Syllabus starting January 6

WE ENDED 2019 WITH THE FILM CASTAWAY, reflecting on Chuck Noland’s life and escape from nature. Chuck’s confrontation with nature helped him discover his own nature, discovering his failure to appreciate those he loved, uncovering a new way to live and breathe in a world beyond his control. Golding’s novel is different, though they too are rescued. What is at work on the island—an inherent evil within nature and wilderness? Or is it something within a boy in particular, in in the boys in general? What is Golding’s view on this question? We will use google-sheets to gather some direct quotes in response to this question. And we will continue reading poems about evil and wilderness.

Monday

• Starting with an Anne Sexton poem, "The Evil Seekers." Then we will start adding quotes to a google sheet.

• HW: Gathering our notes on the topic of evil. Does evil exist in the hearts of the boys? Are the boys born evil? Taught to be evil? Forced to act in evil ways? Students will submit four quotes: two on evil, two on violence.

Tuesday

• Discussion on “The Evil Seekers.” Collecting your copy of LOTF

• HW: Write a short paragraph that answers this question: who are the “evil seekers,” and why must they seek evil? In other words, think about what Anne Sexton thinks about the nature of evil. Quote the poem directly. You should write your answer either on the front of or the back of the poem. 

Wednesday

• We will watch a selection from STOP: Survival on a Deserted Island , a documentary about the making of Castaway and real-life survival on a deserted, tropical island. 

• HW: Read the poem "Man, Frightening Animal" by Oscar Williams. DRAW what you see in the poem, on the back of the poem. Use any medium; do not use any words. 

Thursday

• Discussion of the last night’s poem. We will start that discussion by sharing and reviewing your drawings., Is man truly an animal? If so, does it matter that we have animal instincts? If not, then what are we? What do you think? What does Golding think?

• HW: As with the Sexton poem, write a short paragraph that explains what poet thinks about the nature of evil. Quote the poem directly. Write your answer on the back of the poem. 

Friday

• Writing a claim for our upcoming paper on LOTF and evil.

• HW: Reviewing claims, reasons, and evidence for a paper on LOTF by posting these onto a shared google sheet.