Reading and analysis of Lincoln's famous speech, "With malice toward none, with charity for all." Recommended for high school.

*Detailed rhetorical analysis of Lincoln's language and purpose

*Some explanation of context, but analysis comes primarily out of the language of the speech itself

*Historical context related to slavery and the Civil War

*Also, you can hear jets flying over in the background because I live near an Air Force base. It's not too loud or distracting.

Reading and rhetorical analysis of Queen Elizabeth's speech to her troops on the eve of the Spanish invasion. Recommended for high school.

*Literary non-fiction

*Historical context

*General explanation of rhetoric

*Rhetorical triangle (Speaker, Audience, Message)

*Nobody expects the Spanish invasion

Reading and analysis of Twain's comic story. Recommended for high school.

*Close analysis of diction, formal/informal speech

*Analysis of narrative voice and characterization

*Examination of frame stories

*I read this one in a funny accent, so watch out. Be careful of the text, as well: my copy had several typographical errors.

Reading and analysis of Frost's poem. Recommended for high school.

*Analysis of symbolism and metaphor

*Careful close reading of the text, encouraging multiple readings.

*This poem is famously misunderstood based on the last three lines. Because of that, it is the perfect illustration of the importance of reading and examining the entire poem. 

*This one gets pretty philosophical because of the subject matter of the poem.

Reading and analysis of Poe's legendary short story. Recommended for high school. 

*STRONG warning for content: there is disease and death, quarantine, blood, suffering. Particularly during this Covid-19 outbreak, this is a tough story in many ways.

*Analysis of character and theme 

*Analysis of literary style/authorial intent

*Focus on diction and vocabulary

*It does have one of the best party scenes in literature, tho.

Reading and analysis of Poe's most famous poem.  Recommended for high school students.

*The poem is very dark: themes of grief and death and loss

*Some discussion of witchcraft and demons and the afterlife, God and the Devil, as they relate to the poem

*Discussion of rhyme and Poe's artistry

*Analysis of meaning

Text can be found at Project Gutenberg, Gutenberg.org

Reading and analysis of Shelley's classic sonnet. Recommended for high school students.

*The poem is dark, and possibly ironic. 

*Discussion of sonnet structure

*Discussion of rhythm and rhyme

*Comparison to Horace Smith's "Ozymandias"

*Analysis of meaning

*Lil bit of salt about how Mary Shelley was cooler than her husband Percy