Archives for March 24, 2017

Due 3/28: The Romantics

March 24, 2017 By

“I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived. I did not wish to live what was not life, living is so dear; nor did I wish to practise resignation, unless it was quite necessary. I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life, to live so sturdily and Spartan-like as to put to rout all that was not life, to cut a broad swath and shave close, to drive life into a corner, and reduce it to its lowest terms, and, if it proved to be mean, why then to get the whole and genuine meanness of it, and publish its meanness to the world; or if it were sublime, to know it by experience, and be able to give a true account of it in my next excursion. For most men, it appears to me, are in a strange uncertainty about it, whether it is of the devil or of God, and have somewhat hastily concluded that it is the chief end of man here to “glorify God and enjoy him forever.” -Thoreau

1. (Due 3/28) Reading–Read the two William Blake poems distributed in class (the Chimney Sweeper poems) and I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud and The World is Too Much with Us by William Wordsworth.

2. Writing–(Due 3/29) By this time we will have read several Romantics (Blake, Byron, Wordsworth, Keats, and Dickinson)! Considering these poets and the above quotation (take inspiration from the themes, ideas, and social implications), you will write your very own Romantic Poem! Naturally, your poem should reflect an understanding of Romanticism. Heading:

Name
Poetry Seminar
3/29/17
5. Romantic Poem

Due 3/27: Craig and More

March 24, 2017 By

1. (Due 3/27) The Absurdity of Life without God by William Lane Craig–In his essay, Craig presents argues for choosing biblical Christianity in the face of an absurd world. Please ensure that you understand the nuances of his argument! Monday’s class will feature a “round table” critical discussion of his argument. So again, let me stress: be sure you understand his argument. Hopefully, there will be a number of you willing to defend his position. This will be the last essay in the packet.
2. (Due 3/29) Print out and Read the section entitled The World as Will. This reading will be short but dense. Be sure to annotate.
3.  (Also Due 3/29) Schopenhauer, On the Suffering of the World and On the Vanity of Existence–Located in the rear of the packet, Schopey Wopey’s essayS brings us back to one of the more common themes of the term. Read and annotate the text.

4. The Stranger Essay: NOW DUE TUESDAY, MARCH 28

General Formatting (Read Closely):

  • Double-spaced; size 12 font; Times New Roman or Arial
  • .75 margins on both left and right sides. Indentations– .5” or 1 tab space.
  • All pages beyond the first page should be numbered.  Page numbers should be placed at the bottom right of each page.
  • No Cover Page.  Include your name (i.e. Sean Leon), class (i.e. Leon, 12G), and date (Single space the heading). Place this heading in the upper left hand corner of your first page.
  • Be sure TITLE reflects the theme of the essay (for instance, 1984: Hierarchical Hegemony)
  • Include Title, Author, and General Theme of work in first paragraph of essay…For Example—Jean Paul Sartre’s Nausea
  • Follow MLA guidelines

Avoid the Following:

  • Avoid Pronouns: I, it, you, me, we, us
  • Avoid Troublesome language. Try to avoid using the following words: it, these, this, those, kind of, almost, seems, maybe, like, then, later, eventually, basically, so, many, a lot, things, due to the fact (or any variations of the fact that), in reality, very, really, forms of the verb “to be”
  • In the intro, nix all book-review commentary—i.e. “is fascinating, interesting…”
  • Be extremely careful with your use of all words…yet, for these words in particular, don’t think they are cheap: Truth, Beauty, Love, Nature, Reality
  • Avoid gross existential generalizations; remember, we learned early on that to come to a set definition of existentialism would be difficult if not impossible.  Remember, the various existential schools of thought—those whom we’ve covered (i.e. Nietzsche, Kierkegaard, Schopenhauer, Sartre, Dostoyevsky) and those whom we have had briefly touched on in précis presentations (i.e. Jaspers, de Beauvoir, Heidegger, Camus, etc.).  These individuals help to define our context, so once again, avoid the generalizations.
  • While I am not suggesting that you avoid all modifiers, you certainly should be conscious of how you are using them. Yet, definitely avoid the likes of really, basically, very, excellent, terrible, etc.
  • Avoid misspelling proper nouns!

Remember:

  • Active voice should be your default voice and only use passive when you are CHOOSING to use passive voice.
  • Get comfortable writing in complex and compound sentences.
  • Introductions and conclusions are factored into the grading of this essay.
  • Read your essay aloud and you will hear many diction and syntax issues.

Keys to Good Writing:

  • Cohesion—Every sentence fits together; paragraphs flow smoothly.  Ensure that the entire discussion comes together as one unified discussion of your text and its context.
  • Concision—Less is more.  Use fewer words to explain yourself.  Begin fusing sentences by merging ideas into tightly knit phrases.
  • Precision—Accuracy.  Use words that accurately capture what you mean.  Don’t settle for words or expressions that come close.
  • Coherence—Does your essay make sense? Are your ideas organized in a logical sequence? Do you prove your thesis? Do the parts contain the essence of the whole?

Due 3/27: The Alchemist and Forum

March 24, 2017 By

1. The Alchemist–Complete the novel.

2. Class Forum–The Alchemist

3. Class Forum–Summary of Essay Feedback

4. Siddhartha–Again, it would be great if you can pick up your own copy of Siddhartha. Click the link for the copy we will use in class.

5. Essay Revision–Remember, you are only revising the last body paragraph of your essay. You must highlight all changes made to the paragraph.

A look ahead:

1. (Due 3/28) Siddhartha–Print out and read the following links for Tuesday of next week:
Introduction to Buddhism
Buddhism 5 Minute Introduction
The Four Noble Truths/The Eightfold Path

Have the following printed for midweek next week:
2. Siddhartha Glossary–Print out and familiarize yourself with this list by Monday.
3. Conclusions–Print and keep this in your binder!
4. How to Write a Comparative Analysis–Print this out, Read it, and put it in your binder.