The Heart Knows...

Today, we read Emily Dickinson's poem "Not with a Club the Heart is Broken." Now read this poem by Stephen Crane, and answer this prompt: "What is Crane's tone about love? Compare his view and the view of Dickinson. Which poem do you prefer? Why?" (The deadline to post a response to this blog is midnight Thursday, April 14, 2011.)

LOVE WALKED ALONE
Love walked alone.
The rocks cut her tender feet,
And the brambles tore her fair limbs.
There came a companion to her,
But, alas, he was no help
For his name was heart's pain.

By Any Other Name?

When Steinbeck first wrote this novel, he titled it "Something That Happened." Then, he remembered Robert Burn's poem "To a Mouse," from which he took the title. Which is the better title for this work? Why? (The deadline to post a response to this blog question is midnight Sunday, April 3, 2011.)

"We're on the island of misfit toys..."

Chapter Four provides a look at the "misfits" of the ranch. Even among "their kind," these four-Crooks, Lennie, Curley's wife, and Candy--show both the human need for acceptance and the desire for dominance. Explain how so. Through which of these characters did Steinbeck best convey these conflicts in the human condition? Explain specifically. (The deadline to post a response to this blog question is midnight April 1, 2011.)

"Guys like us.."

The ranch is a microcosm (miniature world) in which each character represents an archetype (a type) person. Which character has interested you the most? Why? What type/archetype does he/she represent? What do you think Steinbeck is saying about this type of person? (The deadline to post a response to this blog question is midnight Wednesday, March 30, 2011).

He who fails to learn fails to grow...

Remember when you were in elementary school? Every day you came home and one of the first things your mother asked was "What did you learn today?" You are researching your own self-picked topic. Tell us something you learned about that topic today. (The deadline to post a response to this blog question is midnight Friday, March 25, 2011.)

The Great Depression

We are about to begin discussing works from The Great Depression as we read Of Mice and Men. One piece of poetry that appeared during this time was Lament by Randolph Goodman. Read this poem and then share your feelings on its theme and the line the lines that best express this theme.

LAMENT

Sweet the water—
Bitter to taste
In a world submerged
In a maelstrom of haste . . .

Fair the sun-rays—
Dark to see
From workaday deeps,
Depths unhappy, unfree . . .

Sweet the blossom—
Acrid to smell
From an earth encrusted
With the Patines of Hell . . .

Fair the breezes—
Harsh to hear;
Discordantly blowing,
With the discord of Fear . . .

Sweet this Life—
God! to feel
Held tight to a Rack,
Fettered fast to a Wheel.

(The deadline to post a response to this blog question is midnight Sunday, March 13, 2011.)

And it shall come down...

In Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God, Jonathan Edwards creates via great imagery the wrath of God upon sinners. Which image, metaphor, simile, personification, etc., did you find to be most effective in conveying Edwards' message? Explain how it made you feel and how you think the members of the congregation must have felt hearing this. (The deadline to post a response to this blog is midnight Saturday, March 5, 2011.)