Work, Language and Identity

For Monday, bring in TWO PAPER COPIES  of the first 500 words of your “portrait of a word”essay. If you lost the essay assignment, HERE is another copy.  JUST DOING THIS ROUGH DRAFT AND BRINGING IT IN IS 20% OF YOUR PAPER GRADE.  That’s it! That’s all you have to do! Bring in the full 500 words printed out on paper (two copies) ON TIME to class on Monday!

So, what am I looking for?

Content: I want to know why the word is important to you and your community and why the reader should care! (Coates wanted readers to know that “for all their guns and their gold” some words do not belong to white folks. Diaz wanted readers to know that whether or not you believe in the fuku, it believes in you.)

YOU DO NOT HAVE TO QUOTE DIAZ OR COATES. You do have to bring in outside research– either by way of quotation or summary. But this paper cannot be only about your own experience. This is about YOU and YOUR COMMUNITY in the world.  You need at least three outside sources. We will review proper citation on Monday. Just put the summary or quotations in there (and make a note of where you got them from). IF YOU DID NOT WRITE A SENTENCE OR PHRASE OR PARAGRAPH, MAKE SURE YOU PUT IT IN QUOTES AND MAKE A NOTE OF WHO DID WRITE IT!!

note: you can choose what kind of language to use, as it says in the essay assignment. You do not need to use both informal and formal language. Choose which one works best!

Structure: In class, I drew some CRAZY diagrams on the board. Here’s the deal: Diaz wrote in a storytelling structure; he built and built and built up to his point (the fuku believes in you!) Coates wrote in more of a traditional essay structure. I don’t care which one you write in– it’s up to you to decide which you think works best (or even if another works best.) I will tell you what I DON’T want, though: “You can use Hella to mean _____. You can also  use hella to mean ________ or you can use it to mean ____.” In other words, I don’t want a structure that just stands still and doesn’t get to any point ever.

Remember the most important question– WHY SHOULD THE READER CARE? You might not directly come out and say “This is why this should matter to you” but the reader should not be left wondering, “so what?”

 

For Weds, I want you to finish the research of your word, and AROUND your word. That is, make sure you are researching not only the main topic (the word itself) but also subtopics. For example, if your word is “gangsta,” then you might research not only where that word comes from, but a person you think is particularly gangsta. Or gangsta rap. Or the ways in which politicians call young people of color “gangsters” to instill fear.

Please bring in paper copies of the articles you FIND USEFUL and would use in your papers to class on Wednesday– at least three USEFUL articles (NOT wikipedia. That is a fine place to start, but not a great place to finish.) The OED entry counts as one article, if you think that is something you might use.

This might be helpful for those of you using Spanish words: Spanishetym.com

First of all, we will meet on Monday at the front of the library– on the fourth floor!!  You need to come prepared with the idea of the word (or short phrase) that you intend to use for your “Portrait of a Word” essay! Remember this word does not need to be in English, or in proper English (it could be in slang, in Spanish, in Spanglish, in Urdu, in your work jargon, in the private language you and your siblings used to speak– whatever!) It should be the word that belongs to a group of people you belong to, though, not a broad word like “love” or “family,” but a word that INCLUDES some people and that other people don’t fully understand.  If you’re kind of lost about a word, think about the groups you’re a part of (friend groups, family, religious groups, ethnic groups, work groups) and what language is important to those groups. The best way to find a word important to you will be to PAY ATTENTION  to yourself talking and the people around you talking. What words stand out to you? Look in your favorite song lyrics. Is there a word or short phrase you remember your grandmother (or other relative) always saying to you? Ask your mom your first word. Ask your sister/ best friend/ boyfriend/ girlfriend what words or phrases they associate with you.

For homework: in your journals, write at least 1/2 page about what you KNOW about this word or phrase. Write at least another 1/2 page about you WANT to know. Then do ten minutes of research about the word (time it!) Then write a half page about what you LEARNED from your research. The final step is the PLUS (+) Write 3-4 sentences about what you still want to know about this topic.

Remember, you can write and research AROUND the word– Coates writes about the history of his word in the NFL. Diaz writes about the history of his word in the DR and with the Kennedy’s. You probably don’t want to just research the history of the word itself. If you are having a hard time writing enough about the word, you might want to pick a different word!

If you are totally stuck, you can pick a word off this list, or use it for ideas:

• Zombie (I forgot to tell you guys that zombies are actually real. Look it up!)
• Bitch (much like Coates’ essay, I think that this one is a word only women should attempt)
• Kleptocracy
• Dictator
• Censorship
• Narcissist
• Wildin (look up history of the word “wilding”)
• Woke
• Bodega
• Shlimazel (if you don’t know what it means, don’t write about it.)
• Chilango/a (again, if you don’t know what it means, don’t write about it.)
• Drop a dime (in old time language, this meant to rat someone out to the police)
• Grifter (a con-man, someone who is trying to pull tricks to get money)
• Swagger
• Gangster/ gangsta

1. Read and annotate excerpt from The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao. You must also read the footnotes– the little stuff at the bottom of the page! (If you missed class on Monday, please come pick up a copy of the reading from outside my office (525 Namm.) They will be in a hanging file folder next to the door of the office. Also in this folder are the assignment sheets for essay #2 ” A portrait of a word.” Please take one and read it. )
2. In your journals, write 1/2 a page about what you KNOW after reading the Oscar Wao excerpt. In other words, what did you learn from reading this? Be SPECIFIC!!
3. Then, write another 1/2 page about what you WANT to know after reading this. Here, I’m asking you to write about things you could research.  Did Diaz say something about Trujillo or the DR that you want to hear more about? Was there something else you were curious about? Again, you need to be specific. You can’t just say “I want to know more about Trujillo.” What, specifically, would you like to know that you didn’t find out from reading this excerpt?

Note: Paper 2, “A portrait of a Word,” will be due on Oct 31. You do not need to know what word you’re going to use yet, but you will need to know by Monday, Oct 22.

Hey everyone– good job on the midterm!  Your homework for the weekend is to read and annotate “In Defense of a Loaded Word” by Ta-Nehesi Coates (which I handed out on Wednesday) and to answer the 4 questions on the back of the packet.

Don’t worry, you won’t be asked to write an essay about this article, though I do expect you to read it thoughtfully. Also, an important note: it might make the conversation slightly difficult, but I don’t want us to use the word Coates is writing about in class. He goes into pretty great detail as to why people who aren’t black shouldn’t use it, and it certainly isn’t my intention to offend anyone with this conversation. So we’ll need to tread lightly.

Hi everyone. We have an exam on October 10. It will take the entire class. If you cannot make the exam, you must tell me before hand, and you must provide official verifiable proof. You must also take an alternate version of the exam.

There is no official homework, but you will want to prepare for the midterm. But what are some ways you might do that?

1. READ THE ZOMBIE ARTICLE! ANNOTATE! REREAD! (YOU MUST BRING THIS WITH YOU TO THE EXAM)
2. REVIEW THE QUOTATION HANDOUT! (YOU MAY BRING THIS WITH YOU TO THE EXAM.)
3. Think about the kind of questions I will probably ask. You will have a choice of two questions. They will both ask you about 1. The text (Zombie Article) 2. The reader (You) and 3. The World (something about the world outside of the text.)
4. Practice writing thesis statements. What kind of thing could you write about that would be interesting enough that you can write about it for an hour? That you can make multiple points about it? You don’t want something too huge or too small. I know this sounds ridiculous, but this would be VERY helpful.
5. You totally don’t have to do this, but for fun, you could watch a monster movie. Or go down some internet research wormhole looking up monsters!

Remember, I am not looking for the “right answer.” There IS NO RIGHT ANSWER (which is a drag, I know.) I am looking for YOUR answer. I am looking for your thoughtful response to the question (which will have to do with your thoughts on Klostermann and how we as Americans view monstrosity) backed up with Points, Information and Explanation. 

You may bring the following with you: The Zombie article, the quotation handout and the monster story you wrote. However, do not feel obligated to use your previous writing– it could kind of mess you up to try to make it fit. This is just a resource.

You may listen to music while you write if you like as long as no one else can hear it. 

(tips on writing the actual essay are below meeting times)

OFFICE HOURS

My office is in Namm 525. This is on the 5th floor. Once you get off the elevator, you will see some vending machines. Behind the vending machines is a little hallway. Go in and take a left. There is my office! Please note: these are my meetings for both classes.  Please email me if you would like to make an appointment.

OFFICE HOURS WEDS OCT 4

• 10:30 Andy Huang
• 11:15 Cloyde
• 11:30 Giovanni
• 12:00 Michael
• 12:15 Jonathan Alexander
• 12:45 Hend
• 3:30 Kelvin

OFFICE HOURS TUESDAY OCT 9

• 1:30 Omrit
  1:45 Mohammad
  2:15 David

TIPS FOR EXAM DAY BEFORE YOU START THE ESSAY: 

1. Read and re-read the essay question.
2. If it helps you, brainstorm ideas.
3. Write a thesis. Revise it. Make sure it’s “the right size.” Is it a statement? Is it worth discussing? Are YOU interested? Do you have points you can make to support it? This is the key to an in-class exam, finding a thesis that fits.
4. Brainstorm some points that fit your thesis. On scrap paper, put these in order. Leave some space under each
5. Brainstorm some information to back up each point. When you write, you will also EXPLAIN these points and information. Why is it important? What do YOU think? What do you want your reader to think? If it helps you, jot down some ideas about explanations. It’s also okay to wait on this part (as long as you do it in the actual essay.
6. Take a second to make sure that your supporting points back up your thesis. If not, do you need to change a point? Or tweak your thesis a bit?
7. Take a breath. And get started!

I will not be grading the pre-writing you do. But I guarantee you that if you just sit down and spill out everything on your mind, your essay won’t make any sense. If you give a moment to think of your thesis and your main Points (and Info and Explanations,) you will know what your paragraphs will look like. Be willing to let your ideas change as you write. The outline just gives you a place to begin and go back to if you get stuck. 

Hello, people! For class Wednesday, please:

1. Print out, read and annotate this article (CLICK HERE). This is the article you will be writing your midterm exam on.
2. Review the quotation handout. Then, using the zombie article and following the rules outlined in the quotation handout, write a paragraph in which you introduce a quote, summarize it and analyze it. POST THIS PARAGRAPH TO “DOCS” ON THE WEBSITE BY CLASS TIME WEDNESDAY!

EXAM: Please remember that the Midterm Exam will be on Wednesday, October 10. You MUST take this exam in order to pass this class, just as you MUST turn in every major paper in order to pass this class. Only absences accompanied by doctor’s notes or other official documentation AHEAD OF TIME will be considered.

Remember there is an exam on Oct 10. If you miss it, you fail it. You need a VERIFIABLE EXCUSED absence (not just “hey something came up” but a doctor’s note, court summons, etc.) to take the exam at a later date.

For Monday:

1. print out, read and annotate STUDENT ESSAY ONE  in files  (Click HERE to be taken to the FILES page). The text of the essay is also listed below, but I would like you to print it out from the files page please, so that we are all looking at the same page numbers.
2. write a one page story of your relationship with a monster to bring to class on Monday. This can be a non-human monster (Dracula, the Cookie Monster, etc) or a human monster (maybe you were obsessed with reading about Hitler) but it should be ONE monster, and it should MATTER to you. You can write, like Lynda Barry did, about how your family talked about this monster, you can describe the monster in detail, you can write about how you hid under the covers, you can talk about what the monster did, whatever. One page. Handwritten or typed.

 

Here is the student essay:

 

Vocational Skills

Living in a world where both white collar and blue collar jobs exist, it is important to not favor one over the other, but to incorporate both to benefit workers as well as students who will soon become workers. White collar jobs are those of administrative skills while blue collar jobs require physical labor as well as manual skills. One collar is not better than the other, they both help the economy and give individuals jobs to make a living according to their skill set. Reintroducing vocational skills in schools will better prepare students for the real world and allow the to have more opportunities with multiple acquired skills.

Manual labor has changed over the course of time due to the introduction and development of technology. The need for manpower is not as greatly needed today as it once was before as the result of new development in machinery, which now requires less manual operation affecting the population of blue collar jobs as there is less of a need for physical labor. Crawford emphasizes that “the degradation of work in the last century is often tied to the evils of technology in one way or another.” It is for this reason that blue collar jobs are not seen as useful or more popular compared to white collar professions. Our world has become so technologically advanced that we solely rely on technology and the need for manual labor becomes less and less with every passing year. We forget that years before technology, our ancestors used their hands to get the job done and there was no separation of professions as white or blue collar, work was work, mostly all of which was manual labor whether it was working on the farm or creating tools by hand.

With manual labor comes of course a possibly higher salary to pay employees. Labor time is not of importance in the eyes of employers, but rather the amount of money they have to spend on their employees. To work manually requires lots of time, patience and practice. To be a man of manual labor also comes certain required skills and oftentimes a certified degree to show proof that one holds the skills necessary for the job. Crawford puts this as “the concern is rather with labor cost,” in the eyes of the employers instead of labor time and because of this skilled workers are being replaced by unskilled workers since they operate at a lower rate of pay. To operate factories in these conditions is becoming the new reality of today, our blue collar jobs are disappearing as a result of not continuing to instill vocational classes in schools.

In schools today, “manual trades are given little honor,” as stated by Crawford. Crawford continues to agree with this statement by pointing out there is a “fear that acquiring a specific skill set means one’s life is determined,” which is certainly not true. One’s life is truly never determined until they decide it is. The purpose of shop class is to not force students to become blue collar workers, but rather to give them more skills to add to those they already have. In addition, students can learn a new craft that might adhere to their liking and possibly give them a new purpose for a career path to follow. To be apart of a vocational skill class gives students new opportunities to learn more about themselves and to appreciate the work they put out into the world no matter how big or small it may be, just as Crawford realized while working as an electrician. His work was never seen because it was behind the walls, but once the lights came on he was able to see how much his work was appreciated by others.

From personal observation, I have noticed that many other places outside of New York City incorporate vocational skill classes without the institution having to be a trade school. The primary focus of a vocational skill class is to have students prepare for a specific work or trade as one of cousins did. While in high school, my cousin who lives in Pennsylvania took a woodworking class that was designed to give students the chance to work with their hands. Students were graded not so much on what their final project looked like, but the amount of effort they put into their work as well as the skills they used to create this work. Moreover, my cousin had no interest in woodworking until he took this class, his career goal was to be a sheriff which is what he is continuing to pursue. He was able to create works that he never thought were possible for him to do such as a birdhouse and a corner shelf. With this new acquired skill, my cousin can make a side job or even a hobby with his woodworking skills.

Both blue and white collar jobs have value to society. It is our blue collar workers who manufacture, engineer, and even build the structures where white collar jobs exist. Our white collar workers often times hold the administrative office positions that operate many of the blue collar companies and factories. “If genuine knowledge work is not growing but actually shrinking, because it is coming to be concentrated in an ever-smaller elite, this has implications for the vocational advice that students ought to receive.” In making this argument, Crawford supports the need for vocational skills to be reintroduced to students because blue collar professions are disappearing and there is a need to reinstall genuine knowledge into schools today. With genuine knowledge comes genuine passion, something every person should have regardless of their collar of profession. There needs to be a balance of individuals in each collar to not have either one disappear, as a result there can be a decrease in the need for artificial intelligence and an increase in workers.

Reintroducing vocational skills classes in schools can provide students with many opportunities outside of white collar professions. Being able to learn a specific skill is not a bad thing, it is something to be proud of to say you have mastered a specific skill that many others have not got the chance to master. Better preparing students with manual skills, leads them to have a brighter future. In a world like the one we live in today, being multi-talented in different fields of work is beneficial, vocational skills can just be one of many starting opportunities.

 

 

Hello, everyone– essay one is due BY CLASSTIME on Monday. Please cut and paste a copy of your file to this website HERE.  Note that below the text box there is a small box that says “tags.” Please add one tag that says “Crawford.” Please add another tag with your name. Please also bring a paper copy to class.  The essay prompts are listed in the post beneath this one (For Monday Sept 17.) You will choose ONE of the four prompts.

Your essay should:

Answer one of the essay prompts

Be at least 900 words (this is approx 4 pages typed and double spaced in a 12 point font.)

Have AT LEAST two quotes by Crawford (though I suggest more) that you introduce, summarize, and–most importantly– analyze. If you feel confused about what this means, look over the quotation handout. Remember, your reader needs to know WHAT the quotes mean to you, WHY you’ve chosen the quotes that you have, and HOW you feel about those quotes. I’m not looking for the “right” answer. I’m looking for YOUR answer– I want to know what Crawford’s writing means to you. I want to know how you feel about work, education and labor.

Be organized. This is going to mean different things for different people, but if you get stuck, you can think about the P-I-E structure we talked about in class. That is, in each paragraph, you want:

P-Point (what is the main thing you want your reader to take away from this paragraph?)

I- Information (how can you support this point? You don’t need to prove it, necessarily, but if you’re making a claim that blue collar labor is more lucrative than white collar labor, how can you convince your reader of this? you can’t just throw that out there and hope it sticks! You need something from the news, or something from personal experience, or a quote from Crawford that helps support this point.)

E-Explanation. (Why is this information important? How does it relate to your point? You need to explain to your readers what you mean! If you use a quote, you need to explain why you chose it and how you feel about it. Same with a story from your own life.) 

Try, too, to think about how your paragraphs string together. What points best follow the others?

Also, make sure you run spell check! Also make sure you indent properly between paragraphs! 

1. As always (and as stated in the syllabus) if you show up to rough draft day without a rough draft, you will get marked as absent! This is because we just can’t do the work without it!
2. Print out your rough drafts.

OKAY, HERE’S THE HOMEWORK (there are 3 parts, so keep reading!)

First, I would like you to write 2 pages (typed, 12 point font of a normal size) of what we are calling a “Sh&^tty First Draft.” According to Anne Lamott, in a “Shitty First Draft,” you, “let is all pour out and then let it romp all over the place, knowing that no one is going to see it and that you can shape it later… You just get it all down on paper because there may be something great in those crazy pages that you would never have gotten to by more rational, grown up means.” When she describes her process, she says: “I’d start writing without reining myself in. I was almost just typing, just making my fingers move.” What I’m saying here, is: write. Don’t worry about it too much. Get started.

So what should you write about? You’ll be writing about “Shop Class as Soulcraft, of course.” Please choose ONE of the following four essay questions and write about it for at least two pages. Print it out and bring it to class.

1. Do you think that schools should reintroduce vocational skills classes to prepare students for opportunities outside of white collar professions? Why or why not?Be sure to get specific—use examples from your own life, the lives of those you know or the media. Also, make sure your own claims are in conversation with Crawford’s (that is, if you make a claim that blue collar labor is useless, then find a quote of Crawford’s on the subject of blue collar labor with which you can agree or disagree.)
2. Crawford says,” The hard-headed educator will say that it is irresponsible to educate the young for the trades, which are somehow identified as the jobs of the past.” How have your experiences with education affected your own feelings toward labor, and how is this similar to or different from Crawford’s opinion on labor?Be sure to GET SPECIFIC—both in quotes from the text, and in personal experiences and beliefs.
3. How does your community feel about the dichotomy between “white collar” and blue collar labor? Where do you think these biases toward one type of work come from—and how do they compare to Crawford’s biases? Note: it is up to you to define “your community,” but you will need to define what group of people you are talking about—your family? Eastern European immigrants? Etc..
4. What effect does Crawford’s writing style have on you as a reader? How does his use of vocabulary and sentence structure add to or diminish from his main argument? You can think here about whether you can “read between the lines” That is, are you learning one thing from what Crawford says, but something else from HOW he says it? AGAIN, as always, be specific, using quotes from the text

(part 2) PLEASE ALSO READ AND ANNOTATE “‘As He Himself Puts It’ The Art of Quoting,” which I handed out in class.

(part 3) PLEASE CHOOSE AT LEAST THREE QUOTES FROM “SHOP CLASS” THAT PERTAIN TO THE ROUGH DRAFT OF THE ESSAY YOU’VE WRITTEN IN PART ONE. This will be helpful to you in writing your final draft. In other words, if you’re writing about Crawford’s style, find three quotes in which his style seems worth discussing. If you’re writing about blue collar labor, find three quotes about that. You don’t need to do anything with them, but you WILL need to use them in class on Monday, so have ’em marked clearly!