Final Essay

Well, you made it through the year! You all worked so hard and progressed tremendously. I am very proud of you! I hope you realize all that you have learned over the year, and how many new books you not only read, but analyzed, discussed, and wrote about. The level of your work always impressed me, and I am excited about working with some of you over the summer!

Please post your final essay in the comments section here. Daniel read Kevin's essay, Kevin read Tyler's essay, Tyler read Daniel's essay.

I know you are all excited about this being your last essay, but I have to admit I'm sad about it. I am going to miss seeing them pop into my inbox every two weeks. I always thoroughly enjoy reading them. If you happen to write anything else, send it my way:)

Good luck with this final essay! Enjoy the process. Please let me know if you have any questions.

This is a picture of the Willamette River which runs through the Willamette Valley where I now live in Oregon. If you come and visit Jimmy and I will take you out on the boat!

Essay Question

For our last essay of the year, you will be able to choose from the different SAT Essay prompts below. Read through them all carefully and then make your choice. You will need to use examples from TWO of the books we have read this year as well as an example from your life.

Kevin and Daniel, you will need to write the essay in 25 minutes.

Please let me know if you have questions or if I can help in any way. I hope you enjoy this challenge! Your essay is due by midnight on Friday. Have fun!

Here are the four different prompts you may choose from.

Prompt 1

Think carefully about the issue presented in the following excerpt and the assignment below.

Many people believe that our government should do more to solve our problems. After all, how can one individual create more jobs or make roads safer or improve the schools or help to provide any of the other benefits that we have come to enjoy? And yet expecting that the government—rather than individuals—should always come up with the solutions to society's ills may have made us less self-reliant, undermining our independence and self-sufficiency.

Assignment:

Should people take more responsibility for solving problems that affect their communities or the nation in general? Plan and write an essay in which you develop your point of view on this issue. Support your position with reasoning and examples taken from your reading, studies, experience, or observations.

Prompt 2

Think carefully about the issue presented in the following excerpt and the assignment below.
Most human beings spend their lives doing work they hate and work that the world does not need. It is of prime importance that you learn early what you want to do and whether or not the world needs this service. The return from your work must be the satisfaction that work brings you and the world's need of that work. Income is not money, it is satisfaction; it is creation; it is beauty.
Adapted from W.E.B. Du Bois, The Autobiography of W.E.B. Du Bois: A Soliloquy on Viewing My Life from the Last Decade of Its First Century

Assignment:

Is it more important to do work that one finds fulfilling or work that pays well? Plan and write an essay in which you develop your point of view on this issue. Support your position with reasoning and examples taken from your reading, studies, experience, or observations.

Prompt 3

Think carefully about the issue presented in the following excerpt and the assignment below.

The education people receive does not occur primarily in school. Young people are formed by their experiences with parents, teachers, peers, and even strangers on the street, and by the sports teams they play for, the shopping malls they frequent, the songs they hear, and the shows they watch. Schools, while certainly important, constitute only a relatively small part of education.
Adapted from Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, "Education for the Twenty-First Century"

Assignment:

Is education primarily the result of influences other than school? Plan and write an essay in which you develop your point of view on this issue. Support your position with reasoning and examples taken from your reading, studies, experience, or observations.

Prompt 4

Think carefully about the issue presented in the following excerpt and the assignment below.

If we are dissatisfied with our circumstances, we think about changing them. But the most important and effective changes—in our attitude—hardly occur to us. In other words, we should worry not about how to alter the world around us for the better but about how to change ourselves in order to fit into that world.
Adapted from Michael Hymers, "Wittgenstein, Pessimism and Politics"

Assignment:

Is it better to change one's attitude than to change one's circumstances? Plan and write an essay in which you develop your point of view on this issue. Support your position with reasoning and examples taken from your reading, studies, experience, or observations.

See you there?

Well, today is my last day in Chicago! Tomorrow I head to Pennsylvania and then will be in San Luis Obispo! Your moms are working out a time for us to all meet and discuss Kite Runner and your overall experience this year. I am really excited about having a "live" discussion with you and getting caught up.

In preparation for this Tuesday I want you to come up with your question for me about Kite Runner as well as the essay question you want to answer for your essay. Remember, for this essay, you are writing your own question. Come to the meeting with your essay question written down, and I will give you my feedback regarding it. We will finalize each of your essay questions during our meeting, and then you will e-mail me your essay like always.

Bring Kite Runner to the discussion, just in case you need to reference it during our chat. I am looking forward to seeing you all again, and know that we will have a great discussion about this wonderful book!

See you Tuesday!

Your Turn

Now is your chance to ask me a question about Cry, the Beloved Country. I love the questions that you come up with, they always impress me. I look forward to discussing this book with you!

Kevin you can answer Daniel's question
Daniel you can answer Tyler's question
Tyler you can answer Kevin's question

For the essays, please don't forget to post your essay under the Essay Question post.
Tyler read Daniel's essay
Kevin read Tyler's essay
Daniel read Kevin's essay
Please post your response to their essays in the comments section. Enjoy!

The above picture is of a shanty town in Johannesburg.

Animal Farm

NOTE: We only have one week to read this book, but it is short - 100 pages, so I don’t think it will be a problem.

It is a wonderful book! My husband picked it up a few weeks ago, and started reading it. He could not put it down. Orwell does an amazing job in this satire of showing the lunacy of Communism. He was cutting edge. He wrote this book during a time that Europe, as well as America, admired not only Communism, but Stalin, therefore this book was not popular when it first came out.

It is VERY important that you read the introduction, before you dive into the book. The introduction discusses Orwell’s beliefs, the climate in which he was writing, and some hints on which characters represent Communist leaders. Your level of enjoyment of the book will be in direct correlation between how much or how little you know about Communism. Since we spent quite a bit of time learning about Communism early in the school year, I know Kevin and Daniel will find this book very entertaining. Tyler, I of course don’t know about your level of understanding when it comes to Communism, but this book will be a good introduction.

There are six major themes in the book to watch out for. Since we only have one week to read this book and write an essay, we are going to do things a little differently. As you read, you will look out for the different themes, than you will write an essay comparing Animal Farm to Communist Russia. You will consider Orwell’s accuracy, how the people/animals respond to Communism, and the final result. No matter what theme you choose, the above three need to be considered. I’m sure now you are wondering what the themes are, well here you go!

1. Napoleon’s Cult of Personality as compared to Stalin’s.

2. The rivalry between Snowball and Napoleon compared to that of Stalin and Trotsky. You would also want to discuss the changing of historical facts.

3. Management of the means of production and the distribution of the wealth. Things to consider - the windmill, apples, milk, barley, use of the house, etc.)

4. Equality. Is true equality achieved or maintained?

5. Use of ceremony and symbols. Consider the songs, poems, chants, medals, meetings, flag, whip, two legs vs. four legs.

6. An ever evolving set of rules/commandments and the government’s manipulation of them.

Every Communist country in the world has had elements the above six themes. Orwell makes great use of the above to demonstrate the ridiculousness of the system. So as you read, jot down page numbers when the themes appear. This will assist you in writing your essay. Also, you may want to spend a little time brushing up on Communist Russia! Enjoy the book, I know you will like it!

I will post a place for you to post your essay, but since there are no discussion questions, there will be no post for that. You will still get an opportunity to ask me a question. Your essay is due on Friday the 21st by midnight. Please let me know if you have any questions along the way!

HINTS:
Snowball = Trotsky
Napoleon = Stalin
Major = Lenin
A stone is a unit of measure in England 1 stone = 14 pounds

Websites you might find helpful

Click here for information about Stalin and Trotsky and their rivalry.

Click here for information about Stalin rewriting history. There is a little here about his cult of personality.


I thought this site about Soviet posters was interesting.

Please let me know if you would like more websites or information!

Your Turn

Hi Guys,

Great job with the discussion questions! I'll be posting my responses soon. But for now, we have come to the part where you ask me a question. So I hope you have been thinking about this, and I look forward to what you have to say.

This time Daniel will be answering Tyler's question
Tyler will answer Kevin's.
Kevin will answer Daniel's.

Have fun!

Mixing Things Up

I love reading your essays, because even though you read the same book, and are asked the same question, you always come up with three different answers. Seeing this is one of my favorite parts of this job. I get very excited about it! I want to give you all the opportunity to see this as well, and respond to the different point of view expressed in the essays. In order to do that I am going to assign you to read one of your classmates essays. After you read it you will post a comment about it. Tell your classmate what you thought about the way they approached the question, how it gave you a new perspective, and general comments about the essay. It would also be good for you to respond to the comments that were made on your essay.

Post your essay on the blog under the Essay Question post.

Daniel you are going to read Tyler's essay.
Tyler you will read Kevin's essay.
Kevin you will read Daniel's essay.

I am instituting these new changes to foster a better exchange of ideas. You all have so many good things to say about the books, and it is a shame if I am the only person reading them. I think this will make the class very interactive, which is what we want. Please let me know if you have any questions.


Have you all ever seen these amazing chalk drawings? If you google "3D chalk drawings" and click on Images you will be able to see some more. They are amazing. Enjoy!

Your Turn

It's your turn to ask me a question about Of Mice and Men. This book asks its readers so many questions, I'm sure you have a few rolling around in your head. So now it's your chance to ask. We are going to do things a little differently this time. I will answer all your questions, but then you will answer each others.

Daniel you answer Kevin's.
Kevin you answer Tyler's.
Tyler you answer Daniel's.

This will lead to a fuller discussion. Looking forward to it!

Your Turn

Please post a question about Metamorphosis for me to answer. Anything about the book that has you confused. Now is your chance to make me do the work of explaining it! And just for fun, I thought I would post a picture of a cockroach. Enjoy! Looking forward to seeing what questions you come up with.

Your Turn

Please, ask me any question about Heart of Darkness. I'm looking forward to being stumped by you!

Heart of Darkness Quiz

I found this fun quiz about The Heart of Darkness. Go give it a try and test your ability to recall details of the story. Have fun!

Reading

I want to encourage you to read each others comments. Especially read my responses to the questions both of you ask me. If any observation strikes you as interesting, please post a comment about it. This will create a more interactive experience for both of you. I also recommend you read each others essays. I will post Kevin's essay, so that they will both be there. After reading it, post a comment to each other telling them what you think. I think you will find it interesting how you both have a different perspective on the question. Proof again, that in these circumstances there is no "right or wrong" answer. So please read what is on here, I know you will find it enlightening! It should only take about 30 minutes or so each week to read the comments.

Chapter 11 Confusion

I think there has been some confusion about the Chapter 11
question. I want you to tell me what you think of the last line in the chapter. The last line is, "There were moments when he looked on evil simply as a mode through which he could realize his conception of the beautiful." What does this tell us about Dorian? Please post your answers in the comments section of this post. Thank you!

Don't Forget

Remember, you get to ask me a question now about The Picture of Dorian Gray. You can have me answer one of the comprehension questions, or you can make up your own question. Post your question in the comments part of this post, and I will answer it there.

Reading Journal

I have created a journal for you to use for every book we read this year. It is important for you to fill it our completely as you read the book. Before you take the SAT you will review the journal in preparation for the test. It will also help your comprehension of the books, and help you hone in on what is important to remember. You will find that the journal also prepares you for the 5 paragraph essay you will write after every book. I hope you find it useful. Please let me know how it is working for you or how we can improve it.

Important note: Keep the journals organized. Either write them out by hand in a notebook, or type them up, print them out and store them together in a notebook. You will need to send me your first journal for Picture of Dorian Gray. After that you will no longer need to send them to me. Please let me know if you have any questions!

Book Journal

1. Title:
2. Author:
3. Main Characters:
4. A few sentences describing the character traits of each of the people you listed above.
5. Theme of the Book:
6. Summary of the Plot:
7. Moral Dilemma:
8. What kind of a response did you feel towards to moral dilemma? What was your response towards the characters actions?
9. What did you think of the plot? The writing style? The character development?
10. What was your overall impression of the book?
11. Write down memorable lines or quotes from the book.

For questions 5 to 10 your answers need only a few well thought-out and crafted sentences. Jot down page numbers for you to go back to and re-read. No need to write out entire paragraphs.