Gods and Monsters 2009

If you have any burning questions, ask them here, and your classmates (or I) will respond.

This is the place for you to ask each other questions! I'll pop in and answer ones that look like they need answering. Try to run things yourself, and I'll help out when needed!

4th Period:

3 Cheese Pizzas
3 Pepperoni Pizzas
2 Deluxe Pizzas
1 Aloha Pizza

1 Slice of Bronx Pastrami (hooray for Kiki!)

5th Period:

2 Cheese Pizzas
2 Pepperoni Pizzas
1 Half-Cheese Half-Pepperoni Pizza
1 Deluxe Pizza

3 Slices of Meaty
3 Slices of Aloha
2 Slices of Spicy Pepperoni
2 Slices of Cheeseless Deluxe
1 Slice of Tomato Pesto
1 Slice of Spinach Pie

OK, I checked Rose City Pizza's menu. I would say one slice will be enough for half of you (there's six per pizza, so these are BIG), and two should be enough for those of you with...healthy appetites.

Slice price (that rhymes!) is $2.50 for cheese, $2.99 for pepperoni, and $3.49 for "specialty" pizzas. Those ones are:

+ Bronx Pastrami Pie: Mozzarella Cheese, Pastrami, Pickles, and Mustard
+ Spicy Pepperoni: Tomato Sauce, Mozzarella Cheese, Pepperoni, and Cherry Peppers
+ The Deluxe: Tomato Sauce, Mozzarella Cheese, Seasoned Mushrooms, Bell Peppers, Onions, Sausage, and Pepperoni
+ The Meaty: Tomato Sauce, Mozzarella Cheese, Bacon Bits, Pepperoni, and Sausage
+ The Aloha: Tomato Sauce, Mozzarella Cheese, Canadian Ham, Bacon Bits, and Pineapple
+ Fresca Pizza: Mozzarella Cheese, Fresh Tomatoes, Fresh Spinach, Fresh Garlic, and Bacon Bits (only on request)
+ Tomato Pesto: Mozzarella Cheese, Seasoned Tomatoes, Pesto Sauce, and Fresh Garlic
+ Spinach Pie: Homemade New York White Sauce, Mozzarella Cheese, Garlic, and Sautéed Spinach

Since we'll be ordering by the slice, please post in the comments regarding how many slices/which kind of slices you're looking to eat. (If you don't comment, I can't order for you!)

Per our discussion in class today, you do not need to pay if you're bringing other things! If you want to follow Allissa's model (pay a little/bring a little), that's fine - every little bit helps - but if you're struggling financially, don't worry about it! This party is meant to be a fun celebration of Shakespeare's life and work, and I'm not going to go bankrupt if I buy you a slice of pizza.

Please post before 5 pm tomorrow, as I'll need to set this up in advance!

EDIT: It's been confirmed! Rose City can deliver at 11ish and 1ish. I think I'll have my T.A.s crank out a "pizza spreadsheet" tomorrow, and after the last requests come in by 5, I'll see how many of the "slice orders" end up as pizzas (for example, if six of you order 1 pepperoni slice apiece, we can order 1 pepperoni pizza instead of 6 stray slices and save a little here and there!). I'll head down to Rose City and arrange four orders: one for the pizzas for fourth period, one for the stray slices for fourth period, one for the pizzas for fifth period, and one for the stray slices for fifth period. This should be fun!

This week's blog is based on the "Creative Writing" prompt at the bottom of your "Alas, He is Already Dead" handout. The prompt is reprinted below.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

One sight that grows quickly familiar to Romeo and Juliet’s audiences is that of Mercutio harassing Romeo, making loudly crude remarks and generally hassling his friend about his attitude towards love. It’s important to recognize the real sadness behind Mercutio’s constant badgering, insults, and jokes – perhaps a sense that he’s no longer as important to Romeo now that his friend is lovesick. Mercutio seems jealous, although that jealousy is misplaced (he still blames Rosaline for Romeo’s moodiness).

+ Should one value a friend over a significant other?

+ What’s a fair amount of time to spend with each?

+ How devoted should one be to either?

+ What right does a friend have to be jealous of the lover?

+ And, at the end of the day, who’s more important – those you feel are friends…or those you feel you love?

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Your answer should be a minimum of two paragraphs long. You also need at least twelve total sentences.

As per the usual, you are also required to write a response to at least two other posts. Make sure your reply is a legitimate response/reaction to what the poster originally wrote; ideally, they’ll be able to reply to your reply! Try to respond to the feedback you receive as well!

Your post and feedback are due by 11:59pm on Monday, April 26th. If you have questions, please send me an e-mail.

Good luck!

Here's your file! Remember to upload your file to turnitin.com by the due date. Rack up some extra credit points on Easter, and have an amazing Spring Break!!!

Many contemporary readers struggle with the speed of Romeo and Juliet’s courtship. They seem to go from first meeting to falling in love over the span of a single short conversation. Even for those who believe in love in first sight, this seems to really be pushing it.

Obviously, Shakespeare was operating under time constraints (the play has to take two hours!) while he was writing this. As a result, he had to be able to compress a lot of content into a very short space; the conversation therefore serves as a sort of interpersonal SparkNotes, where most of the beauty and substance has been cut out in order to get to the point faster.

However, if you were in Shakespeare’s shoes – and you didn’t have to worry about staging, time, or any of those other concerns – how would you have written their meeting differently?

This week's assignment is for you to revamp Romeo and Juliet’s courtship so it unfolds in a "more realistic" fashion. Do they have to overcome obstacles? How do they grow closer as they fall in love? How long "should" it take them to fall in love? Would it be more realistic for their parents to consent to their relationship? Should they be more honest with their families about what they're doing instead of keeping them in the dark? (Do they fall out of love in your version?)

As you respond, you're going to have to examine a lot of your own beliefs about how "young love" should go. Look carefully at what you've written for our "discussion questions," and try to keep your thoughts here consistent with your thoughts there.

This post aims to help you start to streamline your romantic philosophies and expectations in the context of the play we're reviewing. One's willingness to evaluate the play for what it is - a product of its world, time, and culture - is to effective analysis, but so is your ability to balance that knowledge with a more contemporary understanding.

Thus today's assignment: a re-imagining of the "classic romance" in order to make it suit modern sensibilities. What needs to be changed?

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Your answer should be a minimum of two paragraphs long. You also need at least twelve total sentences.

As per the usual, you are also required to write a response to at least two other posts. Make sure your reply is a legitimate response/reaction to what the poster originally wrote; ideally, they’ll be able to reply to your reply! Try to respond to the feedback you receive as well!

Your post and feedback are due by 11:59pm on Friday, March 26th. If you have questions, please send me an e-mail.

Good luck!

Shannon and I are finally leaving for Vegas - burned a couple of mixes, checked SigAlert, etc. However, since our hotel is planning to charge us $13 a day for Internet access, we're making the trip minus the UberLaptop. I'll be out of contact until Sunday at the earliest.

Wish me luck, and I'll see you next week!

Our two topics for this week's extended discussion are as follows:

1) Is it better to have loved and lost than to never have loved at all? Are the highs and lows, the peaks and the valleys, worth it if you end up in the same place as the person who never tries?

2) Can you marry the first person you fall in love with and be satisfied - totally fulfilled - or will you always wonder about the roads not taken? Are you better off having been in other relationships before you settle down, or would you - if you could make it happen - make sure that your first "real" love ends up being permanent?

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Your answer should be a minimum of two paragraphs long. You also need at least twelve total sentences.

If you end up writing twelve sentences, you can divide them in different ways. Three four-sentence paragraphs (not ideal), two six-sentence paragraphs, a three-sentence/four-sentence/five-sentence triple-paragraph structure...and that's assuming you stop at twelve sentences!

The reason I'm having this discussion on the blog is two-fold:

1) Not everyone talks in class, and I'm tired of missing out on so many voices.
2) It's a lot easier to organize and polish up your thoughts on a computer than it is in class.

Our class discussions are going really well, and they serve their own purpose. The blog's extended discussion is just that - a more intellectual, reasoned, planned, and specific conversation between 66 freshman students, and one where no one can interrupt another.

Take full advantage of this form! Refer back to posts other people already posted. Use quotes from either Romeo and Juliet or other valid sources to offer proof. Bounce your thoughts off your friends or parents before writing them down. You can do so much here - don't let the opportunity go to waste! Write as much as you need to write in order to help me understand where you're coming from, and why you're coming from it.

Spelling, punctuation, grammar, and sentence mechanics all count towards your grade. You have a number of days to work on this, so compose your replies carefully! (It's smart to write your entry in Word or a similar word-processing program so you can spell-check your work before posting.)

Try to anticipate what I would have asked you during a class discussion while writing these! Also, be sensitive to your audience!

Finally, make sure your answer is coherent and cohesive. That is, make sure the sentences connect! If your work doesn't make sense when you read it out loud, try again.

As per the usual, you are also required to write a response to at least two other posts. Make sure your reply is a legitimate response/reaction to what the poster originally wrote; ideally, they’ll be able to reply to your reply! Try to respond to the feedback you receive as well!

Your post and feedback are due by 11:59pm on Friday, March 19th. If you have questions, please send me an e-mail.

Good luck!

Thanks to your quick-write activity today, you’ve already finished jotting down some notes “narrating” what you think could have happened if you had made a different choice during a critical part of your life. Now you just need to make those notes come to life!

What I’d like from you this week is at least four paragraphs of narrative. Tell me a story – a story from that life you didn’t lead!

You aren’t writing me a poem. You’re writing me a story! You’re the main character in this story. Your story revolves around some incident that only occurred – a big incident, a small incident, whatever you want it to be – because you made a different choice.

The story has to be school-appropriate - this is a school blog, after all - but I encourage you to be creative and ambitious while writing!

Even though we're not writing poetry, you can use the writing techniques we've learned during the poetry unit while you're writing stories.

- Make sure your writing uses images – words, phrases, and sentences that engage our five senses.
- Pay attention to your tone. How do you want me to feel after reading this?
- Pay special attention to your vocabulary – the connotation and denotation of words.
- If you want to get really fancy, you can even work alliteration/assonance/consonance into your writing!

Now, this is a totally fictional story. That means you have to make me believe it. Your details should allow me to put myself in your shoes – to sense what you sense, to feel the emotions you feel, and so on.

This story should be at least four five-sentence paragraphs long; if the Muses move you (and you feel it makes for a better story), I encourage you to write more. Just make sure your work is well-written and well-edited before you post - you're the author, and your name is attached!

This post is due by 11:59pm on Friday, February 5th.

You are also required to write a four-sentence (minimum) response to at least two of your classmates' stories. (Your post will not be graded unless you provide feedback!) Make sure your comments are legitimate responses to your classmates' work, and try to reply to the feedback others leave on your story!

For an example of how to leave feedback, go here: Senior Blog 2009 (Obviously, some of the feedback's not ideal, but I was impressed by how well most of my students responded to one another!)

I wish you the best of luck, and welcome you to the blog's second semester of life!

The Odyssey Study Guide
The Odyssey and the Trojan War

Extra Credit Here!

Feel free to chime in with what you're thankful for this year, even though it's after Thanksgiving! My comments are after the jump.

Have a wonderful five-day break!

Mr. Volpe's assignment can be found here. All extra-credit assignments should be submitted to the appropriate folder at turnitin.com.

Enjoy the show, and don't forget to keep your ticket!

For those of you who needed the Chapter 1 Review Packet, the file can be downloaded here.

Feel free to use the comments to study with one another; I won't be answering questions, but your classmates might!