Bloodsucking Fiends/FLASH FICTION FRIDAY FINISH DAY

AGENDA:

MORNING REFLECTION:

FINISH STUDY GUIDE for Part II Bloodsucking Fiends

FINISH FLASH FICTION project for Bloodsucking Fiends

HMWK: For Tuesday, FINISH reading Part III Hunters, Bloodsucking Fiends

Bloodsucking Fiends/Flash Fiction

AGENDA:

Scholastic Awards:
http://www.artandwriting.org/the-awards/how-to-enter/


Work on Bloodsucking Fiends STUDY GUIDE for Part II

MORNING REFLECTION:

WRITING:  Work on Flash Fiction

Bloodsucking Fiends/ Discussion/ Flash Fiction stories

AGENDA:

MORNING REFLECTION: Xavier  "Famous Failures"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zLYECIjmnQs


DISCUSSION OF READING  Questions

WRITING: Work on Flash Fiction story


HMWK:  READ Part II of Bloodsucking fiends for WEDNESDAY (Finish book if you can)

FLASH FICTION/Tropes

AGENDA:

Morning Reflection: Alan Johnson  What Color is a Mirror?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-yrZpTHBEss

WRITING:  Continue to work on your FLASH FICTION stories.

TV Tropes is a wiki^[2] that collects and expands descriptions and examples on various conventions and devices (tropes) found within creative works. Since its establishment in 2004, the site has gone from covering only television and film tropes to also covering those in a number of other media such as literature, comics, video games, and even things such as advertisements and toys.^[3][4] The nature of the site as commentary about pop culture and fiction has attracted attention and commentary from several web personalities and blogs.
The content was published as free content from April 2008,^[5] and changed its license over the years to one allowing noncommercial distribution.

tvtropes.org


READING: continue to read Bloodsucking Fiends to pg.

Bloodsucking Fiends Discussion Quesions

AGENDA:

HMWK: Read through Ch. 17, pg. 141

 

Discussion Questions for Bloodsucking Fiends

Reading Group Guide

Questions for Discussion

1. Everyone has been exposed to Vampire lore, either through books, movies, or television. How does Jody's transformation into a vampire differ from how you always thought someone became a vampire? In what ways is it similar?

2. Jody and Tommy's relationship moves at a rather alarming pace, and within a week of meeting each other, they are in love. Is love at first sight possible? Or in their case, at first bite? Why do they connect so instantly?

3. The book is filled with religious connotations, whether intentional or not — from the mention of "the pyramid" (The TransAmerica Tower), to the use of crosses to ward off vampires, to the Animals being referred to as "Crusaders." How intentional do you think this was on the part of the author? What do these add to the story?

4. The book touches upon the idea of euthanasia — the practice of ending the life of a terminally ill person in a painless or minimally painful way in order to limit suffering — in that Elijah Ben Sapir, the vampire who creates Jody, only kills those who are about to die or whose lives are limited in some way. What are your feelings about "mercy killings"? Do vampires have an ethical standard?

5. When Simon threatens Jody after she refuses to turn him into a vampire, she ends up killing him in the front of his truck. Jody then blames the killing on Elijah, however, and never confesses it to Tommy. Why not admit to it when Elijah has been restrained?

6. Why are Jody and Tommy "set up" as the culprits in the recent crimes? What would it mean if they were caught? Why do these crimes need to be pinned on anyone? Couldn't the criminals cover up thecrimes in another way?

7. By the end of the novel, both detectives — Cavuto and Rivera — begin to believe in the supernatural and that vampires could exist. To what extent do you believe in the supernatural, either vampires, ghosts, or even just that some people may or may not have psychic ability?

8. Tommy uses Anne Rice's The Vampire Lestat, which of course is fiction, as his "Owner's Manual" for learning about Jody and her new powers. Discuss the author's use of fiction within fiction in order to tell a story. Have any members of your group read The Vampire Lestat? How do the two books compare?

9. Once Jody becomes a vampire, she finds that she has many new and different abilities, including superstrength, heightened senses, and superspeed. Which do you think is her most needed new superability?

10. Though Jody finds herself immortal, she also retains many of her normal human characteristics and failings, including vanity, fear, anger, and disgust. Discuss how even though she has become immortal, and can protect herself from many of the regular dangers of everyday life, she is still unable to disassociate herself from normal human emotion.

11. At the end of the book, the reader is left with the impression that Jody is about to turn Tommy into a vampire. If she does change him into a vampire, how do you imagine their story continues? How would it continue if she does not?

Enhancing Your Bookclub

1. Would you be willing to give up your normal life — being able to go out in the daylight, not being immortal — in order to become a vampire? You'd be able to live forever, have superstrength and -speed, among many other different gifts. Would it be worth it? Why? Why not?

2. To read more about vampires, take a look at the following titles: The Society of S by Susan Hubbard, Vamped by David Sosnowski, The Book of Renfield: A Gospel of Dracula by Tim Lucas, and Happy Hour at Casa Dracula by Marta Costa.

3. Learn more about vampires: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vampires.

Christopher Moore is the bestselling author of You Suck, A Dirty Job, The Stupidest Angel, Fluke, Lamb, The Lust Lizard of Melancholy Cove, Island of the Sequined Love Nun, Bloodsucking Fiends, and Practical Demonkeeping. Visit the

Flash Fiction

AGENDA:

 Chris Moore video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fbo2Ae-pj-4

Here it is:
FLASH FICTION:

Write a Flash Fiction story (2-3 double-spaced pages) that PARODIES (makes fun of) an established genre (your choice--Science Fantasy, Horror, Romance, Western, etc.).   Choose this option if you want to try your hand at HUMOR and PARODY.
or

Write a Flash Fiction story that follows the conventions and uses the familiar tropes of a HORROR STORY  (vampires, werewolves, zombies, ghosts, etc.) or a LOVE STORY.

Check out http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flash_fiction

and http://www.flash-fiction-world.com/

Vampires and Parody

 

Morning Reflection:  Jaymee Pride  Mos Def "Mathematics"

EQ:  How does Christopher Moore utilize parody, genre, and conventions in his writing?

DEFINITIONS:

The Inner Workings of Parody

par·o·dy

   ˈpærədi Spelled [par-uh-dee]  IPA noun, plural -dies, verb, -died, -dy·ing.

noun 

1.   a humorous or satirical imitation of a serious piece of literature or writing: his hilarious parody of Hamlet's soliloquy.

2.   the genre of literary composition represented by such imitations.

3.    a burlesque imitation of a musical composition.

4.   any humorous, satirical, or burlesque imitation, as of a person, event, etc.

5.    the use in the 16th century of borrowed material in a musical setting of the Mass (parody Mass).

verb (used with object)

6.   to imitate (a composition, author, etc.) for purposes of ridicule or satire.

7.   to imitate poorly or feebly; travesty.

Source: www.dictionary.com

GENRE: A type or category of literature or film marked by certain shared features or conventions. The three broadest categories of genre include poetry, drama, and fiction. These general genres are often subdivided into more specific genres and subgenres. For instance, precise examples of genres might include murder mysteries, westerns, sonnets, lyric poetry, epics, tragedies, etc. Many bookstores and video stores divide their books or films into genres for the convenience of shoppers seeking a specific category of literature.
CONVENTION: A common feature that has become traditional or expected within a specific genre (category) of literature or film. In Harlequin romances, it is conventional to focus on a male and female character who struggle through misunderstandings and difficulties until they fall in love. In western films of the early twentieth-century, for instance, it has been conventional for protagonists to wear white hats and antagonists to wear black hats. The wandering knight-errant who travels from place to place, seeking adventure while suffering from the effects of hunger and the elements, is a convention in medieval romances. It is a convention for an English sonnet to have fourteen lines with a specific rhyme scheme, abab, cdcd, efef, gg, and so on. The use of a chorus and the unities are dramatic conventions of Greek tragedy, while, the aside, and the soliloquy are conventions in Elizabethan tragedy. Conventions are often referred to as poetic, literary, or dramatic, depending upon whether the convention appears in a poem, short story or novel, or a play.

Source: http://web.cn.edu/kwheeler/index.html

 

 

Mini Writing Exercises

1.      Write a paragraph that describes a monster (whether it be a vampire or another magical being that you know well).  Make sure that this description fits with the conventions of the genre to which the being belongs (i.e.—a vampire might have fangs; a zombie might eat brains, etc.).  Use rich language and adjectives to create a vivid image for your reader.

 

2.     Parody a vampire attack (or a part of one) in a paragraph.  Use the Moore reading as well as the more serious, short readings from class for ideas of conventions you might want to twist.

HMWK: For Monday, read to Ch. 14