Polonius- a good dad or a boor?

In Act I, Scene III, Polonius gives his son, Laertes, some advice before Laertes returns to France. Some of the advice is famous; some is pithy and shallow. Please choose one piece of advice and write it in "Shakespeare" and then paraphrase in your own words. After that, evaluate this advice. Is it helpful? Is it cliche? Have you heard something comparable in Judaism? Have you been given this advice from your parents? Are Polonius' words helpful or is he a horrible dad who does not know his own son well enough to give him real advice? Blog and respond by May 1, 2010!

Blogging about books

Boys,

Since a blog is a place for YOU to state your opinion, please use this space to comment on your book. This should be purely an opinion- and it should be your opinion. I recently finished a novel by Val McDermid entitled A Darker Domain. This mystery was riveting and it held my attention from page one all the way through the final page. One aspect of McDermid's writing that I enjoy most is her complex plot. McDermid is constantly weaving in twists and turns and just when you think you know "who done it", there is another surprise that totally throws you off. Although I generally do not like reading mysteries, much less murder mysteries, McDermid's focus on the story rather than the gory details of the crime hold my attention. In addition, McDermid brings in rich scientific and forensic analysis, by way of compelling minor characters that add to the tale. Another wonderful aspect in all of McDermid's novels are her attention to detail in establishing a setting. I love reading about England or Scotland- locations I may never visit in person, but love to read about in ficiton!

Independent reading

Thank you to all who responded to the previous blog. We will read Speaker for the Dead as a group. Each of you found another book you would be interested in reading. That book wil be your independent reading book for the month. Chaim- Hitchhiker's Guide, David- Ender's Shadow, Daniel- Ender's Shadow. Ilya and Yaakov- you have until this evening to post a title- otherwise, I will assign you a book to read.

Be prepared to write an in-class essay on March 10, 2010.

Happy reading!

Literature

So we read a work of science fiction, one of the best in fact, and now we are ready for a new literature unit. What do you want to read and why? Should we stay with sci-fi? With Ender? Or branch out into historical fiction, non-fiction, mythology, short stories...the possibilities are endless.

You need to post what you would like to read and why by Wednesday, February 3, 2010, so we can get the books and start reading.

Choose a novel or type you will enjoy reading and something you think the class will enjoy reading.

Mrs. Tsuna