Samaritans? Why are we talking about people from Samaria?

Finally it is cold!  I don't know about you, but I rather enjoy the cold weather and snow. And you know, as the snow begins to melt, baseball season begins to take it's first steps.  Anyway, in the spirit of the season (and with some of the harsh weather conditions that we experience off the shores of Lake Erie), it is only fitting that you will be writing about Samaritans - specifically those of the good variety. 

The Samaritan Prompt
In your words, what is a good Samaritan?  Do good Samaritans exist today?  Utilize the articles from the teal book (pages 286-289) to help with this - were these people good Samaritans?  Why or why not?  How do they fit into your definition.  You also need to find an article from the internet about good Samaritans today.  You need to include the the title of the article and discuss if the use of 'good Samaritan' is appropriate.

Themes: Universal or Not?

According to Pablo Picasso, "If there were only one truth, you couldn't paint a hundred canvases on the same theme."  I find this statement fitting since we've been discussing theme recently (come to think of it, we've been discussing theme for much of the year).  And in reading this statement, I started to think back to How to Read Literature like a Professor and Thomas C. Foster continually making the case that all stories are really part of the same, greater, story.  If this is true, and I suspect it is, then do all stories contain the same themes?  I suppose if we are truly desperate, we could in fact, tease the same themes from every work, but not all works will have the same, readily apparent, theme.

Alright, enough of my babble.  Here's your prompt: Consider both "The Bass, the River, and Sheila Mant," and "Catch the Moon."  What themes are apparent in these stories?  How do these themes compare?  You need to use textural evidence to prove the themes that you are arguing (hence, why I continually ask you how you know in class).  It may (read: most certainly will) be helpful to consider the symbols in the stories.

Remember that your blogs need to be at least 300 words and demonstrate good writing conventions. I suggest that you write at least three good paragraphs in doing this.

Edgar Allan Poe the Social Critic

Edgar Allan Poe or perhaps more accurately, Edgar Allan  Bro.  However you see it, Poe is a much beloved writer from the early nineteenth century.  We typically think of him for his short fiction, but should not disregard his creation of the detective story or discount his desire to be known as a poet. 


Poe's death certainly carries and air of fitting mystery, and thanks to the Poe Museum, you now have the chance to solve said mystery. Another cool facet of the museum is the 1954 production of "A Tell-Tale Heart."  I highly recommend completing both activities.


Thomas C. Foster alleges in How to Read Literature Like a Professor that Edgar Allan Poe is a social critic.  It's difficult to argue this point thanks to stories such as "The Masque of the Red Death," "The Cask of Amontillado," and "The Fall of the House of Usher." 


Why am I telling you all of this?  That question is simple enough: you are to write at least three hundred words discussing the theme of one of Poe's works (it may be helpful to think about the social implications).  In doing this, remember that Poe did not miss the chance to include a symbol in his work, as these will help you to defend the theme that you are championing.


One final note, if you write a second blog about Poe solving the mystery of his death, you could potentially earn some extra credit. In order to do so, you must defend your thinking.

Dr. Seuss is Propoganda

We've recently finished Animal Farm and found that Squeeler is quite the propagandist. What you may not know, is that Theodore Seuss Geisel was quite the propagandist himself (you can find some of his work during World War II here).  He didn't limit himself only to these cartoons; he was also an active teacher in many of his children's books.  He taught of conservation, the trouble with racism, and the fear of the unknown - to name a few.  You can find literal titles of his work here. 


Why are you telling us this, you ask?  Because, your task is to read a Dr. Seuss book (if you don't have one you can easily find the text to many of them with a simple Google search) and explain how the book is propaganda.  Remember to use your notes on persuasion (ethos, pathos, and logos anyone?) to help you.  You also will want to focus on the symbols in the books.  As always, I will be looking at writing conventions and clarity in your argument.


“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.”  - Dr. Seuss

Fathers and Sons

Fathers and sons (and their issues) serve a prominent role in a great amount of film, literature, and music, illustrating the realities of society; it's hard to listen to Staind and not be bludgeoned by these issues.  There are groups such as the Healthy Fathering Collaborative of Greater Cleveland that promote fathers being active in their child's life through events like the annual Fathers Walk.  Articles, such as this and this, discuss the need for a father and the search for the lost father.  Read at least one of these articles and discuss how at least two of the films that we have viewed deal with the father/son issues presented in the article.  Remember, you need to use at least three hundred words and good writing conventions; it will also be helpful to follow standard writing protocol (intro, body, conclusion).

Your Metamorphosis

"When Gregor Samsa awoke one morning from troubled dreams, he found himself transformed in his bed into a monstrous insect;" such is the opening line of Kafka's "Metamorphosis."  (Speaking of Kafka, did any of you notice that this is the name of Arnold Joseph's dog in Smoke Signals? I haven't yet arrived at a conclusion for this).  Anyway, I mentioned to you that along with Kafka's work, you would be creating your own "Metamorphosis;" however, you will not be transforming into a bug.  What you transform into is up to you. 


As usual, you need to write at least three hundred words that demonstrate quality writing conventions.  I also want to remind you that this is a narrative work, so you will want to make sure that you include the appropriate elements.

Teachers vs. Students

Often, when I begin to think about what your blog prompt should be, I peruse the Writer's Digest website for ideas.  Sometimes I will borrow and adapt their prompts and sometimes come up with my own.  Today is one of those days where I couldn't help but borrow from them, as I think the possibilities (and hilarity) that this prompt allows will be worth it (it may also be that the Indians didn't score any runs last night while receiving quality pitching).   Remember that you need to write at least three hundred words and demonstrate good writing conventions.  A final suggestion: start in the middle of the action.


And now for the prompt: "The fight has been raging for three days. The teachers on their end, toting rulers, eraser canons and textbook grenades, and the students on the other, with only school-approved items found in their bookbags. Both sides have suffered casualties and people are wondering, what happened three days ago at [Geauga Academy]that started this mess? Start your story three days ago."

I Think I'm a Clone Now

Ah, back home and time to relax. Long weeks are brutal. Is that the television you hear? Well you haven’t been home all day so you decide to check it out, thinking you left it on. As you enter the room you see the television is indeed on. And you’re already sitting there watching it. What’s going on here?


You need to use at least three hundred words and good writing conventions to explore this dilemma.

English 10 is Joining In

By now I'm sure that you heard me mention blogs at least a few times (and if you're another English class, you have hopefully written one).  It is now the English 10 class' turn to join in on blog writing. 


I spend a lot of my free time attempting to come up with new ways to interact with texts and materials.  This is my most recent endeavor.  While my English classes may not be happy to be creating blogs so that they can interact with texts and each other in a technological setting, they are Surely Out of Luck.

Using blogs in education is beneficial to the students' critical and analytical thinking, it increases students' interaction with one another while discussing content and texts, it will increase students exposure to quality content, allows for students to interact while outside of the classroom, and also offers a means for students to express their thoughts on a topic completely.

Obviously, some may try to take their blogging to a new level and even try to push the envelope on what is appropriate for the school-based use.  The things that students need to know about their blog posts are: 1. If I deem their post inappropriate they will be asked to remove it and receive no credit for their work. 2. Writing conventions are certainly going to be graded.  3. Each blog post must be at least 300 words and will be worth 10 points. 


So what are we writing about, anyway?  Your task is to envision yourself in Mr. Leonard Mead's world ("The Pedestrian" by Bradbury) and determine how you would handle the predicament that he finds himself in.  Would you even be in such a situation?  Why or why not?  It might be helpful to think about what or whom seems to be in control in the society in which he lives.

Happy Belated Welcome

It's that time of year; the pencils are sharpened, notebooks are pristine, and for some reason, I want to spend all of my time in Staples. That also means that there is a collection of new students that will creating and maintaining blogs each week.  These blogs will range in topic - sometimes assigned or suggested by me and others, decided upon entirely on their own - but nevertheless, they will show insight into the mind of those writing them.

At this point, it's safe to assume that some of you are asking yourselves: "Is Mr. Bowser crazy?" or "Why on earth do we have to do this? It's going to be stupid!" Let me answer with a pair of questions: Do you type quickly and well?  Did you know that the OGT is being phased out and that instead there will be end-of-course exams that will be delivered entirely electronically?  If you answered no to either of these (or even yes), it will please you to know that we are writing these blogs in order to better prepare for the coming attractions and life after high school.  Think about it; how often do you hand write something and give or send it to someone else?  More likely, you send an email (or text - but this is not a great way to convey a lot of information quickly and it is also not an acceptable means of communication in the professional world).

You're now probably wondering what you're going to have to do for your blogs, and if you're not, you should be.
- You will need to write a blog each week.
- It will need to be at least 300 words.
- And demonstrate good writing conventions.

That's it. Now for your prompt: You've written your obituary.  Why do you suppose I asked you to do this?  What does death teach us about life? You may want to think about novels or films that examine this topic (Tuesday's with Morry, The Five People You Meet in Heaven, and For One More Day, all by Mitch Albom, come to mind).

Back to the Future

Welcome back, back to the future (or at least reality) that is.  It's a new school year and we are offering a new class at GA, and I am fortunate enough to be teaching it: Reading the Movies.  We started with one of my favorite films and it also happens to be the standard when it comes to time travel.  Marty McFly and Doc Brown manage to get themselves into some capers and alter history in their attempts to get Back to the Future.


Your task is to discuss how history is altered.  Think about the differences between 1985 at the beginning and end of the film and also which actions have caused the changes (it may be helpful to consult the three-column handout).  You need to write at least three hundred words discussing these changes and demonstrate good writing conventions while doing so. 

Five People Blog 1

We've only met one of the five people that Eddie will meet in heaven, but we already know a good deal about him (and we'll learn a whole lot more very quickly).  While some of you have previously read/began/sat-in-a-class-where-others-read this novel, you should only be drawing from what we, in this class, have read.  For you first blog, you will need to respond to at least one of the following prompts (although it will most likely be necessary to respond to more) with at least 250 words that thoroughly answer/discuss it.  This will most likely implore you to use multiple paragraphs (intro and conclusion, anyone?).

The Prompts
1. The first person that Eddie meets is the Blue Man.  Why does he meet him?  What lesson(s) does Eddie learn?  How, then, do these affect his (and the Blue Man's) life?
2. Albom writes that Eddie exists in a "weary state of acceptance" on page 5. Explain what Albom means by this statement. How did Eddie come to be in this state?
3. The Five People You Meet in Heaven set at Ruby Pier.  How does this amusement park differ from theme parks today?  In what ways is it the same?  How might this setting affect and timbre the story?
4. In the book's Preface Albom writes: "Everyone has an idea of heaven, as do most religions, and they should all be respected." Discuss the author's cautionary words.