ELA 11 Mods 8,9 Monday March 29, 2010

 Self-Reliance Critical Lens

Homework: The following will be due Monday, April 5.  You will have class time today and tomorrow to get started.  We do not have class on Wednesday due to the half day and we have Career Day on Thursday.  Please plan ahead and start this ASAP so that you can ask any questions you have prior to Thursday.

Write a critical essay in which you discuss Sebastian Junger’s The Storm, Jon Krakauer’s Into Thin Air, and John McPhee’s The Control of Nature: Atchafalaya from the particular perspective of the statement that is provided for you in the Critical Lens. In your essay, provide a valid interpretation of the statement, agree or disagree with the statement as you have interpreted it, and support your opinion using specific references to ideas and details from the two works.

            Critical Lens:

 ”Every man is, no doubt, by nature, first and principally recommended to his own care; and as he is fitter to take care of himself than of any other person, it is fit and right that it should be so.”

 -Adam Smith, Theory of Moral Sentiments (1759)

 Guidelines:

Be sure to

• Provide a valid interpretation of the critical lens that clearly establishes the criteria for analysis
• Indicate whether you agree or disagree with the statement as you have interpreted it
• Use Sebastian Junger’s The Storm, Jon Krakauer’s Into Thin Air, and John McPhee’s The Control of Nature: Atchafalaya to support your opinion
• Use the criteria suggested by the critical lens to analyze the works we have read
• Avoid retelling the works we read. Instead, use specific references to appropriate ideas and details to develop your analysis
• Organize your ideas in a unified and coherent manner
• Specify the titles and authors of the works when you reference them
• Follow the conventions of standard written English

ELA 11 Mods 8,9 Monday March 1, 2010

INTO THIN AIR/THE STORM/CONTROL OF NATURE

Homework: For tomorrow, please use the comment feature to submit a paragraph that discusses the justification of Captain Tyne’s decision to leave Gloucester in October to catch swordfish.   As we did in our discussion today in class, you should discuss the mitigating factors (information we need to know before judging) that might make the decision justified, or any damning information that would lead us to question the decision.

ELA 11 Mods 8,9 Thursday February 25, 2010

INTO THIN AIR/THE CONTROL OF NATURE/THE PERFECT STORM

No Homework

Below, please find the notes from the last few days of discussion which focused on the essential questions from the previous posts.

 

ELA 11 Mods 8,9 Wednesday February 24, 2010

THE STORM/INTO THIN AIR/CONTROL OF NATURE

Homework: Please finish reading The Storm for tomorrow.

We spent a good portion of today talking (or ranting, if you prefer) about the essential questions from yesterday’s post and the answers we might be starting to construct.  Several of you identified that human nature can look conflicted at times, and I think it was fertile ground to cover.  Again, one of the most important reasons for taking English is your ability to recognize, understand, and analyze the narratives that are being offered and enacted in the world around you.  Like these stories, they are never simple or one-sided.

A couple of things to think about…

• The content of English, like understanding metaphor (Is a mountain just a mountain even when it is Everest?), is vital to being able to delve deeper into your life.  What are your mountains?
• You need to be advocating for yourself, and that cannot happen with you passively sitting in class.  Ask some questions!

ELA 11 Mods 8,9 Tuesday February 23, 2010

THE STORM/INTO THIN AIR/THE CONTROL OF NATURE

Essential Questions for Into Thin Air, The Storm, and The Control of Nature.

Who is to blame for what happens?

Is the human relationship with nature one of conflict, or one of balance?

What is the role of hubris in these pieces?

How are the actions and choices of people in these stories justified by the narratives that they learn, enact, and pass-on?

We will be looking at these three pieces of non-fiction through the large questions above.  You should be looking for details that help to create an answer for these questions as we read.  Please feel free to use the comment feature below to share your ideas.