Tonight, write out your basic thesis statement and supporting ideas.  We will give one another advice on arrangement and flow of ideas tomorrow in class.

"How to Write With Style" by Kurt Vonnegut

We’ve chosen to explore the issue of book banning for our articles next week.  I’ve listed a few sources below for those who would like to get a head start.  Remember, we are looking at arguments for book banning on Tuesday and against book banning on Thursday.

As you are searching, remember that you are looking for articles arguing one side or the other of the issue, not an "overview" of the debate.  Here is a good one about Harry Potter:

• "Some Thoughts on the Harry Potter Series" by Michael D. O’Brien from CatholicEducation.org

Parents Against Bad Books in Schools is an organization devoted to raising awareness of inappropriate material in books available in public libraries.  This page contains a number of links to articles that may be worthy of discussion.

Your analyses should be written according to the guidelines I gave you in this post.  Remember, you aren’t arguing for or against the issue (we do that in class), but explaining how the author structures his or her argument.

Quick reminders:

If you have chosen to re-write the essay from last Friday, the last day to turn it in is Monday, Sept 8th.

If you have not finished About a Boy, try to knock it out this weekend.  We will be writing over themes from John Donne’s "Meditation #17" and Simon and Garfunkel’s "I am a Rock" on Wednesday, specifically as applied to About a Boy.  We discussed these in class, but it would be a good idea to go over them once again (find Donne’s work here, Google "I am a Rock lyrics" for the song) before you finish the novel.  As you read and journal on About a Boy, it might be helpful to keep these questions in mind:

• Is "Meditation #17" reflected in the creation of the extended family at the end?
• Donne says "No man is an island," while S&G state "I am an island."  Do you see any characters in About a Boy thinking either way?  Does the character change his or her mind?
• In your reading of Donne’s writing, do you think he believes we have a choice to disconnect ourselves from everyone (like Will and Fiona do in the beginning), or are we able to create our own "island" like S&G try to do?  What does this mean for the characters?

Remember, these are just possible interpretations.  If you have other ideas or feel like you can support other interpretations, please do so.  Your essay will take the form of an answer to one of these questions.  Convince your reader that your interpretation is a solid one by using support (quotations) from all texts you choose to include.

If you have any questions about either last week’s or next week’s essay, please post a comment below or send me an email.

Enjoy your weekend.  Read outside!

We’ll read through chapter 21 (through The Toxic Airborne Event) for Monday.  Here are a few shots from the board:

Have a great weekend!