If you get a chance to read this article, it is a text that can potentially be worked into your Final Reflection, alongside your response.

The America We Need

I never saw Hamilton, but very much appreciate the work of the writers, musicians, and performers here. Something lighthearted and American history-oriented for spring break.

https://www.npr.org/2020/04/06/828088183/hamilton-cast-reunites-for-emily-blunt-john-krasinski-and-one-lucky-9-year-old

Hi Everyone,

Welcome back. Here is your latest installment of American Literature! Below is your class video about modernist poetry (see syllabus at top of page; all poems are hypertext). You’ll also see a video of T.S. Eliot reading “Prufrock.”

1. You might want your notebook during the video, as it’s rather long, and it includes your assignment at the end.

2. Ask me questions! I am here! Feel free to respond to this post and question/comment on the video content!

3. I encourage completing the assignments and posting them  by April 10, so we can move on to the next readings.

If there is any MEDIA (photo, painting, video, etc) you want to add to your post, you can generate a new post by clicking on the + sign at the top of our page.

4. You might notice that Pound’s “In a Station of the Metro” resembles a haiku, though it doesn’t follow the rules. This is true! Pound was influenced by Japanese haiku.

5. When you post, let us know how you are doing, and what is getting you through these days. I have been going on walks to IKEA waterfront park and Valentino Pier in Red Hook; drinking chamomile tea; and tuning in to Governor Cuomo’s press conferences.

6. Before our next break 4/8, I will post about our class final project, not to worry.

Hi Everyone,

We’re now in our “recalibration period.” If you didn’t already post on “A New England Nun,” you have until April 2 to do so. On April 2, when we come back, I’ll post our next lesson, on modernist poetry (Pound, Williams, Eliot) and have updated info on our final project.

Remember the syllabus is at the top of our page, and it contains ALL of the readings, linked, so you can just click on a reading and see the text.

Until April 2, I leave you with a heartwarming video of the Rotterdam (Netherlands) Philharmonic performing Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy.” You’ll see each of the musicians is performing in isolation but is linked to each other through their earpieces. I think of our exchanges here in the same way, all contributing our distinct voices to create the single song of our class.

THANK YOU AND BE SAFE. I AM HERE FOR YOU.

Caroline

Dear Students,

Most importantly, I hope you are safe and sound. If you are dealing with illness, I hope you are resting and taking care of yourself. Definitely communicate with me if anything is going on and you need help or more time. Do not put extra pressure on yourself.

As always, I am here. Feel free to call me to chat at any time: 845-641-8897.

In terms of our class: you may have seen the communication from the CUNY Chancellor about a “recalibration period”, 3/27-4/1, and changing the spring break to 4/8-4/10.

This won’t really affect our class very much. You’ll see from the updated syllabus that this means we have more time for our readings, but in general we’ll proceed in the same fashion.

We are in a very anxious period and I fully understand the pressures many of us are facing. As a result, I have decided to meld together the final paper and final exam expectation– into ONE final project–so you have less on your plates.

I will figure this out. For now, just try to keep on track with the reading. The goal is to post twice a week: once a week in response to my question, once in response to a classmate’s comment. The posts can be done any day of the week. Also, be sure to fill out our google doc: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1kLN08YC66lIM05db6kj0eIklb5YPZzXmzgJAPmtqLnw/edit

This week we are posting on “A New England Nun”. So far Garnet had posted her thoughts on the story’s contrast with “Daisy Miller,” along with a character and theme analysis. You can add your thoughts here:

https://openlab.citytech.cuny.edu/eng2201/2020/03/24/mary-wilkins-freemans-a-new-england-nun/

Be safe.

CH

Hi Everyone,

Please check out my video on the new story for this week, Mary Wilkins Freeman’s “A New England Nun” (1891). You’ll see in the video that I pose some questions for us to post about here. Please comment (reply to this post) with your responses on Character, Setting, and the story title. I also ask for you to post favorite quotes from the story, and why you like them; how we can compare and contrast this story with gender roles in  “Daisy Miller”;  what you think of Louisa’s book pile, linen seams, tea service, needlework, and work basket; and what happens when Joe Dagget arrives at Louisa’s home.

You don’t have to answer all of these questions by any means– tackle a couple that interest you. To review, your tasks for this week:

1. Watch my video below

2. Post about the story

3. Read through your classmates’ responses and then respond to an observation here

4. Remember to fill in the Google Doc contact form (see my earlier post)

5. Remember to check out the UPDATED syllabus at the top of this page.

6. BE SAFE. I MISS YOU ALL

As we continue to discuss our course texts, we are keeping current events in mind. Here is an article from The New York Times. What do you think about this issue? What can we do about it?

Spit On, Yelled At, Attacked

Everyone,

I’m going to be setting up some (enjoyable!) group work so we can all reconnect a bit.

Please fill in your email on this Google Doc. The whole class will have access to it, with the idea that you can easily direct-message someone you’re paired with for an assignment.

PLEASE COMPLETE BY 3/24.

Class Contact Info

Everyone,

Please reach out to me immediately if going online and/or computer access is a problem for you. Now all computer labs on campus are closed, and CUNY has purchased some computers for students. Let me know RIGHT AWAY if you would like me to request a computer for you.

Free Internet Service for students: Internet providers are offering free internet services for students or removing data limits temporarily. Direct students to college website for details: https://www.citytech.cuny.edu/continuity/student.aspx

Library: While the Library does not plan to physically be open, their online resources are listed here: https://library.citytech.cuny.edu/

Online Tutoring:
The Writing Center: The online City Tech Writing Center is open and ready to help students with all writing assignments in all disciplines. Students should simply email CityTechWritingCenter@gmail.com  asking for assistance, and we will arrange a tutoring session.

Everyone,

During this anxious time it has been terrific to read your posts and hear your voices again (albeit in writing). Props to Garnet for kicking it off, and all of you for chiming in with your individual experience, insight, and wisdom.

Let’s pause for a second and consider the title of Chin’s collection (and the title of one her poems which many of you appreciated): Crossfire. What does it mean to be in the crossfire? Why does she use this title?

You probably noticed the shoutout in “Passing” to City Tech’s neighborhood– “it’s Jay Street- Borough Hall/ and my friend is in trouble/ someone takes the time to notice/ that the young boy is really a girl” (lines 19-22). Chin uses the act of walking in Downtown Brooklyn to talk about how we navigate public space and how some can “pass” or appear more normative (hetero/ cisgender ) .

To offer some more context about this: “Passing” is a concept that dates back several centuries. In the United States,  enslaved people were raped by whites, which meant that children were of mixed heritage. Today we would say biracial; in the 19th century, how white someone appeared could determine their fate as an enslaved or free person. “Passing” meant that someone lightskinned enough could pass as white. Today, thanks to DNA testing, greater awareness of the sins of our country, and programs like Henry Louis Gates’s  “Finding Your Roots” (has anyone seen this? check it out if you can), we know that all of us have very mixed heritage and people’s backgrounds are rarely as simple as we might think they are.

As a group we’ve pointed to many important themes in Chin’s poetry:

• Navigating identity and defying categorization; intersectionality
• Courage in being oneself
• Confronting and speaking out about sexual assault (several of you mentioned identifying with this important issue, or knowing people who do)
• Who is safe and who is endangered in our society
• Oppression and stereotypes
• Confronting marginalization and silencing of people of color, survivors of sexual abuse, women, LGBTQIA folks, queerness of any kind
• Xenophobia and racism–  (especially relevant in today’s world as we have a U.S. President calling the virus “Chinese”– perpetuating an us vs. them mentality instead of the absolute truth that we are all in this together)
• Familial love and loss–  (“Know When to Fold “)
• Sexuality
• Motherhood (“Zuri” is her daughter)– both literal and figurative. Chin is also interested in literary mothers as some of you observed. Audre Lorde, a New York poet who actually taught at City College in the 1960s, is a major influence.

I’m going to close here with Kenny Rogers’s “The Gambler,” the song Chin references in “Know When to Fold ‘Em.”  Rogers passed away this past Friday. RIP.

**Tuesday morning I’ll post on Freeman’s “A New England Nun”  and ask for our next round of posts. If you didn’t post yet on Chin, or want to respond to my wrap-up here, feel free to jump in.**

BE SAFE EVERYONE. I AM HERE FOR YOU. MISS YOU ALL!