English 11: Preparation for Friday's discussion

Greetings English 11!

On Thursday, we'll be finishing the Lord of the Rings mini-series. What a neat little show to accompany the end of our unit! There were many differences between this show and the novel - particularly in the story telling and characterization. For Friday we will be having a discussion and a little reflection afterward designed to have us think about approach by director Marc Munden.

To prepare for this discussion, students will prepare 3 questions to be used in their groups. During the discussion, I will be moving about the room and assessing the following:

A. Question Quality
    Questions are open-ended and invite interpretation
    Clearly connect the novel and the miniseries
    Focus on character development or theme

B. Use of Evidence
    Refers to specific moments from the book and show
    Explains how evidence supports ideas

C. Discussion Skills
    Listens actively and responds thoughtfully
    Builds on peers’ contributions
    Encourages balanced participation

D. Depth of Thinking
    Demonstrates insight into adaptation choices
    Recognizes complexity in characters (Jack, Ralph, Piggy, Simon)
    Avoids simplistic moral judgments

Please note - that while some of these are quite specific, these are only examples of how to thrive in the discussion. Essentially, I want to see an engagement with the subject and an intent to carry the discussion forward with critical thinking and engagement.

After the discussion, we will reserve roughly 20-30 minutes for a brief written reflection on our discussion.

Lord of the Flies: Essay

 Our essay is on Tuesday, May 5. You may bring:

• The essay criteria handout 
•  Quotes only on the back
• The Lord of the Flies novel
• The id, ego, superego handout or the unconscious defense mechanisms handout. New blank forms will be made for the purposes of the essay.

Below are our essay topics for Golding's The Lord of the Flies.

1. How has Jack's use of the unconscious defense mechanisms shifted over the course of his descent into Savagery? 
1. This topic examines Jack's dynamic character, and uses the defense mechanisms as the primary means to describe his changes.
2. Don't just focus on the shift in his values - the essay should really focus on how his defenses shift as he declines.
2. How might Golding's The Lord of the Flies be considered an allegory of the human mind? (be sure to indicate the implications of your claims)
3. How has Ralph contended with the pressures from the id and superego as chief of the island in Golding's Lord of the Flies? (consider specific moments in the story where Ralph is drawn towards the superego, or id - and discuss the implications of this)
1. There are moments in the story where Ralph follows the demands of the id (to act impulsively) and the demands of the superego (to accept guilt or to act socially responsible)

English 11: Freudian Theory and LOTF

 Some review of defense mechanisms and the Id, Ego and Superego.

Back to psychology! Here we go:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mUELAiHbCxc&t=227s

English 12: Existentialism

For our last stretch, we'll be looking at existentialism and its application in literature and our lives. To start, we need to figure out what existentialism is.

Existentialism is the idea that the world is inherently meaningless, and we must make it meaningful for ourselves. Existentialism rejects essentialism - which argues that meaning inherently exists as the essence of all things.

Sartre’s "Ratchet Up the Anguish"

(Activity) 

Next, the Myth of Sisyphus and Camus:

LOTF!

How do the boys’ perceptions of one another change in Chapters 10–12 as fear and power take hold, and how does the naval officer’s reaction at the end of the novel challenge or expose the way the boys have come to see themselves and each other?

Chapter 6 LOTF

 How does the discovery of the “beast from air” in Chapter 6 intensify the boys’ fear, and how does this growing fear begin to undermine Ralph’s attempts at order and rational leadership?

Tuesday Siesta

 Question for Tuesday Siesta:

How do the oppressive heat and the enforced quiet of the siesta contribute to the story’s mood and themes? What might they symbolize beyond the literal setting?

Spring Storm

 Greetings English 12! Here's the topic for Spring Storm by Mori Yoko:

How does the conflict between Natsuo and Yusuke represent a shift in power between men and women in postwar Japan?

The LandLady: English 11

 Here's the short story for Monday/Tuesday!

THE LANDLADY