JOURNAL PROMPTS
12 CP
JOURNAL 1 - 8/18
What is redemption?
“Hell is yourself and the only redemption is when a person puts himself aside
to feel deeply for another person.”
Tennessee Williams
“Seeking to forget makes exile all the longer; the secret of redemption lies in
remembrance.” Richard von Weizsaecker
Discuss your perception of redemption, citing one of the quotes from
above in your response. Explain why the speaker’s quote either
coincides or conflicts with your image of redemption.
JOURNAL 2-8/23
Essential question
•Where does our sense of identity come from?
Related questions:
How does environment shape our identity?
•What identities, if any, are permanent and which do we
have the power to change?
•What roles do neighborhood and community play in
shaping who we become?
JOURNAL 3- 8/25
•Pgs 80-109 Kite Runner - If you had only one word to
describe the motivation for Amir's actions in this part of the
book, what word would you choose?
•Find a definition for your word, and then show examples
from the text (you may want to include some of Amir's own
words and actions) that demonstrate the accuracy of your
word choice.
•Try to judge Amir by either defending or condemning his
actions.
HOMEWORK -8/29
•3 Double Entry Journals from the Kite Runner
JOURNAL 4 - 8/30
“There are years that ask questions and
years that answer.” -Zora Neale Hurston,
folklorist and writer (1891-1960)
What does Hurston mean by this and how
can her words relate to The Kite Runner?
To your life?
JOURNAL 5 - 9/1
Discuss your perception of the college
experience and how you anticipate it will be.
How prepared do you feel, in terms of your
academics and English class, for college? What
are some ways I could help you feel more
prepared for next year?
JOURNAL 6 - 9/6 – 9/8
Part 1: Saroyan writes in the prologue of The Time of Your Life:
“In the time of your life, live—so that in that good time there shall be
no ugliness or death for yourself or for any life your life touches.”
Respond to this with your interpretation and connect it to a character
you have read about in the past or someone you currently know or have
known.
Part 2:
•Gaston DQs #1-6
•Seventy Thousand Assyrians 4 -Stop and Respond while reading
JOURNAL 7 – 9/15
Words are things; and a small drop of ink
Falling like dew upon a thought, produces
That which makes thousands, perhaps millions, think.
-Lord Byron, poet (1788-1824)
Discuss what Lord Byron meant by this poem and
connect it to a novel you have read that produces the
reaction Byron is referring to.
JOURNAL 8 – 9/19
Language is the archives of history. -Ralph Waldo
Emerson, writer and philosopher (1803-1882)
Part 1: How does this apply to The Time of Your Life?
Part 2: Choose two themes from our notes and write
two double-entry journals. Prepare to share and discuss.
JOURNAL 9- 10/3
“When I consider the brief span of my life, swallowed up in the
eternity before and behind it, the small space that I fill, or even
see, engulfed in the infinite immensity of spaces which I know
not, and which know not me, I am afraid, and wonder to see
myself here rather than there; for there is no reason why I should
be here rather than there, now, rather than then.”
Pascal, Thoughts of Pascal
•Discuss the affect this quote has on you upon reading.
If you cannot connect to this, consider and discuss
Pascal’s conflict with existence.
JOURNAL 10 – 10/6
Oskar invents constantly to compensate for what
he feels is missing in his life. If you could invent
something extraordinary, something that could
change your life, what would it be?
JOURNAL 11- 10/11
Oskar faces many anxieties. He has difficulty dealing
with these anxieties, so he invents things.
Discuss what it is that makes you anxious and what
you have done to overcome this obstacle. If you haven’t
done anything to overcome it, come up with solutions
you could potentially use.
JOURNAL 12 – 10/27
"...the individual is defined only by his relationship to the world
and to other individuals; he exists only by transcending himself,
and his freedom can be achieved only through the freedom of
others. He justifies his existence by a movement which, like
freedom, springs from his heart but which leads outside of
himself."
~ Simone de Beauvoir, 1948
Discuss your understanding of Beauvoir’s quote and connect it to
the events in ELIC.
JOURNAL 13 – 11/17
A Poem by Stephen Crane
A man said to the universe:
“Sir I exist!”
“However,” replied the universe,
“the fact has not created in me a sense of obligation.”
Discuss the conflict between the man and the universe.
How does this relate to existentialism from what you
remember in our discussions from ELIC?
JOURNAL 14 – 11/29
Choose two from the four quotes from below and discuss your understanding of
each quote. Also, discuss how your chosen quotes relate to what you have read in
The Stranger so far.
•“Life is for each man a solitary cell whose walls are mirrors.”-Eugene O’Neill
•“We live in what is, but we find a 1,000 ways not to face it.” –Thornton Wilder
•“He who has a why to live can bear with almost any how.”-Nietzsche
•“It is not true that life is one damn thing after another-it’s one damn thing over and
over.”- Edna St. Vincent Millay
SPRING SEMESTER
JOURNAL 1
JANUARY 24
Choose one of the statements from the Anticipation
Guide for 1984 and respond as to why you have the
belief that you do.
JOURNAL 2
2/6
•In what ways could our society fall into
one like the one in 1984? How can we
avoid it?
•What is Orwell’s ultimate message about
•Societal apathy?
•The use of fear
•Mass manipulation?
•Isolation and individualism?
JOURNAL 3 – 2/13
How could anti-propaganda still be considered a form
of propaganda? What could that then imply about the
relationship between conformity and individuality?
Use the ending of Part 2 in 1984 to support your
response.
JOURNAL 4- 2/27
1. What is capitalism?
2. How have people responded to capitalism?
3. Should the government be involved in the economy? If so,
to what extent?
4. Do the benefits of capitalism outweigh its costs?
JOURNAL 5
3/1
1. How does your understanding of Capitalism
compare with Michael Moore’s?
2. What was something that stood out the most for you
in this film?
3. What are some potential weaknesses in Moore’s
argument? What are the strengths?
JOURNAL 6
3/5
“A good [short story] would take me out of myself and then
stuff me back in, outsized, now, and uneasy with the fit.” - David
Sedaris
“Fiction has been maligned for centuries as being "false,"
"untrue," yet good fiction provides more truth about the world,
about life, and even about the reader, than can be found in nonfiction.” -Clark Zlotchew
Discuss your understanding of the idea both authors are trying to
convey regarding short stories. Also, how could good fiction be
like a mirror?
JOURNAL 7
Monday:
“A good [short story] would take me out
of myself and then stuff me back in,
outsized, now, and uneasy with the fit.” David Sedaris
“Fiction has been maligned for centuries
as being "false," "untrue," yet good fiction
provides more truth about the world,
about life, and even about the reader, than
can be found in non-fiction.” -Clark
Zlotchew
Discuss your understanding of the idea
both authors are trying to convey
regarding short stories. Also, how could
good fiction be like a mirror?
3/8
Today: Discuss how the
story you just read fits with
the criteria we discussed
Monday regarding fiction.
JOURNAL 8 3/19
1. Describe:
Use of color, shapes, light,
literal objects, texture
2. Analyze:
The effect of the use of
color, shapes, etc. What
sort of mood is created?
3. Is the girl trying to float
away or coming closer to
the man?
4.Interpret:
What statement is the
author trying to make
through this work?
Part 2:
How much of a role does culture play when it comes to accepting & dealing
with our mistakes? How did you reach this opinion?
Do our mistakes define us? Why or why not?
How often are you compared to other family members by your immediate
family? Is the comparison a negative critique of your behavior or a positive
comparison? How do you feel about your family making this comparison?
JOURNAL 9
3/22
Choose one of the songs and pretend that you are the subject of their song.
Write a letter (or song lyrics) in response to the point they’re trying to make
about “your relationship.”
Also, if you are lacking inspiration, you can write as though you are Yolanda
or John from “Amor Divino.”
Be sure to make at least 2 references to the lyrics of your chosen song while
responding!
JOURNAL 10
3/26
Analyzing a Short Story
•When/where does the story take place? Does the
setting affect the mood of the story? How so?
•What motivates the characters to behave as they do?
•What important idea about life or human nature does
the story reveal?
JOURNAL 11
4/10
Customs and traditions are a part of any culture and sometimes make the
culture unique.
•What are some known customs and traditions of our (Armenian) culture?
For example, what are our customs when it comes to guests, ceremonies, etc.
•Why is it important to some people to follow these customs/traditions? Why
is it not important for others?
•What makes us different from other cultures? What makes us similar?
JOURNAL 12
5/1
Your high school experience is near the end. Reflect on the
following in your journal:
1. How you have changed/if you have changed over the last
four years.
2. Your qualms (doubts) about the future
3. Your favorite memories
4. Your least favorite memories
5. What lesson (if any) you are taking away from English
(especially if you’ve been with me for two years). This could
be education-based or life-based
6. What lesson (if any) you are taking away from high school.
PART 2
Choose at least two items from the list, “21 Things” and
discuss your understanding of it. Discuss why or why
not it may be true. Relate it to your experiences.