Entertain Me!

I know that many of you enjoy searching the internet for interesting sites, videos and games.  Your task today is to find an interesting site that is relevant to poetry or Shakespeare (particularly Macbeth).  Create a post with a link to the site, your explanation of its relevance, and your thoughts on how it might be used by a class or by other students.

Have fun, and, as usual, keep it appropriate!
The Rant Master

Wouldn't You Like to Be a Poet Too?

Today you need to follow up on the task we went over in class last Wednesday.  Choose a poem or song lyric that really speaks to you.  Cut and paste it into a post (giving credit to the original author of course) and answer the following questions about it:

1.  Who is the speaker?  What kind of person is s/he?  To whom is s/he speaking?

2.  What is the setting of the poem in time and place?

3.  What is the central purpose of the poem?  Does it tell a story, reveal human character, give a vivid impression, express a mood or convey an idea?  List a line or two that supports your choice.

4.  State the central idea or theme of the poem in a sentence.

5.  What is the tone of the poem (the speaker's attitude toward the subject of the poem)?  Is he or she sympathetic, excited, angry, pleased, bitter, etc.?  Again, support your position with a line or two.

6.  List two especially effective examples of diction (word choice) in the poem.  Explain why they are so effective.

7.  Choose two examples of effective imagery (language that appeals to the senses) from the poem.

8.  Finally, explain why this poem or lyric speaks to you.  What is it that makes it powerful?  Justify your answer with supporting reasons. 

If you finish early, please visit at least two of your classmates' blogs and leave short comments indicating (a) what you like about one of their posts; and (b) a question that you have for them based on what they have written.  As always -- be appropriate.  This is in the public domain.

See you all tomorrow.
Mr. Robinson
"Ranter-in-Chief"

Interpretive Fiction or Escapist Fiction

Interpretive Literature or Escapist Fiction -- which should be studied in the English classroom?  Today is your chance to express your thoughts.  We have looked at two novels now -- one a modern classic and the other... modern.  Which type of novel should we be studying?  Which type of novel do students get the most from?  Is there any merit to the idea of "cultural literacy"?  You be the judge.

Express your thoughts in a cogent, well reasoned, multi-paragraph post.  As always, obey the conventions of language (this is English class).  Please also take the time to make appropriate comments on two of your classmates' posts.

Villains and Monsters

We're coming up on Halloween, and soon our streets will be filled with children dressed as ghosts and goblins.  With that in mind, it's time to turn our minds to the villains and monsters we encounter in fiction and life.  Your task today is to identify one as either "most evil" or "most misunderstood".  You may choose a traditional villain like Dracula, you might choose a supervillain like the Joker, or you might choose someone from real life like Josef Stalin.  Don't like that topic?  As an alternate assignment you may choose two supernatural creatures and tell me who would win a battle between them.

Whatever you choose to write on, you must explain your answer and justify it with evidence.  And remember, as always, keep your blog appropriate.

Top 3

Alright.  This assignment comes compliments of the irrepressible Ms. Searcy.  Today's blog challenge is to choose the top 3 (of anything) and justify your choice. You may choose the top three hockey players of all time, the greatest musicians, the top three reasons to do something...the possibilities are endless. Here is a suggested sequence of events for the blog:

1. Choose your topic

2. Choose the criteria you are using to make your choices, and explain it to the reader. For example, if you are ranking the top three hockey players, how are you choosing to judge them? Points scored? Plus/minus rating? Years in the league? Stanley Cups won?

3. Type your blog out by first explaining the topic you have chosen, and the criteria for your choices. Then state each of your top three choices, and dedicate approximately a paragraph to each one that justifies why it deserves the ranking you gave it. As always, formal language and proper spelling and grammar applies.

Guilty Pleasures

Alright.  I'll admit it.  I love watching rodeo.

The politically correct among us would say that it is a sexist sport, confining the participation of women to barrel racing.  PETA would say that it is inhumane, brutalizing animals for sport.  And I have to say I see their point.

But there is something about watching a person leap off a galloping horse in an attempt to wrestle a 200 lb animal with horns to the ground that makes me forget these reservations.  How crazy do you have to be to climb on a 2,000 lb bull in a confined space, let alone try to ride one for eight seconds?  What does it feel like to be the rodeo clown when that same bull sends your barrel flying?  These are the questions that enter my head as I watch.  And despite my reservations, I am entertained.

Rodeo provides me with a vicarious thrill.  My adrenaline flows as I watch others participate in an activity I would never think of attempting.  In a world of safety equipment and digital effects and scripted endings, rodeo is tantalizingly dangerous.  Participants pit their strength and skill against large, unpredictable animals.  And that's where my guilt returns -- the animals.  They are the other participants in rodeo, the ones who don't get to choose.

I don't know if I will ever be able to reconcile my feelings about this sport -- if I'll ever come to terms with the conflict I feel.  I have made a decision though.  I will need to attend more rodeos to find out.

Your assignment:  Everyone has guilty pleasures -- things they enjoy doing or watching that they feel a little embarrassed or bashful about.  For some it's a television show like Survivor or Glee.  For others it's a particular song or an activity like karaoke.  Write about your own guilty pleasure explaining the conflict you feel.  Try to convey the feeling you get from the activity in a way that will make others experience it.  One last note:  Keep this one appropriate folks.

Last day we looked at the true story of an Irish soldier who, while serving in Germany after WWI, saved the life of a young political activist:  Adolf Hitler.  We contemplated how the future might have turned out differently had the soldier not acted as he did.  Nonetheless, we came to the conclusion that his actions, viewed through the lens of his own time period, were ethically appropriate.

Blog Assignment #1
You have the ability to transport yourself to any historical event and take part. Describe that event, the role you played in it, and how it impacted history.  Your involvement may either change our history or explain why our world is the way it is today.

Make sure that this composition has a creative idea, interesting diction (word choice), specific detail, varied sentence length, and a dynamic introduction and conclusion.

High level responses will use formal language and proper grammar and punctuation. Make sure you include plenty of detail - this should be a lengthy paragraph.

Most importantly, keep it out of my "Boring Bin." Either dazzle me with your description, entertain me with your humor and creativity, or impress me with profound, thought provoking, and mature ideas.

Top marks will be awarded for those who are able to accomplish all of the above.

IF YOU FINISH YOUR ARTICLE, then you may first complete your class link list. That means add your classmates' blogs. Then feel free to add pictures, create a profile about yourself and customize your template.