PB's Picks for Winter Break

Books by authors we've read:

• The Facts Behind the Helsinki Roccamatios (short stories), Yann Martel
  
• Never in a Hurry: Essays on People & Places (non-fiction), Naomi Shihab Nye
• The Wizard of Oz (film analysis), Salman Rushdie
  
• Chicken with Plums (graphic novel), Marjane Satrapi

Quarter 2, Week 6 Agenda

Monday, 12.6
In class: Introduce fable project, choose partners, analyze children’s stories, and pick a question to address.
Homework: Choose a metaphor to illustrate your question. Then, write a formal proposal for your fable. Your proposal should include the question you have chosen, a description of the metaphor you’ve crafted, and the rough outline of the events that will take place in your story. The proposal and outline combined should be about a page.

Tuesday, 12.7
Due: Proposal and outline due at the beginning of class.
In class: Begin developing fable. Storyboard if necessary. Teachers will meet with pairs to approve proposals.
Homework: Continue to develop fable. Remember to balance the work evenly.

Wednesday, 12.8 & Thursday, 12.9
Due Wednesday: You should have made solid progress on your story.
In class: Work time. Teachers will meet with pairs during class to assess progress and suggest improvements.
Homework: Continue to work on fable (and illustrations, if applicable). Your story should be near complete by Friday.

Friday, 12.10
Due: Your fable should be in its near-final stages.
In class: Work time.
Homework: Polish and proof. Complete and print fable (and illustrations, if applicable) and author’s statement.

Monday, 12.13
Due: A printed copy of your completed fable.
In class: Read and respond to each others’ work.
Homework: None. Our best to you on exams and have a terrific break.

Pi-like story in the news . . .

Star Tribune AP Exclusive: "Rescued teenager says 3 adrift at sea more than 50 days thought they would die"

Quarter 2, Week 5 Agenda

Monday
In Class: "The cradle of civilization."
Homework: 9 Parts of Desire pp. 6-27 (22)

Day 2
In Class: What does "freedom" mean?
Homework: 9 Parts of Desire pp. 28-49 (22)

Day 3
In Class: Conflict and point of view in 9 Parts
Homework: 9 Parts of Desire pp. 50-68 (19)

Friday
In Class: Wrapping up 9 Parts of Desire
Homework: Choose one character from Heather Raffo’s 9 Parts of Desire. In a single polished sentence, identify the nature of the liberation she desires. Then, in an intelligent, cohesive, and polished paragraph, illustrate your point by connecting your ideas to a specific line, symbol, or image that she uses. Quotations must be correctly cited and embedded into sentences of your own, otherwise I’ll hand it back to you for resubmission. Have a typed, printed copy for class on Monday. This will count as a Gem grade.

"9 Parts of Desire" Resources

Check out the following resources and interviews about Raffo and 9 Parts of Desire:

• Heather Raffo's website
• Al Jazeera: "Everywoman" video interview
  
• Al Jazeera Riz Kah: video interview
• Chicago Public Radio: extended interview
• NPR: One-Woman Show on Iraq Draws Accolades
• Guthrie Theater: study guide for 2008 performance
  

Quarter 2, Week 4 Agenda

Monday
In Class: Debriefing The Big Animal.
Homework: Read 9 Parts of Desire Author's Note and Iraq War handout.

Tuesday
In Class: Begin 9 Parts of Desire.
Homework: None.

Wednesday - Thursday
No school; Happy Thanksgiving.

This guy definitely did not heed Pi's father's advice.

The Purpose of Books . . .

This is displayed above the entrance to the Rose Main Reading Room at the New York Public Library.

It reads: "A good Book is the pretious life-blood of a master spirit, imbalm'd and treasur'd up on purpose to a life beyond life."

Quarter 2, Week 3 Agenda

Monday
In Class: Debriefing initial reaction to end of Pi.
Homework: Notebook Reflection: For the sake of what “greater truth” (VIII) is this book doing what it does? What was the “dry, yeastless factuality” (63) and what, ultimately, is “the better story” (63, 64, 317)?

Revisit a passage or two that reads differently after the end, and reflect upon it and the above questions. (30 minutes)

Day 2
In Class: 1) Wrapping up Pi, and 2) Quotations Guidelines.
Homework: Be prepared to show me evidence that your annotations have utility. (Find an annotation of yours that is useful and then jot down why it's useful and what specific purpose it is serving.)

Day 3
In Class: Begin The Big Animal.
Homework: Think of possible metaphors for The Big Animal and jot them down on your assignment handout and note-taking sheet.

Friday
In Class: Continue The Big Animal.
Homework: The Big Animal interpretation.

Quarter 2, Week 2 Agenda

Monday (Life of Pi essay due before class)
In Class: This I Believe essay, "Life is an Act of Literary Creation"
Homework: Pi ch. 79-89, pp. 217-240 (24)

Day 2
In Class: 1) Midterm Course Eval, and 2) descending into animal savagery.
Homework: Pi ch. 90 & 91, pp. 240-256 (17)

Day 3
In Class: Hunger and Stories (What else?)
Homework: Pi ch. 92, pp. 256-283 (28)

Friday
In Class: "An exceptional botanical discovery."
Homework: Finish Pi.

I wonder what Pi would say about this . . .

More photos

flying fish

dorado

rain catcher

solar still

meerkat (not yet introduced)

Quarter 2, Week 1 Agenda

Monday (30 min. classes because of girls state soccer tournament)
In Class: In class reading.
Homework: Ch. 59-65. Also, have an essay idea for Friday's class.

Day 2
In Class: Suffering & fishing.
Homework: Ch. 66-78.

Day 3
In Class: Animal instincts, etc.
Homework: Have an essay idea and supporting textual evidence for tomorrow's Writing Workshop.

Friday
In Class: Writing Workshop.
Homework: Life of Pi essay. Revisit the One Intelligent Page assignment handout to remind yourself what the assignment is asking of you.

So many Richard Parker's, so little time.

• In Edgar Allan Poe’s only novel The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket, published in 1838, Richard Parker is a mutinous sailor on the whaling ship Grampus. After the ship capsizes in a storm, he and three other survivors draw lots upon Parker’s suggestion to kill one of them to sustain the others. Parker is then cannibalized.
• In 1846, the Francis Spaight foundered at sea. Apprentice Richard Parker was among the twenty-one drowning victims of that incident.
• In 1884, the yacht Mignonette sank. Four people survived, drifted in a lifeboat, and finally killed one of them, the cabin boy Richard Parker, for food.
  
• Another Richard Parker was involved in the Spithead and Nore mutinies in 1797 and subsequently hanged, but not eaten. (Lucky him.)

What says Life of Pi author, Yann Martel, of all this Richard Parker hullabaloo? “So many Richard Parkers had to mean something.”

He’s right. But what does it mean, then?

It means don’t name your kid Richard Parker.

On the Lifeboat:

Tsimtsum Explained

Tsimtsum is a Kabalistic* term. It is the first act of God (The Infinite) in the creation. It is the retraction of God’s light from a certain space and encircling it, so as to reduce its intensity and allow created beings to exist. After this contraction, a ray of His light entered this empty space and formed the first Sephirot**.

By these boundaries, He revealed the concepts of rigor and limit needed by the created beings, and gave a space for all the created to exist.

Psychologically, tsimtsum relates to the shrinking of the self and the understanding that power does not make an individual infallible or the same as God. The act of tsimtsum in an individual through meditation might bring about a zen-like state of mind, thereby elevating the mind over matter.
(Compare to the Tree of Life of Yin & Yang.)

Tsimtsum highlights how faith must be felt rather than just iterated. Many consider themselves to be religious when in reality their hearts and minds are void of true belief. On the other hand, there are just as many who steadfastly claim to be agnostic or atheist but who are full of love and compassion for other living creatures and live their lives in a way that could rightly be called “religious.”

*The Kaballah is the mystical and explanation of the Torah
** Enumeration or attribute of Kaballah. (There are ten total, through which God reveals Himself.)

Sources: realm.org.uk and kabbalah5.com.

Relevant Radio Debate

I caught the tail-end of this on MPR's "Mid-Day" program last Friday and thought it could be useful.

Intelligence Squared Debates Presents: Is Islam a Religion of Peace?
Is the rise of terrorism and violence justifiably traced to the teachings of Islam, or is this call to war a twisted interpretation of the true Muslim faith? Most of the world’s 1.5 billion Muslims are moderates who see Islamic terrorism as a violation of their sacred texts. Is it wrong to let a radical minority represent authentic Islam? Has fear blinded us to its lessons of tolerance and peace?

Listen to the full hour-long program here: Is Islam a Religion of Peace?

Quarter 1, Week 9 Agenda

Monday
In Class: From the Tsimsum ship to the lifeboat.
Homework: Ch. 44-50

Day 2
In Class: "[A] terrible, selfish hunger for survival."
Homework: Ch. 51-56

Day 3
In Class: "[D]etails that become lifesavers."
Homework: Ch. 57 & 58, plus address the questions below.

If:

• “[Pi] felt like a prisoner being pushed off a plank by pirates” (154).
• “[Pi] had fled the lifeboat to save [his] life” (154).
• “Compared to the raft the lifeboat now seemed a haven of comfort and security” (155).

Then:

• Is an enclosure the road to freedom?
• Is freedom a “prison”?

Friday
In Class: "Plan Number Seven" and enclosures/freedom.
Homework: Ch. 59-65 for day 2 of next week.

Quarter 1, Week 8 Agenda

Monday
In Class: "I Love You & Buddha Too": lyrics, audio/video
Homework: Pi, ch. 23-33

Tuesday
In Class: The "Three Wise Men" and Mr. & Mr. Kumar
Homework: Pi, ch. 34-43

Wednesday & Thursday
Conferences; no class.

Friday
MEA; no school.

Help with Hinduism

• Atman: Spiritual life principle of universe.
• Brahman: Ultimate reality underlying all phenomena; a culturally superior person; member of highest caste in India.
• Krishna: One of the most popular gods,the eighth most important incarnation of Vishnu.
• Vishnu: Supreme deity and savior.

Quarter 1, Week 7 Agenda

Monday
In Class: Enclosures.
Homework: Life of Pi, ch. 6-13, pp. 24-44 (21)

Day 2
In Class: More on zoos (science) and religion.
Homework (for Friday): Pi, ch. 14-22, pp. 44-64 (21)

Day 3
In class: Field trip to Masjid An-Nur mosque.
Homework: Same as above.

Friday
In class: Stories--with a capital S.
Homework: Address the questions below. Each answer should be a solid paragraph.

1. What is the role of religious stories in your reading for today?
2. What affect do they have on Pi? (What does Hinduism / Christianity / Islam provide for him?) Consider the following quotations: “With its notion in mind I see my place in the universe” (49), “The answer was always the same” (56), and “Why Islam is nothing but an easy sort of exercise” (60).
3. What, then, might Pi mean when he suggests that an agnostic on his deathbed, “beholden to dry yeastless factuality, might try to explain the warm light bathing him by saying, ‘Possibly a f-f-failing oxygenation of the b-b-brain,’ and to the very end, lack imagination and miss the better story” (64)? What’s bread without yeast? (Inhabit the metaphor.) What’s a story without “that spark that brings [it] to life” (VIII)?
4. Revisit the Author's Note: "I have a story that will make you believe in God" (X). Wait up, though. Blake is a non-religious school, right? So it wouldn't make sense that an English class would be trying to convert you to any one (or three) religion(s). And it wouldn't make sense that an English class would get too caught up in science, either. (I have a story that will make you believe in science? No, that doesn't work.) So what's the point then? "I have a story that will make you believe in what?" Make an assertion based on what you know of the book so far.
   

Flash Announcement

Flash is the Upper School Literary Journal. The first editors' meeting will be Friday, October 15 at 3:00 in the Northrop Alumnae Room.

Persepolis Project Example

Check out the Persepolis Project Example, in PDF format. Sorry for not posting it sooner; it was a more complicated process than I anticipated. The seams aren't perfect, but you can at least zoom in and read the text. It's a large file (4 MG), so it might take a while to download.

Quarter 1, Week 6 Agenda

Monday & Tuesday
In Class: Persepolis project work time in library.
Homework: Persepolis project. See assignment sheet for deadlines.

Wednesday
In class: Persepolis presentations in AVA Room.

• William & Emma F. – The Veil
• Ryan & Sully – The Bicycle
• John & Grace – The Party
• Coleman & Alex – The Heroes
• James & Bryan - Moscow
• Meghna & Eric – The Sheep
• Luke & Jess – The Trip

Homework: Persepolis project didactic statements.

Thursday
In class: Persepolis presentations and unit wrap up in AVA room.

• Hanad & Noah – Persepolis
• JR & Amanda – The Letter
• Preston & Christopher – The F-14s
• Jake & Sage – The Jewels
• Grant & Molly – The Key
• Tyler & Taylor – The Wine
• Nina & Maddy – The Cigarette
• Charlie & Emma M. – Kim Wilde
• Teddy & Anne – The Shabbat
• Danny & Henry – The Dowry
  

Homework: Persepolis project didactic statements.

Friday
In class: Begin Life of Pi.
Homework: Read through ch. 5 of Life of Pi, including the Author's Note.

Two Interviews with Satrapi

• NPR
• Powell's Books

Quarter 1, Week 5 Agenda

Monday
In Class: Last third of Persepolis.
Homework: None.

Day 2
In Class: Hand back and discuss Haroun essays.
Homework: Notebook Reflection: Noah be Shea said, “A fish cannot describe water until it has been pulled from the lake.” How do you interpret this? Also, given that every eye is a “blinking eye,” and thus has its blind spots, how should we approach a story like Persepolis? What blindnesses do we bring to the text? What challenges does it place upon the reader?

Day 3
In class: Report to library for Persepolis project into and work time.
Homework: Persepolis project. See assignment sheet for deadlines.

Friday
In class: Report to library for Persepolis project work time.
Homework: Persepolis project. See assignment sheet for deadlines.

Persepolis Connections

Two articles from the New York Times:

1. 30 Years on, Iran’s Hostage Takers Still Pose Threat — to the Regime
Many who first organized the siege of the American embassy in 1979 now find themselves under increasing suspicion by the authorities for their connections to the political opposition.

2. Behind the Veil

For American Muslims, Choosing to wear the veil poses challenges.

Persepolis Reinterpreted

Persepolis 2.0

Thanks to a former student for finding this and passing it along. According to him, Persepolis 2.0 "is a mini-graphic novel about the recent Iranian elections and uses original illustrations from Persepolis and I think Persepolis 2. Although it isn't written by Marjane Satrapi, it is still pretty cool. It is a prime example of one perspective on an increasingly controversial issue. It is also interesting how ... the illustrations ... still apply to modern events."

Why Graphic Novels are Relevant

New York Times Magazine: The Visual Language of Graphic Novels.

Quarter 1, Week 4 Agenda

Monday
In Class: Notes on effective discussions. Discuss Julia Alvarez's "An Autobiography of Scheherezade."
Homework: Persepolis, pp. 1-46. Annotate the following: 1) Words (people, places, events, etc.) you don’t know. 2) Juxtaposition of text and images, esp. as they relate to perspective. In other words, how do words and images work together (or undermine one another) to create nuanced understanding the story’s themes and perspectives?

Day 2
In Class: Finish Alvarez discussion. Begin discussing perspective in Persepolis.
Homework: Persepolis, pp. 47-102.

Day 3
In class: How context and form create meaning.
Homework: Persepolis, pp. pp. 103-153.

Friday
Legacy Day; no classes.

Opportunities for You & Your Parents

• One Book, One Blake (open to you and your parents)
  
• Lunch & Literature (open to your parents)

Quarter 1, Week 3

Monday
In Class: How does Arabian Nights and "What is a Myth" further our reading/understanding of Haroun?
Homework: Haroun ch. 6 & 7.

Day 2
In Class: Stories and power. Go over One Intelligent Page and Haroun Essay details, as well as Turn It In sign up.
Homework: Haroun ch. 8 & 9.

Day 3
In class: Small group work on ch. 8 & 9.
Homework: Read Julia Alvarez's "An Autobiography of Scheherezade."

Friday
In class: Essay prewriting.
Homework: Haroun essay due via Turn It In before class on Monday.

Censorship Controversy, New and Old

• New York Times: "U.S. Muslims Embarrassed, Indignant"
• Wall Street Journal: "You Still Can't Write About Muhammad" (op-ed) and its response: "I Didn't Kill 'The Jewel of Medina'"

Rushdie Resources

Here are a few links to web sites about Satanic Verses and why Muslims would respond so strongly to the title and its content. The information relates to both the Haroun and Islam units as we discussed them last week.

• Notes for Satanic Verses (This is a very long PDF—it's the first few pages about the "Rushdie Affair" that are most helpful.)
• The Satanic Verses
• Blashphemy Salman Rushdie

Quarter 1, Week 2 Agenda

Monday
Labor Day; no school.

Day 2
In Class: Why context matters. (Salman Rushdie background.) How does what we know about Rushdie and Satanic Verses further our reading and understanding of Haroun?
Homework: For Friday, Haroun ch. 4 & 5.

Day 3
In Class: Resource allocation simulation with Mrs. Helmbrecht-Wilson. (This will take both periods 4 & 5. Both classes report to H-W’s room at the beginning of period 4.)
Homework: Same as Day 2.

Friday
In Class: More on how context creates meaning.
Homework: Read and annotate Arabian Nights and "What is a Myth" handout. Be prepared to discuss how they further our reading/understanding of Haroun.

Umbrella on Film

YouTube film adaptations of Fernando Sorrentino's "There's a Man in the Habit of Hitting Me in the Head with an Umbrella."

Quarter 1, Week 1 Agenda

Monday

Faculty workshop day; no school.



Tuesday

In Class: A poem; book distribution.
Homework: Read syllabus and Fernando Sorrentino's "There's a Man in the Habit of Hitting Me on the Head with an Umbrella."



Thursday

In Class: Syllabus quiz, "There's a Man in the Habit of ...," and annotations expectations.

Homework: Read and annotate Haroun & the Sea of Stories ch. 1.



Friday

In Class: Text vs. subtext, literal vs. figurative, and what's said vs. what's implied.
Homework: Haroun ch. 2 & 3.

* BEGIN 2010-2011 SCHOOL YEAR *

You're bound to find something you like . . .

in the Times Summer Reading edition of the Sunday Book Review.

Deep cuts.

Rare and previously unreleased footage.

"July's People" essays done.

I've finished grading the July's People essays. If you don't want to wait until Thursday afternoon to get yours, stop by my tomorrow or Wednesday. I'll be in the building 7 a.m. through 3 p.m. If I'm proctoring an exam in my room, please knock softly and I'll bring your essay to the door.

Study hard, take a break, eat a snack, play outdoors, and then resume your studies. Repeat all day. And then go to bed. Early.

Thanks,
PB

Final project presentation order.

The final project presentation order is below. Presentations will be in Mr. Roberts' room during the afternoon exam slot on Thursday, June 3. Each individual or group will have 7-8 minutes to present.

1. Adele & Isabel
2. Catherine
3. LJ
4. Hayley, Kenny, & Kristyn
5. Aileen, Babs, & Laura
6. Caroline & Emily
7. Abby, Izzy, McKenzie
8. Mitch, Roman, Salman
9. Jack & Joe
10. Ellie & Ryann
11. Mike
12. Caiti and Katie
13. Adam
14. Ashan, Evan, & Nuwan
15. Emmy & Ngoc
16. Maggie
17. Aditi

Read about a modern day Shao Bin.

"It's Not Beautiful"
An artist takes on the system.

A relevant World Lit play at the Guthrie.

M. Butterfly, by David Henry Hwang, plays at the Guthrie through June 6.

[M. Butterfly] is an epic play tracing lines of race, gender and power through love and deception. An evocative and beautiful blend of theatrical styles and voices, M. Butterfly is a tour de force that cuts to the heart of the distortions that pollute cross-cultural interactions. It has become a modern classic, beautifully blending the power and politics of Madame Butterfly and a contemporary world in which sexuality identity issues have become a topic of open discussion and dialogue. This landmark play has become a contemporary classic and launched David Henry Hwang to the forefront of the new American theater.

Source: guthrietheater.org

Summer Opp.

ThreeSixty Journalism brings new voices into journalism through intense instruction of civic literacy, writing skills and college-readiness of Minnesota teens. Read more about their summer camp opportunities here. Application deadline is May 3.

A refresher on annotations.

Annotations are notes for the future. They’re how you hold up your end of the conversation with the text. You are expected to annotate—annotations checks can occur at any time, without notice—but the way in which you do so is up to you. Here are some suggestions:

• Highlight key words, images, and patterns and mark significant passages.
• Flag or ear-mark critically important pages.
• Raise discussion-worthy questions in the margins.
• Draw connections through page number references. (For example, “See page xx.”)
• Write a summary at the end of each chapter. Address questions such as: What happened? How and why? What purpose does the chapter serve? In other words, why does it exist? What is it doing to/for the narrative or text as a whole?
• Keep a list, or index, of important themes, symbols, and motifs on the inside cover of your book. Write corresponding page numbers for each.

"This Blessed House" and Mother Mary Serendipity.

Saw this on my way home from school today. Hmm . . .

The continuing evolution of Mr. Roberts.

From left to right: Mr. Roberts, Mr. Thomas Barry, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (President of Iran), and George Clooney.

Mr. Roberts is my father?

Below at left, Mr. Roberts. Below at right, my father circa 1978. Thanks to the Sri Lankan Power Duo, Ashan & Nuwan, for digging up the "R-Dubs" gem.

JT still on walkabout.

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

Quote of the week.

“All I ask is one thing: Please do not be cynical. I hate cynicism—it’s my least favorite quality. It doesn’t lead anywhere. Nobody in life gets exactly what they thought they were going to get. But if you work really hard and you’re kind, amazing things will happen.” —Conan O’ Brien

Thesis statements.

Models:

• Though the empirical and mystical are often thought to be polar opposites, Sir Isaac Newton’s tireless exploration of varied subjects revealed that they were inseparable parts of his quest for greater truth in the universe, the legacy of which blazed the trail for future generations.
• Despite Mother Teresa’s actions of inspiring and creating faith in millions around the world, her own personal legacy was one of irony and doubt.
  

Thesis Statement checklist:

• Does the thesis statement answer a how or why question?

• Is it debatable?
• Do it connect to the theme? (Keep in mind the above examples are from last year, the theme of which was "The Individual in History: Actions & Legacies.)
  
• Is it specific enough?
• Can it be well proven with evidence?

Coming-of-death musing.

According to The Death Clock, I am going to die at the age of 74 on Sunday, September 19, 2055. I was able to stave it off 15 years simply by changing my "Mode" from "Pessimistic" to "Normal."

The Year in Language.

Check out this New York Times article on new words and phrases coined in 2009: "The Buzzwords of 2009."