Neverland Fortress Webquest

Post #2

BLOG POST: Write a thank you letter to a person who influenced you when you were in a bad situation. Then write another letter and imagine you are in a bad environment. How has this (imaginary) person given you self-confidence?

 

 

 

Dear Music,

 

I must admit that it feels very unnatural addressing you as a person. I’ve always wanted to thank you for being the sole outlet that never fails to have an unlimited source of advice. I tried to think of one person who has held such an influence as you have throughout the years. Perhaps it is unfair to compare your endless depth to the much less able words of a single human being. I don’t know a specific situation in which you have helped me, but I can definitely say that whenever stress has clawed onto my life, you were able to pry it away. I guess the best example would be sometime in early October. I can remember the mountain of “to-do’s” that never left my weakening head. Applying to colleges, keeping up in school, and playing a varsity sport did not exactly make for the most relaxing start to senior year. But whenever I felt over-worked, I simply went down into my basement (your room) and allowed the therapeutic crackles of my vinyl collection dissolve the tension. I want to keep this short because I’m about to put on some pink floyd J Thank you for all you have done

 

Brandon

 

 

Dear woman across the street,

 

I am writing to you anonymously, and most probably will never even mail my letter. I’ve been doing a lot of thinking recently; perhaps the idea of finally escaping this dream-stealing street has given birth to my newfound inspiration. Reflecting on my youth, I can recall very few events that gave me hope. My head throbs as I think back to my sleepless nights of fear that flung me under my bed. Our street has never been a happy environment. I often ponder on what my life would be like if I lived just 20 minutes away from this shithole. Anyway, the real reason I am writing is to say thank you. I guess it must seem kind of odd that I am doing this; I don’t know many characters in even our most fictitious school novels that thanked the lady across the street. You must have no idea how much confidence you have given me. Every morning I watch as you step outside your home and put on an entirely new face. You take a deep breathe, smile, and head to the preschool that most probably could never deserve your services. You are truly a symbol of dreams. Well, even if no one ever reads this, I hope that you understand the substantial influence that you have had on my life.

 

Thank you,

From across the street

Neverland Fortress Webquest

Post #1

Trading Places: BLOG POST: Imagine you are removed from your current community and placed within one opposite of your present home (higher crime, poverty) and you are the minority. How would life be different if you lived there all your life and if you just began living there?

 

 

Uprooted

 

Uprooted,

And grounded into an opposite world

A rippling fear grips me daily as I struggle through a hallway of strangers

Yesterday, I sat like a king in my classroom

Only the faintest specs of ignominy clouding my clever assertions

Today, I hide a reticent onlooker,

Only the most distant wall of the lunch hall here to answer my silent utterances

 

 

How I was uprooted,

Jerked out of my generous field, and forced into a most unfitting hole

Perhaps it would feel snug had I never known the flower guided sidewalks

Or the warm sun at the helmeted, bicycle riding back of my childhood.

I would have run with the pack,

A minority among minorities,

I would have survived…

When A Student Teaches

Hey guys! Wow... I never thought I'd end up with six blog posts this soon! It has truly been a unique experience blogging with you all.  I have really enjoyed reading your posts and am looking fowrd to seeing all of your creative "being saxon" projects. But enough of that, now I want to discuss the project that I myself created for you all. It has been interesting trying to think like a teacher. Well, I pretty much did all the research for you, so follow these simple instructions and have fun! 

Background: Tortilla Curtain is a novel that follows the lives of two families as  they battle with the conflicts encircling the current illegal immigration issue. Candido and his wife America have traveled all the way from their tiny village in Mexico to get to Topanga State Park, where the are forced to live off the land and in shadows. All the while, Author T.C. Boyle foils the two immigrants with the story of Delaney and Kyra Mossbacher, who live comfortably in their home among the other members of the Arroyo Blanco community. Though the novel is written without suggestion of a hero and a villain, readers often sympathize with the struggling immigrants. 

Assignment: Your job in this assignment will be to create a five-day journal in the body of an illegal immigrant. The first entry should take place the night before you areyour home in Mexico. What are your hopes? Do you have any fears? For the following five days, you will record your thoughts on the day's events. Do you ever lose hope? What are you expecting to be in America when you arrive. Your final entry should be conclusive, telling your readers how your personal journey ended. Use the sites found on my delicious site, as well as the quotes found below to help you complete the project. The final product may be in the form of a video journal or a blog post. Well, that's it... enjoy and be good luck crossing the border!

Resources:

• My Delicious site with links!
• Quotes from Tortilla Curtain
• School database article
• Peer blog
• Outside blog *BLOG IS BIASED AND IS ANTI-IMMIGRATION*
• PLUS* Use the Itunes U audio podcast from Stanford University entitled "At the border: Immigrants, Enforcers, and Advocates" 

Tortilla Curtain Socratic

Hey group! Well... we have finally made it to our last socratic together and I just wanted to say that it has been a pleasure working with all of you. It is very meaningful to me that I am given the chance to lead this last socratic, and although I don't know if it could ever live up to the others, I hope everyone enjoys the discussion. So...let's begin!

• You've just finished the novel... WHAT DID YOU THINK? Were you shocked by the ending? How did Book Two and Three compare to the novel's opening?
• The novel's ending was very sudden and powerful. Do you feel like the loss of Socorro and Candido's act of courage left you unnerved, happy, or what?
• Still discussing about the novel's ending... Is there any apparent symbolism that you found noteworthy?
• Did you feel like the ending brought closure to the issue of illegal immigration presented in the text?
• After concluding the novel, What side do you think T.C. Boyle was writing from when he discussed illegal immigration?
• There were many main characters in the novel (Delaney, Kyra, Candido, America) Who is this novel really about??? Is there a hero? A villain? What is the overall conflict?
• At this point I want you to bring your "Being Saxon" projects into the discussion. How are you going to get the overall themes across to your students?
• After reaidng the novel... do you feel that it should become a required reading for students? DOo the current affairs with this issue make it a necessary read?
• Lastly, I would like to know... have any of your views been changed after completing the novel? It's okay to be an honest! what is said in the circle stays in the circle!

The real "Tortilla Curtain"

Should illegal immigrants be granted the privilege of defending themselves when their civil rights are threatened? In a current case, Roger Barnett of Douglass Arizona, where he lives on a ranch that is used daily by illegal immigrants entering the country, is being sued by 16 Mexican nationals who are accusing him of “conspiring to violate their civil rights when he stopped them at gunpoint on the US-Mexico border” (Seper 1). The immigrants are being represented by The Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (Maldef), who seek “$32 million in actual and punitive damages for civil rights violations, the infliction of emotional distress and other crimes” (Seper 4). Barnett’s attorney has argued that illegal immigrants should not have the same rights as US citizens, making the entire case void. Barnet’s land has been littered upon and vandalized for years, resulting in established immigrant trails that are ten inches deep in trash which include “human waste, used toilet paper, soiled diapers, cigarette packs, clothes, backpacks, empty 1-gallon water bottles, chewing-gum wrappers and aluminum foil” (Seper 13). The case’s central issue lies in Barnett’s belief that he is the victim in the case. He has stated, “’When someone’s home and loved ones are in jeopardy and the government seemingly can’t do anything about it, I feel justified in taking matters into my own hands. And I always watch my back’” (Seper 17). In this time, it is questionable whether or not these 16 illegal aliens deserve the chance to reap the benefits of our legal system. The case has long surpassed the fundamental idea of money, and has become a moral strife in which Americans have begun to re-examine their own beliefs on the current immigration situation.
Today’s America is experiencing conflicts on many diverse issues. The illegal immigration situation does not only affect those at the conflict’s center (like our “hero” from Arizona), but America as a whole. T. C. Boyle’s, The Tortilla Curtain brings the issue in question to readers all over the US. Boyle presents immigration with neutral pretences, allowing his readers to make their own conclusions without preconceptions. Some readers may side with the concerned, sometimes arrogant members of Delaney’s gated community, who believe in locking out the immigrants, as if they were coyotes living off their trash (perhaps I read into the symbolism too much?). These people, comparable to our Roger Barnett, would have no problem “turning over 12,000 illegal immigrants to the border patrol since 1998” (Seper 9). I believe that Americans will always be split on this issue; it is one that affects peoples’ lives very differently, and one that may never be solved simply.
Men like Roger Barnett are set in their ways. They are, and will always be, adamant supporters of the anti-immigration cause. Being that this is the unfortunate case in today’s society, it is all more important to educate the undecided population of America. By reading books like T.C. Boyle’s The Tortilla Curtain, American youths are given the chance to see both sides of the issue, and are thus able to decide if they really can feel hatred towards a character like Candido, who is really only trying to earn the same opportunities that we (yes, I’m talking about the kids in this very class) take for granted.


Seper, Jerry. "16 Illegals Sue Arizona Rancher." Washington Times 9 Feb. 2009.
17 Mar. 2009 16-illegals-sue-arizona-rancher/>.

"Eric's Buddy"--> Homosexuality on TV

Only recently has homosexuality begun to grow into a more accepted alternate lifestyle choice. Throughout history, being homosexual was always thought of as a wicked sin. The idea that heterosexuality is the only true sexual orientation is described in what is called the theory of heterosexism. The media is often responsible for the perpetuation of such beliefs. Not until recent years has there been many TV shows or Hollywood movies that present homosexuality in a hopeful light. Just a few weeks ago, I watched an episode of That 70’s Show that had themes dealing with this topic. The episode, comically titled “Eric’s Buddy,” had a plot revolving around the ultimate conflict of sexual orientation, during which Eric’s new lab partner and friend makes a move on him.
Most other episodes of the show have conflicts revolving around heterosexual relationships, whether it be that of Donna and Eric, or the more superficial one between Kelso and the beloved (by herself) Jackie. “Eric’s Buddy” was a unique episode that presented the idea of homosexuality in the 1970’s. Set in 1976, a time when gays were suppressed and targeted as freaks in society, the episode follows an oblivious Eric as he has adventures with his new rich friend Buddy whom everyone seems to like; everyone except Hyde of course. (Ironically, had the show actually been aired in 1976, It would have aroused much confrontation.) All throughout the series, Hyde has represented the “rugged man” character: the gang’s mojo. During this episode, Hyde is skeptical of Buddy. Upon hearing that Buddy is gay, Hyde is quoted telling Donna, “you know Donna, if Forman ever decides to dabble in the love that dare not speak its name…. I’m there for you.”
Eric’s first reaction to the kiss is fear. He is confused about his new friend’s lifestyle choice and rushes home to redeem himself by kissing Donna. The next day at school however, Eric is able to confront Buddy and even joke around with him, which reduces the effect of the news. I feel that the episode does not perpetuate the heterosexism belief. Although Eric is initially ignorant towards the signs that Buddy is gay, the episode ends with Eric reassuring Buddy that he still wants to be friends. It is important to have TV shows like this one that don’t conceal the reality of having gay people in our society. By approaching this matter in a comical light, the episode trivializes the idea of targeting those with homosexual lifestyles.

Check out this introspective essay written by a student who was gay throughout high school

Media and Gender Stereotyping

The media is one of the most influential forces in the modern world. Unfortunately however, as our world slowly breaks free from the stereotypical walls built throughout history, the media is unable to follow in line. Marla McConnell’s paper discussing Media and Gender Stereotyping goes into the struggle in great depth, as she argues, “ an individual’s struggle to maintain a unique identity and self understanding apart from media influences is becoming increasingly difficult” (McConnel 1). Advertising and the media chose long ago how they could effect the largest target area. By idolizing a few celebrity bodies (the minority), they have been able to convince the average person (the majority) that they are not desirable. Though an intelligent marketing angle, this technique has proven to entail fatal consequences. “As it is currently used in the media, the body is stripped of its uniqueness and forced into frustratingly narrow constraints” (McConnel 6).
Sadly, these constraints often create an unattainable outlook on what men and woman should look like. The media’s portrayal of an ideal male body that has physical characteristics including “being muscular and possessing a full head of hair” has forced men everywhere to take a closer look at their own bodies (McConnel4). “It seems as though nearly everyone at some point in his or her life attempts to alter his/herself in order to conform more closely to the marketed ‘norm’ of attractiveness and desirability” (McConnel 5). The feminine side has proven to be much more dangerous. The desire to be “long-legged, slim-hipped, and large breasted” has created the narrow-minded perception that those who look anything other than what is celebrated, should start altering their bodies (McConnel 4). Marketing these limited figures is not only immoral, as it strips the beauty away from diversity, but regressive, as it builds upon the stereotypes about male and female figures that we as a society have worked to overstep for so long.
Marla McConnell’s paper on Media and Gender Stereotyping discusses the problems engrained in marketing. In today’s world, it has become nearly impossible to escape the sensual Abercrombie advertisements displaying men with chiseled bodies, or the provocative Victoria’s Secret billboards crowded with images of big-breasted beautiful women. This dilemma has caused an outbreak of self-obsession and a boom in body-altering products. The fatal consequences of this marketing scheme have proven significant in the statistical evidence that records the number of people with emotional/physical damage due to bullying, eating disorders, and even suicide. It is time for us as a society to determine what is important in life, and finally allow men and women to be appreciated for their individual qualities, instead of the few stereotypical, “desirable ones,” that have become so necessary to hold.