I cannot believe that it’s time to go already! Up to this point, I still can’t believe I’m a teacher. I thought teaching on the high school level was not for me. Until I started teaching, I had never lived my life governed by a clock. I awoke when I wanted. I rested when I wanted. I built businesses when I wanted. I lived what I loved. My life was calm. I meditated, walked and I wrote. All day. Every day.
Please click on the link below to complete this week's Mixed Ink assignment in Canvas. The assignment has also been posted here for your perusal.
Canvas
Last week, using this online platform we discussed things not always being what they seem. We took time to watch, analyze and interpret what we think the motive was for Childish Gambino's, "This is America."
This week, I want to take on the stories that are being told and the historical context that is being revealed throughout the video. Often, artists use symbols, motifs, innuendos, imagery and other literary devices to send covert messages about matters that touch them in some way. In exchange, they sometimes create timeless pieces that are discussed long after the lights have dimmed on the work itself. "This is America" is one such instance where an agenda is being presented. In several interviews, Childish Gambino has refused to reveal his intent because he feels that it is not his place to explain what's in the video. He wants viewers to be free to "watch [it] and walk away with whatever you need to walk away with." Instructions: 1. Watch and analyze the video again. 2. List all of the symbolism you found with a brief interpretation of what you think it means. 3. You must respond to at least two other students as usual. 4. Complete a One-Pager based on the video and all the commentary you have written and read about "This is America." Click here for instructions on your One-Pager.
1. INCLUDE: First initial AND last name AND class period.
2. Respond in no more than 10 sentences and no less than five. 3. You MUST respond to at least TWO other posts from any student. Your replies cannot be identical comments on different posts and posting shallow comments such as "I agree" or "I disagree" will earn you a zero. Make sure your reply addresses the comment that you are responding to. Be sure to--
CAUTION!! Do NOT embarrass me, yourself, your class, the English department, the school or your parents with tasteless, meaningless comments. This is for a grade. Due: Mon., May 21, 2018 11:59 p.m. CST The following is for Seniors only!
1-4. Complete these items.
5. Watch the video again, carefully. Then, in a well-developed essay, with a clear thesis, and clear TOK connections, "Analyze the strategies Gambino uses to convey his arguments about contemporary race issues in the US." 1. INCLUDE: First initial AND last name AND class period. 2. Respond in no more than 10 sentences and no less than five. 3. You MUST respond to at least TWO other posts from any student. Your replies cannot be identical comments on different posts and posting shallow comments such as "I agree" or "I disagree" will earn you a zero. Make sure your reply addresses the comment that you are responding to. Be sure to--
CAUTION!! Do NOT embarrass me, yourself, your class, the English department, the school or your parents with tasteless, meaningless comments. This is for a grade. Due: Thurs., May 17, 2018 2:45 p.m. CST
Please have your parents watch, analyze and discuss the video with you for a clear understanding of the content/meaning.
For millennia, artists, of all genres, have created music that delve into social consciousness. The goal is to "awaken" society to anthropological, sociological and psychological problems and injustices and spark movements for change.
Unsurprisingly, from Bob Dylan's "Time's They Are Changing," Beethoven's "Ode to Joy," and Lead Belly's "Goodnight Irene," to Sam Cook's "A Change Gone Come," Billie Holiday's "Strange Fruit," Nina Simone's "Mississippi Goddam," and Marvin Gaye's "Mercy, Mercy Me (The Ecology)," protest songs have ridden the waves of every generation of music that sails along because, more than any other art form, music is universal and far-reaching. Today's protest songs are no different. They reach far and tell a different story about the false social constructs that portrays America as a melting pot, the land of the free and opportunity, a place where all men, who were created equally, can be treated...well...equally. But things are not always as they seem. And Donald Glover, Jr., aka, Childish Gambino, is letting the world know that the more things change, the more they stay the same, especially when it comes to ideological constructs such as gun violence, police brutality and racism that America is grounded in. Watch and analyze the video above. Then, explain the meaning of the video and what the artist's motive was for making the video." 1. INCLUDE: First initial AND last name AND class period. 2. Respond in no more than 10 sentences and no less than five. 3. You MUST respond to at least TWO other posts from any student. Your replies cannot be identical comments on different posts and posting shallow comments such as "I agree" or "I disagree" will earn you a zero. Make sure your reply addresses the comment that you are responding to. Be sure to--
CAUTION!! Do NOT embarrass me, yourself, your class, the English department, the school or your parents with tasteless, meaningless comments. This is for a grade. Due: Sun., May 13, 2018 11:59 p.m. CST
Critics
Commentary
People are entitled to their opinion, right? Then why is it that every time Kanye West gives his opinion, it sounds bizarre, vapid and offensive?
He didn't disappoint when he appeared on a video that TMZ published on May 1st. He had some critics. He had some supporters. The question remains, however, did he make some valid points? Some people feel that he is a genius because most geniuses are viewed as "weird," "crazy" or different. But at what point does your genius get in your way to be respected or taken seriously? On the other hand, some believe that West is mentally ill and suffering a mental breakdown. I want to know what you think. Watch the videos above..the large one with the image, then the links under the heading "Critics" that I have provided. Read the Tweets on the Revolt site. All of them. All..so that you can make some informed opinions. Then, let me know what you think below. 1. INCLUDE: First initial AND last name AND class period. 2. Respond in no more than 10 sentences and no less than five. 3. You MUST respond to at least TWO other posts from any student. Your replies cannot be identical comments on different posts and posting shallow comments such as "I agree" or "I disagree" will earn you a zero. Make sure your reply addresses the comment that you are responding to. Be sure to--
CAUTION!! Do NOT embarrass me, yourself, your class, the English department, the school or your parents with tasteless, meaningless comments. This is for a grade. Due: Sun., May 6, 2018 6:00 p.m. CST |
Mixed InkMixed Ink is our class blog, the window into our souls. It was designed to improve students' writing, critical thinking and communication skills by giving them a platform to provide meaningful content based on their interpretation of what they see.
Although the students receive a grade based on a rubric for completing this assignment, they are not graded on complexity of thought. This is a place where students of all levels can freely, confidently and creatively express themselves and their opinions in a nonjudgmental platform. They are required to respond to and critique each other, but degradation, slander, lewdness, etc., will not be tolerated. Bridge Builders
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