Every once in a while a film comes along that I remember for a long time. This weekend I saw such a film. It was Captain Phillips starring Tom Hanks. That was one of the most powerful, gripping films I have ever seen. It's based on a true story--ripped from the headlines if you will--but even though I am aware of how the story ends, I was caught up in the momentum the film maintained. The Somalia pirates were perfectly cast, especially Muse, the leader. His eyes were so expressive. Hanks was astounding. The final scene had me in tears. It's the best film I've seen this year. I recommend you add it to your must see list.
Sorry, just had to share that. Commercial is over. And, no this blog is not sponsored by Sony Pictures, the studio that distributed Captain Phillips. Although a sponsor is not a bad idea...
Sorry, there I go again. Let's get back to school business. You were to read chapter 9 in Animal Farm for tomorrow. Were you shocked? Surprised? Stunned? Angry? Disappointed? Shattered? In tears? Devastated? I know my heart sank. I didn't want to believe it, but Orwell decided to play that hand. What am I talking about? Guess you better read it.
We'll explore the turns chapter nine makes by examining your questions and comments. Be sure you have a one and one ready for tomorrow. Those will be your ticket into class.
As we approach the end of the book, I want you to be thinking about the overarching questions. Here's a reminder:
How can an author's use of allegory promote social change?
and
How can an author's personal experiences influence his or her work?
We are going to be writing about these prompts with respect to Animal Farm, but we will also be drawing from outside sources. Reminds me, I just read something about P.L. Travers, the author of Mary Poppins, and her own personal experiences. Very interesting connection to a well-loved story.
The Ripped-From-The-Headlines paper should probably start coming in this week. I imagine Friday would be a good time to turn it in by, but feel free to turn it in before. It should be a page or less, with 1-3 allegorical connections between Animal Farm and some current bit of news. One thing I told only period six (sorry periods one and two) is that if you get your information from an outside source, you'll need to cite that outside source. Shane was not familiar with the Tuareg rebellion in Mali. He had to look it up. He also typed up a three source bibliography to go along with his submission. Way to go, Shane. If you aren't sure how to cite your sources, I recommend a trip to the OWL website. It will clearly walk you through everything you need to do to cite correctly. The high school uses it as well, so it will be good practice for you. Here's a link to the OWL.
Sometime this week...Monday? Tuesday? Wednesday? we will also look at Osip Mandelshtam's poem. In the meantime, here's a link to some background on Mandelshtam. Notice what happens in 1937. Tell me and I'll sign your Archer card. Do you think that plays into one of our overarching questions? By the way, his last name apparently has two spellings (Mandelshtam and Mandelstam). One is probably an Americanized version. We love to do that here.
Long enough.
See you soon.
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