Rhetoric in Advertising

Find an advertisement (commercial, billboard, magazine ad, etc.) and do the following:

• Explain the purpose and audience of the advertisement
• Analyze the rhetorical devices used (types of appeal and logical fallacies)

School Calendar

The Knox County Superintendent, Dr. McIntyre, held a forum last night about the school calendar. Please go here to view the three optional calendars in detail. Here is a brief description from the article in the News-Sentinel today:

"The first calendar, which begins school Aug. 10, gives students a weeklong fall break. The second and third calendars are almost the same except one has a two-day fall break and the other has none. Both have Aug. 20 as the first day of school for students. All three calendars have May 21 as the last day of school for students."

What are your thoughts? What are the advantages and disadvantages of each?

Favorite Movie

One of my favorite movies is I Am Sam starring Sean Penn and Michelle Pfeiffer. Pfeiffer, a ruthless lawyer, is working for Penn, a mentally handicapped father trying to retain custody of his daughter. I love everything about this movie: the vibrant colors, the camera angles, the Beatles covers, not to mention the storyline that makes me laugh as much as cry. The characters are believable (important for a realist like myself), and the themes of community and family transcend traditional social, academic, and familial boundaries.

What is your favorite movie and why?

Photography Exhibit

Give one specific idea that we can implement at "Capture the Evening" in October. Be creative. We want to "wow" your parents!

Strength

Which character in The Grapes of Wrath exhibits the most strength?  Explain.

Knoxville's Best Sweet Tea

I so enjoyed today's tea tasting! Those of you who brought tea, thank you. Please thank your parents as well.  I am still trying to recover from all of that sugar!  In case you didn't get it all written down today, here are the stats.  

1st Period: 

• ***** McDonalds with 94 votes
• **** Chick-fil-A with 91 votes
• *** Bojangles with 60 votes
• ** Chintzy Rose with 50 votes
• * McAlisters with 34 votes

3rd Period:

• ***** Bojangles with 97 votes
• **** Chick-fil-A with 91 votes
• *** McDonalds with 77 votes
• ** Chintzy Rose with 58 votes
• * McAlisters with 53 votes

I can't wait to see the first place reviews from each class.  Remember to find your voice and to keep a consistent tone.  Words like delicious, amazing, and wonderful should NOT appear in your reviews.  Choose specific, meaningful words.  Happy writing!  I will leave you with some pictures from today!

Proustian Memory

Marcel Proust, a French novelist, wrote about how the smell of a madeleine cake dipped into a lime-blossom tea, unleashed a rush of brilliantly-clear memory: "and as soon as I had recognised the taste of madeleine soaked in her decoction of lime-blossom which my aunt used to give me ... immediately the old grey house upon the street, where her room was, rose up like a stage set ... and with the house the town, from morning to night and in all weathers, the Square where I used to be sent before lunch, the streets along which I used to run errands, the country roads we took when it was fine."

For me, a pot of green beans simmering on the stove immediately transports me to my Mamaw Shirley's house. Her fresh green beans, flavored with bacon and onion salt, are cooked for hours. I have never tasted better. Just the sight of green beans reminds me of the many family gatherings held in her home. Though there are many rooms to choose from, living room, dining room, sitting room, somehow everyone always ends up standing around the kitchen hovering over her as she works. The green beans act as magnets pulling us all together.

What smell or taste brings back a memory for you?

Accidental or Intentional?

Did Gene intentionally jounce the tree limb or was it simply an accident? Use specific evidence from the text to support your answer and make sure to cite the page number. You must say something new. Do not merely repeat what someone else has already said.

Summer Book Discussions

Choose one of the following dates:

• Wednesday, July 23, 3:30 p.m. (best if you are in band)


• Wednesday, July 30, 12:30 p.m.

Bring the following to Room 110 at the high school:

• the book you chose to read


• the corresponding analysis card


• ideas/questions for discussion

We will be discussing only The Kite Runner, A Thousand Splendid Suns, Lipstick Jihad, Life of Pi, and A Long Way Gone.  You should have read one of those.  We will save The Grapes of Wrath and A Separate Peace for when school starts.

Please leave a comment on this post telling me (1) which date you will attend and (2) which book you chose to read.

Directions for leaving a comment:

• Sign up for a google account if you don't already have one. You can use whatever email address you already have. You don't have to have a google email.


• Your username should be your first name and last initial. For example, I am SarahM.


• When you log in, use your email address, not your username. This is often a source of much confusion.


• Email me at scmcaffry@comcast.net if you have any trouble.

Please spread the word to your classmates in case some of them have forgotten. I have so enjoyed reading each of these books and can't wait to hear your thoughts.

Happy Reading!

I hope each of you is enjoying your summer reading as much as I am. I have quite a stack of books checked out from the public library. If you haven't been to the relatively new Powell Library yet, you must go sometime this summer. I have to say, it is a resource that I am just now beginning to take advantage of. I can't believe I have missed out on this for so long. Once you get your username and password, you can just go online and reserve the books you want, wait to get an email to tell you when they are in, and walk in and pick up your books. They will have them waiting on you. Gotta love those librarians! Keep watching the blog for an announcement about our informal discussion of your books. I should have it up in the next two or three weeks. Again, if you are unable to make it, there will be an alternative assignment for you to complete.

Summer Reading

Sophomore Honors Students:

The two books you must read over the summer are The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck and A Separate Peace by John Knowles. You must choose one of the following as well:

• Life of Pi by Yann Martel
• A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah
• The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
• A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
• Lipstick Jihad by Azadeh Moaveni

Make sure you complete an analysis card for each book. Enjoy your reading and look for a post later this summer about our informal gathering.

Wordplay

This blog entry is just like the wordplay we did Friday where you had to come up with a word that starts with the same letter that the previous word ended with.  Remember you must use only specific, descriptive words like you would want to use in poetry.  This doesn't necessarily mean the biggest or fanciest word - just the precise word.  If your word is obscure, please give the definition as well.  Here we go...

curtail (It is a verb and means to limit or restrict.)

I Love Spring Break!

I believe I am safe in assuming you all feel the same way.  My to-do list isn't nearly as complete as I had hoped it would be, but I have still been pretty productive.  So far I have run Cades Cove (11 miles), made cupcakes with my two neices Audrey and Madelyn, cleaned out and organized closets, washed and waxed my car, among many other minor tasks.  I am enjoying a book by Joyce Carol Oates called We Were the Mulvaneys.  I hope to finish it over the next few days.

Me and Mrs. KP after 11 miles!

Audrey and Madelyn sneaking a taste of the batter.  They can get away with almost anything with me!

My organized closet.  In case you are wondering, I organize shirts first by sleeve length, then by material (lightest to heaviest), then by color.  I know you all think I am crazy, but it sure makes it easier to figure out what to wear.  Try it...Let me know if it works for you!  

What have you all been up to over the break.  Please tell me you have done something other than sleep!  Make me feel good about not giving you homework!  Enjoy the holiday weekend with your families!

Mrs. McAffry is a Dork!

Maybe you weren't surprised at that realization, but I was! After listening to your Soundtrack Autobiography presentations, I realized that I am pretty out of touch with some of the music you all listen to. I tend to buy a CD every couple of weeks and wear it out until I get sick of it, so I never really listen to the radio. My husband and I decided that we would try to listen to the radio more often in an effort to hear a wider variety of music.

I will share with you one of my new favorite artists. He is Dave Barnes. "The power of his songs, equal parts depth and hooks, both thought-provoking and dance-inspiring" is unique (even if they don't actually inspire me to dance!). It is impossible to assign him to one genre; he fits in with folk, reggae, R&B, and I could continue. "I always want my songs to be served individually," Barnes says. "As we approach production, what I'm always the most conscious of is, 'is this song sounding like it needs to sound?' I do want the record to sound good, but I'm a lot more concerned with an individual song. That's all that anybody's listening to at one point anyway." So, apparantly he doesn't want to be stereotyped to any one style, and that is precisely why I enjoy his music. Every song on his record sounds distinct, individual. I encourage you to sample some of his music on iTunes. I think some of you would enjoy him. And if you really like him, he will be performing at the Bijou Theater on April 11!

Tell me about one of your favorite artists. Why do you enjoy him/her/them? Be specific in describing their genre or style since it is likely I might not know who they are. There is a catch this time; everyone must mention someone different.

Minimum Grade Policy

There is a movement in the education world to change teacher grading policies so that students can't make below a 50 - even if they don't do any work or don't come to school. Please read this article from Las Vegas Sun and look at the arguments from both sides. What you think about this concept? How might it affect your education? Give specific reasons for your position.

Aphorisms

Benjamin Franklin coined so many witty and wise aphorisms that it is pretty hard to choose just one to discuss.  However, I will try.  One of my favorites is, "Be slow in choosing a friend, slower in changing."  For many of you, friends are one of the most important things in life right now - as they should be.  They are there for you in ways that your parents can't be sometimes.  I talked with Ashley Z and Rachel Y for a minute today about how important their friendship is to them. They seem to have taken this aphorism to heart.  Though you may not want to admit it now, you will most likely only keep in touch with a handful of your present friends after high school.  I would have never thought that would be the case, but I can attest to that now.  My two best friends are girls that I met in kindergarten and grew up with.  We weren't necessarily best friends each year along the way; naturally, we had ebbs and flows in our relationships.  But now, we have a strong friendship because we are all committed to being there for one another.  Sometimes it is not easy.  You have to be active in your friendship.  Call them to ask about that test; take them their favorite potato soup when they have just had surgery.  But most importantly, realize that once you have found that person that feels like a soul mate, you should hold on to that relationship for life.

Discuss one of Benjamin Franklin's aphorisms and how it relates to your life.  You can choose one from the textbook or go to The Quotable Franklin for other ideas.  

Favorite Word II

This was one of the most popular posts from last semester, so I thought I would let you all respond to this one as well.

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. For example, I have a dresser in my house that was my great great grandmother's. It may not be in the best condition, but that is exactly why it has so much meaning.

Your turn. What is your favorite word and why?

Satire

My loose definition of satire is "a work of literature that mocks social conventions." You might be familiar with satirical examples from popular culture such as The Simpsons, Saturday Night Live, and the Colbert Report even if you didn't know that is what they are called. While one of their purposes is humor, their underlying goal is to criticize various elements of society such as politics, religion, and family life. So, even though you may enjoy a few laughs while watching Colbert interrupt his guests and make outrageous statements, he is actually ridiculing the actions of public figures who often do the same things to a lesser degree.

Please read this article from the online satirical newspaper The Onion. It is an example of satire because it is humorous, but also because it criticizes common perceptions about reading in our society. Do you agree that reading is sometimes viewed as a strange hobby? Why is that? Remember that some of your were quick to emphasize (in the comments on the Lazy Days post) that you did not read over Christmas break! Why do many of you read only when it is required for class? Why do some of you rush to finish your assignments so you can continue your SSR book? How could teachers improve your opinions of reading?

Political Issues

As we are nearing the Tennessee Primary, political issues are at the forefront of many people's minds. I know only a few of you will be able to vote in this election, but it is important to start deciding which issues are most important to you. Unless you come from a family that talks politics regularly, you probably aren't even aware of many of the poignant issues in this Presidential campaign. It will take time, energy, thought, and research to learn about the issues and to make decisions about where you stand.

Over the last week I have been reading Melissa Fay Greene's There Is No Me Without You, a nonfiction book about a courageous woman who runs an orphanage in Ethiopia. After the death of her husband and daughter Haregewoin Teferra agreed to take in one child who was orphaned after his parents died of AIDS. She unwittingly ended up caring for forty to fifty children in her home at a given time. Greene makes a point to state that Teferra is no saint; "calling a good person a saint is just another way to try to explain extraordinary behavior...which means we are off the hook...[and] no one will expect us to intervene" (Greene 28). Along with the narrative of Teferra's life, Greene also discusses the facts surrounding the AIDS pandemic such as how it began, how it has affected innumerable children's lives, and how our country has helped and even hindered the victims of the relentless disease.

Here are some of the facts.

• 4.7 million people in Africa are in immediate need of the lifesaving AIDS drugs and only 500,000 have access to them.
• 6,600 Africans die every day of AIDS.
• The U.S. gave 0.1575% of its Gross National Product to foreign aid between 2002 and 2005. That equals $75,853,000.
• While the U.S. gave the most in dollar amount, it was least in percentage with countries like Norway giving up to .93% in 2005.
• In 2005, Ethiopia had 1,563,000 AIDS orphans, the second highest concentration of such children in the world. (There were 4,414,000 total orphans in Ethiopia including those from other causes.)
• People in America are treated for AIDS with HAART (Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy), a combination of three or more anti-HIV drugs, that helps them lead healthy lives for many years after their diagnosis.
• People in Ethiopia (and many other developing countries) die of AIDS because the drugs cost about $200-300 a year per patient.
• They obviously cannot afford the drugs because Ethiopia's Gross National Income per capita is $180.
• Within two months after starting treatment dying people regain their health and can return to work.

There are many reasons and excuses for the lack of adequate treatment for the millions of people dying of AIDS, but ultimately we are people and they are people. Are things like intellectual property rights, patents, and profits worth the lives of millions of people? While I understand the important of the right to patent as determined by the writers of our Constitution, I agree with Martin Luther King, Jr. who wrote in "Letter from Birmingham Jail" that "there are just and unjust laws...An unjust law is a code that is out of harmony with the moral law." He is not advocating defying the law as that would lead to anarchy. Instead, "one who breaks an unjust law must do it openly, lovingly, and with a willingness to accept the penalty." So far, American leaders are not willing to accept the penalty of relinquishing the patent on AIDS medicine in order to create cheaper, generic versions that would be accessible to the millions of people dying of a treatable disease. I believe our future generations will be baffled about the AIDS crisis much like our generation feels about the Holocaust.

Obviously you can see this is an issue I am passionate about. Now, I want to hear the things you all care about. Assuming you were able to vote this year, what issues would you be focusing on? Why are they important to you? (Please focus on the issues, not the candidates!)

Lazy Days

This break was even more wonderful than I imagined it would be. Normally I'm the kind of person that makes a lengthy to do list for my days off, but this time I decided to spend time doing the things I love that I normally don't have time to do. So, obviously, I read - A LOT! I read Pat Conroy's Beach Music, and Betty Smith's A Tree Grows in Brooklyn and Joy in the Morning. I cried and laughed throughout each book and would recommend all of them. After I spent several days reading on the couch, I couldn't handle being lazy any more, so I went about some of my other hobbies.

After receiving five new cookbooks for Christmas, I decided to try out some of the recipes(almond shortbread cookies, the best oatmeal cookies, individual cappuccino cheesecakes, double chocolate caramel brownies, and orange cranberry muffins). Consequently, I started training for the Knoxville half marathon. Those treats were irresistable! My new favorite thing about running is that I now have an iPod. I've actually had it for about six months but never sat down to figure it out. It has completely changed the way I think while I am running, and I will definitely need it to make it 13.2 miles!

I spent a lot of time creating videos on iMovie with the pictures I took throughout 2007. Though I have a box of scrapbook materials in my closet and hundreds of pictures on the computer, I found that I never did anything with them. This is the perfect solution! I even figured out how to upload them to youtube. With this whole blog thing, the iPod, iMovie, and youtube, I am feeling pretty tech savvy these days! I guess I am just a little behind the trend!

So, my front door didn't get painted, the siding wasn't scrubbed, and the car was left dirty, but this was one of my favorite breaks because I just did what I wanted. To students past and present, how did you fill your two weeks off?