I Witnessed A Murder

This extremely short memoir is interesting to read, largely because of its subject matter. Click on the link http://open.salon.com/blog/jeff_howe/2009/04/21/i_witnessed_a_murder and respond to the following questions:

1. What did you like about reading this piece and why?
2. If you had suggestions for the author, what would they be and why?
3. How could the author expand this piece?

Adjusting to Civilian Life

Here are two articles that talk about the difficulties faced by soldiers who come home from the war. You can choose either one to write about in your response!

MN Guard helps Iraq Vets Leave Soldier Life behind:
http://www.dma.state.mn.us/press_room/e-zine/articles/index.php?item=1010
This is an article about a program to help soldiers ease into their return from the war. There comes a point in which soldiers are no longer familiar with civilian life and they need that extra support to make the transition. The Minnesota National Guard is trying to provide that service...

For Veterans Returning Home:
http://www.jmu.edu/counselingctr/Resources/veterans.html
James Madison University has a very helpful guide on their Counseling Center website about the transition that soldiers must make. It talks about the common feelings towards their life at war in comparison to that from at home.

Take the time to analyze these articles in relation to the novel, All Quiet on the Western Front. Here are some GUIDING questions (note: do more than just answer these questions).

1. How might these kinds of programs/articles help Paul and his fellow soldier?
2. Why does not every soldier participate in helpful programs like these?
3. Having read this article, what would you do and say to help prepare a veteran returning to civilian life?

Snapshots from The Great War

Take a look at the pictures taken of German soldiers during World War I. Explore the thoughts and feelings that are reflected within these images. After carefully studying them, write a response to this post.

• What do you think of when you look at these pictures?
• How do these photos relate to situations and events in the story we are reading? Be sure to choose at least three or four scenes from the novel we have read so far and describe them in relation to the pictures.

When you feel as though you have finished, make sure that you complete previous posts...

Coming Home...

Salon.com has put together a really interesting project, called "Coming Home," collecting the stories of U.S. soldiers during the current war. Some reveal the military's neglect for soldiers well-being, others prove that some soldiers never should have been in combat, and others just show the destruction the war has caused on many lives. These articles do have some language and those you object to you do not have to read. You have the choice of any of the articles in their project, acknowledging that you need to keep this school appropriate. Even if you choose a piece with language, we cannot have you repeating it unless you do it in a mature and scholarly fashion.

Here is the link to the "Coming Home" page: http://dir.salon.com/topics/coming_home/

Questions/Ideas to Explore:

• Tell us about your soldier that you read about?
• What were some of the positive portrayals of the military?
• What were some of the negatives?
• How did the war affect the soldier(s) you read about?
• From this project, what ideas/feelings/thoughts about the war do you think Salon was trying to establish in publishing these stories?
• If you still have time, read other stories before returning to the checklist of things you needed to make up (if you have not finished).

Publish a Post

Today I would like for you to publish another post on YOUR blog. This can be an update to your other blog entry, branch out to broaden your topic, present and explore a new topic.

Again, think of a topic that you are interested in... something you have a passion for. Find a site (preferably an article) that presents it and try to capture your reader's attention. Get them invested into the main ideas and make them want to read the article themselves, even though you will also be giving them a thorough explanation.


Remember... these posts should be 2-3 paragraphs. If you would like to write more, that's great --but keep your audience in mind. Keep them interested and engaged in what they're reading!

Stress Causes Abuse...

Family relationships are finding themselves under a lot of pressure due to the recession. Article discusses how the current economic situation has caused stress levels to rise, leading to more problems with abusive caretakers. It's appalling to me to think how much more abuse has taken place because of the crisis.

Here is the article - Abuse: Almost an Epidemic

Here are questions to explore, but please remember to respond to the questions in more depth:

• What are your personal thoughts on this issue?


• How can this problem be prevented or resolved?


• Though Young Ju’s story takes place in the 80’s and out of today’s current recession, in what ways is this article related to her family? What kinds of stress does Apa face and why?

Remember to use specific examples from the novel, A Step from Heaven.

Are Girls More Resilient?

This article presents an interesting study that explores how different children react to stressful and dysfunctional upbringings (just read the first part of the article, up to the headline, "Outdoor Time..."): http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/ae/s_611932.html

In An Na's novel, A Step from Heaven, Young Ju is raised in a dysfunctional family, struggling through her father's abusive behavior and the common difficulties faced by many immigrants.

Here are some questions to explore:

• What are your thoughts on this article?


• How is it relevant to the story that we are reading?


• From what you have read so far, what can you infer about the effect that Young Ju's upbringing will have on her?


• Will she too be resilient or will she crumble under the weight?

If you still have time, read other stories before returning to the checklist of things you needed to make up (if you have not finished).

Playing Catch-up!

I understand that in the last few weeks of only coming to the library once a week, you may have fallen behind on a comment or two. Don't fret! Here is a list of things you will need to take care of today:

1) Follow the class blog - Here on this blog, there is a link on the right hand side of the screen labelled, "Follow this blog." If you have not already clicked this and became a follower, then do this! This way, you do not have to type in the class blog URL every time after you log into blogger... instead, it will be on your Dashboard.

2) Comments - You must have a comment for each post and its article (there are 4 to complete). If you have finished writing these comments, return to them and make sure that your comments are relevant to the topic and go beyond basic knowledge. They should be analyzing the major ideas within the articles and can even prompt new questions to consider. If you have any questions about how to expand on a given comment, ask Ms. Whelan or Ms. Biondi. (Note/Encouraged: respond to other student's comments)

3) Give us your information - If you have not given us your email address and blog URL (www. ? .blogspot.com), you need to do that today! With that information, everyone can explore each other's blogs very soon.

5) Publish a Post - Post about a particular topic that you find interesting. How do you do this? Look up that topic and find a site (preferably an article) that presents it and try to capture your reader's attention. Get them invested into the main ideas and make them want to read the article themselves, even though you will also be giving them a thorough explanation (2-3 paragraphs, including your thoughts).

5) Comment on THIS post - Once you have finished all of the above, comment on whatever you still don't really understand about the blog, what you're excited about, and/or what topics you're considering exploring.

6) Your blog - Work on personalizing your blog. Format and organize your page's layout and the information you would like to see on it. You can add gadgets that aid your blog (and not cause people to get off-task).

Note: We shouldn't see anyone not working or hear anyone saying "I'm finished." Again, if you're struggling with this, ask one of us for assistance.

Importance of Assimilating

Getting us ready for our reading of A Step from Heaven, this article explores the idea that immigrants must assimilate to their new surroundings and cultures, especially in regards to language. This is not just for peace and harmony but in order to be effective in the workforce.

But just because a family comes to the U.S., it does not necessarily mean that they will be learning English to keep up...

http://www.thefreelibrary.com/ENGLISH+BYPASSED+IN+L.A.+MANY+IMMIGRANTS+LEARNING+KOREAN+OR+SPANISH...-a0136732194


Here are some questions to explore:

• What did you think about this article?
• What does this article say about the importance of immigrants learning a new language?
• How could not learning a new language cause difficulties for immigrants in a new environment?

Mob boss denied funeral Mass

Think that only ancient Greeks had controversy over burials? Think again.

What if someone were to deny Catholic burial rights to a practicing murder? Would it be just?

Such is the conflict behind the Gotti family's dispute with the Catholic Church over the rejected burial Mass of mob boss, John Gotti. Here is the story:

http://www.beliefnet.com/Faiths/Christianity/Catholic/2002/06/Gotti-Denied-Catholic-Funeral-Mass.aspx

Questions to explore:

• Should there be any sympathy towards Gotti or his family? Why or why not?
• How is this controversy different from that of Antigone's attempts to provide her brother with his rights?
• Where do you stand? How would you resolve it?

Note: Comment as "Google Account" (or your Google name, if you signed in first). Should you have any trouble signing in (forgotten passwords, misplaced email, etc), comment as "Annonymous" and sign your name at the end of your comment.