You may recall that we asked what the American Creed was about three weeks ago for Journal 6. In this entry, Neil Postman's question: what is the American Creed and Spirituality?
One of our reasons for thinking about this due to the prevailing themes in early American (as well as most other cultures) writing that focused on the spiritual and religious. You will see that this is one of the themes pointed out in the slide show shared with you on Thursday.
Take a look at this article;
Why are increasing numbers of Americans declaring themselves as having “no religion”? Don’t automatically assume that a new wave of godlessness is sweeping the land, writes Christopher McKnight Nichols in the Fall 2009 issue of Culture magazine. Nichols attributes the trend to three different factors, none of them having to do with humanism, paganism, socialism, or Satanism taking over:
“First, over the past few decades there has been a marked trend toward sharper polarization among religious outlooks.” Nichols cites the rise of evangelical Christian influence under the George W. Bush presidency, but also the more recent emergence of polemic “new atheists” such as Richard Dawkins, Christopher Hitchens, and Sam Harris.
“Second, diverse changes on the geopolitical stage have had profound impacts on images of public religion.” Americans’ common enemy used to be the godless powers of Europe and Asia. Now we are chilled by the specter of Islamist extremists driven by a deep religiosity—and suddenly it’s not so clear whose side God is on. “No doubt there will be important consequences for American civic culture,” he writes, “now that affirming America’s godliness no longer servers to distinguish ‘us’ from ‘them.’ ”
“Finally, alienation from organized religion is growing for other reasons.” While Nichols is hard pressed to speculate on these reasons, he notes that while fewer of us are calling ourselves “religious,” more of us are calling ourselves “spiritual,” indicating a growing acceptance that the two are not synonymous—and that “one can believe in God and yet have no religion.”
Source: Culture (article available in PDF)
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Extra Credit Opportunity
Event: Sound Unseen Local Shorts Program
"Local films! Local music! Local!!"
What: Movie/TV Night
Start Time: Saturday, October 3 at 7:00pm
End Time: Saturday, October 3 at 9:00pm
Where: Oak Street Cinema
To see more details and RSVP, follow the link below:
http://www.facebook.com/n/? event.php&eid=144271829833& mid=12d5711G20d6b77bG37537ccG7
Give a summary of the films you saw, a program and ticket stub.
10 points towards journals
"Local films! Local music! Local!!"
What: Movie/TV Night
Start Time: Saturday, October 3 at 7:00pm
End Time: Saturday, October 3 at 9:00pm
Where: Oak Street Cinema
To see more details and RSVP, follow the link below:
http://www.facebook.com/n/?
Give a summary of the films you saw, a program and ticket stub.
10 points towards journals
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Thursday Am Lit/ BAV - Legend of Sleepy Hollow -- F. Douglass -- Syntax Analysis -- review 7.5
We will review the home work on 7.5 from the packet and then read the Legend of Sleepy Hollow together--
Written by Washington Irving in the early 1800s. They are presented to the reader as true tales from the collected papers of one Diedrich Knickerbocker. Both take place in the late 1700s and are placed in the Catskill mountains of upstate New York. Irving was an American romantic writer, so all of his writing has elements of the supernatural. His stories also exalt the natural world. Indeed, the The setting, with its rolling hills, deep, hidden valleys, rushing streams and rivers, and quiet ponds, lends itself well to the story which uses folklore and superstition to build their respective story lines. -- the Hudson River valley and the Catskill mountains are not only the setting for these tales, they are also characters in them
Let's read The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and the Postscript on the next page-- LINK to STORY -- I will have print copies of the story in class, but you might want to read it at home too.
We will then take a paragraph and look at the voice regarding SYNTAX and voice regarding word choice, diction, and coordinating conjunctions and punctuation.
Choose a paragraph with a partner, choose a paragraph and see hao many compound sentences you find.
What do they do to the story?
Packet for compound sentences is due on Tuesday!
Look for a POP - Quiz
Study Guide Questions for Sleepy Hollow
Enotes for background
Audio for online listening or download to MP3
Written by Washington Irving in the early 1800s. They are presented to the reader as true tales from the collected papers of one Diedrich Knickerbocker. Both take place in the late 1700s and are placed in the Catskill mountains of upstate New York. Irving was an American romantic writer, so all of his writing has elements of the supernatural. His stories also exalt the natural world. Indeed, the The setting, with its rolling hills, deep, hidden valleys, rushing streams and rivers, and quiet ponds, lends itself well to the story which uses folklore and superstition to build their respective story lines. -- the Hudson River valley and the Catskill mountains are not only the setting for these tales, they are also characters in them
Let's read The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and the Postscript on the next page-- LINK to STORY -- I will have print copies of the story in class, but you might want to read it at home too.
We will then take a paragraph and look at the voice regarding SYNTAX and voice regarding word choice, diction, and coordinating conjunctions and punctuation.
Choose a paragraph with a partner, choose a paragraph and see hao many compound sentences you find.
What do they do to the story?
Packet for compound sentences is due on Tuesday!
Look for a POP - Quiz
Study Guide Questions for Sleepy Hollow
Enotes for background
Audio for online listening or download to MP3
BAV -- Black American Voices
Remember the key elements of this course are: voice, social justice, the American Creed, the role of education, and the the perspectives of those who might not have been invited to the table to be heard.
First published in 1845, the Narrative of the life of Frederick Douglass became Frederick Douglass's most well known work. It is as the name implies his autobiography.
Frederick Douglass was born a slave and underwent horrendous treatment at the hands of his owners. He later escaped to the north and became an outspoken abolitionist. Not only did he have a great life story to tell, his skill in telling it has long been admired. Douglass traveled throughout Europe lecturing about slavery.
After publication, the Narrative of the life of Frederick Douglass quickly became a best seller and within three years there were over 11,000 copies published in the United States, had been reprinted nine times and had been translated into two languages (Dutch and French). The book was so well written that some argued that an ex-slave could not be as articulate as Frederick Douglass demonstrated himself to be. Of course, Douglass did write the book and it stands today as a monument to the human spirit and what may be achieved with hard work no matter where in society somebody may begin.
Frederick Douglass had to leave the United States and flee to Ireland for a period after the books publication and its immediate success for some believed that Douglas' ex-owner Hugh Auld might try to get his "property" returned. After two years he was able to return to the United States after his freedom was purchased for $710 from Auld.
If you are interested in learning about the life of a great man who rose above his birth as a slave and became one of the greatest literary figures in American history, the Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass is the book to read.
From Chapter 1 -- key quotes
By far the larger part of the slaves know as little of their ages as horses know of theirs, and it is the wish of most masters to keep their slaves thus ignorant" (p. 21). [The intentional ignorance of slaves plays an important role in Frederick's understanding of the system.] (Education)
"He was a cruel man, hardened by a long life of slaveholding" (p. 24). [This is an important point that Frederick will continue to make throughout the narrative.] (History)
"It was the blood-stained gate, the entrance to hell of slavery, through which I was about to pass" (p. 25).
Home work for Thursday Night -- Early American Lit
This slide show gives a beginning to our investigation of Early American Literature leading to our current current experience and expectations for the future.
Familiarize yourself with the time line by taking notes and listing important vocabulary and themes (ideas) from the slide show below -- expect a quiz on this and our packet on compound sentences and its contents.
Familiarize yourself with the time line by taking notes and listing important vocabulary and themes (ideas) from the slide show below -- expect a quiz on this and our packet on compound sentences and its contents.
Wednesday -- Syntax -- Compound Sentences and beyond
You will need your notebooks here to create a series of outlines on SYNTAX.
You may remember that SYNTAX is an element of voice.
You will want to be ready for a mini-quiz on Syntax and compound sentences, coordinating conjunctions, punctuation, and what they mean in the sharing of ideas, as well as composing ideas as text.
Also, what is a text?
Today, get out your CORNELL Notes
We are going to be creating an organizer for elements of syntax and how it works with voice to recreate meaning working ahand-in-hand with punctuation, grammar, meter, themes, pitch, emphasis, and word choice.
All language, including slang, has syntax, grammar, and punctuation.
Language is cultural, political, and has a basis in power.
What are these syntax, grammar, and punctuation used to convey?
What might a coordinating conjunction do to influence meaning?
What are CCs?
Key words today: vernacular, dialect, slang, grammar, punctuation, coordinating conjunction, independent clause, sentence types.
, ; -- . . . .
Know what these symbols are and represent, as well as what they do!
Let's read The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and the Postscript on the next page-- LINK to STORY
Then we will see if we can identify some of the features listed above, and that you practiced in your compound sentences packet.
Make sure to finish the compound sentences packet tonight as homework.
You may remember that SYNTAX is an element of voice.
You will want to be ready for a mini-quiz on Syntax and compound sentences, coordinating conjunctions, punctuation, and what they mean in the sharing of ideas, as well as composing ideas as text.
Also, what is a text?
Today, get out your CORNELL Notes
We are going to be creating an organizer for elements of syntax and how it works with voice to recreate meaning working ahand-in-hand with punctuation, grammar, meter, themes, pitch, emphasis, and word choice.
All language, including slang, has syntax, grammar, and punctuation.
Language is cultural, political, and has a basis in power.
What are these syntax, grammar, and punctuation used to convey?
What might a coordinating conjunction do to influence meaning?
What are CCs?
Key words today: vernacular, dialect, slang, grammar, punctuation, coordinating conjunction, independent clause, sentence types.
, ; -- . . . .
Know what these symbols are and represent, as well as what they do!
Let's read The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and the Postscript on the next page-- LINK to STORY
Then we will see if we can identify some of the features listed above, and that you practiced in your compound sentences packet.
Make sure to finish the compound sentences packet tonight as homework.
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Wednesday -- BAV -- SYNTAX -- Frederick Douglass
We are beginning the "Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass."
You have the book -- here it is online LINK
You should be looking beyond me and what I offer in class to see what other people say about him and learn what he was about. Do not come to trust and rely upon one source of information-- choose to extend yourself and invest your time and thought into things you do not know and in the process become more than yourself presently.
This, the act of learning, is becoming.
We have agreed that we will read the first chapter together, and that the compound sentences packet is due Thursday, October 1.
We will begin looking at VOICE -- especially SYNTAX -- to ready ourselves for our first quiz next Monday.
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Redemption Monday
This image, by Pedro Bull is called "Redemption"
If you look carefully to the eye and whats comes from the back of the man and remember Dali it will look like Dali"s mustache and eye .
It is a portait of Dali's pride according to the artist
Let us redeem any points missed on Thursday's exam.
You will receive print-outs of your online exam and we will go over the questions.
You may correct your answers and describe why they are right to get half-credit on what you missed.
Compound Sentences
This is going to be our entry into syntax and grammar, as well as punctuation.
These three elements describe voice as static print to make voice come alive.
As we become aware of how they work in literature and conversation, we will begin to see how important they are for us to know -- and how easy they are!
We will start with compound and then learn other categorizations, as well as clauses and phrases as we go deeper into VOICE.
Make sure you take a packet and begin work on exercises 7.1 -- 7.3 and have them ready for class on Wednesday!
Don't be surprised if we have a quiz on these items.
If we have time, we can do a short relaxation and explore the role of breath in voice and oral reading -- and how this coincides with syntax and punctuation, as well as grammar.
Weird how it is all tied together -- I think it is cool and makes it easier to understand!
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