Week 5: So Far, So Good

Here we are, already week five. The marking period is winding down and I'm working to make sure I'm prepared for what needs to be done. Most of my attention is toward finishing The Trial, my independent reading book. I'm more than sure that this weekend is enough time to accomplish that, as the book is a total page turner and the rising action is coming to a head. The next book I intend on reading is Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. Quite a switch, I know, but love Jane Austen. A sort of guilty pleasure I suppose.
Other than the housekeeping we're doing leading up to the marking period end, we have continued to work on our What Is Literature projects. The elements I chose are Structure and Point of View. I wanted to step away from the focus on theme and symbolism that my group took on our summer reading essay. The piece I'm analyzing for structure is The Story of an Hour by Kate Chopin. I anticipate a twist ending and I'm struggling not to spoil it for myself. The work for point of view is The Boarding House by James Joyce. I need two, but I've yet to decide which I'd like. I just know I enjoy James Joyce's style so it should be fairly easy to pick apart. I just know that I'm in for unhappy endings, but nothing I'm not accustomed to thanks to my typically picking solemn literature. 
On the other hand, our weekly poem was anything but solemn. Bright Star by John Keats is probably one of the most loving poems I've ever read. In it, Keats wishes to be as steadfast as the star he is speaking to. He thinks of how a star gazes upon the earth without ever changing and wishes the same for himself when he's with his fair love. I loved this poem for how Keats describes his situation and uses a connection you wouldn't automatically think of to demonstrate his love.
The theme for this week is wrapping up.