Journal 1
Are you excited for school to start?
Do you like English? Why/Why not?
What did you do this summer?
What is the American Dream? Does
it still exist? Why/why not?
Journal 2
Write about a personal quality, talent,
accomplishment, contribution or
experience that is important to you. What
about this quality or accomplishment
makes you proud and how does it relate
to the person you are?
Journal 3
Free Write!
Journal 4
Many parents give children a weekly or monthly
allowance regardless of their behavior because
they believe an allowance teaches children to be
financially responsible. Other parents only give
children an allowance as a reward for completing
chores or when they have behaved properly.
Explain what you think parents should do and
why.
Journal 5
Have you ever read a text that was so difficult you felt
as if it was a foreign language? When you’re reading
do you ever feel as if you are carrying on a conversation
with the text in your head? Explain.
Do you know what annotations are? Have you ever
used them? Do you think they are beneficial? Why do
you believe annotating is considered a mature study
practice?
Journal 6
What do you know about the 20’s? From
what you know about the 20’s what do
you think it would have been like to live
during the time? Write a journal entry as
a person from the 20’s.
Journal 7
You have achieved your dream award / position.
Perhaps this is an Oscar or Grammy, a Pulitzer
Prize, a political office, a multi-million dollar
sports contract, etc. Write your acceptance
speech for the occasion. Be sure to thank those
who helped you and to tell your audience what it
means to accept the award / position.
Journal 8
Write about a dream that you have
already accomplished. Describe the
challenges you faced in realizing this
dream and how you felt when you
accomplished it.
Journal 9
In chapter 1 of the Great Gatsby, Daisy discusses
her hopes for her daughter. She remarks: “I hope
she’ll be a fool-that’s the best thing a girl can be
in this world, a beautiful little fool.” What does
Daisy’s remark about her infant daughter tell you
about Daisy’s own character? What does it tell
you about society in 1922, the year the novel
takes place?
Journal 10
In real life, F. Scott Fitzgerald had to work hard, amass a fortune, and
throw himself into a glamorous social world in order to win the hand
of his socialite wife, Zelda. This experience, as well as his difficult
marriage with Zelda (who eventually suffered a nervous breakdown)
probably complicated his attitude toward women. Discuss the
attitude toward women in The Great Gatsby. As you try to establish
your argument about women in the novel, closely examine the
behavior of the female characters and think about how the narrator,
Nick Caraway, describes them. You might also consider the behavior
and attitudes of the various male characters toward the female
characters. How do the men treat the women?
Journal 11
In The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald places a great emphasis
on our use of symbols, or the significance we place on
the objects and people in our lives. For example, to
Gatsby, the green light at the end of the Buchanans’
dock, and even Daisy herself, stand for his dream of
recreating his happy times with Daisy in Louisville five
years ago. To another man, this green light and this
woman might be meaningless. Which objects or
individuals hold particular significance for you?
Journal 12
Jay Gatsby totally reinvents himself. Imagine that
as you go off to college, you decide to change
your name and to alter large portions of your
personal history. Who do you become? *Keep at
least one true detail from your past.
Journal 13
In The Great Gatsby, Tom and Daisy Buchanan’s marriage is ruled by
a double standard. Tom feels that he is free to engage in
extramarital affairs, but he is outraged at the thought that his wife
might get involved with someone else. Double standards are fairly
common in families, in relationships, and even in social institutions.
Frequently, what seems to be good for one person is not allowed for
another. Make a list of double standards you have experienced or
observed. Are they connected in any way? Does there seem to be a
logical reason behind any of them, or are they all the result of
irrational prejudice?
Journal 14
Why might pursuing a dream or goal be more satisfying
than actually achieving it? Like Gatsby, have you ever
become blindly obsessed with a goal (money, soul
mate, vehicle, group membership, G.P.A.,etc)? Were
the results destructive for anyone? Explain with
examples.
Journal 15
At the end of The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald
suggests that the American Dream has shifted from its
original idea of “the pursuit of happiness” to a
materialistic pursuit of wealth. Do you agree? Is the
American Dream now just a matter of money? A
combination of money and happiness? Or does the
dream depend on the person? What did you think of
the ending of the novel? Explain. Would you suggest
the book to someone else? Why/why not?
Journal 16
Free Write!
Journal 17
Have you ever heard a rumor spread about
someone that you knew wasn’t true? What did
you do about it? How do you think rumors start?
Why do people continue to spread rumors when
they know they may be hurtful? Explain. Has
there ever been a false rumor spread about you
that was accepted by many as the truth? What
were the consequences?
Journal 18
Do you think there have been any types of mass
hysteria that have broken out recently? Do you
think it is possible/likely for it to break out again?
Explain. What would you do if people you loved
were being accused of something that would
result in them being jailed if you knew it wasn’t
true? Do you think you could do anything that
would actually help? Explain.
Journal 19
Write about a time when…
1. You thought you might be in trouble, and you lied to avoid
it.
2. You were among a group of people who had trouble
getting along . . . what were the underlying problems or
motivations among them?
3. Your emotions prevented you from making a good choice.
Journal 20
Write about a time when…
1. You found yourself "in over your head" because of a
bad choice you made.
2. You made a bad choice that you wish you could go
back and change
3. You made a good choice that played a role in who
you are today.
Journal 21
Write about a time when…
1. You or someone you know was judged unfairly.
2. You asked to be forgiven for a wrong you'd
done but weren't.
Journal 22
Write about a time when...
1. Jealousy (your own or someone else's) caused a
problem for you.
2. Honesty (your own or someone else's) played a role
in a conflict in your life.
3. Your emotions in a particular situation clouded your
judgment.
Journal 23
Write about a time when…
1. You (or someone you observed) was on a "power
trip."
2. You were frustrated by the blatant lies someone was
telling that everyone believed.
Journal 24
Write about a time when…
1. You sacrificed a principle that is important to you
for a person that is important to you.
2. You (or someone you know) was asked to "name
names" or implicate others in a problematic situation.
Journal 25
Write about a time when…
1. You pretended to be something or
someone you are not.
2. You became totally disillusioned with
someone or something that you believed
in.
Journal 26
Write about a time when…
1. You were afraid to admit you were wrong.
2. You gave up something or someone important
to you for a principle.
3. FREE WRITE!
Journal 27
Can you think of any examples of a modern day
witch hunt? What took place? What kind of
things drive witch hunts? Explain. Do you feel
like you have ever been part of a witch hunt put
on by your parents or the school? Explain.
Journal 28
What would be considered enough reasonable
suspicion for someone to get in trouble in modern
days? Do you think something similar to the
Salem Witch Trials could take place in modern
days? Explain.
Journal 29
What did you think of the play? If you could
rewrite the ending of the play how would it end?
Or… Rewrite a scene of the play as if it were in
modern times. How would the play change?
Journal 30
Free Write!
Journal 31
What would you be willing to do for a friend?
How far would you go? Explain. Do you think
that there are limits for people you may even
consider family? Have you ever done something
nice for someone and it ended up biting you in
the butt? Or they came back and did something
bad to you? Explain.
Journal 32
In your own opinion, what should happen to
someone who commits a crime who isn’t
mentally capable of understanding what they did
was wrong? Should they be punished just like
anyone else? Should they go completely free?
Who should decide who is and isn’t capable of
making decisions based upon their mental state?
Explain.
Journal 33
Do you think George is kind or mean to Lennie?
Explain. Do you think that someone could get
away with talking to a person like Lennie the way
that George does? Why do you think that George
puts up with Lennie when he doesn’t necessarily
have any reason to stick with him?
Journal 34
Think of the old cliché: “Home is Where the Heart is”. Do you
agree with this statement? Why or why not? Use specific
examples from Of Mice and Men and from real life to explain
your answer.
Why do some people struggle with knowing where they
belong? Can you identify with this struggle? Why or why not?
Explain why it is important to have a sense of belonging at
your age.
Journal 35
What aspects in the story Of Mice and Men can
you parallel to your own life? Do you think any of
the characters are relatable? Explain? Do you
think that you could handle the situation that
George is in any better? Have you ever had your
patience tested to the point where you finally
broke down and did something that you are
ashamed of? Explain.
Journal 36
Can murder ever be justified? What’s the
difference between murder and mercy-killing?
Who decides? Do the best-laid plans often go
awry?
Journal 37
Did you like the ending of the novel? Explain.
Why do you think Steinbeck chose to end the
story the way he did? What other endings would
have been possible, given the circumstances of
the story?
Journal 38
What are your plans for the break? What
was the best winter break you have ever
had? What did you do? Have you finished
your paper? Remember that it is due tonight
on turnitin.com. How are your grades? Are
you ready for the semester to end?
Journal 39
Have you ever been in a situation where you had
to decide if you were going to follow others or put
your foot down and go your own direction? Do
you think this is a common occurrence for people
your age? Why / Why not? If given the
opportunity would you do the same thing again?
Explain. Is it easier to follow or go your own way?
Explain.
Journal 40
What do you think it would be like to live in the
woods without modern conveniences? Do you
think you could live without electricity? Without
a car? What if the nearest store was a full day
ride roundtrip on horseback to get to the store
and buy the necessities like food, clothes, toilet
paper, deodorant, shampoo or a toothbrush?
Explain.
Journal 41
Think about your own life. Was there ever a
time when you made the decision to be a
non-conformist? Explain the situation and
discuss the consequences of your decision. If
you have always been a conformist, think
about your motivations for that decision.
Journal 42
Webster defines Carpe Diem as “enjoyment of the
pleasures of the moment without concern for the
future”. What does it mean to you? What do you
think this meant to the Transcendentalist writers
such as Emerson and Thoreau? If you could come
up with a modern day slogan to live by what
would it be? Explain.
Journal 43
All-girl schools have been gaining popularity in
recent years because of the belief that girls learn
better when they aren’t competing with or
intimidated by boys, who statistically get more
attention in the classroom. Do you think singlesex schools are a good idea? Why or why not?
Use specific reasons and examples to support
your position.
Journal 1
How did you do last semester? Did you meet
your expectations in your classes? Do you think
your parents will be happy with your grades?
What are you going to do differently this
semester? What is your expectation for a grade
in this class? Explain.
Journal 2
To what extent is technology today
fostering intelligence or ignorance?
Explain.
Journal 3
Respond to the following statements:
• Television is a great source of news about important issues facing the American people.
• Most people in the US spend most of their free time watching TV.
• Control of citizens by the government is fine if it reduces conflict and violence in a
country.
• Censorship of books is really not an issue today.
• The great books are essential to enabling humans to be truly happy.
• True happiness consists of having fun with friends.
• The average person in the US is rich compared to the average in other countries.
• Differences in wealth among countries is a source of bitterness and war.
• Watching or playing sports is actually more important than conversations about ideas
or world affairs.
• Advances in technology have made life richer and people happier in the US.
• People who resist government policies which they think are wrong should be valued by
society.
Journal 4
Describe the society (a fictional America) that Montag lives
in. In what ways is it similar to, but more extreme than, our
society? What signs are there that it is a “dystopia” (the
opposite of a utopia, an ideal society)? What makes Clarisse
so special—so different from most people in her society?
What qualities does Montag have that make him receptive
to her influence? Why do you think the mechanical hound
has been programmed to react to Montag? Why do you
think the woman chooses to burn herself along with her
books? Why does this have such a powerful effect on
Montag—what does it mean to him?
Journal 5
Clarisse asks Guy, “Are you happy?” And it rattles his entire existence.
Now you will answer the same question:
“Are you HAPPY?”
Explain why or why not.
If we decided to burn books in our own society today, what type of
books would be burn? Would some of them be kept in a library?
Explain.
Journal 6
What would viewers see if your life were a movie?
Do you think that it would be a blockbuster hit, or
would it bomb at the theatres? Explain. Is there
anything that you would be embarrassed to share
with the world? What if your messages on your
cell phone was shared with the world?
Journal 7
Why is Truman’s perfect life an unacceptable life?
How would you feel if you were in his situation?
Explain.
Journal 8
Write a movie review on the Truman Show. Write
it as if you are writing the review for a magazine
or newspaper. What aspects of the movie are
really good, and really bad.
Journal 9
Bradbury is suggesting that books do more than just teach.
In fact, throughout the text, he implies that the absence of
books is responsible for every negative feature of the
society. According to Bradbury, books do more than just
teach facts. Books promote intelligence and prevent
ignorance. Write a persuasive response that takes a position
agreeing or disagreeing with Bradbury’s 1953 forecast for
the future. Do you agree with Bradbury’s prophesy based
on what you see in current society and recent history?
Journal 10
Who had it worse, Truman Burbank or Guy
Montag? Explain. What did you take away from
the college fair? Have you been thinking about
college or trade school seriously? Do you know
what you need to do to get into the schools that
you are interested in? Explain.
Journal 11
What are your thoughts on the book? What
parallels do you see between F – 451 and modern
society? Write a book review for the novel.
Would you recommend it for others to read?
Would you put it on the banned book list?
Explain.
Journal 12
If you were to meet your favorite teacher or coach 16
years from now, what would you hope the meeting
would be like? Do you think you would be a different
person then? How so?
If you found out that you had a terminal illness and
had only a short time left to live, how would you
spend your time left? Do you think that you could be
happy and at peace with your situation during those
last days? Why or why not?
Journal 13
Respond to the following Quote…
“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is
that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness
that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant,
gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are
a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is
nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel
insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We
were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not
just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine,
we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we
are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates
others.” – Marianne Williamson
Journal 14
If you could take a class with the subject simply
being LIFE, what important life lessons should be
included in the curriculum and how should they
be taught?
How do you feel about crying in front of other
people? How do you feel when someone cries in
front of you? How do you usually react?
Journal 15
1. What are your beliefs about death and the
afterlife? Do you fear death? Why or why not? If
you were to die in the near future, would you feel
satisfied with how you have lived your life? What
would you do differently, if anything?
2. What do you fear most in life? Why? How do
you deal with these fears?
Journal 16
1. How do feel about the fact that you are going to get old
some day? How do you think you will cope with it? What do
you think will be the worst part about growing old? What will
be the best part about it?
2. Do you consider yourself a greedy person or not? Explain
and give examples. Do you feel that being greedy is always a
bad thing? Why or why not?
Journal 17
1. What are your beliefs about marriage? For example, do you
believe in the traditional vows: For better or worse, in sickness and
in health, for richer or poorer and until death do us part? Why or
why not? Also, is unconditional love really possible? Finally, when,
if ever, is divorce okay?
2. Have you ever had a problem forgiving another person? If so,
why? Is there someone that you wish could forgive you? Who do
you think is hurt the most when someone can’t forgive another
person? Why? Also, is forgiveness always necessary? Why or why
not?
Journal 18
1. In your opinion, how would you describe a meaningful
life? What is most important in achieving a meaningful
life?
2. How can one survive within a society that bombards us
with what we should buy, how we should live, what we
should look like and how we should think?
3. What is it in your life right now that is frustrating you
and/or creating stress for you? How do you deal with it?
What can you do to change it?
Journal 19
Describe your perfect day. Who would be with
you? Where would you go? What would you do?
What type of things would you talk about?
Journal 20
Are you excited for Spring Break? Are you going
to go anywhere? What are your plans? What
was the best Spring Break you have ever had?
What was the worst? Explain.
Journal 21
Have you ever read or watched a TED talk? If so,
what are your thoughts on the talks? If you had
the opportunity to tell the world one thing, what
would it be about? Why would you want to share
this experience, or piece of advice with the
world? Do you think that your story or advice
could help people? Explain.
Journal 22
Some said that Obama’s election marked the
beginning of a post-racial society in America. Do
you agree? Why or why not? Do you think that
racism is still a big problem in our country?
Explain.
Journal 23
Think back to your childhood. Most of you
probably remember having a great imagination,
or can see that imagination run wild through a
younger sibling. Write a detailed account of one
of your adventures from your childhood. If you
can’t remember one, make one up.
Journal 24
“Try to learn something about everything and everything about something."
- Thomas Henry Huxley (1825-1895)
Respond…
Journal 25
Huck has mentioned in the text that being on the raft, going
down the river, is where he feels safest and free. The horrors
of society among shore drive him to get back on the river
many times throughout the novel. Describe your safe place.
Think of someplace you go to “get away.” If you “don’t have a
place to escape” imagine what your dream escape might look
like.
• Be descriptive, give specific details
• Explain why it gives you that freedom, or the feeling of
escape
Journal 26
Have you ever been in a position where you felt
like you should tattle on someone? What did you
do? If you could go back would you have done
the same thing? Why / why not? Has anyone
ever told on you? What happened because of it?
Explain.
Journal 27
Have you ever been in an accident of some kind
that really scared you? Were you able to think
clearly? Do you think the others involved were
able to think clearly? Explain. If not, what do you
think you would do if you were involved in an
accident?
Journal 28
Free Write!
Journal 29
Have you ever played a good joke on anyone?
What was their reaction? Has anyone ever played
one on you? What was your reaction? If not, do
you think it is okay for people to do so? Explain.
Journal 30
Could you, as Huck does when he helps Jim evade
capture, do something you had been taught all
your life was wrong? Explain. Why is Huck able to
ignore his “conscience” and follow his heart?
Journal 31
Who is the most “moral” character in Adventures
of Huckleberry Finn? Who is the least “moral”?
Explain. How do you define morality in these
cases?
Journal 32
Good habits improve our physical, emotional,
and/or financial health. Select one of your good
habits and write a response persuading readers to
make that habit a part of their lives.
Journal 33
Respond to the
following…
Journal 34
Free Write!
Journal 35
Huck is stuck in a constant struggle between the messages he
receives from society and from his own personal experiences. What
is an example of this from a recent chapter? What do you think
finally helps Huck change his mind about telling Mary Jane who the
King and the Duke really are?
What do you think is the main similarity between the people that
Huck sees as good and the clearly evil people? Why would this
similarity confuse Huck on his quest of self discovery?
Journal 36
What is the significance of Huck coming to the
realization that “you can’t pray a lie”? Explain.
What is the significance of Huck stating “All right
then, I’ll go to hell”? Explain. Do you think that
Twain’s novel would still be considered a “classic”
without these powerful statements? Explain.
Journal 37
How do you think Tom Sawyer would plan Jims
escape compared to Huck Finn? Explain. Come
up with a Romantic plan to help Jim escape.
Journal 38
Do you think that this generation of kids (8 and
younger) have lost their creative side of the
imagination? Explain. Have you ever played a
make believe game with a kid much younger than
you? Were you willing to do everything that they
asked? Explain. Do you think that Jim goes along
with Tom’s plan just to make him and Huck
happy? Explain.
Journal 39
The ending of Huck Finn has been criticized as
abrupt, shallow, and unsatisfying. What are the
aspects you consider the most compelling or the
most frustrating? What does the ending do to
your perception of Huck as a character?
Journal 40
How are your grades? Are your parents aware of
where you stand in your classes? Make a pitch for
the grade you deserve in this class. What are
your plans for summer? Are you going to get to
do anything fun or exciting? What was the
best/worst summer you have ever had? Explain.