FOR TOMORROW
1. Make certain that you've read Part II.  It it's been several days, please review it pretty carefully.

2. The original assignment was to have read Part III by today (Wednesday).  Well, it needs to be read for sure by Friday.  What we do with the rest of 2 AND 3 depends on everyone knowing how this turns out. No plot spoilers.  We need to know what Marlow knows as the "end of the story" to be more perceptive readers of his TELLING of the story.

TODAY IN CLASS
First, be sure that you read the information in yesterday's post concerning the thesis statements.

Today we looked in very explicit detail at both diction and imagery, including looking at a very different literary source (the first stanza of Anne Sexton's poem "Courage") for the word "wallowing."  We reviewed the concept that IMAGERY can imply in its most narrow sense the use of "sensory images" based of course on the five senses, but is often more broadly used as a catch-all term for figurative language of various sorts (simile, metaphor, personification, metonymy/synecdoche, etc.) We also explored the overlap between diction and imagery--it may be that important aspects of "imagery"--the implicit comparisons, analogies, or patterns--are in fact created at least in part by word choice.  Finally, we tried to be more explicit about the exact nature of Marlow's particular first impression as formed/shown by the language in the passage.

FOR MONDAY
Utilize what we did today to extend/improve the data-gathering/data-organizing for the "grove of death" passage outlined in yesterday's post.  For example, if you decide that "diction" is one possible device to consider, don't lump all the examples in one place.  Find patterns.  Put like material together, even if you don't have a sub-heading "name" for the group.

And be thorough.  Even though this passage is significantly longer than the previous one, the purpose of the listing out is to notice, display, and organize as much as you can. These will be stamped on Monday before you begin to work and will be collected for closer examination later.

ALSO--
By today, you were to have finished reading Part I, and Part II is due by Tuesday.  Those expectations have not changed.  But  "reading" in this case means just that; I understand that the style is dense and the understanding can be difficult, but the key is to read it first for the broad strokes, then go back and fill in with meticulous attention to selected passages. (Knowing more about where the text is headed helps you understand the immediate material better.) All of Part I is relevant to Monday's work.

TODAY IN CLASS
We discussed what a good thesis for a passage analysis paper should look like.  Groups suggested criteria, and did in fact include many aspects applicable to good writing.  However, we tried to refocus on some specific ways to strengthen a thesis statement for analyzing a specific passage.

Thesis statement for passage analysis, given a prompt that usually looks something this:

 Analyze how SOMETHING produces SOMETHING ELSE, for SOME REASON

               SOMETHING = specified devices OR generic direction

                              (style/language/literary devices, etc.)

               SOMETHING ELSE = tone, attitude (impression, reaction, etc.)

               For SOME REASON = some connection with the meaning of a work

                              as a whole; some connection with greater meaning or human

                              truth

Always be clear, concise, insightful—no matter what kind of writing you do! J

But for passage analysis, a good (rich, illuminating) thesis should

·        Pinpoint the effect/overall purpose (aspect of tone, attitude,

impression ) with precise language most relevant and applicable

to the passage under scrutiny. 

·        Identify the language features that produce the effect

o   If already specified in the prompt, the thesis MUST provide

significant “value added.” Insufficient to say “vivid imagery”

or “exact diction.”  Also weak to merely use range-finder

                  modifiers for positive/negative, overall “mood,” etc.  Connect

                  as closely as possible to the text at hand without offering

                  examples within the thesis itself.

o   If NOT specified in the prompt, and there are several to mention,

the thesis itself may not characterize each device or stylistic element

quite so explicitly.  You will need to look for devices or features of

language that seem to be significant.  Sometimes these are familiar

terms; you need to notice what features are at work, and simply make

sure that you do not merely "label and list" but rather show how they

operate to create the effect or result (tone/attitude/reaction, etc.) that

you're focusing on. 

o   But sometimes you need to probe what you see, lay out patterns, and

actually figure out what insights the "data" lead you toward; automatic

categories won't get you very far. (The skill here is akin to those number

sequencing questions on IQ tests; it is more of a discovery process with

a new text than a learned "pull a AP lit term out of the bag, label it, and

call it good").

FOR TOMORROW

You will get started an the raw material for a passage analysis that will reveal more about the "unspecified features to focus on" category, and even though some of what you see will fall easily into familiar categories, you won't capture the full value of the style and language without an open-ended, open-minded examination of the text.  You will be looking for patterns.

Everyone (individually) must prepare a chart of "data" for a longer passage than today's that we'll refer to as the "grove of death."  This passage is three paragraphs long. Treat the passage as a whole, but here are the beginning phrases for each of the three paragraphs:
"Black shapes crouched . . . "
"They were dying slowly . . "
"Near the same tree . . .  let his wooly head fall on his breastbone."

What you are to do--study the passage carefully.  Look for interesting details language--anything is "fair game." But then start to find useful patterns/categories that will help you find a way into the passage.  How much you annotate in the book or take notes elsewhere up to this point is UP TO YOU.

BUT here's what you need have with you tomorrow at the start of class (and will be stamped for later collection):
A chart or graphic organizer of some sort that you create that pulls together the "data" into useful categories.
The overall purpose will be to establish "how" the passage reveals Marlow's attitude towards the scene in front of him (especially the people). But the "data" will be the elements of language (however defined and sub-categorized into meaningful groupings) that you see in the passage.

Write down all the snippets that matter.
Don't try to cite sentences in full.
Don't worry about citations (page numbers); we know it comes from this passage.  That's sufficient for now.

TODAY IN CLASS
In both 1st and 5th the discussion focussed on filling in spots for which each class had diverged yesterday, trying to bring together the best of both sets of discussions.

Near the end of class, students annotated the short "boiler passage" just after Marlow leaves the Swedish steamer and heads toward his Company's station.  Then students wrote the thesis (thesis only) for a short analysis of how the diction and imagery of the paragraph reveal Marlow's first impression of Africa.

FOR TOMORROW
Read the rest of Part I.
For Monday:  Complete your reading of  Part II
For Tuesday:  Complete your reading of Part III

TODAY IN CLASS/TOMORROW
Essays turned in; should already be on turnitin.com.  Take care of any lapses.

Group work--more later (faculty meeting)

But DO look up "whited sepulchre" on biblegateway.com
Use the Keyword function, and be sure to scroll to King James (Authorized Version 1611) for the
translation.

We will quickly finish as whole-class what groups discussed today--

Be responsible for ideas re: the journey to Africa--no more group time for that.

We will pick up as Marlow arrives on the African continent.

No further reading assigned tonight, because you deserve a rest!

11:59 p.m. Tonight

 . . .is the on-time deadline for the 2nd short fiction essay.  If you miss it, the paper is late.  The world does not end.  Come to class anyway.  There will be important work that if not done in the groups will have to be done on your own.

Yes, hard copies due in class. 

Reminders: 

• Quotation marks for short works; italics for long.  The Metamorphosis can go either way.  (But don't leave it unmarked, as I did here.)
• Utilize only ONE SENTENCE for your complete thesis (main claim plus deftly-implied organization).  Get preliminary matters out of the way (including author/title, set-up essentials) before the thesis itself.
• Note the instructions for citing source for  this paper; see Perrine p. 20 and examples on p. 40 and p. 43.  Use (    ) with page number ONLY--not author-- for parenthetical citations

(And make sure you've eliminated the extra space in the MLA heading.  And of course make sure you are using the correct elements for each line.)

turnitin.com: Don't forget.

TODAY IN CLASS
Reading day for Heart of Darkness.  If you were not here, you should read for 40 minutes or so if at all possible . . . Major discussion expectations for tomorrow.

RE: the essays
Hard copy for Essay I was due in class today--make sure that you have submitted it to turnitin.com by tonight's deadline. 

Essay II
Try at least to settle on a topic/story by tonight.  Starting the data gathering would be even better. 

1.  See the newest formatting post (published during 5th period) on "The Chrysanthemums" if your first essay involves that story.

2.  Read and heed all the advice given in the Formatting post from early Wednesday morning.

3.  Bring Heart of Darkness to class with you on Thursday.

4.  Remember--hard copy due in class; submitted to turnitin.com by Thursday night deadline of 11:59 p.m.

Updated formatting-->"The Chrysanthemums"

Here is the source for your Steinbeck hand-out:
http://nbu.bg/webs/amb/american/4/steinbeck/chrysanthemums.htm

And no, it didn't have pagination.

Please use (Steinbeck) in your parenthetical citations, and use this format:

Steinbeck, John. "The Chrysanthemums." Web.  [Date of access.]<http://nbu.bg/webs/amb/american/4/steinbeck/chrysanthemums.htm>.

Formatting Supplement

GENERAL MATERIAL IN YOUR TEXTBOOK
There is, of course, excellent overall advice concerning writing about literature for different purposes and under different contexts in the Perrine text (3-16); that's why these pages were assigned at the beginning of the year.  But note especially Section VIII, concerning quotations (16-23); one overriding principle for the essays you're writing now is that you need to focus only on the exact material you need.  Introduce concisely; quote sparingly, honing in on the most crucial evidence in support of your claims.  Sections  X and XI are also useful reviews of material that you should know, and probably do, but are sometimes less than scrupulous in putting into practice.

DOCUMENTATION Section IX
1. Textual Documentation--Pay close attention to all of this part, but especially the list of reminders on pp. 24-25.  You are absolutely expected to adhere to these basic principles and guidelines. 
2. Parenthetical Documentation--note that what they're referring to here is what to do in papers that don't have a separate List of Works Cited.  This is what you'll do for the second paper.
3. Documentation by Works Cited--This is what you'll do for the first paper, but I'm going to direct you to one of two options that you would have even within a normal Works Cited page.

Here are the specifics, then.

CITATIONS
Another purpose of these paired short fiction essays is to practice different forms of citation.  Make sure you follow these instructions.

Essay I (Comparison/Contrast)
For this essay create two separate entries for your Works Cited page. This would be obvious if you're using the Kafka text as well as a story in Perrine, but it might not be your automatic choice if both stories come from the main textbook.  But for this essay, I want you to show that you understand this form.

Pattern:  See the Purdue OWL for this pattern: https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/06/
Scroll specifically to the directions and samples for A Work in an Anthology, Reference, or Collection.

(Yes, if both of your stories are in Perrine, there will be some duplicated typing here (but no, you aren't using an old type-writer--you can copy and paste!); obviously if  The Metamorphosis is one of your works, there would have to  be separate entries anyway. Each  (     ) citation will contain both author and page, e.g  (Baldwin 201).


Essay II (Single Work)
Whichever of the following situations applies to you, you will cite once using an in-text format.  All subsquent  (   ) citations will use the page number(s) ONLY.

If your story comes from the Perrine text, follow the examples given on p. 26 or in the short writing samples on p. 40 or 43.

If you are doing Kafka, follow the same pattern but obviously substitute the details of the book you have.

TODAY IN CLASS
Heart of Darkness
1st period--great discussion of several more paragraphs from the opening passage of the novella.  The bell rang before we solved the implications of "bearing the sword, and often the torch, messengers of the might within the land, bearers of a spark from the sacred fire."
5th period--because we just started today, we only got through paragraph four. And even on with that, we need to revisit the last sentence juxtaposed with the longer penultimate one.  How does this structure replicate the end of paragraph three?

FOR TOMORROW
Again, focus on the essay assignment from yesterday.  Last night you should have selected  the characters and gotten a very good start on gathering data for all required parts of the prompt, and perhaps even formulating a central thesis (or central thesis plus body thesis claims!). Tonight you should write a draft of the body of the paper.  It doesn't have to be perfect--you can tweak it tomorrow--and you can (and probably should) hold off on the full introduction and conclusion unless you are very sure of your content.


LOOKING AHEAD
So I doubt if most of you have time or brain space to move ahead to the other essay.  But this one might need a bit more "gel time"--the sort of random thinking/reviewing that students often do while more actively engaged in something else.  (Not recommended while driving.)  But here's what you can start considering.

Essay II:  Due Monday, Dec. 9--again, hard copy by class time, submitted to turnitin.com before the day is out (i.e. by 11:59 p.m. on Dec. 9).

For all topics--the assumption is that you will have to "discover" your thesis and then articulate it plainly after having done much of the hard work of gathering data and insights on the ideas given below. These are not "prompts"; they are general topics, sometimes with stories to use (or restrictions on what NOT to use), and sometimes open-ended with regard to the short fiction we have studied.  There is much to decide.  And you will need to refine and shape the scope of what you attempt, because this essay needs to have an absolute max of 750 words.  No expansion:  still try to include as much insight and and support as you can.  Do your best to write with economy while still maintaining clarity.

You DO need an introduction--engage the reader's attention and then move as expeditiously as you can to channel the reader's focus toward the thesis. You need a conclusion too, but keep it simple and direct.

Options:
Consider the use of fantasy in "The Magic Barrel," "Metamorphosis," or "The Rocking-Horse Winner." Make a case for how/why it is a crucial device in the story you choose.

Explore family dynamics in "Sonny's Blues" or "Metamorphosis" (restriction:  IF you wrote about Gregor earlier, do not choose Kafka).

We've seen that "setting" can do much more than merely establish time and place.  Explore all the uses of setting in whichever work you believe it is most important.

Characterization:  Delve deeply into "how" characterization is developed for one rich story. You can deal with several characters or just one--major or "important minor"--but definitely stick with just one work. (Do not use either "Miss Brill" or "The Chrysanthemums"--we spent too much time on that together.)

Humor OR Irony:  Consider one OR the other in the work for which you find it a compelling component.

TODAY IN CLASS
1.  Final "Metamorphosis" hand-out--note especially the questions that underscore the disjunct between the mundane family life and the grotesque impossibility of their situation.  KEEP--use as guidance in review later on.

2. A "cats and dogs" discussion meant to a) get you talking! :) and b) utilize simple "data" on which nearly everyone has an opinion to elicit some general criteria to set up as comparison contrast categories.  In this case, the only object was to estblish criteria by which the relative merits of dogs and cats as house pets could be measured by setting up a thesis which would produce three categories under which BOTH choices would be evaluated. (Ex: Although cats are easier to maintain, dogs provide both greater loyalty and more versatile forms of companionship.)

3.  Essay assignment--first essay due on Thursday.  (You'll get the second one tomorrow--due Monday.) Short Story Essay Assignment (I)

Since I used the analogy with Czerny piano exercises, here is just a "by the way" link to why the comparison seemed apt.  Note here http://pianoexercises.org/exercises/czerny/
that many of these are musical etudes; a word which comes from the French verb "study," and the descriptions repeatedly emphasize the word "technique" with varying practice objectives.

Your essay should be offer meaningful and insightful observations, but the particular comparative/contrast process here is meant to emphasize one specific technique.  There are others, of course--they are just not the ones we're focussing on here.

4. In 1st, about 20 minutes on the first few paragraphs of Conrad's Heart of Darkness, using a hand-out only.  We didn't get there in 5th. We will work with the just hand-out only for awhile tomorrow as well, so if you don't have a book with you yet, it won't be a problem. (This is a "level the playing field" proposition; I want you to think about the text without relying on extra notes.  And some people have simple straightforward texts without any notes--which is perfectly fine!)
By Wednesday, you really do need to have your book with you.

FOR TOMORROW
Decide on the character pair.  Start "data-mining" under each of the criteria. Jot down notes/even some quotes.  Include (Author + Page)as you go for easy reference later.  You won't have a solid thesis until you explore, sift, and compare closely.