Writing Across Cultures

Before you graduate, please make sure all your work in turned in. All written projects and assignments are due by the end of the day. Good luck to all of you during finals and into graduation. Have a great summer! It's been a pleasure. I came across this video the other day and since we discussed the generation gap in class, thought it might be a good ending to the class: Millennials in the Workplace .

Located at the southern tip of Africa's great continent, South Africa, originally a Dutch colony (an important harbor--the Cape of Good Hope, later Cape Town). Later the discovery of diamonds ultimately lead to the Boer wars (as the Dutch, French, English, German, etc. battled over control of the area). White minority privilege caused strife as only about 4.5% of the rich, white ruling class had control of government policy. This lead to Apartheid (see below) which you have probably studied in Global. Here is some brief information about South Africa: South Africa Government Site and key issues the government is dealing with (a good place to look for ideas for conflict!) South African History: The Apartheid South African writers: Lionel Abrahams Peter Abrahams Nadine Gordimer Music of South Africa South African Arts Cinema of South Africa

China Tour (video) Information about China This is China (promotional documentary) Government The Ka-Cing Dynasty (Documentary) CrossTalk: China's Century (economics documentary) Religion Confucianism (The Analects) Literature The Misty Poets ( Bei Dao ) Chinese American poet: Li-Young Lee ( "Eating Alone" ) Contemporary Chinese Poets Film: Sixth Generation Jackie Chan Jackie Chan from Mulan Theatre: Cao Yu (play Thunderstorm , adapted into the film Curse of the Golden Flower ) Music: Harlem Yu Chinese Hip-Hop: Yin T'sang Don't Worry (hip hop video) Big Bird in China & Rubber Ducky Chinese food in America versus Chinese food in China

After our quiz, let's chat about Japan. Japanese News Traditional Japanese "Noh" Theater Hiroshi Kawasaki (poet) Japanese Pop Music Sumo: cultural pastime 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 (c...

Okay. So some of you have been bugging me about commas. While you should have learned this by now (or looked it up) sometimes it takes a little more practice. So: Commas are used to separate a series of words or phrases. In writing (as in comedy) we usually adhere to the rule of three. Three objects or examples are separated by commas and a conjunction. You may use more in a series, but three is usually the best number: Birds, bees, and trees.  Actors, dancers, and creative writing majors.  She danced a jig, made a macaroni necklace, and ran a marathon all in one day! Commas are used for coordinating adjectives . If you use two adjectives to describe a noun (and if a conjunction fits nicely between the words), you use a comma between them: He was a tired, weary man. (He was a tired AND weary man.) She was a nice, courteous teacher. (She was a nice AND courteous teacher.) Use a comma to join two or more independent clauses (sentences that can stand on their own ...

Well, here we are running around the world in a frenzy. Our last few classes will be devoted to covering as much of the globe as possible. As such, there are some prompts and poets and authors that we will read. There's really nothing we need to do with this material other than enjoy it. There comes a time in education and learning that it does a world of good to simply go back to enjoying something without having to build a lesson from reading or analyzing it. With that said, there's a wealth of knowledge at your fingertips here. I cannot make you care about the world you live in, but it is my hope that you spend some time reading, watching the videos, clicking the links, and thinking about the art and culture posted below and above. If you happen to not be here next class, please note the following: 1. I will be posting information about China, Korea, and Japan between today's class and next. Please review the material and read the packets given to you in class on ...

India Rich vs. Poor (documentary) India's Caste System (student project) Mahatma Ghandi: God is Life speech Ghandi (trailer) India & Pakistan Gain Independence: Short Documentary (real footage) Indian Independence: 1947, August 15, midnight ( Midnight's Children ). Bollywood: Nightline documentary Bollywood: best song/dance of 2005 Bollywood: best song of 2009 Hinduism (documentary), part one A scene from Peter Brooks' film: The Mahabharata ( The Bhaghavad Gita ), 1989 The very excellent (and funny) animated film (entire film): Sita Sings the Blues , 2009 Vegetable Biryani: Cooking Show Sample Indian Hip Hop George Harrison's sitar lesson with legendary musician Ravi Shankar

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 “interconn...

We will complete the writing assignment posted from last class. See writing assignment on the previous post for directions. Use the first period to complete this exercise. If you finish early, please go on to the other tasks in this post. Also today, your mystery stories drafts are due. If you are not done, please turn in what you have as a place holder and complete the story over the weekend. You need to prepare your chosen reading for the Coffeehouse. Print out copies of your chosen piece(s) and begin scoring and preparing them. Underline important lines or words, make notes in the margins about the TONE and volume you might choose to use in the performance, note gestures and staging you might like to use, etc. Then find a partner and practice. While you are doing that, please copy your electronic file of your chosen submission to the literary magazine LAMBENT. Save your file on the portable drive as your last name. If you have more than one piece, copy and paste the pieces to...

Russia (basic information) : the US Department of State has information on World countries with statistics. This can be helpful for social studies courses. Compare US information with a site in the UK. Russian Culture Russian Revolution Russian Civil War: Short Formalist Film Rasputin Soviet National Anthem News articles Russian Poets Architecture Sports Russian recipes Rap Battles: Rasputin vs. Stalin (strong language warning!) By far, the most influential film maker of early Russian film was Sergei Eisenstein . Please read this article on the state of contemporary Russian Film . Anton Chekhov is considered to be one of the greatest short story writers the world has ever known. We have read The Sea Gull , and some of you may have read other Chekhov plays ( Uncle Vanya, The Cherry Orchard, The Three Sister, The Bear (or The Boar), The Marriage Proposal, Ivanov, etc.)  Consider the elements of a fine fiction story. In normal fiction, a character is exposed ...

Czeslaw Milosz is one of Poland's best loved poets. His poems can be found here. Forget by Czeslaw Milosz Forget the suffering You caused others. Forget the suffering Others caused you. The waters run and run, Springs sparkle and are done, You walk the earth you are forgetting. Sometimes you hear a distant refrain. What does it mean, you ask, who is singing? A childlike sun grows warm. A grandson and a great-grandson are born. You are led by the hand once again. The names of the rivers remain with you. How endless those rivers seem! Your fields lie fallow, The city towers are not as they were. You stand at the threshold mute.

Today, a smorgasbord of Norse culture. For those of you who are not completely exhausted from learning, you may find these resources here helpful in setting your fiction, poetry, plays, and essays in a Norse setting. Since we are running out of time to cover the entire world in this course, we will only briefly glimpse at a very rich and extensive culture. For your benefit (although not our focus) this unit misses Finland , Switzerland , and Iceland . Click on their links and learn about them on your own time. Some of their literature can be found in the packets of reading. Our focus today will briefly be on: Swedish Culture Norwegian Culture Danish Culture Polish Culture For those of you interested in Norse mythology (or mythology) and Vikings, here are a few interesting links: The Creation of the World (Norse Mythology) The Vikings Look here to read about some of the following famous authors. Both Lagerlof and Lagerkvist won Nobel Prizes for their work (not t...

Many of you are taking the AP Micro/Macro test this morning. Good luck! For those left behind, please go to the lab and complete the following: 1. German Research. Look at the post below and learn a little about Germany and German culture. See links below! 2. Complete or continue your mystery story project. 3. If you were absent, ask the sub for your test on Murder on the Orient Express and complete that. 4. Choose some of your original writing and begin preparing it for our coffeehouse. Edit, update, and work with the piece. Help each other edit, etc. HOMEWORK: None.

Greece is best known around the world for their ancient theater and epics. In the classical period of history they were incredibly influential in the formation of the West. Here's a site or two devoted to that information. Ancient Greece: History, Myth, Art, Culture, etc. Greek National Anthem Greek Food Greek Alphabet Song Dogtooth, film Greece: Economic Collapse (Whiteboard Animation)  Hungary : another country and culture with a long and rich history, albeit truncated by how much time we have left in this course. Peruse and learn . Hungarian Revolt 1956 Poet: Janos Pilinszky Picture Poems by Lajos Kassak Culture Traveling in Hungary Cuisine

After our quiz on Murder on the Orient Express today, let's read a little German lit. After reading, please move to the lab to conduct some research. Our coffeehouse recital is coming up (May 29) and you should decide on a reading from your many, many options. The coffeehouse celebrates YOU and your fine writing/work. Pick something representative of YOU. Something you are proud of...that is, don't simply pick something because it's short. That's just lazy and will make you look bad. The coffeehouse is a requirement. You MUST attend. It's that important. Clear your busy schedule to attend. If I can do it, so can you.... Anyway, in the lab (and as interested for homework), take a look at any of the following material: Key moments in German History: The Reformation Prussian Empire Bismarck Empire Immanuel Kant & Moral Philosophy Franco-Prussian War (Napolean) Karl Marx Sigmund Freud First World War Weimar Germany Nazi Germany G erman Propagand...

Please turn in your homework (the graphic organizer on Italian Film). This morning please read the poems (handout) and "How to Travel with a Salmon" by Umberto Eco in class together. Then, please retire upstairs to the lab 339 to finish reading the Umberto Eco essays. As writing exercises, try your own hand at writing a short "How To" essay. This should be short 1-2 page in length (400-600 words, for example) and deal with "How to" do something. Some ideas are: How to Pass a _____ Class, How to Cheat on your Boyfriend/Girlfriend, How to Buy a Dress for Prom, How to Survive Senioritis, How to Eat Unhealthily, How to Train a Dog, How to ... you get the idea (How to Get an Idea...) Turn in your draft by the end of class today to the substitute. If you finish early, please continue working on your mystery stories or reading Murder on the Orient Express. Finish the novel by next class. HOMEWORK: Complete Murder on the Orient Express .

This morning, we will examine a few Dutch writers. To whet your appetite, here's a quick video about Dutch culture. Travel to the Netherlands . And for those curious, the Netherlands neighbor is Belgium. Watch this video in the lab: Do you want to know more about Belgium? In the lab please work on your mystery stories. Also, please watch the following clips and respond on the graphic organizer to the article/clips (homework, essentially, although you can flip the mystery story with the Italian cinema material and watch this morning, write this evening...). As you watch these clips, please consider the "essential question": what is the cultural difference between American cinema and Italian cinema? Victorio De Sico The Bicycle Thief Umberto D . Umberto D. (ending clip) Michelangelo Antonioni (1912- 2007) • Blow Up (clip or trailer) • L'Eclipse • L’Avventura • Bergman speaks about Antonioni Pier Paolo Pasolini (1922 – 1975) • Pasolini the Filmmaker ...

We will continue (and complete) our viewing of And Then There Were None . Please turn in your viewing notes at the end of the film. You should try to complete your reading of Agatha Christie's Murder on the Orient Express by end of this week or beginning of the next. There will be a test on the book. If we finish early for some reason, we will head up to the lab to work on our mystery projects. HOMEWORK: Keep reading Murder on the Orient Express . Brainstorm and complete plot notes for your mystery project.

This morning, let's take some time to brainstorm. In groups of 2-3 brainstorm some characters, events, and objects typically found in mystery or suspense novels and films. Then, take a few minutes alone to flesh out a few details on the graphic organizers about a crime and plot. This is just a bit of sketching, you may strengthen and change anything you need to to make your plot workable later. As you read Agatha Christie, notice how she handles plot and designs scenes as a way of building or releasing tension. As we watch the film And Then There Were None , please note how the plot unfolds as a sequence of cause and effect. Take notes as you watch (I'll collect this at the end of the film, likely Monday). HOMEWORK: Keep designing and working on an idea for your mystery. Continue reading The Murder on the Orient Express .

During period 1 today, please complete your reading of The Homecoming . After reading, please discuss some of the questions posed on the handout from last class. During period 2, we will get our next book, Agatha Christie's Murder on the Orient Express . Agatha Christie Best selling author for the past seventy or so years, Agatha Christie's has sold over two billion books worldwide and her books have been translated into over 45 languages. The world knows her name and her writing. She has eighty novels, several short story collections and over a dozen plays to her name. The play The Mousetrap , has been the longest running straight play in theatrical history. None too shabby. HOMEWORK: Please begin reading Murder on the Orient Express . Here are a few clips from various Agatha Christie films: Murder on the Orient Express (VIDEO GAME) Murder on the Orient Express (1972) Death on the Nile (1978) Evil Under the Sun And Then There Were None (1945) 10 Litt...