Welcome to the AP Language and Composition summer reading blog. This site will provide us with a forum for invigorating discussions of In Cold Blood.  All articles and comments must be posted by midnight on August 1st, 2007.  If you have any questions or suggestions about the assignments, please contact me at jrobinson@chs.carteret.k12.nc.us. Enjoy!

Getting Started

Step 1: Go to http://wordpress.com/

Step 2: Set up a cool blog. The blog that is linked to my page should only contain work related directly to my class. You can get other blog sites under the same account on wordpress to use for non-class writings. It is not sufficient to separate your classwork from your personal writing on different pages of the same site: you must have one website solely for your work in this course.

Step 3: Email me your blog’s URL and the name by which you would like to be identified on my blogroll. I will not know that your blog exists if you do not do this crucial step!

Step 4: Add me and your classmates to your own blogroll.

Step 5: Publish amazing work.

Step 6: Put on blog crown and do happy dance (see figure 1).

Directions: In Cold Blood Discussions

You will write three responses to the novel: two from the “analytical” section and one from the “argumentative” section. You may substitute one of the analytical articles with an expository article if you wish. If you feel inspired to write more than 3 articles, go for it. Each should be thoughtful, stylistically pleasing, meticulously edited, formatted using MLA style, and at least 200 words. If you are unfamiliar with MLA style, use this link as a guide: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/557/01/.

You will also comment on at least 3 articles. Comments should be academically based responses to one of your peer’s articles. Your response may indicate that you agree, disagree, or would like to qualify or add to another person’s article. It is extremely important that you recognize the difference between academic debate and rudeness. It’s ok for you to disagree; it is not ok for you to make anyone feel like less of a person because her opinions are different than yours. True academics do not criticize; they do not resort to a condemnation of the opponent’s intelligence, integrity, or sanity. Skilled rhetoricians know that, often, the best way to win an argument is to find some common ground and proceed from there. The purpose of this blog is to create a space in which you can carry on intelligent discussions with your peers, not only to enhance your understanding of the text, but also to improve your skills in communicating in an academic forum. If your skills in this area are lacking, I will help you learn by giving you a warning and then bringing my torrential fury upon you and your GPA. All articles and comments must be posted by August 1, 2007.

Analytical Article Topics

Style

Syntax: Capote is known for his elaborate sentence structure and use of parallelism. Pick a paragraph in which Capote’s syntax is especially impressive and write an analysis explaining why his sentence structure is effective.

Allusions: In Cold Blood is rich in allusions. For example, in the beginning of the book, as Capote describes the Kansas farmland, he writes: “The land is flat, and the views are awesomely extensive; horses, herds of cattle, a white cluster of grain elevators rising as gracefully as Greek temples are visible long before a traveler reaches them” (3). This allusion brings to mind the great accomplishments—and eventual downfall—of Greek civilization, perhaps most significantly its dramatic tragedies, in which the crimes of the individual pollute the entire state (think Antigone and Oedipus Rex). As you read, be careful to note the use of allusions. In your article, analyze the effect and significance of one of more allusions in the book.

Character Development

Capote carefully depicts the personalities of secondary characters, such as Al Dewey. Why do you think he does this and what do these detailed portraits add to the book? Which of the secondary characters do you find most memorable and why?

What techniques does Capote use to characterize the killers? Does he make you feel sympathetic toward Dick or Perry?

Tone

Is Capote an objective or subjective narrator? As you explain your answer, be sure to include your definitions of “objective” and “subjective,” as well as ample evidence from the book for support.

Setting

Describe Holcomb. In what ways is it an ordinary town? In what ways is it different? How does it compare to familiar towns in Carteret County? Why does the author spend so much time describing the town?

How does the description of the jail at the beginning of Part IV contribute to the development of the novel?

Plot / Structure

How does Capote build suspense despite the fact that readers know the ultimate outcome from the beginning of In Cold Blood?

What is the effect of the author’s use of montage (repeatedly switching back-and-forth between Holcomb and the approaching killers)?

Capote recounts the story in a certain order, beginning with the day of the murder, and proceeding to the discovery of the bodies, the investigation of the crime and capture of the criminals, and the trial and execution. At what point does Capote depict the murder scene? How does he work Perry’s and Dick’s backgrounds into the narrative? Think of alternative plot structures that Capote could have used, and analyze why you think Capote structures the events as he does.

Theme

What is the theme of this novel?

Expository / Research-Based Article Topics

Genre

Capote is credited with originating the “nonfiction novel” with In Cold Blood. What is the nonfiction novel, and how is its creation significant? Be sure to cite your sources for this question.

Prologue

Who is Francois Villon? From what text are the four lines borrowed? Find at least 2 translations of these lines. Which one of the two do you prefer? Why? Why does Capote use these specific lines, from this specific poet, for this book?

Links

Read and respond to one of the articles on this fascinating website: http://www.ljworld.com/specials/incoldblood/. If you find another website or article about Capote or In Cold Blood, you may use that as well.

Argumentative Article Topics

Does Dick deserve the death penalty? Does Perry? Does anyone? You must use evidence from the book to support your answer; you may use outside resources as well, as long as you provide appropriate citations in MLA format.

Truman Capote said “timeliness” was important to writing great journalism. He said, “[Y]ou want to be reasonably certain that the material not soon date.” Forty years after In Cold Blood’s first publication, does the book still possess an element of “timeliness”?

Which is more important: nature or nurture? You must use evidence from the book to support your answer; you may use outside resources as well, as long as you provide appropriate citations in MLA format.

Assessment

You will be graded using a rubric, which you can access by via this link: Blog Rubric.   Remember, all articles and comments are due by August 1, 2007.  5 points will be deducted from your grade for every day that your assignment is late.