Lord of the Flies Mock Trial Reflection

Congratulations on completing the mock trial of Ralph! On your blog, please write a brief reflection on the events of today’s trial. Consider the following questions:

• What were the strong points in my presentation?
• What were my weak points? How could they have been improved?
• Was the outcome of the trial what I expected? Why or why not?

HONORS - Childhood memory

Think back to a peaceful moment of your childhood. Try to come up with a memory from when you were 10 years old or younger. Using as much concrete detail as possible, describe that moment. Create a peaceful mood in your writing, conveying your emotions clearly for your reader.

CP - Responses to fear

“We’ve got to talk about this fear and decide there’s nothing in it. I’m frightened myself, sometimes; only that’s nonsense! Like bogies. Then, when we’ve decided, we can start again and be careful about things like the fire.” A picture of three boys walking along the bright beach flitted through his mind. “And be happy.”

On your blog, in approximately two paragraphs, please do the following:

• Identify something that makes you experience fear (please remember you are publishing this!)
• Describe the feeling of fear that this gives you
• When you are faced with this situation, what is your reaction--fight or flight? ("Fight" means you confront the situation; "Flight" means you run away from the situation.)
• Is one of these responses better than the other? Why?

Lord of the Flies pre-reading: Reflections on Morality

If I did not have you in class last semester, you will need to set up your blog. You can find the directions here. You may set up your blog now and complete this reflection post at home if necessary, OR you may write the reflection post on Google Drive for now, set up your blog at home, and copy + paste your reflection on to the blog after that.

The first thing we did this semester was a simulation activity, "Who Should Survive?". Then, we read and discussed "The Vexing Mental Tug of War Called Morality" by Kristin Ohlson. On your blog, please select one or more of the following questions and write a brief reflection.

• In the activity or in the discussion, did your thought processes and decisions surprise you? Were you surprised by the thought processes and decisions of your peers?

• How might the simulation relate to one of our essential questions for the Lord of the Flies unit?
• How do societal structures function and why might they break?

• How might the article relate to one of our essential questions for the Lord of the Flies unit?

• How are an individual's moral beliefs shaped and what factors could cause those morals to change?

• Are you more of a moral absolutist (like Immanuel Kant) or a moral utilitarian (like John Stuart Mill)? How do you know?

• Do you hold any beliefs about human morality in general? If so, what are they, and why do you believe this? (For example, do you believe people are inherently good? Inherently evil?)

This I Believe - Writing Prompts

The writing prompts below are designed to provoke your thinking about your own views and beliefs. As you are giving thoughtful consideration to what you truly believe, you will choose any three of the prompts and post a response on your blog. If you do this assignment well, you may end up with a strong foundation for your final "This I Believe" essay. Each response should have its own post. Please title the posts in the following format: "This I Believe" - Prompt #

HONORS: 

Blog Post #1 - due 1/9

Blog Post #2 - to be written in class 1/9

Blog Post #3 - due 1/12 or 1/13

COLLEGE PREP:
All three blog posts due by 1/16.

1. As a teenager, what do you believe are the most important “rules to live by”? When did you learn those “rules,” and who taught you?
2. Can you think of someone who has taught you a valuable lesson about life? Can you remember the exact moment when that lesson occurred?
3. Finish this sentence: “If there’s one thing I’ve learned about life, it is...”
4. Have you ever changed your mind about something that you were previously certain about?
5. We all tend to judge people by their appearances, even though looks can be deceiving. Have you ever prejudged someone incorrectly based on appearances, or has someone ever prejudged you unfairly based on how you look?
6. Everyone has problems or challenges to overcome in life. What has been the most challenging or rewarding moment in your life?
7. Did you ever have to confront someone very different from you? If so, what happened? What did you learn?
8. Have you ever been disappointed because someone made you a promise that they failed to keep? Or have you broken a promise that you made to someone else?
9. Have you ever been in a situation when you didn’t quite have the courage to take action when you felt you should?
10. Have you ever had a “do something” moment—a time when you realized you had to take action in order to make a change happen?

CP - Life of Pi Important Takeaway

Now that we have finished reading Life of Pi, please reflect on the book as a whole. What will you take away from it? What lessons does it offer, if any? What aspects of the book did you like, find frustrating, etc.? Answer one or more of these questions on your blog, including plenty of your own ideas and personality. Since this is personal writing and not analytical writing, use your own writing voice, whether formal or informal.

Survival Needs

Imagine you are stranded at sea. What do you feel is most important for survival, and why? You may discuss a maximum of three things; be specific in your answer.