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).