Context - The Great Depression

The Great Depression was a time of immense struggle for many people across North America. Both the film we recently viewed and the short story we will soon be examining are set in and around this time.

By understanding the many challenges that were faced by the characters in the film, we have a better chance of empathizing with the characters in our short story.

"Context" is an important term that you must know. Make sure you are clear on both the definition and how it is used in practice.

Identities

With all of this talk about identities, I want you to begin taking things from the stories that we read. When we read "The Boat," we are presented with people who sacrifice a great deal for those that they love; when and where has this happened to you? In our next short story, two characters start out on a similar path and then greatly diverge. Why, and how, do changes such as this happen? Are there stories from your past that prove this point?

Problem Areas

Although we do have a full year to deal with problem areas, it would be best to get started right away. If there is an aspect of English LAnguage Arts that has given you great difficulty in the past, you need to communicate this to me as soon as possible (preferably not on this blog, but rather in person).

Today was a good - and very boring - start to the course. I look forward to this next year.

Mr R

Identity and Conflict

Identity and Conflict are both important topics that we will be discussing over the duration of this course. Our short story unit will serve as an introduction to these topics - be sure to look for ways in which the various authors create identity for their characters, and likewise, how these characters find identity in spite of numerous conflicts.