Be Like Ben (Franklin, of course)

An older and wiser man writing his autobiography, Dr. Benjamin Franklin gave to the world his prescription for achieving "the bold and arduous task of moral perfection": list 13 virtues you wish to master, work on only one per week (like eradicating weeds from one flower bed at a time, he said), each evening examine your day to see if you had committed any actions contrary to that virtue (keep a record in a lined notebook), proceed to the next virtue the next week, and continue this process for a year (you'll be able to go through four cycles in 52 weeks). Sounds simple enough, right?

As a young man hiding behind the nom de plume of Poor Richard Saunders, Franklin's words of wisdom often took the shape of clever, pithily worded aphorisms like "God helps them that help themselves; a penny saved is a penny earned; fish and visitors smell in three days; an apple a day keeps the doctor away, etc."

Your journal assignment gives you some options. You may (choose one of the three):

A. Tell me a personal or family tale that represents one of Franklin's virtues.

B. Tell me a personal or family tale that represents the theme of one of Franklin's aphorisms. Write that aphorism as part of your title. Check out the "talking Ben" by clicking here.

C. Relate in detail some orderly plan that you contrived in order to achieve some goal.

Let's get to work on this pronto. As Ben would have said, "Do not squander time, for that's the stuff life is made of."

Life in the Fast Lane

I'm driving 65 mph on I-495, cars whizzing by me like I'm standing still. Two guys darting in and out of traffic like it's some video game chase--I can only imagine how fast they're going. I'm on the gas just to keep up with the flow, the left foot covering the pedal,just in case . . ., momentarily reverting to what Mr. Shaw instructed back in tenth grade in high school.

Then comes the inevitable question from the backseat driver, who actually occupies the other seat in the front.

"Are you using cruise control?"

"No," I answer curtly.

"Why not? Doesn't your foot get tired?" the passenger harps.

I then begin my rant on the dangers of cruise control.

Clicking on the cruise control does prevent tired, cramping feet. However, it has its problems. For one, it lulls you into a false sense of security, and the feet usually get further and further away for both the gas AND the brake pedals. At that point, how much control do I really have?

Like my car, my life isn't often in cruise control. I hope I'm the one in charge as much as I can be (and without being a "control freak"). I realize I'm driving on a path that's been traveled on before, but as long as I'm the one making the decisions, I'll take that route, common as it might be.

How are you navigating through life? Do you have the "petal to the metal" or "both hands on the wheel at 10 before 2?" Are you darting in and out of traffic, or do you stay in the right lane, only getting in the left lane to occasionally pass? Do you prefer I-95 or would you rather take the more scenic route? Do you stop completely at stop signs and look in all four directions, or are you a Hollywood Stop guy or gal (you know, a quick pump on the brake and you're gone--NOT recommended by your St. Mark's driving teacher, of course)? Are you easily distracted by the billboards and other advertising signs outside of commercial business, or can you get from point A to point B without making a single stop?

Tell me, in some elaborate, extended metaphor (conceit), what your life is like. I'd prefer that you share your ideas and creativity here in Schoolsville. But if you want remain anonymous, that's OK, too. You can reveal your secret identity later. Hey, maybe your life is like some Superhero's?

Of course, sophs, you don't have to write about your life. Make any far-fetched, comparison (conceit) like the ones I read in class: going to a family reunion is like channel surfing cable television; love is like white water rafting; my father is a toaster.

I've included a couple good examples from last year's sophs as the first two comments. However, you can read 40 more by going to the September 2006 archives and reading the comments for "The Dangers of Cruise Control."

SAT and PSAT links

Yes, I'm sending you to SPARKNOTES. What, you haven't heard of SPARKNOTES? You're joking. Doesn't it sounds like another silly St. Mark's name pun? You know, Spark is your yearbook, Markings is your literary magazine, PostMark is the alumni publication, etc.

But, no, SPARKNOTES did not have St. Mark's in mind when they came up with the name for their on-line cheat sheets.

And what about me taking you to SPARKNOTES? Am I condoning the use of such a site as a source for borrowing "original" ideas for your essays or reading your literature homework? Of course, not. I am smart enough to know, believe it or not, to know if you've borrowed heavily from SPARKNOTES in your essays. And as far as reading the SPARKNOTES instead of reading your homework, I do not test or just discuss plot, or symbols, or characters, or whatever other category of information you'll find at this web site. I'll sometimes talk about the "birds" in the story (since I like birds) or quote and recite some funny lines from a novel (since I'm a frustrated non-actor). So if all you've done is read the SPARKNOTES, you've really missed out.

Remember, this, too. "You get what you pay for." You pay nothing for SPARKNOTES. You're paying lots of $$$$$ to hire teachers like me at St. Mark's. Millions of dollars, in fact. I don't work cheap.

Having said that, I think that SPARKNOTES does an excellent job with SAT prep. I guess SOME of the best things in life ARE free. Click on any of the SPARKNOTES to go to the SAT prep site.

Another great site to visit is at Collegeboard.com. You know, the official SAT place. Just click.

BLUE class-colonial America webnotes

Only the BLUE class should post information in the comment section on this page.

25 lines or 200 words minimum.

Look through web sites. Find information on your topic. Rewrite that information in your own words. DO NOT copy and paste directly from web sites. Look for information that is original, different, interesting, or still relevant today. List your sources (you must visit at least three sites, even if you didn't use all three sites in your comments). You may visit Wikipedia as a launching point, but you cannot use it as a listed source.

Finally, write your first names at the end of your comment (e.g. Brittany & Bill). Everyone will be expected to visit your class's page to read (and know for the test?) the comments.

YELLOW class-colonial America webnotes

Only the YELLOW class should post information in the comment section on this page.

25 lines or 200 words minimum.

Look through web sites. Find information on your topic. Rewrite that information in your own words. DO NOT copy and paste directly from web sites. Look for information that is original, different, interesting, or still relevant today. List your sources (you must visit at least three sites, even if you didn't use all three sites in your comments). You may visit Wikipedia as a launching point, but you cannot use it as a listed source.

Finally, write your first names at the end of your comment (e.g. Brittany & Bill). Everyone will be expected to visit your class's page to read (and know for the test?) the comments.

RED class--colonial America webnotes

Only the RED class should post information in the comment section on this page.

25 lines or 200 words minimum.

Look through web sites. Find information on your topic. Rewrite that information in your own words. DO NOT copy and paste directly from web sites. Look for information that is original, different, interesting, or still relevant today. List your sources (you must visit at least three sites, even if you didn't use all three sites in your comments). You may visit Wikipedia as a launching point, but you cannot use it as a listed source.

Finally, write your first names at the end of your comment (e.g. Brittany & Bill). Everyone will be expected to visit your class's page to read (and know for the test?) the comments.

Your Favorite Work of Art

For your first essay, I would like you to write about your favorite work of art. Now please DON"T limit the definition of art to just the fine arts, like painting and classical music. Include in that definition the genres of the novel, short story, poem, movie, television show, painting, popular song, dance, etc.

For your first journal response, I want you write about your favorite work of art here at Schoolsville. Just be briefer than you will be in your essay-- 25 blog lines or 200 words (your essay should be 3-4 pages).

Consider this a pre-writing exercise, if that helps.

You might want answer these three questions:

What is your favorite work of art?
Tell me about it.
Why is your favorite work (does it make you "think" or make you "feel" or both)?

HERE are the instructions for the final essay, if this helps you.

What story do you never tire of reading (for me, it's The Gift of the Magi)? . . . Movie that you could watch over and over again? . . . poem that you have memorized and sometimes still recite just for the fun of it (I like Jabberwocky, for the fun times—I'll read Ulysses in more thoughtful moments)? . . . painting that blows your mind (we've already discussed Starry Night)? . . . song melody that always brightens your face (it's Springsteen's Thunder Road for me—lots of memories there)?

Is your reaction to your "favorite" emotional or rational? A little of both? Is there something about this work that makes you think about your own life? Exactly what thoughts cross your mind? When do you most enjoy your favorite? Does it evoke specific memories? Does it put you in a certain mood? Does it make you think a certain way or does it teach you a lesson, support one of your virtues, inspire you to have a certain goal?

Can you quote lyrics from the song, remember scenes from the movie, describe the techniques in the painting, etc? If so, do this freely. This would indicate that it is YOUR favorite and that you really do understand it.

The image that you're viewing is of Van Gogh's Sunflowers.