Please wait until the final presentation day to post your blog (due Tuesday, March 20)
In this final group presentation, we have been introduced to an array of new authors and readings that help to depict the nature of literature in the 20th century. What decade, from the background material did you find the most interesting? The Cold War of the 50s? Martin Luther King's famous "I have a dream" speech of the 60s? The Kent State University riots of the early 70s? John Lennon's murder in the early 80s? And what about the Clinton era of the 90s or the invasion of Kuwait? Think about all of the material covered and choose your favorite decade. Also discuss the value of the week-long presentation and your favorite two pieces of literature covered during the week.
If I absolutely had to pick a certain decade that is my favorite, it would have to be the 60's. That probably sounds very odd, but I just find it so interesting. I would have loved to live in the time of the Kennedy's. My Great Grandmother literally had a JFK shrine before she died. She had pictures of him all over with these candles burning and everything. It sounds so bizarre, but she was a hardcore Catholic who loved the idea of a Catholic president in office. I myself, being a Catholic, think that is a very cool thing as well. It would be interesting however to see how the conflicts could have arose during that time between who wanted a Catholic president and who wanted him out. I think it would have been great to experience this "perfect political family" at first hand. JFK and his family are still talked about today. I just recently was at a book store and saw this new book by Mimi Alford whom JFK had an affair with. It's a memoire of her experiences with Kennedy, such as losing her virginity, his assassination and how it affected her, and even some new details about Kennedy that no one ever knew. I personally cannot wait to read that book myself, but I think it would leave a more distinct impression on me if I would have lived it. If I would have been able to have known the political Kennedy to compare him to this very personal Kennedy in Mimi's new book.
ReplyDeleteAnother interesting thing I love about the 1960's is Martin Luther King Jr. I just love him. I think he was such a powerful individual who brought so much hope and peace to his time of violence and protest. When I first read the "I have a dream" speech, I was blown away. I couldn't understand how someone could write something that amazing, let alone create the effect that it did. I think what I love most about the 60's is the time of change, and how that change changed time. Making a difference, standing up for what you believe in, knocking down the walls, it was a revolution. I would have loved to have been a part of it.
Also, can't deny I would have loved to live in the time when "To Kill a Mockingbird" was first published. I love that book more than life itself. Although it would have been sad to see T.S Eliot and Walt Disney leave this earth. The 60's certainly had its ups and downs, but I think I would have loved that more than anything.
Oh! And I would have loved to have seen Kristin's reaction to "The Sound of Music" on it's opening night. She would have been front row no doubt.
Overall, this presentation killed. I think learning about the background of the time's was so important, which the group stressed. Since nonfiction was a big part of their section, I think the historical side of the presentation really benefited a deeper understanding of the literature. If I had to pick two of my favorite pieces, it would be very difficult. Not because I don't think this group did an outstanding job (which they did), but because I am not a fan of nonfiction. Although, I do have to say for missing the final day of the presentation I read the powerpoint for that day and now I understand "A Way to Rainy Mountain." When I was first reading it, I literally had not a clue how to interpret it. Now I understand. I think that's why I actually like that piece now. Another one of my favorites was "Elegy for Jane." I, like I said before, personally cannot put this poem in my top ten, but it really is a great piece. I think I like it so much because we cannot really determine the true meaning behind it, which is where I find a lot of beauty in poetry. The group presented it so well, and I applaud them.
Sorry I missed the last day!! I'm sure it went swimmingly. Great way to end the presentations guys. Way to be.
Sophie,
DeleteI have to agree with you that the 60s was a great decade of the 1900s. John F. Kennedy was a great president, and I also enjoy the fact that he was catholic. As you said, even today after his death we are learning more and more about him. Although he was catholic, a family man, and most would say he was attractive there was still scandal involved in his personal life. I do not think he would be as well liked if people knew he was having an affair, due to the fact that he was such a family man. I agree with you that this presentation also was extremely good; it was fun as well as interactive. They did a good job.
Sophie,
ReplyDeleteGood blog! I just wanted to say that I had a large hate for “Elegy for Jane” at first. But it grew on me for sure, I actually really thought about it after class and found a totally different meaning to it than we discussed. In class we said how it was almost weird for a teacher to have such a bond with his student. Then Dr. Pam pointed out how the relationship very well could have been totally different and that is just how we interpret it. Personally after much thought I think it was very different. I think that it was written more about the remorse he felt that a life was taken so young, the last lines “Neither a father nor a lover” to me gave the impression that he was looking upon all the good things that his student good have done and never got the chance to do. He wanted to see her be able to live a full life and maybe even do some of the things that he got the chance to do. The last lines saying how he felt such sadness for her loss but felt that the people who knew her better like a father or a lover had more place to be sad then him. But yet he still regrets not getting to know her before she died. It reminds me of Michael and how sad it was to see someone with such potential be taken away from us. I most certainly like the poem interpreted this way better, but maybe that’s just me!
Dearest Sophie,
Deletei also liked the two pieces you mentioned. They both included nature which made them powerful works. In "A Way to Rainy Mountain" I loved the vivid descriptions and I felt as if I was actually there. I too, do not prefer nonfiction, I would rather read something that most likely wouldn't happen in a million years, but you'd like to imagine that it would. I like books that you need imagination to read. With that being said, I still enjoyed some of the pieces read this week.
We are all done with our third quarter presentations! We managed to fit them all in the third quarter, and the last group did a great job closing out the quarter. They had a significant amount of background history. They knew that this information was important to cover so that we could understand where the authors of this time were getting their material and so we could have an easier time relating ourselves to the author or narrator. My favorite decade would have to be the 80s. The eighties included many important events that really helped the nation move forward. The personal computer came to be at this time, and even though it was the size of a room it was an amazing accomplishment for its time. The ruins of the Titanic were also found during this time. This discovery was probably very interesting for many of the Americans because up to that point not much had been discovered about it. During this decade a new function for DNA was revealed. DNA was now being used to find criminals. This decade just seemed to have multiple inventions that were interesting to me. Where would we be without computers? How many criminals would still be lurking around in America? The 80’s were a great time of new ideas.
ReplyDeleteMy two favorite pieces that we covered with this group were Speaking of Courage and A Way to Rainy Mountain. Speaking of Courage was a great story. When I read the story it made me feel extremely calm because of the repetitive circular motion. I also found the story to be calming because it was set during a warm day and he was just sitting in his air conditioned car. This subconsciously reminded me of summer; just relaxing and enjoying watching what other people are doing. When we read the story in class, I realized how the circular motion related to the story. He really was stuck in a rut, and could not get out. I understand how that can feel. It is frustrating, but he was worse off because he did not have anyone to talk to about it. I enjoyed the story because I know that we have soldiers and that many of them die so that we can be safe, but I do not really seem to be that grateful. When reading this story it made me realize how even after soldiers are safe at home, many times, their brains/memories are still at the war or the base. Many of them continue to be disturbed by what they experienced even after they are home. Their few years serving us ends up being their entire life because they cannot forget. This story just really made me think of what soldiers do for us. I did not like A Way to Rainy Mountain as much as Speaking of Courage, but it was my second favorite story. It was cool to be able to learn about the Kiowas. We learn about the different Indian tribes in school, but reading a story that includes a tribe’s culture makes it so much more interesting. Even though it was not directly written the reader could tell that the Kiowas had a great admiration for nature. They really seemed to respect it. We could really use some tips from this tribe. They really know how to take care of the land that they have been given. Much of the land that they lived on is probably more beautiful than our land because of how we treat our land. Both of these stories were very interesting to me, and I am glad that we were able to read them in class.
Most people steer clear of nonfiction, but after this group’s project I think that I will be way more open to it. I enjoyed the stories that we read, and I think that nonfiction is underestimated and overlooked. I would not allow myself to be apart of that anymore. So thanks to Taylor, Kristin, Ryan, and Mitchell for showing me that nonfiction can be fun and interesting! You guys did a great job. I liked the variety of handouts, and using the laptops on Monday. The only thing that I would say that you were lacking was group cohesiveness. Sometimes it seemed like some people were doing more than others, or that some of the group new what was going on and the other half didn’t. Other than that I enjoyed your presentation.
Dearest Morgan,
DeleteWe really should honor those who serve in the war. They sacrifice so much that I could not even imagine. The eighties were actually my least favorite time decade. I find science advancements important such as the function DNA but rather dull and boring. I am more interested in the entertainment that happened during these decades. I liked what you had stated about the story, “ Speaking of Courage,”. We had a lot of the same similar thoughts and outlook on this particular story. It was rather interesting to learn about the Kiowas, I find learning about Indians very interesting! Compared to them, I feel like we have really drifted from nature. I remember watching a movie as a kid, “ Dances with Wolves,” and I always had the thought that the white men were terrible to the land and animals that live there. The Indians would use all of the buffalo and the Americans just wanted their coat of fur. I also agree, I usually find non-fiction to be one of the categories that I tend not to read so much but I did not mind it at all during this presentation group!
Morgan. I also enjoyed Speaking of Courage. At first I thought “this guy needs to get out of town! He is so bored he is driving in circles! `’ but when we went over it in class I did realize that the “circles and circles” around the lake symbolized his circular train of thought. I could relate to this story because we do have soldiers now. I know my grandfather (he took pictures during WWII) he did not want to talk of any war, so I can see how the times still did not change. It is sad to think that many soldiers think only of the past that they cannot change. But unlike you…. I’m still not much into nonfiction….
DeleteCongratulations Kristin, Mitchell, Ryan, and Taylor!!!! It is kind of sad that we are all finished now with group presentations. I really enjoyed the presentations!
ReplyDeleteI like certain aspects and events of each time period but my favorite time period would have to be the 60’s. Some people that I really admire lived during this time period. Marilyn Monroe being one of them died in the 60s. These are my two favorite quotes by her, “I have feelings too. I am still human. All I want is to be loved, for myself and for my talent.” And the other one, “Fame will go by and, so long, I've had you, fame. If it goes by, I've always known it was fickle. So at least it's something I experience, but that's not where I live.” She was known for her so called outgoingness, but I find her very intelligent and I really admire her. I have seen some of her movies too. Also, one of the greatest bands in history was formed in the 60’s, The Beatles! (I actually saw the sight where John Lennon was assassinated.) I really like the Beatles and grew up listening to them because my dad had a record player. I think that they are a legend, a legend that will never die and live on forever. Because of Marilyn and the Beatles, this makes for my favorite decade!!
My favorite stories we read were “Speaking of Courage,” by Tim O’Brian and “The Way to Rainy Mountain,” by Scott Momaday. I really liked “Speaking of Courage,” because I really like war movies and stories. “Saving Private Ryan,” is one of my favorite movies. I feel that everyone that fights in wars is somewhat haunted by what they experienced during that time. Often people in the war come back and they are still tormented by the noises and faces that they heard and saw. War is a scary thing. When Paul continues to drive around, his mind is occupied with his memories there. We often try to find a quiet peaceful place but sometimes you cannot escape your own mind. My second favorite was “The Way to Rainy Mountain.” I did not like it at first. I found the story bland and boring. As Alex had stated in class, “there wasn’t enough action.” I agree but after going over the story in class, I sort of found a new beauty in it. Nature cannot be tamed, this is something we know, but sometimes we need to stop and appreciate nature.
Great job guys, and I loved the bloopers!!
Laira,
DeleteI agree that yes, it is kind of sad to see the presentations completed, but at the same time I’m kind of glad that they are all finally done. I really liked the story Speaking of Courage, as well. As I talk about in my own blog, veterans who have returned from war are so often tormented as you said by nightmares and such of their horrendous experiences. These veterans are often overlooked by an American people who are so willing to “support” the troops with bumper stickers and the likes of that, but not so willing to truly support these people who have given up so much for the sake of others. People need to show troops true support and help them acclimate back into regular, everyday society. We, as Americans, need to really show some gratitude for the sacrifices made by all military service men and women. I also really enjoyed their bloopers video!
Laira,
DeleteI love that you brought up Marilyn Monroe! I forgot about how influential and spectacular she is. I also picked the 60's for my favorite decade, but for totally different reasons. I loved seeing how my favorite things and yours contrasted and related to each other. I never even thought of the Beatles! Thank goodness you mentioned them. It is so cool that you saw the sight where he was assassinated too.
I love what you said about, "We often try to find a quiet peaceful place but sometimes you cannot escape your own mind." I think that is very true and very relatable to the story.
I think we all look for an escape. Mine happens to be in the arts, and I don't know what I would do without it.
Nice blog Laira!
I am sincerely mad at you for talking about "Saving Private Ryan" as it is only the best movie ever in my book. I also really enjoyed the story "Speaking of Courage." I found that it was a very good eye opener to how the people in the time period were feeling. As a fan of war stories, I can say though this reminded me more of "Flags of Our Fathers" It showed the after effects of the war and how it not only has such a physical effect but an even bigger physiological effect. In some way I found the story relatable. In one way or another we have all been in a spot where we felt like we were going in circles or just going through the motions, watching everyone else live, stuck in a rut so to speak. I really liked the story even though it started off slow, it also started a lot of great discussion.
DeleteLaira. I would have guessed that you would pick favorites based on music and movies! You made a great point about the Beatles; so many people were deeply upset when John Lennon died. Marilyn was also very popular. ‘Speaking of courage’ I am so glad that we went over that in class because I was getting dizzy loop after loop he made around the lake, I did not see a point in it. Now that I do I understand the symbolism and the truth behind the story.
DeleteKristin, Mitchell, Taylor, and Ryan
ReplyDeleteFirst off, congratulations you did a very good job in wrapping up your presentations!
Although all of the contemporary decades contain interesting events and people, I would have to say the 1950s is my favorite. This decade contained the start of many television shows like I Love Lucy; Disney was also started. Many important events seen in the United States history also occurred during this time period. All stories of integration and desegregation inspired many movies and stories of today. One specific event being the Little Rock Nine became a very famous story taught in history books today. Rosa Parks, an inspirational woman who fought for her rights also went to jail during this in this decade for not giving a white person her seat on a local bus. Sputnik was launched and the Hydrogen Bomb or H-Bomb was tested which important events were occurring during the Cold War. In music, Elvis was on the rise of becoming popular in the younger generation with his rebellious dancing styles. It would have been nice to live during this time period, many items were much, much cheaper than they are today such as gas; at that time it was 22 cents! With all of the changes, I personally feel that it is an extremely interesting and importation decade for the United States.
The first piece of literature I enjoyed for the week was Speaking of Courage. I particularly enjoy war stories, and hearing of an experience of how one soldier is suffering with the loss of his friend and loosing a chance at one of his medals. When I first read this story, I enjoyed it, however after going through the discussion I enjoyed it more. There was a lot of symbolism that I did not really pick up on the first time, and this group did a good job of explaining it. Although many people did not like The Way to Rainy Mountain, I somewhat enjoyed it. The way rainy mountain seemed like an important place to the narrator is extremely relatable to most people, including myself. The way the story mourns the narrator’s grandmother, yet does not have a mournful tone is something I also enjoyed.
As I said before, you all did a very good job. You interacted well with the class and fed off of each other’s information making discussions and PowerPoints flow well. I really enjoyed the different designs on the different slide shows, they were colorful, and made the presentations more interesting. The bloopers video was a good idea. There were no creativity issues with your group which made for a good presentation. I do have a few criticisms. If the PowerPoints would have not been e-mailed to us, I would have very few notes. Some of you went really fast and that made it difficult to copy notes from the slides along with listening to what was being said. As I am sure you are aware, the font size was small on a couple of the slides. Being towards the front of the room, I could see most of them, but if I would have been any further back, it would have been difficult. Other than that, I easily remained attentive and interested during your six day presentation.
Abby, great blog I feel the same way about the 50s and “Speaking of Courage.” “The Way to Rainy Mountain” was a good story as well. I agree with how you said “the story mourns the narrator’s grandmother, yet does not have a mournful tone.” My favorite image of the story is when he remembers his grandmother praying. Her total self-giving in prayer is so inspirational and moving. It allows the reader to see her devotion and imagine the experiences she went through very vividly. I agree with your critiques on the group also concerning the font size, notes speed, and bloopers (very funny).
DeleteAbby,
DeleteI never really was a fan of the 50's, but you brought up some great points. I think it would have been great to live in a time of cheaper things. I can't even imagine gas being that cheap! Wow! I think you made a good point about how you love war stories. I feel like a lot of people, especially in this town, feel very connected to their heritage and what ancestor fought in what war. I think that is why "Speaking of Courage" was such a relatable story for many people. I think it can be very interesting as well.
Great blog!
My favorite decade that was covered was the 70s. It was an era in which feminism rose and women gained the right to vote. Even though the phrase “make love not war” is associated with the 60s, the opposition to war grew intensely during this time period. One of the biggest demonstrations of this was the Kent State Riots. It seems like many of the things that were started in the 60s grew in the 70s, such as feminism, environmentalism, and anti-war protests. Of course, you cannot forget the release of Don McLean’s album in 1971, containing the song American Pie. The 8-minute long song was his tribute to Buddy Holly and talked about how music had changed, since his death in 1959, from rock and roll to soft/pop rock. In addition, the Jackson 5 emerged in the 70s, a group that I’m sure all of us are familiar with even today.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite piece of literature was “Elegy for Jane.” It could be interpreted in many different ways and I liked that we all had our own point of views on it. Another thing that I liked about this piece was the reference to birds throughout the poem. I think it made it really beautiful and peaceful by including these similes and metaphors. Another piece that I thoroughly enjoyed was “Speaking of Courage.” When I heard that the beginning was going to be boring, I started to dread reading it but once I started, I loved it. Even with all of the repetition of the Silver Star, I didn’t feel there was a dull moment. I love war stories like this, the idea of fighting in a war for your country intrigues me. Both of my grandfathers were in a war when they were younger, one in World War II and the other in the Korean War, and they both have their unique stories and experiences that they’ve shared with me over the years. I always found it interesting. I actually enjoyed reading it and put a lot of thought into the meaning and the symbolism in the story, I loved it 100%.
Overall, the presentation went really well. All four of you guys were really good speakers. The bloopers video was a great fun way to end the presentations. The only criticism I have is that the text was pretty small and hard to read, especially on the first day. Other than that, it was great even though you guys didn’t have a dance like us...you made it fun with the songs you played for each decade on the first day! Great job, now you’re free!
Maria,
DeleteI hate to disagree but I have to say I did not really like The Elegy for Jane. I’m not sure exactly why but I just did not like it very much. This is probably because I’m not really big on poetry. I prefer stories that do not have so many hidden meanings in them, like poetry so often does. I too, really liked Speaking of Courage. It was my favorite piece of literature covered this past week. I too have relatives that were either in a war or were in the military and stories like this always make think about just what they had to face to defend the freedoms we often take for granted here in America. I don’t think that many people realize just how lucky and blessed we are to live here where we can do so much and not be afraid that the government will have us arrested and thrown in prisons with under terrible conditions like in so many other countries. I also agree that the presentation was very well done even without a dance.
Dearest Maria,
DeleteI’m so excited that I get to comment on your blog!( sad that I am actually excited about that haha)! I never get too!
I think that when someone close to you experiences something, such as the war, it gives you a closer connection and better idea of what it was really like. I’d like to hear some old war stories! “Elegy for Jane,” was just alright for me. It didn’t really leave a lasting impression on me, but I didn’t exactly dislike it either. I just thought it was an okay poem, nothing really special. I like when poetry can be interpreted many ways. I haven’t really read too many that couldn’t be. Poetry brings up different memories and feelings from each person. Everyone pictures something different because we all different!
Great blog! Glad I could finally respond to yours!
Maria,
DeleteI am glad that someone else enjoyed "Speaking of Courage". I really enjoyed the story. As I said in my blog I think that it is great for students, like us, to read literature like this. We learn about the wars that the soldiers fought in, but we do not really think about the extent of a soldier's life. We acknowledge the fact that they protect us, but since they are somewhere else fighting we often forget about them. We take our safety for granted. Reading this story really just reminded me to be more thankful toward those that work behind the scenes to keep us safe. Since you had relatives that fought in wars you may have a greater sense of gratitude for all the soldiers that give their lives to protect us. I do not want this to make you sad, or this to seem weird, but if you are able to contact your grandfathers let them know that I say thanks for all of their dedication to protect us. Thanks!
First off, congratulations guys and girls! Finally, all of the presentations we have all worked so hard on have been presented and wrapped up. Now onto this week’s group specifically; once again discussion and/or going over questions I felt like some of the presenters would kind of start talking and then begin to ramble on a little bit. It was sort of like they were talking just for the sake of talking. Now, this did not happen all that often but the few times it did it was kind of slightly annoying because it was not really important information. Overall though, I believe you guys did an excellent job we, the class, were shown a wonderful presentation filled with cool stories, nice PowerPoints, and some very interesting class discussions. Great job on your presentation Taylor, Kristin, Ryan, and Mitchell aka QB Vallone. Each of you brought your own key input to the presentation and were able to play off of what each other said very nicely. I only have a few little criticisms of the presentation. The main one is that I noticed that throughout the PowerPoints there were quite a few errors in spelling and as Dr. Pam pointed out some incorrect information here and there, though not a lot so it was not a huge deal. I think that maybe you guys should have just spell-checked a little more thoroughly, but mainly because I have a sort of pet peeve about misspelled words. The only other thing I thought could have been different was that sometimes as the presentation would reach a sort of lull in on your presentation. I think that you chose some very interesting literature and had fairly good PowerPoints. I especially enjoyed your bloopers video at the end of your presentation. It was a very nice way to end not only your presentation but a nice way to end this whole long process of everyone’s presentations which as you know has definitely had its boring, tedious moments, but your video was a nice way to bring out the fun side of the whole working in group’s thing.
ReplyDeleteNow to what decade I found to be the most interesting. This is a pretty tough choice because so many really interesting and cool things happened during all of the decades your group covered. I guess I would have to pick the Cold War and the 50’s because I’m pretty big on war-time history type of stuff, even though there was no official war going on. There’s a lot of valuable experience and information I believe we can take from The Cold War and from even before that with the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, of the seriously harmful potential nuclear weapons could have. Entire cities, wiped off the face of the planet. And those were the old nuclear weapons. I can’t even imagine the devastation that newer, more highly advanced nuclear weapons could cause. To me, everyone on Earth needs to really think about how nuclear weapons are handled to ensure the safety of this planet and all who live on it.
blog continued
ReplyDeleteMy favorite pieces of literature would have to be Speaking of Courage and A Way to Rainy Mountain. I really liked the latter because of the amazing descriptions used throughout the story of the settings. I like it when the author of a story really fills out the setting because it makes it so much easier for me to really get into the story and feel almost as if I’m right there at the base of Rainy Mountain. However, the frequent and lack of good transition to all of the flashbacks in the story made it hard to understand at first. After the group presented the story and really went over it though, I feel like I definitely understood it better. Now back to Speaking of Courage. This was my favorite story from this group’s presentation by far. To me it spoke volumes of the displacement and detachment from society faced by so many of our nation’s armed forces. These troops go off to foreign lands, defending the freedoms of our nation, only to return to a place where they are often completely out of the loop, so to speak. I think that we can see clearly the troubles veterans face of constantly reliving the horrors of war, and of losing their fellow brothers-in-arms. I think that we should take away from this story that more should be done to help veterans who have returned from war rehabilitate back into society. Now, obviously this story was written many years ago, but I think that the same problems surely do still persist today. An obvious proof of this is the high unemployment rate of returning veterans.
Once again, great presentation guys! Congratulations to the entire class on finally being done with all of the presentations. Just a suggestion but I think we should have a party or something to celebrate ha ha.
Scott, great critique and blog. I agree that the spelling and information errors were rather annoying. Especially after the dozens of corrections we had to go through on our own power points and seeing another group not particularly make the effort. I also understand what you were saying about the presentation kind of fading off at certain points. I found myself daydreaming at some slow points in discussion and power point topics. The blooper video was good not only showing the light heartedness of this group, but also bringing to mind the fun other groups had while preparing for their presentations (*cough* darts *cough*). As for “Speaking of Courage” I couldn’t have said it better myself. The Vietnam War and the War on Terrorism really seem to have a lot in common. Few want to serve in the wars, returning soldiers are not being shown the proper respect they deserve for risking their lives for our safety, and no one wants to talk about them.
DeleteScott,
DeleteI am so glad that someone else picked up on the numerous spelling and information errors. I have a hard time handling myself when I see things that are spelled incorrectly. I do not know if you noticed today at mass or not, but on the PowerPoint of the song lyrics, the word "Eucharist" was spelled "Eurcharist". That bothered me so much! Anyway, I definitely see how mistakes such as spelling can take away from a presentation.
I also agree that adding the little video at the end was probably the best, if not perfect, way to finish a presentation. I think it was so needed because everyone just wanted to be finished with the whole project. It helped get everyone into a fun state of mind and definitely made us laugh.
I like that you chose the 1950s. Unlike you, I have such a hard time understanding and finding interest in the wars. I just never liked learning about any of it. The 50s were definitely home to some pretty nice cars, so I can say that some good came out of it.
Well, congratulations everybody! Taylor, Kristen, Ryan, and Mitchell good job on your presentations! I know I hate going last and I must say you did a fairly good job at finishing the presentations off strong. Most importantly, however, we are all done! Group presentations are over!
ReplyDeleteI must say choosing a favorite era is a very difficult task especially with SpongeBob SquarePants in the 1990s, “To Kill a Mockingbird” in the 1960s, and not to mention the rise of Michael Jackson in the 1980s. However, I feel a strong attachment to the 1950s. In note, the 1960s are also good; I just struggle to enjoy them because of the loss of Walter Disney. I like the fifties for multiple reasons. This was a time that triggered great changes in the United States. Communism was causing pandemonium within the nation. This leading to McCarthyism which was accusations made toward individuals, without proper evidence, claiming them to be communists. The Cold War with the Soviet Union was also a rather strenuous situation for Americans. Schools taught “duck and cover” drills and families invested in bomb shelters. Desegregation was starting to make an influence in daily life as with the Little Rock Nine, and other integration tactics. Not to mention the birth of Rock n’ Roll and the introduction of THE King, Elvis Presley. I used to fall asleep when listening to him and beg my mom not to play his music when I was younger; however I have learned to love Elvis over the years my favorite songs being “I Did it My Way” and “Can’t Help Falling in Love.”
I believe your group started out slow with the decades power point, but as the week went on I learn quite a bit. My favorite works we went over were “Elegy of Jane” and “Speaking of Freedom.” I really hate nonfiction, but I am okay with historical fiction. I was unsure if “Speaking of Freedom” was nonfiction or historical fiction, so I imagined it as the latter and found it enjoyable. When I read it I did not get the impression that Paul Berlin was a coward. I thought he had gone to do the heroic deed, but his regiment had kept him from completing it by pulling him form the fox hole. I found it gave on great insight to the horrors the soldiers faced upon returning from war. Worst of all they had no one to talk to, no one to understand. This brings to mind the soldiers in Iraq. I saw a video once where a soldier’s girlfriend set off a clapping monkey toy while he was taking a nap. He woke up instantly, looking for the danger, remembering the air raids from his time in service. She was laughing at his reaction, but he was not amused, some people just cannot realize the seriousness of a situation until they have lived it themselves. “Elegy of Jane” was also very moving and inspirational. I did not get the feeling that the author had romantic feelings for her, I just think he was expressing the out of place-ness we sometimes feel at graves and funerals. It made me think of Michael and his funeral. Even though I knew him and his family, talked and joked with him on many occasions, and been on both the YMCA and high school swim teams with him I felt a little uneasy at going to his funeral at first. I obviously knew him and belonged there, however my presence would not be as easily understood as that of a relative or past girlfriend. However, those who knew Michael knew the swim team was a BIG part of his life. Our presence was accepted almost like a second family, which we really almost are with the amount of time we spend together.
Your group did a great job. If I had to make any comments I would say loosen up a bit and try not to move around as constantly. I can understand the adjustments between slides when the speaker switches from one person to the other, but moving around while talking can be distracting to the audience. Good job and congratulations!
Maura,
DeleteGreat blog! It is great that everyone has finished, not because I did not like the presentations, but because I know how much less stress I had when my presentation was over. I enjoyed your feelings of "Elegy for Jane". I was not so sure how I felt about the poem itself at first. The poem was kind of weird, especially the with the subscript of the title saying that she was thrown from a horse. Anyway, I definitely agree with you when you said that you did not think that he had romantic feelings for her. I think that he just had great admiration for her. I also like how you related the poem to Michael's tragedy. I know that it must have been hard for the swim team. It was awesome that you all went even if you did not know him that well since he was older than you. That shows that your swim team is a true family. Way to relate your life to the blog! I also agree that the movement was distracting, but the group did a great job picking out our literature. I think that the literature really got many of the people that do not talk a lot talking.
Maura,
DeleteYour point about the cold war being a “strenuous time for Americans” is a good point with the Cold War in effect. The video this group showed us on the duck and cover drill was stuck in my head for days. I would really like to know if these people realized that in the case of a nuclear attack, going under a desk would do absolutely nothing at all. It may have just been a reassurance to children to decrease panic. As you said, the powerpoints along the week were informative and I learned a lot from them. They were also well done. I do have to somewhat disagree on some of your criticisms. I most of the members of the group were pretty chill when presenting. I did not find their movement distracting, however everyone is different!
Congrats!!!! You are done too!!! You did a wonderful job!
ReplyDeleteWhen somebody talks about the 70s, most people think of a common TV show “that 70’s show.” Many people probably think of this show and have a mental picture of the “circle.” Even though some of the things on the show follow with lifestyles similar to that decade I found the 70’s decade most interesting for other reasons. I know if I was a college student around this time that I would be rioting just because everyone else is doing it, rioting sounds fun. I think it is an interesting time because younger people really showed their feelings toward different government projects and the seemed to more want their voice to be heard. I feel that before the 1970s young adults really did not have much of a say in things (similar to previous centuries with African Americans and women). This decade is really the major “jump” in young adults “asserting their independence” and going against their parent’s decade. I think it would be neat to be around some of the crazy dress of the time, lots of bright colors. The music would also be rather interesting too. Although there may be some “hippies” today (like the rainbow people) I really think that the 70s decade really shaped the present day, especially with dress, music, “the voice of tomorrow” and even in the language spoken (more easy going and less proper). This was also a time of great advances in technology (calculators, floppy disks, and the jumbo jet) and important things such as cell phones and post-it notes.
One of my favorite pieces was “Elegy for Jane” I did not understand it exactly at first but I enjoyed the breakdown of the story. I was rather interesting to see other views and ways to interpret the story. I also enjoyed “A way to rainy mountain” it was neat to read about Indians because we have not covered many Indian stories in school; we covered many subjects but not Indians. I found it cool to discover that the Indians thought rainy mountain was a place where kids were saved by a tree, while running from a bear. Then Taylor mentioned that the “mountain” looked like a tree stump.
Now… for the critique. The first day I got a little worried about this group because they took a REALLY long time going over background material that was not even in the book. The two games at the beginning did not work out too well. The date I happened to get there was music to so one of the presenters talked over it. The song game did not really go as planned because of the split in the days. To challenge your presentation even further we had a strange schedule for most of the days you presented. So, under those circumstances you did very well (since the school only informs us of weird schedules first period). Suggestions for improvement…. Cover more on the stories, not so much background material. Also make the font MUCH larger. Lastly, I noticed that everyone looked of the slides a little too much. Other than that you guys did a great job. You really had a fun time period and I also liked how you summed up the end of the presentations with bloopers.
Elizabeth,
DeleteI definitely agree with you that the font needed to be much larger on the PowerPoints. I had a really hard time reading some of the information. I also agree that the activity at the beginning, with each of us receiving a different date, did not work out too well. I heard a few other people complaining about it as well. I never actually got to read when my date was called. Like Scott had mentioned, some of the information on the slides was incorrect, which was also a major drawback.
The group really did have a difficult time with all the schedule changes and shortened class periods. They really did a great job with the amount of time they were given.
I agree with what you said about "Way to Rainy Mountain". I really felt almost the same way. Learning and reading about nature straight from an Indian himself was really incredible to me. It actually helped me understand how nature can be such a huge aspect of a person's life.
Elizabeth,
DeleteI agree with you about the riots! When Joe Paterno got fired, I honestly begged my mom to go be part of the riots. I wanted to be part of something so momumental and something that was that big in history. She was against it for obvious reasons and I missed out on it. Also I agree in that I want to dress like a hippie! I love the tie - dye so I would fit right in, well maybe not!
The other thing I agree with is all of your criticisms. I thought of all of those. The presenters, I felt, completely forgot we were even supposed to be playing a game and the music game didn't work because I came home and googled them. I obviously didnt write them down since I only got like three right, but that was a possibilty for everyone.
Elizabeth, I also liked learning about the Indian culture, as we never seem to in other classes. They are an important part of literature, and need some recognition. It was very interesting to see their take on life, and their different myths and legends. I personally thought that the story was a little hard to understand, but the culture it described is very interesting and I think we should definitely read others in the future.
DeleteElizabeth,
DeleteI really like that you stress the independence of the people of that era. It was a huge deal. Even now, we try to get away from our parents but then it was a major issue. We don't often realize how that can effect the literature we write but the young adults perfectly showed it.
I also love that you brought up "Elegy of Jane." It was such an impressive piece. And I wholeheartedly agree. Going over it in class really helped my understanding of the poem. It was a fabulous learning aid. The same goes for "Rainy Mountain" in saying going over it in class helped. I also noticed the comparison between the stump and the mountain. Great catch!
I do agree that everyone was really basing a lot of their presentation off of the slides. Some people in particular kept glancing back even when there was nothing to read. It actually became distracting at times.
I would like to take this time to congratulate not only the final group, but each and every group, for completing their presentations on a great note. It seemed so long ago that we were all assigned groups and a section to discuss, but I guess time flies when you are having fun! Everyone did a great job and should be very proud of all the accomplishments.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite decade from the background material was the 1990s. I know I am “playing it on the safe side” by choosing it as my favorite, but It is very personal to me. I was born in 1994, so that is pretty important. I do not know if anyone else would agree with me, but I really could care less. The Chicago Bulls won a few championships. (Go Bulls!) Michael Jordan sadly “retired” from the NBA and signed with the Chicago White Sox. Seeing that baseball was not where he belonged, he joined back up with the NBA and continued where he left off. As Ryan mentioned multiple times, I am a huge Chicago Bulls fan. Besides basketball, the 90s were home to some pretty great cartoons and TV shows. Unlike today, it was not hard to find something to watch. I remember watching shows like “Keenan and Kel” and “All That.” I think I like the decade so much because it brings back so many of my childhood memories. I really miss being a kid, so when I can bring the 90s back, I bring the 90s back!
My favorite two pieces of literature we covered were “Elegy for Jane” and “Way to Rainy Mountain.” I liked “Elegy for Jane” because it was a way for the author to express his feelings of loss for his student. It really got me to think about the Dr. Phil episode I mentioned in class. I know the circumstances were not nearly the same, but the two stories reminded me of each other. I liked “Way to Rainy Mountain” because it was written by someone who truly understood what life is supposed to mean. Indians tend to value their lives more than those who cannot connect with nature. It made me understand how each person in my life should be respected and cared for, because after my time with them, I only have memories to look back on.
Congratulations again to Taylor, Mitchell, Kristin, and Ryan on a great presentation. I find it a little unfair, though, that your presentation lasted well over a week. I’m joking! You did a great job and I really enjoyed the video at the end. You guys are a bunch of goofballs!
Kristy, I completely agree with you about the 90s. They were such a great time to be a kid. I enjoyed all of those shows and I actually miss them. I want to be a kid just like you and relive all of that! It would be so great!
DeleteI also like "Elegy for Jane". I also liked that you brought up Dr. Phil because it made it more relatable. Dr. Pam also helped with that by telling us of her poetry writing and how she would intrepret it with her maturity. I also agree that they are all crazy, but in a good way!
My Dearest Kristy Hanes,
DeleteI should have known you would be talking about the bulls! Anyway, I think the 90s was a good decade to pick because we were all alive and swingin' during those years (and of course your day of birth is important). the 1990s contain some of our first memories as children. When we discussed "A Way to Rainy Mountain" we talked about our childhood memories, along with the author's, and a lot of the memories we thought of could have came from this time period so it really relates. I like how you said that someday we'll only have memories to look back on, because it really makes you want to make use of the time that you have with everyone, and make memories that you can look back on and be happy about.
Kristy,
DeleteHow did I know you'd pick that decade? Granted, that's when we were all born so it's obviously our favorite. I think so much happened then that we missed and this PowerPoint really helped us to see some of the things that occurred when we were still very young. It was a great decade (obviously look who came out of it!).
I really loved the way you compared "Elegy of Jane" to Dr. Phil. It gave us something in modern society to compare our stories and poems to. I think what surprised people then has really changed. We take it in an entirely different manner than it was meant to be. As Dr. Pam said, we don't know how what we write will be interpreted after we are gone. I believe this really applies to this piece.
Kristy,
DeleteHow did I know you'd pick that decade? Granted, that's when we were all born so it's obviously our favorite. I think so much happened then that we missed and this PowerPoint really helped us to see some of the things that occurred when we were still very young. It was a great decade (obviously look who came out of it!).
I really loved the way you compared "Elegy of Jane" to Dr. Phil. It gave us something in modern society to compare our stories and poems to. I think what surprised people then has really changed. We take it in an entirely different manner than it was meant to be. As Dr. Pam said, we don't know how what we write will be interpreted after we are gone. I believe this really applies to this piece.
My favorite decade was the 60’s. I found that so interesting, especially with all of the Civil Rights movements. We also got the first man on the moon. That stuff is so interesting to me. I really wish I could walk on the moon! The Beatles became part of American music. I know I have heard of them and they are still popular today. I think it would be hard to find a person above the age of like thirteen who does not know who the Beatles are. My parents were also born in the 60s (1963 and 1964). However, my favorite part is definitely the Civil Rights Movements. I don’t think I would ever have the courage to stand up for myself like that.
ReplyDeleteI also quite enjoy the 90s. Partially because I can remember different parts of it, especially the cartoons, like Rugrats and the Wild Thornberry’s. Also Full House and Boy Meets World, shows I still watch today came out. However, I feel like the 90s, besides the big hair, was not that exciting.
“Speaking of Courage” was probably my favorite piece of literature that we covered during the presentation. I like this story because of the pure bravery and friendship that is presented in it. I know I said it in class, but I certainly would not want a friend to suffer the same fate as me if I was killed. I would want them to get themselves out of there as fast as possible and make sure I live on. I can’t imagine having a friend die in front of you and then trying to crawl into a fox hole after him, knowing I would probably be shot. I want to say I would take a bullet for all of my friends, but could I? If somebody was standing in front of me with a gun, I would not be able to just think that quickly about it. However, that guy showed true bravery. He may not have gotten his silver star, but he is braver than I probably ever could be. They say adrenaline makes you do some pretty crazy things, but I don’t know if I could ever be that brave. It also made me think of the soldiers of today. Have they ever been put in that situation? Are they regretting not saving a friend? I don’t think we would ever be able to figure that out unless we asked. So it made me realize how you can’t assume a person is fine, even if they look calm from the outside.
The other thing I liked was the poem “A Elegy for Jane”. I liked that poem because I really felt like you could feel the emotion in it. Like other people in the class, I don’t want everything presented with rainbows. People hurt and they cry. The feel emotion and they aren’t just happy all of the time. That is also why I like this era of writing. It was rawer and not focused on offending people. They just tried to get the truth, with their real emotions out there. I don’t know if any of you know this, but on YouTube people are posting videos about their secrets for the whole world to see. If you type in “My Secret” a bunch of videos come up and for some reason I thought of that when we were talking about the emotion of it. The author is not holding anything back.
Now, I don’t know if we are supposed to put suggestions or not, but I found them helpful so I will. First of all, congratulations! You guys had a crazy schedule to deal with and I felt so bad. However, I have three major issues. The first was you guys were really jumpy when talking. You moved around a lot and everybody was always in a different position. Stand still! It was distracting. The second thing was I felt like you guys didn’t work that well together. The bloopers at the end showed us you had fun together. However, the first day I felt as though you guys had no idea what the other person was going to present and then throughout the week, I noticed a couple times when Ryan was at the computer he had to be told what was happening with the slide, which I felt he should have known. Finally, you guys relied way too heavily on the slides. You read word for word off of them. Relax, and try to think of something else to put there. Either less information on the slides, or have more to tell.
Anyway you guys did a great job. You guys finished the presentations strong!
Steph, I liked the discussion of courage also. No one really knows what they will do in a situation like that, and it all depends on the circumstances at the time. Everyone would like to say that they would be brave and save their friend, but you cannot say that until you have lived it. I think that you could connect these feelings with the rawness of the literature at the time. So many people were involved in the war, or had someone go off to war and not come back, that the writing style slowly but surely began to show all this. People had nothing else to write about but the raw feelings concerning everything around them, that this became the norm of writing.
DeleteIf I had to pick a decade I liked the most it would be 60s. it was the time period of great writers such as Harper Lee, Sylvia Plath, and Mary Angelo. It was also a time when the young people in college got together and rioted. The 60s were even the decade of Woodstock!
ReplyDeleteMy favorite stories of the week are “Elegy for Jane” and “Speaking of Courage”. I most certainly experienced strong hate for both of them at first, especially “Elegy for Jane.” The beginning was not only unexceptional but also dull, just another poem. By the end of it I found myself in different though process. While it did help to have the classroom discussion I had to read it a few times to get the meaning I liked most. Since all poetry does have different meanings to everyone even the rhyming ones, I figured that I could found mine. I found that the poem almost gave me a sense of ambition to live life, because even when you are young and in love, life goes by too fast and it really can be gone in the blink of the eye. This point also clearly came across in “Speaking of Courage.” As I do love war stories, it helped me along with the read but it really was written well, with very little boredom. The symbolism is also very interesting and reminded me of the Great Gatsby.
Congratulations Mitchell, Kristen, Taylor and Ryan! You guys all did wonderful with finishing up the presentations. I liked the different forms of activities and discussions we had. There isn’t really mush to critique other than some words were super small and there was not much eye contact. I really enjoyed the bloopers though.
First of all, congratulations to Taylor, Ryan, Mitchell and Kristin! Your presentation is officially done.
ReplyDeleteFor my favorite decade, I would have to say the 50s. I have always enjoyed learning about World War II, and this decade basically tells the background of the war. The communist scare put everyone into a state of panic, and no one knew who to trust. This lack of trust led leaders to suspect friends, and to suspect other leaders who they thought could rival their power. The whole ordeal of McCarthyism just put everyone into a more frightened state, as people began to distrust their own country. Everything just kept snowballing into a huge mess, which then exploded into World War II. This is why I picked the 50s.
One of the pieces that I liked most was “Speaking of Courage” by Tim O’Brien. I think that this piece was a great example of the point where America was as a country. We as a country should have never gotten involved in Vietnam, but we did anyway. It was a waste of money, resources and soldiers’ lives, but we did it anyway. We chased the Vietnamese around enough times, accomplishing nothing. This relates to the story, in which the main character Paul Berlin drives endless circles around the lake in his town. He accomplishes nothing and wastes time and gasoline. He doesn’t want to do anything but think about the war, and what he could have done. Instead of doing this, he could be directing his energies more productively, doing something great for himself or someone else. Maybe then he could have felt that he did something good, and stop obsessing over his friend. Our government was like this too - we could have directed our attention to many different things, and gotten something accomplished, but they stuck to the war in Vietnam.
I also liked learning about the types of modern literature. It is amazing that the authors took many characteristics of many different types of literature and combined them into another type. When reading, someone can recognize different techniques and different pieces taken from other types, and see how they are combined and over lapped to create something new.
Some critiques that I have are to speak up a little when you are presenting, it was a little hard to hear you sometimes. It may be just me, but I felt that the background material on the decades was a little much. I think you could have shortened it to be half as long as it was, and still have gotten along fine. Since there was so much, we weren’t supposed to or expected to write any notes, but I feel that this defeats the purpose of the presentation. And since the background was not even in the book, we couldn’t go back and take our own notes either.
Other than these few things, good job guys!
Wow! What a long, impressive end to this whole ordeal. Taylor, Mitchell, Ryan, and Kristin had the intense responsibility of wrapping up the whole presentation which is honestly very difficult to do. I give them props for everything they had done. It was extremely tiresome and we put some serious pressure on them but they hung through and did their absolute best. Their presentation was done extremely well!
ReplyDeleteI think, like a few others, my favorite decade was the 60s. This era was always one that I had a sort of fascination with. There was some crazy art and even crazier political movements. Hippies and Woodstock, I'd love to see everything to occur. But what makes it iconic for me is the Beatles. They were such amazing musicians and while they were not officially writers, I believe that their music qualifies as such. It was amazing and it was the first song I actually knew all the information for!
My favorite piece of literature was, as I said in class, "Elegy of Jane." I mentioned before how intense it was. There was so much emotion and so much we could sympathize with. But I loved most of all how it could be seen in so many different lights. Each time I read it, I picked out something new. It was a great reading experience. I think it shows how writing as a confession or from personal experience can really form a piece into something better than it could initially be. It was my favorite poem thus far!
Now, I would also have to say that "Rainy Mountain" is in my favorites. As I said, not much happened but it was written so well and so vividly. I couldn't help but enjoy everything as he did. The narrator made the story's setting easy to understand even though the flashbacks were occasionally confusing. I still enjoyed it. As the class said, I could hear and feel the grass crunch beneath my feet. Not many authors can do that.
Nonetheless, I did find there to be some errors in the presentation. Firstly, the entire first day was not worked together as a whole. Some of the rest, you seemed to be pushing over each other. You all went quickly and it was difficult to keep up at times. I think my biggest problem though was how small the text size got in some occasions. It was really hard to see from where I sat.
Overall, it was great! The bloopers at the end added a very lighthearted feel to everything! I think it wrapped it all up very nicely. Great job!