tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8643101773140456902024-02-20T20:00:43.089-08:00A Fellow of Infinite JestMr. Burgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02866467339112468677noreply@blogger.comBlogger21125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-864310177314045690.post-73299824139805175122018-08-14T10:29:00.001-07:002018-08-14T10:29:40.774-07:00BLOG IT!<h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name" style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms", trebuchet, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 22px; font-stretch: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; position: relative;">
Genius Practice</h3>
<div class="post-header" style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms", trebuchet, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10.8px; line-height: 1.6; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em;">
<div class="post-header-line-1">
</div>
</div>
<div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-4526973807760041518" itemprop="description articleBody" style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 1.4; position: relative; width: 546px;">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Writing can be a complicated and intimidating endeavor. As an Advanced Placement and honors English teacher, I regularly encounter students who write beautifully, have some sense of their talent, yet are nonetheless terrified of producing something that they fear will fail to live up to what they feel great writing should be. I also encounter students at the other end of the spectrum who, although they are interacting with concepts of literary analysis at a very sophisticated level, struggle to express their ideas coherently and directly in their writing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">In order to become comfortable and adept as a writer, it is important to write regularly. Practice does not make perfect, but it significantly increases a writer's comfort level. Unfortunately for my burgeoning pupils, the typical AP English literary analysis writing assignment, although necessary and rewarding in many ways, can be so strenuous and difficult that it frustrates student writers as much as it encourages them. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">The best way that I know to quickly cultivate writing comfort and to develop a personal voice is to regularly write down brief pithy insights and observations in a personal journal. Frequent reflective writing can facilitate comfort and fluidity with the written word in a way that formal academic prose cannot. There is nothing that teaches composition as well as repeated, regular practice. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">With this in mind, fGeniusrom now until two weeks before the exam, you will be responsible for creating a blog. Blogs maintain a structure and format similar to those of personal journals, but because they are published for a group of readers, they force writers to publish their work for an audience, and this often leads to more polished and clever writing. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">You should complete a minimum of two blog entries per week; your entries should be dated before the first and last class of the week, typically Monday and Friday or Tuesday and Thursday. These entries should be a minimum of 250 words and should represent your best writing. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">One entry per week should be a reflection related to something that we are reading in class. However, unlike your more formal analysis writing, this reflection can be your personal reaction to the piece or even a comparison to something else in the world, personal or not. It is up to you how to creatively connect your writing to the literature of this class.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">The topic of the other weekly entry is completely up to you. I only ask that you create writing specifically for this blog, rather than submit work for another writing assignment or another class. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Write something brilliant! You will be sharing your work with your classmates and me, and I will give instructions for how to offer feedback to one another as the semester progresses. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">As I am sure you already know, your writing needs to be school appropriate, and you should not share any personal information, photos, addresses, names, or contact info for yourself or your classmates online.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">I look forward to sharing our writing with one another. </span></div>
</div>
Mr. Burgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02866467339112468677noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-864310177314045690.post-74610263105642707302018-02-12T12:23:00.004-08:002018-02-12T12:24:46.820-08:00Rogue and Peasant<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1jI-lvgvPVSD2Vjnl8Lwf8d-KaV4ktAVYc1LoEkKZaUc0-jJuVCwzk_QP-x0PUPO4vcPDcTEkuVo-PxBsdnNFFV0oiyBnRBorBI0acSAldfrXmvqQm273AG01El08y1xUdSVTsfieCssW/s1600/IMG_5498.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1jI-lvgvPVSD2Vjnl8Lwf8d-KaV4ktAVYc1LoEkKZaUc0-jJuVCwzk_QP-x0PUPO4vcPDcTEkuVo-PxBsdnNFFV0oiyBnRBorBI0acSAldfrXmvqQm273AG01El08y1xUdSVTsfieCssW/s640/IMG_5498.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />Mr. Burgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02866467339112468677noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-864310177314045690.post-65184944060311946542018-02-07T12:47:00.002-08:002018-02-07T12:47:23.816-08:00The Sympathizer <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmUfV0HzbdPnq0gIlsCqCw-DqJVyyQ0F5P8cNRLouvGHnN4auFYzQM8yZB1PbrIbfDDcGFAoKCB0cuTc6dRyMXa-ICNuBJOKsCEx5huu8BAXo2o3e_CJN8ckkIsraCShnv0v27w-XpZUkC/s1600/Blog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="1600" height="459" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmUfV0HzbdPnq0gIlsCqCw-DqJVyyQ0F5P8cNRLouvGHnN4auFYzQM8yZB1PbrIbfDDcGFAoKCB0cuTc6dRyMXa-ICNuBJOKsCEx5huu8BAXo2o3e_CJN8ckkIsraCShnv0v27w-XpZUkC/s640/Blog.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
Mr. Burgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02866467339112468677noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-864310177314045690.post-72326246030058727362016-11-10T09:29:00.003-08:002016-11-10T09:29:42.267-08:00<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgarc-w7QHRLNTAOe_wNw4B62Sy-pp5ObBPeEsq5hC8ZD8ZnqoF9P7DGPEHLNA46kNgdHsHKPG_v-bVJmZTTVkLb8twymlTw3sLzRDhTKx8nPlFlnrA_vdRPNjaPYH9LCuflKh3_u9pMoC5/s1600/blog.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="456" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgarc-w7QHRLNTAOe_wNw4B62Sy-pp5ObBPeEsq5hC8ZD8ZnqoF9P7DGPEHLNA46kNgdHsHKPG_v-bVJmZTTVkLb8twymlTw3sLzRDhTKx8nPlFlnrA_vdRPNjaPYH9LCuflKh3_u9pMoC5/s640/blog.jpg" width="640" /></a>Mr. Burgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02866467339112468677noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-864310177314045690.post-13306311688879631852016-11-03T09:23:00.001-07:002016-11-03T09:23:06.477-07:00<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRW5tjKmqmKfy7_hrL73AySPjOnakwRBldjbokUDoJRupDOivaZNKoYVdFSTwgiBXDvi52oAO7ieQLt4DLYbt0SH1UErxmNM0fhnUeX3Dv3ci1Qu_t-Oh9XQHjegJYKCsn_s-oEbZE2uJC/s1600/goldsteinblog.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRW5tjKmqmKfy7_hrL73AySPjOnakwRBldjbokUDoJRupDOivaZNKoYVdFSTwgiBXDvi52oAO7ieQLt4DLYbt0SH1UErxmNM0fhnUeX3Dv3ci1Qu_t-Oh9XQHjegJYKCsn_s-oEbZE2uJC/s640/goldsteinblog.jpg" width="480" /></a>Mr. Burgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02866467339112468677noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-864310177314045690.post-81112070922283793222016-10-30T21:06:00.000-07:002016-10-30T21:06:01.881-07:00<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcdsRKktq6G7qQQMqbQ21yE46UzG61RPKOqXEzhWc-H_8jP4_wGSOywx8L3GXglC9eNzM8sZ5l7L1gUja5UwMk7MSibkp6r1bTyU4WXOpibXqNXIsDsI1hAkhFTDn70FYy0OfpTZ3DBOXs/s1600/Doc+-+Oct+30+2016+-+9-01+PM.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="438" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcdsRKktq6G7qQQMqbQ21yE46UzG61RPKOqXEzhWc-H_8jP4_wGSOywx8L3GXglC9eNzM8sZ5l7L1gUja5UwMk7MSibkp6r1bTyU4WXOpibXqNXIsDsI1hAkhFTDn70FYy0OfpTZ3DBOXs/s640/Doc+-+Oct+30+2016+-+9-01+PM.jpg" width="640" /></a>Mr. Burgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02866467339112468677noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-864310177314045690.post-58856156418815399242016-10-28T17:36:00.001-07:002016-10-28T17:36:50.605-07:00<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdCxZVHpGF3WBZwA7pD9pUs-r0nmHcpuM45js2fIwWxl2DxyboOgct8SQF1goxvdG8FMc61CNIO-CHPHiRgYWITPEH3gn8_Ua4027o-yupL922gb6Cho8ZWJIpz8a53wd6tZhlAu_naL2e/s1600/Doc+-+Oct+28+2016+-+5-32+PM.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="439" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdCxZVHpGF3WBZwA7pD9pUs-r0nmHcpuM45js2fIwWxl2DxyboOgct8SQF1goxvdG8FMc61CNIO-CHPHiRgYWITPEH3gn8_Ua4027o-yupL922gb6Cho8ZWJIpz8a53wd6tZhlAu_naL2e/s640/Doc+-+Oct+28+2016+-+5-32+PM.jpg" width="640" /></a>Mr. Burgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02866467339112468677noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-864310177314045690.post-66406417360905409422016-10-24T13:19:00.000-07:002016-10-28T13:34:41.714-07:001984 Response<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMOfsnh-ldrmhwzuwlM38S2_JHzHy_qC3cH8nTlyHalvh6n6l3wolGHrbmzDrAeO8nraXjbHQV8ecOQ6_ND090lBIIwrzGMUtxlq5Ay5uF6ys2QEuupO1F8iYZyYVTs9atfppjrHRL_a_n/s1600/Doc+-+Oct+28+2016+-+1-13+PM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="443" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMOfsnh-ldrmhwzuwlM38S2_JHzHy_qC3cH8nTlyHalvh6n6l3wolGHrbmzDrAeO8nraXjbHQV8ecOQ6_ND090lBIIwrzGMUtxlq5Ay5uF6ys2QEuupO1F8iYZyYVTs9atfppjrHRL_a_n/s640/Doc+-+Oct+28+2016+-+1-13+PM.jpg" title="" width="640" /></a></div>
Mr. Burgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02866467339112468677noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-864310177314045690.post-37016038951253911402013-11-24T21:42:00.002-08:002013-11-24T21:42:35.464-08:00Cute?I was a little bit flabbergasted, a little bit disappointed, and a big bit amused when a student described Coleridge's "Kubla Khan" as "cute." To be fair, she was probably just trying to humor me and let me know that she didn't hate it, or at least she didn't want me to feel bad about my reading of the poem to the class. She was being respectful and kind, and I appreciate that. However, to hear and read a poem written in an opium haze about the exotic and epic palace of a cruel and powerful ruler, a place where women wail for their demon lovers and there are mystical rivers and caverns measureless to man, this palace's destruction in fire and ice, and the power of myth and poetry to replicate such things, and then to respond with, "eh, it's cute" shows a misunderstanding of the poem in general. The entire class seemed to be bored with the poem, and any teacher knows that boredom happens sometimes, and good teachers push on and find a way to instill sparks of interest with the next text, or the next, or sometimes good teachers must be satisfied with the hope that they have prepared a garden where interest will grow at a later date, sometimes years down the road. I know these kids, and they are brilliant kids. I know these texts, and I know that they are brilliant texts. I don't need my students to love every text that we read, but I need them to understand most of them on a basic level.<br />
<br />
I would be happy if one of my students had said that they didn't enjoy the text, but that they understood what Coleridge was doing, that they understood that he was exploiting the exotic ideals of The East in a romantic and mystical poem that intended to create a yearning and an awe of the unknown depths of human history, even if they felt that he failed or that he utilized racist stereotypes to achieve this end; that would be good AP level criticism; however, though it may be annoying and problematic in many ways, "Kubla Khan" is not cute. <br />
<br />
We are beginning to read one of my favorite novels of all time, <i>Frankenstein</i>. Perhaps with Mary Shelley's help, my students and I can bring the Romantic ideal out of the realm of "cute."Mr. Burgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02866467339112468677noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-864310177314045690.post-21270388630316064202013-09-22T21:19:00.001-07:002013-09-22T21:19:29.659-07:00The Melancholy DaneI love teaching <i>Hamlet</i>. I teach it three times per year, and I look forward to every line. I have had discussions with friends who aren't Shakespeare fans, and I think I understand why they are intimidated or bored by what they perceive as antiquated language and a melodramatic, tired plot, but <i>Hamlet</i> is insidiously compelling, and I have seen more than one of these Shakespeare naysayers change their minds after revisiting the play. The juxtaposition of limitless human potential and the inevitability of failure has profoundly affected me in distinctly evolving ways as I have grown older, and I think that Shakespeare understood the many levels upon which his play functions. I never miss an opportunity to see the play, and even a mediocre performance inspires me to consider human mortality, loyalty, and love. Here we go again.<div><br></div><div>Knock knock...</div><div><br></div><div><i>Bernardo- Who's there?</i></div>Mr. Burgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02866467339112468677noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-864310177314045690.post-64245282981898456182013-03-15T06:46:00.000-07:002013-03-15T06:46:11.630-07:00Biographical Statement for The Reno Ramblers Bike Club<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Helvetica;">
My first bicycle related memory is of my father’s bright orange Raleigh leaning against wall in the living room. Ever since then, I’ve been convinced that orange bikes are faster than their lesser colored brethren, and that the living room is a good place to keep a bike. Unfortunately, not one of the 7 bikes in my stable is orange, and my living room is too small to house bikes for more than an hour or two without a stubbed toe or a snide comment from my wife. I intend to rectify both of these situations soon.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Helvetica;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Helvetica;">
I spend my mornings and afternoons in the spring, fall, and winter commuting by bike to and from my job teaching Reno’s adolescents about Shakespeare, irony, and the proper use of commas. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Helvetica;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Helvetica;">
In the summer, I like to ride my bike as far as time and money will allow. My first extended tour was across the state of Nevada with fellow Reno Rambler, Addison Wilhite. The state of Nevada has a lot of mountains, and I think I crossed them all, but I loved every minute of it. I like being out in the world with only that which will fit in my panniers. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Helvetica;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Helvetica;">
I help to run Dan’s Night, a weekly free bicycle maintenance workshop at the Reno Bike Project; this workshop is named Dan’s Night after fellow Reno Rambler, Dan Ruby, even though I have spent more time as a facilitator than he has. I am not bitter about this slight, albeit grave injustice.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Helvetica;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Helvetica;">
I ride bikes as often as I can. When I’m not riding, I like to build and maintain bikes. When I’m not doing either of those things, I’m either fly fishing or wishing that I was on or near a bike. I am proud to be a Reno Rambler!</div>
Mr. Burgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02866467339112468677noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-864310177314045690.post-20534898297188812242013-03-15T06:41:00.001-07:002013-03-15T06:41:39.300-07:00March.First-year teachers in the Washoe County School District are bombarded with hundreds of trainings, meetings, and mentor relationships, ostensibly in order to prepare them for their newly chosen career. When I began teaching, this barrage of time-wasters only served to add to my already abundantly stressful workload; one of the many little hoops through which I had to jump was a weekly meeting with a woman sent from the powers that be to help me. Her job was grant funded; she had recently left the classroom, and she worked a caseload of new teachers and teachers that were in trouble and needed support. I am sure that she was once good in the classroom, and that she is now helpful to many teachers, but our teaching styles were so different that I always left our meetings with a new set of post-it notes, some highlighter pens, an idea that I would never use about writing kids names on popsicle sticks to call on them equitably, and a feeling that I had permanently lost an hour of my life.<br />
<br />
She did share one of the most valuable insights of my career however, and I am very grateful to her for it. It was March, and I was extremely stressed about the upcoming end of the semester, my students' lack of motivation, and my inability to prepare for class because I spent so much time meeting with her. She saw the look in my eyes and, perhaps because she realized that I was about to throw someone, maybe her, through the window, she opened a notebook and showed me a piece of paper containing a graph correlated to the months of a school year. She proceeded to explain that much research had been done about teacher and student morale, and that March was always the lowest point for people in academia. The line did drop, almost off the chart, in March. She looked me in the eye and told me that every March that I taught would suck, but that April and May would always follow, and with them, hope, accomplishment, and career-contentment would return. The realization that this feeling is part of a pattern, and that this too shall pass, has been a real comfort to me ever since. I guess the long meetings about wait-time, teaching transitions, and word-walls were fair trade for that piece of wisdom.<br />
<br />
Now I just need to make it to April and May.Mr. Burgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02866467339112468677noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-864310177314045690.post-40710652751982654322013-03-04T22:06:00.002-08:002013-03-04T22:06:43.053-08:00Mr. Mojo Risin'I'm ashamed to admit it, but the first time that I read <i>Brave New World</i>, it was because I wanted to be Jim Morrison; I was into The Doors, and I knew that they took their name from <i>The Doors of Perception</i>, also by Huxley. I don't know why I didn't just read that book, but I'm glad I found <i>BNW</i> first. I no longer love The Doors; as a matter of fact, I really can't stand them anymore, but I do love <i>Brave New World</i>. I dig the little things that Huxley does, like the characters' use of the name Ford in sacred context and the matter of fact presentation of the Alpha, Beta, and Epsilon caste system. I think The Feelies got their name from this book; I never noticed that before. <div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The typical dystopian realization of eugenics and population control is scary and riveting; however, as I get older, dystopian literature makes me sad where it used to make me anxious and angry at the world. I love the science fiction that novels like <i>The Handmaid's Tale, 1984</i>, and <i>BNW</i> lead to; there can be no <i>Logan's Run </i>or<i> The Matrix </i>without<i> Brave New World.</i> I also love the over-the-top criticism of oppressive and controlling social control that has become a staple of dystopian fiction. However, even though I believe that horrible atrocities evolve from misguided moral stances combined with the hunger for power, like in these novels, I think that it is even more evil that these things exist after atrocites. In the real world, atrocities like the holocaust lead teachers like me to make statements like, "we must study this so that it never happens again," when in reality, genocide is happening all the time, and the brutal hatred and racism that causes millions of small scale horrors is just as strong as ever. The pretense that we are being vigilant and avoiding large scale dystopia and horror, allows humanity to continue to perpetrate individual atrocities on one another in isolation, and to point to these novels and to past evils knowingly and with a sense of superior morality is folly. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I'm reading all three of these novels in the next few weeks. I will certainly have my share of the New World Order.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
</div>
Mr. Burgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02866467339112468677noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-864310177314045690.post-36047418128748264222013-02-25T06:20:00.001-08:002013-02-25T06:20:16.958-08:00My wife was extremely annoyed by Krakauer's <i>Into the Wild </i>and its higgledy-piggeldy narrative style, several of my colleagues have been unimpressed by the book and its subject, and a few of my better students are so far removed from the protagonist and his self-imposed asceticism that they are uninterested in the rest of the book. <div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The more I teach this book, the more I love it, in part because it creates arguments and discussions. It is a cheap shot to teach a book about a young man who defies logic and goes off on an adventure after graduation to high school seniors that are about to graduate, but I am not above shooting the fish in that barrel. However, McCandless dies tragically on that adventure, and even though I think that he was a good kid with a noble streak, and he had many admirable qualities, there is no way that I can suggest to students that they emulate him with good conscience. He was fatally reckless, stubborn, and selfish, even as he was courageous, determined, and loving. That is why I love this book. It is a story that generates paradoxes and contradictions. It presents questions without easy answers. </div>
Mr. Burgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02866467339112468677noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-864310177314045690.post-30976340770139134672013-02-21T07:17:00.000-08:002013-02-21T07:17:19.852-08:00The Limbo Stick<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Summoned by students of Ancient Dark Masters long ago in the Valley of Frost, it hides, waits, and prepares to erode the human soul. Composed of the bones of children, the tears of teachers, and the blood of puppies, it is well camouflaged, silent, odorless, and cold, but I can sense its presence nonetheless.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Wherever it goes, the howling of the innocent attends it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Like nuclear waste it radiates evil; to be near it is to lose touch with reality, and every moment that it sits in my small room, I know that my sanity is ebbing away like water from a leaky bucket.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I must be rid of it!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I care deeply for my colleagues and friends, but in order to escape the horrors and degradations of the stick, I will do anything to purge my room and my being of its putrescence.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Alas, the only way to be free of its power is to place it somewhere that it may feed on someone<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>else’s human essence, and to that end, and to my shame, I condemn my fellow human beings to servitude and the loss of their humanity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Be gone foul and dark master!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I will serve you no more.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> Get thee to the room of Judy! </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
Mr. Burgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02866467339112468677noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-864310177314045690.post-50366988691240883682013-02-18T21:17:00.001-08:002013-02-18T21:21:22.837-08:00Speaking of Jesters...I have never taught Oscar Wilde before; I haven't really read much other than <i>Earnest,</i> <i>Salome </i>and the odd poem. I have yet to read <i>The Picture of Dorian Gray</i>, but that is not because I don't enjoy his writing or his persona. I have read more about him than by him; I imagine him to have been exactly like his characters, and I want to go back in time and have conversations with him where I am lost in the dust of his legendary quick wit. I have many smart friends, and though I think that they are formidably fast with a quip or comeback, there is something about the dry Victorian delivery, at least in his writing, that adds to Wilde's snarky-genius mystique; my friends, sadly, don't have the wealth or the snide British sneers to pull off banter of this type. I hope that my students like the play; I think they will. Even though it is very smart, it is also very accessible. The humor and shenanigans keep me engaged in a way that more melodramatic Victorian fare cannot; as a matter of fact, whenever I try to watch <i>Downton Abbey</i>, I hope that it is going to be like <i>The Importance of Being Earnest. </i>I guess it is in a way, but it is decidedly less funny, and it degrades into a soap opera. Give me questionable rogues, dishonest scalawags, and irony over <i>Downton Abbey</i> any day.Mr. Burgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02866467339112468677noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-864310177314045690.post-16419321160017631132013-02-14T07:29:00.000-08:002013-02-14T07:29:21.520-08:00Riding InIt gets harder to come to work as the days get longer. It is not harder to leave for work, because I am always anxious to hop on my bicycle, but the act of turning into the parking lot and dismounting my bike becomes less and less likely to happen every day. I want to turn into the sunrise and hammer down on the pedals. I would love to spend my entire morning climbing Geiger Grade or riding the old highway out to Carson City; it's not that I don't love working with kids, its that I love my bike.<br />
<br />
The other day, my boss asked me to attend a meeting off site right after school. The meeting location was a few miles away, and I really wanted to ride my bike, so I told her that I would leave during my prep period in order to get there on time. She wanted me to put my bike in the back of her car, but the thought of missing a ride made me feel sick. I think the assumption for most of my colleagues is that I ride my bike to lose weight, to save the environment, or to save gas money. All those things happen incidentally, but I ride my bike because it is the most fun that I have on any given day.<br />
<br />
Woody Guthrie had a sticker on his guitar that said "This Machine Kills Fascists," and I've seen similar stickers on bikes. I don't know if my bike does anything to eliminate fascism in the world at large, but I certainly believe that my bike kills any impulses in me to do wrong.Mr. Burgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02866467339112468677noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-864310177314045690.post-12774725888987141482013-02-12T07:15:00.000-08:002013-02-14T07:16:29.197-08:00"Araby"<br />
<br />
James Joyce makes me nervous. I am wary of texts like <em>Ulysses</em> and <em>Finnegan's Wake</em> which left me feeling stupid in college, and even though I know that I should go back to them now that I am better equipped to deal with his style and density, I am deterred by mental blocks that convince me to steer toward other, flittier books every time I think about reading them. Then I read the stories in <em>Dubliners</em>, and I kick myself for not reading all of his writing. "Araby" is such a simple story, virtually without plot, yet that same stark simpleness represents the despair that every kid feels when they think about how bleak and dreary their hometown is. When the protagonist realizes that the bazaar is really just a couple of closing booths and that the people who work there are just as boring as his fellow Dubliners, his epiphany is one of anger and bitterness. Who hasn't felt that disappointment? I am going to download Finnegan's Wake onto the Kindle today. I will either read it this summer, or I will think about reading it and then wind up with the latest China Mieville instead. Oh well. It's worth a try.Mr. Burgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02866467339112468677noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-864310177314045690.post-71172789837854710922013-02-08T06:03:00.001-08:002013-02-08T06:03:16.728-08:00A Priori
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
<o:AllowPNG/>
</o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
</xml><![endif]-->
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves/>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:DoNotPromoteQF/>
<w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther>
<w:LidThemeAsian>JA</w:LidThemeAsian>
<w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/>
<w:EnableOpenTypeKerning/>
<w:DontFlipMirrorIndents/>
<w:OverrideTableStyleHps/>
<w:UseFELayout/>
</w:Compatibility>
<m:mathPr>
<m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/>
<m:brkBin m:val="before"/>
<m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/>
<m:smallFrac m:val="off"/>
<m:dispDef/>
<m:lMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:rMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/>
<m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/>
<m:intLim m:val="subSup"/>
<m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/>
</m:mathPr></w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
DefSemiHidden="true" DefQFormat="false" DefPriority="99"
LatentStyleCount="276">
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Normal"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="heading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="35" QFormat="true" Name="caption"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="59" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]-->
<!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;}
</style>
<![endif]-->
<!--StartFragment-->
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
I cannot remember what I knew when I was seventeen or
eighteen. I distinctly remember trying
to seem more worldly and knowledgeable than I really was; as a matter of fact, I still have a habit
of nodding in knowing agreement when I am talking to smart people who are
saying things that I don’t understand. I
look knowingly, stroke my mustache, and mutter things like “mmmmm... right,”
but, unlike when I was young, now these charades usually end with me saying,
“wait, what? Really? Holy Crap!”
I am confident enough with what I do know to admit that I don’t know
stuff. I like to learn new things, and I
am old enough that I can begin to see how ideas and philosophies are
interconnected, how learning builds upon itself, and how prior knowledge gives
context to new thoughts. All teachers
are frustrated and amazed by turns as they uncover what seem to be
inconceivable and unacceptable gaps in students’ knowledge, and it is hard to
remember what it was like to begin to discover the world of ideas.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I am teaching <i>Into the Wild</i> to my seniors. I have mixed feelings about the book, but I
am fascinated by the narrative, and I am interested in the debates that it
generates. Krakauer writes fairly simply,
but he assumes that his readers, as American thinkers, understand Thoreau,
Tolstoy, and London. I don’t mind giving
students abbreviated explanation about who these writers were, but how do I
spark the interest that will make them dive in later? I can’t teach <i>War and Peace, Call of the
Wild</i>, and <i>Walden</i> just so that I can get to a three week Krakauer unit. And of course, to understand these authors,
there are a multitude of texts that students need to have under their belts, and so on, ad infinitum. How can they understand Western Romanticism
without understanding the writers and thinkers of the Reformation? How can they get whatever music that they are listening to now without having heard Johnny Rotten or without
listening to what The Zombies had to say?
Some kids will jump in in the middle of the maze of thoughts, because how else can
they jump in besides in the middle? They will pretend to know whatever is needed and then start
following the never-ending series of paths in the maze of written ideas. Some kids will get bored and turn to other
things, some will learn new languages or old dead ones as they hunt for the
logical train. I hope there are more of
the latter than the former. Whatever happens, I need to be patient and not expect them to have specific stuff before they get to my class. They have a lot of stuff upon which they will build, and they can always get the rest later. <o:p></o:p></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Mr. Burgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02866467339112468677noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-864310177314045690.post-54408709573711646622013-02-03T21:26:00.001-08:002013-02-03T21:26:28.473-08:00"A Considerable Speck/ (Microscopic)"I had not read this Frost poem before I encountered it in Perrine's Literature, the anthology that we are using in my AP class. When I saw his name in italics at the end of the poem, I assumed that I would be reading about turning leaves in an East Coast wood or perhaps an animal or a rustic feature that the poet encountered on a lazy walk in the country. I was surprised to read a poem about the act of writing; of course, the titular tiny mite itself is a natural being, but it is notably out of place on the speaker's white paper. Frost often considers the human element in the natural world: the two roads diverging, the wall to be mended, or even the conspicuously absent farmhouse in "Stopping By Woods," but here, the tiny mite of nature is at the mercy of the speaker, presumably inside and away from the outdoors. <br />
<br />
I wonder if my students who love Frost, especially "The Road Not Taken" will be happy with this poem. It seems to be as much a criticism of the dearth of thought as it is a celebration of the tiny efforts to put those thoughts that do exist on paper. <br />
<br />
Frost often writes about close observations that a less thoughtful or more hurried person would fail to reflect upon. Instead of brushing the mite away, the speaker thinks about the implications of such a tiny visitor, and he ironically expresses a joy to see any display of "mind" on paper. Even though the poem takes place in the act of creation and action, Frost still manages to focus on the act and value observation and introspection.<br />
Mr. Burgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02866467339112468677noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-864310177314045690.post-59052686467312790192013-01-27T22:31:00.001-08:002013-01-28T21:16:48.445-08:00I taste a liquor never brewed<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
<o:AllowPNG/>
</o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
</xml><![endif]-->
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves/>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:DoNotPromoteQF/>
<w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther>
<w:LidThemeAsian>JA</w:LidThemeAsian>
<w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/>
<w:EnableOpenTypeKerning/>
<w:DontFlipMirrorIndents/>
<w:OverrideTableStyleHps/>
<w:UseFELayout/>
</w:Compatibility>
<m:mathPr>
<m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/>
<m:brkBin m:val="before"/>
<m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/>
<m:smallFrac m:val="off"/>
<m:dispDef/>
<m:lMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:rMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/>
<m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/>
<m:intLim m:val="subSup"/>
<m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/>
</m:mathPr></w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
DefSemiHidden="true" DefQFormat="false" DefPriority="99"
LatentStyleCount="276">
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Normal"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="heading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="35" QFormat="true" Name="caption"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="59" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]-->
<!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-language:JA;}
</style>
<![endif]-->
<!--StartFragment-->
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
I love Emily Dickinson.
Admittedly, I am often too quick to say that I love something or
someone, but when it comes to Emily, I don’t use the term flippantly. I recently reread her brilliant poem, “I Taste a Liquor Never Brewed”
for my AP class, and once again, Emily has caught me by surprise. I am smitten with lines like, “Inebriate
of Air—Am I--/And Debauchee of Dew;” the author of such lines is undeniably lovely and lovable. Her playful description of nature and of her
interaction with it is so joyful; I wish it were summer so that I could run outside right now, amidst the bees and high clouds, in search of her bliss. I am sure that my image of Emily, a shy and reclusive genius who ironically was so able to understand the inner vision of her fellow humans, is flawed and inaccurate, but I don't care. She brings a flush to my cheeks. I hope that my shy but playful daughter continues to have Emily's childlike, giddy
pleasure out of doors even when she is grown. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Dickinson is simultaneously so appreciatively passionate and frivolously irreverent. I don't know how she does it. When I try to write about my experience in nature, I tend to be dramatically
somber and even a bit pretentious. I usually wind up seriously contemplating a holy and heady place rather than taking exuberant joy in the outdoors-- I take after my father in that
way; I want to connect to the wilderness in a profound and serious manner. I forget to have fun every time I am outside. Thanks for the reminder Emily. I want to go ride my bike in circles in front of my house.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>I taste a liquor never brewed,</i><br />
<i>From tankards scooped in pearl;</i><br />
<i>Not all the vats upon the Rhine</i><br />
<i>Yield such an alcohol!</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><br /></i></div>
<i>Inebriate of air am I,</i><br />
<i>And debauchee of dew,</i><br />
<i>Reeling, through endless summer days,</i><br />
<i>From inns of molten blue.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>When landlords turn the drunken bee</i><br />
<i>Out of the foxglove's door,</i><br />
<i>When butterflies renounce their drams,</i><br />
<i>I shall but drink the more!</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>Till seraphs swing their snowy hats,</i><br />
<i>And saints to windows run,</i><br />
<i>To see the little tippler</i><br />
<i>Leaning against the sun!</i><br />
<br />
Emily Dickinson<br />
<br />
<br />
<!--EndFragment-->Mr. Burgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02866467339112468677noreply@blogger.com0