Blog 6: The Scarlet Ibis

The Southern family [Doodle and "Brother" are a part of] believes in superstitions. Upon Doodle's birth, Aunt Nicey thinks the boy is holy because he was born in a caul, "Jesus's nightgown." Additionally, the mother of both boys does not think it will rain because she hadn't heard the call of a "rain frog." What other superstitions are shared in the story? How do you think they affect the developments in plot? Can you think of other superstitions you believe/ have heard others believe?

Blog 5: The Man Who Was Almost a Man

Answer the following questions for Richard Wright's short story, "The Man Who Was Almost a Man" in complete sentences, with as much detail as possible [this might mean a short paragraph]:

1. After reading the first paragraph, identify the narrator, the point of view, and the dialect.

2.What is Dave's mother's response when he asks her if he can buy a gun? How does he ask her?

3. What is Dave's reaction when pressed to tell the truth? What is the crowd's reaction when he tells? 

4. Think of the train as a symbol. What do you think it represents?

5. Is society better off without individuals like Dave? Should they celebrate his departure?

Blog 4: Lamb to the Slaughter

What were your thoughts about the ending of this short story? Could Mary Maloney get away with the same crime in today's current society? Why/why not? 

Your response to this blog should be two-three paragraphs [at least 5-6 sentences].

Blog 3: GAC & Cage Reading

The GAC words for this week are: aggressive, authentic, contradict, extravagant, flounder, hone, perceive, quirk, saunter, and summon.

Use four (4) of these vocabulary words in a one-paragraph response to your reading over the weekend. What portions of the story did you find compelling [moving] in Chapters 34-40? Challenge: Include a quotation from the text.

Blog 2: Holocaust Dictionary

Yesterday, we explored twenty-eight concepts that pertained to the Jewish Holocaust, and as a class, we constructed a dictionary of terms. 

Which of these twenty-eight entries were you most surprised that you had not heard of before? ...the least? [If you were not surprised, then write about the one you would like to find out more about.] Include the description of the concept [or definition] and your thoughts/feelings.

This entry may be one longer paragraph [at least 7-8 sentences].

Blog 1: Part I Reflection

Part I of Ruth Minsky Sender's The Cage explores the experiences Riva and her siblings have while living in the ghetto. Part II of the personal memoir will unveil her horrors in the camps.

What portion of Part I stood out to you in your reading? Provide a page number and short analysis of the excerpt.

Blog 16: News Report on Chapter Four

Pretend you are a Nazi journalist and you witness the events that occurred in Chapter Four of Ruth Minsky Sender's The Cage. Write a detailed news report [the type that would be printed in a German newspaper] on the incident(s) in your reading. Include specifics about the situation: dates, location, etc.

This posting should be approximately TWO paragraphs in length, (5-6 sentences in each paragraph). You should include one quotation from the text to support your story; this quotation can be used as a witness to the events that happened.

Be sure to stay true to journalistic writing! If you need help with this style, go here: How to Write a News Article.

Blog 15: Holocaust Topics and The Cage

In your groups, take some time to collect information and provide each topic below with a thorough explanation. This may be a definition or a small summary of the event.

You are encouraged to include quotations and facts from other websites, provided that you cite them correctly. Try to be as detailed as possible, (i.e. include dates, famous people, etc.).

a. The Jewish Holocaust

b. The Nazi Party

c. Ruth Minsky Sender

d. Auschwitz, Mittelsteine, Grafenort

e. personal memoir

Blog 14: Post-Taming Exam Response

In a well-developed two paragraphs (five-six sentences), explain how Petruchio tamed Kate, starting from the first time he met her and ending with the conclusion of the play. What famous couple from Hollywood/celebrity world does their rocky relationship remind you of? [If you cannot compare them to celebrities, what about a relationship in your own personal experience?]

Blog 13: Katherina's Soliloquy

*After listening to the audio of Act V, scene ii*:

At the end of Act V, scene ii, Katherina makes a famous speech about the relationship husbands and wives should have. What three (3) lines did you find particularly interesting [especially since you have read about Katherina's transformation]? What is noteworthy about what she DOES NOT mention in her speech?

Blog 12: Act IV, A Shrew is as a Shrew Does

Petruchio seems to become the shrew, more so than Katharina ever was. Curtis says, “he is more shrew than she.” Why do you think they have traded personalities? 

As a psychiatrist, write a two-paragraph explanation to Curtis about why his boss has had the change of personality. Be creative!!

Blog 11: Shakespeare's Language

Before we begin reading Act 1 of William Shakespeare's Taming of the Shrew as a class, it is important for all of you to become familiar with the playwright's language.

Please answer the following questions in your own blog:
1. What is "blank verse"? Give an example of it from your book.

2. Interpret these Shakespearean lines using your Shakespeare Packet: Reading Shakespeare's English:
a. "But soft! What light through yonder window breaks?" [R&J]
b. "Thou art more lovely and more temperate." [Sonnets XVIII]
c. "If it were done when 'tis done, then 'twere well." [Macbeth]
d. "Who wooed in haste, and means to wed in leisure." [Taming of the Shrew]

3. How many creative Shakespearean insults can you come up with? Add "thou" or "thine" to the front of the lists picked up on your way in: "Thou+Column A+Column B+Column C!"
Post your BEST Shakespearean insult as a "comment" below.

Blog 10: TKAM, Point of View at the Trial

To Kill A Mockingbird Point of View - Trial
Very often, different people view the same event in different ways. If your team had just won a state championship, you would probably describe the game differently than someone would from the losing team. Two drivers involved in an auto accident would have different perspectives about what had caused the accident.
Writing Topic
Select the role of someone who was involved with or someone who observed Tom Robinson's trial. Write an account of the trial from that person's point of view.
- - - a member of the black community sitting in the balcony

- - - a member of the jury who believed that Tom was innocent but was afraid to go against the other members of the jury

- - - a newspaper reporter from New York who was covering the trial

- - - Judge Taylor in his later years writing his memoirs

- - - Reverend Sykes

- - - Atticus writing in his journal

- - - Miss Maudie Atkinson

- - - Aunt Alexander
Make sure that what you write is consistent with the character whose point of view you have assumed.

Example:
A Sermon by Rev. Sykes Written by: Oliver Orange
An Account of Tom Robinson's Trial from the Point of View of Reverend Sykes
My brother and sisters, it is a dark day for Maycomb County. Some of us knew Tom was going to lose, but we still had hope. As one of my sisters once said, "Sorrow looks back, worry looks around, and faith looks up." So my friends, we must look up. Tom knows, and we know, Tom did not commit this sinful crime. I look at the Ewells with pity. As Tom said in court,"I felt sorry for her." These aren't the words of a hate filled angry man; these are the words of a wonderful God-loving man. Whites think it is appalling for any Negro man to feel sorry for any white human being no matter how low in social status. I think it is the mark of a deeply caring man.

Tom, we want to thank you for being so strong throughout this terrible time. We must stand together and say what happened in court is wrong. We must stand together and support Tom's wife and three small children. Finally, we must thank Mr. Atticus Finch for defending Tom. Atticus Finch is a good and decent man. We must pray together that his appeal on Tom's behalf will finally be heard in the halls of justice.

Written requirements:

---Two paragraphs in length

---You must use one quotation from the book to support your point of view.

---The Word program may be used to intitially type up this assignment, but ultimately, it should be posted to YOUR BLOG.

Blog 9: TKAM, The beginning of the trial

Pretend you worked very hard through law school, became a lawyer, and you now currently earn a modest living working independently at law.

You are asked by one of your closest friends to defend someone who has been accused of stealing from the PHHS scholarship fund [or another controversial topic]. The people in both communities, Montvale and Woodcliff Lake, believe that this individual committed the crime. The monetary sum of $2,000 was found in the accused individual's bank account the day after the money was discovered to be missing; the accused could not explain why the money appeared in his account.

If you take this case, you will be looked at critically by everyone around you, and you might even lose some of your close friends. People may come to judge you for your choice to defend an individual that looks blatantly guilty.

The accused person is very poor and states that he did not commit the crime. He has no witnesses to support the fact that he is innocent, but he has never been involved in any arrests/suspicious activities before. In fact, his coworkers have only the nicest things to say about him. If you choose not to defend him, no other lawyer will come to his defense.

The question is: Do you take the case? Why/why not? If yes, what would you offer as a defense? If no, what holds you back from this client?

*Challenge*: How is this situation similar to what is occurring in To Kill a Mockingbird? 

Blog 8: NYT Article + Power in OMAM

Answer the following questions, either alone or with a partner. Your responses should be three-four sentences in length. You should be making connections between the NYT article and Steinbeck's text.

1. What is the main idea of this NYT article? What is its connection to OMAM?


2. According to the article, "Some Forecasters See a Fast Economic Recovery," what 'psychological factor' is mentioned as providing the U.S. society with a false sense of comfort?


3. Is there a similar psychological phenomenon that plays out in OMAM? [Hint: Where do the migrant workers' earnings go? Find support for your answers on pages 76-78 of the text.]



When you have finished this blog posting, take out your Chapter 4 Focus Questions and review the answers with your neighbor.

Blog 7: The Boss

When the boss is talking to George about their work, George speaks for himself and Lennie. What does his boss suspect is going on between George and Lennie? What is George's response?

Blog 6: Beginning, Of Mice and Men

Compare and contrast the two men who come into the clearing by the river. [pages 2-3] Why do you think Steinbeck introduces the men by describing their physical features, highlighting the fact that one is small and one is huge? What can the reader infer about the two men based on their descriptions?

Blog 5: Pandora's Box

The world was lucky in that Pandora did not release "foreboding" from the box Hermes gave her.

1. What was "foreboding"? How would it have changed our society, according to Greek myths?

2. Choose another "ill" in the box and write about how the world would be different had Pandora not released it.

Blog 4: "Hephaestus" & "Aphrodite"

In a group of two or three, answer the questions below in COMPLETE sentences. EVERY member of the group is to post the answers on his/ her own blog. This blog posting counts toward a class participation grade.

"Hephaestus"

1. Why was Hera disappointed when Hephaestus was born? What did she do with him?

2. Who saved Hephaestus?

3. What made Hera change her mind about her son? What did Hephaestus become the god of?

4. Compare Hephaestus and Apollo. How do their appearances differ?

"Aphrodite"

5. How was Aphrodite "created"? How is this birth similar to Athene's?

6. What gifts was Aphrodite promised by her suitors?

7. Which husband did Aphrodite choose? Do you think she chose wisely? Why/why not?

8. Which goddess is most powerful: Demeter, Artemis, or Aphrodite? Explain the reasoning behind your choice.

Blog 3, Myths: Apollo & Hermes Readings

Is Hermes a good god or a bad god? 

Explain using support from the text.