Weeks 9+10 Blog

The work:
Even as the time at CM winds down, we refuse to give up on our studies. We paid good money so we are getting the most of our education! (MC) In weeks 9+10 we talked about a hero's journey (in The Red Badge of Courage) and how no matter howm nay die in a battlefield, life goes on. we talked about the flag and how it got a life of its own (FT). We analyzed Crane's poetic form in the story. We discussed the religious themes within the writing as well as the significant themes that relate to identity (PC). We were also assigned a research paper in which we had to compare a youth involved in a conflict to Henry in the book. We researched the information and related it to the book (CS).

The workers:
Manny: I don't understand why he keeps going back home when he tries to forget it (ND).
James: The Glass Menagerie is about finding a man for a woman.(ND)
Pat: It's about changes in society.(ND)
Andrew: The play is about maturity.(ND)
Julio: The Red Badge has a religious theme to it. (ND)
Pat: Crane is not writing a history text about the Civil War, but about war in general. (MM)
Frank: In Crane's poem, I think the desert represents the battlefield. (MM)
Brian: Henry looked at his fellow soldiers as inferiors. (MM)
AJ: Henry has to choose whether or not to stop or fight. (MM)
Pat: Crane bases this chapter on Holy Thursday. (MM)

Words to live by:
"The dead man and the living man exchanged a long look." ~SC
"He had done a good part in saving himself." ~SC
"There is nothing in the world so painful as feeling that one is not liked."
"It is futile!" I said. "You lie," he cried. And ran on. ~SC

Library Visit, 4/6

Here's your assignment for The Red Badge of Courage (why did I italicize that?).


Apply your understanding of The Red Badge of Courage to a current conflict in the world. Find a “youth” involved in the conflict and compare and contrast Henry’s perspective of war by the end of RBC with this youth’s story/perspective.

Worth: test grade. Note: test grade will be lowered by one letter grade if you fail to return the book. Due: 1st draft due 4/17, second draft TBD.

Today in the library, determine which conflict you will cover. Note: you won't cover a conflict that another classmate is covering!

• Visit the Global Security "World at War" website. Read about a few conflicts before narrowing down your choices.
• See Mr. McG. after ten minutes of reading have elapsed to "lock in" your conflict. Come to him with a backup choice.
• Sign up for a gmail account if you don't already have one.
• Visit the Google News homepage and do a preliminary search for your conflict in recent news.
• Set a Google News alert for each term you've searched for so you can be alerted each day to new news about your topic.
• Use the word "children" or "youth" or "families" or "kids" or "child" along with your conflict's name to start searching for how children are affected by your conflict.
• Find a specific child's story associated with your conflict. If you find stories of unnamed children, youths, kids, or families, it will be acceptable to tell their stories but just as much citation will be required.
• Check the Internet Public Library for more information on your conflict.
  
• Keep track of your sources as you research. Take good notes.

What do you do when you're done?

• Read the Catholic Memorial Blog.
• Visit the Catholic Memorial website and read recent news.
• Read the other blog entries in the English 12H Blog.