Journals

Journals are shorter pieces of writing which will demonstrate both creative and analytical work. I am interested in voice and analysis, depending on the journal. I plan to collect the journals after we complete five. Please download the rubric for journals here:

Hamlet journals:
Think about the most destructive forces at work in our "state" or country and why you believe they/it have so much power. What **is** the problem and what remedy do you have to solve this "rotting"? Here are the questions: Describe yourself. What makes you most happy? What is preventing you from moving forward? What circumstances do you wish you could change? If you could change one thing about yourself, what would you change? Here is the sample that I read in class: //with thanks to Yusef K.// & when my mother waters the tomato & pepper plants, I steal drinks from the penny-taste of the garden hose. It is my favorite drink. I am six & think to cross the street by myself from time to time, but never do. I am six, my sister is five, & we hide inside clothing racks at the store just to feel the black-sick fill our round bellies when we get lost, lost, lost from our mother. I am six & I am laughing with a mouthful of cashews. I think nuts is the funniest word I have ever heard. I am six & I break all of my mother’s lipsticks & glue them together & put them back in her bathroom drawer. She’ll never notice. Sometimes I find sad envelopes, the ones with red and blue stripes, meaning these envelopes fly, meaning thin feathers, meaning bird with a little worm in the beak. Envelopes from her father, I think—she snatches them from my hand & says, No, no, where did you get these? Now put them back. –[|Aimee Nezhukumatathil]
 * Journal #1**: "Something is rotten in the state of __"__
 * Journal #2**: Complete the questions about your character. After your response, find at least one piece of textual evidence to support your answer. Cite the act and scene after your evidence.
 * Journal #3**: Write a "lost" letter from the perspective of one of the characters of play to another which reveals something which is plausible, but not in the original text. I am looking for a letter which reveals characterization and complexity. You may use the character from Journal #2. Extra points for using Shakespearean language.
 * Journal #4**: Write about a moment in childhood which changed you. Or free choice.
 * Journal #5**: Write a poem. That's it. You can use the suggested prompt (I am__ years old) or write one of your own chosing. It can be a slam poem or plain free verse or rhyming. It just has to use language precisely and say something that matters to you.
 * I Am Six**

Kite Runner journals:

 * Journal #1**: What resolutions or changes would you like to make this year? What do you want to continue to do this year? How do you plan to keep these resolutions? (We'll check in with these resolutions in one month and at the end of the school year.)


 * Journal #2**: What kind of secrets should be kept? Why? Have you ever had a secret you felt like you couldn't tell anyone? What did you think would happen if you told? What are the benefits of secret keeping? Consequences? Explain your answer.


 * Journal #3**: Compare the opening of the Kite Runner, the movie, to the opening of Kite Runner, the novel. Think about imagery, plot, and character. How is the focus different between the opening of each? In what ways are the two the same? Which opening do you find more effective? Why?


 * Journal #4**: What do you consider your legacy from your family? This can either be positive or negative, but it should be an ideal or habit of mind you consider important to either fulfill or reject. Why do you find this trait important? What would you like your legacy to be? Explain.


 * Journal #5:** Write a letter from Sohrab's point of view, explaining his choice at the end of chapter 24. Try to write in the voice of a younger person and use specifics from the text.

Into the Wild journals :

 * Journal #1:**
 * Part One**: After you have packed the backpack you may take into the wild, make a list of the things you would bring. For each item, explain why you brought this item and how it might help you survive.
 * Part Two:** On a scale of 1-10 (1 equals I would be eaten by bears within the hour and 10 equates with I could live for a year this way without a problem), how would you rate in terms of survival in the wild for a month by yourself. What skills do you possess which would help you in a situation like this? What skills don't you possess which might hamper your survival? Does an adventure like this appeal to you at all? Why or why not?


 * Journal #2:**

After reading chapter 1, use two adjectives to describe your impressions of Chris McCandless (Alex). Explain and support each adjective with a specific quote from the chapter.

**Journal #3** Before McCandless leaves for Alaska, Wayne Westerberg offers to buy him a plane ticket. McCandless refuses, however, claiming, “flying would be cheating. It would wreck the whole trip” (67). **Find and explain two quotes from this chapter that demonstrate whether or not McCandless actually lives by his own words**. “How is it that a kid with so much compassion could cause his parents so much pain?” (104). Please respond to this quote, commenting on whether you think McCandless's actions were driven by his anger towards his parents or by other forces. Do you think his rebellion was typical of teenagers? Explain your answer. Use at least one quote to support your answer.
 * Journal #4: ** “So many people live within unhappy circumstances and yet will not take the initiative to change their situation because they are conditioned to a life of security, conformity, and conservatism, all of which may appear to give one peace of mind, but in reality nothing is more damaging to the adventurous spirit within a man than a secure future. The very basic core of a man’s living spirit is his passion for adventure” (57). **Please respond to the above quote, using personal or societal examples to support your points.**
 * Journal #5:**

October journals:
**Journal #1**: Sensory detail fill in the blank along with your descriptive paragraph. This paragraph should be developed into a scene we can see, hear, feel, taste, touch. It may be longer than one paragraph. **Journal #2**: See the attached chart for specifics. Find passages in the text which illustrate the literary elements listed and offer insight into why you chose those quotes.


 * Journal #3**: This is an exercise in voice. Choose two people who would not normally have a conversation and, using Tim Siebles poem "What Bugs Bunny Said to Red Riding Hood" as a model, write your own poem or dialogue using the title "What Said to __."

Ford huge elephant ridiculous essential huck breathe
 * Journal #4**: Using 5 of the following 7 words, write a story with a beginning, middle and end. Please **bold** the words.


 * Journal #5**: How would you describe your author's style of writing? Tone? Select a passage which demonstrates the author's style well. As you consider this question, think about point of view (1st person, 2nd person, 3rd person limited, 3rd person omniscient). What does your author do to engage the reader? Does it work? Why or why not?

Look at the Portraits of Grief in the New York Times: []
 * Journal #1**:

After looking at several portraits, do one of two things: a) Select one portrait and write a letter to the family of that person, explaining what the deceased made you think about or how it may inspire you to act.

OR B) Write your own obituary, thinking about what is most important about you and what you want your legacy to be.

Create a double entry journal. One side will have direct quotes from the text. The other side will have your ideas, connections and analysis. Find three quotes which reveal the contradictions/confusion in Holden's character.
 * Journal #2:**

Describe an object which often gets overlooked at Gorham High School. Use the first person point of view. Make sure you use small details to describe the object, thinking about sensorial details: those you can see, hear, taste, touch and feel.
 * Journal #3:**

Write a six word memoir about a significant moment in your life that changed you.
 * Journal #4:**

Some of my favorites: Miss my sister, wish we met I am only what I know. Nothing's changed. I still miss you. He doesn't come down. Nothing new. Heathrow. Underage. No note. Got detained. Dude, light it on fire again! Then I pulled a Chuck Norris.

See some other examples:

[]

Pretend you are Holden Caulfield. In his voice, write a letter you think Holden Caulfield. In his voice, write a letter you think Holden would write on his last day at GHS. One page, double-spaced (if typing).
 * Journal #5: **