Thursday, December 11, 2025

ADVENTURE TIME (MORE EXTRA CREDIT)

If you were late with your previous entries, exceptionally quiet in class or feel you need extra credit for whatever reason, comment on either or both of the Extra Credit entries (Hayao Miyazaki, Adventure Time.) The more you do, the more extra credit you accrue.

 Post ONE reaction ( minimum 250 words) to the combined reading (and listening) linked. Students are encouraged (but not required) to additionally respond to other student reactions.


"Castles in the Air: The gorgeous existential funk of Adventure Time." By Emily Nussbaum 

 "An 'Adventure' For Kids And Maybe For Their Parents, Too: An NPR Interview w. Lev Grossman"

"An ode to Adventure Time, one of TV’s most ambitious — and, yes, most adventurous — shows."  By Dan Schindel

HAYAO MIYAZAKI (EXTRA CREDIT)

If you were late with your previous entries or feel you need extra credit for whatever reason, comment on either or both of the Extra Credit entries (Hayao Miyazaki, Adventure Time.) The more you do, the more extra credit you accrue.

Post reactions ( minimum 250 words) to the reading linked below. Students are encouraged (but not required) to additionally respond to other student reactions.


"The Fantastic Worlds of Hayao Miyazaki." A new book by Tufts professor Susan Napier analyzes the Japanese anime director’s films—and his life. Click heading to read article. 

"Hayao Miyazaki and the Art of Being a Woman" by Gabrielle Bellot. The famed Japanese animator and director created heroines who defied feminine stereotypes and showed me how to be at home in my own skin. Click heading to read article.

"Hayao Miyazaki's 50 Favorite Children's Books." Click heading to review list. 

"The Animated Life." New Yorker staff writer Margaret Talbot discusses the animator Hayao Miyazaki’s films, his influences, and his temperament. Click heading to read interview

SUNRISE/SUNSET

Writers often fall into tropes and abstract descriptions because they aren’t describing a particular event (either invented or observed). Over the course of the last couple weeks, you were to observe and describe two distinct sunsets (or sunrises).Be specific. Use clear and practical language. Avoid metaphor/simile and/or baroque characterization. Post your descriptions here by Weds. Dec 17.