The Surrender Tree Blog # 1

Due:

A1/A2 - Wednesday, 5/18

B4 - Thursday, 5/19

Please respond to the following prompts in complete sentences.  2-4 sentences for each response should suffice.


1.  The poem on page 73 is frequently quoted to represent this book.  Stylistically, why is this example of Engle's poetry so representative of the book as a whole?  What makes it so powerful?

2.  What is almost ironic about calling a war "little"?

3.  What are the "reconcentration camps"?

4.  How is the relationship between Lt. Death and Rosa interdependent?

5.  How do the names of the Fox and the Lion represent their personalities?

6.  Pick one poem, write it down, and explicate it.

The Sound of Waves Blog # 2

Please read pages 95-120 and respond to the following prompts in complete sentences.  2-4 sentences should suffice for each response.

Due: B4 - Wednesday, 4/20
A1/A2 - Thursday, 4/21

1.  Describe one scene that depicts Shintoism in the novel.

2.  Why do you think Hiroshi was so amazed about his trip?

3.  What do we see in the weather that suggests a change in seasons?

4.  Summarize Hatsue's letter (4-6 Sentences)

5.  What does Terukichi's behavior in the public bath house tell us about his character?

6.  If you were Shinji, what would you do about the rumors?

7.  What does Chiyoko say about Shinji?

8.  Again, is there anything in this section that represents Japan as a whole?

9.  How can we compare this island to HIS?

10.  Argue why it would be good for every person to live on this island for a year.  Or why not?

To the Edge of the World Blog # 2 - 4th Quarter

Please read pages 105 - 141 and respond to the following questions / prompts in complete sentences.

Due:
B4 - Wednesday, 4/20
A1/A2 - Thursday, 4/21

1.  Why did Captain Serrano seem confused when the Trinidad pulled alongside?

2.  Who killed Mendoza?  Why?  How?

3.  Who cuts the San Antonio loose?  Why?

4.  What did the sailors do to pass time on shore?

5.  What is finally understood about the season?  Was this good or bad news?

6.  Describe the natives they discover.

7.  How did it make you feel when Magellan  captures the natives?

8.  Which direction do they sail to find "el paso?"

9.  What do the marines find in the village?

10.  Why was it such a terrible loss to lose the San Antonio.  What do you think will happen as a result?

4th Quarter - To the Edge of the World Blog # 1

Please read to page 67, then respond to the prompts / questions below.  You must write in complete sentences.  Incomplete sentences will be marked as incorrect.


Due:
A1/A2 Wednesday, 4/13
B4 Thursday, 4/14


1.  What do you think the green flames are?

2.  Who is St. Elmo?  You might need to look this up.

3.  What would you have rather been in; absolute calm or terrifying wind?

4.  With historical hindsight, why was it wise for Mateo to stick with Magellan?

5.  What was the first sign of land?

6.  Why did Rodrigo and Mateo think they had landed in paradise?

7.  Describe a "garroting."

8.  How do Mateo and Ayso transcend language barriers?

To the Edge of the World Blog # 3

Please read pages 154-179 and respond to the prompts below.  You must write in complete sentences.  2-4 sentences should suffice for most prompts.


Due:
A1/A2 - Friday, 3/11
B4 - Monday, 3/14

1.  What color are the natives teeth?

2.  How can can Rodrigo "spitting a tooth from his mouth" speak volumes about the state that the men must have been in?

3.  Do you feel the force Magellan used against the natives village was excessive? Defend your response.

4.  How do they know they have arrived in the "far east?"

5.  Who was Job?  How do you pronounce his name?

6.  Why does Magellan want Humabon to become Christian?

7.  What happened when one chieftain did not "pay tribute to Rajah Humabon?"

8.  Magellan screams "retreat" before he dies.  How might this be symbolic?

9.  Magellan succeeds in many ways, but do you feel the way the treat the natives is fair?  How might his journey be viewed as a microcosm of colonialism in general?

10.  The Spaniards are Christians, but do they live according to their beliefs?

Blog # 3 I, Juan de Pareja

Please read pages 129-39 and respond to the following prompts in complete sentences.  Two to four sentences for each response should suffice.

1.  Why did "His Majesty" ask Velazquez to go to Italy?

2.  What happened to Velazquez's hand en route to Italy?

3.  What does Juan ask for after fixing Velazquez's hand?

4.  Describe how the light in Venice is different.  *Use a quote as support.

5.  Who is "His Holiness?"

6.  How does Velazquez want to represent Juan in his portrait?

Due:
A1/A2 - Friday, 3/11
B4 - Monday, 3/14

Blog # 2 - I, Juan de Pareja

Please read pages 41-54 and respond to the prompts / questions below.

Due Dates:
A1/A2 - Wednesday, 2/23
B4 - Thursday, 2/24

1.  Describe Juan's treatment beneath Velazquez.  (1 Paragraph - Must include a quote).

2.  What were some of the duties he had?

3.  How did Velazquez react when Juan could not stretch the canvas properly?  What does this say about Velazquez's personality?

4.  What does this quote tell us about Velazquez?  "Master had not denied me of his own free will, but because he was forced to do so, by the law" (49)?

5.  What do we learn of the style Velazquez used to paint?  (Use a quote in your response.  Be specific).

6.  What was the most important factor for Velazquez's new studio?

Blog # 2 - To the Edge of the World

Please read to page 67, then respond to the prompts / questions below.


Due:
A1/A2 Wednesday, 2/23
B4 Thursday, 2/24


1.  What do you think the green flames are?

2.  Who is St. Elmo?  You might need to look this up.

3.  What would you have rather been in; absolute calm or terrifying wind?

4.  With historical hindsight, why was it wise for Mateo to stick with Magellan?

5.  What was the first sign of land?

6.  Why did Rodrigo and Mateo think they had landed in paradise?

7.  Describe a "garroting."

8.  How do Mateo and Ayso transcend language barriers?

I, Juan de Pareja Blog # 1

Read pages 27-41 and respond to the prompt below.

Please find three quotes that illustrate the unique relationship Juan de Pareja had with his owner(s).  Then, write how these quotes support stereotypical notions of slavery or go against such ideas.

Due Dates:
A1/A2 - Monday, 2/21 (Before class)
B4 - Tuesday, 2/22 (Before class)

Blog # 1 Things Fall Apart

Read pages 171 - 191 and respond to the questions / prompts below.

Your responses need to be between 4 to 6 sentences.

Due Dates:

B4 - Monday, 1/17 - Before class

A1/A2 - Tuesday, 1/18 - Before class

1.  Look up the definitions of "freedom fighter" and "terrorist" explain how Okonkwo is one or the other.  Use quotes from the text to support your answer.

2.  Slavery is frequently believed to have been "brought" to Africa, but what evidence do we see in this reading that supports slavery not being a solely non-African concept.  Use quotes as support.

3.  Argue whether the following is important: "But apart from the church, the white men had also brought a government" (Achebe 174).

4.  Explain why Mr. Brown came to be respected by the clan.

5.  Why do you think the missionaries gave so much importance to education and made sure that "religion and education went hand in hand" (Achebe 182).

6.  One page 188 one reads that Enoch "hoped for a holy war" to occur.  How is the term "holy war" used in today's world?

Blog # 1 - A Girl Named Disaster

Read pages 181 - 202 and respond to the questions / prompts below.

Your responses need to be between 2 to 5 sentences.

Due Dates:

B4 - Monday, 1/17 - Before class

A1/A2 - Tuesday, 1/18 - Before class

1.  Why do you believe Nhamo established such an intimate relationship with Tag?

2.  What is a dassie?  How does Nhamo hunt and kill one?

3.  How does Nhamo change her tactics for building the boat?

4.  What had killed the Khudu and what worried Nhamo about this fact?

5.  How did Nhamo cure the Khudu meat?

6.  How do we preserve meat today with modern technology?

A Girl Named Disaster Blog # 5

Due Dates:

B4 - Wednesday, 12/15 (Before Class)

A1/A2 - Thursday, 12/16 (Before Class)

Please respond to the following in complete sentences.

Chapter 23 (158-164)

1.     What is a “calabash?”  What does she make them from and what does she use them for?

2.     How might Nhamo identify with the lone baboon?

3.     What advice does Crocodile Guts give her on making the boat?

Chapter 24 (165-171)

1.     Why does Nhamo lure the baboon off the small island?

2.     How does she accomplish this?

3.     Why do you think she gives him a name?

4.     What similarities do Rumy and Nhamo have?

Things Fall Apart Blog # 5

Due Dates: 
B4 - Wednesday, 12/15 (Before Class)
A1/A2 - Thursday, 12/16 (Before Class)


Read through page 154
Respond to the following prompts in complete sentences.  You must use quotes in your responses.

1.  Look at page 120, can the opening paragraph be viewed as a foreshadow of what will occur later in this chapter?

2.  Argue which one is more of an 'individual,' Obierka or Okonkwo.

3.   What event causes Okonkwo's exile?

4.  How can water be viewed symbolically in Chapter 14?

5.  How is one's "motherland" viewed in Chapter 14?  Why is it so important to the characters in the novel?

6.  Explain the generation gap one begins to see emerge in Chapter 15.

7.  Who were persuaded to join the missionaries?  What kind of people were they.  Ch. 16.

Homework Assignment

A Girl Named Disaster (Pg. 99-111)

 B4 - Due Thursday, 12/9

A1/A2 Due Friday, 12/10

Answer the following questions in complete sentences.  Your responses should be between 2-4 sentences.  Please write this assignment out on paper and turn in during class.

1.     Describe specifically how Nhamo survives.  What does she eat?  What does she drink?  What does she use for shelter?

2.     Detail Nhamo’s dream.  What significance might it have?

3.     What are the njuza?

4.     Where was Nhamo on page 105?  Use your map as reference.

5.     Why is luck so important in this section?  Was it good or bad luck?

Things Fall Apart  Chapter 11

B4 - Due Thursday, 12/9

A1/A2 Due Friday, 12/10

Answer the following questions in complete sentences.  Your responses should be between 4-6 sentences.

1. Analyze Ekwifi’s story.  How might it be symbolic?  Think of the colonial / native relationship.
2. Analyze Ezinma’s story.  How might it be symbolic?

Things Fall Apart Blog # 4

Due Dates: A Block Monday, 12/6
                   B Block Tuesday, 12/7


Please read Chapter 10 and respond to the prompts below.  Your responses must incorporate a quote and be between 3-5 sentences.


1.  Do you believe the author used this description of the trial to represent order and justice?  Or was it intended as a mockery of native customs?

2.  What similarities did you find between the justice system you are familiar with and the one depicted in the novel?


3.  We have frequently discussed how this text can be viewed as sexist.  What instance in Chapter 10 would prove as an argument to say that it is not?

A Girl Named Disaster Blog # 4

Due Dates:  A Block: Monday, 12/6
                    B Block: Tuesday, 12/7

Please read Pages 88-98 and respond to the following prompts in complete sentences.  You should write between 2-4 sentences for each response.  Any responses with incomplete sentences will automatically be counted as incorrect.

1.  Why had the Musengezi River become a "dangerous place to sail" (90)?

2.  What makes Nhamo almost physically ill, even though she realizes that the sickness was from "her spirit, not her body" (93)?

3.  Paraphrase the story Nhamo tells her mother about the creation of the hippo.

4.  Look at the map in the front of the book.  How did Nhamo get lost?  Keep in mind her ultimate destination being Zimbabwe?

New Website!

Please note the following address for our new class website!  Please use the website to keep up with the class.  Any suggestions and or criticisms are appreciated!

https://sites.google.com/site/midhighliterature/

Things Fall Apart Blog # 3

Examine the images above.  One is an artistic representation of Okonkwo, the other is a relatively modern take on the urban male of today.  Please compare to two images, and by seeing what Okonkwo is not, how do we find out more about what he is?


Aspects to think about are clothing, jewelry, and the visual background.


Please make your response THREE paragraphs in length.


Due: B Block: Wednesday, 12/1
        A Block: Thursday, 12/2

June 2009

I

A Girl Named Disaster Blog # 3

Due: B Block - Wednesday, 12/1
        A Block - Thursday, 12/2

Below is an image of Nhamo; compare her photo with the strikingly different image below.  How can one say what Nhamo isn't when viewing the different image?  In particular I want you to think about how an urban or rural culture can impact an individual.  Some aspects to think about are style, clothing, hairstyles and the visual background.

Your response must be TWO paragraphs in length.

Things Fall Apart Blog # 2

Read through Page 62.


Respond to the following prompts.  You must incorporate quotes into your writing using MLA format.


Due Dates:      A Block: Friday, 11/26
                        B Block: Thursday, 11/25
Pg. 45 - 51
1.  Explain how the passing of time is represented by the wrestling matches.  Think generationally.

Pg. 52-62
2.  Is Nwoye starting to grow up? (52-52)
3.  Does Nwoye want to please his father?  How?  Why?
4.  After our in-depth analysis of Okonkwo, are you surprised by his actions concerning Ikemefuma?