Archives for March 2016

HW due 3/31: Transcendental Poem

March 30, 2016 By

Transcendental Poem–As for all poetry, be aware of how you are using words to create image/meaning. Thematically, you should weave characteristics of Transcendental poetry into your poem. One final (and very important) requirement: In the spirit of The Rhodora your poem should be inspired by and focused on a specific aspect of the natural world.

Characteristics of Transcendentalism

1.  Believed in living closer to nature (Thoreau)
2.  Believed in the dignity of manual labor (Thoreau)
3.  Saw the need for intellectual companions and interests
4.  Emphasized the need for spiritual living
5.  Considered man’s relationship to God a personal matter established directly by the individual himself
6.  Posited the essential divinity of man (versus Calvinism’s tenet of innate depravity)
7.  Urged one great brotherhood (the Oversoul, the unity of all things)
8. Proposed self-trust and self-reliance
9.  Believed in democracy and individualism
10.  Encouraged reform (to awaken and regenerate the spirit)
11. Insisted on a complete break with tradition and custom
12. Know through intuition

HW due 3/31: Siddhartha

March 30, 2016 By

1. Siddhartha–Complete the novel.
2. Discussion question born out of The Son and/or Om. Again, we are using your questions to guide discussion. So, please be thoughtful.

HW due 3/30: Steppenwolf

March 29, 2016 By

1. Steppenwolf–Read the preface! (up to page 22) Annotate as you read (using post its) or after in your notebook!
2. Class Forum–To Come
3. Steppenwolf–(Due Monday, April 4th) Read and annotate up to p. 40 (stop at The Treatise). Tonight’s reading gives us the first glimpse into the mind of Harry Haller/Steppenwolf. Please be prepared to discuss the preface and tonight’s reading on the morrow. Till then…enjoy the steppes…
4. Steppenwolf–(Due Tuesday, April 5th) Read and annotate “The Treatise” (pp. 40-66). The treatise is critical to understanding Harry and to getting a literary grip on the rest of the novel. Each part of the Treatise presents an argument on the Steppenwolf. Keep that in mind as you read across the three sections and note how they represent a progression for the Steppenwolf.
Part I (40-50)
Part II (50-56)
Part III (56-66)
5. (You should have your Jung notes in class each day during the Steppenwolf experience.) Carl Jung–Hermann Hesse’s Steppenwolf is the manifestation of Jungian influence (among other things), so it is imperative that you be familiar with Carl Jung. Research Carl Jung focusing on (but not limiting yourself to) the following: collective unconscious, anima/animus, mother archetype, shadow, complex, ego, self, persona. Additionally, research Carl Jung’s influence on Hermann Hesse. You must take notes in your binder (2 pages). As we read Steppenwolf, you will be expected to make connections to Carl Jung. Here is a good starting point. Let me stress, developing control of Jung is not optional; you are expected to develop control and demonstrate that control when discussing and writing about Steppenwolf.

HW due 3/30: Duino Elegies

March 29, 2016 By

1. Duino Elegies–Read and annotate the second elegy.
2. (Due Thursday, March 31) Transcendental Poem–As for all poetry, be aware of how you are using words to create image/meaning. Thematically, you should weave characteristics of Transcendental poetry into your poem. One final (and very important) requirement: In the spirit of The Rhodora your poem should be inspired by and focused on a specific aspect of the natural world.

Characteristics of Transcendentalism

1.  Believed in living closer to nature (Thoreau)
2.  Believed in the dignity of manual labor (Thoreau)
3.  Saw the need for intellectual companions and interests
4.  Emphasized the need for spiritual living
5.  Considered man’s relationship to God a personal matter established directly by the individual himself
6.  Posited the essential divinity of man (versus Calvinism’s tenet of innate depravity)
7.  Urged one great brotherhood (the Oversoul, the unity of all things)
8. Proposed self-trust and self-reliance
9.  Believed in democracy and individualism
10.  Encouraged reform (to awaken and regenerate the spirit)
11. Insisted on a complete break with tradition and custom
12. Know through intuition

HW due 3/30: Siddhartha

March 28, 2016 By

REMINDER: Highlight all changes made to the final draft of your essay. And you must submit graded second draft with your final draft. 

1. Siddhartha–Read and annotate The Son and Om
2. (Due 3/29) For both classes, tomorrow I am collecting SCHOOL copies of 1984 and Slaughterhouse Five from both classes. Also, ALL students must turn in annotations for The Alchemist tomorrow. If you have a school copy, please place post its inside the front cover.
3. Mandala Project due April 4
Be sure to visit this link to get a sense of the process of making a mandala. This is the beginning step of the Mandala Project! 

Mandala notes:

Carl Jung and the mandala:

“I had to abandon the idea of the superordinate position of the ego. … I saw that everything, all paths I had been following, all steps I had taken, were leading back to a single point — namely, to the mid-point. It became increasingly plain to me that the mandala is the centre. It is the exponent of all paths. It is the path to the centre, to individuation… I knew that in finding the mandala as an expression of the self I had attained what was for me the ultimate.” – C. G. Jung. Memories, Dreams, Reflections.

If we agree that the center of the mandala represents this center of the universe, thus the center of the self (the true self), then what would reside at the center of you…your true self. As seen in many of the examples, much, if not all, of the mandala is abstract expression. Certainly the center of the mandala should be abstract as it is a representation of your Self; yet, as you move beyond the center, closer to the edge, your visual may become more concrete as you are closer to your persona/ego, that which is tangible/material. So how will you represent your true self… We understand that the mandala is an expression of Self at the moment of its (the mandala’s) creation as the Self is always a work in progress.

How to Draw a Mandala

The Mandala will be worth 150 points and count as a project/essay grade. Keep in mind:

  • Your base structure of your mandala should be a series of geometric shapes. The primary, and largest, shape must be a geometric shape.  Within there must be an arrangement of smaller geometric shapes.
  • All geometric shapes must be PRECISE. The craftsmanship in general should be precise.
  • The Mandala should use colors meaningfully. Meaning, you should be able to explain why you chose the colors you chose.
  • All visuals beyond the base structure should be purposeful and powerful. Meaning, there should be a rationale for everything present in your Mandala and that rationale should be of great significance to you. Further, the images should be aesthetically pleasing in presentation.
  • The Mandala should reflect great creative effort!
  • The Mandala should reflect great overall effort!
  • The Mandala should reflect you!

As for dimensions, there is flexibility here: if square 12-16 inches on each side; if circular, appx. 12-16 inches in diameter. Once again, there is flexibility here.  Review the following link to get another sense of the creation process. Note that the structure of the mandala should consist of precise geometric shapes.

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