Week 5 Syllabus: September 18-22
HOW DOES VASHTI’S EXPERIENCE ALLIGN WITH CAMPBELL’S hero journey? And her son’s, Kuno’s experience? There may be within any story multiple heroes, and multiple journeys which do or do not conform the the monomyth in varying degrees. Both Vashti and Kuno experience clear departure’s from the known world, moving into the unknown. Likewise, both experience a symbolic death-and-rebirth in a cave/tunnel like darkness—Vashti in the airship, travelling to see her son, and Kuno in the air-tubes that lead to Earth’s surface. However, neither return to the known world with an “elixer,” or new knowledge that saves either society or humanity. In fact, everyone dies! What, then, should we learn from this story without final truth?
MONDAY, September 19
Shortened day due to late start today.
Collecting the Campbell notes from the video, “The Power of Myth” and the hero-journey map that you created for Haroun.
Reading and annotating a New Yorker essay by Oliver Sacks, “The Machine Stops.” What argument is Sacks making about technology?
Writing a discussion response in Canvas using direct and indirect evidence.
HW: Finish writing your discussion response if you have not done so. Also, read through other classmate’s responses. What did they capture that you missed? What did you add to the conversation that they missed?
Read and annotate Brautigan’s poem, “All Watched Over By Machine's of Loving Grace” and annotate it in the same way you took notes on Sacks. What argument does Brautigan make about technology?
WEDNESDAY (anchor day)
Taking the nationally-normed STAR reading assessment. These results will be shared with students. Taking the exam is counted in our “non-graded” category in Canvas.
HERE’S THE LINK TO THE STAR reading assessment. You will take this online. Your user ID is your NT id number. Your password is your birthdate (8 digits, month/day/year).
https://global-zone50.renaissance-go.com/welcomeportal/737639
HW: If not done, turn in your answers to the thinking questions on Forster’s “The Machine Stops” into Canvas. You are uploading that as a pdf (answers must be typed). Due before class on Tuesday.
THURSDAY, September 22
Discussion of the Forster short story.
Second half of class, watching Charlie Chaplain’s epic quasi-silent film, Modern Times.
Reading a poem, “Poem 114: Machines” by Michael Donaghy.
HW: Finish your annotations and the Q&A on “The Machine Stops” for class on Tuesday.