Archives for January 2017

Due 2/1: Registration and Six Word Poem

January 31, 2017 By

1. Tonight you should register for the class website, Blackboarddreams.com. To do this, you must scroll to the bottom of the homepage and click “Register.” Your username should be your Full Name (First and Last).  Leave a space between your first and last name! No funky, cute nicknames. Only first name (capitalize first letter) and last name (capitalize first letter). Be sure to register by midnight tonight. I will shut down registration at that point.

2. Six Word Poem

For Sale: Baby Shoes, Never Worn

Tonight, you will write the first draft of your six word poem/story. Consider each word and consider the story you want to communicate through those six words.  In the example above (attributed to Hemingway) there is great depth to that narrative. Imagine the joy, the anticipation, the inspiration, the anxiety, the tragedy, the despair behind those words… All of that and more communicated through six words. Be scrupulous in your selection of words, be thoughtful in your arrangement, be authentic in holistic composition.

Due 2/1: Registration and Barrett

January 31, 2017 By

1. Tonight you should register for the class website, Blackboarddreams.com. To do this, you must scroll to the bottom of the homepage and click “Register.” Your username should be your Full Name (First and Last).  Leave a space between your first and last name! No funky, cute nicknames. Only first name (capitalize first letter) and last name (capitalize first letter). Be sure to register by midnight tonight. I will shut down registration at that point.

2.  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.

3. Values! Be prepared to talk values!

Due 1/26: Poet Study (by 3 pm)

January 24, 2017 By

Your PBA will include (in this order):

  • Cover Sheet
  • A 1-2 page mini-bio of your poet.
  • A 5-7 page essay that introduces and analyzes the work of your poet, including a strong claim (a thesis) about your poet and his/her work. In this analysis you should demonstrate great control of your poet’s work. Finally, your discussion must be complemented by 3 primary or secondary sources (critical/analytical in nature).
  • The 10 poems (untouched) chosen for this project.
  • Two original poems mirroring your poet’s style.
  • As an appendix: Annotated copies of the ten poems chosen for this project.

Due 1/26: Term Final (Additional Due Dates Posted)

January 22, 2017 By
  1. (Due Jan. 26th) Satire/Parody Term Final

The following must be submitted by 3 pm on Jan. 26th:

  • Final project (flash drive, cd, or email)
  • Script (Including names of all group members in the heading. Use proper heading)
  • Self-evaluation—In what way(s) did you contribute to this project? Be detailed. Be honest. Are you satisfied with your effort? You are ONLY to evaluate yourself (not your peers).

The following will be considered when assessing the satire/parody project:

  • Project’s visual impact/Cinematic Effect. Many of you are making films! Be thoughtful/creative in how you compose each shot (i.e. camera angles, shot variety, etc.). Creative use of costume, props, etc.  Pay close attention to lighting (i.e. poor lighting, backlighting, etc).
  • The project should demonstrate control of satire and/or parody. Additionally, all projects are expected to employ irony as one of the primary figurative elements to carry the project’s purpose/message. Be thoughtfully/creatively/subtly ironic!
  • Project is thoughtful. Beyond the visual element, the written element should also reflect great thought on subject and form. Clear, interesting conflict. Effective use of dialogue. Clear purpose to each scene.
  • Project is thoughtfully/effectively edited. Smooth flow/transitions. Effective pacing. Attention to continuity.
  • Project reflects exceptional effort.  This one is very important as I (and my fellow assessors) expect to see a project that “took time and effort” to complete.
  1. (Due 1/31) Slaughterhouse Five—Complete the novel! Be prepared to discuss:
  • Edgar Derby’s characterization
  • Howard Campbell’s monograph
  • Dominant theme(s) by the novel’s end
  1. (Due 2/2) 2-3 TYPED Pages of Essay Prep–You know that you have to decide between 1984 and SH5 for your next essay. This will be a 4 page literary analysis.

Everyone must do the following thesis prep! Thesis/Essay Pre-writing (As always, I expect to see a great deal of thought put into this first formal stage of the process.  In preparation for your essay, you must fill in the blank here:

In my SH5 essay I will explore Vonnegut’s treatment of ___________.

Fill in the blank with an element(s) that you would like to explore. Many of you will choose to explore his treatment of a specific theme, and that is fine, but know that you are not limited to theme here. Then, develop the idea.

Example:

In my SH5 essay I will explore Vonnegut’s treatment of the psychology of war.

Ultimately, my argument/so what will be born out of my close study of HOW V develops this idea (psychology of war) and WHY. Elements/Devices relevant to this treatment:

  • The Money Tree
  • Campbell’s monograph
  • Tralfamadorians as an allegory for religion (this one can be broken down quite a bit)
  • Billy as an antihero

Then, type out at least SIX pieces of evidence critical to illustrating/illuminating your discussion/argument. After analyzing each piece of evidence, answer the following question:  Why did you choose this evidence? This is the first step of the process! The more thought and effort you put into this, the easier the entire process will be.

Due 1/19: Slaughterhouse Five and More…

January 17, 2017 By

1. Slaughterhouse Five–Read and annotate Chapters 6 and 7.

2. Class Forum–Two Posts:

  • Post your introduction
  • Slaughterhouse Five Post

3. Vocab Quiz tomorrow!

4. Personal Vocab collection tomorrow.

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