9/10/19 Samiha Aladin Period 2

Aim: How can we demonstrate the symbolic and metaphorical meaning of an individual’s personal apocalypse through Cormac McCarthy’s example in The Road?

Today’s lesson began by finishing a TEDTalk our class had watched the previous day (https://youtu.be/PBDJ2UJpKt4). The video was about people’s common misconception of the word “folklore”, and how it expands past that of old, rustic stories. Rather, the folklore of today would be memes or stories - anything that contributes to the “culture” of our society. And the medium? Not by word of mouth, as folklore is often associated with, but rather the Internet. Folklorist Lynne S. McNeill says that “Making an internet meme, or even just sharing one on social media, is participating in the documentation and preservation of contemporary folk culture.” As a result, don’t feel so bad after spending an hour browsing the internet, because it’s worthwhile if you’re able to document and preserve the culture in which we experience today.

The second part of class was discussing our upcoming project based on The Road by Cormac McCarthy. Groups will have to create a book cover depicting our interpretation of what happened prior to the events of The Road? What would its prequel be like? We would also have to support our book cover with a presentation. In class groups brainstormed ideas as to what events might’ve transpired before the book’s setting.

    From the video, I learned that me scrolling through Instagram or reading Buzzfeed is not a giant waste of time. By finding, creating, and sharing memes, I am experiencing and participating in this new style of folklore. No longer is our culture shared by word of mouth, but by internet, which is something not many people realize. The video definitely makes me feel better about being on the internet a lot, as I can just say “I’m participating in the documentation and preservation of contemporary folk culture.”