Writing Across Cultures

After discussing Hebrew poetry, please enjoy this shlocky adventure film from director Nathan Juran with Ray Harryhausen's fun little claymation monsters. Seventh Voyage of Sinbad (1958)  Portfolio work: write your own Sinbad (or a similar hero) adventure story, film script, epic or narrative poem, play, comic strip (see this link for this) Here's help: the adventure archetype (usable for any story!)

The History of Palestine: Video Please examine and research the links below. There's a lot here (as always), but select some idea or event or information about Palestine and respond creatively in a poem, play, short story, non-fiction essay, film or script, newsletter/journal article, photograph, visual art, etc. This piece should find its way (along with the Hebrew poem exercise) into your portfolio. Palestine History: Time Line   Please read some poetry from Palestinian poets. The side bar also takes you to a variety of visual artists. As a creative response, see if one of these pictures leads you to ekphrastic poetry (or practice your own visual art). Made in Palestine: a website with poetry and visual art Palestinian film is gaining much respect in the modern world. Look and examine this information for film:  Palestinian film & directors

Please watch the following flash presentation on the link below. As you watch, take notes and pay attention to the information you are receiving, as always.  The History of Israel (Flash Presentation)  After learning a little about the history of Israel, please select 2 Israeli poets and research them from the link below. For each poet, you should briefly detail "WHO" the poet is, a little bit about the poet, awards, etc. Then select at least 1-2 poems from the author and read these. Be prepared to discuss at least one of these poets in class next time. (See Homework below) Israeli Poets Here are some links about ancient Hebrew Culture and Jewish culture and history. Please use this information and research to write a CREATIVE response in the form of a reflective non-fiction essay, a poem, a play, a comic strip, a fiction piece, etc. Ancient Hebrew Culture Ancient Hebrew Language Jewish Culture and History. Hebrew Culture Homework: Research 2 Israeli poets. Be ...

Take a look at these two photos. After viewing them, write for 5 minutes in a creative response. Our image of the Middle East often comes from antiquity. We are largely outdated in our understanding of this area of the world and romanticize exotic aspects of this "foreign" land. Arabia (the ancient middle east) has a particularly rich literary history. Today we will examine various pieces from this time period. For your notes and information in regards to research, here's a few links about Arabia. Aspects of Pre-Islamic Arabian Society Pre-Islamic Arabic Culture Stories of 1001 Arabian Nights Catherine Zeta Jones in the Thousand & One Arabian Nights Tales From 1001 Arabian Nights Tale from the 1001 Arabian Nights: The Lazy Donkey

We are finishing the last three presentations today. Afterward, we will be writing in our journals and reading a variety of material from Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and various Middle Eastern Areas. A Day in the Life of a Muslim Wife (part one) A Day in the Life of a Muslim Wife (part two) Saudi Arabia: Under the Veil Portfolios: I'm handing these back with a progress report for the 2nd marking period. If you would like me to write additional comments about your work, please hand in the portfolio at the end of today's class.

The Nicki Syndrome by Kadisha Phillips  Mr. P (Comic) by Zach Lohouse Magazine Project: Pop Culture project by Rachel Tobin

Today those of us who have selected to write and perform a speech will be given a few minutes to rehearse (about 10) and then we'll go at it. Speakers should remember to (and be evaluated on): --Make eye contact --Speak clearly & enunciate (no gum chewing!) --Speak loudly enough for the next room to hear you --Use gestures and facial expressions that keep in tone with your speech --Use effective pauses --Speak at a rate that is not too fast or too slow --Research the topic thoroughly to understand and communicate the issue --Write a speech that has a clear purpose that analyzes pop culture & its significance Visual aides should be used to enhance (not act as a script) the speech. Usually they are presented before or after the speech. If you're using a PowerPoint, make sure you are not READING off of the powerpoint. The Powerpoint is only meant to hit your MAIN ideas or themes. The details come from your written speech and knowledge of your subject matter. A...

Today we will be spending our time preparing for our projects and portfolios (which are due today!) in the lab. What goes into your portfolio? --Your Zombie project (if you handed this in, I already have it) --Your ghazal --Your middle eastern writings (poems, plays, short stories, essays, etc.) --Previous work that you developed or revised --Your Pop Culture Project (the writing part of it only) --Other writing projects or pieces The Rubric for your portfolio was posted on September 15. Look there for info. Please choose any of the following projects (note: some are group projects). Common Elements of the projects: A. All projects should have a Works Cited page. This is a requirement, as the project encourages and requires additional sources, books, interviews, materials, etc. Check out the link to MLA format on the link page to your right. B. All projects should have a: treatment, outline, or 1-2 page proposal. This proposal should outline the following: 1. what do I...

Today we will finish watching the film Persepolis . After the movie, down to the lab we go. Projects are due Wednesday and Friday when we return from break. Portfolios are due MONDAY, Nov. 29.

Portfolio due the Monday after Thanksgiving Break. Make a note of it. Today we will be watching Persepolis (2008). For participation credit, please watch and complete the handout as you watch. More importantly, notice how the film is a traditional bildungsroman--coming of age story. You too can write a coming of age story. Pick a culture, create a young protagonist and have that character deal with pressures of growing up. A Note about Post Colonialism

Portfolios for the 2nd marking period are due Monday, Nov. 29. Speeches and pop culture projects (films, etc.) will be due Wednesday and Friday of that week as well. What goes into your portfolio? --Your Zombie project (if you handed this in, I already have it) --Your ghazal --Your middle eastern writings (poems, plays, short stories, essays, etc.) --Previous work that you developed or revised --Other writing projects or pieces Today we will be reading a section of Marjane Satrapi's Persepolis and a poem cycle by . After reading these fine pieces, we will discuss Islam and begin watching Persepolis . HOMEWORK: Work on your projects. Work on your portfolio.

Basic Beliefs of Islam Basic Beliefs of Islam 1. Allah, is the only God, and Muhammad is his prophet. 2. Prophets and Messengers: While Muhammad is the sole prophet in Islam, the religion recognizes many of the prophets from Judaism and Christianity, such as Noah, Moses, Abraham, Jesus, and others. Whereas Jesus is thought to be the final prophet for Christianity, Muhammad is God's last prophet according to Islam. As most prophets, Muhammad is chosen by Allah to deliver his message to humankind. 3. The Guidance from Allah & the Qur'an: Muhammad left behind the Word of Allah, the Qur'an, and his teachings, Hadith, were collected by his companions (similar to Christianity's disciples). The Qur'an and the Hadith are the textual sources of Islamic teachings. The Qur'an (or Koran) is equivalent in importance to the Christian Bible or the Jewish Talmud. 4. The Angels: Thought to be beings of purity and light, the angels do Allah's bidding. Taken from Jud...

1st period we will spend our time reading, discussing, taking a quiz, and then will go to the lab. Please read any handouts we do not cover in class for homework. For those of you who have not yet done so, please research Islam and hand in. In the lab, continue to work on your projects, writing, portfolio, etc.

Please research Islam and begin a list of notes (with internet addresses for sites) where you gather some facts about Islam, the religion, and its culture. Fill the paper appropriately for full credit with your research notes and then turn in at the end of class for credit. In the library lab, please use your time wisely (yes, you know who you are who don't actually use your time wisely--and so do I) to complete the following assignments (there's a lot to do people): 1. Work on your pop culture project 2. Complete and type your ghazal 3. Work on revision of your portfolio 4. Work on a reaction/creative response to Islam, Pakistan, Kashmere, or Afghanistan 5. Complete your zombie project HOMEWORK: Please finish reading Act III of Kabul if you haven't done so already.

After our journal writing, please select a role from the play and we will read as much of Kushner's play as we can in class. Please complete Tony Kushner's Homebody/Kabul . Yes, expect a quiz on this next class.

After the quiz on Shabanu , please work on these various projects/assignments: 1. Your ghazal. 2. Your research/writing about the Middle East (Pakistan or Afghanistan) 3. Your pop culture project 4. Read Act One of Homebody/Kabul Please turn in your homework: the Pakistani Newspaper assignment & the graphic organizers for Shabanu.

Today during 1st period we will be discussing the novel Shabanu . You will have a test on this book on Wednesday, Nov. 3 (our next class meeting). When in the lab please look up Pakistani Newspapers (see post below) and choose 2 articles to summarize and hand in. After completing the two articles, you are free to work on your group project or pop culture project. HOMEWORK: Please read the essay: Nund Rishi, The Flag-Bearer of Kashmir Look up Kashmir and learn a little bit about it. Add details to your notes for the Middle East. Please read Act 1 of Tony Kushner's Kabul for Wednesday, Nov. 3. Be prepared to discuss this in class.

Please read two articles from any of the newspaper links regarding Pakistan. The articles you read (I suggest at least one editorial) should involve Pakistan rather than Pakistan's reporting about world events outside of Pakistan. Here are the links: Associated Press of Pakistan Dawn (Islamabad newspaper in English) Lahore newspaper: Daily Times Frontier Post (from Peshawar, on the border between Pakistan & Afghanistan) HOMEWORK: Please summarize each article in a paragraph or two and then respond or reflect in a personal way to each of them. This is homework, due next class. Please click here to read about President: Asif Ali Zardari.

From Random House: IN HER OWN WORDS: A conversation with Suzanne Fisher Staples, author of Shabanu: Daughter of the Wind Q: When did you know you wanted to become a writer? A: I have always wanted to write—from the time I was a toddler, walking around with pencil and paper, asking adults to teach me to write my name, or the names of flowers, or things around the house. I was different from other family members, and I felt like an outsider. Writing was a way to express myself. And in stories I found ways of looking at the world that helped me make my own sense of it. Q: What inspired you to write Shabanu? Was there a specific person who inspired Shabanu’s character? A: I worked on a literacy project for women in a rural village in Pakistan’s Punjab province, and during my time there met many women who were eager to tell me stories about their lives. I found myself seeing that our experiences were very similar. Despite the profound differences in our cultures, we shared hopes,...

The Ghazal is a poetic form consisting of rhyming couplets and a refrain, with each line sharing the same meter. A ghazal may be understood as a poetic expression of both the pain of loss or separation and the beauty of love in spite of that pain. The form is ancient, originating in 6th century pre-Islamic Arabic verse. It is one of the principal poetic forms which the Indo-Perso-Arabic civilization offered to the eastern Islamic world. History: The ghazal spread into South Asia in the 12th century under the influence of the new Islamic Sultanate courts and Sufi mystics. Although the ghazal is most prominently a form of Persian and Urdu poetry, today it is found in the poetry of many languages. The Arabic word غزل ġazal is pronounced [ˈɣazal], roughly like the English word guzzle . The Form: A ghazal is composed of five or more couplets. The second line of each couplet in a ghazal usually ends with the repetition of a refrain of one or a few words, known as a radif , precede...

I will highlight a few Pakistani/Middle Eastern poets in the next few classes. Today let's introduce Mr. Faraz: Ahmed Faraz: Considered one of the most popular Urdu poets, Faraz died in 2008 in Chicago of kidney failure. He was a lecturer at Peshawar University (Pakistan). Among many prestigious international and national poetry and literary awards he was awarded the Hilal-e-Imtiaz prize in 2004, in recognition of his literary achievements. He returned the award in 2006 after becoming disenchanted with his government and its policies. "My conscious will not forgive me if I remained a silent spectator of the sad happenings around us. The least I can do is to let the dictatorship know where it stands in the eyes of the concerned citizens whose fundamental rights have been usurped. I am doing this by returning the Hilal-e-Imtiaz (civil) forthwith and refuse to associate myself in any way with the regime..." --Ahmed Faraz Poem Sample: Dreams Do Not Die Dreams do not...

Please view what we do not view in class and use this information as the basis for your own story, poem, film, essay, etc. dealing with ideas found within or use Pakistan as a setting. National Anthem & slideshow Pakistan Disappeared 2007 Flora and Fauna of Pakistan (slideshow video) Doing it For Allah (Dateline report) 2007 Pakistani Wedding Dance Searching for the Snow Leopard (National Geographic) & BBC's Snow Leopard of Pakistan The Siachen Syndrome (BBC) P akistani National Song (& slideshow) Modern India-Pakistani Make-up Art

Please continue to work and complete your zombie/survival story & your proposal for the Popular Culture Project. Both should be completed by the end of class today. Please use the lab time to move forward on your projects. You may use the library for secondary resources. Results of Voting Poll (in order): Middle East, Europe, Australia/New Zealand, Asia, Africa, South/Central America. HOMEWORK: Please begin reading our first novel: Shabanu by Suzanne Fisher-Staples. You can get information about her here . And about Pakistan here .

Please choose any of the following projects (note: some are group projects). Common Elements of the projects: A. All projects should have a Works Cited page. This is a requirement, as the project encourages and requires additional sources, books, interviews, materials, etc. Check out the link to MLA format on the link page to your right. B. All projects should have a: treatment, outline, or 1-2 page proposal. This proposal should outline the following: 1. what do I want to do? (an explanation of the project as you imagine it) 2. Why do I want to do it? (your reasoning and interest in the topic) and 3. What is it going to include or cover? (No, you can't just wing this at the last minute.) C. Individual projects will have individual requirements. See below. 1. SPEECH & PERFORMANCE : Write a 5-7 minute speech (with visual aides...flyer, brochure, pamphlet--at least one is required). Your speech may be: persuasive, informational, or entertainment (comedy/stand-up, etc.) b...

After our discussion, please write a zombie or survival story.

You have a senior meeting, a senior picture, and some sort of field trip today. Please make sure you have turned in your portfolio. The marking period ends Friday.

Like a Greek Chorus, Zombies represent us. They are us in the mass sense: the public opinion, the zeitgeist of the times. They speak (and eat brains) for us as a collective. As such, when you watch a zombie film, it is helpful to also watch for the satire that generally tags along. Horrible? Yes. But underlying the disturbing feeling of not being sure how to react to something that is neither alive nor fully dead, is a commentary about us as human beings. This makes Zombies a popular modern symbol. Please watch Zombies of Mass Destruction directed by Kevin Hamedani. Cinematographer or director of photography is John Guleserian, special effects by Tom Devlin, and written by Ramon Isao & Keven Hamedani. Cast list is listed on the back of the essay I handed out today. Sorry about the gore. HOMEWORK: Respond to the film. Write about zombies, use zombies in your poetry, in your haiku, in your stage plays. Use zombies as a jumping off point to comment about mass society as you see ...

Consumerism: Big Ideas that Changed the World Please watch the following clips and respond to the videos in your notebook/journal. Consumerism, the Musical George Carlin on Consumerism Consuming Kids Zombies: for some of you, let's watch and creatively respond to one of the films.

You know it. You love it. It's the right thing to buy and will make your life complete. Welcome consumerism. Consumerism can be defined as the theory that a progressively greater consumption of goods is economically beneficial. We use the term also to refer to an attachment to materialistic values or possessions. Recently, it also refers to a movement seeking to protect and inform consumers by enacting laws that affect honest packaging, advertising, and safety and quality issues. Culturally, America is often blamed for rampant consumerism. Recently, the government encouraged Americans to "go out and buy" stuff to help the economy. But does this really help? And what is it doing to us as a hegemonic group of people and our culture? Please read the following articles and view the clips. For each article, jot down a brief summary of the article. Prepare to discuss the articles on Tuesday, Oct. 6. To hand in: write a question you want to ask about the points made by th...

After our discussion regarding advertising, please head down to the library lab to work on your portfolios. The portfolios will be due Friday, Oct. 8. Please refer to the rubric for more information.

Today, after our quiz on Jennifer Government , we will be holding our discussion on the novel during 1st period. After our discussion, we will chat about your advertisement findings from the homework posted below. With remaining time, if any, please work on your responses and portfolio.

It doesn't get more pop culture than this. A turn-based on-line game based on the novel Jennifer Government. Learn about and play it here.

Please hand in your homework regarding Jennifer Government (see post below). You may use this time in the lab to read (particularly if you haven't cracked the book or you are very far behind). You should be close to finishing this novel by this time. There will be a test and discussion on Jennifer Government next class (Sept. 28) I will be picking 4 discussion leaders today in class. Discussion leaders should come up with a few discussion questions regarding the writing, plot, setting, characters, theme, author, or style of the book. Leaders will lead or facilitate a discussion. Lab writing: please work on your portfolio. This will be due the week of Oct. 4 (probably the end of the week of 10/4). Please refer to the rubric for guidelines concerning your writing. HOMEWORK: Complete Jennifer Government . Please watch a few minutes of TV or pay attention to the ads in a magazine or newspaper. Watch the commercials and choose one to examine closely. What is the product being ...

Writing for Business Advertising, sales, and marketing all use creative writing and commercial art to sell products. For those of you business minded, here's a little run down of various advertising techniques that businesses use to sell their products: Emotion : appealing to the basic triumvirate of Rhetoric strategies: Ethos, Pathos, and Logos, pathos is perhaps the strongest when dealing with buying/selling. If an advertiser can strike an emotional cord with his/her audience, purchasing is more likely. Benefit : showing that buying the product has a personal or cultural benefit or pragmatic use. Problem / Solution : the standard or classic set up for business. When a potential customer has a problem, it can be solved by the purchasing of the product in question. Dramatic conflict : Showing two or more forces in competition or conflict appeals to our sense of drama. It helps create subconscious (and conscious) excitement about the product. In business we might call this...

To start off, please take the first 5 minutes of class to read the article: "Snap! Crackle! Plot!" by Roy Rivenburg. After reading, please respond in writing. Then, let's take a look at some advertising techniques. As you watch the slide show, please take notes about advertising strategies. Creative Advertising Techniques . What do you think? Then check out the 2010 Oscar award winning animated short film: Logorama . I think it captures the events in Jennifer Government pretty well. After viewing, let's respond. Please make a list of things you'd like to buy if you were given a blank check and the sky was the limit. Now annotate the list with brief explanations for why you want each item. --How much of what we buy is who we are? --How does what we buy help us connect, compare, or create homogeneous groups (hegemonies). --America: why are we so greedy? --What's up with all this consumerism? Is capitalism to blame? Here's Max Barry's we...

Today, please complete the assignment from last class in regards to note taking on Pop Culture. During period 1, please use the lab time given you to work on your portfolio. We are also getting our first novel: Jennifer Government . Please begin reading this novel. Aim to complete the book by the end of next week. More information will be given in class.

4 = Exemplary 3= Accomplished 2= Promising 1=Beginning 0=Failing Exemplary: Thoroughly and artistically developed characters, plot, structure, conflict, theme, and setting. Uses vivid description, effective diction and word choice, tone or voice, POV, imagery, and compelling dialogue throughout portfolio. Uses a variety of effective literary devices. Writing can be considered “art,” effectively communicating issues central to the human condition in a compelling way. Has few errors in spelling punctuation, syntax, and usage. Sentence structure and overall effect of the work is artistic. Work includes evidence of several revised drafts. Work included in portfolio reflects a wide range of styles and genres. There is more than eleven full typed pages of new work. Uses lab and class time to full extent. Participates consistently and insightfully in class discussions, an exemplar for other students. Accomplished: Well developed characters, plot, conflict, theme, and setting. Uses good de...

Today, please choose one of the articles you read from "Pop Matters" and tell us about the article. Why did you pick it? What drew you to it? What was it about? Why is it relative to our culture? What is Popular Culture ? Popular culture studies popular culture from a critical theory perspective. It is generally considered a combination of communication studies and cultural studies. Barriers between so-called high and low culture have broken down, which encompasses such diverse media as comic books, television, mass media, and the Internet. The theory of progressive evolution : Capitalist economies create opportunities for every individual to participate in a culture which is fully democratized through mass education, expansion of leisure time and cheap media and paperbacks. In this liberal view, popular culture (low culture) does not threaten high culture, but is an authentic expression of the needs of the people. Click here (a very pop culture idea in the first ...

Okay, well, not that many, but some. Today we're going to be exposed to a variety of articles (both video & text). Your job is to take it in, process it, respond to it in some creative way. We will move in "chunks"--after watching a video (see below) or reading an article, we'll spend some time in private, quiet writing. What you come up with or create--any or all of that can become the first draft of something. This something should be kept in your portfolio (or folder). Rubrics about the writing portfolio will arrive sometime next week. Along with our first class novel reading assignment. But today, let's read, write, respond. Oh, and Happy New Year! HOMEWORK : Pop Matters! Link to the Pop culture webzine "Pop Matters." (see the link to your right.) Read 1 FEATURE article, read 1 COLUMN article, and read 1 other article of your choice from music, to blogs, to books, to movies, to television, to any other article posted on the zine. For ...

To start today's class, please respond to the article: "Life in the Age of Authentic Artifice" by Meta Wagner, professor at Emerson University. After responding in writing for about 5-10 minutes, please take a look at the following notes: Cultural Determinism: culture is a learned, as opposed to a natural, behavior. What we learn determines who we are. We are conditioned to act and behave in a certain way determined by what we experience through our environment. Cultural Relativism: All cultural groups think, feel, and act differently. No one group is superior or inferior to another. Cultural Ethnocentrism: The belief that one's own culture is superior to that of other cultures. Cultural symbols: words, gestures, pictures, or objects that carry a particular meaning recognized by those who share a particular culture. Cultural Heroes/Role Models: People who serve as a model for behavior for a group. Rituals: collective activities that solidify, define, or un...

Please read the following article: "Wittgenstein, Semiotics, Proposition 8" by Todd Holden. As you read, take notes, ask questions, play the video embedded in the article (for the first one (let California Ring) link here to view) , and, after reading the full article, respond in writing to anything that caught your attention or made you think or moved you or write about anything that the article reminded you of or how you related to one of the topics within the essay. From your writing, complete a short 2-3 page, double spaced creative essay of your own. Be prepared to share your essay in class. For more information or material (particularly about proposition 8), check these clips: Impact of Prop 8 (CNN) Proposition 8 Commercial CNN Review of 8 The Mormon Proposition And just for fun, Proposition 8, the Musical

Culture Scientists and Anthropologists define culture as learned behavior acquired by individuals as members of a social group. According to Edward Tyler in 1871: culture includes knowledge, belief, art, morals, law, custom and other capabilities or habits acquired by a group. Culture is a learned behavior. Culture is also used to refer to a highly cultivated person versed in art, philosophy, etc. Culture includes insignificant behavior such as behavior traits, etiquette, food habits, as well as refined arts of a society. Culture can also be considered as the sum total of human knowledge and acquired behavior of humankind. Habits or behavior is generally transmitted from members to the young or outsiders until the outsider is also an insider, part of the group. Language : common way of communication. Language is a system of verbal and nonverbal symbols used to communicate ideas. The study of these symbols is what is known as semiotics . Taboos : strict mores or behavior ...

Congratulations class of 2010! Have an excellent summer before you move off toward college or polite society. Keep in touch! See you at Graduation!

Mexico History & Literature I. Two civilizations merge to form the Olmec civilization - 2000 b.c. Highlands: elaborate class structure, advanced architecture, settled Lowlands: primitive aboriginal group Social structure based on theocracy Priests acted as representatives of the gods; (distributed land, sponsored trade) The Olmec civilization settles in the Maya highland of southern Mexico (Mayans) Peaceful until about 750 A.D. Fall of capital city of Teotihuacan and other Mayan centers By 900, the golden age of pre-Columbian civilization ends II. Toltec Centered around the city of Tula People were more militaristic and warlike Society was organized around rigid government control and human sacrifice By the 13th century the Toltecs had dispersed. III. Aztec (Mexica) Came into power in the 15th century Centered around the capital of Tenochtitlan Pyramid structure of power with the warriors and priests on top Servile classes: free peasants and mostly serfs lived under s...

Visit the Baobab Center on University Avenue. Peruse. Become inspired. • Choose a country in Africa. • Research the culture of this country. Take notes (no need to print everything out. Be selective (also our last ink cartridge is dying)!) • Remember: Culture can include: food, fashion, quality of living, economics, historical events, government, philosophy/religion, traditions, entertainment, music, literature, dance, art, roles of men, women, and children, education, sexual orientation, ethics, minority classes, etc. • Look for areas of conflict (as conflict is often what stories, plays, and poems focus on.) • Create a specific setting, character(s), and quickie plot (do a quick plot synopsis for yourself so that your first draft has a definite direction!). These elements will be due at the end of class today. The quickie plot should be no longer than a paragraph or so and should identify the specific setting and main characters. Remember: Getting info on the internet can...

• Write a story about the attack of a monster on an innocent public. o The monster should be a literal metaphor for something our society fears o POV & VOICE: Your story could concern a narrator who has first hand experience with the monster; the story could be told from the POV of the monster; or the story could be told second hand from a more “unreliable” narrator. o Use Godzilla, Frankenstein, Dracula, and/or any other cheesy horror film of the 50’s and 60’s as your inspiration or as a model. You may turn your story in at any time during the marking period for extra credit.

Eastern and Western traditions of thought have intersected throughout the ages, yet these cultures continue to influence each other. What is Western Thought and what is Eastern Thought? There are differences between the East and the West in the approach to answer the question: what is the meaning of life? Eastern religion would include the following types: • Hinduism • Buddhism • Taoism • Confucianism • Sikhism • Jainism • Islam (“near East”) • Ba’hai While philosophy differs from China to Japan to India to Tibet to Afghanistan, (etc.), there are some similarities that Eastern Philosophy shares. They are: 1. Generally, Eastern philosophy is more concerned with the whole and the cosmic than Western philosophy, while still being concerned with everyday life. Eastern philosophy tends to look “inward” as opposed to the West looking “outward.” 2. The West over emphasizes the individual, the East emphasizes the whole or group. The East tends to see the “interconnectedness”...

We have simply run out of time. As to that, for those of you interested in pursuing an education, please peruse the material below. This summer feel free to write and write and write and write... Copy these sites into the address bar. The first is a series of personal blogs from the Middle East. Use any of this material for writing ideas involving the Middle East/Islam, etc. http://personalweb.about.com/od/middleeasternwebpages/Middle_Eastern_Web_Pages_Web_Pages_From_People_in_the_Middle_East.htm More Blogs - you can find them on the side bar here. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/babylonbeyond/2008/12/saudi-arabia--1.html The third is Time's news-website for information about the Middle East. http://mideast.blogs.time.com Some movie clips to think about: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZltyidbP1F4 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GulQUBUx65Y http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HgXgpngHf60 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mOOWpc5QQ9s http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aLFYMkQPakE...

Basic Beliefs of Islam 1. Allah, is the only God, and Muhammad is his prophet. 2. Prophets and Messengers: While Muhammad is the sole prophet in Islam, the religion recognizes many of the prophets from Judaism and Christianity, such as Noah, Moses, Abraham, Jesus, and others. Whereas Jesus is thought to be the final prophet for Christianity, Muhammad is God's last prophet according to Islam. As most prophets, Muhammad is chosen by Allah to deliver his message to humankind. 3. The Guidance from Allah & the Qur'an: Muhammad left behind the Word of Allah, the Qur'an, and his teachings, Hadith, were collected by his companions (similar to Christianity's disciples). The Qur'an and the Hadith are the textual sources of Islamic teachings. The Qur'an (or Koran) is equivalent in importance to the Christian Bible or the Jewish Talmud. 4. The Angels: Thought to be beings of purity and light, the angels do Allah's bidding. Taken from Judaism and Christianity, t...

A Very Brief Foray into Lands Unknown: Japanese literature and history is divided into various periods (based largely on who was controlling the country): Nara Period (710-794 A.D. or C.E.) Japanese literature traces its beginnings from an oral tradition that later used a writing system introduced from China. Most of this literature from the eighth century was created as governmental projects. The Kojiki ( Record of Ancient Matters ) and Nihon shoki (Chronicle of Japan) are really an anthology of myths, legends, stories, and history (much like the Western Bible, but without the religious significance). The most brilliant literary product of this period was the Man'yoshu (Collection of Ten Thousand Leaves), an anthology of 4,500 poems written by a variety of people ranging from peasants and commoners to emperors and nobility (compiled around 759 CE). It is here that Tanka: 31 syllables (5-7-5-7-7) was introduced. Here's a Tanka from Ono no Komachi (c. 850): The colour...