Sophs: The Powerful Play Goes On ... (due April 27)

“That the powerful play goes on and you may contribute a verse ….”

Walt Whitman offered this as a reason why YOU are important to this world, even midst the foolish and the faithless. 

So tell me what “verse” you will contribute to the world, in three to five sentences OR lines of verse. I suggest that you write in FIRST PERSON. For inspiration, look out the March 2014 archives to see what last year's tenth graders wrote. 

Do not include your name in YOUR VERSE (but of course, indicate who you, as always, when you post your comment). 

I intend to put all of your class’s responses together into one Song of the Sophs that we will set to music and sing at the next school-wide assembly.

(Only kidding about the music and singing part).

Due before class on Monday, April 27

Creative Writing: Journal #1 Walk-Up Songs (due Tuesday, April 21)

These days, when a major league baseball player walks to the plate as his name is announced, the public address system blares a song that either the player or someone in the public relations office has specially selected. It's called his "entrance" or "walk-up" song.

You don't have to know baseball to understand that macho guys might choose macho songs like "Bad to the Bone" or "Wild Thing" as their personal theme music.

Now I don't suppose that you have a POEM that you personally respond or relate to, do you? If not, then how about a song?

Let me know what poem or song you'd like to have read or played as your name is announced to thousands of fans at the ballpark.

And of course, explain why.

You might mention the lyrics. You might mention the pounding of the drums or the blaring horns. You might mention some memory that you have of the song that you relate to.

Do so in a minimum of 150 words or 15 blogs lines.

The point is that we should try to relate personally to poetry or music and not worry too much about what the author REALLY meant or intended. I bet these baseball players don't analyze their "introduction songs" too much.

My song would be "Keep the Car Running" (by Arcade Fire) if I made it to the big leagues. I think it's a cool title to a song, and it sounds like something someone would say who wants to be sure there's always a way out of trouble. Not that I'm a troublemaker or anything. It's got a pulsating rhythm, vocals that cross Bruce Springsteen with David Byrne (Talking Heads), and some well placed chants that give it the feel of an anthem. It especially sounds good late at night in your car when you're cruising (the speed limit, naturally) on I-95. One thing's for sure--you'll never fall asleep listening to this song.

Due Thursday---#1 Journal Modern American Themes: Facing the Future With Creativity

Teachers like me can get you (sometimes) to be a bit creative within the restrictive academic structure that is St. Mark's. Maybe you'll compose a sweet poem, write a whopper of a story, or do an Irish dance in front of your classmates (one little soph girl did!). But after your brief flight into the creative stratosphere, your prop plane sputters and  you parachute safely into the safe rows and desks of the classroom, willing, like a circus animal,  to jump through a hoop that I hold there for you while you are safely on the ground. And believe me, I'm NOT criticizing you.

During Monday's class, I noted six points of Sir Ken Robinson's TED talk and we later talked about them briefly in class on Tuesday. Here they are:

1.  Kids will take a chance: e.g. the picture of God and “Frank sent this”

2.  “All children are born artists” Pablo Picasso.

3. Robinson’s book Epiphany, and one of its subjects, Gillian Lynne.

4   Educational system is like strip mining.

5 . There was a wonderful quote by Jonas Salk, who said, "If all the insects were to disappear from the 6. Earth, within 50 years all life on Earth would end. If all human beings disappeared from the Earth, within 50 years all forms of life would flourish."

6. Educate our children’s whole being so that they can face this future.

    Normally, I ask three direct questions and ask you to respond to one. This time, however, I want YOU to think of your own prompt that is based on anything in Sir Ken's talk. I'd like to give you some suggestions, but I want you to think; I want you to respond to the talk in any way. Anything more than 100 words will do. With this assignment, I'm more interested in your original ideas or experiences than your ability to write. 

    

    In 1974 I was a white and (not completely) nerdy senior at St. Elizabeth's High School, a decent basketball player and golfer, without a musical muscle in my body. But I convinced by my friend Bobby Szczecinski to try out for the school musical, Once Upon a Mattress. I didn't get a part---I was "just" part of the chorus---but I'm glad I went through the experience. I was christened Sir John, had one memorable line that I "killed" (that's good), and wore purple tights (why do knights have to wear tights?) on stage in front of thous... well, a few hundred people. That was one time that I took a chance. It was my "picture of God" and "Frank sent this" moment. 

    No, I didn't become an actor,  but if I break out in song or play a tune on Youtube once in a while during class, you know that it's because I have a love of music that includes cheesy show tunes.