November 3, 2010 Archives

First, we'll do an in-class writing activity, and discuss "Why I Wrote 'The Yellow Wallpaper.'"

We'll discuss the bibliography assignment, and we'll have our poetry slam.

After the break, we will work on Ex 5 (due online, Nov 15).  Bring your laptops. (If you don't have a SHU laptop, but you do have a laptop, bring it... I'll do what I can to get you set up.)

A list of sources for Paper 2. At least 6 sources, including at least 1 primary source (the literary work you are studying), and at least 4 peer-reviewed academic sources.

You may post the list on your blog, in a comment on this page, or just bring a printout to class.

Use proper MLA style for bibliography entries.

Present 3-4 minutes of poetry for the class (you don't need to memorize any of it)
Share 1-2 pages of notes, as part of a 3-4 minute class discussion. 

You may choose

• any Emily Dickinson poem that we have not already read in class (that means, please do not choose any poems from the "Nature" section that was assigned earlier in the term), or
  

• any Edgar Allan Poe poem (I suggest you start with The Raven and Other Poems)

Update: You may choose several short poems, from one or both authors, or you may choose an excerpt from a longer poem. However you end up with between 3 and 4 minutes of reading time is fine with me.

Preparation

Bring to Class

• Printout of the poems (to project as you read; this will greatly help the class focus on the content of the poem)
• Printout of 1-2 pages of notes (for you to hand to me when you finish your presentation)
• Sample close reading demonstration (demonstrate your ability to make a point by calling our attention to a specific passage in one or more poems)
• Discussion question (what do you feel is worth discussing?)

In Class

• Be engaging. You don't have to memorize the poem. You may prepare a recording, or you may recite your selection(s) live.
• Choose unlikely poems. (I'm banning Poe's "The Raven" and Dickinson's "The Chariot".)
• Don't worry about being "right."  Just focus on how your oral presentation follows from the poems themselves. (You might, for instance, look at style, word choice, imagery, symbolism, genre, and/or anything covered in any chapter of Foster's How To Read Literature...) 

Evaluation

I plan to be generous. Think of this activity as a dry run for Ex 5.  Here are the areas where I will give you feedback.

Printouts

• Excellent: Complete and legible
• Weak/unacceptable: Incomplete or hard-to-read

Notes

• Excellent: Clear, insightful, deep, organized;
  
• Acceptable: careful, varied, thoughtful
• Weak: disorganized, random, spotty
  

Update: More about the content of the "notes" section.  The notes can include lists or an outline of taking points; I would prefer a list of brief statements, rather than a full-blown essay. You can write it informally, just as you would a blog entry. Your notes should demonstrate the breadth of ideas you have found when you analyzed the words.  If you find interesting cultural or historical references, or you find possible connections to the poet's life, make sure any such details are there to serve and support the ideas you find in the writing itself.

(You do not need to answer every one of these questions, but here are some questions to consider: What do you want to say about the poetry you chose? What do you hope the class will comment on? To what details will you direct the attention of the class, and how will you encourage them to think about the issues you want to discuss? What direct questions will you ask the class, and what variety of answers do you think you might get? Do the questions you want to ask the class have an obvious answer? Will the class think you are fishing for a specific "correct" answer, or will the class think you are actually interested in their own interpretations? How will you react if the class offers an interpretation that differs from the one you chose? What do you hope the class will take away from the experience?)

Sample Close Reading

• Excellent: Insightfully and unexpectedly linked to your main point
• Acceptable: Clearly and productively connected to your main point
  
• Weak: Loosely connected, with a focus on summary, personal opinions, praising or scolding the author or characters, etc.

Discussion Question (see also the prompts in the "notes" section, above)

• Excellent: Generates debate. Provides the class with new information to apply to the work(s) you chose.
• Acceptable: Encourages the class to return to the text for evidence.
• Weak: May be an obvious or limited ("yes/no") answer; may invite personal feelings or plot summary rather than literary analysis
  

Engagement

• Excellent: Clear voice, good use of space (including eye contact, physical motions, interaction with classmates), and an insightful, challenging, well-supported main point
• Acceptable: Audible voice; not reading word-for-word from a page; evidence of personal commitment to this project
  
• Weak: Hard to hear (I may have to ask you to speak up more than once); little or no interaction with class

Bring annotated texts (2-3 poems, OR 300-500 words from a prose passage) that explain and support your interpretation.

This is advance work for Ex 5, due Nov 15.