Two Kinds -- One Coin

1. Compare the character of the mother in this story to the mother character in Wright's story, Kincaid's story, Divarakuni's story, Baldwin's story, Walker's story, and Oates' story. What are the significant similarities? What are the significant differences? What do you learn from making these comparisons?

2. Compare and contrast the self-image and thoughts of Connie in the following passages to the self-concept and thoughts of the narrator protagonist in Two Kinds as a young child: " ...she had a quick nervous...habit of craning her neck to glance into mirrors, or checking other people's faces to make sure her own was all right" (Charters 977) and "Connie's mother kept picking at her until Connie wished her mother was dead and she herself was dead and it was all over." (978). Can you find similar passages in Two Kinds? What do these similarities reveal to you? What idea can you arrive at from these parallels?

3. How can you connect this story to some aspect of the semester's theme of enslavement? Is the story about enslavement or liberation? If so, to what or from what? Explain please.

Feel free to blog on any aspect of the story that moves you or connects to the semester's work. I look forward to your thoughts. See 1549-1552 in the back of the text for an interesting essay by Tan that is quite illuminating!

Rattled Individuals, Embattled Relationships

1. Compare the depiction of manhood in the characterization of Leroy in Shiloh and Arnold Friend in Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been? to our discussion of Wright's depiction of manhood in The Man Who Was Almost A Man. (Toomer's depiction of Bob and Tom would be of interest here as well).

2. Is Connie easily conned by Arnold at the end of Oates' story? Examine the final two pages closely. Using the evidence of the story, and not speculation, assess the reasons Connie leaves the safety of her own home. Provide specific evidence. Is she sacrificing herself for her family like a hero? If so, prove it. Is she a victim of trauma and terror? If so, prove that. Is she seduced by the adventure of the unknown? Has she been brainwashed or hypnotized? What has happened? Why is it significant?

3. Dylan's songs were all very idealistic. How does this story work as a celebration of Dylan? Why is it dedicated to him? How does the spirit of the story celebrate the spirit of Dylan? Explain.

4. Oates is a master at her craft and keeps the reader in great suspense in her story Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been? What do you believe Oates is trying to convey through this story? What is her central insight? Please provide some evidence for your viewpoint.

5. In her essay, On Tim O'Brien's "The Things They Carried," Bobbie Ann Mason writes,

So this effort to detach and control becomes both the drama and the
technique of the story. For it is our impulse to deal with unspeakable
horror and sadness by fashioning some kind of order, a story, to
clarify and contain our emotions. As the writer, Tim O'Brien stands
back far enough to be seen but not so far that he isn't in charge.
(1497)

Apply these words to the characters in Shiloh.

6. Explain the relevance of Mabel's introducing the conversation about "the datsun dog that killed the baby" (832) by chewing its legs off. What similar tidbits does Mable introduce at other times and for what purpose? What is Mabel's role in the story and in the relationship between Leroy and Norma Jean?

7. Discuss the dust ruffle and its importance. It is mentioned in the story and is reiterated in the final line of the story (emphasizing its significance). Explain.

8. Explain Norma Jean's words to Leroy after she tells him she wishes to leave, "In some ways, a woman prefers a man who wanders," says Norma Jean. "That sounds crazy, I know" (835).

Richard Wright and What is a man?

Select any one of the questions below or any topic of your choice, but I would like everyone to tell me one thing please (quite literally) --- Who is Bill (1376)? You may write one sentence to answer this literal question at the beginning or end of your blog. Thank you.

1. Why isn't the story called The Boy Who Was Almost A Man? Explain.

2. According to The Man Who Was Almost a Man, what kept Dave from being or becoming a man? Why was he "almost a man"? Was something lacking or missing? Can you specify what is might be?

3. What is Dave's relationship to Jenny? Does he have compassion for her, or is he self-centered? Use lines from the text with analysis to prove your viewpoint please.

4. Who is Bill (1376)? Interpret the last six or seven lines of the story. What do they mean? Will another place allow Dave to be a man?

5. Make a brief list of significant comparisons among this story and previous stories we studied this semester (in terms of issues this story raises that other stories also raise; the perspectives on these issues may be and most likely are very different).

6. Dicuss either the role of family or the role of community in the events and outcome of this story. Do they play a positive, negative, or neutral role? What evidence do you have to support your view? Why is this question important?

"The Lottery" & "The Hunger Artist"

1. Connect The Lottery to Blood-Burning Moon.

2. What would you say is today's version of The Lottery?

What evils do we continue to practice in our culture without knowing why we continue to perpetrate them?

3. In what ways is Kafka's Hunger Artist an artist? Is he an artist at all? How is Kafka using the term artist?

4. "The Hunger Artist," "The Lottery," and other stories we've studied say a great deal about the community around which the stories are based. What do these two stories (for this week) say about their communities, and how does that insight connect to the subject matter of the semester, the subject of enslavement?

Example of Analysis and Explication

Many readers believe that description is the least important part of any story and can be skipped without much consequence; however, the description at the opening of Jean Toomer’s “Blood-Burning Moon” not only is significant because it conveys the story’s setting but is also important because it foreshadows events sets the tone of the entire story. Skipping the description causes the reader to miss the setting of the story, to fail to gather hints of the inhumane events about to happen, and to neglect to perceive the ominous feelings the story conveys. Missing these important clues makes for a historically inaccurate and an emotionally absent reader who, most likely, will not fully understand or enjoy the story.

Most notable, in the very first sentence of the story “Blood-Burning Moon,” the narrator repeats the word “up,” three times and a fourth time at the beginning of the second one. The walls, the floor, the moon – all are rising, but the hour is “dusk,” a time when dark and light are mixed and things should be dying down and setting. Normally, rising is considered to be a positive movement; however, this bloody moon “Glowing like a fired pine-knot” and the movement of Louisa’s mind “vaguely upon [Bob and Tom] as she walks over the crest of the hill coming from white folks’ kitchen” (1274) while the “The moon was rising” (1275) increasingly are not positive omens. Everything portends something that is about to happen, and although no one knows exactly what it is, the sensations are threatening. After all, images of destruction abound from the start. The walls are “skeleton stone walls” reminiscent of bones without flesh or a corpse; the walls are almost human since they are described as “skeleton,” and the new economy that the emancipated slaves are taking part in which is reflected in the description of the "rotting" floor boards lets the reader know that it is not allowing the African American people to lead better lives; finally, the factory is described as a “pre-war cotton factory,” informing the reader that the freed men are currently working in the same building they worked in while they were slaves. The ghosts of the pasts haunt the black people in their new lives. Furthermore, “pre-war cotton” immediately brings pictures of slaves working the fields to mind. The reader can picture the slaves bending in the heat and picking the crops. Then the reader sees “shanties aligned along the single street of factory town” – a ghettoized slum. Clearly the moon’s “pine-knot” glow ”illumined the [factory’s] great door,” and the black begin to sing “against its spell.” Nothing promising is about to happen here. Fear, doom, death, and blood mark the beginning of Jean Toomer’s story. Though the story is taking place during the early years of reconstruction, the remnants of slavery still abound within the culture. The landscape and nature carry the bloodshed and the spirit of all the evil that has transpired here over the years and all that is yet to come in this story.

"Blood Burning Moon"

What is this story really about? State the subject matter, and articulate the central insight about this subject matter Toomer relays to the reader.

How do you understand the character of Louisa in terms of her authentic feelings about the two men in her life?

Why is the omen of the moon in this story at all?

Connect or distinguish the use of song/music in this story to its use in other stories?

Take the subject matter of colonialism in this story and write one sentence that voices a strong argument. Make sure your argument could be supported just using this story as your evidence.

Write about any idea that struck you while doing your reading.

Who is the narrator of this story? Is the narrator biased, and if so, in whose favor?

Do either or both of the men love Louisa? What evidence do you have for your viewpoint?

"Go where you want to go, do what you want to do..."

"This [blog] is for you."

See both blogs and select a Question

There's a blog entry for each story; look at them both; be prepared

to ask questions about both stories on Monday; I would appreciate

your blogging before Monday morning please! Thank you.

Education Is Not a Guarantor of Humanity

1. Examine the first two paragraphs of Walker's Everyday Use. How much foreshadowing can you find in it? Pick out individual words and/or phrases and show how they prepare us for things that come/happen later in the story. Why is so much time spent on describing the dirt yard? Why the simile comparing it to a living room?

2. How does Dee's mother's dream of the television show reveal Dee's character? How about the way Dee read to her family while she was growing up? What does that tell us about Dee?

3. Why does Dee change her name? What is her mistake?

4. What contributes most to Maggie's manner? Is Maggie an important character in her own right, or is she only a foil character, a character whose presence illuminates another's. Make a good argument with evidence either way. You must support your viewpoint.

5. Who is the colonialist in this story? Why is that ironic? Explain.

On "Mrs. Dutta Writes a Letter"

Please remember the following: I'd like you to read my posts before you comment; however, if none of them suit you, feel free to start your own topic by blogging on what interests you. Tell us what interests you,why it interests you, where it's brought up in the story, and why you think it's significant to the idea of enslavement and the sub-topic of characterization. Thanks!

1. The narrator remarks about Mrs Dutta, "And so she has been putting off her reply [to Mrs. Basu] while in her heart family loyalty battles with insidious feelings of ---- but she turns from them quickly and will not name them even to herself" ( Charters 357).

After completing this story, what do you believe are those feelings she refuses to name to herself? What evidence do you have for your answer?

2. Here is the final paragraph of the entire story: "Pausing to read over what she has written, Mrs. Dutta is surprised to discover this: Now that she no longer cares whether tears blotch her letter, she feels no need to weep" (369 Charters)

Explicate these lines. Here are a few of my questions. Exactly what is Mrs. Dutta surprised to discover? Why doesn't she care about blotching her letter, and why doesn't she have any need to weep? What has happened to her? How? Why?

4. "Mrs. Dutta Writes a Letter" is the title of the story. Why is the writing of the letter so important? Note that from early on in the story, Mrs. Dutta spends a lot of time thinking about this letter and what to write, but the story is not called "Mrs. D. Thinks About a Letter." Also, why is the title so focused on the "letter"? Does the letter get mailed? Why is the letter so significant? Why doesn't Divakaruni name this story "Mrs. Dutta Overhears her Daughter-in-law"? Explain.

5. Connect this story and any character in it to any character in another story. State the specific connection you are making and, most importantly, the significance of that connection, and what you'd like us to see and learn from the connection you are making.

Grading Guide (Based on College Board’s essay scoring procedures)

Grade of A:

An essay in this category demonstrates clear and consistent mastery, although it may have a few minor errors. A typical essay:

· Effectively and insightfully develops a point of view on the issue and demonstrates outstanding critical thinking, using clearly appropriate examples, reasons and other evidence to support its position

· Is well organized and clearly focused, demonstrating clear coherence and smooth progression of ideas

· Exhibits skillful use of language, using a varied, accurate and apt vocabulary

· Demonstrates meaningful variety in sentence structure

· Is free of most errors in grammar, usage and mechanics

Grade of B:

An essay in this category demonstrates reasonably consistent mastery, although it has occasional errors or lapses in quality. A typical essay:

· Effectively develops a point of view on the issue and demonstrates strong critical thinking, generally using appropriate examples, reasons and other evidence to support its position

· Is well organized and focused, demonstrating coherence and progression of ideas

· Exhibits facility in the use of language, using appropriate vocabulary

· Demonstrates variety in sentence structure

· Is generally free of most errors in grammar, usage and mechanics

Grade of C:

An essay in this category demonstrates adequate mastery, although it has lapses in quality. A typical essay:

· Develops a point of view on the issue and demonstrates competent critical thinking, using adequate examples, reasons and other evidence to support its position

· Is generally organized and focused, demonstrating some coherence and progression of ideas

· Exhibits adequate but inconsistent facility in the use of language, using generally appropriate vocabulary

· Demonstrates some variety in sentence structure

· Has some errors in grammar, usage and mechanics

Grade of D:

An essay in this category demonstrates a developing mastery, and is marked by ONE OR MORE of the following weaknesses:

· Develops a point of view on the issue, demonstrating some critical thinking, but may do so inconsistently or use inadequate examples, reasons or other evidence to support its position

· Is limited in its organization or focus, or may demonstrate some lapses in coherence or progression of ideas

Displays developing facility in the use of language, but sometimes uses weak vocabulary or inappropriate word choice

· Lacks variety or demonstrates problems in sentence structure

· Contains an accumulation of errors in grammar, usage and mechanics

Failing Grade:

An essay in this category demonstrates little mastery, and is flawed by ONE OR MORE of the following weaknesses:

· Develops a point of view on the issue that is vague or seriously limited, and demonstrates weak critical thinking, providing inappropriate or insufficient examples, reasons or other evidence to support its position

· Is poorly organized and/or focused, or demonstrates serious problems with coherence or progression of ideas

· Displays very little facility in the use of language, using very limited vocabulary or incorrect word choice

· Demonstrates frequent problems in sentence structure

· Contains errors in grammar, usage and mechanics so serious that meaning is somewhat obscured

Some other Artists in Other Genres to Explore Alongside the Literature, particularly "Sonny's Blues"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xTHHJySDNEM

I might show this on Monday in Mega section. The ending, especially, reminds me of what the older brother has to do in Baldwin's story. Perhaps we all must do this to create and to relate. What do you think?

http://www.hannavongoeler.com/Artist.asp?ArtistID=15679&Akey=K6CELP9C

A crucial and important text for everything and for all economic-political theories from Marxism through postcolonialism. It explores our relationship to money. Read the artist's text with her intention here. Somehow after seeing this I was immediately reminded of how the Zimbabwe paper used their deflated money. Money is a great source of enslavement worldwide.

"Sonny's Blues" -- When Darkness Glows

Please read all 3 before you decide what you wish to blog about. Thank you.

Consider all the images of darkness in this story; if you list all of them, you will discover Baldwin's development (not a repetition) of a concept here. Which characters are associated with darkness? What does it mean for each character? Do the characters know others' darkness or only their own? Why or why not? Are they isolated? Can you mark a particular moment or certain moments of community in the story? What allows these moments to happen? Contrast the darkness in the story with the image of the "glowing" "cup of trembling." Can you discuss that "glowing" "cup of trembling"?

----------------------

Two brothers from one household, one follows a straight and narrow path teaching algebra, and one becomes a heroin addict. One closes himself off from parts of life, and one is totally exposed and vulnerable to the storms and balmy weather the world has to offer. One thinks, "My trouble made his real" -- an important line in the story. Can you speak about this line and the brothers' relationship?

---------------------------------

Tina asked "What's love gotta do with it?"

Dr. Pruss asks, "What's music gotta do with it?"

Take this and run with it.

Final Two Questions on Faulkner's "Rose for Emily"

If American society is truly based on the individual, why would Faulkner have the narrator of the story blame the townspeople for Miss Emily's plight? Why would this story offer such a powerful critique of society? Since when is society responsible to such a large extent for the plight of the individual? Think about your response, and find evidence to support your viewpoint. What is Faulkner doing or saying in this story????

Examine the language of absence and loss in this story. Write down as many images as you can. Study the way Faulkner, the writer, makes these images. What functions do absence and loss have in this story, and what is Faulkner conveying to us about them (that is more than the obvious)? How would you put together a sentence about the story's insight about loss that would be respectful of Faulkner, the writer ( and not insulting to his sensibility)? Try your hand at it. Think before you post.

An Icon or An Iconoclast, A Victim or A Murderer -- How do you View Miss Emily?

Select either one of the questions below and comment on it. Please be specific as the question asks you to be, so we all understand exactly what you mean. Thank you.

1. How does Faulkner's " A Rose for Emily" continue the theme of enslavement in ways similar to Banks' and Hemingway's stories? Specify the similarities.
Are there any significant thematic differences? If so, please state them, and explain their importance.

2. What do you believe is the purpose of this story? Why does it exist? What impact does it have on you? What is its goal? What does it convey to you, and why is that significant? Why should anyone care about some former Southern aristocratic lady who lost her fortune and disobeyed the standard expectations and mores of her culture? Why should we care about some lady who poisoned a Northern day laborer and slept with him after he was dead? What's the point of this piece? Explain.

Discussion Time

I am interested in hearing how each of you would teach a student individually (or as a class) how to develop a good body paragraph of an essay. First I'd like to know the following: What constitutes a good body paragraph? In other words, what are you looking to find in a paragraph in the body of an essay?



Second, I'd be interested in your providing us with a thesis statement about any one of the stories (according to our definition,i.e. that it be debatable), followed up with one well-developed paragraph using a brief passage of at least one well-selected sentence from the story please. If you find yourself having trouble with it, please post what you came up with, explain the problem you are having, and ask others for help. If others see things missing from people's paragraphs or believe that well-developed paragraphs need more than people are putting into them, please say so, and provide an example of one of your own. You must write on one of the stories we have discussed.





Please don't forget to assign "Rose for Emily" to students.



We are now one class period behind due to the snow day this week. Any recommendations or suggestions? I am open to them. Since I will not be seeing you this Monday because of President's Day, feel free to email me or make some suggestions here after you post.

Some Possibilities for the First Workshop

Workshop: Paper #1

Trade papers with one another; go somewhere quiet. First read the paper out loud to each other and let the writer hear his/her paper read to him/her. If s/he does not like what it sounds like, let him/her ask the reader to mark the places that s/he does not like, so the writer can fix those spots later.
Then separate and answer the following questions without re-reading the paper to find the answers. If you do not know the answers, just write that down. It is not your fault, but it will indicate to the writer that the paper needs further clarification. That, in itself, will be helpful to the writer.


1. In your own words, what is the purpose of this paper? What does it set out to do?




2. Why is there a need for this particular paper? Why should I care about this subject?



3. Do you think the writer needs to narrow his/her idea? In other words, do you think the writer provides the reader with enough specific focus so that we really know what the writer is talking about (what things would be included in the thesis and what things would not, what examples would work and what examples would not).



4. If the paper has enough focus, then provide the writer with another idea that would work for an additional paragraph and two specific examples that the writer could include to illustrate that idea.



If the paper does not have enough focus, give the writer a few hints of some ways s/he might begin to think about focusing his/her paper.





5. Who is the target audience of the paper? Who is the paper aimed at, and how do you know?



6. What evidence does the writer’s paper give you that makes you believe the writer is knowledgeable enough to undertake this paper? Does he or she demonstrate knowledge of the subject? How so? Explain.



7. What could the writer do to make the paper more unique and memorable to the reader?



8. What is the weakest thing about this paper?


9. Any suggestions for how this weakness can be overcome?

Banks & Hemingway: Some Questions to Consider

1. Is there any particular significance that the female character in both stories is referred to as "the girl" ? Why or why not?
2. What do you make of the contrast of settings in these stories -- the mundane trailer park in New Hampshire in Banks's story vs. the railroad station at the crossroads of the Ebro valley and dry hills in Barcelona? Is there any necessity that the stories be set in these specific locales? Why or why not?
3. Explain the reason the man in Banks's story wants the girl to keep the baby. What does this say about his value system?
4. Explain the reason the girl in Banks's story wants to abort the baby. What does this reveal about her values and maturity or lack thereof?
5. Why does Hemingway's male character want the girl to have the abortion?
6. Why does the girl agree to have the abortion despite her knowledge that having the abortion will change their relationship forever?
7. Interpret the final line of Hemingway's story.
8.Explain the relevance of fishing to Banks's story.
9. How does Banks use color in his story? Provide examples.
10. Does the color green have any particular significance given its use in the pale green and scarlet plug with six double hooks, the green swimsuit of the girl, the green water, and green boat? Explain.
11. What questions of your own do you have about this story?
12. How do these stories exemplify the course theme of enslavement?

First Post on Using Quotations!

Before I begin to post on quotations, let me remind you to use the informative post on how to begin working on your paper. It might be very useful in class this Friday. Take another look at it, and consider incorporating it in your teaching!

Defining the issues involved with using quotations that we need to resolve:

1. The central issue -- When you use quotations, suddenly another person speaks in the middle of your work; your reader needs to be clear on who is speaking and exactly what relationship the quoted material has to your argument.
2. When you use a quotatio, you must distinguish your argument from the ones quoted and make sure the reader understands what the quotation is expected to accomplish. In other words, even if you are using the quotation to support your viewpoint, do not just stick in a quotation without telling your reader who the authority is by name and by what makes the person an authority on the subject. For example, if you are speaking about Michael Jackson, you might quote Jermaine Jackson, Michael's brother, but let us know that is who is speaking. It makes a big difference to know who the speaker is and what his/her relationship to the subject matter is. You might say something like, Jermaine Jackson, Michael's brother, said, "Fill this in with the words " (1A). His words show that despite Michael's emotional confusion and problems with addicition, he was a moral person who loved people and would never violate a human being. If you are using the same quotation for the opposite reason, you would follow Jermaine's quotation with words like. Despite Jermaine's unconditional brotherly love for Michael, the two out-of-court financial settlements and the healthy problems Michael suffered during the time the two child abuse cases were in court demonstrate that in all likelihood Michael Jackson was guilty of molesting young boys.
3. Use only the best quotations. Do not use quotations to take up space! Only use quotations that serve your purpose. Be selective. Don't use quotations because it sounds impressive to do so.
4. NEVER use a quotation and move on with your paper. This is a hit-and-run offense! Always explain the passage's point and connection to your paper.
5. Make your quotations fit grammatically into your essay. You may use brackets to do so. For example, if your paper is in present tense and the quotation is in past tense, you may change the tense of the quotation by putting square brackets around the verbs you change. Here is a passage in which I have changed the tenses of the verbs:
When I was young and foolish I believed in something called love, and I revised Descartes famous words into my own phrase substituting the verb "to love" for the verb " to think." Today, however, I no longer believe in much. I spend little time thinking and no time loving. Descartes would probably think me dead and say,"I [thought] therefore I [was]" but today I believe I am alive because I no longer dwell deeply on my own thoughts. Instead, I am active in others' lives.
6. When you include quotations that take up more than four typed lines, set them off in block format. Left-indent about one-half inch, and prepare for it with a signal statement ending in a colon. A signal statement is a complete statement that signals the quotation. Do not put quotation marks around the set-off quotation unless the quotation is dialogue.
You could use many words to introduce quotations. Here a just a few: suggests, indicates, demonstrates, implies, argues, testifies to, shows.
7. When you finish your draft, re-read it and consider the reader's viewpoint. Consider the problems your reader faces. S/he encounters quotations that could be used for many different reasons: to support an argument, to present a point of disagreement, to raise a new point. Do not assume your reader know why you're using a particular quotation. You need to help your reader follow your paper by using signal words and leading him/her through the pathways of your mind, showing the reader how you reason (i.e.,how you think and how you arrive at what you think).

"The Accident"

Before you begin to read the questions below, please know, I have no particular response in mind for these questions. I'd like everyone to try his/her hand at every question. It is important we start to feel safe on this blog, or I will not be able to use it. I am trying to make this helpful for all of us. I hope you can see how it is helpful to you, but without your cooperation, it does not work for me.

Respond to the final paragraph of the story please.
A. What is your reaction to it.
B. Why?
C. Explicate it (i.e., explain/interpret it).
D. What is its relationship to the rest of the story?
E. Why is it there? What purpose does it serve?
F. Remove it from the story. What difference would it make if the story ended with
the words "The sum total of these failures had hastened his death."

A Brief Note About the Hyper-Real + Rudiments of A Potential Teaching Vehicle You May Revise

Brief Note Concerning fiction, reality, truth, lies, shaping of reality, mimesis, simulation, feigning and virtual reality: I would highly recommend you read a small excerpt of the writing of French critic, Baudrillard, a key writer on the way our culture grooves on living in simulated realities and the impact of this life on our minds and ways of being. His language, like many postmodern critics', may be alienating to you, so I will request that, at minimum, you read about Baudrillard's theory of simulation and hyper-reality. I believe that given the generation of our students and the topic of fiction, it is important that we understand these aspects of our culture.
One possible link: http://www.semiotexte.com/

I continue to be surprised when I hear students speak of celebrities, such as Britney Spears, as if they were their next door neighbor or best friend. I cannot quite "wrap my mind" around what this means. I would be interested in comments if any of you have insight into this.

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Rudiments of an exercise for the pleasure of your revision:

I always recommend students take notes on the reading. Here are the instructions I give them on how to take notes. Do not take notes while reading or with the book open. Read the story twice. The first time, do not stop for any hard words or for anything. Keep reading even if you do not understand. Wait at least a day, and read the story again. If you need to look up words, do so. After you finish reading, put the book away, and write down a list of the major characters in the story and main things that happened. Do not put every detail in. What is the main conflict in the story? How is it resolved? If you were the author and were on a major television interview show and the host asked you why you wrote the story, what would your answer be?
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How to begin working on the essay:

Here are some questions I recommend. I'd like to hear what you think of them, and what other ideas you may have.

1. I like to begin where students are, so I ask them to write down what they know about their topic. After they list what they know, I ask them to go back over each item, and see if they can remember where each part of their knowledge came from and if they can come up with some convincing support for each aspect of their knowledge (but all of this is still in note form).

2. Then, we brainstorm about historical/cultural influences that may be important to the topic they chose.

3. We look over everything we've noted so far, and we decide what is most important and what is less important and make two columns.

4. I ask the students to explain why the "most important column" contains the points they selected and to explain in writing why those particular points need to be the focus.

5. I then ask them to list ways in which their connection to the topic is different than anyone else's in the class or anyone's at all.

6. Then, we go to the stories and look at finding how the stories teach about the topic and exactly where they do so.

7. They pick out the specific examples and, most importantly, explain the connection of these examples to the topic.

8. I ask everyone to write down why they care about the topic at all, and why they think I or any reader should care about it at all.

9. Then come the tough questions: How do you plan to make me, your reader, care about your topic?

10. What exactly are you going to teach me in your paper? What is it you have to say? Why is your paper important? If it's not, you're wasting your time and your audience's time;why bother, and why would Dr. Pruss devote 26 years to teaching this subject if all we were going to do would be is write about things that did not really matter?!!!

English 585/586

We've only had one class so far, and we've covered so much ground, asked so many questions. My head is spinning with ideas, angles, depth, and a variety of colorful thoughts. How about yours? Let me reiterate some of the questions below, and allow you to post some of your kaleidoscopic responses here, and, hopefully, some support for your gut feelings and thoughts too please.

1. What distinction, if any, do you make between fiction and virtual reality? You may want to define fiction and virtual reality, on your own terms, first, before proceeding to answer the rest of the question.


2. When you think about people like celebrities, do you view them as real? Was Michael Jackson a fiction? How did you see him and why?


3. T.S. Eliot talks about the face we put on to meet the faces of others, which I understand as a version of the persona, where does that fit?




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topic of the week: CONFLICT [particularly around others' expectations of us, whether it be the boss's, school's, families' (plural if you are married and have more than one family expecting things from you), children's, students', self's, society's/culture's, religion's/church's, etc.] a small introduction to differences in voice which will continue across the semester, but teach students to start listening and how to start listening for differences in voice. Most of all enjoy the time teaching your class, and enjoy writing with them, but be sure to maintain order and structure, so it remains enjoyable.

Reminder of LiterActive Texts you can connect to theme of course and to "Girl":
1. Increase Mather's text on witchcraft (listed under Hawthorne)
2. Ted Hughes' text listed under Plath
3. Sylvia Plath's journal text
4. Mother text listed under Amy Tan
See if you can find one or two others and explain in one or two sentences what type of connection we can make to the class theme of types of enslavement and to "Girl."
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See Post #2 later tonight on beginning to write the paper, and other posts later in the week on the issue of quoting and on thesis statements.