Important Quotations from Book 1 of The Book of Negroes

Consider the following quotes and their importance to various aspects of The Book of Negroes

“I wouldn’t wish beauty on any woman who has not her own freedom, and who chooses not the hands that claim her” (4).

“Not having to think about food, or shelter, or clothing is a rare thing indeed. What does a person do, when
survival is not an issue?” (6).

“Let me begin with a caveat to any and all who find these pages. Do not trust large bodies of water, and do not cross them” (7).

“Beauty comes and goes. Strength, you keep forever” (19).

“I nearly made myself crazy, wondering how to escape my own nakedness. To where could a naked person run?” (31).

“Many times during that long journey, I was terrified beyond description, yet somehow my mind remained intact. Men and women the age of my parents lost their minds on that journey” (56).

“It struck me as unbelievable that the toubabu would go to all this trouble to make us work in their land. Building the toubabu’s ship, fighting the angry waters, loading all these people and goods onto the ship—just to make us work for them? Surely they could gather their own mangoes and pound their own millet. Surely that would be easier than all this!” (62).

“After two months at sea, the toubabu brought every one of us up on deck. Naked, we were made to wash. There were only two-thirds of us left. They grabbed those who could not walk and began to throw them overboard, one by one. I shut my eyes and plugged my ears, but could not block out all the shrieking” (93).

“Englishmen do love to bury one thing so completely in another that the two can only be separated by force:
peanuts in candy, indigo in glass, Africans in irons” (103).

“Turn your mind from the ship, child. It is nothing but a rotting carcass in the grass. The carcass has shocked you with its stink and its flies. But you have walked past it, already, and now you must keep walking” (106)

Crash Course: Slavery & Atlantic Slave Trade

Crash Course: Slavery

Crash Course: Atlantic Slave Trade

The Great Gatsby Trailers

Hi everyone,

For you interest, I have posted the trailers for the Great Gatsby for your enjoyment.  I want you to note the contrasts in tone, mood, and atmosphere as well as the overall focus.  Despite it being the exact same novel and very similar scripts, the two movies could not be further apart.

The Great Gatsby (1974) Trailer

Notice how the focus seems to be more on the love story between Jay Gatsby and Daisy Buchanan.  It almost seems to ignore the message that Fitzgerald was trying to draw out for the reader, not focusing on the shallow aspects of the American Dream, nor the divide between Old Money, New Money, and No Money.  Unsurprisingly, the movie carries an overall approval rating of 37% on Rotten Tomatoes.

Now, compare that to Baz Luhrmann's 2013 version.

The Great Gatsby (2013) Trailer

The differences are striking.  This version almost focuses solely on what Fitzgerald was trying to show the reader when he wrote the book as well as including all of the important symbols and motifs.  Notice how there is mention of a relationship between Gatsby and Daisy, but you can tell by the trailer that there are mixed emotions.  We see the seediness and vanity of the 1920s as well as the excess.  We see the class divide, the glamour and the wealth.  We see the decay.  Also, note the title-cards in the trailer - presented in the very popular Art Deco style - over-the-top to the extreme, but poignant and apt for the age.

Critically, the movie did not fair much better only achieving a 49% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes.  What makes it even more frustrating is that it is said that the visual aspects of the film take away from the actual message of the original book.  I completely agree, though I do find the movie very entertaining.  But, we will be viewing Baz Luhrmann's version once we have completed the book.  This way, you can be the judge.

As a side note, there is a third version produced by A&E for television, starring Toby Stevens (Die Another Day), Paul Rudd (This is 40, Anchorman) and Mira Sorvino (Mighty Aphrodite).  I have not seen it, but if any of you are feeling ambitious, by all means, check it out.

Feel free to make comments on the blog about both.  We would really like to gauge your opinions.

Today's Questions

1.   We see all the action of The Great Gatsby from the perspective of one character whose narration seems to be shaped by his own values and temperament. What is Nick Carraway like, what does he value, and how do his character and his values matter to our understanding of the action of the novel?

2.   Early in the novel, Nick says of Gatsby that he “turned out all right at the end” Later, however, after he tells Gatsby “You’re worth the whole damn bunch put together” he abruptly calls this “the only compliment I ever gave him because I disapproved of him from beginning to end.” What does this curiously ambivalent admiration for Gatsby tell us about Nick, and especially about his relation to Gatsby’s “incorruptible dream?”

3.   From his first appearance, Tom Buchanan is a mouthpiece of racism. For instance, he sees himself as one of the “Nordics” who “make civilization;” and who must prevent “these other races” from having “control of things”. Elsewhere, he complains of the lack of “self-control” of people who “begin by sneering at family life and family institutions,” and threaten to “throw everything overboard and have intermarriage between black and white”. How does Tom’s expression of such attitudes illuminate his character, his relations with Daisy, and his sense of his place in the world?

4. The introduction of Myrtle and George Wilson underscores the importance of social class in the novel. How does their presence sharpen Fitzgerald’s characterization of the rich, and what might the resulting contrasts suggest about the role of class in shaping social experience in The Great Gatsby?

5. How is Wolfsheim, along with the anti-Semitism informing his characterization, important to shaping the conflicts of the novel?

6. At the end of Chapter Five, Nick makes much of the power of Daisy’s voice over Gatsby: “I think that voice held him most, with its fluctuating, feverish warmth, because it couldn’t be overdreamed—that voice was a deathless song” (p.96). Later on, Gatsby observes that “Her voice is full of money,” and Nick develops the point: “That was it, I’d never understood before. It was full of money—that was the inexhaustible charm that rose and fell in it, the jingle of it, the cymbals’ song of it.” Is it possible for characters in Gatsby’s world to disentangle different kinds of value: In particular, do the social conventions and self-understandings of the main characters allow them to disentangle the material value associated with economic wealth, the value attributed to a human object of desire, the aesthetic value of a beautiful object, and the moral values by which one assesses a person’s character? Why, if it all, does this matter?

7. An intriguing exchange between Nick and Gatsby takes place near the end of Chapter Six: “I wouldn’t ask too much of her,” Nick says “You can’t repeat the past.” “Can’t repeat the past?”  Gatsby cries out. “Why of course you can!” (p. 110). How does the past impinge upon the present in the lives of both Nick and Gatsby? Should we see Gatsby as eccentric in his view that one can not merely repeat, but change, the past by starting over?

8. "There must have been moments even that afternoon when Daisy tumbled short of his dreams--not through her own fault but because of the colossal vitality of his illusion."  What does Nick mean by this?

9. Is Fitzgerald writing a love story that embraces American ideals, or a satire that comments on American ideals? Have students refer to passages and quotes to build a thesis.

Turnitin.com

Hi folks,

So, this is a double test for everyone in the class - I am testing people to see how often they come to the blog, but also, whether or not they listen to me.

So, in preparation of handing in your essays on Thursday, I am having all of you register for Turnitin.com.

Go to www.turnitin.com and create a profile.  Once it asks you to give a class ID, you will give it this number: 7880546

You will then need to give a password - here is the test to see if you have been listening - the password is the city in which my favourite sports team plays - all lower case.  I can't wait to see how many of you are actually able to join the class.

I will help anybody else on Tuesday, but for now, good luck.

"The Mousetrap" - Aspects of the Play-within-a-Play

It is a Failure!
It is obvious that through the staging of "The Mousetrap" Hamlet wishes to discover whether Claudius, in fact, did murder his father.  The result, however, can only be classified as a failure.  It can be said that Claudius rose from his chair and thus revealing his guilt, but, come on, seriously?  Can we really condemn a guy for simply rising in his chair?

So, is it a success?  No.  All that we learn from this play-within-a-play is that Hamlet is, for lack of a better term, a disrespectful jerk.  He does not stop making a spectacle of himself during the entire scene.  He yells things at the stage.  He says lots of rather inappropriate things to Ophelia.  He is malicious and disparaging to his own mother, and basically, rather than letting the play unfold, he hints to Claudius what is actually going on.  The original plan was to catch the King's conscience through the play.  Instead, the focus becomes Hamlet's behaviour.  And what does this result in?  The people of Denmark are concerned about Hamlet, NOT the king.

Art Contrasting with Life
It is no coincidence that Hamlet chose The Murder of Gonzago to be the play that is shown at court.  A king with an apparently devoted wife who is murdered, while asleep in his garden, by a relative who pours poison in his ears, and wins the love of the queen by giving her gifts.  However, Hamlet does not see it simply this way.  Not only does he want to use it to catch Claudius (see above), but he also seemingly uses it to insult his mother.  There is no denying that Gertrude did marry quite quickly after her husband had died...and to her brother (legally, not biologically).  What we mustn't forget, however, is the fact that she is a woman, and her choices would be limited.  It was not uncommon back in those days for a new king to "dispose" of any potential nuisances.  So Gertrude, ultimately, is playing it safe.  Which brings us to the Player Queen, who shows her devotion to her husband with many quotes of affection like

"Oh confound the rest!
Such love must be treason in my breast.
In second husband let me accursed!
None wed the second but who killed the first."  (3.2.365-368)

Bold words, and for Hamlet, they are harsh.  Poor Gertrude, as we can safely assume that she had nothing to do with Old Hamlet's death, yet is being placed in the same column as Claudius.  Her opinion of the play, when challenged by Hamlet, is met with more curses and derision from her son.  But, ultimately, despite us feeling bad for Gertrude in some respect, the words spoken between the Player King and the Player Queen are "wormwood" as they are very much the opposite of what Gertrude and Old Hamlet are.  But, as said earlier, who's fault is that?

The Play-within-a-Play changes the Play
A bit of a mouthful, but, here is the question?  Why?  Why would Shakespeare do this?  Starting at the end of Act II, with the arrival of the players, the next couple of scenes are literally a sideshow.  The Players do not further the plot, nor is there any plot whatsoever.  It is metatheatre, and whether Shakespeare was getting paid by the word for this one, it is a widely entertaining but utterly unnecessary section of the play.  Basically, with the players, Shakespeare is presenting his opinion towards theatre and how actors should act.  Good info for a drama class, but do not forget the audience he was writing this for.  It, in many ways, is just out of place.

Life is a Stage
But, at the same time, it can be seen as some philosophical thought from Shakespeare.  Shakespeare was likely a subscriber to the idea "Life is all a stage, and we are actors on this stage."  Similar to the Walt Whitman and now iPad line "That you are here - that life exists and identity, that the powerful play goes on, and you may contribute a verse."  So, with Shakespeare exploring these ideas, he combines drama with life, leading us to look at our own life as that of an actor.  In what ways is life like a stage?  What verse will you contribute?

Test Format

As a reminder, here is the format of the test for tomorrow:

Part A - 6 Multiple Choice Questions

Part B - 3 Short Answer Analytical Questions

Part C - Passage Analysis

With Part C, there will be four aspects you will need to look at when analyzing the passage - Plot, Character Development, Language, and Theme.

Good Luck!  Keep Checking the Blog

Hamlet Review - Post 2

Continuing on with our review, this post will look at the character Fortinbras.

Fortinbras, the nephew of the King of Norway, a prince, "delicate and tender," but spirited and ambitious, forms a contrast to both Hamlet and Horatio. He is a man of action, and is never happy unless engaged in "some enterprise that hath a stomach in it." Being, as Horatio says, "Of unimproved metal hot and full," he engages in martial enterprises merely for the sake of fighting. He furnishes Hamlet an example which he is quick to admire, but powerless to follow. "Examples gross as earth, exhort me," says Hamlet,

Witness this army, of such mass and charge,
Led by a delicate and tender prince;
Whose spirit, with divine ambition puff'd,
Makes mouths at the invisible event;
Exposing what is mortal, and unsure,
To all that fortune, death, and danger dare,
Even for an egg-shell. -- IV. iv. 46.

Like every other young man in this play, Fortinbras has a serious case of daddy issues. His dad Old Fortinbras, former King of Norway, made a bet with Old Hamlet and wound up losing his life and some important Norwegian territory in the process. Naturally, young Fortinbras now has to reclaim the land his father lost.

Sound familiar? Of course. But while Hamlet sits around contemplating life and death, Fortinbras takes immediate action by raising an army to reclaim Norway's lost territories. Though his uncle (the current king of Norway) at first convinces Fortinbras not to attack Denmark, in the end, prince Fortinbras helps himself to the Danish throne.

Behind the stories of both Fortinbras and Hamlet is the question of why their uncles are wearing the crowns that should, in the normal pattern of who-gets-to-be-king, go to them (the sons). Fortinbras deals by going out and conquering other countries; Hamlet, in contrast, only mentions the fact that Claudius has "popped in between the election and [his] hopes" (in other words, his hopes of becoming the King of Denmark). He distracts himself with thinking, not with conquering.

Our prince compares himself explicitly to Fortinbras when he passes Fortinbras's armies in the fields and he sees Fortinbras as a model for how he should behave. "To be great / is not to stir without great argument / but greatly to find quarrel in a straw / when honor's at the stake" (4.4.52-55). In other words, Hamlet realizes that Fortinbras doesn't have very good reasons for leading an army against Poland —but reasons don't really matter. Great men don't need a reason to preserve their family's honor. Fortinbras, like Laertes, is an example of action with little thought —precisely the opposite of Hamlet.

Our question: why is Fortinbras successful while Laertes isn't? (Maybe because he's not in love with his sister? Just saying.

Adapted from shakespeare-online.com & shmoop.com

Hamlet Review - Post 1

Hi folks,

With the Hamlet test coming on Thursday the 27th, it is important that you are prepared.  Today, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, there will be a few posts to help you focus your studies towards the actual test.  The following are some of things you should be reviewing.

1.) The "Rotten State" of Denmark

Denmark was not always rotten, as Prince Hamlet makes it clear that his father was a god-like figure when he was king.  Under the "satyr" like king, Claudius, Denmark has fallen into a state of corruption.  The second scene of the play makes it clear that it is the weak and corrupt condition of Denmark under Claudius that affords occasion for the warlike activities of Fortinbras. From the beginning of the play Hamlet has had suspicions, which are gradually confirmed as the plot develops, that Claudius has exerted a very evil influence upon the country.  From buying off Norway, rather than fight them, to allowing characters like Osiric to sit at the royal table, to performing the ancient and forgotten custom of drinking glass after glass of wine to sounds of drums and trumpets, Denmark has become a debauched place.  Consider these ideas, should a question come up on the test.

2.) Yorick

Alas, poor Yorick...he is dead.  Judging by Hamlet's reaction to the remains of the former jester, he clearly wasn't always doom and gloom like he is for the vast majority of the play.  Yorick brought great happiness to Hamlet in his childhood, and his fonder memories spring up while gazing upon the jester's chapless skull.  It helps Hamlet to realize that whether you are the highest king or the lowliest of servant, everyone ends up in the same spot - in the ground, eventually turning into dust.  To a lesser extent, there is a bit of dark comedy here.  You have a focus on the deceased court jester, the gravediggers  are clowns, and there is a whole amusing discussion as to the nature of suicide and accidental death.  The whole scene gives us a comical reminder that death can be amusing because we fear it so much, yet we do not understand it.

More to come later

Most Recent Handouts

Here are the most recent handouts if any of you have missed class - the second one will NOT be distributed in class but rather, it is up to you to download it and/or print it.

Culminating Activity

Structure of a Shakespeare Tragedy

Discussion Question for Today's Class

Today, we will be discussing a little more focused aspect of Act IV and technically, the play as a whole after finishing Act V (which we will watch all at once)

1.) Discuss the aspects and roles of the characters who can be seen as the agents of corruption and agents of truth in the Court of Denmark

2.) After the Gravedigger Scene, how has Hamlet's understanding of death changed?  What is his new outlook towards life and death?  How does he feel about this?

Looking forward to seeing all of you after our week off.

Flowers from Ophelia

Whether in the distribution of flowers to the members of the court, Ophelia gave them out as they came to hand, or whether she chose a particular flower suitable to each person, is open to conjecture; neither in the text, nor by any stage direction has the Poet left us any certainty. By a long established custom, however, which has become a fixed stage tradition, Ophelia assigns rosemary to Hamlet, who is present to her imagination; she gives pansies to Laertes; fennel and columbines to Claudius; and rue to the Queen and herself.

When the mind is unsettled, it is usual for some idea to recur which has been introduced at a critical period of one's life. Now when Laertes was warning Ophelia against encouraging the attentions of Hamlet, he urged her to consider them as trifling, and his love but a violet in the youth of primy nature. These words, imprinted on her mind in association with the idea of Hamlet and her brother, are now recalled when she again converses with her brother on the same unhappy subject. Violets represent faithfulness, and they all withered, when her lover by the slaying of her father, had interposed a final obstacle to her union with him.

The language of flowers is very ancient, and was to Ophelia, like to most young maidens, a fond subject of study. Rosemary is emblematic of remembrance, and was distributed and worn at weddings, as well as at funerals. The pansy is a symbol of thought, of pensiveness, and of grief. The daisy represents faithlessness and dissembling. Fennel designates flattery, or cajolery and deceit; and columbine, ingratitude; and these two flowers Ophelia befittingly presents to the guileful and faithless Claudius. Rue is a bitter plant with medicinal qualities, and was in folk lore a symbol of repentance. She calls it "an herb of grace on Sundays;" because the wearer when entering a church on that day, dipped his rue in Holy Water, which always stood within the portals, and blessed himself with it, in the hope of obtaining God's "grace" or mercy. "There's rue for you," she says to the Queen, and "here's some for me." The Queen, however, is to wear hers with a difference, that is, in token of repentance, while she will wear it in regret and grief at the loss of her father and her lover. In the distribution, the demented maiden is seen naively but unwittingly to choose the flower most suited to each person.

Adapted From Blackmore, Simon Augustine. The Riddles of Hamlet. Boston: Stratford & Company, 1917.

A Couple of Administrative Items

First of all, there are a few of you who have not handed into me the Analytical Paragraph Assignment - I will be talking to you tonight in class.  If you can't find the article, or the actual assignment, I have posted them in the HANDOUTS link (click the word to access it).

As well, this blog is about to become even more important.  I am going to be putting occasional discussion questions, which you are to bring to the next class.  I will not be starting that today as it is near the beginning of class, but be prepared for Thursday's class - consider it a test of your dedication to the blog!

Hamlet Themes & Thematic Topics

Themes and Thematic Topics to be considered for Hamlet are as follows and are in no particular order.

1.) Appearance vs. Reality
2.) Insanity as a ploy - is Hamlet really mad? - your opinion may change as the play continues
3.) Revenge
4.) The question of taking action - consider the Calvin & Hobbes cartoon from earlier
5.) Metatheatre - Shakespeare uses this to present his opinions towards acting and the stage
6.) Sexual innuendo
7.) The Personification of the State of Denmark - and the state is VERY sick
8.) Imagery of Corruption and Disease

Hope this helps!

Analysis of Hamlet's First Soliloquy

I wanted to talk a little more about the first soliloquy last night but had to judge the time accordingly.  While not as famous as Hamlet's "To be or not to be..." soliloquy, this soliloquy sets the stage for the entirety of Hamlet's character.  Please take a look at the analysis below and hopefully it will help you understand it further.

Act I, Scene II - Hamlet's First Soliloquy

Hamlet's passionate first soliloquy provides a striking contrast to the controlled and artificial dialogue that he must exchange with Claudius and his court. The primary function of the soliloquy is to reveal to the audience Hamlet's profound melancholia and the reasons for his despair. In a disjointed outpouring of disgust, anger, sorrow, and grief, Hamlet explains that, without exception, everything in his world is either futile or contemptible. His speech is saturated with suggestions of rot and corruption, as seen in the basic usage of words like "rank" (138) and "gross" (138), and in the metaphor associating the world with "an unweeded garden" (137). The nature of his grief is soon exposed, as we learn that his mother, Gertrude, has married her own brother-in-law only two months after the death of Hamlet's father. Hamlet is tormented by images of Gertrude's tender affections toward his father, believing that her display of love was a pretense to satisfy her own lust and greed. Hamlet even negates Gertrude's initial grief over the loss of her husband. She cried "unrighteous tears" (156) because the sorrow she expressed was insincere, belied by her reprehensible conduct. 

Notice Shakespeare's use of juxtaposition and contrast to enhance Hamlet's feelings of contempt, disgust, and inadequacy. "The counterpointing between things divine and things earthly or profane is apparent from the opening sentence of the soliloquy, in which Hamlet expresses his anguished sense of being captive to his flesh. His desire for dissolution into dew, an impermanent substance, is expressive of his desire to escape from the corporality into a process suggestive of spiritual release. Immediately juxtaposed to this notion, and standing in contrast to "flesh", is his reference to the "Everlasting", the spiritual term for the duality. Paradoxically, in his aversion from the flesh, his body must seem to him to possess a state of permanence, closer to something everlasting than to the ephemeral nature of the dew he yearns to become" (Newell 35). 

Another striking juxtaposition in the soliloquy is Hamlet's use of Hyperion and a satyr to denote his father and his uncle, respectively. Hyperion, the Titan god of light, represents honor, virtue, and regality -- all traits belonging to Hamlet's father, the true King of Denmark. Satyrs, the half-human and half-beast companions of the wine-god Dionysus, represent lasciviousness and overindulgence, much like Hamlet's usurping uncle Claudius. It is no wonder, then, that Hamlet develops a disgust for, not only Claudius the man, but all of the behaviours and excesses associated with Claudius. In other passages from the play we see that Hamlet has begun to find revelry of any kind unacceptable, and, in particular, he loathes drinking and sensual dancing.

A final important contrast in the soliloquy is seen in Hamlet's self-depreciating comment "but no more like my father/Than I to Hercules" (154-55). Although Hamlet's comparison of himself to the courageous Greek hero could be devoid of any deeper significance, it is more likely that the remark indicates Hamlet's developing lack of self worth -- a theme that will become the focus of his next soliloquy. 

Mabillard, Amanda. Hamlet Soliloquy Analysis. Shakespeare Online. 20 Aug. 2000. 

I'm Back!

My apologies for this blog going silent for the last week and a bit, but now, the blog is going to be going with full force.

First of all, tonight's schedule will be as follows.  Tonight, we start Hamlet.  We will first be looking at a little bit of background of the play and its characters as well as delving in deep behind some of the bigger meanings of the play.  We will be looking at the differences between the Great Chain of Being, the Medieval Cosmos, and Existentialism.  All has its place with Hamlet, but try not to feel too overwhelmed.  Then, we'll be looking closely at the opening line of the play - "Who's There?"  It has far more meaning than its initial connotation.  Then, we will be studying Act I of the play.

Scroll down to find a couple of the handouts plus a little bit of Hamlet & Shakespeare fun.

Looking forward to seeing all of you tonight -- we have a lot we need to do, so please come prepared to learn.

February 25th Handouts

Here are a couple of tonight's handouts.  More to come later.

What is Existentialism?

Who's There?

Hamlet and Calvin & Hobbes

How does this relate to Hamlet?

God Save the Queen

This is jumping ahead in the play a little, but I want you to save this idea for later.  Consider this song in relationship with the themes of the play - corruption of the state, existentialism, who's there, etc.

Also...if you like punk rock (and I mean proper, original punk rock, you will enjoy this)

Helplessness Blues

Along with the earlier post, this song by the Fleet Foxes goes very well with the feelings that Hamlet conveys throughout the first half of the play.

"Helplessness Blues" - Fleet Foxes

The Last Rites of the Bokononist Faith

Kurt Vonnegut (1922-2007) was a great American writer who was famous for his satire and his critical pacifism.  In one of his more famous works, Cat's Cradle, he included the concept of The Last Rites of the Bokononist Faith.  I have included it in the blog as a lot of the ideas that come from it fit with the mood and opinion of young Prince Hamlet.  See what you think.

The Last Rites of the Bokononist Faith

Kurt Vonnegut

“God made mud.

God got lonesome.

So God said to some of the mud, “Sit up!”

“See all I’ve made,” said God, “the hills, the sea, the sky, the stars.”

And I was some of the mud that got to sit up and look around.

Lucky me, lucky mud.

I, mud, sat up and saw what a nice job God had done.

Nice going, God.

Nobody but you could have done it, God! I certainly couldn’t have.

I feel very unimportant compared to You.

The only way I can feel the least bit important is to think of all the mud

that didn’t even get to sit up and look around.

I got so much, and most mud got so little.

Thank you for the honor!

Now mud lies down again and goes to sleep.

What memories for mud to have!

What interesting other kinds of sitting-up mud I met!

I loved everything I saw!

Good night.”

Thank you to Jack Ecker for the inspiration of this post & beforeitsnews.com for the source & picture

First Day Handouts

Hi everyone

With the exception of the handout Writing a Good Sentence, I have uploaded all of the other documents that I handed out on Tuesday.  If you ever lose them, please feel free to click on the link and download the file.

Course Profile

Harold Bloom Handout

Preface to the Picture of Dorian Gray

Sentence Presentations Assignment

Sentence Presentations Rubric

Welcome to the Blog

Greetings everyone!  Welcome to the Grade 12 University English Blog at CTS Night School.  The goal of this blog is for to help students further their studies in the course.  There will be semi-regular postings of little tidbits, advice and further ideas to help as we move through this course.  As well, I will post schedules and handouts (when possible) to further help make this course run smoothly.

Enjoy!