Complete the following tasks/answer the following questions. Use your critical thinking skills to determine the best routes and resources.The traditional forms of web perusal may not work here. Be advised- and be careful- you may encounter some webpages with spoilers.

1. Truman Capote said "Everything she wrote about it is absolutely true". What is the "it"?


2. What does Lee think of the film adaptation of Mockingbird? Use a quote in your answer.


3. Finish Lee's statement: "Now, 75 years later in an abundant society where people have laptops, cell phones, iPods and minds like empty rooms, I still..."


4. Identify Lee's 3 favorite authors and name a title from each.


5. Lee is a recluse but for several years she has quietly attended the awards ceremony for a particular contest. Describe this contest.


6. How are the Scottsboro Trials relevant to the novel?


7. Though Lee always declines interviews, she does write each refusal individually. When asked why she did not simply send out a stock response to the media's pleas, she responded that such a letter would simply say...


8. Click here. Listen to the audio. Who was the statewide essay winner? Who potrayed Scout in a school play and developed a repoire with Lee?


9. List and quote 5 parallels between Harper Lee's real life and her novel.


10. Lee's character Dill is based upon Truman Capote. Capote returned the favor by basing what character (from what story) on Lee?

11. Click here and explore the page. a) What were the results of the "doll tests" and what do they tell us about race in the mid 20th century? b) Using your knowledge of history, discuss why Truman's Executive Order is egregiously late in the context of America's history.

12. Click here and enter the image gallery. Choose 2 images and discuss their subject matter and context. Do not copy and paste.

The Kite Runner: Building Context

(due as a comment to this post by the end of class; worth a quiz grade; 0 to + holistic scale)

First, check this out!

Part A: Click here to visit the CIA's World Fact Book. Peruse the Afghanistan page on this site and respond to the following questions:

1. What are the top eight agricultural products? What product is #1? 

2. What is the life expectancy rate? What is the infant mortality rate? What deeper issues are typically reflected in these statistics?

3. How many kilometers of coastline does Afghanistan possess? How might this number have contributed to the country's history?

4. Identify the transnational issues that Afghanistan faces. 

5. Construct a thesis statement that encapsulates the essence of the Afghan nation (both its assets and its challenges). 

Part B: Click here to visit The Boston Globe's "The Big Picture: Afghanistan". View each photograph (use your judgement for the objectionable pieces) and read the corresponding footnotes. Choose the most powerful image to prompt a piece of short fiction. Write a descriptive passage that embodies the "show vs. tell" technique.

Part C: Article: "Hazaras: Afghanistan's Outsiders" (9 pages). Produce a thesis statement that encapsulates the author's message and illuminates the deeper meaning of the text.

Part D: FOR EXTRA CREDIT (QUIZ): Click here to view the Frontline Program: "The Dancing Boys of Afghanistan". Take notes and prepare to participate in a Discussion Facilitation that will include this topic.

If you happen to finish early, please proofread your work carefully. Then, spend the remainder of your time studying the rough draft of the Poetic Forms presentation. 

The Poetry of Song: Allusion in Song Thesis Statements

Please post your thesis as a comment here. Review your peers' thesis statements and offer constructive feedback to at least 3 statements- be sure to direct your comment to a particular student. Prioritize those students who have not yet received feedback.

The Poetry of Song: Theme-Genre Declarations

Submit, as a comment to this post, a short paragraph containing your declaration of theme-genre and your reasoning for your decision.