WizIQ discussion 1

In our discussion on Friday, we noted three important themes: 1) generativity of the soil and the stranger in the strange land; 2) tragic fatalism of the South and providential curses; 3) predatory masculinity. These themes manifested themselves in the four anchor passages that we reviewed: 1) Rosa's narration of the founding of Sutpen's Hundred on pp.1 and 2; 2) Coldfield's meeting with Sutpen in church pp.16-17; 3) Ellen's marriage to Sutpen pp.38-44; 4)Henry and Bon in New Orleans pp.86-97.

For tonight's discussion, let us begin with the three women waiting for Sutpen on p.128. This anchor passage punctuates the second half of Chapter V. Some sentences of particular note are the following

a) We led the busy eventless lives of three nunsin a barren and poverty-stricken convent: the walls we had were safe, impervious enough, even if it did not matterto the walls whether we ate or not.p.128
b)Judith created by circumstance (circumstance? a hundred years of careful nurturing, perhaps not by blood, not even Coldfield blood, but certainly by the tradition in which Thomas Sutpen's ruthless will had carved a niche) to pass through the soft insulated and unscathed cocoon stages: bud, served prolific queen, then potent and soft-handed patriarch of old age's sereneand well-lived content-- Judith handicapped by what in me wasa few years' ignorance but which in her was ten generations of iron prohibition, who had not learned that first lesson of penury which is to scrimp and save for the sake of scrimping and saving, who (abetted by Clytie) would cook twice what we could eat and three times what we could afford and give it to anyone, any stranger in a land already beginning to fill with straggling soldiers who stopped and asked for it p.129
c) We were three strangers. I do not know what Clytie thought, what life she led which the food we raised and cooked in unison, the cloth we spun together, nourished and sheltered. But I expected that because she and I were open, ay honorable, enemies. p.130
d) We talked of him, Thomas Sutpen, of the end of the War ( we could all see it now) and when he would return, of what he would do: how begin the Herculean task which he knew he would set himself, into which (oh yes, we knew this too) he would undoubtedly sweep us with the old ruthlessness whether we would or no; we talked of Henry, quietly-- that normal useless impotent woman-worrying about the absent male-- as to how he fared, if he were cold or hungry or not, just as we talked of his father, as if they and we still lived in that time which that shot , those running mad feet, had put a period to and then obliterated, as though that afternoon had never been. But not once did we mention Charles Bon.p.130
e) It took me just three months. (Do you mind how I dont say he, but I?) Yes, I, just three months, who for twenty years had looked on him (when I did-- had to--look) as an ogre, some beast out of a tale to frighten children with; who had sen his own get upon my dead sister's body already begin to destroy one another, yet who must come to him like a whistled dog at that first opportunity, that noon when he who had been seeing me for twenty years should first raise his head and pause and look at me.

Goal of this blog

The purpose of this blog is to provide regular schedule updates to members of our community on projects sponsored by and coordinated through the Bernardine Franciscan Learning Center. The projects include but are not limited to the following

-Book clubs (NYT Most Notable book club-- several titles; Football book club-- Where Men Win Glory; Faulkner book club-- Absalom, Absalom; Common Good book--The Golden Rule; Michigan Read-- Arc of Justice)

We provide the books to the participants in each of these book clubs. We suggest guiding questions at the beginning of discussions of the titles.

-Test prep (Virtual Falcon ACT Prep; Kaplan access code; Shmoop partnership; HSPT Prep 8th grade; CLEP-- summer help for class of 2011)

We prepare half to two-thirds of every junior class for the ACT, nearly all our eighth graders, and a mix of accelerated and remedial students from all grades for a variety of standardized tests.

-Author visit (2011-2012: John Smolens, author of The Anarchist )

We have hosted authors in our library three of the four years that I have worked at Divne Child. We are making plans to invite 2010 Michigan Author Award winner John Smolens. We will purchase copies for students to read over the summer and evaluate.

- Study Skills (Necessary Ninety; Saturday study hall)

We work with 20-30 students every day after school from 3:30 to 5pm. Students must either read or do homework during this time. They are encouraged to be social and to remove anxiety from their daily routine. On Saturdays, we work with students in need or more individualized attention.

-Battle of Bands
We rate classic rock bands every Wednesday and select a weekly winner from 4 competitors. Ballots are distributed and typically 25-30 students participate in the voting. Results are reported to the alumni coordinator who opens the ballot to our 10,000 alumni.

- Research Projects (Anatomy and Physiology; Music Appreciation; honors biology; Physics research; freshman honors biology/science fair; Selected topics in European History)

We help students in these classes identify and make strategic use of peer-reviewed scholarly research.

- Early College class 2015; 8th grade virtual honors algebra; Madon​na courses; Assumption College online classes

We work with accelerated students on their college readiness by supporting their work in dual enrollment and continuing education college classes.

Absalom, Absalom Discussion Schedule

Friday May 27 2011In person meeting ,The Bernardine Franciscan Learning Center 11am-noon
Please be prepared to discuss Chapters I-IV

Monday May 30 2011 Online WizIQ meeting Group reading and discussion of Chapter V, 7-8pm

Friday June 3 2011 In person meeting, The Bernardine Franciscan Learning Center 2:30-4pm
Group reading and discussion of Chapter V continued

Monday June 6 2011 Online WizIQ meeting Group reading and discussion of Chapter VI, 7-8pm

Friday June 10 In person meeting, The Bernardine Franciscan Learning Center, 2:30-4pm
Group reading and discussion of Chapter VI continued

Monday June 13 Online WizIQ meeting Group reading and discussion of Chapter VII

Thursday June 16 In person meeting, The Bernardine Franciscan Learning Center,2:30-4pm, Group reading and discussion of Chapter VIII

Friday June 17 In person meeting, The Bernardine Franciscan Learning Center, 2:30-4pm, Group reading and discussion of Chapter IX

Week of June 20: Video postcards posted to this blog from Lafayette County, MS and Ole Miss Gilder-Lehrman Seminar on Faulkner andthe American South.

Virtual Falcon ACT Prep schedule

Virtual Falcon ACT Prep Schedule

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June 1 (1 hour): Initial meeting -Syllabus/books/teachers/tutors

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June 16 (3 hours): First class 8am-11am (Breakfast, juice, and coffee at 7:45)

Gruber's pp.11-20 (The Shortest ACT Test)

101 Most Important Math ​Questions ​pp.24-35, 40-50

Mini-Math Refresher pp.150-157

19 Math Strategies pp.55-102

Math Refresher Session 1



June 17 (3 hours) : ACT Practice Test I 8am-11am (Breakfast, juice, coffee at 7:45)

Introduction to Shmoop and WizIQ 11:15-11:45

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June 18 (3 hours) : Second class 8am-11am

Math Refresher Session 2 pp.186-210

Math Refresher Session 3 pp. 212-234

Math Refresher Session 5 pp.267-296



June 25 (8 hours) : Second Test (8-11am) and Third class (12-5pm)

ACT Practice Test 2 (8am-11am)

9 Reading Strategies pp.103-124

14 Reading Quizzes pp.125-139

​​ Strunk and White/ a style primer

Close reading strategies

Summer reading The Silent Season of a Hero ed. by Michael Rosenwald

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July Virtual sessions (24 hours) (WizIQ 2 times per week for 4 weeks; 60 minutes per session;38 in-depth lessons;1000 ACT Practice Problems + 3 Full length tests in Shmoop [prize for maximum Shmoop points]

By July 5 Please read Introduction, The Loneliest Guy in Boxing, Portrait of the Young Prize Fighter, Last of Bare-Knuckle Fighters Still Spry at 93, Dentist Puts the Bite in the Fight, The Fighter's Son

By July 12 Please read Judy is Many Things, Mostly Frank, Troupe of Midget Wrestlers Won't Work for Small Change , Barbell King: Muscle Over Mind, Timekeeper as Quiet as a Clock, The Caddie-- A Non-Alger Story, Architect of the Fairways

By July 19 Please read Diamonds Are a Boy's Best Friend, On the Road Going Nowhere, With the Yankees, Notes from the Trip, The Story Behind the Signal to Brush Back Cliff Johnson, Race , Reporters and Responsibility

By July 26 Please read Portrait of the Ascetic Champ, Patterson, Indifferent at First, Finally Turns on Barking Dog, Liston Aides Extol His Gaiety, Benevolence and Ruggedness, Patterson Has 4 Friends, Too, But he'll Have to Fight Alone, Floyd Caught by 'a Good Punch', Masked Ex-Champion, The Loser

By August 2 Please read ​Suspicious Man in the Champ's Corner, Dr Birdwhitsell and the Athletes, Joe Louis: The King as a Midle-Aged Man, Silent Season of a Hero, The Greatest, Ali in Havana, Overtime, Swan Song for Gay Talese ​​

August 20 (8 hours) Sixth Test (8-11am) and Fourth class (12-5pm)

Gruber ACT Practice Test 3pp.639-693

Math Refresher 4 pp.236-265

Math Refresher 6 pp.298-318

Math Refresher 7 pp. 320-329

Math Refresher 8 pp. 331-340

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​​August 27 (8 hours) Seventh Test (8-11am) and Fifth class (12-5pm)

Kaplan Practice Test (8-11am)

Math Refesher pp. 342-348

Review of English Grammar pp.348-427

ACT Writing Section pp.431-446



September 10: ACT exam