"The Red Badge of Courage"

We just finished reading Stephen Crane's novel and are now examining his treatment of the Civil War. Just how did a a man in his twenties who never actually participated in the war come up with such details about the "realities" of battle and the interior monologue of a new soldier?

We'll be looking at a variety of historical sources to find parallels between the novel and actual events.

Here is a quick "Fact Sheet" with an overview of the war.

Here you can view Ken Burns' award-winning documentary on the Civil War. (The video, however, isn't very clear when viewed in full-screen mode). HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

Here is the site from the Smithsonian Museum's 150 Years Commemorative Exhibit about the Civil War. Check out the eyewitness accounts, letters and discussions about the actual terrain where battles were fought.

Here are images, including photos, paintings and actual objects from the Civil War from the National Portrait Gallery at the Smithsonian Musem.

Here is the Smithsonian site about Civil War Studies. Take an online tour!

Here are photographs from the war with helpful historical descriptions.

These sites are quite helpful:

Eyewitness to History: The Civil War

American Civil War Resource Center

A Week in the Civil War

Conformity

In conjunction with our reading of Lois Lowry's The Giver, we're discussing conformity in the eighth grade. This week we'll be looking at the famous Yale Milgram experiment. Click on this link to watch an informative 10-minute overview of Milgram's work.

Here is the original experiment:

Robert Frost

We're reading poetry by Frost in the eleventh grade. (Hmm... As I write this, I just learned that the fourth-grade native-speaker English students have been reading him, too!) Here's an excellent link to read his poems online—and a short biography. The comments following each poem are quite interesting, too!

Here's an American college student's interpretation of "The Road Less Traveled":

Here is Frost himself reading "The Road Less Traveled":

Edgar Allan Poe's "The Raven"

So this is a bit creepy... But here's Poe "reading" you his macabre masterpiece...

Here's another version of the poem read, this time by American Christopher Walken—a man known for his uncanny ability to portray mentally unstable and scary characters...

Iranian Art

The Eleventh Grade is reading "Persepolis," by Marji Satrapi.

Here are some links for further information about art, women and culture in Iran:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dndb31pzmzw

VIDEO SERIES

http://www.artspeak.ca/exhibitions/event_detail.html?event_id=67

'WOMEN OF ALLAH'

http://www.time.com/time/europe/photoessays/neshat/

TIME MAGAZINE PHOTO SERIES

http://wn.com/Shirin_Neshat_interview_revolution_and_women_in_Iran

INTERVIEW SERIES

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VCAssCuOGls

TURBULENT VIDEO

http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/2002/oct/31/art.artsfeatures/print

ARTICLE FROM THE GUARDIAN

Researching Historical Figures in Arthur Miller's "The Crucible"

The following site will be helpful in doing your research:

The Salem Witch Trials Documentary Archive and Transcription Project

Salem Witch Trials: The People

Also use regular search engines!

Good luck!

"The Scarlet Letter"

In the eleventh grade we're now moving on to Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter. Students, you can download the book for free from this site. You can read it online here. I'll post more information as we delve into this fascinating novel!