The Breadwinner

Choose 5 central themes from a list and:

• Explain how each one appears in the film.

• Provide a key scene or moment that represents it.

Theme options:

• Courage

• Freedom

• Family

• Storytelling

• Injustice

• Identity

• Hope

• Survival

• Gender roles

More Existentialism!

 We're going to zoom in on Camus, Sartre, and Kierkegaard. For this activity, we break into three groups and create a poster that gives us some information on each of these renowned philosophers and their contributions to existentialism.

For whichever philosopher your group gets, organize the following information:

1. What is their contribution to Existentialism?
2. Where are they from?
3. What are their unique beliefs?
4. How do they differ from the other two philosophers?

Kierkegaard

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9JCwkx558o

Sartre

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3bQsZxDQgzU

Camus

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQOfbObFOCw

The Search for Yourself

Existentialism makes reflection meaningful. Without this background, reflections can seem meaningless or like grunt work (in fact, a nihilist would say that all reflection is meaningless). Existentialism requires us to take responsibility for our lives, our values, and our direction. It refutes essentialism, which argues that there is an essence that makes you, you (as defined by someone, or something else). Some terms to inform our discussion:

Determinism: The idea that our lives are pre-determined. There are several angles to this school of thought. Some believe that God has determined every aspect of our lives, others feel that every aspect of our personality is the product of chemical reactions and electrons moving through our brain; that there are essentially aspects to our existence that we will likely never fully understand that influence us in subtle ways that ultimately determine how we live.

Free Will: Refutes determinism. Our actions are entirely of our own making. We have control over our future and how our lives turn out. We must be responsible and accountable for every aspect of our lives. Free will is a battle over the hardship of reality, 

For the following scenarios, describe how free will and determinism will explain their thinking differently:

1. A boy steals bread to feed his family.
2. A man hijacks a plane, and crashes it into one of the twin towers.
3. A young lady on the verge of bankruptcy wins the lottery.
4. A young lady loses her house due to her gambling addiction.
5. A student hasn't handed in any assignments because they have been staying up late playing video games.
6. A student has fumbled during their soliloquy presentation.
7. Another student in your class seems to have everything going for them. Good marks, good relationships, good money.

Some more writing

Imagine that your school is going to add a new class or club, and you get to decide what it will be. What kind of class or club would you create? Who would join it, what would you do there, and why would it be helpful or fun for students?

Tips to help you:

• Describe the purpose of your class or club.

• Explain who it’s for and what kinds of activities it would include.

• Be creative, but stay clear and organized.

• Use sentence connectors to show cause, contrast, and addition.

English 12

Write a singular response that covers the following questions:

• Do you believe people are born with a purpose?
• Have you ever questioned the meaning of something you were expected to do?

Prompt:
Imagine you are planning a school event, like a cultural fair, talent show, or sports day. Describe what kind of event you would plan, who would participate, and how you would organize it. Explain why you think this event would be fun and meaningful for your classmates.

Requirements:
In your response, use at least two complex sentences and two compound sentences (sentences joined by conjunctions like and, but, or, so, yet). Try to write one or two full paragraphs.

Tips to help you:

• Start by describing your event idea.
• Use transition words like because, although, since, if, when for complex sentences.
• Use conjunctions like and, but, or, so to connect ideas in compound sentences.
• Think about who would help you and what you would need to prepare.

Example sentence starters:
“If I could plan a school event, I would choose...”
“My classmates would enjoy it because…”
“We would invite students and teachers, and...”
“Although it takes a lot of work, I believe it would be worth it.”

REMEMBER TO PROOF READ!

The Examined Life

 English 12

In our final unit, you will be challenged with some high-level thinking through existentialism. We'll figure out some new terms, learn about Joseph Campbell and watch a film, Apocalypse Now - based on his novel The Heart of Darkness. 

Beware, this is a rabbit hole that will have you ask questions about yourself. The ideas in this unit will challenge your thinking about identity, faith, and the meaning of life. This knowledge can be used to begin understanding how you can accomplish self-actualization. Sound familiar?

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs

ESSENTIALISM vs EXISTENTIALISM (this idea rejects essentialism):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YaDvRdLMkHs

Video on Existentialism, Absurdism, and Nihilism:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qaIbUAkSYEU

*Note - the sponsor for the above video is in hot water. Please skip over the sponsored segment from  1:17 - 2:17.

First, answer these questions. This will show you how existentialism affects you.

1. Do you have particular worries about the future?
2. Have you been through a major event that had you rethink your values, beliefs, and goals?
3. Consider your educational goals for next year. Have they been defined by someone else, or yourself?

Now, after watching the videos, answer these.

1. What is 'the absurd'?
2. What is nihilism?
3. How does an existentialist find meaning?
4. How does existentialism differ from essentialism?

Brian's Struggle

 In Chapter 15, things go fairly well for Brian, for chapter 16 - well it's not so great. With the crisis that takes place...

Write a journal entry as Brian after the events of Chapter 16. Think about how he might be feeling? What will he do next? Is there really anything he could have done differently?

ELL3

To help with today's work, we'll use the blog to guide our steps. First we'll break into groups, then assign roles:

• Mental Resilience Coaches (Ch. 5–8): How does Brian’s mindset change? Create a "survival pep talk." (A pep talk is supposed to be encouraging and supportive. It's meant to put people in tough times into a better mood about themselves).
• Think about the encouragement his teacher had given him.
• Think about Brian's realizations after facing a difficult problem (Porcupine)

After, find 3 key quotes/passages related to the topic. Once you have this, it's time to evaluate Brian's approach to his mental resilience. How does Brian's ability to reflect on his challenges helping him to survive?

English 12: Synthesis

 Greetings grads! 

First of all, thank you for your wonderful topic ideas and research. I have reviewed these items and determined some topics for our selection, including the supplementary text to support your preparation. This will be a lengthy post including abstracts and context. Here we go.

Synthesis Prep

Today we're going to do a practice run in synthesis writing. To do this, we will use 1984 as our primary text and Zimbardo's The Lucifer Effect as our supporting synthesis text. Feel free to collaborate as we brainstorm a claim and argument.

The Lucifer Effect is where Philip Zimbardo wrote on the Stanford Prison Experiment. In this experiment, subjects were assigned roles as prisoners and prison guards. It had horrific outcomes; in short, it revealed that people will easily conform against their own morals in the presence of an authority figure. First, a practice topic:

How do both Orwell and Zimbardo demonstrate that oppressive systems rely on institutionalized roles and controlled contexts to enforce conformity?

For each of the following quotes from The Lucifer Effect, find specific examples in 1984 that may be explained by this new evidence.

Systemic Power and Dehumanization

"The System’s power comes from its ability to control the social context... Once you institutionalize roles and rules, you create a situation where people mindlessly follow scripts handed to them by authorities." (Chapter 12, p. 210)

Connection to 1984:
The Party’s control over language (Newspeak), surveillance (telescreens), and rituals (Two Minutes Hate) mirrors Zimbardo’s "scripts."

Winston’s job at the Ministry of Truth is a "role" that forces him to conform, even when he resists.

Conformity and Peer Pressure
"The normative influence of groups leads individuals to conform, not out of fear of punishment, but because they want to belong. This is how ordinary people can endorse atrocities—not because they are evil, but because the system rewards compliance." (Chapter 5, p. 89)

Connection to 1984:
The Spies and Junior Anti-Sex League indoctrinate children to report "thoughtcrimes," showing how peer pressure sustains the Party’s power.

Winston’s coworker Parsons is proud when his daughter denounces him—a chilling example of conformity overriding familial bonds.

Obedience to Authority
"The Stanford Prison Experiment revealed that when people are given unchecked power, even for a short time, they readily adopt abusive roles... The situation, not individual pathology, drives cruelty." (Chapter 11, p. 193)

Connection to 1984:

O’Brien tortures Winston not out of personal hatred but because the Party demands it.

The Thought Police act as enforcers of the system, much like Zimbardo’s "guards."

Cognitive Dissonance and Doublethink
"When people are forced to act against their beliefs, they often rationalize their actions to reduce mental discomfort. This is how oppressive systems sustain themselves—not just through force, but through the victims’ own psychological adjustments." (Chapter 14, p. 255)

Connection to 1984:

Winston’s eventual acceptance of "2 + 2 = 5" mirrors this idea.

The concept of doublethink (holding two contradictory beliefs) is a direct parallel.

 

Hatchet Chapter 1 - 4 writing!

Here's our writing prompt for the first part of the book! (Chapter 1 - 4)

1. Internal Monologue: Imagine you are Brian right after the crash. Write a journal entry from his perspective, describing his immediate emotions, fears, and first thoughts about survival. Think about how you might process what has happened.