Blog Prompt- March 31st

We are all going to write a stream of consciousness from the point of view of our main character.

Put yourself inside the head of your main character. What are they thinking at the beginning of your story? What are they worried about? What are they scared of? What makes them happy? What makes them depressed?

Write as if you are your main character.

You should write continuously for the entire 10 minutes we are blogging.

Have fun! :)

Blog Prompt 3/30- Ideas for Writing Historical Fiction

After skimming and scanning your Civil War book, what do you think the thesis might be? What is the main point of the book?

Have you started thinking about your Historical Fiction? What characters do you have in mind? Where are you going to set the story? What is the conflict in the story? Conflict comes from characters wanting different things. What do your characters want? What are their motivations? How are they going to try to get what they want?

Motivation -Stream of Consciousness

i can be selfish. i know other people can definitely be selfish i think we want to make sure that we take care of ourselves but sometimes it is in our best interest to take care of others
what do i want? what do i want? what do i want? i keep asking the question over and over. i want to be happy. what is happy? i want to be successful. what is success? i want to be loved. what is love? how can you make someone love you? you can't and it drives me crazy.
the only thing i can do is be me. i can only control the way i live MY life i can only change how i feel. frustrating.....
can i make others happy? can i love someone? can i help make you a success?

Blog Prompt 3/29- Motivations

What motivates people to act? Money? Love? A hunger for power? A hunger to do good?

Do you think most people think of themselves first and others second? Are we all a little bit selfish?

Describe a time when you really wanted something to happen. How did you try to get what you wanted? What tactics did you use? Did they work?

Hour 5 Reflection

Reflection:

1.    How did your discussion go?

2. What did you do well?

3. What could you have done better?

4. What did you think of the assignment?

5. What was challenging about the assignment?

6. What surprised you by being really easy for you?

Blog Prompt 3/28

Are there times when it is justified to fight? For what?

Can you fight for something without becoming violent? How can you fight peacefully?

What would you fight for? How and why?

Equality Part Deux

Is the world of "Harrison Bergeron" a possible reality? Does the Government have the potential to do more harm than good? Can we create a society where all citizens are free, equal, and have control of their own destinies? These are questions that have been haunting me recently. Before coming to work at Asa Clark, I was an AmeriCorps volunteer with Milwaukee Public Schools. Let me tell you, there is quite a bit of inequality in Milwaukee. We have the 4th highest poverty rate in the nation. We have over 2,000 habitually homeless people. We have approximately a 27% unemployment rate. When I learned about all of these realities, I was shocked. I had no idea that the distribution of resources was so disparate in the city. Here I was trying to help, but, sometimes, it felt like I wouldn't ever be able to make a difference.
Nonetheless, I cannot forget why I decided to become a teacher. I believe that educating yourself is the best way to allow for choice in life. Knowledge is power. The more educated you are, the more doors are open to you and the better your decision making abilities will be.
Education is the key to equality...
To be continued... 

Can human beings ever truly be equal?

What would the world look like if all people were actually treated equally? Do we have the capacity to be completely fair and just? I think there are many of us that would like to think it is possible. However, I'm not quite convinced that all people have the ability. A world where all people are equal seems like something out of science fiction. In our world today, there are thousands of examples of inequality and just plain wrong-doing. Sometimes I wish I could take all of the people I love and find a deserted island to build my own community. But would the same issues and human weakness follow us and turn paradise to chaos?

I'm not going to run away and start my own society. As I've examined the question of fairness in my adult life, I have come to the conclusion that all I can really control is how I treat people. I can endeavor to be fair and just, and I can surround myself with fair and just people. By living this way, I hope to still create that deserted island community without running away from the world that is our reality.

Superhuman Powers

     How many times have I wished that I could read people's minds? A thousand? A million? A bajillion? What if one day I woke up and I was no longer alone with only my thoughts? How would life change if I were able to hear what the Starbucks barista was thinking about my coffee order? Would I want to know the true answer when I ask how my cooking tastes? Would I be able to sleep at night if I were always tuned into the neighbor's inner monologue?
     Day one of reading minds probably wouldn't be that bad. I would know when people are lying to me. I would know if I were giving the wrong answer to any question. I would know unequivocally whether my students are on task. But what is a world without secrets? I don't want to really know if you like my dress. I would rather never know if you I'm boring or annoying you.
     I wouldn't want my thoughts to be transparent. I wouldn't want to be broadcasting all my secret fears and snap judgments. If I wouldn't appreciate the invasion of mind reading, is it fair to inflict that on others? Perhaps not.
 So, if I had to choose a superhuman power, I'd choose invisiblity.