WE BEGAN and by interpreting an intriguing graphic short story, "The Day I Dissappeared," by Jacques de Loustal and Paul Auster. What does this mysterious story mean? Students wrote and submitted a short (>1 page long) essay interpreting the work, which we discussed on Friday. We also began reading a chapter from Campbell's The Power of Myth on his hero journey. You can find a link to the chapter here.

Monday

Today we will have a short, in-class essay on the summer reading, The Alchemist. The prompt is located here. Students will have 40 minutes to write, and this short essay will not be graded in the traditional A-B-C-D-F manner. Rather, it will be a baseline reading sample for our coursework.
HW: Tonight, begin searching for definitions of Joseph Campbell's "monomyth" a.ka. "hero-journey." You want to find at least three different sources that define and describe it. Create a short bibliography for the three sources you find, and use MLA format for that bibliography. Due tomorrow.

Tuesday

Collect and discuss findings relative to the hero journey. We will then pick up our in-class reading of chapter five from Power of Myth, on page 132. We will also begin discussing aphorisms within The Alchemist.
HW: Later this week, we will begin our work on the college essay. Please email me a short missive that includes: a) your name, b) where you are in the college/post-high school process, and c) the names of and (if possible) the writing prompts you need to write for college applications. For this last part, include ALL related, relevant text, including instructions for the written portion.

Wednesday

Close examination of The Alchemist. We will start by looking at the section on the glass merchant. Why doesn't Santiago stay there? Why is he compelled to leave? WAATW...you took a leap of faith. We will then return to the Campbell/Moyers interview.
HW: Review the 15 questions from our MM study guide on the summer reading. Mark your top 5 favorite questions that you would like to answer.

Thursday

Investigation into Santiago's hero journey. We will keep notes in-class on a chart of all significant plot points. Also, WAATW...you discovered a surprising ability or skill.
HW: Complete your notes for homework tonight.

Friday

Returning to the Campbell/Moyers interview. We will also begin discussing the college essay, and I will have a slew of materials to distribute (a few hard copies, many more electronic copies). Also, WAATW...you were needlessly afraid.
HW: Finish researching and developing responses to your five, selected questions on the study guide