"A To-do list" by Yu K.

"To-do list" (Link)
By Yu Kominami

Author's note: My first Posting is a list of things I think the human race should do in the near future. I feel we have a lot of problems on our hands, and thought we should have a list to deal with them one by one. Some are serious, others are amusing, all are difficult to achieve. I think.

I thank Kazuki for giving me advice to incorporate the topics from our class discussions into the list. Thanks!!

"Watch Me All the Time" by Mark

Watch Me All the Time
By Mark Christianson











Bouncing endlessly up and down
She's four, my daughter named Mei
Bubbling with life
And an insatiable need for undivided attention

Daddy! Daddy! DADDY!
Look at me
Look at me
Mitete mitete!

Spinning around
Running into my arms
The center of her world

Daddy...Daddy?...DADDY!
Are you looking at me?
Are you looking at me?
Chanto miteru? Chanto miteru?

I'm looking! I'm really looking!
Well...at least once, twice, thrice.
But she demands more
Are you REALLY looking?
Are you REALLY looking?

Watch me ALL the time, Daddy
ALL THE TIME!

Author's Note: My four year old daughter says "look at me" "watch me" a million times a day! The "Are you really looking?" is one of her favorite lines along with "Watch me all the time". This is just Mei as she is.

"Autumn" by Mio

"Autumn"(Link to a Poem)
by Mio

Authors note: I wrote a poem about the season, Autumn. I tried to describe nature, and my feelings about Autumn. My feelings about Autumn is loneliness and busyness, so I wrote about them with a simple words. I want to thank my class mate, Meiko, that she gave me comments that she feels loneliness when she is on her way to home in Autumn. From her advice, I added the content about the moon.

"Perfection" by Yu Inoue

"Perfection"(Link to a Poem)
by Yu Inoue

Author's Note: My second piece is like a poem about perfection. It seems that we have thought about the issue of perfection once and this is fundamental question for humans. I answered this question by my own way in this piece. Please give me a comment about my thought and I am happy to receive your idea.

Thank you Kan. Kan pointed out the ambiguous expression of second line of my piece in order to enhance its quality. As a result of his advise, my second piece became clear and good. Thank you!

"Short Story" by Mark

"Title" (link to short story)
by Mark

Author's Note:

ICU

ICU (short story: LINK)

Author's Note: Most of us in our generation never experienced the bi-polarity of the Cold War. The only world we have now is capitalist society that won over socialism. Communist culture is very foreign to us, and it is surrounded in a veil of mystery. Thinking about a civilisation that no longer exists is both horrifying and fascinating, and it certainly sparks our imagination. What was this communist civilisation that governed half of the world in the not-so-distant past?

This is a story set in ICU in a parallel universe where Japan was historically aligned with the Eastern block after defeat in 1945. The USSR is still existent; perhaps the Cold War is still going on, or perhaps the 'Free World' has been defeated. In this parallel chronology, ICU was founded right after the war on the ideals of the Soviet Occupation as a 'University of Tomorrow'. The system, of course, is not communism in its true sense, but a strong distopian authoritarianism camouflaged in revolutionary propaganda.

Thank you Yu I. for your advise. It is rather long, and I was able to restructure the paragraphs to make the flow of the story clear. Cheers!

Kan

Some ideas for short story writing...just start with a character and place!

Once upon a time, there was a teacher getting close to his forties in age. He was married to a charming wife and had two kids, a son and a daughter. 

One day, he decided that he was going to write a short story...but he was not sure where to begin, so he sat on a rock under a birch tree, pondering...and pondering...until the sun went down. And then thunder struck.

Have you ever written a short story?

I remember writing just one short story in high school--about a depressed and indecisive salary man who goes unconscious in a train crash and dreams that he is a fish circling a worm unsure whether it is on a hook or not--my theme was indecisiveness and lack of self-confidence, which reflected a feeling I was personally struggling with at the time. I think that was the only one I had ever written, and since then I have never written one. I never thought that I would ever need to or want to write a short story...but I think I am going to try.

Frankly, I will admit that I have no idea how to start or what I would write, or what I would be careful of as I would do it. I am not going to pretend to know anything about this because I don't.

So...the students who have already written short stories in this class are already ahead of me. I think I will start by asking about your experience with doing short story writing.

But the fact of the matter is that I read a lot of fiction and love it. And I think it would be cool to start a story and see where it goes, even if it doesn't turn out to be a Nobel Prize winner. I don't really read "short stories"--I just read novels. So if someone asks me what my favorite short story is, I can't really say. Short stories usually don't leave a lasting impression--or are there some that do? OK, well, I do read a lot of children's books to my own kids. We love Curious George, The Cat in the Hat, King Arthur, Disney Princess Stories...other fairy tales...maybe those can be a base for I will write.

So...I'll start by teaching myself a few things about short story writing. These may be useful for you as well. I looked briefly in the ICU library for some advice on this, but couldn't find anything simple and clear.

The Internet helped me more.

1) What makes a good short story - quotes from famous writers (link)
Key words: tension, relentless motion, not abstract meaning, but experience of meaning, opening doors and leaving them open, first...learn to listen FOR stories (in our lives), start by choosing an EFFECT you want to have on the reader (Poe).

2) Short Stories - Developing Ideas (link)
     Short Stories - 10 Tips (link-very user friendly advice!)

1. Get Started: Emergency Tips
2. Write a Catchy First Paragraph
3. Develop Your Characters
4. Choose a Point of View
5. Write Meaningful Dialogue
6. Use Setting and Context
7. Set up the Plot
8. Create Conflict and Tension
9. Build to a Crisis or a Climax
10. Deliver a Resolution 

3) Examples of Famous Short Stories

Hmm...there are many on this site. Of these, I am a Hans Christian Anderson fan. My daughter's favorite is Little Mermaid, which is not on this site. Of the one's on this site, I think I like The Emperor's New Clothes.


This site has 201 Stories by Anton Chekhov, considered an influential short story writer. Try reading "The Student" and "The Bet".


Also, try Lamb to the Slaughter by Roald Dahl. I remember being shocked by this in high school. Definitely leaves an impression. This site Classic Short Stories has a very good selection of other shorts as well such as "The Use of Force" by William Carlos Williams. 

4) Example of a young writer's short story
The Doll and many others on this site.


5) Extremely Short Story Contest (deadline 11/20 - win 10,000yen! 50 words or less)
http://www.jafae.org/essc/entries/2011_6th/en/index.html#

 

"My Summer Adventure" by Mitsuru

My Summer Adventure (link to short story)
by Mitsuru

Author's Note:
Deciding name of pets is my work in my family. I named Ree to former
hamster. This name was from Reepicheep who is mouse in The Chronicles
of Narnia, and he is very brave. I always wanted Ree to be so. However
he died without having adventures. I wanted to write his chronicles
like Narnia. However my NOW lovely pet, Fred escaped in this summer. I
think it is my chance to write story about mouse. Please live longer,
Fred and George, and make me fun. Special thanks to Kan, Mark, and
YOU!

(Free No.7) Inside Job: A "must see" documentary for all students

I'm not an expert on financial regulation, but I felt "Inside Job" was a very skillfully produced documentary on an immensely important issue. I had some general knowledge about the Subprime Loan crisis and how it happened, but this documentary seems to explain the weaknesses in our current regulatory system more clearly than anything I have seen so far.

The issue here is how financial greed (and, I would argue, a disregard of their responsibility toward society) among a wealthy elite is allowed to be protected by a web of arrangements between financial institutions, the government that is supposed to regulate them, and academic institutions that are supposed to analyze and point out the dangers for society.

The documentary implicates the investment bankers such as Goldman Sachs, the government regulators such as the Federal Reserve's Greenspan/Bernanke, and academics such as the economics professors at Harvard and Columbia who advise the government. It seems clear that those involved knew what was happening, and did not take steps to stop the greedy risk taking which the documentary calls the Heist, an inside bank robbery job.

After watching this, you just wonder, how could a group of immensely wealthy people (owning millions of dollars in assets) who knew that these careless risks could end up affecting the lives of millions of people who will have trouble eating, living, and getting basic medical care and education from day to day, just gamble with the high risks, lose billions of dollars of people's money, crash their companies and cause economic difficulties around the world, and yet get billions of dollars of taxes (from us) to save their money, and walk away still being millionaires.

The documentary producer Charles Ferguson in his interview at the end of the film states that he believes many of these con men running a gigantic legal Ponzi scheme should spend several decades in prison. Maybe so.

I would say that they should at least have to start over from zero. They should forfeit their personal assets to pay back their debts, become one of the jobless persons (like the millions they affected), and be banned from ever having a job in financial services again.

Of course, there is a very small chance of that type of regulation or penalization ever happening because the government bodies that are supposed to create such penalties are run by advisers and academics who they used to work with (or who they will hire and work with in the future). In principle, I am sure that Obama is for punishing the greedy industry more, but he has been unable to pass legislation with teeth. Obviously, it is very difficult to penalize rich powerful cliques of people. They protect each other. Money talks in democratic politics. People will shut their mouths of if given a bonus of a million dollars to keep working in the greedy system.

So, what can break the system and cycle? Politicians who are not afraid to oppose money, academics who are not afraid to criticize the system even if their universities (like Harvard, for example) are run by people who created and maintain the system, and do I dare dream...members of the financial industry who believe that they should only earn a honest wage for their work, and see a million dollars as money that is completely unnecessary to have a personal income...I mean how much do you really need?

I hope the education that I provide to my students helps them realize the social responsibility that talented, privileged people like them have toward creating a fair, caring world where members of powerful institutions avoid pursuing wealth beyond need.

"The Lemon Lament" (Translation) by Buchi

The Lemon Lament (Link to translated song lyrics)
Original by Kotaro Takamura (Link to original Japanese lyrics)
Translated by Buchi

Translator’s note; This is the poem about the moment of the death of the wife of Kotaro Takamura. She had a mental disease and cannot recognize Kotaro. We can imagine how hard it is for Kotaro. Last, thanks to Yu.I, Genta, Hisashi and Mark for giving me some ideas to change words, and Thanks to Aze who gave me advice about pronouns.

(Week 7) On Love...

I am really curious what we are going to talk about tomorrow when we talk about the meaning of love to us. What do Japanese college students think about LOVE?  I will find out in class tomorrow.

How about me? I was thinking about this all last week...and here are some thoughts.

To me, "love" is a willingness to sacrifice oneself on behalf of something. Love means putting others before yourself, to help or support others, even when there isn't any benefit to yourself. The ultimate love is the sacrifice of your own life even for strangers, or even more difficult loving your enemies--which feels too difficult for me--but I can try to do it on a small scale. This way of looking at it shows my religious upbringing; I've been taught that the death of Jesus to save mankind was real love, and I guess that has left a strong impression on me. When I think of love, I think of agape (unconditional love) and 1st Corinthians 13. I think that makes sense. I would sacrifice my own life for people who I love...my wife, kids, parents, siblings, friends...at least I would want to, even though I can't say for sure whether I would have the courage when the need arises, in my heart I want to do that because I love them.

Yes, so "love" means putting others first, and supposedly enjoying it or at least doing it willingly, not in a forced way. Hmm...but I can say for sure that it is not always enjoyable because it is not always easy. For example, on a day to day basis, I think love means making time for people and showing you care by really listening to them. That's a sacrifice of what you want to do, or what you want talk about.

I've been married for almost 12 years now, and I have a few thoughts on love and marriage. I've been blessed with a wonderful partner in marriage. Megumi and I get along really well, and I love her very much. We have two kids, and I love them very much as well. "I love my wife and kids" is a cliche that all married people and parents will use, so it can mean little in some cases, but what does it mean to me? It means a lot. In a sense, it means everything. If I lost them, I'm not sure what I would become. It is painful to even imagine. I've been very lucky because Megumi and my kids are very easy to love. They love me, so it is easy to love them.

But the day to day of "loving" is not always an easy thing. When you're married to somebody, it is easy to just live together like friends, rather than really loving and putting them first. And it is easy to expect the other person to love you and forget to love them in a real way--making time, listening, knowing their needs. It takes resolve. Day to day, I have to remember to be a good lover.

I think love is something that doesn't come naturally like instinct to eat, sleep, or have sex. It is something that we have to work at.  And with training we get better at it. We work to get better at it because we know it is a beautiful thing.

These are very unorganized thoughts on love that I typed out just as I thought of them. Hope they are not too confusing.

So, what are your thoughts on love?

And here's a link to quotations on love.

The one I like is:

The first duty of love is to listen.

Paul Tillich, O Magazine, February 2004
US (German-born) Protestant theologian (1886 - 1965)

"Food of Yamagata" by Chihiro

Food of Yamagata (link to article)
by Chihiro

Author's Note:I was born and raised in Yamagata. Yamagata is a typical rural
countryside; there are few high buildings and the transportation system is
undeveloped, but there is beautiful scenery, kind people, and
delicious food. I love my hometown.

However when I came to Tokyo, I noticed most people knew the presence
of Yamagata prefecture, but they knew almost nothing about Yamagata
except cherries. So I thought it would be a good opportunity to let
people know more about my hometown and I decided to write about it.

This is just one part of Yamagata. I want you to visit, see, and eat
actually, to experience Yamagata by yourself. I hope this guide can
make you more interested in my hometown.

Images and Haiku - Publish with a matching image?

Author's Notes - Please include a reference to a classmate's feedback that you got!

Hi everyone,

I'm very happy to see many interesting writing pieces being published one after another, and your author's notes are also very meaningful because they show what the piece means to you and what you felt as you wrote about it.

For the second and third pieces, please ALSO include in the Author's Note a reference to a classmate's reaction or comment or suggestion/advice that you used as you revised the piece.

I think this will have two positive effects on the writing process. First, I hope all of you will more actively seek advice from more classmates during the process, from the brainstorming stage, to the drafting stage, to preparing it for publishing using images, fonts etc. Second, it is nice for a classmate who gives advice to see their name receiving credit and thanks for helping in the writing process. If you get a comment from somebody outside of class, you can include that too! As for comments from me, the instructor, whether you refer to them or not is really up to you.

At least include one classmate's name! More is even better...actively get comments by sharing your draft in class or by email/online!

Examples of reference to feedback in Author's Notes:

I want to thank my classmate Taro for giving me the suggestion to add more content to the part about..."

While I was writing this piece, I received many positive comments and suggestions from Taro and Hanako. The idea to use the spider image was Taro's. Also, Hanako gave me invaluable advice about expressions that are more detailed and specific in the description of the character such as "a cynical smile like that of a Japanese baboon who has just succeeded in unlocking his own cage.

I would like to express my gratitude to my friend Jiro who told me the first part was interesting, but frankly the ending was not very satisfactory. He suggested many ways to change it, and ultimately I chose the current ending. What do you think about it, Jiro? I don't know if it is really exciting or not in the final version, but it made me think about many different ways to end the story. Thanks Jiro!

"Losing Youth" by Meiko

Losing Youth (link to poem)
by Meiko

Author's note: I took the challenge to write a poem, and my theme is youth. I emphasized the fear of becoming an adult.  I referred to "What is a youth," a song of the movie of Romeo and Juliet in 1968. Though my poem is not about love, I tried to express the evanescence of the song. I want to improve the rhythm and rhyme of my poem. I hope you enjoy it!

"Dear Grandma" by Natsuki

Dear Grandma
by Natsuki (link to letter)

Author's Note:

I really love my grandmother and often send a letter to her. This time, I sent a letter with a souvenir from Taiwan. I hope she gets better both mentally and physically by reading this letter and drinking oolong tea I gave. I found it really difficult for me to express what I feel or think in English by letter. Therefore, I wrote it in Japanese first and then translated into English. Through this writing, I came to think that I want to try to show my real feelings clearly in English more even if it is quite hard for me. Thank you ;)

"Per Bacco" by Yu Inoue

Per Bacco
A Restaurant like a hermitage (Link to article)
by Yu Inoue

Author's None:
This is one of my favorite restaurants, Per Bacco. I want you to enjoy yourself with its fantastic food by looking at this published guided. Besides, I would like to introduce it by using a format of a guideline or manual in order to know it more effectively. I would be very happy if you can enjoy it through my guide.

"Who is Machida Ko?" by Riki

Who is Machida Ko? 
by Riki (Link)


Author's Note:
In this piece, I introduce Machida Ko and translate two songs into English.
I have three reasons why I translate Machida's songs.
First, he has a unique sense of language. Mitsuyo Kakuta, a Japanese novelist, said, "Every time I read his novels, I really think that I wish I were him ... when I read his novel for the first time, I was very surprised, because his novel was free. His novel wasn’t restricted with the traditional style of novels, that is, his novel wasn't restricted with words." Thus, he is admitted to be a unique person, and I like those who have unusual, unique and curious personality. Machida satisfies with my taste.
Second, his songs are filled with his energy and spirit. I learned that the most important thing in writing is including author's spirit in this class. As I mentioned above, he has a unique sense of words. At the same time, he also has unique and various way of singing. For example, he shouts, sings with an odd voice, and reads words. I think these methods make listeners understand his feelings and spirit more strongly.
Third reason is the most important.


I like his songs!!
I like his songs!!

"ICU" by Kan

ICU
by Kan (Link)

Author’s note: Language is only understood when its vocabulary is
shared and the meaning of words consistent. This is a poem written in
the language of ICU. The distinct vocabulary from ICU culture, such as
‘gakki’ and ‘bakayama’, is used to celebrate the flexibility of
language.

"The Strongest Earthquake..." by Aze

The Strongest Earthquake Gave Me “Shaking and Shocking” Impressions

By Aze (Link)

Author’s note;

Through my experience, I communicated with many people and met some immoral people. In case of emergency, people may often tend to be self-centered. However, I want to be kind and in cooperation with other people in any case of emergency. Through my piece, I want you to “re-experience” my experience on 3.11. To read, and to feel, please. What can we do to the people? Are there no possibilities for us to become immoral people like them??

"Dear Mum" by Uka

Dear Mum (link)

Author's Note: Being a daughter of a single mother, these days I have many thoughts about her. I look at my mother as not only as my mother, however, as a brave woman who made a challenging choice to raise a child without a husband. Through this letter, I write to her positioning myself in her shoes, recalling the memories of how I was raised and realizing, that my childhood was a rare gift.

Publishing - Just send me a Google Doc or other link!

Advice for Publishing:

1. Make sure you've had at least one other classmate give you feedback for revision and editing.

2. Send me a Google Doc link, and add me as an Editor. Other types of links are fine too. For example, if you want to add your voice or BGM, you can create a YouTube video.

3. Think about colors and how it will look as a published piece (font colors, size, background colors, images)

4. Send me an Author's Note that explains your theme and genre and your feelings about this piece. You can include things about what you tried to emphasize and what points you want to still improve in the piece, too. Inviting comments and reaction is a good thing to do too.

5. Feel free to keep updating or modifying your piece on Google Docs any time you like!

Class Summary and Haiku Homework 10/17 Monday

1. Sit together with comment groups. 
    How's the blogging and publishing coming? 

2. What is happiness to you? What ideas do you have in common? Discuss and share ideas with the whole class. 

3. If you are worried about finishing three pieces, I encourage you to create a "haiku" as one of your published pieces. 

Homework: Everyone, write ONE or more haiku by Wednesday and post it as a comment on this article.  Check out the examples on Asahi.com for inspiration. Simple is OK!

4. Other genres? Let's look at our genre list again together. 

5. Writing time - Keep sending me links to your publish-able articles! 

See you on Wednesday

(Free No.6) An Exploration of Digital Storytelling

Some "Digital Stories" on Intercultural Communication

I think Digital Storytelling has a lot of potential for use in language learning, and actually for any kind of learning. It is a way to help learners connect the subject to their own lives and make it part of themselves.

One example is how students might make digital stories in a cross-cultural communication class like the following.





PowerPoint from the International Digital Storytelling Conference, which I'm hoping to attend next year possibly...

And shouldn't we be making interesting stories like this to summarize and highlight the research we do for essays in ARW or for research papers published in academic journals? Few people want to listen to "research" but everyone loves a "story".

While "research papers" might be efficient for communicating information to people who are interested in that topic already and want to read about it in detail, "digital stories" with high impact images, audio, video, and highlights of the importance or impact of that research can be effective for engaging the interest of people who do not know so much about that field of research and making them potentially interested in learning more about it in the future.

So...I would argue that our students should be trained to learn BOTH essay writing AND digital storytelling!

Digital Storytelling at University of Houston: Survey Results of Education Use, Social Studies Examples (Very powerful holocaust/Hiroshima images with music and data, no narration)

Digital Stories in e-Portfolios (link)

(Week 5 Topic) What is happiness to me?

I was thinking about this all weekend.

One thing I kept remembering was something I read in a magazine in an interview with a Buddhist monk:

　　人間には究極の幸せが４つあります。


　　　ひとつめは、愛されること。

　　　ふたつめは、ほめられること。

　　　みっつめは、人の役に立つこと。

　　　よっつめは、人に必要とされること


I think there are big happinesses and little happinesses. As the monk wrote, the big happinesses in life come from 1) being loved by others, 2) being praised by others, 3) being useful to others, and 4) being needed by others. Those may not be the only ones, but I agree they are the main ones. In addition, I think "loving someone" is also a big happiness in itself and achieving some goal you set is also a big happiness.

For me, my big happinesses are:

1. Getting a jumping hug from my kids when I open the front door of my house.
2. Watching my children sleep like angels after I come home late from working.
3. Going out to a quiet lunch with my wife Megumi, with no kids.
4. Getting birthday cards or Good Job! cards from my kids.
5. Seeing my two kids learning something new like being able to ride a bicycle or being able to read a more difficult level of book.
6. Seeing my students grow intellectually and as a person through the discussions, writing or presentations that they do. Getting emails from past students makes me very happy, too.
7. Getting positive feedback on a research paper or project I did, especially from colleagues and professors of other universities.
8. Being able to run a marathon to the end, even if slowly.

Some small happinesses are:

1. A cold beer at the end of a hard day.
2. A jog on a cool night with the moon and crickets singing everywhere.
3. A swim on a hot, sweaty day in a cold pool.
4. Climbing a mountain.
5. A class where everything goes better than I expected.
6. Creamy, sweat uni and other fresh seafood.
7. Going out with friends on a weekend evening in Kichijoji.
8. Making plans to travel to a new country, and then making them come true.
9. The list will continue!

Famous quotes on happiness (link) included the following:

Happiness is like a butterfly which, when pursued, is always beyond our grasp, but, if you will sit down quietly, may alight upon you.  ~Nathaniel Hawthorne

Class Summary and Homework 10/12 Wed

First, for Monday next week, 10/17, please:

1) Make sure you have finished blogging on "What is happiness to you?" We will have a short discussion time at the beginning of class for you to share ideas with a few group members.

2) Start commenting on the blogs of your new partners. You can leave comments on any blog articles that interest you, but especially focus on any new ones that have been posted.

Genta, Meiko, Tetsuro, Natsuki

Mitsuru, Yu Inoue, Kazuki, Buchi,

Aze, Soichiro, Riki, Hisashi

Kumiko, Kan, Uka, Mio

Chihiro, Yu K, Arisa, Kaori

3) Continue to write your blog articles and published pieces! Keep asking for feedback on drafts for revision and editing from your classmates. As much as possible, please get classmate feedback before showing it to me!

New Commenting Groups!

Please continue to access partner blogs and leave comments! Also, I hope everyone will comment on all published pieces, even if it is just a simple, short comment such as "Congratulations!" or "Nicely written!"

Genta, Meiko, Tetsuro, Natsuki

Mitsuru, Yu Inoue, Kazuki, Buchi,

Aze, Soichiro, Riki, Hisashi

Kumiko, Kan, Uka, Mio

Chihiro, Yu K, Arisa, Kaori


Short comments are fine! It is a nice feeling to receive a comment from readers!

Share One Good Poem (any kind!)

Hi everyone,

By Wednesday, please leave a Comment that includes one good poem in English that you know or have found.

Include:

Title (link)
Author, Year (if available)

Poem

Why you like it.

(Free No.5) Playing with Poetry - All people are born poets

Autumn Evening
By Mark Christianson

Crickets ringing in the trees
Brilliant moon
Silence unbroken

Note: I've been jogging at night recently, usually through the ICU campus, and it is an unbelievably beautiful experience to jog in cool, night air under a full moon while the only sound you can hear is 360 degree surround sound of crickets singing like little bells ringing in the trees. It is a beautiful...silence.

Sports Day
By Mark Christianson

Start guns crack
Screams echo
Leaves dance on a cloudless sky

Note: I took some rough notes in my writer's notebook at undokai yesterday:
falling leaves...beautiful blue sky...excitement...lots of people...screams yells...crack of start gun...obento time...boring sometimes...same every year, but still a joy to attend

The 

Mei
By Mark Christianson












Bouncing, bubbling
Daddy...DADDY!
Look at me
Look at me
Mitete mitete!

Sprinting, spinning
Daddy...DADDY!
Are you looking at me?
Are you REALLY looking?

Watch me all the time, Daddy
ALL THE TIME!

Note: My four year old says "look at me" "watch me" a million times a day! The "Are you really looking?" is one of her favorite lines along with "Watch me all the time". This is just Mei as she is.

-------------------------------------------
I. What is poetry?
"the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings"
  -Wordsworth
"an imaginative awareness of experience"
  -Mark Flanagan, researcher at ICU!

 
A Poem Is A Little Path
A poem is a little path
That leads you through the trees.
It takes you to the cliffs and shores,
To anywhere you please.
Follow it and trust your way
With mind and heart as one,
And when the journey's over,
You'll find you've just begun.
From The 20th Century Children's Poetry Treasury, Knopf, 1999, © Charles Ghigna (from this link for Poetry Teachers)




II. Learning from the masters

Invictus 
by W. E. Henley, 1875
Read by Morgan Freedman, as Nelson Mandela in the movie Invictus (2009)

Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.
In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.
Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds and shall find me unafraid.
It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.



III. Song lyrics as poetry

Like a Bridge Over Troubled Water 
by Simon and Garfunkle, 1970

When you're weary
Feeling small
When tears are in your eyes
I will dry them all

I'm on your side
When times get rough
And friends just can't be found
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will lay me down
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will lay me down

When you're down and out
When you're on the street
When evening falls so hard
I will comfort you

I'll take your part
When darkness comes
And pain is all around
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will lay me down
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will lay me down

Sail on Silver Girl,
Sail on by
Your time has come to shine
All your dreams are on their way

See how they shine
If you need a friend
I'm sailing right behind
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will ease your mind
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will ease your mind



IV. Why not publish?

1. Contest
https://aspara.asahi.com/column/matsuyama/entry/7XQ30Wc1mZ


2. Biweekly in Asahi News
http://www.asahi.com/english/haiku/


3.

The next issue of the Asahi Haikuist Network appears October 21. Readers are invited to send haiku about how each day is getting darker on a postcard to David McMurray at the International University of Kagoshima, Sakanoue 8-34-1, Kagoshima, 891-0197, Japan, or e-mail to (mcmurray@fka.att.ne.jp).

Mid-Term "How's It Going?" Questionnaire

I have sent it by email to everyone (I hope) to both your Gmail and Yamata addresses.

Just in case, here is the link to the questionnaire:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?hl=en_US&formkey=dGpsbnFnMlVoZmsxdEs0ZGx3djNpQlE6MQ#gid=0

(Free No.4) My Reaction to Agora (2009): A tragedy of religious intolerance

Agora is the English name. The Japanese name is アレキサンドリア。

Agora is a movie based in 5th century AD Alexandria and the life and death of a female philosopher and mathematician named Hypatia.

Here is a Smithsonian feature of the life of Hypatia and how she was killed by a Christian mob in 415AD.

As a fan of history based movies, I watched this this weekend and felt it was worth watching because it brought up many interesting historical questions about the process of the expansion of the early Christian church--how it interacted with the politics of the Roman Empire, with local pagan beliefs, with Jews in the communities, with female leaders in the those communities, and with scientific pursuits such as the heliocentric theory.

The acting is...OK. I think Rachael Weisz and the other lead actors do a decent job that does not interfere with the historical narrative, which is the most interesting part of all this. The script and storyline are acceptable, but there are no scenes that really leave a strong impression in terms of acting or dialogue. The whole movie feels more like a HBO cable historical reenactment than a film that aims to leave the audience with strong emotions.

So, what happens? In short...

In the beginning of the movie, the Christians, a rising cult from Judea, take over Alexandria as their numbers grow among the lower classes and slaves. This process includes a number of bouts of religious violence and the gradual increase of political power connected with the Christianization of the Roman Empire. Pagans massacre Christians first for the insults aimed at their gods, followed by a violent riot led by the Christians that leads to a marginalization of the pagans. An overzealous band of young Christian monks harrasses Jews (with rocks--there is a lot of rock throwing and stoning--scary), followed by a Jewish attack on a group of Christians, followed by a massacre of Jews and their banishment from the city. Finally, the Christian bishop of Alexandria denounces Hypatia as being an evil influence because she is a woman who speaks her mind and believes in nothing (only philosophy and science) and a group of zealots catch and kill her. Along the way, two men fall in love with Hypatia, but she is interested in neither of them because she is in love with science. Hmm...

I watched the movie first, and then read the historical accounts available on the Internet. Apparently the movie spins a lot of fictional threads for dramatic effect and there are inaccuracies in terms of how the library of Alexandria of sacked by a Christian mob or how she was killed. In the film, she dies quietly in the arms of a man who used to be her slave (and in love with her) but now is part of a group of violent Christian zealots. He kills her mercifully by choking just before the mob gets to her and the events after that are not shown. It seems that the real way she was killed and paraded through the streets was a lot worse.

Despite the historical inaccuracies and dramatic license taken by the director, the film makes you want to know more about how Christianity grew in influence around the Mediterranean and in Europe in the early centuries of its existence. Hopefully the reality of the expansion was not as brutal and un-Christian as shown in the movie, but at the same time it is probably true that violence accompanied the conversion process when intolerant zealots forgot that they were trying to spread faith in peace, forgiveness, and love, a tragedy that should never occur.

First Publishing by Mark: A personal narrative

Panic: A True Story

Author's note: This is one of my most painful and vivid memories as a parent. I wrote about it in my blog back in 2006 after it happened, but I had never fully written all of the parts of the story. I hope new parents and parents-to-be (like my students) can learn how important it is to keep young children close. I was really scared, and it was painful to relive the memory as I wrote it. This is the first non-academic writing I've done in a long time. It was hard to choose words that would capture the overwhelming panic and despair that I felt. It is still a work in progress, so let me know what you think by adding a comment below!

What is "good" writing? Our brainstorming of characteristics.

• Every word has a spirit.
• It makes people think or feel something.
• It is a simple as possible.
• But it is descriptive with details.
• It has a structure that helps the reader understand it.
• It is understandable for the intended audience.
• It has a clear theme or focus.
• The title reflects the theme and gets the attention of the reader.
• It reflects the author's personality (It has a voice)
• It is the result of internal dialogue.

Class Summary and Homework 10/3 M

Welcome back!

1. Warm-Up: What blog articles did you write last week? What is your most precious thing?

2. How are the "to be published" pieces coming? On Wednesday 10/5, we will take time for a peer review, so please have your "draft" printed on paper and ready to show to a classmate to get reactions and suggestions.

3. Mini-Lesson/Brainstorming: What is good writing?

4. Writing Time

5. Sharing Time: Ready to show a draft on Wednesday?

Homework: 
-Keep moving forward in the process of writing!
-Make sure you bring a draft of your first piece of writing.
-Make sure you are on schedule to finish 10 blog articles by Friday 10/7 for the mid-term self-evaluation and reflection that you will submit.

(Week 4) What are my strengths and weaknesses...Personal SWOT

SWOT =

Strengths
Weaknesses
Opportunities
Threats

SWOT analyses are often used for business or other organizations, but they can also be used for people. So...what can I say about myself in these areas? I've neer thought about this systematically before, so I'm not sure how this will go, but here goes an attempt at a personal self-analysis!

Top 5 Strengths
--------------

• Healthy: My parents blessed me with a very healthy body. For the past 10 years, I think I can officially say I have never missed even one day of work due to being sick. I do get sick during vacation occasionally, but my body seems able to keep illness away when I have classes to teach. I've been able to run one full marathon and a half marathon each year for the past five years.
• Positive: Strangely, I can't seem to get into a negative mood. I just feel that complaining or feeling bad about something is a waste of time. I don't know where I got this. It just sort of developed over the years. I get irritated with things regularly, but they don't bother me deeply enough to be in a bad mood. But you never know when this might end, so watch out!
• Easy-Going: This can be a weakness, as you will see below, but I don't easily get obsessed with things. I'm very good at letting small things go. I like to think that I focus on the important things--at least that is the positive way of looking at my lack of attention to small details.
• Able to Focus: I can focus and get things done when I need to do them. For example, when I need to read or write something like a research paper, I am able to concentrate for several hours or even a whole to get something done, especially when I feel pressure for a deadline. This may not be a special strength in any way, but it has saved me numerous times. Below I'll talk about the problem of waiting too long before starting...but when I start I think I can do good work intensively under pressure.
• Care, want to help, and can listen: This is a little embarrassing to say about myself, but as I wrote last week, I think one of my most precious treasures is the ability to care about others. Also, a related thing is that I think my listening skills are not too bad (of course some people may disagree...and I know I need to be better). This is something that my parents helped me learn by showing me their examples of how they cared for many people in our community in Japan that needed help but were often neglected by others. I need to and want to put more caring into action like my parents did. I think that desire is a strength? Also, I think this strength makes me a good fit for my current career in teaching.

OK...that was quite embarrassing to have to say good things about myself. Next I get to embarrass myself further by saying what I'm not good at. This should be painful and fun at the same time.

Lowest 5 Weaknesses
--------------

• Slow to get started: I definitely have trouble with procrastination. Whether it is a research paper project or checking students' homework or sorting photos of my children, I tend to push big projects away from myself until the absolutely last possible moment, almost like I am calculating how little time can I get that job finished in. (Mark's inner monologue) "How little time can I use to get this done...OK 65 minutes...let's start exactly 65 minutes before the deadline...and if anything goes wrong during that time such as a computer crash, that often means I end up missing the deadline. But I've gotten pretty good at calculating. The funny thing is my 8 year old son Michael does the same thing. Poor Michael for inheriting this from me.
• Conservative about trying new things
• Can't do two things at the same time very well
• Get stage fright in public speaking
• Afraid to be creative or expressive

More on the other ones at a later time! I have many other weaknesses, but if I found a lamp with a genie and he granted me five weakness-elimination wishes, I think those would be the five.

Do you have any similar ones?

Oh and I haven't written Opportunities and Threats...main opportunities would be that I have to find a new job in the near future due to being on a limited-term contract with ICU. That's a threat at the same time. In general, being in a university teaching job like I have is an immense opportunity because of the many talented people (like you) I get to meet and work with, and because we have longer vacations that allow us to try new projects or visit new areas of the world. As for main threats, that would include...Hmm...competitors or shrinking markets in business, but I don't think I really have anything threatening me at this point. Of course, the college student population is shrinking in Japan, so that is a threat to college English teaching, but in general the desire to study English well at a high level is increasing in Japan, so I'm not terribly worried.

More on this later!