Earlier this week you voted to write over the three short stories we’ve read so far ((“‘Repent, Harlequin!’ Said the Ticktockman,” “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas,” and “The Greatest Man in the World”)). You’ve been working alternately solo and in groups to understand what these authors are arguing about rebellion.

As we’ve moved through this writing process I’ve asked you to keep a few things in mind. As you write your rough drafts this weekend, please make sure these haven’t disappeared from your writing:

• A thesis statement and topic sentences that are argumentative rather than descriptive. “All of the rebels died/disappeared in the end” is descriptive. “The stories demonstrate that small acts of rebellion, when just, are worth any sacrifice.”
• A body composed of paragraphs that compare/contrast the works. If your topic sentences each make an argument about a pattern within the works, you’re doing it correctly.

Email or post a comment with questions. They are due at the beginning of class on Monday.

We looked quickly over the syllabus today, mostly focusing on my grading practices which may take some time to get used to. Please let me know if you or your parents have any questions!

We read and discussed “‘Repent, Harlequin!’ Said the Ticktock Man” to get things rolling. As you read through your annotations tonight, try to get a clear understanding of what Ellison is trying to convey with this work. We’ll read many others with a similar theme to get a better understanding of this intertextuality thing.

If you have questions or comments please don’t hesitate to email me.

Click through if you’re having trouble watching it here.

A few things to consider:

• Posting comments below is a good thing.
• As I said last year, it might be easy to jump to the conclusion that conservatives are conformists and liberals are rebels, it goes much deeper than such absolutes. We’ll talk tomorrow.
• Read through chapter 12 for our discussion on Tuesday.

That Has Such People In’t! ((Shakespeare. The Tempest. V.i.)) ((Huxley, Aldous. Brave New World. New York: HarperCollins, 1998. 139. Print.))

We read Harlan Ellison’s “’Repent, Harlequin!’ Said the Ticktockman” in class today to begin our discussion of conformity and rebellion. Here are some things to consider as we move forward:

• What is this freedom thing, and why is it so important to us?
• What is conformity? Rebellion?
• What do each do for us?
• In what kinds of situations are either of them appropriate?

I passed out copies of Brave New World in class. You should read through chapter two for tomorrow. Also, fill out the form here so I can keep track of all of them. (Don’t worry about it if you emailed me earlier.)