Classics

So I'm on Facebook this morning, and looking through some of the quizzes people have taken (most of them are so dumb...). But I come across one that said "Which Books Have You Read (out of 100)." I clicked on it, and it was that list of 100 books Mrs. Conklin was talking about! Of course I felt that I needed to take the quiz, and found that I have read 17 of the books... I feel pretty ok about that, although I know there are a few on the list that I should have read by now. Looks like I have a summer reading list :)

Is P&P worth it?

I personally had a rough time with P&P, not because it was too hard or Austen used "Big words". I just simply didn't like the plot..because...well...I'm a guy. I will say that the lessons are good ones and I understand what Austen is trying to say. The main problem is that people don't really Read anymore. Sure, you read your email or text but that's not the same. There is a gap between Dr. Chesley and his students. He wanted to understand or at least worked at understanding Austen. His students are in college! They should be excited to learn (especially since they are paying to be there!) I believe that Pride and Prejudice is worth the effort; most just are not willing to put forth the effort to try.

Matched - The book like 1984

Just in case anyone was missing 1984, the book I brought up in class today is very, very similar. It's part of a trilogy and the next one doesn't come out until November of this year but it's awesome :) Here's the title of the book and the author for anyone who is interested: Matched - Ally Condie

Is Pride and Prejudice worth reading?

As I mentioned in class today, my mentor from Aquinas, Dr. Chesley, is coping with complaints in his Intro to Fiction class this spring from students who don't enjoy Jane Austen's classic of Regency England.

Most of his students don't like it.  Some complain that Austen uses too many big words.  Others say she's tedious.  One said she doesn't like the book because sometimes the narrator says one thing, but it means something else.

You read P&P for summer reading, on your own, with little instructor guidance (other than the occasional blog post). I want to hear your thoughts - good, bad, or indifferent - on your reading experience and your overall impression of Pride and Prejudice. Is this a book worth reading?

REMINDER: Law Day essay contest

This is just a reminder that the deadline for the Law Day Essay contest, sponsored by the Berrien County Bar Association, is due this Friday, April 15, at 4 PM.

You can mail, fax, or email your essay of 500-800 words with the following information:


Student's name
Home address
Email address
Home telephone number
Sponsoring teacher and high school - (Sarah Carter Conklin/Bridgman High School)

If mailing your essay, please use the following address:

Berrien County Courthouse
Attention: Honorable Gary J. Bruce
811 Port Street
St. Joseph, MI 49085

The essay can be emailed to Judge Gary J. Bruce at gbruce@berriencounty.org
or faxed to Judge Bruce's office at  (269) 982-8614

Winners of the contest will be selected at the sole discretion of the selection committee and will be based upon: Composition, Theme, Creativity, and Details/Research

This is a great opportunity to flex your writing muscles and do some interesting research on the long history of legal defense in our country. If you are interested in getting some help with your writing, please let me know as soon as possible.

Email me if you have any questions about the contest itself. For those of you who have a draft in progress, I'd be happy to give your essay a quick look before you submit it.

Happy writing!!

-MCC

Good Bye Spring Break....

So I hope everyone has had a great break! I made it to Chicago and back without any "scary" moments. No one tried to steal my phone or reach into my purse :) I did wear tennis shoes though and took pictures, so people could tell I was a visitor :/ How is everyone liking the Awakening? My mom is loving it... I was reading it aloud in the car on the way to a college visit and she was sitting there with her eyes closed "envisioning" the story (don't worry, dad was driving and is eyes were open!). I am enjoying the story myself. See you tomorrow! -Lisa

Typo!

So this is really quite amazing that I noticed this, and also very random. I never notice things like this. But in the book, on the page that Chapter 38 starts on, as usual it says 38 in the background but then it says Chapter XXXIII. XXXIII is not 38. It's 33. They have it right in the back with the vocabulary. But that is definitely NOT 38. So apparently there are TWO chapter XXXIII's in this book. Huh. :)

"Hasn't Tim Burton Seen the Nightmare Before Christmas?"

Ok so today, a colleague of mine was discussing some baby names. She expressed to me how she would just love to name her daughter Sybil but couldn't because of that really disturbing movie with Sally Field. I stated that I thought that the name Sybil was wretched anyhow so thank God for the justice of horror films. She then brought up this interesting argument:
"I love the name Sybil."(her)
"It sucks"(me)
"You suck, its only creepy because of that movie with Sally Field. Anyway Mrs. Conklin
was thinking of naming her daughter Regan and thats creepy like from the Exorcist."
"Darling, Regan is from King Lear."
"Yeah sure, anyway I'm sure Mrs. Conklin's never seen that movie."
"...Thats a Shakespearean novel...she's an English teacher...of course she's read it."
"Oh..."
"That's like saying Tim Burton's never seen The Nightmare Before Christmas ya dope."

So i was thinking and talking about you kids today! Spring Break is almost over (feeble defeated fist pump).

As seen in King Lear...

While I was in Chicago at Urban Outfitters, I found this iPhone case. Sadly, it is only for the 3G and 3GS, otherwise I would have purchased it straightaway!! Another sign of Shakespearean language in our 21st century vernacular :)

I hope you have had an enjoyable spring break. Despite today's rainy start, it hasn't been all bad, weather-wise. I hope those of you who traveled near and far had safe trips without incident. I have a fun story to share about my trip in to Chicago and will save it for class on Monday.

Just a reminder that your reading logs for The Awakening are due on Tuesday, April 12. They can be hand written or typed. you are not expected to keep a vocabulary log for this novel. We'll begin our discussion of Kate Chopin's work on Monday, so please be sure to have completed the reading by the time you arrive in class on Monday.
Happy reading and relaxing!
-MCC

Urban Dictionary: Word of the Day

There is no escaping this. None.

April 8: Friday

The day after Thursday and before Saturday, according to Rebecca Black. Also the most annoying day of the week now.

It's Friday, Friday, gotta get down on Friday

FUN FUN FUN.....not really

Since I have been hearing the song "Friday" quite a lot lately, I was excited to read this article. Simply because of the nature of the song, I found the article quite difficult to read withou laughing. However, the analysis just proves what I already knew; 13 year olds should not write their own music or auto tune their voices to a ridiculous extent. Now, a little off topic, if you are in the mood for a laugh, YouTube "death metal version friday". It's extremely entertaining, especially if you dislike the song :)

Oedipus Rex in real life!!!!!

While I was on my overnight visit to Hope College, I sat in on an intro to psychology class. What else did the professor reference in class but Oedipus Rex?! I pratically jumped out of my seat; Literature is everywhere! :)

Grasshopper by Ron Padgett

A great spring poem for spring break and national poetry month.
Enjoy!

Grasshopper
by Ron Padgett

It's funny when the mind thinks about the psyche,
as if a grasshopper could ponder a helicopter.

It's a bad idea to fall asleep
while flying a helicopter:

when you wake up, the helicopter is gone
and you are too, left behind in a dream,

and there is no way to catch up,
for catching up doesn't figure

in the scheme of things. You are
who you are, right now,

and the mind is so scared it closes its eyes
and then forgets it has eyes

and the grasshopper, the one that thinks
you're a helicopter, leaps onto your back!

He is a brave little grasshopper
and he never sleeps

for the poem he writes is the act
of always being awake, better than anything

you could ever write or do.
Then he springs away.

Happy Books

This just proves the point of not reading many happy books this year. :/ Oh well. P.S~ The Awakening is awesome. :)

It's Friday

Please click on the title of this post for a link to an insightful rhetorical analysis on a current craze in popular culture.

I hope you find it as enlightening as I did. I'm anxious to hear your thoughts.

-MCC