Friday, Feb. 21 Agenda

• Bell Ringer: Finish the last few minutes of Pocahontas
• Discuss with partner what you think about how the tribe feels? Then discuss: Is there a bias in the movie? What? How can you tell?
• Bias- A personal, sometimes unreasoned judgment; prejudice; bent

• Answer two of the History vs. Fiction prompts in writer’s notebook

• Discuss with neighbor what you feel is the message about ‘cultural encounters and frontiers’ that General History and Pocahontas show?

• ACT Writing Discussion: Three perspectives on/messages of Cultural Encounters shown by the texts we read (ALL or a majority)
• Final Topic Essay (ACT essay format) Prep: Essay will be Wednesday
• • Prompt:
  • Pick one of the texts that we read in this topic, “Cultural Encounters and Frontiers,” that you believe communicates an important, in-depth message about it (the topic).  What is that message and why do you feel it is important? How do they approach that idea and how do their ideas and words (textual evidence) impact the overall meaning and feeling of the piece?   Connect and compare that message to the three perspectives/messages created as a class.
  • How do they show the idea, what message do they give about the topic through their words and how is that proof it is the best example?
  • Potential Texts: Native American myths, “Trial of Thomas Builds-the-Fire”, Louise Erdrich poem, Simon Ortiz poem (or combine the two poems together), “The Very Brief Relation of the Devastation of the Indes”, “Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano”, “General History of Virginia…”, Pocahontas along with “General History”(can’t just do Pocahontas on own)
  • Three perspectives:
  • A dominating culture can try to change a culture they see as inferior, but the traditions and views the submissive culture held can never be completely removed.
  • A lack of understanding between two cultures is often the cause of conflict between them as people are often afraid of the unknown, and act on that fear by trying to destroy what they don’t understand.
  • When two cultures meet, the dominant or more advanced culture will often take over the submissive culture, forcefully pushing their ideals through violence onto a weaker culture, trying to justify it with good intentions.