Huck Finn Blog Post One

Like Catcher in the Rye, Huck Finn involves a boy whose inner self is in conflict with what the adult world expects from him.

Write about a time when your own ideas, beliefs or convictions were in conflict with what was expected from you or considered acceptable.  What have you done about it?  Another way of approaching this would be to write about what element (s) of "normal," "acceptable" adult life is troubling to you. 

Just an FYI: The Common Application for college asks a version of this question in its list of college essay topics. 

Catcher in the Rye Reflection

For this post, describe how you felt about Catcher in the Rye as you were reading it and how you feel about it now that you are done.  Did your feelings change as you read the book?  Can you tie your feelings to any of the major themes of the book?  Did the author make choices that affected you in some way?  Try to use scenes and examples to anchor your discussion.

Phony Adults.

One of the most memorable things about Catcher in the Rye is how Holden classifies most adults as "phony."  Why does he do this?  What does he mean, and why is the idea of being "phony" or "not phony" important to Holden's story?  What does it say about Holden's psychological state that he sees people in these terms?  Use some scenes or details from the book to illustrate what you mean (for instance, the scene with Sally, or the scene with the girls in the bar, etc.)

Catcher in the Rye Signposts 1-10

For this post, choose one of your signpost observations which caused to gain some insight into the book or has some meaning for you.  Use your signpost observation to explain your insight into the book.

For instance, in the "Again and Again" section, you may have noted that Holden keeps mentioning that Jane keeps her kings in the back row of her checker board.  This observation then prompted you to think about a possible theme in the book.  For this blog post, write about your thematic idea and discuss how you see it affecting other parts of the book.

Reading Holden

In this post, use some of the skills we've practiced in class and describe the character of Holden Caulfield.  What are his thought patterns like?  What kind of person do you imagine he is?  What might have caused him to be this way?  You many even refer to our discussions about "typical" adolescent life for comparison or contrast.  Refer to specific scenes or passages for evidence.

Just a reminder: look at your "procedures" sheet for guidance on writing these responses.

Difficult Passages in Gatsby.

Hi Everyone:

In our first days of class, I suggested that the most difficult or seemingly odd scenes in a book can often be a route to some of the book's deepest meaning.  We also noted that The Great Gatsby is unique in how restrained and mysterious the language of the text can be.

In this blog post, describe the strange scene that you selected and (using your notes) explain how this scene may connect to one of the conflicts or tensions that we noted in class.  You can also write about why the scene is so different or unusual -- what sets it apart?  You can speculate or offer several alternative interpretations; keep in mind that you are not expected to explain precisely and definitively what everything means, as long as you offer some possibilities and impressions.  Look at the "Advice for Annotation" page for guidance.

This post is due on Thursday.

Test Run.

Hi Everyone: Welcome again to the course.  Please click on the comment section below and simply write one of your favorite words in the comment box.  I need to make sure everyone can connect and make comments.

Please remember: when writing blog posts in the future, write your posts on a separate word or google document, and then paste the comment into the comment box when you are done.  If you write your response directly in the comment box, you run the risk of the comment disappearing. 

Thanks, Mr. Telles.