Essay #3

PLEASE READ ENTIRE POST CAREFULLY

First, I must say I was very disappointed at the choice of seniors to participate in a non-sanctioned skip day. The decision was both dismissive of a college-level course and a school in mourning—a school that should be led by the example of the senior class. I hope you have had some time to reconsider your actions, and I should remind you to check the attendance policy on your syllabus.

As you know we have a very limited time to accomplish a good deal, and most of this will need to be done independently. There has been very little consistent writing on the blog, so I’m feeling less than confident in this class’ ability to do what needs to be done. So prove me wrong—without complaint, without whining, without negotiation. Because of time constraints, you must now rely on each other for quality feedback between drafts instead of me. Please correspond with me by email at clarycarleton@comcast.net

Our thematic topic for this unit is Gender and Sexuality and you need to reread the introduction on pp. 614-5. The stories we have read include “Lady with Lapdog,” “Hills Like White Elephants,” “A Rose for Emily,” “The Yellow Wallpaper,” and “Happy Endings.”

Essay # 3 should use at least one of the ideas illustrated in at least one of the stories; that is, at least one of the stories should be referenced in some way. Three other outside sources must be included. Documentation is still giving many of you problems so please review my comments on Essay #2 and ask more questions of your peers and me.

Here are some topic ideas that could be developed into claims and argued with the help of social science research. Please use your textbook for more information on research and documentation (pp. 1468-1509). And I remind you about InfoTrac access:
InfoTrac College Edition (http://infotrac.thomsonlearning.com/)
username: openhigh
password: writingrocks

“Lady with Lapdog”
1. Explore the theme of delusion in love.
2. Explore marriage, infidelity, and different conceptions of these ideas based on gender. Do men and women have affairs for similar or different reasons?
3. Discuss marriage and divorce in America vs. marriage and divorce in other countries.

“Hills Like White Elephants”
1. Discuss how communication styles differ between the sexes.
2. Explore how pregnancy and/or abortion can affect a relationship.

“A Rose for Emily”
1. Write a feminist analysis of this story. See pp. 1517 for more information on this form of criticism.
2. Discuss mental illness and gender roles.
3. Discuss the relationship between fathers and daughters.

“The Yellow Wallpaper”
1. Discuss the role of the imagination and gender. How are the brains of women and men different?
2. Discuss mental disorders (like schizophrenia) and problems with gender identity.
3. Discuss the infamous “rest cure” developed by Weir Mitchell and how it can be seen as sexist medical treatment. How is this story a critique of the medical establishment?
4. Discuss post-partum depression—its causes, its effects, and its treatment.

“Happy Endings”
1. Discuss the social construction of gender.
2. Discuss the critique of relationships and women’s roles presented in this work.
3. Compare and contrast the feminist critique of relationships in this work and in Gilman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper.”

Due dates
Draft 1: Friday, May 16 (last day of class for seniors)
Draft 2: Wednesday, May 21
Essay Final: Tuesday, May 27

Workshop Groups
As you will not necessary be in school after May 16, please exchange emails and provide feedback to each other online. Otherwise you will need to make arrangements with your group members. You will still need to include all written feedback (e.g. email messages) in your portfolio.

Shakerrie, John, Dana
Jovan, Caitlin, Franshaun
Jordan, Caleigh, Brittany
Alice, Shannon

Portfolio due Friday, May 30

Workshopping Drafts

What follows is a guide to peer editing from a UR student. I thought this provided excellent specific information on what to read for when you're reading each other's drafts. I should see multiple paragraphs addressing ALL the information below written at the end of each draft you read. This will be part of your participation grade. Make sure your name is clearly marked on the first page, upper right hand corner. Do not just tell the reader that their draft is great and then correct grammatical mistakes. To do this is to misunderstand the rationale for peer editing.

In order for you to truly absorb this information, I will ask one student in each workshop group (see last post) to read this aloud to your group. Then proceed to read each of your drafts aloud. Use the time I give you in class to begin responding to these issues and marking up the drafts. Drafts should be returned to writers by Thursday. WE WILL MEET ON THURSDAY.

As always, make sure you have copies of your drafts ready for your peers and one copy for me. You can email me your copy as an attachment. Please refer to the syllabus for naming your document.

****************

Peer Editing Guide
by Melanie Dawson, University of Richmond

Professors often break their classes into small groups that edit drafts of papers; this guide will help you to make thoughtful comments about another's work.

First, read through a group member's essay in order to get a general idea of the writing. Does the essay make sense? Can you, without reading the paper, summarize its main point or points? The paper doesn't have to convince you of a particular viewpoint, but it should seem a thoughtful, coherent piece of writing that you can readily understand.

Thesis Statement
• Can you find it? Does it accurately voice the main idea of the paper? Does the thesis state the main idea and some of the reasoning behind that idea?

• Is the thesis supported in the body of the paper? Is there any evidence or support for the thesis that is missing?

• Is there any information that contradicts the thesis? Is all of the textual evidence clearly related to the thesis? If some information is not relevant, can it be cut from the paper? If this information is necessary, how could the writer include it without undercutting his or her main ideas? (Hint: look at transitional phrases within sentences.)

Coherence and Clarity
• Do any ideas seem vague? What can the writer explain more thoroughly that would help the reader?

• Can you determine the paper's audience?

• Is the purpose of the essay clear?

• Does the introduction give the reader "clues" about the subject of the essay?

Content
• Is the conclusion a conclusion or a mere summary? Does the conclusion refer back to the introduction, helping to round out the essay?

• As a reader, do you sense a structure in the paper? Can you determine a logic behind it? Are the ideas easy to follow in their arrangement?

• Do the transitions (both between sentences and between paragraphs) help to connect ideas? If not, what other structural changes could the writer make? Would other transitional devices be more appropriate?

• If the writer is working with fiction, is the plot summary of that fiction too lengthy? Or does the writer strike a good balance between his or her ideas and details from the story?

• Is the paper interesting? What are the most interesting/convincing sections of the paper? How could the writer expand upon these sections or make the rest of the paper as interesting?

• Are there sections of the paper that are better written than others? If so, do you think these sections are better focused, with the ideas more completely defined? How can the writer bring the rest of the essay up to this level?

Style
• Is the style understandable? Also, is the style appropriate for the intended audience? Are there too many linking verbs (is/are/was/were) in the writing? Check, too, for overuse of the passive voice ("was written").

• Is the writer too tentative about her thoughts? Does she rely heavily on phrases such as "I think.." or "It seems" or "approximately"?

• Is the research thoroughly documented?

• Is the research integrated into the paper, or does it "weigh down" the paper, obscuring the writer's ideas? How could the writer more successfully integrate sources into his or her paper?

Marking the Draft
• If you are working with a photocopied version of a paper, feel free to write a few comments and suggestions. Careful, don't make the page "bleed" (think what it would look like in red pen).

• Draw a straight line ( _____ ) under words or images that strike you as effective. These words would include strong verbs, specific details, memorable phrases, and striking images.

• Draw a wavy line (~~~~~) under words or images that are weak or unconvincing. Put these lines under words the writer repeats too often, ideas that seem vague, flat, or unnecessary.

• Put brackets ([ ]) around sentences or groups of sentences that you think should be combined.

• Put parentheses ( ) around sentences that are awkward or don't make sense.

Essay #2

Draft 2.1 is due on Wednesday, April 23. Draft 2.2 is due on Monday, April April 28.

I have decided that as long as your claim is focused on the theme of family, you do not have to use one of the stories/film for this essay. (Many of you will still want to use a story as the basis for your claim.) You must, however, use four outside sources to support your ideas. A minimum of three sources should appear (with in-text citations and a works cited page) in your second draft. Many of you had difficulty with the last essay because you did little work UNTIL the second draft (which really seemed to function as a first draft for most of you). This made giving feedback--from myself and your peers--more difficult.

Please return to my older posts on Research, Documentation, and Writer's Memo for details.

Your workshop groups for Essay #2 are as follows:

1. Shakerrie, Brittany, Shannon
2. Caitlin, John, Jordan
3. Caleigh, Franshaun, Alice
4. Jovan, Dana

You may submit drafts in hard copy or by email. PLEASE follow directions on syllabus when naming files. You may also use google docs, which would be an ideal tool for peer editing. Needless to say, peer editing needs to be taken more seriously. Please see pages 30-31 of your textbook. Ask your peers questions. Provide suggestions.

UR/OHS Collaboration

The University of Richmond students have invited us to come for the presentation of their website. The date is Tuesday, April 29 from 2-5. Please clear your schedule so that you can attend this meeting. We will need to carpool. We can also take a short tour of the university and have a bite in the dining hall. A meal costs $8.75 which does sound pricey, but it's all-you-can-eat!

Lessons from Essay #1

Overall, research was well done. Topics and connections made to the literature were interesting. Third drafts were generally much better. With the next essay do not wait until the third draft to complete your research or develop your ideas. Your second draft should be a good indication of where your final is headed.

Do not overuse rhetorical questions. Make your argument clear for reader with statements of position and support.

Avoid beginning sentences with "I believe" or "I think." We are trying to write more formal, less personalized essays so try to write in third person. Also avoid using second person "you."

Some basic elements of grammar need to be addressed. Capitalization, spelling, usage, and sentence formation are particular problems. Use the handbook to check items before you submit drafts.

Better proofreading needs to happen! Read your essay aloud to catch simple mistakes before you turn in a final copy. This should be standard practice.

Do not forget your Writers Memo (see earlier blog for comprehensive list of prompts to consider). Check your syllabus to see how this are being graded this semester.

Ordinary People

Nobody's Family is Going to Change

"Nobody's Family is Going to Change" is apparently the name of a children's book (an odd one!) and is also the theme of this week's This American Life--the radio show we listened to last semester. Because we are discussed the theme of family, I thought I would post the link. Do you agree with this idea? I'm intrigued!

The show is broadcast at 10am on 88.9 FM and after its air date, you should be able to listen to it online. I highly recommend this program for the excellent writing, use of interviews, music, and commentary. Check it out.

This American Life

The Fall of the House of Usher or I Stand Here Ironing

Both of these stories continue to look at families, and as usual there is some clear dysfunction.

Fall of the House of Usher online text

"I Stand Here Ironing" is in your textbook, pages 415-420.
Perhaps the first thing that struck me about this story is the fact parents so often learn about parenting through trial and error. I found myself sympathizing with the mother even though it was clear I might have done some things differently. Having said that, do you blame Emily's mother or is she a victim? If she is to be blamed, blamed for what? If she is a victim, what is she a victim of?

This story is so much about the mother/daughter relationship. Certainly some mothers are close with their daughters, some are not, some are in competition (thwarting the "natural" process of nurturing), some are trying to be friends (a particular problem these days--I think of the film Mean Girls), some are just trying to understand a daughter who is very different. Clearly this mother does not understand what makes her daughter tick and gives us a background of her difficult upbringing, which she clearly seems to feel guilty about. Is this story about guilt? I remember someone once saying that guilt was a purely selfish emotion, meaning that the mother might be more focused on her own pain rather than Emily's. I'm not sure. What do you think?

There is also a number of times that "beauty" is mentioned. How are our ideas about beauty passed down from our mothers? Why is this often dangerous? Poverty is also an important issue in this story? Clearly the mother had difficulty supporting her family. Would you have made similar choices? Were there other alternatives given the circumstances?

How has Emily evolved despite her difficult upbringing? Is this realistic? How has Emily been shaped by her moving around, the institution, her alienation from the rest of the family?

Also, do you agree with the mother's decision not to visit the school for a conference? What are her reasons? Are they sound? What do you think the teacher wants to discuss? How involved in a child's life should a teacher be?

Sonny's Blues

There are many relationships to explore in this beautiful and tragic story. Obviously the relationship between the narrator and Sonny is a complex one that seems to change over time. How and why does this (and other relationships) change? There is also the relationship between the narrator and his mother who tells the chilling story about his uncle and also asks him to take care of Sonny. Is this fair of mom? Are there certain expectations aligned with certain family roles, like the eldest brother or the eldest sister? So what is the responsibility of older siblings towards their younger siblings? Is too much expected of Sonny?

Sonny tells his brother he wanted to escape Harlem when he was still young. What did he want to escape (aside from drugs)? How is escape from family and family circumstances a natural part of "individuation"?

What is the role of suffering in this family? How does suffering define a family and their legacy? How does Sonny cope with suffering? How does the narrator cope with suffering? Is one way more effective than the other?

This story offers one of the most effective descriptions of music that I've ever read. What does music provide Sonny with that his family did not? Was Sonny right to follow his dream? What about the narrator's dreams?

Rappaccini's Daughter

This is one of my very favorite short stories. I love Hawthorne's language which always makes me second guess what I'm reading and what it might mean. I've asked you to read this story in two sections since I think this story really demands quality time to savor the language and the possible meanings. There are so many questions to ask about this story, and while our focus is on family relationships, we can certainly look beyond this idea. We really have five characters that are worth exploring: Giovanni, Rappaccini, Beatrice, Baglioni, and even Lisabetta. If we are to merely focus on the familal relationship, we need to understand the relationship between father and daughter. Are there certain archetypal concepts that relate to fathers and daughters? What do fathers want for their daughters? What do daughters need from their fathers? How do Giovanni and Baglioni "upset" the basic relationship? What are their respective roles in this story anyway?

Obviously Hawthorne wants us to consider how this story might be an allegory to the Garden of Eden. What were your thoughts about this? If the garden does represent this, then who might the different characters represent?

Consider what we know happens versus what we think we know happens? How does Hawthorne's language make us rethink the actual events in the story? How does the imagination function in this story? What is the role of science? What is being said about the nature of woman? About nature itself?

Initial ideas for Essay #2:

What is Rappaccini's secret desire for his daughter? How do the secrets or obsessions of parents have consequences for their children? How do the secrets shape the children's destinies?

Haunted Houses/Bone Black

I found this such an interesting thematic grouping for these stories, which involve families. Are all our houses haunted in some way? I adore the quote from The Ice Storm which provides the paradox of family life:

Your family is the void you emerge from and the place you return to when you die. And that is the paradox; the closer you're drawn back in, the deeper into the void you go."

I haven't read the book by Rick Moody, but the film The Ice Storm, directed by Ang Lee, was indeed haunting as I remember it. It's about families falling apart in the 1970s. Certainly all families find themselves is various states of conflict. We'll explore this the different kinds of conflicts that may arise. We'll also explore the different roles that family members take on and what the roles tell us about the family unit itself. Many of us have certain expectations about how a mother or a father should act. We also have ideas about how siblings act with each other and their parents. Our expectations are often thwarted in the face of reality which causes disappointment and disillusionment. Will there be any "happy" stories about families? Just remember, that a story without conflict is no story that we probably want to read.

We'll also read about actual or perceived hauntings. How does our imagination shape our understanding of relationships. When we have certain ideals about family can we conjure up fantasies that are ultimately self-destructive?

We began this section with African American feminist writer bell hooks (notice lack of capitalization) and her story "Bone Black." I had never read this before, but saw her speak at VCU and was intrigued. Some of you mentioned the interesting use of pronouns which seemed to create distance between "she," her family, and the audience. The ending was most interesting and seems to reinforce the idea that no one really knows what happens in a family. We often think we grasp a family dynamic, but often the dynamic is so complex, we must be a part of it to fully understand the motivations of different individuals.

An idea for Essay #2:
In the excerpt from Bone Black, hooks observes that "the silent agreement that the man is right" is operative in the marriage of her parents. How are the dynamics of marital relationships governed by social conditioning? How have gender (and thus marital roles) changed over time? What are the social consequences of these changes?

Research

Make sure your read my posts on research and documentation. Here's info on InfoTrac for your outside research. Also check out the web links on the side and JSTOR available through your JSR account.

InfoTrac College Edition
username: openhigh
password: writingrocks

Writing Workshops

As one of you already pointed out, writing workshops were not very successful last semester. A handful of students gave excellent feedback, but most students put minimal effort into this important task. You will once again be expected to provide substantive feedback to your peers. And once again, I will read one draft for each essay.

Please read pages 30-31. Please provide the three levels of peer critique as outlined on page 30. Use the questions on page 31 to address specific issues regarding content, organization, development, and grammar/style/sentence sense.

Workshop Groups for Essay 1

1. Shakerrie, Caitlin, Caleigh
2. Dana, Shannon, Franshaun
3. Alice, Jordan, Jovan
4. Brittany, John

I would very much like to experiment with online collaboration software (docs.google.com), so we'll talk about this tomorrow. If the learning curve is too steep, we'll just do it the conventional way, so have your copies ready.

Essay 1 Addendum

A few more essay ideas to consider:

1. Discuss "coming of age," "loss of innocence," or "rites of passage" in one or two stories we've read. What is involved in this process? What are the results?

2. Using one or more stories, discuss the quote by Gail Sheehy, "Growth demands a temporary surrender of security." Or discuss the quote by Henry David Thoreau, "For a man needs only to be turned around once with his eyes shut in this world to be lost...Not til we are lost...do we begin to find ourselves."

3. Discuss "Our Hurried Children" as it relates to "A&P" or "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been."

4. Discuss different concepts of religion in one or more stories.

5. Consider the theme of the individual vs. society. When do protagonists feel the pressure of the outside world? How do they respond? How does this mirror what Hollis describes as the pattern of "departure, initiation, and return"?

Feel free to use "popular culture" sources (television shows, music, films, video games, board games, toys, etc.) to help you make your argument.


DOCUMENTATION

You must document both your primary source(s) and your secondary sources using MLA Style. See Appendix A (pp. 1468-1509) with specific examples beginning on page 1474. ESSAYS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED WITHOUT PROPER INTERNAL CITATIONS AND A SEPARATE WORKS CITED PAGE.

If you cite a story from Legacies, your works cited entry should look like this:

Hollis, James. "The Heroic Journey." Legacies.
3rd ed. Eds. Jan Zlotnik Schmidt and Carley Rees Bogarad. Boston: Thomson
Wadsworth, 2006. 349-354.

You may use various methods to cite evidence internally. See page 1474 for details. A basic internal citation should look like this:

(Hollis 349)
_________________________________

Don't Forget the Writer's Memo, required with each draft.



Memos must be written in paragraph form and be a minimum of one full page, typed, double spaced. The memo should discuss a wide range of topics related to your writing process. Below are some questions to consider. Be as specific as possible.

1. What do you believe are the strengths of this piece of writing?
2. What aspects could be improved or what ideas could be developed further?
3. What new insight or valuable idea does this essay offer? Isolate the thesis in a single sentence.
4. What did you learn through reading and/or writing?
5. Which parts of the piece did you find the easiest or most difficult to put into words?
6. What did you want to accomplish with this piece?
7. What did you want the audience to understand about you and/or your experience?
8. Which specific writing techniques did you find helpful? (brainstorming, revision, specific diction, sentence variety, parallelism, description, dialogue, elaboration, showing vs. telling, frame device, character development, figurative language, etc.)
9. Were the comments of peer editors helpful? If yes, how? If no, why not?
10. What kind of risks did you take with your writing? That is, what did you try that you hadn’t tried before?
11. What did you think about as you wrote?
12. Did you have any difficulties with the reading? If yes, what methods did you take to help with reading comprehension?
14. If you used research in your writing, what particular problems, if any, did you run into?
15. What have you learned about yourself either as a writer or a person through writing this essay?

Essay 1

Essays this semester will reveal your understanding of texts we've read and how they intersect with cultural and social ideas.

For each essay you will present a researched, argumentative essay based on one or more reading from Unit 1. You will use these as primary sources, but you are also required to use at least two credible secondary sources. I suggest using InfoTrac which you have full access to at school and at home.

You must offer a claim, a line of argument with evidence, counterargument(s), concession(s), and refutation(s).

To begin: read or reread "The Heroic Journey" (pp 349-355) which we did not get a chance to discuss in class. Make sure you revise your initial Writing Journal 1 to reflect this reading. (You can do this by going into customize, posting, and edit posts.) How does this essay relate to the stories we've read? What is significant here? How does the essay relate to the modern world?

Read back through all of your journal entries for the first unit "The Heroic Journey." What issues/stories grabbed your attention? What would you like to write more about? Next, review all my blog entries which offer suggestions about possible essay topics. For class on Wednesday, write a journal (about 500 words) on your ideas for Essay 1. Bring a copy to class and post this on your blog. Essay draft 1.1 will not be due until Monday, 3/10. We will be working in class on our writing both Wednesday and Friday.

Our Hurried Children

This was a very interesting article, but I’m not sure I agree with all the conclusions. It was written in 1981, so it’s a bit dated in terms of psychological research. Still, many of the arguments will, I’m sure, be familiar to you.

What do you think? We'll blog about this on Monday, 3/3. Here are some of my musings to consider:

I had never heard the expression “early ripe, early rot!”, but now it does seem antiquated. Child psychology tells us that children are ripe for learning early in life. Language acquisition, for example, becomes more difficult the older one becomes. Most people understand the value of early childhood education, since we see the results of an early lack of stimulation into adulthood.

Is there a difference between children “growing up too fast,” and children who are pressured to excel at an early age? More and research suggests that children need unstructured play in order to harness their imaginative and creative potential. Obviously our test-driven, achievement oriented culture is in conflict with such findings. See the recent New York Times article.

According to everything I’ve seen, teen pregnancy rates are actually in decline in most states. Anecdotal evidence I’ve come across does suggest that children and adolescence do suffer from more “stress diseases” than in the past, but this is also true of adults. Crime may indeed be linked to children wanting to be adults, but it seems that crime is a result of many factors which may be hard to isolate. I also wonder if cult membership is on the rise. I would venture to guess that adults are just as susceptible to cults as young people, and that part of this is a natural tendency to want to belong. I also might question the discussion on suicide. I believe suicide is a leading cause of death among teens, but adults, especially the elderly, seem to be keeping up.

Here's a recent article from
Psychology Today
which shares a different perspective on "our hurried children." It suggests that there is an "artificial extension of childhood."

Some essay suggestions:

1. Do you agree with Elkind’s view of childhood? Are children’s lives too hurried? What solutions would you propose?

2. Connect Elkind’s view of childhood with Connie’s situation in “Where Are you Going, Where Have You Been?” and Sammy's in “A&P."

Cathedral

“Cathedral” is one of my very favorite stories. In never ceases to move me. Perhaps this is because the characters are so very human, so very flawed. I think there are many directions we can take this story. We can say that this is a story about that “blind leading the blind, ”the double-meaning of “drawing” together, and what it what it really means to “see.” And what about the cathedral? As we discussed in class, the narrator is spiritless; he doesn’t “believe in anything.” He’s unhappy with his job, his relationship with his wife seems stagnant, and his discomfort with the blind Robert reveals his narrow range of experience and vision.

Why do they draw a cathedral? Is this a symbol of moving beyond oneself or reaching beyond limitations? The narrator’s epiphany seems clear when he says, “It was like nothing else in my life up to now” and “I didn’t feel like I was inside anything.” Has this narrator become the hero in a journey towards spiritual enlightenment? Is this an epiphany that will ultimately challenge his simplistic stereotypes that prevent him from reaching higher heights? In this way his experience reminds me of Sammy’s in “A&P.”

It’s interesting to note that this story, like “Where are you going, where have you been?”, is based on a true story. A blind man came to visit Raymond Carver and his wife, the poet Tess Gallagher. Gallagher had worked for the man whose wife had died and who had come east to visit friends. Gallagher also wrote a story about the event entitled “Rain Flooding Your Campfire.”

A Good Man is Hard to Find

What a rich story! Read through the handout I gave you on Flannery O'Connor, and consider other ideas that we didn't have time to touch on. There is a great deal on the internet about O'Connor (as well as the other authors we are reading). Here's one to check out:

http://www2.gcsu.edu/library/sc/foc.html

An idea for a future essay:

Much of what goes wrong in life is caused by our own natures. Relate this idea to "A Good Man is Hard to Find" and "Once Upon a Time."

Once Upon a Time

Good discussion on this story. Someone asked how this relates to the unit on The Heroic Journey and that's a great question. What do you think? Because this story is framed as a fairy tale, it seems that unlike other stories, it's appropriate to talk about possible "lessons" intended for the audience. I'm still curious about how the first section relates to the "bedtime story" the narrator tells herself.

As you all pointed out, the story is ironic: the security designed to protect actually ends up harming the family. Now let's bring this into the 21st century. Do some folks live in a perpetual state of fear? Absolute safety is a myth, but is this idea something many people expect nonetheless? How do parents in particular fall prey to this idea? How does the media play into our fears? This is a rich text to connect to our daily lives.

"A&P"

This is a deceptively simple story about a boy who works in a grocery story—the Great Atlantic and Pacific Tea Company. John Updike thought that ordinary, “trivial” events in daily life present insight into contemporary American society. Updike was also read the work of the philosopher Soren Kierkegard (1813-1855), considered the father of existentialism. Kierkegard coined the term “leap of faith” to describe the movement into a new consciousness.

Consider the following questions about the story and its application to larger ideas:

1. Analyze Sammy’s character. Consdier his background, his attitudes, his values, and his interactions with the customers and with the girls. Compare and contrast his character with that of Stokesie, Lengel, or Queenie. Explore the class differences between the characters.

2. Why does Sammy quit? Explore the statement; “I felt how hard the world was going to be to me hereafter.” Does Sammy have an “epiphany” and if so, what is it?

3. What critique is Updike presenting of this early 1960’s world? Is the story still relevant? How would it change if it were set in a supermarket today?

4. How does Sammy represent a heroic archetype? How is this representation ironic?

5. Explore the themes of idealism, loss, alienation, self-awareness, individuality/conformity, and rebellion embedded in this story. How are these ideas critical to an individual’s maturation?

"Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?"

Here are some ideas to consider for your writing journal and/or your first essay:

Consider Oates’ story in relationship to the introduction to Chapter 4: The Heroic Journey (pp. 42-43). How is this story about "coming of age," or "loss of innocence"?

Joyce Carol Oates has said that “Arnold Friend is a fantastic figure: his Death, he is the ‘elf-knight’ of the ballads, he is the Imagination, he is a Dream, he is a Lover, a Demon, and all that.” How are these remarks helpful in clarifying our understanding of the story and the idea of the heroic journey?

What are the implications of the story’s title? How can this help our understanding of the idea of the heroic journey?

What are the implications of the story’s ending? What comments does the story make about the values of contemporary American life?

Check out the website on the story and the film adaptation Smooth Talk. Scroll down to read the fascinating article about the origins of this haunting story:
http://jco.usfca.edu/works/wgoing/

Discuss the relationship between music and adolescence, using examples from the story to support your ideas.

Is Oates’ “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” still relevant to contemporary teenage culture? Use Kowinski’s “Kids in the Mall” (68-71) and/or “Our Hurried Children” (328-339) as a resource to construct an argument.

Where Are We Going?

Hi everyone!
I hate that I've been absent, but it has been unavoidable. It seems like some of you are getting the hang of the blog faster than others, so let's plan on a catch up day Tuesday at 12pm. (I've left a comment about this on everyone's blog as well, so check this out.) At this point you should have posted about the film, The Power of Myth. While I always appreciate your honest reactions, I need everyone to approach assignments as academic assignments rather than entertainment. As I've said before, you don't have to like all texts to comment on them intelligently. Consider the kind of post you would leave an instructor you did not know.

For Friday, I asked Alice to lead a group discussion on the first part of "Where Are You Going, Where Have you Been?" How did this go? I only saw one posted comment from a student. Remember, these responses should be posted PRIOR to the discussion and according to the guidelines for the Online Writing Journal on your syllabus. If you're feeling behind, we'll all get caught up this week. Just make sure you read AND write about the story. You should have a second full response on the story by Wednesday.

Please email me with concerns or questions, and make sure you regularly check my blog as well as your peers'. See you Tuesday!
Clary

A Windy Sunday

Hope no one has blown away! Isn't it delicious outside?

I've gotten a chance to take a glimpse at some of your blogs, and I love what I see! As you know I won't be there tomorrow. Alice has the video on "the Hero's Journey" from The Power of Myth. I'd like you to blog about this for class on Wednesday. Joseph Campbell was an academic who wrote extensively about myth. He wrote a book called Hero with a Thousand Faces, exploring the archetypal hero's journey in world mythologies. We will be discussing similar terrain in our first unit. Go ahead and read the introduction to "The Heroic Journey" on pages 42-43, which is a good primer for the literature that will follow.

In order to respond to this film (the discussion between Campbell and Moyers, as well as the images), consider Chapters 1 and 2 in your text. Reread the quote by Einstein (pg. 2) and consider your relationship with "the mysterious." As this chapter notes, attempting to uncovering secrets is part of the critical thinking process. Consider the thinking/reading/viewing connection and the ideas of "text-to-self," "text-to-text," and "text-to-world."

For all your responses I'm expecting you to use the strategies outlined in Chapter 2: glossing and annotating; brainstorming and questioning; freewriting; and notetaking. After you've engaged in these activities as part of the reading process. You can begin journal writing (pp. 13-14) on your blog. In other words, you should take notes as you view the film (just another kind of text.)

Please send me an email or respond to this blog if you have any questions. I'll see you on Wednesday. Have fun!

playing with blogs

I realize my class does not yet have access to this blog, but I've decided to act as if I have an audience. The assignment for English 112 this evening was to "play," and I too am playing with this new format. There are a few things I'd like to do with this blog, so perhaps my brilliant students can help me figure some of this out.

I would like all of us to have links to each others' blogs. I'm trying to figure out "bloglines," which allows users to subscribe to multiple blogs and keep track of them. I haven't yet figured this out.

I would also like to be able to post files (like drafts in MSWord) to a blog site. I'm not sure how this works (if it works). I'm using a "wiki" for my American Literature classes and I find it very easy to upload files here. (You can check on the this site at openclary.pbwiki.com.) While a wiki should be interactive, right now it's not. Instead, it functions more like a blackboard. Here I mean an actual blackboard, rather than "Blackboard" which as my students know, I don't like.

So tomorrow we may continue to play--an underrated activity in our society! We'll also look at the syllabus and all the delicious literature scheduled for this semester.

It's 2008 and I'm feeling great!

Hi everyone! I'm excited to be experimenting with this new writing environment. I hope you will find your blog a useful tool as you develop your writing through engagement with literature.