Walt Whitman

From Whitman's poem I Hear America Singing - why does the speaker say that each person 's singing should be "blithe and strong"?

If Whitman were alive today - what "songs" would he be hearing?

Declaration of Independence

Using only the text - what evidence would you find that the Jefferson believed in or appealed to a supreme being?

Your ORB - Representative of your literary period?

Why do you think that your ORB is representative of your literary period?

What elements reflect period themes or styles?

What role does religious literature play in a culture?

The Piute legend Why the Grand Canyon was Formed is an example of cultural literature.  What answers do these types of literature seek to solve?  Are these writing still relevant today?  How do you think you could apply the lesson from this story?

American Literary Periods - Research

Why do scholars classify literature into periods?  

Relative to your period - what significant events spurred its beginning and ending?

How do you think literature is shaped by culture and history?

Tell me something about your chosen Outside Reading Book.  What would you anticipate it being about?  How many pages?  Why did you choose this book?

Your Initial Log -

Have you completed your initial blog?

- Have you posted comments to this blog?

- Have you become a follower of the class blog?

How do you think blogging is changing the way people communicate?  

- What are the positive impacts of the change?

- What are the negative impacts of the change?

- Do you think the overall impact is positive or negative?

Plagiarism v. Inspiration

What is the difference between plagiarism and inspiration?

In your poem or lyric exercise would you say that you were inspired by an original work or did you plagiarize the work?