1. Discuss your all-time favorite book. Explain why it is your favorite. Persuade others to read it.
2. Discuss what you look for in an author's style.
3. When was the last time you read poetry for pleasure? Why do you think people don't read poetry like they used to? Should this be a concern? Discuss.
4. Which character was your favorite in Watership Down? Explain.
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Thursday, September 15, 2011
September 19-23
"The Hand" by Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette
1. Why do you think the wife kisses her husband's hand in the final paragraph? Explain how the kiss might symbolize the nature of their relationship.
2. In "The Birthmark" Nathaniel Hawthorne also uses a hand for symbolic purposes. Compare the meanings he associates with the hand in his story with Colette's. How does each writer invest meanings in a central symbol? Which one do you find more effective? Explain.
"Popular Mechanics" by Raymond Carver
1. Though there is little description of the setting in this story, how do the few details that are provided help to establish tone?
2. If you are familiar with the story of Solomon in the Bible, how might "Popular Mechanics" be read as a retelling of this story?
3. Discuss how the ending of "Popular Mechanics" is similar to the ending of Hawthorne's "The Birthmark."
1. Why do you think the wife kisses her husband's hand in the final paragraph? Explain how the kiss might symbolize the nature of their relationship.
2. In "The Birthmark" Nathaniel Hawthorne also uses a hand for symbolic purposes. Compare the meanings he associates with the hand in his story with Colette's. How does each writer invest meanings in a central symbol? Which one do you find more effective? Explain.
"Popular Mechanics" by Raymond Carver
1. Though there is little description of the setting in this story, how do the few details that are provided help to establish tone?
2. If you are familiar with the story of Solomon in the Bible, how might "Popular Mechanics" be read as a retelling of this story?
3. Discuss how the ending of "Popular Mechanics" is similar to the ending of Hawthorne's "The Birthmark."
Friday, September 9, 2011
September 12-16
Chekov & Oates
1. Which version did you like better? What's the point of retelling the story?
2. "What triumph, to love like this in any room, anywhere, risking even the craziest of accidents!" Explain this reflection of Anna's and relate it to her character. (Oates)
3. Describe your response to Gurov in Parts I and II, and discuss how your judgment of him changes in the last two parts of the story. (Chekov)
1. Which version did you like better? What's the point of retelling the story?
2. "What triumph, to love like this in any room, anywhere, risking even the craziest of accidents!" Explain this reflection of Anna's and relate it to her character. (Oates)
3. Describe your response to Gurov in Parts I and II, and discuss how your judgment of him changes in the last two parts of the story. (Chekov)
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