9/11 and What it means to remember

Every academic year, there is an obligatory portion of the day at school designated towards referring back to the events of September 11th, 2001. This being the 13th year since then, I emphasize the word obligatory, because for many it feels exactly as such. Naturally, we're referring to a tragedy that for many of us is still very recent and deserves it's acknowledgement and respectful consideration. However, especially in our classroom as the years go by, high school students in your position will find themselves continually separated from the issue -making it hard to feel personally affected. In adapting the issue and making it more relevant, I would like for us to address the topic of remembrance as a broader scale.

This Sunday, the first season of the HBO series, The Leftovers, had it's final episode for the year. In case you're not familiar with the show, here are a couple teaser trailers. The premise basically being about people trying to move on with their lives, 3 years after a sudden and unexplained vanishing of 2% of the world's population (~140 million people).



The show allegorically tells a story of grief and loss and how communities respond to tragedy. In many ways, mirroring how our community may have reacted in the wake of 9/11. Amidst the characters, there is a cult-like group of people wearing all white -The Guilty Remnant. In the series, their main objective is to act as living reminders of the tragic events of that October 14th, three years prior. They do not speak, they are always smoking cigarettes, and their presence is seen as a blight on the community because people would like to just move on from the tragedy -something the Guilty Remnant resists by constantly finding ways to bring the tragedy to everyone's immediate attention.



The second teaser trailer embedded here is interesting in that it borrows its lines from a famous work of poetry:

"I wish I could translate the hints about the [departed] young men
     and women,
And the hints about old men and mothers, and the offspring
     taken soon out of their laps.
What do you think has become of the young and old men?
And what do you think has become of the women and
     children?

They are alive and well somewhere,
The smallest sprout shows there is really no death,

[. . .]

All goes onward and outward, nothing collapses,
And to [depart] is different from what any one supposed, and
     luckier."

  -From "Song of Myself, IV" by Walt Whitman

The specific passage from Whitman's works does a good job of highlighting many of the themes associated with this allegory of loss and grief. It asks you to see the tragedy itself as a dividing force between the past, present, and future. For those of us that remain, we can't help but see the day before tragedy as such a distant pass, despite it having even been a few hours away. While we mourn the tragedy and those that are no longer here with us, there is also a sense of nostalgia that begets a sort of envy for those same individuals -they will never have to know the chaos that consumes our lives post-tragedy. Even now, as we reach over a decade later, we look at the 1990s as this great time in our history. "Even the cartoons were better", some people go as far as arguing over.

http://www.theguardian.com/books/2001/dec/22/fiction.dondelillo

In the above link, we will be reading an article by Don Delillo, published three months after that September 11th. The article itself is a heavy read, coming in at 12 pages, but you will have ample time to read the text closely and mark whatever you find interesting enough. Namely, focusing on the parts that you think best reflect what Whitman touches on in his poem, which in turn also matches the tone of the series trailers you watched above. It is also worth nothing that you will find that this article doesn't really fall into any particular category of writing that you may have covered in years before (persuasive, argumentative, expository, explanatory, informative, etc.). Rather, Delillo's writing seems to cover the tasks that each of those categories would have been solely responsible for. I'm not saying that this is the kind of writing I am expecting for you to produce in this class -although it'd be worth a try. What I want is for you to begin to see writing as the free-form expression it is. Delillo obviously has his task, purpose, and audience in mind while writing -but he is not restricting himself to a certain style or mode -at times his writing feels like an essay, and other moments feel poetic or like something out of a movie.

In closing, and going back to the main subject at hand, it's important to remember how much time has passed between September 11th. Last year with my class I pointed them towards a website:
http://www.911day.org/

With it, we discussed the idea of what we CAN do in our lives to move on forward with their lives while not dishonoring those lost. The website encourages people to make the day a positive experience by committing acts of kindness for the sake of those gone.

Moreover, at the end of this first season of the The Leftovers, the tone takes a decisive contrast in tone. Whereas the major bulk of the season dealt with the chaos and  raw emotions still prevalent amongst the people still alive, the final scenes find instances of hope amongst a few of them as they experience a moment of clarity in realizing that new life and rebirth can exist in the wake of the tragedy. Likewise, eventually in these classrooms, we will one day be visiting this topic with a group of students born on 2002 and so on -acting as further examples that we can and must move forward with our lives and not feel guilty about forgetting, but finding ways to honor those that have left.

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs

Later this year we're going to get into To Kill a Mocking Bird, which features probably one of the best characters in American literature -Atticus Finch. In the book, Atticus has an iconic line, "You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view... Until you climb into his skin and walk around in it." (Lee)

Personally, that's been a quote that I've made a conscious effort to follow since I read it in Sophomore year of high school, and today we're going to try and understand it through Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs.

I'm not necessarily trying to brainwash you all into living by the same credence as I. More-so, it's important that we as readers are able to analyze motivations and infer as to why people, or characters, behave a particular way. There's also a much more light-hearted way of seeing the quote as:

So let's steal some shoes -which is a less creepy transitional phrase than "let's climb into some skins".

Abraham Maslow followed the humanistic movement of psychology in the 1940s, which essentially stood by the belief that all humans are inherently good to themselves -we all want to aspire towards a better life for ourselves. In treating mental patients, Maslow attempted to skew his perspective in a way that didn't just see them as a "bag of symptoms" -or what one thinks is wrong with that individual. Instead, looking at what that individual is seeking in their life to satisfy their needs. Thus, Maslow composed a hierarchy, or order, of what needs we all require in our lives:

Following this graphic, the hierarchy operates by working your way up from the bottom -like this guy.

As humans, the primary thing we are concerned with are bodily needs -Physiological- basically how we're going to keep ourselves physically alive. It is only after we are certain that we can keep ourselves running, that we concern ourselves with staying safe, seeking connections, feeling good about ourselves, and ultimately reaching what Maslow terms "Self-Actualization".

"What a man can be, he must be."

This quote forms the basis for the final stage of the hierarchy, referring to what one's full potential is and the realization of that potential in their lives. Basically, it's that tiny spark inside you that wants you to be what you've always dreamed of being. Everyone essentially craves going that far in life, but it's a feat that many never truly reach. It's why rich people or those that you would think would otherwise be happy with themselves are not, because they're missing out on reaching whatever they perceived their full potential to be.

These levels dictate where we are in our lives, what we need, and how those needs motivate our actions. Understanding motivation is so integral to getting to know a person. It's essentially how crimes are solved: "what's the motive?" -we, as thinking humans, have a need to rationalize basically everything we encounter.

In coming to understand these levels on a more approachable level, I offer the movie, Up.

I have embedded the first few minutes of the movie, when Carl meets Ellie as a child, and followed it up with a Vimeo link to the montage that follows. As you watch, try to identify where they are as individuals on the hierarchy of needs -notice how they will constantly fluctuate up and down that order as they deal with several crises. Also, try not to cry.





http://vimeo.com/51941588

It get's me everytime.

How does understanding these characters through this lens change the way you see the movie? or the characters themselves?

Just like we are able to apply this level of analysis to the characters of this movie, we can have the same approach to analyzing several other characters, as well as real people acting in our very real world. I like it because it allows me to feel someone's pain or needs. You might like it because it gets you out of less fights with people. Give it a shot.

Update:

Here's an example of how we can apply this lens of analysis to a non-fiction article and attempt to understand the motivations of actual people -not animated grumps.

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nfl-shutdown-corner/janay-rice-on-instagram--husband-s-suspension--release-a--horrible-nightmare-125557783.html

http://www.foxsports.com/college-football/outkick-the-coverage/ray-rice-story-shows-the-power-of-a-tape-090914

We will utilize these articles to address the vast array of controversial topics surrounding Ray Rice and his indefinite suspension from the Baltimore Ravens. In short, we will attempt to analyze the motivations behind the most recent actions of Rice, his wife, and the Ravens organization.

What do you think? Comment below and offer your OPINON on the matter. We'll be sure to have this discussion in class, so feel free to reference it any point below.

Sources:

Maslow, A. (1954). Motivation and personality. New York, NY: Harper. pp. 91.

Berger, Kathleen Stassen (1983). The Developing Person through the Life Span.

Intelligent Consumers, part 1

Now that I've gotten you to admit that you absolutely love to read, it's important that we keep in mind the importance of being an Intelligent Consumer.

A consumer, to review, is just anyone that uses or takes in anything. You do it on an everyday bases, as much as you breathe. You're doing it now. Consuming, I mean. Well, breathing too, but that's not the point I'm trying to make. Continue doing both.

It is incredibly important that you understand what you are consuming. We may be lax when it comes to watching what we eat, but we cannot afford to be as such with what we read, hear, or watch. It is so easy to be influenced into doing something you don't want to do, without even knowing it. Which brings me to my next point.

Because media is incredibly influential, there are many who choose to manipulate what we are presented with to have us believe certain values. As such, I will try to dedicate a post every now and again to calling out any offenders of our trust and innocence.

Today's transgression comes in the form of conspiracy theories and radical fanatics that would have you believe you've become a disciple of satan, simply by pouring a bucket of ice over your head in the name of charity.

http://news.yahoo.com/ice-bucket-challenge-satanic-ritual-explains-troubled-writer-183406572.html#

In the article yahoo links to, Selena Owens claims that the summer trend of posting instagram videos of people performing the Ice Bucket Challenge is in ways a pronunciation of anti-christian sentiment. The article continues, citing televangelist Anita Fuentes a her source, that there are key components of this purported ritual that give it away, including, "a water baptism" akin to the cleansing ceremony in many christian sects. She then continues to point out Oprah Winfrey in particular, analyzing her choice of words, "In the name of ALS and the Ice Bucket Challenge", speculating some form of proclamation of faith for some other deity (Owens). While I commend the two on their incredibly detailed level of analysis, I have to call foul.

The problem with their analysis is that rather than treat it as a form of opinion, the article reads as if it were fact. These authors would have you believe the ice bucket challenge to very well be "a satanic ritual", rather than just point to questionable actions and open up the floor to dissenting opinon. Their rhetoric is heavily reminiscent to that of those that argue Hip Hop artists are a part of the Illuminati.



http://www.complex.com/music/2013/11/rap-conspiracy-theories/troop-sport

There are several examples of videos on youtube of religious types arguing over the presence of the devil within lyrics and visuals of hip hop media. They have their right to argue for the presence of immorality within the hop hop community, as even gender equality activists have their beef with aspects of rap lyrics. However, many of these videos are titled as, "EXPOSED" as if there were some factual evidence that has been looked over -rather than just a point of view perspective. Rapper Busta Rhymes is critical of this in an interview with MTV, commenting, "When you talk about these things and it stirs conversation that’s one thing. But within the last four years, it became mainstream American dialog" (Alexis). My point echoes the sentiments of Busta Rhymes -I'd never thought I'd hear myself say that. It's ok to have these kinds of conversations, but you have to be grounded in reality. You can't allow yourself to be misled by rhetoric intended to have you accept opinon as fact. It's the same kind of narrative that has existed as far back as critics of Led Zeppelin's "Stairway to Heaven".

http://www.vh1.com/music/tuner/2014-02-20/15-songs-satanic-backwards-messages/





All of this is very in tune to the commentary that argues over the media's negative influence on the youth. Whether it makes them believe in the devil, do drugs, or become violent offenders, it all goes back to one true point: Media IS very influential. Whether it makes you into a super criminal is questionable, but there's no arguing that it can make you into a "believer" of some opinion. The problem is, often times it's not the facts that are being believed.

What do you think? Comment below and offer your OPINON on the matter. We'll be sure to have this discussion in class, so feel free to reference it any point below.

Sources:

http://www.mtv.com/news/1711750/busta-rhymes-hip-hop-illuminati/

http://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/the-10-wildest-led-zeppelin-legends-fact-checked-20121121/if-you-play-stairway-to-heaven-in-reverse-you-hear-satanic-messages-19691231

http://www.wnd.com/2014/09/the-dark-side-of-the-ice-bucket-challenge/

http://www.complex.com/music/2013/11/rap-conspiracy-theories/troop-sport

You love to read, face it.

We will make it a point in this class to approach any and all forms of texts. Texts does not necessarily mean books and newspapers. We encounter texts off all kinds in our everyday lives, from the screen, the page, the web, or the stage. It is ridiculous to say "I do not read" -it's just not true!

Sure, you may not feel like picking up a book, and that's fine if that's how you want to live your life. However, you'd be remiss if you didn't give yourself proper credit for taking the time to sort through the various tweets, posts, texts, and everything else that comes up on your notifications screen or feed.

Multimedia still follows the basic structures that make up the literature you've come to know and grow weary of. Video Games and movies borrow storylines from century old texts; television shows today flow just like novels -carrying many of the literary element we'll be reviewing in this course.

Rather than repeat myself, here's a quick youtube video to compliment my point:


We consume various forms of media, and we consciously do it to feel. That's the claim being made in this commercial, and it's hard to argue against it. We as humans love to feel emotions. Such emotions. Much feels. Wow.

English II: Welcome

Welcome to English II

This year, your goal is to build upon skills introduced in your English I course towards college and career readiness. In keeping with preparing our students for their place in the workforce, there will be a large focus on enhancing our skills for the 21st Century -hence this website!

Our English II course will be heavily reliant on technology, because writes with pen and paper these days!?

This website will be your portal for everything related to the course, including links, in-depth analysis, and various multimedia.

I'm still working on developing the syllabus for this course, in which you'll see the grade breakdown, and how things will run generally throughout the year. Before that, there are some essential points we need to cover.

Marking Period Grade Breakdown:

• Benchmarks = 30%
• Tests/Quizzes = 20
• Projects/Essays = 20%
• Classwork/Notes = 20%
• Journals/Participation = 10%

Final Grade Breakdown

• Marking Period 1 (9 weeks)   = 16.67%
• Marking Period 2 (10 weeks) = 16.67%
• Midterm Exam                       = 16.67%
• Marking Period 3 (10 weeks) = 16.67%
• Marking Period 4 (9 weeks)   = 16.67%
• Final Exam                             = 16.67%

Course Books:

1. The Pearl by John Steinbeck
2. The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne
3. Lord of the Flies by William Golding
4. Amistad by David Pesci
5. Anthem by Ayn Rand
6. Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare
7. The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara
8. To Kill a Mocking Bird by Harper Lee

Important Links:

www.gmail.com
[I will require every student to have a gmail account for this class. Preferably, one that utilizes your name in the email address. No ZombieboyFTW@yahoo.com. For example, my gmail account will be brianrodriguez229@gmail.com. This account is not only for email access; it also allows you full access to the GoogleDocs suite of processing tools. It's like having Microsoft Office, except for free and in the cloud.] In addition, you'll need this gmail account to have full access to the next important requirement.

www.blogspot.com
[Just as you are reading this on my personal blog for the course, I will be requiring you to create a personal blog on blogspot for this course as well. I say personal blog in the sense that it will be linked to you individually, not like a personal diary. Not that I'm not interested in gossip and this person dumping that person for the other person's best friend, it's just not relevant to this specific course. Instead, you will be blogging simultaneously with the course, reflecting on weekly lessons and providing writing samples of your own. This is an academic blog, so you will need to write formally. Grammar, spelling, and punctuation are all key to maintaining credibility with your academic blog. This blog will be accessible by anyone, including family, friends, classmates, and your educators/academics alike. No pressure.]

www.dropbox.com
[Dropbox is another example of a cloud-based service that you have at your disposal in this course. You may create your own account if you're interested, and access it from any potentially any computer, tablet, or smartphone. It's a great way to not lose things -and as teenagers, face it, you lose things. I have a dropbox account to keep track of all materials pertaining to this class, and I will send out links to access folders on a weekly basis, so that you can keep track of any missing work. For example, this is the link to this week's folder:  https://www.dropbox.com/sh/ehnqj0bz1prr879/AAAO_2YHanC64Ya1B6R5G3F4a?dl=0
There's probably nothing on there yet, but you'll be able to see anytime I add anything on there. My main goal is to cut down on paper waste in this class, so if there's no need to print anything, I won't. If I do, and you lose it, it's on you to either reprint it from the dropbox or work off of the computer.]

www.remind.com
[Remind is a great tool I'll be using on occasion to send out information and communicate any last minute, details to the class. Each class will have it's own sign-up. I would prefer you utilize your gmail acccounts to sign up. You may also use your cellphones, but remember NO CELLPHONES IN CLASS.

Period 1-2: http://pdfs.remind.com/invite?class_code=943db9&class_name=Period+1-2&phone_number=%28862%29+766-6516&sms_supported=true&user_signature=Mr.+Rodriguez

Period 4: http://pdfs.remind.com/invite?class_code=77a1ca&class_name=Period+4&phone_number=%28862%29+766-6516&sms_supported=true&user_signature=Mr.+Rodriguez

Period 7-8: http://pdfs.remind.com/invite?class_code=c86e87&class_name=Period+7-8&phone_number=%28862%29+766-6516&sms_supported=true&user_signature=Mr.+Rodriguez