Choose a recent article from a reputable news site. In a brief response to the article, please include all of the following:

Summary (one paragraph):

· Summarize the content of the article
· Focus on the key elements
· State the facts as presented in the article
· Do NOT copy text from the article – summarize!
· Include one quote from the article
· Limit summary to five sentences

Analysis (one paragraph): 

· Why is this important?
· How does it demonstrate an issue?
· What is an interesting development?
· Why was the article interesting?
· The answers to any of these (and other) questions will indicate what YOU think about a topic based on what you’ve learned
· State your opinion without using first person & do not use pronouns (I, you, he, she, they, we, her, him, my, etc.) i.e. state your opinion as fact

Holden Caulfield: "Beautiful Loser," or Just Plain Loser?

In her article, "Get a Life, Holden Caulfied,"Jennifer Schuessler claims that Holden Caulfied may be losing his relatibility to today's teens.  Summarize her main points, then agree or disagree, using evidence from the article as well as your own experiences with the novel. 

2012 Westhampton Beach Banished Words List

Sick of hearing the same tired, overused words echoing through the hallways?  Here's your chance to eradicate those hackneyed expressions once and for all.


Nominate three words or phrases for the "2012 Westhampton Beach Banished Words List."  Be sure to include examples of their use, and explain why you think your choices deserve to make the final cut.

Language...

Have you ever judged someone or been judged 

based on use of language?

What kinds of conclusions can you draw about someone based on his/her use of language?

Rethinking the American Dream

1.     In The Epic of America, James Truslow Adams coined the term “the American Dream,” which he described as “a better, richer, and happier life for all our citizens of every rank.”  In his article “Rethinking the American Dream,” David Kamp suggests that modern day Americans have reinterpreted the American Dream to mean the acquisition of extreme wealth and fame. 

In your opinion, how does the character of Jay Gatsby—his background, his dreams, his actions—fit into these conceptions of the American dream?  Is he the embodiment of the American dream, or a corruption of the concept? 

Perilous Stuff

After reading "Perilous Stuff" and "Why I Wrote the Yellow Wallpaper" consider the following questions:

Who wrote "Perilous Stuff" and what possible motives might  you infer from how the letter writer signed at the end? Do you  agree or disagree with the writer who claims that "such  literature contains deadly peril."

Paraphrase Gilman's intention in writing "The Yellow Wallpaper" (based on her rationale from "Why I Wrote the Yellow Wallpaper"). Do you think she was successful? Why or why not? Use details from the articles as well as your own experience with the story as evidence.

Speeches on the Clinton/Lewinsky Scandal

Select one of the two Clinton speeches we read in class (the Map Room Speech 8/17/1998 and the Prayer Breakfast speech 9/11/1998) and evaluate how successfully Clinton uses persuasive techniques to convey his message.