Monday, August 31, 2009

Grapes of Wrath-Post # 3

Guiding Question:
How does an author's life affect his/her writing?
Task:
Locate pertinent information about John Steinbeck's life that might have influenced his writing in The Grapes of Wrath. What other interesting facts can you find?

Grapes of Wrath-Post # 2

Objectives:
*Recognize thematic parallels between Woody Guthrie’s music and Steinbeck’s novel
*Develop an appreciation for The Grapes of Wrath and the music of Woody Guthrie, as works of art and historical documents
*Explore the idea of the “American spirit"
Task:
Comment on your thoughts about Woody Guthrie and Bruce Springstein's lyrics/ Music. Do you notice any thematic parallels? Feel free to comment on other aspects of the music/ lyrics as well.
Link:
http://www.woodyguthrie.org/Lyrics/Tom_Joad.htm
http://www.rollingstone.com/reviews/album/107356/review/5940604/dustbowlballads
Listen to songs from Bruce Springsteen’s 1995 album The Ghost of Tom Joad. Why would Springsteen use that allusion?
Link:
http://www.brucespringsteen.net/songs/TheGhostOfTomJoad.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1DEtA5fhk4k

Grapes of Wrath- Post # 1

Guiding Question:
What can be learned from photographs from the Dust Bowl era?
Link to Dorothea's Lange's, "Migrant Mother":
http://lcweb2.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/i?pp/fsaall:@filreq(@field(NUMBER+@band(fsa+8b29516))+@field(COLLID+fsa)):displayType=1:m856sd=fsa:m856sf
Task:

Choose a photograph from the Dust Bowl Era. Include the link in your response/ blog comment. Write about what you believe the image conveys. You may use the following questions to help guide your response:
Why would the artist have taken the photograph?
Who do you see in the photograph?
Where do you think they are?
What can you tell about these people based on the photograph?
How do you think they feel in this picture? How can you tell?
What techniques does the photographer use to draw you into the subject matter or to draw an emotion from you?

Welcome to English 11 Honors!

We will use this forum to periodically respond to literature studied in class. I will also try to post important assignments and interesting links. Check back periodically for updates. If you have ideas as to how to improve the use of this site, or to better incorporate blogging, twittering, etc... into our studies, please share! I am also interested in hearing how your friends/ siblings are using this technology at the college level.