9/17/19 Kevin Chen Period 2

9/17/19
Kevin Chen Period 2
Aim: how does McCarthy demonstrate the tenacity of love in a time of despair?
We were first told to answer the do now question which asked us to come up with a “brutally
honest list of the joys and sorrows of truly loving someone.”
For the following do now, there were mixed results that focused mainly on the sorrows and
hardships of loving another person. For example, Yayin raised her hand and said how loving
someone means to be able to tolerate all their actions and behavior, even if it's peevish. You
have to live with how they are as a person, even if they may get on your nerves sometimes.
Senan, on the other hand, gave a more positive response, in which he said how that genuinely
loving someone would bring joy and pleasure when something good happens to them, but the
same goes for vice versa.
To conclude the do now discussion in class, Ms. Fusaro emphasized how great emotion comes
with an equally impactful opposite. This shows that loving someone brings a strong sense of
happiness, but can lead to an equally detrimental feeling of despair when all goes wrong.
In the next section of the class discussion, we focused on the topic of cannibalism in the story.
The board read “Love in a Time of Cannibalism,” which was accompanied by an excerpt from
the novel and the question; “exploring monsters-the vampire, the zombie, they share the
desire/need to eat humans which seems gruesome to us, how does cannibalism compare?”
The discussion about how monsters and zombies differ from humans when it came down to the
topic of consuming humans focused mainly on morals and human consciousness. To start off
the discussion, Gaudi said how monsters don’t feel anything when they have the urge to eat
humans. This is different for humans, however, because we have morals and the ability to resist
such thoughts. Yayin added into the discussion by saying how it just creates a feeling of disgust
since humans have a strong mental state to be able to talk things out with others. To conclude
this discussion, Ms. Fusaro summarized the points made by saying how zombies are brainless
and are unable to resist the urge to eat humans, whereas humans are capable of making them.
In the next section of the discussion, we were asked “why the children? How is this vision of
cannibalism so much more grisly and repugnant? What is the statement about the future?” We
focused on the grim imagery from reading how Cormac envisioned a post-apocalyptic world
where it would “largely be populated by men who would eat your children in front of your eyes.”
In this discussion, we focused on the symbolism that the babies represented in the novel.
Tracey brought up how it shows how the men are selfish because they would resort to eating
babies to allow themselves to survive. Emma gave a wonderful comment by discussing how the
men are destroying their future because they’re eating the children, which are their future. To
summarize the discussion, Ms. Fusaro said how the children represent hope, the tangible
future, and without the children surviving, the future of humanity is gone.
The last discussion for the class focused on Cormac McCarthy and his relation with his son. We
watched an interview between McCarthy and Oprah that gave light to why the Road was written.
We learn that McCarthy was 66-years-old when he had his son and it’s because of his son that
the book was written. Brian made an excellent connection between the father in the book and
Cormac himself. Since Cormac had his son at such a later age, he has a limited amount of time
left to teach his son about life and to watch him develop into a mature man. This can be related
to the father in the book since he doesn’t have much time left to keep going on, but his son still
has so much to learn before becoming fully independent.
Student Reflection:
Today’s discussion focused on the morality and ethics of cannibalism, alongside the deep
connection between two loved ones. The question of whether cannibalism should be practiced
even in times of desperation raises awareness of one’s morals and their capability to resist such
urges. To see people resort to consuming children in order to survive is a horrible action, which
further expedites the inevitable downfall of humans. Babies are a symbol of the future, which
also represents hope and innocence. I strongly am against such a vile act to be committed,
even if I were in such a desperate time. The more positive side of today’s lesson goes to the
discussion of Cormac’s strong bond with his son. I felt that this truly highlighted the best of
humans, where we are able to go far and wide for the people we love. I loved how Cormac
especially dedicated his son as a co-writer of The Road and associated his own life experiences
and struggles into the character of the father.

Gautaman Asirwatham PD 2 - Blog #1 9/16/19

Today's lesson began with considering which food we would choose for our last meal. There were 2 main approaches to answering the question. Some were more survival-focused and choose foods that are very filling or easy to ration. Others chose their favorite food or another similarly indulgent option. This discussion brought to light some of the sentimentality associated with the food we eat. Some foods might be seen as bland and depressing while other foods might be exciting and delightful.

Next, we talked about the scene in "The Road" in which Father finds pears. He is delighted to find them even though they are just pears. As the reader, we must understand that pears are a rare, sweet treat in the setting of "The Road". This gives the pears the sentiment of hopefulness and happiness, both of which our protagonists were lacking. 

Another topic of discussion was the choice to stay in or leave the bunker. While staying is the easier choice to survive for a bit longer it is also short-sided. What if they run out of food? Or what if people find them? If these things happen then they will likely die. By choosing to keep moving our protagonists are choosing to fight for their lives. In this way, the decision embodies hope for their futures which is a constant struggle throughout the book.

In today's lesson, I learned that all kinds of things can be literary symbols. For example, the food choice in the scene we discussed is intentional to show that hope was more important to our character's survival than food. Also, the decision to leave the bunker shows how the dad and son have stayed hopeful for their futures.

9/17/19 Ryan Chee Period 7

9/17/19

Ryan Chee Period 7

Aim: How does McCarthy demonstrate the tenacity of love in a time of despair?

To start the class, we began with the Do Now:

Let’s make a brutally honest list of the joys and sorrows of truly loving someone.

Most people focused on the negatives of loving someone. For instance, Andrew compared

loving someone to having a child. Having a child takes lots of time and money. You’ll have to

provide food, clothes, and unconditional love. In the end, there will be many stressful moments

but it will all be worth it because they are your children. In addition, Billy notes that to love

someone comes with a lot of responsibility. You now have to take care of someone other than yourself and with big responsibility comes a few obstacles. On the other hand, Allan focuses more on the positive side. He says that loving gives people a sense of purpose, it gives you someone to empathize with. Humans are after all naturally social creatures.

Mrs.Fusaro summarizes and states that love can be both joyful yet miserable.

Love can bring you happiness but to lose it would be tragic. The bigger the love, the worse

the backlash will be when you lose it.

Moving on, we discussed about the recurring theme of cannibalism in the book with the quote:

“ What the boy had seen was a charred human infant headless and gutted and blackening

on the spit. He bent and picked the boy up and started for the road with him, holding him close.

I’m sorry, he whispered, I'm sorry” 

Cormac pictured a ruined world where all morals were thrown to the wind.

People were killing and eating each other, doing anything to survive in their apocalyptic world. 

Why did Cormac use children? How is this vision of cannibalism so much more grisly and repugnant?

Compared to monsters like zombies and vampires, how are the cannibalists in Cormac’s world. 

Kelly responds by that to eat your own species as a human was just inherently wrong.

Monsters on the other hand can’t help it since they need it to survive, it is a necessary

process in their life. Steven adds on with the fact that cannibalism violates our human rights. Zombies

however have no brain and are therefore not conscious of their actions, so they should

not be held to the same standards. Andrew brings up the factor of circumstance in these situations.

If they were in normal world, cannibalism would still be highly taboo. In their post-apocalyptic world,

the morals tend to bend a bit. A baby in this world would be more of a burden to their survival so while

it is not right, it can be justified based on the circumstances.

What is the statement about the future?

Katherine starts off the discussion by stating that children are innocent and they haven't

gotten to experience the world yet. Taya then jumps in to say that children are our next generation.

They are supposed to be our hope for the future, a continuation of the human race.

Mrs.Fusaro chimes in and summarizes the conversation. Eating children is like giving up hope

for a future. What truly differentiates us from the monsters, nothing. Most of the time, you will

find that we are the monsters in many myths.

Finally, we watched a video of an interview with Oprah and Cormac.

In the video, Cormac states that the influence for his book was his own son which he

had when he was 66. Having a son at such an old age, Cormac doesn't have much time with his son.

Being older and having a son at that age makes you appreciate your time with your children more.

Cormac says that he sees the world in a new light.

In some ways, his personal life and relationship with his son can be shown throughout the book.

The son maintains an unrivaled compassion in this desolate world and is constantly

teaching him new things on their journey in the book to the South.

After that, we each went off to work on the summer reading project.

Student Reflection:

Today’s lesson introduced us to the human concept of love. Cormac McCarthy

portrays this emotion in a few different scenes throughout his book, The Road. For example,

the boy often shows compassion to everybody they come across, even though they are enemies.

My favorite part of today’s lesson was the discussion about the morality issue with cannibalism.

The survivors of this world have resorted to cannibalism in order to survive which is a huge taboo

amongst humans. To kill and eat each other goes against an established universal rule, that is

necessary for survival. The world wouldn’t be what it is today if our ancestors had killed

and consumed each other. What is interesting though is the different settings and circumstances

of our world and the post-apocalyptic world imagined by Cormac and how it impacts the decisions

we would normally make. In this desolate land, morals would tend to bend. All forms of love,

empathy, and compassion have left most of the people and have been replaced with a thirst

for survival.There is a basic need in each and everyone of us to survive and this would definitely

skew our decision making. Something as horrifying as cannibalism might seem okay in this world

because each and every one of the survivors is fighting to stay alive. If we were to be placed

into their circumstances, I'm sure that our way of thinking would drastically change as well.

9/17/19 Chloe Chong Period 8

9/17/19 Chloe Chong PD 8

9/17/19

Chloe Chong PD 8

Aim: How does McCarthy demonstrate the tenacity of love in a time of despair?

Do Now: Let’s make a list of brutally honest list of the joys and sorrows of truly loving someone.

As someone in class mentioned, truly loving someone is the highest of highs, but it also the lowest of lows. When you're with them it’s amazing, but when they're gone everything feels empty. When they suffer, you suffer too but their love is worth everything.Some people said it’s like a love-hate relationship. But either way, when you truly love someone, the joys and sorrows are reciprocals. It is a dichotomy. The greater the emotional value the higher the risk because we care about them the most. When you don’t care about something then you don’t care. But when someone has meaning to you, they can easily hurt you because you leave yourself vulnerable to them by loving them.

Love in a Time of Cannibalism 

Exploring monsters— the vampires, the zombie, they share the desire/need to eat humans which seem gruesome to us. How does cannibalism compare?

“What the boy had seen was a charred human infant headless and gutted and blackening on the spit. He bent and picked the boy up and started for the road with him, holding him close. I’m sorry, he whispered, I’m sorry” (198)

As Ms. Fusaro put it, the infants on the spit was much like the rotisserie chickens in Costco. That is a horrifying visual for us. Monsters— such as zombies and vampires— are detached from moral standards. For them, eating humans is the only way they can survive. Humans, however, are different. They understand that the person they are eating was someone to someone. They know they could’ve been someone’s mother or brother or friend. Zombies eat humans because they don’t have the consciousness to decide not to. Cannibal humans have the ability to empathize but they choose not to. Getting down to it, they are eating something of the same species. Even the monsters we know don’t do that. Vampires don’t eat other vampires. Even zombies don’t eat other zombies. 

Who are the monsters? That is the essential question. The answer? We are. Humans will always be the monsters. 

Because we’re the good guys, right?

Cormac envisions a post-apocalyptic world in which “murder was everywhere upon the land” and the earth would soon be “largely populated by men who would eat your children in front of your eyes” (181).

Why the children? How is this vision of cannibalism so much more grisly and repugnant? What is the statement about the future?

Children are innocent. They are the universal sign of purity and helplessness. Usually when people kill other people, they have some sort of justification, whether it be in defense or to avenge someone. We see no such justification in killing children. 

By depicting humans eating their children, McCarthy is telling us that there is no future or hope in that world. Children are supposed to be the future of mankind. Parents give their kids their all in hopes that their kids will grow to be better than they are and so on. But when you eat your own children (as the tribe did), McCarthy shows that they are also eating their future. They have given up. This is the downfall of humanity. 

Cormac McCarthy… on his son

Lastly…

McCarthy was 66 years old when he had his son. As any writer would, McCarthy uses parts of his life and experience in his book. Essentially, the child is his son. Through the book, the child continues to have compassion and empathy. All in all, McCarthy is trying to show that as much as the father in the book was trying to teach his son on ways to survive and such, the boy also taught him what it means to be to stay human. 

Reflection

The Road is a book about a journey in a post apocalyptic world. In this lesson, we learned a lot about love and what it means to be human. We learned core themes of this class. We answered the question, “Who are the monsters?” The monsters are always going to be the humans, even when it’s not explicitly stated. We will always be the true horror. Knowing that, we must be mindful of the choices we make and remember to be kind and compassionate because while humans are bad, there are good parts of us that keep us human. I also learned that while love is one of the best things someone can have, it can destroy you in just a blink of an eye. If there’s one thing to take away from this lesson, it is to appreciate what you have because who knows? Maybe soon we will be thrown into an apocalyptic world much like the boy and his father’s with the only thing left being the love and memories we have of each other.

9/17/19- Fahrenheit 451 Book Cover

9/17/19
Laura Fan, Blogger #5
Sophomores, Period 5

Objective: What happened prior to the beginning of the novel and what would drive humans to make the choices that they do in the text?

Today, we continued to work on our Summer Reading Project, where we work in groups to design a book cover and story for a prequel to Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451. These covers must consider what motivated the characters' choices, and include important themes, symbols, and motifs. Afterwards, we will present our ideas to the class, trying to persuade everyone of our argument.

Our theory is based around the government controlling the population by requiring all mothers to get a C-section, so they can genetically modify their children, creating a society that conforms to their expectations. This ideal population relies on technology, and prevents any chance at rebellion. Eventually, mothers came to accept this requirement, thinking it was what was right, and began to neglect their children.

Our book cover depicts a doctor as a puppeteer, manipulating people while books (banned because may inspire rebellion) burn in the background.

This project encourages critical thinking, using evidence from the book to build our own ideas, since Bradbury keeps details like the ending vague. It also promotes group work, which is something we will all have to use in the future. Personally, I enjoyed debating different theories, and then figuring out how to use the novel to support them. I also enjoyed the art component where we design a cover, because we thought about the most effective way to represent as much of our theory as possible.

Project requirements:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1h7AhekkBOrq9SFOLB-ptElH63gVuOl4OVGGMWIid9PU/edit

9/16/19 Brian Cheng Period 8

Brian Cheng 9/16/19

Period 8

Aim: How does The Road strive to enchant its reader through survival?

Do Now: If you had no idea when you would eat again, what would your last meal consist of? Why?

There were varying responses to this question. Some people said that they would have a regular meal so they wouldn’t crave it afterward. Others said that they would have a grand meal and go out with a bang. The deeper meaning of this question is that food means different things to different people but it is more than just nutrients and substance. To many people, food is ingrained in their culture and tradition and brings back nostalgia to them. However, food means something different if all of a sudden we’re living in an apocalyptic world-it also represents survival to those people. 

After the do now, the lesson transitioned into a discussion about the bunker scene.

It’s food. Can you read it?

Pears. That says pears.

Yes. Yes it does. Oh yes it does.

The class mostly had similar thoughts on the father’s tone. Most of the responses mentioned that the father was surprised, he had low expectations and once he found the peaches he couldn’t actually believe it. From there the class established that the mood created for the reader was one of relief and happiness for the father and the boy. Throughout the story so far they have been starving never knowing when their next meal would be. They had to constantly battle the elements and run away from the bad guys so when they finally caught a break and found that bunker they were given a sense of security that they haven’t experienced in a long time. 

However, looking at the symbolism provided the class realized that the bunker has a deeper meaning to it. The bunker represents The Garden of Eden aka Paradise. But as we know, humans weren’t able to stay in paradise forever.  In the story, we know that the father and boy have to move on. The bunker does give them temporary safety but if they stay any longer paradise will turn into hell and soon their bunker will be the place they get killed by other people. 

Transitioning from this the class was given the scenario the father and boy were in where the boy wanted to give food to the old man but the father was leery. The class agreed that the father was justified for being leery but tha the boy wasn’t wrong for wanting to give food to the old man. The father knew the world before the apocalypse so he knows how terrible their current situation is, but the boy has known nothing except for the current world so he still has empathy and compassion in him.
Lastly, Ms. Fusaro ended the lesson with this though. Movement is Survival and that in order to survive one has to keep moving. When one no longer decides to keep moving they have given up and in an apocalyptic world then that means death. 

Reflection:

I learned that humans are more primitive and selfish than we think they are. The only thing keeping us civilized is our safety net of accessibility to food, shelter, and clothes. Take those things away and we go back to a society where compassion is rare and things like a can of peaches suddenly become a delicacy. In our society we have technology and an abundance of resources that makes it so that we don’t have to physically move in order to survive. However, the idea that movement is survival still holds true for us. Throughout our lives, we are constantly trying to move up the ranks going from elementary to middle to high school and even college and for some even further than that. Once we get jobs we are still moving up that imaginary ladder in order to survive. 

9/16/2019 Kelly Chan PD 7

9/16/2019

Kelly Chan PD 7

Aim: How does The Road strive to enchant its readers through survival?

To start of the discussion we started with the Do Now: If you had to eat one last meal,

what would it be?

A lot of people valued the level of nourishment in their chosen foods.

For instance, Iandra and Billy chose to eat lots of carbohydrates and starches to get the most energy out of their food.

Other people in the class, like Dejon, chose foods that were both practical and flavorful, like steak. However, Steven chose the most grandiose and “snobbish” meal: “scallop soufflé, beluga caviar, (or anything else but it has to be from an endangered animal) Italian white truffle, quail egg, and solid gold,” his reasoning, that if it was his last meal, he may as well “go out with a bang.”

Jokes aside, we established that all cultures, regardless of which time period,

is connected through food.

It is a central part of society and culture during cultural events or daily life.

And not only is food a central part to human life, but it is also deeply connected to nostalgia and sentimentality. An example of this would be ice cream. To Ms.Fusaro, she would eat ice cream because of how it reminded her of when she used to beg her mom (MA THROW DOWN THE MONEY) and chase after the ice cream truck as a kid. 

After we discussed the role of food in our lives, we tied it back to The Road with this quote from the book when the man and the boy find the bunker:

“It’s food. Can you read it?

Pears. That says pears.

Yes. Yes it does. Oh yes it does.”

What is the mood that this quote creates?

Ms. Fusaro decides to put the quote into a different, more relatable context.

Imagine you thought you failed a test, and you get your test paper back from the teacher.

You can’t bear to look, and you give it to your best friend to check your grade.

 “It’s an A. That says A. Yes. Yes it does. Oh yes it does.”

Once she reframed the quote, Dominick said that the quote shows the joyful revelation of something once conceptual and imaginary, acing a test or, in the book,

finding the bunker full of food, becoming real. 

The discussion moves on to why the author specifically chose fruit. Why pears?

While some of the answers alluded to the brightness and sweetness of fruit

creating a stark contrast with the environment in the book, Taya brought up the Garden of Eden.

To the man and the boy, the bunker was their little slice of Paradise.

The reason why McCarthy didn’t use apples is because apples are associated with the Original Sin. 

We then recalled the conversation with the old man, asking if the father was justified in

being so cautious, and if the boy was right in sharing the food with him. 

I answered the question by raising the question of whether or not humans are obligated

to empathize with others, after all, empathy is what decides if someone is in need of help. Billy added on, raising the ethical question of how the availability of something can mask true empathy.

For instance, if you had an unlimited amount of french fries, you wouldn’t think twice to

give your fries away. But what if those fries were the last fries of your life?

Would you be so willing to give them away then?

The man lived in the old world where he got a taste of availability, and

is therefore hesitant to give away his food.

The boy only knows a world without availability, which is why he was so willing to give his food away. 

Finally, the last question was: Why must we keep moving to survive?

Did you want the boy and the man to continue staying in the bunker?

Diego answers this question by connecting to the horse in the Robert Frost poem.

The horse lets the rider rest but ultimately urges the rider to keep going, to keep living on. 

Ms.Fusaro ends the lesson with “Movement is life. Movement is survival.”

In the literal sense, the boy and the man would have been in danger if they stayed in the bunker,

and the food will eventually have run out. In the figurative sense, the very essence of humanity

is that we keep going forward. The concept that there is somewhere and some time after this

present moment, is what drives humanity on. MOVEMENT IS LIFE. MOVEMENT IS SURVIVAL. 

Student Reflection:

Ultimately, one of the most important takeaways from The Road is McCarthy’s portrayal of the most intrinsic quality that makes us human: survival. By using something as simple as a can of pears, McCarthy has peeled back the layers to show who we are the most primitive of levels. Today was a very philosophical and enlightening lesson. My favorite parts of the lesson was the connection of the pears to the Garden of Eden, and the discussion of how survival can affect empathy, as seen in a comparison between the man and the boy. Despite how the carnal desire of survival has jaded the man, it is hopeful to know that deep down there is still an inkling of empathy and kindness still in him when he gives the food away. It's as if McCarthy is trying to say that survival requires not only to be hardened and jade but kind and compassionate as well.