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