Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Workshop (cont), Haiku, & Martian Chronicles

Today, please continue your workshop during period 7. Most of you will complete the workshop before the end of class. Please begin your revisions on any of the work you have just workshopped, continue your homework from last class (check the blog entry for details), and/or try a few summer haiku.

Summer kigo words:
Summer solstice, summer evening, summer morning, slow day, short night, summer fog, lightning, sudden shower, summer dew, cloud peaks, scorching/blazing sun, bare feet, awning, sunburn, sunglasses, ice tea, sweat, cactus flower, summer grove, lake, fly, swatter, carnation, marigold, gardenia, moth, cicada, perfume, waterfall, fan, independence day, weeding, blue cornflower, honeysuckle, cherry, strawberries, blackberries, sunflower, snapdragon, potato, carrots, melons, lotus
Use a kigo word and an observation of a natural object in juxtaposition. Your haiku should be 10 or fewer words, and, of course, 17 or fewer syllables.

Period 8 (part 1): The Martian Chronicles analysis.

Check out the following stories:
1. Pg. 118: The Old Ones (we will deconstruct this story together)
2. Pg. 131: The Luggage Store
  • Reread the story quickly.
  • What did you notice?: jot down your observations of the story on your index card.
  • Taken out of context of the book as a whole, how does Bradbury unify the story?
    •  The unities were primarily used in drama to keep a writer from going too far afield with an idea.  The unities come in three general types:
      • Unity of time
      • Unity of place
      • Unity of action
    • Short fiction (flash fiction, sudden fiction, micro fiction) often follows the unities.
3. Pg. 166: There Will Come Soft Rains
This is perhaps the single most significant story in the book and is often anthologized. It is a chilling and subtle story and you may notice that it has some similarities with other stories in the book (particularly, since we covered it in class, the first story in the novel).

Discuss & Answer:
  • How does Bradbury structure his story?
  • What is the significance of the allusion Bradbury uses in the story on page 169?
  • What is the meaning or theme of this story? What lesson(s) does Bradbury give us?
Period 8 (part 2): Please prepare for your reading of the Madonnas of Leningrad by visiting these sites:

The Hermitage Museum
Please spend some time taking the virtual tour and viewing the artwork.

IDEA FOR A POEM: Write a poem draft based on one of the pieces in the Hermitage Museum.

The Siege of Leningrad

IDEA FOR A PLAY/STORY: Use the historical information to tell a short story, scene, or play taking place in the siege of Leningrad.

The Russian Ark by Alexander Sokurov
The Making of the film The Russian Ark (part one) (other parts can be found online as well).

IDEA FOR A FILM PROJECT: Create a short film where you take a continuous take (or fewer than 3 takes to tell the entire story) (a story in 1 continuous shot (or up to 3 continuous shots))

HOMEWORK: Finish and study for your test on The Martian Chronicles (Friday). Write a draft in the style of Bradbury. Use the Martian Chronicles as a model for your own idea. Continue writing haiku, continue preparing a workshop piece and revising. Place new drafts in your portfolios. Begin reading The Madonnas of Leningrad.

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About this course!

This course stresses understanding the characteristics & techniques in the literary genres of fiction, poetry, and dramatic writing. This course will continue to build on students’ reading and writing skills begun in previous creative writing classes. Readings and discussions of works by major writers in the field will be examined as inspiration and models of fine writing. This educational blog is designed for the use of the students at the School of the Arts in Rochester, NY.