How Chuck helped my school.

they got bigger issues then what not to buy.

I'm just amazed that you can get away with teaching a book like that in a public school. In one of my art classes, we had to remove a student's reproduction of Botticelli's "Birth of Venus" from an exhibit because of the nudity. If you know that painting, you know it is hardly explicit. The folks who run schools are about as conservative as they come and they will always give in to the outraged voice of "public decency."

He teaches at a charter school. Which is private, but could be receiving public funds. Charter schools have different rules and regulations.

[QUOTE=JackNorton;941020]retarded isn't the right word, but its the first thing that comes to mind.[/QUOTE]

Oh, my god. Of course.

[QUOTE=JackNorton;941046]you're the kind of asshole that gives whites a bad name...[/QUOTE]

Dude! Not cool.
[QUOTE=corellion;941055]Low-income = working class.

Anywho, JackNorton, get off my dick. You're the kind of asshole that gives teenagers a bad name. The kind of prick that will read Fight Club and go burn their fingertips with lye or actually try to mix frozen orange juice and gasoline. When Morey was talking about people interpretting it wrong, I disagreed, because it's people like you, the boring middle-class rebellious white youth of today, that ruin shit for everyone.

But, the discussion, yeah. I think Fight Club's a pretty sweet book for discussion in class. I mean, it beats Great Expectations. It's a nice modern novel set in our modern world. It's got everything a kid could want in a book; swear-words, boobies, anarchy, explosive recipes, and on top of that a whole load of aphorisms and little entendres for teachers to get students to explore. Not to mention the appeal of getting a kid to watch a film and read a book together, which is something awesome. Especially considering how faithful the film is to the book. I know for sure when I went to see the first Harry Potter film I wanted to bring my book along with me so I could read what was happening as I watched it. I know now, that's not what happens, but it's great fun to be able to see a film and go, "Hahah, I love when he says that in the book."

I'm guessing Daley, it'll be focussed more on themes. In my GCSE's we had to write an essay answering questions like, "Why do you think the author chose to name his book, 'Great Expectations'", and from there we'd have to walk off along the themes of things not turning out to be as they should. Pip thinking he'd marry Estella, the old convict being the source of his wealth and not that spinster woman. As well as a whole load of other things.

I enjoy doing stuff like that really. Sometimes, anyway. I've still got the essay on my computer, it was coursework I think. I got an A. I'll check it out.

Yeah, anyway, the question was to compare Chapter One and Chapter Thirty Nine of Great Expectations by Charles Dickens. Reading over it again, it's crappy, but I can see why I got the marks. Talking about Themes of identity and such. The whole thing's just short of 3,000 words.

[B]Edit[/B]: [I](Post Scriptum)[/I]
The essay is really shitty, actually. Pretensious beyond the levels of even art students,[/QUOTE]

Good thoughts corellion. JackNorton, grow up.

[QUOTE=msquared;940792]Background info: I am a 10th grade English teacher at a poor high school in Los Angeles. To cut to the chase: Chuck donated 28 signed copies of [I]Fight Club [/I]to my school, namely my 10th grade honors English class. He did so in response to the letter I wrote him last year. I don't say this to brag, but to say Chuck kicks ass. He didn't have to help my school, but he did so anyway and asked for nothing in return.

My honors class has been working on [I]Fight Club[/I] for two weeks now, and it's proved to be the highlight of my school year. And in case you're wondering: my students love the book.[/QUOTE]
Hey that's great. Fight Club might make it into the canon in fifty years:D If you're interested, I attached a literary journal publication from my college's archive (hush); the title is certainly relevant. The article notes Palahniuk but it really focuses on the film's dynamics; nevertheless the underlining themes are the same, so, it might help you with discussions in your class. Incidentally it's unnerving how much scholarly criticism has been written on Fight Club.

(the PDF file gave me a bitch lick of a time so I stuffed it into word.)

[QUOTE=rkdaley;941051]So what is your curriculum like? Are you focusing on the themes or the style of writing? I assume the themes. It's a Lit. class more than a Comp. class?

Could you post up some assignments that you've given or tell us more about how you are approaching and directing the discussion.

I think several people would be very interested in this type of information.[/QUOTE]
Yes, I've focused mainly on themes thus far. I haven't assigned much writing on the book yet, aside from journal prompts and a couple mini-essays. I've placed the focus of my class on (guided) discussions of the book and the themes therein. Essay assignments will come shortly.

My overall approach focuses on the search for self and context, ensuring the students have a framework in which to apply the themes of the book. While we discuss some ideas in the abstract, I do my best to base thematic discussions on their lives.

The following are journal prompts followed by the guiding questions I use to stir discussion and debate. Note: Some of these guiding questions might seem unrelated, but I do tie them together at the end of our discussions.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[B]Class Discussion[/B]

Journal Prompt: What do you think of the following images? (Students were shown images of the Iraq war.)

What is shocking these days? Why are we so numb to the images shown in the media? Does the news media cover the same event in the same way? How can the pictures viewed in class be portrayed? When did terrorism matter to us? Why does the Iraq war matter now? Is there a “we?” Can different genders draw the same emotions from a photograph or text? (The latter two questions stem from a reading of a passage of Susan Sontag’s [I]Regarding the Pain of Others[/I] – sorry for all those prepositions.)

Journal: Why were students upset with the dress code? (The school recently adopted a dress code policy, and the students were none too pleased about it.)

How does the narrator's career as a campaign coordinator function thematically with the story? (Students responded that the narrator’s career was ironic considering his job was to assess damage, yet he was incapable of assessing the damage within.) Why were you upset about the dress code? Why does individualism matter? Where is the nexus between individualism and materialism? (Materialism was discussed in a previous class session.)

Journal: List as many brand names you can find on your person and in the classroom.

Why do we buy name brands? Is it because of the quality? Or the advertising? Why are people so easily influenced? A social experiment: If everyone in this room started talking about one band, how long would it take for other people at the school to start buying that bands’ music? Or what if we all wore the same brand?

Journal: What is your power animal? Why?

What is the American dream? Can everyone achieve the American dream? How? Is the American dream real or a hoax? Compliance? If you work hard, you’ll ascend into the upper-class. What is class? Working class and capitalists – a watered down introduction to Marxism. What is class struggle? Why does it exist? Karl Marx wrote: "The history of all hitherto existing society is the history of class struggles." Any truth to this statement? Any examples? FC: A commentary on class struggle. A rebellion against capitalists? How so? Think about it as you read.

Discuss the following quotes: “What you see at fight club is a generation of men raised by women.” “The gyms you go to are crowded with guys trying to look like men, as if being a man means looking the way a sculptor or art director says.” (50) What does being a man entail? Does being violent signify masculinity?

[B]Essay Prompts[/B]
What comments does [I]Fight Club[/I] make about materialism?

Choose a haiku from Chapter 8 of the book, and then analyze it. Explain the meaning of the haiku in a 100 word response. Be sure to consider the themes of the book. You will have to read your response to the class.

[B]Related readings[/B]
[I]The Gift of the Magi[/I] by O. Henry (irony)
[I]The Lady, or The Tiger[/I] by Robert R. Stockton (ambiguity)
[I]The Censors[/I] by Luisa Valenzuela
[I]Civil Disobedience[/I] by Henry David Thoreau (to be read the week after next. Next week is reserved for standardized testing. Oh, so fun.)

I hope this gives some insight into my approach to teaching [I]Fight Club[/I]. If you have any suggestions, I’m all ears.

[QUOTE=Dr.Jekyll&Mr.Hyde;941186]Hey that's great. Fight Club might make it into the canon in fifty years:D If you're interested, I attached a literary journal publication from my college's archive (hush); the title is certainly relevant. The article notes Palahniuk but it really focuses on the film's dynamics; nevertheless the underlining themes are the same, so, it might help you with discussions in your class. Incidentally it's unnerving how much scholarly criticism has been written on Fight Club.

(the PDF file gave me a bitch lick of a time so I stuffed it into word.)[/QUOTE]
I will definitely use that for my class. Thank you.

[QUOTE=rkdaley;941073]He teaches at a charter school. Which is private, but could be receiving public funds. Charter schools have different rules and regulations.[/QUOTE]
The reason I'm able to use [I]Fight Club[/I] is because I work with open-minded administrators, school board members, and parents. If I didn't, I probably wouldn't have been able to use the book. In addition to this, I asked the parents for permission to introduce their students to mature and possibly controversial material.

Charter schools are actually public schools, but yeah, they do fall under some different rules and regulations. We're given more leeway in what and how to teach; however, that isn't to say we can do anything we want. We still have to conform our curriculum to state standards and ensure that said curriculum is rigorous.

Mr. (Ms.)Teacher. Great stuff. I am more than a little drunk right now because a fellow Cultist just left my house, but I am sure I'll have more questions for you while I'm nursing my impending hangover.

I think it's wonderful that you are teaching this book. I also greatly appreciate you sharing it with this message board.

I see that you are new to the Cult, (edit: actually not new, just not very many posts) so let me say Welcome. Smart fellas (and fellinas) are definitely welcome, especially ones that can can articulate their views and positions.

I'm foresee many suggestions for your class. If there is one thing that people around here know, it's Fight Club. Well, that and masturbation.

EDIT: check out the Chuckshop. I don't know if you are a premium member or not, but Chuck wrote 24 essays for our workshop all about his writing techniques. The essays are down but there are recaps and threads about each essay. Vigorous Puppy, Jkabol, Inkwell, Dr. J and Mr.H, and Spike are all members who are well versed in the topics. Might be worth a day pass to you ($5 I think) to read the posts.

Also check out the Q&A section from Chuck. Great stuff in there as well.

[QUOTE=Caligula7;941063]The folks who run schools are about as conservative as they come and they will always give in to the outraged voice of "public decency."[/QUOTE]

This is partly true, but I think the folks who run the schools are running scared from the parents. It's not a matter of being conservative. It's when a single parent or small group of parents start raising hell because Johnny read something as "controversial" as Catcher in the Rye or (in my secular High School) the Bible. There were weeks of warnings, parent letters, alternative activities outside of the classroom for those who wouldn't or couldn't participate. And still the complaints came, and the next year, it was back to safe and standard books.

I would have loved to learn FC in school. Woulda saved me lots of money and time and several years of my life...

[QUOTE=monkeywright;941289]
I would have loved to learn FC in school. Woulda saved me lots of money and time and several years of my life...[/QUOTE]
This may be true.

[QUOTE=morey;941058]they got bigger issues then what not to buy.[/QUOTE]

hell, I got bigger troubles than what not to buy myself, don't mean it wasn't a book worth reading

Bravo for teaching FC in school, If that was on the ciriculum I would have went more often.

What RKDaley said earlier is very true, I as a rule try not to read anything that is familiar to me, I love reading about America and Japan, places Ive never been to, so teaching FC to kids that are not in that bracket is fine by me.

Welcome Msquared!

And Finally, Is JackNorton the gothkid or the guy with the wife and Gothkids, Im confused again.

[QUOTE=rkdaley;941209]Mr. (Ms.)Teacher. Great stuff. I am more than a little drunk right now because a fellow Cultist just left my house, but I am sure I'll have more questions for you while I'm nursing my impending hangover.

I think it's wonderful that you are teaching this book. I also greatly appreciate you sharing it with this message board.

I see that you are new to the Cult, (edit: actually not new, just not very many posts) so let me say Welcome. Smart fellas (and fellinas) are definitely welcome, especially ones that can can articulate their views and positions.

I'm foresee many suggestions for your class. If there is one thing that people around here know, it's Fight Club. Well, that and masturbation.

EDIT: check out the Chuckshop. I don't know if you are a premium member or not, but Chuck wrote 24 essays for our workshop all about his writing techniques. The essays are down but there are recaps and threads about each essay. Vigorous Puppy, Jkabol, Inkwell, Dr. J and Mr.H, and Spike are all members who are well versed in the topics. Might be worth a day pass to you ($5 I think) to read the posts.

Also check out the Q&A section from Chuck. Great stuff in there as well.[/QUOTE]
That would be Mr. Teacher.

My english teacher brought in chapter 3 from Lullaby and read it in class as an example of a persuasive essay.

life is good

[QUOTE=msquared;941201]Yes, I've focused mainly on themes thus far. I haven't assigned much writing on the book yet, aside from journal prompts and a couple mini-essays. I've placed the focus of my class on (guided) discussions of the book and the themes therein. Essay assignments will come shortly.

My overall approach focuses on the search for self and context, ensuring the students have a framework in which to apply the themes of the book. While we discuss some ideas in the abstract, I do my best to base thematic discussions on their lives.

The following are journal prompts followed by the guiding questions I use to stir discussion and debate. Note: Some of these guiding questions might seem unrelated, but I do tie them together at the end of our discussions.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[B]Class Discussion[/B]

Journal Prompt: What do you think of the following images? (Students were shown images of the Iraq war.)

What is shocking these days? Why are we so numb to the images shown in the media? Does the news media cover the same event in the same way? How can the pictures viewed in class be portrayed? When did terrorism matter to us? Why does the Iraq war matter now? Is there a “we?” Can different genders draw the same emotions from a photograph or text? (The latter two questions stem from a reading of a passage of Susan Sontag’s [I]Regarding the Pain of Others[/I] – sorry for all those prepositions.)

Journal: Why were students upset with the dress code? (The school recently adopted a dress code policy, and the students were none too pleased about it.)

How does the narrator's career as a campaign coordinator function thematically with the story? (Students responded that the narrator’s career was ironic considering his job was to assess damage, yet he was incapable of assessing the damage within.) Why were you upset about the dress code? Why does individualism matter? Where is the nexus between individualism and materialism? (Materialism was discussed in a previous class session.)

Journal: List as many brand names you can find on your person and in the classroom.

Why do we buy name brands? Is it because of the quality? Or the advertising? Why are people so easily influenced? A social experiment: If everyone in this room started talking about one band, how long would it take for other people at the school to start buying that bands’ music? Or what if we all wore the same brand?

Journal: What is your power animal? Why?

What is the American dream? Can everyone achieve the American dream? How? Is the American dream real or a hoax? Compliance? If you work hard, you’ll ascend into the upper-class. What is class? Working class and capitalists – a watered down introduction to Marxism. What is class struggle? Why does it exist? Karl Marx wrote: "The history of all hitherto existing society is the history of class struggles." Any truth to this statement? Any examples? FC: A commentary on class struggle. A rebellion against capitalists? How so? Think about it as you read.

Discuss the following quotes: “What you see at fight club is a generation of men raised by women.” “The gyms you go to are crowded with guys trying to look like men, as if being a man means looking the way a sculptor or art director says.” (50) What does being a man entail? Does being violent signify masculinity?

[B]Essay Prompts[/B]
What comments does [I]Fight Club[/I] make about materialism?

Choose a haiku from Chapter 8 of the book, and then analyze it. Explain the meaning of the haiku in a 100 word response. Be sure to consider the themes of the book. You will have to read your response to the class.

[B]Related readings[/B]
[I]The Gift of the Magi[/I] by O. Henry (irony)
[I]The Lady, or The Tiger[/I] by Robert R. Stockton (ambiguity)
[I]The Censors[/I] by Luisa Valenzuela
[I]Civil Disobedience[/I] by Henry David Thoreau (to be read the week after next. Next week is reserved for standardized testing. Oh, so fun.)

I hope this gives some insight into my approach to teaching [I]Fight Club[/I]. If you have any suggestions, I’m all ears.[/QUOTE]

No suggestions, but, as a should-be grade ten student, this sounds like the world's most awesome class and props to you, sir.

Hey, my real name is Julian and this is one of my first posts! Im sure you dont care.
But hey dude Chucks a smart,nice guy it seems like... But I agree with the others, fight club is not the best book for kids that age to read, I am 14 and I've already read it I guess Im an exception to all the other dumbasses who look past the profound meaning of Fight Club and see it as a permission slip to blow up shit!

[QUOTE=Explosion;960294]Hey, my real name is Julian and this is one of my first posts! Im sure you dont care.
But hey dude Chucks a smart,nice guy it seems like... But I agree with the others, fight club is not the best book for kids that age to read, I am 14 and I've already read it I guess Im an exception to all the other dumbasses who look past the profound meaning of Fight Club and see it as a permission slip to blow up shit![/QUOTE]

Just about everyone I know my age has read Fight Club or seen the movie, and nobody's misinterpreted it, really at all. You are just LOOKING for things to complain about!

My English teacher brought in Chuck as well. We read different articles written by him and held class discussions, since we had to write this sort of nonfiction porfolio as our final project. The objective was to be an artist for a marking quarter, and we learned quite a bit about writing under Chuck's essays.

I loved it.