To all you seniors who are slackers

POETRY blogs!  That's what you need to do!  Not Pride and Prejudice blogs; the time has come and LONG gone for that! Summaries on major work files took the place of those blog grades (you can't make higher than a 70 on those assignments now, anyway).  Again, those were due in JANUARY!  February is now almost over and 5 poetry blogs, analyzing a total of 10 poems, was due TWO WEEKS AGO!  I hope my frustration/annoyance is adequately transferring in the use of all caps!

Sophistic philosophy in Hamlet

Here's a sort of summary of the history of philosophy you might find interesting: http://www.blupete.com/Literature/Essays/BluePete/Phil.htm

I'm also following a blog called the Craft of Living, which is written by a doctoral candidate.  His "Dramatis Personae" entry goes far to explain the various sophists and their beliefs.

Here's a website that offers a whole annotated bibliography of articles that discuss philosophy in Hamlet: http://www.hamlethaven.com/philosophical.html#levynor

Just a reminder to my seniors

5-10 poetry blogs due today!!!  Most of you girls have been vigilent and successful in your poetry analyses.  I want to reccommend a fun website to look at or to listen to poetry and poetry commentary:  http://www.poetryfoundation.org/.  I LOVE it!  I used it a lot last summer when I was taking a contemporary poetry class. 

Working during the faux inclement weather

So obviously I'm on blogger, and I was going to add some of you who are following me, and I realized that I left those lovely slips of paper containing your URL's on my desk! Text me your URL so I can add your blog to those I'm following. I keep trying to piggyback and it's just not working. I can see that Randi is following Vanessa's blog (and mine) but I can't seem to add her from Vanessa's blog. VERY ANNOYING. VERY. Just sayin'....

Seniors' first blog

I realize there are only two or three of you following my blog right now. and I realize that the rest of you are probably waiting till Thursday to even attempt to create a blog, but your first Pride and Prejudice entry is due Sunday, January 10th. You must post by 6:00 pm. I'll check the postings around 9:00pm. You are to write a brief summary of the first 34 chapters (I've read the book at least ten times, so I can smell BS a mile away!) and response. I realize this in not the most masculine read for the guys, but you MUST be positive in your response. You can be honest and write about what you don't like, but also included what you think Miss Austen does well. Thursday is just four days away! I look forward to seeing you guys!

Christmas Break

Mari gave me and Jeff Joseph Campbell's Hero with a Thousand Faces. I'd like to have you seniors read this one, but it's like $21. I hate asking you to buy books that are over $10, so I really don't want to ask you to buy a $20 book. I also saw Avatar. I highly recommend it! awesome movie. I love the archetypes. It's just a great good vs. evil story. Right now, I'm supposed to be working on cleaning Luci's room, but here I am at the computer, with the t.v. on. You've Got Mail is on--I love that movie--and it's at the part where Kathleen has a cold and Joe brings her daisies and they become friends. They have a whole conversation about Pride and Prejudice, and I just love that.

Quick bit of reading log instructions: PROOFREAD before you publish your posts! The temptation with blogging is to slip into unprofessional text slang and email speak. DON'T do that! You are getting a grade for this, but you are also publishing your thoughts in a public forum. Represent yourself and your school well! All that said, occasionally you'll find errors in my comments or posts. Sorry. I usually type with three children screaming in the background or asking me to solve their 6- or 3-year-old crises.

Shakespeare in Love

We can't watch Shakespeare in Love in class because it's rated R. There's some nudity and a LOT of sex, so it would definitely be inappropriate for the 9th grade English class. If your parents don't really care what you watch, I reccommend it. It was on one of the Encore movie channels on digital cable last night, and I watched it. I've seen it before, but I had forgotten what a good movie it is. It is a fictional account of Shakespeare's life and a fictional affair with a lady named Viola. She wants to be an actor and it's illegal for women to be players during the time period. He casts her as Romeo in his newest play, and they end up falling in love. The whole movie gives a fictional backstory that attempts to imagine/explain how one man came up with Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, and Twelfth Night. It really is a fun movie with a sweet love story. If your intereseted in watching it...:)