World Literature With Mr. Hanft rhanft@whrhs.org
First time here? Click here and Read this first!
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Click for info on the 2008 "Literature Pilgrimage to NYC" -----------------------------------THEN click to see the report on the 2007 trip!-->
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SLEEP! Did you know that not getting enough sleep affects mental processes as much as not sleeping at all?
A recent study reveals the response times and memorization abilities of people who slept six hours or less a night for two weeks were no better than those of people who stayed awake for one to two days. Most people need seven to eight hours of sleep a night.
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A Survey of World LiteratureC COURSE OUTLINE-d . . .Beginning with the ancient Greeks and emphasizing their impact on the western world, students will be asked to take a broad humanities oriented approach to literature examining the relationship between a given culture and the literature produced by its people.
Did you know that the 100 billion neurons contained in your brain make enough electricity to power a light bulb (a dim one, but still)?
Now think about this. Plug in 100 brains, and you've got the power of Lance Armstrong pedaling at full speed. Plug in 10,000, and you've harnessed the power of a BMW on the autobahn. Plug in 10,000,000, and you've matched the energy of an aircraft carrier!
There is power in brains, and power numbers. Our challenge is to work together increasing individual brain power! Your formal education, paid for by taxpaying Americans, is almost over. Next year you are on your own!!
Get as much as you can out of this year so that you are ready to face the world, and make your contribution!
The Basics
This course is a literature based curriculum for twelfth grade students integrating literature with the cultures of various peoples around the world. Students will be given the tools and vocabulary with which to analyze literature and its implications.
We begin with a foundation of western literature in Ancient Greece and eventually move up to the twenty first century. It is generally a course for students bound for college or the professional work world.
There is homework EVERY night.
The Olympic flame ignited from the sun at the altar of Zeus
There is an emphasis on reading and vocabulary development. Many students find it advantageous if the family posts vocabulary words on the refrigerator and uses them at home.
On a personal level there is an emphasis on awareness of class decorum, appropriate dress, grammar, speaking habits, and note taking skills that will be of value in a transition to college and the work world.
When a student is absent s/he is still responsible for the missed work. Call a classmate to get assignments and missed notes.
Vocabulary Development . . .with an emphasis on college preparation using basic Greek and Latin roots, and the realization that a good vocabulary is necessary for good communication.
Vocabulary development is a critical part of this course. Authors choose specific words carefully and it behooves the competent reader to discern differences in innuendo. A good vocabulary also helps on standardized tests!
For example- trichology (tri-KOL-uh-jee) noun - the study and treatment of hair and its disorders.
If you often get an urge to pull your hair out, here is a word for the affliction: trichotillomania. It comes from a Greek root meaning father or mother of a teenager. No it doesn't. Seriously, the Greeks were really the root cause of all this madness: tricho- (hair), -logy (science, study), tillein (to pull out), and mania (madness).
A language grows by infusion of new words into the lexicon of the old. Anyone who has been on the Internet for more than a few days knows what a webmaster is. Yet only a few years ago if we came across a "webmaster", we wouldn't know what that person did for a living.
There are many ways to coin words. You can make words out of thin air: googol, a word for a very large number (1 followed by 100 zeros) was coined by a nine-year-old boy. It was the inspiration behind the naming of the Google search engine.
You can redefine old words. The Google name, in turn, became "genericized" as a verb meaning to search for something, not necessarily on the Web.
You can sandwich two existing words (web + master) or you can fuse them together: lexpert (lex + expert), someone who is an expert in words. Such an amalgamated word is also known as a portmanteau (from French, meaning a bag for carrying clothes, one that opens on two sides) since Lewis Carroll gave them this moniker in his 1872 classic "Through the Looking-Glass". Carroll himself coined some great portmanteau, such as chortle (chuckle + snort), and slithy (slimy + lithe).
Coining words is easy. Getting them into a dictionary is a topic for class discussion.
Click here for recent new vocabulary words -----------> today's vocabulary words
Writing Proficiency . . . with an awareness of the writer's sense of voice is an important goal of the course. Writing skills are emphasized for the various needs of the college bound student as well as the work world.
See this link for more information about preparing to write in college and the work world. ------------>Writing Help
Curriculum
The Foundation
The foundation of western civilization is in ancient Greece. The course includes a review of basic Greek mythology and it's use in twenty-first century American civilization. The class will read and study several works from the time period in order to appreciate the basics of western culture and begin to formulate a personal philosophy of life after studying basic philosophical thoughts from the fifth century BC. Works to be studied include those by Homer, Plato and Aeschylus.
~~~~ The influence of Greek mythology is a basic part of twenty-first century American culture. There are allusions in everything from a sneaker company to statues in parks. Life is more interesting if the allusions and their intimations are recognized.
Birmingham, Alabama 
Athena -Nashville, TN Acropolis
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Atlas, NYC 
Planets in our solar system
The Classical Period Marking period 1 The Iliad
The tomb of King Agamemnon 
After a review of ancient Egyptian poetry and the beginning of written literature, the class quickly moves to Ancient Greece. Homer's Iliad is the earliest history of Greece and is an exciting story steeped in love and warfare.
Students need to read and comprehend the poem. Class discussion will be based on reading completed at home. The Iliad is used to review and enhance student awareness of basic literary analysis. Discussion will emphasize the author's use of carefully chosen words to develop characters and themes.
Click here to learn more about classical epics---------->The Classical Epic
Oedipus The King and other works by Sophocles
What is the most surprising thing you ever discovered about yourself? Sophocles insight into personal human suffering was profound.
This is often singled out as the finest play of the Classical period. Students will be asked to continue to develop a personal philosophy as the class discusses the fate of Oedipus.
Student reading guide ----> Study Guide -- J-K- level level study guide
------------>Oedipus The King L-level reading guide
AND - just for fun - you might want to watch the movie: Oedipus, The Movie. – Performed by vegetables! http://www.oedipusthemovie.com/ --If the link does not work, cut, pasteand go directly to You Tube -- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NydKPClhYgM
Field Experience 
One optional field trip to New York City is planned. Studies begin at The Cloisters in Fort Tryon Park in connection with the reading of medieval literature including The Canterbury Tales. The group continues to the world’s largest Gothic cathedral, the Cathedral of St. John the Divine. Special note will be made of the American Poe'ts Corner and the medieval symbolism and techniques still used to complete the construction of the church. After a visit to The Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Irish Famine Memorial the class will dine at Aux Mandarin,
a fine Chinese restaurant in the Winter Gardenr. The experience concludes with a "pilgrimage" to the site of the World Trade Center memorials where a number of WHRHS graduates and family members are remembered.
A second optional trip is planned to Italy for classical studies and as well as a look at the medeival period and the Renaissance. In a country where each glimpse out a bus window is more beautiful than the last, the highlights are truly spectacular. Venice shimmers in pinks and whites; Florence glows with Tuscan reds. White marble gleams in Pisa and Rome, while shady lemon groves set off the smoldering Sorrento sunsets. You'll have to put on your own thousand-watt smile to compete -- but we don't think it'll be too hard to find a reason to beam. The trip is connected tightly to the literature studied in school. It will be easy to recognize the settings of novels and the homes and monuments of major authors. This is a ten day trip beginning right after school gets out for the summer!
See Mr. Hanft for more information and check out the web link! summer 2009
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Click here for first quarter assignments and adventures in World Literature
Click here for Second Marking Period