ela reflection

1. 1. What was the most fun/engaging activity that you did in ELA this year? Why was it fun/engaging?
   The most enjoyable thing I did in ELA this year was making films in my response projects. Being able to write, film and edit a film is just very engaging.
   2. What was the most boring activity that you did this year? Why was it boring?
   Vocab exercises weren’t very interesting. I can’t really think of a better way to learn vocab but it still wasn’t super interesting just completing a few sentences.
   3. What was your favorite book this year? Why?
   My favorite book this year was maus. I enjoyed the artistic representation of a historical topic and felt like the book drew my interest well.
   4. What was your least favorite book this year? Why?
   My least favorite book was a raisin in the sun. While I think the civil rights moment in general was very important and a great topic to read about, this work of fiction just doesn’t really hold my interest through long rants and monologues.
   5. What should I definitely keep the same for next year's ELA curriculum? Why?
   Keep seminars, because it helps my understanding of books when I’m able to hear everyone’s thoughts and it’s a great way to figure out how well I personally understand the book.
   6. What should I definitely change for next year's ELA curriculum? Why?
   Less vocab exercises would be nice next year. I didn’t really find them super helpful and they were rather boring.
   7. Is there anything else that you would like to tell me about your experience in ELA? If so - please put it here.
   gg

What was Walter thinking

We have finished A Raisin in the Sun. For this blog post, you can address anything about the book that interests you, whether we have discussed in class or not.

I think it's interesting how Walter wanted to be successful so badly that he never really took time to listen to others and analyze the risk he was taking with the money. Throughout the book he is warned not to trust shady people and not invest in the liquor store by pretty much his whole family. He was so dissatisfied with his current situation that he saw gambling with the family's money as the only way he could live up to the expectations of the "man of the house". I wonder how the book would of ended if the venture had worked out. Would Walter feel like he had finally proved himself?

The shoes are too small

Put yourself into the shoes of the Younger family. What do you think it would be like to live in a tiny, three-room apartment with three generations of your family, without the choice or resources to move elsewhere?

I believe that having to live in the cramped conditions described in the book would have many negative effects psychologically. Having so many people around would make it hard to relax and I imagine that any bad moods of one person in the house would easily put everyone else in a bad mood. Not having the ability to move somewhere else would give a sense of being trapped. The home would turn into a prison that you got to leave in the morning but must always return at night.

ELA responce

What did you do this semester in ELA that was most meaningful to you, and why was it meaningful?
What was the most challenging thing about ELA this semester, and why?
What would you like to change about ELA, and why?
What would you like to stay the same in ELA, and why?
If you have any further comments about the class, please include them.

 The most meaningful thing I did in ELA this semester was reading the alchemist. It was a deeply symbolic and spiritual book and i enjoyed reading it. the most challenging thing was keeping up with blog post, because they felt separated from the class itself and the only time that they were mentioned was when we were reminded to write them. I fell like if we discussed blog post in class they would feel more significant. The books we read in ELA are much more interesting than what I've had to read in past english classes; keep that.

violence in books 22-24

1. Analyze the purpose of all of the violence in books 22-24. Do you think that this is necessary for Odysseus' successful nostos? Why or why not?

i believe that Odysseus was justified killing the suiters because they didn't respect his home, they tied to steal his wife away, and they plotted to kill him and his son. killing the maids was maybe a bit far though. while they didn't defend Odysseus' honor, they also didn't really have much of a choice in any of this so hanging them was unjust. Odysseus' advantage over others is his wit which to me seemed surprisingly lacking while he was busy murdering people. while killing the suiters was necessary for his nostos, i think that the violence was a low point for odysseus.

A new definition of ODYSSEY?

an odyssey is a trip you take with other people according to a wise philosopher from many many ages ago.  With this definition, is this what the entire book of the odyssey will be about? From what I heard, the main character is alone for most of the book, so how is this an odyssey if there is not other people with him? I think the odyssey will be interesting and may even change the meaning of the word odyssey to me. I am interested as to where the plot might take me and what the new definition to this word will be. I think that an odyssey is just an adventure with challenges (i.e. academic, physical, and social), but does not have to include other people because you can face challenges without people being there. For example you can face a physical challenge of climbing a mountain with or without people. The book of the odyssey may just prove this wise definition to be very very wrong. ODYSSEY!

Conflict perspective in Maus

The conflict theory says that groups of people (based on gender, race, etc...) will compete against each other for limited resources (i.e. political power, natural resources). Groups who have disproportionally more power will defend their resources and oppress those with less power. Conflict perspective is looking at things based on conflict theory, such as answering what groups are in conflict and what they are competing for. A common subset of conflict perspective that most people are aware of is feminist perspective.  Looking at the holocaust through conflict perspective, it is somewhat obvious to know that the Nazi's are the group that is in power. The oppressed group in the book Maus would be the Jews since the Nazi's are in power. The Jews and the Nazi the groups in conflict since the Nazis saw the Jews as a threat politically and economically.