Lost in Themselves

The Tate Modern Museum (home of "The Oak Tree") recently exhibited the work of 1950s American Modern artist Philip Lorca diCorcia. Please read the excerpts below, browse the photographs on the website I've included, and respond to the questions that follow.

"For the Streetwork series, diCorcia developed a technique to photograph passers-by unawares. He set up an unobtrusive system of lights that could be activated by radio-signal. When a suitable subject walked past, diCorcia could take a candid snapshot whose elaborate lighting (in the artist’s words) adds ‘a cinematic gloss to a commonplace event’. The resulting photographs project a sense of the solitude and introspection within the bustle of the city.

"DiCorcia has commented:‘the street does not induce people to shed their self-awareness. They seem to withdraw into themselves. They become less aware of their surroundings, seemingly lost in themselves.’"

Explore the four photographs at: http://www.noorderlicht.com/eng/fest99/wonder/corcia/ph1.html

Why do you think diCorcia found these particular subjects "suitable" for his purpose? You can pick one or two, or discuss them as a single subject.

How can you relate this exhibit to the Hemingway's "The Short, Happy Life of Francis Macomber?"

Gatsby Fishbowl

Please post your fishbowl questions by 9 pm the night before you lead discussion. Be sure to clarify which chapter your questions address. Only one member of your leadership group needs to post the questions.

Convenience, Meaning, Technology

Mr. Fisch posted the following link on our technology team's blog, and I immediately wanted to spread it to everyone I know. If you have 8 minutes, watch this short film and post your reactions. http://www.robinsloan.com/epic/

Huck Starting Activities

Please design an opening activity for your assigned chapters. You can post discussion questions, provide links to relevant articles, paintings, or song lyrics, or design any other insightful activity that will get your classmates involved in discussing the text. Think about characters, symbols, themes, historical background, connections to contemoporary issues, or any other methods of analysis that engage you. Show off your creative side!

Remember that your post is due by 9 pm on the night before we discuss your assigned chapters.

I Hear Arapahoe Singing

Create your own verse of "I Hear Arapahoe Singing." You may follow Whitman's tone or alter it to fit your own perception of daily life at Arapahoe, but please maintain Whitman's free verse and overall style. The first line of the poem is "I hear Arapahoe singing," and the rest of the poem is up to you. Hint: Start your line with "Those, "The," or "Each." Be sure to read the verses your classmates have written before posting your own in order to avoid repeating each other. Publish ONE verse only, not an entire poem.
[Note: Whitman's original "I Hear America Singing" can be found on page 352.]

Her Letter to the World

Please read the following poem by Emily Dickinson and respond to the questions below:

This is my letter to the world,
That never wrote to me,
The simple news that Nature told,
With tender majesty.

Her message is committed
To hands I cannot see;
For love of her, sweet countrymen,
Judge tenderly of me!

What inferences could you make from this poem about Emily Dickinson as a poet and a person? Examine also her picture above and comment on her expression, clothing, and/or overall appearance. How does she strike you?

Should Blogs Be Censored?

Blogs dance back and forth across the line between private thoughts and public space. I thought you might be interested in the following article about teenage blogging, freedom of speech, and the dangers of "exposing" yourself on the internet. Feel free to comment (as if you needed an invitation).
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/01/16/AR2006011601489_pf.html