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Learning Task 1: On your notepad, write random words that come to your mind. Any word will do. Take your thoughts in the situation where you find yourself most interested in. Do this in three (3) to five (5) minutes.

1.
Which statement best explains the relationship between an essay’s claims, reasons, and evidence?
An essay’s claim supports its reasons, which attempt to explain the evidence.
Both the claims and reasons in an essay support the evidence.
Either reasons or evidence are used to support a claim, but not both.
Reasons explain how textual evidence proves or supports the essay’s claim.
2.
What role does a thesis statement play in a comparative essay?
It asks a series of questions that must be answered by the end of the essay.
It helps readers anticipate which passages will be used as textual evidence in the essay.
It states the main similarity and/or difference that the writer plans to prove in the essay.
It offers a contradictory response to a claim that is stated earlier in the essay.
3.
What is the most effective way to use textual evidence in a comparative essay?
Include only textual evidence from the source presented first, at the beginning of the essay.
Include an equal amount of textual evidence from each source evenly throughout the essay.
Include only textual evidence that readers may have missed when they read or saw the source.
Include only one piece of textual evidence from each of the sources you compare or contrast.
4.
How does textual evidence strengthen your comparative literature essay?
It identifies the specific elements in each literary work that support your general idea.
It suggests to readers that they may not have read the literature as closely as you did.
It proves that you have read the literary works well enough to be able to compare them.
It causes readers to wonder what other literary works may support or challenge your claim.

1.
Which statement best describes a comparative claim?
A comparative claim states the opinion of the author about a highly emotional issue.
A comparative claim compares or contrasts two topics in a way that invites argument.
A comparative claim shows how three or more topics are similar to each other.
A comparative claim contains numerous statements of facts that can be verified and proven.
2.
Which claim compares and contrasts media versions of the same story?
Although the issue receives very little news coverage on television, protecting the environment really should be the most important issue of our generation.
Properly disposing of batteries and other consumer goods can prevent some of the environmental issues that make the future of our planet look grimmer every day.
During the past year, the Discovery channel has broadcast numerous shows about animal species that are threatened because of humans moving into natural areas.
The TV news story consists mostly of dramatic examples of environmental disasters while the
New York Times Magazine
article focuses on cause and effect relationships among events.
3.
Many online news organizations post a mixture of video clips and print articles about current events. In terms of the audience’s experience, what is the most important difference between the two formats?
A video story controls exactly what the audience sees while a text story requires each reader to imagine the details of the event.
A video story usually contains many more direct quotes from experts than a text version of the same story.
A text story usually includes more aspects of the author’s opinion or perspective than a video news story about the same topic.
A text story usually leaves out some of the key details of the event in order to provide more background information.
4.
Which strategy can help you write a comparative claim about the difference between a video news story and story that is mostly written text?
Imagine how you would have filmed the event—what details you would have tried to capture on screen.
Watch or read each version of the story four or five times, looking for facts or claims that may not be factually accurate.
Ask yourself which format is easier for the target audience to access, and therefore which will draw the bigger audience.
Think about the decisions the video producers made about what to show on screen, and compare that to the details included in the print article.
5.
Which of these statements is a comparative claim?
Mountain Dew is my favorite type of soda over all other kinds.
Drinking water is so much better for your body than drinking soda.
There are so many types of bottled water that it is hard to choose.
We often take having clean water than comes out of a tap for granted.

1.
What information about the setting of “Rashomon” gives you the most insight into its theme?
The story is based on a Japanese folk tale from around 1000 C.E.
The story is set in Kyoto after a series of devastating natural disasters.
Rashomon Gate was the grandest of Kyoto’s city gates at the time of the story.
Kimonos were prized articles of clothing in ancient Japan.
2.
What is the main message or moral of “The Story of the Old Man Who Made Withered Trees to Blossom”?
Dogs will always be faithful to their owners, even in death.
Goodness will be rewarded, while selfishness will be punished.
It is important not to offend the spirits of deceased animals.
If you live a simple life, you will be rewarded.
3.
How might research into a literary work’s place of origin help you understand the work better?
It can help you generalize about the people of that nation.
It can give you insight into the author’s personal motivations.
It can help you understand the cultural context of the work.
It can show you what that country has in common with yours.
4.
“The Story of the Old Man Who Made Withered Trees to Blossom” and “Rashomon” are both set in Japan. Why is it important to consider more specific details of their settings–not just the country where they happened?
The country setting of the fairy tale is important, but the setting of “Rashomon” has very little bearing on the story.
“The Story of the Old Man Who Made Withered Trees to Blossom” takes place in ancient times, while “Rashomon” is about life in a modern Japanese city.
“The Story of the Old Man Who Made Withered Trees to Blossom” is about simple moral choices, while “Rashomon” is about the sophisticated lives of city folk.
“Rashomon” is about the moral choices of people in desperate times, while the simpler message of the fairy tale requires a simpler setting.
5.
What information about ancient Japan provides the most helpful context to “The Story of the Old Man Who Made Withered Trees to Blossom”?
Animals and plants generally were believed to have a spirit or soul.
Japanese folklore has been influenced by the literature of other countries.
Japanese folklore includes many stories about monkeys.
Some tales involve reclaiming the honor of one’s family.

Discuss your choice of the following questions:
?      How well does the film adapt the characters’ motivations, the conflict, and the resolution of the story?
?      Did the film omit any significance from the story?
?      Was the arrangement of scenes in the film justified by the Munro (2013) story?
References
Egoyan, A. Hirst, V., Iron, D. Mankoff, D. Urdl, S. Weiss, J. (Producers), & Polley, S. (Director). (2006).
Away from her
.
[Motion picture]. Canada: Foundry Film.
Munro, A. (2013, Oct 21). The bear came over the mountain.
The New Yorke
r.
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2013/10/21/the- (Links to an external site.)bear-came-over-the-mountain-2

(a) What did Malala notice about the road she was on the day the Taliban
came to find her? (b) Summarize Explain what happened on that day in October
2012.

1.     How would you describe Korean art during the Neolithic phase (4000-1000BC)?
2.    What are the examples of renowned art during Yi dynasty in Korea?
3.   What are the characteristics of the Zhou art in China?
4.     What are the distinct features of the art forms of East Asian countries such as Japan, China, Korea?
5.     How would you describe Hindu art? How is it different from Buddhist art?
6.     Which countries are located in West Asia?
7.    Why was Timur considered an important artist in his time?

1) What is Creon’s definition of an effective ruler? Cite evidence from the text to support your analysis.
Explain the hyperbole in lines 308-312. What emotion does this exaggerated imagery imply?
2) Why does the Chorus use the metaphor of moving “across the white-capped ocean seas” (line 393) to describe how humans move through life?
3) What emotions do you think Antigone and Creon feel at this point in the play?
In lines 440-453, what are the Guard’s feelings about returning to speak to Creon? Why does he refer to himself as “the lucky man” in line 450?
This goes with Antigone’s scene 2 and 3 play

Read the following excerpt from “The City Without Us” by Alan Weisman:
In an abandoned city, there would be no one like Paul Schuber and Peter Briffa to race from station to flooded station whenever more than two inches of rain falls—as happens lately with disturbing frequency—sometimes snaking hoses up stairways to pump to a sewer down the street, sometimes navigating these tunnels in inflatable boats. With no people, there would also be no power. The pumps will go off, and stay off. “When this pump facility shuts down,” says Schuber, “in half an hour water reaches a level where trains can’t pass anymore.” Briffa removes his safety goggles and rubs his eyes. “A flood in one zone would push water into the others. Within 36 hours, the whole thing could fill.”
What claim does Weisman make in “The City Without Us”? How does the text structure of this excerpt help support Weisman’s claim? Be sure to refer to examples from the text to support your analysis.