The Crucible Blog Post #1: Puritanism/Purity

 The first act of The Crucible shows us a town whose Puritan residents believe in being absolutely pure and perfect Christians. Of course this doesn't actually mean they are pure or perfect. Your job is to write a detailed 2-paragraph blog post comparing the events and characters of The Crucible thus far to a modern day example of a type of person that attempts to be pure and/or perfect. Besides religion, think of other ways people define or group themselves and try to achieve a flawless or ideal lifestyle. Use your Google and your noodle and include a link to a page that helped you come up with your connection. Also include a quote from The Crucible (with page number and character cited) to back up your opinion as well as a picture, a creative title, and your initials in the 'Labels' section. Consider the questions below when writing your two paragraphs:

• Is it possible to be completely pure or perfect? Why did the Puritans think this was possible?
• What happens when one person in a tightly knit community does something wrong? Does it affect the group as a whole?
• Do people end up doing wrong because they've been forced to act such a conservative lifestyle? Explain.
• Why are people in this type of community so quick to accuse others of doing wrong or going against their lifestyle? 

Stuck? Do not hesitate to ask me for help! Check the board for login/password info.

The Godfather Blog Post #4: Nationalism and/or Loyalty

For your final blog post on The Godfather, once again follow the same character you have been following throughout your blog posts. If your character has not been around in the past 40-50 pages, choose someone else to focus on. Consider both how you think they will end up (write as if it's just a theory if you've already read ahead or seen the movie!) and at least TWO of the following questions, relating back to the final two themes of the book, Nationalism and/or Loyalty...

• How is your character struggling with nationalism, or their love/dedication of Sicily vs. America?
• Why do people experience nationalism? Why do they often feel so connected to their home country?
• How is your character struggling with loyalty? Towards who and why or why aren't they struggling?
• Why is loyalty so important to your character? If it isn't, why not?

Come up with a CREATIVE TITLE for your blog post and don't forget to include A QUOTE W/ PAGE NUMBER in your 2 paragraphs to back up your opinion! And remember, the more detailed you are in your opinion, the better the post! Bold any class vocab words you may use to earn extra credit points!

Finally, don't forget to leave at least TWO COMMENTS on your classmates' blog posts (you can do more for extra credit)! And please LEAVE YOUR INITIALS both in your post and in your comments!

Godfather Blog Post #3: Anger

Before you begin your new blog post (or after you complete it), publish two detailed comments on your classmates' blog posts. Answer a question they ask or offer your opinion: do you agree or disagree with what they say and why or why not? Be sure to include your initials at the end of each comment!

For your third blog post on The Godfather, continue following your character from previous posts and focus on the theme of anger. If your character is dead or hasn't been followed lately in the book, pick a new one. Some new characters to choose from: Carlo Rizzi, Connie Corleone, and Fanucci.

In your detailed 1-2 paragraph post, include the following: 1) Would you say your character has anger issues? Why or why not?, 2) Which other theme do you think your character's situation most relates to? Where does their anger (or lack of) stem from?, 3) A quote (w/ page number) that backs up your opinion, and 4) Two open-ended questions about your character you can ask of your fellow classmates to answer.

Lastly, come up with a creative title for your post this time: don't just put your character's name!

Make sure to put your initials in the 'Labels' section of your post!

The Godfather Blog Post #2: Morality

Before you begin your new blog post, scroll below and read some past posts about the previous topic of corruption. Comment on two posts of your choosing, either responding to the author's opinion or answering one of their questions. Be sure to include your initials at the bottom of each comment!

For your second blog post on The Godfather, focus again on the character you wrote about in your first post. Scroll below to remind yourself. If you do not have a post below or that character hasn't been around lately (i.e. Johnny), then you may choose someone who's been introduced recently, like Sollozzo, McCluskey, or the Tattaglias. Your character's name can be the title of your post, or you can be a little more creative.

The question to answer for this 1-2 paragraph blog post is: "How do you think your character's morality has changed throughout their life?" Back up your opinion with a quote from the book about your character (or said by your character) with the page number in parentheses. At the end of your post, include two open-ended questions your classmates could respond to about your character and/or the topic of morality.

Feel free to include a picture as well, though it is not necessary. Don't forget your initials in the "Labels" section of your post!

Godfather Blog Post #1: Corruption

For your first blog post on The Godfather, choose a character to focus on. Based on what we've learned about them thus far in the book, would you consider them to be "corrupt"? Explain why or why not and include a quote that backs up your opinion (with page number) in your 1-paragraph response. Think about what why your character might have become corrupt, or if you don't think they are, what has kept themselves from giving into corruption?

Skip a space after your paragraph response and include two open-ended questions (why, how) relating to your character. They do not have to be directly related to the theme of corruption, but consider the way your character acts, what we know about their background, and what role they might play later in the novel.

Put your initials in the "labels" section of your post so I know you wrote it! Thanks!

Comment Review Day 12.16.08

Today we're reviewing the entire book, but specifically the most recent posts that have no comments on them.

1) Read through all the posts that everyone has written. When you get to the bottom of this page, click the "older posts" link to read more.

2) Write at least FOUR THOUGHTFUL COMMENTS on four different blog posts. You do this by clicking the "_ comments" link at the end of a post. Then you write your thoughtful comment in the window that pops up. Here's what I mean by "thoughtful":

- a detailed response to an opinion you read (why you do or do not agree with the blogger)
- an interpretation of a quote that the blogger wrote down
- bringing up an event/theme/character from the book that a blogger forgot to mention and giving your two cents on why it's important
- giving your detailed opinion about an event/theme/character the blogger did mention, telling us why you think it's important (or maybe why you think it's not as important as something else)
- using one of the vocab words in a sentence that shows me you know what the word means (YOU MAY ONLY DO THIS FOR ONE OF YOUR COMMENTS)

3) Add your initials to the bottom of your comment so I know it was you who wrote it (don't use your name though for safety reasons!)

4) After each comment you write, click "Anonymous," then click "Publish Your Comment"

If you want to discuss the ending of the book (Dracula's demise), write comments here!

Test tomorrow!

pp. 129-161

Bromden doesn't experience "the fog" anymore in the ward. He's asked clean up the staff room, which he believes has poison covering the ground. Because the staff thinks he's deaf and dumb, they allow him to continue cleaning in there while they have their meeting, during which the subject of McMurphy comes up. Some think he's just a con man that is not insane at all and some believe he should be sent upstairs to the Disturbed ward. Nurse Ratched says he can't go up there and they can't transfer him elsewhere because that would mean he's won. She wants to win, so they decide to keep trying to break him down.

In the next group meeting with the Nurse and the patients, many of the men appear to have gripes and concerns. They're standing up to the Big Nurse (McMurphy's definitely influenced them) for the first time. Then they go swimming and the lifeguard explains to McMurphy that since he's committed (and not sentenced anymore like he was in prison), they can keep him there as long as they want to. He also says that he has a cast on from a football game, but there is no cast. As Cheswick has a freak out screaming "I ain't a little kid!" to the Nurse for keeping his cigarettes from him, Bromden has a sad flashback to when his father signed the papers for the government to take his land. One day soon after, the aids have to pry Cheswick's fingers from the bottom of the swimming pool grate to bring him to surface - he has drowned himself.

Nurse Ratched finds Sefelt having a seizure because he hasn't been taking his medicine (he's been switching it with Frederickson) and yells at Frederickson for inducing his seizure. He comes to the conclusion that you're "damned if you do, damned if you don't," because either he had to take his meds that he hated and made him feel funny (and they never told him what they were either) or he switched with Sefelt and then he gets yelled at.

During a trip to the library one day, Harding's wife visits, blowing kisses to the staff (who let her in when they're not supposed to because she's so flirty) and other patients. Harding treats her like crap and McMurphy notices, telling Harding that he no longer feels bad for him. Harding tries to convince him that life with his wife was hell, but McMurphy doesn't get it - she seems nice, even though she's a bit forward with the other guys. What McMurphy doesn't know is that Harding is gay, which has surely had an effect on his mental illness since he doesn't want to admit it. Soon after, Bromden finds Martini pretending to be a jet pilot with the tub in the tub room.