Writing Across Cultures

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