"Words are, of course, the most powerful drug used by mankind." -Rudyard Kipling
So true...the power of words is addicting. Whether writing or reading them, if we stop to consider the impact words can have, the insights author's philosophies can provide us, we can either succumb to popular thought, or use it to fuel our own philosophies and outlooks on life. Literature teaches us that the human condition is amazingly fragile, incredibly resilient, and consists of millions of possibilities.
Literature is like a mirror, it allows us to connect to characters like and unlike ourselves. Words enable us, when we need to, escape reality or make perfect sense of it.
According to Jim Burke, you can't expect to succeed on assignments if you do not first understand the directions...the following academic word list is organized by parts of speech in order to distinguish between what you are reading, and what you are required to do.
While studying, work at becoming more familiar with the various derivations (the verb, noun, adjective and adverb forms + variants) for the word families given.
Take a moment to click on the photo of each author that we will be studying in class for a more in-depth biography!
John Steinbeck
"I am impelled, not to squeak like a grateful and apologetic mouse, but to roar like a lion out of pride in my profession."
Sandra Cisneros
"Revenge only engenders violence, not clarity and true peace. I think liberation must come from within."
Harper Lee
"Until I feared I would lose it, I never loved to read. One does not love breathing."
Gary Soto
“It appears these days I don't have much of a life because my nose is often stuck in a book. But I discovered that reading builds a life inside the mind.”
William Shakespeare
"I would challenge you to a battle of wits, but I see you are unarmed!"
Homer
"Hateful to me as the gates of Hades is that man who hides one thing in his heart and speaks another."
Ernest Hemingway
"I love sleep. My life has the tendency to fall apart when I'm awake, you know?"