Welcome (A Note from Mrs. Somers)

Hi Honors Kids,

Well, after a couple weeks of cool, un-summerlike June weather, it's started heating up at last. I love it, especially when I can wake up and watch the World Cup. I'm very excited that USA beat Algeria yesterday and is moving on to the second round, and I'm hoping Saturday's game delivers us to the quarterfinals. The last time I watched USA in the quarterfinals was 1994 - so it would be pretty cool.

Hopefully by now, you've started reading the summer books, and I hope you are enjoying them. The tough thing about summer reading is that, unlike the school months, there's no discussion to help you think about the books and understand them more deeply. That's what this blog is all about ... to get you thinking and exchanging ideas.


I see that Mr. Hancock and Sam have already posted, and we'd like to have all the rest of you join the coversation. Feel free to add your own responses and/or respond to what others have said. There are no rules or guidelines to this, other than we want you to write what you really think - not what you think we want to hear. Remember, we've read these books and know what we think about them; the fun for us is to hear what YOU think, ok? While it would be great to have everyone respond to all the questions, feel free to skip one from each novel if you wish.

As I write this, it's still lazy old June. I'm getting ready to put on my running shoes and head out to the American River canyon with my dog Liam, and school feels pretty far away. I know, though, that by the time most of you are reading this, it'll be August and the pressure will be on. If anyone needs a copy of the essay prompt we passed out in May (due the first day of school), I'll have it posted on my class website by mid July.

But for now, just enjoy summer. We're looking forward to reading what you think about the books, and we'll be weighing in, too.

Take care,
Mrs. Somers

Into the Wild - the call of danger/excitement

In chapter 17, Krakauer observes that it is not "unusual for a young man to be drawn to a pursuit considered reckless by his elders." Based on the events of the book, do you think McCandless would agree with Krakauer? Why or why not? As a teenager, do you think this statement is true of you, your friends, or people your age in general?

Into the Wild - Living to the fullest

Chapter 4 ends with the following quote from McCandless' journal: "It is the experiences, the memories, the great triumphant joy of living to the fullest extent in which real meaning is found" (37). Identify an experience from this chapter (or anywhere in the book) and explain what "meaning" you think Alex has found.

You may also want to apply this quote to your own life. Have you ever experienced what Alex describes? Are there personal experiences that have brought you to a feeling of "real meaning"? Explain.

Into the Wild - Epic Journey of Freedom

After graduating from college (described as "an absurd and onerous duty"), McCandless begins, "an epic journey that would change everything" (22). In heading west he felt freed "from the stifling world of his parents and peers, a world of abstraction and security and material excess" (22). What did he mean by this? Do you agree with his motivation for leaving?

Gatsby - (includes spoiler - only read if finished)

At the end of the novel, 3 people are dead. Out of all the principle characters: Nick, Gatsby, Daisy, Tom, Myrtle, and George, all share at least some blame. In your opinion, which character is most at fault for the tragedies? Explain your reason.

Gatsby - Success

In the eyes of society, was Jay Gatsby a successful man? What about in your eyes? If you've finished reading the book, you know that Gatsby re-invented himself according to a pre-conceived image. Was he successful? Explain and explore this idea.

(Were there any other characters in the novel that you'd describe as successful?)

Gatsby - Colors

In the handout I gave you in May, I suggested you keep an eye out for Fitzgerald's use of colors as symbols. Have you found any that seem intentional? Yes, yes, I'm be the first to admit that sometimes a brown hat is just a brown hat, but have you come across any descriptions of color that Fitzgerald seemed to use as a way to create meaning?

By the way, if you're wondering whether English teachers are looking for symbols that aren't there (i.e. colors) consider the poem by Thomas Parke D'Invilliers on the book's title page. (Oh, and D'Invilliers wasn't real - it's a pen name for Fitzgerald.) The poem centers around the color gold, and reads:

Then wear the gold hat, if that will move her;
If you can counce high, bounce for her too,
Till she cry "Lover, gold-hatted, high-bouncing lover,
I must have you!"