A1 - Blog # 6 - Twelfth Night

Please respond to the following prompts in complete sentences.  Use quotes when stipulated.


1.  How does Sebastian rationalize that Olivia is not insane.  Use a quote as support.

2.  Why does Olivia offer to wait to publicize the marriage?

3.  Like brother like sister... based on your observations, do siblings of different gender share mutually attractive or unattractive traits?

4.  Do Viola and Sebastian share similar qualities.  Be specific in your response.

5.  This is a very short scene.  Why did Shakespeare choose this structure?  To what end?  Think of how the structure impacts the content.

Due: Friday, 11.18 (before class)

Blog # 1 The Thief and the Dogs

Please read the assigned pages (25-46) and answer the questions / prompts below.


Your responses need to be between 4 to 6 sentences.

Due Dates:

B1/B2 - Monday, 1/17 - Before class

A4 - Tuesday, 1/18 - Before class

1.  Where does Said go to seek shelter?  Why does he go there?

2.  Compare and contrast the Sheikh and Said.  What is different and or similar?

3.  Why do you believe the Sheikh tells Said that in fact he has not returned from jail (Mahfouz 28)?

4.  This section is full of contrasts.  Find one and explain what is contrasted.  Use quotes as support.

5.  Explain the title and how it applies to the novel.

6.  Give specific reasons why Said's meeting with Rauf was so strained.  What had changed between them?

7.  Predict where you think their relationship will lead and explain your reasoning.

Siddhartha Blog # 4

Please Finish the Novel

Due Dates:

A4 – Due Thursday, 12/16 (Before Class)

B1/B2 – Due Wednesday, 12/15 (Before Class)

Please respond to the prompts below.  Each response should be between 3-5 sentences unless otherwise noted.  Also, make sure to include a quote if required.

1.            Argue why you agree, or don’t agree, with the quote below.  Be specific in your response.  One word that catches my attention is “again.”  Does this imply that even after becoming “a Buddha” you can emerge as a sinner again?

"Listen, my friend! I am a sinner and you are a sinner, but someday the sinner will be Brahma again, will someday attain Nirvana, will someday become a Buddha” (Hesse)

2.            Take a closer look at the river.  How might it be symbolic?  Use a quote as support.

3.            Some believe that the river symbolically separates the mind and body.  If this is true, what does this say about Siddhartha’s role as a ferryman? 

4.            To me, this book is all about personal exploration, self-education, and self-actualization.  Having read it, what have you taken away?  Please write two paragraphs, explaining two specific points. 

The Fall Blog # 4 AP Literature

Please read from page 42-70 by Tuesday, 12/14

Well, it's your lucky day kiddos...I thought my book was at home, and it isn't...so no worries on the blog.  Just be prepared to discuss 42-70 on Tuesday after school.  Have an enjoyable Sunday!

Siddhartha Blog # 3

Read "The Ferryman" and "The Son."

Please respond to the following prompts with paragraphs that are 4-6 sentences in length.

Due Dates:
A4 - Friday, 12/10
B1/B2 - Monday, 12/13

The Ferryman
1.  Siddhartha finds peace with the Ferryman and his simple ways.  However, in today's world non-professional occupations are typically looked down upon as being inferior.  How does this chapter confront that stereotype and applaud the working man?  Lastly, can you think of a contemporary film or TV series that celebrates blue collar workers?

2.  The Ferryman says that his life "was also a river," how dos this metaphor make any sense(Hesse 107)?

3.  Kamala was on a "pilgrimage to Gotama," but she finds Siddhartha (113).  However, she feels meeting him was "just as good as if she had seen the other" (113).  Does this equate Siddhartha with Gotama and therefore Buddha?   Also, what do you think drove her to go on this pilgrimage?

The Son
4.  How did Siddhartha's son bridge the gap between Siddhartha and "ordinary people"(122)?  What was the emotion Siddhartha had never felt up to that point in his life?

5.  Seeing as how Siddhartha ultimately sought salvation or enlightenment on his own, without the help of others, how does he apply this philosophy to his relationship with his son?  In light of why does he ultimately leave his son in the town?

6.  Some have argued that these two chapters are slightly too coincidental and are something you might find in a soap opera, rather than a respected novel.  What do you think about this?

New Website!

Please check the new class website to see what it has to offer and to give me any feedback.  If you have any comments, please post them here.  Also, please use it to keep up with our class!

https://sites.google.com/site/seniorhighliterature/

The Fall Blog # 3 / AP Literature

Due before the AP Meeting on Thursday, 12/9

I don't have my book with me, but please read to the end of that section of text - I believe it is page 41.

Referring to what we talked about on Thursday, please find 3 typically held views of society or justice, and explain how our narrator twists those accepted norms into new, and frequently, antithetical concepts.

The example we talked about on Thursday was when he states that not all orphans and widows are innocent.  He makes us realize that there are certainly frightening orphans and demented widows.

Please include the quotes and then explain the quotations.