Research Abraham Maslow’s theory of the Hierarchy of Needs. Prepare a response to a text you have read that connects to the highest need – the need to reach beyond oneself.
Author: D. Sader
The Medium is the Message
According to Marshall McLuhan, television is a “cool” medium because it provides little information and makes the user fill in what is missing. How do the House Hippo and Media Monkey ads make the user fill in the information?
House Hippo
Media Monkey
Do young people accept what they see in media as being reality? Provide specific examples to support your opinion.
Borrowed Poetry
Louis Riel
Research Louis Riel. Think of five questions you would like to ask Riel if you were to meet him. Then, imagine how Riel would respond. Write an interview from these questions and your imagined responses.
Canadian Fisheries.
Write about the current state of Canadian fisheries. In which areas of the country are moratoriums in place? How have the communities that have been affected dealt with the moratoriums? Beyond their concerns about changes to their way of life, what complaints might people in these communities have about the moratoriums.
Human Rights
Write an essay about a current human rights issue. It could be a world-wide concern or one with a Canadian focus.
Hiroshima and Nagasaki
Floating Lanterns XII
On August sixth every year
the seven rivers of Hiroshima
are filled with lanterns
Painted with the names of the
fathers, mothers, and sisters
they float on their way to the seaAlmost there, pushed back
flame snuffed out
Darkly coming back in pieces
Tossed by ocean wavesThat time, years past
these same rivers were filled
With the corpses of those
fathers, mothers, and sisters
— Poem by Iri Maruki and Toshi Maruki
Translated by Nancy Hunter and Yasuo Ishikawa
Research the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki by answering these questions:
- What led to the decision to drop the atomic bombs?
- What was the strategic objective of these actions?
- What judgements have historians made about these events?
- What other questions do you have about Hiroshima or Nagasaki?
Find descriptions, photos, or videos clips of the aftermath of the bombings. Using the information you have researched, write your own poem about the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Teen or Child Empowerment in Film
Consider movies you have seen that portray teen or child empowerment (for example, Finding Forrester). What is the appeal of these movies? What similarities do they share? Are they believable? Why? Write a comparison-and-contrast essay comparing two of these films.
Injustice in Film
Justice
Justice seems to have many faces
It does not want to play if my skin is not the right hue,
Or correct the wrong we long for
Action hanging off-balance
Justice is like an open field
We observe, but are afraid to approach.We have been burned before
Hence the broken stride
And the lingering doubt
We often hideJustice may want to play
If we have an open smile
And offer the hand of communication
To make it worthwhileJustice has to make me see
Hear, feel.
Then I wil know the truth is like a toy
To be enjoyed or broken — Poem by Rita Joe
View a film that addresses the theme of injustice. In what ways are the character’s attitudes to injustice similar to, or different from, the attitude presented in the poem? How do the charactersdemonstrate their attitudes?
Vertigo
Alfred Hitchcock’s thriller Vertigo is a movie that explores the fear of heights. View the movie and critique how effectively the director portrayed the main character’s phobia.