Patriot or Traitor?

Bradbury on Madmen

Beatty Essay

In a thoughtful, thorough, one-page essay, answer the following question. Be sure to use the One Page Essay Rubric version 5.0 when drafting and revising.

Does Beatty have a point?

You must answer this question thusly:

While Beatty is correct when he claims __________, he is incorrect when he claims __________.

The two blanks should be SUMMARIES of Beatty's points. In the essay itself, however, they need to be DIRECT QUOTATIONS, properly cited and integrated.

Remember, you will be using Rubric 5.0 for this essay, so be sure to keep it handy while editing. You will be given a copy of rubric 5.0, and there will be one available in your Googledrive.

Here are my notes for the essay. Let me know if you have any questions.

Real World Problems in Fahrenheit 451

This post is for JUNIORS only.

In a thoughtful, thorough, one-page essay, respond to the following prompt. Be sure to use the One Page Essay Rubric when drafting and revising. Also refer to the Road to Formal Essay Revision handout. Both are available in your Googledrive. You should also refer to your Problems in Science Fiction handout. The essay is due on Tuesday, 5/13/14.

Title your Googledoc "451 Problems."

The societal problems Montag faces in Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451
exist not only in the novel, but in the modern world as well.

Your task in the first body paragraph is to identify one problem from the "Problems in Science Fiction" handout and present two different examples in which it manifests itself in the novel. This paragraph must include two correctly incorporated and cited quotations -- one for each example.

In the second body paragraph you must supply two examples from the real world -- other literature, pop culture, history, current events, etc.

Each body paragraph must have a topic sentence that clearly expresses what will be proven in the paragraph.

For inspiration, refer to the Googledoc that collects our notes from our previous work on this issue.

Montag's Problems

This post is for JUNIORS only.

In a thoughtful, thorough, one-page essay, respond to the following prompt. Be sure to use the One Page Essay Rubric when drafting and revising. Also refer to the Road to Formal Essay Revision handout. Both are available in your Googledrive. You should also refer to your Problems in Science Fiction handout. The essay is due on Monday, 4/14/14.

Title your Googledoc "Montag's Problems."

While Montag's world of Fahrenheit 451
seems to be very different from contemporary American society,
it is actually quite similar.

Your task in the first body paragraph is to identify and discuss at least two differences between Montag's world and ours. Each difference should have its own setup, cited quotation, and explanation.

The second body paragraph must focus on one of the real-world problems that exists both in the book and in our world. You must have a detailed example of how that real-world problem exists in the book and a detailed example of how that real-world problem also exists in our world. Remember: detailed examples are mandatory.

Books vs Movies

This post is for juniors only.

As crazy and out of contral as Mark Borchardt seems, he has one thing in common with Guy Montag (and Ray Bradbury) - they are both passionate. Montag (and Bradbury) are passionate about books...

...and Mark is passionate about movies...

For this entry, please reflect on one of the following topics. Please keep in mind that your responses should be thoughtful and thorough. They should be paragraph length. Grammar, spelling and mechanics all count. You only need to reflect on one of the prompts. Where you go with it is up to you.

• Which are more important to society - books or movies?
• What heroic qualities do Mark and Montag both possess?
• What character flaws do Mark and Montag both possess?
• Whose story is more tragic - Mark's or Montag's?
• Montag's passion for books makes him heroic, and yet Mark's passion for movies makes him foolish. How do you account for this difference?

451 Essay Poems

For your reference, here are the poems I've selected for you to write about in your 451 essays. Pick the one that speaks to you most clearly, or find one on your own and check it with me. Please note, the poem "Between What I See and What I Say" is missing the last few lines on your handout. The poem is here in its entirety.

Between What I See and What I Say

Octavio Paz

1
Between what I see and what I say,
Between what I say and what I keep silent,
Between what I keep silent and what I dream,
Between what I dream and what I forget:
poetry.
            It slips
between yes and no,
                              says
what I keep silent,
                            keeps silent
what I say,
                dreams
what I forget.
                      It is not speech:
it is an act.
                It is an act
of speech.
                  Poetry
speaks and listens:
                            it is real.
And as soon as I say
                              it is real,
it vanishes.
                Is it then more real?

2
Tangible idea,
                    intangible
word:
        poetry
comes and goes
                        between what is
and what is not.
                        It weaves
and unweaves reflections.
                                        Poetry
scatters eyes on a page,
scatters words on our eyes.
Eyes speak,
                  words look,
looks think.
                  To hear
thoughts,
              see
what we say,
                  touch
the body of an idea.
                              Eyes close,
the words open.

My Heart Leaps Up

William Wordsworth

My heart leaps up when I behold

                A rainbow in the sky:

So was it when my life began;

So is it now I am a man;

So be it when I shall grow old,

Or let me die!

The Child is father of the Man;

I could wish my days to be

Bound each to each by natural piety.

Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night

Dylan Thomas

Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rage at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Though wise men at their end know dark is right,
Because their words had forked no lightning they
Do not go gentle into that good night.

Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright
Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight,
And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way,
Do not go gentle into that good night.

Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight
Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

And you, my father, there on the sad height,
Curse, bless me now with your fierce tears, I pray.
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

I Felt a Funeral, in my Brain

Emily Dickinson

I felt a Funeral, in my Brain,

And Mourners to and fro

Kept treading – treading – till it seemed

That Sense was breaking through – 

And when they all were seated,

A Service, like a Drum – 

Kept beating – beating – till I thought

My Mind was going numb – 

And then I heard them lift a Box

And creak across my Soul

With those same Boots of Lead, again,

Then Space – began to toll,

As all the Heavens were a Bell,

And Being, but an Ear,

And I, and Silence, some strange Race

Wrecked, solitary, here – 

And then a Plank in Reason, broke,

And I dropped down, and down – 

And hit a World, at every plunge,

                And Finished knowing – then – 

The Men That Don’t Fit In

Robert Service

There's a race of men that don't fit in,
A race that can't stay still;
So they break the hearts of kith and kin,
And they roam the world at will.
They range the field and they rove the flood,
And they climb the mountain's crest;
Theirs is the curse of the gypsy blood,
And they don't know how to rest.


If they just went straight they might go far;
They are strong and brave and true;
But they're always tired of the things that are,
And they want the strange and new.
They say: "Could I find my proper groove,
What a deep mark I would make!"
So they chop and change, and each fresh move
Is only a fresh mistake.


And each forgets, as he strips and runs
With a brilliant, fitful pace,
It's the steady, quiet, plodding ones
Who win in the lifelong race.
And each forgets that his youth has fled,
Forgets that his prime is past,
Till he stands one day, with a hope that's dead,
In the glare of the truth at last.


He has failed, he has failed; he has missed his chance;
He has just done things by half.
Life's been a jolly good joke on him,
And now is the time to laugh.
Ha, ha! He is one of the Legion Lost;
He was never meant to win;
He's a rolling stone, and it's bred in the bone;
He's a man who won't fit in.

Extra Credit: Write a Poem That Can Make Ladies Cry

This extra credit post is for juniors only.

When Mildred's friends come over to watch "the family" on the living room wall televisions, Montag loses it anb whips out a book of poetry. He reads to them Matthew Arnold's "Dover Beach." It's such a sad poem, and it speaks so clearly to the women's sad world, that it brings one of the ladies to tears.

Your task, write an alternative poem that Montag could have read to the women. Here are the requirements:

• The poem needs to reflect, in some way, Montag's world/story.
• The poem must be dramatic and/or tragic.
• You must use punctuation throughout your poem.
• All material needs to be appropriate for class.

Feel free to ask for help if you need it. Poems should be posted in the comments below before the end of the day Dec. 16.

Life's a Dover Beach

In the 1800s, British poet Matthew Arnold wrote a poem entitled "Dover Beach." The poem is about how humanity has lost its faith, hope, and love. It is also the poem Montag read to Mildred and her friends in the novel. Read it four times slowly and then continue with the directions below.

Dover Beach

Matthew Arnold

The sea is calm to-night.
The tide is full, the moon lies fair
Upon the straits; on the French coast the light
Gleams and is gone; the cliffs of England stand;
Glimmering and vast, out in the tranquil bay.
Come to the window, sweet is the night-air!

Only, from the long line of spray
Where the sea meets the moon-blanched land,
Listen! you hear the grating roar
Of pebbles which the waves draw back, and fling,
At their return, up the high strand,
Begin, and cease, and then again begin,
With tremulous cadence slow, and bring
The eternal note of sadness in.

Sophocles long ago
Heard it on the Aegean, and it brought
Into his mind the turbid ebb and flow
Of human misery; we
Find also in the sound a thought,
Hearing it by this distant northern sea.

The Sea of Faith
Was once, too, at the full, and round earth's shore
Lay like the folds of a bright girdle furled.
But now I only hear
Its melancholy, long, withdrawing roar,
Retreating, to the breath
Of the night-wind, down the vast edges drear
And naked shingles of the world.

Ah, love, let us be true
To one another! for the world, which seems
To lie before us like a land of dreams,
So various, so beautiful, so new,
Hath really neither joy, nor love, nor light,
Nor certitude, nor peace, nor help for pain;
And we are here as on a darkling plain
Swept with confused alarms of struggle and flight,
Where ignorant armies clash by night.

Now that you've read the poem several times, go to the "to student" folders, look under the jcowlin folder, and open the document entitled "Dover Beach activity." Answer the questions by typing directly into the document. When you've finished, save it to your own folder using a new document name. Also, print out a copy and turn it in.

If you have any quesitons, don't hesitate to ask. Good luck!

Bonus Video - Ray Bradbury's Buddy...The Great Ray Harryhausen

This post is for everyone in the world who enjoys awesome stuff.

One of Ray Bradbury's close friends is Ray Harryhausen, a special effects wizzard who worked from the 50s through the early 80s. He did a lot of incredible stop motion animation. Here are a few clips.  Enjoy.

Mighty Joe Young came after the success of King Kong:



20,000,000 Miles to Earth was part of the 1950's 'invaders from outer space' craze:



The Valley of Gwangi combined two of Hollywood's most successful genres, westerns and dinosaurs:



Jason and the Argonauts is arguably the best of Harryhausen's movies. It's just guys fighting lots of monsters:

An Afternoon with Ray Bradbury

The following entry is for JUNIORS only.

Ray Bradbury was born in 1920 in Waukegan, IL, just about 25 miles north of Glenview. He began publishing stories in magazines in 1939 as a teenager.

Bradbury "is one of those rare individuals whose writing has changed the way people think. His more than five hundred published works -- short stories, novels, plays, screenplays, television scripts, and verse -- exemplify the American imagination at its most creative.

Once read, his words are never forgotten. His best-known and most beloved books, THE MARTIAN CHRONICLES, THE ILLUSTRATED MAN, FAHRENHEIT 451 and SOMETHING WICKED THIS WAY COMES, are masterworks that readers carry with them over a lifetime. His timeless, constant appeal to audiences young and old has proven him to be one of the truly classic authors of the 20th Century -- and the 21st."

Your Task: Today you're going to spend some time with Ray. On his website here are posted several short videos of Bradbury being interviewed. Go ahead and watch at least six, particularly "Bradbury on Censorship," "Bradbury on Education," and "Bradbury on the Internet." Then, comment on your thoughts and reactions to at least two of the videos. Each of your comments should be entered as separate entries in the comments below. As always, for extra credit you may post additional entries in which you comment on your peers' ideas.

Banned!

 This post is for JUNIORS only.

Bellow you'll find two articles originally published in Time Magazine. Read both carefully and then check in at the bottom for further instructions.

Banned Books: A School Librarian's Perspective

Sharon Coatney, Time.com - Friday, Sep. 22, 2000

Many years ago, when I began my teaching career in a small rural high school, the library was in a cage. Literally. The books were all locked inside a large metal cage in the corner of a study hall, and that was the library. At that time the library was staffed only one or two days a week, and I suppose it was considered necessary to lock it up for security. Still, I remember thinking that it was a great shame the students had so little access to the books. For most of the year, all of these books were essentially "banned."

 

But banning or censoring books is certainly not a new concept in any kind of library. All libraries have specific policies that are followed in selecting books for inclusion in the collection. Many libraries have very narrowly defined purposes, and books are only selected in those particular fields. Selection is also limited by funding and available shelf space, and often is age- and time-sensitive. For public schools, libraries have the very narrow function of having library collections that adequately support the curriculum.

 

Each year as Banned Books week arrives, I reflect on the ways the collection in my elementary school library has been censored. Every time I chose a book for our shelves it is done according to our school district selection policy, which says books must be age-appropriate and related to our school district curriculum. School librarians are, like all teachers, considered to be "in loco parentis" and are thus responsible for the safety of the children in their care. Over the years, I have developed a very fine collection of materials, but I have often "banned" books. That is my job, but we call what I do "selection," not "censorship." The hardest part of the job is to constantly keep in balance all viewpoints, not push my own agenda and remember that the education and safety of all of the students is my top priority. The exercise of the right to know must be tempered by a child's need for physical and emotional well-being.

 

Still, there is the very real issue of what to do when an individual parent asks that a book be banned from the library collection because he does not want his child to be exposed to it. Certainly, as patrons of that school district, parents do have that right. All school libraries have specific procedures that must be followed to review a contested book; when these are well crafted and followed meticulously, they usually work well. They allow for the school community's representative group to calmly review the book in light of the school's stated selection criteria and evaluate the book on its own merits.

 

Sometimes a book is removed. This usually happens because the selection criteria were not fully met or the process for reconsideration of materials was not followed, or if, upon reflection, the book is deemed to be inappropriate for that age level. In most cases, the complainants begin to look at the book in light of the whole process and realize that although they may not want their child to read a book such as "Bridge to Terabithia" by Katherine Paterson because it has several profanities, it is actually a very fine book that other parents might want their own children to read.

 

Several years ago, the mother of a Muslim child in our school asked that I not allow her son to check out any book about Christmas or other Christian holidays. She was not asking that those books be banned, only that her child be banned from reading them. But I could not ban her child from checking out Christmas books. She needed to do that with her child. Even small children can learn to evaluate materials and decide what is best for them to read or not. This is where teachers, librarians and parents have the very real responsibility to expose kids to only the very best in literature and the most fair and unbiased nonfiction materials.

In my library we teach very young children to try to read a page in their selected material. If they cannot read and understand five words in the first paragraph, the book is probably too hard for them to read by themselves. In this way, children will grow up to be discriminating adult readers. I remember my own daughter, who at the age of eight had already created several criteria to help her select recreational reading materials. She would not read any book in which the main character was older than she was at the time — actually, not a bad beginning criterion for a young child to have.

 

It's dangerous to think that the only banned books are the sometimes outrageous examples highlighted during Banned Books Week. All of us ban. Censorship abounds. It's more important for us to think about how we should be educating our students to make good choices, to know what is worthwhile and to be able to think logically and weigh all ideas in order to choose wisely. Books may no longer be kept in cages, but our students are still often being denied access to the materials they need. Educating discriminating readers today is the way to reduce the inappropriate censorship of tomorrow.

Sharon Coatney is the library media specialist at the Oak Hill School in Overland Park, Kans. She is a past president of the American Association of School Librarians (a division of the American Library Association), and has been a librarian in grade schools at all levels.

Texas: If You Can't Ban Books, Ban Authors

Phil Bildner, Time.com - Wednesday, Sep. 29, 2010

Each winter, Humble Independent School District, located in a suburb northwest of Houston, hosts a literary festival. The all-day celebration of books, which alternates yearly between a children's literature and a teen lit event, has quickly grown into one of the nation's leading festivals. Last January's "Peace, Love & Books" gala at Creekwood Middle School featured nationally acclaimed authors and illustrators and drew hundreds of children and families, despite the damp weather.

But this school year, there will be no such celebration of books. Not because of budget cuts, and certainly not because of lack of interest. This school year's teen literature festival has been canceled because of a string of events that followed the banning last month of best-selling young-adult author Ellen Hopkins — just in time for the controversy to ripen for Banned Books Week, which is commemorated during the last week of September. (See the top 10 banned books.)

Secular and religious authorities have been attempting to ban books ever since people have been writing them. In Germany, where Johann Gutenberg invented the printing press, the first official censorship office was established within decades of the innovation. In the U.S., Anthony Comstock, considered to be the pioneer of modern American censorship, persuaded Congress to enact the Comstock laws, which banned the mailing of materials found to be "lewd, indecent, filthy or obscene." Under those laws, the works of literary giants such as Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald and John Steinbeck were censored. Nowadays, beloved characters ranging from Harry Potter to Captain Underpants are frequent targets of censorship.

But banning authors?

"Banning authors isn't the same as banning books, but the intent is the same," says Hopkins, whose most recent novel, Fallout, the final volume of her Crank trilogy, just debuted at No. 5 on the New York Times series list (which is devoted to series of three or more). The trilogy (which also includes Crank and Glass) has been lauded by educators and reviewers alike. Its popularity among teens is rooted in Hopkins' pull-no-punches story lines that tackle issues such as crystal-meth addiction, teen prostitution, suicide and incest. (See the 100 best novels of all time.)

But it's her no-holds-barred approach that has ignited the current controversy. Upon learning that Hopkins was scheduled to speak at this school year's festival, several parents complained to the school board. The superintendent, after consulting with the head librarian, instructed the festival's organizers to remove Hopkins from the roster and rescind the invitation.

Since her books are available in Humble libraries, and because she had appeared at high schools in the district last year, Hopkins was shocked by the snub. After much soul-searching, she reached out to the other young-adult authors who were scheduled to participate. Pete Hautman, who in years past had been disinvited from appearances elsewhere after his work was deemed "inappropriate," withdrew from the festival. Then, in a show of solidarity, Matt de la Pena, Melissa de la Cruz, Brian Meehl and Tera Lynn Childs all followed suit. The district, in turn, canceled the event altogether. "As authors," Hopkins recently blogged, "we must maintain a unified voice against the idea that one person, or even a few, has the right to decide for everyone else what they are allowed to read, or what information they can have access to."

Hopkins' banning and the resulting boycott lit up the blogosphere and social-network sites. Several industry publications rushed to the author's defense, and a letter of protest from six national organizations, including the National Coalition Against Censorship, the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators and the National Council of Teachers of English, excoriated the superintendent for violating "basic constitutional principles." "Those kids surely lost out," Hopkins notes. "However, those same kids will now view censorship through completely different lenses, and I hope they understand why authors must defend the ability to write books without fear of would-be censors."

Hopkins' critics questioned whether a formal invitation had ever been extended and contended that a disappointed author was merely throwing a bruised-ego tantrum. Yet Hopkins says she had negotiated the terms of her appearance and received a confirmation e-mail from a festival coordinator. Still, her critics apparently saw little value in young people reading about such edgy and unpleasant topics.

"When middle school parents challenge books, it's often a last gasp to stay involved," says Camille Powell, a Houston area school librarian whose BookMoot website is a go-to destination for educators and kid lit aficionados. "Elementary schools are fairly responsive to parental input. However, the junior high transition years are frustrating and difficult for parents as their control over their children and the school gradually erodes."

Like many, Powell was disheartened by the turn of events in Humble. However, she remains hopeful that the festival can be salvaged and believes the opportunity exists for a valuable teaching moment. "There could be a forum," Powell says, "where parents would be able to ask questions, raise concerns and share views and opinions. What could be more worthwhile than an impassioned, thoughtful tussle over books and how they affect us?"

Hopkins says she'd welcome the chance to participate in such a discussion. "I would pay my own way," Hopkins says. "We need to take back the dialogue. A misguided few cannot be permitted to dictate what's best for an entire community. These young people are depending on us."

Mr. Cowlin here again. Here are a few questions for you to answer. You don't have to answer all of them - just make sure your entry is a thoughtful paragraph. Post your responses in the comments section. Be sure to include your name in order to receive credit. As usual, you can earn some extra credit for commenting on your peers' comments. (Each reaction should be posted separately.)

• Coatney, author of the first article, says, "It's dangerous to think that the only banned books are the sometimes outrageous examples highlighted during Banned Books Week. All of us ban." What are some ways "all of us ban"? Should we stop, or is banning necessary sometimes? (Be sure to include specific examples - real and theoretical - in your response.)

• Author Ellen Hopkins says that "As authors [...] we must maintain a unified voice against the idea that one person, or even a few, has the right to decide for everyone else what they are allowed to read, or what information they can have access to." Do you aree? Why or why not? Is there a time when an individual voice should decide what media others are allowed to read or view? (Be sure to include specific examples - real and theoretical - in your response.)