Society's Impact on Gender Roles

Assignment:  Write a two- or three-point essay defending your claim.

• Deadlines
• Body Paragraphs
• Introduction/Conclusion
• Edit/Revise
• Submit

Sources:  Minimum of three

• Two of your sources MUST have been used in Current Connections.
• Mrs. G's Sources:
• Does a teacher’s gender affect a student’s engagement and learning? 
• Gender Bias in Teaching
• The Lack of Male Teachers and Its Effect on Boys

Claim:  Secondary educators have a negative impact on male students.

• Questions/Inquiry:  What questions do you hope to answer in this paper?
• What impacts do teachers have on male students?
• How long do these effects last?
• Do male teachers or female teachers have more impact?  Which is more positive?  More negative?

Counterclaim:

Rebuttal

CC 3.1 and 3.2

Click here to see a sample Current Connection.

REMINDER!  You must complete the Current Connections before I will grade your essay!

Book Review: Miss Julia Speaks Her Mind

Ann B. Ross's Miss Julia series is a hoot!  The first novel Miss Julia Speaks Her Mind introduces the reader to a 60+ recent widow, a woman who soon learns of her deceased husband's secret past, which includes a very young son, all of which changes Miss Julia's life...for the better.

Written in first person point of view, Ross takes the readers inside the mind of this Southern, genteel lady who lives up to the title of the novel.  Faced with one adversity after another, Miss Julia is presented with ample opportunity to speak:  from a money-hungry, not-so-supportive pastor to the significant other of who Miss Julia comes to the aid when Hazel knocks on her door needing her assistance to survive.

Characterization is this author's strength, painting pictures with words of every individual:  the housekeeper who is also Miss Julia's truest friend, the lawyers who assist Miss Julie, always supporting her.  We ride theroller coaster of emotions with Miss Julia as she confronts her emotions surrounding a cheating husband who then, in death, still continues to hurt her, threatening to leave her destitute.  The reader witnesses a reformation within this once docile woman who experiences an evolution to a steel-backed leader.

Many lessons may be taken from this novel:  women are stronger than they appear, peace of mind is to be valued above all else, remaining true to one's self should be every woman's goal.  All are themes easily supported, all lessons that females could attach.  Definitely a novel that favors the female role, this read reminds us, teaches us lessons that strengthen a woman, encouraging her to be just a bit more than she thought she could be.

As I read, I continually thought of Julia Sugarbaker from Designing Women, of the ladies from the book series The Women of Ladybug Farm, of women in the movie Steel Magnolias; all of which depict women who may appear soft of the exterior but, when challenged, grow backbones of steel, defending their own to the point of risking themselves.  I suppose what was most appealing, most constant, was the vein of humor that ran throughout the novel...as it did in all the above connections.  Humor:  healing, relieving, sustaining...just downright funny..flowing to all parts of the body of this novel.

If you enjoy series, especially one that focuses on females in the more dominant gender role, then please consider reading this novel...and the thirteen others that follow.


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The local bookstore chose the second novel in the series as this month's read...now to read that one!

Macbeth Thematic Analysis - Draft

Assignment:  Trace two themes throughout Macbeth, support how they interact/overlap, and explain their impact on the the play.

• = Eight paragraphs
• Introduction
• Summary of Macbeth
• Theme 1
• Theme 2
• One way the two themes interact/overlap/build on one another
• Second way the two themes interact/overlap/build on one another
• Impact of the two themes on the the drama
• Conclusion

Use provided checklist as you edit/revise your paper.  Listed below are some of the expectations:

• Phrases:  participial, appositive, absolute
• Compound Sentences
• Four Vocabulary

Introduction

• Assignment:  Using one of the the four options, hook your audience.  Your goal?  To make your audience want to read to the last sentence of your paper.
• Utilize one of these methods:
• Anecdote
• Description
• Quotation
• Allusion
• Startling Statement

• Mrs. Gillmore's Introduction (Used "The Masque of the Read Death"
• Edgar Allan Poe takes his readers to the edge of death in his short story "The Masque of the Red Death"...and leaves them there.  A talented gothic author, Poe grabs his reader from the first paragraph and leaves them at the last sentence, grasping reality.  That is right, through the use of allegory, the story's characters, setting, and plot take the reader to a deeper meaning:  People have a choice concerning the emotional impact that outside events have upon their lives.

Summary

• Using the notes you gathered from summarizing each act of Macbeth, now write a summary of your summaries.  REMINDER:  your summary should...
• Include Title
• Be concise
• Utilize vivid, specific diction
• Mrs. Gillmore's Sample Summary
• Edgar Allan Poe's short story "The Masque of the Red Death," consisting of fourteen paragraphs, relates the power and inevitability of death in the lives of the characters.  Prince Prospero invites a 1000 guests to his house in which he locks those in attendance to avoid the plague that is passing through his land.  As they celebrate their escape at a masquerade ball, his guests enjoy six of the seven rooms, seeming to avoid the black and red seventh room that contains a clock which reminds them hourly of the passage of their lives.  At midnight, an invited guest arrives and soon reveals itself as the very enemy from which they have attempted to avoid, only to quickly learn that this guest comes for one and all.

Theme 1: Three Chunks Required

• This theme should be supported with evidence from throughout the drama.
• Three chunks required.
• Chunk = 
• Signal Phrase + Evidence = the best quotes from the text to prove the above theme.
• Two Commentary = explains why this evidence proves the above theme.

Topic Sentence:  Life is dreamlike.

SP + Evidence: In paragraph four, Poe initially establishes this mood through his seven rooms, whose "...windows were of stained glass whose color varied in accordance with the prevailing hue of the decorations of the chamber into which it opened," beginning with the color blue and ending with the colors black and red.

• CM 1
• CM 2

SP + Evidence Later, in paragraph seven, the guests wear masques that consisted of "...much glare and glitter and piquancy and phantasm...There was much of the beautiful, much of the wanton, much of the bizarre."  

• CM 1:  Needs to explain why this evidence supports the topic sentence.
• CM 2:  Further explanation of how/why this evidence supports the topic sentence.

SP + Evidence  Then, in paragraph seven, Poe directly alludes to the thematic topic dreams when he describes, "To and fro in the seven chambers there stalked, in fact, a multitude of dreams. And these -- the dreams -- writhed in and about, taking hue from the rooms, and causing the wild music of the orchestra to seem as the echo of their steps."

• CM 1
• CM 2

Concluding Sentence: 

Final THEME 1 Paragraph:

Life is dreamlike. In paragraph four, Poe initially establishes this mood through his seven rooms, whose "...windows were of stained glass whose color varied in accordance with the prevailing hue of the decorations of the chamber into which it opened," beginning with the color blue and ending with the colors black and red.  This coloration affected the characters, placing them in a state of out-of-worldness.   The guests were further invited to remove them themselves from the reality of what was occurring outside the walls.  Later, in paragraph seven, the guests wear masques that consisted of "...much glare and glitter and piquancy and phantasm...There was much of the beautiful, much of the wanton, much of the bizarre."  Again, Poe furthers the mood, creating scenes that represented the extreme difference in reality of the world and actions within the party.  In addition, if the guests had any fears, their masks offered quite the disguise, covering up any concerns of the unknown.  Then, in paragraph seven, Poe directly alludes to the thematic topic dreams when he describes, "To and fro in the seven chambers there stalked, in fact, a multitude of dreams. And these -- the dreams -- writhed in and about, taking hue from the rooms, and causing the wild music of the orchestra to seem as the echo of their steps."  Could the dreams be turning into nightmares?  With these images, the author sets the scene of one paralleling the outside world, a world where The Read Death will arrive, becoming a reality and not a dream.  Thus, life, while dreamlike, still holds the certainty of Death’s visit.

Theme 2: Three Chunks Required

Topic Sentence:  Another theme that this short story supports is that people often become a victim of their own fears.

SP + Evidence:  Prince Prospero illustrates this concept in paragraph two when he brings "The courtiers, having entered, brought furnaces and massy hammers and welded the bolts," thus locking in the guests in an attempt to keep the Red Death from entering the "life" of the party.

• CM 1
• CM 2

SP + Evidence:  Located in the seventh room, the clock, as described in paragraph five, was an hourly reminder of the passage of time:  "while the chimes of the clock yet rang, it was observed that the giddiest grew pale, and the more aged and sedate passed their hands over their brows as if in confused reverie or meditation."

• CM 1
• CM 2

SP + Evidence:  Finally, Red Death, himself, both physically and literally, in paragraph eight, symbolized the ultimate fear these guests had as they became "aware of the presence of a masked figure" and "there arose at length from the whole company a buzz, or murmur, expressive of disapprobation and surprise -- then, finally, of terror, of horror, and of disgust."

• CM 1
• CM 2

Concluding Sentence:

Final Theme 2 Paragraph: 

Another theme that “The Masque of the Red Death” supports is that people often become a victim of their own fears.  Prince Prospero illustrates this concept in paragraph two when he brings "The courtiers, having entered, brought furnaces and massy hammers and welded the bolts," thus locking in the guests in an attempt to keep the Red Death from entering the "life" of the party.  The Prince realizes that Death is close and hopes, in his conceited state to create a barrier, locking out his greatest fear.  In addition, located in the seventh room, the clock, as described in paragraph five, was an hourly reminder of the passage of time:  "while the chimes of the clock yet rang, it was observed that the giddiest grew pale, and the more aged and sedate passed their hands over their brows as if in confused reverie or meditation."  Here, the reader witnesses the guests as they begin to succumb to their fears, victimizing themselves in their paleness and confusion.  The clock, symbolizing time, becomes sound effect that represents the last sounds each may hear.   Finally, Red Death, himself, both physically and literally, in paragraph eight, symbolized the ultimate fear these guests had as they became "aware of the presence of a masked figure" and "there arose at length from the whole company a buzz, or murmur, expressive of disapprobation and surprise -- then, finally, of terror, of horror, and of disgust."  With these responses, instead of protecting themselves, they were filled with emotion, not action.  Reacting in such a negative manner, the guests offer further submission to an enemy they could not overcome:  their own fears of death.  Thus, the guests prove that life is what we make it:  one of security or one full of fear.

Relation 1: Two Chunks Required

Topic Sentence: One way in which these two themes relate lies within the mix of dreams and fears...resulting in nightmares.

• NOTE:  I left my notes at school...and for some reason, no picture is posted here of my notes...sooooo this one, I will draft tomorrow at school!  AND when my phone was "borrowed,"  all my photos were deleted.  Sorry!

Relation 2:  Two Chunks Required

Topic Sentence:  Another relation of these two themes results in a fantasy world based on a dystopic society.


SP + Evidence:  As described in paragraph two, one symbol of this is the abby itself, which "was an extensive and magnificent structure, the creation of the prince's own eccentric yet august taste. A strong and lofty wall girdled it in. This wall had gates of iron."

• CM 1
• CM 2

SP + Evidence Futhermore, in paragraph seven, amongst the masqueraders, "There were much glare and glitter and piquancy and phantasm," while the masque of the Red Death, "which concealed the visage was made so nearly to resemble the countenance of a stiffened corpse." 

• CM 1
• CM 2

Concluding Sentence:

Impact of Themes on Drama:  Two Chunks

The impact of the above two themes lies within the duality of the messages and, thus, in the duality of the effect, both on the writer and the reader.

SP + Evidence:  Author Poe's tone may be summed in that death is inevitable, for as his concluding sentence he stated, "And Darkness and Decay and the Red Death held illimitable dominion over all."

• CM 1
• CM 2

This tone in turn affects the mood, the reader's response to this message, for the reader, too, must know that death, while real, may be quite grotesque, and, as summed up in the final paragraph, "had come like a thief in the night."

• CM 1
• CM 2

Concluding Sentence:

Conclusion

• Use one of these three methods:
• Think to the Future
• Challenge Your Reader
• Pose a Question
• Mrs. Gillmore's Conclusion:  Who among us has not felt the sting of death? Who among us has not felt the finality of that moment?  Let me leave you with this challenge: Who among us, having read this short story, realizes that while Poe's lessons may strike close to home also realize that Poe never addresses an afterlife that has a positive outcome?  Hummmm...could Poe be writing this as a warning to those whose afterlife consists of fear and a complete dystopic setting?  Maybe? 

Theme: Macbeth, Act 1

Theme: Macbeth, Act 2

Inner struggles result in mental and physical repercussions.

In Macbeth, Act 2, Macbeth's psyche begins its demise as he perceives, "Is this a dagger which I see before me,/The handle toward my hand?"  Stated before the killing of Duncan, the reader begins the witness of what effect  inner struggles can have on a person. Macbeth, acknowledging that the dagger may be a false creation of the mind, blames his eyes, the eyeglasses of the brain, as they attempt to fool his other senses, resulting in his questioning what  seems to appear before him.

In this same scene, Lady Macbeth recognizes the same decline in Macbeth's psyche when she declares, "You do unbend your noble strength, to think/So brainsickly of things."  Here, she, attempting to steer him away from his memories of the guards' reactions to his "deed," pushes him to remain in control of his faculties.  When he refuses to take the daggers back and place them on the guards, she, realizing that he appears have reached his max, agrees to assist him, taking the daggers back to the murder scene.

Edgar Allan Poe, also, illustrates the repercussions of inner struggles in his short story "The Tell Tale Heart" when the narrator, killing the old man because of his enlarged eye, seems to cross the line of sanity to insanity.  Thinking his crime would not be detected, he buried the body beneath the flooring of his house, yet the heart, continuing to thump, signals the break in his psyche.  The repercussion of this inner struggle, ironically, results his confession, leading to arrest and imprisonment.

Thus, both narratives, proving that one should guard against too much turmoil, further suggest that repercussions from these upheavals are inevitable.

Current Connection: 2.1

ASSIGNMENT:  Write a current connection on the topic of decision making.  Reminder:  does not have to be exactly on this topic, as the one is below.  May be about making decisions on some topic, such as which college to attend, what vehicle to purchase, or how to find the perfect mate.

Besides the normal expectations, please include and annotate the following:

• two appositive phrases in a row
• one compound sentence
• three participial phrases
• one metaphor, extended at least once
• a linked picture
• Work Cited entry

______________________________________________
Disclaimer:  Teenagers, beware!  This one is about you!
______________________________________________

In an article entitled "Decision-Making Is Still a Work in Progress for Teenagers" posted at Brain Connection, Gargi Talukder, a graduate student at Stanford University, claims that due to lack of brain development, teenagers simply cannot make decisions as adults do.  Beware #2:  once you read past the brain jargon, this makes sense!

According to Talukder, researchers have discovered that "adolescent brains are simply not yet equipped to think through [rational decision making processes when facing emotional decisions] in the same way [as adults]."  Thus, teens, facing tough emotional decisions, feel as if they are up against an insurmountable wall, a place where adequate words fail them, a foe so harsh as to leave them nearly defenseless against their own brains.  As a parent, I have lived this with my fourteen-year-old daughter, who often exclaims (or is it whines?), "I don't know.  Just tell me what to do." Even when I further attempt to encourage her to make a decision, she simply responds again with the above words.

In a recent study, Jay Giedd, along with colleagues at the National Institutes of Mental Health, conclude, "...development in the frontal lobe continues throughout adolescence and well into the early twenties."  Good news!  Teens who continue to make "bad" decisions now may see the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel, for as they age, the decision making part of the brain continues to mature, offering a "second chance" to change their behaviors and decision making processes.

What should teens do until the age of full brain maturity? Talukder concludes by encouraging teens to depend on parents and teachers for advice to make the mature decisions needed throughout these years of the brain's growth, for, yes, the brain continues to be a "work in progress" until the age of 25 or so.  Finding a confidante...or two, teens better equip themselves with the tools they need during these formative years while determining their own futures.  Some teens need hammers and picks to clear through the rubble of their decisions; some need brushes and paint to cover a canvass covered with too many scenes; others need computers, iPhones, ipods, and such to research  paths to their futures.

I have heard this question asked many times: "What are earth were you thinking?" When I reflect back on this, nearly every time this was being asked of a person younger than 25.  I have asked it.  I have heard parents and teachers alike ask this of students. The reality? The answer may simply be, "I wasn't thinking."  Sure, both sides are frustrated, but should the parent not be to blame here?  For did they not live through this very same situation?  Surely, patience should be more expected from the parent?

Good news!  Millions...no, billions...have lived through this brain development, many quite successfully!  Just keep thinking!

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Work Cited

Talukder, Gargi.  "Decision-Making Is Still a Work in Progress for Teenagers." Brain Connection.
     20 Mar. 2013.  Web. 21 Oct. 2013.

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For More Information

Dobbs, David.  "Beautiful Minds."  National Geographic. Oct. 2011.  Web.  22 Oct. 2013.

• May be found here.