5.1 Hamlet Discussion

Hi folks.  Some weird stuff in this scene... Skulls??  Jokes??  Disturbing puns??  Fist-fights inside a grave??  Alexander the Great stopping up a beer barrel??  More allusions to Hercules??  Whaaa?

The Royal Shakespeare Company does a great job bringing the scene to life-- especially that saucy grave digger.  I recommend reading the scene first and annotating, then watching the video.  After that: post a discussion question/comment with a quote.  Only one required this time, so make 'em good. :)

Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LLO5IdAl-q8
Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cVHu5BTylbM

Hamlet, Act 3, scene 4 Discussion: Things get intense!

Hi again everyone.  It is seriously so fun to see you all analyze this stuff.

Be sure you're solid on scenes 2 and 3 before getting to scene 4; we see important action transpire via the players' play in scene 2 (some key moments-- Hamlet's speech to Horatio; the interactions between Hamlet and Ophelia; Claudius' reaction to the play; Hamlet's altercation with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern.  Another funny bit about this scene-- many people think that Hamlet's instructions to the players about not over-acting were Shakespeare's deliberate and indirect way of insulting of Will Kempe, the gregarious comedian who broke from Shakespeare's acting troupe in a huff.  Tee hee.)  You might discover other key points-- what moments from this scene do YOU find telling?  Also, scene 3 gives us super interesting insight on Mr. Claudius, AND on Hamlet's revenge strategizing.  I'm excited for you guys to discuss all that tomorrow. :)

Now!  Onto scene 4: I will be very honest.  Because this scene takes place in Gertrude's bedroom, and because it's just Hamlet and Gertrude, and because Hamlet is railing against her for her "bedroom choices," and because he's super worked up, some productions have taken this an extra step and have implied throught the acting that Hamlet is actually "into" his mother and turn it into an Oedipal thing.  I have talked with several other English teachers about that, and-- other than the above mentioned circumstances-- there's really nothing in the text to warrant that.  The RSC scene, although uncomfortable to watch, keeps it realistic and makes no such unwarranted Oedipal leaps.  Pay especially close attention to the text when the ghost arrives.  Gertrude's reaction to the ghost is hard to figure out; are there any specifications in text to help clarify it, or is this one more ambiguous moment from Shakespeare?  These are all things to consider, but let your own ideas and analysis direct the conversation. 

The scene is attached below, if you all like being able to see it played out:

Part One of the scene: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mOjpvNPr3JU
Part Two: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ay502y7aspo

Once again, you get to discuss this scene however you see fit.  Keep your analysis grounded in the text (use quotes) and use proper grammar and spelling.  Have at it!

Hamlet: Act 3, scene 1 Discussion

Hi folks!  If you want to see the scene play out in live action, feel free to watch the videos provided in the links below.  NOTE: For whatever reason, the Royal Shakespeare Company decided to move the scene where Polonius is questioning Hamlet about what he's reading ("Words, words, words.") into the end of this scene.  I have no idea why they did that; in my opinion, it destroys the tension.  However, everything else about this production is pretty great, so we'll keep it up anyway:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6nM_Oqd6Ers (Part 1)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1geIIDdrV7c (Part 2: "To be" through "Get thee to a nunnery")

DISCUSSION INSTRUCTIONS:
Post a comment in response to this post, discussing the scene.  I give you all total ownership in discovering meaning here.  Pick a quote, come up with a discussion question, and have at at.  Know that everything Shakespeare did in this scene is intentional, so think about what he's trying to reveal through it.  Try to post two comments before class tomorrow.  If discussion is occurring in a frenzy, and you want to just respond to other comments with both your posts, do so.  But if discussion is wobbling along, use one of your comments to stoke the discussion with a question.  We need practice with embedding quotes and staying tightly connected to the text, so reference the text in both of your comments.  In other words, you should have a quote in there.

Also: use correct grammar and punctuation please.

You all are SMART and it is okay if you make mistakes, and there's no such thing as a dumb question, especially when you're dealing with tough language like this.  So discuss boldly and recklessly! :)

Sonnet Instructions!

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!!!  I hope you're all feeling deliciously well fed. :)

Instructions for the sonnet:

• 14 lines
• Rhyme scheme: abab cdcd efef gg
• Each quatrain should have its own contained idea, and the ending couplet should provide the "key" to understanding the poem.
• Do your best to write in iambic pentameter (each line should be 10 syllables of alternating unstressed/stressed syllables: "i WANT to EAT the WHOLE enTIre PIE!"  But-- obviously-- you can spell normally.)
• Remember, serious form often relates to significant subjects.  Not a requirement; just a suggestion.

Also: here are ways that Shakespeare allowed himself to bend the rules a little when the rhyming and meter got tough:

• You can combine words to take out a syllable; just note the missing letters with an apostrophe: "It is" --> "'tis" / "In faith" simply becomes " 'Faith" / "Overtook in his rousing" becomes "o'ertook in’s rouse."  Try not to do this too often, but if you're desperate, combine!
• You can also write a line of 11 syllables, provided the last syllable is unstressed.  This is called a "feminine ending," because it is is unstressed.   And seeing as women never get stressed, it makes sense.
• He also sometimes invented words.  Not saying you should start Dr. Seussing or anything, but if we're emulating The Bard... well, the man did coin some diction!

And if you're feeling REALLY ambitious...

• Consider employing some of the literary devices we've been discovering this year.  Employ beautiful words to convey a soothing tone; employ harsh and ugly words to convey a disturbed tone.
• Figurative language is also great: personfication, paradox, metaphor, simile... have at 'em!
• Imagery can be great if you want to create some symbolism-- think of all the symbolic meanings associated with things found in nature!  Could some of those lend themselves to your meaning?

Finally: it's okay if it's not brilliant! 

The main reason we're doing this is so that you all internalize the form and function of a sonnet, as well as experience the challenge of writing in meter and verse so that you can better appreciate what Shakespeare did.  But I don't expect you to write like Shakespeare (Keaton, you can consider that a challenge), so don't put too much pressure on yourself!  I'm excited to read them!!

Need inspiration?  The link below will take you to a website where Shakespeare's sonnets can be read to your hearts' content.
http://www.shakespeare-online.com/sonnets/

Video: Hamlet, Act 1, scene 5

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5-tYlYJ0PJM  (start the scene at about 3:50 if you want to go straight to scene 5)

Questions to consider as you watch this and look over the scene in your scripts:
1.) How does the ghost say he was murdered?
2.) What does the ghost tell Hamlet about Gertrude, or any plans Hamlet may form to avenge himself against her?
3.) After the ghost leaves, Hamlet is frantically processing what the ghost has told him.  In your opinion, does the text imply Hamlet is becoming mentally unstable?
4.) When Horatio and Marcellus enter, Hamlet greets them oddly.  (David Tennant does a great job emphasizing the strangeness of Hamlet's words; an actor could choose to play those lines much more straight, but even so, the lines seem bizarre, and the iambic pentameter falls apart.  Horatio points out, aptly, "These are but wild and whirling words!")  Why do you think Hamlet has them repeatedly swear they will not tell anyone what they have seen that night?  (NOTE: in the play, there is no specific stage instruction for Hamlet to cut his hand.)  Why would Hamlet greet them so strangely, or make jokes about the ghost's rumbles, calling the ghost "an old mole" and "truepenny" (slang for "honest old fellow.")  Why would Shakespeare malign the verse in this part?
5.) What does it mean when Hamlet tells his two friends that, from here on out, he "might think it meet to put an antic disposition on"?

Analysis:
1.) Hamlet tells his father's ghost "with wings as swift as meditation or thoughts of love [I will] sweep to my revenge" but at the end of the scene he says: "Oh cursed spite that ever I was born to set it right."  Do you think Hamlet is eager to avenge his father's murder?  Do you expect he'll be good at taking that revenge?  What clues from the text inform your guesses?
2.) In your opinion, is Hamlet acting mad (insane) here, actually going mad here, or just emotionally distraught, as would be expected?

Hamlet video: Act 1, scene 1

Click on the link below to watch the opening scene of Hamlet.  NOTE: although Hamlet is written to take place during the medieval era in Denmark, modern productions often set it in a more contemporary time period.  In this production, Hamlet is set in modern day.  Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U-NLnsq3P7Y

Antigone Blog: due by 11:59pm, 11-15-2013

In the lecture I gave you all on Tragedy, there was a quote towards the end from an introduction of the Theban plays, discussing Antigone.  The quote states:

“[Here is] tragedy– not in the martyrdom of obvious right under obvious wrong, but in the far more bitter, and at the same time more exhilerating, contest between two passionately held principles of right, each partly justifiable, and each to a degree (though one more than the other) vitiated by stubborn blindness to the merits of the opposite.” (Watling 11)

The quote reminds us that, although Creon's edict is ultimately shown by Sophocles to be incorrect, the two principles at odds are both essentially valid: on the one hand, the play is concerned with upholding the security of the city; on the other, we are confronted with the importance of upholding the timeless will of the gods.  Antigone ultimately would have posed a very challenging conundrum to its original audience since-- as the Chorus demonstrates-- at times, one principle seems more valid; at times, the other emerges as best.

Your assignment:

• Based on the character you were assigned, write a first-person justification of that character's perspective.  Some characters struggle with both (or more!) principles, so explain fully the thought process of those characters.  Some characters have a controversial stance, so (in character) justify that stance as passionately as that character would.
• Do your best to emulate the style of speech used in the play, and incorporate at least three CDs from the play, with citations.  Those quotes should be lines that your character actually says.
• Shoot for two long-ish paragraphs, and remember to incorporate those three CDs.

Remember: it's our job as readers to seek to understand these characters, not judge them.  Although it may be tempting to showcase your character as a two-dimensional nincompoop, try to imagine yourself actually in their shoes, and do your best to explore their complex motivations.

Part Assignments:

Antigone: Cassidy, Hannah S, Bryce

Haemon: Eric, Mariah, Keaton 

Teresias: Jon, Hanna K,  Nathan

Chorus: Madison, Amy, Rachel

Ismene: Mel, Tori, Dani

Creon: Sonia, Leyla, Matthew

Writing about yourself as a COMPLEX character: due Fri 10/18 by 11:59pm

COMPLEX: that's a word we're going to see a lot this year, and probably the favorite word of the AP prompt-writers.  Complex is a code word.  The AP prompt writers don't necessarily want you to be able to decipher the code, but I want you to know the code.  When you see this word, you should immediately translate it to mean:

There are two seemingly contradictory sides to this situation.

 

And therefore: you need to FIND the two seemingly dichotomous sides.

 

If the AP prompt asks you to discuss a complex character, you need to find two seemingly-opposite sides to the character.  (He is both insecure AND arrogant. / The author shows that she feels both love AND animosity towards her brother.) 

 

If the AP prompt asks you to discuss the author's complex attitude towards [whatever], you need to find two seemingly diametric attitudes present in the text.  In John Donne's poem about love, "The Broken Heart" (we read this in class), the imagery reveals that he considers love both destructive AND irresistable.  We might say that Lutie had a complex relationship with the city's urban environment in that, though the city antagonizes Lutie, she nevertheless relies on it for her survival.

 

Good authors portray their characters and their themes as complex, because life IS complex. Good AP Lit students likewise identify complexities in texts because they're smart, and they know that life is complex.

 

So!  To help you internalize this concept and simultaneously help you understand better how authors use direct and indirect methods to provide characterization, you are going to write about YOURSELF as a complex character.

 

Here are the rules:

1.) You may not write in first person as yourself.  You can write in first person as someone else observing you, but you cannot simply describe yourself in first person.

2.) You can also write in limited 3rd person, in omniscient 3rd person, or in 2nd person. (If you can't remember what these different points of view are, refer to the "Point of View" chapter in your brown textbook.)

3.) You need to reveal two apparently diametric sides of yourself.

4.) You need to employ mostly indirect methods of characterization.  (Try your best.)

 

If you need an example, I've provided one below.

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Note: yours doesn't have to be this long.  I started having fun with this and just kept it going.

The waiters must have puzzled over the sight.  There, in the middle of the Chinese restaurant at approximately 4:30 in the afternoon, sat three senior citizens and one young woman.  The girl was too old to be under the guardianship of any of her elderly tablemates, but too young to have any plausible reason for being there.  One waitress speculated that she was the trophy wife of the man seated next to her, but was quickly rebuffed by the hostess who pointed out that there was no flashy jewelry on her hands.  Someone else guessed she might be a hired nurse for one of the others, yet that theory too was challenged when it was observed the elder guests appeared to be relatively spry--even lively.  A snippet of conversation finally revealed the mystery; the girl was overheard asking her “Grandpa” to pass the water pitcher.   The wait staff rolled their eyes at the disclosure; it was a disappointingly ordinary explanation.

At one point, the girl furtively examined her phone, sneaking it past the watchful gaze of her dinner partners, who would certainly have declaimed the device as a sign of her generation’s imminent demise.  She scowled at the words on the screen and pushed it back into her purse with a shove.  Her participation in the conversation noticeably dwindled; her head bowed in a sulk as she listlessly pushed her food across her plate, only raising her head to eventually acknowledge the arrival of the check—not that she was paying. 

Later, the girl and her grandfather would travel to their shared home; he would chat happily about the musical they had seen and make various proposals for how they might spend their evening.  She, in turn, would listen to his movie suggestions—always political thrillers—and continue brooding.   His comment about the lead actor’s antics drew a half-hearted smile; then, she turned away to look out at the fading afternoon.  She hoped he didn’t notice her sigh.

Once arriving home, there was only one thing to do.  The political thriller could wait. 

“Grandpa?  I’m going for a bike ride.  I’ll be back in an hour.”

“It’ll be dark soon sweetheart,” he responded, ever mindful of his granddaughter’s well-being.

“I know.  I’ll be back before then.”  She pushed the garage door open, and reminded herself to call back to him.  “Love you Gramps.”

“Love you sweetheart.”

The Burke-Gilman trail opened up beneath the rubber tires which churned over the cement.  She gulped in the air, tasting the crispness of summer slipping away.  “Why be angry?” she demanded of herself.  It had been her choice to stay with her grandpa, after all.  The thought made her legs push the pedals down harder and the bike leapt forward, jolting her body over potholes, gobbling up dried leaves foolish enough to drift in its way.  The burning of her muscles only seemed to increase her frustration.  It was just a weekend-- just a stupid weekend.  She mentally berated herself.  “So ungrateful.”

She rode past the Metropolitan Market, impatiently maneuvering her bike through the slow pedestrians dawdling at the crosswalk.  On through the shadowy stretch, the long gradual hill where it always got darkest first.  Then past the University building with the inexplicable waterfalls, great sheets of water on the second story, pounding down from what appeared to be the underside of the brick ceiling.  She didn’t have the patience to wonder about its presence or purpose today, and pushed on.

The goal had been to make it to Gasworks Park, but the sun’s low sling in the sky wouldn’t give her time for that.  With a sigh, she decided to push the bike up into campus instead.  Maybe the fountain would be on.  The rhythm of her breathing offered up a mantra: let it go, let it go, let it go. 

Keeping her eyes on the crunching gravel path which stretched uphill towards campus, she didn’t notice the roses until their scent accosted her. She glanced up at her surroundings and instinctively squeezed the hand brake to stop.

It was beautiful.

The late summer sunshine had left the wide circle of roses in shadow, but its warmth hadn’t left their petals; their sweet perfume wafted around her.  The fountain in the center of them all burst up its tall pillar of spray, each droplet falling and rippling into the pool below.

It was so beautiful.

Slowly, she eased the bike forward with the same solemn awe one finds in museum visitors as they take in priceless works of art.  Riding her bike in a slow circle around the fountain, she gazed at the full roses surrounding it—lavender, magenta, yellow and orange, the palest pink, and the deepest red.  Then she looked up towards the great height of the fountain’s spray.  The stream’s highest 18 inches managed to reach above the long shadows cast by the surrounding brick buildings, and where it leapt up into the fading sun, it became miraculous.  The prism of water caught all the rich colors of the light and refracted them in beams, in rainbows, in tosses and whirls of color.  The girl sucked in her breath, and stared at the pillar’s summit with rapt concentration. 

Suddenly, the phrase beamed into her head, without prompting, without reflection.  It didn’t even seem to belong to her, but its message was more insistent and clear than her own tangle of thoughts ever managed to be.

This is here for you to find, every day. 

She turned the phrase over in her mind, testing it.  She tasted the words, and let their message work peace into her synapses, her marrow, her red and white cells, her fibers and tendons and pores.  It was like waking from a heavy sleep. 

Breathing deeply, she slowly rode once more around the path encircling the fountain, doing her best to drink in the medicinal beauty that surrounded her. 

Then, she pointed the bike towards home.

The lightness that had eluded her all weekend clipped along beside her.  With her head raised and her eyes bright from either cold or revelation, the pedals moved readily beneath her feet.  She grinned as she pushed the bike into the garage, and pulled her helmet off.

“Grandpa?” she called eagerly, entering the house.

“Hiiii!” he called, in the way he always did.  “Perfect timing!  ‘Dancing with the Stars’ just ended!”

“Oh good!” she called back.  “Do you have your dessert yet?  I can warm up the applesauce if you want.”

“I’ll do it,” he said, thumping lightly down the stairs in his slippers and sweats.  “You go ahead and change, and then you can help me with the cookies.”  He passed her on the landing and grinned.  “What do you think about ‘Pelican Brief’ tonight?”

“A political thriller?” she grinned, feigning surprise.  “You? Want to watch a political thriller?”

“You know how I love political thrillers,” he called from the kitchen.

She did.  And she was once more able to love him for it.

 

               

Characterization Questions (and pictures of the pages from the textbook)

There are pictures of the  "Characterization" chapter in your textbook if you forgot to take yours home.  Click on the pics at the bottom and do your best to read it!  Note: all pictures are from:
Arp, Thomas R., ed. "Characterization." Perrine's Literature: Structure, Sound, & Sense. 10th ed. Boston: Wadsworth CENGAGE Learning, MA. 161-65. Print.

 

AP Literature-- Characterization:

Read the chapter on Characterization in your AP textbook (p. 161-165), and use it to answer the questions below.  Type out your answers on a separate sheet of paper.  2-3 sentences should be sufficient for most questions.

1.)    The text states: "Such fiction offers an exciting opportunity to observe human nature in all its complexity and multiplicity. It enables us to know people, to understand them, and to develop compassion for them in a way we might not do without reading serious fiction" (162). Do you agree? Does Dostoyevsky accomplish this with Raskolnikov? (Do you know him, understand him, feel compassion for him?)  Explain why or why not you think so.

2.)     Is Raskolnikov's character primarily revealed directly or indirectly? Is he dramatized?  How do you know?

3.)    The text states, "Good fiction follows three other principles of characterization. First, the characters are consistent in their behavior: they do not behave one way on one occasion and a different way on another unless there is a clear and sufficient reason for the change" (163). Is Raskolnikov's behavior consistent?

4.)    What are some of Raskolnikov's main motivations for committing the murder? Is there one that seems foremost?

5.)    Who are C&P's flat characters?

6.)    Who are the round characters?

7.)    Are there any stock characters?

8.)    Which characters are static? Which are developing/dynamic?

9.)     Where are moments of epiphany in C&P?

10.)   Examine the three conditions of a convincing change of character, listed on p. 165. Does Raskolnikov's character change meet these qualifications?

Peer Editing your partner's Personal Statement

Name: _______________________________________________________________________ per:_____________

Name of the person whose essay you’re editing: ______________________________________________________

NOTE to AP students: since you’re accessing your partner’s personal statement via blog, I recommend you copy and paste the text into a word doc and edit it there using the “review” feature, or print it out and edit it by hand.  If you and your partner want to email each other a word doc instead, or use Google docs, that’s fine too.  Please still post your personal statement on the blog for a grade. (And so I can make sure you’re making progress! J)

Personal Statements Peer-editing

After checking for each bulleted point, initial beside the bullet to indicate you did this piece of editing.

·         Read through the essay aloud, slowly, to the writer and any other peer editors.  As you read, mark the following:

o   awkward phrasing with a squiggly line and an “awk” notation.

o   circle any misspelled words

o   circle any misused or missing punctuation marks

o   suggest corrections for any awkward word choices

o   draw a question mark next to anything confusing

o   THESE ESSAYS NEED TO BE LITERALLY PERFECT IN TERMS OF GRAMMAR, SPELLING AND SENTENCE FLUENCY.  MARK ANYTHING THAT IS NOT PERFECT.

·         It is imperative that this essay flows smoothly.  Note on the margins where the essay seems choppy or disconnected.

·         Assess the intro hook:

o   Is it attention getting? 

o   Is it overly cheesy?  Does it feel forced or strained?

o   Does it make sense?  Does it leave too much information OUT?  Remember: the hook should make you want to know more, but it should not make you feel confused and/or frustrated.

o   WRITE ANY NEEDED IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MARGINS

·         Assess the story telling

o   Does it convey the writer’s “voice”?  Does it sound like them?  If it’s not written yet, do you think the story sounds like it will be true to the author?

o   Are there good sensory details?  Are there too many?  Too little?

o   Are there story-telling devices, like dialogue and/or anecdotes?

o   Do you feel like you’re being “shown” the story, rather than “told” the story?  Offer suggestions of how the author might improve his/her story-telling.

o   WRITE ANY NEEDED IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MARGINS

·         Assess the discussion of strengths

o   Does the author smoothly transition into talking about his/her strengths?

o   Are there too many strengths being discussed?  Should the author focus more on just discussing one or two?  If so, help the author pick which strength(s) to focus on.

o   Does it sound braggy?  How might the author better illustrate his/her strengths, rather than just naming them?

o   Do you feel like you’re being “shown” the strengths, rather than “told” the strengths?

o   Are there details to back up the author’s strengths?  In other words, if the author describes him/herself as strong-willed, do they provide evidence to prove that?

o   Does the discussion-of-strengths paragraph seem connected to the story?  How might the author better connect this paragraph to the story framework?

o   WRITE ANY NEEDED IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MARGINS

How does the author do connecting back to the story?

o   Does it seem forced?  Or does the story flow from one paragraph to the next?

o   How is the essay’s organization?  Does it seem to make sense?  Do the different points logically connect?

o   Are there good connecting phrases?  How might the author improve his/her connection from one thought to the next?

o   WRITE ANY NEEDED IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MARGINS.

How is the wham, bam, slam it home?

o   What final impression of the author does it leave you with?  Does it seem desperate or forceful?  Does it seem inspiring and relatable? 

o   Is the slam-it-home somehow connected to the rest of the essay’s content?

o   How does it conclude the essay?  Does it seem to provide a satisfying finish?

o   Does it leave you feeling confident about the author’s capabilities and readiness for college?

o   WRITE ANY NEEDED IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MARGINS.

How is the essay as a whole?

o   How is the organization?  Do the different ideas connect to one another?

o   Is it a “likable” essay?

o   Did you learn something new about the author?

o   Did it seem personal and conversational while still sounding wonderfully intelligent?

o   WRITE ANY SUMMARY NOTES AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PAGE.

Myers-Briggs test and Affirmation due FRI, 9/27

Hi everyone.

Three steps to complete for Friday's blog:

1.) Take the Myers-Briggs test by clicking the link below and answering the questions:
Myers-Briggs free test

2.) Once you're done, you should see a four letter acronym come up, like "ENFJ." 

Pay attention to the percentages noted for each letter, and post your type with the percentages on your blog.  Then, click on the "You: Self Awareness and Personal Growth" link and read what it says about your specific profile:

Copy and paste any especially relevant pieces onto your blog, and provide follow up commentary about what you think about the results.  If there is anything that seems decidedly UNLIKE you, go ahead and copy and paste that also, and provide follow-up commentary about why you don't think it's like you.

3.) After you're done with the Myers-Briggs results portion, type up one of your favorite Affirmation Solicitations.  Write the five or so words that were written on the Affirmation, and then transcribe the paragraph that the person wrote about you.  If you want, let us know who wrote it. :)

Okay?  And then write two comments on each other's blogs over the weekend. :)
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REMINDER: On Monday, you have LTs due (theme, antihero, aphorism, & archaism), the Personal Statement brainstorming (instead of a journal), two blog comments, and you need to have read the Theme chapter (p. 191-198) in your textbooks.  Also, please bring the rest of your Affirmations on Monday to be checked off.

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Information about the four categories of M-B letters:
How do you recharge when you're tired?  With people, or by yourself?
E= extrovert (you gather energy by being with people)
I = introvert (you gather energy by being by yourself)

What kind of information do you trust and employ?
N = intuitive (you're comfortable with theories, philosophies, and hypotheses-- more abstract ideas)
S = sensing (you're comfortable with information you can experience through your five senses-- basically, stuff you can see and hear, hard facts.)

How do you make decisions?
F= feeling (you are an emotional decision maker)
T = thinking (you are a logical decision maker)

What is your work tendency?
J = judging (You are detail oriented, love organization, and appreciate plans and structure)
P = perceiving (You are more big-picture, are comfortable improvising on the fly, and enjoy impromptu adventures.  You like variation rather than routines.) 

Mere Christianity Blog (due Fri. night, 9/20)

The goal of this blog is to continue our conversation of Mere Christianity, but move away from the bigger, theoretical questions and into the more personal sphere.  About half of Lewis' book deals with the former, but the other half gets into the very real business of what it looks like to wake up every day and try to live for Christ.  Therefore:

Identify a quote from the book that has impacted you on a personal level.  What points in here made you think differently about God?  About your faith?  About your choices?  About yourself?  Provide a quote from the book in your blog and use that to springboard into a reflection about how the quote impacts you on a personal level.  Ideally, I'd love for you to cover ground that we haven't yet had time to go over in class, but if one of those points we've discussed already has prompted the most reflection for you, it's fine to discuss that at greater length.

If you need an example, there's one below.  If you're ready to go, have at it!

Example: What Tremendous Things

A favorite quote from "Nice People versus New People":

We must not be surprised [as Christians] if we are in for a rough time.  When a man turns to Christ and seems to be getting on pretty well (in the sense that some of his bad habits are now corrected) he often feels that it would now be natural if things went fairly smoothly.  When troubles come along—illnesses, money troubles, new kinds of temptation—man is disappointed.  These things, he feels, might have been necessary to rouse him and make him repent in his bad old days; but why now?  Because: God is forcing him on, or up, to a higher level: putting him into situations where he will have to be very much braver, or more patient, or more loving, than he ever dreamed of being before.  It seems to us all unnecessary: but that is because we have not yet had the slightest notion of the tremendous things He means to make of us.

Ironically, this quote posits essentially the same concept as the "everything happens for a reason" idea, but somehow, Lewis explains it in a way that I can more readily appreciate.

Throughout Mere Christianity, Lewis brings us back, time and again, to the concept of our eternal selves.  On page 92, he reminds us that every choice somehow shapes the central part of us-- the part that chooses-- and that each choice propels us towards being either a hellish creature or a heavenly creature.  These two ideas put together have led me to consider that maybe life events are really only incidental-- maybe the point of life is to walk through terrain (whatever terrain required) which will ultimately shape our souls.  We as humans tend to focus on circumstances, on whether or not we feel happy, on whether or not things are going well according to our standards. And why wouldn't we? We're evaluating our lives based on how well we understand living. But I'm not sure the question we should be asking ourselves is, "Does this make me happy?" Rather, I think the question we should be asking ourselves is, "What is this doing to the condition of my soul?"

Yesterday in chapel, I admitted that I often struggle with fear.  In an effort to make myself feel secure, I have historically tried to control myself, and the people in my life-- pounding "shoulds" into us all.  But: when my fists clutch, what happens to the condition of my soul? Fear starts calling the shots instead of the Holy Spirit. A hiss in my ear convinces me that God is NOT in control, and I have to do the job for Him. Anxiety inflames; my peace slips away. I find myself building towers on my own, trying to construct a facade of safety. In those moments, the condition of my soul is horribly anxious and confined. I am listening more to the voices of darkness than the voices of light. Furthermore-- how do my demands affect other people? Rather than letting others pursue their own paths, under the shepherding of their watchful Lord, I try to play shepherd myself, and frankly-- probably do my best to get in God's way. How are others' opportunities to learn and experience God's plan impeded? How do my actions affect the conditions of THEIR souls?

To me, this realization deepens and enriches moments of exultation-- but it also gives meaning to what would seem like senseless tragedy. We ask why, because we are looking at the shambles around us. But the question isn't about those broken pieces; how many passages in the Bible remind us that this life is fleeting, that those things fade? What DOESN'T fade? Our eternal bits. And NOTHING mortal about us will last or persevere unless it knits itself with the eternal, resurrecting life of Christ. Feelings run out. Security runs out. Human reliability runs out. Health runs out. True: healing, faithfulness, safety, and true love can sweep in but if they're going to last, I believe they still must come from The Eternal Source. Our thoughts then, MUST be towards what is happening to the eternal parts of us. I must ask: what is happening to the condition of my soul?

We scrutinize the dirt under our fingernails; the rain on the backs of our necks; the numbers in the gradebook. We care about the details. He cares about the details too I think-- but only insofar as they draw us to Him. Ultimately, He looks at the blazing, churning souls within us. He looks at the eternity we are becoming-- and if we give Him His way, He will do whatever necessary to make sure we become the tremendous things He's envisioned.

Analogy/Metaphor Blog

INSTRUCTIONS: Your homework for Friday is to post a blog (by midnight on Friday) that describes your life, or some portion of it, using an analogy or a metaphor.  Shoot for a meaty paragraph; if it goes longer than that, huzzah.  It may be easier to start telling a story, and then incorporate the analogy or metaphor.  These are loose parameters on purpose: exercise your creativity and voice. 

Then, over the weekend: please comment on two other classmates' blogs (at least), and give them some feedback.  I'll ask you on Monday to let me know whose blogs you commented on.

WHY?:  I'm asking you to do this, first, to help you internalize this literary device so that you'll be that much more equipped to recognize it and discuss it in a text.  Secondly, I'm asking you to do this because it will end up being a great brainstorming activity for your college admissions essays.  Using an analogy or metaphor in a personal statement can be a really effective writing device; it's artful, memorable, sophisticated, shows depth, and can work as an especially effective conclusion to knock their socks off at the end.

EXAMPLE: If you need an example, here's an analogous reflection I wrote in my journal back in 2010 that essentially fits the bill.  It's a little cliche, but I thought it might be something my future-minded seniors would relate to.

* * *

A God picture during prayer:

I pictured myself laying out maps on the ground.  There was a "Trip to South Africa" map, and a "How to be a Teacher" map, and a "Deal with your Family" map, and a "Future Husband" map, and I was spreading them out on the ground in a deferential way.  It was very much a "laying down"-- I was laying down these potential routes before God, in a seeming act of asking for guidance.  Still, sitting on the floor in the midst of all those possibilities began to feel overwhelming.  Where on earth would I begin?  How could I possibly get to every different place on every different map?

Then God made a great big gust of wind come and blow them all away.  I stood up, walked forward, and was on my God-beach.  There was a boat pulled up on the sand, ready to embark, and Jesus grinned and gestured me on board.  I climbed in the boat, and we took off.

And I knew then that we were going somewhere that I had just seen on one of the maps, but I didn't need to know which one or where-- the important thing was that Jesus knew where we were going, that I could trust His captaining, that we were TRAVELING rather than just speculating, and that I had gotten on to the boat.  I had elected to climb in, and let the adventure begin.

It was a cool picture.

* * *

Make sense?  Hope so.  Excited to see what you all come up with!

Litany Rewrite for the AP Crew

You?

Oh you.

You, I’m discovering, are the wires in the powerline--
The crackling and the spurts and the fizz.
You are the shadows on the ocean floor
And the little hidden one in the ferns.
You are the jacket with the rip in the seam
And the laugh (forced? real?) when it’s pointed out to your friends.

You’re not, however, the starch in the pretzel

The sailor on top of the mast
Nor the unabashed flail of a drunkard.
I hope you are not the tusks of the walrus—
Dear God, I hope you are not the tusks of the walrus.

It’s possible that you are the child on the playground
The one yelling “Lava Monster” who’s imitating the big kids--
Maybe even the one hogging all the toys in the sandbox
But you are not even close
To being the grub asleep in the Baby Bjorn.

And a quick personal inventory will reveal
that you are sometimes the roll of the eye,
Sometimes—let’s be honest— the lump in the throat.

It might interest you to know,
(Since we’re all talking about ourselves)
that I am hoping for you.

I am the pile of essays and the fervent feedback
I am the forgotten guitar and the neglected journal,
I am the sinner, and the striver, and the wife, and the weeping
and the morning prayer that asks for too much.

I am the lit-up fountain water, too seldom seen
And the sighing tall tower of great expectations.

But don't worry, I'm not the surge in the powerlines.
You are the crackle of the powerlines.
You will lightning be the fizz of the powerlines
not to mention the shadows on the ocean floor.

Litany Intro

Hello all!

Once you've created a blog, click "New Post" and rewrite Billy Collins' poem "Litany" as an introduction for yourself.  Try to emulate his style and form, but make the words your own.  As a reminder, the text is below.  I've also included the link to the video of the little boy reciting the poem; that's beneath the text below.  Your rewritten "Litany" needs to be posted on your blog MONDAY, Sept. 9th.

Litany

You are the bread and the knife,
The crystal goblet and the wine...
-Jacques Crickillon

You are the bread and the knife,
the crystal goblet and the wine.
You are the dew on the morning grass
and the burning wheel of the sun.
You are the white apron of the baker,
and the marsh birds suddenly in flight.

However, you are not the wind in the orchard,
the plums on the counter,
or the house of cards.
And you are certainly not the pine-scented air.
There is just no way that you are the pine-scented air.

It is possible that you are the fish under the bridge,
maybe even the pigeon on the general's head,
but you are not even close
to being the field of cornflowers at dusk.

And a quick look in the mirror will show
that you are neither the boots in the corner
nor the boat asleep in its boathouse.

It might interest you to know,
speaking of the plentiful imagery of the world,
that I am the sound of rain on the roof.

I also happen to be the shooting star,
the evening paper blowing down an alley
and the basket of chestnuts on the kitchen table.

I am also the moon in the trees
and the blind woman's tea cup.
But don't worry, I'm not the bread and the knife.
You are still the bread and the knife.
You will always be the bread and the knife,
not to mention the crystal goblet and--somehow--the wine.

Billy Collins

 

Little boy reciting "Litany"