College Bridge Summer Reading: Brave New World

From the back of the book:

“Aldous Huxley’s tour de force, Brave New World is a darkly satiric vision of a “utopian” future — where humans are genetically bred and pharmaceutically anesthetized to passively serve a ruling order.  A powerful work of speculative fiction that has enthralled and terrified readers for generations, it remains remarkably relelvant to this day as both a warning to be heeded as we head into tomorrow and as thoguht-provoking, satisfying entertainment.”

Writing Prompts (respond to 2 prompts along with your 5 self-directed responses and 2 peer responses):

1. Bernard is criticized by the Director for not acting “infantile” enough. Discuss how and why the World State infantilizes its citizens.

2. Discuss the relation between the sexes in the World State. How do men and women interact? Who holds the power in social situations, in the workplace, and in the government?

3. In what ways does the World State treat people like commodities?

4. Discuss the relationship between science, religion, and political power in the World State.

 

5. What are Mustapha Mond’s arguments against freedom? Is there any validity to them? Do you think there is a “winner” of his debate with John?

 

6. It seems undeniable that most World State members are happy, though people like John, Bernard, and Helmholtz might criticize the quality of their lives. What, then, is wrong with World State society? Discuss the relationship between truth and happiness, and the use of soma?

 

7. Is John really more free than the World State members? How is he conditioned in his own way?

 

8. How are the castes distinguished from each other? What is their purpose? Do you think they reflect any aspect of contemporary society or are they simply a hypothetical consequence of a society like the World State?

College Bridge Summer Reading: 1984

From the back of the Signet Classic edition:

“The year 1984 has come and gone, but George Orwell’s 1949 prophetic, nightmare visiton of the world we were becoming is timelier than ever.  It is still the great modern classic of “Negative Utopia” — a startling original and haunting novel that creates an imaginary world that is coompletely convincing, from the first sentence to the last four words.  No one can deny this novel’s hold on the imaginations of entire generations, or the power of its admonitions — a power that seems to grow, not lessen, witht he passage of time. ”

Writing Prompts (respond to 2, along with your 5 self-directed responses and 2 peer responses):

1. 1984 is full of images and ideas that do not directly affect the plot, but nevertheless attain thematic importance. What are some of these symbols and motifs, and how does Orwell use them?

 

2. Discuss the idea of doublethink. How important is doublethink to the Party’s control of Oceania? How important is it to Winston’s brainwashing?

 

3. Describe Julia’s character as it relates to Winston. How is she different from him? How is she similar to him? How does Julia’s age make her attitude toward the Party very different from Winston’s?

4. Describe Winston’s character as it relates to his attitude toward the Party. In what ways might his fatalistic streak contribute to his ultimate downfall?

 5. How does technology affect the Party’s ability to control its citizens? In what ways does the Party employ technology throughout the book?

 

6. Discuss the idea of Room 101, the place where everyone meets his or her worst fear. Keeping in mind that for most of Winston’s time at the Ministry of Love, he does not know what he will find in Room 101, what role does that uncertainty play in making Room 101 frightening? Does the cage of rats break Winston’s spirit, or does it merely play a symbolic role?

 

7. What role does Big Brother play within the novel? What effect does he have on Winston? Is Winston’s obsession with Big Brother fundamentally similar to or different from his obsession with O’Brien?

(from SparkNotes)

Cry, The Beloved Country Book I

Post your Book I comments to this entry.  Remember: you may pull out quotations to discuss or reflect on parts of the story that are meaningful or interesting to you in some way.  And, by all means, read each other’s comments and make reference to them.  Start a dialogue.  Have some fun. 

Cry, The Beloved Country Book II

Post your Book II comments aqui.

Cry, The Beloved Country Book III

Post your Book III comments here.

Winter Reading: The Catcher in the Rye

Several of you have already begun reading this one and told me you liked it — hopefully you all will!

As with your Summer reading assignment, for Winter you are required to read J. D. Salinger’s iconic novel, The Catcher in the Rye, pick 5 quotations that strike you as interesting in some way or another and discuss them in the comment section.  You are then required to respond to 2 writing prompts listed below (and complete answers will consist of several well-written paragraphs).  Finally, you must respond to 2 of your peers responses, being sure to name them in your response so we all know who you’re responding to.

This means that, altogether, you’re responsible for 9 postings due by the time we return from the Winter Break on         5 January 2009.

(And for those of you who feel this is too much work, you’ll be happy to know that I’ll be doing all the same postings as you!)

Enjoy!  and Happy New Year!

SGW

Writing Prompts (from SparkNotes):

1. Think about Holden’s vision of the nature of childhood and adulthood. Are the two realms as separate as Holden believes them to be? Where does he fit in?

2. The novel is structured around Holden’s encounters and interactions with other people. Does any pattern seem to emerge, or does anything change in his interactions as the novel progresses? How do Holden’s encounters with adults, children, women, and his peers evolve as the novel progresses?

3. Throughout the book, Holden longs for intimacy with other human beings. Discuss the different types of relationships Holden attempts and the different types of intimacy in the book. What is the role of sexuality in The Catcher in the Rye? How do Holden’s sexual relationships differ from his nonsexual encounters?

4. The most ambiguous encounter in the book is Holden’s night at Mr. Antolini’s apartment. What do you make of Mr. Antolini’s actions? Was he making a pass at Holden? What is the significance of his actions, and how do they relate to his role as someone trying to prevent Holden from “taking a fall”?

5. Holden often behaves like a prophet or a saint, pointing out the phoniness and wickedness in the world around him. Is Holden as perfect as he wants to be? Are there instances where he is phony and full of hypocrisy? What do these moments reveal about his character and his psychological problems?

how NOT to write your college essay.

Found this online and thought some of you would find it humorous in light of our class discussion today.

Hello world!

Greetings world! Actually, let me rephrase that…Greetings to the Class of 2009 at PACE High school, as they are the only people I’m interested in communicating with through this blog. It’s not that I lack love for others, it’s just that the purpose of this blog is for me to communicate with my students and for them to do the same with me. I’ll allow other students at our school to peek in at our conversations…and I’ll even okay a teacher or two, but let it be known from this point forward that comments from anyone not affiliated with PACE High School will not be permitted. This isn’t to suggest that other bloggers aren’t brilliant enough for our blog, it’s simply to protect my students’ privacy.

Now that the disclaimer is out of the way, let the games begin!

Getting Started

**STUDENTS: Read this entry and leave your first comment — you will not be graded for grammar or content…this time.

Alright everyone, here we go.

We’ll be using this blog a lot through the year, but for now I want to get you used to the look and feel of it, then get you started using it.

Do you remember agora from your Global Studies class? How about the Roman forum? These are the words the ancients used to call their public meeting places where people would gather to gossip about their neighbors and the proper way to sacrifice a goat, to buy and sell wares, or to have loftier ideas about philosophy, the meanings of life, what makes a man a Man, and so forth. All the ancient cities worth their Dead Sea salt had an agora (or forum), and since we are just as prone to gossip, trade or talk philosophy today, we too have our agorae (more than one agora). We call them parks, barber shops, Gristedes — and more and more these days we call them blogs.

Ruins of the agora in Jerusalem

This blog is our agora. I will post all your assignments on here — you can ask for clarification on them or share your thoughts. You will be given weekly prompts based on the books we read together as a class, or sometimes just prompts about life, school, relationships, what have you. Your responses will be anonymous and will stay that way unless you out yourself.

For this blog to be useful to you, you’ll need to read (and reread) the rules on the sidebar to the right, and you’ll need to know how to start. Here’s how.

1) The fact that you’re even reading this now means I’ve come to your class, you’ve written down your email address for me and I sent you a link. What you need to do now is respond to my email with a name that you’ll use to comment on this entry.

2) So do that. And remember something: I’m a pretty cool guy, but I’m still your teacher, so don’t tell me you’re name on here is going to be mad$exiBoricuaMaMa, or talk2meShawty, or BKG4NG$T4. In fact, try to impress me with your literary knowledge — pick a name that’s a reference to something you’ve read. Be Hucksraft, Hester’s Red A, or JGat$by…something beyond the usual. Or anything as long as it isn’t suggestive of things a person your age ought not to be doing, or just plain tacky.

3) After you’ve chosen your name and have emailed me to let me know what it is, you can return to the blog and leave a comment on this entry just to say, “Hey! I’m here!” Be warned: If I think the name you’ve chosen is inappropriate based on the requirements above, I will ask you to change it and expect you to do so quickly. You should also know that every time you leave a comment the comment is sent to my email address, so it’s easy for me track how often you’re responding…and I will.

4) Now it’s time for you to begin reading your summer reading texts. Every student will read James McBride’s profound memoir The Color of Water, which should have been distributed to you already. There will be a blog entry added soon with writing prompts. Respond to these prompts in your comments.

5) Once you’ve finished The Color of Water it’s time to begin your second text, and this one you’ll have to find on your own, either by going to the library or to your local bookstore. The first option is cheaper, the second option is preferred if you (like me) prefer to keep books you’ve read so that you can a) reread them later, and b) look really smart by having a large personal library. Your options for book #2 are:

Riding the Bus with my Sister by Rachel Simon
Angela’s Ashes by Frank McCourt
The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

If you have any further questions, please feel free to email me. I will respond promptly.

I’d be lying if I weren’t to tell you how excited I am to work with you all! I started planning a month ago for the 2008-2009 school year, so there will be some really great things awaiting you in English in September. Until then there’s the summer and our own little blog-agora where I hope to get to know a little about each of you, how you write, how you think, et cetera. It will be as good as you make it, so make it great!

Oh yeah, and have a fantastic summer! Best wishes, Mr. Weber

Summer Reading: The Color of Water

I first read this book in college — not for a class, just for fun because it was in the bookstore and it had a compelling title. Ten years later I’m even more impressed by what this story has to say about humanity and our abilities to bury the negative experiences of our past, to persevere despite incredible obstacles, and to forgive those who hurt us.

From the back of the book:

As a boy in Brooklyn’s Red Hook projects, James McBride knew his mother was different. But when he asked about it, she’d simply say, “I’m light-skinned.” Later he wondered if he was different, too, and asked his mother if he was black or white. “You’re a human being,” she snapped. “Educate yourself or you’ll be a nobody!” And when James asked what color God was, she said, “God is the color of water.”…As an adult, McBride finally persuade his mother to tell her story — the story of a rabbi’s daughter, born in Poland and raised in the South, who fled to Harlem, married a black man, founded a Baptist church, and put twelve children through college. The Color of Water is James McBride’s tribute to his remarkable, eccentric, determined mother — and an eloquent exploration of what family really means.

Here’s what you need to do. First, just read the book. Then…

During Reading
As you read be sure to visit the blog on occasion to leave comments with your thoughts. You must comment five times while you read, and in those comments you must respond to a quotation of your choice from the book. I’ll leave my own quotation comment for you as an example.

As you’re writing your own comments, be sure to read other students’ comments as well. You’ll need to respond to two of your peers comments as well. Again, check out the comments I’ve left for an example.

When you finish the book
Once you’ve finished the entire book, leave two comments where you respond to two of the following writing prompts (from Penquin Reading Guides):

1. Discuss Ruth McBride’s refusal to reveal her past and how that influenced her children’s sense of themselves and their place in the world. How has your knowledge—or lack thereof—about your family background shaped your own self-image?

2. “Mommy’s contradictions crashed and slammed against one another like bumper cars at Coney Island. White folks, she felt, were implicitly evil toward blacks, yet she forced us to go to white schools to get the best education. Blacks could be trusted more, but anything involving blacks was probably substandard… She was against welfare and never applied for it despite our need, but championed those who availed themselves of it.” Do you think these contradictions served to confuse Ruth’s children further, or did they somehow contribute to the balanced view of humanity that James McBride possesses?

3. While reading the book, were you curious about how Ruth McBride Jordan’s remarkable faith had translated into the adult lives of her children? Do you think that faith is something that can be passed on from one generation to the next or do you think that faith that is instilled too strongly in children eventually causes them to turn away from it?

4. Do you think it would be possible to achieve what Ruth McBride has achieved in today’s society?

And that’s it…for The Color of Water.