The Curlew's Cry - J. Leslie Bell

Biography
Born in Nova Scotia, J. Leslie Bell moved to Alberta to pursue his dreams of being a short story writer.  He has won many short stories competitions and is recognized as a very successful author. Many of his stories have been featured in numerous anthologies.

Symbol

This is a curlew bird that the stories title is based about.

Response

More has been written about love, probably, more then any other topic. What does “The Curlew’s Cry” offer that makes what the author has to say on this topic fresh and interesting?

It offers a different perspective about love. It shows that someone can love someone else without having that someone else’s with them everyday. It shows that love can last as long as you work for it.

Does Mr. Sikirski of Sheila – or both of them – deserve sympathy? Explain your answer.

I think they do. It’s sad when you miss someone and there’s no way of them getting to you no matter how hard you try. In Sheila’s case it was a short period of time compared to Mr. Sikirski’s but still they both feel the same pain.

Critical Thinking

Why do you think the author wrote the text?
I think he wrote it because there are so many typical love stories out there that he thought it needed a different take on it.
What does the author want you to think?
That you don’t need to be with someone everyday to love them.
Do you belong to any of the groups in the text?
No, because I am not in love with anyone at the moment.
Does the story remind you of a real-life event (your own or others)?
Nothing to personal to me but my relatives I know have gone through out that at some point in there life.
Does the story remind you of another book or movie on a similar topic?
Yes, the notebook.
How does the story help you think about social issues and social justice?
This story not so much but I still got the moral of it.
What action might you take from what you have learned?
To love everyone around you and be nice to a certain degree because you never no when you’ll get to see them again.
What big question has this text left you with?
I wonder when Mr. Sikirski will get to see his family again and if when Sheila’s boyfriend will come to see her.

All The Troubles Of the World - Isaac Asimov

Biography

Isaac Asimov was born in 1920 and died in 1992. He was an American writer and professor at Boston University. He has written more then 500 books and has written most of them in the science fiction genre. He hasn’t just write novels, he also writes history books and is very involved in chemistry studies. He was a well known author and has made a great contribution to the English world.

Symbol

This picture represents Multivac. The smartest computer in the world.



Response
Why do Ali Othman and Rafe Leemy wait before they tell Bernard Gulliman the whole truth? Are their actions believable considering the seriousness of the crime? Explain.
Their actions are normal because I would be nervous too if I had to tell him that.  He eased into telling him rather then saying it right away so he could tell what his reaction might be.


Would you like to live in a society in which there was a computer such as Multivac? How might it help/hinder the progress of society? Discuss.
It would be really cool if Multivac was real, but it wouldn’t be logical. I don’t think society would be successful if we had zero crime because it’d just apart of life and considering so many peoples jobs depend on it.


What does the ending suggest about the ability of technology to bring about a perfect world? Do you agree? Explain your answer here.
The ending suggests that even the smartest technology wouldn’t be able to handle all that information. It takes people to bring upon a perfect world; no computer could do that on its own.


Critical Thinking
Why do you think the author wrote the text?
To expand people’s thinking about the world.


What does the author want you to think?
That maybe crime is an increasing problem and we should figure out a way to stop it soon.


Do you belong to any of the groups in the text?
No I don’t think so.


Does the story remind you of a real-life event (your own or others)?
No, because I’ve never heard of a computer that could predict things in real life. Besides the weather.


Does the story remind you of another book or movie on a similar topic?
The movie Knowing except in this film it’s apiece of paper with numbers that can predict the natural disasters that will occur around the world.


How does the story help you think about social issues and social justice?
It makes me think of all the crime and terrible things people do every day. People stealing and lying to people causing unnecessary trouble that could’ve been prevented.


 What action might you take from what you have learned?
To maybe look for ways to prevent crime in the future.


What big question has this text left you with?
Will one day computers be able to predict things?

Harrison Bergeron - Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.

Biography

Kurt Vonnegut was an American writer who was one of the most influential of his time. He is best known for his dark (black) comedy and his science fiction writing styles. He’s written novels such as Cat’s Cradle and Slaughterhouse-Five which have been great successes all over the world. He also put much of his thoughts and beliefs “secretly” into his work. He later died from old age in 2007 at the age of 84.

Symbol

This picture symbolizes the ballerina who had to wear a mask in the story.  The mask made her look ugly and not as delicate like a ballerina should look. So, I thought this picture represented that well considering that this picture makes the little girl look sad and not as pretty.

Response

What parts of the story are most exaggerated? 
What do you this was the author’s purpose in using exaggeration so extensively.

The most exaggerated part of the story was the section where they described Harrison Bergeron. They used so exaggeration to prove a point which was to show how much Harrison was higher then everyone else and why they wanted to keep him hidden from the world. So he needed to be the most “handicapped”.

What do George’s and Hazel’s reactions at the end of the story reveal about the quality of life in their society.

It shows that in their world you’re not really embracing your life. You have so many boundaries put upon you that you can’t even live. George and his wife can’t even recall memories they had or what they were just talking about and how are you supposed to live without remembering your past?

a) What is the situational irony in this story? What would you expect a society to be like in which everyone is equal?

b) What point do you think the author is making through the irony?

a) The situational irony is that Harrison ends up over throwing the authority in the end after all the work they did to keep him as equal with the other people.

b) That you should stand up for what you think is right because you never know what might happen.

What are some other books/movies you know about planned utopias that turned out the be the opposite.

I know the movie Star Trek and Logan’s Run were utopian based movies.

Critical Thinking

Why do you think the author wrote the text?

It’s a unique way of showing how the world has natural inequalities that nobody can do anything about.

What does the author want you to think?
That you can’t make everyone equal without taking away from somebody else.

Do you belong to any of the groups in the text?
I don’t think so.

Does the story remind you of a real-life event (your own or others)?
No because this story could never take place in real life.

Does the story remind you of another book or movie on a similar topic?
Yes it reminds me of lots of movie but no any I could think of with this type of story line.

How does the story help you think about social issues and social justice?
It makes me think of all the injustices that are happening around the world. About how people are being ridiculed for just being themselves.

What action might you take from what you have learned?
That I should be more thankful to live in a free country and no take it for granted.

What big question has this text left you with?

It has left me wondering how this world would survive move on this way. And what it would be like if life was actually like this.

The Metaphor - Budge Wilson

Biography 
Budge Wilson is a Nova Scotian Born author. Since 1984 she has written 33 books and has received many awards for them. She started writing later in life after being a photographer, commercial director, and a fitness director for over 20 years. One of her recent books is called Before Green Gables which has sold many copies over North America.

Symbol 

This picture symbolizes the bathtub and the bubbles she played with while she thought of metaphors in her tub. She did a lot of her thinking in here and she always played with the bubbles throughout the story.

Response

a) Why do you think Miss Hancock got along so well in junior high school, but had so much difficulty in senior high?

b) In your experience, what were some of the differences you noticed between your teachers at grades 7-9 and your teacher’s grades 10-12.

a) I think it's because when you’re younger (junior high), your brain is a little more imaginary and open minded. This was a good age for Ms. Hancock because her way of teaching was very fun and different. In senior high your imagination isn't as wild so when she got to teaching those grades the kids thought she was weird and her teaching methods were just stupid.

 b) Well from grades 6-7, surprisingly I found my teachers were much tougher and had higher expectations. From grades 8-10, I noticed that the teachers were easier going and didn't push you as much. Mostly because in high school, your older and it’s now more your responsibility to get your work done and to push yourselves instead of the teachers pushing you.

What recommendations would you make to a teacher moving from a junior high to a senior high? Write your ideas about the adjustments necessary for a successful transition and share them.

My suggestions would be to sustain authority in the classroom and usually nothing bad will happen. Keep calm and if you treat your students with respect, they will treat you with respect.

 Is Charlotte right in blaming herself for Miss Hancock death? Would being more friendly to Miss Hancock at senior high have any difference? 

She isn't right for blaming herself, but that’s sometimes what happens then you feel guilty. I think it would make a difference in how guilty Charlotte feels, but it wouldn't change the fact that Miss Hancock dies. And even if she was nice to her throughout senior high it wouldn't be as sincere since she doesn't know that she is going to die. So either way, she would still feel a little guilty.

How were the metaphorical descriptions similar to the actually characters of Charlotte's mother? Miss Hancock?

 They were a perfect description. I really helped me visualize the characters and it was interesting to see the comparisons she made.

What do you think was the author's main purpose for writing this story? Discuss.

I think the main purpose for this story was to show that you need to end your days on good notes because you never know what can happen to someone close to you. Life is too short to hold grudges and nothing is unforgivable. 

Critical Thinking

Why do you think the author wrote the text?
Maybe he experiecened something similar and wanted to share his share with more people.
What does the author want you to think?
He wants you to think about what you say to people because you never know what will happen to them if you leave with an argument.
Do you belong to any of the groups in the text?
Yeah, I have been mean to teachers before but with good reasons. But I‘ve never had a teacher die and I’ve never been mean to the point of my feeling guilty.
Does the story remind you of a real-life event (your own or others)?
Sort of but nothing to this extreme.
Does the story remind you of another book or movie on a similar topic?
Yes the movie Mean Girls.
How does the story help you think about social issues and social justice?
Some times teachers need to feel safe just like students do and they feel vulnerable and they want to be accepted just like students do.
What action might you take from what you have learned?
Be nicer to teachers.
What big question has this text left you with?
Nothing to exciting, just think about what I say to people before I say it.

Metaphor

My best friend is music. It listens and tells you things you need or don’t need to here. It can calm you down or bring you up with happiness that you thought wasn’t there.  It’s everywhere; radio, iPod, computer, TV, CD’s and it can even come from you.  Music is a warm blanket that covers you from the world and only you exist.  Blocks out the bad and keeps in the good. It travels with you everywhere you go, in memories and thoughts. Moments, days, weeks, years, it’ll always be around you to help you through your fears and worries. Music is my best friend.

The Possibility of Evil - Shirley Jackson

Biography

Shirley Jackson was born in San Francisco 1919. She was very popular in her time because of her horror, Gothic appeal throughout her stories. She has written many novels, short stories and her work have been featured in mean anthologies.  She moved to Vermont where married her husband, Stanley Edgar Hyman she continued her work in novels. One of her greatest known stories is called The Lottery (1948). She later died in 1965 at the age of 48 but her work will always be remembered.

Symbol

I chose this picture because it represents all the letters Ms. Strangeworth has written to the fellow citizens of Pleasantville.

Response

What is Ms. Strangeworth trying to accomplish by sending out her letters? Does she succeed? Discuss.

Miss Strangeworth thinks that she is helping out her little town by giving letters of guided suggestion to people anonymously. She thinks that the letters are completely reasonable but in reality they are rude. She wants everyone act the way she thinks people of her town are supposed to act so when she sees someone who is out of line. She thinks it's her job to tell them, anonymously of course.

How would you describe the story’s atmosphere at the beginning? How does this atmosphere help to emphasize the ending?

It was rather mysterious by the way the author was describing Strangeworth. I could tell that there was going to be something weird about her or that she was going to cause a problem near the end. It was very dark and different near the end so it made me more excited at the end to see what happens.

Why don’t the people ignore the letters they receive? If you received one of Ms. Strange worth’s letters, what would you do? Write you response and share it.

They ignore them because they don't know who's sending them. I'm sure if they knew who it was, they would do something about it. If I received one of her letters, I would definitely want to know who sent it so I could tell her off. I wouldn't let her get away with it.

What are two interpretations you could give to the story’s title? Share your ideas.

One interpretation would be that this story is about the possibility of different evils and where you can find them. Unsuspecting people who are evil. Another possibility could be that someone or something is deciding to become evil for the first time.

What do you think this story is about saying about crime and criminals? Do you agree? Discuss giving examples to support your opinion.

I think it's saying that you can never guess a criminal. Yes if there was a guy walking in a store with a black hoodie and hands in his pockets with his head down, you might be a little suspicious. But a little girl is just as capable as stealing something, so you really should never assume. So, yes I do agree.

Consider both Miss Strangeworth's anxiety about evil and the final crime in the story. Do you think human beings will ever create a society that is crime free? Comment?

No I do not. As long as we have the ability to go and do anything we want there will always be some crime. It just depends on people's self control. People will always break the law; I don't believe that that will ever stop.

Critical Thinking

 Why do you think the author wrote the text?
Maybe because he wanted to show that criminals come in all walks of life.
What does the author want you to think?
That you shouldn’t judge people.
 Do you belong to any of the groups in the text?
No.
 Does the story remind you of a real-life event (your own or others)?
Yes on Facebook there’s this thing called Honesty Box where people send anonymous posts to you and they could be really mean or nice. But you have no way of finding out that that is. It is very similar to the story.
Does the story remind you of another book or movie on a similar topic?
Not any I can think of.
How does the story help you think about social issues and social justice?
It shows that some people think they need to be the boss of but that isn’t necessarily always the answer.
What action might you take from what you have learned?
That if you don’t agree with what someone else is doing you don’t always need to step in and fix it. Its better if they figure it out on they’re own.

 What big question has this text left you with?
What would people actually do if someone started sending them letters like that.