Welcome New Classes

Welcome to Academy English 10! This blog acts as an electronic notebook, progress recorder, and sharing tool for all Academy English 10 students. The blog is a more informal sounding board and a building block to bigger ideas, more complete thoughts, and formal papers. The hope is that your ideas will spark and inspire your classmates and allow for faster feedback from me. Please follow this blog, as homework assignments and blog entries will be posted on here.

Enjoy these mostalgic (for me) summer-inspired jams to finish up your summer reading posts!

Mungo Jerry "In the Summertime" - to be young and without responsibility is a wonderful thing. The one hit of wonder was all this band ever got.

Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers "Into the Great Wide Open" - great story, and yes, that is Johnny Depp in the video.

Built to Spill "Big Dipper" - luscious bluesy guitar and lyrics about the possibilities when you are young and looking at the stars.

Use of quotes in your paper

You always hear me saying, “don’t summarize,” “use specifics,” “you need quotes from the text,” but why? Why do you need to use specifics? And, perhaps more importantly, how do you USE a quote to benefit  your paper?

A Quote as support vs. use of summary as support

Rios cleverly uses a point-by-point comparison and varied sentence structure to show the differences between how things used to be and how things are now, since the proverbial rug has been pulled out from underneath them. He talks about how everything changed from the teachers to the girls to school in general, and this change is shown by his sentence structure. He alternates long sentences to describe the problem and short sentences to punctuate the change. This is very effective.

Rios skillfully uses a point-by-point comparison to show the differences between how things used to be and how things are now, since the proverbial rug has been pulled out from underneath them. “There were teachers now, not just one teacher, teach-erz, and we felt personally abandoned somehow.” The phonetic spelling of “teach-erz” emphasizes that it was no longer one teacher, who they knew and trusted taking care of them; on the contrary, the “erz” sarcastically stresses that multiple teachers are not the answer to their crisis of transition, thus making them feel “abandoned.” The next point in his comparison is how they viewed the presence of females…

A Quote as inspiration

 What the reader must understand is that to say Fitzgerald is simply talking about the American dream is myopic. As James Miller puts it, “It [The Great Gatsby] transcends its time to reveal something about America, American character, and the American dream.” Specifically, it reveals the American character when yearning for our (American) dreams. Look at what the characters in this novel can justify to themselves in the name of achieving their dream – scandal, cheating, lying, destroying the lives of those with whom they come in contact. Tom Buchanan, for example…

A Quote as refutation

Gatsby is an all aspects a tragic character, but to make the jump that he is somehow a Christ-figure is a stretch. Douglas Taylor argues that, “Fitzgerald develops the general character of Gatsby’s experience to correspond with that of the life and agony of Christ.” While their optimism in their dream for the world and their martyr status may be unarguable parallels to draw other comparisons between a selfless, giving man who lived by The Golden Rule and a self-absorbed, lovelorn man who believes if he has gold he can rule is absurd. Looking at the characters. of Christ and Gatsby, their motivations, and their actions the plausibility that this was Fitzgerald’s intent diminishes exponentially. Look at their character to begin…

 

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest Blog #2

The conflict between Big Nurse and McMurphy is in full swing at the end of "Part One." Who is getting the best of their rivalry at this point? Why do you say that (specific evidence)?

What is your perception of the Chief at this point in the story? Why? And how has the presence of McMurphy changed the Chief's character or his narration (be specific)?

Who are you rooting for at this point in the story and why?

First Cuckoo's Nest Blog

In sticking with the overall theme of the unit, we are going to revisit the same ideas that we looked at in Gatsby: hero, anti-hero, and villain. Identify which of the characters you think fit into these roles. If you want to be more specific like - traditional hero, tragic hero, etc. - go right ahead. All of you choices should have justifications and quotational (I just made that word up) proof from the text.

Doing a good job on these will help tremendously when it comes to writing your paper.

And if you start to get down reading about all of this madness, here are some upbeat songs (about craziness) to pick you up.

"Crazy" by Gnarls Barkley http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bd2B6SjMh_w&ob=av2e
"Mad World" by Tears for Fears http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3gFl2OXySs8  
"Psycho Killer" by the Talking Heads http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l5zFsy9VIdM

Final Gatsby Reading Journal

Prepping for Socratic Seminar

Create four open-ended questions - two interpretive in nature and two evaluative in nature - that have to do with the novel The Great Gatsby. These should address a wide array of ideas and themes from the book. You also need to come up with a one paragraph answer for each of your questions. These questions can be something that you don't know the answer to, but are willing to speculate about, or they can be questions to which you think you know the answer and feel very strongly about. Either way, these questions should be thought-provoking and their answers should show evidence not only that you've reasd the text, but that you understood it on more than a literal level.

"Black Bottom Stomp" by Jelly Roll Morton

"Black Bottom Stomp" by Jelly Roll Morton; what stands out to you about this music? This would have been the type of music at one of Gatsby's parties. How do you envision that this song would mesh with the mood of one of Gatsby's parties? Why does it work/not work?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xGAeqQNh3cI

Great Gatsby Reading Blog #2 (ch. 4-6)

Fitzgerald does a fantastic job of revealing details to us a little at a time, allowing us to pass and change judgment as the story progresses. Address the following questions in relation to the development of Jay Gatsby: 1) What is the purpose of Meyer Wolfsheim as a character? How does he affect the way we see Gatsby? 2) What does the backstory about Jay and Daisy's past do to our impressions of Gatsby? 3) What does the story of the rest of Gatsby past due to our impressions of him? 4) How does your overall impression of Gatsby change over these three chapters - do you like him more, less, and why?

Check out this dance video. This would have been what the aristocrats were doing to jazz music, but it looks like fun. Count Basie's "Jumpin' at the Woodside" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VdWgHtTau48

Great Gatsby Reading Blog #1 (ch.1-3)

Having talked about hero, antihero, and villain in class, I am sure that you are completely clear on what all three are. And knowing that, you also are aware that how you classify chraracters into one of these categories is a very personal thing.

Looking at first three chapters of The Great Gatsby, make some predictions about these characters and (unlike Nick) classify them into one of the three categories - hero, antihero, and villain. Give ample reasons for your classification, with support for the text (that means quotes...and page numbers).

Daisy's Theme Song - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7mdIWaRi-7c "Rich Girl" by Hall & Oates

An Artist's Style

Look at the three Justin Bua paintings, and describe his style as a painter. Remember these should be common throughout all three paintings and encompass more than just subject matter.

Blogs for the week of 1/23/12

1. "Race for the Prize" by the Flaming Lips lyrics; What is the theme of the song as you see/hear it. Write a paragraph FOR YOUR BLOG that uses rhetoric and one fact (a lyric from the song) to persuade as to what the theme of the song is. You may also want to talk about the musical elements that add to the theme.
2. "Sixteen Military Wives" by the Decemberists  lyrics; what is the song talking about (subject matter)? What is the theme (about what is the audience supposed to think)?   THIS IS TO BE POSTED ON YOUR BLOG
3. FOR THE BLOG write a contrast paragraph on the effectiveness of the two death penalty essays. Which of the two - Mencken or Kroll - do you find to be more effective in persuading you and why?

Fallacies in Famous Speeches

Look at one logical fallacy in either Patrick Henry's "Speech to the Virginia Convention" or JFK's "Inauguration Speech"; FOR THE BLOG write the following: 1) write a quote from the speech that commits a fallacy. 2) Tell what fallacy it commits and explain why it is guilty of committing that logical flaw. 3) Explain why a speech that blatantly commits so many fallacies can still be so effective and so famous.  

Propaganda Journal

Video Selection: "Destination Earth" ; What is the overt message in this ad? How do we know this? What is the covert message in this ad? How do we know that? How is this propaganda (include and be specific about how it uses the specific types of propaganda we have read about)? Explain. THIS IS TO BE BLOGGED


This track goes out to Ogg and his people martians on Mars:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v--IqqusnNQ&ob=av2e - David Bowie "Life on Mars"

The Clash "Clampdown" listening journal

The Clash "Clampdown" & lyrics: Look at the lyrics to this song. What are they about? How do you know (what is your proof from the song)? What musical elements (volume, tempo, instrumentation) helps to push your lyrical interpretation of the song? Find me something in the song that relates to propaganda, persuasion, deception, rhetoric, or argument and explain it. THIS IS TO BE BLOGGED.

Propaganda, Persuasion, Rhetoric, and Argument

http://www.overalltech.net/pub/Quotations-Propaganda.pdf THIS IS AN ASSIGNMENT FOR THE BLOG: Choose four quotes that you like and understand from this document (identify them by number you don't have to write them all out). Choose one of the four quotes from this document to analyze. Don't just pick the first one. You need to find one that you understand and can analyze in depth, using real world or personal examples as support for your views. Be sure to relate what they are saying to what we are talking about in terms of propaganda, persuasion, rhetoric, and argument.

I was digging on this tasty little nugget all break. It is the theme to a sketch comedy show called Portlandia. It eased my grading woes, putting me in the right state of mind to do some work and may due the same for your back-to-school homework hesitancy.   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-DkslcOhytU

Final Brave New World Post

For the final Brave New World journal. I would  like you to create three questions: two related solely to BNW that pose open-ended questions about the text as a whole that are not definititvely answered in the text (think theme, why the author did something a specific way, purpose of the ending or the fate of different characters, what he is saying overall about this kind of society, etc.). The final question should be about both 1984 and Brave New World as a whole dealing with similarities/differences in the approaches to the utopian idea, the possibility of these state coming to be, the choice of protagonists, the fears of the authors, etc.

Please don't pose a questions straight from the prompt. For example, "What are the similarities and differences between Orwell's utopian ideal and Huxley's?" Instead, use those as a jumping off point to give me something more specific and creative.

Enjoy some Sigur Ros http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xow2gnVTUjs . I always imagine this music to be playing in Brave New World. It is sung in a made up version of Icelandic that is both beautiful and perplexing at the same time. The video is fantastic, with the music over top of a special needs theatre group performing a play about the elements with the music as the backdrop. If your immaturity will not allow you to watch the video without laughing turn it off (and I feel sorry for you).

Brave New World Blog #2 (Ch. 7-13)

As you read through Brave New World there should be questions that you pose to yourself about how their society works, what possible conflicts may arise, the motivations of a character or characters, the purpose of the novel (what the author wants you to think about), etc. Write out three thought provoking questions that you posed while reading. Then, hypothesize the answer based on what you have read. That means you should have some citations. These answers are not proven yet, but they are not unsubstantiated either, meaning you can't fully prove them, but your answer is based on something specific that you have read. The answer to each question should be at least six sentences...or enough fully discuss, support, and explain your idea.

First Brave New World Reading Entry

Answer the following questions from the first 6 chapters of Brave New World: how have they created equality or conformity? How have they reduced conflict, specifically in regards to religion, relationships, and individual rights? How have they created or forced happiness/conformity? Make a claim about this society as either a utopia or a dystopia based the rest of your blog entry. Please be specific and remember that all answers to these questions should be claims, those claims should be backed by support, and that support should come from textual evidence (quotes).

This is due by midnight on Sunday 11/20. If you are going to KYA be sure to post before you leave.

While writing check out the song "Soma" by the Strokes...an obvious reference to the book if you listen to the lyrics. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FsbBH93Grp0

Or check out the Smashing Pumpkins' "Soma" about not feeling, but not necessarily an overt reference to the novel. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9OFIF6X4S-w

Final 1984 Blog

For your final 1984 blog you need to assess the ending of the book. Has Big Brother won? Why/Why not? Propose a way that the One State can be brought down. What do you think happens to Winston Smith at the end of the novel? Support your answer with analysis of specific quotes from the text.

This final post is due before midnight on Tuesday.

1984 Blog #2

In "Book Two," Winston Smith is torn between his personal guilt over commitment to his job and his traditional trust/belief in the One State, and his overwhelming curiosity which is fueled by other relationships and a yearning for something more/better. In  your opinion, why is Winston having a difficult time buying in to what Big Brother and the State are selling? Explain and support. Are his small acts of defiance (questioning) a form of protest? Why/Why not? Compare/contrast Winston's small rebellion to a more current act of rebellion within the United States (think Tea Party Movement, Occupy Wall Street, Anti-War Protests, etc.) in all facets - what they are fighting for, who they are rebelling against, the way their protests seen by the government, the way their protests are seen by the masses.  Ultimately, the purpose of this blog is to examine how Orwellian we have become.

It was not Galileo, or Thoreau, or Joyce, or even Lady Gaga that made the ultimate statement about non-conformity. Check out Pink Floyd's "Another Brick in the Wall" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t4SKL7f9n58 . The video is pretty creepy too.

Unit Two: Cultural Conflict - Introduction Blog

Video Selection:  Video clip on Globalization and Conflict http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kniiNvoC0EY ; Identify the conflict. Is this an internal or external conclict? How/Why does globalization create conflict? In the speaker's opinion, globalization has flown in only one direction what does she mean by this? Although the speaker feels globalization has been one-sided, she notes there has been one benefit related to the process. What benefit dies she mention? The speaker says muslims and westerners live by/are obligated to two different sources of truth. What two sources (two texts) does she mention?