Here again we encounter two characters who, like Patchett and, Grealy and McCarthy’s father and, son, have closely linked fates. This is of course fairly common in literature-think Romulus and Remus, Cain and Able,  Gilgamesh and Endkidu, Batman and the Joker (I just saw The Dark Knight). They can be read as two views of a single character.

Look for those themes of guilt and redemption as you read.

Here’s a link to google’s Lit Trips that’ll give you a look at Afghanistan.

Peace,

RK

Also

Looks don’t matter; it’s who you are on the inside that counts. Do we really believe that?

Which of these faces are beautiful? Which face would you like to resemble? How many of them do you recognize?

What is your definition of BEAUTY? What makes a beautiful person?

How about this face?

This is Lucy Grealy. In the photograph on the cover of her book, Autobiography of a Face, she’s a child; her blond hair is blowing in the wind, and she is holding a translucent piece of material across her face. Her eyes are round, her nose is neatly shaped and her mouth tugs downward just a bit. The image is at once charming and disturbing. What is she hiding from, or hiding from us? 

What will we see when she drops the veil?

As you read this book, and then Truth and Beauty  by Ann Patchett, consider the authors’ basic ideas about identity. How is who you are formed, and how closely is it linked to how you look, or speak, or laugh? How is your identity connected to who your friends are, and what you’re good at, or wish you were good at? Think about how Grealy is taking us through her own process of gaining an identity after she’s been disfigured. Do you find her believable? Remember that this is a memoir, not journalism, so it’s not bound by the same rules of factuality. It’s how she remembers things rather than what happened exactly.

In One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (last year’s summer read) Ken Kesey wrote, ”Everything in this is true even if it never happened.” This’ll be more important later but keep it in mind as you read.

Invite your friends, your own age and otherwise, to read Grealy’s autobiography, or parts of it. Ask them what they think and invite them to post their ideas on the blog. I’ll post about Truth and Beauty soon.

If you’re interested here’s a link to an interview with Grealy. It Starts at 38:25.

I look forward to reading your thoughts-before the first week in August.

Peace

RK

hallegoodallkierabhuttoalbright

While you’re reading you can use this link to take a look at the route that the boy and his father take:

The Road Lit Trip.

You’ll also want to write about what you’re reading-who wouldn’t-so please leave 2-3 comments about the book. It’s nice to have a conversation so please respond to each other’s ideas.

Your comments are due by July 10th.

Here are some additional spots to check out-feel free to post your own findings.

McCarthy on Oprah

Go to the StoryCorps website and listen to 2 stories about work. Next write a reaction to what you heard and discuss what you think about work. How do you see work? What kind of work do you see yourself doing and why?

Finally, talk to 2 people you know who have or had full time jobs. Ask them about what they did. How they got into that line of work and how they see themselves.  Keep that information for a future assignment.

Who is Willy Loman and why should we care about what happens to him. This link is a good place to start.

Salesman’ Willy Loman: A Towering Little Man

Once you’ve listened to this write a reaction to anything you heard? Do you see Willy anywhere. Think about this quote:

“A salesman does have to dream. … Because you have to see something that isn’t there, and you have to make it happen. … You have to have the ability to believe in yourself enough to go out there and make it happen.”

Gregory Hamilton

Does this mean that you’ll have to learn how to be a salesman? Is this the future you see for yourself?

Start with this: Holden Caulfield: Giving Voice to Generations

Listen to the entire piece then move on to this:

Cultural References to Catcher in The Rye

Scroll down through the list and check out at least two of the references. Think about why this single character manages to find it way into our collective thoughts. Salinger wrote Catcher in The Rye in 1951, far before any of you, and in some cases your parents were born, yet many of you find the character realistic and believable.

Finally, write, you knew you’d have to write, a 250 or more word discussion about why you think this character has endured and become part of who we are. What about the character makes him so important to our culture? Write it in Word then paste it in to the blog.

-bon chance

On this page first write about your own talisman-what it is and why it has meaning for you. Then write down the best stanza from your poem for Allie’s mitt along with a link to the entire poem.

Here’s mine:

The Swankiest Party Ever

Next Watch This video:

The Miniature Earth

Now leave a comment that responds to ideas presented by the video and the audio clip. Consider the ways that different social classes of people experience the world. Do you feel lucky to be living where and how you are? How do you feel when you see peopel whose lives are considerably easier or harder than your own? Are you envious of the rich? How do you feel about the poor?

Compose your comment in a word document then cut and paste it in to the comment space.