Oh, My...Brave New World?!?

According to Aldous Huxley, his novel Brave New World was meant to be a satire. As satires go, they often try to point out social or personal weaknesses by poking fun of them in some exaggerated sort of way. For Huxley, he was obviously trying to point to systems that were attempting to make people more uniform, to not think for themselves, etc. In doing that, he created a society that seems absurd to us.

Tess was also a book that critiqued society, in the ways they judged others, including women. Obviously though, Tess of the D'Urbervilles is NOT a satire, but was a tragedy. Rather than poking fun of Tess's life, Thomas Hardy allowed us to see what Tess felt and thought.

Here is what I'd like you to consider and discuss here:

• How are these two types of social criticism different, and what effect do you think they have on people? In other words, what do you suppose is the difference in the reaction to both pieces?
• Which technique do you find most interesting, or that speaks to you? (It could be both, but for different reasons.)
  
• Share one exaggerated moment from Brave New World that most stood out to you as a satire (funny).

Please post your comments by Sunday, May 2nd before midnight. You will get 10 points for your initial post and 5 points for responding to one person (or you could comment to several people in a secondary comment.

Good luck!

Tess Movie Response

Hi! For those of you who came to see the film, I'd like to have a little conversation about what you thought! It's kind of fun to watch a film that you've read the book for, and also to share it with others, so I hope you enjoyed watching it together. :)

Post a comment below by Sunday, April 18th. Stop back by and respond to one other student for a full ten points extra credit!

• Did you come to watch the film with the class, and how long did you stay? (If you participated in the dance concert, just let me know.)
• How did the film compare with the book? What differences did you notice?
  
• What was your favorite part of the film? In other words, what scene(s) most stood out to you?
  
• What would you say to those who have not seen the film? Do you think they missed out by not watching it with us?
  
• (Optional): Do you think we should aim for another movie night to watch any other film adaptations?

*Quick tip on posting: You don't have to have a blogger account. You can select to be anonymous, but either way, you MUST include your name at the bottom of the post so I know who to give points to.

Poetry

As we've been discussing poetry in class, and my experience with students in the past, I often hear it said that poetry doesn't have meaning, that we're just "reading into it." It's a given that poetry is more obscure than most prose, as the language itself is set up to hint at and symbolize an emotion, thought, or purpose. By its very nature, it often takes a closer reading to understand.

Here's my question then. Why is poetry such an important part of our study of literature? Do you think that because it is difficult at times, that it is too much for an AP literature course? How do you feel about poetry?

(Respond to the question in 4-5 sentences for 5 points, and another 5 points for responding to one other student. This post will close for points Sunday, 1/31 at midnight!)