Portfolio Assignments

ENG4U

Portfolio #1

After reading “First They Changed My Name,” reflect upon the importance of your name to your sense of self.

OR the philosopher’s special:

Reflect upon the importance of the language of “that little voice in your head” to how the world occurs for you. What is the voice telling you about aspects of your life? What is the payoff of listening to the voice? What are the costs?

Portfolio #2

After reading “Half a Day,” reflect upon your earliest memories of school.

OR the philosopher’s special:

After reading “Power and Possibility,” reflect upon the idea that people put their pasts in their futures, instead of in their pasts. Examine what kind of a life would be possible for you if you lived into a future that was not conditioned by your past experiences.

Portfolio #3

After completing “The Great Gatsby: Master Vocabulary List” assignment, select 10 of the defined words and use them in an original short story.

Portfolio #4

After reading this far in Othello, write two full, formal, persuasive paragraphs, each based upon one of the following 2 topics:

1. Iago is a shrewd judge of character.2. Othello “thinks men honest that but seem to be so.”

OR the philosopher’s special:

After reading “What’s ‘Real?’,” reflect upon the idea that most of what we think is real just exists in the language in our heads: a product of our personal tests and agreements. How can this insight lead to a “real” difference in what is possible for you in life?

Portfolio #5

Reflect upon your reactions to the “relationships” we’ve seen so far in the course (Short Stories / Gatsby / Othello):

Do they deal with realistic issues in a believable way? Do they relate to your culture & society today? What do you think / feel about them?