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.