Embedded Files
Words Without Borders
An Exhibition of Student Work
Adele_DollmakerPhotos.pdfBy Adele
Unit
Russia: Money and Possessions
Source Text
Fragments from the Dollmaker's Life
Poetry by Danila Davydov, Translated from the Russian by Peter Golub
Prompt
Look for or create images that seem to reflect the mood and meaning of this poem. When you are finished, explain your choices in a short reflection; for example, how did you choose your images? Were there any images that you hoped to find or create, but could not? For inspiration, you might re-read the poem and look at images of puppets and audiences at places like Moscow's Puppet Theater or the International Puppetry Museum (here in Seattle).
Ingrid_Lonely.pdfBy Ingrid
Unit
Japan: Memory
Source Text
Stance Dots
Fiction By Toshiyuki Horie, Translated from the Japanese by Philip Gabriel
Prompt
Many lonely seniors in Japan never reach out for help or connection. Find out why in Nautilus magazine's post “Alienation Is Killing Americans and Japanese.”
Write a 200 - 400 word story or non-fiction essay about someone who is lonely, describing the way(s) in which he or she tries to become less lonely.
Elijah_StreetArt.pdfBy Elijah
Unit
Egypt: Revolution
Source Text
Two Million People In The Square
Graphic Nonfiction By Magdee El Shafee, Translated from the Arabic by Humphrey Davies
Prompt
Watch the TED Talk from Bahia Shehab, who turned her art into activism when she grafitti-ed the Arabic word “no” all over the walls of Cairo during the Revolution. Learn more about graffiti art in "Egypt's Murals Are More Than Just Art, They Are a Form of Revolution," by Waleed Rasheed, one of the leaders of the 2011 protests.
Design a work of graffiti art on a social/political issue of your choice.
ACFrOgBQK_8WRexp3ip7jjbhyJlgBqRhFok8IlJDjwPzaTpcxNsANGaFbYHHh3YXTgFjw38c6PMhxhvtQzRsAEOUoqDLVnbzoQq8chF-ZsNpJ-q0SLZuMYJlRnzomyyMcxgI9s2o5OqwDZepBoYr.pdfBy Ruby
Unit
Mexico: Leaving Home
Source Text
Dreams and Memories Of A Common Man
Fiction By Marcos Matías Alonso, Translated from the Spanish by Earl Shorris and Sylvia Sasson Shorris
Prompt
Read "Chicueyaco: Daily Life in a Nahua Village" from Cultural Survival to get a sense of what life might be like in the "Disenchantment." Listen to "Far From Mexico, Students Try Saving Aztec Language" and try your hand at learning Náhuatl with Brief Notes on Classical Náhuatl.
Imagine your own versions of places called "Disenchantment," "The Future," or "Fate." Write a short story (text or graphic) or poem about characters moving in or out of those places.
Elijah_LangageProse.pdfBy Elijah
Unit
Iran: War
Source Text
The Neighbor
Fiction by Goli Taraghi, Translated from the Farsi by Azizeh Azodi
Prompt
Without language skills in French, the Persian narrator feels utterly incapacitated. Language is power; the lack of language is powerlessness. In the story's climax, knowing that the neighbor probably lacks English language skills, the narrator begins speaking it to her---and quickly transforms the fearsome adversary into a frightened "lamb."
Read A Guide to Being a Perfect Refugee, a graphic story by another Persian immigrant in Paris, which also explores language and power.
Write a short prose piece (200-300 words) or a poem about the power of language in your life or how this dynamic plays out in people's empowerment and disempowerment in such settings as schools, hospitals, and courts.
Significance of Names.pdfBy Adele
Unit
Iran: War
Source Text
The Neighbor
Fiction by Goli Taraghi, Translated from the Farsi by Azizeh Azodi
Prompt
Find out the fateful meaning of Taraghi's last name (which her father chose for the family) in a speech she gave at Stanford University. Research your surname and at least one other surname in your family. What is their derivation and cultural significance?
When you have finished your research, write a short essay about the surnames' origin story. Do these family names hold any significance to you or how you view yourself in the world?
Ruby_ManyWorlds.pdfBy Ruby
Unit
Iran: War
Source Text
The Cleric and I
Essay by Salar Abdoh
Prompt
Find out what growing up was like for Salar Abdoh in his essay Hunger, and watch Abdoh describing his experiences following the forces fighting ISIS, including a few paragraphs that went directly into "The Cleric and I."
Write about a personal experience navigating a "multiplicity of worlds." If you like, you may illustrate your essay with photographs or drawings. Challenge: Use the second person in a portion of your essay.
Elijah_Teapot.pdfBy Elijah
Unit
Russia: Money and Possessions
Source Text
Unity of Form
Poetry by Regina Derieva, Translated from the Russian by Valzhyna Mort
Prompt
Select one or more of the objects described in the poem and create a visual representation: a drawing or painting, a photograph or video, or a collage. The representation does not have to be literal, but it should reflect something of the narrator's attitude towards the object. When you are finished, write a brief reflection on the meaning of the object within the poem.
The Fence.pdfBy Adele
after Teju Cole's Untitled, from Blind Spot
Unit
Japan: Memory
Source Text
The Memory
Fiction by Mitsuyo Kakuta, Translated from the Japanese by Polly Barton
Prompt
Write a story or poem inspired by a work of art. If you need inspiration,browse the collection at the Museum of Modern Art. Be prepared to share the artwork in class. Alternately, you may write an entirely new story or a poem inspired by Le Ballon.
Ingrid_OtherVoices.pdfBy Ingrid
Unit
Iran: War
Source Text
Rahman's Story
Fiction by Hossein Mortezaeian Abkenar, Translated from the Farsi by Sara Khalili
Prompt
Representation is a major issue in the literary community, with questions such as: Can, or should, a white author write in the voice of an African-American character? Should A man write in the voice of a woman? A birthright citizen in the voice of a refugee?
Read the New York Magazine article "Who Gave You the Right to Tell That Story?", in which ten authors weigh in on issues of representation. Write a one to two-page essay about which opinions resonated with you, and why. Do you think it is possible to truthfully write in the voice of a person from a different culture? Why or why not? What are the ethical questions involved in telling someone else's story?
By Ruby
Unit
Russia: Money and Possessions
Source Text
Fragments from the Dollmaker's Life
Poetry by Danila Davydov, Translated from the Russian by Peter Golub
Prompt
Look for or create images that seem to reflect the mood and meaning of this poem. When you are finished, explain your choices in a short reflection; for example, how did you choose your images? Were there any images that you hoped to find or create, but could not? For inspiration, you might re-read the poem and look at images of puppets and audiences at places like Moscow's Puppet Theater or the International Puppetry Museum (here in Seattle).
Elijah_OtherVoices.pdfBy Elijah
Unit
Iran: War
Source Text
Rahman's Story
Fiction by Hossein Mortezaeian Abkenar, Translated from the Farsi by Sara Khalili
Prompt
Representation is a major issue in the literary community, with questions such as: Can, or should, a white author write in the voice of an African-American character? Should A man write in the voice of a woman? A birthright citizen in the voice of a refugee?
Read the New York Magazine article "Who Gave You the Right to Tell That Story?", in which ten authors weigh in on issues of representation. Write a one to two-page essay about which opinions resonated with you, and why. Do you think it is possible to truthfully write in the voice of a person from a different culture? Why or why not? What are the ethical questions involved in telling someone else's story?
Page updated
Google Sites
Report abuse