Metamorphosis Blog Post #1: Transformation

We have only read the beginning pages of Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka and we have yet to full understand why Gregor has turned into a giant cockroach, but we have discussed how transformation can occur in our lives and what can symbolize that transformation. So in a 2-3 paragraph blog post, describe a way in which you or someone you know has transformed in their lives and compare it to A) how or why you think Gregor may be transforming based on what we know about him thus far (and include a quote!), and B) another real life example of transformation you find from researching online. It could be a news story, something in history, a song's lyrics, a movie, or a celebrity. Use your Google and your noodle. Questions to consider if stuck:

• What does the cockroach symbolize? What does it say about Gregor's life or what's become of it?
• Is there a time in your life where you realized you'd changed drastically? Tell the story.
• Why do people transform? Why don't they just stay the same throughout their lives? Or do some?
• Does your real life example's transformation seem more or less extraordinary than Gregor's? Explain.

Some places to research transformation (or change/metamorphosis) in the news, around the world, or from the past: Google News, Star Tribune, BBC, and History Channel. You may also do a "lyrics" search on Google to find a song if you choose that route. Let me know if you find an article/information elsewhere!

Othello Blog Post #1: Jealousy & Deceit

Hey everyone -- while I'm at the doctor's, would you be so kind as to do this blog post assignment about Act 3 of Othello? No? Too bad; do it anyway. SERVED!

Anyway, here's what I'm looking for: pick a character in particular to blog about and write their name along with your initials up on the board. Only two people maximum per character please! Look for two quotes from your character (at least one in Act 3) that you think you can explain the importance of and translate. Make sure to put each quote in "quote marks" and include page numbers!

In your TWO paragraph-long explanations, try to make at least one connection to a theme in the play. The main themes so far are JEALOUSY (which we have talked about) and DECEIT (which means the act of deceiving, tricking, or manipulating). Every major character in this play suffers from both themes, so no excuses!

If you find yourself absolutely stuck, you can ask Ms. Schriver for the modernized version of Othello, but please do not hog it. Also, if you're stuck on what to write about, consider the following questions:

- Why does this quote stand out to you as a reader/listener?
- What does this quote tell us about the character's personality?
- How might this quote help you predict something that the character will do later in the play?

LASTLY! Do not forget to put your initials in the 'Labels' box of your post before you press 'Publish'!

Metamorphosis Blog Post: Life's Struggle

For your one and only blog post on Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka, consider the second theme of the novella: Life's Struggle. Choose a struggle in particular that you think most people experience in life, including Gregor, to discuss and describe/explain the following aspects of the struggle...

1) How is this struggle psychological, emotional, AND physical?

2) How does Gregor experience this life struggle in some shape or form, either when he was human or now, as a cockroach?

3) How does at least one other family member (sister Grete, mother, or father) experience this same life struggle, but maybe in a different way?

4) Can someone/Gregor survive this struggle? Explain how.

Don't forget to include a QUOTE with PAGE # from the novella (copies are available on the computer lab's middle table) to help support one of your points above!

Also don't forget to leave your INITIALS in the 'Labels' section before you publish your post!

EXTRA CREDIT: Connect your life struggle to somebody's 1984 post (scroll through past blog posts) and leave a comment (w/ your initials) explaining the connection!

1984 Blog Post #3: Martyrdom (Last One!)

Either before or after you do your blog post, publish at least two detailed and insightful comments on classmates' blog posts. Answer a question that they ask or offer your opinion in response to theirs - don't forget to put your initials at the bottom of each comment!

For your final blog post on 1984, focus on the topic of martyrdom for 1-2 detailed paragraphs. Now that you've finished the book, consider why Orwell ended Winston's story on such a depressing anti-climactic note. Think about this in relation to a martyr from history that you do a little of research about online before you begin writing. Questions to possibly answer and other requirements for the blog post are below.

• What does it mean to be a martyr? What clues before the book's ending made us think Winston might be one?
• How did Big Brother still kill Winston without making him a martyr? Why was it important for Orwell to end the book this way?
• What other martyrs have there been in history? Imagine/describe what the world might have been like if these figures hadn't died as martyrs. Imagine/describe what the world might have been like if these people hadn't been able to communicate their independent thought!

Other requirements for the blog post: 1) The title of the post should be the name of the martyr you researched, 2) Include a quote with page number when making a connection between your martyr and Winston, and 3) Include a link to a web site (NOT Wikipedia) where people can learn more information about the martyr you researched.

1984 Blog Post #2: Privacy

Either before or after writing your post, publish two comments on any classmates' blog posts on 1984 thus far. Be sure to include your initials in each comment so I know it was written by you. Comments should be 1-2 sentence detailed opinions (not simply 'good post' or 'I agree').

For your second blog post on 1984, focus on the theme of privacy. Offer two examples from our modern world that link back to the topic at hand: 1) how do we/you retain privacy in today's hyper-surveilled world and why is it a necessity? and 2) when/where is our/your right to privacy most significantly invaded by the government, the media, and/or other organizations?

In your post, as you answer these questions, also include a connection back to the characters/events of 1984 with a quote (and page number in parentheses). Consider what is different/similar between the real world and what Orwell predicted a future without privacy might look like. Finally, be sure to end your post with 2 open-ended questions regarding what you wrote about for classmates to answer. BONUS points if you use a vocab word from the first half of the book in your post. Must be bolded to catch my attention and earn extra credit.

Don't forget to put your initials in the 'Labels' section of your post before you publish it!

1984: Blog Post #1

For your first blog post on the novel 1984, consider the theme of temptation. Because Winston lives in a world controlled completely by an oppressive government, he is often going to be tempted to break rules, norms, and laws. But why? And how are people tempted nowadays? And why do we experience temptation? We don't live in a world like Oceania, do we? Choose something that you think is a common temptation in our society as your topic (and title of your blog post) and write a paragraph comparing that temptation to what Winston experiences in 1984.

*A strong paragraph is typically 4-6 sentences and should include specifics and detail.
*Make sure to start off your blog entry with a quote (with page number in parentheses)!
*Include a picture related to your topic of temptation - ask me if you don't know how.
*At the end of your post, ask two open-ended questions about your topic and/or anything from the book that you may have mentioned in your post.
*Put your initials in the "Labels" section of your post so I know you wrote it!

Act 5 + Shakespeare Terms

Final blogging day for Othello! Woot woot! In the comments section, do one of the following:

1) Identify an important quote from Act 5 and offer a reason why it is significant

OR

2) Explain what one of these Shakespearean stage directions means: MONOLOGUE, SOLILOQUY, ASIDE, DRAMATIC IRONY

OR

3) Explain one of these psychological terms in relation to the events of Othello: REVERSE PSYCHOLOGY, SELECTIVE LISTENING, INTERNALIZED RACISM, MISOGYNY

Identifying Quotes

Suggest a quote from Metamorphosis that you think fits any of the following and explain why:

1) Existentialism
2) Modernism
3) Struggle
4) Transformation
5) Gregor's personality
6) The father's personality
7) The mother's personality
8) The sister's personality
9) The lodgers' personality
10) The chief clerk's personality

Modernism + Franz Kafka

Respond to the following quotes (your interpretation) based on your reading of Metamorphosis:

On Modernism:

"My task which I am trying to achive is, by the power of the written word, to make you hear, to make you feel - it is before all, to make you see." -Joseph Conrad

"Let us record the atoms as they fall upon the mind in the order in which they fall, let us trace the pattern, however disconnected and incoherent in appearance." -Virginia Woolf

"Works of art always spring from those who have faced the danger, gone to the very end of an experience, to the point beyond which no human being can go." -Rainer Maria Rilke

"If a little dreaming is dangerous, the cure for it is not to dream less but to dream more, to dream all the time." -Marcel Proust

From the Author:

"I have the true feeling of myself only when I am unbearably unhappy." -Frank Kafka

Leftover Vocab & Questions

Last 5 Vocab Words:

Brevity = Chortness
Chagrin = Feeling of disappointment
Allocutions = Formal speeches
Mastication = Chewing
Suppression = The act of keeping something from happening

More Questions from Classmates to Respond To:

1) Why does the family not seem bothered by the transformation?

2) Who's going to take care of Gregor? What will this person need to do?

3) Why is Gregor so hungry? Does his family not feed him?

4) What will it truly take for Gregor to turn back into a human?

5) Should Gregor turn back into a human, how will it affect his mental state? Will he think like a bug or a human?

6) Why is the apple still stuck in Gregor?

7) Do the lodgers know that Gregor is a bug or if he is even there?

8) Why does Gregor crawl into the living room when the lodgers are there?

9) Did Gregor ever have any hope in becoming human again? Why or why not?

***Put the number of the question you're responding to in your comment.***

Comment Review Day 03.02.09

Today we're reviewing the entire book. Please do the following:

1) Read through all the posts that everyone has written. When you get to the bottom of this page, click the "older posts" link to read more.

2) Write at least FOUR THOUGHTFUL COMMENTS on four different blog posts. You do this by clicking the "_ comments" link at the end of a post. Then you write your thoughtful comment in the window that pops up.

Here's what I mean by "thoughtful":

- a detailed response to an opinion you read (why you do or do not agree with the blogger) - an interpretation of a quote that the blogger wrote down
- bringing up an event/theme/character from the book that a blogger forgot to mention and giving your two cents on why it's important
- giving your detailed opinion about an event/theme/character the blogger did mention, telling us why you think it's important (or maybe why you think it's not as important as something else)
- using one of the vocab words in a sentence that shows me you know what the word means (YOU MAY ONLY DO THIS FOR ONE OF YOUR COMMENTS)

3) Add your initials to the bottom of your comment so I know it was you who wrote it (don't use your name though for safety reasons!)

4) After each comment you write, click "Anonymous," then click "Publish Your Comment".

If you want to discuss the ending of the book, write comments here! Test tomorrow!

QUESTIONS/TERMS FOR THE END OF THE BOOK:

Does Winston die at the end of the novel? Explain.

Where does he end up after getting let go from the Ministry of Love and why?

Terms to know: Newspeak, telescreen, speakwrite, crimestop, facecrime

Comment Review Day 12.15.08

Today we're reviewing the entire book, but specifically the most recent posts that have no comments on them.

1) Read through all the posts that everyone has written. When you get to the bottom of this page, click the "older posts" link to read more.

2) Write at least FOUR THOUGHTFUL COMMENTS on four different blog posts. You do this by clicking the "_ comments" link at the end of a post. Then you write your thoughtful comment in the window that pops up. Here's what I mean by "thoughtful":

- a detailed response to an opinion you read (why you do or do not agree with the blogger)
- an interpretation of a quote that the blogger wrote down
- bringing up an event/theme/character from the book that a blogger forgot to mention and giving your two cents on why it's important
- giving your detailed opinion about an event/theme/character the blogger did mention, telling us why you think it's important (or maybe why you think it's not as important as something else)
- using one of the vocab words in a sentence that shows me you know what the word means (YOU MAY ONLY DO THIS FOR ONE OF YOUR COMMENTS)

3) Add your initials to the bottom of your comment so I know it was you who wrote it (don't use your name though for safety reasons!)

4) After each comment you write, click "Anonymous," then click "Publish Your Comment"

If you want to discuss the ending of the book (Dracula's demise), write comments here!

Test tomorrow!

Comment Review Day 11.14.2008

Hey everyone,

I couldn't make it in today, but luckily I can write to you on the class blog! How cool is that? First and foremost, I hopefully don't need to explain myself when I say please be respectful to whoever is filling in for me today and get some work done to help boost your grade. Let's reflect back on the last chunk of Dracula we've read, then we'll regroup when I return. Here's what you do, for anyone that needs a refresher on comment review days:

1) Read through all the posts that everyone has written. When you get to the bottom of this page, click the "older posts" link to read more.

2) Write at least FOUR THOUGHTFUL COMMENTS on four different blog posts. You do this by clicking the "_ comments" link at the end of a post. Then you write your thoughtful comment in the window that pops up. Here's what I mean by "thoughtful":

- a detailed response to an opinion you read (why you do or do not agree with the blogger)
- an interpretation of a quote that the blogger wrote down
- bringing up an event/theme/character from the book that a blogger forgot to mention and giving your two cents on why it's important
- giving your detailed opinion about an event/theme/character the blogger did mention, telling us why you think it's important (or maybe why you think it's not as important as something else)
- using one of the vocab words in a sentence that shows me you know what the word means (YOU MAY ONLY DO THIS FOR ONE OF YOUR COMMENTS)

3) Add your initials to the bottom of your comment so I know it was you who wrote it (don't use your name though for safety reasons!)

4) After each comment you write, click "Anonymous," then click "Publish Your Comment"

Thanks! I'm reading through the posts now and a lot of you have some great ideas to respond to. However, if you think a post is missing something important (I can think of a few things!), add it in the comments. The more we have on this blog, I guarantee you the better you'll all do on the test you'll eventually have!

-Mr. Polley

P.S. If you want to discuss the part of the book you read for homework, you may do so in the comments section of this post.

"A brave man's blood is the best thing on this earth when a woman is in trouble. You're a man and no mistake. Well, the devil may work against us for all he's worth, but God sends us men when we want them." -Wacky Old Man Van Helsing (p. 157)

Sexist? Discuss amongst yourselves.