ARRRGGGHH!!! The frustration mounts, pencils fly around the room and no dogs get treats when this happens to me!! I am, unequivocally, blocked.
SO, it shall be a fairly easy blog this week, since the one about love is not ready to move from the far recesses of my brain to my fingers. Some absence of firing synapses, I suppose, but for some reason I can't make my ideas connect in a way that makes sense to me. I suck. Sorry.
So, for this week, now that we are knee-deep in one of the most philosophical books in a high-school curriculum, I would like to know, in all honesty, what you are getting out of reading Siddhartha. You don't have to love it (though I kind of hope you do a little), but tell me something that it makes you think about in connection with your own life.
You don't have to give it glowing reviews, but try to keep it positive because even if you are miserable reading it, something good may come of even that.
I am not going to give you a word count, but I am counting on you not to slack. Don't let me down.
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Monday, May 19, 2008
The Path
Today in class we talked a bit about choosing your path; how you choose, what motivates those choices etc.
One of the most important things, I think, about the notion of choices and decisions and such is the fact that, through each choice we make, we, albeit unconsciously, undergo a process of education. We learn something. Whether it be about ourselves, our friends, our loved ones etc, we learn. Sometimes, the paths we choose take us somewhere dark and foreboding; in which case we learn we never want to return there. Other times, our choices transport us to a place of whimsy and euphoria and bliss. When that happens, we want to take meticulous notes on how we may someday return to that same place. (I am speaking metaphorically, here)
Either way, there is both direct and indirect knowledge gained from the decisions we make about the paths we follow. And, as with every bit of education, there is always a test. Again with the tests!
This week, I would like you to think about a time in your life where you were forced to undergo a test of your character due to a choice you made. Or, if you are poised on the precarious precipice of decision now, you can make a prediction about what you are about to experience. What do you think this choice, this path said, says or will say about you? What did you or will you learn? What do you want to learn?
(450 words/75pts)
One of the most important things, I think, about the notion of choices and decisions and such is the fact that, through each choice we make, we, albeit unconsciously, undergo a process of education. We learn something. Whether it be about ourselves, our friends, our loved ones etc, we learn. Sometimes, the paths we choose take us somewhere dark and foreboding; in which case we learn we never want to return there. Other times, our choices transport us to a place of whimsy and euphoria and bliss. When that happens, we want to take meticulous notes on how we may someday return to that same place. (I am speaking metaphorically, here)
Either way, there is both direct and indirect knowledge gained from the decisions we make about the paths we follow. And, as with every bit of education, there is always a test. Again with the tests!
This week, I would like you to think about a time in your life where you were forced to undergo a test of your character due to a choice you made. Or, if you are poised on the precarious precipice of decision now, you can make a prediction about what you are about to experience. What do you think this choice, this path said, says or will say about you? What did you or will you learn? What do you want to learn?
(450 words/75pts)
Monday, May 5, 2008
What is your Lyrical Philosophy?
I know we talked about personal philosophies a few weeks ago; guidelines you all use to determine your various paths and inform all your decisions, and some of you had some interesting things to say about that. Some others had a hard time trying to put into words exactly what their guiding principles are. I don't blame you--it's pretty hard to do.
Many of you use music as a gateway. To sanity, to serenity, to solace and/or to solitude. Music, to many of you, is an escape from the harsh realities of teenage life.
So, now it is also going to be a tool in which you come to a greater understanding of how you see the world, and how you see yourself.
Think about all the music you love to listen to. Specifically, think about the lyrics to songs you love. Now, I want you to pick one or two songs that adequately encapsulate how you feel about life, your life. Of course, like a quote, nothing can COMPLETELY "sum up" your entire life--I understand that. But many songs, either through explicit or implied messages in lyrics, can at least provide a concrete example of either what you want out of life, what you want out love and how you want to be perceived, taken, understood etc.
So, your task this week is to tell us about a song, copy a few of the refrains/chorus/passages, and explicate their meaning(s) to you.
Try to pick ones that have some depth and that will provide a deeper understanding of your innate beliefs. (450-500 words/70pts)
Many of you use music as a gateway. To sanity, to serenity, to solace and/or to solitude. Music, to many of you, is an escape from the harsh realities of teenage life.
So, now it is also going to be a tool in which you come to a greater understanding of how you see the world, and how you see yourself.
Think about all the music you love to listen to. Specifically, think about the lyrics to songs you love. Now, I want you to pick one or two songs that adequately encapsulate how you feel about life, your life. Of course, like a quote, nothing can COMPLETELY "sum up" your entire life--I understand that. But many songs, either through explicit or implied messages in lyrics, can at least provide a concrete example of either what you want out of life, what you want out love and how you want to be perceived, taken, understood etc.
So, your task this week is to tell us about a song, copy a few of the refrains/chorus/passages, and explicate their meaning(s) to you.
Try to pick ones that have some depth and that will provide a deeper understanding of your innate beliefs. (450-500 words/70pts)
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