Time Magazine named “the Protester” its person of the year for 2011.  From the Arab Spring to Occupy Wall Street, and most recently protests by women in Egypt, 2011 has been a year when regular people took to the streets attempting to make a difference.  Some people are supportive of their endeavors and some are critical.  What do you think?  Have these people made a real impact, or are they just wasting everybody’s time?  Is protesting a valid form of expression?

Again, do some research from BOTH sides of the issue.

“Don’t look to be saved in any one thing, person, machine, or library,” Faber tells Montag. “Do your own bit of saving, and if you drown, at least die knowing you were headed for shore.” What does Bradbury mean by this?  Do you agree?

Bradbury wrote in Fahrenheit 451 that “firemen are rarely necessary” because “the public itself stopped reading of its own accord” in 1953.  Do you think this is true today?  In what ways?  What comment is Bradbury trying to make about a society in which people do not read?  Do you agree with this assertion?

With the last of the U.S. troops leaving Iraq, some people are worried that the country will become destabilized without a U.S. military presence.  What do you think about this?  Is it a mistake to pull the troops out now?  Can Iraq maintain a stable government without help?  Is it even our concern?

Please remember to do some reading on the subject BEFORE posting your comments.  Please read information from BOTH sides of the issue before forming an opinion.

Please leave a test post by December 21.

Please remember that all posts MUST be in by midnight tonight in order to get credit.  For those who have made arrangements with me to turn in a hard copy, those must be in by class time tomorrow.  See you all in the morning!

Information has come out since the publication of Three Cups of Tea that some of the details of the book have been exaggerated or even fabricated.  How does this affect your response to the book?  Does it diminish the messages that you have discussed in the last question?

Just for fun, let’s talk about what you read this summer that you found interesting (other than what was assigned, of course).

I re-read the first four Dark Tower books by Stephen King, and was astonished at how much better I liked them than when I read them in junior high and high school.  I also enjoyed each of the following:  Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen, The Weird Sisters by Eleanor Brown, and The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield.  I’ve also read a little of The Game of Thrones after thoroughly enjoying the miniseries on HBO.

As AP literature and language students, I expect you all to be readers, so what did you read?  What did you like?  Dislike?  What do you recommend to the rest of us?

PS:  No, this does not count as a post.

Just a reminder to get all your posts in by midnight before the first day of school.  Some people also need to tighten up the proofreading in their posts.  There have been a few that I have not approved because of this, and a few others that have been pretty borderline.  If your posts are not showing up, check your email to see if I have asked you to proofread and re-submit them.

Please remember that you can comment in your posts on things that other people have said as well as on the original question.  Let the discussion follow a natural pattern.  Pose your own questions if you have them.  Feel free to disagree with others (even me!), as long as you do it respectfully.

I don’t know if I’ll be able to post any more questions in the next several days, but I’ll try.