Journal #8:
"...there is no such thing as 'too late' in life." What are the implications of this statement? What does it drive you to do? How should you react to a statement like this?
Thursday, December 20, 2012
Tuesdays with Morrie - Journal #7
Journal #7:
"The important questions have to do with love, responsibility, spirituality, awareness." How accurate is this? Why? If not any of these things, what are the most important things?
"The important questions have to do with love, responsibility, spirituality, awareness." How accurate is this? Why? If not any of these things, what are the most important things?
Tuesdays with Morrie - Journal #6
Journal #6:
"...the big things-how we think, what we value-those you must choose yourself. You can't let anyone-or any society- determine those for you." Is this accurate? Does this mean that you aren't allowed to be taught by or to agree with someone? Explain.
"...the big things-how we think, what we value-those you must choose yourself. You can't let anyone-or any society- determine those for you." Is this accurate? Does this mean that you aren't allowed to be taught by or to agree with someone? Explain.
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
Tuesdays with Morrie - Journal #5
Journal #5:
"...if you've found meaning in your life you don't want to go back. You want to go forward. You want to see more. You can't wait until sixty-five." Reaction? Does this coincide with our culture's perception of aging?
"...if you've found meaning in your life you don't want to go back. You want to go forward. You want to see more. You can't wait until sixty-five." Reaction? Does this coincide with our culture's perception of aging?
Monday, December 17, 2012
Tuesdays with Morrie - Journal #4
Journal #4:
"Once you learn how to die, you learn how to live." How does this match what you've been taught by family, friends, society, or mentors? Ist this sentiment right? Last year there was a phrase that seemed to be everywhere: YOLO (You Only Live Once). How do these two aphorisms contrast eachother and how can you find personal meaning in them?
"Once you learn how to die, you learn how to live." How does this match what you've been taught by family, friends, society, or mentors? Ist this sentiment right? Last year there was a phrase that seemed to be everywhere: YOLO (You Only Live Once). How do these two aphorisms contrast eachother and how can you find personal meaning in them?
Thursday, December 13, 2012
Tuesdays with Morrie Audio Version
Part One p1-25
Part Two p26-54
Part Three p55-85
Part Four p85-118
Part Five p118-141
Part Six p142-170
Part Seven p171-end
Tuesdays with Morrie - Journal #3
Journal #3:
"...love is the only rational act." Is this all? Is something missing? Can there be other rational acts? What meaning is the quote trying to convey and what is the love that it speaks of?
"...love is the only rational act." Is this all? Is something missing? Can there be other rational acts? What meaning is the quote trying to convey and what is the love that it speaks of?
Tuesdays with Morrie - Journal #1
Journal # 1:
"The culture we have does not make people feel good about themselves. And you have to be strong enough to say the culture doesn't work, don't buy it." The speaker of this quote obviously sees some parts of our culture that need to be modified or completely done away with. What about you? Do you agree or disagree with his statement? Why? Explain.
"The culture we have does not make people feel good about themselves. And you have to be strong enough to say the culture doesn't work, don't buy it." The speaker of this quote obviously sees some parts of our culture that need to be modified or completely done away with. What about you? Do you agree or disagree with his statement? Why? Explain.
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
Tuesdays with Morrie
How important is it to analyze the world around us,
assessing the very nature of the world and our place in it? Morrie Schwartz
would have explained that this might be the second best act that one could do.
The greatest act would be to give and receive love. Perhaps these are simple
sentiments, perhaps they are only exercises in philosophical rhetoric, perhaps
they may even be unattainable or lofty goals, but this analysis is the very
thing that Tuesdays with Morrie, a memoir of sorts by Mitch Albom, begs
the reader to do. In the next week and a half we will be spending some time in
class discussing this topic as well as the several other topics that are
inextricably joined to it.
Friday, November 16, 2012
Sisyphus
Albert Camus- http://dbanach.com/sisyphus.htm). Make sure that you take notes and are prepared to discuss both
on Monday. Enjoy your weekend.
Thursday, November 1, 2012
Whale Rider & Oedipus Videos
Hello Folks,
I am posting two videos for your viewing pleasure. The first will be Whale Rider, and the second will be Oedipus Rex. You may use these videos to help you remember and understand what it is that we have been working on for the past couple of weeks. If you are planning on quoting lines from Whale Rider in your essay then be sure cite them correctly. If you have any questions about this then you should use the Purdue OWL link on the right of this page as a resource. Enjoy!
I am posting two videos for your viewing pleasure. The first will be Whale Rider, and the second will be Oedipus Rex. You may use these videos to help you remember and understand what it is that we have been working on for the past couple of weeks. If you are planning on quoting lines from Whale Rider in your essay then be sure cite them correctly. If you have any questions about this then you should use the Purdue OWL link on the right of this page as a resource. Enjoy!
Friday, October 19, 2012
Tragedy and the tragic form...
There are two styles of written works that I appreciate more than others, and for various reasons: philosophical/theological and tragic. I think that I like both genres because they are often concerned with the same issues. Both beg the audience to ask: "what is the nature of this world and our place in it," two questions that are often difficult to engage and assess. While reading "Oedipus Rex," written by Sophocles, we are going to try to engage these questions at a very basic level.
The purpose of this sort of analysis is not to definitively acknowledge one perspective over another, or to even acknowledge a right or wrong answer, but our purpose is to develop critical reasoning and assesment skills. In our attempt we will be generally assuming, as the Greeks did, that there is a thing called "fate" that is working out in the character's lives in either a real way or in a figurative way. We are then going to attempt to discern, through literary analysis, how much of their life was determined by fate and how much was determined by free will. As we do this we will be developing our inferential skills by relying on textual evidence and assessment through intertextuality.
To help us in our endeavor to learn and understand this complicated tale, I have provided a great link below. Each 60 Second Recap covers a different aspect of the tale. The first fifteen videos are about Oedipus Rex, while the others are about sundry other tragic works and such. I hope this resource helps you!
60 Second Recap - Oedipus (Playlist)
The purpose of this sort of analysis is not to definitively acknowledge one perspective over another, or to even acknowledge a right or wrong answer, but our purpose is to develop critical reasoning and assesment skills. In our attempt we will be generally assuming, as the Greeks did, that there is a thing called "fate" that is working out in the character's lives in either a real way or in a figurative way. We are then going to attempt to discern, through literary analysis, how much of their life was determined by fate and how much was determined by free will. As we do this we will be developing our inferential skills by relying on textual evidence and assessment through intertextuality.
To help us in our endeavor to learn and understand this complicated tale, I have provided a great link below. Each 60 Second Recap covers a different aspect of the tale. The first fifteen videos are about Oedipus Rex, while the others are about sundry other tragic works and such. I hope this resource helps you!
60 Second Recap - Oedipus (Playlist)
Thursday, September 20, 2012
The College Application Essay
Hello Folks. Here is a video that is a great reminder to all of those who are writing college application essays.
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
The 1st post of the year...
Hello all,
I want to begin by relaying my excitement to you. In the next couple of days my students will be creating their own blogs for my World Literature Course, at Oswego High School. This happens to be one of my favorite aspects of this class and I am overjoyed thinking about the work that they will be producing. The goal of the assignment is simple but multifaceted: the creation of a student blog will allow the student to engage a wide audience with their writing, develop a writing voice, and prepare themselves to write, communicate, and dialogue within the context of 21st century social media and technology. Perhaps what excites me most about this part of the course isn't necessarily the goal which has been set, but the expectation that the students will surpass that goal, as they always seem to do. I delight in their creativity, candor, and products; I hope that you will too!
The process:
Each student will create their own Blogger blog, design it the way they want it , and write at least two posts per week. Each student's blog will be linked to this blog. Some of the student's posts will be written in response to assigned topics while other posts will be more freely formed per their discretion. In all of the responses my expectations of the students are that they will think critically and engage in thoughtful writing. I also anticipate that my students will read and respond to their peers' blogs as well. As this is for a high school project, all Oswego High School policies concerning students' appropriate use of language, bullying, and the like, apply and will be strictly enforced.
I want to begin by relaying my excitement to you. In the next couple of days my students will be creating their own blogs for my World Literature Course, at Oswego High School. This happens to be one of my favorite aspects of this class and I am overjoyed thinking about the work that they will be producing. The goal of the assignment is simple but multifaceted: the creation of a student blog will allow the student to engage a wide audience with their writing, develop a writing voice, and prepare themselves to write, communicate, and dialogue within the context of 21st century social media and technology. Perhaps what excites me most about this part of the course isn't necessarily the goal which has been set, but the expectation that the students will surpass that goal, as they always seem to do. I delight in their creativity, candor, and products; I hope that you will too!
The process:
Each student will create their own Blogger blog, design it the way they want it , and write at least two posts per week. Each student's blog will be linked to this blog. Some of the student's posts will be written in response to assigned topics while other posts will be more freely formed per their discretion. In all of the responses my expectations of the students are that they will think critically and engage in thoughtful writing. I also anticipate that my students will read and respond to their peers' blogs as well. As this is for a high school project, all Oswego High School policies concerning students' appropriate use of language, bullying, and the like, apply and will be strictly enforced.
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