll start to write an analysis of a poem together and we'll read some sonnets by famous authors. By the time we're done, you will be ready for a college class in poetry. Please, please take some time to look at some of the links at portaportal.com that I've set up for you. Especially poetrysoup.com where you should define your vocabulary words.

Advice for Revision of HAMLET papers

Since most of you chose the "corruption" theme, I am going to use that to offer suggestions of how to revise your papers. First of all, attack the question in chunks. What images of corruption do we see in the play? Well, the play starts off with the country in a state of war or post war. The King appears to have wrongfully claimed some land. This opens up the audience and the reader to the idea that this is a devious King.

Next, a ghost shows up. Ghosts don't show up when things are all good and happy. Right? I mean, this is no Casper. So, explain that and what it might mean.

Next, the use of poison--it was used to kill twice in the play and is a symbol of corruption,no?


Snake/serpent imagery--look for it, it is there and for a reason too.

Disease==madness kiddies, is a disease. Who is mad, goes mad, feigns madness or by faking becomes mad is all tied up in the idea that if you are not honest and real, you are corrupt and deceitful and you will pay a price. Who is guilty of this in the play? Almost everyone. Ros & Guil take the King's side and aren't honest w. Hamlet, Hamlet fakes madness lots, the Queen is false to herself, her son, and perhaps in her love of Claudius, etc, etc.

Loss of virtue--if you'd like you can use Ophelia and the Queen in this arguement but there is also Hamlet who sinks pretty low to trap King Claudius.

Now, think of levels
There is corruption of the state and thus society--important to remember that the King represents the country and his actions reflect directly on what happens to the people both inside and outside the royal family
corruption of the individual--ones actions lead to condequences, one small immoral step might lead down a rocky road
corruption of another through deceit--what you say or do to someone else might mess them up.

Finally, when you quote, do it like this:
Summary of scene in play, quote, analysis, tie analysis to theme. Also use (IV, iii, 323-326) as your citation format.