The Secret Letter

Today, go the the following link and read the article titled, "The Secret Letter from Iraq." It is three pages long. Please read each and every word.

Then in your own blog, create a post (with a link to the article) that discusses your thoughts on the article and also how it relates to Slaughterhouse-Five.

Consider the following points as you write your post:

How does the soldier's experiences in, "The Secret Letter", compare to Billy Pilgrim's experiences in Slaughterhouse-Five?

In chapter one, Vonnegut writes about the difficulties of writing a true war story. Is the author of "The Secret Letter" successful in his attempt to capture the truth? In which ways is he successful? And in which ways is he not successful? Does he encounter similar hurtles as Vonnegut?

What is the author's purpose for writing the, "Secret Letter"? Is the author pro or anti war, or neither?

Again, please include a link to the article and remember that your post need to be well written and at the very least 2-3 paragraphs in length.

Getting yourself out 'there'

Today, Set up an account on Technorati.com.
Technorati.com is a site designed for bloggers as a way to get their blogs out there on the web. Basically, by setting up an account, more people will have access to your blog.

Once this is complete, write a post on a topic of your choice (as requested by many of you). Feel free to write about Slaughterhouse-Five, but if you would like, write about a subject that is important to you, a subject that your readers will find interesting. Remember, the post needs to be well written and school appropriate.

If you need ideas go to the following sites (remember to credit sources and utilize links for your readers):

Quotations Page
Blogger Gone Wild
CNN Student News

IMPORTANT: Next Friday (NOV. 3rd), I will be checking your blogs. Make sure that you have a minimum of 6 posts, that your blog is connected to the mother blog, that you use links in your posts, that you are writing to a vast audience, you have set up a freestats.com account, and that your blog is easy to use and read.

Tracking Stats

One of the nice thing about keeping a blog is that you can check how many people are reading or visiting your blog each day, week, month and year. To keep track of these numbers go to freestats.com and create an account. Be sure to write down your user name and password. Once you have created an account you will be given html code. Paste that code into the bottom of your blog template.

Follow these directions, to keep track of statistics:

1. Sign into Blogger.com
2. Select your blog
3. Click, the "Template" tag
4. You will see a text field with HTML, scroll to the bottom of this field
and paste the HTML code from your freestats.com account.

Life in 4D

Tralfamadorians view the universe in a way that is vastly different from our own. In your blog, please explain how the tralfamadorians view the universe and the consequences associated with it. Discuss pros and cons, and whether or not Billy's mission to educate the public would be beneficial to society.
Points to consider:
-free will
-accountability for ones actions
-motivation to better ones self

Mary O'Hare on 'War'

"You'll pretend you were men instead of babies, and you'll be played in the movies by Frank Sinatra and John Wayne or some of those other glamorous, war-loving, dirty old men. And war will look just wonderful, so we'll have a lot more of them. And they'll be fought by babies like the babies upstairs" (Slaughter-House-Five, p. 14).

In your blog, please respond to the above quotation. Do you agree or disagree? Do movies help promote war? Were films more likely to promote war in the past? Please explain your position.

Discuss the two or three war films that you have seen. Which ones would you consider pro-war and which ones would you consider anti-war?

For a list of the top war movies of all time go to the link below. You then can click on individual films and read a plot overview. For many of the films, you can watch the trailer using the Media Player.

Top 50 War Movie Links

P. S. Feel free to write about other facets of the media if warranted.

Making Your Blog 'Your Blog'

Today, two tasks must be completed.

First, please leave your URL (your blog address) as a comment to this post. To leave a comment, click the comment link at the bottom right of this post.

Second, write a post on a topic of your choice. The post must be a reflection of you as an individual. That is, make sure you write about something that you like (or better yet love), or write about an event in your life or in society that you feel is important. Remember, this is your blog! The post must be meaningful and well thought out.

One option is to go to another blog or web site and create a post in response to
an article or post from the other web site. Go to the following links for
some ideas (remember to credit sources and create links):
cnn.com
Writing Prompts
If you finish early, explore your blogs settings on blogger.com, and visit and comment on your classmate's blogs.
Today's Tips:
Use Firefox
Try to create a link
Write from your heart
Think through your ideas