Final Book Club Meetign and DP Update Work Time

AGENDA

10:15-11:05 AND 12:43-1:35: Book Club Meeting Prep Time  or DP Update/Reflection Work Time​ (guidelines begin on page 2 of that linked doc).  

11:05-11:15 AND 1:35-1:45 BREAK

11:15-12:00 AND 1:45-2:30 Book Club Meeting Time!
​
TICKET OUT THE DOOR: Turn in your book club books! (Stack on Ashley’s desk)

Book Club Meeting Protocol

1. Discussion Director begin by reading your SUMMARY only. Save questions until the end.
2. Each person take turns sharing your notes for your assigned role.
3. Discussion Director facilitate discussion!
4. Try to address the questions Ashley has for you as shown below.  Hopefully I'll be able to make it around to each group to help you analyze these texts more deeply. 

ASHLEY's DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
TALE FOR THE TIME BEING
1.       On page 205: “Sitting Zazen, washing freezer bags, same thing”(Jiko).  What does this mean and how does it further your understanding of what the point of Zazen is AND how it might relate to the idea of time beings—review the poem at the beginning of Part 1 and the concept of the surfer and wave being the same thing and the idea of Interconnectedness.
2.       Discuss Haruki #1’s letters to his mom.  What do you think about Haruki #1 and the way in which he views war and his ultimate decision to end his life on his own terms.  How does he find a sense of purpose amidst his inevitable death?  Read pages 256-258 again!
a.      Why does he decide to end his own life on his own terms?
b.      Why does he think that authors are heroic?
c.       Lastly, do you think Haruki #1 is the crow that appears in Ruth and Oliver’s yard? Or is it Jiko?
3.       On page 259, the author provides us with yet another clue as to what a time being means.  Read that quote by Dogen Zenji and try to make some sense of it with each other!
4.       What do you think about the way Nao treats her dad on pages 262-263? Do you think he deserves it?
5.       Why are Nao and her dad so obsessed with the falling man from the Twin Towers (page 268)?  Nao asks us, “what would you do?”  Is this too morbid to discuss? What would you do? How does this relate to Haruki #1?
6.       Why does Nao lash out at other people throughout the novel? How does it affect her and how does it relate to Jiko’s lesson about bullying the wave? See page 302 again!
Glass Castle
1.       Discuss the family’s experience in Welch. What lessons does Jeannette learn?
a.       See page 144 and the idea that desperate times turn people into hypocrites—how does that happen with her parents?
b.      What do you think about the way that Jeannette deals with her conflict with Dinitia?  Do you agree that love is the best way to deal with hate? Or do you believe in “an eye for an eye”?
c.       What do the kids learn about how their dad was raised and his relationship with his mom? How does this shed some light on why he is the way he is today? Think about the ACES study we looked at a few weeks ago (Adverse Childhood Experiences).  Do you see some of that study playing out with various characters in this book?  What seems to be the way to avoid repeating the cycle of poverty/abuse etc…..? Perhaps you’ll need to read on to see how Jeannette does it.
2.       What does the section on Welch teach you about the lives of people living in this type of poverty? Does it change your understanding of poverty at all and one’s ability to achieve “the American Dream” (The American Dream is the idea that anyone can go from rags to riches if they just work hard enough).
3.       What is your reaction to their mom’s comment about Uncle Stanley when he sexually assaults Jeannette on page 184?
4.       What do you think about their mom’s decision not to sell the ring on page 186. Would you classify this as “neglect”? Are you judgmental of their mom or do you have compassion for her? Why/Why not?
5.       What does Dinitia’s fate teach us about the cycles of oppression and violence?  (199-203)
6.       How does working for The Wave impact Jeannette? (203-204)
7.       Ultimately, what changes do you see in the kids’ views of their parents throughout their time living in Welch?

INTO THE WILD
1.      What happens with the moose in chapter 16?
What does Chris seem to decide is the secret to a happy life? How is this in contrast to his earlier views? Do you agree or disagree? P. 169
2.  See pages 114-115: How is Chris a paradox? (What does paradox mean??)
3.  Read the quote by Thoreau on page 117.  What do you think is most important: Love, Money, Fame, Truth? What is more important to Chris?
4.       Read the quote by Donald Barthelme on page 145.  What the heck does this mean?  Do you see this psychology in Chris or John Krakauer, the author? How so?

• This chapter outlines the relationship that Krakauer had with his own dad--  one where his dad placed SUPER high expectations on him.  What do you think the right balance parents should strike (or teachers for that matter) between having high expectations for children and love/support/understanding?  Do your own parents strike that balance well?

5.    On page 155, Krakauer learns that “mountains make poor receptacles for dreams”. First of all, what does that mean? Second of all, how did hear learn that lesson? What “dreams” was he trying to live out in pursuit of the mountains?