Why Do We Tell Stories?

Watch the following short video in which Margaret Atwood explores the question, "Why do we tell stories?":

Some interesting ideas:

• Atwood implies that early humans with narrative abilities and the ability to comprehend stories had an evolutionary advantage over their peers.
• "We are thought-feeling entities."
• "We are a very creative species."
• "In fact, some people who have done studies on it say that if you remove the emotion from the person through some accident, they have a lot of trouble making decisions because they try to reason everything out and you actually can't. It's endless."
• Brutus!

Post your thoughts and feelings regarding in idea or idea posted to this video in the comment section below.

Your response must include a specific reference to at least one thing Atwood says in the video, followed by your thoughts and analysis.

Responses must be posted before class (Friday, April 24th); late post, no credit.

The Handmaid's Tale

Here is a digital copy of the Study Guide:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Aa55Rz3gE-IjWyeQrLrmsqpAtP9TcFtAQV2rhyNDHMk/pub

Here is our reading schedule for The Handmaid's Tale:

• Thursday, April 23rd: 7-12
• Monday, April 27th: 13-18
• Thursday, April 30th: 19-24
• Thursday, May 7th: 25-39

The Julius Caesar Essay Rubric

Hey, ya'll.

Here is a link to the rubric I will be using to grade your papers:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/189WuCBILE1WwbGneY22jMrwAihJiUgzfIDzRV-iMPfI/pub

It explains my late policy and how you can go about recouping lost points.

How to Write an Intro for the Julius Caesar Essay

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0BxpOzQbJh-83ZHpGNlVvSzJCekU/edit?usp=drive_web

SGO's: Yes!

SGO's are back.

So, ya'll need to write a short essay. Four paragraphs will suffice.

Here's the prompt: All of the works we have read this year deal with the thematic conflict of Man versus Society. Select any two works we have read this year and explain how the work deals with the aforementioned theme.

You may use: The Crucible, Walden, "Letter From a Birmingham Jail," "The Minister's Black Veil," Into Thin Air, Into the Wild, The Lord of the Flies, Julius Caesar (Yeah, don't.), or even an episode of Star Trek.

Completed Essays are due at the beginning of class on Thursday, April 9th.

For your troubles, I am extending the time you have for the Caesar essays. They are now due on Wednesday, April 15th.