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HW + Reading Questions for September 12; Blog groups

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Dear class,

Thanks for a stimulating discussion pf “Everyday Use.”  I encourage you to keep practicing your literary analysis skills on the blogs + comments!

 

  1. HW

Please note the following. Again, the HW includes a suggested breakdown of how to spend your prep time.

Read “Rip Van Winkle,” taking notes and using reading questions as a guide (1.5 hrs); blog, or comment on the blog (45 mins-1 hr); look over class notes, in preparation for your closed book quiz on the Elements of Fiction (30 mins).

 

2. READING QUESTIONS AND PROMPTS FOR “RIP VAN WINKLE”

The following are questions intended to guide your reading.  Read them before you start the story and use them to take notes.

Group 2 is posting by 5 pm on Sunday evening; the rest of the class has until 10 am the following morning to post their comment.

[NOTE: Commenters, please remember that you only are responsible for 1 comment per week – you can post either for Monday or Wednesday.]

Group 2: please remember to a) submit your entry as a new Post (“Posts”—>”Add New”) and b) pick the Category corresponding to your prompt (clue, connect, create) before you post.

A. Whereas “Everyday Use” was written in first person narration, “Rip Van Winkle” is written in third person narration.  Look for moments when the third person narration gives you knowledge that would be unavailable in a first-person narrative.                                           

 Blog prompt: Clue. How does the difference between 3rd- and 1st-person narration make “RVW” a different kind of reading experience from “Everyday Use”?  Refer directly to at least one quote from either story, explaining how that quote offers a clue to understanding the difference between the stories.

B.  Look for key phrases that Irving uses to describe the wilderness.  What effect do these descriptions have on your experience of the story?

Blog prompt: connect.  Pick a narrative you know that’s set in the wilderness – a fairy tale, novel, story, or even film.  How does RVW’s wilderness experience resemble, or contrast with, that narrative?  Refer directly to at least one quote from the story.

C.  During class, we spent some time talking about the personality of Diedrich Knickerbocker.  What is his attitude towards the events that he is recounting?

Blog prompt: create.  Write a diary entry from Knickerbocker’s perspective, in which he considers whether the village that Rip Van Winkle returns to is better, or worse, than the one he left.  (As you create this dialogue, have the characters refer directly to at least one quote from the story.) Then, in a few brief sentences, explain how/why your dialogue is directly grounded in the story.

 

3.  BLOG GROUPS

Please verify the group to which you are assigned, and keep a note for your records.  To see when your group is scheduled to do the Blog Post, consult the Reading Schedule.

Blog Group 1: Jonabell, Xiara, Minorka, Chandrica/Chris, Natalie

Blog Group 2: Randy, Luis, Tiffany Carmona, Katherine, Haris

Blog Group 3: Michael Acosta, Esmeralda, David, Brandon, Claudiu, Jonathan

Blog Group 4: Kimberly, Michael Mendoza, Thanvir, Margarita

Blog Group 5: Tiffany Taveras, Antonio, Jordan, Fahim, Melissa

Blog Group 6: Rafael, Christopher, Elidania, Aaron, Tenzin

 

Blog post “every day use” by Alice walker

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After reading “ everyday use” by Alice walker, these are some of the clue I found interesting to analyze.
“orchids are tacky” this is one clue where it can definitely means how the relationship between Dee and her mother was. Although Dee always got to do anything she wanted to Maggie felt like she had to hide in corners with her scars. So even the sisters relationship.
“river of make-believe” most of the time they were living in a lie with Dee. Dee always felt kind of ashamed of the way her mother and Maggie lived that most of the time she would not bring her friends. She was ashamed of how her mom didn’t have any education. She was only good at doing man’s job.
“lizards disappearing” this is the description of Dee’s hair. It’s how’s that it is straight and nice just like a city girl would have her hair, although maggie’s hair was never like that. Dee was more of a fancy girl.
“Your heritage” in this word is everything on how Maggie would most likely keep the tradition in her family alive by wearing her great grandmother create which is what made Dee so upset because really wanted to have them but not for the same intensions. That’s why Dee put her sunglasses and got in her car and left. She would argue that Maggie would probably destroy the dresses just by wear them at home and washing it the wrong way. She believed she would do a better job would them, but her mother didn’t think the same way. That’s why the mother turn to Maggie and kissed her in the forehead to indicate that she will do a great job no matter what the others will say. After that Maggie had a beautiful smile in her face showing that she wasn’t really scare anymore, she was more like happy that her mother felt that way

Connect “Everyday Use”

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Alice Walker’s, “Everyday Use” is a piece of literature that embodies varies literary elements such as, introduction, rising action, climax, falling action and style to help readers better comprehend the writing as a whole. Walker tells the story from the point of view of Mama, who is the mother of Dee and Maggie. The climax of Walker’s story is when Mama said, “when I looked at her like that something hit me in the top of my head and ran down to the soles of my feet. Just like when I’m in church and the spirit of God touches me and I get happy and shout”. Before I get into why Mama felt that way, let’s backtrack a bit. Dee returned home with the intent to only acquire some quilts that clearly has deep meaning for the family. The quilts are a symbol of their heritage and Dee wants to take the quilts that are supposedly meant for Maggie. Dee insults Mama and stated that Maggie shouldn’t be handed down the quilts because she “can’t appreciate these quilts!” The climax, which I stated before, is the emotional high point of the story because that’s when Mama realizes that Maggie was willing to give up the quilts to her sister, who has gotten everything before in life. Mama then feels for Maggie and tells Dee to take the other two quilts that wasn’t Maggie’s and leave. Mama gives the precious family heirloom to Maggie, despite Dee asking for them. A lot of people can relate to the Walker’s climax because most people have had a dramatic or suspenseful event in their life. One climatic moment I have had in my life is I was nearly hit by a car while crossing the street. I was leaving home after an argument with my mother and a few blocks away a car was speeding and it ran a red light. I was almost across the street when it came about a few feet from hitting me. It would have been fatal, but I thank God that it wasn’t my time. After that event I have had a different outlook on life. Life is short and you never know when it’s your time, so enjoy your time in this world and spend it with the ones you love. “And then the two of us sat there just enjoying, until it was time to go in the house and go to bed”. Walker ended the story with this quote and this connects to my experience because spending quality time with loved ones is extremely important because you will regret it if you don’t.

Blog post (connect) Xiara Guzman

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In “Everyday Use” the author Alice Walker gets around the relationship that the mother has with both her daughter Maggie and Dee. Maggie is described in the text as “She has been like this chin on chest, eyes on ground, feet in shuffle”(2). Almost as if saying Maggie confidence wasn’t present and she was just a shy little girl. While on the other hand she goes on ranting about her older daughter, almost seeming like if it’s out of jealousy in some parts of the story. For instance when she say “Dee is lighter than maggie, with nicer hair and a fuller figure. She’s a women now, sometimes I forget”(2). Dee is look upon as the superstar from the rest of them throughout the story. This connects to how in life there would always be someone who is either different or is a rebel from the rules. Dee choose to leave the life she was living from and began to be different from how her mother and younger sister are. While Maggie is the complete opposite and followed the things her mother and grandma loved to do, like quilting. People get to choose the journey they want to, but sometimes some of us get accustom to the life we are already living. This could be a negative things because then people don’t get to explore different things that they might never experience. To be the Dee in the family could lead to the opportunities she was able to figure out about herself, like the kind of style she likes to wear. She was even able to read to her mother and sister, something that her mother wasn’t able to do. While reading this story I was wondering if I was the Dee or the Maggie in my family since I have seven siblings. I notice that I was sort of the Dee in the sense of exploring and finding myself. I’m the first of my siblings to actually consider college as a option in life instead of getting a “quick” job to have for the rest of my life. I was allowed to branch out and see different opportunities that I was offered while being in college that my sibling wouldn’t be able to have since they all picked the same route. Overall I’m able to say that in a couple of years I’ll be the odd one in the family since I wouldn’t be leaving as the rest check by check.

Connect from “Everyday Use”-Alice Walker

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In “Everyday Use” by Alice Walker when Dee was arguing with her mother about who get to have the quilt made by Grandma Dee, Maggie offers for Dee to have them, “like somebody used to never winning anything, or having anything reserved for her” (page 6). Walker only describe  Maggie’s tone when she said “She (Dee) can have them,” but I can imagine Maggie probably have her head droop down looking at her feet, maybe even playing with her fingers to distract herself from the sadness of never able to own something she wants.

Growing up with a sister, there were many moments in my life where my sister and I fight over toys, clothes and other little stuffs. Unlike Maggie, when my sister said to my mother “She can have them” she said it to gain sympathy from my mother so it will result in her winning over the object we were fighting for or my mother would get her something nicer then the one I have.

I remember 2007 Black Friday, I was in seventh grade and my sister was in fourth grade, and it was not usually for a teenager to own a personal laptop during that time period. My mother thought it would be a good chance to get my sister and I a new MP3 player, but I can also get a personal laptop for school purposes. I was really excited about that news, but my sister was not. She wined to my mother about how I can always get new and advance stuff because I am the oldest and she only get the old stuff pass down by me. I tried to be rational and asked why does a fourth grader need a personal laptop for? So my sister gets all droopy and teary and said “She can have them” I guess my mother thought it was unfair that my sister doesn’t always have the chance to get new things. So in result, my sister end up getting a new MP3 player and a laptop and I only have a MP3 player. I seriously thought I was adopted.