Monday, June 16, 2008
News from Adams
Hey everyone! This is Ms. Adams. I have started Native Son. I have also broken my right wrist (ugh!) and will be casted for 6 weeks. I am typing with my left hand only but will do my best to respond. Thanks again to Grace for setting this up. Don't be afraid to converse -- I won't grill you! But I encourage you all to start the book this week. Pacing is key!!
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14 comments:
As always, I'll take the first shot. I've read most of the book, spending about 1/2 an hour on it each day. It's interesting and I'm not really having any trouble with the symbols et all.
Did you get to the last court scene yet?
Yeah, I'm almost finished. I think that Bigger is not justified in his actions, but should not have been condemned.
Interesting. Did you feel Wright was successful with his courtroom scenes -- what was he trying to accomplish? Was his goal to make Bigger appear justified? Sympathetic? Whose voice comes through so clearly in this section?Great to hear from you.
As usual, I've skipped past the comments because I've waited too long to join, so now , my invite is expired, and I have not finished the book, though I have started, and, I've even made a run-on, or two. I will say this, I'm very undecided with Bigger. I can't even telll you if I like him, because, one page he's talking about erections, the next couple pages, he gets a job, and, he almost seems, dignified, but I guess it's hard to say in the middle (more like the first third, XP [that's supposed to be a squisshy faced person with their- HIS {sorry} tonguesticking out], but I am reading it!) of the book.
Oh, may I say, after finally finishing my second book, how terribly dreadful I feel about reading a third? Must I suffer so to learn that life sucks? I know this, and I barely know of any tragedy. What's more tragic is that I'm still writing on this blog, which obviously no one has in months (but me) and that I have yet to grow an appreciation for the life I live outside these damnable books other than a first-time relationship. I honestly feel these books have so very little to offer but the futility of life and a negative outlook to boot. Can you honestly say you think these books will somehow help me broaden my scope of life and it's unknowns by trying to understand how someone could conceive of a tragedy, when really, as a human being, I ought to conceive of success and happiness through motivation and pride, rather than fear and pain? I may drop this course, and not because of the teachers, to whom I thank and i love dearly, but because in an atempt to teacher a subject of literature, we only measure our suffering in serious consideration. Unfortunately, I need this IB credit, so I will not drop, but, I will be very vocally perturbed if I do not find some meaning behind this. If you offer such a thing, I will take to it with open arms.
Who are you? David? I can offer some meaning in that this teaches us to stick to a schedule and teaches us how to pace ourselves (or not) in completing a task. It also helps us look analytically at a piece of fiction, which might come in handy in a later career. This might not be the most appropriate forum for complaining though...
In all seriousness (as if I wasn't before) how do we organize the author bio section? Is it chronologically up to number 16? Do the facts have to be in 16-20, or can we list them as they occur? Lastly, what format should the ones relating the the book be in?
Statement about author's life, how it relates to book. (Page #'s)
or
Statement about author's life. (Page #'s)
Dan: Thanks for trying to answer David's "rantings" as he referred to them in a follow-up e-mail to me. :) I think he feels better now.
Regarding your questions on the author bio, first I think the sample provided would help. But let me try to be more detailed.
With some works, there are only a few direct correlations between the author's life and the book itself. For those works, you would simply research the author and provide 15 interesting and factual pieces of info. I suppose they could be in any order but chronological makes sense and shows you didn't rush through this assignment at the last minute. Always nice to impress the teacher. The final five, which follow the same format, must show a correlation. I think you can still make that correlation in a sentence or two: for example, "Wright grew up without a father, who abandoned his family early on, just as Bigger is raised in a single-parent home." Stylistically, you jot down the number, write a sentence, then put the number notation correlating to your biblio in parentheses, and close with a period.
Did I answer your question? If not, please ask for more clarification. And by the way, thanks for blogging with me!!
Ms. A
p.s. If someone doesn't argue that Grapes of Wrath is all about the strength of the human spirit, love of family, rising above suffering, etc., I'm going to cry. Such a book is not meant to be depressing -- convicting, yes, troubling, yes, but wholly futile and negative?? Please say no, David!
Joe: A public and very sincere apology for addressing you as Dan in my last blog. Old habits are hard to break and your brother's name rolled off my fingertips. I will try to do better in the future.
Ms. A
It's okay, it really doesn't bother me anymore. Actually, I have a question almost unrelated to book notes. I've noticed that IB English usually has two classes, one which is nearly full, and one which is nearly empty. I know that IB 12 has a 1st and 3rd class this year, and I was wondering if one of them is exceptionally small or large.
Yeah, I'm very sorry, I didn't mean to loose sight like that. I feel better now that I've actually looked at the booknotes format, I think I've calmed. And I was reffering to Madame Bovary as the ever depressing novel of frustration, I'm enjoying Grapes much more. Again, sorry. I get that way when I stay away from school, I feel all liberated and full of confidence, and yet, I loose my brain every now and then.
To Joe: Good question. I've had several experiences with the division of the two sections. The scheduling is in the hands of the administrators and the counselors. The goal, of course, would be an even slice down the middle. But one year I had a single class with only 5 students and all the rest in the other. Talk about a challenge! Last year was much better -- 16 in one and 11 in the other. I wish I knew myself how this year is going to be split, but we usually don't find out our class rosters until the day before school starts! We'll make the best of whatever happens -- I've learned it always works out in the end.
To David: Don't feel badly -- summer blogging is all about being honest and working through our emotions. At least you wrote!! Emma can be a taxing character, but we can have fun with the book and there is much to learn from the style of writing. Glad to hear you are enjoying Grapes -- it is the summer reading book that I personally added to the curriculum and although this is the fifth time I have read it over the summer, I am still amazed and enthralled with it.
To Grace: Are you out there, my friend?
To all seniors: Where are you??? No questions? No howdys??? No "How's your broken wrist Ms. Adams??" I miss you and I don't even know you yet!
Ms. Adams
I feel faint
Well, kiddos, Ms. Adams is signing off the blog at this point. I am back to school officially on Thursday and so this summer vehicle is over for me. Please feel free to communicate amongst yourselves hereafter if you desire, but know that I will only be checking my personal e-mail account and my school e-mail address from now on should you have any questions. See you soon!!
p.s. David, grab a paper bag and breathe deeply!
Ms. A
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