What we read sticks with us. I will never forget how I felt reading Atlas Shrugged. I sat in bed watching as this world unfolded itself in front of me and invited me to enter. The first time I met John Galt, I fell. All others were spoiled for me. We engaged in an intimate conversation about the world, beliefs, and ideas. When I read The Known World, I placed the book on my lap and sat quietly, sad. When I read Dandelion Wine, I saw the future dragon eating the swan. I was reminded of how fleeting life is, but the story remains.
So, I want us too look at the power and longevity of stories. Read through this piece from Brain Pickings. If you have time, listen to Neil Gaiman's seminar. His seminar is lovely.
What makes a story stay? What is said here that resonates with you? Explain why. Once you have explained what resonates with you, tell us what stories have resonated with you and why you think stories last. For this blog you can explain yourself in one of three ways: through a story, a straight up explanation, or you may relay your ideas through poetry.
I am a book snob. I read the first few pages of a book before buying it, and I will only read the book if it draws me in. Drawing me in happens through the writer's rhythm, the vocabulary, the voice of the author, and the philosphical connection felt within those first pages. It could be likened to a kind of courting. One of my favorite books, Life of Pi by Yann Martel, had me at the author's note: "This book was born as I was hungry"(VII). I still close my eyes at this sentence. To know that a book was created to satiate a hunger necessary for survival creates a physical response--I cannot help but close my eyes and lift my head in wonder. Then, the first chapter solidified my desire to buy this book: "My suffering left me sad and gloomy" (3). The same holds true for Yellow Birds, The Things They Carried, and Atlas Shrugged.
For this week's blog, I want you to think about what draws you to a book. How do you settle in, accept the dance, and invest your time? Once you have explained this, I want you to introduce us to a book whose pick up line was so inviting you could not refuse. Explain how this first line influences the entire story and how it engaged you in conversation.
We will analyze the texts we read closely. We will pull meaning from the texts we read. We will answer questions, write papers, give debates, and discuss the texts we read. All of this is done so that we can engage with words and ideas. Through this engagement, we think.
For this post, I am asking you to watch this clip from the movie, Dead Poet's Society. It is one of my favorite movies. In this scene, Mr. Keating will explain to his students why we read and write poetry and it is here that I want you to respond. Your response should pull from the video what resonates with you. What speaks to you?
Once you have explained what in this scene resonates with you, I want you to explain to all of us why you read and write poetry? You are looking at about two paragraphs.
As we finish with Waiting for Godot this week, we need to see it beyond the page and part of a genre. There are questions that we have as to its structure, its point, its purpose. I would like you to read this explanation of Theater of the Absurd. Apply the ideas to Waiting for Godot, beyond what the paper says. Then I would like you to watch this video of Sir Ian McKellen discussing Godot.
In your post, I would like for you to discuss how these two resources impact your understanding of the play. Be specific. What has shifted, changed, been brought to fruition, blown your mind?
Cite specific examples and how they have shaped your thinking. Quotes are needed. Your response should be about two to three paragraphs in length. You may reply to others statements as long as you do so respectfully.
