First Reading Assignment - English 1B (Fall 2016 - Day 1)

Greetings class. This semester, I will be using this blog a(s well as out D2L page) to record supplemental course information. Occasionally I will post helpful links and articles. I also might share some of my thoughts on the literature, but I'll try to keep my ramblings to a minimum.

Normally, we will be reading stories, plays, and poems from The Seagull Reader:

 

It's a three-book collection containing the following volumes:

 

However, because many of you might still be scrambling to get these textbooks, the first reading assignment will be a pair of stories you can read online.

Here are the links to each story:

Story #1: "The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson


Story #2: "The Necklace" by Guy de Maupassant


As you read each work of fiction, ask yourself the following questions:

What is the conflict of the story? (Or -- Is there tension in the story? What is the source of the tension?)

What do I think is going to happen? (What are my expectations?)

Do I feel sympathy for these characters? (Why / why not?)

What happens at the end? (How do I feel about the ending?)

Feel free to use your journal to record your thoughts. We will discuss your responses to the story on Monday, August 22nd. There will probably be a quiz on one or both stories.