Live RED at Home/NTI Days 16-20: AP English Literature & Composition

School: Livingston Central High School

Teacher: Jessie Gordon

Email Address: jessica.gordon@livingston.kyschools.us

Class: AP English Literature & Composition

Description of Assignment: The assignments for days 11-20 will be available to do online OR

with pencil and paper. All assignments include short readings (poems) from CommonLit.org.

ONLINE OPTION: All students should be enrolled in a Google Classroom for their AP

Literature course. To access these assignments, students should log into Google Classroom, find

the assignment with the corresponding date, read the text in the link, and answer the questions.

IMPORTANT: If students ARE NOT enrolled in the Google Classroom for whatever reason OR

they can’t figure out how to access the assignment(s), they can email me and I will be glad to add

them or guide them to the right place.

PAPER/PENCIL OPTION: These students should read the hard copy of the same text that

students will be reading in Google Classroom. They should answer the multiple choice and short

answer questions and bring the packet back so that their answers can be graded.

Day 16: “Ozymandias” by Percy Bysshe Shelley

Day 17: “My Last Duchess” by Robert Browning

Day 18: “The Coming of Night” by Linda Pastan

Day 19: “The Glittering Noise” by Denise Levertov

Day 20: “A September Night” by George Marion McClellan

If you have access to the internet, please check Google Classroom for “crash course”

type of helpful videos for comprehending these readings. I will try to find one to post

for each.

Name: Class:

"Ramesseum in Egypt. The Ozymandias Colossus:" by ChristopherMichel is licensed under CC BY 2.0.

“Ozymandias” by Percy Bysshe Shelley (1818) is in the public domain.

OzymandiasBy Percy Bysshe Shelley

1818

Percy Bysshe Shelley, who lived from 1792-1822, was an important poet during a literary and artistic periodthat’s known as the era of English Romanticism. He is regarded by some as one of the most influential poetsin the English language. Ozymandias is one of his best-known works. As you read, take notes on contrastingimages in the poem.

I met a traveller from an antique1 landWho said: “Two vast and trunkless legs of stoneStand in the desert... Near them, on the sand,Half sunk, a shattered visage2 lies, whose frown,And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command,Tell that its sculptor well those passions readWhich yet survive, stamped on these lifeless

things,The hand that mocked them, and the heart that

fed:And on the pedestal these words appear:‘My name is Ozymandias,3 king of kings:Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!'Nothing beside remains. Round the decayOf that colossal4 wreck, boundless and bareThe lone and level sands stretch far away.”

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1. ancient2. Visage (noun): a person’s face, with reference to their expression3. Ozymandias is another name for the pharaoh Ramses II who ruled Ancient Egypt from 1279-1213 BC.4. Colossal (adjective): extremely large

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Text-Dependent QuestionsDirections: For the following questions, choose the best answer or respond in complete sentences.

1. PART A: Which statement best expresses the theme of this poem?A. Ancient ruins are an important part of history.B. People are easily corrupted by pride.C. Be wary of the stories travelers tell.D. Power and greatness will not last forever.

2. PART B: Which section from the text best develops the theme identified in PART A?A. “I met a traveller from an antique land / Who said: ‘Two vast and trunkless legs

of stone / Stand in the desert...’” (Lines 1-3)B. “And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command, / Tell that its sculptor well those

passions read / Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things,” (Lines 5-7)C. “And on the pedestal these words appear: / My name is Ozymandias, king of

kings” (Lines 9-10)D. “Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair! / Nothing beside remains. Round

the decay” (Lines 11-12)

3. What is the effect of the speaker hearing about this statue from someone else as opposedto seeing it with his own eyes?

A. It helps emphasize how the story has been passed on and the reader shoulddoubt the reliability of the description.

B. It emphasizes how powerful the king was and how much his legend continues toimpact culture.

C. It helps emphasize how the story is a tale that is being passed on to the reader,indicating that there is a message to be heeded.

D. It demonstrates the speaker’s own susceptibility to the influence of others.

4. For what purpose did the author include the inscription on the statue, “Look on my works,ye Mighty, and despair!” (Line 11)?

A. It lets the reader know that Ozymandias was a cruel leader.B. It emphasizes the contrast between the king’s arrogance and the ruin his statue

has become.C. It demonstrates the negative attitude the sculptor had about the king.D. It compares Ozymandias to other famous kings by alluding to a classic Arthurian

legend.

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5. How does the author use irony to develop the theme of the poem? Cite evidence from thetext to support your response.

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"Portrait of Lucrezia de' Medici" is licensed under Public domain.

My Last DuchessBy Robert Browning

1842

Robert Browning (1812-1889) was a celebrated English poet and playwright of the Victorian era. In one ofBrowning’s most famous poems, “My Last Duchess,” a Duke gives a tour of his home to the servant of hisprospective new wife's family. As the Duke and the servant look at a portrait of the Duke’s previous wife onthe wall, the Duke criticizes her unreserved friendliness and kindness of spirit, which could not be reconciledwith the Duke’s self-importance. Many scholars believe that Browning's Duke is modeled after the real-lifeDuke of Ferrara, whose young wife's mysterious death raised questions of foul play and betrayal. As youread, take notes on how the poet's use of structure and rhyme scheme contribute to the characterization ofthe narrator.

That’s my last Duchess painted on the wall,Looking as if she were alive. I callThat piece a wonder, now: Frà Pandolf’s1 handsWorked busily a day, and there she stands.Will’t please you sit and look at her? I said‘Frà Pandolf’ by design,2 for never readStrangers like you that pictured countenance,3

The depth and passion of its earnest glance,But to myself they turned (since none puts byThe curtain I have drawn for you, but I)And seemed as they would ask me, if they durst,4

How such a glance came there; so, not the firstAre you to turn and ask thus. Sir, ’twas notHer husband’s presence only, called that spotOf joy into the Duchess’ cheek: perhapsFrà Pandolf chanced to say, ‘Her mantle5 lapsOver my lady’s wrist too much,’ or ‘PaintMust never hope to reproduce the faintHalf-flush that dies along her throat:’ such stuffWas courtesy, she thought, and cause enoughFor calling up that spot of joy. She hadA heart—how shall I say?—too soon made glad,Too easily impressed; she liked whate’erShe looked on, and her looks went everywhere.Sir, ’twas all one! My favour6 at her breast,The dropping of the daylight in the West,The bough of cherries some officious fool

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1. A fictional painter2. Meaning “on purpose”3. Countenance (noun): a person's face or facial expression4. The archaic past tense of “dare”5. Shawl6. A gift to denote a mark of esteem

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My Last Duchess by Robert Browning is in the public domain.

Broke in the orchard for her, the white muleShe rode with round the terrace—all and eachWould draw from her alike the approving speech,Or blush, at least. She thanked men,—good! but thankedSomehow—I know not how—as if she rankedMy gift of a nine-hundred-years-old name7

With anybody’s gift. Who’d stoop to blameThis sort of trifling?8 Even had you skillIn speech—(which I have not)—to make your willQuite clear to such an one, and say, ‘Just thisOr that in you disgusts me; here you miss,Or there exceed the mark’—and if she letHerself be lessoned so, nor plainly setHer wits to yours, forsooth,9 and made excuse,—E’en then would be some stooping; and I chooseNever to stoop. Oh, sir, she smiled, no doubt,Whene’er I passed her; but who passed withoutMuch the same smile? This grew; I gave commands;Then all smiles stopped together. There she standsAs if alive. Will’t please you rise? We’ll meetThe company below then. I repeat,The Count10 your master’s known munificence11

Is ample warrant that no just pretence12

Of mine for dowry13 will be disallowed;Though his fair daughter’s self, as I avowedAt starting, is my object. Nay, we’ll goTogether down, sir. Notice Neptune,14 though,Taming a sea-horse, thought a rarity,Which Claus of Innsbruck15 cast in bronze for me!

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7. A reference to the Duke’s centuries-old familial prestige8. Trifle (verb): to bother with petty or insignificant things; to talk or behave frivolously or without seriousness9. A synonym of “indeed,” often used archaically to express surprise or indignation

10. “Count” is a title for a European nobleman; here, the Duke is referring to the servant’s master, who is awaiting themdownstairs to discuss the Duke’s marriage to the Count’s daughter.

11. Munificence (noun): extreme generosity12. Pretense (noun): a fake display of attitudes or intentions13. A dowry is the property or money brought by the bride or the family of a bride to her husband upon their marriage.14. Neptune is the god of the sea.15. A fictional sculptor

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Text-Dependent QuestionsDirections: For the following questions, choose the best answer or respond in complete sentences.

1. PART A: Which statement best summarizes the overall plot of the poem?A. The Duke, whose last wife’s loyalty was questionable, had too much self-respect

to stoop to petty jealousy over her behavior toward others.B. The Duke’s last wife, immortalized in a painting, offended her husband’s sense

of self-importance with her friendliness, eventually resulting in her questionableend.

C. The Duke’s last wife vanished under mysterious circumstances, so the family ofthe Duke’s potential new wife must take extra precautions before approving themarriage as they are uncertain he is trustworthy.

D. The painting of the Duke’s last wife is no more meaningful to the Duke than hissculpture of Neptune, revealing to the servant of the potential new wife’s familythat he is a shallow and cold man.

2. PART B: Which TWO phrases from the poem provide the best support for the answerto Part A?

A. “I call / That piece a wonder, now: Frà Pandolf’s hands / Worked busily a day, andthere she stands.” (Lines 2-4)

B. “She had / A heart—how shall I say?—too soon made glad, / Too easilyimpressed; she liked whate’er / She looked on, and her looks went everywhere”(Lines 21-24)

C. “Who’d stoop to blame / This sort of trifling?” (Lines 34-35)D. “This grew; I gave commands; / Then all smiles stopped together.” (Lines 45-46)E. “The Count your master’s known munificence / Is ample warrant that no just

pretence / Of mine for dowry will be disallowed; / Though his fair daughter’s self,as I avowed / At starting, is my object” (Lines 49-53)

F. “Notice Neptune, though, / Taming a sea-horse, thought a rarity, / Which Clausof Innsbruck cast in bronze for me!” (Lines 54-56)

3. PART A: As used in line 27, what does the word “officious” mean?A. intrusively enthusiastic; prone to interferingB. flirtatious or promiscuousC. obsessed with following rulesD. disrespectful or showing a lack of courtesy

4. PART B: Which line(s) from the poem best supports the answer to Part A?A. “My favour at her breast” (Line 25)B. “The dropping of the daylight in the West” (Line 26)C. “The bough of cherries” (Line 27)D. “Broke in the orchard for her” (Line 28)

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5. How are the details about the painting of the Duchess important to the developmentof the poem’s central ideas?

A. They demonstrate that the Duke’s primary interest is in collecting a wide arrayof pieces of art.

B. They give the reader to understand that the Duke is obsessed withimmortalizing himself and the trappings of his life through the creation of worksof art.

C. They call into question what became of the previous Duchess.D. They emphasize the Duke’s lack of respect for his last wife, whom he viewed as a

mere possession for the improvement of his own self-image.

6. Explain how the structure and rhyme scheme of the poem contribute to the author’scharacterization of the narrator. Cite evidence from the poem in your response.

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"Nightfall" by Virginia (Ginny) Sanderson is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.

"The Coming of the Night" from Poetry Magazine by Linda Pastan. Copyright © 2001 by Linda Pastan. Used by permission of Linda Pastan. Allrights reserved.

The Coming of NightBy Linda Pastan

2001

Linda Pastan (b. 1932) is an award-winning American poet known for writing short poems that addresstopics like family life, the female experience, aging, and death. As you read, take notes on the speaker’sattitude.

When ambition, like a faultypilot light,1 sputtersand goes out and the abstractspark of hunger with it;

when even those whose fieryeccentricities2 seemedinextinguishable have faded intodarkness or been snuffed3 out,

we are left with the peaceof evensong,4 with nightcoming on in the midstof what yesterday

was simply afternoon.All the clocks are changed now.It is almost time to feel our wayout of the world.

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1. A pilot light is a small gas flame, usually natural gas or liquefied petroleum gas, which serves as an ignition source fora more powerful gas burner.

2. Eccentricity (noun): behavior that is unconventional and slightly strange3. Snuff (verb): to cause a fire or a light to stop burning or shining4. In some Christian traditions, evensong is also called evening prayer.

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Text-Dependent QuestionsDirections: For the following questions, choose the best answer or respond in complete sentences.

1. What is the “spark of hunger” that the speaker mentions in line 4?A. One’s curiosityB. One’s endless hungerC. One’s will and desire to liveD. One’s health

2. How does the poet’s simile comparing “life’s ambitions” and “a faulty pilot light” contributeto the central idea of the poem?

A. Both eventually come to an end or die.B. People’s lives bring light to others just like fire.C. Fire brings individuals peace during struggles in life.D. A pilot light makes appliances run just like ambitions make humans run.

3. Part A: How does the speaker in the poem feel about death?A. The speaker is uncertain and feels that death is unexpected and impossible to

prepare for.B. The speaker is scared and feels that death is uncertain and dying is

unpredictableC. The speaker is content and feels that death is a natural part of life.D. The speaker is excited and feels that death is something to embrace and look

forward to.

4. PART B: Which of the following details from the poem best supports the answer to Part A?A. “even those whose fiery eccentricities seemed inextinguishable” (Lines 5-7)B. “we are left with the peace” (Line 9)C. “All the clocks are changed now.” (Line 14)D. “feeling our way out of the world” (Lines 15-16)

5. How does the title of the poem contribute to its overall theme?

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"PEM-TOI-GP00194 «Senjen» ved dampskipskaia på Prostneset iTromsø" by Perspektivet Museum is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND2.0.

“The Glittering Noise” by Denise Levertov, from Sands of the Well, copyright © 1996 by Denise Levertov. Reprinted by permission of NewDirections Publishing Corp.

The Glittering NoiseBy Denise Levertov

1996

Denise Levertov (1923-1997) was a British poet who wrote and published 24 books of poetry. In this poem, aspeaker describes reading old diaries. As you read, take notes on how the speaker describes the past andhow she feels about it.

To tell the truth,I believe I could be happydoing nothing but reading old diariesmorning to night. Silk and muslin1

brush my hands like mothspassing by, the dancersgo up and down the room, no onehas learned the Valse2 as yet,fiddle and flute and fortepianoreturn to the older rhythms.Birth and death, the fortunes of war,fear and relief from fearcompel attention, yet they’re veiled in the mild

Septemberyhaze of time — blessedly present,blessedly long gone by. Aware of the shameI ought to feel — defecting3 so willingly from my

own century —I stroll calmly through candlelit roomsand down to the quay,4 to boarda waiting vessel that sails with the tideinto the finest clear nightpossible, the Comet5 more beautifulthan anything I ever saw,and the noise of the herrings,which passed usin immense shoals,6 glitteringin the Sea like fire…

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1. a lightweight cotton cloth2. a French term for “waltz”3. Defecting (noun): desertion from allegiance4. a platform lying alongside or projecting into water for loading and unloading ships5. most likely the name of a ship6. a large number of fish swimming together

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Text-Dependent QuestionsDirections: For the following questions, choose the best answer or respond in complete sentences.

1. PART A: What are TWO themes developed in “The Glittering Noise”?A. Each generation makes life better for the next.B. The past can be an escape from the present.C. Life long ago was simpler than life today.D. We can learn from history if we heed its lessons.E. No matter how difficult, life is for the living.F. In every era, people experience sorrow and joy.

2. PART B: Which TWO details from the poem support the TWO themes identified in theanswer to Part A?

A. “I could be happy / doing nothing but reading old diaries” (Lines 2-3)B. “the dancers / go up and down the room” (Lines 6-7)C. “no one / has learned the Valse as yet” (Lines 7-8)D. “fiddle and flute and fortepiano / return to the older rhythms” (Lines 9-10)E. “Birth and death, the fortunes of war, / fear and relief from fear / compel

attention” (Lines 11-13)F. “Aware of the shame / I ought to feel” (Lines 15-16)

3. In “The Glittering Noise,” some of the speaker’s statements create the effect of aconfession. Select TWO excerpts from the poem that support this idea.

A. “To tell the truth, / I believe I could be happy / doing nothing but reading olddiaries / morning to night” (Lines 1-4)

B. “Silk and muslin / brush my hands like moths / passing by” (Lines 4-6)C. “the dancers / go up and down the room, no one / has learned the Valse as yet”

(Lines 6-8)D. “Birth and death, the fortunes of war, / fear and relief from fear / compel

attention” (Lines 11-13)E. “yet they’re veiled in the mild Septembery / haze of time — blessedly present, /

blessedly long gone by” (Lines 13-15)F. “Aware of the shame / I ought to feel—defecting so willingly from my own

century — / I stroll calmly through candlelit rooms” (Lines 15-17)

4. PART A: In “The Glittering Noise,” what does the figure of speech “Silk and muslin /brush my hands like moths / passing by” suggest about the speaker’s impression ofthe past as she encounters it through old diaries?

A. She finds the past eerie and rather frightening.B. She finds the past delicate and elusive.C. She finds the past dry and uninteresting.D. She finds the past forcefully alive.

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[RL.1]5. PART B: Which other quotation from the poem creates the same impression as theanswer to Part A?

A. “Birth and death, the fortunes of war” (Line 11)B. “veiled in the mild Septembery / haze of time” (Lines 13-14)C. “Aware of the shame” (Line 15)D. “glittering / in the Sea like fire” (Lines 25-26)

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"Untitled" by JP Valery is licensed under CC0

A September NightBy George Marion McClellan

1916

George Marion McClellan (1860-1934) was a minister, teacher, fiction writer, and distinguished AfricanAmerican poet. He is best known for his two poetry collections, Songs of a Southerner and The Path ofDreams. In this poem, the speaker describes a September night in Anguilla, Mississippi. As you read, takenotes on the author’s use of personification.

The full September moon sheds floods of light,And all the bayou’s face is gemmed with stars,Save where are dropped fantastic shadows downFrom sycamores and moss-hung cypress trees.With slumberous sound the waters half asleepCreep on and on their way, ’twixt rankish1 reeds,Through marsh and lowlands stretching to the

Gulf.Begirt2 with cotton fields, Anguilla3 sitsHalf bird-like, dreaming on her Summer nest.Amid her spreading figs and roses, stillIn bloom with all their Spring and Summer hues,Pomegranates hang with dapple4 cheeks full ripe,And over all the town a dreamy hazeDrops down. The great plantations, stretching farAway, are plains of cotton, downy white.O, glorious is this night of joyous sounds;Too full for sleep. Aromas wild and sweet,From muscadine,5 late blooming jessamine,And roses, all the heavy air suffuse.Faint bellows from the alligators comeFrom swamps afar, where sluggish lagoons giveTo them a peaceful home. The katydids6

Make ceaseless cries. Ten thousand insects’ wingsStir in the moonlight haze and joyous shoutsOf Negro song and mirth awake hard byThe cabin dance. O, glorious is this night!The Summer sweetness fills my heart with songsI cannot sing, with loves I cannot speak.

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1. growing excessively or out of control2. surrounded by; encompassing3. a town in Mississippi4. marked with rounded spots of color5. a grapevine species native to the South6. an insect, also called a bush cricket, known for its loud mating calls

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“A September Night” by George Marion McClellan (1916) is in the public domain.

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Text-Dependent QuestionsDirections: For the following questions, choose the best answer or respond in complete sentences.

1. PART A: What does the speaker’s description of the setting reveal about Anguilla?A. The speaker describes Anguilla as only superficially beautiful, overlooking its

history of cotton plantations.B. The speaker describes Anguilla as infested with various forms of wildlife,

suggesting that it is difficult to live there.C. The speaker describes Anguilla as a drowsy, listless bayou, suggesting it is a dull

town.D. The speaker describes the sounds, sights, and wildlife of Anguilla, showing its

abundance of overwhelming beauty.

2. PART B: Which piece of evidence from the poem best supports your response to Part A?A. “With slumberous sound the waters half asleep / Creep on and on their way,

’twixt rankish reeds, / Through marsh and lowlands stretching to the Gulf.”(Lines 5-7)

B. “The great plantations, stretching far / Away, are plains of cotton, downy white”(Lines 14-15)

C. “O, glorious is this night of joyous sounds; / Too full for sleep. Aromas wild andsweet, / From muscadine, late blooming jessamine, / And roses, all the heavy airsuffuse.” (Lines 16-19)

D. “Faint bellows from the alligators come / From swamps afar” (Lines 20-21)

3. As used in line 21, what does the word “sluggish” mean?A. disturbedB. indifferentC. drowsyD. slimy

4. What do lines 27-28 reveal about the speaker’s point of view?A. The speaker feels excluded from the natural beauty of the bayou.B. The speaker is speechless in awe of the bayou.C. The speaker does not feel worthy of the bayou.D. The speaker is not allowed to sing or speak about the bayou.

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5. Explain how the poem uses personification to describe the bayou in Anguilla. What effectdoes personification have on the meaning of the poem? Cite evidence from the text in youranswer.

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