Thursday, December 22, 2011

ROAR III: Book into Film

For this term, select a book from the list below. Read the book, and compose 2 set of ROAR notes. Then, read the film adaptation of your book. Compose 1 post that makes use of film terms and analyzes how it adapts the book.

Do select a book that interests you, but also one that you will be allowed to watch the film version (check to see what the film is rated). Also, check the ROAR selections website that is listed on the right-hand column.
You are required to prove you legally watched the film, so no downloading or streaming.



Playing the Enemy by John Carlin
Invictus is the true story of how Nelson Mandela joined forces with the captain of South Africa's rugby team, Francois Pienaar, to help unite their country. Newly elected President Mandela knows his nation remains racially and economically divided in the wake of apartheid. Believing he can bring his people together through the universal language of sport, Mandela rallies South Africa's underdog rugby team as they make an unlikely run to the 1995 World Cup Championship match.

The Blind Side by Michael Lewis
Michael Oher is a poor, undereducated teenager in Memphis, whose father was murdered and whose mother was a crack addict. He is shuffled through the public school system, despite his low grade point average and absenteeism. His living situation is noticed by the wealthy Tuohy family. They take him in and he succeeds both athletically and academically, becoming one of the top high school football prospects in the country.

The Haunting of Hill House Shirley Jackson
This is a perfect work of unnerving terror. Four seekers arrive at a notoriously unfriendly location called Hill House: Dr. Montague, an occult scholar looking for solid evidence of a "haunting"; Theodora, his lighthearted assistant; Eleanor, a friendless, fragile young woman well acquainted with poltergeists; and Luke, the future heir of Hill House. At first, their stay seems destined to be merely a spooky encounter with inexplicable phenomena. But Hill House is gathering its powers—and soon it will choose one of them to make its own.

A Scanner Darkly Philip K. Dick
America in the near future has lost the war against drugs. Though the government tries to protect the upper class, the system is infested with undercover cops like Fred, who regularly ingest the popular Substance D as part of their work. In a bizarre twist, the drug has caused Fred to develop a split personality, of which he is not aware.

The Namesake Jhumpa Lahiri
What’s in a name? A MIT professor and his wife face this question, when hospital authorities won’t allow them to leave with their baby until it is given a name. The staff is ignorant of the cultural difference that allow for Bengali families to spend a good deal of time and deliberation before deciding their child’s name. Thus, Ashima and Ashoke are forced to enter a “pet” name for their son- Gogol.

Slumdog Millionaire Vikas Swarup (Q&A)
Jamal Malik is an 18 year-old orphan from the slums of Mumbai. With the whole nation watching, he is just one question away from winning a staggering 20 million rupees on India's "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?" But when the show breaks for the night, police arrest him on suspicion of cheating; how could a street kid know so much? Desperate to prove his innocence, Jamal tells the story of his life in the slum where he and his brother grew up, of vicious encounters with local gangs, and of Latika, the girl he loved.

A Civil Action Jonathan Harr
This is the true story of a town’s fight against deadly environmental toxins in the town of Woburn, MA. With a class action lawsuit to file, lawyers represent families impacted by the pollution. However, the case that could ruin the law firm firm.

Antwone Fisher Antwone Fisher (Finding Fish)
This autobiography tells how Fisher was born in prison to an incarcerated mother and a father who had been shot. After being placed in foster care, Fisher was treated brutally and blamed for his own misfortunes. Through these experiences, he eventually found his way into a stable job in the Navy.

Everything Is Illuminated Jonathan Safran Foer
With only a yellowing photograph in hand, a young man sets out to find the woman who might or might not have saved his grandfather from the Nazis. Accompanied by an old man haunted by memories of the war, and a dog named Sammy Davis, Jonathan is led on an amazing journey into an unexpected past.

Fever Pitch Nick Hornby
Love sports? This book tells the story of the author's unhealthy relationship with soccer. As a fan of Arsenal, a London soccer team, Hornby describes his life as it relates to the successes and failures of his favorite team.

Pride and Prejudice Jane Austen
Bride & Prejudice

The five Bennet sisters, including strong-willed Elizabeth and young Lydia, have been raised by their mother with one purpose in life: finding a husband. When a wealthy bachelor takes up residence in a nearby mansion, the Bennets are abuzz. But when Elizabeth meets up with the handsome and snobbish Mr. Darcy, a battle of the sexes ensues.

Cold Mountain Charles Frazier
A wounded Confederate soldier walks away from the horrors of the war and back home to his pre-war sweetheart, Ada. This love story connects Inman's odyssey through the devastated South with Ada's struggle to revive her father's farm.

Girl With a Pearl Earring Tracy Chevalier
When Griet becomes a maid in the household of the painter Johannes Vermeer, she thinks she knows her role: housework, laundry, and the care of his six children. What no one expects is that Griet's quiet manner, quick perceptions, and fascination with her master's paintings will draw her inexorably into his world. Their growing intimacy sparks whispers; and when Vermeer paints her wearing his wife's pearl earrings, the gossip escalates into a huge scandal.

Secret Window Steven King (Four Past Midnight)
Mort Rainey is a successful writer going through a rather unfriendly divorce from his wife of ten years. Alone and bitter in his cabin, he continues to work on his writing when a stranger named John Shooter shows up on his doorstep, claiming Rainey stole his story. Mort says he can prove the story belongs to him and not Shooter, but while Mort digs around for the magazine that published the story, people begin to die.




Darwin, His Daughter, and Human Evolution

Creation



Imperial Life in the Emerald City: Inside Iraq's Green Zone

Green Zone 




The Juliet Club
and
Letters to Juliet: Celebrating Shakespeare's Greatest Heroine, the Magical City of Verona, and the Power of Love





Winter's Bone: A Novel



It's Kind of a Funny Story



Between a Rock and a Hard Place

127 Hours




True Grit

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

in rememberance pt.2

Another death this week was Christopher Hitchens, an essayist whose work appeared all through out magazines and websites on topics related to politics, religion, and literature. Hitch was a thoughtful writer, and one who loved to pick a fight. He was staunch in his opinions, never backing down, never settling for the "proper" position. I admired his conversational tone, a welcoming voice that encouraged the reader to sit and ponder awhile whatever topic happened to present itself.

Here's a piece from last January, where Hitchens instructs his American audience (he was an Englishman) on the finer points of making tea:
http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/fighting_words/2011/01/how_to_make_a_decent_cup_of_tea.html
Tea is a herb (or an herb if you insist) that has been thoroughly dried. In order for it to release its innate qualities, it requires to be infused. And an infusion, by definition, needs the water to be boiling when it hits the tea. Grasp only this, and you hold the root of the matter.

Monday, December 19, 2011

in rememberance

There have been some deaths this past week that have made me reflect on art, beauty, and my life. I'm going to share some thoughts and memories, starting with Cesária Évora. Her fado style songs were my first introduction to Cape Verde, a place I had no idea about growing up in Philadelphia. I am thankful to have been given such a lush and beautiful welcome to Cape Verde.

Descansa En Paz, Cesária


Cesária Évora from Manuel on Vimeo.

Homework 12/19

Some astute students noted that there is a discrepancy between the December Calendar and the dates listed on the blog. So, if you wish to turn in your Culture Vulture for term 2 by Wednesday it will be on time.

TUESDAY
1) Antigone test
-multiple choice plot/character
-shine a light (remember those Odes)
-Greek Theater background/Civil Disobedience
2) ROAR notes #3

WEDNESDAY
1) Culture Vulture
2) film editing

THURSDAY
Film Fest!

Thursday, December 15, 2011

Homework 12/15

Culture Vulture proposal!

can you believe it? Get the form signed, and get yer culture!

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Homework 12/14

-read the selections from Thoreau's "Civil Disobedience"  back-up copy here

-prove your Root Word expertise, you sophmores

Monday, December 12, 2011

Homework 12/12

Here we go!

Finish reading Antigone tonight, see where the play heads and we'll evaluate the stages of a Greek Tragedy.

Root Words- SOPH on Thursday...

Friday, December 9, 2011

Homework 12/9

phew, the weekend. This was a very strange week for me as I processed having to lose my 6th period ELA 10 class and plan for teaching a 6th period ELA 7 class. Thanks for you strong work; it make a difficult week much easier.

For Monday:

-Antigone Scene 3, Ode 3

-revise, type, and print your quatrain from last Friday. We'll share out some good poems on Monday

Thursday, December 8, 2011

Homework 12/8

1) root words "moved" to Friday: fire drills, Oedipus plot, figuring out having a new ELA teacher

2) read Antigone Scene 2 and Ode 2

3) for Monday, type and print your poem quatrain from last Friday (bench, train, anger, thunderstorm)
-be creative with font size and type! No Times New Roman!!

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

homework 12/7

Read scene 1 and Ode 1 of Antigone!

Root words =) PYR

Tuesday, December 6, 2011

book event, at a Skateboard shop?

here's a great juxtaposition: skateboarding and books


Live_Suburbia_Web.jpg
Orchard Skate Shop
156 Harvard Ave, Allston, Boston, MA 02134


Live...Suburbia! Book Release Party and Multi Media Art Show
Saturday December 10th
All Ages Book Reading 6:00-8:00PM

Photography by JJ Gonson, George John, Jason Farrell, Ryan Murphy, Kenny Gibbs, Kevin Hodapp, Geoffrey Kula and Justine Demetrick.

Homework 12/6

1) read and notes on Antigone Prologue and Parodos (968-973)

2) root words quiz on Thursday--> PYR

3) Culture Vulture proposal? 12/16!

Monday, December 5, 2011

Homework 12/5

1) complete your ROAR notes #2 for tomorrow. Happy Bildungsroman!

2) review over the Greek Drama powerpoint, it can be downloaded from the right hand column

3) Root Words on Thursday (PRY)

Friday, December 2, 2011

Homework 12/2

Welcome to December.

This first weekend, get your ROAR reading done and maybe check out a Culture Vulture activity.

For extra credit, compose a paragraph response after reading D.H. Lawrence's first and revised drafts of his poem "Piano."

Find the poems:
http://homepages.wmich.edu/~cooneys/poems/dhl.piano.html