Sophs # 3--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 should (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.

You will earn three points EXTRA CREDIT if you post your response by Thursday, October 9.

As Ben would have said, "Do not squander time, for that's the stuff life is made of.

(Seniors/sophs) Writing Journal Explanation

Your writing journal is a collection of various short writing assignments that will be assigned during the course of a grading quarter.

You will print out that collection and hand it in a week before the grading quarter ends.

This will be a major graded assignment.

It would be best if you kept all of your journal writings in one place, preferably on one Word document, so that you won't have to hunt around Schoolsville or your computer when it comes time to hand in your journal.

(Seniors/sophs) Blog Posting Instructions

Read the entire post you have been assigned to read. Directions will differ for each assignment.

It would be best to write your response in a Word document. From there, you can save it (you will print this out later and hand in with your other journal responses), proofread it (spell-check, etc.), do a word count (go to TOOLS--WORD COUNT), and then copy and paste your response into the box marked "LEAVE YOUR COMMENT."

You must also "CHOOSE AN IDENTITY" to leave a comment. To do so, click the circle labeled "NAME/URL." Another box will open; type your initials, space, and then your section color. For instance, Brittany Aunet would be BA purple.

You should PREVIEW your comments before you PUBLISH.

Seniors #2--Every Picture Tells a Story, Don't It?

Rockin' Rod Stewart borrowed the old cliche that "every picture tells a story" for an uptempo rocker of a song(is there any other kind?) of the early 70s. Treat yourself to an itunes download or a free play at your favorite download site like Rhapsody.

This info (or even the quick listen) won't help you with your assignment, but it will add to your limited knowledge of 70s rockers. No, the 70s weren't completely disco, though even Rockin' Rod would sadly succumb to the strings and strobe lights.

Your assignment?

Choose a photograph that "tells a story."

Then tell that story. Here are two ways to do this. One involves straightforward analysis; the other requires some creative storytelling.

Option I: Photo analysis

Step I: Look at the photograph and describe what you see objectively without editorial comments. Note figures, colors, objects, etc.

Step II: Begin to analyze the photograph, with attention to lines (specifically, where is your eye drawn?), shapes, balance, emphasis, contrast, proportion, unity, harmony, colors, etc. Here is an excellent link to a web site that will help novices like us to know WHAT and HOW to analyze. You don't have to analyze EVERYTHING, just enough of what you see and understand.

Step III: Reflect on how the photo makes you feel and/or what story (or message) the photo tells.

Option II: The Creative Option

If I put too many limits on this option, then it wouldn't be too creative. But here are some suggestions.

From your photograph, you might want to write a short story treatment. A treatment is the written framework for what become a short story--it would include the basic plot, characters, setting, etc.

You might want to compose a character "sketch." Give your character a name, a job, a personality, etc.

Another option might be to write a dramatic monologue. Have your character talk to the reader to reveal who he is. Look at your Points of View book for examples of dramatic monologue.

Length?

For this assignment, write a minimum of 300 words

Must you post on the blog?

No, but if you do, you'll get three extra credit points if you post October 1.

Will you have to hand this in?

Yes, as part of your journal writings at the end of the quarter.


We're all being rank amateurs here (if there IS a shutterbug in the class, please speak up and teach us the art), so don't feel intimidated or fear that you'll be wrong in whatever choice you make.

I'll be interested in your impressions of the photo. I'll be more interested in whatever creativity is sparked from this exercise.

Meanwhile, bad to Rod:

I couldn't quote you no Dickens, Shelley or Keats
'cause it's all been said before
Make the best out of the bad just laugh it off
You didn't have to come here anyway
So remember, every picture tells a story don't it?

Sophs #2---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 many more by going to the September 2007 archives and reading the comments for "The Dangers of Cruise Control."

Seniors #1--Seeing the Extraordinary in the Ordinary (Seniors)

Your first assigned short story, The Lucid Eye in Silver Town, is a partially autobiographical account of its author, the young John Updike. Jay, the young boy in the story, was from some "hick town" in PA, as his father said in his sad, self-deprecating manner; Updike himself hailed from Shillington, a small town close to Reading, PA. Even at 76, Updike is reading and writing as much as ever. However, his first artistic dream was to become a cartoonist. After finding that career had reached a "ceiling," he tried his hand at fiction. His description of his first effort to write should encourage those of you who are intimidated or insecure in your own ability: "It's like sort of a horse you don't know is there, but if you jump on the back there is something under you that begins to move and gallop. So it's clearly a wonderful imaginary world that you enter when you begin to write fiction."

Visit this webpage and read the Updike interview. Well, as much or as little as you need to in order to respond to this prompt:

Respond to any of Updike's answers in this interview. He talks about a variety of subjects: his childhood, his experience with teachers, his early appreciation of reading, his writing theories, teaching a creative writing class, the American Dream, etc. You may merely respond in a agree/disagree--like/dislike manner OR relate his (and your) responses to The Lucid Eye in Silver Town.

This represents one exercise in the "critical" side of the course.

Instructions (READ and FOLLOW)

For this assignment, respond in a minimum of 25 comment lines or 200 words.

It would be best to write your response in a Word document. From there, you can save it (you will print this out later and hand in with your other journal responses), proofread it (spell-check, etc.), do a word count (go to TOOLS--WORD COUNT), and then copy and paste your response into the box marked "LEAVE YOUR COMMENT."

You must also "CHOOSE AN IDENTITY" to leave a comment. To do so, click the circle labeled "NAME/URL." Another box will open; type your initials, space, and then your section color. For instance, Brittany Aunet would be BA purple.

You should PREVIEW your comments before you PUBLISH.

Seven Years--Always Remember

Just as your parents and I can remember where they were when they heard of Kennedys' assasination. . . . Just as your grandparents can remember the Pearl Harbor attack. . . . Now you have a day burned just as deeply into your memory.

You tenth graders were nervous third graders. You seniors fifth graders. It was a beautiful day around here, much like today, September 11, 2008. Clear sky. Nice breeze. Then . . . .

The world changed that day, at least our worlds changed. We were forced to open our eyes to a region of the world where, sure, there seemed to be fighting all of the time, but at least we weren't a part of it. Turns out that someone thought we WERE a part of it, so much so that they attacked us, and our peaceful, safe, way of life, and changed the way we lived forever.

I remember the days after 9-11 living in, if not, fear, then in at least apprehension. Would there be more terror attacks? If so, of what type? Could we really protect ourselves with enough duct tape and plastic to withstand a "dirty" nuclear bomb? Did we really want to get on an airplane again? Or travel to New York? Or go to any event where large groups of people congregated?

I know that my reaction to that tragedy influenced everything that I did for the following months. My eyes were glued to the television set for news, for assurance, for hope, that things were not as bad as they seemed. For the most part, as each day passed without additional tragedy, I felt a gradual sense of relief, calm, and safety living in America again.

Having seen the images in New York, having heard the many stories of bravery, I developed a keener sense of respect and admiration for firefighters, policemen, and emergency workers of all types. My brother-in-law is a Wilmington policeman, a kind man, a gentle loving father of three boys. When he's in uniform with his police radio and weapon, he's something altogether different, though. He's a defender of my city, a protector of the innocent, in pursuit of "bad guys" who would drive drunk, burglarize a home, or worse yet, commit acts of terror in our country. He and many others like him do this so that you can write responses to questions in your journal, so that I can correct errors in dangling participles and wrong tenses,and so that we can try to return to the nicer, safer, more peaceful way of the world that we knew before September 11, 2001.

Seven years later we do not forget the heroes that fell then. Hopefully, we continue to recognize the heroes that rise and work to protect us now.

Your Favorite Work of Art--Sophs journal #1

For your first journal response, I want you write about your favorite work of art here at Schoolsville.

Complete this blog/journal response before Wednesday, September 10.

Just be briefer than you will be in your essay--here write a minimum of 25 blog comment lines or 200 words (your essay should be 3-4 pages).

Consider this a pre-writing exercise in which you can informally map out where you might go in your essay.

You probably want deal with these three points:


What IS your favorite work of art?

Tell me about it. Give a brief description.

Why is it your favorite work? Does it make you "think" or "feel"? Briefly explain how.

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 Starry Night, one of my personal favorites.

SENIORS--The Top 250 Most Difficult SAT Words--Part I

"I hate words."

"Words suck."

"If I wanted to read, I'd go to school."

Beavis & Butthead

Maybe you're too young to remember Beavis and Butthead, two of the dumbest and crudest creations to ever inhabit the boob tube. The creator of the moronic pair, Mike Judge, was actually spoofing moronic rock & roll teenagers like B & B. Ironically, Judge's targets didn't get the zingers. Which made the popularity of B & B even more widespread.

Now unlike B & B, you see the value of knowing "words."

And this prof does, too, and he recognizes his duty to prepare you for the rigors of the SAT, where words like acumen and anathema still lurk in the dark corners of that test like critical readings and sentence completions. Of course, you have the acumen to recognize that knowing and using words like this make you can also make you a more effective persuasive and creative writer, a real contributor to our enlightened democracy and to our Creative and Critical Writing classes.

Here's your assignment.

Pick any five of these words and write five REALLY GOOD sentences using those words correctly in context, giving a clue to the meaning of the word.

These sentences should appear on the blog BEFORE CLASS on Wednesday, September 10.

We'll have a quiz on these words at a later date, too, using your sentences (I hope).

"He, he, huh, he, huh, huh, he, slobber, slobber."

A

abjure

(v.) to reject, renounce (To prove his honesty, the president abjured the evil policies of his wicked predecessor.)

abrogate

(v.) to abolish, usually by authority (The Bill of Rights assures that the government cannot abrogate our right to a free press.)

acerbic

(adj.) biting, bitter in tone or taste (Jill became extremely acerbic and began to cruelly make fun of all her friends.)

acrimony

(n.) bitterness, discord (Though they vowed that no girl would ever come between them, Biff and Trevor could not keep acrimony from overwhelming their friendship after they both fell in love with the lovely Teresa.)

acumen

(n.) keen insight (Because of his mathematical acumen, Larry was able to figure out in minutes problems that took other students hours.)

adumbrate

(v.) to sketch out in a vague way (The coach adumbrated a game plan, but none of the players knew precisely what to do.)

alacrity

(n.) eagerness, speed (For some reason, Chuck loved to help his mother whenever he could, so when his mother asked him to set the table, he did so with alacrity.)

anathema

(n.) a cursed, detested person (I never want to see that murderer. He is an anathema to me.)

antipathy

(n.) a strong dislike, repugnance (I know you love me, but because you are a liar and a thief, I feel nothing but antipathy for you.)

approbation

(n.) praise (The crowd welcomed the heroes with approbation.)

arrogate

(v.) to take without justification (The king arrogated the right to order executions to himself exclusively.)

ascetic

(adj.) practicing restraint as a means of self-discipline, usually religious (The priest lives an ascetic life devoid of television, savory foods, and other pleasures.)

aspersion

(n.) a curse, expression of ill-will (The rival politicians repeatedly cast aspersions on each others’ integrity.)

assiduous

(adj.) hard-working, diligent (The construction workers erected the skyscraper during two years of assiduous labor.)

B

blandish

(v.) to coax by using flattery (Rachel’s assistant tried to blandish her into accepting the deal.)

boon

(n.) a gift or blessing (The good weather has been a boon for many businesses located near the beach.)

brusque

(adj.) short, abrupt, dismissive (The captain’s brusque manner offended the passengers.)

buffet

1. (v.) to strike with force (The strong winds buffeted the ships, threatening to capsize them.)

2. (n.) an arrangement of food set out on a table (Rather than sitting around a table, the guests took food from our buffet and ate standing up.)

burnish

(v.) to polish, shine (His mother asked him to burnish the silverware before setting the table.)

buttress

1. (v.) to support, hold up (The column buttresses the roof above the statue.)

2. (n.) something that offers support (The buttress supports the roof above the statues.)

C

cacophony

(n.) tremendous noise, disharmonious sound (The elementary school orchestra created a cacophony at the recital.)

cajole

(v.) to urge, coax (Fred’s buddies cajoled him into attending the bachelor party.)

calumny

(n.) an attempt to spoil someone else’s reputation by spreading lies (The local official’s calumny ended up ruining his opponent’s prospect of winning the election.)

capricious

(adj.) subject to whim, fickle (The young girl’s capricious tendencies made it difficult for her to focus on achieving her goals.)

clemency

(n.) mercy (After he forgot their anniversary, Martin could only beg Maria for clemency.)

First Assignment-Sophs

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.

You may write an organized five-paragraph essay if you like (and if you remember the format), or you may organize your ideas in any other way. Remember, though, that you want to communicate in both an informative and interesting way. Express how and/or why you react to your choice.

Prewriting help

To make a choice and to get yourself thinking, ask yourself these questions: what story do you never tire of reading (for me, it's The Gift of the Magi)? . . . what movie could you watch over and over again? . . . what poem have you 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)? . . . what painting blows your mind (we've already discussed Starry Night)? . . . what song melody always brightens your face (it's Bruce 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.

Typed. Double-spaced. 3-4 pages. 12-point type. Stapled. MLA heading. Due September 15.