Las Positas Students

English 4 (WILLIS) FALL 2011 (MONDAYS)

2010-08-05T17:24:00.001-07:00

1. 8/22 Introduction; biographical material on Eugene O'Neill

(HW - buy your books, if you haven't already; send an email to Mr. Willis.)

2. 8/29 Begin Long Day's Journey Into Night.

(HW - Read "The Appointment In Samarra," "Godfather Death," "A & P," "A Rose For Emily.")

9/5 Labor Day; no class

3. 9/12 Finish Long Day's Journey Into Night.

(HW - Write essay 1 on a theme from Long Day's Journey Into Night.)

4. 9/19 Turn in essay 1; discuss short stories assigned class 2; read and discuss "Oedipus the King."

(HW - Read "Miss Brill,' "The Tell-Tale Heart," "A Good Man is Hard to Find," and "The Five-Forty-Eight." Also, you have two weeks to read The Lord of the Flies.)

5. 9/26 Hand back essays; read "Antigone"; discuss short stories assigned class 4; read and discuss "The Road Not Taken,' "Ozymandias," 'Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening," 'To An Athlete Dying Young," and "To His Coy Mistress."

(HW - finish reading The Lord of the Flies; write essay 2, focusing on one of the five major characters: Ralph, Jack, Piggy, Simon, or Roger.)

6. 10/3 Turn in essay 2; discuss The Lord of the Flies.

(HW - Read "The Open Boat," "The Storm," "To Build A Fire," and "Greasy Lake." Also, you have five weeks to read Les Miserables.)

7. 10/10 Hand back essays; discuss short stories assigned class 6; begin reading A Streetcar Named Desire.

(HW - Continue reading Les Miserables.)

8. 10/17 Continue A Streetcar Named Desire; have "love" discussion.

(HW - continue reading Les Miserables.)

9. 10/24 Finish A Streetcar Named Desire; read two "Streetcar" essays of former students; read and discuss 'The Death Of The Ball Turret Gunner,' "The Flea," and "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock."

(HW - finish reading Les Miserables; write essay 3 on any theme from either Les Miserables or A Streetcar Named Desire.)

10. 10/31 Turn in essay 3; begin "Death of a Salesman."

(HW - read "A Clean, Well-Lighted Place," "Barn Burning," and 'Araby"; complete "Fallacies" assignment.)

11. 11/7 Turn in "Fallacies" assignment; take, correct, and discuss a quiz on Les Miserables.

(HW - Read "The Gospel According to Mark," "Young Goodman Brown," "The Rocking-Horse
Winner," and "The Chrysanthemums"; develop the thesis statement for your Research Paper.)

12. 11/14 Finish and discuss "Salesman"; discuss short stories assigned classes 10 and 11; discuss Les Miserables; turn in the thesis statement for your Research Paper.

(HW - write essay 4 on any theme from either "Death of a Salesman," "Oedipus," or "Antigone," or write five short poems.)

13. 11/21 Turn in essay 4; read Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.

(HW - Read "The Lottery," "The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas," "An Occurrence At Owl Creek Bridge," "Harrison Bergeron," "The Story of an Hour," and "The Cathedral.")

14. 11/28 Read "Lest We Forget," (which includes "Colin's Choice"), "Mr. Rose" and "The Doorway," and "Barrington Bunny."

(HW - write essay 5, your Research Paper.)

15. 12/5 Turn in essay 5; discuss short stories assigned class 13; read "The Lover of Horses"; read past reflective essays of students.

16. 12/12 Read and discuss "Batter My Heart, Three-Personed God," "The Unknown Citizen," "In Westminster Abbey," "I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud," and "The Tyger."read "Strange Snow"; review for final.

17. 12/19 Final exam (we will correct it in class, and you will know your semester grade before you leave.)

Final Exam

75 quotations from the works read - you must identify the speaker; 53 questions matching work and author; 39 general questions on the works = 167 total questions.

Number Wrong on Final x .6 = % wrong (then subtract from 100%)

A+ = 96-100%

A = 93-95

A- = 90-92

B+ = 86-89

B = 83-85

B- = 80-82

C+ = 76-79

C = 73-75

C- = 70-72

D+ = 66-69

D = 63-65

D- = 60-62

F+ = 56-59

F = 0-55

Semester Grade

Each of your five essays (as well as the Les Miserables quiz) = 1/10 of your grade; the final exam = 4/10 (1/2).

Rules and Information

1. Late essays will be downgraded 1/3 of a grade for every day late. In other words, if an essay is due on a Monday, and you turn it in on the next Monday, it will go down 2 1/3 grades (an "A+" would become a "C"; a "B" would become a "D-"; a "C+" would become an "F").

2. If you are absent on the day an essay is due, you may email it to me to avoid the downgrade penalty. You will be charged 25 cents/page for the printing.

3. If you are absent on the day of the Les Miserables quiz, you must make it up before the next class. You and I will make arrangements as to time and place.

4. On your fourth absence, you will be dropped from the class.

5. If you need to miss class, please call me at 925-443-9135.

6. My email address is jimwillisca@gmail.com.

7. My website's address is http://jimwillislaspositasstudents.blogspot.com/.

8. A helpful site in studying for the final - http://centrifugal.me/eng-4/.

9. Download the “cheat sheet” for the final at http://jimwillislaspositasstudents.blogspot.com/2009/06/cheat-sheet-for-final.html.

10. Download suggestions on writing a poem at http://jimwillislaspositasstudents.blogspot.com/2009/06/writing-poem.html.

11. Download the character list for the Les Miserables quiz at http://jimwillislaspositasstudents.blogspot.com/2009/06/les-miserables-characters.html.

12. Download the Les Miserables practice quiz at http://jimwillislaspositasstudents.blogspot.com/2009/06/les-miserables-practice-quiz.html.

13. Download the English 4 Syllabus at http://jimwillislaspositasstudents.blogspot.com/2009/06/english-3-4-syllabus.html.

14. Essay suggestions for Long Day’s Journey into Night, A Streetcar Named Desire, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, and Lord of the Flies can all be found under 2009, June at http://jimwillislaspositasstudents.blogspot.com/.

Willis Family Blogs

2009-07-03T10:01:00.000-07:00

Interesting Trips

Read about our trip to Europe , in 1993 and France, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, the Czech Republic, Austria, and Belgium will come alive!

London is one of the world’s greatest cities! Relive Jim’s and Claudia’s 1997 London trip.

Alaska is one of the world’s most picturesque places, as Jim & Claudia learned in 2004.

A PhotoShow of the 2004 Alaskan trip

A PhotoShow of Claudia’s & Jim’s 2004 trip to Maine and Quebec City.

A PhotoShow of Jim’s & Claudia’s 2006 trip to the U.S. Southwest.

Spain is a phenomenal country. Relive Claudia’s & Jim’s 2008 journey to Spain.

Miscellaneous

"Lest We Forget," Jim’s moving account of Colin, their youngest child who died in 2001.

Pictures and short bios of all the Willis family members.

PhotoShow of Corrigan & Dee, made by Jim for their 2006 wedding.

PhotoShow of our River Meadows home

PhotoShow of the Willis boys’ birthdays in 2004

Christmas letter, 1996, detailing Corrigan’s success at the Babe Ruth World Series in North Carolina.

Jim’s book on his classroom experiences at Granada (in progress).

Authors' Pictures

2009-07-02T15:38:00.000-07:00

W.H. Auden (1907-1973)
( The Unknown Citizen )

Martin Bell ()
(Barrington Bunny)

John Betjeman (1906-1984)
(In Westminster Abbey)

Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914?)
(An Occurrence At Owl Creek Bridge)

Robert Bolt (1924-1999)
(A Man For All Seasons)

T. Coraghessan Boyle (1948-)
(Greasy Lake)

Charlotte Bronte (1816-1855)
(Jane Eyre)

Raymond Carver (1938-1988)
(Cathedral)

John Cheever (1912-1982)
(The Five-Forty_Eight)

Kate Chopin (1851-1904)
(The Story of an Hour; The Storm)

Robert Cormier (1925-2000)
(The Chocolate War)

Stephen Crane (1871-1900)
(The Open Boat)

Guy de Maupassant (1850-1893)
(The Jewels)

John Donne (1572-1631)
(The Sun Rising; The Flea; Batter My Heart, Three-Personed God)

T.S. Eliot (1888-1965)
(The Love Song Of J. Alfred Prufrock)

William Faulkner (1897-1962)
(A Rose For Emily; Barn Burning)

Robert Frost (1874-1963)
(The Road not Taken; Stopping By Woods On A Snowy Evening)

Tess Gallagher (1943-)
(The Lover Of Horses)

William Golding (1911-1993)
(Lord of the Flies)

Graham Greene (1904-1991)
(The Heart of the Matter)

Jakob (1785-1863) & Wilhelm Grimm (1786-1859)
(Godfather Death)

Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804-1864)
(Young Goodman Brown)

Ernest Hemingway (1899-1961)
(A Clean, Well Lighted Place)

A.E. Housman (1859-1936)
(To An Athlete Dying Young)

Victor Hugo (1802-1885)
(Les Miserables)

Shirley Jackson (1917-1965)
(The Lottery)

Randall Jarrell (1914-1965)
(The Death Of The Ball Turret Gunner)

James Joyce (1882-1941)
(Araby)

John Knowles (1926-2001)
(A Separate Peace)

D.H. Lawrence (1885-1930)
(The Rocking-Horse Winner)

Jerome Lawrence (1915-2004) and Robert E. Lee (1918-1994)
(Inherit the Wind)

Harper Lee (1926- )
(To Kill a Mockingbird)

Jack London (1876-1916)
(To Build a Fire)

Katherine Mansfield (1888-1923)
( Miss Brill)

Andrew Marvell (1621-1678)
(To His Coy Mistress)

W. Somerset Maugham (1874-1965)
(Appointment in Samarra)

Steve Metcalfe (1953-)
(Strange Snow)

Arthur Miller (1915-2005)
(Death of a Salesman)

Farley Mowat (1921- )
(Never Cry Wolf)

Flannery O'Connor (1925-1964)
(A Good Man is Hard to Find)

Eugene O'Neill
(1888-1953)
(A Long Day's Journey into Night; Desire Under the Elms )

Eugene's daughter, Oona O'Neill Chaplin, married to Charlie Chaplin (1889-1977)

Eugene's father, James O'Neill (1846-1920)

Eugene (1888-1953), Jamie (1878-1922) , and James O'Neill (1846-1920)

Monte Cristo Cottage, the O'Neill home in New London, Connecticut and the setting for Long Day's Journey into Night which occurs in 1912.

The Cottage

The Parlor

The Family Room

Memorabilia Room

Tao House, Eugene O'Neill's and Carlotta Monterey O'Neill's home in Danville, California where he wrote Long Day's Journey into Night in 1939-1940.

One wing of Tao House, pictured from the rear

Edgar Allen Poe (1809-1849)
(The Tell-Tale Heart)

Katherine Anne Porter (1890-1980)
(The Jilting of Granny Weatherall)

William Shakespeare (1564-1616)
(MacBeth; The Taming of the Shrew)

Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792-1822)
(Ozymandias)

Isaac Bashevis Singer (1904-1991)
(Gimpel The Fool)

Sophocles (496-406, B.C.)
(Oedipus the King; Antigone)

John Steinbeck (1902-1968)
(Cannery Row; The Chrysanthemums)

Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894)
(Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde)

Ivan Turgenev (1818-1883)
(Fathers and Sons)

John Updike (1932-2009)
(A&P)

Kurt Vonnegut (1922-2007)
(Harrison Bergeron)

Tennessee Williams (1911-1983)
(A Streetcar Named Desire; Cat on a Hot Tin Roof)

James B. Willis (1944-)
(Lest We Forget)

Robert J. Willis (1935-)
(Mr. Rose; The Doorway; Colin's Choice)

William Wordsworth (1770-1850)
(I Wandered Lonely As A Cloud)

Anne Owed too the Spelling Chequer

2009-06-28T18:26:00.000-07:00

By Jerry Zar
Dean of the Graduate School of Northwestern Illinois University

Eye have a spelling chequer.

It came with my Pea Sea.

It plane lee Marx for my revue

Miss steaks eye can knot sea.

Iran this poem threw it,

Your sure reel glad two no.

Its vary polished in it’s weigh;

My chequer tolled me sew.

A chequer is a bless sing.

It freeze yew lodes of thyme.

It helps me right awl stiles two reed

And aides me when eye rime.

Each frays come posed up on my screen

Eye trussed too bee a joule.

The chequer poured oar every word

To cheque sum spelling rule.

Be fore a veiling chequer,

Hour spelling mite decline,

And if were lacks or have a laps,

We wood be maid to wine.

Butt now bee cause my spelling

Is checked with such grate flayer,

Their are know faults with in my cite,

of nun eye am a wear.

The World According To Student Bloopers

2009-06-28T18:25:00.000-07:00

by Richard Lederer
(St. Paul's School)

One of the fringe benefits of being an English or History teacher is receiving the occasional jewel of a student blooper in an essay. I have pasted together the following "history" of the world from certifiably genuine student bloopers collected by teachers throughout the United States, from eighth grade through college level. Read carefully, and you will learn a lot.

The inhabitants of ancient Egypt were called mummies. They lived in the Sarah Dessert and traveled by Camelot. The climate of the Sarah is such that the inhabitants have to lie elsewhere, so certain areas of the dessert are cultivated by irritation. The Egyptians built the Pyramids in the shape of a huge triangular cube. The Pramids are a range of mountains between France and Spain.

The Bible is full of interesting caricatures. In the first book of the Bible, Guiness, Adam and Eve were created from an apple tree. One of their children, Cain, once asked, "Am I my brother’s son?" God asked Abraham to sacrifice Isaac on Mount Montezuma. Jacob, son of Isaac, stole his brother’s birth mark. Jacob was a patriarch who brought up twelve sons to be patriarchs, but they did not take to it. One of Jacob’s sons, Joseph, gave refuse to the Israelites. Pharaoh forced he Hebrew slaves to make bread without straw. Moses led them to the Red Sea, where they made unleavened bread, which is bread made without any ingredients. Afterwards, Moses went up on Mount Cyanide to get the ten commandments. David was a Hebrew king skilled at playing the liar. He fought with the Philatelists, a race of people who lived in Biblical times. Solomon, one of David’s sons, had 500 wives and 500 porcupines.

Without the Greeks we wouldn’t have history. The Greek invented three kinds of columns-Corinthian, Doric, and Ironic. They also had myths. A myth is a female moth. One myth says that the mother of Achilles dipped him in the River Stynx until he became intollerable. Achilles appears in The Iliad, by Homer. Homer also wrote The Oddity, in which Penelope was the last hardship that Ulysses endured on his journey. Actually, Homer was not written by Homer but by another man of that name.

Socrates was a famous Greek teacher who went around giving people advice. They killed him. Socrates died from an overdose of wedlock.

In the Olympic Games, Greeks ran races, jumped, hurled the biscuits, and threw the java. The reward to the victor was a coral wreath. The government of Athens was democratic because people took the law into their own hands. There were no wars in Greece, as the mountains were so high that they couldn’t climb over to see what their neighbors were doing. When they fought with the Persians, the Greeks were outnumbered because the Persians had more men. Eventually, the Ramons conquered the Greeks.

History calls people Romans because they never stayed in one place for very long. At Roman banquets, the guests wore garlics in their hair. Julius Caesar extinguished himself on the battlefields of Gaul. The ides of March murdered him because they thought he was going to be made king. Nero was a cruel tyranny who would torture his poor subjects by playing the fiddle to them.

Then came the Middle Ages. King Alfred conquered the Dames, King Arthur lived in the Age of Shivery, King Harold mustarded his troops before the Battle of Hastings, Joan of Arc was cannonized by Bernard Shaw, and victims of the Black Death grew boobs on their necks. Finally, Magna Carta provided that no free man should be hanged twice for the same offense.

In midevil time most of the people were alliterate. The greatest writer of the time was Chaucer, who wrote many poems and verses and also wrote literature. Another tale tells of William Tell, who shot an arrow through an apple while standing on his son’s head. The Renaissance was an age in which more individuals felt the value of their human being. Martin Luther was nailed to the church door at Wittenberg for selling papal indulgences. He died a horrible death, being excommunicated by a bull. It was the painter Donatello’s interest in the female nude that made him he father if the Renaissance. It was an age of great inventions and discoveries. Gutenberg invented the Bible. Sir Walter Raleigh is a historical figure because he invented cigarettes. Another Important invention was the circulation of blood. Sir Francis Drake circumcised the world with a 100-foot clipper.

The government of England was a limited mockery. Henry VIII found walking difficult because he had an abbess on his knee. Queen Elizabeth was the "Virgin Queen." As a queen she was a success. When Elizabeth exposed herself before her troops, they all shouted, "hurrah." Then her navy went out and defeated the Spanish Armadillo. The greatest writer of the Renaissance was William Shakespear. Shakespear never made much money and is famous only because of his plays. He lived at Windsor with his merry wives, writing tragedies, comedies, and errors. In one of Shakespear’s famous plays, Hamlet rations out his situation by relieving himself in a long soliloquy. In another, Lady Macbeth tries to convince Macbeth to kill the King by attacking his manhood. Romeo and Juliet are an example of a heroic couplet. Writing at the same time as Shakespear was Miguel Cervantes. He wrote Donkey Hote. The next great author was John Milton. Milton wrote Paradise Lost. Then his wife died and he wrote Paradise Regained.

During the Renaissance America began. Christopher Columbus was a great navigator who discovered America while cursing about the Atlantic. His ships were called the Nina, the Pinta, and the Santa Fe. Later, the Pilgrims crossed the Ocean, and this was known as Pilgrims Progress. When they landed at Plymouth Rock, they were greeted by the Indians, who came down the hill rolling their war hoops before them. The Indian squabs carried porpoises on their back. Many of he Indian heroes were killed, along with their cabooses, which proved very fatal to them. The winter of 1620 was a hard one for the settlers. Many people died and many babies were born. Captain John Smith was responsible for all this.

One of the causes of the Revolutionary Wars was the English put tacks in their tea. Also, the colonists would send their parcels through the post without stamps. During the War, the Red Coats and Paul Revere was throwing balls over stone walls. The dogs were barking and the peacocks crowing. Finally, the colonists won the War and no longer had to pay for taxis.

Delegates from the original thirteen states formed the Contented Congress. Thomas Jefferson, a Virgin, and Benjamin Franklin were two singers of the Declaration of Independence. Franklin had gone to Boston carrying all his clothes in his pocket and a loaf of bread under each arm. He invented electricity by rubbing cats backwards and declared, "A horse divided against itself cannot stand." Franklin died in1790 and is still dead.

George Washington married Martha Curtis and in due time became the Father of Our Country. Then the Constitution of the United States was adopted to secure domestic hostility. Under the constitution the people enjoyed the right to keep bare arms.

Abraham Lincoln became America’s greatest Precedent. Lincoln’s mother died in infancy, and he was born in a log cabin which he built with his own hands. When Lincoln was president, he wore only a tall silk hat. He said, "In onion there is strength." Abraham Lincoln wrote the Gettysburg Address while traveling from Washington to Gettysburg on the back of an envelope. He also freed the slaves by singing the Emasculation Proclamation, and the Fourteenth Amendment gave the ex-Negroes citizenship. But the Clue Clux Clan would torcher and lynch the ex-Negroes and other innocent victims. It claimed it

represented law and odor. On the night of April 14, 1865, Lincoln went to the theater and got shot in his seat by one of the actors in a moving picture show. The believed assinator was John Wilkes Booth, a supposingly insane actor. This ruined Booth’s career.

Meanwhile in Europe, the enlightenment was a reasonable time. Voltare invented electricity and also wrote a book called Candy. Gravity was invented by Isaac Walton. It is chiefly noticeable in the Autumn, when the apples are falling off the trees.

Bach was the most famous composer in the world, and so was Handel. Handel was half German, half Italian, and half English. He was very large. Bach died from 1750 to the present. Beethoven wrote music even though he was deaf. He was so deaf he wrote loud music. He took long walks in the forest even when everyone was calling for him. Beethoven expired in 1827 and later died from this.

France was in a very serious state. The French Revolution was accomplished before it happened. The Marseillaise was the theme song of the French Revolution, and it catapulted into Napoleon. During the Napoleonic Wars, the crowned heads of Europe were trembling in their shoes. Then the Spanish gorillas came down from the hills and the nipped at Napoleon’s flanks. Napoleon became ill with bladder problems and was very tense and unrestrained. He wanted< an heir to inherit his power, but since Josephine was a baroness, she couldn’t bear children.

The sun never set on the British Empire because the British Empire is in the East and the sun sets in the West. Queen Victoria was the longest queen. She sat on a thorn for 63 years. Her reclining years and finally the end of her life were exemplatory of a great personality. Her death was the final event which ended her reign.

The nineteenth century was a time of many great inventions and thoughts. The invention of the steamboat caused a network of rivers to spring up. Cyrus McCormick invented the McCormick raper, which did the work of a hundred men. Samuel Morse invented a code of telepathy. Louis Pasteur discovered a cure for rabbis. Charles Darwin was a naturalist who wrote the Organ of the Species. Madman Curie discovered radium. And Karl Marx became one of the Marx brothers.

The First World War, caused by the assignation of the Arch-Duck by a surf, ushered in a new error in the anals of human history.

Frost Poems

2009-06-28T18:23:00.000-07:00

STOPPING BY WOODS ON A SNOWY EVENING
by Robert Frost

Whose woods these are I think I know,
His house is in the village, though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.
My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.
He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sound’s the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.
The woods are lovely, dark, and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.

THE ROAD NOT TAKEN
by Robert Frost

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth.
Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same.
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

"To His Coy Mistress"

2009-06-28T18:22:00.000-07:00

Andrew Marvell
(1621-1678)

Had we but world enough, and time,
This coyness, lady, were no crime.
We would sit down, and think which way
To walk, and pass our long love’s day.
Thou by the Indian Ganges’(1) side
Shouldst rubies find; I by the tide
Of Humber(2) would complain.(3)I would
Love you ten years before the Flood,
And you should, if you please, refuse
Till the conversion of the Jews.
My vegetable love should grow*(4)
Vaster than empires, and more slow;
An hundred years should go to praise
Thine eyes and on thy forehead gaze,
Two hundred to adore each breast,
But thirty thousand to the rest:
An age at least to every part,
And the last age should show your heart.
For, lady, you deserve this state,
Nor would I love at lower rate.
But at my back I always hear
Time’s winged chariot hurrying near;
And yonder all before us lie
Deserts of vast eternity.
Thy beauty shall no more be found,
Nor in thy marble vault shall sound
My echoing song; then worms shall try
That long preserved virginity,
And your quaint honor turn to dust,
And into ashes all my lust.
The grave’s a fine and private place,
But none, I think, do there embrace.
Now, therefore, while the youthful hue
Sits on thy skin like morning dew,
And while thy willing soul transpires(5)
At every pore with instant fires,
Now let us sport us while we may,
And now, like amorous birds of prey,
Rather at once our time devour
Then languish in his slow-chapped(6) power.
Let us roll all our strength and all
Our sweetness up into one ball,
And tear our pleasures with rough strife
Thorough(7) the iron gates of life.
Thus, though we cannot make our sun
Stand still, yet we will make him run.

(1)-A sacred river in India
(2)-River in Marvell’s native town, Hull
(3)-Write love songs
(4)-A slow unconscious growth
(5)-Breathes forth
(6)-slow-jawed
(7)-Through

Eugene O'Neill Biographical Dates

2009-06-21T13:05:00.001-07:00

I. Background

A. James - father - born in Ireland in 1846. During the Potato Famine, his family moved to the United States when James was six.
1. James' father could not get a job, deserted the family, went back to Ireland and drank himself to death.
2. James' mother was left with six children to support. Two older brothers went off to find work leaving James at age ten to be the "man of the family." He worked for 50¢ /week.
3. At 20, James becomes an actor. At the time, Edwin Booth was one of the world's most famous actors. He pays James the ultimate compliment by saying, "that young man {James} played Othello better than I did."
4. James bought rights to the "Count of Monte Cristo" and made $36,000/year at a time when $100/year was the average. James becomes very famous but always is a penny pincher, staying in cheap hotels and wearing old clothes.

B. Mary Ellen Quinlin - mother - (1857)
1. She went to Catholic schools.When she was 19, her father took her to see James O'Neill and meet him backstage after the play. They were married not long after. She was 19; James was 30.

II. The children - Jamie, Edmund, and Eugene

A. Jamie (1878)
1.Jamie has a strong attraction to Mom (Oedipus Complex)and a strong hatred of Dad.
2. Jamie drank himself to death when he was 44.

B. Edmund (1883)
1. Jamie was very jealous of Edmund.
2. When James Sr., dad, was touring, he wired Mary to come see him. Mary wired back, "No, Jamie has the measles." James insisted. Mary left the children with a sitter with strict instructions to Jamie to stay away from Edmund.
3. Edmund contracts measles and dies. Mary became seriously depressed and never forgave herself.

C. Eugene (1888)
1. To compensate for Edmund's death and to try to help Mary out of depression, James gets Mary pregnant.
a. Oct. 1888 - One night on the road, in a cheap hotel, Mary starts labor. Instead of getting a good doctor, the cheap James hires the hotel "doctor" who gives Mary morphine to ease the pain during and after the birth of Eugene.
b. When Mama Mary comes home to Jamie, not only is there a new baby who provides competition, but Mama is a drug addict. Jamie blames the new baby for the change in his beloved Mother.
c. Mary's drug addiction causes James to drink more.

III. Eugene's life

A. Gene starts life with:
1. Father a drunk
2. Mother an addict
3. Brother Jamie hating him but loving his mother
4. Being the replacement for brother, Edmund

B. 1909 - In Connecticut, Gene meets the wealthy Kathleen Jenkins through a friend. they fall in lust. Kathleen's wealthy father dislikes Gene and sets up a meeting with James to stop a marriage. James accepts a financial arrangement to stop the marriage. Gene and Kathleen get wind of the scheme and elope. They spend one night together, and Eugene, Jr. is the result in 1910.

C. 1910-1911 - Gene goes gold prospecting to the mines in Honduras for two years. During this time, he contracts TB, the big killer of the day, and also Malaria - not the best of times.

D. 1912 - When Gene returns to the states, he does not try to contact Kathleen or try to find out any information on Eugene, Jr.

E. Kathleen's father wants her to file for divorce.Gene agrees and sets up a situation where a photographer will take a picture of him in a hotel with a prostitute.The divorce is granted.
1. Kathleen marries a second husband whose father later becomes a mass ax murderer.
2. Eugene, Jr. becomes a drunk. One day, he appears on TV drunk, and he is kicked off the air and arrested. He is found the next day in his bathtub full of blood, having committed suicide.

F. 1918 - Agnes Boulton
1. By now, Gene is a journalist. He meets Agnes in a bar with a male acquaintance of his. He takes her home, and they marry and have 2 children.
a.Shane (1919) - ended up a drunken bum and died of a heroin overdose.
b.Oona (1925) - at 19 married Charlie Chaplin who was 57. Eugene was outraged and cut her out of his life.

G. 1929 - Carlotta Monterey
1. At 49, Gene is the most famous playwright in the U.S. He was living in France with Agnes, Shane, and Oona. He goes to the opening in New York of "Strange Interlude" and meets Carlotta Monterey, leading lady.
2. Deja Vu - Gene wires Agnes to come to N.Y. She wires back, "No,I've got the kids." Carlotta, opportunist extrodinaire, sidles up to him by saying:
a. "I don't want children."
b. "Don't worry about money as an "Aunt" left me money."

The real story was that she had been married to a cartoonist for the New Yorker Magazine (Ralph Barton) and had been having an affair on the side with an extremely wealthy man, James Speyer. She got $3,000/ month from Speyer.

H. Eugene divorces Agnes and marries Carlotta.

I. -1936 - Eugene becomes the only American playwright to win a Nobel Prize for Literature. American novelist winners were William Faulkner, Ernest Hemingway, John Steinbeck, Sinclair Lewis, Pearl Buck,and Toni Morrison.

IV. Anecdotes of Carlotta's Cruelty

A. She hid from him his letters of congratulation for winning the Nobel. He was very hurt that people had not written him.
B. She used his Nobel prize money as a down payment on Tao House (pronounced "Dao").
C. In 1940s, he developed Parkinson's Disease. One day, Gene and Carlotta are walking in the snow; he falls; she goes inside the house leaving him there. If a friend had not come along to help him up, who knows what she would have done.
D. Ingrid Bergman came to visit him to discuss an upcoming series of plays. Carlotta told Ingrid that he was ill and tired easily so to leave when Carlotta placed her finger on her nose. When, after dinner, Gene wanted Ingrid to look over the plans for the plays in his study, Carlotta gave the signal to Ingrid. Ingrid ignored the sign and followed Gene. Needless to say, Ingrid was never invited back again.
E. Before he had become so ill, he had started on 9 short one act plays. Carlotta and he tore the plays up, throwing the pieces in the fire so no one could try to finish them.

V. The End

1. 1953 - Eugene Dies in a Boston Hotel.
2.His last words were "Born in a God-damn hotel; dying in a God-damn hotel."
3. In his will, he mentioned that he had written Long Days Journey into Night in 1939 at Tao House. He did not want the play to be published until 25 years after his death. In 1956, Carlotta disobeyed his wishes and sold the rights to the play.

Les Miserables Practice Quiz

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1. Who is the author of Les Miserables?

2. Who is the main character?

3. How long was he in prison?

4. Why was he in prison?

5. Why did his term in prison keep on being extended?

6. What is the color of his pass?

7. Who welcomes him in for dinner and a night’s rest?

8. Who is Madame Magloire?

9. Who is Petit Gervais?

10. Who are the Thenardiers?

11. What little girl is left with the Thenardiers?

12. Who leaves the girl?

13. Who is Father Madeleine?

14. Father Madeleine is later called --------Madeleine.

15. He is later called Monsieur --- -----.

16. How did he become so rich?

17. What is M----------sur M-----------?

18. The mayor became very sad when he hears of whose death?

19. The mayor gives money to any Savoyard who passes through town. Why?

20. Who is the mayor?

21. Who is the inspector who mistrusts the mayor?

22. Whom does Monsieur Madeleine save from being crushed to death?

23. Who says he only knows of one man who could lift such a load?

24. Who is that one strong man?

25. Madeleine gets a job for Fauchelevent in Paris as a -------.

26. Javert confesses what to the Mayor?

27. Who is Champmathieu?

28. Explain the Mayor’s horrible dilemma.

29. Who are Brevet, Chenildieu, and Cochepaille?

30. Whom does Fantine want to see before she dies?

31. Who comes to arrest the Mayor?

32. The Mayor asks for three days to do what?

33. How does Sister Simplice save the Mayor?

34. Why does Javert believe Sister Simplice?

35. Jean Valjean goes to Laffitte’s for what reason?

36. What happens aboard the Orion?

37. Jean takes Cossette to what city?

38. What does Jean keep in the lapel of his coat?

39. Who spies on Jean as he is ripping open his coat?

40. To escape from Javert, Jean has to go up a ---- and then pull -------- up with a ----.

41. They end up in the garden of a what?

42. Who turns out to be the gardener there?

43. Explain how the convent is the "most dangerous" and yet also the "safest" place for Jean.

44. Jean pretends to be whose brother?

45. Two houses of --- have saved Jean Valjean.v 46. Jean takes the name Ultimus ------------.

47. Who is M. Gillenormand?

48. Who is his grandson?

49. Who is Colonel Baron Pontmercy?

50. Why does Marius never see his father?

51. Why, at age 18, is Marius finally sent to see his father?

52. At what battle was Pontmercy made a baron?

53. By whom?

54. What sergeant saved Pontmercy’s life at that battle?

55. Who is Theodule Gillenormand?

56. Theodule finds that Marius is not visiting a lass but a ----.

57. Who is Courfeyrac?

58. Marius pays the rent for the Jondrettes. What is the family’s real name?

59. Whom does Marius name Mademoiselle Lenoire?

60. What name does he give to Jean?

61. What is the Luxembourg?

62. What is left behind, with the initials U.F., on the bench?

63. What does Marius then think her first name is?

64. Who lives next door to the Jondrettes and is able to spy on them?

65. Why does M. Jondrette put a hole in a chair, order a window broken, have the fire put out, have his wife go to bed, etc.?

66. What is a fiacre?

67. When Jondrette tells LeBlanc that he is really Thenardier, what is Marius’ dilemma?

68. Thenardier refers to the Lark? Who is that?

69. Who uses the name Urbain Fabre?

70. Who, ironically, shows up to stop the killing of M. LeBlanc?

71. Who is the elder of the Thenardier daughters?

72. Who helps Marius track down M. LeBlanc’s "daughter"?

73. What does Cosette call "the inseparable"?

74. Who is Toussaint?

75. What major character is in the National Guard?

76. Why is Jean saddened to see Cosette growing beautiful?

77. Who left what and for whom on a bench in the garden?

78. What is the barricade?

79. Who goes there disguised as a man?

80. Who is Gavroche?

81. What enemy is captured at the barricade and told he will soon die?

82. Who shields Marius from a bullet and dies?

83. She requests that Marius do what after she dies?

84. Before she dies, she gives a letter to Marius from whom?

85. Who intercepts Marius’ letter to Cosette, carried by Gavroche?

86. Who is Gavroche the son of?

87. What "favor" does Enjolras bestow on Jean?

88. What does Jean do instead?

89. Whom does Jean carry and where?

90. Who has the key to get out of the sewer?

91. What does he first rip off a piece of?

92. Who captures Jean shortly after he comes out of the sewer?

93. What one favor does Jean ask of that man?

94. Where is Marius taken?

95. Strangely, Javert leaves and then does what?

96. Who gets married?

97. What does Jean do with all his money?

98. What confession does Jean make to Marius?

99. Who says, "To live, once I stole a loaf of bread; to-day, to live, I will not steal a name"?

100. Who thinks Jean stole from Madeleine and killed Javert?

101. Who comes to bribe Marius by telling "tales" about Jean?

102. Why does his attempt backfire?

103. Who says, "He who was carrying the corpse was Jean Valjean; he who had the key is now speaking to you, and the piece of the coat ——"?

104. Why does Marius not turn in this liar?

105. Thenardier goes to ------- and becomes a ------.

106. Who dies at the end of the book?

Les Miserables Characters

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Jean Valjean
24601
Jean-the-Jack
Fr. Madeleine
M. Madeleine
M. le Mayor
9430
Ultimus Fauchelevent
M. Leblanc
Urbain Fabre
Cosette
The Lark
Euphrasie Fauchelevent
Ursula
Mlle. Lenoire
The Bishop of D
Myriel
Monseigneur Bienvenu
M. Thenardier
M. Jondrette
Mme. Thenardier
Mme. Jondrette
The Thenardiess
Other Characters
Mlle. Baptistine
Mme. Magloire
Petit Gervais
Fantine
Napoleon
Javert
Fr. Fauchelevent
Prefecture of Police
Champmathieu
Brevet
Chenildieu
Cochepaille
Sr. Simplice
M. Laffitte
M. Gillenormand
Mlle. Gillenormand
Theodule Gillenormand
Marius
Col. Baron George Pontmercy
Courfeyrac
Enjolras
Eponine
Gavroche
Toussaint
Places
Faverolles
Toulon (galleys)
D
Montfermeil
M__sur M__
Arras
Orion (ship)
Paris
Gorbeau House
Convent of Petite Picpus
Luxembourg (park)
Barricade
Waterloo

Writing the Standard Four or Five Paragraph Essay

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The Introductory Paragraph

The Introduction has two purposes:

1) To introduce the subject of discussion via the Thesis Statement

2) To gain the readers attention by creating a desire to read on

A good Introduction can make the difference between an ordinary essay and an excellent one. Typically, the good introductory paragraph contains 5 or more sentences that begin with a broad reference to the essay topic. Each succeeding sentence further clarifies the idea until it has narrowed down to the Thesis Statement. An introductory paragraph might include the following:

Sentence # 1 -- makes a broad, provocative reference to the topic intended to "hook" the reader’s attention

Sentence # 2 or 3 -- clarifies the writer’s intention or direction for writing about the topic.

Sentence # 2 or 3 -- reveals the source of the topic by indicating the title, author, and character involved in the discussion.

Sentence # 4 -- further clarifies the writer’s intention/direction.

Sentence # 5 -- expresses the Thesis Statement or controlling idea of the essay.

The Body Paragraphs

Body Paragraphs are the "meat" of the essay. Their purpose is to provide all the necessary information the reader needs in order to understand the point or argument that the writer is trying to make.

Typically, the Body Paragraph contains a Topic Sentence and several Supporting Detail Sentences. A good body paragraph contains 7-9 sentences that might include the following:

Sentence # 1 -- Topic Sentence - states main idea/point of the paragraph

Sentence # 2-3 -- Discussion - defines/expands on the main idea/point

Sentence # 4-6 -- Examples/Quotes - presents evidence to support the point of the discussion

Sentence # 7-8 -- Commentary - interprets the significance/meaning of the examples/quotes

Sentence # 9 -- Concluding Sentence -- provides a transition into the next paragraph by finishing your discussion of the idea/point and leading into the discussion of the main idea/point of the next paragraph.

Sometimes, young writers have difficulty deciding what to write about in Body Paragraphs. The best way to overcome this problem is to turn the Topic Sentence into a question. All the information and/or reasons needed to answer the question then become the Supporting Detail Sentences. Below are the types of Supporting Detail Sentences that should be used to answer the "Topic Sentence Question":

1. Facts

2. Examples/Quotes

3. Reasons

4. Evaluation/Interpretation (compare-contrast-label-operate-combine)

5. Commentary

Often, Body Paragraphs follow specific patterns which, depending upon what you are writing about or trying to say, will make it easy for the reader to understand. Below are some examples of paragraph types that might be used in an essay. After each type are words and phrases that are found in each one that will make your explanations more clear:

Time Order -- also, moreover, in addition, again, furthermore, first, second, finally, in short, in conclusion

Comparison -- similarly, likewise, in the same way

Contrast -- however, nevertheless, yet, on the other hand, still

Examples -- For instance, for example, in other words, that is, in particular

Cause and Effect -- therefore, thus, consequently, so, as a result, then, hence

Emphasis -- indeed, in fact, certainly, truly, admittedly

The Concluding Paragraph

The best Conclusions leave the reader with something to think about or wanting more. The more predictable the Conclusion, the less memorable the essay. Typically, a good concluding paragraph will contain 4-5 sentences. Below are the types of Conclusions most commonly used:

Restate/Sum Up Thesis -- (Yawn!) Good for a "C" grade

Predict a possible outcome or the future -- What does your topic reveal that might be tomorrow’s reality?

Propose a solution -- If your essay discusses a problem, then what is your solution?

Express your opinion on the subject.

Style Format Sheet

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Granada English Department

In today's world of technology, students must become proficient in using a word processor. Whether it be in college or the business world, computer skills have become mandatory; therefore, all major writing assignments will be typewritten or word processed. The following guidelines show what is considered normal and acceptable for all writing assignments. Your papers are expected to conform to them.

Failure to follow these guidelines will result in your paper being returned to be rewritten. Lateness penalties will apply to returned papers that don't meet the due date.

Printed/Typed Assignments

A. Paper -- use standard 8 1/2" x 11" computer or typing paper. If using tractor-feed computer paper, detach the feed edges before submitting your paper. Use only one side of the paper. Do not fold your paper.

B. Margins -- the standard margins are as follows: (usually these are the default margins on the printer)

Left margin -- 1 inch
Right margin -- 1 inch

Top margin (first page only) -- 1 1/2 inches

Top margin (succeeding pages) -- 1 inch

Bottom margin -- 1 inch

C. Spacing --

General -- spacing between lines is either "space and a half" or "double spaced."
Lengthy Quotes -- if a quote exceeds three (3) lines in length, it will be indented and single spaced with no quotation marks.

D. Font -- use the standard business font, Times, or use a font that resembles it. The correct size to use is 12 point. (This paper is printed in Times 12-point.)

E. Heading -- First page -- see the example below:

__________________________________________________

Your Name
Date assignment turned in
Class & Teacher's name

Title

(centered in 14 font - not bold and not underlined)

Start your essay here

Heading -- Following pages -- see the example below:

__________________________________________________

Your Name
Page number

Continue your essay here

F. Proofreading -- you should always proofread your essay before and after it is printed to catch mistakes in punctuation, usage, and format. If possible, have another person look your over paper.

G. Spell checking -- most word processors have a "spell check" program. Using it will eliminate most spelling errors; however, a spell checker is not perfect. Correct spelling of incorrectly-used words will not be detected.

Bibliographic Form

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Addison, Joseph. President, UTE industries. Personal interview. 30 Aug. 1993. Interview

Beckett, Jamie. ''Airport tracks Noisy Flights Over Peninsula.'' San Francisco Newspaper/mag,

Chronicle 3 May 1993, sec. A: 15. Article: Signed

The new Bonanza for credit card users." Fortune 5 April 1993: 10-11 Newspaper/mag.- Author unknown

Beckett, Jamie. "Airport Tracks Noisy Flights Over Peninsula." San Francisco Newspaper article

Chronicle 3May 1993, sec. A: 15. CD SIRS. from CD ROM

Brod, Craig. Technostress: The human cost of the computer Revolution. Book

Calplans Agricultural Fund. An Investment in California Agricultural Real Pamphlet

Estate. Oakland: Calplans Securities, 1989.

Author . " Title of item." http://address/filename, date of document or download. Internet

Internet

Title of article." World Book Encyclopedia. 1993 ed. Encyclopedia- author unknown

Siffl, Charles J. "Computers." Encyclopedia Americana. 1990 ed. Encyclopedia - with author

"Title of Article." Grolier's Multimedia Encyclopedia (CD-ROM). 1994 ed. Encyclopedia on CD ROM

2001: A Space Odyssey. Dir. Stanley Kubrick. Metro- Goldwyn-Mayer, 1968. Movie

Bartanian, Aram. "Man-Machine from Greeks to computers." Dictionary of Multi- volume

The History of Ideas. Ed. Philip P. Weiner. 5vols. New York: Scribner, 1973. work

Dead Words

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A lot was so fine, I used it all the time.

Stuff used to be great, but now it's just too late.

Swell was such a pal, and now...it's foul.

Neat was so sweet, now using it won't be a treat.

A bunch of, "What a phrase!" but it no longer pays.

All of these words are gone and dead now.

Convicted of being mundane,

Hopefully these words will stay away

or our teacher is liable to become profane.

The following words and phrases have been put to rest forever:
Thing
Mess around
Something
A lot
A great deal
Anything
Lots of
Stuff
Everything
Well
All kinds of
Nothing
Really
Cool
Kind of
Real
Cause
Cuz
Sort of
Pretty (as in "pretty good")
Total
Totally
You (except for in a quote or if the writer is actually speaking directly to the reader.
Kid
Til
A whole bunch
Neat
Got
Get
In this paragraph, I'm going to...
I think that, I believe that, I feel that . . . (the whole paper is what you think, believe, and feel)
To me, in my opinion . . .
Ok
Okay
In conclusion
And then
Etc.
Is/was
Because of (could of/ could’ve)
Third Grade Errors

its (possessive) -- it's (contraction for "it is")
there -- their -- they're
than -- then
which -- witch
too -- two -- to
your -- you're (contraction for "you are")
were -- we’re (contraction for "we are") -- where
know -- no -- now
are -- our
weather -- whether
through -- threw -- (thru)
loose -- lose
write -- right
sight -- site
went -- gone
a lot -- alot
all right -- alright
night, light -- nite, lite (slang usage)
enough, tough -- enuff, tuff (slang usage)
scared/afraid -- (you are afraid -- you scared your sister)
Improper Punctuation:

Titles of novels, plays, or longer works are underlined or in bold-face type.
Titles of poems, short stories, or shorter works are encased in quotation marks or are in Italic type.

Problem Words

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The following list presents pairs or groups of words that often create confusion. The first words of each group are listed alphabetically. The second and following words of each group are also listed alphabetically with references back to the first words.

A

Ability (n) natural talent.
Capability (n) potential.
Capacity (n) maximum production or output. (used with equipment)
Abnormal (adj) deviating from the average.
Subnormal (adj) less than normal.

Absorb (v) to soak up.
Adsorb (v) to take up on the surface of a solid with little or no penetration.

Accede (v) to give consent.
Exceed (v) to surpass.

Accept (n) to receive; to admit; to approve.
Except (prep) but; other than.

Access (n) means of approach.
Excess (n) more than enough.

Accessible (adj) reachable.
Assessable (adj) able to be evaluated.

Accomplish (v) to complete successfully.
Attain (v) to reach.

Adapt (v) to modify.
Adopt (v) to incorporate or include.

Adjacent (adj) nearby.
Contiguous (adj) being in contact with along a dividing line.

Adopt (see "adapt")

Adsorb (see "absorb")

Advantage (n) benefit.
Asset (n) resource.

Adverse (adj) unfavorable.
Averse (adj) disinclined.

Advice (n) recommendation; suggestion.
Advise (v) to recommend; to suggest.

Affect (v) to influence; to feel.
Effect (n) result.
Effect (v) to cause.

All ready (adj) totally prepared.
Already (adv) previously.

All together (adj) in a group.
Altogether (adv) completely.

Allusion (n) indirect reference.
Illusion (n) misleading image.

Already (see "all ready")

Altogether (see "all together")

Amend (v) to change.
Emend (v) to improve by critical editing.

Among (prep) "used when dealing with three or more items."
Between (prep) "used when dealing with two items."

Analysis (n) "implies separation."
Synthesis (n) "implies combination."

Anticipate (v) to foresee.
Expect (v) to await or suppose.

Anxious (adj) "implies fear."
Eager (adj) "implies enthusiasm."

Any more (adv, adj) an additional quantity.
Anymore (adv) now.

Appear (v) to become evident.
Seem (v) to give an impression of.

Appraise (v) to evaluate worth.
Apprise (v) to inform.

As if (conj) "makes a comparison but is used to introduce a clause."
Like (prep) "makes a comparison."

Ascent (n) upward slope.
Assent (n) praise.

Assessable (see "accessible")

Asset (see "advantage")

Assure (v) to inform positively.
Ensure (v) to make certain or inevitable.
Insure (v) to underwrite.

Attain (see "accomplish")

Averse (see "adverse")

B

Because (conj) for the reason that.
Since (conj, adv) during the time after; from then until now.
Because of (prep phrase) by reason of; on account of.
Due to (prep phrase) "often misused to mean 'because of.'"

Beside (prep) next to.
Besides (prep) in addition to.

Between (see "among")

Biannual (adj) twice per year.
Biennial (adj) every two years.

C

Can (helping v) able to.
May (helping v) "asking for permission to."

Canvas (n) a heavy fabric.
Canvass (v) to examine or solicit.

Capability (see "ability")

Capacity (see "ability")

Capital (adj, n) main; money.
Capitol (n) a building that houses a government.

Carat (n) unit of weight measurement of precious stones.
Caret (n) a proofreader's insertion mark.
Karat (n) unit of measurement of the proportion of pure gold used in an alloy.

Chord (n) line cutting a circle or sphere; a musical combination of tones.
Cord (n) a measure of volume; a string or rope.

Climactic (adj) "referring to a climax."
Climatic (adj) concerning climate.

Compare to (v phrase) "referring to a general comparison."
Compare with (v phrase) "referring to a detailed comparison."

Complement(n, v) something that completes; to complete.
Compliment (n, v) expression of praise; to praise.

Compose (v) to form the substance of; to constitute.
Comprise (v) to include; to consist of; to be made up of.

Condition (n) state of being.
Shape (n) form; aspect.

Conducive (adj) contributive.
Conductive (adj) able to transmit.

Connote (v) to imply a meaning in addition to what is literal.
Denote (v) to refer to specifically or literally.

Conscience (n) the faculty of distinguishing between right and wrong.
Conscious (adj) aware.

Contiguous (see "adjacent")

Continual (adj) repeated.
Continuous (adj) nonstop.

Cord (see "chord")

Corrosion (n) a wearing or eating away by chemical action.
Rust (n, v) reddish coating on ferrous metals caused by corrosion.

Council (n) administrative, legislative, or advisory body.
Counsel (v) to advise.

Credible (adj) believable.
Creditable (adj) praiseworthy; worthy of credit.

D

Deceiving (adj) misleading.
Deceptive (adj) tending to deceive.

Deduce (v) to reason from the general to the particular.
Induce (v) to reason from the particular to the general.

Defective (adj) having imperfections.
Deficient (adj) lacking in completeness.

Definite (adj) clear; precise.
Definitive (adj) fixed; authoritative.

Denote (see "connote")

Desert (n ,v) arid waste; deserved treatment; to abandon.
Dessert (n) course served at the end of a meal.

Differ from (v phrase) to be unlike.
Differ with (v phrase) to disagree.

Different from (prep) "contrasts items."
Different than (conj) "should only be used in the expression, 'more different than.' "
NOTE: The expression "different than" should be rarely used.
Disassemble (v) to take apart.
Dissemble (v) to disguise.

Discreet (adj) prudent.
Discrete (adj) distinct; noncontinuous.

Disinterested (adj) impartial; indifferent.
Uninterested (adj) bored; not interested.

Dispense with (v phrase) to do without.
Dispose of (v phrase) to get rid of.

Distinct (adj) distinguished from others.
Distinctive (adj) having style or distinction.
Distinguished (adj) famous.

Due to (see "because of")

Dyeing (v form) coloring a substance.
Dying (v form) passing from life.

E

Eager (see "anxious")

Effect (see "affect")

Elicit (v) to evoke.
Illicit (adj) unlawful.

Elusive (adj) evasive.
Illusive (adj) deceptive.

Emend (see "amend")

Emigrate (v) to leave a country to move to another.
Immigrate (v) to enter a new country with the intent to establish residence.

Eminent (adj) distinguished.
Immanent (adj) inherent; existing within.
Imminent (adj) impending.

Ensure (see "assure")

Envelope (n) a package.
Envelop (v) to surround.

Exceed (see "accede")

Except (see "accept")

Excess (see "access")

Expect (see "anticipate")

Explicit (adj) specific.
Implicit (adj) implied.

Extant (adj) existing.
Extent (n) range.

F, G

Farther (adj, adv) "refers to distance."
Further (adj, adv) "refers to degree or extent; in addition."

Feasible (adj) capable of being done.
Possible (adj) may exist or occur.

Fewer (adj) "refers to numbers of discrete items."
Less (adj, adv) "refers to bulk quantity."

Figure (n) number symbol. (Figures represent numbers.)
Number (n) mathematical unit. (Numbers are expressed in figures.)

Foreward (n) preface.
Forward (v, adj,adv) to advance; ahead.

Further (see "farther")

H

Hangar (n) aircraft building.
Hanger (n) devise by which something is hung.

Healthful (adj) producing health.
Healthy (adj) having health.

Hypothesis (n) "based on limited evidence."
Theory (n) "supported by a greater range of evidence than a hypothesis."

I, J

Illicit (see "elicit")

Illusion (see "allusion")

Illusive (see "elusive")

Immanent (see "eminent")

Immigrate (see "emigrate")

Imminent (see "eminent")

Implicit (see "explicit")

Imply (v) to suggest.
Infer (v) to surmise; to guess.

Incapable (adj) "implying a permanent lack of ability."
Unable (adj) "implying an inability in a specific situation."

Infer (see "imply")

Ingenious (adj) intelligent.
Ingenuous (adj) simple; unsophisticated.

Insure (see "assure")

Induce (see "deduce")

Inter- (prefix) between; among.
Intra- (prefix) within.

Its (possessive pron) belongs to it.
It's (pron + v) a contraction for "it is."

K

Karat (see "carat")

L

Lay (v) to place something.
Lie (v) to recline.

Lean (adj, v) not fat; to incline.
Lien (n) attachment or claim against.

Lend (v) to give for temporary use; to make a loan.
Loan (n) that which is lent.

Less (see "fewer")

Lie (see "lay")

Lien (see "lean")

Lightening (v form) making less heavy.
Lightning (n) electrical discharge in the sky.

Like (see "as if")

Linage (n) number of lines of written matter.
Lineage (n) ancestry.

Lineal (adj) arranged in lines; relating to a direct line of ancestry.
Linear (adj) relating to a line.

Loan (see "lend")

Loose (adj, v) unfastened; unbound; not strict; to untie.
Lose (v) to be unable to find; to be deprived of.

M

Mantel (n) shelf above a fireplace.
Mantle (n) sleeveless garment.

Material (adj, n) relevant; consisting of matter; parts of which something can be made.
Materiel (n) equipment and supplies used by an organization.

Many (adj) "refers to numbers."
Much (adj) "refers to quantity."

May (see "can")

Misguide (v) to misdirect.
Mislead (v) to deceive.

Monetary (adj) financial.
Monitory (adj) admonishing.

Moral (n, adj) conscientious; a principle or value.
Morale (n) an individual's or a group's general tone of feeling.

Much (see "many")

N

Number (see "figure")

O

Observance (n) custom; rite.
Observation (n) recognition.

Ordinance (n) law.
Ordnance (n) military supplies.

P, Q

Parameter (n) constant factor.
Perimeter (n) circumference.

Passed (v) to go by; to have gone by.
Past (n, adj) earlier.

Penetrate (v) to pass into.
Pervade (v) to become diffused throughout.

Perimeter (see "parameter")

Personal (adj) refers to the individual.
Personnel (n) a group of people working a particular job.

Perspective (n) view.
Prospective (adj) likely to happen.

Possible (see "feasible")

Practicable (adj) capable of being worked out.
Practical (adj) useful.

Precede (v) to come before.
Proceed (v) to go ahead.

Precedence (n) fact preceding in time; priority.
Precedents (plural n) established conventions.

Presence (n) the condition of being present.
Presents (n) more than one gift.
Presents (v) to give to.

Principal (adj, n) main; money; the leader of a school; a leading actor or actress in a play or story.
Principle (n) a basic truth or law; a moral tenet.

Proceed (see "precede")

Prospective (see "perspective")

R

Raise (v) to lift something up.
Rise (v) to go up; to get up.

Range (v) to differ within stated limits.
Vary (v) to differ.

Respectfully (adv) considerately.
Respectively (adv) each in a given order.

Rise (see "raise")

Rust (see "corrosion")

S

Seasonable (adj) timely.
Seasonal (adj) "relating to a season."

Seem (see appear)

Sense (n, v) feeling; intelligence.
Since (adv, prep, conj) "refers to time."

Set (v) to place something.
Sit (v) to rest one's body.

Shape (see "condition") .

Shear (n, v) cutting instrument; to cut off.
Sheer (adj, v) thin; precipitous; to deviate from a course.

Since (see "because")

Since (see "sense")

Sit (see "set")

Stationary (adj) standing still.
Stationery (n) letter-writing materials.

Subnormal (see "abnormal")

Super- (prefix) over and above; superior.
Supra- (prefix) going beyond the limits of.

Supercede (v) to supplant; to replace.
Surpass (v) to exceed.

Supra- (see "super-")

Synthesis (see "analysis")

T

Than (conj) "refers to a comparison."
Then (adv) next; at that time.

That (relative pron) "introduces restrictive (essential) clauses."
Which (relative pron) "introduces nonrestrictive (unessential) clauses."

Their (possessive pron) belongs to them.
There (adv) at that place. (It can also be used as a dummy subject to begin a sentence and really has no meaning.)
They're (pron + v) a contraction for "they are."
NOTE: In general, avoid beginning sentences with "there is," "there are," "there was," "there were," and "there will be."
Then (see "than")

Theory (see "hypothesis")

Timber (n) wood.
Timbre (n) quality of sound produced by overtones.

To (prep, adv) "has many meanings, including `direction towards' as well as being used to introduce an infinitive."
Too (adv) also; very.
Two (adj, n) "a number."

Tortuous (adj) twisted; winding.
Torturous (adj) causing excessive pain.

Two (see "to")

U

Unable (see "incapable")

Uninterested (see "disinterested")

Use (v) to employ in the manner intended.
Utilize (v) to adapt for use; to make use of in an unusual way.

V

Vary (see "range")

W,X

Whereas (conj) but; on the contrary; in view of the fact that.
While (conj) at the same time as; as long as.

Which (see "that")

While (see "whereas")

Who (relative pron) "refers to a person in the subjective case."
Whom (relative pron) "refers to a person in the objective case."
Who's (rel. pron + v) a contraction for "who is."
Whose (relative pron) "refers to a person in the possessive case."

Y, Z

Your (possessive pron) belongs to you.
You're (pron + v) a contraction for "you are."

Usage

2009-06-21T12:33:00.001-07:00

Parallel Structure

17a. When two or more items, intended to be given equal emphasis, are joined by a conjunction or conjunctions, and when the items are in the same grammatical form, parallel structure occurs.

She spoke clearly to the audience, and she also was listening with patience when they asked questions.

("spoke" and "was listening" are not parallel; and the same is true of "clearly" and "with patience," as well as "to the audience" and "when they asked questions.")

She spoke clearly to the audience and listened patiently to their questions.

("spoke" and "listened" are both verbs and are both in the past tense.)

She spoke clearly to the audience and listened patiently to their questions.

("clearly" and "patiently" are both adverbs.)

She spoke clearly to the audience and listened patiently to their questions.

("to the audience" and "to their questions" are both prepositional phrases.)

17b. The items in a parallel list all share in common some part of the sentence.

I like to swim, baseball, reading, and going to movies.

(not parallel)

I like to swim, play baseball, read, and go to movies.

(parallel-- see explanation after the next example.)

I like to swim, (to) play baseball, (to) read, and (to) go to movies.

(The word, "to" is unnecessary with the last three items, but it points out how the items are all parallel: they are all infinitive phrases. All of the items "share in common" the words, "I like to.")

With my lottery winnings, I bought a stereo, car, a television set, and computer.

(This is not parallel construction. The word, "a," must be repeated with each item to make the sentence parallel.)

With my lottery winnings, I bought a stereo, a car, a television set, and a computer.

(parallel)

His relationship was destroyed by greed, by selfishness, laziness, and complacency.

(not parallel) (The word, "by," was repeated twice and omitted twice.)

His relationship was destroyed by greed, by selfishness, by laziness, and by complacency.

(parallel) (See also the example below.)

His relationship was destroyed by greed, selfishness, laziness, and complacency.

(parallel) (In this example, the word, "by," is held in common by each element in the series and does not need to be repeated each time.)

17c. When using pairs of conjunctions (e.g., not only...but also; both...and; either...or; neither...nor) the two items compared must have the same grammatical construction in order to be parallel.

He wanted either wealth or to be powerful.

("wealth" is not parallel with "to be powerful.")

He wanted either wealth or power.

(parallel)

NOTE: Compare the words immediately after the "either" ("both," "neither," "not only") with the words immediately after the "or" ("and," "nor," "but also.")

He either wanted wealth or power.

("wanted wealth" is not parallel with "power.")

He either wanted wealth or wanted power.

(parallel)

I decided not only to edit the text but also that I should confront the author.

("to edit the text" is not parallel with "that I should confront.")

I decided not only to edit the text but also to confront the author.

(parallel)

He not only told me to edit the text but also to confront the author.

("told me to edit the text" is not parallel with "to confront the author.")

He not only told me to edit the text but also told me to confront the author.

(parallel but overly wordy)

17d. When using words like "first," "second," etc., be aware of parallel structure.

In order to be an effective technical editor, one must be able, first, to deal sensitively with others; secondly, be able to be consistent; and be able to, last, pay close attention to detail.

("to deal sensitively with others" is not parallel with "be able to be consistent" nor with "pay close attention to detail.")

In order to be an effective technical editor, one must be able, first, to deal sensitively with others; second, to be consistent; and, last, to pay close attention to detail.

("to deal sensitively with others" is parallel with "to be consistent" and with "to pay close attention to detail.")

NOTE: The words, "first," "second," and "last" are parallel, but the words, "first," "secondly," and "last" are not. Also note, in the last example, that the words, "one must be able" are held in common by all three elements.
17e. If the second half of a comparison is elliptical, make sure that the two halves are parallel.

That is a better written document than we editors usually encounter.

("That is a better written document" is not parallel with "we editors usually encounter.")

That is a better written document than those (documents) we editors usually encounter.

(parallel)

Dangling Modifiers

18a. Avoid dangling participial phrases.

Disheartened by three straight losses, losing a fourth game was easy.

(dangling participial phrase)

NOTE: "Disheartened by three straight losses" is a participial phrase and therefore acts as an adjective; however, in this sentence, the phrase is describing the word, "losing" which makes no sense. This is called a dangling participial phrase.
Disheartened by three straight losses, our team found losing a fourth game easy.

(correct)

NOTE: Now the participial phrase correctly modifies "our team," as we are the ones who are disheartened.
Because we had already lost three straight games, losing a fourth game was easy.

(correct)

Run over by a tractor, I had to buy my son a new bike.

(dangling)

I had to buy my son a new bike because his had been run over by a tractor.

(correct)

18b. Avoid dangling phrases containing infinitives or gerunds.

Ready to wash my car, the rain began to fall.

(dangling infinitive phrase)

When I was ready to wash my car, the rain began to fall.

(correct)

Prepare to begin surgery after being properly anesthetized.

(dangling infinitive phrase)

NOTE: The patient and not the doctor, hopefully, is the one being anesthetized.

Prepare to begin surgery after the patient is properly anesthetized.

(correct)

By shouting obscenities, the meeting was prematurely brought to a close.

(dangling gerund phrase)

By shouting obscenities, the intruders prematurely brought the meeting to a close.

(correct)

18c. Avoid dangling adverbial clauses.

While watching the baseball game, the Goodyear Blimp flew overhead.

(dangling adverbial clause)

While I was watching the baseball game, the Goodyear Blimp flew overhead.

(correct)

Redundancies

19a. Avoid words and phrases that are too wordy.

I would like to know whether or not you are coming to the meeting.

(The words or not serve no function, using up valuable space and reading time.)

In the following sentences, the italicized words or parts of words are redundant.)

At the present time, I plan to attend the meeting.

Let us begin preplanning the meeting.

We must be more proactive in our dealings with other departments.

We should not over exaggerate our past experiences.

I have never before heard that old adage.

Active and Passive Voice

20a. If the emphasis is on "who or what is doing the action," use the active voice.

Edward Teller once directed the Lab.

The avalanche crushed the cabin.

20b. If the emphasis is on "who or what is being affected by the action," use the passive voice.

The TCE-contaminated ground water was purified during the process.

NOTE: The sentence, "the process purified the TCE-contaminated ground water" would also be acceptable. Use the voice that puts the emphasis where desired.

20c. If either voice is acceptable, use the active because it is more direct.

Examples of surface rupture were seen by scientists along the Greenville Fault.

(too wordy because of the passive)

Scientists saw examples of surface rupture along the Greenville Fault.

(more direct, less wordy)

NOTE: The active construction, "scientists saw," uses two words; the passive construction, "were seen by scientists," uses four words to say the same thing.
20d. If possible, do not shift voices within a sentence.

When we reached Site 300, the monitoring well was seen.

(clumsy switch of voice)

When we reached Site 300, we saw the monitoring well.

(Both verbs are active.)

Subject-Verb Agreement

21a. If the subject is singular, the verb must be singular; if the subject is plural, the verb must be plural.

The absence of TCE-contaminated particles is [not "are"] a good sign.

(The subject, "absence," is singular, and so the verb must also be singular.)

Uncontaminated particles are [not "is"] a good sign.

(plural subject, plural verb)

The existence of twin boundaries in RBa2Cu3O7 (where "R" represents the rare-earth elements, except cerium, terbium, and praseodymium) provides [not "provide"] a unique opportunity to study the flux-pinning mechanism in layered high-temperature superconductors.

(The subject, "existence," is singular, and so the verb, "provides," must also be singular.)

21b. If the subject is a compound subject, the verb must be plural.

Laser-beam propagation, image fidelity, image-reconstruction quality, and beam-pointing accuracy are [not "is"] greatly effected by wave front phase.

Beam-pointing accuracy is greatly effected by wave front phase.

(See preceding example.)

NOTE: In scientific writing, sentences are often very complex, and the verb may be far from the subject.
The effectiveness of laser-beam propagation, image fidelity, image-reconstruction quality, and beam-pointing accuracy, to a large degree, is [not "are"] determined by wave front phase.

(The subject, "effectiveness," is singular.)

21c. The following indefinite pronouns are singular and require singular verbs.

anybody, anyone, any one, anything, each, either, every,

everybody, everyone, every one, everything, neither, nobody,

no one, nothing, one, somebody, someone, some one, something.

Everyone is to attend the meeting.

Every one of the employees is [not "are"] present.

Neither of the two faults (the Greenville and the Las Positas) has [not "have"] produced a quake in 1992.

21d. The following pronouns are plural and require plural verbs.

both, few, many, several, others.

Many are called, but few are chosen.

21e. A subject introduced by "both . . . and" requires a plural verb.

Both the Las Positas Fault and the Greenville Fault are presently quiet.

21f. A compound singular subject introduced by "neither . . . nor or either . . . or" requires a singular verb.

Neither a filter nor a filter-support screen is needed in the battery housing.

Either the standard sequential or a parallel split-flow operation separates the free radon progeny.

21g. A compound plural subject introduced by "neither . . . nor" or "either . . . or" requires a plural verb.

Neither filters nor filter-support screens are needed in the battery housings.

Either standard sequential or parallel split-flow operations separate the free radon progeny.

21h. A compound subject (introduced by "neither . . . nor" or "either . . . or") that is mixed (singular and plural) requires a singular verb if the singular subject is closer or a plural verb if the plural subject is closer.

Neither a filter nor filter support screens are needed in the battery housings.

Neither filter support screens nor a filter is needed in the battery housings.

Articles

22a. Use "a" before words beginning with a consonant.

a quake a fault a layer a hunch

22b. Use "an" before words beginning with a vowel (except "u" when pronounced as a "y" and "o" when pronounced as a "w") and before a silent "h".

an apple an elephant an item an onion

an umpire a unicorn one-way street an hour

22c. Use "an" before the words for the letters "a, e, f, h, i, l, m, n, o, r, s, or x." (The words for these letters all begin with a vowel.)

Give me an f, an l, an x, and a y.

He will soon have an M.S. in physics.

22d. If an acronym or group of initials is pronounced as a word and not as separate letters, use "a" or "an" as required by the pronunciation.

We took an S.A.T. test.

We visited a SAC base.

22e. With chemical names, use "a" or "an" as required by pronunciation.

He conducted a H2O analysis.

(pronounced "a water analysis")

We found a FeO trace.

(pronounced "a ferrous oxide trace")

She was studying an YBa{2}Cu{3}O{7-x} crystal.

(pronounced "an yttrium")

Numbers

23a. Generally, spell out numbers one through ten, as well as common fractions; use figures for numbers above ten. (Other grammar books suggest spelling out numbers that are one or two words in length and using numerals for those that are three word or longer.)

This project is employing seven editors.

This project is employing 15 editors.

This project is employing approximately one-third of the editorial staff.

NOTE: In a series, if most of the numbers are below ten (but a few are above), spell out all the numbers. Conversely, if most of the numbers in a series are above ten (but a few are below) use figures for all the numbers.
The project is employing four editors, five compositors, and eleven [not "11"] artists.

The project is employing 11 editors, 12 compositors, 11 artists, and 1 [not "one"] division manager.

23b. Round, noncomplex numbers may be written in a combination of words and figures.

Over 200 million [not "200,000,000"] people now live in the United States.

Exactly 242,984,673 people now live in the United States.

(The number is too complex to spell out.)

23c. Always spell out a number that begins a sentence; if the number is too complex to spell out, rewrite the sentence so that the number is not at the beginning.

Forty-seven people attended the lecture.

23d. In scientific usage, physical quantities should be expressed in figures.

170 volts 6 [not "six"] square yards

1 [not "one"] pound

47deg.C

7 cubic centimeters

10 picas

23e. If an abbreviation or a symbol is used for a unit of measurement, express the number in figures.

4 hr

60 mph

7 g

18 ml

4"

17.2'

14deg.

45deg.40' N

23f. Spell out ordinals that are one or two words long.

We will soon proceed from the twentieth century to the twenty-first.

NOTE: An exception to the above rule occurs with addresses. For ordinals past tenth, use figures.
My last three addresses have been 417 22nd Street, 1050 Lomitas Avenue, and 607 Ninth Street.

23g. Days following months are expressed in cardinal figures; days preceding months are expressed in ordinal figures; days of the month without the month mentioned are expressed in ordinal words.

The meeting is on July 15.

The meeting is on the 15th of July.

The meeting is on the fifteenth.

23h. Military dates are expressed in cardinal numerals preceding the month. No comma is used between the month and the year.

The meeting is on 15 July 1992.

Ways to Use a Noun in a Sentence

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NOUN

A noun is the name of a person, place, thing, idea, or action.
a) Subject - answers "who" or "what" before the verb.

b) Possessor - the noun that possesses something and has an apostrophe on it.

c) Direct Object - answers "whom" or "what" after the action verb.

d) Indirect Object - answers "to whom" or "to what" after a verb like "give" or "tell."

e) Object of a Preposition - the noun following the preposition.

f) Predicate Noun - equals the subject and comes after a "being" (linking) verb.

g) Appositive - a second noun further explaining the preceding noun and separated from it by a comma and not by a "being" verb.

h) Direct Address - the noun that is specifically named and spoken to in the sentence.

Quiz

How is the word, "boy" used in the following sentences?

1.The boy's car is a Corvette.

2.Bill is a very stubborn boy.

3.Why are you sleeping in class, boy?

4.I told the boy a funny joke.

5.Bill, that boy, is very stubborn.

6.The teacher disciplined that boy.

7.That boy was disciplined by the teacher.

8.The teacher was upset with that boy.

9.Boy, you are asking for trouble!

10.Steve was the boy who got in trouble.

11.Steve was the boy's friend who got in trouble.

12.The teacher finally learned the truth about the boy.

13.Because he told the truth, the boy didn't get in trouble.

14.Because he told the truth, his mother didn't punish the boy.

15.Steve, the boy who got in trouble, is in my class.

16.His mother gave that boy a lecture.

17.In the following sentence, which word is the direct object? As of last Friday night, my stock was worth two thousand dollars.

18.In the following sentence, which word is the predicate noun? According to the principal, Bill's brother is the thief.

19.In the following sentence, which word is the possessor? According to the principal, Bill's brother is the thief.

20.In the following sentence, which word is the subject? According to the principal, Bill's brother is the thief.

Answers

1. possessor 2. predicate noun 3. direct address 4. indirect object 5. appositive 6. direct object 7. subject 8. object of a preposition 9. direct address (it could also be an interjection) 10. predicate noun 11. possessor 12. object of a preposition 13. subject 14. direct object 15. appositive 16. indirect object 17. dollars 18. thief 19. Bill’s 20. brother

Parts of Speech

2009-06-21T12:30:00.000-07:00

1. NOUN - the name of a person, place, thing, idea, or action.

a) Subject - answers "who" or "what" before the verb.
b) Possessor - the noun that possesses something and has an apostrophe on it.
c) Direct Object - answers "whom" or "what" after the action verb.
d) Indirect Object - answers "to whom" or "to what" after a verb like "give" or "tell."
e) Object of a Preposition - the noun following the preposition.
f) Predicate Noun - equals the subject and comes after a "being" (linking) verb.
g) Appositive - a second noun further explaining the preceding noun and separated from it by a comma and not by a "being" verb.
h) Direct Address - the noun that is specifically named and spoken to in the sentence.

2. PRONOUN - takes the place of a noun.

3. ADJECTIVE - describes the noun.

4. CONJUNCTION - a joining word. (FANBOYS)

5. VERB - a word that expresses action or state of being.

a) Person - 1st (speaker), 2nd (one spoken to), 3rd (one spoken about)

b) Number - whether the subject of the verb is singular or plural.

c) Tense - the time of the verb.
1a. Simple present - (I carry)
1b. Progressive present - (I am carrying)
1c. Emphatic present - (I do carry)
2a. Simple future - (I will carry, I shall carry)
2b. Progressive future - (I will be carrying, I shall be carrying)
3a. Simple present perfect - (I carried, I have carried)
3b. Progressive present perfect - (I have been carrying)
3c. Emphatic present perfect - (I did carry)
4a. Simple past perfect - (I had carried)
4b. Progressive past perfect - (I had been carrying)
5a. Simple future perfect - (I will have carried, I shall have carried)
5b. Progressive future perfect - (I will have been carrying, I shall have been carrying)
6a. Simple imperfect - (I used to carry, I kept on carrying)
6b. Progressive imperfect - (I was carrying)
THE ABOVE EXAMPLES ARE ALL ACTIVE VOICE, INDICATIVE MOOD.

d) Voice - whether the subject is the doer of verb (active voice) or the receiver of the verb’s action (passive voice).

e) Mood - whether the sentence is a statement of fact or a question (indicative mood), a command (imperative mood), or a condition or mild wish (subjunctive mood).

6. ADVERB - describes a verb, adjective, or another adverb.

7. INTERJECTION - an exclamation, utterance, or expletive.

8. PREPOSITION

1.aboard
2.about
3.above
4.according to
5.ahead of
6.across
7.after
8.against
9.along
10.alongside
11.amid
12.among
13.apart from
14.around
15.as far as
16.as to
17.at
18.back of
19.because of
20.before
21.behind
22.below
23.beneath
24.beside
25.besides
26.between
27.beyond
28.but (except)
29.by
30.by reason of
31.concerning
32.contrary to
33.despite
34.down
35.due to
36.during
37.except
38.except for
39.for;
40.from
41.in;
42.into
43.inside
44.near
45.next to
46.of
47.off
48.off of
49.on
50.opposite
51.out
52.out of
53.over
54.past
55.per
56.prior to
57.since
58.through
59.throughout
60.till
61.to
62.toward
63.towards
64.under
65.underneath
66.until
67.up
68.upon
69.up to
70.via
71.with
72.within
73.without

9. ARTICLE - the (definite article); a, an (indefinite articles)

Jim Willis’ Punctuation Guide

2009-06-21T12:29:00.000-07:00

Introduction

A female student of mine once complained that "Punctuation is stupid. What good are commas and stuff? Who needs them?" I responded by showing her two of my favorite examples of the importance

of punctuation, and here they are:

Woman without her man means nothing at all.
I asked her if she agreed with that sentence, and, of course, she violently disagreed. Then I punctuated the sentence in the following way:

Woman: without her, man means nothing at all.
All of a sudden, she thought the sentence made perfect sense.

A second example deals with the difference between an appositive and direct address.

Call me fool if you like.
Call me, fool, if you like.

Apostrophe

1a. Use an apostrophe to signal possession.

The girl’s dress is pretty. (one girl, one dress)

The girl’s dresses are pretty. (one girl, many dresses)

The girls’ dresses are pretty. (many girls, many dresses)

The girls’ dress is pretty. (many girls, one dress [a poor family])

Note: Often, using the possessive form may create an awkward adjective-noun pair. If so, rewrite the sentence, using a noun and a prepositional phrase beginning with of.

The Nuclear Test–Experimental Science Program’s accomplishments were revolutionary. (awkward use of the possessive)

The accomplishments of the Nuclear Test–Experimental Science Program were revolutionary. (better)

James’s expertise is in microbiology.

Note: Although the word "James" ends with an s, the possessive form demands an ’s because it is sounded in speech.

1b. Use an apostrophe to signal the omission of a letter (or letters) as in a contraction.

It’s a warm day.

They’ve had a bad time.

Note: It’s is a contraction, meaning "it is" or "it has." Its is a possessive pronoun, meaning "belongs to it." In general, avoid using contractions in technical reports.

Its color has faded.

Brackets

2a. Use brackets to function as parentheses within parentheses.

The two presidents (one from the University of California at Los Angeles [UCLA} and the other from Stanford) are collaborating on the project.

2b. Use brackets to enclose editorial comments.

I saw three mooses [sic] in Yellowstone.

Bullets

3a. Use bullets to introduce items that are not sequential.

I see the following as some of the important characteristics of a good teacher:
• A solid background in the subject matter.

• A desire to stay current by exhaustive reading in the subject matter.

• A love of learning.

• A love of students.

• An ability to command respect.

• A large dose of patience.

Note: If the items are sequential, use numbers instead of bullets.
We divided our assignment into four tasks: (1) gathering the data, (2) organizing the material gathered, (3) preparing a rough draft, and (4) writing the final copy.

Colon

4a. Use a colon to introduce a list.

The leader’s talk dealt with many topics: consistency, uniformity, professionalism, loyalty, and attendance at social functions.

4b. Use a colon to separate two independent clauses when the second clause is an explanation of the first.

My good friend, Dan, has a definite opinion about all incumbent politicians: throw the bums out!

His facial expression signified one thing: total interest in what she was saying.

Comma

5a. Use a comma to separate two independent clauses that are joined by a conjunction. (An independent clause is a group of words including a verb that could stand alone as a sentence.)

I went to the store, and I bought bread.

Note: "I went to the store" is an independent clause and could therefore stand alone as a sentence. The same is true of "I bought bread."

I went to the store and bought bread.

Note: "I went to the store" is an independent clause, but "bought bread" is not and therefore cannot stand alone as a sentence. It is thus incorrect to put a comma before "and."

5b. Use a comma to separate elements in a series.

He likes football, basketball, baseball, and soccer.
Note: The final comma in the series, referred to as the serial comma, is optional, but I prefer to use it to avoid ambiguity.

5c. Use a comma to separate an introductory clause or phrase from the main part of the sentence.

Although we are improving our understanding of male-female relationships, many questions remain unanswered.

Because you are such an intelligent person, you surely can understand all of these examples.

Note: If the clause or phrase follows the main part of the sentence, do not use a comma.

You surely can understand all of these examples because you are such an intelligent person.

5d. Use a comma on both sides of an appositive to separate it from the rest of the sentence. (An appositive is inserted material that further explains or means the same as the preceding term.)

President Bush and General Secretary Gorbachev, the leaders of the two great superpowers, signed the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty on July 31, 1991.

My wife, Claudia, is a bright and sensitive woman.

Note: Such abbreviations as Jr., Inc., and Ltd. are similar to appositives and are set off by commas.

5e. Use a comma to separate a person(s) or thing(s) directly addressed from the rest of the sentence.

I am very fortunate, Claudia, to have met you.

Rover, fetch my slippers!

5f. Use a comma to separate two or more consecutive adjectives.

It was a violent, heated discussion.
Note: If the first adjective describes the second adjective and not the noun or if it describes the combination of the second adjective and the noun, do not use a comma between the two adjectives.

We are pursuing collaborative research programs with the former Soviet Union.

She has fiery red hair.

5g. Use a comma to separate inserted, additional, unessential, or nonrestrictive material from the rest of the sentence.

It is obvious to me, although not apparent to everyone else, that the world is a beautiful place.

John, who lives next door to me, works in Oakland.

Note: Do not set off restrictive (essential) material with a comma.
All students who are caught cheating on tests will flunk. (The who clause is essential to the meaning of the sentence.)

All water wells that have an unsafe level of contaminants must be immediately shut down. (essential, restrictive)

Note: Use the relative pronoun that to introduce a restrictive clause, but use the relative pronoun which to introduce a nonrestrictive clause.

The theory of relativity, which was one of Einstein’s greatest contributions to science, was a revolutionary theory. (unessential, nonrestrictive)

The theory that all men are created equal is tested in the U.S. in many ways. (essential, restrictive)

Note: As a rule, if the material can be deleted from the sentence without destroying the sentence’s meaning, the material is nonrestrictive and is set off by commas. However, if the material is deleted and the meaning of the sentence is destroyed or significantly altered, the material is restrictive (essential) and is not set off by commas.

Eugene O’Neill, who wrote Long Day’s Journey into Night, is the only American playwright who has won the Nobel Prize. (unessential, nonrestrictive)

The author who wrote Rejected by Misfortune may win the Nobel Prize.

My sister Lynn is a bright, sensitive woman. (The word "Lynn" is restrictive, essential. I may have other sisters who are stupid and brutish!)

5h. Use a comma to avoid confusion.

He walked in, in the middle of the discussion about situational ethics.

At home, work is emphasized.

For Stanley, Graham was an inspiration.

Ellipses

6a. Use ellipses to signal an omission within the sentence.

When I arrived home three hours late, my wife angrily shouted, " . . . ." Politeness prohibits me from quoting her exactly.

Note: Use four dots if the omission is the last part of the quoted material, the entire sentence or more, or the entire paragraph or more. If the omitted material is in the middle of a sentence, use three dots.

Em dash

(The em dash is twice as long as the en dash and four times as long as the hyphen.)
7a. Use an em dash to separate enclosed material.

Because we were unable to verify some of the information—we will discuss this in the next chapter—we decided not to print the article.

It was quite an experience—an unbelievable experience—for all who witnessed it.

Note: The em dash separates enclosed material as do the comma and the parenthesis, but the em dash signals an abrupt break. Also note that the em and en dashes separate, whereas the hyphen combines.

En dash

8a. Use an en dash to signal a range.

I especially enjoyed chapters 26–42.
He conducted the research on July 17–24.

Note: Use "between July 17 and July 24" and "from July 17 to July 24" instead of "between July 17–24" and "from July 17–24."

8b. Use an en dash instead of a hyphen in a compound adjective if one of the adjectives is a hyphenated word or consists of two words.

They conducted an x-ray–opacity experiment.

She is a UC Berkeley–LLNL employee.

He caught the Chicago–Des Moines flight.

8c. Use an en dash for a minus sign.

x = 10–1

Exclamation point

9a. Use an exclamation point to signal a strong emotional response (e.g., surprise, fear, anger, joy, and amazement)

Oh, the joy of being an English instructor!

Note: Do not overuse exclamation points.

Hyphen

10a. Use a hyphen to signal that two (or more) words have been combined to form another word. (Such words are often called unit modifiers and therefore act as adjectives.)

My brother-in-law is visiting us soon.
The president-elect will reside in the White House beginning next month.

He needed a 7-1/2-inch pipe. (If you have a computer, with the use of superscript and size reduction on the 1 and reducing the size of the 2, you can create this instead: 71/2.)

Note: Sometimes two words are combined (and spelled with a hyphen) to form a verb or a noun.

We will mass-produce the item to lower its price. (verb)

Self-discipline is essential if one is to succeed in life. (noun)

10b. Use a hyphen to break a word that is too long to fit on a line.

Ellen, my good friend, recently went to Rome to visit the the-
rapist who also treated her father. (Notice that the word "therapist" creates confusion about whom Ellen is visiting when it is hyphen-

ated in the above fashion, but the word "hyphenated" in this sentence creates no such problem.)

Note: Because of automatic word-wrapping on computers, the line-break hyphen is seldom used. Break the word only between syllables, and if unsure about syllabication, use the dictionary.

Parentheses

11a. Use parentheses to separate enclosed material.

My friend Jim (all of his other friends would agree) is quite a character.

Note: A parenthetical phrase, clause, or sentence is unessential material that is an interruption in the text. Set off such a phrase or clause with commas, parentheses, or em dashes. Do not set off a parenthetical sentence with commas but only with parentheses or em dashes.

The natural gases from which helium is made are carried, in a pipeline eleven miles long, from the Amarillo field.

The natural gases from which helium is made are carried (in a pipeline eleven miles long) from the Amarillo field.

At times—they were more than a few—the situation seemed hopeless.

Note: Parentheses, like the comma and em dash, set off material from the rest of the sentence, but the parentheses and em dash remove the material farther away than does the comma.

11b. Use parentheses to separate an acronym from its appositive.

The Department of Defense (DOD) and the Department of Energy (DOE) are powerful arms of the government.

Note: After the first use of the appositive-acronym combination in a document, use only the acronym and without parentheses.

Period

12a. Use a period to signal the end of a declarative sentence (a statement of fact) or an imperative sentence (a command).

I absolutely love making up sentences like this.
Get out of here.

12b. Use a period with some abbreviations (but not with abbreviations of units of measurement in technical writing).

Mr. Willis’ address on commas was very informative.

During a typical 2–min pass, we acquired 1200 images.

12c. Use a period at the end of a bulleted item.

The four phases are:
• Putting the lug nuts back on and tightening them.

• Taking the lug nuts off the flat tire.

• Putting on the new tire.

• Removing the flat.

Note: If the above items were listed sequentially, numbers would be used in place of bullets.

Question mark

13a. Use a question mark to signal a direct question or an editorial doubt.

Why are you reading this sentence?
My favorite author is Eugene O’Neill (1888?–1953)

Note: Do not use a question mark with an indirect question.
I am wondering why you are reading this sentence. (indirect question)

Quotation Marks

14a. Use quotation marks to signal quoted words, phrases, and sentences.

When asked what were the two most important qualities of a teacher, she responded, "kindness and consistency."

The manager kept referring to "our mission for the future."

Note: Single quotation marks signal a quotation within a quotation.
My mother often told me, "When I am gone and someone on the phone asks, ‘Is your mother at home?’ or some similar question, you answer by saying, ‘Yes, but she is busy right now.’ "

14b. Use quotation marks (or italics) for the first use of an unusual, technical word that is presumably unfamiliar to the reader.

A high leak resistance may cause the tube to "block."
14c. Use quotation marks (or italics) with a word or phrase highlighted for the purpose of definition or explanation.

By "federal," I mean a government with a strong central power.
I used the word static in the sense of "unchanging."

Semicolon

15a. Use a semicolon to separate two closely related independent clauses.

The teacher spoke; the student listened.
Note: The semicolon in the above sentence is a replacement for a comma followed by a coordinating conjunction.

I went to the store; I bought bread.

Note: This is incorrect because the two independent clauses are not closely related. Use a period [or a comma plus "and"] instead.

15b. Use a semicolon to separate items in a list when the items already contain commas.

My children were born on March 16, 1970; November 2, 1971; October 24, 1977; October 26, 1979; and October 23, 1984.

My favorite cities are London, England; Paris, France; Rome, Italy; Valencia, Spain; and Milpitas, California.

Brad is a dear friend, a longtime friend; and even though he is very, very busy, he always manages to find time for me and for my concerns; but I am not yet ready to canonize him! (This "sentence" is grammatically correct but clumsy, and it would be preferable to break it up into two or more sentences.)

15c. Use a semicolon to separate two independent clauses when the second clause begins with a transition word. Put a comma after the transition word.

Note: Examples of transition words are: however, moreover, thus, nonetheless, nevertheless, etc. Do not confuse transition words with coordinating conjunctions such as: for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so (the FANBOYS).

I studied; nonetheless, I failed.

I studied for many more hours and then retook the test; thus, I finally passed.

Compound Punctuation

With quotation marks

16a. Place periods and commas inside quotation marks.

My boss said, "I expect you to have this done by 4 p.m. today."
When the teacher lectured us on "acting in a mature fashion," some of us failed to listen maturely.

16b. Place colons and semicolons outside quotation marks.

In his homily, the preacher kept using the term, "efficacious grace"; however, none of us knew what the term meant.

I have two reasons for loving Robert Frost’s poem, "The Road not Taken": it challenges my mind, and it moves my soul.

16c. Place exclamation points and question marks inside quotation marks when they are part of the quoted material and outside when they are not.

In a soft voice, and with no sign of emotion, the murderer said, "I have done nothing wrong"! (The exclamatory emotion is that of the speaker and not of the murderer.)

The man shouted, "Get out of here now!"

Was President Bush thinking rationally when he said, "Dan Quayle is the best man for the job"? (Unfortunately, the speaker, not the man in power, asked the question.)

Mom asked, "Have you cleaned up your room yet?"

With parentheses and brackets

16d. Place periods, exclamation points, and question marks inside parentheses and brackets when they are part of the parenthetical or bracketed material; otherwise, place them outside.

Was Mr. Bush thinking clearly when he named his running mate? (It is unfortunate that I, and not the President, asked the question.)

Mr. Bush was not thinking clearly when he named his running mate (the one who spells potato with a final "e").

My son (I almost died!) told the crowd the story about my most embarrassing moment.

He actually told the crowd about my most embarrassing moment (the sliver in the "unmentionable" area)!

When I first met Claudia (could she possibly have been interested in me?), I fell in love immediately.

Do you believe that I proposed to Claudia less than 24 hours after I met her (January 2, 1968)?

16e. Place semicolons, colons, and commas outside parentheses and brackets.

My kids wanted to go to that particular movie (all of their friends had recommended it); however, I felt it was too violent.

Five great American novelists have won the Nobel Prize for Literature (Eugene O’Neill is the only American playwright to do so): John Steinbeck, Ernest Hemingway, William Faulkner, Pearl Buck, and Sinclair Lewis.

Because he publicly praised Dan Quayle to the skies (he did not want to appear as one who "waffles" on his opinions), Mr. Bush had to stick with the Indiana Senator as his running mate.

16f. Do not use any punctuation before an opening parenthesis, and use only terminal punctuation (periods, exclamation points, and question marks) before a closing parenthesis. Omit colons, semicolons, dashes, and other punctuation that is not terminal.

Writing a Poem

2009-06-21T12:28:00.000-07:00

First Stanza

1. Name a character --- JAMIE

2. Two adjectives about that character -- LOVING, HATING

3. A geographical location that the character reminds you of -- DESERT

4. Six verbs ("ing" - participial form) descriptive of that character -- CRYING, DRINKING, WHORING, BLAMING, DENYING, DESTROYING

5. A color -- PURPLE

6. A flower -- CACTUS

7. An emotion-- SADNESS

8. A "climate" word -- WHIRLPOOL

Second Stanza

9. How that character treats others (verbs, adverbs) -- CRUELLY, LOVINGLY

10. A color -- RED

11. A time of day or night (any "time" word) -- MIDNIGHT

12. Six verbs about how people react to the character -- LUSTING, PITYING, ADMIRING, LAUGHING, BEING ANGRY AT, SORROWING OVER

13. An animal -- OSTRICH

14. What that animal does (or tries to do) to those around it -- BURIES THEM WHILE BURYING HIMSELF

15. Your feelings towards that animal -- PITY

Third stanza

16. Restate the character’s name -- JAMIE

17. Rename the character (a title, a descriptive nickname, whatever) -- YOUNG OEDIPUS

18. A taste -- BITTER

19. A food -- CHOCOLATE

20. Four adjectives to describe the character’s future -- DEFEATED, BEATEN, DEAD, LOST

21. The character’s ending -- I AM NO MORE

NO MORE (inspired by Long Day's Journey into Night )

Jamie - filled with love, filled with hate

an arid desert,

drinking, whoring, blaming, crying denying,

SELF-DESTRUCTING,

a purple cactus flower,

royal and beautiful and dry.

Sadness,

a whirlpool of sadness.

He treats his world

with cruel love.

A red river flowing at midnight.

Those he meets are

laughing, lusting, admiring,

but pitying, feeling anger,

feeling sorrow.

The ostrich tries to bury himself

(and, in the process, others),

and we pity the ostrich.

Pity.

Jamie

Young Oedipus

the taste of bitter chocolate

alcohol that burns.

Defeated, beaten, dead,

lost

I am no more

My name is

Might Have Been.

MARTYRED ONE (inspired by Lord of the Flies )

Simon,

a waterfall of generosity,

of compassion

sympathizing, providing, all-loving, all-caring,

suffering,

dying.

A deep blue rose sad

yet beautiful

falling, falling, falling

the dying autumnal leaves of Simon.

Sensitive to Piggy,

fearless of Jack

helpful to Ralph

feeding the littleuns.

A crimson heart -

broken

too mature, too fearless, too good.

They think he’s batty

don't listen. don't learn

do kill.

A dove of peace, an owl of wisdom, an unsuccessful teacher.

My heart screams out at his unappreciated goodness.

Simon

young Jesus,

sweet salt.

A curing agent

unable to cure.

Misunderstood,

prophetic,

martyr-killed

but still alive

in my heart,

my soul.

THE STAINED MADONNA (inspired by A Streetcar Named Desire )

Blanche - confused, broken,

an empty blackhole

pretending, deceiving, hurting, desiring, soliciting ,molesting.

Formerly white;

formerly Grey

a weed-choked, Stan-choked,

Mitch-choked

fading pink carnation.

A hurricane of hurt.

Still somewhat innocent

still somewhat naive,

Miss White

(but not with the candlestick in the conservatory)

a chilling, wintry

nightfall, a victim of mistrust, gossip, laughed-at, put down,

even raped.

A chameleon,

a slimy lizard

changing colors from white

to gray

to red,

also changing stories,

trying to change her image.

I feel sorrow;

I feel pity.

Blanche

Scarlett O'Hara -

but with no Butler,

stale bread,

champagne with no bubbles,

growing old, falling apart,

victimized

ALONE,

DOOMED

to be unloved,

even by herself.

There is no Shep Huntleigh.

DUMBER 'N PAINT? (inspired by "Strange Snow" )

Megs -

simply, uncultured

but a life-refreshing,

cool, mountain pool.

Giving to others,

hurting to self,

trying to deal with his past

(broken windows and cut hands)

being funny,

being a good friend, a lovely MAN.

Exposing Martha’s beauty

(inner beauty too),

a grey depth of past darkness

dissolving into a brilliant vermilion

sunrise.

Dave is jealous and angry;

(sort of),

but Bobby’s not.

Megs is too alive for Davey.

Martha is trusting, mothering,

wanting to love-blossom.

Joseph Megessey,

a little black puppy

not totally house-broken

innocent

faithful

might run away

but always comes home

even after rejection

and hurt.

Megs,

modern Don Quixote,

a sticky-sweet, Martha-catching syrup, still confused,still hurting,

dumber 'n paint,

but a brilliant soul,

a Martha/David Savior.

The Barge People

2009-06-21T12:27:00.001-07:00

James Carroll

The city was sleeping when the large river barge crawled quietly into the night. No one noticed the arrival of the boat, and certainly no one noticed that night that it was a river vessel unlike any other. It was long and narrow like the others. It was flat bottomed like the others for passing through the low locks and shallow canals of the inland waterways. Like many other barges, it had a narrow, pointed prow for ocean travel. It was moving south with the river current toward the sea when it pulled quietly into the sleeping city.

Though this particular river barge looked like any other, it was in fact quite unique. What made it so was this: other barges carry much cargo and a few people. This one carried a little cargo, mainly food, and many people. They were young and old, men and women, lighthearted and down, strange and very ordinary. They lived on the barge and in it, on the flat deck with blankets only, in the cabins below if it rained. Mainly, though, they lived in the lives of each other. They were the barge people.

The morning after they arrived, some of the barge people went into the city. The city itself still had not taken note of the vessel, for many barges stopped there on the way to the sea. Some of the barge people went to the stores of the city to buy food and drink for all the rest. But the others who went ashore scattered in the city. They wandered down the back streets of the place. They went into the dark corners of the place. And they all did the same thing. When one of the barge people saw a man lying in the back street, or a man looking for food in the cans of garbage, or a man with a lost light in his eye, he would approach and say, "Hello, I’m just off the barge on the river. We could use you to replace a man who’s leaving us today. We are going to the sea."

Invariably, because of the way it was said and because of the sea, the poor or the hungry or the lost man would lift himself up and nod in some way and follow. And so it was that by noon of the day after the night they had come into the city, the barge people who had gone ashore returned. Each brought one of the city people with him. Each of the city people was shown his sleeping place, given something to eat and told about the voyage to the beautiful sea. All of this was done by the person from the barge who had invited him aboard.

When dusk was near and the barge was about to move on, everyone gathered on the deck. The barge people who had gone into the city that morning began to say farewell to the other barge people. The city people came to understand that their special hosts, the ones who’d found them and brought them back, were leaving the barge, would not go on to the sea. One of the city people, and old man who was sick, approached one of the barge people and asked why the others were leaving. He was told that there was not room enough for them to stay. They had to remain in the city. The old man objected and said that in such a case, the city people should be the ones to leave. He was told that the barge had come to the city for them and that the barge people wanted it so. The old man said then that the sea and hoping for it was too precious, and they should be able to get there. But the barge person to whom he objected said only, "Yes, but perhaps there will be another barge to the sea for them someday."

And so it was that the strange vessel moved on in the current of the river, with its cargo of people, some of the city, and some, of course, still of the barge itself. The city people grew more and more enchanted by their barge-vision of the sea. They yearned for the open space of unbroken horizons. They craved the blue stretch of air without poison. They longed for the silence of sea gulls only and waves. Every day, the city people grew more and more to love the barge, its people, and the hope it had given them.

As the barge flowed its way toward the sea, it passed through several other cities. At each one, the vessel stopped. At each one, some of the barge people went ashore for food and drink. At each one, some of the barge people went ashore for the lost ones of the city. The exchange of the first ashore was repeated again and again, so that, as the barge moved closer to the sea, there were fewer and fewer barge people and more and more city people. And each time that the barge moved on, someone told a worried newcomer, "Perhaps there will be another barge to the sea for them someday."

One morning, after a long time and much thick water had passed, a gull appeared above the barge, then two, then many. The sea at last was near. The word passed quickly through the vessel, over its deck and through all its cabins. The people rushed to the open surface of the barge. They were alive with laughter and excitement. They would live through a wish fulfilled at last. As the barge rounded a final turn in the river, the rich blue of ocean broke into the muddy water ahead. The barge was moving with the current into the mouth of the river. The river was pouring itself out into freedom.

An old man who came from a back street of the first city was the first of the people to notice. He saw that there was an inland waterway channel to the left ahead, and he was looking for the barge man on the tiller. He wanted to watch the turning out to sea. But there was no barge man on the tiller. The old man looked across the crowd and saw that there was no barge man anywhere on the barge. The barge people were gone. Only the city people remained.

The old man screamed, his voice shrill and sudden and more alive than he was. The city people were stunned. They turned from looking at the ocean to look at him. No one spoke. The old man moved his eyes again across the crowd to the inland channel ahead, back across the crowd and to the tiller. The city people turned toward the sea again. The barge was moving away from the last inland channel.

Still no one spoke. Each of the people thought of the sea, of his city of before, of the barge person in whose place he slept, and of the empty-handed tiller behind. At that moment, just a short time after the old man screamed, all the city people moved slowly together to the left side of the barge. Such a delicate shifting of weight was it that the strange vessel itself turned slightly to the left. Not much of a turn - just enough to turn the barge inland again to the cities instead of to the sea. Not much of a turn - just enough to turn the city crowd into barge people.

The Doorway

2009-06-21T12:26:00.001-07:00

by Robert J. Willis, S.J.

Once there was a little man, one foot high. He lived in a warm, well-lit, tiny room - his home. He loved his life - flourescent lights, bright yellow walls, no windows to clean or furniture to dust or unknown corners to discover. How wonderfully certain, how bright and clean!

Every day - at dawn, at noon, at sunset - he pursued his life's work unfailingly, as he had for years. Moving always to the right, three trips a day, he explored his world. Explored? Well, revisited. Walking ever so slowly, he counted up his life encounters: this wall, all yellow except for two pencil marks from another age; this one, with some missing plaster and two large scuff marks (grinning, he recalled how once he had somehow slipped); this third, his pride and joy - so smooth, unblemished, unmarked by time; this last, so like the others but so much more, because it was the last, signalling approaching accomplishment and rest.

One day, on completing his rounds, he rested - but not really. He was troubled, unaccountably. His home had somehow been becoming, for weeks now, too stuffy, too warm, too bright, too known. Feelings of ennui enveloped him. He was so unchallenged. He felt his life draining away, leaving a tired, so very tired body and mind, shrinking to the size of his unused heart. And so he sat and sighed.

Disturbingly, yes, very disturbingly, a feeling and an image kept constantly, even vociferously, intruding. The feeling? - fear, an uncomfortable, screaming sort of thing; the image? - a small door nestled in the corner between walls two and three. Haunting! Oh, he had known it before. Once, years before, he had looked at that door, but since then his eyes were either tightly closed or seeking the ceiling as he passed by that disturbing knob. For so long he had forgotten it, had mechanically avoided it. But today his growing uneasiness had overwhelmed him, had broken through his pattern. He saw the door. And he was afraid.

Why afraid? - because he somehow knew that door could open, could lead somewhere, could offer newness, and discovery, and uncertainty. Why afraid? - because volcanically he was hearing, "My tiny room is too tiny. I can't breathe!" And he could leave.

Days passed. Days of growing restlessness passed. His rounds became faster, less satisfying. His room kept closing in, the air heavy and sticky and warm. In his imagination, he became a big cat - his rounds, prowls - his uneasiness filled with tension, sinister, foreboding. Then finally - oh, God - explosion! The hungry cat, uncoiling, releasing hurting tension, sprang to the door, wrenched it open, and screamed. For there was dark.

Recoiling, shaking, crouching, eyes frantically closing-opening, closing-opening. But the door stayed open, and he didn't run. Finally he just stayed and looked.

The tremors quieted with time. He straightened up. Slowly he approached the dark. As he stood at that light-dark threshhold, miraculously the dark became less dark, the less dark less frightening. He stood there a long, long time. Then he began a new walk - six feet tall!

Mr. Rose

2009-06-21T12:25:00.000-07:00

by Robert J. Willis, S.J.

Alone, all alone, he sighed. Why him - why did he have to be a rose anyway? Why couldn't he be -laughter broke through his sad reflectings - yes, like them? That's right! Why couldn't he be a daffodil?

Lifting his drooping red head, he gazed longingly across his stony field, over the wire fence, into the luscious green meadow. How beautiful they are, all yellow and bright, and how dismal my deep red outfit when compared to theirs. And their stems - so straight and smooth, so full, such a pleasant green! An almost furtive glance down at his own stem, twisted and pocked and simply loaded with those ugly, hurting old thorns brought tears to his eyes. Quickly he shook his head, glancing around to see if anyone had noticed. Oh well, they'd probably just think it was dew.

Me - them: that's what hurts most. They stand together, happy and laughing and free, enjoying each other. I spend my life hiding by this rock, unhappy and by myself. If I only weren't so ugly, I'd be with them. I could be fun, the life of the party, bright and... if I just weren't a miserable old rose.

"Pardon me, sir. Pardon me." Jerking his head so fast he almost fell over backwards, he found himself looking into the face of a lovely young lady.

"Who are you?" he gasped.

"I'm from the great king. You, out of all his subjects, have been chosen "king for a day!" Remember that contest, those stamps? Well, you've won!"

He gulped. hardly daring to speak, he whispered, "What do I get? (Nothing much," he thought to himself, "with my luck.")

Her eyes glinting, the lady whispered back into his ear, "I can give you two wonderful gifts - one now, one at midnight. Now, you can be wherever you wish. Then, at midnight, you can be whoever you wish, forever."

Could he believe his ears - wherever, whoever? In his imagination, he saw the waving, happy, laughing daffodils, and himself in the middle of them, wearing a sparkly yellow coat. Hardly thinking, he blurted out, "I want to be there with them!"

"Hi, rose. Who are you? Where did you come from? Never mind. Come and dance and sing, laugh, and jump and play." And so he did. Never had he had such fun, felt so good, so "one of the gang."

And at midnight, it's his forever! No more a rose he.

Then it happened! "Help! Run! It's the beast! We'll be trampled to death!" Starting up from his play, the rose saw a huge figure bearing down upon them. Suddenly, almost reflexively, he jumped in front of his friends and swung his thorny stem. It wasn't going to hurt his friends! Smack - right on the nose! With a wild yelp, the attacker veered to the right, and, as suddenly as it had appeared, it was gone.

His red anger subsiding, his breath returning, he turned around to face a crowd of silent daffodils, transfixed with fear and horror. At their feet lay one of their number, stem broken, head crushed into the dirt, dead.

Tears rose from his loving red heart, strength from his deep red pain. Silently, he buried the so-young daffodil; quietly, he moved among his frozen friends. Wherever he moved, he brought his comfort, his understanding, his tears.

Night fell - quiet, finally. The daffodils huddled around him for safety and sleep. He would protect, be brave, be strong. After all, he's a rose!

At midnight, the lovely lady returned. She smiled when she saw all the daffodils nestled up so close to him, sleeping under his watchful eye. "Well, Mr. Rose, I'm back. Your wish is my command. Who do you want to be?" She stopped, smiled, waited.

Who did he want to be? His mind flitted back over the day - the laughter and play, his battle with the animal, his fight with fear and death. Then he looked at his new-found friends, so glad that he's a rose.

His gaze wandered to himself - his thorny, sturdy stem that had saved the day, his red coat so filled with the pain of love, his eyes ready to flame with anger or cry with another's pain. Slowly he lifted his head, took a deep breath.

"Young lady, I just want to be me."

With a kind, understanding smile, she nodded. "Sir, you finally are."

Barrington Bunny

2009-06-21T12:23:00.000-07:00

Barrington Bunny
(excerpted from)
The Way of the Wolf

by Martin Bell

Once upon a time, in a large forest, there lived a very furry bunny. He had one lop ear, a tiny black nose, and unusually shiny eyes. His name was Barrington. Barrington was not really a very handsome bunny. He was brown and speckled, and his ears didn't stand up right. But he could hop, and he was, as I have said, very furry.

In a way, winter is fun for bunnies. After all, it gives them an opportunity to hop in the snow and then turn around to see where they have hopped. So, in a way, winter was fun for Barrington.

But in another way, winter made Barrington sad. For, you see, winter marked the time when all of the animal families got together in their cozy homes to celebrate Christmas. He could hop, and he was very furry. But as far as Barrington knew, he was the only bunny in the forest. When Christmas Eve finally came, Barrington did not feel like going home all by himself. So he decided he would hop for awhile in the clearing in the center of the forest.

Hop. Hop. Hippity-hop. Barrington made tracks in the fresh snow. Hop. Hop. Hippity-hop. Then he cocked his head and looked back at the wonderful designs he had made.

"Bunnies," he thought to himself, "can hop. And they are very warm, too, because of how furry they are." (But Barrington didn’t really know whether or not this was true of all bunnies, since he had never met another bunny.)

When it got too dark to see the tracks he was making, Barrington made up his mind to go home. On his way, however, he passed a large oak tree. High in the branches, there was a great deal of excited chattering going on. Barrington looked up. It was a squirrel family! What a marvelous time they seemed to be having.

And the unfortunate bunny hopped off toward his tiny house. It was beginning to snow when Barrington reached the river. Near the river bank was a wonderfully constructed house of sticks and mud. Inside there was singing.

Even being as furry as he was, Barrington was beginning to get cold. And the snow was falling so hard that his tiny, bunny eyes could scarcely see what was ahead of him. He was almost home, however, when he heard the excited squeaking of field mice beneath the ground. "It’s a party," thought Barrington. And suddenly he blurted out through his tears, "Hello, field mice. This is Barrington Bunny. May I come to your party?" But the wind was howling so loudly and Barrington was sobbing so much that no one heard him. And when there was no response at all, Barrington just sat down in the snow and began to cry with all his might.

"Bunnies," he thought, "aren’t any good to anyone. What good is it to be furry and to be able to hop if you don’t have any family on Christmas Eve?" Barrington cried and cried. When he stopped crying, he began to bite on his bunny’s foot, but he did not move from where he was sitting in the snow. Suddenly, Barrington was aware that he was not alone. He looked up and strained his shiny eyes to see who was there. To his surprise, he saw a great silver wolf. The wolf was large and strong, and his eyes flashed fire. He was the most beautiful animal Barrington had ever seen.

For a long time, the silver wolf didn’t say anything at all. He just stood there and looked at Barrington with those terrible eyes.

And then the wolf disappeared. He simply wasn’t there. Barrington had only blinked his eyes, and when he looked — the wolf was gone.

"All of the animals in the forest are my family," thought Barrington. "It’s good to be a bunny. Bunnies can hop. That’s a gift." And then he said it again. "A gift. A free gift."

On into the night, Barrington worked. First he found the best stick that he could. (And that was difficult because of the snow.) Then hop. Hop. Hippity-hop. To beaver’s house. He left the stick just outside the door. With a note on it that read: "Here is a good stick for your house. It is a gift. A free gift. No strings attached. Signed, a member of your family."

"It is a good thing that I can hop," he thought, "because the snow is very deep." Then Barrington dug and dug. Soon he had gathered together enough dead leaves and grass to make the squirrels’ nest warmer. Hop. Hop. Hippity-hop. He laid the grass and leaves just under the large oak tree and attached this message: "A gift. A free gift. From a member of your family."

It was late when Barrington finally started home. And what make things worse was that he knew a blizzard was beginning. Hop. Hop. Hippity-hop. Soon poor Barrington was lost. The wind howled furiously, and it was very, very cold. "It certainly is cold," he said out loud. "It’s a good thing I’m so furry. But if I don’t find my way home pretty soon, even I might freeze!"

"Squeak. Squeak...."

And then he saw it — a baby field mouse lost in the snow. And the little mouse was crying. "Hello, little mouse," Barrington called. "Don’t cry. I’ll be right there." Hippity-hop, and Barrington was beside the tiny mouse.

Barrington lay on top of the little mouse and hugged him tight. The tiny fellow felt himself surrounded by warm fur. He cried for awhile, but soon, snug and warm, he fell asleep. Barrington had only two thoughts that long, cold night. First he thought, "It’s good to be a bunny. Bunnies are very furry and warm." And then, when he felt the heart of the tiny mouse beneath him beating regularly, he thought, "All of the animals in the forest are my family."

Next morning, the field mice found their little boy, asleep in the snow, warm and snug beneath the furry carcass of a dead bunny. Their relief and excitement were so great that they didn’t even think to question where the bunny had come from. And as for the beavers and the squirrels, they still wonder which member of their family left the little gifts for them that Christmas Eve. After the field mice had left, Barrington’s frozen body simply lay in the snow. There was no sound except that of the howling wind. And no one anywhere in the forest noticed the great silver wolf who came to stand beside that brown, lop-eared carcass.

Cheat Sheet for Final

2009-06-21T11:23:00.000-07:00

NOVEL

Lord of the Flies (11 questions on the Final)
Ralph, Jack, Piggy, Simon, Roger, Samneric, Percival Wemys Madison, Henry, Maurice, Littleuns, Naval Officer

PLAYS

A Streetcar Named Desire (7 questions on the Final)
Stanley Kowalski, Stella, Blanche DuBois, Mitch, Steve, Eunice, Pablo

A Long Day’s Journey Into Night (18 questions on the Final)
Tyrone, Mary, Jamie, Edmund, Kathleen

"Death of a Salesman" (15 questions on the Final)
Willy Loman, Linda, Biff, Happy, Charley, Bernard, Uncle Ben, Howard, The Woman, Stanley, Jenny, Miss Forsythe, Letta

Cat on a Hot Tin Rooff (10 questions of the Final)
Big Daddy Pollit, Big Mama, Brick, Margaret, Gooper, Mae, 5 No-neck Monsters, Skipper, Doc Baugh, Rev. Tooker, Sookey, Lacey

"Antigone" (3 questions on the Final)
Antigone, Creon, Haimon, Ismene, Teiresias, Eurydice, Sentry, Chorus, Messenger

"Oedipus the King" (4 questions on the Final)
Oedipus, Iocaste, Creon, Teiresias, Corinthian Messenger, Shepherd, Priest, Second Messenger, Chorus

"Strange Snow" (5 questions on the Final)
Megs, Martha, David

PARABLES

"Barrington Bunny" (5 questions on the Final)
Barrington, Silver Wolf, Beavers, Squirrels, Mice

"Mr. Rose" (4 questions on the Final)
Mr. Rose, Daffodils, Dog, Lovely Lady

"The Doorway" (2 questions on the Final)
Little Man

SHORT STORIES

"A Rose for Emily" (3 questions on the Final)
Emily Grierson, Homer Barron, Tobe

"Miss Brill" (2 questions on the Final)
Miss Brill, Young Couple

"The Appointment in Samarra" (3 questions on the Final)
Merchant, Servant, Death

"Godfather Death" (2 questions on the Final)
Doctor, God, Devil, Death, King, King’s Daughter

"A & P" (2 questions on the Final)
Sammy, Queenie, Stokesie, Lengel, Chubby Girl, Tall Girl

"The Crysanthemums" (2 questions on the Final)
Elisa Allen, Henry, Salesman

"The Tell-Tale Heart" (2 questions on the Final)
Young Man, Old Man, Police

"To Build A Fire" (2 questions on the Final)
Man, Dog

"Greasy Lake" (2 questions on the Final)
Narrator, Digby, Jeff, Guy, Girl, Biker

"A Good Man is Hard to Find" (2 questions on the Final)
The grandmother, Bailey, the children’s mother, June Star, John Wesley, The Misfit, Red Sam, Red Sam’s wife, Pitty Sting, Bobby Lee, Hiram

"The Five-Forty-Eight" (2 questions on the Final)
Blake, Miss Dent, Mr. Watkins, Mrs. Compton

"The Open Boat" (2 questions on the Final)
Captain, Correspondent, Cook, Oiler

"A Clean, Well-Lighted Place" (2 questions on the Final)
Young Waiter, Old Waiter, Old Man

"The Storm" (2 questions on the Final)
Bobinot, Bibi, Calixta, Alcee Laballiere

"The Gospel According to Mark" (2 questions on the Final)
Baltasar Espinosa, Daniel, Mr. Gutre, Gutre’s Son, Gutre’s Daughter

"Young Goodman Brown" (3 questions on the Final)
Brown, Companion, Faith, Goody Cloyse, Deacon Gookin, Minister

"Araby" (2 questions on the Final)
Boy, Uncle, Girl

"Barn Burning" (2 questions on the Final)
Abner Snopes, Colonel Sartoris Snopes, Mrs. Snopes, Justice Of The Peace, Major de Spain, Mrs. de Spain

"The Lottery" (2 questions on the Final)
Mr. Summers, Mr. Graves, Bill Hutchinson, Tessie, Bill, Jr., Nancy, Little Davey, Old Man Warner

"Harrison Bergeron" (2 questions on the Final)
George, Hazel, Harrison, Diana Moon Glampers, musicians, ballerina

"An Occurrence At Owl Creek Bridge" (2 questions on the Final)
Peyton Farquhar, Sentinels, Captain, Lieutenant

"The Story of an Hour" (2 questions on the Final)
Louise Mallard, Josephine, Richards, Brently Mallard

"The Lover of Horses" (2 questions on the Final)
Great-grandfather, Father, Mother, Daughter

"The Rocking-Horse Winner" (2 questions on the Final)
Paul, Paul’s Mother (Hester), Uncle Oscar, Bassett, Paul’s Father

"Cathedral" (2 questions on the Final)
Husband (narrator), wife, Robert

"The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas" (2 questions on the Final)
Townspeople, Child

POEMS

"To His Coy Mistress" (2 questions on the Final)
Male Narrator, Mistress

"Stopping By Woods On a Snowy Evening" (2 questions on the Final)
Narrator, Horse

"The Road Not Taken" (3 questions on the Final)
Narrator

"The Love Song Of J. Alfred Prufrock" (3 questions on the Final)
J. Alfred Prufrock

"The Flea" (3 questions on the Final)
Male Narrator, Woman, Flea

"Batter My Heart , Three-Personed God" (2 questions on the Final)
Narrator

"The Unknown Citizen" (2 questions on the Final)
Narrator, Man

"I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud" (2 questions on the Final)
Narrator

"In Westminster Abbey" (2 questions on the Final)
Female Narrator

"Ozymandias" (2 questions on the Final)
Narrator, Traveler

"The Tyger" (2 questions on the Final)
Narrator, Tiger, Lamb

"To An Athlete Dying Young" (2 questions on the Final)
Narrator, Athlete

"The Death Of The Ball Turret Gunner" (2 questions on the Final)
Narrator

"Colin’s Choice" (1 question on the Final)
Colin, Dancer

ESSAY

"Lest We Forget" (2 questions on the Final)
Jim, Claudia, Erin, Robert, Corrigan, Kenon, Colin, Donna Sapone, Dan Sapone, Fr. Steve Swenson, Jorge, Ross Hoblitzell, Will Sapone, Dick Jennings, Robert Willis, Pat Willis, Lynn McAleer, Bob McAleer, Janet Risher, Brad Morisoli, Diana Morisoli, Robbie Fowler, Jane Fowler, Rocio Smith

The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas

2009-06-21T11:21:00.000-07:00

by Ursula LeGuin

With a clamor of bells that set the swallows soaring, The Festival of Summer came to the city Omelas, bright-towered by the sea. The rigging of the boats in harbor sparkled with flags. In the streets between houses with red roofs and painted walls, between old moss-grown gardens and under avenues of trees, past great parks and public buildings, processions moved. Some were decorous: old people in long stiff robes of mauve and grey, grave master workmen, quiet, merry women carrying their babies and chatting as they walked. In other streets the music beat faster, a shimmering of gong and tambourine, and the people went dancing, the procession was a dance. Children dodged in and out, their high calls rising like the swallows’ crossing flights over the music and the singing. All the processions wound towards the north side of the city, where on the great water-meadow called the Green Fields boys and girls, naked in the bright air, with mud-stained feet and ankles and long, lithe arms, exercised their restive horses before the race. The horses wore no gear at all but a halter without bit. Their manes were braided with streamers of silver, gold, and green. They flared their nostrils and pranced and boasted to one another; they were vastly excited, the horse being the only animal who has adopted our ceremonies as his own. Far off to the north and west the mountains stood up half encircling Omelas on her bay. The air of morning was so clear that the snow still crowning the Eighteen Peaks burned with white-gold fire across the miles of sunlit air, under the dark blue of the sky. There was just enough wind to make the banners that marked the racecourse snap and flutter now and then. In the silence of the broad green meadows one could hear the music winding through the city streets, farther and nearer and ever approaching, a cheerful faint sweetness of the air that from time to time trembled and gathered together and broke out into the great joyous clanging of the bells.

Joyous! How is one to tell about joy? How describe the citizens of Omelas?

They were not simple folk, you see, though they were happy. But we do not say the words of cheer much any more. All smiles have become archaic. Given a description such as this one tends to make certain assumptions. Given a description such as this one tends to look next for the King, mounted on a splendid stallion and surrounded by his noble knights, or perhaps in a golden litter borne by great-muscled slaves. But there was no king. They did not use swords, or keep slaves. They were not barbarians. I do not know the rules and laws of their society, but I suspect that they were singularly few. As they did without monarchy and slavery, so they also got on without the stock exchange, the advertisement, the secret police, and the bomb. Yet I repeat that these were not simple folk, not dulcet shepherds, noble savages, bland utopians. They were not less complex than us. The trouble is that we have a bad habit, encouraged by pedants and sophisticates, of considering happiness as something rather stupid. Only pain is intellectual, only evil interesting. This is the treason of the artist: a refusal to admit the banality of evil and the terrible boredom of pain. If you can’t lick ‘em, join ’em. If it hurts, repeat it. But to praise despair is to condemn delight, to embrace violence is to lose hold of everything else. We have almost lost hold; we can no longer describe a happy man, nor make any celebration of joy. How can I tell you about the people of Omelas? They were not naive and happy children—though their children were, in fact, happy. They were mature, intelligent, passionate adults whose lives were not wretched. O miracle! but I wish I could describe it better. I wish I could convince you. Omelas sounds in my words like a city in a fairy tale, long ago and far away, once upon a time. Perhaps it would be best if you imagined it as your own fancy bids, assuming it will rise to the occasion, for certainly I cannot suit you all. For instance, how about technology? I think that there would be no cars or helicopters in and about the streets; this follows from the fact that the people of Omelas are very happy people. Happiness is based on just discrimination of what is necessary, what is neither necessary nor destructive, what is destructive. In the middle category, however- that of the unnecessary but undestructive, that of comfort, luxury, exuberance, etc.- they could perfectly well have central heating, subway trains, washing machines, floating light-sources, fuelless power, a cure for the common cold. Or they could have none of that: it doesn’t matter. As you like it. I am inclined to think that people from towns up and down the coast have been coming in to Omelas during the last days before the Festival on very fast little trains and double-decked trams, and that the train station of Omelas is actually the handsomest building in the town, though plainer than the magnificent Farmers’ Market. But even granted trains, I fear that Omelas so far strikes some of you as goody-goody. Smiles, bells, parades, horses, bleh. If so, please add an orgy. If an orgy would help, don’t hesitate. Let us not, however, have temples from which issue beautiful nude priests and priestesses already half in ecstasy and ready to copulate with any man or woman, lover or stranger, who desires union with the deep godhead of the blood, although that was my first idea. But really it would be better not to have any temples in Omelas- at least, not manned temples. Religion yes, clergy no. Surely the beautiful nudes can just wander about, offering themselves like divine soufflés to the hunger of the needy and the rapture of the flesh. Let them join the processions. Let tambourines be struck about the copulations, and the glory of desire be proclaimed upon the gongs, and (a not unimportant point) let the offspring of these delightful rituals be beloved and looked after by all. One thing I know there is none of in Omelas is guilt. But what else should there be? I thought at first there were no drugs, but that is puritanical. For those who like it, the faint insistent sweetness of drooz may perfume the ways of the city, drooz which first brings a great lightness and brilliance to the mind and limbs, and then after some hours a dreamy languor, and wonderful visions at last of the very arcane and inmost secrets of the Universe, as well as exciting the pleasure of sex beyond all belief; and it is not habit-forming. For more modest tastes I think there ought to be beer. What else, what else belongs in the joyous city? The sense of victory, surely, the celebration of courage. But as we did without clergy, let us do without soldiers. The joy built upon successful slaughter is not the right kind of joy; it will not do; it is fearful and it is trivial. A boundless and generous contentment, a magnanimous triumph felt not against some outer enemy but in communion with the finest and fairest in the souls of all men everywhere and the splendor of the world’s summer: that is what swells the heart of the people of Omelas and the victory they celebrate is that of life. I really don’t think many of them need to take drooz.

Most of the processions have reached the Green Fields by now. A marvelous smell of cooking goes forth from the red and blue tents of the provisioners. The faces of small children are amiably sticky; in the benign grey beard of a man a couple of crumbs of rich pastry are entangled. The youths and girls have mounted their horses and are beginning to group around the starting line of the course. An old woman, small, fat, and laughing, is passing out flowers from a basket, and tall young men wear her flowers in their shining hair. A child of nine or ten sits at the edge of the crowd, alone, playing on a wooden flute. People pause to listen, and they smile, but they do not speak to him, for he never ceases playing and never sees them, his dark eyes wholly rapt in the sweet, thin magic of the tune.

He finishes, and slowly lowers his hands holding the wooden flute.

As if that little private silence were signal, all at once a trumpet sounds from the pavilion near the starting line: imperious, melancholy, piercing. The horses rear on their slender legs, and some of them neigh and soothe them, whispering “Quiet, quiet, there my beauty, my hope...” They begin to form in rank along the starting line. The crowds along the racecourse are like a field of grass and flowers in the wind. The Festival of Summer has begun.

Do you believe? Do you accept the festival, the city, the joy? No? Then let me describe one more thing.

In a basement under one of the beautiful public buildings of Omelas or perhaps in the cellar of one of its spacious private homes, there is a room. It has one locked door, and no window. A little light seeps in dustily between cracks in the boards, secondhand from a cobwebbed window somewhere across the cellar. In one corner of the little room a couple of mops, with stiff, clotted, foul-smelling heads, stand near a rusty bucket. The floor is dirt, a little damp to the touch, as the cellar dirt usually is. The room is about three paces long and two wide: a mere broom closet or disused tool room. In the room a child is sitting. It could be a boy or a girl. It looks about six, but actually is nearly ten. It is feeble-minded. Perhaps it was born defective, or perhaps it has become imbecile through fear, malnutrition, and neglect. It picks its nose and occasionally fumbles vaguely with its toes or genitals, as it sits hunched in the corner farthest from the bucket and the two mops. It is afraid of the mops. It finds them horrible. It shuts its eyes, but knows the mops are still standing there; and the door is locked; and nobody will come. The door is always locked; and nobody everybody comes, except that sometimes - the child has no understanding of time or interval - sometimes the door rattles terribly and opens, and a person, or several people, are there. One of them may come in and kick the child to make it stand up. The others never come close, but peer in at it with frightened, disgusted eyes. The food bowl and the water jug are hastily filled, the door is locked, the eyes disappear. The people next door never say anything, but the child, who has not always lived in the tool room, and can remember sunlight and its mother’s voice, sometimes speaks. “I will be good” it says. “Please let me out. I will be good.” They never answer. The child used to scream for help at night, and cry a great deal, but now it only makes a kind of whining, “eh-haa, eh-haa,” and it speaks less and less often. It is so thin there are no calves to its legs; its belly protrudes; it lives on half a bowl of corn meal and grease a day. It is naked. Its buttocks and thighs are a mass of festered sores, as it sits in its own excrement continually.

They all know it is there, all the people of Omelas. Some of them have come to see it, others merely know it is there. They all know that is has to be there. Some of them understand why, and some do not, but they all understand that their happiness, the beauty of their city, the tenderness of their friendships, the health of their children, the wisdom of their scholars, the skill of their makers, even the abundance of their harvest and the kindly weathers of their skies, depend wholly on this child’s abominable misery.

This is usually explained to children when they are between eight and twelve, whenever they seem capable of understanding; and most of those who come to see the child are young people, though often enough an adult comes, or comes back, to see the child. No matter how well the matter has been explained to them, these young spectators are always sickened at the sight. They feel disgust, which they thought themselves superior to. They feel anger, outrage, impotence, despite all the explanations. There is something they would like to do for the child. But there is nothing they can do. If the child were brought into the sunlight out of that vile place, if it were cleaned and fed and comforted, that would be a good thing, indeed; but, if it were done, in that day and hour all the prosperity and beauty and delight of Omelas would wither and be destroyed. Those are the terms. To exchange all the goodness and grace of every life in Omelas for that single, small improvement: to throw away the happiness of thousands for the chance of happiness of one: that would be the guilt within the walls indeed.

The terms are strict and absolute; there may not even be a kind word spoken to the child.

Often the children go home in tears, or in a tearless rage, when they have seen the child and faced the terrible paradox. They may brood over it for weeks and years. But as time goes by they begin to realize even if the child could be released, it would not get much good of its freedom: a little vague pleasure of warmth and food, no doubt, but little more. It is too degraded or to imbecile to know any real joy. It has been afraid too long to ever be free of fear. Its habits are too uncouth for it to respond to any humane treatment. Indeed, after so long, it would probably be wretched without walls about it to protect it, and darkness for its eyes, and excrement for it to sit in. Their tears at the bitter injustice dry when they begin to perceive the terrible justice of reality, and to accept it. Yet it is their tears and anger, the trying of their generosity and the acceptance of their helplessness, which are perhaps the true splendor of their lives. Theirs is no vapid, irresponsible happiness. They know that they, like the child, are not free. They know compassion. It is the existence of the child, and their knowledge of its existence, that makes possible the nobility of their architecture, the poignancy of their music, the profundity of their science. It is because of the child they are so gentle with children. They know that if the wretched one were not there sniveling in the dark, the other one, the flute player, could make no joyful music as the riders line up in their beauty for the race in the sunlight of the first morning of summer.

Now do you believe in them? Are they not more credible? But there is one more thing to tell, and this is quite incredible.

At times one of the adolescent girls and boys who go to see the child does not go home to weep or rage, does not, in fact, go home at all. Sometimes also a man or woman much older falls silent for a day or two, and then leaves home. These people go out into the street, and walk down the street alone. They keep walking, and walk straight out of the city of Omelas, through the beautiful gates. They keep walking across the farmlands of Omelas. Each one goes alone, youth or girl, man or woman. Night falls; the traveler must pass down the village streets, between the houses with the yellow lit windows, and on out into the darkness of the fields. Each alone, they go west, or north, towards the mountains. They go on. They leave Omelas, they walk ahead into darkness, and they do not come back. The place they go towards is even less imaginable to us than the city of happiness. I cannot describe it at all. It is possible that is does not exist. But they seem to know where they are going, the ones who walk away from Omelas.

The Lover of Horses

2009-06-21T10:58:00.000-07:00

by Tess Gallagher
1986

They say my great-grandfather was a gypsy, but the most popular explanation for his behavior was that he was a drunk. How else could the women have kept up the scourge of his memory all these years, had they not had the usual malady of our family to blame? Probably he was both a gypsy and a drunk.

Still, I have reason to believe the gypsy in him had more to do with the turn his life took than his drinking. I used to argue with my mother about this, even though most of the information I have about my great-grandfather came from my mother, who got it from her mother. A drunk, I kept telling her, would have had no initiative. He would simply have gone down with his failures and had nothing to show for it. But my great-grandfather had eleven children, surely a sign of industry, and he was a lover of horses. He had so many horses he was what people called “horse poor.”

I did not learn, until I traveled to where my family originated at Collenamore in the west of Ireland, that my great-grandfather had most likely been a “whisperer,” a breed of men among the gypsies who were said to possess the power of talking sense into horses. These men had no fear of even the most malicious and dangerous horses. In fact, they would often take the wild animal into a closed stall in order to perform their skills.

Whether a certain intimacy was needed or whether the whisperers simply wanted to protect their secret conversations with horses is not known. One thing was certain - that such men gained power over horses by whispering. What they whispered no one knew. But the effectiveness of their methods was renowned, and anyone for counties around who had an unruly horse could send for a whisperer and be sure that the horse would take to heart whatever was said and reform his behavior from that day forth.

By all accounts, my great-grandfather was like a huge stallion himself, and when he went into a field where a herd of horses was grazing, the horses would suddenly lift their heads and call to him. Then his bearded mouth would move, and though he was making sounds that could have been words, which no horse would have had reason to understand, the horses would want to hear; and one by one they would move toward him across the open space of the field. He could turn his back and walk down the road, and they would follow him. He was probably drunk, my mother said, because he was swaying and mumbling all the while. Sometimes he would stop deadstill in the road and the horses would press up against him and raise and lower their heads as he moved his lips. But because these things were only seen from a distance, and because they have eroded in the telling, it is now impossible to know whether my great-grandfather said anything of importance to the horses. Or even if it was his whispering that had brought about their good behavior. Nor was it clear, when he left them in some barnyard as suddenly as he’d come to them, whether they had arrived at some new understanding of the difficult and complex relationship between men and horses.

Only the aberrations of my great-grandfather’s relationship with horses have survived - as when he would bathe in the river with his favorite horse or when, as my grandmother told my mother, he insisted on conceiving his ninth child in the stall of a bay mare named Redwing. Not until I was grown and going through the family Bible did I discover that my grandmother had been this ninth child, and so must have known something about the matter.

These oddities in behavior lead me to believe that when my great-grandfather, at the age of fifty-two, abandoned his wife and family to join a circus that was passing through the area, it was not simply drunken bravado, nor even the understandable wish to escape family obligations. I believe the gypsy in him finally got the upper hand, and it led to such a remarkable happening that no one in the family has so far been willing to admit it: not the obvious transgression - that he had run away to join the circus - but that he was in all likelihood a man who had been stolen by a horse.

This is not an easy view to sustain in the society we live in. But I have not come to it frivolously, and have some basis for my belief. For although I have heard the story of my great-grandfather’s defection time and again since childhood, the one image which prevails in all versions is that of a dappled gray stallion that had been trained to dance a variation of the mazurka. So impressive was this animal that he mesmerized crowds with his sliding step-and-hop to the side through the complicated figures of the dance, which he performed, not in the way of Lippizaners - with other horses and their riders - riderless and with the men of the circus company as his partners.

It is known that my great-grandfather became one of these dancers. After that he was reputed, in my mother’s words, to have gone “completely to ruin.” The fact that he walked from the house with only the clothes on his back, leaving behind his own beloved horses (twenty-nine of them to be exact), further supports my idea that a powerful force must have held sway over him, something more profound than the miseries of drink or the harsh imaginings of his abandoned wife.

Not even the fact that seven years later he returned and knocked on his wife’s door, asking to be taken back, could exonerate him from what he had done, even though his wife did take him in and looked after him until he died some years later. But the detail that no one takes note of in the account is that when my great-grandfather returned, he was carrying a saddle blanket and the black plumes from the headgear of one of the circus horses. This passes by even my mother as simply a sign of the ridiculousness of my great-grandfather’s plight - for after all, he was homeless and heading for old age as a “good for nothing drunk” and a “fool for horses.”

No one had bothered to conjecture what these curious emblems - saddle blanket and plumes - must have meant to my great-grandfather. But he hung them over the foot of his bed - “like a fool,” my mother said. And sometimes when he got very drunk he would take up the blanket and, wrapping it like a shawl over his shoulders, he would grasp the plumes. Then he would dance the mazurka. He did not dance in the living room but took himself out into the field, where the horses stood at attention and watched as if suddenly experiencing the smell of the sea or a change of wind in the valley. “Drunks don’t care what they do,” my mother would say as she finished her story about my great-grandfather. “Talking to a drunk is like talking to a stump.”

Ever since my great-grandfather’s outbreaks of gypsy necessity, members of my family have been stolen by things - by mad ambitions, by musical instruments, by otherwise harmless pursuits from mushroom hunting to childbearing or, as was my father’s case, by the more easily recognized and popular obsession with card playing. To some extent, I still think it was failure of imagination in this respect that brought about his diminished prospects in the life of our family.

But even my mother had been powerless against the attraction of a man so convincingly driven. When she met him at a birthday dance held at the country house of one of her young friends, she asked what he did for a living. My father pointed to a deck of cards in his shirt pocket and said, “I play cards.” But love is such as it is, and although my mother was otherwise a deadly practical woman, it seemed she could fall in love with no man but my father.

So it is possible that the propensity to be stolen is somewhat contagious when ordinary people come into contact with people such as my father. Though my mother loved him at the time of the marriage, she soon began to behave as if she had been stolen from a more fruitful and upright life which she was always imagining might have been hers.

My father’s card playing was accompanied, to no one’s surprise, by bouts of drinking. The only thing that may have saved our family from a life of poverty was the fact that my father seldom gambled with money. Such were his charm and powers of persuasion that he was able to convince other players to accept his notes on everything from the fish he intended to catch next season to the sale of his daughter’s hair.

I know about this last wager because I remember the day he came to me with a pair of scissors and said it was time to cut my hair. Two snips and it was done. I cannot forget the way he wept onto the backs of his hands and held the braids together like a broken noose from which a life had suddenly slipped. I was thirteen at the time and my hair had never been cut. It was his pride and joy that I had such hair. But for me it was only a burdensome difference between me and my classmates, so I was glad to be rid of it. What anyone else could have wanted with my long shiny braids is still a mystery to me.

When my father was seventy-three he fell ill and the doctors gave him only a few weeks to live. My father was convinced that his illness had come on him because he had hit a particularly bad losing streak at cards. He had lost heavily the previous month, and items of value, mostly belonging to my mother, had disappeared from the house. He developed the strange idea that if he could win at cards he could cheat the prediction of the doctors and live at least into his eighties.

By this time I had moved away from home and made a life for myself in an attempt to follow the reasonable dictates of my mother, who had counseled her children severely against all manner of rash ambition and foolhardiness. Her entreaties were leveled especially in my direction since I had shown a suspect enthusiasm for a certain pony at around the age of five. And it is true I felt I had lost a dear friend when my mother saw to it that the neighbors who owned this pony moved it to pasture elsewhere.

But there were other signs that I might wander off into unpredictable pursuits. The most telling of these was that I refused to speak aloud to anyone until the age of eleven. I whispered everything, as if my mind were a repository of secrets which could only be divulged in this intimate manner. If anyone asked me a question, I was always polite about answering, but I had to do it by putting my mouth near the head of my inquisitor and using only my breath and lips to make my reply.

My teachers put my whispering down to shyness and made special accommodations for me. When it came time for recitations I would accompany the teacher into the cloakroom and there whisper to her the memorized verses or the speech I was to have prepared. God knows, I might have continued on like this into the present if my mother hadn’t plotted with some neighborhood boys to put burrs into my long hair. She knew by others signs that I had a terrible temper, and she was counting on that to deliver me into the world where people shouted and railed at one another and talked in an audible fashion about things both common and sacred.

When the boys shut me into a shed, according to plan, there was nothing for me to do but to cry out for help and to curse them in a torrent of words I had only heard used by adults. When my mother heard this she rejoiced, thinking that at last she had broken the treacherous hold of the past over me, of my great-grandfather’s gypsy blood and the fear that against all her efforts I might be stolen away, as she had been, and as my father had, by some as yet unforeseen predilection. Had I not already experienced the consequences of such a life in our household, I doubt she would have been successful, but the advantages of an ordinary existence among people of a less volatile nature had begun to appeal to me.

It was strange, then, that after all the care my mother had taken for me in this regard, when my father’s illness came on him, my mother brought her appeal to me. “Can you do something?” she wrote, in her cramped, left-handed scrawl. “He’s been drinking and playing cards for three days and nights. I am at my wit’s end. Come home at once.”

Somehow I knew this was a message addressed to the very part of me that most baffled and frightened my mother - the part that belonged exclusively to my father and his family's inexplicable manias.

When I arrived home my father was not there.

“He’s at the tavern. In the back room,” my mother said. “He hasn’t eaten for days. And if he’s slept, he hasn’t done it here.”

I made up a strong broth, and as I poured the steaming liquid into a Thermos I heard myself utter syllables and other vestiges of language which I could not reproduce if I wanted to. “What do you mean by that?” my mother demanded, as if a demon had leapt out of me. “What did you say?” I didn’t - I couldn’t - answer her. But suddenly I felt that an unsuspected network of sympathies and distant connections had begun to reveal itself to me in my father’s behalf.

There is a saying that when lovers have need of moonlight, it is there. So it seemed, as I made my way through the deserted town toward the tavern and card room, that all nature had been given notice of my father’s predicament, and that the response I was waiting for would not be far off.

But when I arrived at the tavern and had talked my way past the barman and into the card room itself, I saw that my father had an enormous pile of blue chips at his elbow. Several players had fallen out to watch, heavy-lidded and smoking their cigarettes like weary gangsters. Others were slumped on folding chairs near the coffee urn with its empty “Pay Here” Styrofoam cup.

My father’s cap was pushed to the back of his head so that his forehead shone in the dim light, and he grinned over his cigarette at me with the serious preoccupation of a child who has no intention of obeying anyone. And why should he, I thought as I sat down just behind him and loosened the stopper on the Thermos. The five or six players still at the table casually appraised my presence to see if it had tipped the scales of their luck in an even more unfavorable direction. Then they tossed their cards aside, drew fresh cards, or folded.

In the center of the table were more blue chips, and poking out from my father’s coat pocket I recognized the promissory slips he must have redeemed, for he leaned to me and in a low voice, without taking his eyes from his cards, said, “I’m having a hell of a good time. The time of my life.”

He was winning. His face seemed ravaged by the effort, but he was clearly playing on a level that had carried the game far beyond the realm of mere card playing and everyone seemed to know it. The dealer cocked an eyebrow as I poured broth into the plastic Thermos cup and handed it to my father, who slurped from it noisily, then sat down.

“Tell the old kettle she’s got to put up with me for a few more years,” he said, and lit up a fresh cigarette. His eyes as he looked at me, however, seemed over-brilliant, as if doubt, despite all his efforts, had gained a permanent seat at his table. I squeezed his shoulder and kissed him hurriedly on his forehead. The men kept their eyes down, and as I paused at the door, there was a shifting of chairs and a clearing of throats. Just outside the room I nearly collided with the barman, who was carrying in a fresh round of beer. His heavy jowls waggled as he recovered himself and looked hard at me over the icy bottles. Then he disappeared into the card room with his provisions.

I took the long way home, finding pleasure in the fact that at this hour all the stoplights had switched onto a flashing-yellow caution cycle. Even the teenagers who usually cruised the town had gone home or to more secluded spots. Doubt, I kept thinking as I drove with my father’s face before me, that’s the real thief. And I knew my mother had brought me home because of it, because she knew that once again a member of our family was about to be stolen.

Two more days and nights I ministered to my father at the card room. I would never stay long because I had the fear myself that I might spoil his luck. But many unspoken tendernesses passed between us in those brief appearances as he accepted the nourishment I offered, or when he looked up and handed me his beer bottle to take a swig from - a ritual we’d shared since my childhood.

My father continued to win - to the amazement of the local barflies who poked their faces in and out of the card room and gave the dwindling three or four stalwarts who remained at the table a commiserating shake of their heads. There had never been a winning streak like it in the history of the tavern, and indeed, we heard later that the man who owned the card room and tavern had to sell out and open a fruit stand on the edge of town as a result of my father’s extraordinary good luck.

Twice during this period my mother urged the doctor to order my father home. She was sure my father would, at some fateful moment, risk the entire winnings in some mad rush toward oblivion. But his doctor spoke of a new “gaming therapy” for the terminally ill, based on my father’s surge of energies in the pursuit of his gambling. Little did he know that my father was, by that stage, oblivious to even his winning, he had gone so far into exhaustion.

Luckily for my father, the hour came when, for lack of players, the game folded. Two old friends drove him home and helped him down from the pickup. They paused in the driveway, one on either side of him, letting him steady himself. When the card playing had ended there had been nothing for my father to do but to get drunk.

My mother and I watched from the window as the men steered my father toward the hydrangea bush at the side of the house, where he relieved himself with perfect precision on one mammoth blossom. Then they hoisted him up the stairs and into the entryway. My mother and I took over from there.

“Give ’em hell, boys,” my father shouted after the men, concluding some conversation he was having with himself.

“You betcha,” the driver called back, laughing. Then he climbed with his companion into the cab of his truck and roared away.

Tied around my father’s waist was a cloth sack full of bills and coins which flapped and jingled against his knees as we bore his weight between us up the next flight of stairs and into the living room. There we deposited him on the couch, where he took up residence, refusing to sleep in his bed - for fear, my mother claimed, that death would know where to find him. But I preferred to think he enjoyed the rhythm of the household; from where he lay at the center of the house, he could overhear all conversations that took place and add his opinions when he felt like it.

My mother was so stricken by the signs of his further decline that she did everything he asked, instead of arguing with him or simply refusing. Instead of taking his winnings straight to the bank so as not to miss a day’s interest, she washed an old goldfish bowl and dumped all the money into it, most of it in twenty-dollar bills. Then she placed it on the coffee table near his head so he could run his hands through it at will, or let his visitors do the same.

“Money feels good on your elbow,” he would say to them. “I played them under the table for that. Yes sir, take a feel of that!” Then he would lean back on his pillows and tell my mother to bring his guests a shot of whiskey. “Make sure she fills my glass up,” he’d say to me so that my mother was certain to overhear. And my mother, who’d never allowed a bottle of whiskey to be brought into her house before now, would look at me as if the two of us were more than any woman should have to bear.

“If you’d only brought him home from that card room,” she said again and again. “Maybe it wouldn’t have come to this.”

This included the fact that my father had radically altered his diet. He lived only on greens. If it was green he would eat it. By my mother’s reckoning, the reason for his change of diet was that if he stopped eating what he usually ate, death would think it wasn’t him and go look for somebody else.

Another request my father made was asking my mother to sweep the doorway after anyone came in or went out.

“To make sure death wasn’t on their heels; to make sure death didn’t slip in as they left.” This was my mother’s reasoning. But my father didn’t give any reasons. Nor did he tell us finally why he wanted all the furniture moved out of the room except for the couch where he lay. And the money, they could take that away too.

But soon his strength began to ebb, and more and more family and friends crowded into the vacant room to pass the time with him, to laugh about stories remembered from his childhood or from his nights as a young man at the country dances when he and his older brother would work all day in the cotton fields, hop a freight train to town and dance all night. Then they would have to walk home, getting there just at daybreak in time to go straight to work again in the cotton fields.

“We were like bulls then,” my father would say in a burst of the old vigor, then close his eyes suddenly as if he hadn’t said anything at all.

As long as he spoke to us, the inevitability of his condition seemed easier to bear. But when, at the last, he simply opened his mouth for food or stared silently toward the far wall, no one knew what to do with themselves.

My own part in that uncertain time came to me accidentally. I found myself in the yard sitting on a stone bench under a little cedar tree my father loved because he liked to sit there and stare at the ocean. The tree whispered, he said. He said it had a way of knowing what your troubles were. Suddenly a craving came over me. I wanted a cigarette, even though I don’t smoke, hate smoking, in fact. I was sitting where my father had sat, and to smoke seemed a part of some rightness that had begun to work its way within me. I went into the house and bummed a pack of cigarettes from my brother. For the rest of the morning I sat under the cedar tree and smoked. My thoughts drifted with its shifting and murmurings, and it struck me what a wonderful thing nature is because it knows the value of silence, the innuendos of silence and what they could mean for a wordbound creature such as I was.

I passed the rest of the day in a trance of silences, moving from place to place, revisiting the sites that I knew my father loved - the “dragon tree,” a hemlock which stood at the far end of the orchard, so named for how the wind tossed its triangular head; the rose arbor where he and my mother had courted; the little marina where I sat in his fishing boat and dutifully smoked the hated cigarettes, flinging them one by one into the brackish water.

I was waiting to know what to do for him, he who would soon be a piece of useless matter of no more consequence than the cigarette butts that floated and washed against the side of his boat. I could feel some action accumulating in me through the steadiness of water raising and lowering the boat, through the sad petal-fall of roses in the arbor and the tossing of the dragon tree.

That night when I walked from the house I was full of purpose. I headed toward the little cedar tree. Without stopping to question the necessity of what I was doing, I began to break off the boughs I could reach and to pile them on the ground.

“What are you doing?” my brother’s children wanted to know, crowding around me as if I might be inventing some new game for them.

“What does it look like?” I said.

“Pulling limbs off the tree,” the oldest said. Then they dashed away in a pack under the orchard trees, giggling and shrieking.

As I pulled the boughs from the trunk I felt a painful permission, as when two silences, tired of holding back, give over to each other some shared regret. I made my bed on the boughs and resolved to spend the night there in the yard, under the stars, with the hiss of the ocean in my ear, and the maimed cedar tree standing over me like a gift torn out of its wrappings.

My brothers, their wives and my sister had now begun their nightly vigil near my father, taking turns at staying awake. The windows were open for the breeze and I heard my mother trying to answer the question why I was sleeping outside on the ground - “like a damned fool” I knew they wanted to add.

“She doesn’t want to be here when death comes for him,” my mother said, with an air of clairvoyance she had developed from a lifetime with my father. “They’re too much alike,” she said.

The ritual of night games played by the children went on and on past their bedtimes. Inside the house, the kerosene lantern, saved from my father’s childhood home, had been lit - another of his strange requests during the time before his silence. He liked the shadows it made and the sweet smell of the kerosene. I watched the darkness as the shapes of my brothers and sister passed near it, gigantic and misshapen where they bent or raised themselves or crossed the room.

Out on the water the wind had come up. In the orchard the children were spinning around in a circle, faster and faster until they were giddy and reeling with speed and darkness. Then they would stop, rest a moment, taking quick ecstatic breaths before plunging again into the opposite direction, swirling round and round in the circle until the excitement could rise no higher, their laughter and cries brimming over, then scattering as they flung one another by the arms or chased each other toward the house as if their lives depended on it.

I lay awake for a long while after the footsteps had died away and the car doors had slammed over the goodbyes of the children being taken home to bed and the last of the others had been bedded down in the house while the adults went on waiting.

It was important to be out there alone and close to the ground. The pungent smell of the cedar boughs was around me, rising up in the crisp night air toward the tree, whose turnings and swayings had altered, as they had to, in order to accompany the changes about to over take my father and me. I thought of my great-grandfather bathing with his horse in the river, and of my father who had just passed through the longest period in his life without the clean feel of cards falling through his hands as he shuffled or dealt them. He was too weak now even to hold a cigarette; there was a burn mark on the hardwood floor where his last cigarette had fallen. His winnings were safely in the bank and the luck that was to have saved him had gone back to that place luck goes to when it is finished with us.

So this is what it comes to, I thought, and listened to the wind as it mixed gradually with the memory of children’s voices which still seemed to rise and fall in the orchard. There was a soft crooning of syllables that was satisfying to my ears, but ultimately useless and absurd. Then it came to me that I was the author of those unwieldy sounds, and that my lips had begun to work of themselves.

In a raw pulsing of language I could not account for, I lay awake through the long night and spoke to my father as one might speak to an ocean or the wind, letting him know by that threadbare accompaniment that the vastness he was about to enter had its rhythms in me also. And that he was not forsaken. And that I was letting him go. That so far I had denied the disreputable world of dancers and drunkards, gamblers and lovers of horses to which I most surely belonged. But from that night forward I vowed to be filled with the first unsavory desire that would have me. To plunge myself into the heart of my life and be ruthlessly lost forever.

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Letter to Tess Gallagher from Jim Willis, May 31, 1993.
Dear Tess Gallagher,

I met you this morning at 7:30.

Today is Memorial Day, and so I “slept in” until after 7:00. At 7:30, I sat down in my favorite chair, accompanied by a mug of coffee, grabbed an anthology I had been reading, Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, and Drama by X.J. Kennedy, and accidentally opened it to p. 388 where I was confronted by a picture of you and a few biographical details as a preface to “The Lover of Horses.” I then read the story twice and strangely found myself in tears both times.

About 8:40, I introduced my wife to you.

Claudia was also sleeping in – and deservedly so – but I wanted to share your story with her, and so I somewhat hastened her awakening. She too was very moved. Your story resonated deeply in my life, and it struck me that that’s what good writing is all about. When you brought your father the thermos of broth at the tavern and many “unspoken tendernesses” passed between the two of you, I was back with my now deceased father sharing moments of loving tenderness. When you tried to sleep on the cedar boughs and whisperingly told your father that “the vastness he was about to enter” had echoes and rhythms in your life, I relived my last conversation with my father when he comforted me with his thoughts about “passing over” and we talked about the fact that “the beat goes on” through me and through my children. I loved your story.

By 11:30 this morning, I was at the local bookstore and had ordered your volume of stories, The Lover of Horses. The lady at the store wasn’t familiar with your work, but when I related my morning’s experiences to her, she also ordered a copy for herself. I shared with her that you were married to Raymond Carver, and she told me that he was one of her favorite short story writers.

I returned home and read “Cathedral,” “A Small, Good Thing,” and “Where I’m Calling From,” and now I am writing this letter to you. Isn’t it amazing? As of last night, the names Tess Gallagher and Raymond Carver would have meant nothing to me, and today I have passionately encountered you both.

I hope it touched you that you have touched me. I feel I somehow know you, and we do share similar roots in the Northwest. I grew up in Yakima, and ironically, I passed through Port Angeles a couple of months ago, as my only sister now lives in Sequim. A fantasy I had this morning was that the next time I visit my sister, you could meet Claudia and me somewhere over a cup of coffee or even a “thermos of broth.”

Thank you for writing.

Sincerely,

Jim Willis

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Letter back to Jim Willis, June 15, 1993.

Dear Jim Willis,

What a moving account you shared with me of your having encountered my short story about my father’s death so early in your Memorial Day. I’m glad you got the tears I put into it and that they even replayed when you read the story again. As Flannery O’Connor says: “No tears in the writer, no tears in the reader.”

I wrote that story some months after the death of my father from lung cancer in 1982. Of course I didn’t know at the time that six years later I would lose Ray to the same disease. The story tries to enact the kinds of rituals there really wasn’t time for when the vicissitudes of illness bear upon the loved ones at the time of death. I felt so grateful to the story, and still do, for carrying that important cargo of love and loss. And re-finding. I really feel that my father received that gift and continues to receive it when people like you read the story and weep. It is as if my father goes out and meets the fathers of others. Joins some great company of lost fathers.

I’m glad further that you shared my story with that one closest to you, your wife. And that is sparked you both to read Raymond Carver and more of my own work. I’ll slip in a card with the names of some books of mine you might not have seen on the back. They are both books of poems and available in paperback. Moon Crossing Bridge was written for Ray. Portable Kisses is a book of lighter poems, although there are some heavy punches in there as well. Especially one called “Sugarcane.”

I’m glad you got to read “Cathedral,” “A Small Good Thing” and “Where I’m Calling From”—all wonderful stories of Ray’s. “A Small Good Thing” is going to be in Robert Altman’s new film, Short Cuts, along with eight other stories of Ray’s. The film will premier October 1st at the New York Film Festival and I am going to be there. It’s been a very exhilarating time, working with Altman on the project.

It’s lovely to know that your sister lives nearby and that you even visited here recently. Of course it would be great to meet up for a coffee. These things do have to be somewhat arranged, since my life is busier than one would guess for living in such a seemingly tranquil place. I try to spend as much time at my writing as possible, though it’s fragile even so to get a day in which I can really concentrate. The best thing is to let me know when you sense a period when you’ll be here and we can actually set up an afternoon time to meet. I travel a fair amount and also have frequent guests, so that’s why we’ll have to plan. So drop a line when you see a visit coming. Please include a phone number and I’ll do my best to make contact. Since I’m working at my writing, there isn’t a convenient phone-way to reach me. Sorry this is so cumbersome!

Anyway, thanks again so much for letting me hear how my writing affected you. It’s great encouragement for me to go back to my fiction writing. I’ve been away far too long. But poems are my first love and they seem more manageable in the kind of life I have right now. I’m hoping it won’t always be this way.

With every good wish, and thanks again—

Tess Gallagher

Lord of the Flies Essay Topics

2009-06-21T10:53:00.001-07:00

DON'T FORGET TO BRING YOUR LORD OF THE FLIES BOOK TO NEXT WEEK'S CLASS FOR THE DISCUSSION.

Write an essay (minimum of three pages - space and a half, Times font, size 14) on one of the major characters in Lord of the Flies.

Your essay will be graded primarily on the depth of thought demonstrated and on your ability to communicate with me how this novel made you think, or how it might even possibly alter your view of life.

Here is what I expect to be included in the essay.:

Value of Self/Others Essay Topic

2009-06-21T10:52:00.001-07:00

Dear Students,

Here, finally (I hear you say), is your last essay assignment. Yippee!

You might recall a statement I made the first day of class: "If at the end of the semester, you are the perfect English students – you are voracious readers, your vocabulary has increased extensively, your writing is clear and precise, you make no mechanical writing errors, etc. - , but you are filled with less self respect because of this class and/or less respect for your fellow students, then, in my opinion, this class has been a failure for you, and I have probably failed you as your teacher. Somehow, the educational process has to do much more than make us smarter; IT MUST MAKE US BETTER PEOPLE. If it does that, then the world is a better place. What happens between these four walls over the next few months will, hopefully, educate our minds and our souls."

Please reflect on the above, and then write a reflective essay about your own personal growth (or lack of such growth) during our too short time together. In other words, have you learned just data, or has this class given you more than that? Feel free to praise or criticize yourself, others, and me. I’m a big boy; I can handle it, and I might even grow from your suggestions.

I will truly miss you all (well, at least most of you!)

Mr. Willis

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof Essay Topics

2009-06-21T10:51:00.001-07:00

Write an essay (minimum of three pages - space and a half, Times font, size 14) on any of the following themes from Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. If you feel another theme is appropriate, that is fine. Please run it by me first, though.

Your essay will be graded primarily on the depth of thought demonstrated and on your ability to communicate with me how this play made you think, or how it might even possibly alter your view of life.

Here is a non-exhaustive list of essay themes:

A Streetcar Named Desire Essay Topics

2009-06-21T10:48:00.000-07:00

Write an essay (minimum of three pages - space and a half, Times font, size 14) on any of the following themes from A Streetcar Named Desire. If you feel another theme is appropriate, that is fine. Please run it by me first, though.

Your essay will be graded primarily on the depth of thought demonstrated and on your ability to communicate with me how this play made you think, or how it might even possibly alter your view of life.

Here is a non-exhaustive list of essay themes:

Long Day's Journey Into Night Essay Topics

2009-06-21T10:41:00.000-07:00

DON'T FORGET TO BRING THE BIG BLUE BOOK TO NEXT WEEK'S CLASS. WE WILL BE READING "OEDIPUS THE KING."

Write an essay (minimum of three pages - space and a half, Times font, size 14) on any of the following themes from Long Day’s Journey Into Night. If you feel another theme is appropriate, that is fine. Please run it by me first, though.

Your essay will be graded primarily on the depth of thought demonstrated and on your ability to communicate with me how this play made you think, or how it might even possibly alter your view of life.

Here is a non-exhaustive list of essay themes:

If you wish to visit Tao House, let me know, and I will give you an extra two weeks to write your essay, but you must also include a description of your visit and how it affected you. Similarly, if you chose to read another O'Neill play (e.g. "A Moon for the Misbegotten," "The Iceman Cometh," "The Hairy Ape," "Emperor Jones," "Strange Interlude," "Mourning Becomes Electra," "Ah! Wilderness," etc.), I will give you an extra two weeks. You must then conference with me about that play and write an essay on it. We will discuss the theme you should write about.

English 4 Syllabus

2009-06-21T10:32:00.000-07:00

Textbook

LITERATURE: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry and Drama, Tenth Edition by X.J. Kennedy.

We will read the following works from the text:

Plays

1. "Oedipus The King" by Sophocles {4 questions on final}
2. "Antigone" by Sophocles {3}
3. "Death Of A Salesman" by Arthur Miller {15}

Short Stories

4. "The Appointment In Samarra" by W. Somerset Maugham {3}
5. "Godfather Death" by Jakob & Wilhelm Grimm {2}
6. "A & P" by John Updike {2}
7. "A Rose For Emily" by William Faulkner {3}
8. "Miss Brill" by Katherine Mansfield {2}
9. "The Tell-Tale Heart" by Edgar Allen Poe {2}
10. "A Good Man is Hard to Find" by Flannery O'Connor {2}
11. "The Five-Forty-Eight" by John Cheever {2}
12. "The Open Boat" by Stephen Crane {2}
13. "The Storm" by Kate Chopin {2}
14. "To Build A Fire" by Jack London {2}
15. "Greasy Lake" by T. Coraghessan Boyle {2}
16. "The Rocking-Horse Winner" by D.H. Lawrence {2}
17. "A Clean, Well-Lighted Place" by Ernest Hemingway {2}
18. "Barn Burning" by William Faulkner {2}
19. "Araby" by James Joyce {2}
20. "The Gospel According to Mark" by Jorge Luis Borges {2}
21. "Young Goodman Brown" by Nathaniel Hawthorne {3}
22. "Cathedral" by Raymond Carver {2}
23."The Chrysanthemums" by John Steinbeck {2}
24. "The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson {2}
25. "The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas" by Ursula K. Le Guin {2}
26. "An Occurence At Owl Creek Bridge" by Ambrose Bierce {2}
27. "Harrison Bergeron" by Kurt Vonnegut {2}
28. "The Story of an Hour" by Kate Chopin {2}

Poems

29. "To An Athlete Dying Young" by A.E. Housman {2}
30. "The Death Of The Ball Turret Gunner" by Randall Jarrell {2}
31. "To His Coy Mistress" by Andrew Marvell {2}
32. "Batter My Heart, Three-Personed God" by John Donne {2}
33. "The Unknown Citizen" by W.H. Auden {2}
34. "In Westminster Abbey" by John Betjeman {2}
35. "I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud" by William Wordsworth {2}
36. "The Road Not Taken" by Robert Frost {3}
37. "Ozymandias" by Percy Bysshe Shelley {2}
38. "The Tyger" by William Blake {2}
39. "The Flea" by John Donne {3}
40. "The Love Song Of J. Alfred Prufrock" by T.S. Eliot {3}
41. "Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening" by Robert Frost {2}

Works not from our text

Novels

42. Lord Of The Flies by William Golding {11}
43. Les Miserables by Victor Hugo {1}

Plays

44. A Long Day’s Journey Into Night by Eugene O’Neill {18}
45.A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams {7}
46. Cat On A Hot Tin Roof by Tennessee Williams {10}
47. "Strange Snow" by Steve Metcalfe {5}

Short Stories

48. "The Lover of Horses" by Tess Gallagher {2}

Parables

49. "Barrington Bunny" by Martin Bell {5}
50. "Mr. Rose" by Robert J. Willis {4}
51. "The Doorway" by Robert J. Willis {2}

Poem

52. "Colin’s Choice" by Robert J. Willis {1}

Reflective Essay

53. "Lest We Forget" by James B. Willis {2}