Identity Crisis: Hero or Coward?

After the humiliation of the leaders of his village and the implementation of a new government, Okonkwo could no longer suffer the meddling of the white men in his world. In an act of blind rage and fury, Okonkwo murdered the messenger of the British imperialists. Desiring perhaps on a subconscious level to awaken the lethargic passiveness of his people, what resulted afterwards was only a stunned silence from his fellow people. He realized the hopelessness in keeping his way of life from falling apart and went home to hang himself.

Did Okonkwo die a hero or a coward? Was his suicide a brave and fierce act of defiance like Patrick Henry? Or was it the sad resignation of someone who simply gave up?

We want to try to answer this question by first considering the issue of identity crisis he faced. In groups, read the following poem:

"Search for My Tongue"

Answer the following questions in your group:
1. What is the inner conflict faced by the poet?
2. What is the identity crisis?
3. What figurative language does she use to describe this conflict/crisis?
4. What is her solution for the problem? How does she find peace?
5. How does this apply to Okonkwo?
6. Did Okonkwo die a hero or coward? Why?

The Death of a Culture

In what ways can a culture die? How can a way of life for an entire group of people be completely lost -  their songs, poems, economy, religions, beliefs, and governments destroyed? After reading so much about the customs and practices of Okonkwo and his village, we have seen the demise of everything he held dearly in a just a few chapters.

Today we want to focus on the way that a culture can be taken over. In Things Fall Apart, we have read how the British missionaries with Mr. Brown has gained power in Okonkwo's village. How have Mr. Brown and his missionaries changed Okonkwo's village so quickly? What are some of the ways that other cultures in Africa were destroyed?

Read the last two sections on this article:

"Colonial Domination: Indirect Rule" and "Colonial Domination: Assimilation"
  http://exhibitions.nypl.org/africanaage/essay-colonization-of-africa.html

After reading, take notes in groups on the ways that an entire culture can be dominated.

The Scramble for Africa

During the late 1800s, all of Europe was in a hurried frenzy to colonize Africa. The major powers like England, France, Belgium, and Germany scrambled for dominance in the previously "Dark" continent. Soon in our novel we will see a similar colonization occur to the tribe and village of Okonkwo. Today, we want to explore some of the motivations and reasons behind a nation's colonization of another culture and try to answer the question: Is this right? Is there ever a reason?



Here are the three sources we will be reading as we explore this complex issue:

"Europe's Colonization of Africa"


Take notes on the handout as you read.

Questions to Consider for Creating a Hypothesis

PERSONAL IDENTITY

* How can the actions of parents determine the outcome of their children's lives?
* What are the effects of people placing their personal identity in areas such as masculinity, vocations,
   etc.?
* What are the results of people placing their personal identity in...etc?

CLASH OF CULTURE

*  How does a person's view on cultural integrity affect their views/decisions/life/outlook on other  
    ethnic groups and cultures?
* What determines a person's outlook on whether nations should reach out and change other cultures
   or completely leave them alone? (Think about moral relativism/absolutism, cultural integrity, etc.)


QUESTION OF RIGHT AND WRONG

* How does a person's view on moral relativism/ absolutism determine their actions, decisions, life,
   etc.?
* What are the results of a person whose life revolves around the idea of moral relativism/absolutism?
* How does a person's view on free will and determinism/predestination affect their decisions, life,
   etc? (Connect with moral relativism/absolutism)
* What do the values of our culture reflect about their views on moral relativism/absolutism?

Folktales Around the Globe

Folktales are simply defined as a tale or legend originating among a people or folk. It forms a large part of the tradition of a culture. A folktale can be a mixture of legends, oral history, proverbs, fairy tales, superstitions, etc. They can provide a picture into a culture's morals and values. Cultures all across the world have their share of folktales.

North American (US) Folktale: The Baker's Dozen

European (England) Folktale: The Old Woman and Her Pig

African (Nigerian) Folktale: Baboon and the Tortoise

Asian (Chinese) Folktale: The Four Dragons

South American (Mayan) Folktale: The Rabbit and the Coyote

Australian Folktale: The Bunbundoolooeys

These folktales represent a common bond found among all of humanity - every culture, ethnicity, and peoples. Read each story aloud in your group. On the handout, note which culture the folktale came from, summarize the plot, and analyze the purpose/moral of the story. At the very end, note the similarities and differences among these folktales from across the globe. What do you think they say about the culture?

Grading Rubric for Research Report/Visual

Three Authentic Sources (40 points)
Level one: 0-20 points
Three authentic sources are not used. Some sources are not reliable. Research on tribe is brief.

Level two: 21-30 points
Three authentic sources are researched. Not every source is used. Research on tribe covers some areas.

Level three: 22-40 points
Three or more authentic sources are researched. Each source is thoroughly used. Research on tribe is thorough, covering as many areas as possible.

Written Research Report (40 points)
Level one: 0-20 points
Written report does not include any parenthetical citation. Only one or two sources actually cited in paper.

Level two: 21-30 points
Sources are only briefly used in paper. Sources are improperly cited in places.

Level three: 22-40 points
All sources are clearly cited in written report (parenthetical citation) and thoroughly used.
Visual Aid (20 points)
Level one: 0-5
Visual aid is bare-bones in presentation and effort.

Level two: 6-10 points
Visual aid presents some of the relevant information in the written report.

Level three: 11-20 points
Visual aid provides a lasting impression of written report. Expertly presents all of the relevant information in the written report.

Africa: Exploring the "Dark Continent"

To the rest of the world in the 19th century, Africa was known as the romantic and mysterious name of the Dark Continent. Even today, the image of Africa from space gives the impression of a land with no lights. Though this title may have reflected the hidden, unexplored regions of the continent in centuries past, ignorance of the peoples and tribes in Africa largely led to crude stereotypes of its indigenous people - an issue that Achebe sought to remedy.

Today and tomorrow, your task is to research the customs, culture, superstitions, governments, food, and economy of a tribe/village located in Africa. This is an individual, test grade assignment that is due Friday. Here are your requirements:


1. Minimum of three authentic sources. 


2. Two page written report. Parenthetical citation of at least three different sources in report. 
   (Use a mixture of summary/direct quotes)


3. A Keynote presentation or poster of your information.

Revisionist History: British Imperialism and the Dark Continent

The clash of cultures that we will discuss as we read Things Fall Apart was also the motivation behind the writing of the novel itself. Today we want to explore the conflicting ideologies behind the creation of this work.

Achebe's Interview: http://www.theatlantic.com/past/docs/unbound/interviews/ba2000-08-02.htm

                                                                               VS

Kipling's Article :http://www.victorianweb.org/authors/kipling/rkimperialism.html

Kipling Poem: http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/5478/


How does Achebe's view of African culture clash with the idea of Jingoism (British Imperialism)?

Who determines what is RIGHT and WRONG?

Research two broad views on the question of RIGHT and WRONG:

Moral RELATIVISM vs Moral ABSOLUTISM 

Define each on your handout and determine what you believe are the strengths and weaknesses of each. Afterwards, ask yourself again: Which do you believe (and why)?

Ancient Greece Life

Ancient Greece
By: Justin, Tyler, Chrystal, Arthur


In Ancient Greece the people take their culture, society, economy, and history very seriously. One of the most important things in Ancient Greece's culture is religion. People of Ancient Greece are very proud of their culture. Holidays and festivals are taken very seriously. In Ancient Greece society Men have to be involved in theater if they were not involved in the military or politics. The plays acted out by the male Grecians had to involve gods or politics but came in many genres. In Ancient Greece economy many people depended on agriculture. The Greeks also were highly involved in trading in which they gave profit to the farmers. In Ancient Greece History many important things have happened. One of the most important things that happened in Ancient Greece's history is the Trojan War. The Trojan War started because the Greeks decided to use a strategy of war to seduce the opponent. The strategy with the wooden horse was a very smart plan. The Greeks hid in a hollow wooden horse where they jumped out in a surprise attack against the opponent, killing them all.

Sources:
Culture: www.buzzle.com/articles/greek-culture-facts.html
Society: www.ancientgreece.com/5/life/
Economy: www.history-world.org/greece%20economy.html
History: www.stanford.edu/~plomia/history.html
www.timelessmyths.com/classical/trojanwar.html

Aristotle vs. Plato

Aristotle vs. Plato

By: Ben Jones, Gabriella Elliott, Savanna Pettet, and Shyam Patel



*This blog post includes the questions we researched and answered about Aristotle and Plato. The questions and answers also go along with the interview video.



Aristotle

What were Aristotle's personal beliefs?
- He believed that all people desired happiness but happiness was only achieved when a person used his/her intellectual abilities to their full power.
www.westerncultureglobal.org

What was Aristotle's view on literature?
-He believed that literature is determined by our qualites/character and that these basic combinations of traits show in the actions at critical moments.

What was Aristotle's philosophy?
-He believed that understanding the material in reality can be achieved by properly identifying the essential traits of the materials and distinguishing these traits.
www.historyforkids.org

Plato

What were Plato's personal beliefs?
-Plato, like Aristotle, believed that all people desired happiness in some way; however, he believed happiness was the result of a healthy soul.
www.oregonstate.edu

What was Plato's view on literature?
-He believes that it is difficult to put theorys and ideas in words, but readers will understand them after long thought, discussion, and questioning.
www.gap-system.org

What was Plato's philosophy?
-He believed the nature and destiny of a man has an individual soul chained to a material body and that the metaphysics ultimate reality is spiritual in nature.
www.cals.ncsu.edu

Sophocles, Aeschylus, & Euripides

A (c. 4

Sophocles work is considered the pinnacle of the Freek tragedy. He stared as an actor but he was unable to continue due to the problems with his voice. Sophocles created the cult of the god Asclepius in 240 BCE. He wrote around 123 plays for the Arthenian theatre, and won 24 festivals.

Aeschylus

Aeschylus was born near Athens. In the village Eleusis in 525 BCE. He was the first of the three classical play rights of 5th century Athens. He wrote between 60 and 90 plays. Aeschylus died in 456 BCE.

Euripides

Euripides was born in 485 BCE, in Phyletic. He was friends with Sophocles. He wrote 92 plays

Cites

Www.livius.org

Www.watson.org

Classics.us.edu

Academic.reed.edu

Www.gradesaver.com

Ancient Greece

Ancient Greece

By: Hunter, Natalie, Ben, Ryan

In ancient Greece their are many tradition and values that made the culture and society of the ancient greek unique. There were traditions such as the close intact the creece men had
with nudity. Nudity was used in sports, to celebrate birthdays, and many forms
of art. The religion in greek culture was taken extremely serious in their
culture and was used in basically all forms of their lives. Theatre was
extremely important to the men along with military and politics. In the ancient
greek theatre, Greek mythology was used often. The women in the society were not
taken seriously and was as if their opinions did not matter. There were many
history of war and heroism in this culture also, due to the fact military was
taken so seriously.

Sources:Www.ancientgreece.com

WWw.favoritetraditions.com/Greektraditions

Www.historyforkids.org/learn/greeks/economy

www.ancientgreece.co.uk/dailylife/home_aet.html

http://eh.net/encyclopedia/article/engrn.greece

Homer and Greek Mythology

Homer

Homer, the major figure in ancient Greek literature, has been considered the greatest poet of classical antiquity (ancient times). He wrote both the Iliad and the Odyssey, two epic poems (long narrative poems) surviving in a surprisingly large number of manuscripts. It is not possible to supply a biography for Homer in the accepted sense of a life history. Since he lived before cultures began recording history, there is no authentic record of who he was, when and where he was born, how long he lived, or even if he was actually responsible for the two epic poems for which he is known. Many of the virtues presented in Homer's works -- reason, intelligence, worldliness, secularism, courage, honor, integrity and restraint -- became pervasive throughout much of Ancient Greek culture. The result was the birth or grand development of the fields of philosophy, science, history, drama, medicine, art and more – advances that form the basis of Western, advanced civilization.

Greek mythology

In ancient times, the Greeks were very devoted to their beliefs. They were religious people who worshipped numerous gods. The majority of these gods represented various elements of nature. Legends and Myths of the gods and their accomplishments tend to explain the phenomenon and occurrences of winds, rains, storms, life and deaths. Some gods include, Zeus, god of the skies, Poseidon, god of the sea and Hades, god of death. Most gods were believed to live on Mount Olympus, the highest peak in Greece. Greek gods had many human attributes and they did not set out strict rules for mortals to follow. They argued, make mistakes, and fell in love, but they did all of these things on a grand scale. Such tales are usually told into stories and myths passed down from generation to generation.

Sources

www.greekmythology.com

www.greek-gods.info

http://www.ancientgreece.com/s/People/Homer/

http://history-world.org/homerpics.htm

http://history-world.org/homeric_legend.htm

http://www.notablebiographies.com/He-Ho/Homer.html

http://www.westerncultureglobal.org/homer.html

Aeschylus, Euripides, and Sophocles

The Greek Tragedians
In the early years of drama, Greece was the dominant power of theather. In all of Greek history, three playwrights are the most influential. Aeschylus, the father of tragedy, Euripides, the passionate playwrite, and lastly Sophocles, the master of many arts.

Aeschylus
Aeschylus was born in Eleusis, Attica in the year 525 B.C to a wealthy upper class man, Euphorion. It's is believed that he began writing as a child. While watching over his father's flocks, he fell asleep and was supposedly visited by Dionysus, the god of wine, in his dreams. Dionysus told the young Aeschylus to write plays to glorify the gods. As instructed, Aeschylus began writing plays immediately and entered his first competition at the age of 25 in the Athenian festivals, the Great Dionysia. In 484 B.C, he won his first competition and continued to win almost every year until his death. In total, he won 13 years in the Great Dionysia, making 52 of his plays award-winning. As tradition has it, Aeschylus's death was brought upon by an eagle. The eagle, mistaking his bald head for a rock, dropped a tortoise on it, bringing an unlikely end to the Greek idol.

Euripides
Euripides was born around 484 B.C in Athens, Greece. His mother’s name was Cleito while his father’s was Nesarchus. Euripides was considered passionate with his ideas. Euripides wrote 92 plays throughout his life that historians can still read. Nineteen of those works are still read worldwide. His plays show his opinions towards religious beliefs and ancient myths found in Greek tradition. Euripides died in 406 B.C in Macedonia.

Sophocles

Sophocles was born in 496 B.C. in Colonus to a wealthy, aristocratic family. From the time that Sophocles was young, many knew that he was destined to achieve many great things in life. Sophocles studied and mastered all of the arts of his time which included literature and choir. He was the lead singer in an all male singing choir and also founded a literature club. By the time that Sophocles was 16 he was known for his beauty, grace, and knowledge. He had 5 children in total all of whom were male. He wrote many plays, despite the fact that only 7 survived the passage of time. Sophocles died in 406 B.C. aging over 90 years. However, it is now know exaclty how he died.

Cites

Aeschylus Cites

http://www.theatredatabase.com/ancient/aeschylus_001.html

http://ancienthistory.about.com/od/drama/p/Aeschylus.htm;

http://www.notablebiographies.com/A-An/Aeschylus.html

http://www.wayneturney.20m.com/aeschylus.htm

http://m.eb.com/topic/7413#26755.toc

Euripides Cites

www.gradesaver.com/authors/euripides

www.enotes.com/authors/euripides  

http://www.biography.com/people/euripides-9289335

http://www.sacred-texts.com/cla/eurip/index.htm

http://www.ancientgreece.com/s/People/Euripides/

Sophocles Cites 

http://ancienthistory.about.com/od/sophocles/p/Sophocles.htm http://www.imagi-nation.com/moonstruck/clsc1.htm
http://www.theatrehistory.com/ancient/sophocles001.html
http://www.theatredatabase.com/ancient/sophocles_001.html
http://www.sophocles.net/

By:Jessica, Heidi and David



Homer and Greek Mythology

Homer

Homer

Homer was an epic poet. His most famous works are The Iliad and The Odyssey, which are read in most high schools. He lived in the eight century (Maybe even earlier than that).

The Iliad

The Iliad is an epic poem, with the setting in the twelfth century (The Bronze Age) in the city of Troy (Which is now Northwestern Turkey). The views or themes one might say is the importance of human life and it's creation.

The Odyssey

Like The Iliad, The Odyssey is also an epic poem, that was also written by Homer. The Odyssey was set in the Bronze Age also. This poem starts off where the Iliad finished, placed in Ithaca. The themes or view points of this poem is the misery of separation and the pitfalls of temptation.

Greek Mythology

What is mythology?

Mythology - A collection of myths, especial one belonging to a particular religious or cultural tradition.

So what does Greek Mythology mean?

Greek Gods

Aphrodite - The Goddess of Love and Beauty.

Apollo - The God of Sun and Music.

Ares - The God of War.

Artemis - The Goddess of the Wilderness

Athena - The Goddess of Wisdom, and Arts.

Demeter - The Goddess of the Harvest.

Dionysus - The God of Wine

Hades - God of the Underworld

Hephaestus - God of Metallurgy

Hera - The Goddess of Famil

Hermes - The God of The Trade

Hesita - The God of the Hearth

Poseidon - The God of the Seas

Zeus - The God of Mankind

Sources for Information and Images.

http://images.fanpop.com/images/image_uploads/Zeus--greek-mythology-687267_1024_768.jpg

http://www.ancient-mythology.com/greek/homer.php

http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/iliad/facts.html

http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/odyssey/facts.html

https://www.google.com/search?hl=en&biw=1066&bih=590&q=greek%20mythology&gbv=2&gs_sm=3&gs_upl=2740l6164l0l7029l15l15l4l0l0l0l62l494l11l11l0&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=iw&ei=lIc0T6--Aoa6twe-t7mdAg#sclient=psy-ab&hl=en&gbv=2&source=hp&q=define:mythology&pbx=1&oq=define:mythology&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&gs_sm=3&gs_upl=116269l118583l2l119072l7l7l0l0l0l1l101l469l6.1l7l0&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.,cf.osb&fp=2ea555e16508ec1f&biw=1066&bih=554

http://www.greek-gods.info/greek-gods/

http://www.greek-gods-and-goddesses.com/greek-god-apollo.html

http://www.theoi.com/Olympios/Ares.html

http://www.pantheon.org/articles/a/artemis.html

http://ancienthistory.about.com/cs/grecoromanmyth1/p/Athena.htm

Aristotle and Plato

Plato

Plato believed along with the Greek philosophers that poetry should be "well-ordered" and should attempt to "imitate the order" and harmony of nature. Plato was a Grrek philoosopher born 428-7 and died In 348-7 B.C.E.

Aristotle

Aristotle approach to literature is home formal and less morally. For aristotle this purpose is the evocation of fear and pity in the audience. He also thought that all poetry or literature should serve a purpose.

Cited Sorces.

http://www.brysons.net/academic/aristotle.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poetics_(Aristotle)

http://classics.uc.edu/~johnson/tragedy/plato&aristotle.html

http://www.jstor.org/stable/310558

http://www.enotes.com/poetry/q-and-a/what-platos-view-regarding-poetry-44543

Grading Rubric for Test on Greeks

I. Authentic Sources Cited = 40 pts
Level one / 0-13 pts - No sources cited in information presented
                                   Sources are not authentic/reliable
                                   Sources are not used

Level two / 14-30 pts - Five authentic sources
                                     Sources are not cited in information
                                     Sources are barely used

Level three / 31-40 pts - Five or more authentic sources
                                       Sources are cited in information 
                                       Sources are clearly used thoroughly
                                      
II. Supplementary Visual with Information = 40 pts
Level one / 0-13 pts - Information is presented in a bare-bones manner
                                   No visual used / or visual used is rushed together
                                   Completely unorganized, lacking any seriousness

Level two / 14-30 pts - A visual is used to present information
                                     Visual is very straightforward with little creativity/effort
                                     Presentation is unorganized, too playful

Level three / 31-40 pts - Visual used is creative and helpful to the information presented
                                        Information is presented in organized, understandable manner
                                        Presentation is orderly, serious, and organized
III. Post on Blog = 20 pts
Level one / 1-7 pts - Information in post is too brief
                                 Information is plagiarized directly from sources
                                 No sources cited

Level two / 8-14 pts - Information is thorough but not well organized
                                   Too much unnecessary information present in post
                                   Few sources cited 

Level three / 15-20 pts - Information is thorough and understandable in an organized manner
                                       A summary of the important points in the information, pictures/links used
                                       All sources cited.

Researching the Greeks

This week we will be covering the Greeks and their life, culture, society, and famous persons. This will be a research project and our first test grade for the month of February (in preparation for our new novel Things Fall Apart). There will be four groups, each with a topic from the list below:


1) Homer and Greek Mythology: biography, contributions, the Greek gods, influence on Greek society

2) Ancient Greek Life: their history, culture, society, economy

3) Aristotle and Plato: their two contrasting views on literature/poetry, literary criticism

4) Sophocles, Aeschylus, Euripides: the three major Greek playwrights, their biography, works,
                                                               contributions to Greek tragedy



Here are the basic requirements for this test:

A) A minimum of five AUTHENTIC sources cited. The amount of research done will have a 
     large part in the grading.

B) A type of supplementary VISUAL to present to the class with your findings. This can be 
     media,  construction work, acting, etc.

C) A post on our blog that summarizes the major points of your research. It will serve as an 
    "online handout"