Words ARE Important

I added this entry in order to give you another OPTION. You need to complete only 5 journal entries, two of which are Contemporary Thoreaus and Song of Myself.

One of the pleasures of reading Mark Twain is the language, specifically his narrators' and characters' use of a correct and usually comical vernacular specific to his stories' settings. No one in Wilmington, Delaware, would say something like "I don't see no points bout that frog that's better from any other frog " (really, no one would be so interested in frogs too much round here, either).

I still get a kick out of Huckleberry Finn describing his disinterest in the story of Moses in the Bible because "I don't take no stock in dead people."

Only the sarcastic and less than sartoriallly-dressed Twain could have reflected, "Clothes make the man. Naked people have little or no influence in society."

So what is interesting about your language? If an alien somehow landed in your backyard, would he need to be given a dictionary of YOUR own special collection of words, phrases, and sayings? Probably so.

Pretend that I'm that alien. Make a list of at least 25 words, phrases, or sayings (complete with their "definitions") that would let me know exactly what you mean when you say something that isn't exactly the King's English.

One bit of advice. We're not gangstas here.

Beyond the Classroom

In the movie, Dead Poets Society, the inspirational English teacher, Mr. John Keating, used poetry to open up a whole new world of life lessons for his young charges. Instead of learning how to rate poetry like it was a song on American Bandstand (do any of you remember this show?), he encouraged his students to savor the spoken word, to think for themselves, and to "seize the day."Poetry, he said, celebrates the reasons we stay alive--for passion, love, beauty, and romance. Most of his students "got the message," though some resisted (that's only natural, don't you think).

So in the spirit of the DPS and John Keating, relate how one of your former(or present) teachers taught you some lesson that was important beyond the classroom.

A Passion for Fashion

NOTE: YOU MAY RESPOND TO THIS OR TO ANY OF THE COMMENTS, INCLUDING MINE.

I've never been to the St. Mark's Blue-Gold Fashion Show. No, I WAS there one year for about ten minutes, but only to drop off a friend. I MIGHT go this year, too, but again, for a perfunctory ten minutes. You see, a former student of mine from the Class of 1989 who planned the first Fashion Show wants to attend to see how big her baby has grown. I hope she doesn't think, as I do, that it's reached gross proportions. After catching up with her and getting a photo for the PostMark, I'll be back to the telly to watch the NCAA tourney.

I know the show is for a good cause (Blue-Gold) and that a lot of work goes into it, but . . . let's just say that:

A. The show is not my cup of tea (Loud music, teenagers dancing, crowd screaming . . . I'll pass)

B. I think the inordinate amount of time that students spend preparing and practicing for the event could be better spent preparing to be better students (I taught seniors for the last ten years. I know how their grades drastically fall off as Blue-Gold Week approaches)

C. I probably would dislike ANY fashion show (an event promoting stylish dancing and dress doesn't promote qualities of a productive member of society, at least not my society)

D. I think the school, specifically the senior class, needs a more productive, more religious and/or socially conscious project for its "showcase event" (How about building a house for Habitat for Humanity at St. Mark's?)

So, I expect a lot of flak from most of you who have probably already made big plans for the biggest event on the St. Mark's planet. That's OK. Like my ideas on Spirit Week, my comments are personal and reflect my age, occupation, and beliefs. In other words, you won't change my mind, but you might convince me that the show presents some positives, too.

March Madness (updated from March 2006 archives)

Other than writing a book about the history of St. Mark's (that's right, good ol' SMHS), I think there's a book in me about or set during March Madness, the Mardi Gras of basketball excitement that grows bigger each year. As much as I enjoy the basketball, my book would chronicle the rest of the hoopla, too. I think I might go the fiction route, with plans to take my story to the big screen.

Here's are some working notes to my novel, to which you can respond. Hey, I might even steal your ideas, and of course, credit you as a source.

Here goes:

*Cinderella Effect--Once they get the invitation to the dance, teams from mid-major conferences have proven that they can play with and beat teams from the power conferences. Good players in these conferences, too, sometimes outshine consensus All Americans from the power conferences.
*Jilted Effect--teams that think they should have been in the NCAA usually lose in the NIT tourney
*Microscope Effect--close games, close calls, and buzzer beaters are magnified exponentially under the watchful eyes of millions.
*Cliches, Anyone?--without Vitale's own Diaper Dandy and PTPer, we'll hear the old standards like coaching "chess matches," "survive and advance," "that's going to be a war," and guys with "a lotta heart."
*The Underdog Effect--People root for virtually unknown schools like Albany, Winthrop, and Wright State.
*Addition by Subtraction Effect--without the over-the-top presence of Dick Vitale, the games and plays speak for themselves. And surprisingly, no one feels a need to mention Mike Krzyzewski and Duke during the Southern Illinois/ Holy Cross game.
*Anti-Fools Rush In Effect--less rabid and drunken college fans means no mobbing of center court after big wins.
*Sorry, I'm Busy This Weekend--relationships take a hit during the tourney unless your significant other is a hoop lover like you.
*Chicks Dig the Sousaphone Player--lots of television close-ups of susaphone and tuba players jamming away.
*Nerd Alert--I know this is borderline mean, but March Madness becomes maddening when people who don't know basketball try to sound knowledgable by parroting what they've read and heard.
*Old Folks Home--the game has passed by TV announcers Billy Packer, Vern Lundquist, and Bill Raftery. It could be worse (Duke Vitale, Mike Patrick, Bill Walton, Brent Musberger).
*Nothing New in the IPod? --the CBS/March Madness music is beginning to sound old, too.
*Gender Equity, Anyone?--there just isn't the interest in the women's tournament as in the men's, maybe because Cinderellas are still treated like unwanted stepchildren by the big, bad, Mommas in the power conferences. Look for all of the top seeds to advance.

Song of Myself

Write a "song of yourself" in the style of Walt Whitman. Write in first person. Write in free verse. Use eclectic (choosing the best from a variety of sources) words and phrases (slang, common language, foreign expressions if you dare), parallel structure, and repetition. These are all distinctive elements of a Whitman poem. MINIMUM OF 30 EXTENDED LINES or 200 words. Why limit yourself? I could go on forever about myself!