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?