Ideas

We take for granted our education system and how lucky we are to be given the right to learn.  A lot of students complain or choose to disengage with the learning.  In Anthem, we see a character who is thirsty for learning.  He wants nothing more than to learn all he can, and yet, he is not permitted. 

For this week's blog, I want you to think about what you love to learn.  Explain what you enjoy learning, how you enjoy learning, and what would happen to you should you not be permitted to learn any longer.  Then, I want you to think about why the characters in our book were not permitted to learn?  

Individual

Growing up in the United States provides you with many opportunities to demonstrate your individuality. 

For this week's blog, define what it means to be an individual, and then provide an example from your life that illustrates your definition.  

Lessons learned

Chaucer convey's many messages through The Canterbury Tales.  Many of them have a lesson to be learned.  These are called exemplums. Now it is your turn.

Tells us a story that involves a lesson that we should learn that speaks to the morals, culture, and time that you live in.  This story could be personal, or it could be fictional.  If you want to tell a story through poetic form that is fine as well.  If you choose to tell a story that is true, do not throw others under the bus.  Change names if need be.  

Your story should have an intro, body and a conclusion.  It should have characters, and conflicts.  It does not have to be long.  

EX:  When I was in high school, my parents decided to paint the house.  Our house was too tall for a ladder, so my parents had to rent a cherry picker.  It is a truck that has a crane/arm that moves a bucket holding a person toward whatever direction you want it to go.  So, my mom climbed into the bucket and my dad was at the controls.  My sister and I stood watching as the rope unwound from around the spool allowing the bucket to move high up toward the eaves of the house.   My dad looked at my sister and I and said, "Do not touch this rope.  It will sever your hand or whatever is caught underneath it."  

My sister, heard do not, and that was enough to encourage her to stick her finger under the rope.  As my dad pulled my mom in from the top of the eaves, my sister stuck her finger under the rope.  Her finger sliced.  She pulled her hand out and the tip of her finger fell to the side.  I rushed her into the house to wrap her hand and the finger in a cool compress.  Fortunately,  the doctor's were able to sew her finger back on.  

The lesson--parents know more than you think.  Pay attention to your surroundings and listen to those who know more than you.   

Character Sketch

With The Canterbury Tales, we will see how Chaucer describes the many pilgrims on the Pilgrimage. One of the ways that he will convey the characters is through indirect and direct characterization.  For this week's blog, I want you to show me someone important to you.  

Paint the picture of the character using a combination of direct and indirect characterization.  Do not tell us their name or relationship to you.  We should be able to tell by your descriptions.  

Ex: Her hair was always long and perfectly manicured.  Her dark brown eyes always spoke before her mouth.  I remember when I got a bad grade in math.  I cried the entire way home from school, but when I walked in the door, not a single word was spoken.  She placed a homemade cookie in front of me and a glass of milk and sat down for our usual talk.   

Your World

We have been analyzing many pieces of literature this year.  Probably more than you would ever want:)   This week, I want you to choose something in your world--television show, commercial, song, movie, video game.  


Determine the purpose--the societal commentary being made.  Explain to us what your choice is, then explain what the purpose is--define, persuade, explain.  What action is wanted--what we should take away or do as a result?  Finally give us some examples to back up your thinking.

Example:
The purpose behind the Audi Q3 commercial that deals with scripts and abandoning the script is to not only sell cars, but to persuade the viewer to believe that with this car there are no limits.  Man writes his own destiny.  The clip shows characters reading from a script when interacting with other people.  It shows one man getting into the car and leaving his script behind and the partner who is left behind does not know what to do because his destiny has not been planned.  This commercial appeals to the emotions of the viewer.  It counts on free will and the desire for man to live without being told how to.  

Traits

Warrior Traits--wisdom, physical strength, loyalty, courage.  These are the traits we talked about in class last week in regard to Beowulf.  We also discussed how these were valued and who we thought should embody these traits today.  

Think about what traits you value in other people.  What traits are a must in your friends and what traits are a must in one of the following: teachers, coaches, celebrities, athletes?  Then, think about if these expectations are reasonable.  Are the traits we expect others to embody the same traits we ourselves demonstrate and are they attainable?  Explain how you see these traits demonstrated in someone close to you and why you think these traits are important to your relationships.  

Movies

I love movies.  I think you know this.  I love going to movies, sitting at home to watch movies, and I love talking about movies.  Movies, like books, provide me with an escape from the world.  However, this escape is more than just a chance to veg out.  It comes with learning.  We, whether we want to or not, learn from the stage and screen.  We take quotes, we pull moments, we examine relationships and we apply them to our lives.  We hope to have the courage of the hero, the passion of the artist, the skill of the scholar.  They are part of our pop culture and they make a commentary on society and in turn on the viewer.  

For this week's blog, write about a movie that changed your view, reinforced your view, or made you think about your view on some aspect of the world.  Give us the title, a little synopsis, and then explain the scene and what resonated with you.  

Heroes

We have discussing the heroes we see in literature and in movies.  We often times glorify those, but fail to recognize those individuals who are present in our lives that make a difference.  Think about the people in your life and how they have impacted you.  

Choose one person who you think has impacted you the greatest.  It may be a grandparent, a parent, a neighbor, a teacher, etc.  It could be anyone.  Explain how they have changed yo in some way.  Tell a story that shows how you have been changed or impacted by this person.  

My example:
When I was a child, I would go to my my grandparent's house for Spring Break.  I would stay without my parent and one of the things I looked forward to was going to the cemetery and going to breakfast.  On our way to breakfast one morning, when I was about 13 years old, my grandmother and I saw an elderly woman who was walking down the sidewalk.  As we were stopped at the light, we saw the woman fall.  She just fell forward and landed on her face.  My grandmother said,"When I pull over to the side of the road, you jump out and go over to that woman."  

I didn't know what I was supposed to do.  I was a kid.  But, when my grandma pulled over, I ran across the street to the woman's side.  He face was covered in blood.  She was shaking.  I tried to get her to lay on her side and rest, while the people behind me were calling the police and ambulance.  My grandmother came over and started to talk with her.  Slowly, she calmed down.  The police arrived and the paramedics loaded her into their vehicle.  I just stood there.

My hands were covered in her blood.  My grandma told me not to touch anything.  When we got to the restaurant, I went to the restroom to scrub my hands clean.  We later called the hospital to check on the woman and were told that she had a bruised face and I think a broken nose, but she was going to be okay.  

I can still remember the blood on my hands.  I remember the helplessness I felt at not knowing what to do to hep this woman.  My grandmother has since passed away.  My heart is heavy when I think  of her and the profound impact she had on me.  This was just like her.  She would go out of her way to help others and she cared deeply for people.  She has passed this on to me.  Through her example, I am a better person.  

Seeing

The way we see is often only through a lens we have not yet focused or through one that has been too focused and we cannot see beyond.  Examine this picture.  Determine what is going on.

Then write a post that explains how this picture is a metaphor for your book--either The Things They Carried or The Yellow Birds.  

Be sure to give details to support your explanation.  

MIndset

One of our greatest fears besides public speaking or walking down the street in our birthday suits is failure.  Most people see failure as hitting bottom or as a loss of status.  Some see it as a bruise on the ego, a blemish on the slate we try so hard to keep so polished.  But, failure is more than all of those.  

This video, The Power of belief,  is going to introduce you to a term called mindset.  There are two types--fixed and growth.  Watch this video and determine what mindset you are. 

 Then, think of how you allow your own internal dialogue to sabotage or to empower you.  Does your internal dialogue foster one type of mindset over another?  Does your mindset change or is it consistent?  Explain how your mindset works to help you achieve or halt your progress.  The last thing I want you to consider is how you can change your mindset? 

This post should be about you reflecting on your mindset, and it should be done in about two paragraphs.   

The Importance of Place

Where we live is very much part of how we live, the choices we make, and the person we become.  The people we encounter help to mold us and the time that we live in captures our biases.  

Your blog this week is to think about where you live.  How has the place, the time, the people all influenced the person that you are?  Describe where you live--your home, your neighborhood, your city.  Think of a metaphor that captures the essence of your home.  In your post, incorporate this metaphor to help illustrate this world where you reside.  

Your post should be about one to two solid paragraphs, and I should have a very clear picture of your home.  

*Remember that others will see your post.  Do not post something so personal that you do not want others to see or read.  

The Power of Words

We have been examining many pieces of literature that look at War, soldiers and commentary on the like through many different lenses.  For this first week's blog, please look for a quote outside of your book about war that speaks to you.

By saying speaks to you, I mean that when you read it you have a response that is either positive or negative.  Type out the quote and explain in a solid paragraph what you think it says and why you picked it.  

Advice

Polonius gives Laertes advice when he sends him off to school.  He encourages him to not dress to flashy, to not borrow or lend money, to listen to others but be mindful of sharing his opinion with others, and he ends with the following: "This above all to thine own self be true."

You are about to embark on your own journey.  Think about all of the advice that has been given to you.  What advice will you remember?  What advice is repeated and why does the repetition matter?  Think about why this advice is given, and what is the hope in sharing this advice with you?  Tell us a little story about the advice.

My example:
My senior year of high school my grandmother and I were breaking beans for dinner.  We sat at the kitchen table, and I was excited to tell her that I was getting the Louie Armstrong Award for Jazz Band.  I was incredibly excited and proud.  My grandmother never looked up from her beans.  She simply stated, "Pride goeth before a fall."  My only response was silence.  I didn't know what to say.  Later, I told her that I wasn't being boastful, just excited that I was getting the award.  

I have never forgotten that advice.  To never be too proud.  There is a line between pride in accomplishments and arrogance.  I always will have my grandmother in my ear to keep me in line.  She reminded me to be humble in accomplishments and to recognize the lesson in every situation.  

Power

I have been watching the power dynamics that abound within society.  We see power shifts everyday.  These emerge in our relationships.  We create hierarchies between men and women; we create power imbalances between strangers.  These power shifts ultimately result in one person positioning themselves higher.

Look at Hamlet.  How do we see power emerge and who demonstrates that power?  Who is rendered powerless?  What is the result of the role of power in Hamlet?

The Wizard of Oz--pulling back the curtain

The first time I saw The Wizard of Oz, I fell in love with the movie.  I followed Dorthy on her quest to get to the Wizard and I too was scared of the forest.  I wanted the Wizard to be real just like Dorthy and her followers.  But when Toto pulled back the curtain the Wizard was demystified.  He was a man.  This same demystification is part of life.  We go into something expecting a certain outcome or result and leave disappointed, changed or even scarred by the experience.  Our innocence has been eroded.  

The most common idea we try to strip kids of is Santa Claus.  We tell kids that when they reach a certain age they should cease to believe.  The same thing follows with the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy, and the like.  What we are trying to do is provide clarity, to be honest about the world, to set kids up to believe even when their really has no evidence.  What happens is we create generations of kids who lose hope and the ability to appreciate the wonder in mysteries.  We don't trust and we don't believe.  

This week, I want you to think about a time when the curtain was pulled back for you.  When did you experience a moment where what you believed to be true turned out to be different?  How were you changed?  How did it happen?  What has been the result?  What experience have you gained from this?

NOTE:  This opens up a space for us to say what we want.  Some people may speak about politics, religion, education, home.  Please be respectful of others.  These are your thoughts and I am asking that you keep in mind the thoughts of others.  BE RESPECTFUL or I will delete your response and no credit will be given.

Conformity and Rebellion

The way we see the world is often created by the world we come from.  Conformity and rebellion will also look differently dependent on the world we are from and the world we wish to rebel from.  One student said today that sometimes when we rebel we are actually conforming.  I agree.

Your blog this week is to look at this picture and explain how you see conformity and rebellion emerging.  Be very specific in pointing out what you see as examples of each.

 

Where I Live...

Where I live is not just a place.  It is a world that shapes my views, shapes my eating habits, and shapes my education.  Where we live does more than just house us.  It changes us.  I have had the great opportunity to live many places.  I have lived on a farm, in the city and now in suburbia.  The only place I would still like to live is in the woods or even on a mountain.  Oh, maybe the beach!  Okay well, there is more than one place I would like to still live.  Regardless, each place I have lived has impacted me.  

From living on the farm, I learned much about the land that we lived on.  How much it takes to grow something from the ground and to cultivate it.  From the city, I learned about people.  So many different kinds of people, all bringing something new and different to the table.  From suburbia, I have learned about relationships.  With the world being shrunk down in to a small island, I have learned how interconnected relationships are.  

Your post this week is to think about where you live.  How has where you live shaped your thinking?  How has it shaped the way you see the world?  How has it impacted the way you interact with others?  I would like for you to speak about the positive things.  I am not censoring you.  I'm asking that you look at the positive side of where you live.  I know that there are negative things that each of the places I have lived have taught me.  That is reality.  For this post, tell me the positive.