Tuesday, September 30, 2014

Blog #3: The Stranger

Due: Friday, October 10 by midnight.

Your blog post this week will be based on a creative response to The Stranger by Camus. You can pick from the following options or pitch a different idea to McCallum before writing. These prompts will evolve over time, so make suggestions, corrections, etc.

Your response should be at least 400 words long.

Do not do more than one of these prompts.

1. Write a critical piece of an alternate ending for The Stranger considering one of these two paths:

  • Meursault does not shoot the Arab.
  • Meursault is found not guilty of murder.
    • Note: If you think there is another pivotal moment in the book that could create an excellent alternative storyline, feel free to explore that in your writing. Some examples that were suggested were Meursault's interaction with the Magistrate, his decisions surrounding his friendship with Raymond, or his choices made about his career and love life.
  • It could be an actual passage from the “novel” or a detailed plot outline of key events.
  • Keep an absurdist slant to the resolution you create.

2. Meursault is intriguing, puzzling, and infuriating to those around him, but many people tend to give him the benefit of the doubt and even make excuses for his behavior. Write a detailed character description of Meursault from the perspective of Marie, Raymond, or The Magistrate. It could be from any point on the timeline in the novel or set after the events of the novel have taken place.


  • Your writing can include dialogue and actual events from the novel.
  • Your writing should reveal something about both the characters who are narrating and Meursault.
  • Your character is free to ask questions, speculate, make assumptions, and be wrong.
  • Try to stay “in character” during this writing.

3. Imagine Meursault attended BCMS or was a teacher at BCMS in the year 2013. Describe something unique to this place or this time from the perspective of Meursault that stays true to the style and the internal monologue of The Stranger.


  • How would an absurdist teenager or teacher react to the world around him? How would an absurdist react to technology, school, assignments, Wal-Mart, or other things?
  • Your Meursault could be male or female.
  • How would his family, bosses, girlfriend/boyfriend, and friends react to him?
  • Note: You should NOT make comparisons between Meursault and any real students or teachers at BCMS. You can, however, compare his reactions with yours.

4. Which modern heroes or villains could Meursault best be compared to? You could compare him to characters in plays, movies, comic books, video games, and other novels.

  • The Stranger is an incredibly influential work of literature and many modern directors and authors have studied it. It wouldn’t be surprising if many characters, both heroes and villains are modeled after Meursault.
  • Have any modern heroes or villains personified absurdist philosophy?
  • Back up your assertions with evidence and details.
  • Remember that your audience may be unfamiliar with the work you are referencing, so provide some sort of explanation or context for the work or characters in your writing.
    • For example, if I were compare Meursault with The Misfit from Flannery O'Connor's short story "A Good Man is Hard to Find," I would want to make sure to explain exactly who The Misfit is and what about his character reminds me of Meursault.
    • Hey Look! Somebody did it.
Here's one interesting example of a comparison to a modern villain. Don't look at it if you don't want to be influenced.

5. Illustrate Meursault's reaction to or relationship with nature at crucial points in the novel.

  • In your blog post, Include the passage or moment you are illustrating and explain the significance of your illustration. This is the part of your blog that demonstrates the critical thinking work behind your work of art.
  • Your illustration to could show positive feelings and relationships, negative feelings and relationships, or both.
  • All the following criteria can be ignored if you have a better idea:
    • Pick a medium you'll work well with. Your options include, but are not limited to; painting, photography, drawing, online art tools, etc.
    • Your illustration does not have to be literal or realistic. You can be abstract. You should take risks.
    • Your illustration can represent feelings and emotions.
    • You could include a series of illustrations rather than a single work.

Thursday, September 11, 2014

Blog #2: Autobiography of Self as Reader

Due: Friday, September 19 before school
Word Count: 300
Required: Include a link to your autobiography or, if you are able, embed it in your post using HTML.

Introduction


Over the past two weeks, you've thought a lot about your development as a reader, not just as a young adult, but also as a small child. You've considered your parents' involvement in your reading life as well as some of the most positive and negative experiences you've had with literature. Just as importantly, you've come to see something about the reading lives of the people around you - your teachers, your parents, and your peers.

Questions to Consider


You may answer any, all, or none of the following questions and prompts. Do not treat these questions as a quiz. If you're answering more than one question, focus on blending multiple prompts into a seamless response.

The best responses will bring in links to outside sources, including videos, cartoons, photographs, and articles.

  • What conclusions can you come to about yourself as a reader?

  • What role did reading or story play in your life as a young child and what affect (if any) do you think it had on your development as a reader?

  • What do your positive and negative experiences with reading have in common?

  • If you were to create a program that would encourage people to read for enjoyment and personal growth for their entire lives, what would you do?

  • Why do you think people stop reading or fall "out of love" with reading as they get older?

  • What did you learn about your classmates' reading journeys? Can you come to any tentative conclusions based on your observations?

  • What do you think you'll discover in your research on reading?

  • How can reading be social?

  • What have you noticed about books you dislike? What have you noticed about books you really like?

  • What single book or story can you attribute with the key moment in your development as a reader?
Samples of Student Work:
Remember, these examples are of work done last year and represent only one possible way of completing the assignment. This is not the only way to do it. In fact, these are products of the first time this assignment was done and your project can be different and better than these models. 

Wednesday, September 3, 2014

Blog #1: What is Truth?

“Fiction is the lie that helps us understand the truth.”
― Tim O'Brien
Due date: Friday, September 5.
We know that writers, especially non-fiction writers, are supposed to be loyal to the truth. That idea seems simple at first, but as we examine the concept more fully, it becomes apparent that truth is a difficult concept to define.
Here, Ken Burns, a respected American director of documentary films, talks about the difficulty storytellers can have with the truth and how filmmakers tell 24 lies per second to bring an audience closer to the truth.

Ken Burns: On Story from Redglass Pictures on Vimeo.

For the first week of Quest 8 English, we're discussing and expanding on your interpretations of the meaning of Truth. We'll come up with a wide variety of possible definitions and characteristics for the concept of truth, but we were unable to come up with a broad definition that could satisfy everyone. Your first blog entry should tackle this difficult situation.
Take a look at the following questions and respond in any way you choose on your blog. Try to include the word "Truth" somewhere in your post's title.
  1. What is truth to you?
  2. What should all readers and/or writers know about the truth?
  3. What does it mean to be loyal to the truth?
  4. In what ways can a writer best find and report the truth?
  5. Can you find or link to a story/video/podcast that exemplifies the pursuit of Truth.
Your response should be thorough and personal, capturing your unique voice and perspective. Try to write at least 300 words. A true blog will contain links to outside sources or responses to the thoughts of the other blogs in the class. 
Good luck.
Due date: Friday, September 5
My Journalism class tackled this subject last year. Here's a look at what a few of them had to say after the second day of class. They may be able to help you think about this topic, but their form is much more informal than yours should be.