Friday, December 14, 2007

Christmas Traditions

Obviously I am looking forward to Christmas break to get a chance to rest and relax, but mostly I am looking forward to spending time with family. We have so many Christmas traditions that I can't wait to experience yet again this year. My extended family (about 20 of us) has always spent Christmas morning at my grandparents' house. My papaw makes eggs for everyone, and he makes over-easy eggs just for me! (I never make these because my husband likes his eggs scrambled. Oh what we do for love!) After everyone is sufficiently stuffed, my youngest cousin starts begging to open presents. So, my papaw dons his Santa hat and distributes the gifts. Then he reads the Christmas story to us as we all sprawl out on the living room floor. Though opening the gifts is fun, hearing him read this passage is by far my favorite part of the day.

What are some of your family's Christmas traditions?

Wednesday, December 12, 2007

Tragic Hero: Caesar or Brutus?

A tragic hero, the protagonist or main character of a tragedy, has the potential for greatness but is doomed to fail because of a tragic flaw. The downfall of the tragic hero incites feelings of pity from the audience. Critics still debate about the tragic hero of Julius Caesar. Do you think it is Caesar or Brutus? Explain with evidence. Also discuss the hero's tragic flaw.

Monday, December 10, 2007

Life Lines

By this time each semester, I start to get a bit emotional because my time with you is ending. This is one of the hardest elements of being a teacher; I get to see you for 90 minutes a day for 18 weeks, and naturally we build a relationship. Then, as soon as you take the final, you are gone. I know some of you say you will come back to see me, but experience has told me you won't (except for letters of recommendation!). And that is okay. You are supposed to mature, grow, and move on. Anyway, I always spend a couple of days just being sad that we won't have the same day to day interaction again.

The Life Lines project on the Academy of American Poets website says, "that we each carry lines of poetry with us. Words that others have written float back to us and stay with us, indelibly. We clutch these "Life Lines" like totems, repeat them as mantras, and summon them for comfort and laughter." I have found these lines from Lawrence F. Bassett's poem "Vine Girls" particularly heplful at this time: "But Youth renews itself, and each year's freshman class brings its new boys to strut the morning halls, and vine girls too, their arms entwining them." Please know that you will be greatly missed, but I have to remind myself that next semester I will meet 90 new faces that I hope I will grow to love as I have with each of you.

Visit http://www.poets.org/page.php/prmID/339 and read some of the other Life Lines. Are there any lines of poetry that you summon for "comfort and laughter"?

Wednesday, December 5, 2007

Favorite Word

I have to give credit to AlexW for inspiring this post. I overheard her talking today as she was working on vocabulary, and she said her favorite word is euphemism. For those who haven't just learned what it means, it is simply substituting an indirect phrase for something that might otherwise be harsh or blunt. For example, you might say someone "didn't exactly tell the truth" instead of saying he/she "lied." Or a car salesman might offer to sell you a "pre-owned vehicle" instead of a "used car." I must admit that I am a fan of the word myself, and even more, I enjoy using euphemisms in my daily speech.

So, back to the favorite word thing. My two favorite words are cacophony and patina. Cacophony means a harsh combination of sounds You could use it to describe the sounds in the hallway during class change! I think I just like this word because it is fun to say. The word patina describes the look that an object with age often develops. So, instead of an object appearing bright, shiny, and new, it has become worn and weathered with age. I enjoy this word because I prefer to decorate with things that have developed character and patina over time instead of something that looks freshly purchased from the store.

Your turn. What is your favorite word and why?

Tuesday, December 4, 2007

The Kite Runner



Though I must first caution you that the movie is rated PG-13 and it contains some controversial scenes, The Kite Runner is one of the best movies I have seen lately. I would definitely recommend reading the book first, but the film is a beautiful adaptation of the novel. Though most of the story is set in Afghanistan, the themes of friendship, betrayal, and redemption are universally relevant. The way the vibrant, colorful kites contrasted with the desolate, beige landscape of the country mirrored the boys’ innocence in respect to the ominous future of their beloved country. I love being able to read film the way you would read a novel. I would love to discuss many of the powerful scenes from the movie, but I don't want to ruin it for those of you who might see it.

Over the break I look forward to renting some good movies (since I don’t have cable!). What would you recommend and why? Remember that I am looking for films with academic integrity!

Monday, December 3, 2007

The American Dream

Discuss the role of the American Dream through chapter three in The Great Gatsby.

Cassius's Persuasive Techniques

Discuss Cassius's techniques for persuading people to join the conspiracy against Julius Caesar. Give examples, explain what type of persuasion he is employing, and evaluate the effectiveness of the technique.