"To This Day" by Shane Koyczan

Re-watch the clip of "To This Day" by Shane Koyczan:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ltun92DfnPY

Discussion Questions:
1. How does this poem make you feel?
2. Do you see similar scenarios, as depicted in the poem, in your environment?
3. How do "names" affect people? How are "names" used in society? What purpose do they serve?
4. What does this poem say about human weakness and human resilience? ("They have to be wrong")
5. What verses of the poem stick out to you? Explain.
6. What does the title mean? If you could re-name the poem, what title would you give it?
7. How has the outcasts, freaks, and geeks been successful in today's world? How have they taken their uniqueness and impacted the world in original ways?

"Howl" by Allen Ginsberg

Allen Ginsberg was one of the leading poets of the 1950's and 60's Beat Generation. As a child of Jewish progressives from the East Coast, he was inspired by Walt Whitman and Edgar Allen Poe. He moved out to San Francisco in the 1950's after his time at Columbia University. When he published his radical poem, "Howl," it was banned, and Ginsberg found himself involved in one of the 20th century's biggest censorship trials."Howl" later became one of the most widely read poems of the times. Ginsberg also participated in many social movements, including anti-war protests and gay rights.
"Allen Ginsberg." - Poets.org. The Academy of American Poets, n.d. Web. 20 May 2013.

Read the poem, "Howl," by clicking on the link:
http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/179381

If you want, you can listen to Ginsberg while you read along:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2p_kKhRmRkM

When you are done, post your impressions. Please state your name and period at the end of your post.

Read the article from TIME Magazine about author J.D. Salinger.
http://www.time.com/time/printout/0,8816,1960265,00.html#

Then, respond to the following questions in 2 cohesive, well-organized paragraphs:

1) How is Holden Caulfield similar to J.D. Salinger? Reflect on 3-5 similarities.

2) What is your general impression of Holden so far?

Be original in your thoughts.

Scoring: 15 Points
Depth of Thought (Scale 1-5)
Organization (Scale 1-5)
Grammar / Conventions (Scale 1-5)

THE ROARING TWENTIES

Choose one of the following characters from The Roaring Twenties (Dir. Raoul Walsh) to explore: 

Eddie Bartlett (James Cagney)

Jean Sherman (Priscilla Lane) 

George Hally (Humphrey Bogart) 

Lloyd Hart (Jeffrey Lynn)

Panama Smith (Gladys George).

In an organized response, answer the following questions:

1.  What does your character want out of life?

2.   How does your character go about achieving what he or she wants? Does he or she reach his or her goals?

3.  What moral dilemmas does your character face?

Scoring:

Your response will be graded on a scale of 1-5 in the following categories:

Content (Depth of Ideas)

Organization (Structure)

Grammar / Conventions

---------------------------------------------------------

Total = 15 Points

Road Trip Reflection

In a thoughtful paragraph, describe what you learned about yourself and about traveling during the process of creating your Road Trip Journal.

Scoring:
Thoughtfulness of Response (Scale 1-5)
Grammar/Conventions (Scale 1-5)
----------------------------------------------
Total = 10 Points

Sullivan & Kerouac: CROSS COUNTRY and ON THE ROAD

After reading the excerpt from Robert Sullivan's Cross Country and the one from Jack Kerouac's On the Road, write one paragraph explaining the similarities between the two texts.

"O Captain! My Captain!" by Walt Whitman

Read Walt Whitman's famous poem, "O Captain! My Captain!" After analyzing the author's purpose, imagery, tone, and rhythm, write an organized paragraph that explains how Whitman portrays the subject (the Captain) of the piece. How does he characterize the subject? What does the poet want the public to remember about him?

Scoring:
Your response will be graded on a scale of 1-5:
Content (Depth of thought)
Organization (Structure)
Grammar/Conventions
_____________________
Total = 15 Points