The Role of Art

Read this piece on Brainpickings: The Great Naturalist John Burroughs on Art, the Courage to Defy Convention, and the Measure of a Visionary.

In reading this piece, decide if you agree with what he is saying or not. Explain what you believe is the role of art and the artist. Then once you have explained what the role of art is society, determine if Dostoevsky has achieved your expectation of the role of art in the novel Crime and Punishment.

Be sure to include textual evidence from both the novel and the Brainpicking’s piece to support your thinking. As you go through, feel free to read your peer’s responses. If you feel so inclined, post a comment to a response. Be respectful and thoughtful in your response.

Shame

Listen to this podcast by Tracy K. Smith.  It is called The Slowdown.  Each week she features new poems and talks for about five minutes.  The poem I want you to examine is “In Memory of Shame.”

Look at what is being said about shame and how it is acquired and why it matters.  Analyze the poem and then apply this idea of shame to a character in your choice book.  Think about why they experience shame, who gave it to them, and how it has affected them.

You are looking at two-three full paragraphs for this post.

Choice Books—a connection

    The things we read in this class are considered timeless in that they transcend a particular time and speak to what it means to be human.  The character flaws, the themes, the philosophical ideas all can be examined across a wide variety of literary genres and mediums.  
     With that being said, it is important that as readers of not just texts, but readers of the world, we should be able to recognize when these timeless conversations are present and how new time periods try to enter that conversation.  
      For your first blog, I want you to look at your choice book and choose one aspect—characters flaws, themes, philosophical ideas—and look around your world to do a comparison.  Choose one song, one film, one episode in a series, a poem, a video game, etc. and explain how you see the timelessness of your chosen text live and breathe within your chosen piece. 

     This should two-three paragraphs—please have textual evidence. 
     1. A description of the item you are analyzing in your choice book
     2. A description of the item you are analyzing in the chosen medium or genre 
     3. This is where you connect them together and reveal what you notice that is the same, different, 
         and why it matters. 

KB Poetry Analysis

     We have been reading Kettle Bottom and discussing the different poems.  For this week's blog, choose one of the pieces we have read and discussed and write an analysis of the poem.  
     In writing your analysis, be sure to explain who the speaker is and how the speaker helps to provide insight into this world.  You will also want to create a question you think the poem tries to answer in order to ascertain the theme. Be sure to include quotes from the poem to reinforce your analysis. 

Barriers

    Each of us comes from different families and with this comes the knowledge that our view of the world is different.  Because it is human nature to experience the world and see the world through our own eyes, it is crucial to be able to navigate it in such a way that we are able to meet our goals.
    With this knowledge, it requires us to identify our own barriers.  What will be placed in front of us not to block entirely, but to make us work harder?  What are the road blocks, the full stops, and the free passes?
    For example: I wear glasses.  This means that I cannot do certain jobs, but there are many other jobs I could choose from. Some other barriers that we have are because we choose to limit ourselves because of work ethic, perceived inadequacies, etc.
     In this week's blog, I want you to write about your own barriers and what they keep you from accomplishing.  Then I want you to look at the ones you put into place and think about how you can push beyond the barriers.  Once you have written about yourself, I want you to think about a character you have read about this year.  Examine their barriers and how those barriers were created, and how those barriers were overcome.  

Poem and Crime and Punishment

"The Undeniable Pressure of Existence" by Patricia Fargnoli is a poem we read in class. In looking at this poem, please explain with textual evidence what she is saying and what you think the title means. Once you have done this, apply what she is saying to one of the characters in Crime and Punishment.


Be mindful not to repeat what a peer has said.

Crime and Punishment Jigsaws

     This week we will begin unpacking Crime and Punishment.  We will have many discussions that will ask us to look beyond the text, apply philosophical ideas and to question our own beliefs.  
      Your blog this week is to take three ideas that are presented to you or that come up in discussion and explain how they change, extend, or validate your own thinking about the text.  Be sure to go to the text to find quotes to help in your explanations and analysis.