The Gatsby "Secret Society" Credo Activity

In Fitzgerald's novel, class struggle in America is portrayed as an intensely personal affiar, as much a tension within the mind of a single character as a conflict between characters. During his eveing at the Buchanan's house, Nick Carraway says Daisy "looked at [him] with an absolute smirk on her lovely face as if she had asserted her membership in a rather distinguished secret society to which she and Tom belonged" (22).

Credo: As a group, you created a credo for this "secret society" based on what you read in the text. In your groups, you discussed the characteristics of this "secret society" and decided which characters are allowed membership and which are not.

What are the characteristics of this society?
How does one become a member?
How is one supposed to act once admitted as a member?

 Post your answers as comments to this post.

Blog 7 - Found Poems

Here’s a sample of a found poem I made for you. I “lifted these words from Annie Dillard’s Essay “Living Like Weasels” I added ONE word in the poem below. All the other words are Dillard’s, but they are rearranged to create my own images and ideas.

The Mind is Single

It’s down to a choice:

yield or

live to dangle from the most tender necessity.

I should have held on

to explore the wild moment,

to take the particular sense

and blow it to the evening.

Last week, I knew, and then it caught my eye:

a yellow sunset of intimate airborn air

alternating and bending,

in the beautiful bottomland of field and grasses.

I remember watching, pleading, and thrusting my spirit-spray skyward

            stunned-still and emptied and shattered,

sweet thoughts tangled in wild roots and rose.

My brain is a fierce, private place. I hold it aloft, precisely, to the wind.

I blink. I breathe. Who knows?

Post your "found" poems here in the comment box. I look forward to reading these and sharing the best ones in class.

Blog 6 - Dillard and Thoreau

Annie Dillard is one of my absolute favorite authors! She won the Pulitzer prize for her book of essays called A Pilgrim at Tinker Creek at the age of 29. I call her the modern-day Thoreau, except the difference between the two is that she's a better writer! Critics often draw comparisons between Dillard and Thoreau. "It's a real honor to be compared to a great writer like Thoreau," she said. However, Thoreau has influenced her life in more ways than one. Dillard explained how she met her husband, Bob Richardson. "He wrote a book about Henry David Thoreau. About 40 pages in, I realized that I was going to have to write this guy a fan letter." She wrote the letter and invited him to call if he found himself out East. "And so he came East, we had lunch, and then we got married," she said. "That was about nine years ago."

1. After reading the excerpt I gave you, I'd like you to find one connection between the two writers. You can think about her subject (what she's writing about), her themes, her style, tone, or other similarity. Describe the similarity or connection you can make and explain.

2. Then, pick your favorite line from the passage and share it. Why do you like it? She's full of great ideas. Enjoy!

Blog 5 - Thoreau on Twitter

After reading the article "Thoreau Transcends Twitter," create your own "tweet" from Henry's point of view. The article is a comical take on what Thoreau would say about modern inventions. If you were Henry and you had a twitter page, what would you tweet about the modern world? Be ceative, but keep it relevant.

"I once had a sparrow alight upon my shoulder for a moment, while I was hoeing in a village garden, and I felt that I was more distinguished by that circumstance that I should have been by any epaulet I could have worn." - Thoreau

Blog 4 - "Walden" Reflection

Blog #4 - Simple Living

We watched the short clip today in class that advocated "simple" living in the modern day. Thoreau, and the other transcendentalists took this idea of living "simply" (without luxuries and close to nature) very seriously. His ideas resonnate loudly in the modern world. As our society has gotten more and more complex, Thoreau's message that the best things in life are found in simplicity and nature ring even more true than ever for many people today.

Here's the clip:

The speaker is arguing that a fulfilling life is one that is not overcomplicated with technology, brand products, high-powered careers, or material things that we've come to rely on in the modern day (cell phones, computers, ipads, nice clothes, cars, big houses, etc). So what do you think? It's ok to disagree here...these ideas are philosophies, not statements of truth, and there's room for argument.

First, respond to this:
1. Do you agree that we should "reduce" our needs and get rid of the things that aren't completely necessary in order to live a fulfilling life or not?

2. If you were to "live simply" in the woods for a month or more, what would be the easiest thing to do without? What modern convenience would be easy for you to live without?

3. What would be the hardest thing to do without? In other words, what modern convenience are you completely dependent upon?

Blog 3

Blog # 3

Walden is a tough text, so don't be discouraged. It's ok to struggle a little with the language.
Also, keep in mind that "Walden" is a large book, with a lot of chapters devoted to different subjects that Thoreau experiences whilst living in the woods. The portion I've assigned you is a series of excerpts from the much larger work.
To assist you, here's a general summary of the excerpts:

Thoreau, in the second chapter, "Where I Lived, and What I Lived For," talks about how he once considered buying the Hollowell farm for himself but the purchase fell through. Instead, he created a new existence for himself at Walden, where he found joy and fulfillment in nature, truly awakening in his mornings there, while most of society remains perpetually asleep, living mean lives when the possibility of a much better life is possible. The key to achieving such a life, he says, is simplicity.

In his "Conclusion," Thoreau explains he left Walden because he had many more lives to live. He urges his readers to turn inward on immense spiritual journeys of self-discovery; to find fulfillment in nature rather than riches; and to avoid conformity and live his own life as he must. He concludes with the story of a bug which emerged from the wood of a table after sixty years and hopes that human beings will likewise awaken and emerge into a new life.

Also, if you'd like to take a photo tour of Walden pond, here's a link: http://thoreau.eserver.org/pondpics.html

Now here are your response prompts:


1. Why does Thoreau believe that living in the woods will enable him to "live deep and suck all the marrow out of life"?


2. Why, according to Thoreau, are people better off being poor than wealthy?

Write a paragraph for each. Post your response and we will share these in class.

Post #2
After reading "Self Reliance," by Emerson, think of a song that would work as a soundtrack to this essay. What song do you think fits the ideas or themes of this essay?
Post a link to your song here.
Explain, in a few sentences, why you think the song applies to the essay.


Here's one that comes to mind for me:

"Stand up" demonstrates the necessity of "standing up" for one's rights and taking the initiative to demand freedom and justice. I believe this relates to Emerson's idea that one must resist conformity and complacency with injustice, and to seek the highest truth, in whatever form that truth takes on a personal level. Bob Marley is also a figure of independent thinking and social reform, as well as respect for the natural world, which fits with the philosophies of transcendentalism.

What do you think??

Here's your first blog assignment:
Check out some of these links on transcendentalism.

http://www.vcu.edu/engweb/transcendentalism/ideas/definitionbickman.html
http://www.cliffsnotes.com/study_guide/literature/Thoreau-Emerson-and-Transcendentalism-What-Is-Transcendentalism-Introduction.id-134.html
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/ihas/icon/transcend.html
http://www.rain.org/homeschool/history/transcendentalism-introduction-2002.html

Emerson and Thoreau

http://www.bartleby.com/60/145.html

http://www.rwe.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=354&Itemid=403

http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9072230/Henry-David-Thoreau


Over-Soul

http://www.hi-des-website.com/oversoul/oversoulI.htm

Look through these links, gather some ideas, and fill out the answers to your webquest.

Now here's your assignment:
Then come up with a definition of your own. In your own words, what is transcendentalism?
Post your definition here on this page by commenting on this post.

Remember, this is a difficult thing to do, because even the transcendentalists didn't agree on one singular philosophy. Just try to look for common patterns of ideas or thoughts as you think of a definition.
Do not copy each other! Do not copy and paste! Think for yourself. What is transcendentalism?