There are two ways of spreading light: to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it.

Blog 11/Take II

Respond to THREE of the following questions in no less than 250 words. 

1.  If you truly love someone, you trust the person completely.

 2.  You cannot love someone and also be jealous of him or her. 

3.  People more readily believe something bad about a person than something good.

4.  If you don’t talk about others, others will not talk about you.

5.  One’s reputation can easily be destroyed by a rumor.

6.  If one works hard to maintain his or her reputation, it will not be destroyed.

7.  Rumors are for the most part untrue.

8.  Anyone’s reputation can be destroyed by another spreading rumor and gossip.

9.  Those who gossip are usually jealous of those they gossip about.

10.  A mixed marriage is more susceptible to outside pressures than is one of common races, religious beliefs and backgrounds.

11.  In marriage, many men will excuse their own unfaithfulness but will condemn their wives for doing the same thing.

12.  Being unfaithful to one’s marriage partner is an unforgivable act.

13.  A man who would beat his wife is not a man.

14.  Even the most honorable of people can be changed into violent murderers given the circumstances.

15.  Some people are simply evil and nothing can change them.

16.  It is possible to misjudge even those who are closest to us.

 

Return later in the week to respond to a classmate's post.

REMEMBER TO SELECT YOUR IRA NOVEL CHOICE.

Novel choice is due tomorrow.

Blog 10/Integrating the Arts and Fiction

Choose a poem or song that you believe highlights some aspect of one of the novels/plays you read this semester. First, post the poem or song and then briefly explore its subject and tone and then make relevant connections to such elements as the novel’s themes, literary techniques, characters, setting, and imagery.  Return later in the week to respond to a classmate's post.

I just discovered Jason Grey and I absolutely love his music.  Interestingly, he has speech impediment and stutters badly, but when he's on stage he shines!  I thought his song "Down to the River" was so perfect for The Awakening that I actually listened to it and typed the lyrics, since they're not on the net.  The bold text-lyrics reflect the novel so well.  I feel as if Edna could be the speaker!  Enjoy ~

I am going to the river. I’m gonna lay my body down.

Let it take me where it will as it picks my feet up off the ground.

I may get carried away, as the water leads the dance,

But I go to the river because I’m ready to take a chance.

 

CHORUS

 

I’m going down, down.

I’m going down.

Down to the river,

I’m gonna let it carry me.

Oh yes I go down to the river.

I’m gonna let it cover me.

 

I used think the river was a barrier to cross—

till I knelt by the water and found a good place to be lost.

See I’ve got a need to surrender to something bigger than me.

So I go to the river to let it set me free.

 

Chorus

 

And when I stand before the river I will strip down to my skin

because I believe when I jump the water will take me in—

Cleanse me, carry me, upon its back deliver me.

Down the river to the sea

Down the river to the sea

Chorus

I’m going down, down.

I’m going down,

down to the river

I’m gonna let it carry me.

Oh yes I go down to the river

I’m gonna let it cover me

I’m going down to the river, yeah

Would you like to go with me?

 

Though the path may twist and turn, the course will not be swayed.

The river knows where it’s going and it always finds the way.

 

 

Enjoy the blog folks...

"There are two ways of spreading light: to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it."  -You are here to share your knowledge, but you are also here to help others focus and bring out their own understanding, just like candles and mirrors.

Attention Everyone:
The intent of this blog is two fold: first and foremost, I want to give you a medium where you can let your voice be heard by many. In my own teaching vanity, I would like to think that you access the blog several times a week to read each other's posts, not just on Sunday when it's due. I'd like to think that while reading others, you reaffirm your views on some topics, while on others you challenge them. If you only see the world through a prescribed lens, taking offense and exploding through words, then you become stagnate and simply boring! What I have seen and heard in the past few weeks makes me smile:  Domosthenes’ and Camuccini’s contributions to the blog have increased the interest in the blog and generated more classroom discussion.  Personally, I look forward to what you ALL have to add to the topics of the week.  Of course I also hope this newfound interest might spark others to respond that we haven’t seen since the first required blog *cough, *cough—you know who you are.  

The second purpose of the blog is to generate healthy academic discourse, which is a critical component of learning at both the high school and collegiate levels.  You need this type of dialogue to help you grow.  For several semesters now, I have defended the open blog forum, arguing that it mirrors the structure of some classes where you become more vulnerable as you share your writing with people you may or may not know.  I don’t want to be forced to make the blog private. Each of you have something of value to share, so in short, I welcome all of the Camuccinis, Demosthenes, Katie Ps x3, Salsaboys, Pricklys, Polo Bears, Studd Hosses, Lexxxs, Hopes. Laurels, Diesels, Kellis, DisplayName22s, Amys, StephBs, 5AvrielGs,  Chandlers, EmilyLs, and anyone else who wants to join us! 

Blog 9/Words, Words, Words

For this week's blog, find a memorable quote or passage from a novel or play and post it.  Be sure to note the author and the title of the work in your response.  Return later in the week to respond to at least one of your classmate's post.

“[H]e is the long delayed but always expected something that we live for.”

--The Glass Menagerie, Tennessee Williams

"All around you things are purely living, and you among them, and the aliveness makes you tremble.  You feel an intense, out-of-the-skin awareness of your living self--your truest self, the human being you want to be and then become by the force of wanting it. In the midst of evil you want to be a good man. You want decency. You want justice and courtesy and human concord, things you never knew you wanted.  There is a kind of largeness to it, a kind of godliness. Though it's odd, you're never more alive than when you're almost dead. --The Things They Carried, Tim O'Brien 

Absurdist Plays

Great Performances!

Blog 8/The American Dream

What is the American dream? Well actually that’s for you to decide. Most people consider it to be the “perfect” life. Is it having a big house with the white picket fence, the perfect family, a great job that you never complain about, and not having to worry about if you’ll make ends meet with next week's pay check? Many people have different dreams, especially when you consider different ages, gender, and nationalities. In a response of no less than 250-300 words comment on the following: 

What is the American Dream and how has it changed as America has changed?  Is the American dream based on illusion?  How realistic and possible is it to achieve?  Who might possibly achieve it?  If you'd like, try experimenting by writing in the voice of someone different from yourself. You may respond in the form of a letter, poem, email, etc, or you may simply write a paragraph. 

Return later in the week to comment on at least ONE of your classmate’s post.

Changes to the Parallel Reading Schedule

Since you will finish the absurdist writing and performance on Monday and Tuesday, let's move the reading/discussion of the parallel novels to Thursday; however, you are still responsible for reading the first two sections indicated below.

 Reading Schedule for A Thousand Splendid Suns

Part 1/pgs. 1-104 and Part 2/pgs. 107-195

Reading Schedule for The  Shack

Foreword-Ch. 4/pgs. 1-66 and Ch. 5-8/pgs. 67-127

*Also, remember to complete Poetry Response #3 for Wednesday. Select a poem from Document 2.