Catholic Schoolhouse - Year 2 Rhetoric At Home
Integrated Grammar, Writing, and Literature Study
By Julie Keller
Quarter 4
Week 19
Literature
Literary Devices and Figurative Language Flashcards: Create a study card for
satire. Create a separate one for estate satire. The Canterbury Tales is one example
of estate satire, find at least two others and list them. Also create cards for frame
story and elegy.
Additional Literature: The elegiac mood is very common in Old English literature.
As you have just finished reading Beowulf prior to this week, read The Wanderer. (A
fairly good translation that is side by side with Old English can be found here:
www.anglo-saxons.net/hwaet/?do=get&type=text&id=Wdr#line92.1) It is unique
in the sense that it is a Christian poem that employs the pagan imagery of the early
Anglo-Saxons. The wanderer has lost his lord, his companions, and his mead hall.
How are these themes similar to Beowulf. From reading these two works, describe
the world of the Anglo-Saxon.
Word Study
Define the Great Vowel Shift. Why is it important to our study of Middle English and
our understanding of Modern English? Why do you think it happened? How does
this shift affect spelling?
Poetry
Although The Wanderer could hardly be considered poetry, it and Beowulf both aid in
ushering in the age of the popular ballad. A ballad is poem that tells a story that is often
set to music. Wandering minstrels would use this technique to entertain the public and
make their money. Books were limited, and many people were illiterate. Ballads
provided them with the entertainment for which we often turn to television. This week
we analyze a traditional ballad. Read “Lord Randall,” included in the appendix. What is
the plot of this story? What has happened to Lord Randall? Why do you think the
writer uses repetition? How would this repetition help in understanding oral tradition?
After you read, try to find some modern ballads. These are usually songs today. Include
one example of a modern ballad in your notebook and share it with your family and
friends.
Your turn: After looking at the modern ballad, write your own ballad. If you are musically
inclined, set it to a simple tune.
Grammar
Review the use of commas and semicolons. What is the oxford comma? What is
your opinion of the oxford comma? Practice writing some complex sentences that
use both of these elements to join independent clauses. Then diagram these
sentences.
Week 20
Literature
Literary Devices and Figurative Language Flashcards: Create cards for rhyming
couplet, eye rhyme, and caesura. Find some examples in The Canterbury Tales. Why
is eye rhyme important for a translator?
Additional Literature: Read a translation of The Dream of the Rood. This is
possibly one the finest religious poems in Old English.
https://www.gutenberg.org/files/15879/15879-h/15879-h.htm
What part does personification play in this poem? How does this figurative
device help to increase the spiritual impact of the poem? Additionally, search for a
original text version to see Old English and how the poem originally had the caesura.
Word Study
Research how spelling became standardized. How was this important for the English
language?
Poetry
Along with ballads, another popular form of poetry is the sonnet. The sonnet relies heavily
on a structured rhyme scheme and meter. Usually when students think of the sonnet
they immediately think of Shakespeare. Shakespeare’s sonnets. Shakespeare utilizes
iambic pentameter (five feet of stressed and unstressed syllables) for his meter and
employs an ABAB CDCD EFEF GG rhyme scheme that concludes with a rhyming couplet.
First, choose your favorite Shakespearean sonnet and include it in your notebook. Note
the rhyme scheme down the side and scan at least one of the lines for the meter. Here’s
an example of scanning:
x
/ x / x
/ x /
x /
When forty winters shall besiege thy brow,
The “x” represents the stressed syllable and the “/” represents the unstressed syllable.
Your turn: A Shakespearean sonnet stays focused on one single image or idea and then
uses the rhyming couplet to sum up the general idea of entire poem. Choose one single
image and then write your own sonnet. Make sure you maintain the meter (limiting
your syllables) and the rhyme scheme. Copy it on to mixed media paper (or card stock)
and add some embellishment or illustration for it.
Grammar
In Quarter 1 we looked at gerunds. Two other verbals are participles and infinitives.
In your grammar notebook, define these phrases and their parts of speech. Write
complex sentences using these parts of speech and diagram those sentences
correctly.
Week 21
Literature
Literary Devices and Figurative Language Flashcards: Create cards rhyming
Literary Devices and Figurative Language Flashcards: Create a card for
alliteration. Are there examples in The Canterbury Tales? Return to The Illiad and
Beowulf. Can you find examples there? Create a card for hyperbole. How does this
device relate to satire?
Additional Literature: Dante’s Divine Comedy is an epic that all students of
classical literature should at very least be familiar with. For the next two weeks,
read at least the complete Paradiso. The Inferno is often assigned in college while
Purgatio and Paradiso are overlooked even though they provide a great insight into
Dante and Catholic faith. If you would like to further challenge yourself, read the
entire epic. How does Dante relate to Chaucer? How do Chaucer and Dante
demonstrate the pitfalls of the Seven Deadly sins? How does Dante’s paradise relate
to our modern interpretation of Heaven? (I strongly encourage you to purchase a
copy of the Divine Comedy in order to be able to dialogue with the text and make
notations in the margins. While you could download a free version from different
places or put one on your Kindle, a hard copy would be easier for reference.)
Word Study
Research the Latin grammarian Priscian. What was his contribution to the study of
Latin? If one agrees that the only constant thing about language is that it is always
changing, how would a work like Priscian’s have effectively killed the Latin
language? In other words, how does a language die? How does it remain living?
Poetry
In Week 20, we discussed how Shakespeare focused on one single image. In the 20th
century, a group of poets called the Imagists also stressed focusing on one single image.
They wanted to pair down the words to the fewest they could in order to express their
thoughts vividly. You may have read one by Ezra Pound that is only one sentence long!
Has this concept become the new poetry? Consider for a moment Twitter or even
Instagram. Even if you don’t use those sites, I am certain you are familiar with the limit
of the number of characters of convey a thought. For your notebook, find an Imagist
poem that you like. William Carlos Williams, Carl Sandburg, and Ezra Pound are all
excellent author to include. Then, write a one paragraph argument either defending
these as poems or arguing that they are not poems. In other words, what is your
personal definition of poetry?
Your turn: Write your own Imagist poem. Try to limit it to 140 characters.
Grammar
In your grammar notebook, define transitive and intransitive verbs. Each of those
verbs should have two sub-headings. What are they? Continue practicing
diagramming using sentences with all for types of transitive or intransitive verbs.
(Keep in mind that the passive voice, mentioned at this point, should be avoided in
formal writing).
Week 22
Literature
Literary Devices and Figurative Language Flashcards: Create study cards for
ballad, lyric poetry, and assonance. Remember to provide examples.
Additional Literature: Complete your reading of The Divine Comedy. How is
Paradiso an allegory? What does Beatrice represent? What can we learn about
early Medieval religious thought from whom Dante includes in the Paradiso?
Word Study
Is English an inflected language? What does this mean? Identify languages that are
more inflected than English.
Poetry
We have discussed one type of sonnet. The other popular sonnet is the Petrarchan sonnet.
This fourteen line sonnet is composed of an octave (8 lines) and a sestet (6 lines). The
octave and sestet generally work in counterpoint. Examine the following sonnet:
ON LAURA DANGEROUSLY ILL by Petrarch
That graceful soul, in mercy call'd away
Before her time to bid the world farewell,
If welcomed as she ought in the realms of day,
In heaven's most blessèd regions sure shall dwell.
There between Mars and Venus if she stay,
Her sight the brightness of the sun will quell,
Because, her infinite beauty to survey,
The spirits of the blest will round her swell.
If she decide upon the fourth fair nest Each of the three to dwindle will begin,
And she alone the fame of beauty win,
Nor e'en in the fifth circle may she rest;
Thence higher if she soar, I surely trust
Jove with all other stars in darkness will be thrust.
http://www.gutenberg.org/files/17650/17650-h/17650-h.htm
How do the first 8 lines counter the final 6? How does an Italian (Petrarchan) sonnet differ
from an Elizabethan (Shakespearean) sonnet? Which sonnet form do you prefer?
Your turn: Write your own Italian/Petrarchan sonnet.
Grammar
Define a sentence fragment. Identify two ways that one can correct a sentence
fragment. How can understanding diagramming help identify sentence fragments in
our own writing?
Week 23
Literature
Literary Devices and Figurative Language Flashcards: Create cards for quatrain,
sestet, and octave.
Additional Literature: Research and read a mystery play or cycle play. Discuss
the following with your fellow students and/or family: Why were these plays a
popular way to bring the ideas of religion to the lower classes? While they made use
of rough humor, the messages of these plays were always very didactic. How do you
think these plays influenced the development of Elizabethan theater?
Word Study

What is the Oxford English Dictionary? Pick a word and look it up in this
dictionary. What elements does this dictionary tell us about individual
words?
Poetry
By this time, you are probably aware of an acrostic poem. This poem, if one reads down the
first letters of each line, spells a word, usually related to the theme of the poem. As this
school year draws to a close, look back over your readings and choose your favorite
character that you have encountered. Write an acrostic poem that illustrates your
understanding and opinion of that character.
Your turn: Write a final draft of your acrostic and include it in your notebook.
Grammar
Define a run-on sentence. Identify methods that are useful in correcting this
grammatical error.
Week 24
Literature
Literary Devices and Figurative Language Flashcards: Create a card for irony.
What are three types of irony? Provide examples.
Additional Literature: Read St. Francis’s “Canitcle of the Sun” and the “Letter to all
the Faithful”. How does St. Francis address some of the issues brought to light in
Chaucer?
Word Study
What is the Indo-European language and why is it important for the study of
linguistics? Record in your notebook the family tree for Modern English.
Poetry
While “Canticle of the Sun” is a song, it is also a poem. This poem is written in free verse. In
other words, it doesn’t follow a set rhyme scheme and can, at times, break its rhythm.
This free verse poem has become a hymn that we sing at Mass.
Your turn: Write at least one of your own free verse poems. If you enjoy writing, poetry,
keep going and start a journal. Share your poems with your family or attend an open
mic poetry session.
Grammar
Using all that we have learned this year, write 10 complex sentences, two of which
should be either fragments or run-ons. Switch papers with a family member or a
classmate. Diagram and correct these sentences.
Appendix
Lord Randall
The ballad below is taken from a collection of ballads edited by Francis James Child,
The English and Scottish Popular Ballads. The entire collection is available through
Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org/files/44969/44969-h/44969h.htm#Ballad_12) The poem is written in Scots; however, most words are easily
recognizable. The word “have” has been clipped to “hae” and “with” to “wi.”
Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border, 1803, III, 292.
1 'O where hae ye been, Lord Randal, my son?
O where hae ye been, my handsome young man?'
'I hae been to the wild wood; mother, make my bed soon,
For I'm weary wi hunting, and fain wald lie down.'
2 'Where gat ye your dinner, Lord Randal, my son?
Where gat ye your dinner, my handsome young man?'
'I din'd wi my true-love; mother, make my bed soon,
For I'm weary wi hunting, and fain wald lie down.'
3 'What gat ye to your dinner, Lord Randal, my son?
What gat ye to your dinner, my handsome young man?'
'I gat eels boild in broo; mother, make my bed soon,
For I'm weary wi hunting, and fain wald lie down.'
4 'What became of your bloodhounds, Lord Randal, my son?
What became of your bloodhounds, my handsome young man?'
'O they swelld and they died; mother, make my bed soon,
For I'm weary wi hunting, and fain wald lie down.'
5 'O I fear ye are poisond, Lord Randal, my son!
O I fear ye are poisond, my handsome young man!'
'O yes! I am poisond; mother, make my bed soon,
For I'm sick at the heart, and I fain wald lie down.'