Tom's Decision?

PRO: Tom Wingfield is right to leave his family and follow his dreams.
CON: Tom Wingfield deserts his family at a critical juncture and deserves our scorn.

Take a side and make your argument in a well-thought-out paragraph.  Reply to another student with your thoughts on their reasoning.

The Missionaries

In part two, we see two different missionaries, Mr. Brown and Mr. Smith, with very different approaches to sharing the gospel.

Briefly describe each one, highlighting the differences between them.  Knowing that Achebe was a Christian, raised by a father in the ministry, what do you think he was trying to accomplish with these two characters?  If you think they could be a metaphor for something larger, explain your thoughts.

Things Fall Apart - Justice

Part I
Give a quick skim of Chapter 10 to refresh your memory about how justice is served in Umofia.
What do you see as the benefits and faults in resolving conflicts this way?  Does our American justice system have similar or different benefits and faults?

Part II
Consider the events of Chapter 13.  (Another quick skim) Okonkwo did not receive a trial, but was handed his punishment immediately.  Do you think this was fair?  Was his sentence just? (7 years of banishment and burning of his property)  Consider the situation from the perspective of the tribe.  What advantages did this resolution offer?  Should they have done something differently considering that the death was accidental?

(You don't have to answer every single question here, but give a thoughtful response to the overall situation.  Also respond to a peer, adding substantial thinking to their reply.)

Things Fall Apart, Part 1

Please choose ONE of the topics below and address the prompt.  (Please label your response with the number of the prompt chosen.  Reply thoughtfully to the initial prompt and also to a fellow student.

1.) Address the poem "The Second Coming" and why you think that Achebe may have chosen it as a prologue, as well as pulling his title from its text.

2.) There is an issue here of fate versus personal control over destiny.  For example, Okonkwo's father is sometimes held responsible for his own actions, while at other times he is referred to as ill-fated and a victim of evil-fortune.  Which do you think Okonkwo believes is true?  What do you think Achebe believes is true?  What do you believe?

3.) The sacrifice of Ikemefuma could be seen as being a parallel to the crucifixion of Jesus.  The event also raises a series of questions.  Ikemefuma and the villagers that are left behind are told that he is "going home" (p. 58).  Does this euphemism for dying contain truth for them?  Do they believe they are doing him a favor?  Why do they wait three years to do this?  Finally, Okonkwo, "the father," allows the sacrifice to occur as God presumably allowed Christ's sacrifice, with no resistance.  How can one accept this behavior and maintain love for the father or God?

4.) The villagers believe-- or pretend to believe-- that the "Supreme Court" of the nine egwugwu are ancestral spirits.   In fact, they are men of the village in disguise.  What does this say about the nature of justice in general, and in this village in particular?

Edna, Reconsidered

We've been pretty hard on Edna up to this point.  Consider, if you will, her cultural setting and the options available to her.  Are some of her choices understandable?  What are her motivations?  Did the book need to end the way it did?  Was this Edna's intended purpose or an accident?

Post a thoughtful reply to this prompt and a thoughtful reply to another student.

Freedom?

Edna is famous for chafing against what society expects of her.  I thought of her when I read this week that a 18 year old girl was suing her parents.

Here's the article:
CNN Article and Video Here

So what do you think?  How is the Rachel in this story like Edna?  How are the two different?

The Awakening Ch 3 - 9

Chopin is famous for her strength in writing characters.  You may not like them, you may not agree with them, but they are beautifully drawn through well-chosen actions and spot-on dialogue.  Although many assume Chopin had a feminist agenda in writing The Awakening, she always denied any such ideas.  She said that all of these characters existed in her head, and she just wrote what happened when she put them all together.

Look at the character of Edna.  How would you describe her in these early chapters?  What details did Chopin provide that lead you to describe Edna this way?  (List at least three details.)  How is her primary foil, Mrs. Ratignolle, different or similar?

After you post the answers to the above questions, please respond to another student, expanding on a point they made.  (Do not just compliment them on their ideas-- add something to the conversation.)

Letter Written One Year Later

Imagine that you are either Nora or Torvald, and a year has passed since the close of the play.  Write a letter to the other, telling what you wish you had both done differently.

Post your letter in a reply to this prompt.  Also reply to another student's letter.

What Men Say About Women

Directions:  Read through statements and write a reaction in your post to one quote in particular.  In your reaction, write the following: the original quote, paraphrased version of quote, your response to the quote.  Respond to one other student's post thoughtfully.

1.  A man likes his wife to be just clever enough to comprehend his cleverness, and just stupid enough to admire.  –Israel Zangwill

2.  Nature has given woman so much power that the law cannot afford to give her more.  –Samuel Johnson

3.  No trust is to be placed in women.  -Homer

4.  In childhood a woman must be subject to her father; in youth to her husband; when her husband is dead, to her sons.  A woman must never be free of subjugation.  –The Code of Manu

5.  Whoever trusts women plows the winds, sows the deserts of the sea, and writes his memoirs in the snow.  –Paul Flemming

6.  A very little wit is valued in a woman, as we are pleased with a few words spoken plain by a parrot.  –Jonathan Swift

7.  A woman, a spaniel, and a walnut tree, the more they’re beaten, the better they be.  –Thomas Fuller

8.  Women are to be talked to as below men and above children.  –Lord Chesterfield

9.  Women, destined to be obedient, ought to be disciplined early to bear wrongs without murmuring.  –H.H. Karnes

10.  Women are nothing but machines for producing children.  –Napoleon I

11.  Can you recall a woman who ever showed you with pride her library?  -Benjamin Decasseres

12.  A learned woman is twice a fool.  –Italian proverb

13.  Girls begin to talk and to stand on their feet sooner than boys because weeds always grow up more quickly than good crops.  –Martin Luther

14.  The wife ought not to have any feelings of her own but join with her husband.  -Plutarch

15.  Nature intended women to be our slaves…What a mad idea to demand equality for women!  -Napoleon I

Frankenstein Theme DIscussion

Topic: Who is the actual monster in Frankenstein?  

Topic:  What responsibilities did Victor, as the creator, have toward the monster?

Topic: Victor warns Robert that acquiring knowledge can lead to "destruction and infallible misery."  What serious consequences may the acquisition of knowledge have?

Choose ONE of the topics above.

In your initial post, give your opinion and two examples from the text to back up your assertion.  Also include a counterargument and how you'd address it.

Also post a reply to another student that includes intelligent discussion of the post they made.

Frankenstein Discussion (Ch 11-14)

Frankenstein Discussion

Reply to this post with intelligent commentary on ONE of the topics below.  Be sure to copy the question into your response so we know what you're talking about.  Also, thoughtfully reply to the post of a fellow student.

Questions (choose one):

1. Discuss how the feeling of the family's warm interactions affects the monsters.
2. How does the tone of the narrative help the monster and Victor as they align into almost a parallel being?
3. Who seems the better human in chapter 12, Victor or the monster?  Support your answer.
4. Think about chapter 14.  How are the monster and Safie alike?  How are they different?
5. The monster says: "Of what a strange nature is knowledge!  It clings to the mind when it has once seized on it like a lichen on the rock."  Elaborate from his point of view.
6. Think about the content of chapters 13 and 14 and how outsiders are treated.  Relate this to the way outsiders are treated today.  Remember to site specific examples from the text.

Medea Discussion

Medea Discussion

Reply to this post with intelligent commentary on ONE of the topics below.  Also, thoughtfully reply to the post of a fellow student.

Questions (choose one):

1. What is the effect of Medea's delayed entrance at the beginning of the play?
2. How is the scene with Aegeus of Athens relevant to Medea (at least two ways)?
3. Why does Medea pretend to be reconciled with Jason?
4. Discuss the use of deus ex machina.
5. Discuss the following quote as it relates to Jason's character:
1. "As to those acts of service you so loudly boast-- whom do I thank for them?  I thank divine Venus, the goddess who makes girls fall in love.  You did them because you had to do them; Venus compelled you..."
6. Analyze the extended metaphor in this quote:
1. "The wine I was pouring for you spilled on my hand-- Dear were the little grapes that were crushed to make it; dear were the vineyards."
7. Discuss the contrasting attitudes towards women advanced by Medea and the chorus.
8. How does Euripides allow us to feel sympathy for a woman who murders her children?

Medea Background Articles

Be sure to read the four articles from the website that give you more detailed background information that will be helpful when you read/view Medea.  In a reply below, write a brief summary of ONE of the articles.  Keep your summary factual and avoid wordiness.  Reply to another student's summary with a specific compliment or suggestion.

Thoughts on Achebe's Criticism

The Nigerian writer Chinua Achebe has claimed that Heart of Darkness is an "offensive and deplorable book" that "set[s] Africa up as a foil to Europe, as a place of negations at once remote and vaguely familiar, in comparison with which Europe's own state of spiritual grace will be manifest." Achebe says that Conrad does not provide enough of an outside frame of reference to enable the book to be read as ironic or critical of imperialism. Based on the evidence in the text (novella or article), argue for or against Achebe's assertion.  Is Conrad a racist?  Is the book worthy of study?

Heart of Darkness Text Discussion

Please consider the following questions about Heart of Darkness.

• Choose ONE question and provide a thoughtful reply (include the question number in your response). 
• Reply to a fellow student with thoughtful response.
• Worth 20 points, due 10/29 11:59pm

1. Explain why Marlow describes the choice between loyalty to Kurtz or the manager as "a choice of nightmares," and why Marlow chooses Kurtz who is outwardly the more evil of the two.
2. What does Kurtz mean by "The horror! The horror!" 
3. How is Kurtz a "hollow man"? 
4. What is the "heart of darkness"? 
5. Discuss Conrad's use of narrative parallels including the Roman and Belgian invasions, the mistress and the intended, and Kurtz and Marlow. 
6. Discuss Conrad's use of "impressionistic" techniques such as purposely obscuring details and the use of light and dark imagery and symbolism to achieve a more profound sense of truth. (Impressionism is a theory or style of painting that developed in France during the 1870's, characterized chiefly by concentration on the general impression produced by a scene or object and by the use of unmixed primary colors and small strokes to simulate actual reflected light. As a literary style, impressionism is characterized by the use of details and mental associations to evoke subjective and sensory impressions rather than recreate objective reality.) 
7. "Every soul has its dark and light truth-potential for degradation or nobility. The strongest barrier to this degradation is a previous commitment to faith and responsibility." Discuss this quote as Conrad uses it and as it applies to our world. 

Human Nature and Evil

Well, now you've had some time to read Heart of Darkness and consider some of the themes in the book.

In class, we broke-down and discussed "The Tiger" poem by William Blake.  We talked a lot about whether the tiger is evil or not, and how humans are alike and different than tigers in that aspect.  Please note that a mark-up of this poem is one of your assignments before Thursday.

We also talked a little about Freud.  I'll include a screenshot of the board during this discussion:

If you're not familiar with Freud's theories of ID, Ego, and Superego, give it a quick look-up.  Think about how you would compare these concepts to the characters that you've met in Heart of Darkness.

For this post (and reply), please consider your thoughts on the inherent nature of mankind.  Also consider the characters in the story (including the native Africans) and share your thoughts on this topic, using examples from life and the novella.

Post a thoughtful reply to the initial post and TWO thoughtful replies to other students.  All three posts must be complete by 10/17 11:59pm.

Welcome to Heart of Darkness.  Before we talk about the book itself, I'd like for you to consider a few questions.

Classroom students - This assignment is NOT for you (unless you really want to jump in).  We had this discussion in class already.

For 20 points, please respond thoughtfully to a question of your choosing from BOTH group 1 and group 2.  Also, please reply to two other students' original posts. (A total of four replies from you.)

Group 1 Questions - Pick ONE and reply to this post

• I would be willing to cheat on a test if I knew I wouldn't get caught and the teacher's tests were unreasonably difficult.
• I would be willing to spread a false rumor about someone I didn't respect.
• I believe I am superior to some people.
• Who do you have power over?  How do you use it?
• Who has power over you?  How do they use it?
• I would be willing to pay someone less than minimum wage if they were dumb enough to work for less.
• I would be willing to steal from someone I had no respect for.
• If I borrowed something from someone and they forgot about it, I would keep it if I really wanted it.

Group 2 Questions - Pick ONE and reply to this post

• American business is justified in underpaying foreign workers if it keeps the price down for its citizens.
• America has the right to intervene in other sovereign countries to protect its economic interests.
• America is the greatest nation in the world; other nations should defer to our wisdom.
• Do our schools foster egalitarianism or divisions and elitism, winners and losers?

On top of these two original post replies, remember to reply to two other students to earn full credit.  You should have a total of four replies by 11:59pm 10/10.

Hamlet Discussion for Online Students - Due 9/26, 11:50pm

Worth 20 points

Be sure to write two substantive and thoughtful posts:

1. Answer one of the questions below (in your post, indicate which one you're addressing).  Do not copy your whole essay (that was due Tuesday) in with documentation included, but summarize your opinion and give brief reasoning for your position.
2. Reply to another student's post. (Not just a reply to what someone said to you.)

Topics

1. Hamlet is often thought of as a cautious, contemplative person. To what extent does Shakespeare's use of language in the soliloquies confirm or disprove this opinion?
2. 'Frailty, thy name is woman.'  How accurately may this description be applied to Gertrude and Ophelia?
3. How has Hamlet changed, if at all, upon his return from England?
4. One critic has written of Claudius that he is "a good king, but a bad man."  Is this true in your opinion?
5. Are the king's agents, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, and Polonius, villains themselves?
6. As he dies, Laertes says that he is "justly killed."  Do you agree with this opinion?
7. What does your reading of the play lead you to think about revenge?  Account for your opinions carefully.

Looney Tones - Due 9/3 11:59pm - worth 20 points

Choose one of these tone words:

            Love               Irritation         Despair          Weariness

            Satisfaction   Boredom        Disbelief        Suspicion

            Joy                  Ambivalence             Indifference

            Sarcasm         Loneliness                 Embarrassment

Write a sentence or sentences in the spirit of this literary tone using the writer's tools: imagery, diction, syntax, figurative and ironic devices (without directly using the tone word,) and building to the dialogue, "I will. "

Ex.: Determination: The salesman's jaw jutted out, his eyes glinted steel. He looked at his stack of Bibles and the endless rows of houses ahead, "I will."

Ex.: Indolence: The boy lay in bed thinking about the mountain of chores his mother had laid out for him that Saturday.  He shut his eyes again as he heard the maternal feet padding down the hallway towards his room.  He yawned, "I will."

Post your submission on the class discussion board.  In a reply to the original comment, each student should look at two other students’ sentences, guess the tone and discuss how the tone is created (point of yiew, diction, syntax, imagery, figurative devices, symbols, ironic devices, rhetorical devices, and sonic devices.)

Getting to Know You - Due by midnight 8/22

Compose a post in the Comments section below (Click "Add a comment") that answers the following questions in a thoughtful manner.  When you have responded to the initial post, continue the conversation by replying to another student (click "reply" below the student to whom you'd like to reply).

Worth 40 points-- 20 for a strong post, and 20 for a strong reply.

1. What is your name, the place you live, and your history with homeschooling and/or Horizon.
2. What is your favorite recent read?  Why?
3. What is your favorite all-time read?  Why?
4. List two colleges that you are interested in attending and the lowest AP score that they'll take to give you credit for your AP exam.
5. What makes you most apprehensive about this class?
6. What makes you most excited about this class?