Project Work Time + Book Club Meeting #1

Starter

Agenda

1st half of class: Project work time (or last minute prep for book club meeting!)

2nd half of class: Book club meeting #1
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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 Questions
Tale for The Time Being

1. What do you know about existentialism? What do you know about "the absurd".  (Ashley will explain these philosophies)-- Is Ruth's husband an absurd hero (see pages 60-61)?
2. What is Shrodinger's cat thought experiment all about? See Appendix E
3. What is the significance of Marcel Proust's book In Search of Lost Time especially given Nao has used it for her own diary? (Ashley will provide some context on Proust's book).
4. What is bodhisattva in Buddhism? (Ashley will provide context if you don't know).
5. What was the Taisho Democracy?
6. What are the various concepts of TIME that this book explores thus far?

• Read Appendix A (Zen Moments) and pages 62-63
• Impermanence (98-9)
• Flow of time (flow, drawn out, merging together, perception of time in nature)- pages 91-2
• Wasting Time (Furitaa, pages 81-2)
• In search of lost time, capturing time (61)
• The past's impact on our present (p. 32)

    7. What is the role of the Tsunami in the book? (pages 12-14)
    8. What is Old Jiko like? What is the deal with the "elevator"?  What is the significance of Ruth's dream on paged 38-40?
    9. What is the Japanese concept of suicide and how does Nao's dad claim it is different than that of the United States? (87-88).
     10.  What is up with the crows?  55, 96
     11. Do you believe in Karma? (Read page 52).
     12. What is Nao's schooling like? What is your reaction to her experiences?

Into the Wild

1. What do you guys know about Henry David Thoreau and Transcendentalism (Ashley will fill ya in if you don't know anything).
2. Pay attention to the chapter intro quotes and how they relate to the theme of each chapter.
3. As you read, think about what your opinion of Chris is and what is Krakauer's opinion of him?  
4. Read the quote on page 15 at the beginning of chapter 3-- How does it relate to Chris? Do you feel any personal connection to the quote?
5. How would you describe Chris? See pages 18-22.  
6. How does the quote by Thoreau on page 47 relate to Chris?
7. On page 37, Why does Alex say he is "soaring"? What causes him to feel that way? Do you think living like that will make you feel more fulfilled?
8. What does Alex want to get back to his "primordial" self (look up Primordial) see page 38.

Glass Castle

1. What does the quote by Dylan Thomas at the beginning of the book mean? How dies it capture the theme of this book? 
2. How would you describe the personality of each family member?
3. What is your reaction to the way the author describes her mom in the first chapter? Why would she choose to start the book this way? 
4. Throughout the book, the author learns many life lessons from her family/parents. What are they?  How does she learn them? 

• Live life between turbulence and order: p. 106, Nature v. City, Freedom v. Control/order
• Page 24: It pays to break the rules
• Page 34: Stay on your toes
• Page 103: Don't surrender to fear
• Page 66: Sink or swim

      5. Do you agree with the way her parents raise their kids? 
      6. Pay attention to the way the author explores the following themes:

• Struggle is necessary for beauty
• Money doesn't equal happiness
• Toughness (p 59)
• Self-reliance (64-66)
• Freedom (107)
• Turbulence v. Order (106)