Silly Love Songs

In Silly Love Songs by Paul McCartney, Paul is talking about how love isn't silly.  The lyrics sung by Euan and Nicole in Moulin Rouge are:

Youd think that people would have had enought of silly love songs.
But I look around me and I see it isn't so.
Some people wanna fill the world with silly love songs.
And what's wrong with that? 
Id like to know, cause here I go again

More lyrics: http://www.lyricsfreak.com/p/paul+mccartney/#share


Paul McCartney wrote the song after John Lennon said that all Paul ever wrote were silly love songs.  It was a way for Paul to get back at John.
Silly Love Songs is sung by Satine and Christian in the elephant love medely on top of the elephant.  Satine starts it because Christian is singing a bunch of love songs to her.

The Lost City of Z Book Trailer

by: Lauren Kuss, Callie Jones, Libby Olson, Abby Squier, Jared Allen and Jacob Johnson

Dejeuner du Matin

Cyrano de Bergerac Pre-reading

Power
Cardinal Richelieu was born September 9, 1585 and died December 4, 1642.  He served as King Louis XIII's chief minister for 18 years.  Richelieu was the founder and patron of L'academie Francaise.  L'academie Francaise was founded in 1635.  It includes forty members (immortals) who act as the official authority on the French language.  Though it was disbanded in 1793, Bonaparte brought it back in 1803 and it is the oldest of the five academies of the Institut de France.  I predict that Richelieu will be a villain in the play because others have used him as a villain in their works and that Cyrano will want to be a member of L'academie Francaise.

Honor
D'Artagnon was a-pointed the captain-lieutenant of the Kings Musketeers by Louis XIV.  The musketeers were a branch of the military that either fought on foot or on horses.  There were two companies; the King's Musketeers were the first and the Cardinal's were the second.  I predict that D'Artagnon and the musketeers will be in the play that is in Cyrano de Bergerac.

Iconoclasts
Both Socrates and Galileo played important roles on the path to knowledge.  Socrates (born 470 BC, died 399 BC) was an Ancient Greek philosopher.  He is credited with contributions to the fields of logic and ethics.  Galileo (born 15 February 1564, died 8 January, 1642) was an Italian scientist, astronomer, mathematician and philosopher.  He came up with the idea that the sun is the center of the universe, not the earth.  I predict that these men will be characters in the play in Cyrano de Bergerac.

Love
Chloris was married to Neleus and became queen of Pylos.  She suffered the tragedy of losing her siblings to the gods.  Phyllis was another character in Greek mythology.  She was married to Demophon, King of Athens, making her the queen.  She suffered the tragedy of losing her husband in the Trojan War.  I predict that the character Roxane will be based off of these two women.

Romeo + Juliet Post-Modernism

     Romeo + Juliet directed by Baz Luhrmann is styled in the post-modern style.  Luhrmann's goal was to have this movie be pastiche.  Pastiche is when one takes know examples of texts and combines them to create something knew.  In Romeo + Juliet, Luhrmann sets the story in modern-day, fictional Verona Beach, using old english, old time costume parties and a bit of western fights.  If somebody were to attempt this but fail, it would be simulacrum.  Romeo + Juliet is pastiche.

     One example of pastiche in Romeo + Juliet is the fight between to Capulets and the Montagues in the beginning.  In the original play the servants of the two houses are arguing, which starts the masters fighting.  The Capulet servants start it, saying

I will bite my thumb at them; which is a disgrace to them, if they bear it. 

In the movie they also say this, but the scene is filmed in a way that resembles an old western shoot-out.  Another thing that Luhrmann adds to create pastiche is a hip-hop, gangster flare.  He has both houses and even Frair Lawrence wear gangster clothing.  In one scene the Montagues are riding around in a "muscle car" with blaring music and guns raised.  At this point Romeo runs out of the car and says (also in play) to Mercutio.

He jests at scars that never felt a wound.

     Simulacrum is when somebody attempts pastiche but isn't successful.  Although Romeo + Juliet isn't simulacrum there are a few things that don't quite work.  There are times in the movie that the camera cuts to different scenes fast almost like a rap video.  This is half interesting, half distracting.  Another thing about the movie that is distracting and almost makes it simulacrum is all the catholic church references.  Juliet has a big shrine above her bed and there are statues and pictures of Christ and the Virgin Mary in the background of most of the scenes.

     Romeo + Juliet is a post-modernism film.  The film incorporates elements from hip-hop, westerns and the renaissance to be pastiche.  Though it has gotten bad reviews for being simulacrum, it is actually pastiche because it blends the different elements and influences well, creating a visually and otherwise entertaining movie.

Sonnet

Harry, oh, Harry, you brave frenemy
My!  You were orphaned at such a young age
By the man they call Lord, your enemy
Now forced to fight so future is not a cage

But hark!  What pain and sorrow still to come!
Upon learning your life cannot be spared
Not 'til the others is still like a silent gun
Your future awaits, if anyone cared

The battle is upon you, your time is up
But 'waits your brave sacrifice for your friends
Will rescue you from the dark lord, the schlup
And all will be right, but this depends

On whether you are kind or you are mean
The choice is yours so choose wisely, grave teen.

Romeo and Juliet Think Aloud 1

-What do you know about Shakespeare?

     I know he lived in Stratford-Upon-Avon, England and he wrote plays, most tragedies, but some comedies.
-What should you be getting out of studying Shakespeare?
     I hope to be able to better understand old English and learn about poetry.  I also hope to learn about new writing styles that I haven't had much experience with.
-How have you worked with Shakespeare lit. in the past?
     In eight grade we read A Midsummer's Night Dream out loud in class.  I like this because I thought it was fun and it is easier to understand when you are reading old English out loud in a group.
-How can you relate any of the following continuum of items to the work you have written about above?  1 content 2 process 3 product 4 classroom 5 teacher
     I think that outside of class we should, like with flip thinking, read and watch videos and lectures outside of class and create notes.  In class, we should talk about what we were confused on in small groups and in Socratic circles.  I think that in class we should also watch the movie and do creative writing/ skit activities.
-What activities would you like to learn about in school that you're not?
     I think that it would be fun if we did skits on the play and played games.

My group and I thought that it would be most helpful if we would read or watch stuff about the play at home and when we got to school discuss that.  Kelly said that:

Everytime we read a section we should have a socratic circle discussion.

I agreed with this saying that that related to flip thinking.  It relates because the idea behind flip thinking is listening to the lecture at home and doing homework in school so you can get help.
Hannah said that

We should watch the classic version of the movie because it is very similar to the actual play.

From working in my group I learned that I prefer to work in a group, especially for books, because you can talk to other people and get their ideas on the subject in case you were unsure about something.

Another reason that flip thinking is a good idea is, not only can you ask your teacher if you are unsure about something, but you can also ask your classmates.

 

The Count of Monte Cristo

Faithful to the Novel?

     The Count of Monte Cristo is a film adaptation of the novel The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexander Dumas.  The 2002 movie was directed by Kevin Reynolds and stars James Caviezel, Guy Pearce and Richard Harris.  The movie is good and keeps the main theme, revenge, of the novel intact, therefor it is a faithful adaptation of the novel.  

     The main theme of both the film and novel is revenge.  In the film it can be seen in this quote.

I want revenge.

Your gonna need a better name to accomplish that.

Then I shall become a count.

This exchange was between Dantes and Jacopo.  In the novel the theme can be seen in the following quote.

The count was as erect and triumphant as the avenging angel.

     The reason for Dantes need for revenge is he is betrayed by three people, Fernand, Danglers and Villefort.  They accuse and convict Dantes of treason against the king even though they all know he is innocent.  The prison master of Chateau d'If says to Dantes

I know you are innocent.  There are hundreds of prisons across France for guilty people... Chateau d'If is where they put the ones they're ashamed of.

In the book Villefort knows of his innocence almost immediately because Dantes was

... So candid and open, so full of affection for his fellow man, including even his stern judge, that it seemed to Villefort that each word he spoke was proof of his innocence.

When Dantes learns that Fernand is one of the conspirators against him, thus igniting his thirst for revenge, he asks why.  Fernand says:

You're the son of a clerk, I shouldn't want to be you.

In the novel Dantes learns of Fernand's part in his arrest in a different way, but it sparks the same need for revenge.  The priest, Faria, sees this and says:

I regret having helped you clarify your past... because I've instilled in your heart a feeling that wasn't there before: vengeance.

     The film The Count of Monte Cristo is fantastic.  It keeps the viewer interested and has a exciting climax.  It is a good film for anyone to see, whether you have read the novel or not because it follows the  same idea of the book but is still easy for a nonreader to follow.

 

 

 

 

3 Act Structure

Act 1
     Stilettos clicking as she walked to her bank office, the quiet building breathing deeply around her.  That is, until a hand grabbed her, dragging her towards the safe.
     "Open it!" the man said.
     She typed the password, feeling a gun in her side.  She reached to push the silent alarm.

Act 2
     Her plans were spoiled as he tied her up and chucked her in a corner.  Three more men entered the safe, he wasn't alone.
     "Stay quiet and we'll spare you," the leader threatened as they began stuffing the money in bags.  His mask slipped.  She gasped and found the gun in her face.
    

Act 3
     "Can't let you live now you've seen my face!" the man laughed.
     The doors banged open.
     "Police!"
     Shots were fired.  She ducked, crying.
     "You're alright," a cop said.
     She looked up, "how?"
     "They tripped the silent alarm."......

     Click.  Her heels echoed in the silent building.  In her head she saw the bodies of four robbers.

Think Aloud- The Count of Monte Cristo 2

Text Connections-  Text-to-text  When Hannah, Chloe and I read about Noirtier building up Valentine's immunity to brucine we thought of Wesley in the Princess Bride.  Wesley, like Valentine, takes increasing amounts of a deadly poison each day until he is immune to that poison.

Text-to-self  After the Count finds out that Madame Villefort killed herself and her son he feels great remorse and wonders if he went to far.  I know what this feels like.  A couple of times after somebody has done something bad to me I have retaliated but instead of getting the revenge I wanted the other person would have their feelings hurt and I would feel awful.

Process-  I was confused on why, after he made her pretend she was dead, the Count waited a month to bring Valentine back.  I thought, after Madame Villefort was confronted with what she had done, the count would have Valentine back right away so that Maximillien didn't have to suffer for so long.  Hannah, Chloe and I talked about it and we came to a conclusion.  Hannah suggested:

Maybe the Count didn't bring Valentine back right away because there was something else that he needed to do first.  Or maybe it was a symbolic thing because it was similar to him giving Morrel three months to pay his debts.

Chloe was confused on whether the deaths of Barrois and Faria were related.  When Barrois was dying he went through three attacks, with the third one killing him.  Faria's disease caused him to go through three attacks over his life time, the third of which killed him.  Chloe said:

It could be a coincident, but I don't think it was because there aren't many coincidences in The Count of Monte Cristo.

Hannah and I disagreed, saying that:

Faria couldn't have been poisoned because he was in prison and his condition was a disease passed down through his family.  Besides, Faria's attacks were spread out by years, not minutes. 

Main Events-  A event that I think was big was the Caderousse's robbery attempt at the Count's house and the former's murder.  I thought this event was important because it tied together the Count, Caderousse and Benedetto (Andrea).  Because Andrea murders Caderousse and the Count knows it, he is turned in to the police, Eugenie Danglers carries out her plan to run away and Monsieur Danglers is publicly embarrassed because he is associated with a murder.

I also think that Fernand's hearing was a main event.  I think this because it is how the Count finally ruins Fernand.  Another reason I think the hearing was important was it tied Haydee into the story and gave her a reason to be there.  It isn't often that there is an extra character in The Count of Monte Cristo that isn't either a victim or a helper to the Count.  Haydee ends up being a helper.Fernands hearing and ruin results in his wife and son leaving him and the Count to be satisfied.

Think Aloud- The Count of Monte Cristo

Imagery/Sensory Details-  When I was reading about the setting of the carnival in Rome, Italy that the Count attended I thought of the huge crowds at the state fair and the smell of all the greasy food and sweat.  Another sensory detail that I thought of was when the Count, disguised as his dead friend, is thrown into the sea.  When I read this I could almost feel the slap as he hit the freezing cold water.

Text Connections-  Text to text: In the book Silas Marner, Marner is wrongly accused of stealing money from the church and banished.  This is like The Count of Monte Cristo because Dantes is wrongly accused of being a Bonapartist and sent to jail.
Text to world:  In The Count of Monte Cristo, Dantes is sent to jail.  Because of his long stay at jail, Dantes is a dynamic character.  When he escapes he doesn't know where all of the people he once knew are or what has happened to them.  This is similar to the lost boys of Sudan.  After the lost boys escaped from the government troops, they didn't know what had happened to their family's.


Points of Confusion-  One thing that I didn't understand was why Morrel felt like he had to kill himself when he couldn't pay his bills.  Morrel feels that killing himself would be more honorable than being in debt.  I don't agree with this.  In my opinion committing suicide is the more frowned upon idea.
I was also confused on the motivation behind Caderousse killing his wife.  I understand that he killed the jeweler so he could have both the diamond and the money from selling the diamond but I thought that killing his wife was for no reason.


Points of Understanding-  One thing that I understood about the first part of The Count of Monte Cristo is why Fernand and Danglars frame Dantes (though I don't respect it).  Fernand is envious of Dantes because Mercedes loves Dantes more than Fernand.  Danglars is envious of Dantes because Dantes was going to be made the captain of the Pharaon.  This envy caused conflict which lead them to get rid of Dantes as a sort of resolution.
A second thing that I understood was why Dantes wants to get revenge on the people that betrayed him. I think that most people in Dantes situation would want to get revenge as symbolism to overcoming and defeating the wrong that was inflicted on them.  It kind of creates a situational irony for the characters in the book because they think that Dantes is dead but now he is returning as the Count to get them.


Predictions-  One theme that I will remember from this book is to be careful who you trust.  Dantes trusts his "friends" and Villefort who end up betraying him.  Another thing that I will take away from The Count of Monte Cristo is that it is important to keep all the evidence in your case.  Villefort burns Dantes' letter that only Villefort and the reader know is addressed to his father, which is an example of dramatic irony.  If he hadn't done this the truth would have been known and he and Dantes may have had different fates.

Think Aloud on the Seven Deadly Sins

     Imagery/Sensory

When I think of envy I think of the metaphor green with envy.  

http://digitalart.org/art/41311/fantasy/seven-deadly-sins-envy/
Wrath is another way of saying anger.  I associate anger with the sounds of people fighting or arguing.
Hearts and Valentines Day have always reminded me of the sin lust.

     Text Connections
Text to Text- In the 10 Commandments there are two commandments that talk about lust and greed.  These commandments can easily relate to the Seven Deadly Sins.

 “You shall not commit adultery. 

“You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor's.”

Text to World- I think that the sin gluttony might be the most relevant to modern life.  As the diffusion of fast food has increased the number of overweight people has increased.  Because fast food is relatively cheap, many people consume it in excess amounts and throw any left overs away. http://blogs.smithsonianmag.com/food/2009/07/08/understanding-obesity-by-studying-culture/

     Points of Understanding
  Sloth was made a deadly sin because the Catholic Church believed that any kind of laziness would prevent a person from doing their church duties.  I agree with the Church that sloth should be on the sins list but for different reasons.  I think that sloth is an important sin to have on the list because if people are lazy they aren't helping their family or community, nor are they helping themselves in the long run.  I think this because if somebody is lazy how can they expect to be hired by an employer and support their family.
  I think wrath, or anger, is a good thing to have on the Seven Deadly Sins list because anger (in some cases) can lead to violence or murder, which are both illegal and very wrong.

     Points of Confusion
I don't understand why pride was made a deadly sin.  I agree that too much pride can come of as cocky and rude, even if one doesn't mean like that.  I think that it is important to have pride in ones own hard work because it helps you appreciate other's hard work.
Another thing that I don't get is why there are only seven deadly sins and why they are the ones that they are.  It seems like there should be more deadly sins than just seven.  I wonder why murder isn't a deadly sin because I consider it to be one of the worst things a person could do.

     Predictions
  I think that I will use this text to help me understand The Count of Monte Cristo.
  I don't think that I will come back to this text after The Count of Monte Cristo unless assigned to because I don't really identify with that type of thing in my life.  I feel that the sins are bad to commit, but I don't need them to tell me what is right and wrong, I can figure that out myself.

Reign of 100 Words

     If you have been wronged it is up to you to punish those responsible.  This statement relates to the actions of Odysseus and Telemachos against the suitors in The Odyssey.  Odysseus and Telemachos brutally murder the suitors of Penelope when Odysseus finally returns from Troy.  Odysseus is angry because the suitors have taken over his house and courted his wife.  Both he and his son Telemachos feel it is their job to rid the world of these particular men to set an example for others.
    I don't agree with the statement if you have been wronged it is up to you to punish those responsible.  I feel that if everybody abided by this rule then there would be a lot more violence.  It would be near to anarchy, people doing things to other people because they believe they have some sort of claim to do so.  Many people would abuse a rule like this, going as far as murder, like in The Odyssey.  You need only to look at crime shows where victims of a crime (or family members) take matters into their own hands by attacking or killing the suspect.  In turn they not only ruin their own life, but also their families lives.  I'm not saying the suspect/bully shouldn't be punished, they should, but fighting fire with fire isn't a good idea.

Comparing and Contrasting The Odyssey and O Brother Where Art Thou?

     The movie O Brother Where Art Thou? is an adaptation of The Odyssey by Homer.  O Brother Where Art Thou? was made in 2000 but takes place in the 1930s.  The Odyssey was first an oral story, passed down by word of mouth, until it was written down by Homer during the Greek rule.  Telemachos, in The Odyssey, and Everet's daughters, in O Brother have several similarities and differences.  These similarities and differences between the children of Odysseus and Everet in The Odyssey and O Brother are their encounters with their fathers, thinking their father is dead and their opinion of the suitor(s).
     In The Odyssey, Odysseus' son Telamachos has several instances that convey his character.  Telemachos  meets his father before his mother, Penelope, does.  The father and son reunion takes place in the home of the swine herder, Eumaos.  In The Odyssey, Telemachos believes that his father is dead because Odysseus hasn't returned from the Trojan war.  Telemachos tells Mentes, who is really Athena in disguise that his father is "...lost; he came to grief and perished,".  Telemachos also has a strong hatred for his mothers suitors.  He feels they are taking advantage of both his mother and himself.  He says that "they have an easy life, scot free, eating the livestock of another-".  These things show the feelings and experiences of Telemachos.
     The seven daughters of Everet in O Brother are similar and different to Telemachos in several ways.  Like Telemachos, Everet's daughters meet their father before their mother does.  But unlike the happy loving reunion of Odysseus and Telemachos, Everet's daughters aren't as loving to their father.  Also similarly to The Odyssey is Everet's daughters belief that their father has passed away.  After hugging their father they pull back saying that he can't be their daddy, their daddy "was ran over by a train."  Unlike Telemachos' opinion of his mother's suitors, Everet's daughters like their mother's suitor.  they share their mother's view that the suitor is "bonafide".
     The encounters with their fathers, thinking their father is dead and their opinions of the suitor(s) are the similarities and differences between the children of Odysseus and Everet in The Odyssey and O Brother Where Art Thou?  These similarities and differences, among others, lead the reader and viewer to whether or not O Brother is a faithful adaptation of The Odyssey.  O Brother Where Art Thou? is a faithful adaptation of The Odyssey because even though it changes some characters and the time and place of which the story happens, the main events are still present.

55 Fiction Revision

     My foot slammed into smooth ground, racing towards the crowded hall's end.  A line of turtle-like seniors blocked my path.  Ducking between two I continued.
     My brother blocked the way.
     "Don't!"
     Smack! he fell, I ran.  Wrong, but I had to know.  Rounding a corner, smell hitting my nose, I saw:  pizza for lunch!

Ground smooth beneath my speeding feet.  The crowded hall stretching infinitely.  A line of turtle-like seniors blocked my path.  Ducking between two I continued on.  My brother blocked the way.
"Don't!"
Smack! he fell, I ran.  Wrong, but I had to know.  Rounding a corner, smell hitting my nose, I saw:
pizza for lunch!

The Hero and the God

1 The basic "rites of passage" are:
      Departure
      Initiation Trials and Victories
      The Return to Society
The diagram for monomyth differs from a typical plot diagram because while the typical diagram is an incline ending in the climax, the monomyth diagram is a circle.
2 Buddha escapes from his fathers palace and travels around meditating.  After receiving a sign, Buddha goes to sit under the Tree of Enlightenment.  Here he must with stand the attack from the army of the god of love and death.  After conquering the army he receives his divine gift and spends many days contemplating his message.  Then the god Brahma tells him to teach his wisdom to gods and men.

3 The 5 subsections of the departure of a hero are:
      1 Request for the hero to go and help
      2 Refusal of the request
      3 The hero gets help from a god/divine power
      4 Hero passes through the first "doorway"
      5 The hero crosses into realm of night
4 The 6 subsections of the trials and victories are:
      1 Road of Trials
      2 Meeting with the Goddess
      3 Temptation from a women
      4 Reconciliation with the father
      5 The elevation of the hero to the rank of a god
      6 Achieving the great gift or goal
5 The return of the hero is important to the hero's community because it is the justification of the long retreat.  If the hero has won enlightenment they may lose interest and hope in worldly problems.  This can relate to soldiers coming back from the war and being distant from family and friends because of seeing friends die on the battle field.  If the hero has unjustly gotten the divine gift like Prometheus, the gods will punish them and possibly their community.
6 Comparing and contrasting how the composite hero of the monomyth can be treated by society: Sometimes the hero is honored by society, but other times the hero is unrecognized, disdained and shunned.

Academic Post #1 To Kill a Mockingbird

     Mr. Dolphus Raymond leads a conflicted existence in the town of Maycomb in the book To Kill a Mockingbird.  He has two different personas.  One that he presents to the public, and another that he presents to the children.  His personas are different in many ways.  Mr. Dolphus Raymond has a persona he uses in public and his real persona which he submits to the children.
     One of the personas of Mr. Raymond, the on that he presents to the public, is a drunk.  This persona of being a drunk is fake.  Mr. Raymond knows that the citizens of Maycomb don't approve of or understand his relationship with the black community so he pretends to be in "the clutches of whiskey" and "weaves a little".  He thinks that people in  Maycomb are racist, so he lets them believe that he can't help the way he lives.  Mr. Raymond believes that giving people a reason for the way he lives will give him his peace.
     The real persona of Mr. Raymond is the one that he presents to the children.  The real persona and reason Mr. Raymond lives with the black people is because he wants to.  He likes the company of black people more than white people because the former don't judge him and are kind to him.  Mr. Raymond disapproves of "the hell white people give colored folks, without even stopping to think that they're people, too".   Mr. Raymond hides his real persona and feelings because he wants to give the people of Maycomb what they want.
     Mr. Raymond has two personas, one that he uses in public and another which he shows the children. He is a conflicted character, being a white man and living with black people.  He makes up a drunk character to help the narrow-minded citizens of Maycomb understand why he lives in a black community.  He does this so that he can live his life in peace, without people reprimanding him.  Mr. Raymond really doesn't care what the townspeople think, he just wants to spend time with the people he likes.

The Odyssey Diagram