Homework: Please read pages 21-30 and respond to the following in the comments section:

The following passage is found on page 25:

“He no longer dreamed of storms, nor women, nor of great occurrences, nor great fish, nor fights, nor contests of strength, nor his wife.  He only dreamed of places now and of the lions on the beach.”

This passage uses a reoccurring image from the book, the lions waiting on the beach.  It was an image that comes to him from his youth, and it has stayed with him.  What do you think the lions represent and why is it that he now dreams of them, but nothing else?

Project: Truth Short Story and PowerPoint Animation

One of the themes of Tim O’Brien’s book is truth.  In it he tells stories that deal with what truth is and how we recognize and manipulate it.  I would like you to do the same.  Write a fictional story that illustrates your thoughts on truth or plays with the idea in some way.  Remember that O’Brien imbeds his stories with personal narrative, time and place changes, and lots of sidebar discussions about the subject of truth.

Task:  Write a short story that illustrates your thoughts on truth.  Then use Microsoft PowerPoint to create a simple animated version of your story that expresses your thoughts on the nature of truth.

• Identify a few ideas that you believe about the nature of truth.  Write them down in short, but complete sentences.
• Write a fictional story that uses imagery, metaphor, characterization, structure, and/or setting to illustrate and explore your ideas.
• Create a PowerPoint that runs on its own that illustrates your story.
• Create a sub-folder in your network folder in which you will store your PowerPoint file and any files that you are using in the animation.  Organization of your files is very important.
• Use the video below for some help on how to create PowerPoint animations or use AtomicLearning.com (see me for username and password).

Homework - Read pages 9-20 and complete the following tasks using the comment feature:

On page 9, pick 5-7 words that Hemingway uses to describe the old man.  Then look at this quote from page 10:

“Everything about him was old except his eyes and they were the same color as the sea and were cheerful and undefeated.”

In your own words describe Santiago (the old man) in both appearance and spirit.

NOTE: We scrapped the homework on Friday because we ran out of time. 

Homework: Please read from page 97 to page 104 in the short story Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong.  Please respond using the comment feature or e-mail to the following question:

Mary Anne Bell represents an idea of home to these soldiers.  While there were in Vietnam, their homes changed.  Their families and friends changed.  The country changed.  At the same time, the soldiers themselves were changed by the war.  Mary Anne’s  story could be seen as a discussion on how these soldiers had a hard time gaining a point of reference in all of this change.  What does Mary Anne’s story say about the relationship between changes at the soldier’s home and changes in themselves?

Homework: Please finish the short story Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong from where we leave off in class.  Please respond using the comment feature or e-mail to the following question:

Mary Anne Bell represents an idea of home to these soldiers.  While there were in Vietnam, their homes changed.  Their families and friends changed.  The country changed.  At the same time, the soldiers themselves were changed by the war.  Mary Anne’s  story could be seen as a discussion on how these soldiers had a hard time gaining a point of reference in all of this change.  What does Mary Anne’s story say about the relationship between changes at the soldier’s home and changes in themselves?

Homework for Monday:  In addition to finishing your Little Tree essays, I want you to watch the video below.  It is about American involvement in the Vietnam War.  As you watch, please prepare some written observations or questions that you have about the war or the video.  Written comments could come in tree map form, or as a list.  Type them out if necessary.

Homework: The following will be due Friday May 7th. 

Write a critical essay in which you discuss Forrest Carter’s The Education of Little Tree  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 work.

            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 Forrest Carter’s The Education of Little Tree 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

Please find the brainstorming notes on Martin Luther that we did in class as part of the Thematic Essay.  We brainstormed the HISTORICAL CIRCUMSTANCES surrounding Martin Luther and the 95 Theses and then began to write sentences with the info.

Homework: Please finish the chapter titled Church-going for tomorrow.  It ends on page 160.

Today we are beginning a discussion of how to write a thematic essay and will begin writing one.  We will be looking at a process found on the Regentsprep.org website. 

The thematic essay we will start with can be found on the January 2010 Regents exam.

Rodin’s The Thinker