Kite Runner Reflection

Now that you've finished the novel, tell me what you think about it. Go into detail--what did you like about it? What disturbed you? What were you unhappy with? This is your opportunity to vent or gush--take it!

Conflict in The Kite Runner

At this point in your assigned reading you are halfway through the plot of The Kite Runner. We haven't yet reached the climax of the story, so the conflict is still developing. I'd like to know what you consider the main conflict of this story. What two forces are at odds? Support/explain your answer with textual evidence.

*If you've already finished the book or are close to finishing, you can still answer this question, just try not to reveal support that exists beyond page 189 OR write "Spoiler Alert" in all caps at the beginning of your post so that other classmates know what they're getting into before they read your post.

"Good" is Hard to Find

Great discussion today! O'Connor is difficult to sort through and she leaves readers asking difficult questions--you're doing a great job sorting through the story to get to that point. Within this story, she consistently uses the word good--"good blood", "good man", "good woman". O'Connor pushes us to question what is good. So my question is--based on this story, what is good? What makes a person good? Consider The Misfit's statement: "She would of been a good woman...if it had been somebody there to shoot her every minute of her life."

Make sure to support your answer with specific examples. :)

Book Reviews

Today I would like you to read some book reviews on NPR and The New York Times. Find two that interest you and do the following for EACH:

1. Write the title of the book.
2. Summarize the review.
3. Explain whether or not you'd be interested in reading the book and why.

Senior Project Log #2

I would like to know where you are in terms of your senior project. How many hours have you currently put toward your project? What progress are you making? What are you learning about yourself? What are you learning specifically about your project? What are you struggling with? Please give as much detail as possible.

It's All About Perspective

Think about your favorite movie or book. From which  perspective is the book/film told? Retell or re-imagine the story from another perspective. What would be different? Lost? Enhanced?

A Tale of Two Perspectives

Photo credit

After reading Anton Chekov's "The Lady with the Pet Dog" and Joyce Carol Oates version, what are your thoughts about two versions of essentially the same story? Which version do you like better? What is the point of Oates retelling the story? Are the differences in Oates' version significant? Explain in a thoughtful response (and by thoughtful, I mean do a nice job of explaining yourself and using examples when you can).

Why Setting Matters

Think about one of the following settings and create a plot around that setting:

• Key West or the Bahamas
• Russia
• Mars

Your Favorite Character

Think about your favorite character--either in a film or a book. Describe the character in detail--physically, emotionally, personality, etc. Then explain why this character is your favorite.

A Giant Lizard Story

www.jefusion.com

Character:a jungle man
Setting: metropolis
Conflict: Godzilla appears

Take these elements and develop the conflict.

Creating Plot

Character: a homeless man
Setting: a busy city street
Conflict: the day keeps getting hotter

Take these elements and develop the conflict.

Storytelling

Why do people write fiction? What is the purpose of fiction? What are the purposes of storytelling? What is the value of storytelling to society overall? Consider these questions and respond thoughtfully and thoroughly.

Senior Project

I would like to know where you are in terms of your senior project. How many hours have you currently put toward your project? What progress are you making? What are you learning about yourself? What are you learning specifically about your project? What are you struggling with? Please give as much detail as possible.

Thou Artless Dizzy-Eyed Mealse

Click on this link: Create Your Own Shakespearean Insults

Type in the insults you create here.  Have fun!

If Music be the Food of Love...

A central part of Twelfth Night is music.  The play begins and ends with it.  We are going to create a soundtrack to the play by finding songs that represent each scene.  Post your answers here.

Epigrams

http://www.theuncommonlife.com

An epigram is a brief, pointed, witty poem with no prescribed form, typically ironical, satirical, or paradoxical (see textbook, pg. 1020). Test your imagination and write a few.

Free write about the above image for 10 minutes.  No stopping until the timer goes off.

Free write for 10 minutes about the above picture. No stopping until the timer goes off.

Free write about the image above for 10 minutes. No stopping until the timer goes off.

Reflections for 9/27

Isn't this an adorable picture? I could resist :)

You were right today. "Traveling Through the Dark" and "Seventeen" were sad poems about experiences I'm not sure any of us would wish to have. Yet the poets felt the need to convey these experiences to an audience. Why? What understanding or question or realization does each author want you, the reader, to walk away with? These are questions you need to explore before you begin writing about the speaker and theme of each poem. In fact, they are questions you need to ponder when reading any piece of literature. Why do we, the audience, need to know about this? Why should we care? What realizations do I have about life or myself that connect me to the experience of this text?

These questions are what help me sort through difficult texts and keep my feet firmly planted in the text (that's a weird metaphor, but go with it).