Journal for the Day

All sections:

Freewrite!

Journal for the Day

All sections:

Think about the rain. Write a short story, poem, narrative, anything! about how the rain makes you feel.

Journal for the Day

All sections:

How do the events in your life shape who you are? Do they play an important role? How or how not? Use examples! :)

Seven Questions

This article is absolutely fascinating. It addresses the main question of this course, "What is reality, really?" And six other doozies.

What is reality really?

The material world may, at some level, lie beyond comprehension, but Anton Zeilinger, professor of physics at the University of Vienna, is profoundly hopeful that physicists have merely scratched the surface of something much bigger. Zeilinger specialises in quantum experiments that demonstrate the apparent influence of observers in the shaping of reality. "Maybe the real breakthrough will come when we start to realise the connections between reality, knowledge and our actions," he says. The concept is mind-bending, but it is well established in practice. Zeilinger and others have shown that particles that are widely separated can somehow have quantum states that are linked, so that observing one affects the outcome of the other. No one has yet fathomed how the universe seems to know when it is being watched.

Notes for Alice in Wonderland (Theme: Identity)

- Alice can't answer the Caterpillar's question "Who are you"
   - The reason Alice gives is that she's been "changed several times"
       - grew smaller then larger in the hall of doors
       - grew smaller and fell in a pool of her own tears
       - grows large3r, then smaller in the Rabbit's house
- Her constant change in size leads her to question her identity
  - When she grows large in the hall of doors:
       - she wonders if she has been turned into Mabel
           - checks herself by reciting her Math and Geography lessons
           - tries to recite the busy bee poem but fails, saying the crocodile poem instead
  - When she is small, talking to the Caterpillar:
       - recites "You are Old, Father William" completely incorrectly
            - (a poem about how to live a good life)
       - "It's wrong from beginning to end"
- Alice changes in size again
  - takes from both sides of the mushroom (one to make her larger, one to make her small)
  - she shrinks then grows enormous
  - Alice is mistakes for a serpent by a pigeon
       - the pigeon  doubts she 's a little girl
       - Alice replies that her identity as a little girls "matters a great deal to me"  
- Alice goes back to her normal size at the end of chapter 5
  - half a paragraph later, she's shrinking down to 9 in. high


Write a TEAC paragraph in response to the questions:

1. What is the main reason why Alice questions her identity?
2. How does Alice check to see if she is still herself? Why do you think she has chosen this method?

Journal for the Day

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Who were you five years ago? How does that compare to who you are now? (Think about your experiences, friends, priorities, etc.)

Writing Body Paragraphs

Directions: Use the TEAC model to rewrite each body paragraph so it supports the thesis statement and uses all the elements necessary in a strong paragraph. Use a loose-leaf sheet of paper.

Thesis: Throughout the novel, the White Rabbit demonstrates that he is anxious, sophisticated, but also rude and inconsiderate in different situations.

1.Underline the topic sentence of each body paragraph.
2.Put a box around sentences that are |examples| in each body paragraph.
3.Double underline sentences that show analysis in each body paragraph.
4.Use a highlighter to highlight the conclusion of each paragraph.

Paragraph 1

When Alice first sees the Rabbit, the first words out of his mouth are “Oh dear, oh dear! I shall be late!” (p. 10). He constantly says he's late, and mentions that the Duchess will be savage, or have him executed for losing the fan and gloves, letting the reader know that the Rabbit is facing a lot of anxiety. He refers to the Duchess, and how she'll be savage if he keeps her waiting (p. 17). This shows that the Rabbit is always anxious and in a hurry. The Rabbit is constantly saying how he's going to be late for something, demonstrating how anxious he is. In chapter two, the Rabbit scurries away when Alice tries to talk to him, dropping the fan and gloves he is so furiously searching for at the beginning of chapter four.

Paragraph 2

When Alice first sees the Rabbit, he's wearing a waistcoat and has a pocket watch. When Alice sees him in the hall of doors, he is “splendidly dressed” as for a special occasion. This shows that the Rabbit is concerned about how he looks, and is ready to socialize with the Duchess, who is part of a royal court. He also carries white kid gloves and a fan and repeatedly mentions that he is meeting with the Duchess. The rabbit is also a sophisticated gentleman, and this is demonstrated by the way the rabbit dresses and how he is described.

Paragraph 3

When Alice grows huge and is stuck inside his house, he also shows how rash and unreasonable he can be by saying that they should burn the house down to get rid of her, when all it took in the end was a shrinking cake to make her grow smaller. Therefore, the rabbit demonstrated through his actions that he is not the most reasonable person to work for. Although the rabbit is a sophisticated gentleman, that doesn't mean that he is particularly nice. When Alice meets him after leaving the animals from the Caucus race, he's quite mean to her, mistaking her for his housemaid, Mary Anne (p. 31). He's also mean to his servants, at one point saying to one, “Do as I tell you, you coward” (p. 34).