Happy Holidays!

Hey Everybody!
I hope you have a very Happy Holiday and an awesome New Year!

Comparison

Which story do you think Metamorphosis compares to the most?

Metamorphosis

Since Metamorphosis is about half of the exam (hint from extra help class: the essay is about comparing metamorphosis to something else) and we have not really reviewed it except for under pressured time, it would help everyone to make study guides by listing some suggestions of important quotes and themes... just an idea.

Metamorphosis vs. Dante's Inferno

How does everyone like Metamorphosis compared to Dante's Inferno??

Inconsistency?

Is Gregor supposed to be a giant or a tiny bug?? It says that Gregor's father pushed him through the doorway because he had gotten stuck. That would mean he was pretty big, right? He couldn't fit through the doorway unless he stood upright. BUT... it also says that he fits on that picture frame and hides under the couch in his room. So wouldn't that mean he was the average bug size? That would have to be one giant picture frame if Gregor really sat on it. Did anyone else notice this?

KAFKA YOUtUBE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=boSFjzWJXcU

mrs. Klebba told us about this guy and some of this articles, i don't know exactly which one.

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&safe=off&q=vladimir+nabokov%2Bmetamorphosis&btnG=Search

Exam??

Has anything been said about what we're responsible for knowing on the exam?

Would you want to be something else?

Do we sometimes feel like we might want to be a bug or some sort of creature at some point in time to see what it would be like if we did not really exist? Or maybe we sometimes want to be something else just to get away from everything around you such as work and your family...? If so, what do you think you would want to morph into?

SHOW BIZ

Kafka's Metamorphisis kind of reminds me of the movie BIG with Tom Hanks. As a child, Josh feels trapped in his boyish lifestyle and believes if he was older, he could find an escape in his independence. but waking up as a grown man is just as confusing and scarry as waking as a roach. although alot of the emotions displayed by josh and his parents are different from Gregor and his family, the idea of a dramatic transformation is kind of the same .

the Kafka in us

dont we all feel like this on some days. gregor's metamorphosis is more physical than physcological. bug's purpose for life is just to live and in that, comes the competition for life. bug's only do what they have to to survive and constantly do monotonous activities everyday. doesnt that sound like life at we know it ?

A bug's Life

If u could be a bug for one day, what things would u do? Lets not be to perverted, emphasis on too.

Metamorphous Questions. G,Taylor, Thomas, Doug

1. A. I’m amazed, amazed. I thought I knew you to be a quiet, reasonable person, and now you suddenly seem to want to start strutting about, flaunting strange whims.
B. I am about to lose even the slightest desire to stick up for you in anyway at all. And your job Is not the most secure.
C. Your performance of late has been very unsatisfactory.
There is a bad relationship between the two. The manager takes advantage of him and he uses him.
2. Gregor has abnormal emotions. He is still concerned about his job and not that he is a bug. He worries about his family more than he worries about himself being a roach. He is calm.
3. “I’ve got the torture of traveling, worrying about changing trains, eating miserable food at all hours, constantly seeing new faces, no relationships that last or get intimate. To the devil with it all!” he is worried about work and changing trains but he not worried about himself being a BUG.“ First of all he wanted to get up quickly, without any excitement; get dressed; and the main thing have breakfast

I've been home sick with a horrible stomach virus. I've missed Monday and Tuesday and probably won't be back in school tomorrow. Can anyone tell me what homework I've missed/what's due?? Thanks

No Test on Friday

Test???

so everyone one is really confused on whether or not we have a test this week, girls soccer has a tournament in pearl river all week and we can't afford to find out the day before or two days before that we have one... Ms. Deckard do we or do we not have a test??

Metomorphis

If you have a question ask it then we will all pitch in and help answer it.

jeff goldblum

Hey, if you guys like both Jurassic Park and Metamorphosis, then you'll love The Fly. Jeff Goldblum, that guy from Jurassic Park, stars in it as a scientist whose experiments transform him into a monster that's half-man, half-fly.
IMDB says, "Seth Brundle, a brilliant but eccentric scientist attempts to woo investigative journalist Veronica Quaife by offering her a scoop on his latest research in the field of matter transportation, which against all the expectations of the scientific establishment have proved successful. Up to a point. Brundle thinks he has ironed out the last problem when he successfully transports a living creature, but when he attempts to teleport himself a fly enters one of the transmission booths, and Brundle finds he is a changed man. This Science-Gone-Mad film is the source of the quotable quote "Be afraid. Be very afraid."

Here's the link to IMDB's page on The Fly.

Seriously, you should go out and rent it. Tell me if it's good or not.

metamorphasis?

does anybody know what the test is going to be like or if ms deckards going to be back in time to go over it with us before the test?

Tell Kayla I didn't get her e-mail. Try gmail.

no reading involved for kafka's the-metamorphosis

just listen to it
@t:

http://librivox.org/the-metamorphosis-by-franz-kafka/

Link to On-line text of Shrew

http://www.online-literature.com/shakespeare/shrew/

HELP!

I still need alot of help with some of the quotes on the test because I still have not taken it. I am not asking for someone to tell me the exact quotes but if someone could sort of guide me?

Don't Sweat the Test Too Much

I know I haven't been there, and that the situation isn't ideal, but from what you've been posting and the opinionated way you've been writing, you should have a lot to say on the test. Remember, the study guide was worth 30 points (1/3 again of the test grade), and you should all get 30/30 on that. I think you liked the play, and that was really my goal, so if you have a pretty basic understanding you should be fine. Miss you all!

Is Kate childish, spiteful, or just waiting for love?

I can't decide if she just didn't want to get married because she hasn't found someone she was interested in or if she just wants to spite her sister and society. What do yall think?

So how did yall like the ending of the play?

taming of the quotes!!!!

does anybody have a list of quotes that could help me with the test?

a reoccuring theme(not necessarily in 'taming')

http://threes.com/cms/index.php

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3_(number)

HAPPY TURKEY DAY

what did yall have for thanksgiving?

Sorry I've been out of touch.

I haven't been able to e-mail since there wasn't e-mail at my conference. Since I've been with my family, I've had to go to the hospital each day to be with my grandfather. He is quite ill.
I hope you're all having a good break! See you soon.

$ or Love?

would you guys marry Kate for the $ or would you pursue a true love.

Kate

Is it just me or do yall feel sorry for Kate too?

Important quotes and footnoes!?

list or tell some good quotes/famous quotes/even if not 100% test worthy. also are their any key footnotes that are important like the one about the how the kate would dance bare foot and such?
thanks

	That is, to watch her, as we watch these kites
	That bate and beat and will not be obedient.
	She ate no meat today, nor none shall eat.
	Last night she slept not, nor tonight she shall not.
	As with the meat, some undeservèd fault
	I'll find about the making of the bed,
	And here I'll fling the pillow, there the bolster,
	This way the coverlet, another way the sheets.
	Ay, and amid this hurly I intend
	That all is done in reverend care of her.
	And, in conclusion, she shall watch all night,
	And if she chance to nod I'll rail and brawl,
	And with the clamor keep her still awake.
	This is a way to kill a wife with kindness,
	And thus I'll curb her mad and headstrong humor.
	He that knows better how to tame a shrew,
	Now let him speak; 'tis charity to show.

hhmwk? act 4?

? for ms. d's class...nothing on the hmwk site..nothing at all.

I don't know...

What is a pedant? Is that a slave or something?

Whats the Point?

What was the reason Shakespeare put in the introduction part with Christopher Sly besides for Doug to read? It seems to have nothing to do with the rest of the play.

The Taming of The class of 2008

If u could match people from our class with certain charachters, who would be who? No one should take offense to this

Comparison of 10 things I hate about you and Taming of the Shrew!

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3768/is_200401/ai_n9394375

Click this link!

CLARIFICATION HELP! PLEASE

so help with all these diguised people. because somehow all the suitors and their servants get mixed up.
can someone please help me pair these (disguises and such) and explain..thanks

• Christopher Sly - tinker
• Bartholomew - A page
• Baptista Minola - Father of Kate and Bianca
• Katherine (Kate) - The "shrew" of the title
• Petruchio Suitor and husband of Kate. - Petruccio says upon his father’s death, he set out to look for a wife, hoping to marry a rich man’s daughter and thereby augment his family fortune. Hortensio decides to hook petruchio up with Katherine since he only cares about a rich father.
• Grumio - Servant of Petruchio- newly arrived in Padua, goes with his servant grumio to see hortensio that he knows from verona
• Curtis - Servant of Petruchio
• Nathaniel - Servant of Petruchio
• Joseph - Servant of Petruchio
• Bianca - Sister of Kate; the ingenue
• Gremio - Elderly Suitor of Bianca

Hortensio - Suitor of Bianca (later disguised as the teacher Litio) With Petruchio he disguise himself as a schoolmaster(litio) so that he can court Bianca secretly.

o

o Vincentio - Father of Lucentio

o Lucentio - Suitor of Bianca (later disguised as the teacher Cambio) decides to disguise himself as a teacher Cambio in the hope that by tutoring Bianca he will be able to declare his love for her and win her heart.

o Tranio - Servant of Lucentio (pretends Lucentio and studies at u)

• Biondello - Servant of Lucentio -arrives in a timely fashion and agrees to help with the deception

• A pedant (later impersonates Vincentio)

Insult all your favorite people in Elizabethian English!

follow this link to get Shakespears insult kit
http://www.pangloss.com/seidel/shake_rule.html

Shakespeare's Tounge (yeah that's a pun)

i think it's great the all of shakespeare's plays are still in their origional form, but does anyone think you would get more out of it if it read smoothly in modern english? so who likes shakespeare for the language, and who thinks the language is great, but you'd rather read his plays in our english?

Show Biz Baby

i really like the play, possibly because it's all so familiar? any one else notice it is the same as that movie TEN THINGS I HATE ABOUT YOU. can anyone think of other Shakespearian plays that have made it on to the big screen ?

Is it weird to like Kate?

I actually like Kate. Yes, she is a shrew, but it's kind of funny and I think it's cool that she's so independent. Bianca actually kind of gets on my nerves because she is miss perfect and never gets in trouble for the things that she does. Does anyone else agree?

link

conventions of the Elizabethan stage.

a. The play-within-a-play--A play performed as part of the story for some dramatic purpose. For example, in Hamlet, Hamlet asks a group of players to perform a play with a plot similar to what he suspects are the actual events of his father's murder. The main action of The Taming of the Shrew is a play-within-a-play.

b. The use of disguises-A character puts on a disguise to hide, trick, or spy on others. Shakespeare's audience accepted the fact that none of the other characters ever recognized the person disguised. Students can look for examples of this in the play.

c. Love at first sight-This is a common device in romantic comedies.
Lucentio falls head over heels the minute he sees Bianca. Students may be
asked to look for other examples in the play.

d. Fluid action-Shakespeare's stage used little in the way of set or props; everything was portable. Modern critics called Shakespeare's plays filmic, since the action can move quickly from one locale to another in much the same way a movie script can. The action of this play shifts between various locations in Padua and Petruchio's house.

e. Asides-Shakespeare's characters often make comments to each other or to the audience the other characters never hear. These asides usually comment on the action.

courtesy of kq productions and http://www.penguinclassics.co.uk/nf/shared/WebDisplay/0,,82544_1_10,00.html

6th Period English

I thoroughly enjoy Doug reading the part of Sly with that ridiculous accent. What does everyone else think about it?

Friday's Homework

Finish reading Act I for Monday - expect a quiz.

Thursday Night's Homework

Read all of the Induction for Friday. There will be a quiz. For those of you missing class Thursday, you will still take the quiz Friday, so prepare. For those of you missing class Friday, you need to come see me during the day on Friday to take the quiz. Leaving school for the game is not an excuse.

Also on the quiz for third period are the characters listed in the "Dramatis Personae".

Taming of the English Department

Look at the first comment to see Kevin's info on feminist criticism.

Crossdressing

Clearly, Shakespeare's audience thought crossdressing was uproariously funny, and today we still think that's so. "White Chicks," "Mrs. Doubtfire," "Bachelor Party," and "To Wong Fu, Thanks for Everything, Julie Newmar" show that Americans love movies with gender-bending themes. Why do you think crossdressing is viewed as so comedic? Why do you think crossdressing is mainly acceptable in mainstream movies, but homosexuality remains controversial and often incendiary? (Please be mature in your discussion or refrain from participating.)

What would your Inferno look like if you could design one?

What hell do you beleive in?

What would be the guidelines for your hell? Would it be eternal? Who would be in it?

Cathedraling

ben this is a neologism

Power Points

So, who do you think has had the best presentation so far? Why was that person's power point so interesting?

Dante Final Word - Likes and Dislikes

Final thoughts on Dante's Inferno. What you liked and didn't like. Would you be interested in redaing more of Dante's work?

Which circle of Hell in "The Inferno" did you enjoy reading the most and why?

references in popular culture to the divine commedia: da inferno

so i found what i was looking for with all the references to dante's divine comedy: the inferno. I wanted to see what songs, cartoons, and movie besides the dante film had references/connections to the inferno.I listed the many popular ones and cut it down a tad on the "view comments".There are references in tons of famous stuff like the movie 7even and clerks and in art and music including the local band cowboy mouth.

+++++
virtual dante:
http://dante.ilt.columbia.edu/new/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dante_and_his_Divine_Comedy_in_popular_culture

my mommy got a poster of this and put it in Mrs. Klebba's room

Inferno length

do you think dante had to make up more to write or cut his poem down in order to fit into his 100 cantos?

Extra Credit Opportunities

This weekend and next weekend there are two theater productions of WONDERFUL plays that I encourage you to attend. If you do go, you'll get credit if you write a response of two pages.

The first is Waiting for Godot, which will be performed this weekend on a rooftop in the Lower Ninth Ward and next weekend on a rooftop in Gentilly. The play is about two people who talk as they wait for Godot (who never shows up). The actor starring in this play is Wendell Pierce from HBO's The Wire. The play is free. I'll be going on Friday, so I can give you directions.
http://www.neworleans.com/option,com_jcalpro/Itemid,88889349/extmode,view/extid,5243/

The second play you should see is The Laramie Project. This is being put on at Loyola University on Nov. 2, 3, 8, 9, and 10 at 8 pm, and on Nov. 4 and 11 at 2 pm. I saw this a few years ago at UNO (the same theater company did that one as are doing the one at Loyola), and it was the best play I ever saw. It is powerful, creative, compelling, tragic, and uplifting all at once. This will set you back only $8. Call 865-2074 for ticket information (pay and reserve so you don't miss out).
www.montage.loyno.edu

October 29th n 30th

i have been out of school the last two days. anybbody in 6th period willing to email me the notes from the powerpoints? <- if thats what we're doing. thanks
gmichaeld14@hotmail.com

Crazy Halloween Stuff

Find anything Inferno related for Halloween? Post it here.

How do we put our power points on blog?

I am technically challenged and i don't know how to put my Giotto power point on the blog. Could someone explain to me how to do it or would yall rather I just post the pictures that were missing from my presentation?

Is anyone else doing something about how the Pope is elected? Help me out yo

Country Day Volleyball Game

THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO CAME AND SUPPORTED THE VOLLEYBALL TEAM TONIGHT AT COUNTRY DAY!!!! WE REALLY APPRECIATE IT!

Viva Las Vegas

Whose costume did everyone enjoy the most? Personally, Zach and Wade's costumes were my favorite

MARCO POLO , THE MERCHANT

any one else doing marco polo ? i've found stuff but it just seems so boring, i dont want to put the class to sleep. hit me up if you find anything relative to THE GREAT MERCHANT, MARCO POLO

Strange Facts

What's the weirdest fact you've discovered while doing your research so far? This has to pertain to your research.

Tumultuous Times

The shift from the Middle Ages to the early Renaissance were crazy times in Europe - why do you think that is? Each of you are discovering unique things in your research that help to answer that question, but if you start to put those things together here, we'll get a better idea of the big picture.

Power Point Topics

the first comment has a list of who's doing what.

Blogging?

What do ya'll thnk about blogging? Is it useful? -Just trying to measure a general consensus

new resource to help study for that heavy english book

http://www.wwnorton.com/
ask me if you want the code..but if you have a new edition of that enormous english book it has the code in the front but i have one we can use..it has quizzes timelines and alot of material that may or may not help..

imprtant quotes and epic similes; a boiling pot of ideas

important quotes and epic similes... a boiling pot of ideas you might say this is. i do know that epic similes have "just" and "such" in them and danteworlds.laits.utexas.edu has a breakdown of every canto and circle and tells u every epic simile.

http://danteworlds.laits.utexas.edu/utopia/gallery/1205lucifer.jpg

How did he do it??

"Vexilla regis prodeunt inferni
verso di noi; però dinanzi mira,"
disse 'l maestro mio, "se tu 'l discerni."

Come quando una grossa nebbia spira,
o quando l'emisperio nostro annotta,
par di lungi un molin che 'l vento gira,

Even if you thought the context of The Divine Comedy was not amazing, You have got to respect Dante simply for writing such a long allegory in terza rima. In the orignal italian form, you can clearly see the rhyme that trancends throughout. How could anyone write such a long allegory in terza rima within only one lifetime? Let alone write a terza rima to tell such an elaborate story!

power point

this is a good site for the power point, it covers a lot of topics cheggity cheggity cheggity check it out

http://www.aboutflorence.com/Itineraries-in-Florence/dante.html

argenti and cathedral with dante

Count UGOLino pg 1135
if the commedia was built like a cathedral it should look like the extravagant Sagrada familia in Barcelona. on the back is the passion facade. and the front is the nativity facade...the front is broken into 3 sub facades and each shows all the details of religious symbolism and such. The back shown below the below photo is the persecution and carrying of the cross ..(trying to say its the stations of the cross..) anywhoo the top picture i could see being a place for dante's commedia

FILLIPO ARGENTI

longness

what does the length of our creative writing paper?

Check this out!

This is some trippy video art using the Inferno as inspiration. It will suck you in!
http://www.nova.priv.pl/Dante/inferno.htm

Dante in Popular Culture

This article on Wikipedia is really interesting (I think I did the link right this time!). It lists all references to the D.C. in popular culture, so you can use it as a spring board for further exploration.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dante_and_his_Divine_Comedy_in_popular_culture

Also - does anyone have the Simpsons season 3 on DVD so we can watch it in class?

what do we do with slideshow invite?

okay, i don't know if anyone else is confused about that e-mail we were sent with the slideshow website attachment, but i am. what exactly are we supposed to do with it?

love for inferno

dante is the man and i love this work of literature

Your Prayers Have Been Heard

I changed the schedule to allow for more breathing room, so do that - breathe! I will give you the revised schedule, but you should note that I moved the test to Monday and built two library days into the schedule too.

Tuesday 16th
Wednesday 17th 21, 22
Thursday 18th 32, 33 & 34
Friday 19th Review all of Inferno
Monday 22nd TEST ON ENTIRE WORK Draft 1 of Creative piece due

Virtual Overview of the Circles of Hell

http://web.eku.edu/flash/inferno/

this is a great overview of the circles. it tells the guard, sinners, important figures, and gives a brief review of what occured. Each circle also has pictures of every character including Dante and Virgil. REALLY GOOD WAY TO REVIEW AND CLEARS UP A WHOLE LOT OF THE CONFUSING STUFF

Creative writing

For creative writing, I call the 10th circle being people that don't go the speed limit and people that speed up when you try to go around them so ya'll can't do that. Triple stamp, no erasies, Touch blue make it true.

Extra Credit

I went to get tickets for Fauborg TReme, but it was sold out. I almost missed the game for it.

Britney Spear's circle of hell?

PLACE YA BETS LADIES AND GENTS

Friday Oct. 12 - IN-CLASS INSTRUCTIONS

I won't be in class today, but you do have an assignment. After you've picked a topic for your research presentation, compile lists of links, facts and information, images, and whatnot during class. Then, at the end of class, e-mail me whatever you've found - either your powerpoint or a word document - and the citations/links. Please put information in your own words - do not copy and paste - your final project's text will be sumitted to turnitin.com. This is for 10 points.

The Divine Comedy

Unlike a lot of books and other literature we are required to read for English class, I actually really like The Inferno. What do yall think about it?

question

so i haven't noticed any guards for the past 3 or 4 circles, can someone help ?

What Dante Looked Like

Yo its Kriddle,how do u people picture Dante. I always think he looks like the black guy from Hotel Rwanda. That dude is tight. He's also in that adam sandler movie. And Virgil looks like Tom Hanks in Cast Away with a beard.

A pretty cool map of Hell.

I was trying to see what different types of hell people percieve so i searched it on google. i found a pretty cool map of Dante's hell and you can click on different levels and it teaches. heres the link.... http://www.gpc.edu/~shale/mapping_files/dante_hell.html

My circle of Hell

Ummm is anybody thinking about what their circle of hell is going to be like. Me and Hallie are thinking about spending an eternity in Dr. Warzeski's Physics Lab. AWEFUL!

The Best Game in the Universe

Did ya'll see that LSU game? That was probably the best game i've ever seen. I wish i could marry it and live happily ever after.

Jake and Dinos Chapman

http://www.24hourmuseum.org.uk/exh_gfx_en/ART18306.html
http://www.24hourmuseum.org.uk/exh_gfx_en/ART18306.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chapman_Brothers

Extra Credit Opportunity

http://www.tremedoc.com/

This film will be screened at Canal Place Cinema on Oct. 14th at 5 and 7 pm. ($7 or $8)
If you go and then write a 2 page reflection on the film (not a summary, but a reflection citing specific facts and events), I'll give you extra points.

The Camden 28 - a group of people who didn't sit and watch as others died

http://firstrunfeatures.com/camden28dvd.html#

Virtual tour of hell

Check this out. It's pretty interesting. It's a virtual tour of the levels of hell...

http://web.eku.edu/flash/inferno/

Ms. Deckard's comment - YOU ALL SHOULD USE THIS TO STUDY - IT'S THE BEST MAP OUT THERE. Study this, coupled with the Dante World site from U. Texas, and you'll be fine.

"If a way to the better there be, it exacts a full look at the worst."

If you lost the article:
http://www.brown.edu/Departments/Italian_Studies/LD/numbers/02/aeschliman.html

The article that I gave you in class has a lot of references to historical events you may not know about. I encourage you to look around for information. Here are a few reliable starting places:

The Katyn Massacre - http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/cold.war/episodes/01/spotlight/index.html

The Gulag Archipelago - http://www.nytimes.com/books/98/03/01/home/solz-gulag.html

Theresienstadt (more commonly known as Terezin in the US) -
http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/article.php?lang=en&ModuleId=10005424
http://history1900s.about.com/library/holocaust/aa012599.htm

Uganda (this refers to the Ugandan genocide) -
http://media.www.laloyolan.com/media/storage/paper803/news/2007/10/04/Opinion/From-Rwanda.To.Darfur.The.Facts-3010931.shtml

Youtube has some good videos on these topics too:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=BUYRNYHeWKM
http://youtube.com/watch?v=t2GLFBnP3qk
http://youtube.com/watch?v=E4ROJ5A6ds4
http://youtube.com/watch?v=xON22c7pZ6c

My Circle of Hell

Every time I took the Inferno quiz to see what circleI'm in, I end up in Circle 8. Is this happening to anyone else? What circles are you all getting sorted into?

Statement vs. essay for colleges...

Alright, so i was wondering what some other people are doing when a college asks for a statement rather than an essay because most of the colleges that i'm applying to have sent me online applications that don't require an essay. any thoughts on what the difference between an essay and a statement is?

im puzzled

so the first circle of hell is the least tormenting? because it says that the victorious pageans are in the first circle, but they are only there because they were not baptized.

does father millican make house calls , i think i need to repent for my sins

so i took the test, and it doesnt look like Beatrice, Mary, Rachel, Lucia and I are going to be having coffee and sharing advice together any time soon. i scored in the 8th level of hell. am i doing something wrong ? by the way, i checked out that Inferno book during a study hall today, and it was really funny the way everything is put into perspective of modern day life. i turned it back in to the library, so go take a look at it during some free period

666 vs 777: its all in the numbers..

http://www.google.com/search?q=777%2Bbible&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a


The Dante's Inferno Test has banished your @$$ to the Sixth Level of Hell - The City of Dis!

Here is how you matched up against all the levels:
Level | Score
Purgatory | Very Low
Level 1 - Limbo | Low
Level 2 | Moderate
Level 3 | Moderate
Level 4 | Low
Level 5 | High
Level 6 - The City of Dis | High------------------greatest place on/in/or around earth
Level 7 | Moderate
Level 8- the Malebolge | High
Level 9 - Cocytus | Low

Level descriptions: http://www.4degreez.com/misc/dante-inferno-information.html
Take the test: http://www.4degreez.com/misc/dante-inferno-test.mv





http://www.google.com/search?q=777%2Bbible&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a

Pride's a sin - right?

I'm better than you are!!
I took the test and here's my result:

"Your fate has been decided....
You are one of the lucky ones! Because of your virtue and beliefs, you have escaped eternal punishment. You are sent to Purgatory!"

I was moderately sinful in a few areas, but I'm working on it.
http://www.4degreez.com/misc/dante-inferno-test.mv

The Castillo at Chichen Itza

Here's some pictures of the the Castillo at Chichen Itza


http://z.about.com/d/archaeology/1/7/i/E/chichen_itza.jpg

http://www.essential-architecture.com/A-AMERICA-N/MEXICO/Chichen_serpent_column.jpg

The second one shows the serpent statue

Mayor Incomplete

Short article. What Chris Rose has to say about Nagin..

http://www.nola.com/living/t-p/index.ssf?/base/living-0/119070147560000.xml&coll=1&thispage=1

The golden ratio

http://hometown.aol.com/genesisformulae/Dante_Birth-Date.html

This is pretty interersting check it out.

LIFE

maybe this is weird i dont know but i think we should have anpost dedicated do how we feel about english class, senior year, college and so on. maybe people can give others advice on how to do better, feel less stressed out, enjoy senior year more, diffrent things. to start out.everyone is pretty much stressed right now, so anyone find a good way to cope with it or at least find a way to get your mind off of all this college stuff for a bit. if so reveal your secrets im sure everyone is itchin to know them. this is just an example of what we could discuss it does not have to scrictly be about this topic.

Can anyone give me a college essay topic because the colleges that I am applying to do not require one. So if anyone has any suggestions or topics, please let me know!

Presidential Canidates

who you y'all think will be the best and why?

Southren Rep Center

This is the website where you can find information about the play, "Breach".

http://www.southernrep.com/season0708/season0708.php
The last showing is this thursday. We should make a plan to go together.

Here's that great comic Trevor found

i'm doing just fine thank you for asking

oh brother, these college essays are brutally kicking me in the face. exccessively. i've been trying to write for the past 5 hours i just cant seem to find anything that might be remotely intrestin enough to gain admissions. does any one have any ideas or recomendations on how to start this essay proccess? why cant we just write about how much stress and turmoil college applications cause ! i'm sure they'd just love to hear that

Super Bad star is highlights Discussion: worst resume ever? not quite, but pretty d close.

Since we were talking about what TO DO AND whAt not to DO for essays and such and after going over horrible essays and discussing these things I thought it would be entertaining to show this ridiculously cheesy and unprofessional video resume by aleksey vayner for a bank company or something. 1st of all. He has it as a video. 2. it is so cheesy and he talks about jibberjabber. 3. he is so lame and so out of line that he starts out with lifting weights and not only lifting weights but having text on the bottom pop up and tell you how much he is lifting..he then goes on to play various sports and talks about b.s.
we will always have the 2006-07 season

any saints fan should own Bless you boys to remember the greatness
http://www.nola.com/tpstore/index.ssf?/tpstore/saints06book.html

http://www.veoh.com/videos/e1336748NgyMqyG
WATCH AFTER---->>>>>>>Super Bad star Michael Golden..i mean Michael Cera.. (who looks like goldy as a slim child) makes fun of this in a parody
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nAV0sxwx9rY&eurl=

and here is this dude's gossip blog
Blog:) http://www.ivygateblog.com/blog/tags/aleksey_vayner/

Essay 3A

ESSAY: In order for the admissions staff of our college to get to know you, the applicant, better, we ask that you answer the following question: Are there any significant experiences you have had, or accomplishments you have realized, that have helped to define you as a person?

I am a dynamic figure, often seen scaling walls and crushing ice. I have been known to remodel train stations on my lunch breaks, making them more efficient in the area of heat retention. I translate ethnic slurs for Cuban refugees, I write award-winning operas, I manage time efficiently. Occasionally, I tread water for three days in a row.

I woo women with my sensuous and godlike trombone playing, I can pilot bicycles up severe inclines with unflagging speed, and I cook Thirty-Minute Brownies in twenty minutes. I am an expert in stucco, a veteran in love, and an outlaw in Peru.

Using only a hoe and a large glass of water, I once single-handedly defended a small village in the Amazon Basin from a horde of ferocious army ants. I play bluegrass cello, I was scouted by the Mets, I am the subject of numerous documentaries. When I'm bored, I build large suspension bridges in my yard. I enjoy urban hang gliding. On Wednesdays, after school, I repair electrical appliances free of charge.

I am an abstract artist, a concrete analyst, and a ruthless bookie. Critics worldwide swoon over my original line of corduroy evening wear. I don't perspire. I am a private citizen, yet I receive fan mail. I have been caller number nine and have won the weekend passes. Last summer I toured New Jersey with a traveling centrifugal-force demonstration. I bat .400. My deft floral arrangements have earned me fame in international botany circles. Children trust me.

I can hurl tennis rackets at small moving objects with deadly accuracy. I once read Paradise Lost, Moby Dick, and David Copperfield in one day and still had time to refurbish an entire dining room that evening. I know the exact location of every food item in the supermarket. I have performed several covert operations for the CIA. I sleep once a week; when I do sleep, I sleep in a chair. While on vacation in Canada, I successfully negotiated with a group of terrorists who had seized a small bakery. The laws of physics do not apply to me.

I balance, I weave, I dodge, I frolic, and my bills are all paid. On weekends, to let off steam, I participate in full-contact origami. Years ago I discovered the meaning of life but forgot to write it down. I have made extraordinary four course meals using only a mouli and a toaster oven. I breed prizewinning clams. I have won bullfights in San Juan, cliff-diving competitions in Sri Lanka, and spelling bees at the Kremlin. I have played Hamlet, I have performed open-heart surgery, and I have spoken with Elvis.

But I have not yet gone to college.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[From Harper's Magazine. "This essay, by Hugh Gallagher, won first prize in the humor category of the 1990 Scholastic Writing Awards. It appeared in the May issue of Literary Calvalcade, a magazine of contemporary fiction and student writing published by Scholastic in NYC. Gallagher, who is 18, grew up in Newtown Square, PA, and is/did attend(ing) NYU."]
http://people.msoe.edu/~taylor/humor/essay.htm

From about.com:
Comments: This satirical essay, or a version of it, was written by a high school student named Hugh Gallagher, who entered it in the humor category of the Scholastic Writing Awards in 1990 and won first prize. It was subsequently published in Literary Calvalcade, a magazine of contemporary student writing, and reprinted in Harper's and The Guardian before taking off as one of the most forwarded "viral" emails of the decade.

Though this was not his actual college application essay, Gallagher was ultimately accepted at NYU, where he graduated in 1994. Since then he has worked as a freelance writer. His first novel, Teeth, was published by Pocket Books in March 1998.

A Poem by Doug

I was born with the birth of he who kills his father and marries his mother.

I let him survive on the mountain side- to be rescued as I had already decided.

I allowed him become popular and dashing, to kill the sphinx and become king.

But I have the power to take that away, and I will OH yes.

I will ruin him and make him go blind

I will in the end be triumphant and he will travel the rest of his days shunned.

I am controlling, I let him live, survive, and make him become prominent. Isn’t it only fair that I ruin him? IT IS HIS TIME

College Applications

DO NOT SEND YOUR OWN APPLICATIONS OFF!!
DO NOT SEND APPLICATIONS OFF WITHOUT HAVING AN ENGLISH TEACHER WORKSHOP YOUR ESSAY WITH YOU.
WE'RE DOING THESE IN CLASS THIS WEEK - SO DON'T JUMP THE GUN AND JEOPARDIZE YOUR FUTURE BY NOT HAVING A TEACHER PROOFREAD YOUR STUFF!

If you need help with the story behind Jason and Medea, here's the link to the mythweb site. There's about 20 slides to go through, but I found it helpful. It explains the story behind the golden fleece and Jason's quest, etc.
http://mythweb.com/heroes/jason/index.html

Parker's Poem

Oh, how my impromptu charade plays out.
The oblivious woman whose tranquil life was fine.
But her situation bored me.
Within her heart I lit a spark for a perservering man
Who wanted a treasure her father held dear.

Oh, how she complied with his desire,
Leading herself to commit vile sins worthy of Greek tragedy.
Killing her brother, her uncle,
Asking her accomplice for marriage.

Oh, how her ungreatful husband cheated.
But such an intriguing story this is for me.
Ah, now she wants revenge.
How my love spark has burst into flame.
What a complex twist I have made.

She must kill her children and her husband's wife?
Oh, how potent my love potion is.

All this turmoil from just one silly whim of the gods.
But now the gruesome charade is finished.
I grow bored.

Here's the Poem I Wrote in Class (and a little bit after)

In the sunlight, leaning against the well,
It seems as if the weight of my years are as the mist on the ocean.
I am one with the air and the light, above all earthly concerns.

But within our dark bedchamber, reclining alone,
The years come upon me like waves curling back on themselves,
Until the blood-dark sea sucks me down with Absyrtus.
There, I have tears enough to fill an ocean,
And they are as hot on my cheeks as the blood on my hands, but no saltier.

Our home was never a harbor,
The solid walls of Greek houses
encased me, hardened me, and chilled me
Until I was an egg.

My brown skin faded to ivory.
My stomach swelled taught under the robes you paid for.
On a battlefield more terrible than Jason had ever seen,
I grew fat, whole and expressionless, and bore your children.
Only then, after the wilds of Colchis were erased,
Its beaches eroded into a smooth whiteness, my keen mind filed into a
Maternal oval, could I be reborn.

I leapt from my own head,
Heart in full armor,
Alive in the world.
And killed my own.

Now, there is no home, no sanctuary.
Neither Earth nor water offer me a resting place.
Up here, I am unencumbered by walls or love.
I am alone in the fiery wind of my mind,
But I am free.

test

anyone know any pages with important quotes for our test?

Notes for thursday 13th+Klebba's juniors get to enjoy Beowulf 2 ways

I need notes from english for 3rd period. thanks...EVERYONE who was in Mrs. Klebba's class and enjoyed Beowulf you have to visit the MEAD HALL that you CAN ACTUALLY EXPLORE from the story. The digital animation looks like it will get annoying, but he has an academy award winning director and a star studded cast..the only thing is the animation. I will see it and the juniors get to see it as they read the piece of lit. http://www.beowulfmovie.com/

Victim or Villain?

Do you beleive Medea is a victim or a villain? She does kill her husband and children, but do you think she knew what she was doing? After all, Aphrodite casted a spell on her to make her fall madly in love with Jason. She is basically possessed by her love for him. Do you think she is to blame for her actions? Or is she a victim?

Today, if she were on trial for the murder of her family, the jury wouldn't care that she killed out of love, but would her argument have had validity back then when people believed in witchcraft?

The A to the B of the C is visiting NO

Yes, the Archbishop of Canterbury! He's visiting New Orleans next week. Some of you may be interested in going to the ecumenical service on Thursday Sept. 20. If so, here's the link to register. For those of you who scoff, this is a once in a lifetime thing. He's like the pope (remember, Henry VIII splits from Catholics over that beheading thing, sets up his own guy as the new protestant "Pope," says something to a friend, and the ABofC is inadvertantly killed by four over-zealous knights? That whole Thomas Beckett thing? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Beckett)


Anyway, for those of you who are pious, interested in human rights, or want to say you saw that man who could have been pope if only he'd of been Catholic:
http://archbishopvisitsnola.org/pages/registration.php

Extra Credit could be negotiated by those who attend and live to write about it.

"Flow Backward Sacred Rivers"

You need to read this article for Thursday's HW (you'll be responsible for info on test). I couldn't figure out how to upload it here, so you'll find it on the homework site (sorry Michelle, you really do have to figure out how to use that) in the bulletin board area.

Euripides

Euripides
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Euripides is known primarily for having reshaped the formal structure of traditional Attic tragedy by showing strong women characters and intelligent slaves, and by satirizing many heroes of Greek mythology. His plays seem modern by comparison with those of his contemporaries, focusing on the inner lives and motives of his characters in a way previously unknown to Greek audiences.

Got Notes?

Does anyone have the notes on Medea from class on Wednesday 9/12/07?

Oedipus

I was just wondering why in Greek mythology if someone was cursed their anscesters had to pay the price? It seems kind of unusual for the desendants do the time when their predesesors did the crime/

Freud and confusion

1st impulses aka normal behavior for adolescents is neither to think your MOM is hOt and want her nor do daughters crave their fathers and want them.(from what i understand) That is crazy! Now we all know adolescents might want other peoples /friends moms but not their own. (a select few which fit the Oedipal Instincts) I agree with the second paragraph of this article kinda.

Somebody please help me with this I cannot wrap my head around it: Much thanks

"that is, I do not believe that they are capable of creating something absolutely new and peculiar to themselves. It is far more probable -- and this is confirmed by incidental observations of normal children -- that in their amorous or hostile attitude toward their parents, psychoneurotics do no more than reveal to us, by magnification, something that occurs less markedly and intensively in the minds of the majority of children. Antiquity has furnished us with legendary matter which corroborates this belief, and the profound and universal validity of the old legends is explicable only by an equally universal validity of the above-mentioned hypothesis of infantile psychology. I am referring to the legend of King Oedipus and the Oedipus Rex of Sophocles."

Drug Use in Ancient Greece

There's a lot of unreliable info on-line about drugs. I researched a little about Doug's question about drugs, prophesy, and the Greeks. I found this article which seems well documented
http://www.janushead.org/7-1/Arata.pdf

Also, wikipedia has some stuff that seems OK:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Entheogens#In_the_archaeological_record

Sophocles Article

http://www.leeds.ac.uk/classics/resources/poetics/poet-ot.htm This link I think is Aristotle's take on Sophocles' Oedipus or it is someones idea of what Sophocles would think about OedipusT




http://www.leeds.ac.uk/classics/resources/poetics/poet-ot.htm

I missed class on Friday. Could someone please e-mail me their notes at lclotworthy@stmsaints.com? Thank you!

Oedipus Rex - book on tape

I have the CD of Oedipus Rex if any of you would like to borrow it to put on your computer or iPod. The translation is slightly different from the one our book uses.

Quotes.another post:(

I would like help with the pg number of the quote where JESS THROWS SHIVS DOWN stairs and the quote when the glass breaks all around her and/or the quote when Jess talks back to her mother and Daniel Slaps JEss and possibly when Sarah Harrison says I cannot take Jess anymore

What is your favorite book out of all the books that you had to read at school, and why?

I Define My Own Katrina

When I first started thinking about what I wanted to do for The Anniversary, I realized that the very idea of August 29th was looming over me in a way that gave the storm more power than it deserved. Two years ago, I made the decision to come back to New Orleans because I didn’t want the storm to force me away from a place I loved. I remember standing in my dad’s kitchen, crying, and telling him that I wanted to make my own decisions based on what I wanted to do, not on something outside of me. Now I realize that this was naïve, but there is a huge difference between naivety and hope. I’m still hopeful. Maybe you thought it was naïve to spend the day focusing on the positives of the last two year as if that’s some sort of talisman against the pain in our hearts or another storm. But the hope of making a positive difference is what’s kept me going non-stop for two years, and now hoping is almost all I know how to do.

I came back to New Orleans, in large part, to provide a safe harbor for my students. Two years ago, your lives were hectic and unsure, and I wanted to help provide stability. I feel that same way today. You should come to school and feel safe; you shouldn’t have to come to school on August 29th fearing what “special” Katrina stuff you might be forced to do. Journaling is cathartic. As we’ve been discussing with The Icarus Girl and “The Yellow Wallpaper,” writing (or “work”) gives us an outlet. It’s a way to purge our pain, meditate, and develop our thoughts.

As an interested adult, I’ve watched you over the past two years and been continually impressed. You are survivors; you are resilient; you are pioneers; you are all those trendy words used to describe people struggling to live normal lives in the Gulf South. And your lives are remarkably normal. You go to practice; you study; you go to parties; you do homework (more often than not); you laugh and you love. But you cry too. I’ve seen how separation and disaster have forced a bond in your class and I’m amazed by you.

Then I look at myself, someone I constantly criticize, and realize that I’m not all that different from you who I admire. So, I decided that we should all focus on what we can be proud of over the past two years.

I was brave: I found out my house was unlivable the day before I left New York to come back to New Orleans. I was smart: I gave myself four days to drive the 1500 miles because I knew I was an emotional wreck. I was stoic: I hardly cried. I was a good friend: I smiled and when they left I said, “I’ll see you soon.” I was numb: I hardly cried.

But that was two years ago. I’m focusing on the positive and how awesome I’ve been since Katrina – remember? Well, what I’m proud of is that I stepped up. I said “yes, I can do that.” I said it over and over again. I said “yes, I’ll work Saturdays;” “yes, I’ll teach an extra class;” “yes, I’ll be your friend;” “yes, I’ll take that homeless dog;” “yes, I’ll be the youth minister at my church;” “yes, I’ll help you gut your house;” “yes, I’ll help you build your house;” “yes, I can.” I said these things because that’s the kind of person I always wanted to be, and Katrina gave me a chance to walk the walk. Katrina was an opportunity; she opened a whole lot of doors and left gaping holes where they had been, but she opened them just the same.

I’m proud that I was able to leave my apartment those first three months. Well, it wasn’t my apartment, it was my friend’s, but she wasn’t there, so I was alone. Very alone. The only thing that got me out of the house those days was work, and the only thing that got me here was my students. On the drive to school, I’d calculate my potential earning power at Burger King with the $125 weekly bonus. Then I’d think about the 30% pay-cut I had agreed to. Then I’d get to school and reassess what wealth means. I measure my value in terms of the impact I have on the world around me. I had always hoped this was a realistic assessment, but now I’m sure I’m right and the Wall Street Journal, and Merrill-Lynch, and even the Federal Reserve are spectacularly wrong. After two years of knowing that St. Martin’s is my shelter and the happy place I can think of when I need to fly up above the debris, I know I am indeed rich.

I’m proud that I have been able to say “yes” to other people, while also saying “yes” to myself. It was very easy to be the center of my own world over the past two years, but it was easier to use other people’s needs as a distraction from my own. It’s easier for me to help others than it is to help myself. I’ve know this for a long time and never really done anything about it. I think I grew up with some romantic ideas about martyrdom and sacrifice, and I thought people who took care of others with no regard for themselves were somehow better than others – unselfish. Teaching is a good profession for people like that. It’s easy for me to think about school and work all the time; this was especially true when I was worried about you in those first months after Katrina and then last spring. For two years I’ve worried about you and I’ve cried for you when I couldn’t cry for myself; I’ve learned that this is something that helps me heal.

I’m proud that I’ve made friends. Most of my closest friends left New Orleans after Katrina and only came back to salvage what they could from their wrecked homes. This was devastating for me. My family is far away, I worked hard to create my own family of friends here, and then they all left. Yes, I have best friends on the faculty at StM, but I felt that I couldn’t let work be my only social outlet. I determined to be more outgoing, more friendly, and more open to personal possibilities. Fearlessness is a good quality in a friend, and after Katrina I fearlessly decided to throw parties for everyone I knew. Happiness can be bought, and I’ve somehow managed to make more friends in the two years after Katrina than in the seven years I spent in New Orleans before the storm. I can’t remember the last time I ate dinner by myself!

Now that I’ve spent a few days thinking about what I have to be proud of, I realize that there’s a lot. I’ve grown, as I would have no matter where I lived or what I’d been through, but I live here and I went through IT and that’s my life. Some days it’s too much for me and I’m angry or alone or want to move or cry or scream, but most days it’s OK, because we’re still here. And I know it’s my choice to be here, and somehow that choice, that determination, and that intention make all the difference.

The "Real" Emily Rose

http://www.fotofetch.com/

SHIVS HELP

Does anyone have some Shivs quotes about her and/or her friendship with Jess? SOme good, quality quotes of importance in relevance to friendship and how the bond is real and not fake..PLEASE

Grendel

It would be really interesting if there was an essay or a book from another character's point of view. For example, the story could be told rorm Tilly's point of view, or Shivs's. Then we would have more insight into whether or not Jess was crazy, as well as better understand unanswered questions.

Sarah Harrison tells her husband Daniel that she CANNOT take her daughter anymore. She is too stressed out and too much a burden. Jess also later asks herself if her mother hates her and questions if she is heartless. Can someone shed some light on this. ALSO what is her relationship with her father? DOES JESS ISOLATE HERSELF FROM HER PARENTS OR DO HER PARENTS isolate themselves from her?

analysis of Oyeyemi's wiritng style

this article is a review about oyeyemi's writing style not necessarily Icarus Girl but all of her literary works

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml?xml=/arts/2005/01/09/boyeyemi.xml&sSheet=/arts/2005/01/09/bomain.html

Good Review from NPR

this review is great to see another perspective of Icarus Girl, good analysis

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4813330

Turnitin.com

Hey guys, please go to the homework site bulletin board, view your class's log-in information for your section of English IV, and then register at turnitin.com. The first draft of your Icarus Girl paper, which is due next Friday, must be turned in at turnitin.com, not to me via e-mail.

This is the student user help manual if you need it:
http://www.turnitin.com/static/pdf/tii_student_guide.pdf

This is a play Helen Oyeyemi wrote that got some pretty good reviews too. Its called The Opposite House.

Reminder

Don't forget that you must post at least twice a week. I'll be giving this grade on Friday, so make good observations and comments TODAY!

Puff-Puff Recipe

This link has a puff puff recipe. The food that Jess and her Nigerian side of her family made.
http://www.motherlandnigeria.com/recipes.html#puff_puff

ibeji statues

http://www.cartage.org.lb/en/themes/arts/scultpureplastic/AfricanSculpture/AfricanArtAesthetics/TheExhibition/aa09sd.jpg

YeLLOw WaLLpApeR

Here is YELLOWWALLPAPER for LISTENING..for you auditory ppl. The 2nd one is the shortest..It helps alot to hear it
http://librivox.org/newcatalog/search.php?title=Yellow+Wallpaper&author=Gilman&status=all&action=Search

I mentioned this organization in class Monday

http://www.greenbeltmovement.org/

I don't know if my post is going to work but I think Helen Oyeyemi is crazy and if we asked her what her book meant she wouldnt even have an answer.

Homework for Friday Night

Read the article I gave you in class from the Telegraph about Helen Oyeyemi and read this article on twins in Nigeria.
http://www.randafricanart.com/Yoruba_Customs_and_Beliefs_Pertaining_to_Twins.html

The Cracked Mirror

Look at page 252. This is the scene when the mirror breaks in the bathroom: "The mirror crack'd from side to side" is used here in The Icarus Girl, but it is a quote from the poem "The Lady of Shalott" by Tennyson. The motif of the mirror is used over and over in "The Lady of Shalott" to juxtapose reality and myth, and to convey the theme of sight and knowledge. As for Icarus Girl, mirrors create twins in the way that twins "mirror eachother." It's important that Oyeyemi uses this quote here, because in the poem, soon after "the mirror cracks," the Lady of Shalott commits suicide (Her suicide is related to Launcelot). In The Icarus Girl, the mirror breaking causes an escalation of the tension in the novel. Jess's real fear of TillyTilly (who is death?) begins in the bathroom when TillyTilly tells her she wants to become her (essentially kill her).

From "The Lady of Shalott":
She left the web, she left the loom,
She made three paces through the room,
She saw the water-lily bloom,
She saw the helmet and the plume,
She looked down to Camelot.
Out flew the web and floated wide;
The mirror cracked from side to side;
"The curse is come upon me," cried
The Lady of Shalott.

Follow this link for the full text of the poem:
http://www.victorianweb.org/authors/tennyson/los1.html

Icarus Girl

Post conversations about Icarus Girl here.

Welcome!!

Welcome to our class's blog. This is our space to create and add content, continue in-class discussions, and explore issues we care about. As I explained in class, you will be required to contribute at least two posts a week to this site. You can either comment on things we discuss in class, point out new information, pose and answer questions, or add your musings to the blog.