Characters:
Billie Holiday - The autobiographer the blues", was also knows as Eleanora Fagan. She was a legendary jazz singer who found her calling at a desperate attempt or a job.
Piano Player - The piano player at "Pod's and Jerry's" who was the first person to notice her singing abilities
Terms:
Ermines - The fur of the old world white easel, with a black tip at the corner
In this excerpt of chapter three in "Lady Sings the Blues," Billie Holiday goes around desperately looking for a job. Finally she comes across a club to audition for a dancing position. With no dancing skill what so ever, Billie was turned down and was almost thrown out again. A decent piano player took pity upon Billie and asked if she could sing. With the sound of her voice, the whole audience became speechless. For the first time in Billie's life, she made enough money to support herself as well as her mother by receiving a job where she performs at often. She even found her mother a position at the club as well. All of this thanks to one piano player who asked one simple question.
If the piano player hadn't asked Billie if she could sing, would she have been discovered another way? Or would her talent die along with her?
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
From Tonya
Assigned Reading- The Erlking
1. Identify and briefly define important words, terms, concepts, or characters.
The Erlking- The spirit that comes to take the life of the child
The Father- The father tries his best to keep his son from “Crossing over to the other side
The Son- Heavily influenced by the Erlking’s manner of speaking
2. Summarize the main idea, theme, action, or event of the reading. Be sure to include quotation that best captures the overall feeling or mood of the reading.
It seems as if the child is sick and is between a life and death situation. The Erlking uses persuasion to try and lure the child away from the father and to him. One can elude that the Erlking is something like death. The Erlking’s persuasion is very appropriate when talking to a child. He entices the child by agreeing to play with him and telling him that there are other children there with him as well. The father tries turn his son away from the Erlking by telling the child that it is only the wind and to ignore what he think he hears. Eventually the Erlking takes the child and the father is left with the son’s lifeless body.
3. Formulate a question for discussion. The question should be relatively substantial, based upon a specified passage or scene from the text, and capable of sustaining a thoughtful discussion.
The Erlking has a distinct way of capturing the child attention. For example, “My handsome boy will you come with me?” and “I will play the prettiest game with you”. What if the father had not dismissed the calls of the Erlking and the son was still alive? What could the father have sad to keep his son from dying?
1. Identify and briefly define important words, terms, concepts, or characters.
The Erlking- The spirit that comes to take the life of the child
The Father- The father tries his best to keep his son from “Crossing over to the other side
The Son- Heavily influenced by the Erlking’s manner of speaking
2. Summarize the main idea, theme, action, or event of the reading. Be sure to include quotation that best captures the overall feeling or mood of the reading.
It seems as if the child is sick and is between a life and death situation. The Erlking uses persuasion to try and lure the child away from the father and to him. One can elude that the Erlking is something like death. The Erlking’s persuasion is very appropriate when talking to a child. He entices the child by agreeing to play with him and telling him that there are other children there with him as well. The father tries turn his son away from the Erlking by telling the child that it is only the wind and to ignore what he think he hears. Eventually the Erlking takes the child and the father is left with the son’s lifeless body.
3. Formulate a question for discussion. The question should be relatively substantial, based upon a specified passage or scene from the text, and capable of sustaining a thoughtful discussion.
The Erlking has a distinct way of capturing the child attention. For example, “My handsome boy will you come with me?” and “I will play the prettiest game with you”. What if the father had not dismissed the calls of the Erlking and the son was still alive? What could the father have sad to keep his son from dying?
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Aryeh: Erlking by Schubert
1) Identify ideas, definitions, words, etc.
Franz Schubert: (1797-1828)
Romantic Era: (1820-1914)
Characters:
Narrator, Father, Son, Erlking
Erlkonig (Erlking): The angel of death
Lied (Lieder): German art song
Grotesque vs. Sublime: Romantic idea
2) Summarize main idea, theme, action, and include quotation.
This piece by Schubert is an example of a “Lied”, which was very popular during the romantic era (Schubert wrote over 650 songs in this style). This style focuses on a connection between the lyrics and the music, where the music represents what is going on in the lyrics as if it is painting a picture. In “Erlkonig”, Schubert represents the ‘grotesque’ as opposed to the ‘sublime’ (two ideas of romantic thought). The Erlkonig means the angel of death which clearly represents the idea of grotesque as well as the most notable line, “My father, my father, now he is taking hold of me! The Erlking has hurt me!” This is also represented by a continuous baseline (throughout the song) that represents the child’s heartbeat, which abruptly stops when the child is killed.
3) Formulate a question for discussion.
How does Schubert’s “Erlkonig” represent the Romanticist idea of the “sublime & grotesque”?
Franz Schubert: (1797-1828)
Romantic Era: (1820-1914)
Characters:
Narrator, Father, Son, Erlking
Erlkonig (Erlking): The angel of death
Lied (Lieder): German art song
Grotesque vs. Sublime: Romantic idea
2) Summarize main idea, theme, action, and include quotation.
This piece by Schubert is an example of a “Lied”, which was very popular during the romantic era (Schubert wrote over 650 songs in this style). This style focuses on a connection between the lyrics and the music, where the music represents what is going on in the lyrics as if it is painting a picture. In “Erlkonig”, Schubert represents the ‘grotesque’ as opposed to the ‘sublime’ (two ideas of romantic thought). The Erlkonig means the angel of death which clearly represents the idea of grotesque as well as the most notable line, “My father, my father, now he is taking hold of me! The Erlking has hurt me!” This is also represented by a continuous baseline (throughout the song) that represents the child’s heartbeat, which abruptly stops when the child is killed.
3) Formulate a question for discussion.
How does Schubert’s “Erlkonig” represent the Romanticist idea of the “sublime & grotesque”?
Sunday, November 18, 2007
Artem: Rosalind Franklin - The Dark Lady of DNA by Maddox
1. Identify and briefly define important words, terms, concepts, or characters.
Rosalind Franklin- A Crystallographer (deals with the science of crystal structure and phenomena). Franklin was a very smart and strong woman (inappropriate at the time)
‘The Patterson’- A method used by Rosalind Franklin and other scientists for circumventing the difficult ‘phase’ problem of measuring x-ray’s peaks and troughs.
James Watson- A Scientist who stole Rosalind Franklin’s photos and took credit for it.
2. Summarize the main idea, theme, action, or event of the reading. Be sure to include quotation that best captures the overall feeling or mood of the reading.
“ With her photographs increasingly clear and sharp, Rosalind took a set to Oxford to show Dorothy Hodgkin…Hodgkin exclaimed that Rosalind’s photographs were the best she had ever seen- so clear, in fact, that it might be possible to work out the space group of the crystal.”
Rosalind Franklin, the protagonist, was a very strong and intellectual woman. She was a crystallographer who could have been known as one of the greatest crystallographers thanks to her amazing photographs of DNA. Her work was superb. The only problem was that she was not given all the credit that she deserved. While she was working and improving on herself, a man named James Watson came along and saw that her amazing work was not published, rapidly stealing her photos and publishing the discovery of them, taking credit for Franklin’s work. Watson’s view on life was different than Franklin’s; he viewed research as a competition. Watson points out that there are many ways to come to a conclusion. By this chapter we can see that creating one icon (Watson) puts another down (Franklin). They were also talking about undeclared race.
3. Formulate a question for discussion. The question should be relatively substantial, based upon a specified passage or scene from the text, and capable of sustaining a thoughtful discussion.
Would Rosalind Franklin have more fame and recognition today if she was given all the credit that she deserved for her work?
Rosalind Franklin- A Crystallographer (deals with the science of crystal structure and phenomena). Franklin was a very smart and strong woman (inappropriate at the time)
‘The Patterson’- A method used by Rosalind Franklin and other scientists for circumventing the difficult ‘phase’ problem of measuring x-ray’s peaks and troughs.
James Watson- A Scientist who stole Rosalind Franklin’s photos and took credit for it.
2. Summarize the main idea, theme, action, or event of the reading. Be sure to include quotation that best captures the overall feeling or mood of the reading.
“ With her photographs increasingly clear and sharp, Rosalind took a set to Oxford to show Dorothy Hodgkin…Hodgkin exclaimed that Rosalind’s photographs were the best she had ever seen- so clear, in fact, that it might be possible to work out the space group of the crystal.”
Rosalind Franklin, the protagonist, was a very strong and intellectual woman. She was a crystallographer who could have been known as one of the greatest crystallographers thanks to her amazing photographs of DNA. Her work was superb. The only problem was that she was not given all the credit that she deserved. While she was working and improving on herself, a man named James Watson came along and saw that her amazing work was not published, rapidly stealing her photos and publishing the discovery of them, taking credit for Franklin’s work. Watson’s view on life was different than Franklin’s; he viewed research as a competition. Watson points out that there are many ways to come to a conclusion. By this chapter we can see that creating one icon (Watson) puts another down (Franklin). They were also talking about undeclared race.
3. Formulate a question for discussion. The question should be relatively substantial, based upon a specified passage or scene from the text, and capable of sustaining a thoughtful discussion.
Would Rosalind Franklin have more fame and recognition today if she was given all the credit that she deserved for her work?
Sunday, November 4, 2007
Michelle: Creative Writers and Day-Dreaming by Freud
Creative Writers and Day Dreaming
Spiel- (literally: to play) here its referring to forms of imaginative writing which requires to be linked to tangible objects
Trauerspiel- those who carry out the representation as schauspeler (show players)
This piece of literature begins by discussing creative writers and their similarity to small children who play in a world of imagination. As one gets older he stops playing and begins to day dream, because he has now exchanged one form of ‘phantasy’ for another. As the author goes on the topic becomes more focused on the difference between a creative writer and a day dreamer. Most day dreamers are embarrassed of their thoughts but for creative writers this is there livelihood. What’s the difference between the two?
“The creative writer does the same as the child at play- he created a world of phantasy which he takes very seriously-that is. Which he invests with large amounts of emotion-while separating it sharply from reality”
The above mentioned text it states that our fantasies are formulated differently depending on the time they happen. For example, the small orphaned boy, who while walking to a job interview imagines receiving the job and his entire life escalates from that point on. Do our circumstances really shape our thoughts or do we just imagine anything we want? If we are about to take an exam is that all we day dream about or do we still think like the small child from the text and perhaps fantasize about princesses and castles?
Spiel- (literally: to play) here its referring to forms of imaginative writing which requires to be linked to tangible objects
Trauerspiel- those who carry out the representation as schauspeler (show players)
This piece of literature begins by discussing creative writers and their similarity to small children who play in a world of imagination. As one gets older he stops playing and begins to day dream, because he has now exchanged one form of ‘phantasy’ for another. As the author goes on the topic becomes more focused on the difference between a creative writer and a day dreamer. Most day dreamers are embarrassed of their thoughts but for creative writers this is there livelihood. What’s the difference between the two?
“The creative writer does the same as the child at play- he created a world of phantasy which he takes very seriously-that is. Which he invests with large amounts of emotion-while separating it sharply from reality”
The above mentioned text it states that our fantasies are formulated differently depending on the time they happen. For example, the small orphaned boy, who while walking to a job interview imagines receiving the job and his entire life escalates from that point on. Do our circumstances really shape our thoughts or do we just imagine anything we want? If we are about to take an exam is that all we day dream about or do we still think like the small child from the text and perhaps fantasize about princesses and castles?
Rikki: Creative Writers and Day-Dreaming by Freud
1. Identify and briefly define important words, terms, concepts, or characters.
Creative- originality of thought, expression, etc.; imaginative
Play- to engage; A lot of times referred to as fun and games
Phantasy- (fantasy) - to create in one's fancy, daydreams, or the like; imagine
Envisage- to contemplate, visualize; looking into the face of
Dreams- a succession of images, thoughts, or emotions passing through the mind during sleep; an aspiration; goal; wile or vain wanting;
Day dream- a dreaming or imagining of pleasant events; the making of unreal plans etc… while awake
Hero- a man of distinguished courage or ability, admired for his brave deeds and noble qualities; a person who, in the opinion of others, has heroic qualities or has performed a heroic act and is regarded as a model or ideal
2. Summarize the main idea, theme, action, or event of the reading. Be sure to include quotation that best captures the overall feeling or mood of the reading.
When people are young they often play to be happy, it is taken very seriously and is often shared with a group. They make up their own little world but take the physical things in the world of reality to make it please themselves. As time goes by, playing is looked at as being childish and the play is then stopped. This is compared to a creative writer because “the creative writer does the same as the child’s’ play. He creates a world of fantasy which he takes very seriously.” However, the play is not actually stopped it is replaced or substituted because “we can never give anything up; we only exchange one thing for another.” Instead of playing he is now fantasizing. Just like fantasizing comes from something we thought of in our childhood or early years, so to creative writers use already made stories or material to write something new and creative.
3. Formulate a question for discussion. The question should be relatively substantial, based upon a specified passage or scene from the text, and capable of sustaining a thoughtful discussion.
Is it true that someone’s childhood could have such a great impact on their life in the future? Do their creative thoughts stay with them forever and were once known as play become their fantasies? Does a creative writer take the thoughts he uses from no where or are they built up by already-made material?
Creative- originality of thought, expression, etc.; imaginative
Play- to engage; A lot of times referred to as fun and games
Phantasy- (fantasy) - to create in one's fancy, daydreams, or the like; imagine
Envisage- to contemplate, visualize; looking into the face of
Dreams- a succession of images, thoughts, or emotions passing through the mind during sleep; an aspiration; goal; wile or vain wanting;
Day dream- a dreaming or imagining of pleasant events; the making of unreal plans etc… while awake
Hero- a man of distinguished courage or ability, admired for his brave deeds and noble qualities; a person who, in the opinion of others, has heroic qualities or has performed a heroic act and is regarded as a model or ideal
2. Summarize the main idea, theme, action, or event of the reading. Be sure to include quotation that best captures the overall feeling or mood of the reading.
When people are young they often play to be happy, it is taken very seriously and is often shared with a group. They make up their own little world but take the physical things in the world of reality to make it please themselves. As time goes by, playing is looked at as being childish and the play is then stopped. This is compared to a creative writer because “the creative writer does the same as the child’s’ play. He creates a world of fantasy which he takes very seriously.” However, the play is not actually stopped it is replaced or substituted because “we can never give anything up; we only exchange one thing for another.” Instead of playing he is now fantasizing. Just like fantasizing comes from something we thought of in our childhood or early years, so to creative writers use already made stories or material to write something new and creative.
3. Formulate a question for discussion. The question should be relatively substantial, based upon a specified passage or scene from the text, and capable of sustaining a thoughtful discussion.
Is it true that someone’s childhood could have such a great impact on their life in the future? Do their creative thoughts stay with them forever and were once known as play become their fantasies? Does a creative writer take the thoughts he uses from no where or are they built up by already-made material?
Sunday, October 21, 2007
Mark: X-Men by Lee and Kirby
1. Identify and briefly define important words, terms, concepts, or characters.
a) mutant- The next level in human evolution; born with special powers that ordinary humans do not have.
b) X-Men- A team of mutants trained to protect the world from bad mutants and evil.
c) Professor X/Charles Xavier- Born as a mutant with the ability to read minds and to project his own thoughts into the brains of others. He was feared by ordinary people which motivated him to establish a school for X-Men.
d) Cyclops/Scott Summers- A mutant with beams in his eyes, that are protected by a head shield.
e) Iceman/Bobby Drake- A mutant who can freeze objects around him and turn his own body into ice.
f) Angel/Warren Worthington III- A mutant who has the ability to fly with the support of his feathered wings.
g) Beast/Hank McCoy- A mutant who possesses agility and superhuman physical strength.
h) Marvel Girl/Jean Grey- The only mutant girl member in the X-Men squad. She was born with telekinetic and telepathic powers.
i) Magneto- A powerful mutant with the ability to create electricity and magnetism. He was a former friend of Professor X, until disagreements of whether mutants can coexist with humans in society.
2. Summarize the main idea, theme, action, or event of the reading. Be sure to include quotation that best captures the overall feeling or mood of the reading.
“Here we stay unsuspected by normal humans as we learn to use our powers for the benefit of mankind… To help those who would distrust us if they knew of our existence!”
In an ordinary world, a group of mutants called the X-Men, utilizes their special powers to save the world from Magneto and other mutant threats. The X-Men was formed by Professor X, who was the first mutant in the world. His students are first trained in a private school before going for action. The requirement for this school is to have superhuman abilities.
Each of Professor X’s students obtain special different powers. They are very unique and helpful, which gives the X-Men an extra lift in action against other bad mutants. If one mutant is not able to successfully defeat his opponent using his own power, than his partner who has a distinctive power can be used affectively to finish the opponent. For example, when Angel could not dodge the missiles any longer, Beast came over to help him and employed his feet to hinder the missile before it hit Angel. The chemistry of the X-Men is worked out well by their excessive training. The main purpose of the X-Men is to save the world from all evil mutants.
3. Formulate a question for discussion. The question should be relatively substantial, based upon a specified passage or scene from the text, and capabale of sustaining a thoughtful discussion.
What would happen if Professor X never established a school for the X-Men? Do you think the world would end up in the hands of Magneto and/or other evil mutants?
a) mutant- The next level in human evolution; born with special powers that ordinary humans do not have.
b) X-Men- A team of mutants trained to protect the world from bad mutants and evil.
c) Professor X/Charles Xavier- Born as a mutant with the ability to read minds and to project his own thoughts into the brains of others. He was feared by ordinary people which motivated him to establish a school for X-Men.
d) Cyclops/Scott Summers- A mutant with beams in his eyes, that are protected by a head shield.
e) Iceman/Bobby Drake- A mutant who can freeze objects around him and turn his own body into ice.
f) Angel/Warren Worthington III- A mutant who has the ability to fly with the support of his feathered wings.
g) Beast/Hank McCoy- A mutant who possesses agility and superhuman physical strength.
h) Marvel Girl/Jean Grey- The only mutant girl member in the X-Men squad. She was born with telekinetic and telepathic powers.
i) Magneto- A powerful mutant with the ability to create electricity and magnetism. He was a former friend of Professor X, until disagreements of whether mutants can coexist with humans in society.
2. Summarize the main idea, theme, action, or event of the reading. Be sure to include quotation that best captures the overall feeling or mood of the reading.
“Here we stay unsuspected by normal humans as we learn to use our powers for the benefit of mankind… To help those who would distrust us if they knew of our existence!”
In an ordinary world, a group of mutants called the X-Men, utilizes their special powers to save the world from Magneto and other mutant threats. The X-Men was formed by Professor X, who was the first mutant in the world. His students are first trained in a private school before going for action. The requirement for this school is to have superhuman abilities.
Each of Professor X’s students obtain special different powers. They are very unique and helpful, which gives the X-Men an extra lift in action against other bad mutants. If one mutant is not able to successfully defeat his opponent using his own power, than his partner who has a distinctive power can be used affectively to finish the opponent. For example, when Angel could not dodge the missiles any longer, Beast came over to help him and employed his feet to hinder the missile before it hit Angel. The chemistry of the X-Men is worked out well by their excessive training. The main purpose of the X-Men is to save the world from all evil mutants.
3. Formulate a question for discussion. The question should be relatively substantial, based upon a specified passage or scene from the text, and capabale of sustaining a thoughtful discussion.
What would happen if Professor X never established a school for the X-Men? Do you think the world would end up in the hands of Magneto and/or other evil mutants?
Thursday, October 18, 2007
Kathy M. “Inside Every Superhero Lurks A Nerd“ by Neal Gabler
In Spiderman, the main character, Peter Parker, is a teenager who is trying to fit in at high school just like many adolescents today. He is the protagonist of the story, or the character whose intentions are the primary source of focus. Unlike other superheroes who are either very wealthy, (like Batman) and charming, or from another planet yet still handsome and extroverted, (like Superman), Spiderman, is timid and usually invisible to others. With the shy nature of the character, we are not given the idea that “inside every nerd there lurks a superhero as much as the idea that inside every superhero there lurks a nerd.”
This movie is not only about “teenage dreams of power,” it is also about the adjustment to that power. In Spiderman, Peter Parker’s uncle tells him that with “power comes responsibility.” When adolescents watch this movie, they not only get escape, they also get the “exhilaration of hope through illusion of power.” Another reason that teenagers enjoy this movie is that the character utilizes his individualism for the “larger good” not just for selfish purposes.
How are the terms of “individuality” and “responsibility” portrayed in today’s entertainment compared to how it was portrayed in American culture?
This movie is not only about “teenage dreams of power,” it is also about the adjustment to that power. In Spiderman, Peter Parker’s uncle tells him that with “power comes responsibility.” When adolescents watch this movie, they not only get escape, they also get the “exhilaration of hope through illusion of power.” Another reason that teenagers enjoy this movie is that the character utilizes his individualism for the “larger good” not just for selfish purposes.
How are the terms of “individuality” and “responsibility” portrayed in today’s entertainment compared to how it was portrayed in American culture?
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Geeta: "Icons" by Donald and Christine McQuade
1. Icon – Donald and Christine McQuade define icon as a recognizable symbol or representation, something that stands for something else; one thing is acting as a substitute or symbol for another; anything that has a greater meaning behind it. About everything can be utilized as an icon: an object (engagement ring), a word (love), a letter (the arched M), a person (Elvis Presley), a corporate logo (the Mercedes Benz star), a painting (Madonna and Child), a picture (Migrant Mother), an animal (Tony the Tiger), etc.
Symbolism – The word icon is an icon itself. It symbolizes all the things that can be an icon. Anything that is a symbol can be an icon.
Conflict – Almost anything can be an icon, which is why there is confliction of what the definition of the word. There’s a conflict of what a definition really is. Russell Baker states, “The term icon has escalated to ‘epidemic’ proportions”.
2. “The peace sign. The happy face. The four-leaf clover.
Glimpse at them for a split second, and you know exactly what they mean. Because behind every powerful icon lies a powerful idea.”
Donald and Christine McQuade point out that the term icon has altered through the years; it has altered through an expansion of the word. The word was once used as a “representation of a sacred figure”, but today the word is as an identification of a symbol or a person; it is another term for symbolism. An icon is a symbol that can differentiate what bathroom a male or female can use. An icon is a person that represents something important; Michael Jordan is an all around American icon, due to the fact that he is a professional basketball athlete and he also has his own sneaker line. He is a representation of hard work, success, and benefiting from what he’s done. An icon is a corporate logo, the Nike swoosh and even the Wendy’s girl (Wendy) with the red bangs and two pigtails. An icon is a painting, such as the Mona Lisa, contains beauty and magnificence, yet it represents uncertainty, through the artist’s talent of being able to trap the viewers with the uncertainty of whether Mona Lisa is smiling or grimacing. Superheroes are icons too; such as Superman and Spiderman, they are fictional characters who are secretly nerds who are overtaken by society yet when they change into “superhero mode” they are their city’s saviors. Therefore they represent the greater good.
Nevertheless, every icon, regardless of the type, whether it’s a person or a symbol, there is a greater meaning to every one of those icons.
3. Since there are many ways icon is expressed what is the true definition of an icon? What other ways can icon be expressed as? Is there an end to what an icon could be?
Symbolism – The word icon is an icon itself. It symbolizes all the things that can be an icon. Anything that is a symbol can be an icon.
Conflict – Almost anything can be an icon, which is why there is confliction of what the definition of the word. There’s a conflict of what a definition really is. Russell Baker states, “The term icon has escalated to ‘epidemic’ proportions”.
2. “The peace sign. The happy face. The four-leaf clover.
Glimpse at them for a split second, and you know exactly what they mean. Because behind every powerful icon lies a powerful idea.”
Donald and Christine McQuade point out that the term icon has altered through the years; it has altered through an expansion of the word. The word was once used as a “representation of a sacred figure”, but today the word is as an identification of a symbol or a person; it is another term for symbolism. An icon is a symbol that can differentiate what bathroom a male or female can use. An icon is a person that represents something important; Michael Jordan is an all around American icon, due to the fact that he is a professional basketball athlete and he also has his own sneaker line. He is a representation of hard work, success, and benefiting from what he’s done. An icon is a corporate logo, the Nike swoosh and even the Wendy’s girl (Wendy) with the red bangs and two pigtails. An icon is a painting, such as the Mona Lisa, contains beauty and magnificence, yet it represents uncertainty, through the artist’s talent of being able to trap the viewers with the uncertainty of whether Mona Lisa is smiling or grimacing. Superheroes are icons too; such as Superman and Spiderman, they are fictional characters who are secretly nerds who are overtaken by society yet when they change into “superhero mode” they are their city’s saviors. Therefore they represent the greater good.
Nevertheless, every icon, regardless of the type, whether it’s a person or a symbol, there is a greater meaning to every one of those icons.
3. Since there are many ways icon is expressed what is the true definition of an icon? What other ways can icon be expressed as? Is there an end to what an icon could be?
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Tiffany: "1408" by Stephen King
1. Identify and briefly define important words, terms, concepts, or characters.
Mr. Olin – 1408 is presumably a haunted room in the The Dolphins Hotel on the thirteenth floor. But because of hotel customary regulations, or more specifically superstitions, the twelfth floor is followed by the fourteenth floor to avoid the bad luck of the thirteenth floor. Mr. Olin is the hotel manager of The Dolphin who takes a special interest in Mike because he realizes that Mike does not believe a single word he writes in his horrific novels. “What concerned me – what frightened me – is that I found myself reading the work of an intelligent, talented man who doesn’t believe one single thing he has written” (King 372). Mr. Olin believes that Mike’s disbelief will only make him even more vulnerable to the horrors of room 1408. He makes every attempt to convince Mike to no avail. Mr. Olin shows further concern by visiting Mike after his encounter with room 1408. “I tried to persuade him not to go in,” Mr. Olin had explain to Mike’s lawyer.
Michael (Mike) Enslin – Room 1408 is the final component to Mike’s work as a horror author. Every novel Mike has ever published was inspired by his first hand experience of spending a night in the presumed haunted area. According to Mr. Olin, Mike’s disbelief in the supernatural may have protected him from previous encounters with human supernatural encounters such as ghosts. However, the presence in room 1408 is not human. Thus, Mike’s disbelief will only cause him to be more vulnerable. Nevertheless, Mike remains consistent to his rationale even when the door of room 1408 becomes tilted at the touch of the key. Mike weighs out his fears and insecurity through aggression towards Mr. Olin who he believes is mocking him from the security office. “This is Olin’s fault. Exactly what he wants. He built you up for it, buddy. He set you up for it. Man, how he’d laugh if he could see you.” In the end, Mike comes to accept the events that took place in room 1408 and even stops Rufus Dearborn from being drawn into room 1408.
2. Summarize the main idea, theme, action, or event of the reading. Be sure to include quotation that best captures the overall feeling or mood of the reading.
“Mr. Enslin, you don’t believe. Ghosts rarely appear to those who don’t believe in them, and when they do, they are rarely seen. Why, Eugene Rilsby could have bowled his severed head all the way down the front hall of his home, and you wouldn’t have heard a thing! … But you will. You will. Because there are no ghosts in room 1408 and never have been. There’s something in there – I’ve felt it myself – but it’s not a spirit presence. In an abandoned house or an old castle keep, your unbelief may serve you as a protection. In room 1408, it will only render you more vulnerable. Don’t do it, Mr. Enslin. That’s why I waited for you tonight, to ask you, to beg you, not to do it. Of all the people on earth who don’t belong in that room, the man who wrote those cheerful, exploitative true-ghost books leads the list.”
3. Formulate a question for discussion. The question should be relatively substantial based upon a specific passage or scene from the text, and capable of sustaining a thoughtful discussion.
Do our beliefs serve the purpose of protecting, confining, or making us vulnerable? In this short story, the protagonist’s beliefs are what kept protected him, until he found himself in a situation in which these very same beliefs are what made him vulnerable. How does this story alter our thoughts?
Mr. Olin – 1408 is presumably a haunted room in the The Dolphins Hotel on the thirteenth floor. But because of hotel customary regulations, or more specifically superstitions, the twelfth floor is followed by the fourteenth floor to avoid the bad luck of the thirteenth floor. Mr. Olin is the hotel manager of The Dolphin who takes a special interest in Mike because he realizes that Mike does not believe a single word he writes in his horrific novels. “What concerned me – what frightened me – is that I found myself reading the work of an intelligent, talented man who doesn’t believe one single thing he has written” (King 372). Mr. Olin believes that Mike’s disbelief will only make him even more vulnerable to the horrors of room 1408. He makes every attempt to convince Mike to no avail. Mr. Olin shows further concern by visiting Mike after his encounter with room 1408. “I tried to persuade him not to go in,” Mr. Olin had explain to Mike’s lawyer.
Michael (Mike) Enslin – Room 1408 is the final component to Mike’s work as a horror author. Every novel Mike has ever published was inspired by his first hand experience of spending a night in the presumed haunted area. According to Mr. Olin, Mike’s disbelief in the supernatural may have protected him from previous encounters with human supernatural encounters such as ghosts. However, the presence in room 1408 is not human. Thus, Mike’s disbelief will only cause him to be more vulnerable. Nevertheless, Mike remains consistent to his rationale even when the door of room 1408 becomes tilted at the touch of the key. Mike weighs out his fears and insecurity through aggression towards Mr. Olin who he believes is mocking him from the security office. “This is Olin’s fault. Exactly what he wants. He built you up for it, buddy. He set you up for it. Man, how he’d laugh if he could see you.” In the end, Mike comes to accept the events that took place in room 1408 and even stops Rufus Dearborn from being drawn into room 1408.
2. Summarize the main idea, theme, action, or event of the reading. Be sure to include quotation that best captures the overall feeling or mood of the reading.
“Mr. Enslin, you don’t believe. Ghosts rarely appear to those who don’t believe in them, and when they do, they are rarely seen. Why, Eugene Rilsby could have bowled his severed head all the way down the front hall of his home, and you wouldn’t have heard a thing! … But you will. You will. Because there are no ghosts in room 1408 and never have been. There’s something in there – I’ve felt it myself – but it’s not a spirit presence. In an abandoned house or an old castle keep, your unbelief may serve you as a protection. In room 1408, it will only render you more vulnerable. Don’t do it, Mr. Enslin. That’s why I waited for you tonight, to ask you, to beg you, not to do it. Of all the people on earth who don’t belong in that room, the man who wrote those cheerful, exploitative true-ghost books leads the list.”
3. Formulate a question for discussion. The question should be relatively substantial based upon a specific passage or scene from the text, and capable of sustaining a thoughtful discussion.
Do our beliefs serve the purpose of protecting, confining, or making us vulnerable? In this short story, the protagonist’s beliefs are what kept protected him, until he found himself in a situation in which these very same beliefs are what made him vulnerable. How does this story alter our thoughts?
Monday, October 15, 2007
Lin: "Lamb to the Slaughter" by Ronald Dahl
Assigned Reading Lamb to the Slaughter
1. Identify and briefly define important words, terms, concepts, or characters.
Mary Maloney—the wife, the murderer
Patrick Maloney--Mary Maloney’s husband, a policeman, was killed by his wife.
A leg of lamb—the tool for killing the husband, finally was eaten by policemen
2. Summarize the main idea, theme, action, or event of the reading. Be sure to include quotation that best captures the overall feeling or mood of the reading.
The wife waited her husband for a long time. After the husband getting home early in the morning, he felt tired and insisted not eat any food. And he wanted to end up their marriage and said “I’ll give you money and see you’re looked after.” The wife was shocked a lot. And she used the iced lame leg to kill the husband. She didn’t want to be in prison because she was pregnant. So she pretended to be normal and went to a grocery to buy something for her husband. After getting home she called the police. There was no development in the investigation. Nobody could find the weapon. At last, the wife treated the lamb leg to several policemen and because of this, the policemen realized that the leg lamb should be the weapon.
3. Formulate a question for discussion. The question should be relatively substantial, based upon a specified passage or scene from the text, and capable of sustaining a thoughtful discussion.
What method does the author use to make this story horrible?
The last sentence, “and in the other room, Mary Maloney began to giggle”. Why did she giggle when she realized that the policemen had found the weapon?
What the meaning of the title “Lamb to the Slaughter”?
1. Identify and briefly define important words, terms, concepts, or characters.
Mary Maloney—the wife, the murderer
Patrick Maloney--Mary Maloney’s husband, a policeman, was killed by his wife.
A leg of lamb—the tool for killing the husband, finally was eaten by policemen
2. Summarize the main idea, theme, action, or event of the reading. Be sure to include quotation that best captures the overall feeling or mood of the reading.
The wife waited her husband for a long time. After the husband getting home early in the morning, he felt tired and insisted not eat any food. And he wanted to end up their marriage and said “I’ll give you money and see you’re looked after.” The wife was shocked a lot. And she used the iced lame leg to kill the husband. She didn’t want to be in prison because she was pregnant. So she pretended to be normal and went to a grocery to buy something for her husband. After getting home she called the police. There was no development in the investigation. Nobody could find the weapon. At last, the wife treated the lamb leg to several policemen and because of this, the policemen realized that the leg lamb should be the weapon.
3. Formulate a question for discussion. The question should be relatively substantial, based upon a specified passage or scene from the text, and capable of sustaining a thoughtful discussion.
What method does the author use to make this story horrible?
The last sentence, “and in the other room, Mary Maloney began to giggle”. Why did she giggle when she realized that the policemen had found the weapon?
What the meaning of the title “Lamb to the Slaughter”?
Sunday, September 30, 2007
Natalie: “New Legends for Old” by Harold Brunvand
1. Identify and briefly define important words, terms, concepts, characters.
Folklore- the collection, classification, and interpretation of many products of human interaction in their full cultural context.
Oral folklore- not casual or formal discussions but communicative events that are memorable, repeatable and fit recurring social situations.
Tradition- a consistency that connects familiar names and phrases and turns it into folklore.
Urban legends- a subclass of folk narratives, unlike fairytales are believable, unlike myths are more recent, and humans are the main characters.
2. Summarize the main idea, theme, action, or event of the reading. Be sure to include quotation that best captures the overall feeling or mood of the reading.
“We must make the best of what we have (as this book attempts to do) and we must encourage the further study of urban legends in much more depth and with better social, cultural, and performance data.”
Brunvand uses “New Legends for Old” to explain the structure of folklore and the motivations behind their creation. He describes them as constantly changing each time they are retold, whether to suit the new audience or improve the storyline. It is as though legends are edited and revised by their teller each time they are shared. Sometimes they are told to evoke certain emotions from listeners, or even carry a moral. Since legends do have facts to make the fiction more real, he believes by studying myths, people can gain perspective on the past, society and the ideals upheld of that time.
3. Formulate a question for discussion. The question should be relatively substantial, based upon a specified passage or scene from the text, and capable of sustaining a thoughtful discussion.
In today’s fast-paced world with more communication taking place on the internet/AIM/phone/etc., will oral folklore become extinct and remembered as something of the past?
Folklore- the collection, classification, and interpretation of many products of human interaction in their full cultural context.
Oral folklore- not casual or formal discussions but communicative events that are memorable, repeatable and fit recurring social situations.
Tradition- a consistency that connects familiar names and phrases and turns it into folklore.
Urban legends- a subclass of folk narratives, unlike fairytales are believable, unlike myths are more recent, and humans are the main characters.
2. Summarize the main idea, theme, action, or event of the reading. Be sure to include quotation that best captures the overall feeling or mood of the reading.
“We must make the best of what we have (as this book attempts to do) and we must encourage the further study of urban legends in much more depth and with better social, cultural, and performance data.”
Brunvand uses “New Legends for Old” to explain the structure of folklore and the motivations behind their creation. He describes them as constantly changing each time they are retold, whether to suit the new audience or improve the storyline. It is as though legends are edited and revised by their teller each time they are shared. Sometimes they are told to evoke certain emotions from listeners, or even carry a moral. Since legends do have facts to make the fiction more real, he believes by studying myths, people can gain perspective on the past, society and the ideals upheld of that time.
3. Formulate a question for discussion. The question should be relatively substantial, based upon a specified passage or scene from the text, and capable of sustaining a thoughtful discussion.
In today’s fast-paced world with more communication taking place on the internet/AIM/phone/etc., will oral folklore become extinct and remembered as something of the past?
Monday, September 24, 2007
Alyssa: “The Fascination of the Miniature” by Steven Millhauser
1. Identify and briefly define important words, terms, concepts, or characters.
o The miniature does not exist in isolation: It is by nature a smaller version of something else.
o The miniature implies a relation, a discrepancy.
o The eye is forced to perform an act of recognition.
2. Summarize the main idea, theme, action, or event of the reading. Be sure to include a quotation that best captures the overall feeling or mood of the reading.
“I believe the answer is this, that discrepancy of size is a form of distortion, and all forms of distortion shock us into attention: The inattentive and jaded eye, passing through a world without interest, helplessly perceives that something in the bland panorama is not as it should be.”
Something small isn’t what catches our eyes. A piece of salt or even an ant does not fascinate us. It may catch our eye, but we don’t give it so much attention, as we might give a mini bottle of ketchup or a mini ping pong table. A miniature is a smaller version of something else. It is a relation. “The eye is irritated into attention.”
3. Formulate a question for discussion. The question should be relatively substantial, based upon a specified passage or scene from the text, and capable of sustaining a thoughtful discussion.
When you look at a miniature, do you stare at the tiny details or do you look at the miniature as a whole? Do you ever imagine what the original size looks like? Do you ever think to yourself: “what if I was a miniature?” Do you think you would have the same outlook on life?
o The miniature does not exist in isolation: It is by nature a smaller version of something else.
o The miniature implies a relation, a discrepancy.
o The eye is forced to perform an act of recognition.
2. Summarize the main idea, theme, action, or event of the reading. Be sure to include a quotation that best captures the overall feeling or mood of the reading.
“I believe the answer is this, that discrepancy of size is a form of distortion, and all forms of distortion shock us into attention: The inattentive and jaded eye, passing through a world without interest, helplessly perceives that something in the bland panorama is not as it should be.”
Something small isn’t what catches our eyes. A piece of salt or even an ant does not fascinate us. It may catch our eye, but we don’t give it so much attention, as we might give a mini bottle of ketchup or a mini ping pong table. A miniature is a smaller version of something else. It is a relation. “The eye is irritated into attention.”
3. Formulate a question for discussion. The question should be relatively substantial, based upon a specified passage or scene from the text, and capable of sustaining a thoughtful discussion.
When you look at a miniature, do you stare at the tiny details or do you look at the miniature as a whole? Do you ever imagine what the original size looks like? Do you ever think to yourself: “what if I was a miniature?” Do you think you would have the same outlook on life?
Jon S.: The Fascination of the Miniature by Steven Millhauser
1. Identify and briefly define important words, terms, concepts, or characters.
Fascination- The state of being extremely interested. In order to fully understand Millhausers main idea in this essay, we need to think why we are so fascinated by the miniature things as opposed to something minute?
Miniature- A small scale reproduction. We may be amazed by something which is small; however something that is an imitation of something else seems to excite us even more.
Discrepancy- Discrepancy is the difference of two measurements of the same quantity. When Millhauser explains miniature he uses discrepancy as one of his key words. “The miniature that is to say, implies a relation, a discrepancy.” He is not trying to say measurement so much, but the same idea, in that something we know to be something big we see as a smaller version.
Distortion- Changing the way an object looks by stretching or changing it to make it more interesting or to emphasize the image or object in a different way. This just explains in more detail what a miniature of something really is.
2. Summarize the main idea, theme, action, or event of the reading. Be sure to include quotation that best captures the overall feeling or mood of the reading.
“Smallness alone compels no wonder. A grain of sand, an ant, a raindrop, a bottle cap, may interest or amaze the eye, but they do not arrest the attention with that peculiar intensity elicited by the miniature.”
When Steven Millhauser wrote this essay he was trying to teach us (human beings) that small things such as the examples he uses earlier, do not entice or arouse are curiosity as much as the miniature objects in this world.
3. Formulate a question for discussion. The question should be relatively substantial, based upon a specified passage or scene from the text, and capable of sustaining a thoughtful discussion.
At the end of his essay Steven Millhauser begins to question the idea of this discrepancy in a broader sense. “Some understanding of the spell cast by this particular discrepancy may be gained by first considering the nature of the particular discrepancy that is the gigantic.” Is ones curiosity drawn to the larger things as it is to the miniature? Do larger things attract our attention as the miniature's do?
Fascination- The state of being extremely interested. In order to fully understand Millhausers main idea in this essay, we need to think why we are so fascinated by the miniature things as opposed to something minute?
Miniature- A small scale reproduction. We may be amazed by something which is small; however something that is an imitation of something else seems to excite us even more.
Discrepancy- Discrepancy is the difference of two measurements of the same quantity. When Millhauser explains miniature he uses discrepancy as one of his key words. “The miniature that is to say, implies a relation, a discrepancy.” He is not trying to say measurement so much, but the same idea, in that something we know to be something big we see as a smaller version.
Distortion- Changing the way an object looks by stretching or changing it to make it more interesting or to emphasize the image or object in a different way. This just explains in more detail what a miniature of something really is.
2. Summarize the main idea, theme, action, or event of the reading. Be sure to include quotation that best captures the overall feeling or mood of the reading.
“Smallness alone compels no wonder. A grain of sand, an ant, a raindrop, a bottle cap, may interest or amaze the eye, but they do not arrest the attention with that peculiar intensity elicited by the miniature.”
When Steven Millhauser wrote this essay he was trying to teach us (human beings) that small things such as the examples he uses earlier, do not entice or arouse are curiosity as much as the miniature objects in this world.
3. Formulate a question for discussion. The question should be relatively substantial, based upon a specified passage or scene from the text, and capable of sustaining a thoughtful discussion.
At the end of his essay Steven Millhauser begins to question the idea of this discrepancy in a broader sense. “Some understanding of the spell cast by this particular discrepancy may be gained by first considering the nature of the particular discrepancy that is the gigantic.” Is ones curiosity drawn to the larger things as it is to the miniature? Do larger things attract our attention as the miniature's do?
Sunday, September 23, 2007
Calogero: A Community By Any Other Name
1. Identify and briefly define important words, terms, concepts, or characters.
Community -- a social group of any size whose members reside in a specific locality, share government, and often have a common cultural and historical heritage.
Utopia -- an ideal place or state.
Home -- the place in which one's domestic affections are centered.
2. Summarize the main idea, theme, action, or event of the reading. Be sure to include quotation that best captures the overall feeling or mood of the reading.
The main idea of the reading can be summed up in a few words: “Home is where you make it.” Whether it is in a small, designed community or in the open range, people decide where “home” is. The poet Gary Snyder (in Homeplace essay) writes about our need to “inhabit” a place. He states: “…Life in the United States depends in part on people, neighborhood by neighborhood, county by county…”
3. Formulate a question for discussion. The question should be relatively substantial, based upon a specified passage or scene from the text, and capable of sustaining a thoughtful discussion.
Why do people live where they do? What reasons make them stay or move to another place? Is living in a certain area beyond the fact of just real estate? Is “home” just a shelter you live in or a part of life?
Community -- a social group of any size whose members reside in a specific locality, share government, and often have a common cultural and historical heritage.
Utopia -- an ideal place or state.
Home -- the place in which one's domestic affections are centered.
2. Summarize the main idea, theme, action, or event of the reading. Be sure to include quotation that best captures the overall feeling or mood of the reading.
The main idea of the reading can be summed up in a few words: “Home is where you make it.” Whether it is in a small, designed community or in the open range, people decide where “home” is. The poet Gary Snyder (in Homeplace essay) writes about our need to “inhabit” a place. He states: “…Life in the United States depends in part on people, neighborhood by neighborhood, county by county…”
3. Formulate a question for discussion. The question should be relatively substantial, based upon a specified passage or scene from the text, and capable of sustaining a thoughtful discussion.
Why do people live where they do? What reasons make them stay or move to another place? Is living in a certain area beyond the fact of just real estate? Is “home” just a shelter you live in or a part of life?
Sunday, September 16, 2007
Jessica: “What Writing Is”
1. Identify and briefly define important words, terms, concepts or characters.
Stephen King - a famous writer
Telepathy - communication between minds by some means other than sensory perception
2. Summarize the main idea, theme, action, or event of the reading. Be sure to include a quotation that best captures the overall feeling or mood of the reading.
“You can approach the act of writing with nervousness, excitement, hopefulness, or even despair-the sense that you can never completely put on the page what’s in your mind and heart.”
This quote means that even if you have all these feelings towards something you can never completely get the feeling in writing. The words will still never equal how you feel. The author Stephen King basically says that writing is easy. Through his writing, there is a connection between the author and reader.
3. Formulate a question for discussion. The question should be relatively substantial, based upon on specified passage or scene from the text, and capable of sustaining a thoughtful discussion.
What makes it easy for you to write? Is it easier for you to write when something happens to you, or can you just pick up a pen and start writing?
Stephen King - a famous writer
Telepathy - communication between minds by some means other than sensory perception
2. Summarize the main idea, theme, action, or event of the reading. Be sure to include a quotation that best captures the overall feeling or mood of the reading.
“You can approach the act of writing with nervousness, excitement, hopefulness, or even despair-the sense that you can never completely put on the page what’s in your mind and heart.”
This quote means that even if you have all these feelings towards something you can never completely get the feeling in writing. The words will still never equal how you feel. The author Stephen King basically says that writing is easy. Through his writing, there is a connection between the author and reader.
3. Formulate a question for discussion. The question should be relatively substantial, based upon on specified passage or scene from the text, and capable of sustaining a thoughtful discussion.
What makes it easy for you to write? Is it easier for you to write when something happens to you, or can you just pick up a pen and start writing?
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Jon Claude: "Observing the Ordinary"
1. Identify and briefly define important words, terms, concepts, or characters.
The important words are: notice, analyze, observe, and ordinary. Some of the Concepts of this piece are:
- Observing and taking notice is similar to analytical writing
- To analyze we must take notice of the detail of the ordinary, the everyday
- The observations we make not only give us evidence to make inferences about the subject but ourselves as well.
2. Summarize the main idea, theme, action or event of the reading. Be sure to include quotations that best capture the overall feeling or the mood of the reading.
The feeling I was given by the author was as if she was trying to impart knowledge upon me by opening my eyes to the world around me and showing me how to use it to write analytically. The quote I chose to represent this mood was, “To be an effective thinker and writer you need to bring all of you sight - and insight – to bear on what is around you.” The main idea of this piece of writing was: By properly analyzing everything, as if it were a photo, and taking notice of the ordinary and extraordinary is what it takes to make a memorable writer.
3. Formulate a question for discussion. The question should be relatively substantial, based upon a specified passage or scene from the text, and capable of sustaining a thoughtful discussion.
Is analyzing the world around you while bearing you thought on paper all it that is necessary to become a memorable or even good writer? Is achieving the state of mind to do such a thing even possible?
The important words are: notice, analyze, observe, and ordinary. Some of the Concepts of this piece are:
- Observing and taking notice is similar to analytical writing
- To analyze we must take notice of the detail of the ordinary, the everyday
- The observations we make not only give us evidence to make inferences about the subject but ourselves as well.
2. Summarize the main idea, theme, action or event of the reading. Be sure to include quotations that best capture the overall feeling or the mood of the reading.
The feeling I was given by the author was as if she was trying to impart knowledge upon me by opening my eyes to the world around me and showing me how to use it to write analytically. The quote I chose to represent this mood was, “To be an effective thinker and writer you need to bring all of you sight - and insight – to bear on what is around you.” The main idea of this piece of writing was: By properly analyzing everything, as if it were a photo, and taking notice of the ordinary and extraordinary is what it takes to make a memorable writer.
3. Formulate a question for discussion. The question should be relatively substantial, based upon a specified passage or scene from the text, and capable of sustaining a thoughtful discussion.
Is analyzing the world around you while bearing you thought on paper all it that is necessary to become a memorable or even good writer? Is achieving the state of mind to do such a thing even possible?
Friday, September 7, 2007
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