The Weight (Journal #3, Marking Period 2)

In Scene Two, we discover that Laura has been lying to Amanda about something very important. Amanda's reaction is equal parts outrage and distress.

In the midst of this, we find out that Amanda belongs to the D.A.R.

What is this organization and what are they about?

Does her membership in this organization strike you as a bit strange?
Why or why not?

We also find out that Laura is literally and figuratively "crippled" under the weight of her mother's expectations for her.

On a personal level, please answer this question as well:

Have you ever done something that has disappointed someone who has great expectations for you?
Have you ever felt that you did not want what someone else wanted for you?
Was this a burden to you?
Was there some other way to handle this issue?

What became of the situation when it was settled?

The Glass Menagerie - Scene One Questions (12/5/16)

The following questions are due on Wednesday, 12/7/16. They should be shared with me using Googledocs.

1) Describe what Amanda, the mother, is expecting, the event for which she is waiting.
2) Then, speculate on how Tom and Laura might be feeling about her expectations.
3) Do Tom and Laura share her expectations? How do they react to their mother's behavior?
4) How does the dialogue and the action lead you to believe your opinion?
5) Since The Glass Menagerie is a memory play (and a Coming of Age story), it puts the reader in the place of Tom and Laura as the recipients of Amanda's smothering behavior. How might you feel if you were Tom?
6) How might you feel if you were Laura?
7) Why do you believe Laura tells Tom they should allow their mother to tell her stories, even if they have heard them before? Is this kindness or cruelty? Explain.

The Memoir Essay (Journal #2, Marking Period 2)

Writing a Memoir Essay

This play lends itself to writing what is called a memoir essay. A memoir essay takes an event from memory and shows its significance.

Begin by making a list of at least five significant memories. Usually, this assignment works best when you avoid “bad” memories and instead stick to good ones. One of my earliest childhood memories centers around sitting in the backseat of my father's car and listening to the radio whenever we went anywhere. I remember how much music shaped my childhood. I remember asking my father to buy me my first guitar because I wanted to learn how to play the songs I loved.

Think of your own memories.

Once you have a list, choose one of these to be the subject of their paper. Your essay should run one to two pages in length.

What the paper must have:

You need to use details (sight, sound, scent, touch) in order to create the scene so that a reader can visualize the setting of the memory.

You must choose whether to tell the memory in chronological order or tell it as a flashback (looking back on the memory from the present time).

You must describe the characters’ personalities and characteristics. You need to make them come alive. You should include detail, description and dialogue.

The essay should have a balance between thought and action. Things should happen in the paper, but you also need to explain the meaning behind the action.

By the end of the paper, you need to show the reader why the memory is important. For instance, using my memory of my listening to music as a child, I can give the reader some idea of the events that shaped my life. In fact, they springboard into more adult memories. I can't help but think about how music has given me everything I have in this life. I don't know where I would be without music. I really don't.

The Southern Gothics (11/30/16)

General Housekeeping

Later this week, we will begin reading "The Glass Menagerie" by Tennessee Williams.
This play is another example of what is considered Southern Gothic literature. You will begin to see how Stoker's vision of characters morphs slowly into something more dramatic in the hands of an American author. For those of you in my English class, you have already seen some glimpses of this in "To Kill A Mockingbird."

You will also see how the Southern Gothic writers take on the same social issues being discussed in Dracula. They just do it a little differently.

Additionally, tell me how the play and the characters are examples of Southern Gothic.

Can you find examples from some of the 20th century representations of Southern Gothic literature that allude to what we traditionally refer to as European Gothic literature?

The Doomsday Clock (Journal #1, Marking Period 2)

The best fiction is a mirror of the times. If you ever want to know what was going on in a society that has disappeared, try to find some record of their arts.

When writer Alan Moore, artist Dave Gibbons, and colorist John Higgins sat down to create "The Watchmen", they probably did not realize they were creating a graphic novel that would earn a place on Time Magazine's list of greatest novels of the twentieth century. * (Don't believe me? Follow the link at the bottom of this page.)

They did this by constructing a dense story that takes place in an alternate reality where Richard Nixon is a five-term president and the government employs freelance masked heroes to help the United States win The Vietnam War.

In the story, the United States is drifting dangerously close to a nuclear conflict with the Soviet Union. The ultimate destruction of mankind is manifested in the film's opening as one of its greatest heroes is found murdered.

A closer look at why this happened reveals the darker side of the public's perception of fame and the idea of what makes a person a hero.

"As the mystery unraveled, we would be led deeper and deeper into the real heart of this super-hero's world, and show a reality that was very different to the general public image of the super-hero." - Alan Moore



We all know that there are no super-heroes in the conventional sense of the word. But, there are super-powers. There are forces, created by man, that could destroy us.

In 1952, Albert Einstein broke his silence about his part in the development of the atomic bomb. He said:

"My part in producing the atomic bomb consisted in a single act: I signed a letter to President Roosevelt, pressing the need for experiments on a larger scale in order to explore the possibilities for the production of an atomic bomb.

I was fully aware of the terrible danger to mankind in case this attempts succeeded. But the likelihood that the Germans were working on the same problem with a chance of succeeding forced me to this step. I could do nothing else although I have always been a convinced pacifist. To my mind, to kill in war is not a whit better than to commit ordinary murder."

Einstein's statement is an eerie reminder that man often uses his power to create things that are only meant to destroy. In "The Watchmen", magical realism is used to create a cautionary tale about man's need to seize power and the depths he will sink to in order to claim it.

In your journals, write about something that should have never been invented.

Are there any good uses for this thing? If so, what are they?
Could any argument be made to the contrary?

* http://www.time.com/time/2005/100books/0,24459,watchmen,00.html

"The First Rule of Fight Club Is..." (Homework Assignment: 11/21/16)

Today, you are going to see some scenes from the film "Fight Club".
Take note of the similarities between this story and Kafka's "The Metamorphosis".
Take note of the things that are also present in "The Green Mile".

Are the characters in the film as you picture them from the excerpt you read?
Today, the film clips will start showing you how Kafka's ideas morph into something bizarre and ultra-modern.

No matter how far we come, people are still dealing with the same frustrations.
That is worth further consideration.

The following prompt is to be answered in Googledocs. It is to be submitted on 11/23/16.
Make sure your piece is thorough and your answer is well-formed.

After viewing the clips, think about the characters and how they deal with reality and adversity.

Which character would prevail in our society: Tyler or The Narrator? Why? Present your choice in a logical and clear thesis with some evidence from the film. This requires you to pay carefully attention in class and participate in the discussion that follows. Remember to use our society as the context and not the society in the film.

The Fight Club and Post-Modern Magical Realism (11/21/16)

When Chuck Palahniuk wrote "The Fight Club", he probably didn't realize he was creating a work of fiction that somehow transcended the idea of existentialism and punched a hole into the universe of magical-realism.

But, he did.

This story is about a man caught in a more modern labyrinth of self. He is consumed by his desire to find meaning. His job and everything around him represent his inability to know his true self. His desire to consume has shifted the emphasis away from real self-discovery and shifted his focus to finding dishware that defines him as a person.

Consequently, he cannot sleep.
He is beginning to have a psychic break - and this is when you catch glimpses of his true nature.

Literally.

It is also around the time that he starts shifting his own need for self-discovery into his desire to be a support-group junkie.

Suddenly, his pain disappears into the pain of others.

You can see some eerie similarities between this and "The Metamorphosis".
Specifically, the way the character suddenly feels that he is losing his humanity.