Term 3 bellringers
Bellringer 1:
How does a birdcage represent Jane Eyre? Explain!
Bellringer 2:
In the literal sense, Helen Burns is Jane's friend, but symbolically, what could she perhaps be considered? Hints: Think about what Helen does for Jane during their friendship and maybe look up the word that is carved on Helen's tombstone...
Bellringer 3:
Throughout Jane Eyre, windows are frequently mentioned prior to big, life-changing events. Why might this happen? What is the author saying? What major events or people tie back to mentions of windows? How do descriptions of windows reflect Jane’s feelings, thoughts, emotions, and/or circumstances? What could windows possibly symbolize, both in the story and your own life?
Bellringer 4:
In Jane Eyre thus far, there are references to many things: Action/passivity, freedom vs. imprisonment, windows, fairies, paintings, gardens, carrion birds, plainness/beauty, poverty/wealth, ignorance/education, and bildungsroman. Choose one and write about it — how was it referenced and how might it be significant?
Bellringer 5:
What qualities does a person who is “fiery” have? What qualities does a person who is “icy” have? Out of the characters you’ve met in Jane Eyre, do any of them fall into either of those categories? Who could be considered fire and who could be considered ice? Defend your answer using examples from the book.
Bellringer 6:
Answer all three questions below:
Bellringer 7:
Is it more important for a story to have great characters or an amazing setting? Do settings shape the characters, or do characters shape the setting? If you were to change one or the other on your favorite story, which would you change? Which would have more of an impact on the story overall? Explain.
Bellringer 8:
Bellringer 9:
Write at least half a page comparing yourself to one of the following:
Bellringer 10:
Choose one of these photos as your inspiration, and then write half a page telling the story of what the photobomber is thinking and how they got in that situation. Use dialogue if you'd like, or make it entirely an internal monologue.
How does a birdcage represent Jane Eyre? Explain!
Bellringer 2:
In the literal sense, Helen Burns is Jane's friend, but symbolically, what could she perhaps be considered? Hints: Think about what Helen does for Jane during their friendship and maybe look up the word that is carved on Helen's tombstone...
Bellringer 3:
Throughout Jane Eyre, windows are frequently mentioned prior to big, life-changing events. Why might this happen? What is the author saying? What major events or people tie back to mentions of windows? How do descriptions of windows reflect Jane’s feelings, thoughts, emotions, and/or circumstances? What could windows possibly symbolize, both in the story and your own life?
Bellringer 4:
In Jane Eyre thus far, there are references to many things: Action/passivity, freedom vs. imprisonment, windows, fairies, paintings, gardens, carrion birds, plainness/beauty, poverty/wealth, ignorance/education, and bildungsroman. Choose one and write about it — how was it referenced and how might it be significant?
Bellringer 5:
What qualities does a person who is “fiery” have? What qualities does a person who is “icy” have? Out of the characters you’ve met in Jane Eyre, do any of them fall into either of those categories? Who could be considered fire and who could be considered ice? Defend your answer using examples from the book.
Bellringer 6:
Answer all three questions below:
- If you were passionate about something (sports, movies, art, music, theater, etc.), would you be willing to marry someone who was not? Why or why not?
- If you graduated from college and/or thought education was critically important, would you marry someone who did not agree on its importance? Why or why not?
- If you believed in strict standards or morals (either religious or personal), would you marry someone who did not hold those same standards? Why or why not?
Bellringer 7:
Is it more important for a story to have great characters or an amazing setting? Do settings shape the characters, or do characters shape the setting? If you were to change one or the other on your favorite story, which would you change? Which would have more of an impact on the story overall? Explain.
Bellringer 8:
- Choose an emotion to write about:
- Sad, excited, scared, hungry, angry, worried, impatient, shy, embarrassed, confident, tired, joyful, greedy, bored, cheerful, confused, jealous, anxious, surprised, amazed, lonely, horrified, guilty
- Write a short paragraph in which you reveal your assigned emotion — your word CANNOT be used in the paragraph
- The emotion must be revealed through the thoughts, words, or actions of your short, short story
- My hands were so sweaty I could barely hold the microphone in my hand. Butterflies were bouncing off the walls of my stomach and my knees were shaking. As the announcer called my name, I watched the curtain slowly rise to reveal the hundreds of people in the audience. I was blinded by the brightness of a spotlight shining down on me. “You can do this,” I whispered to myself. (Nervous)
Bellringer 9:
Write at least half a page comparing yourself to one of the following:
- An instrument
- A force of nature
- An animal
- NO “I” or “me” — use your name
Bellringer 10:
Choose one of these photos as your inspiration, and then write half a page telling the story of what the photobomber is thinking and how they got in that situation. Use dialogue if you'd like, or make it entirely an internal monologue.
Term 2 bellringers
Bellringer 1:
Tell me about your name. Why was it chosen? What does it mean? Is there a story behind any part of it? How important is a name? Does a name shape a person, or does a person shape a name? When it comes to your family name (your last name), do you ever think about how your actions shape it? Will you defend it?
Bellringer 2:
How would you define the word "honor"? Is it a concept you believe in, and why or why not? How far would you be willing to go for honor?
Bellringer 3:
What are 5 things that make you fearful, nervous, or uncomfortable? What does it mean to fear something? What are some things that you are afraid of, and why? How does fear control your actions? Can fear be used to control others? How is fear "weaponized" today, or how has it been "weaponized" in the past? Would you willingly give up some freedoms in exchange for removing fear? Why or why not? How do you fight fear?
Bellringer 4:
What do you think about the idea of following the crowd? Is it always a good thing or a bad thing? Explain and give examples. Pi is definitely not one to follow a crowd, but the Puritans are. Which side do you fall on, usually? What motivates a person to follow the crowd, and how can people (you, maybe) harness that power for good or bad?
Bellringer 5:
Pi clearly survives his ordeal, but how do you think that is possible? Faith? Miracles? Luck? Faith? Intelligence? Hope? What allows survivors — Pi and real-life survivors — to carry on? Are miracles real things? When we see (or don't see) miracles, is that because we're looking for them (or not)?
Bellringer 6:
Both Pi and the Puritans believe in God, but have extremely different approaches to their worship and belief in Him. Using both texts, compare and contrast their beliefs and religious practices. Which do you prefer, and why?
Bellringer 7:
Of the 7 options Pi comes up with for dealing with Richard Parker, which, in reality, do you think you'd choose? According to Pi, what is life's only true opponent, and how can you defend yourself against it? (Chp. 56.) Do you agree with him? Why or why not? Share your thoughts about that passage.
Bellringer 8:
What is "grit"? If you don't know, look it up! (Not dirt.) To survive his situation, Pi will need grit. To challenge the village, John Proctor will need grit too. Studies suggest that the rising generations (that's you guys!) lack grit. Do you agree? Why or why not? If they do, what can we/you do about it? If they don't, how can we change perceptions? How can one develop the ability to cope with hard things, to empathize, and to build?
Tell me about your name. Why was it chosen? What does it mean? Is there a story behind any part of it? How important is a name? Does a name shape a person, or does a person shape a name? When it comes to your family name (your last name), do you ever think about how your actions shape it? Will you defend it?
Bellringer 2:
How would you define the word "honor"? Is it a concept you believe in, and why or why not? How far would you be willing to go for honor?
- "Better to die 10,000 deaths than wound my honor" - Joseph Addison
- "He who has lost honor can lose nothing more" - Publilius Syrus
- "One-hundred years cannot repair a moment's loss of honor" - Proverb
Bellringer 3:
What are 5 things that make you fearful, nervous, or uncomfortable? What does it mean to fear something? What are some things that you are afraid of, and why? How does fear control your actions? Can fear be used to control others? How is fear "weaponized" today, or how has it been "weaponized" in the past? Would you willingly give up some freedoms in exchange for removing fear? Why or why not? How do you fight fear?
Bellringer 4:
What do you think about the idea of following the crowd? Is it always a good thing or a bad thing? Explain and give examples. Pi is definitely not one to follow a crowd, but the Puritans are. Which side do you fall on, usually? What motivates a person to follow the crowd, and how can people (you, maybe) harness that power for good or bad?
Bellringer 5:
Pi clearly survives his ordeal, but how do you think that is possible? Faith? Miracles? Luck? Faith? Intelligence? Hope? What allows survivors — Pi and real-life survivors — to carry on? Are miracles real things? When we see (or don't see) miracles, is that because we're looking for them (or not)?
Bellringer 6:
Both Pi and the Puritans believe in God, but have extremely different approaches to their worship and belief in Him. Using both texts, compare and contrast their beliefs and religious practices. Which do you prefer, and why?
Bellringer 7:
Of the 7 options Pi comes up with for dealing with Richard Parker, which, in reality, do you think you'd choose? According to Pi, what is life's only true opponent, and how can you defend yourself against it? (Chp. 56.) Do you agree with him? Why or why not? Share your thoughts about that passage.
Bellringer 8:
What is "grit"? If you don't know, look it up! (Not dirt.) To survive his situation, Pi will need grit. To challenge the village, John Proctor will need grit too. Studies suggest that the rising generations (that's you guys!) lack grit. Do you agree? Why or why not? If they do, what can we/you do about it? If they don't, how can we change perceptions? How can one develop the ability to cope with hard things, to empathize, and to build?
Bellringer 1:
How would you define the phrase, "The American Dream"? What do you think it means? What do you think it entails? Why do you think people believe(d) in it? Do you think it exists today? What does your "American Dream" look like? Explain!
Bellringer 2:
Francie is all of the Rommelys and all of the Nolans... who are you? (Hint: Read pgs. 71-72 if you need more of an explanations)
Bellringer 3:
What is the significance of the tree that is growing in Brooklyn? What do you know about the tree? What do you think the tree represents? It is mentioned in Chp. 1 & Chp. 10 — why? How is the tree a symbol and what does it symbolize?
Bellringer 4:
What does the word "hope" mean to you? Is it important to have hope? Why? Are there characters in "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" who have hope or don't? How does it affect them? During bad times, like the Great Depression, or in your own life, what types of things can, or could, keep people going?
Bellringer 5:
What do you think of graphic novels? Explain!
Bellringer 6:
Life-changing moments can hit at any time. Lennie and George's life-changing moment happens in the first chapter of the book. Francie's life-changing moment came when she lied about the pumpkin pie. Have you experienced any life-changing moments, and how have they changed you for better or for worse?
Bellringer 7:
Think of the statement, "Sometimes you have to hurt the people that you love in order to do the right thing." Do you think this is true? Can you think of examples from your own life or literature that proves or disproves this statement? Explain.
Bellringer 8:
What kind of friend are you? Explain. If 10 is the best and 1 is the worst, rank yourself as a friend in the areas of honesty, loyalty, and trustworthiness. Why did you pick those numbers? How would your friends rank you, and why? How would you rank Lennie and George as friends, and why?
Bellringer 9:
How would you define a "father"? What do they look like? What types of behaviors mighty they exhibit? And most importantly — was Johnny Nolan a good father? Give evidence to support your answer.
Bellringer 10:
"Romeo and Juliet" is the classic example of a tragedy. Both Johnny's story and "Of Mice and Men" could be considered tragedies too. What IS a tragedy? What makes a story "tragic"? Are stories tragic because of character choices or other outside factors, or does tragedy truly just happen because of the fault that lies "in our stars"?
How would you define the phrase, "The American Dream"? What do you think it means? What do you think it entails? Why do you think people believe(d) in it? Do you think it exists today? What does your "American Dream" look like? Explain!
Bellringer 2:
Francie is all of the Rommelys and all of the Nolans... who are you? (Hint: Read pgs. 71-72 if you need more of an explanations)
Bellringer 3:
What is the significance of the tree that is growing in Brooklyn? What do you know about the tree? What do you think the tree represents? It is mentioned in Chp. 1 & Chp. 10 — why? How is the tree a symbol and what does it symbolize?
Bellringer 4:
What does the word "hope" mean to you? Is it important to have hope? Why? Are there characters in "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" who have hope or don't? How does it affect them? During bad times, like the Great Depression, or in your own life, what types of things can, or could, keep people going?
Bellringer 5:
What do you think of graphic novels? Explain!
Bellringer 6:
Life-changing moments can hit at any time. Lennie and George's life-changing moment happens in the first chapter of the book. Francie's life-changing moment came when she lied about the pumpkin pie. Have you experienced any life-changing moments, and how have they changed you for better or for worse?
Bellringer 7:
Think of the statement, "Sometimes you have to hurt the people that you love in order to do the right thing." Do you think this is true? Can you think of examples from your own life or literature that proves or disproves this statement? Explain.
Bellringer 8:
What kind of friend are you? Explain. If 10 is the best and 1 is the worst, rank yourself as a friend in the areas of honesty, loyalty, and trustworthiness. Why did you pick those numbers? How would your friends rank you, and why? How would you rank Lennie and George as friends, and why?
Bellringer 9:
How would you define a "father"? What do they look like? What types of behaviors mighty they exhibit? And most importantly — was Johnny Nolan a good father? Give evidence to support your answer.
Bellringer 10:
"Romeo and Juliet" is the classic example of a tragedy. Both Johnny's story and "Of Mice and Men" could be considered tragedies too. What IS a tragedy? What makes a story "tragic"? Are stories tragic because of character choices or other outside factors, or does tragedy truly just happen because of the fault that lies "in our stars"?