Getting Ready for Gatsby: Let's Travel Back in Time!

Before you read on, ask youself if you have posted your reading responses, "10 things About Me," your Poe reflections, and response to "An Occurence at Owl Creek Bridge."  Today in the lab you will have an opportunity to get caught up, read other posts, and then read  and comment below about Gatsby!

Together as a class we are beginning another novel.  I know I say this of many books, but The Great Gatsby really is one of my favorites.  The storyline may seem remote to you, however, if you don't know much about the setting.  Today you have a chance to share what you know about the 1920's, the decline of the American Dream, the morals and values of the upper class, and so on.

This is a picture of the Crick estate

This is a picture of the Gould estate

This is Westbury Gardens

This is Princeton Blair Hall



It is hard for some of us to imagine such wealth as the mansions above or what it might be like to be born into such money that finding a job would never be necessary.  This is a time in our history when the rich were getting richer, World War I had just ended, and business was corrupt.  Any of you watch HBO's Boardwalk Empire?  It provides an interesting view into rum running, crime gangs and police corruption, and very wealthy businessmen.  During this time period, class distinctions seem apparent.  "Old money" blue bloods snub the newly rich, and immigrants must struggle against prejudice and lack of opportunity.

Great Gatsby is not only beautifully written (F. Scott Fitzgerald), it exposes truths about morals and unveils hypocrisy in American classes.

Seen the video trailer?  Here's a link!

Reading Online....

Today we will read Ambrose Bierce online.  There is so much out there that is free to read.  We've been reading Poe in honor of October and mystery and macabre.  Today we will continue the short story unit with another story that takes us to the Civil War era and a popular author of the time who wrote historical fiction.  Here is a link to one of my favorites, "The Occurance at Owl Creek Bridge."

Bierce is clearly one of the prominent voices of the Civil War era.  What do you think  about the sequence of events in this story?  How does that perhaps make a statement about the Civil War?  You can include your thoughts about this piece in today's blog post about your book.

The Point of Blogging: READ EACH OTHER!

Have you taken time to browse through our classroom  sites to learn more about each other?  Today you will be challenged to first proofread your own site, your posts, your pictures.  Review your book responses and check for spelling (there is a spell check button) and sentence structure.  Explain why you posted the picture you did for your book.  Explain the quotation you chose, why you chose it and what it means to the story.  Does your title include the title of your book?  Do you briefly give your readers a summary that will clarify what's going on, who is in your story, and where and when it is taking place without retelling the whole story?  Why did you chose the book?

You are  earning credit for your "10 or more things about me" post and also your comment on the Rules of Safety post (mine), your posts and remarks about Poe and Owl Creek Bridge, and your blog post about your book you are currently reading.

When you are satisfied you have completed the assignments to the best of your ability, your job is to get to know each other by reading all the other blogs in our class.  Last class I included a scavenger hunt for your proof of reading!  However, many of you simply asked each other for answers.  That's NOT the point.  That's not how you were supposed to learn about each other.  Today in the library, you will silently converse with each other by posting appropriate and kind comments regarding the writing.  You have posted information on the blog, and your audience is made up of each other.  Please READ each other's posts and do not talk!