10/30/19 Andrew Rossi (Late) PD 7

Andrew Rossi

Period 7

Aim- How do fairy tales juxtaposed against ancient tales highlight the evolution of

language, as well as the classic theme of love conquering all? 

Do now? What does it take to love someone? (This can be romantic, filial, pets,

whatever you love hard.)

 I believe that love is not a concrete emotion or feeli Nd and that it is takes different

things for different people to fall in love. 

Psyche (noun): The human soul, mind or spirit

Zephyr (Noun): A gentle, light breeze

Do the tales create the language, or does the language create the tales?

In my opinion the language creates the tales because without language spreading the

stories would be impossible. I believe that one of if not they most important part of a tale

is the way it spread by word of mouth. 

Review the tale of Cupid and Psyche

Review the Grimm’s Cinderella. Compare the literature 

Both stories have a common lesson that love is worth fighting for and that there are no

boundaries in love. Both couples face trial and tribulation but overcome it to find each other. 

Why do these themes seem to transcend time?

These stories tend to transcend time because they have simple morals that are common

throughout time. Although the stories are in a very different time and aren't very similar

between each other, their morals are similar and lifelong. They will apply as long as man

lives,as it is a basic human lesson. Love is not defined by class, position, or background. 

We started class with a lengthy debate on what it take to truly love someone. 

Kelly said that she believed that love meant that a person would be willing to sacrifice

anything for the person they loved. 

Steven added that he felt that as human beings love is more a fluid feeling that revolves

around sacrificing anything for love. 

Cornelia said that she thought love is just an emotion that can be triggered by certain

things to certain people

I agreed with Steven but how did that I think that love is not a concrete feeling and can be

different for anyone. I added that sometime we love someone and can’t express or

acknowledge a reason why we love them.

We then spoke about the power of words and language. We discussed what was more

Important the tale or the language behind the tale. I believe that the language

itself of more important for the spread of lessons and morals through word of

mouth stories. 

We then read a… darker version of Cinderella 

10/30/19 Ryan Patino Period 8

Modern Mythology 2020

October 30, 2019

Ryan Patino PD 8 #22

Aim: How do fairy tales juxtaposed against ancient tales highlight the evolution of language, as well as the classic theme of love conquering all?

The class began with a simple do now: “What does it take to really love someone?”

As the students discussed, there was a general consensus with a willingness to sacrifice for the wellbeing of the other. Everyone seemed to list feelings, sensations and the extent of their love but no one seemed to actually answer the question. What is required from us to truly love someone?

The class was then asked to take part in a simple exercise. Each person was to find a partner and choose between A and B. Everyone that chose B had to simply ask “who are you?” But they were only limited to these three words. Everyone with A had to just rapid quick and concise answers. 

When repeatedly asked “who are you?” people answered with either vague and silly answers, whether it be stating their name repeatedly or stating the names of fruit. 

However, no one seemed to answer with “kind” or “generous”. No one seemed to define who they are as people.

So how did this tie back to the concept of love?

How could we as people even begin to love someone else if we don’t know who we are first? In a way it’s unfair to ask for the trust and faith of another if we don’t have faith in trust in ourselves as people. 

The class ended off with a reading from the original Grimm’s Cinderella. A story that strangely resembled the story of Psyche and Cupid. From the jealous sisters, to the harsh demanding mother (Venus) that tasked Cinderella (Psyche) with difficult labors (like picking peas from a stack of lentils) in which pigeons (ants) help her. Lastly, both stories have lovers whose identities were supposed to be kept unknown. 

Within these stories we learn that love can only exist within faith and honesty, and with enough effort love can conquer all. This seems like a common theme within human history since love stems from our necessity for attachment and dependency. As long as there is at least two people that depend on each other the bond they share can be described as some form of love. So as long as people exist, so will love.

10/30/19 Derek Coffey PD1

Derek Coffey Period 1

Aim: How do fairy tales juxtaposed against ancient tales highlight the evolution of language, as well as the classic theme of love conquering all?

Do Now: What does it take to really love someone? (This can be romantic, filial, pets, whatever you love hard.) 

• Love is intertwined with sacrifice, therefore to love someone you must make sacrifices all of kinds
• Love takes commitment, such as a relative you make plans to call once a week
• Love is never easy and fights are inevitable

Groups Work

1. Read “Cinderella”
2. Review the tale of Cupid and Psyche. Compare the literature.
3. Why do these themes seem to transcend time?

     The stories of Cupid and Psyche and Cinderella have similar traits throughout. After Cupid runs away from Psyche, Venus warns her she must endure some challenges to prove she is worthy for her son. Psyche must first sort various types of grain and is aided by ants. Next, she must gather wool from some ferocious sheep and is aided by a reed. Then she must retrieve water from a spring that flows into the Underworld and is again aided by an unusual power. Finally, she must go to the Underworld and get a modicum of beauty from Proserpina. Similarly, Cinderella had to endure all types of trials and pain from her step mother. Her wicked stepmother promises Cinderella 3 times if she picked lentils from the ashes she would be allowed to attend the ball. She is aided by animals and eventually attends in a beautiful dress despite her stepmother.

The modern fairy tale Cinderella obviously took some inspiration from the story of Cupid and Psyche. This is because the themes in both stories transcend time and will forever be relevant. Trust is a central theme in both stories as seen when Venus puts Psyche through trials to prove she is worthy for her son Cupid. In Cinderella, she doesn't love her step mom because she constantly betrays Cinderella’s trust. She is wicked and lies to her about being allowed to attend the ball. Yet the themes of the stories are more relevant today as ever. Trust is the first and most crucial step to loving someone , as love cannot exist where there is no trust.    

Ying Dan Lin Period 2 10/30/19 - Blog #1

10/30/19 Ying Dan Lin PD 2

Aim: How do fairy tales juxtaposed against ancient tales highlight the evolution of language, as well as the classic theme of love conquering all?

Do Later: 

What does it take to really love someone? (It can be romantic, filial, pets, whatever you love hard)

 We started class off with a vocabulary quiz followed by Ms. Fusaro speaking to us about a possible trip to experience folklore being passed down in action and have a full course meal at a notably haunted inn. After that we went on to do the do later. There were many interesting points and perspectives brought up in the class discussion. Most people agreed that loving someone meant being tolerant, accepting, and understanding towards them. It meant being able to let them go and wanting what was best for them even if it wasn't easy for you. Some people brought up the point that sometimes it is difficult to recognize because there is a difference in loving something and only being in love with the idea of something. Selena connected the do later back to our homework reading and mentioned that "love cannot live where there is no trust". In contrast to all these ideas being discussed, the topic of abusive relationships and addiction was brought up. Ms. Fusaro explained to us that the word addiction always has a bad connotation and that it was obsession in a very unhealthy way so it shouldn't be compared to love.

Vocabulary:

Psyche: human soul, mind or spirit

Zephyr: gentle, light breeze

Examination of Language: Is there power in language?

As a class, we talked about the significance of language and how it overlaps so many other aspects of life. The understanding of language and connotations of certain words are different throughout different cultures. Certain words have more emotional attachment so they are more moving when they are used. The concepts and cultural importance associated with certain words determine the importance of the message. Language is important for communication and with communication comes power. The bible story of the Tower of Babylon was mentioned to describe how language was a part of identity and also united different groups of people. Music was also mentioned as another form of language that was universal which meant many, even those outside of our species, can form a connection to. 

Ms. Fusaro mentions how language comes in so many different forms, such as body language and cultural language, and is very integrated into our daily lives. Language is powerful because it is the one ability that allows us to find freedom.

Grimm's "Cinderella" VS Cupid and Psyche

We read Grimm's "Cinderella" and compared it to the story of Cupid and Psyche. We didn't really get a chance to discuss as a class but Ms. Fusaro mentioned that Cupid and Psyche was a myth that portrayed women differently. Previous myths we had looked at had women who were disempowered. In these two stories, the young women are shown as good people and are able to harness the power of nature to aid them. 

Why did I learn what I did today?

Our lesson today was to look at how the theme of love conquers everything seems to be a timeless concept. It is portrayed in ancient Greek mythology and continues to be embodied by fairy tales that are still popularly told today. Today's lesson also brings to light a difference in how women were being portrayed when it came to love. Our lesson aims to help us think deeply about certain concepts that are influencing us daily and bring awareness to the importance of love and language.

How will I use what I learned? 

I can take what I learned today and apply it to my life. Today we talked about what it takes to love someone and how language is power. Today's lesson helped me realize and appreciate our human ability to communicate because without it, we wouldn't be as advanced as we are today. We mentioned in previous lessons that language and metacognition were two very important qualities that allowed humankind to develop as we did. It really puts into perspective everything that had to be in place for humans to reach our point today. 

Weixuan Wu 10/30/19 Blog

10/30/19

Weixuan Wu 

PD 5

Sophomores 2020

Aim: How do the witches set the mood and foreshadow events to the play?

Group Work:

Each group was given a big paper, with the quote Fair is Foul, Foul”(Macbeth Act 1 Scene 1). Every person in the group should respond to the quote, or respond to a group- mate.

Discussion:

Team 1 Big Mac 

• Good things can be bad, and bad things can be good, just like Yin and Yang 

Team 2 MacDeath

• What seems good at a time may be a bad decision in the long term.

Team 3 Mickey D’S 

• Expectations vs Reality 
• Just because things are fair doesn’t always mean they are good
• Foul can become Fair when it’s justified 

Team 6 Voldemort

• Every argument or issue have two sides 
• There’s both positive and negative side to a decision
• Foreshadow to major event in the play 

Paradox- A seemingly self-contradictory statement, that may prove to be true.

In the case of “ Fair is Foul, Foul is Fair.” Fair and Foul seem to be two things that are completely opposite. However, as we read Act 1 scene 2, we realized that Fair and Foul can exist at the same time. In the scene, the Captain praised Macbeth as a brave man when he executed Macdonwald(leader of the rebel), even though Macbeth “Till he unseamed him from the nave to th' chops”. Splitting someone open is not a good thing to do normally, but the Captain praised Macbeth for doing it, this shows under some circumstances, Bad (Foul) and be good(Fair), and Good(Fair) can be bad(Foul). Depend on which side are you on, “Fair is Foul, Foul is Fair.”

Summary of Macbeth Act 1 Scene 2:

• A wounded captain reports to King Duncan what happened in the battle.
• The Captain describe Macbeth as a brave man that slew the traitorous Macdonwald
• The Thane of Ross bring in the news of victory 
• The King proclaims the traitorous Thane of Cawdor will be executed
• The King gave Macbeth Cawdor’s title. 

Reflection:

Today in class, we analyze the phrase “Fair is Foul, Foul is Fair” form Macbeth by Shakespeare. After analyzing this phrase, I learned that fair and foul exist at the same time, just like good and evil. And appearances can be deceiving what appear to be good might be evil in reality. The motif of “Fair is Foul, Foul is Fair” can be seen throughout the play. For example, in Act 1 scene 2, the captain described Macbeth as a brave man, but in reality he slew Macdonald cruelly. Having a better understanding of the meaning of the quote will help us further understand the play. I will use what I learned in class today to help me judge situations and make decisions in the future. A decision might appear to be good, but can also have negative effects, considering the consequences will help make a better decision.

10/29/19 Cesar Velez PD 5

Aim: How do the witches set the mood and foreshadow events for the play?

Today we began to actually read Macbeth and analyze the first two scenes of act one. Macbeth is a play written by Shakespeare about a Scottish general who after hearing a prophesy, began a path to self-destruction. In the first act, we are greeted by three witches. They start by asking each other when they will meet again. One asks, "In thunder, in lightning, or in rain." Then another one answers by saying, "When the battle is lost and won". After the resolve that they will meet at sunset on top of a heath, they begin to chant, "Foul is Fair and Fair is foul."

After we acted out Act one Scene one, we began to discuss what Shakespeare or "The Witches," were trying to foreshadow to. After some discussion, we got to the fact that they were juxtaposing "fair" and "foul" along with "won" and "lost". After what we learned some background about the play yesterday, we understood that the witches could be alluding to the fact that Macbeth would be losing his sense of morality as he tries to gain power. When they are saying that the battle is "lost and won" they could be referring to Macbeth being able to achieve what he wanted but, he did it in such a way where he lost all his morals and, in the long run, lost. 

After today, we learned that Shakespeare would use alliteration and metaphors to express the actions and intentions of the characters. Today we were able to learn more about how to read and understand when writers foreshadow to later episodes in literature. Later when we continue to read Macbeth and when we read other works, I will be able to use these skills to fully understand what the writer was trying to tell us. 

10/26/19 Blogger #23 Meghan Stackhouse PD 5

Sophomores 2020
Period 5
Meghan Stackhouse
Blogger #23

Aim: How will students continue to present their group creative writing projects based on "Lord of the Flies"?

Today was the final of the two days spent in class on the presentations of the creative writing projects completed by each team inspired by "Lord of the Flies". Each team devised a fictional island, some accompanied by story-lines and other by physical models, or travel brochures, to accentuate their ideas during presentation. This will be the final day spent on the "Lord of the Flies" unit.

Group #1:
This group presented not just a picture, but a fully developed picture book to accompany the story they came up with. This booklet was composed of different segments and perspectives of certain features on this island. An example of this is how they emulated the idea that their world somewhat resembled the superficial, plastic-y world of Edward Scissorhands, using this imagery and comparison to accentuate the contrast between the typical townhouse versus the house the narrator chooses to enter in the story, stating it was larger and appeared more ominous. They used immersive vocabulary that did a good job of keeping the reader interested throughout the whole story as they were in the beginning.

Group #2:
This group used an extremely clever writing strategy in their presentation. They portrayed their story in a way that told the same coming of events from multiple points of view, so that they underwent the same journey yet experienced different opinions and feelings so that the class, as listeners, could sympathize various standpoints. They additionally used characters that act as parallels to the characters we read about in "Lord of the Flies", for the characters Jack, Ralph, Piggy, Simon, and Samneric. I personally found this presentation to be my favorite, because I felt the most immersed in the story-line, so much so that the island they were primarily presenting came as a vivid image naturally throughout the telling of the story.

Group #3:
This group used the game Minecraft to construct an elaborate island that had many significant small details that all tied together very well in the grand scheme, and activated the classes close analytical thinking in order to break them down. They show us a specially built place for almost anything you could think to need or imagine, well complimented by the minecart rail they built to wrap around the entirety of the island, displaying it to the class in a neat start to finish process.

10/28/19 Fanny Li Pd 2

Aim: How can we evaluate the evolution of the hero from The Quest of the Golden Fleece through contemporary times? 

Do now: List all of the ways Jason was a hero, without the aid of any others 

Throughout the story, there were little to no occurrences where Jason showed heroic acts without having help from others. Even though he is depicted as a hero, I wouldn’t see him that way as he did not show acts of bravery using his own strength and knowledge. Yayin said that one way she could think of was that he took up the quest to get the golden fleece back because it was the only way he could’ve taken the throne. 

Ms. Fusaro switched the slide to show the attributes of the greek hero:

• He is of royal birth or a demi-god
• Must perform extraordinary feats
• He is a noble character which is close to perfectly ideal but for a fatal flaw
• Suffering of the character is physical
• Death must occur in an unusual way
• Fights for his own honor; his deeds belong to the community only after his death
• Assistance from the divine

Then we were asked to answer the question: 

Does Jason fit the attributes of a greek hero? 

Jason fits some of these attributes but he didn’t exactly suffer until the end when his wife dies. Senan said that a hero is supposed to fight for others too not just for his own honor. He thinks that Jason doesn’t exactly fit that because his goal was to retrieve the golden fleece so that HE could take the throne. Unsa said that Medea was the one who fought and helped him, but she can’t necessarily be called a hero because of her gender. Ben said that Greeks viewed that in order to be a hero, they need to be above everyone else, so ordinary humans can’t be called heros. Winnie said that Jason shouldn’t be called a hero just because he was from royal birth. Ms. Fusaro then asked us, how many of us could be a hero based on these standards? 

Well, no one could be considered a hero because we aren’t born into it, no one of us are gods, goddesses, or of divinity. 

Group work:

The contemporary hero? List the attributes of Captain America

• He fights for America not for himself
• He was a skinny average man and became a muscular strong man
• This shows that anyone can become a hero without the help of the divine 
• He took steroids to become strong so Josh said that he didn’t really work for it, like the Greeks also didn’t 
• Ben said that his purpose was originally created for propaganda; to inspire American soldiers to continue fighting against Germany. It was to appeal towards people to sign up for the army.

Ms Fusaro brought the discussion to an end by summing up that heroes were created in stories to manipulate the public and make it more appealing in their eyes. It was to inspire the common people and make them believe that through their hard work, they will help the greater good, which in this case will only benefit the government. 

We were given the definitions to what it means to be: 

The Medieval Hero

He can be of any birth, and fights for the honor of the kingdom. 

This is where we first see the manipulation of the government. This is how you build an army. 

Ms Fusaro got the class thinking with the question: What makes someone in the military more honorable than any job? 

Being in the military is just a job, they get paid and are given many benefits. However, what makes them different is that honor is the one thing that can not be bought. Someone in the military believes that they fighting for their country solely because they have honor. 

The Romantic Hero

When people stop having faith in their government

• At odds with society
• Not interested in authority of conformity
• Indulges in his/her own feelings, uniqueness, and intuition
• Self-centered 

The evolution of the contemporary hero

• The Anti-Hero
• A protagonist or notable figure who is conspicuously lacking in heroic qualities
• Has to be some level of moral code
• The vigilante 
• Undertake law enforcement in this community without legal authority, typically because the legal agencies are thought to be inadequate

Reflection:

In today’s class, I learned the true meaning of being a hero. In Greek times, a hero meant that you had to be part of the divine and have royalty in your blood. They need to suffer some kind of physical pain. Jason was made to be a hero in Greek Mythology because he was born from royalty and fights for his own honor. However, a hero should be anyone who is willing to fight for what they believe in. I also learned that the stories created were to capture the eye of the common people; they are made to what we want to believe a hero is. We see that the story of Captain America and the Medieval Hero were created to manipulate people to conform to the needs of the government. The purpose of Captain America was to serve as propaganda. The government wanted everyone to be involved in the war effort in any way possible; they needed to continue believing that they would win the war in order to continue fighting against Germany. The purpose of the lesson today was to show that everyone today can be a hero; as you can see from Captain America, he was portrayed as a hero and fought evil, but he also started off as an average man. If you work towards your goals and fight for your beliefs, you can also be a hero.

10/28/19 Katrina Chung PD1

10/28/2019 Katrina Chung PD1 Blog #2

Aim: How can we evaluate the evolution of the hero from the Quest of the Golden Fleece through contemporary time?

Do Now: List all of the ways Jason was a hero, without the aid of others:

• First, Kyle and Matthew mentioned how Jason had that initial courage in him. It was his determination in completing the tasks that made him a hero. He had no doubt in doing the task even though he knew it was dangerous. Then Paulina argued that Jason was not really a hero because he had help from basically everyone, especially Medea.

Next, we talked about the Attributes of the Greek Hero. The whole class had a discussion of how Jason fits into these attributes. The Attributes of the Greek Hero are:

1. He is royal birth or a demi-god
2. He must perform extraordinary feats.
3. He is a noble character which is close to perfectly ideal but for a fatal flaw.
4. The suffering of the character is physical
5. Death must occur in an unusual way.
6. The hero fights for his own honor; his deeds belong to the community only after his death
7. Assistance from the divine. 

• Our class said that Jason fit into most of these categories. He was born from a royal family, performed extraordinary feats, suffered, had assistance from the divine, and fought for his own honor. Kyle said that Jason mainly suffered emotionally through the death of his wife and children. 
• Also, Daniel brought up the point that all of these attributes mainly describe male heroes. It brings us back to the discussion of male superiority and how women are stereotypes who need to be controlled. The stories of the heroes from Greek mythology are for the people. The heroes were already predisposed. 

So we talked about the attributes of Greek heroes, but what about the contemporary hero?

The contemporary hero is :

1. selfless
2. fights for a cause that they believe in, rather than honor
3. has a tragic backstory/ humble beginning
4. very brave and courageous 
5. can be anyone (Peter Parker didn't have to be the person bitten by a radioactive spider; it could have been some other kid on a science trip)
6. has more mental struggles rather than physical (the audience connects more with mental struggles than physical because everyone has a mental struggle)
7. has morals

When you have contemporary heroes, you also need to have anti-heroes.

An anti-hero is a protagonist or notable figure who is conspicuously lacking in heroic qualities. Dexter, for example, is a serial killer who only kills criminals. In a way, he makes the world a better place even though he has killing tendencies. 

Why do we need anti-heroes today?

The anti-hero to us, the audience, is more relatable and realistic. We see characteristics of them in ourselves; we see the darkness in ourselves. 

Today, I learned that the evolution of heroes stems from our own views of what a hero should be. The Greeks believed that the hero should be in a way above the common folk and only becomes a hero through fighting for their own honor. Whereas, heroes today have more characteristics of what we are. It is easier to connect to heroes today, especially the anti-heroes and vigilantes. By learning about the evolution of a hero, we can see how much the characteristics of a hero has changed and how much we tend to relate to characters that we see ourselves in. Also, you will have a wider understanding of what the Greeks constitutes as a hero. Jason was not seen as a hero because he had help from a lot of people, but Jason is seen as a heroic leader due to his determination in getting the Golden Fleece. 

10/28/19 Taya Podvorchan PD 7

Taya Podvorchan Period 7

Aim: How can we evaluate the evolution of the hero from The Quest of the Golden Fleece
through contemporary time? 

Do Now: List all of the ways Jason was a hero, without the aid of others:

Kelly mentioned it was Jason’s agreement to such a difficult quest from Peleus
without the help of others that made him a hero. Steven talked about the fact that he
had the willpower, courage, and determination through hardships during his quest, and
that’s what truly made him a hero. Billy mentioned that as a leader, he was a hero, but as
a stand-alone dude, he eased his way through the quest. Cornelia added on that while he
was a leader, it was Medea’s help that truly helped him be successful, which brought up the
point that women were always behind the scene in Greek life, and were never heroes. We can
also see this through Hera, when she gives the Argonauts the elixir that made them fearless.

The class then moved onto the attributes of a classic Greek Hero:

• Is noble of birth or is a demigod
• Performs extraordinary feats
• He is of noble character which is close to ideal, but has a fatal flaw
• The suffering of the character is physical
• Death must occur in an unusual way
• The hero fights for his own honor, his deeds belong to the community only after death
• Assistance from the divine.
• 
  

After reading through these characteristics and seeing how Jason applied to them, we were then asked

as a class if we could ever be a Greek hero. The answer? Probably not. What separates a Greek hero

from us is the fact that those heroes were destined to be great since birth, whether it was through divine

intervention or a birthright.

What about modern-day heroes, like Captain America. How did he compare to Greek heroes?

Modern-day heroes, unlike Greek heroes, are more selfless than the Greeks. They’re also not destined
to be something, but are generally good people. In the case of Captain America, Steve Rogers had a
wonderful personality and was incredibly selfless, and was a hero before he was a superhero.

We then discussed the many different types of heroes, from medieval heroes (like King Arthur)
romantic heroes (Edward from Twilight), Anti-heroes (Deadpool), and vigilantes (Green Arrow)

Student reflection of the day's lesson: 

What did I learn?

The most important thing I learned today was the different characteristics of Greek heroes and
how they compared to contemporary heroes, as well as other types of heroes. I was also able to
relate this back to the story of the Quest of the Golden Fleece and it’s characters. While Jason is
a classic Greek hero, Medea can be seen as an anti-hero, as she follows a code of ethics but is not
considered to be an overall good person. 

The most interesting thing I learned today was the fact that anti-heroes and vigilantes appeal
more to us because we relate to them more. Greek heroes are nearly untouchable beings that always
seem to win out in the end, while anti-heroes are allowed mistakes and try their best to do what’s right.

Why did I learn it?

As we see from nearly every lesson in this course, Greek mythology applies to everyday aspects
of our lives. Looking at the difference between Greek heroes and modern heroes, we can see how
drastically the standards have changed to be considered a hero. In the beginning of class, many of
us said that Jason was a hero because of his bravery or leadership skills, not noble birth or divine
intervention

How will I use what I learned?

I will probably use this information in the future to characterize any other heroes we read about
and so how they compare on the spectrum from Greek hero, to vigilante. Heroes are seen in every
aspect of literature and contemporary media, like movies and TV shows, so this is something that I
can apply to everyday aspects of my life.