This Week in Blogs

Use this week to make-up any missed blogs over the course of the 4th marking period.

Lies for a Good Purpose?

Amy Tan presents a certain amount of the Chinese superstition as lies and stories that are meant to protect and/or help people act in a correct manner. Is it OK to create lies and have people believe in them in order to help people act correctly?

Three Parables

What is common in all three parables? What sorts of themes, conflicts, styles, or else runs through all three parables?

Commentary: Opening Paragraph

Share the opening paragraph to your commentary on The Joy Luck Club. It can be helpful to look at other students’ opening paragraphs; also, perhaps someone can give you constructive advice concerning yours.

Book Recommendations

Please recommend a book for someone to read for the independent work. Share a book either you’ve read from the list for the independent work, or one not on the list. Don’t give the book away, but try to interest the reader by introducing what the book is about.

Initial Description vs. Back-Story

Look back to June’ initial description for her three aunts. Now that you’ve read some of their back-stories, how does their past account for their present condition, characteristics, and personalities?

Mother-Daughter Relationships

Choose one of the mother-daughter relationships. Keeping in mind both of their stories, compare and contrast the mother and daughter. How are they different – and how are the cultures responsible for this? Despite different childhoods, how are the two they same?

First Four Stories

What best unites the first four stories? (I recommend including reference to the initial “parable.”)

Tone/Style Shifts?

As you now have read multiple stories by both generations, do you notice any major or subtle changes in tone or style? How is the tone or style different between the mothers’ stories and the daughters’ stories?

Chinese Culture

What do you find interesting, compelling, or repelling about Chinese culture? This could be something you learned via the story, research, or personal knowledge.

Symbols

Discuss 1-4 “universal” or “societal” symbols. (Avoid ones like street signs, etc.) When and why do you think they originated? If you are only exploring one, please be thorough.

Hypothesis: Narration Changes

Hypothesize about how the style of narration in The Joy Luck Club – i.e. stories from different perspectives, in different countries, in different generations – will affect the story? What exactly will be affected?

Generational Conflict

Why do you suppose there is always conflict between younger and older generations? Why is it that youth needs to question the belief-systems and values of the mature, even if they end up accepting it? Or do you think this isn’t necessarily the case?

Your Social Commentary

If you were to write some sort of social commentary, what would you criticize about your society? And how would you express that criticism? Through art, music, novel, movie, etc?

Alternate Endings

Endings to stories, especially long ones, are extremely important. They end the story emotionally, but they also put the finishing touches on the themes they have been exploring. In Great Expectations, Dickens presents us with two different endings. Explore something else we read this year, and how a different ending would change its thematic level. Be specific about what happens in your alternate ending; be specific about how this changes the thematic level of the story.

Comparing and Contasting Bildungsromans

Compare and contrast Great Expectations to a different story that can be classified as a Bildungsroman. Within this genre, how was Dickens’ novel the same and/or different to others? (You can use a movie or a different novel.)

Persuasive Writing

In writing your persuasive essay, what was difficult for you? What was easy?

Pip's Continual Change

We discussed Pip’s initial change a while back. But since then, he’s changed a lot, perhaps more subtly. How has Pip changed?

Novel as Commentary

As we discussed, Great Expectations is, in part, a social commentary. Using a topic we did NOT discuss in class, explain what you think Dickens is trying to tell his society.

This Week

You have until Sunday 11:59pm to make-up any blogs for the 3^rd marking period. None will be accepted after that,

Social Commentaries

A social commentary is some form of media that makes a critical observation about society, usually by portraying the aspect of society it sees as flawed. It hopes to invite change to society, at the very least by bringing it to the public sphere. Music, art, books, news, TV, and movies all can act as social commentaries

Use this post to share about a social commentary we did not talk about in class. What does this commentary find wrong about society? What methods does it use to persuade the audience? What sort of change does it hope to invite or inspire?

Persuasive Essay Topic

Use this post to share the topic on which you will be writing your persuasive paper. Why did you choose this topic? What sort of significance does it hold for you?

Mid-Marking Period

Since last week was the middle of the marking period, I am affording us this week to "make up" any missed blogs from the third marking period so far.

Appeals

When trying to convince someone of something, what is most important to appeal to: logic, emotion, ethics, or something else? Explain your answer.

Bad Argumentation

A lot of arguments, especially political, are deeply flawed, but covered up by powerful rhetoric. Give an exmaple of "bad argumentaion" that is disguised as truth. It can be an argument you've heard or made up.

Pip's Change

In a Bildungsroman, the protagonist will go through important changes throughout his or her life. Pip is going through one of these right now. How is Pip changing? What about his value system or beliefs is changing?

Social Classes

Social classes in Victorian England were incredibly different than social classes in contemporary America. Explore one of these differences.

The Victorian Era

Find one interesting fact about the Victorian Era (the period during which Dickens wrote). What is interesting and/or different about this period in history?

Charles Dickens

Find an interesting fact or legend about Charles Dickens and/or his novels. Share this.

Practical Self-Help

Last week, you wrote a reflection on your strengths and weaknesses in terms of writing. In this post, explore one practical step you could take to help improve one of your weaknesses.

Commentary

Use this short poem by Langston Hughes to write a mini-commentary. It should be at least one extended paragraph. (PS: Be sure you know what the word “deferred” before you begin.)

What happens to a dream deferred?

Does it dry up

like a raisin in the sun?

Or fester like a sore--

And then run?

Does it stink like rotten meat?

Or crust and sugar over--

like a syrupy sweet?

Maybe it just sags

like a heavy load.

Or does it explode?

Announcement

With the shortened week and the poet project, there are no blogs this week. Please take the time to make up any you have missed.

Popular Techniques

What is a literary device/technique that your poet likes to use? What sort of effect does this device have on a reader? Why do you suppose your poet uses this device/technique?

Favorite Line(s)

Use this post to share your favorite line or two from your poet’s poetry. Why do you like this/these line(s)? What is it about the language or effect the language has on a reader that you enjoy or think is great?

Poet Project

Take a moment to share something interesting you have learned through the researching of your poet project – something interesting about your poet, his or her poetry, or anything else.

Important, Universal Topics

Poetry often deals with the powerful emotional experiences in life – experiences that are hard to describe factually or straightforward. A few of these topics are love, hate, and death. Take a moment to respond to one of the following: a) Share any poem that explores one of these “big topics.” How does this poem explore the subject? b) What is another of these “big topics?” What makes it a universal and big topic?

1/8 of Your High School Career

You are officially finished the first half of your freshmen year. Take a moment to reflect on your experience so far. Has high school been what you expected? Why or why not? Explore some positives and negatives of your experience.

Reflection

As this is the last week of the marking period, there are no blogs assigned.

You will be receiving your blog grade this week. If it is low and hurt your marking period average, I invite you to make a commitment now to do better next marking period.

No Blogs!

There are no blogs this week to give you more time to complete your independent work. It is recommended that you also use the time to make up any missed blogs: your blog grade for the marking period will be calculated soon.

Your Poetry

Share a poem of your own (or part) .

Example

Use an example from a poem we’ve read for class, or an outside one, of indirect language. Explain WHY the poet uses indirect language in this example. [Hint: Metaphors and similes are examples of indirect language.]

Poetry's Indirectness

As discussed in class, poetry chooses to describe experience indirectly. The reason for this is simple: Often exploring experience indirectly is more truthful than direct language – we live our lives through emotion, and emotion loses its meaning when approached through direct language.

Defining Poetry

Find and discuss a definition of poetry that we haven’t discussed in class. Feel free to agree or disagree with the definition. Avoid dictionary definitions. Look for definitions by poets or writers.

The Difference of Poetry

In what ways is poetry different than other forms of written art? Explore.

A Poem

What is a poem you like? Who wrote it? What about it do you like?