Final Reflections on Gatsby

The preface to my edition of The Great Gatsby asserts the following:

"The Great Gatsby does not proclaim the nobility of the human spirit; it is not politicaly correct; it does not reveal how to solve the problems of life; it delivers no fashionable or comforting messages. It is just a masterpiece."

To what exent to you agree/disagree with this quotation? Feel free to comment on one small piece or on the overall sentiment of the passage. Enjoy!

Live Blogging: The Awakening, Chapters 24-29

Enjoy!

Live Blogging: Chapters 17-20 in The Awakening

Dive right in!

Live Blogging: Chapters 9-12 of The Awakening

I've been enjoying your discussions so far. Keep up the strong work, and remember that you're aiming to make at least five insightful comments.

Live Blogging: Chapters 1-4 of The Awakening

You get your own blog today! Yay!

Please aim to participate at least five times, either through the blog, in the inner circle, or through a combination of both. Take your time both reading and writing comments, and enjoy!

Twain: The Final Fishbowl

Today we will have our final fishbowl discussion of Pudd'nhead Wilson. Please try to break away from live blogging at least once to enter the inner circle (the water is just fine!).

Enjoy.

Human Classification in 2008

Throughout our discussion of Puddn'head Wilson, we've analyzed race from a comfortable distance by keeping the novel situated squarely in the 19th century. Do you think that our society today still faces the same issues of race and classification that Twain questioned and satirized in his works? Is our sociey better off? Worse? The same? Can you think of any specific examples to support your opinion?

Feel free to address not only Puddn'head Wilson but also Ethnic Notions, Social Darwinism, "freak shows" and human circuses, and any other issues that have coincided with our study of the text.

Before you respond, please read a short article published today by clicking here. You may use this article in your response if you wish, but please don't feel limited by it (you may address other, non-related topics as well).

As always, remember that this is a conversation; be sure to read and comment on each other's posts.

Live Blogging: The Damned Human Race

As you live blog, please remember the following:

1. Keeping hitting the F5 key to refresh the page and view new comments.
2. Type in Microsoft Word first to make sure you have proper spelling and grammar.
3. Aim to make at least five thoughful comments.
3. Keep the discussion focused and academic. Today's topics are Social Darwinism and Mark Twain's "The Damned Human Race."

Learning Reflections

Consider how your learning has changed from your 8th grade year until now:

What have been the most important changes you have experienced?

What role has technology played in these changes?

How would you describe your learning style in English this year, and how is it different from past years/other classes?

The Happiest Laboring Class

Just as a reminder, in the course of a 30 minute discussion, you should be able to get in at least five quality comments. Also, feel free to jump into the inner circle to share some of the things that you've been blogging about. Enjoy!

Live Blogging: Resistance to Civil Government

Enjoy!

Your Vision

What are three characteristics that would be part of a "perfect school" five years from now? Think about the roles of the student, teacher, and technology as you describe your ideal learning climate. As you consider this question, you might also think about what you might look for in your ideal college.

Please consider this question seriously and realistically, as your responses will form part of a presentation to the 21st century learning community of teachers this week.

Drawing Electricity from the Sky

Examine Benjamin West's painting, Benjamin Franklin Drawing Electricity from the Sky (1805). You may access this painting via the following link: http://www.frankelec.com/west_fullsize.htm. After spending a few moments with the painting, please respond to one or more of the following questions:

1. What do you think the artist is trying to achieve in this painting? Consider the sometimes clashing roles of science and religion and how they function in this painting.

2. What are your reactions to the elements of this painting? Do you think it's Romantic? Rationalist? Explain your response.

3. What do you think Benjamin Franklin thought of this portrait of himself?

Live Blogging: "The Minister's Black Veil"

This is the last of the live blogging, so let's make it happen, people!

Remember to proofread carefully before publishing your comments. Enjoy!

"A Rose for Emily": Live Blogging

Take your time as you develop your thoughts; always use correct grammar. Enjoy!

The Tell-Tale Heart: Live Blogging

Please post your fishbowl comments here; remember to refresh the page frequently by hitting F5. The same rules for writing apply to live blogging:

1. Always proofread and use standard spelling and grammar.
2. Use complete sentences, not IM language.
3. Read others' comments before posting your own, and focus on having a conversation with each other.

Enjoy!

The Stanford Prison Experiment

Please click on this link to read about one of the most controversial experiments of our time: The Stanford prison experiment. Read meticulously, as some of the most fascinating (and disturbing) elements of this experiment are in the little details.

When you have finished reading, I'd like you to use the blog to respond to what you have read. I'm not going to give you guiding questions this time; instead, I'd like you to ask your own questions and offer your own, authentic responses. Tomorrow in class we will be connecting this experiment to The Crucible.

Remember that the blog is space to have a conversation, so read others' comments, respond to others' questions, and react to others' reactions.

The candle that would light the world

"They believed, in short, that they held in their steady hands the candle that would light the world. We have inherited this belief, and it has helped and hurt us" (Miller 5).

What do think this passage means? What is the "candle"?

Do you agree that modern Americans have inherited this Puritan attitude? How has it helped or hurt us?

The Mysterious Unknown

"The edge of the wilderness was close by. The American continent stretched endlessly west, and it was full of mystery for them. It stood, dark and threatening, over their shoulders night and day, for out of it Indian tribes marauded from time to time, and Reverend Parris had parishioners who had lost relatives to these heathen" (Miller 5).

What role does this "edge of the wilderness" play in the lives of the characters so far?

The Nature of Humanity

"We are each our own devil, and we make this world our hell." --Oscar Wilde

"We are each of us angels with only one wing, and we can only fly by embracing one another." --Lucretius

Please read the above quotations. Which one more closely fits your personal philosophy and why? Which one might Gabriel Garcia Marquez and/or Nathaniel Hawthorne agree with and why? Do you think the two quotations necessarily oppose each other?