This blog will be used by Mrs. Wilsher's AP class to post coherent, logical, informed, and well-written responses to topics related to the class. You will also respond to comments from other students. Many college professors in all areas of the curriculum require students to participate in online discussions or blogs. The AP Lang. Blog requirement will help prepare you for college courses, while improving your writing skills.
Tuesday, December 10, 2013
Advertisements in Schools
“In
1993 District 11 in Colorado Springs started a nationwide trend,” writes
Schlosser, “becoming the first public school district in the United States
to place ads for Burger King in is hallways and on the sides of its school
buses.” (51)? What arguments might be
presented in defense of and in opposition to such practices?
Tuesday, December 3, 2013
Strike for 15
Fast-food workers in about 100 cities will walk off the job today in a push for higher pay. Do you agree with the article we read in class arguing that these efforts are futile, or with the workers that are hoping to make $15 an hour?
Tuesday, November 19, 2013
Are You Lovin' It?
We are about to begin reading Fast Food Nation.
Over the last several decades, fast food companies have aggressively targeted children in their marketing efforts. Is it possible that fast food companies—like tobacco companies—are recruiting increasingly younger consumers in order to insure a steady customer base as their older constituents die from heart disease, diabetes, and other obesity-related disorders? Should advertisers be permitted to target children who lack the sophistication to make informed decisions and are essentially being lured into eating high fat, high calorie food through toys and cute corporate mascots?
Over the last several decades, fast food companies have aggressively targeted children in their marketing efforts. Is it possible that fast food companies—like tobacco companies—are recruiting increasingly younger consumers in order to insure a steady customer base as their older constituents die from heart disease, diabetes, and other obesity-related disorders? Should advertisers be permitted to target children who lack the sophistication to make informed decisions and are essentially being lured into eating high fat, high calorie food through toys and cute corporate mascots?
Friday, November 8, 2013
Vote...OR ELSE!
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You were off from school for Election Day on November 5th. However, only 67 percent of American registered voters typically vote in elections.
In Australia, voter turnout is 95 percent of registered voters. The reason is simple: It's the law. Those who fail to vote risk a heavy fine and, in rare cases, imprisonment.
Read the information at: http://www.idea.int/vt/compulsory_voting.cfm
Then respond...Should the U.S. make voting compulsory?
Friday, November 1, 2013
Sample Journal for Banned Book Assignment
Chapter/Paragraph(s)/
Page(s)
|
Text
|
Reason for Banning due to Text
|
Chapter 2, Paragraph 9, Page 18
|
“…Doreen’s breasts
had popped out of her dress
and were swinging out slightly like full brown melons…”
|
The character, Esther, is describing her roommate as she
is having sex with a boy.
|
Chapter 6, Paragraphs 2-9, Page 76
|
“‘Esther have you ever seen a man?’…he unzipped his chino
pants…the only thing I could think of was turkey neck and turkey gizzards and
I felt very depressed.”
|
An experience Esther had with a man though she was not
married with him.
|
Chapter 7, Paragraph 3, Page 87
|
“I felt so fine by the time we came to the yogurt and
strawberry jam I decided I would let Constantin seduce me.”
|
Esther is planning on having another sexual interaction
with a boy she barely knows
|
Chapter 9, Paragraph 6-7, Page 121
|
“Marco set his teeth to the strap at my shoulder…Slut!”
|
Foul language is used and Esther is about to almost be
raped.
|
Chapter 10, Paragraphs 5-7, Page 130
|
“…but nobody but Dodo was on the verge of a seventh. Even
six was considered excessive… Dodo was a Catholic. I watched Dodo wheel the
youngest
|
Esther states that she doesn’t like Dodo because she is a
Catholic, a religious remark and an anti-feminist one because she stated she
didn’t like children.
|
Chapter 13, Paragraphs 4 & 5, Page 189
|
“…I unscrewed the bottle of pills and started taking them
swiftly, between gulps of water; one by one by one. At first nothing happened,
but as I approached the bottom of the bottle, red and blue lights began to
flash before my eyes. The bottle slid from my fingers and I lay down.”
|
Esther begins to have fulfilled her suicidal thoughts
after being very depressed.
|
Chapter 14, Paragraph 5-7, Page 195
|
“I smiled. The mouth in the mirror cracked into a grin. A
minute after the crash another nurse ran in. She took one look at the broken
mirror, and at me, standing over the blind, white pieces…”
|
Esther acted violently once more by breaking a mirror
after seeing her reflection, she is suicidal.
|
Chapter 18, Paragraphs 5-7, Page 245
|
“Whenever I thought about…and women and women, I could never
imagine what they would actually be doing….I wondered if all women with other
women was lie and hug….Why did I attract these weird old women?”
|
The main character, Esther, seems to be questioning her
sexuality.
|
Chapter 19, Paragraphs 3-5, Page 255
|
“…my virginity weighed like a milestone around my
neck…’You know Irwin I think I ought to tell you, I’m a virgin.’ Irwin
laughed and flung me down on the bed.”
|
Esther looses her virginity after all her sexual
experiences in the book, but she is not married.
|
Chapter 19, Paragraphs 3-7, Page 263
|
“’I thought you should know…Joan has been
found’…’Dead’…’I’m afraid she’s hanged herself.’”
|
Doctor Quinn is describing how Esther’s friend has killed
herself, suicide persists in the novel.
|
Chapter 20, Paragraph 9 & 10, Pages 9 & 10
|
“Something old, something new…But I wasn’t getting
married.”
|
Anti-feminism is restated, Esther again is out of her bell
jar.
|
Banned Book Assignment
Due: Thursday, November 7th
- Part 1: Read a book from the Banned Book List (or
another approved Banned or
Challenged Book)
- Part 2: Complete a minimum of 10 reader response
journals. As you read, note what scenes and comments could cause the book
to be banned. Take notes using a Dialectical Journal (see page 42 in The Language of Composition).
- Part 3: Research why the book was banned, including if
the book was banned for certain age groups. Make sure you read sources
that support the banning of the book as well as those that support the
book.
- Part 4: Write a 2-3 page paper with your local school
board as your audience. Using the scenes you've identified, argue if you
believe the literary work should be banned or not. Your thesis should
address your perspective of the age appropriateness of the work. Your
paper should also address why the groups who have challenged the book are
wrong or are right.
Wednesday, October 23, 2013
Who's Responsible?
Bullying has become a major concern in the cyber-age. Stories like the recent suicide of 12 year old Rebecca Sedwick are commonplace in the news. Who should be held accountable for cyberbullying? The article here suggest parents need to be better monitors of what is occurring online. Read the article and decide if you agree. Aditionally, what role should schools have? Should cyberbullying be punishable in school, even if it occurs outside of school? What role do parents play? Should they be held responsible for the actions of their children for not monitoring more?
Thursday, September 26, 2013
Crime and Punishment
After reading our discussion on public shaming, I get the sense that the majority of you are opposed to this idea. However, something needs to be done to more effectively reduce crime in the United States. I hope we can all agree on that point. Jails are overflowing. Even upon release from jail, many former prisoners enter society and are soon back for committing another crime, usually of a worse nature. Seldom a month goes by when we don't hear of a serious and tragic crime committed. So, what is the solution? How can we reduce crime? If you don't think public shaming will work, what will?
Source: National Prime Prevention Council
Source: National Prime Prevention Council
Is it good to be a Loser?
Read the article "Losing is Good for You."
Do you agree with the author of the article that "nonstop recognition does not inspire children to succeed. Instead, it can cause them to underachieve."? Is too much recognition bad for students? Should we, as a society, focus more on accomplishments or participation/effort? Use information from the article to support your argument.
Do you agree with the author of the article that "nonstop recognition does not inspire children to succeed. Instead, it can cause them to underachieve."? Is too much recognition bad for students? Should we, as a society, focus more on accomplishments or participation/effort? Use information from the article to support your argument.
Tuesday, September 17, 2013
Shame on You!
“There can be no outrage, methinks, against our common nature, —whatever be the delinquencies of the individual— no outrage more flagrant than to forbid the culprit to hide his face for shame; as it was the essence of this punishment to do.”
– Nathaniel Hawthorne, The Scarlet Letter
As you know from reading The Scarlet Letter, Hester Prynne’s crime results in “public shaming,” a common practice in Puritan society. Do you believe “public shaming” should be used in our society to punish individuals who break laws? Would it deter more crime? Be sure to defend your position! Remember, if you enter the conversation after a few people have responded, respond to points your peers have made. Let's make this a discussion rather than individual posts!
Tuesday, September 10, 2013
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