1. Term Final–Complete first draft is due tomorrow. Please print and review the guidelines. Be sure to follow the essay guidelines. This stage of the writing process will be graded.
Archives for January 2017
Due 1/17: Slaughterhouse Five
January 13, 2017 By
1. Slaughterhouse Five–Read and annotate Chapter 5. Heads up: This is a long chapter (nearly 50 pages). Here, Vonnegut lays the satire on thick! Please be prepared to discuss the subject(s) of his satire and how he conveys the satire.
Here’s the list of devices/elements thus far: Please Print
2. (Due Jan. 26th) Satire/Parody Term Final: Remember, in addition to the visual element (i.e. film), you must also turn in a written component (i.e. script).
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.
Due 1/17: Slaughterhouse Five and More
January 11, 2017 By
Tomorrow, we continue with a discussion of Chapters 3 and 4. Please be prepared to do so.
1. Slaughterhouse Five–Read and annotate Chapter 5. Heads up: This is a long chapter (nearly 50 pages). Here, Vonnegut lays the satire on thick! Please be prepared to discuss the subject(s) of his satire and how he conveys the satire. Again, keep in mind:
- Irony
- Vonnegut’s atheism and humanism
- Free Will/Determinism/Fatalism
- Vonnegut’s personal life
Here’s the list of devices/elements thus far: Please Print
2. Intro evaluation–You will be given the intro in class tomorrow.
Due 1/19: Poet Study
January 9, 2017 By
Reminder: BE SURE TO TURN IN ESSENCE POEMS TOMORROW IF YOU HAVE NOT DONE SO.
1. Poet Study–Complete first draft is due tomorrow. Be sure to follow the essay guidelines. This stage of the writing process will be graded.
General Requirements:
- 5-7 pages
- 3 sources
General Formatting:
- Double-spaced; size 12 font; Times New Roman or similar
- .75 margins on both left and right sides
- All pages beyond the first page should be numbered. Page numbers should be placed at the bottom right of each page.
- No Cover Page. Include name, Class Band, and Date
- Be sure TITLE reflects the theme of the essay
- Include Title, Author, and General Theme of work in first paragraph of essay…
- Follow MLA guidelines
Order of Arrangement:
- Final Draft on top. Staple or fasten with a paperclip.
- 1st Draft—with significant corrections made + name and signature of reader
Avoid the Following:
- Avoid Pronouns: I, it, you, me, we, us
- Avoid Troublesome language. DO NOT USE ANY of the following words: it, these, this, those, kind of, almost, seems, maybe, like, then, later, eventually, basically, so, many, a lot, things, due to the fact (or any variations of the fact that), in reality, very, really, forms of the verb “to be”
- In the intro, nix all book-review commentary—i.e. “is fascinating, interesting…”
- Be extremely careful with your use of all words…yet, for these words in particular, don’t think they are cheap: Truth, Beauty, Love, Nature, Reality
- Avoid gross existential generalizations; remember, we learned early on that to come to a set definition of existentialism would be difficult if not impossible. Remember, the various existential schools of thought—those whom we’ve covered (i.e. Nietzsche, Kierkegaard, Schopenhauer, Sartre, Dostoyevsky) and those whom we have had briefly touched on in précis presentations (i.e. Jaspers, de Beauvoir, Heidegger, Camus, etc.). These individuals help to define our context, so once again, avoid the generalizations.
Keys to Good Writing:
- Cohesion—Every sentence fits together; paragraphs flow smoothly. Ensure that the entire discussion comes together as one unified discussion of your text and its context.
- Concision—Less is more. Use fewer words to explain yourself. Begin fusing sentences by merging ideas into tightly knit phrases.
- Precision—Accuracy. Use words that accurately capture what you mean. Don’t settle for words or expressions that come close.
- Coherence—Does your essay make sense? Are your ideas organized in a logical sequence? Do you prove your thesis? Do the parts contain the essence of the whole?
Due 1/10: Term Final
January 9, 2017 By
1. Starting tomorrow, we will spend class time working toward the term final. Please come to class prepared to work on either the insight paper or the context paper. Deadlines:
Insight Paper: Due 1/13
Independent Research Paper:
First Draft due 1/19
Final Draft due 1/25