Having Your Say

This week you have the opportunity to have your say on anything you feel strongly about. Sadie and Bessie told how they honestly felt about the world they lived in. Pick something you care about and write. Be honest and forthright. Have your say!

Expressions in Art

Tom Feelings was an artist who created art about the Middle Passage and slavery. His artwork was very emotional. Find a piece of art online that portrays a similar subject or event to those described by the Delany sisters and that expresses the same emotional intensity that Sadie and Bessie had about subjects and events in their lives. Write a short reflection connecting the artwork to a subject or event in the book.

Connections from Whitman

Read this poem. Write a reflection about anything in this poem that connects to you in some way or reflect on Whitman's ideas about childhood.

Emily Dickinson's Garden of Poetry

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/entertainment/jan-june10/dickinson_06-09.html


Watch the video; find a Dickinson poem about flowers, gardens, or insects and post it on your blog; write the message you think she is trying to convey in the poem.

(For some reason I can't get the link to activate so you will have to copy and paste in the browser address window.)

Affirmations of Life

"Self Reliance," "Walden," and "Civil Disobedience" contain many observations about everyday life and many affirming statements. Write a paragraph about something good that is happening today or about how to handle something positively that is not so good.

The Truth about Nature

Transcendentalists believed that people could find the truth in nature if they connected with nature and the "oversoul", that spirit in nature that connects us all.
In class we heard some stories of connecting to nature...tree climbing, face to face with wild animals, gardening, fishing, camping, hiking, etc. Write about a time when you have experienced a spiritual connection to nature. Did you find a truth in it? Did the connection alter your way of thinking? What happened, if anything, as a result of that connection? What do you wish had happened? If you have never experienced a connection to nature, why not?

Team Edgar or Team Nathaniel?

Welcome to second semester and welcome back to blogging.

Now that we have studied two of the greatest classic gothic authors, it is time for you to choose. Choose Team Edgar or Team Nathaniel and explain your choice.