1. "Killings" by Dubus
a. Discuss the significance of the title. Why is "Killings" a more appropriate title than "Killers"?
b. How might "Killings" be considered a love story as well as a murder story?
2. "Young Goodman Brown" by Hawthorne
a. Discuss the symbolic value of the forest in the story. How are the descriptions of the forest contrasted with those of Salem village?
b. Near the end of the story, the narrator asks, "Had Goodman Brown fallen asleep in the forest and only dreamed a wild dream of a witch-meeting?" Was it a dream or did it actually happen? How does the answer to this question affect your reading of the story?
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
August 29--September 2
Watership Down
1. Discuss the qualities of a good leader. Give real-life examples. What are some qualities of "bad" leaders? Examples?
2. If you could create your own form of government, how would you do it? What laws would you make? Customs? Holidays? Be creative!
1. Discuss the qualities of a good leader. Give real-life examples. What are some qualities of "bad" leaders? Examples?
2. If you could create your own form of government, how would you do it? What laws would you make? Customs? Holidays? Be creative!
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Summer Reading Blog II Madame Bovary
Madame Bovary
1. What do you think would have made Madame Bovary happy with her life?
2. A "tragic" novel is one in which the protagonist is brought to ruin or suffers extreme sorrow, especially as a consequence of a "tragic flaw," a moral weakness, or an inability to cope with difficult circumstances. Could the novel Madame Bovary be considered a tragic novel? Discuss.
3. How did the conservative social mores of the time play a role in the downfall of Madame Bovary?
4. If Madame Bovary were set in America in the 20th century, how would it be like the original novel? How would it be different?
5. How did Madame Bovary's romantic sentiment contribute to her life of discontent and ruin?
6. What is your opinion of how Flaubert treats the male characters? Do you think he portrays them realistically? Discuss.
1. What do you think would have made Madame Bovary happy with her life?
2. A "tragic" novel is one in which the protagonist is brought to ruin or suffers extreme sorrow, especially as a consequence of a "tragic flaw," a moral weakness, or an inability to cope with difficult circumstances. Could the novel Madame Bovary be considered a tragic novel? Discuss.
3. How did the conservative social mores of the time play a role in the downfall of Madame Bovary?
4. If Madame Bovary were set in America in the 20th century, how would it be like the original novel? How would it be different?
5. How did Madame Bovary's romantic sentiment contribute to her life of discontent and ruin?
6. What is your opinion of how Flaubert treats the male characters? Do you think he portrays them realistically? Discuss.
Summer Reading Blog I 1984
1984
1. Compare and contrast the concepts of technological surveillance that Orwell envisioned in 1984 and the forms of technological surveillance used today.
2. Discuss the reasons why some people might not be bothered by the same alleged invasions of privacy that deeply concern other people. For example, why do some people take greater issue with employee drug testing than others do?
3. What would the U.S. Founding Fathers have said about some of the privacy-related issues that are being debated today?
4. Debate whether the impact of a privacy violation differs if the policy is implemented by a government or by a corporation. Does it matter who is invading your privacy?
5. Discuss the ways in which the news media may shape opinions regarding privacy issues. For example, what might be the effects of a nightly news feature that discusses economic losses due to employee drug use? What if it featured an employee who had a false positive drug test and was subsequently fired.
6. Explain the ways in which an Orwellian society, with a severe lack of personal privacy and freedom, could develop in both a communist and a capitialist society.
1. Compare and contrast the concepts of technological surveillance that Orwell envisioned in 1984 and the forms of technological surveillance used today.
2. Discuss the reasons why some people might not be bothered by the same alleged invasions of privacy that deeply concern other people. For example, why do some people take greater issue with employee drug testing than others do?
3. What would the U.S. Founding Fathers have said about some of the privacy-related issues that are being debated today?
4. Debate whether the impact of a privacy violation differs if the policy is implemented by a government or by a corporation. Does it matter who is invading your privacy?
5. Discuss the ways in which the news media may shape opinions regarding privacy issues. For example, what might be the effects of a nightly news feature that discusses economic losses due to employee drug use? What if it featured an employee who had a false positive drug test and was subsequently fired.
6. Explain the ways in which an Orwellian society, with a severe lack of personal privacy and freedom, could develop in both a communist and a capitialist society.
Friday, April 29, 2011
Week of 5/2-5/6
Frankenstein
1. Discuss how the episolary style (letters) of the novel affect your understanding/enjoyment of it.
2. Discuss the following quotes:
a. " None but those who have experienced them can conceive of the enticements of science. In other studies you go as far as others have gone before you, and there is nothing more to know; but in a scientific pursuit there is continual food for discovery and wonder."
b. "I am malicious because I am miserable. Am I not shunned and hated by all mankind?"
1. Discuss how the episolary style (letters) of the novel affect your understanding/enjoyment of it.
2. Discuss the following quotes:
a. " None but those who have experienced them can conceive of the enticements of science. In other studies you go as far as others have gone before you, and there is nothing more to know; but in a scientific pursuit there is continual food for discovery and wonder."
b. "I am malicious because I am miserable. Am I not shunned and hated by all mankind?"
Thursday, April 7, 2011
April 11-15
Atwood's "February" 1. What are the strong images in the poem? Which of the senses are appealed to by these images? Did you like or dislike this poem? Explain/Discuss. Plath's "Mirror" 2. Discuss the imagery Plath uses in "Mirror." Can you relate to this poem? Explain/Discuss. O'Brien "How to Tell a True War Story" 3. Discuss how (according to O'Brien) a true war story can never by abstract; it is about details. Marquez's "One of These Days" 4. Discuss how the effects of violence and civil repression are handled in the story.
Friday, April 1, 2011
April 4-8
Flannery O'Connor 1. Does "A Good Man is Hard to Find" seem like a genuine story, or is the plot too coincidental? Are the characters and events believable? 2. If this story is an allegory, what do the Misfit and the grandmother (for whom other, more specific names are never specified) represent? 3. At the end of "Good Country People," Hulga appears to be a likely candidate to "cherish the world at the same time that [she struggles] to endure it." Explain how and why this change comes about.
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