Sharing Our Poetry

                   Sharing Our Poetry
 

 

We have been exploring who we are from our past, present and also where we would like to be in the future.

Take some time to think about which poem you would like to share.  When you have decided, please post your poem in the comments section with the title: Past, Present or Future.  Don't forget to include your name under your poem!

Past:

Present:

Future:

What is poetry?

How would you define Poetry?

Many people are able to identify what poetry is but are unable to explain it to someone else.

Imagine that we had a group of grade one students visiting from a nearby Elementary School and they were curious about poetry.  How would you explain it to them?

In the comment section post an explanation of what poetry means.

Feel free to look up common definitions online to get you started but remember that your definition needs to be clear enough for a student in grade one to understand.

Next find a quote about poetry that you really like.  Include the quote, the author and why you believe it illustrates what poetry is.

Here are some quotes that I like:

Poetry comes nearer to vital truth than history.

Plato (BC 427-BC 347) Greek philosopher

I find this quote interesting because I think poetry is sometimes able to express emotion and thought better than any other form of writing. Reading a poem from a war survivor will leave you feeling more empathy than reading the facts of that war.

Poetry is a mirror which makes beautiful that which is distorted.  

Percy Shelley,A Defence of Poetry, 1821

I find that poets seem to be able to find beauty in all things, even the unimaginably disturbing.

Finally, find a poem that you like and put it in your response as well.  Make sure you include the author, identify one poetic device used and explain why you like it.

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Ads, ads everywhere!

Are you able to DECONSTRUCT an ad??

We are inundated with ads all the time in society today!  We need to be savvy readers and responders to this information.  As we have seen in the video from last day, many of us are already distrustful of ad content and base our opinions more on what our peer groups say.  We know that ads are there to sell us a product but are you able to see how they are put together to persuade us?

These questions will help you to deconstruct any ad:

Who is the Target Audience?

How is art used in the ad to make it more appealing?

What language is used to convince you to buy the product?

How does the layout catch your eye?

What overall feeling does the ad create?

Please find an ad that you find particularly good.  Describe what the ad is and then post a link to the image.
Answer the following 5 questions in full sentences.

A changing world!!

Is Social Media a fad?
Or is it the biggest shift since the Industrial Revolution?

Check out the video below and then tell us what you thought! What was something that struck you as the most interesting? Why???????

Once you have commented, search for your own video/article/image that you find interesting and that is relevant to the topic of social media. Post it to the comment section and tell us why you chose it!

Check out Mr.Akune's newest post!

Check out Mr.Akune's newest blogpost here:


http://aakune.blogspot.com/2011/03/web-20-social-revolution.html


Read his post about Web 2.0 and the "Social Revolution" and tell him what you think by commenting on his blog!


FYI: The video from Global TV is on the bottom of the post! 


Enjoy!

Rate the book!

Would your fellow readers of Steinbeck in Merritt recommend this book?  Would you?

Take some time to look over the personalized responses you got from the students at MSS. In your comment, acknowledge their opinions.  Tell them what you thought of the book as a whole and if you'd recommend it.  Finally, ask them what they thought about the book.  Feel free to add any other questions and/or thoughts you may have.

Alternative Endings

Why are Alternative Endings appealing?

Sometimes the stories that we, the reader, become engrossed in end in a way that leaves us dissatisfied.  We may have become attached to a character throughout the novel and want their lives to conclude in a certain way.  We might have thoroughly disliked someone in the narrative and secretly hoped that they got an ending that they deserved. Think back to a time when you have read a book or watched a movie and thought that it could have ended in a better way.

Writers on the other hand, write stories to incite us to think.  This may mean that the ending they choose may be more unpleasant but it will also cause you to wonder why.  Here is where some interesting discussions can take place and where hearing someone else's opinion might add to your understanding of the story and the characters within it. This may also lead to deeper discussions of life and society on a greater scale.

Now that we have finished reading Of Mice and Men, please consider the following questions and then post your responses in the comment section below. Ms.Cavaliere's class in Merritt,B.C will respond to your posts soon after.

Choose two or more questions to respond to.  Please use textual evidence to support your thinking.

Do you think Lennie had to be shot? What were some other alternatives? What would have happened to Lennie if George hadn't shot him? Why do you think George killed Lennie himself instead of letting the men do it?  Do you think George was justified in killing Lennie?