The Tree of Life—due April 30

Submit your comments at 12:20 p.m. each day.

Make multiple entries—one each for Wednesday (1-4), Thursday (5-8), Friday (9-12)—to write all you can, considering this narrative. Focus and write with the time you have.

1. Write about grace (which the mom represents).

2. Write about nature (which the dad represents).

3. Write about thinking, cognition, awareness.

4. Write about the setting.

5. Write about the time shifts.

6. Write about the relatability of the narrative. Mr. Massmann rightly says this is where the film thrives: each scene creates a major opportunity to connect your own life in a relatable, poignant way.

7. Write about the point of the narrative.

8. Write about the defiance.

9. Write about the connections.

10. Write about the forgiveness.

11. Write about the difficulty.

12. Write about ______________ (your choice).

"Unless you love, your life will flash by."

"Wonder."

"Hope."

See this too, found by Mr. Massmann. Powerful. Kent Jones. “Like The Thin Red Line and The New World before it, The Tree of Life is a war film. The war is between a mother and a father over the souls of their sons, and while no blood is shed and the war is fought across dinner tables and patches of grass, it is no less emotionally violent than the wars of the previous films.”

How is the tree of life metaphor/allusion applicable here?

Extra credit: read & write about this review of the film by J.R. Jones.

LitCharts Poetry—due April 22

1. Find a poem you really, truly enjoy at LitCharts.com.

2. Study it, understand it.

3. Summarize the poem with 50+ words

4. React to and connect with the poem with 250+ words.

Life of Pi Chapter Analysis—due April 13

classicfm.com

Answer all these questions about the chapter or chapters you selected. Enter multiple comments, all with your last name included. Stay up.

1. Why is your chapter placed where it resides (within the book, not looking for actual physical settings where the character/s move around)? Why is it exactly in that order?

2. Why are the chapters near yours placed nearby? Rank your chapter with four others nearby in a classification system you devise.

For example: most to least entertaining, gory, funny, informative, spiritual, poetic, visual...

3. What are your chapter’s seven best literary devices (metaphors, similes, setting, irony…) or smooth, impressive, evocative sentences? Are they funny, insightful, significant, meaningful, whimsical?

4. What does your chapter do to/for the reader? Teach, direct, mislead, frustrate, anger, inform, incite, entertain, motivate, connect, relate...

5. How much research did your chapter require Martel to do in order to write it well? Martel invests around a decade for each of his books—to add authenticity and authority. Does the book show any cultural stereotypes or cultural assumptions? Or is the book able to avoid those successfully? Are all the characters represented with the dignity they deserve?

6. What else should your chapter have that Martel did not include? Why/how would this addition help readers gain insight, perspective, something they can use?

7. What emotions is Martel conveying through your chapter? How do you sense these emotions? What diction has an especially powerful connotation? Quote 3+ sentences/phrases word for word/verbatim. Cite them with parentheses and properly placed punctuation.

8. Martel cut dozens of other chapters, perhaps mailing them with addresses to/from Bolivia and Siberia. He also rewrote each chapter dozens of times. When/where is the statement “less is more” true? What evidence of great revision does your chapter show? Where did Martel not include information in a great way? Quote 2+ sentences/phrases.

9. What functions of plot mechanism does your chapter accomplish for the plot overall? Does it move action, develop character, cause befuddlement or intrigue, pique interest in a new area, introduce action-causer or progress-halter, expand worldview, inform to mis/lead, redirect the focus, refine an interpretation? Quote sentences/phrases to show evidence.

NCRC—due April 8

Write 150+ words about your successes and challenges after trying some NCRC practice questions at this link.