Since there are so many books that have been written, many of them are bound to contain similar themes. Even authors as different as William Shakespeare and George Orwell wrote stories with similar themes; both Macbeth and Animal Farm share one major theme - power. There are two types of power - peaceful leaders and those who are overwhelmed by power; those people usually turn into dictators. Corrupt power is a problem that has been around for centuries; it is evident in two of the novels we have read this year; Shakespeare’s Macbeth and George Orwell’s Animal Farm.
Interestingly, both books have the same basic plot; the protagonists want to over throw the power above them so they can become powerful. In both books, they overthrow their power without any true incentive to do so. In Animal Farm, Mr. Jones, the farm owner, does not treat his animals well, for he is a drunk; “Farmer Jones does not suffer a catastrophe that shook Manor Farm to its foundations, he simply gets drunk once too often,” (Pearce 2005). Napoleon is so determined to gain power that he only had to wait for the smallest, most minute reason to attack. He was able to convince the other animals how important it was to overthrow their current power; however, he failed to mention that he would be the new leader. The same is basically true for Macbeth; however, it is Lady Macbeth who is in dire need of power. Macbeth, a war hero, was loyal to the king; while he did want power, he was not the type of man who would kill someone, besides in war. Lady Macbeth convinces her husband that he must take up the throne, for it is best for his country.
In both books, the protagonists were successful in gaining power; however, once they gained power, they did not know how to handle it. George Orwell used “animals to say something about human beings--and about the tendency of human governments, however good the intentions of their founders, to turn into tyrannies,” (Lenhoff 2001).
In Animal Farm, Napoleon cannot stand the fact that he is forced to share power with the other pigs. He had Snowball, his right hand man, killed off. Now he could rule alone, and he could make all the decisions; he was a true dictator. Similar events occurred in Macbeth; King Duncan was killed so Macbeth could gain power; however, the murders did not stop there. Banquo figured out Macbeth’s plot to become king so he had to be put to death; however, Macbeth did kill Banquo himself, for he could not kill his best friend. He commanded a group of assassins to do the honors. Since both of these books are fiction, they seem to be exaggerated; however, the battle for more power is occurs more often then one would think. Once one gains power, they immediately strive for more. A fantastic example of this would be a mayor of Toronto; he planned “to ask Queen's Park to give him more authority, including power to hire and fire the city manager and have his handpicked executive committee meet privately for strategy sessions,” (Vincent and Lu 2008). One may think that the thought of tyrant power is one of the past, yet this article is from earlier this year.
Once power was gained, it is very difficult to maintain that power. The citizens below will figure out how one obtained their power. In Animal Farm, the middle class was not nearly as intelligent as Napoleon; “every middle-class person 'has a dormant class-prejudice'...[Orwell] often praised the working class for their stoicism and hard work - but never for their intelligence or leadership,” (Pearce 2005). Napoleon was able to trick his fellow citizens of Manor Farm because they were not as intelligent. Since they could barely read, Napoleon was able to change what was written on the wall. If he felt that he was obligated to go against one of the rules, he could change it, and no one would know. This is completely unfair to the animals that are unfortunate enough to not read; however, the road to dictatorship is more common than one thinks. The mayor of Toronto, who was mentioned above, was clearly trying to gain dictatorship claims, "I'm not looking for any enhanced powers at all. It is a real abuse of the language to say I'm seeking more power," (Vincent and Lu 2008). This statement is one to try and convince his peers, for he, just like every other human being, wants complete power. When Macbeth first sat in the throne, he had the trust of the people. He did not have a need to convince others that he was right for the job, for he was a war hero. He had everybody’s trust; even the king’s. When people started to find out how he killed the King so he could gain power, they started to lose his trust.
When starting both books, one feels they will end the same; however, they end in almost opposite fashions. As George Orwell stated after completing his book, “I meant that that kind of revolution can only lead to a change of masters. I meant the moral to be that revolutions only effect a radical improvement when the masses are alert and know how to chuck out their leaders as soon as the latter have done their job,” (Pearce 2005). As he stated, the revolution did not change very much in Animal Farm. At the end of the novel, Napoleon obtained human mannerisms; he walks on two legs, he lives in the farmhouse and he has complete control over the other animals; maybe even more so than the original owner, Mr. Jones. Napoleon got what he intended out of the revolution; however, the rest of the animals did not. This is not the case in Macbeth. Macbeth is defeated. MacDuff kills him, and his head is placed on a pitchfork. Macbeth did not receive what he intended from originally killing King Duncan. He became an evil tyrant who, similar to Napoleon, had complete control over the lower class. While this may have been their goals all along, Napoleon was successful while Macbeth had failed.
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Memorial Break
Vacations are made to have a break from school. They are meant for relaxation, so it is imperitive that one does not do too much. My cousins flew in from California for the weekend. It was my grandfather's seventy-fifth birthday. I played golf with my father of Friday; I only beat him by a few strokes. I spent the entire day at my Grandparent's house to be with my cousings on Saturday. We did not do much, but it was fun. My grandmother prepared an amazing meal for us and all my grandfather's friends in honor of his birthday. On Sunday, my cousins and I went into the city to see Spring Awakening. After hearing so much hype about it, I expected to see the greatest show ever performed. While it was good, I was extremely disappointed. I am not really sure why I did not like it, but something was missing. Late Sunday night, my cousins and I watched Lars and the Real Girl. It was a strange, but entertaing movie. They flew back early Monday morning. It was sad to see them go since I do not get to see them that often, but we had a good time together.
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Outline
What is the question you are answering in your own words?
Connect a theme from two books. Discuss a common theme between the two books.
What is your thesis statement? This sets up the entire paper with your focus and direction.
Since there are so many books that have been written, many of them are bound to contain similar themes.
Humans always want more; they can never have enough. This is especially true with power.
Corrupt power is a problem that has been around for centuries; it is evident in two of the novels we have read this year; Shakespeare’s Macbeth and George Orwell’s Animal Farm.
BODY PARAGRAPH 1
What is the topic/idea of this paragraph?
Both books have the same story
Over throwing current power
Get rid of
What quote(s) ideas from research will you use to help prove your points?
a. Farmer Jones does not suffer a catastrophe that shook Manor Farm to its foundations, he simply gets drunk once too often.
What example(s) from the book(s) will you use to help prove your points?
a. The animals on Manor Farm throw out Mr. Jones in order to get a better life.
b. Lady Macbeth convinces Macbeth to kill Duncan in order to become king.
BODY PARAGRAPH 2
What is the topic/idea of this paragraph?
Wanting more than they can handle
What quote(s) ideas from research will you use to help prove your points?
a. He was using animals to say something about human beings--and about the tendency of human governments, however good the intentions of their founders, to turn into tyrannies.
b. The Toronto mayor plans to ask Queen's Park to give him more authority, including power to hire and fire the city manager and have his handpicked executive committee meet privately for strategy sessions.
What example(s) from the book(s) will you use to help prove your points?
a. Napoleon throws out Snowball
b. Macbeth kills his best friend, Banquo
BODY PARAGRAPH 3
What is the topic/idea of this paragraph?
Trying to convince others that they are not dominating
What quote(s) ideas from research will you use to help prove your points?
a. "I'm not looking for any enhanced powers at all. It is a real abuse of the language to say I'm seeking more power"
b. He added that every middle-class person 'has a dormant class-prejudice'. This seems true of Orwell himself. He often praised the working class for their stoicism and hard work - but never for their intelligence or leadership.
What example(s) from the book(s) will you use to help prove your points?
a. Change the writing on the wall
b. He had the trust of the people to fight because he was a war hero
BODY PARAGRAPH 4
What is the topic/idea of this paragraph?
Different endings
Napoleon becomes ‘human’
Macbeth gets defeated
What quote(s) ideas from research will you use to help prove your points?
a. “I meant that that kind of revolution can only lead to a change of masters. I meant the moral to be that revolutions only effect a radical improvement when the masses are alert and know how to chuck out their leaders as soon as the latter have done their job.” George Orwell
What example(s) from the book(s) will you use to help prove your points?
a. Napoleon becomes human; he walks on two legs, he lives in the farmhouse, and has complete control over the other animals
b. Macbeth gets killed; everyone is very happy
Connect a theme from two books. Discuss a common theme between the two books.
What is your thesis statement? This sets up the entire paper with your focus and direction.
Since there are so many books that have been written, many of them are bound to contain similar themes.
Humans always want more; they can never have enough. This is especially true with power.
Corrupt power is a problem that has been around for centuries; it is evident in two of the novels we have read this year; Shakespeare’s Macbeth and George Orwell’s Animal Farm.
BODY PARAGRAPH 1
What is the topic/idea of this paragraph?
Both books have the same story
Over throwing current power
Get rid of
What quote(s) ideas from research will you use to help prove your points?
a. Farmer Jones does not suffer a catastrophe that shook Manor Farm to its foundations, he simply gets drunk once too often.
What example(s) from the book(s) will you use to help prove your points?
a. The animals on Manor Farm throw out Mr. Jones in order to get a better life.
b. Lady Macbeth convinces Macbeth to kill Duncan in order to become king.
BODY PARAGRAPH 2
What is the topic/idea of this paragraph?
Wanting more than they can handle
What quote(s) ideas from research will you use to help prove your points?
a. He was using animals to say something about human beings--and about the tendency of human governments, however good the intentions of their founders, to turn into tyrannies.
b. The Toronto mayor plans to ask Queen's Park to give him more authority, including power to hire and fire the city manager and have his handpicked executive committee meet privately for strategy sessions.
What example(s) from the book(s) will you use to help prove your points?
a. Napoleon throws out Snowball
b. Macbeth kills his best friend, Banquo
BODY PARAGRAPH 3
What is the topic/idea of this paragraph?
Trying to convince others that they are not dominating
What quote(s) ideas from research will you use to help prove your points?
a. "I'm not looking for any enhanced powers at all. It is a real abuse of the language to say I'm seeking more power"
b. He added that every middle-class person 'has a dormant class-prejudice'. This seems true of Orwell himself. He often praised the working class for their stoicism and hard work - but never for their intelligence or leadership.
What example(s) from the book(s) will you use to help prove your points?
a. Change the writing on the wall
b. He had the trust of the people to fight because he was a war hero
BODY PARAGRAPH 4
What is the topic/idea of this paragraph?
Different endings
Napoleon becomes ‘human’
Macbeth gets defeated
What quote(s) ideas from research will you use to help prove your points?
a. “I meant that that kind of revolution can only lead to a change of masters. I meant the moral to be that revolutions only effect a radical improvement when the masses are alert and know how to chuck out their leaders as soon as the latter have done their job.” George Orwell
What example(s) from the book(s) will you use to help prove your points?
a. Napoleon becomes human; he walks on two legs, he lives in the farmhouse, and has complete control over the other animals
b. Macbeth gets killed; everyone is very happy
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Cornell Notes for Final Project
TITLE: Animals Behaving Badly
AUTHOR: Alan Lenhoff
YEAR PUBLISHED: 2001
Main Idea #1: Power
Summary: No matter who you are, you always want more of what you have. You can never have enough power
Quote: He was using animals to say something about human beings--and about the tendency of human governments, however good the intentions of their founders, to turn into tyrannies.
Question: Do Macbeth and Napoleon have the same desire for power?
TITLE: Animal Farm
AUTHOR: Robert Pearce
YEAR PUBLISHED: 2005
Main Idea #1: Revoltions
Summary: While Animal Farm is fiction, it is strongly based on real life. Orwell strongly feels that the only benefit to a revolution is to change who is in power; you will not be treated any differently afterwards.
Quote: “I meant that that kind of revolution can only lead to a change of masters. I meant the moral to be that revolutions only effect a radical improvement when the masses are alert and know how to chuck out their leaders as soon as the latter have done their job.” George Orwell
Question: Why is it important to change leaders periodically?
Main Idea #2: Revolutions
Summary: It is hard to say whether revolutions are worthwhile because you will end up with the same result as when you started.
Quote: why one particular revolution failed or implying that all revolutions fail
Question: What is the point of revolting?
Main Idea #3: Leaders
Summary: The Dominant class may respect the lower classes, but they will always be looked down upon.
Quote: He added that every middle-class person 'has a dormant class-prejudice'. This seems true of Orwell himself. He often praised the working class for their stoicism and hard work - but never for their intelligence or leadership.
Question: Why have respect for someone you look down on?
TITLE: Mayor Defends Push for More Power
AUTHOR: Donovan Vincent and Vanessa Lu
YEAR PUBLISHED: 2008
Main Idea #1: Wanting More Power
Summary: The Mayor is secretly trying to gain more power; however, he does not want the town’s people to figure that out.
Quote: "I'm not looking for any enhanced powers at all. It is a real abuse of the language to say I'm seeking more power"
Question: It is obvious that he is trying to gain power, why is he trying to hide it? It will come out eventually.
Main Idea #2: Eliminating Others
Summary: The Mayor eliminated the ‘checks and balances’ of their town’s government. He can do what ever he wants. His is similar to a dictator.
Quote: “Removing that step, critics warn, would give Miller greater ability to wield an axe over bureaucrats, opening a path to politicizing the civil service.”
Question: How did he eliminate the Council’s approval? Is he like Napoleon and Macbeth in that they killed their friends off?
AUTHOR: Alan Lenhoff
YEAR PUBLISHED: 2001
Main Idea #1: Power
Summary: No matter who you are, you always want more of what you have. You can never have enough power
Quote: He was using animals to say something about human beings--and about the tendency of human governments, however good the intentions of their founders, to turn into tyrannies.
Question: Do Macbeth and Napoleon have the same desire for power?
TITLE: Animal Farm
AUTHOR: Robert Pearce
YEAR PUBLISHED: 2005
Main Idea #1: Revoltions
Summary: While Animal Farm is fiction, it is strongly based on real life. Orwell strongly feels that the only benefit to a revolution is to change who is in power; you will not be treated any differently afterwards.
Quote: “I meant that that kind of revolution can only lead to a change of masters. I meant the moral to be that revolutions only effect a radical improvement when the masses are alert and know how to chuck out their leaders as soon as the latter have done their job.” George Orwell
Question: Why is it important to change leaders periodically?
Main Idea #2: Revolutions
Summary: It is hard to say whether revolutions are worthwhile because you will end up with the same result as when you started.
Quote: why one particular revolution failed or implying that all revolutions fail
Question: What is the point of revolting?
Main Idea #3: Leaders
Summary: The Dominant class may respect the lower classes, but they will always be looked down upon.
Quote: He added that every middle-class person 'has a dormant class-prejudice'. This seems true of Orwell himself. He often praised the working class for their stoicism and hard work - but never for their intelligence or leadership.
Question: Why have respect for someone you look down on?
TITLE: Mayor Defends Push for More Power
AUTHOR: Donovan Vincent and Vanessa Lu
YEAR PUBLISHED: 2008
Main Idea #1: Wanting More Power
Summary: The Mayor is secretly trying to gain more power; however, he does not want the town’s people to figure that out.
Quote: "I'm not looking for any enhanced powers at all. It is a real abuse of the language to say I'm seeking more power"
Question: It is obvious that he is trying to gain power, why is he trying to hide it? It will come out eventually.
Main Idea #2: Eliminating Others
Summary: The Mayor eliminated the ‘checks and balances’ of their town’s government. He can do what ever he wants. His is similar to a dictator.
Quote: “Removing that step, critics warn, would give Miller greater ability to wield an axe over bureaucrats, opening a path to politicizing the civil service.”
Question: How did he eliminate the Council’s approval? Is he like Napoleon and Macbeth in that they killed their friends off?
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Sources for the Final Project
1. Animal Farm Robert Pearce
http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ulh&AN=17868784&site=src-live
Pearce, Robert. "Animal Farm." History Today Aug. 2005: 47-53. MAS Ultra -
School Edition. EBSCO. Pascack Hills HS Lib., Montvale NJ. 7 May 2008
This article talks a lot about the parallels to real life. It mostly mentions all the parallels that are not true. It is interesting to see how people over analyze many books.
2. Animals Behaving Badly Alan Lenhoff
http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=mih&AN=4304630&site=src-live
Lenhoff, Alan. "Animals Behaving Badly." Writing Apr.-May 2001: 18. Middle
Search Plus. EBSCO. Pascack Hills HS Lib., Montvale NJ. 7 May 2008
This article talked about the major themes of Animal Farm. Lenhoff found it interesting how Orwell did not mention the symbolism at all. It was up to us to make that connection; however, if we did not, it is still a great story. More importantly it mentions how key power was for this story.
3. Mayor defends push for more power Donovan Vincent and Vanessa Lu
http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=nfh&AN=6FP1927125201&site=src-live
Vincent, Donovan, and Vanessa Lu. "Mayor Defends Push for More Power."
Toronto Star 5 Apr. 2008. Newspaper Source. EBSCO. Pascack Hills HS
Lib., Montvale NJ. 7 May 2008
A mayor is trying to gain more and more power. He is trying to punish the community for going against his power. This article seems a lot like Animal Farm.
4. A Message for the 21st Century Susan Elliott
http://find.galegroup.com/ips/retrieve.do?subjectParam=Locale%2528en%252C%252C%2529%253AFQE%253D%2528su%252CNone%252C13%2529Macbeth%2Bpower%2524&contentSet=IAC-
Elliott, Susan. "A MESSAGE FOR THE 21ST CENTURY\ 'MACBETH' WARNS ON POWER, POLITICS.(Living)." The Atlanta Journal
Constitution (Atlanta, GA) (Sept 23, 2004): B3. Custom Newspapers. Gale. Pascack Hills High School. 8 May 2008
.
Macbeth was transformed into modern day. It shows how corrupt power was not only present in Scottland, 17th century, but also in the present. Even the President could have too much power.
5. Wicked Women in Macbeth Dympna Callaghan
http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/LitRC?locID=mont42806&srchtp
Callaghan, Dympna. "Wicked Women in Macbeth: A Study of Power, Ideology, and the
Production of Motherhood." Rev. of Macbeth, ed. Mario A Di Cesare.
Reconsidering the Renaissance: Papers from the Twenty-First Annual Conf.
(1992): 355-69. Literature Resource Center. Gale. Pascack Hills HS Lib.,
Montvale NJ. 8 May 2008
This article talks about role of women in the play. It talks about how almost all the women in the play have more power than the men. It talked a great deal about power and witchcraft and many other themes that are not important to this paper.
http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ulh&AN=17868784&site=src-live
Pearce, Robert. "Animal Farm." History Today Aug. 2005: 47-53. MAS Ultra -
School Edition. EBSCO. Pascack Hills HS Lib., Montvale NJ. 7 May 2008
This article talks a lot about the parallels to real life. It mostly mentions all the parallels that are not true. It is interesting to see how people over analyze many books.
2. Animals Behaving Badly Alan Lenhoff
http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=mih&AN=4304630&site=src-live
Lenhoff, Alan. "Animals Behaving Badly." Writing Apr.-May 2001: 18. Middle
Search Plus. EBSCO. Pascack Hills HS Lib., Montvale NJ. 7 May 2008
This article talked about the major themes of Animal Farm. Lenhoff found it interesting how Orwell did not mention the symbolism at all. It was up to us to make that connection; however, if we did not, it is still a great story. More importantly it mentions how key power was for this story.
3. Mayor defends push for more power Donovan Vincent and Vanessa Lu
http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=nfh&AN=6FP1927125201&site=src-live
Vincent, Donovan, and Vanessa Lu. "Mayor Defends Push for More Power."
Toronto Star 5 Apr. 2008. Newspaper Source. EBSCO. Pascack Hills HS
Lib., Montvale NJ. 7 May 2008
A mayor is trying to gain more and more power. He is trying to punish the community for going against his power. This article seems a lot like Animal Farm.
4. A Message for the 21st Century Susan Elliott
http://find.galegroup.com/ips/retrieve.do?subjectParam=Locale%2528en%252C%252C%2529%253AFQE%253D%2528su%252CNone%252C13%2529Macbeth%2Bpower%2524&contentSet=IAC-
Elliott, Susan. "A MESSAGE FOR THE 21ST CENTURY\ 'MACBETH' WARNS ON POWER, POLITICS.(Living)." The Atlanta Journal
Constitution (Atlanta, GA) (Sept 23, 2004): B3. Custom Newspapers. Gale. Pascack Hills High School. 8 May 2008
Macbeth was transformed into modern day. It shows how corrupt power was not only present in Scottland, 17th century, but also in the present. Even the President could have too much power.
5. Wicked Women in Macbeth Dympna Callaghan
http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/LitRC?locID=mont42806&srchtp
Callaghan, Dympna. "Wicked Women in Macbeth: A Study of Power, Ideology, and the
Production of Motherhood." Rev. of Macbeth, ed. Mario A Di Cesare.
Reconsidering the Renaissance: Papers from the Twenty-First Annual Conf.
(1992): 355-69. Literature Resource Center. Gale. Pascack Hills HS Lib.,
Montvale NJ. 8 May 2008
This article talks about role of women in the play. It talks about how almost all the women in the play have more power than the men. It talked a great deal about power and witchcraft and many other themes that are not important to this paper.
Monday, May 5, 2008
Socratic Seminar #2
Today we had a Socratic Seminar for Montana 1948. I did not participate in it, but the rest of the class came up with very smart ideas:
• It was really slow in the beginning – Sam
• Once Uncle Frank gets in the Picture it starts to pick up – Sean
• Aalop thought it was going to be about David’s life, but soon realized he was wrong
• It was a small town; sheriff could look the other way – Alex
• You have to keep reading through exposition to see if you’ll like it – Remy
• The events help you better learn the characters – Aalop
• David really cares about Marie; he will tell the story based on that – Alex
• When something does happen, it’s a huge shock – Dina
• Wes should turn his brother in because every should have to follow the law - Aalop
• If he doesn’t turn in his brother, he would get into more trouble – Jen
• Sean thinks he should turn him in, but he cannot go against his father
• Sibling rivalry is present, but he cares about his brother enough not to turn him in – Dina
• I think it is easy to say I would turn my brother in, but it would be hard to actually do it – Alex
• His disability, his knee, will hurt him in the future – Erick
• David’s point of view may be skewed – Aalop
• It would be easier if there was another sheriff in town, but all the pressure on his back – Sam
• Wes’s wife knows that if she gossips about this story, other rumors will be started about their family - Saxon
• It seems every book is about power – Aalop
• This book seems more of a real life situation compared to the other books we’ve read – Aalop
• This is still around today; when people are bored, they do strange things – Dina
• If the story took place in the modern day, the wife would have had a bigger role – Michael
• It is extremely relatable; we all fight with siblings; it also gives us a sense of what life was like in Montanan 1948 – Remy
• David’s mom misses her old life – Dina
• David needed to release all his negative energy; shooting a magpie – Alex
• He is frustrated that he has to sneak around in order to find out the whole story – Sean
• David will grow up to fast, he will realize that he has to take on his father’s role – Sean
• He has seen a lot of the world’s evils; he sees the world not as fully good; everyone has their vices – Alex
• When you only know a small amount of people, one death is a lot – Erick
o When you know a million people, it is not as big a deal
• It was really slow in the beginning – Sam
• Once Uncle Frank gets in the Picture it starts to pick up – Sean
• Aalop thought it was going to be about David’s life, but soon realized he was wrong
• It was a small town; sheriff could look the other way – Alex
• You have to keep reading through exposition to see if you’ll like it – Remy
• The events help you better learn the characters – Aalop
• David really cares about Marie; he will tell the story based on that – Alex
• When something does happen, it’s a huge shock – Dina
• Wes should turn his brother in because every should have to follow the law - Aalop
• If he doesn’t turn in his brother, he would get into more trouble – Jen
• Sean thinks he should turn him in, but he cannot go against his father
• Sibling rivalry is present, but he cares about his brother enough not to turn him in – Dina
• I think it is easy to say I would turn my brother in, but it would be hard to actually do it – Alex
• His disability, his knee, will hurt him in the future – Erick
• David’s point of view may be skewed – Aalop
• It would be easier if there was another sheriff in town, but all the pressure on his back – Sam
• Wes’s wife knows that if she gossips about this story, other rumors will be started about their family - Saxon
• It seems every book is about power – Aalop
• This book seems more of a real life situation compared to the other books we’ve read – Aalop
• This is still around today; when people are bored, they do strange things – Dina
• If the story took place in the modern day, the wife would have had a bigger role – Michael
• It is extremely relatable; we all fight with siblings; it also gives us a sense of what life was like in Montanan 1948 – Remy
• David’s mom misses her old life – Dina
• David needed to release all his negative energy; shooting a magpie – Alex
• He is frustrated that he has to sneak around in order to find out the whole story – Sean
• David will grow up to fast, he will realize that he has to take on his father’s role – Sean
• He has seen a lot of the world’s evils; he sees the world not as fully good; everyone has their vices – Alex
• When you only know a small amount of people, one death is a lot – Erick
o When you know a million people, it is not as big a deal
Thursday, May 1, 2008
Essay vs Research Papers
The following two paragraphs deal with sibling rivalry, which is a major theme in the novel we are currently reading in class "Montana 1948" by Larry Watson. The first paragraph is in the style of an essay. The second paragraph is in the style of a research paper. Please realize that these are only body paragraphs; the introduction is not included. Both paragraphs start and end with a topic sentence and conclusion sentence; however, the middle sentences differ greatly. In an essay body paragraph, you are strictly discussing a novel you currently read. You have to back your thesis with information from the novel. In a research body paragraph, you can back your thesis with real world information along with your novel. It is important to first mention your research and then back that up with the novel. Be sure to express your analysis for both the research and the novel. As long as you follow these steps, you will have a successful paper.
A main theme in this novel is sibling rivalry. David Hayden is an only child, but his father and his Uncle Frank are very different. David’s father, Wesley, is the Sheriff of their town. Uncle Frank is one of the two town doctors. Frank feels that he is better than his brother. For example, the beer that Wesley offers Frank is not good enough for him; “Okay, okay, it’s great beer…but I’ll drink Schlitz, if it’s okay with you” (39). However, he drinks it anyway, after some thought, to appear to care for his brother. While it appears the brothers have a decent relationship, they truly have a strong rivalry between each other.
There are many tactics to help stop sibling rivalry. One solution is to “find something to do that your [sibling] isn’t interested in” (Henry 2008). It is hard to fight about something that you do not care about. If your sibling is not interested, they will focus on what they are interested in and not bother you about it. In the novel "Montana 1948" by Larry Watson, the protagonist’s father and uncle have a rivalry between them. Most adults grow out of this rivalry; however, these two brothers still fight as much as when they were kids. To help limit this rivalry, they have chosen to work in different professions; this way they do not have to interfere with each other as much. Finding your own thing to do can be challenging, so there are other things you can try.
Be sure to check out Ashley's two paragraphs. They are very strong.
A main theme in this novel is sibling rivalry. David Hayden is an only child, but his father and his Uncle Frank are very different. David’s father, Wesley, is the Sheriff of their town. Uncle Frank is one of the two town doctors. Frank feels that he is better than his brother. For example, the beer that Wesley offers Frank is not good enough for him; “Okay, okay, it’s great beer…but I’ll drink Schlitz, if it’s okay with you” (39). However, he drinks it anyway, after some thought, to appear to care for his brother. While it appears the brothers have a decent relationship, they truly have a strong rivalry between each other.
There are many tactics to help stop sibling rivalry. One solution is to “find something to do that your [sibling] isn’t interested in” (Henry 2008). It is hard to fight about something that you do not care about. If your sibling is not interested, they will focus on what they are interested in and not bother you about it. In the novel "Montana 1948" by Larry Watson, the protagonist’s father and uncle have a rivalry between them. Most adults grow out of this rivalry; however, these two brothers still fight as much as when they were kids. To help limit this rivalry, they have chosen to work in different professions; this way they do not have to interfere with each other as much. Finding your own thing to do can be challenging, so there are other things you can try.
Be sure to check out Ashley's two paragraphs. They are very strong.
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