The Monsters are Due on Maple Street

For those of you who could not be in class on Wednesday, we watched the Twilight Zone episode "The Monsters are Due on Maple Street."  In order to respond to the blog post, you will need watch the episode.  To do this, you can access the episode in three parts on youtube.  The links have been provided below.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Rod Serling closes with the following quote.  For your blog post, consider:

What do you think Serling is saying?  Based on what we have studied so far do you agree with this statement?  Be sure to support your answer with evidence from literature, history, personal experience, etc.  Your answer should be a full paragraph (6-8 sentences).

“The tools of conquest do not necessarily come with bombs and explosions and fallout. There are weapons that are simply thoughts, attitudes, prejudices to be found only in the minds of men. For the record, prejudices can kill and suspicion can destroy, and a thoughtless frightened search for a scapegoat has a fallout all its own for the children, and the children yet unborn.”

Good Night and Good Luck

The following quote comes from Murrow’s speech given to the Radio and Television News Directors Association, at the beginning and the end of the film.  Read his address carefully and offer a short summary of what you believe he is saying.  

Do you agree or disagree with his sentiments?  Based on this speech, what do you believe Murrow would say about television today?   Would he be pleased or dismayed? 

Compare the transition from radio to TV in Murrow's time, to the advent of the internet in our own. Has it improved the flow of information and education, or is it too merely "a box of wires and lights?"

Support your answers.  This response should address all three points clearly and sufficiently for full credit.

“Let us dream to the extent of saying that on a given Sunday night the time normally occupied by Ed Sullivan is given over to a clinical survey of the state of American education, and a week or two later the time normally used by Steve Allen is devoted to a thoroughgoing study of American policy in the Middle East. Would the corporate image of their respective sponsors be damaged? Would the stockholders rise up in their wrath and complain? Would anything happen other than that a few million people would have received a little illumination on subjects that may well determine the future of this country, and therefore the future of the corporations? To those who say people wouldn't look; they wouldn't be interested; they're too complacent, indifferent and insulated, I can only reply: There is, in one reporter's opinion, considerable evidence against that contention. But even if they are right, what have they got to lose? Because if they are right, and this instrument is good for nothing but to entertain, amuse and insulate, then the tube is flickering now and we will soon see that the whole struggle is lost. This instrument can teach, it can illuminate; yes, and it can even inspire. But it can do so only to the extent that humans are determined to use it to those ends. Otherwise it is merely wires and lights in a box. Good night, and good luck.”

PowerPoint Presentations

Now that we have read the first two acts of The Crucible, you should have a sense for some of the key factors shaping the conflict in Salem in 1692.  

For the next two weeks, you will be looking at the historical context during which Arthur Miller wrote the play.  As we have briefly discussed in class, he wrote the play as an allegory, to serve as social commentary for the times.

As you begin to learn what was happening in this country in the 1950's, you should keep the following questions in mind.  These questions will shape our class discussions in the future, and they should also serve to guide your journal reflections.

• What similarities do you find between The Salem Witch Trials and The Red Scare?
• How might you have reacted as a member of society in that time?
• How did each of these situations get so out of control?
• Could this happen again?  Has it?

Follow The McCarthy Era link and locate your group topic in the bottom right corner.  Here you will find questions to guide you in composing your PowerPoint presentations and the rubric that I will be using to grade your final projects.  

Keep in mind that this week is short and you will have no other assignments this week.  You WILL have two journals and a blog due next week, so do not procrastinate on this assignment.  Get the majority of the work done this week, and use next week to fine tune it.  As always, e-mail me with any questions.

Week Three Blog Post

At this point, all of you should have established your blogger accounts and posted one comment on my page and one entry on your own.  Please see me if you are having any trouble with your posts and remember, you can always e-mail me the week's assignment if you are having trouble, and we can post it in school together.

For your third post, I would like you to comment on the post of one of your peers.  You can find their pages to the right, by period.  Don't forget that you can comment on anyone's page; it does not need to be someone from the same class period.

Please keep in mind that your comments should be both analytical and appropriate.  You should be respectful of each other's opinions, but offer more than, "This was good."  Consider starting your comments with some of the following:

• I agree with you about....
• I didn't consider that....
• It's interesting that you see it this way, I actually think....
• Based on this (be specific), what do you think will happen if.....

Second Blog Post

Now that you have practice commenting on someone else's blog, it's time for you to start writing your own!  This week's assignment is simple: just pick one quote from your double-entry journals for this week.  Record the quote, the page number, and your response/analysis/reflection on that quote.  Make sure you include all parts and then post!

Remember that I want to see Tuesday's double-entry journal typed, so it may be a good idea to pick a quote from that entry.  That way, you can simply cut and paste your response into your post.

Each of your individual blogs will be linked on the right by period.  Once you start posting, you can visit each other's pages and see what they have to say.  This will also be helpful as you continue to get a sense for how to select a quote and analyze it.

Also, be sure to check out my The Crucible blog (the link is top right).  We will be doing more with this in the future, but there are some very interesting links that may aid you in understanding the play.

Welcome to Ms. Mergott's English III blog!

Throughout the year we will use this blog to research, reflect, and communicate.  What's great about using a blog is that you are not just writing back and forth with me, but you also have the opportunity to read and react to your peers' comments, too.

In addition, this also links you to your peers in my other classes.  This way you can communicate with someone regardless of which period they have class.  Because you are writing for an open audience on the internet, you may find that before you know it, you are communicating with people beyond class, the school, and even the state!

Using blogs gives us the opportunity to link information and useful websites to our pages to share what we learn with other people.  It's a lot like social networking sites, only here, you can share information relevant to what we are learning about in class.

As many of you start to think about college, it is especially important to think about how internet usage will impact your college experience. (Just think about the fact that we were just starting to use the internet when I was in college, and you can imagine how fast things will change for you!)

More and more courses are offered completely online and almost all colleges and courses have online requirements.  The majority of professors expect documents to be exchanged online now.  With all of this in mind, consider:

• How might you use your blog in class this year?
• What skills might you use here that will help you in college? In the future?
• What concerns do you have about blogging and how can I help you with them?

To answer (and for your first assignment) post your response as a comment here.  You will also be writing your own blog posts on your individual pages, however, this is an opportunity to practice commenting on something someone else has written.  Click on the comments hyperlink at the bottom and share your thoughts!