Weeks 9+10 Blog

The work:
These past two weeks we focused on the book The Grapes of Wrath and its themes (CS). We went through the book and tried to match up good quotes with the characters (KW). We were given an assignment in which we will choose a character and write an analysis of that character (ME). We have also been analyzing the book. For example, we learned about Steinbeck's way of "panning" the scenes of the odd-numbered chapters through chapter 13 (MC). We have written a paragraph that tries to match up with the turtle paragraph in the novel which is as descriptive (MM). We've also looked at the important symbols such as reproduction, death, the past, nature, and "a man" (MM).











Reading on the T is fun.








The workers:
John: "The turtle was just trying to survive, not interfere." (DP
Michael: "You feel for the oathead because you want it to succeed." (EO)
Kevin: "man cares/helps for nature." (MM)
Conor: "If they try to kill him he will kill three of them" (MM).
Frank: "The first paragraph [of chapter three] is one sentence long" (MM).
Michael: "Granpa is so good at reproducing" (TT).
Pat: "[the title comes from] Battle Hymn of the Republic." (TT)
Andrew pointed out that no characters die in the scene. (PC)
Nicholson said it represents how man is both good and bad. (PC)
Martin: "it may be trying to plant itself..." (ME)


Words to live by:

"You're bound to get idears if you go thinking about stuff." ~Tom
"There ain't no sin and there ain't no virtue." ~Jim
"Maybe the Holy Spirit is the love between men and women..." ~Jim
"That's what makes it ours--being born on it!...ain't no piece of paper gonna move me!" ~Muley

Blog, Weeks 7 & 8

The work:
During the final weeks of the first quarter we continued reading Henry IV (JG). We have been touching upon fatherhood and relationships in the book (BG). Henry IV is a scandalous play thus it is only seniors who read it! (unsigned). We had a nice little break in the middle and saw a documentary on Shakespeare's childhood (MM). Once we were done reading, we had to choose a character, choose a term, and write a paper on the character (EO). We learned a lot about how Shakespeare makes his audiences laugh with superiority, incongruity, and even verbal humor. This gave us the opportunity to act out scenes with our classmates, and try to give creatively crude comedic performances (MC). We also began to go over John Steinbeck and his novels such as Travels with Charley and The Grapes of Wrath (ME). The class went over a little of Steinbeck's background to become familiar with him (AJ).

The workers:
"He was pleased with death" (DP).
Todd pointed out that in the beginning of the play the Earl of Douglas was real and ordinary. (FT)
In the beginning the Earl of Douglass was real and ordinary--Todd. (AD)
Incongruity humor is where the humor does not relate to itself--Anthony (TT).
Julio chose to write about Prince Henry as a farcical character--Manny and Andrew both gave him good examples of topic sentences (MC).
Falstaff is both a knight showing chivalry and a drunk--Nicholson (MM).
Steinbeck died from a heart problem--Pat (AJ).
Shakespeare wasn't a peasant, he was in the middle class--Kevin (MM).
He can summon anyone, but they won't necessarily come--Anthony (unsigned).
Andrew pointed out Steinbeck's references to death (PC).


Words to live by:


"I'll be a madcap once in my day." ~Prince Hal
"You can never go home again." ~Thomas Wolfe
"Literature is as old as speech." ~Steinbeck
"In the beginning was the Word. And the Word was with God. And the Word was God." ~John 1:1