Archives for February 2016

HW due 2/9: Sartre

February 5, 2016 By

1. Existentialism is a Humanism–Jean Paul Sartre is often the first name to come to mind when one considers Existentialism. His brand of atheistic existentialism so dominates the existential landscape that one forgets that the “first existentialist” Kierkegaard was indeed a theist. Nevertheless, Sartre’s essay most clearly defines the existential mindset. It becomes a fundamental piece of this course’s foundation.   Additionally, his essay establishes some of the tenets of existentialism that are universally applicable.  Read and ANNOTATE! Be sure you are able to discuss the four reproaches of existentialism and his defense against those reproaches.

2. On Monday we will discuss The Rational Ordering of Society from The Encounter with Nothingness. Ensure that you are ready for that discussion.

3. Class Forum–Remember you must post by midnight Tuesday (in preparation for Wednesday’s class)! AND REMEMBER TO BRING A PRINTED COPY OF YOUR RESPONSE IN TO CLASS. The responses should be added to the reading response section of your binder. Be sure to include the heading and title each printed response.

4. Man’s Search for Meaning–We will begin reading over the break so try and order it (pick it up) this coming week.

HW due 2/5: Handouts and More

February 4, 2016 By

1. Hello folks! You must have the following printed out and in your Poetry Seminar folder:

All three documents above are critical for a technical understanding of poetry. Be sure to have all three with you Tomorrow. For Monday, READ the handout entitled poetry explications, paying particular attention to the section on meter.

2. Poetry Journal–Write another ten lines of verse…  Abandon a literal style and embrace image and figure. So, in the spirit of figures, paint with words…

3. Print out and annotate the following poem:

My Mistress Eyes are Nothing Like the Sun

4. Define poetry (in your own words, of course)

HW due 2/4: The Encounter with Nothingness

February 3, 2016 By

1.  Read and annotate William Barrett’s The Encounter with Nothingness (Second reading in the packet). Be sure to read all three parts (the third part being Science and Finitude). Barrett’s reading will give us just a nugget of context before we move ahead. Remember, you must annotate all readings for this class! Failure to do so will result in a zero!  You will learn how to provide some focus to your annotations.  Ultimately, focused annotating prepares you for your reading responses, formal essays, and class discussions.  To annotate is to supply with critical or explanatory notes:

  • identifying lines that resonate with you, confuse you, or make you want to know more
  • asking questions of general thematic/philosophical value
  • tracking the development of a theme that may connect to one or more of the philosophical readings or other fiction.

2. Values! Be prepared to talk values!

HW due 2/4: A Few Lines of Verse

February 3, 2016 By

Again, ensure that you have registered for the website! I am closing the site at 8 p.m. You should see all of the crazies who have registered!!!

1. Excerpt from Rilke’s Letters to a Young Poet (Letter 6):

I don’t want you to be without a greeting from me when Christmas comes and when you, in the midst of the holiday, are bearing your solitude more heavily than usual. But when you notice that it is vast, you should be happy; for what (you should ask yourself) would a solitude be that was not vast; there is only one solitude, and it is vast, heavy, difficult to bear, and almost everyone has hours when he would gladly exchange it for any kind of sociability, however trivial or cheap, for the tiniest outward agreement with the first person who comes along, the most unworthy. But perhaps these are the very hours during which solitude grows; for its growing is painful as the growing of boys and sad as the beginning of spring. But that must not confuse you. What is necessary, after all, is only this: solitude, vast inner solitude. To walk inside yourself and meet no one for hours – that is what you must be able to attain. To be solitary as you were when you were a child, when the grownups walked around involved with matters that seemed large and important because they looked so busy and because you didn’t understand a thing about what they were doing.

Tonight, a two-pronged writing activity. Find a place where you can be at peace, alone and take a walk “inside yourself.” What do you see there? Who is there? What’s going on there? No need to give shape and form to this; so feel free to list here!

Second prong: Write at least 6 lines of verse capturing a bit of that journey inward. That is all the guidance you get here… at least 6 lines of verse.

2. Letters to a Young Poet–Please purchase by the end of next week!

HW due 2/4: Class Forum

February 3, 2016 By

1. Post your three statements on the class forum.
2. Decide! Will you write your essay on 1984 or Slaughterhouse Five?

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