Another Long Way Gone - Essay 2

For this essay, due in your folder by the start of class on Friday if you are in school or not, is a little different than the usual. In this essay, you are going to have 3 body paragraphs instead of 2.

Here is your thesis:

While Ishmael is __________ and __________, he is not __________.

Here are the virtues from which you may choose:

• humble
• decisive
• tolerant
• focused

If you look closely at the prompt, you may notice that you have one extra virtue. Throw it away.  From the list of four, two must describe what Ishmael IS, one must describe what Ishmael is NOT, and one is not to be used.

Each body paragraph must have at least one example/cited quotation.

If you have any questions, please stop in and ask Mr. Cowlin or Mr. Smith for some help.

A Long Way Gone - Essay 1

This post is for JUNIORS only.

In a thoughtful, thorough, one-page essay, answer the following question. Be sure to use the One Page Essay Rubric when drafting and revising. The essay is due on Monday, 2/24/14.

Title your Googledoc "Hope and Desperation."

Is the overall tone of the memoir A Long Way Gone one of hope or desperation?

You can answer this question one of two ways:

1. While the book has moments of hope, the overall tone is one of desperation and hopelessness.
2. While the book has moments of desperation, the overall tone is one of hope.

Juniors - Here's the full video if you're interested.

Sci-Fi Dilemmas in District 9

This post is for JUNIORS only.

District 9 tackles a variety of real world problems: South Africa's apartheid, South Africa's racist attitudes towards Nigerians, people's willingness to buy into media smear campaigns, immigration issues, the abuse of authority by police, the utilization of concentration camps, and more. 

The film, however, is basically broken into three acts with each act focusing on one basic problem:

1. The first third of the film deals with MNU's treatment of the aliens and the way they plan to force them into a concentration camp. In other words, the first third of the film explores how horribly governments and corporations can treat groups of minorities.
2. The second third of the film deals with MNU's inhuman treatment of Wikus and how horribly governments and corporations can treat individual members of society.
3. The final third of the film deals with how people have a natural instinct for self preservation which often leads to selfish and callous behavior towards others.

Your task is to accomplish the following objectives:

• Select one of the three acts about which you would like to write.
• View the clip below that illustrates the act's central real world problem.
• Write a thoughtful, thorough, grammatically correct paragraph in which you thoroughly explain how the clip illustrates just how the problem exists in the film.
• Write a second paragraph in which you thoroughly explain how this real world problem exists in either (1) the real world, (2) A Long Way Gone, or (3) another film or book or your choice.

If you have any questions, please ask an instructor. As always, use the following list to edit your work:

• third person
• present tense
• no contractions
• correct grammar/punctuation
• correct spelling
• correct capitalization
• book titles italicized
• a creative, original title for your essay 

Act I:  The treatment of the aliens by MNU

(The treatment of minority groups by governments and corporations)

Act II:  The treatment of Wikus by MNU

(The treatment of individuals by a government or corporation)

Act III:  Wikus is ruled by his fear of MNU and his prejudice of the aliens
(Individuals are ruled by instinctive fears and prejudices)

Two more points of interest:

Be sure to bring your Fahrenheit 451 novels the day after break.

If you enjoyed District 9, you might also enjoy Monsters.

A Long Way Gone - Intro and Conclusion

This post is for juniors only.

Now that you've completed your three body paragraphs, it is time to write your introduction and conclusion.



Your introduction should include the following four elements:

1. hook (attention grabber)
2. link (in which you introduce the title and author of the book about which you are writing)
3. thesis (in which you present the claim that, throughout the book, Ishmael goes through several character changes)
4. bridge (in which you explain just what those character changes are)

Your conclusion should satisfy two criteria:

1. briefly summarize the central idea of your essay
2. ask the question, "So what?" - in other words, the conclusion should make the essay relevant to the reader

As always, you are responsible for the following editing criteria:

• third person
• present tense
• no contractions
• correct grammar/punctuation
• correct spelling
• correct capitalization
• book titles italicized
• a creative, original title for your essay 

A Long Way Gone - Essay Paragraph 3

This post if for JUNIORS only.

And here it is...part of your essays. Remember, here is the overall arc of the essay: What is Ishmael like at the beginning of the book, in the middle, and in the end?

This third paragraph is going to focus on what Ishmael is like during his time in the rehabilitation center and at the convention. In other words, answer the following question in a thoughtful, thorough paragraph:

Which two words (from the list provided) best describe Ismael's character

during his time as a rehab patient and as a speaker in New York?

1. hesitant
2. courageous
3. angry
4. respected
5. respectful
6. detached
7. vengeful
8. careful
9. scared
10. polite
11. happy
12. innocent
13. spiteful
14. humorous
15. generous
16. selfish
17. honest
18. deceitful
19. curious
20. loving
21. loyal
22. lonely
23. strong
24. foolish
25. wise

Your paragraph must contain two examples/two cited quotations - one for each of the words you select. Your paragraph must contain a topic sentence. It must contain a set-up for each quotation, as well as an explanation for each quotation. In addition, please pay special attention to the following editing criteria:

• third person
• present tense
• no contractions
• correct grammar/punctuation
• correct spelling
• correct capitalization

A Long Way Gone - Essay Paragraph 2

This post if for JUNIORS only.

Okay, folks, it is time to work on the second part of your essays. Remember, here is the overall arc of the essay: What is Ishmael like at the beginning of the book, in the middle, and in the end?

This second paragraph is going to focus on what Ishmael is like during his time as a child soldier - narrative time as well as flashback time. In other words, answer the following question in a thoughtful, thorough paragraph:

Which two words (from the list provided) best describe Ismael's character

during his enlistment as a child soldier in A Long Way Gone?

1. hesitant
2. courageous
3. angry
4. respected
5. respectful
6. detached
7. vengeful
8. careful
9. scared
10. polite
11. happy
12. innocent
13. spiteful
14. humorous
15. generous
16. selfish
17. honest
18. deceitful
19. curious
20. loving
21. loyal
22. lonely
23. strong
24. foolish
25. wise

Your paragraph must contain two examples/two cited quotations - one for each of the words you select. Your paragraph must contain a topic sentence. It must contain a set-up for each quotation, as well as an explanation for each quotation. In addition, please pay special attention to the following editing criteria:

• third person
• present tense
• no contractions
• correct grammar/punctuation
• correct spelling
• correct capitalization

A Long Way Gone - Essay Paragraph 1

This post if for JUNIORS only.

Now that we are about a third of the way through the book, it is time to start working on the essay. Here is the overall arc of the essay: What is Ishmael like at the beginning of the book, in the middle, and in the end?

This first paragraph is going to focus on what Ishmael is like in chapters one through ten. In other words, answer the following question in a thoughtful, thorough paragraph:

Which two words (from the list provided) best describe Ismael's character

while he is on the run in the first third of A Long Way Gone?

1. hesitant
2. courageous
3. angry
4. respected
5. respectful
6. detached
7. vengeful
8. careful
9. scared
10. polite
11. happy
12. innocent
13. spiteful
14. humorous
15. generous
16. selfish
17. honest
18. deceitful
19. curious
20. loving
21. loyal
22. lonely
23. strong
24. foolish
25. wise

Your paragraph must contain two examples/two cited quotations - one for each of the words you select. Your paragraph must contain a topic sentence. It must contain a set-up for each quotation, as well as an explanation for each quotation. In addition, please pay special attention to the following editing criteria:

• third person
• present tense
• no contractions
• correct grammar/punctuation
• correct spelling
• correct capitalization

Proverbs

This post is for JUNIORS only.

A proverb can be defined as "a short, popular saying that expresses effectively a commonplace truth. Ishmael Beah states a proverb in the book:

"We must strive to be like the moon" (Beah 16).

Beah goes on to explain what the proverb means:


“We must strive to be like the moon.' An old man in Kabati repeated this sentence often... the adage served to remind people to always be on their best behavior and to be good to others. [S]he said that people complain when there is too much sun and it gets unbearably hot, and also when it rains too much or when it is cold. But, no one grumbles when the moon shines. Everyone becomes happy and appreciates the moon in their own special way. Children watch their shadows and play in its light, people gather at the square to tell stories and dance through the night. A lot of happy things happen when the moon shines. These are some of the reasons why we should want to be like the moon" (Beah 16).

Here are a few English proverbs:

• "Let sleeping dogs lie."
• "A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush."
• "Actions speak louder than words."
• "The apple doesn't fall far from the tree."
• "Justice delayed is justice denied."

And here are a few more from Africa:

• "A champion bull starts from birth."
• "A tree not taller than an ant cannot shade you."
• "A dog knows the places he is thrown food."
• "Water cannot be forced uphill."

Notice how most of these are figurative in nature. In other words, the proverb is "a champion bull starts from birth." The proverb is not "great athletes start practicing when they are young." There is a degree of poetry in most of these. A degree of metaphoric language. For example, one way to write a proverb would be to say:

"You need to help yourself when times are tough."

A better way, though, would be:

"A turtle on its back will cook in the sun."

Your task? Write a concise, one sentence proverb of your own. Then, like Beah does with his moon proverb, explain both its meaning and its implications in a thoughtful, thorough paragraph.


Hint: Try your best to be figurative and poetic. Consider writing about the weather, animals, geography, calendars, clocks, athletic events, jewelry, food, etc.

Sierra Leone Research Project - Topics

This post is for juniors only.

Here is a list of the topics and sub-topics for your research unit:

I.  Sierra Leone Overview

1. Brief history
2. Politics
3. Military
4. RUF
5. Economy and jobs
6. Blood/conflict diamonds

II. Sierra Leone Geography

1. Natural geography
2. Towns and cities
3. Buildings and homes
4. Roads and transportation
5. Pictures and maps

III.  Life of a Sierra Leone Child Soldier

1. Recruitment
2. Training
3. Treatment
4. Effects and impact on children
5. UNICEF

IV.  Sierra Leone Culture

1. Daily life
2. Religion
3. Art, music, and entertainment
4. Education
5. Healthcare