Last shot at extra credit!!!

Read the essay on moral courage located at http://www.ethics.org/download.asp?fl=/downloads/Moral_Courage_Definition_and_Development.pdf

Respond to Ms. Miller's work. In your response, comment on the arguments she makes about courage and/or "moral courage." Do you agree or disagree with her? Why or why not?

The End

...is in sight. We have finished EOG testing and, in a bit past two weeks, we will finish up our year together.

As a final posting,
1. What types of reading do you expect to be doing next year in class?
2. What types of reading do you intend to do this summer?
3. What book would you recommend to me to read over the summer and why?

Include all three parts in your responses.

May post--limited time only!

In honor(?) of EOGs next week...

Some people claim that standardized tests represent a genre in the same way that mysteries, poetry, or short stories are all genres.

1. What evidence would someone use to support this claim?
2. Do you agree or disagree with this claim?
3. What reading strategies do you employ when dealing with this genre of material?

Answers must address all three questions to count.

May Posting

Now that National Poetry Month has passed, I'd like you to reflect on poetry as a genre. What makes a poem a poem? What is the most important element or defining characteristic of poetry? What ultimately separates poetry from prose? In other words, what is your definition of poetry?

Include an example and a non-example to support your ideas. (If you missed the notes on prose poetry, take a moment to investigate this topic before responding to this post.)

April/May Posting Option--Reasons for Reading

This post is inspired by bedell15d's response to bedell13m on another posting.

What is the reason (or, what are the reasons) for reading a text? Is it possible to read something for the wrong reason? In what ways do your strategies change based on the reason for reading? Provide some examples from your own life. Be sure to explain your examples fully!

April Posting, Extra Credit Option!!!

They don't come along often, so take advantage of them when they do...

Go to the Voices of Civil Rights website and choose three stories from North Carolina. Read the stories. Then, write a response here. Be sure to tell us which stories you chose and why, as well as your reactions.

http://www.voicesofcivilrights.org/search_results.asp?p7=North%20Carolina&page=1

April posting, 2nd option

For those of you who are racing to stay ahead of the curve and want to finish two postings this month...

What was the most challenging book you've read? Include in your post

• why you decided to read it
• why it was challenging for you
• what you learned or how you grew as a result of rising to the challenge
• what advice you would give a classmate who might want to tackle this text

For example, the most challenging book I've read was Soul Mountain by Gao Xingjian. I decided to read it over the summer in 2003 when I was expecting my first child, partly because I'd been curious about it since Gao Xingjian won the 2000 Nobel Prize in literature and partly because I knew it would be a long time before I had the freedom to tackle such an intense work once I had kids.

This book was incredibly difficult for me. There isn't a "plot" in the traditional Western sense, and perspective shifts between first, second, and third person. I frequently had to reread in order to understand the different threads that run through the text. The translation/cultural barrier added another, profound layer of difficulty. The book is translated from Chinese and draws heavily on Chinese tradition. Additionally, the author, although Chinese, has been living abroad in exile for many, many years. Because I lack an extensive background in Chinese culture and history, I found myself rereading and researching to understand some of the allusions. I'm sure I missed most of them.

However, when I did finish the text, I felt a great sense of satisfaction. The writing is incredibly beautiful, almost like poetry, and the text is thought-provoking. I found myself for months afterwards mulling over the issues of exile and loss that Gao Xinajiang explores. I'd like to reread this book, perhaps next summer when Sam is a little older and I have a little more freedom again.

If you are interested in reading this book, I would suggest reading translations of classical Chinese literature first and researching the author. I would also suggest that you have great determination and patience, as this is a radically different type of text than most of you have experience reading. I might even suggest waiting a few years.