Here is the link for the Huck Finn research.
Please read the directions and do what they say to do. It is due Monday October 29.
Here is the link to the slave narratives. (This is question G on the packet. There is NOT a direct link on the research site.)
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INTRO:
Murrow says that Americans have “a built-in allergy to unpleasant or disturbing
information…our mass media reflect this.” Americans today still have this allergy;
they close their eyes to what is happening in the real world and concentrate on the
worthless doings of characters on reality television shows.
PARAGRAPH 1: Discuss what Murrow says about the “built-in allergy”.
In Murrow’s day, television was just becoming a part of American life. At that time,
serious journalists struggled to gain attention away from more frivolous programs
like The Milton Berle Show”; at one point in “Good Night and Good Luck,”
George Clooney’s character tells Murrow that he “should have worn a dress,”
a reference to Uncle Milty’s trademark schtick. Murrow notes that Americans
sit “on our fat surpluses”, complacent, because we would rather be fat and
happy than informed. His commercial sponsor at the time, Alcoa, pulled its ads
because Murrow was pursuing relevant journalism, that is, the criticism of
Joseph McCarthy. Murrow and company were left to fend for themselves,
and the journalist actually paid for the advertising dollars in order to
ensure that he could speak the truth.
PARAGRAPH 2: Discuss your feelings on the topic, including evidence
from your life, the media, history (remember SHAAAPE)
Americans still suffer from this need to be sheltered from bad news.
Our media is no longer unbiased; watch Fox News any evening and it will be
apparent that it is neither fair nor balanced. People watch the channels with which
they agree, insulating themselves from other points of view. The highest rated
television shows on the air are so-called ‘reality’ television shows, where groups
of ‘real’ people do things that are far from how real people behave. Watch
“Jersey Shore” or “Rock of Love” and it is obvious that people crave the stupid and
mindless over the informative. Obviously, most Americans prefer to remain in
the dark about what is really going on in this country. I have watched several television
shows where the most important event is embarrassing people
(“The Bachelor”, “Cheaters”). What this says about the majority of Americans is
that we prefer to numb ourselves to what’s really happening, and focus on the
trials and tribulations of other people. It makes us feel good when bad things happen
to those less fortunate, especially if it’s “all in good fun” on a television show where
people have volunteered to be mocked. This reminds me of when the Roman
Emperor Nero fiddled while his city burned. The majority of Americans prefer
to be entertained rather than informed, and it is hurting our country.
Go to this link and do the simulation there:
http://www3.nationalgeographic.com/salem/
Write one page (or close to one page) describing your experience, what it felt like, what you learned, any observations you had about the simulation or the witch trials in general. BE SURE TO GIVE DETAILS…CONVINCE ME THAT YOU READ IT!
If you’d like an encore viewing of the THE CRUCIBLE powerpoint, here it is. You must have the Powerpoint program on your computer to read this file.
To learn more about the history of women in the US, you’ll be browsing around the NWH cybermuseum. Find three “exhibits” that interest you, read about them, and answer the questions.
The following is a word.doc of the worksheet you received in class:
Click on the word ‘humor’ below to download the Mark Twain humor powerpoint if you’d like to review it. Monologue is due Friday Nov 6.
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