Hey folks! I hope you all are a little less stressed at this point during finals week. I have counted and recounted your votes for the next text to be included in English 110: Reading Now, and the winner is......My Sister's Keeper! Thanks to all of you who voted, and thanks for all your hard work this semester. I have enjoyed reading and discussing (however candid) books all semester with you, and I truly am sad to see our course end. I wish you all nothing but the best of luck in all of your future endeavors, and I hope you all continue to read! Read!
You all have touched me in so many ways--thanks for your thoughts and your candor.
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Voting
Hey folks! Just to clarify, your blog postings on your vote for the most suited text for the next incarnation of English 110 will be counted towards your total blog postings for the course. They of course must be at least 250 words, and they must include a rationale for your choice.
Thanks for all your hard work this semester, and I hope you continue to READ! READ!
Don't forget your papers are due tomorrow by 5 PM.
Thanks for all your hard work this semester, and I hope you continue to READ! READ!
Don't forget your papers are due tomorrow by 5 PM.
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Fight Club
As you are resting and catching up on work over this (fantastic, glorious, absolutely necessary) Thanksgiving break week, here are some thoughts to get you going on blogging your responses to Fight Club:
--Tyler refers to the current moment (note: 1999) as one without any distinction or great battles. "Our Great War is a spiritual war," he claims, "our Great Depression is our lives." What do you suppose Tyler meant by this assertion? How does it relate to Fight Club? What critiques of masculinity or Americanness does it make?
--Edward Norton is obsessed with IKEA furniture (or more specifically, IKEA catalogs) at the beginning of the movie. How is he a symptom of consumer culture?
--Why does Project Mayhem focus on NYC's financial district as the nexus of their frustration? How might a post-9/11 world view this movie?
--Edward Norton's realization that Tyler Durden is a hallucination is the twist in an otherwise straightforward violent movie. How does this twist effect the movie's message? Does it detract from the movie's critique or deepen its impact for you?
--If you've seen this movie before, how is this viewing different? How does it relate to the social and cultural critiques we've read in the other texts for the course and how does it compare to the cinematic critiques we've viewed in Everything is Illuminated and The Kite Runner?
--If you're already begun reading In the Shadow of No Towers, how does Fight Club relate to, resist or differ from the messages and critiques of Spiegelman's text?
--Tyler refers to the current moment (note: 1999) as one without any distinction or great battles. "Our Great War is a spiritual war," he claims, "our Great Depression is our lives." What do you suppose Tyler meant by this assertion? How does it relate to Fight Club? What critiques of masculinity or Americanness does it make?
--Edward Norton is obsessed with IKEA furniture (or more specifically, IKEA catalogs) at the beginning of the movie. How is he a symptom of consumer culture?
--Why does Project Mayhem focus on NYC's financial district as the nexus of their frustration? How might a post-9/11 world view this movie?
--Edward Norton's realization that Tyler Durden is a hallucination is the twist in an otherwise straightforward violent movie. How does this twist effect the movie's message? Does it detract from the movie's critique or deepen its impact for you?
--If you've seen this movie before, how is this viewing different? How does it relate to the social and cultural critiques we've read in the other texts for the course and how does it compare to the cinematic critiques we've viewed in Everything is Illuminated and The Kite Runner?
--If you're already begun reading In the Shadow of No Towers, how does Fight Club relate to, resist or differ from the messages and critiques of Spiegelman's text?
Friday, November 14, 2008
For those of you would like a little posting direction, here are some questions that will get you started:
--The Edge Foundation lists idea after dangerous idea in The Best American Nonrequired Reading. Given the absurdity and humor of each of those ideas, what do you suppose is the commentary being made?
--"Rock the Junta" paints an interesting portrait of Myanmar's governmental suppression. How does the piece relate to our viewing of The Kite Runner?
--Alison Bechdel's graphic comic investigates death from an emotional and equally detached position. Recalling our reading of "Toga Party," how is death popularly viewed, and how do Bechdel and "Toga Party" reveal something about our views on death that "shake up" those mainstream views?
--Sufjan Stevens writes about his acquisition of literacy at a grocery store. What are the hidden meanings and metaphors of his education process? How does this relate to the concept of nonrequired reading?
--The Edge Foundation lists idea after dangerous idea in The Best American Nonrequired Reading. Given the absurdity and humor of each of those ideas, what do you suppose is the commentary being made?
--"Rock the Junta" paints an interesting portrait of Myanmar's governmental suppression. How does the piece relate to our viewing of The Kite Runner?
--Alison Bechdel's graphic comic investigates death from an emotional and equally detached position. Recalling our reading of "Toga Party," how is death popularly viewed, and how do Bechdel and "Toga Party" reveal something about our views on death that "shake up" those mainstream views?
--Sufjan Stevens writes about his acquisition of literacy at a grocery store. What are the hidden meanings and metaphors of his education process? How does this relate to the concept of nonrequired reading?
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Individual Final Papers
Individual Paper Summaries
The final task for this course (beyond your group presentation) is a 5-6 page summary and persuasive piece that will recommend a text for the next incarnation of English 110 based on the book your group chose to advocate. While 5-6 pages may seem daunting, please consider the structure of such a paper:
--You should spend at least three to four pages outlining the contents (ie., the plot) of the novel
--After relating the plot and contents of the novel, you should also provide a persuasive explanation of the text’s literary worth vis-à-vis the literary elements we have discussed in our class time together. Does the author employ a break with traditional conceptions of genre, narration or other conceptual literary devices? What makes this novel or text unique?
I will not ask you to include outside sources, but should you choose to include them, please cite them in MLA format. Your voice in the conversation and interpretation is what I am most interested in.
The final task for this course (beyond your group presentation) is a 5-6 page summary and persuasive piece that will recommend a text for the next incarnation of English 110 based on the book your group chose to advocate. While 5-6 pages may seem daunting, please consider the structure of such a paper:
--You should spend at least three to four pages outlining the contents (ie., the plot) of the novel
--After relating the plot and contents of the novel, you should also provide a persuasive explanation of the text’s literary worth vis-à-vis the literary elements we have discussed in our class time together. Does the author employ a break with traditional conceptions of genre, narration or other conceptual literary devices? What makes this novel or text unique?
I will not ask you to include outside sources, but should you choose to include them, please cite them in MLA format. Your voice in the conversation and interpretation is what I am most interested in.
Belated Instructions for Group Presentations
Heya folks--Apparently my account was hacked into. Instructions for the Group Project follow below. I will insert the instructions for your individual papers in a separate blog post
English 110 Final Group Project and Individual Persuasive Paper
There are two elements to your final grade for the course. Your first grade is a group grade based on the summation and persuasive qualities your group demonstrates to the class. The second grade is based on your summation and persuasive skills in an individual essay.
Final Group Project:
The next incarnation of English 110 will include a text chosen by your classmates, based upon your persuasive ability to offer plot details and make vivid the literary elements of (non)fiction we have discussed all semester.
What?
Your book should be a novel or novella with a social, cultural or literary purpose. In order to select a text, you might look to Pulitzer Prize lists, the Man Booker Prize for fiction, or even the Amazon Bestseller lists. You may not advocate single genre novels intended for a specific audience; these include: mystery, fantasy, poetry collections, chick lit, horror, etc. If you have trouble deciding whether a book your group is considering is in fact a contender, please see me immediately. You might also consult the list of books chosen for this course (a little hint—if you search for these titles on amazon.com and scroll down the page, you will find “recommended” or “related” titles that might help in the search).
Along with your group, you should delegate different “jobs” to all—one person might relate the first half of the novel’s plot while another offers the second half of the novel’s plot, or you might look to your group members to summarize literary elements that make the novel worthy of contention for a college level reading course syllabus. Literary elements we have briefly glossed over this semester (see the class blog for a list of terms and concepts we have covered) should be an integral part of the presentation, although not all terms will/may apply.
When?
The final presentations for this course are scheduled for the final week of class instruction (ie. known as “dead week”). I will construct a list of groups in an order determined by random hat pull (I actually have a hat I will put group names into). If your group should have a preference for which day you present, please let me know.
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Blog prompts
For those of you would like to respond in your blogs to the various texts/films we have been reading/watching, here are some thoughts to get the ball rolling:
--Kite Runner ends with Amir going to Afghanistan to retrieve Hassan's son. While Amir hadn't see Hassan since abandoning and betraying him as a youth, Hassan seems to have forgiven Amir, and his letter indicates that he knows he might never see his old friend again. Amir's guilt over the years must have been tremendous, but was this Amir's purpose for going to the Kabul orphanage? Despite the family ties that existed between Amir and Hassan, and their subsequent revelation to Amir, why do you think Amir traveled to Kabul?
--Also in Kite Runner, Sohrab saves Amir from Assef's brutality by using a slingshot. This scene mirrors the actions of Hassan earlier in the film. Is Amir's defense of Sohrab to General Taheri Amir's attempt to take a stand he didn't take earlier in the film? Or rather, does Amir redeem himself in the process of accepting Sohrab into his home?
--Water for Elephants contrasts the young and old Jacob through flashbacks. How has Jacob changed over the years? What has remained the same?
--Water for Elephants is what is referred to as historical fiction. Did Sara Gruen's attempt to paint a portrait of the Depression-era circus succeed? Or does it reveal more about our current worldview(s)? How have times changed since the Depression Era?
--Jacob, like a few other characters we have read about in the course ("the garage light timed out"--*shudder*), muses on what it's like to grow old. How do you view Jacob's thoughts on aging? How do his thoughts relate to the characters in "Toga Party"?
And finally, for those of you would like to begin responding to The Brief and Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, what qualities make Oscar a likeable character? Does he remind you of Edwin de Valu in Happiness? Is his peculiar position as a "nerdy ghetto boy" as described on the dust jacket a fair representation? And what about Lola? Does she remind you of Jane in My Year of Meats? Which character(s) do you relate to?
What kinds of cultural barriers are erected in this novel? How do they contribute to your sense of "uncomfortability" we talked about in Monday's class?
--Kite Runner ends with Amir going to Afghanistan to retrieve Hassan's son. While Amir hadn't see Hassan since abandoning and betraying him as a youth, Hassan seems to have forgiven Amir, and his letter indicates that he knows he might never see his old friend again. Amir's guilt over the years must have been tremendous, but was this Amir's purpose for going to the Kabul orphanage? Despite the family ties that existed between Amir and Hassan, and their subsequent revelation to Amir, why do you think Amir traveled to Kabul?
--Also in Kite Runner, Sohrab saves Amir from Assef's brutality by using a slingshot. This scene mirrors the actions of Hassan earlier in the film. Is Amir's defense of Sohrab to General Taheri Amir's attempt to take a stand he didn't take earlier in the film? Or rather, does Amir redeem himself in the process of accepting Sohrab into his home?
--Water for Elephants contrasts the young and old Jacob through flashbacks. How has Jacob changed over the years? What has remained the same?
--Water for Elephants is what is referred to as historical fiction. Did Sara Gruen's attempt to paint a portrait of the Depression-era circus succeed? Or does it reveal more about our current worldview(s)? How have times changed since the Depression Era?
--Jacob, like a few other characters we have read about in the course ("the garage light timed out"--*shudder*), muses on what it's like to grow old. How do you view Jacob's thoughts on aging? How do his thoughts relate to the characters in "Toga Party"?
And finally, for those of you would like to begin responding to The Brief and Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, what qualities make Oscar a likeable character? Does he remind you of Edwin de Valu in Happiness? Is his peculiar position as a "nerdy ghetto boy" as described on the dust jacket a fair representation? And what about Lola? Does she remind you of Jane in My Year of Meats? Which character(s) do you relate to?
What kinds of cultural barriers are erected in this novel? How do they contribute to your sense of "uncomfortability" we talked about in Monday's class?
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