Hello, dear students!
I hope you are all well today, and are ready to dive into Setting & Context in today’s session! If you haven’t read the first chapter of A Lesson Before Dying, do this before you look at the PowerPoint link below (it’s a PDF).
3.25.20 Class Session, Wednesday
Once you’re ready, click on the link above. You’ll note that there are several questions. The way you’ll earn “participation points” for today’s class is to answer at least one question in the “comment” section. (The “leave a comment” option is beneath my picture on the upper left-hand side.) If you come late to the party, you can “reply” to a comment by adding on to an idea someone else has or giving a different perspective. You’ll have 24 hours after our class meeting time (Wednesday, 11:30) to earn the points. I‘m slowly learning WordPress (the format OpenLab uses), and I’m trying different ways to make this class more interactive. We’ll see how this works!
There’s a homework page at the end of the PDF (which are also listed in the new schedule on OpenLab). Be sure to note them!
I’ve really enjoyed reading your posts these past few days. Keep it up!
Be safe & well!
. When context is involved in literature we must find any possible information including the background.
. According to the image a man is about to be attacked from behind but the man with the camera has a different angle within the camera and believes the attacker is actually the victim. Sometimes you must not always believe what you see or hear.
Slide 2 Question
No word is absolutely wrong or dirty or insulting. It all depends upon context and intention. – Janet Jackson
Do you agree or disagree? Explain why
I agree with this quote. The reason being is that some people may use words that may insulting or wrong to others to express what they mean. For example, If I say “You are A-hole” to my friend. The first thing he/she would think is that I’m being sarcastic and we will end up laughing since both parties know about the context of the conversation. Where the 3rd person who does not know about the conversation may think that I’m insulting my friend since he did something wrong to me. Which is why words that we express it really does depends on the context
Slide 3 (Question)
What do we mean when we talk about “context” in
literature?
For my own definition, I believed Context is a background, idea or event that enables the reader to understand the piece of the author.
Look at the image. What does the man behind the camera see? What will people who can only see what the camera shows them think?
What the man behind the camera is seeing is the foot of the guy running away from the other man. But in this perspective it actually showing the guy running away is wielding a knife trying to kill the guy who actually has the knife.
Slide 4 (Question)
The final line of the poem, “Warsaw, 1944” puts the poem in context. What was going on in Warsaw, Poland, in 1944?.
What’s happening in Poland Warsaw in 1944 is the world is at war. Also known as World War 2, where warsaw is one the place where world war 2 took place as both German and Russian trying to kill each other in order to win the war.
Think about the context of the chapter in A Lesson Before Dying. Can you guess (if you don’t know already) what time period/place this novel is set?
A Deeper Look @ Gaines’ Work Question
Think about the context of the chapter in A Lesson Before Dying. Can you guess (if you don’t know already) what time period/place this novel is set? Around 1930s to 1940s
Now, go online and read a summary of the novel. Was your guess correct? What do you know about the time period this novel is set?
Yes, my guess is correct since the Novel is Set in the 1940s. The reason being is that electrocution by the chair was a very common capital punishment during the 1940s as it can be served as a death sentence or torture device to the people who intend to harm the United States.
Authors often want to set the context by showing, not telling. How did Gaines “show” the context of this novel in the first chapter?
The author uses the point of view of the character by describing the events such as the Court House and How the shootout happened.
Think about the POV in this chapter. The narrator uses 1st person, yet he describes moments he did not actually witness. How does this show the context of what he’s sharing? The first chapter of the story did use the first-person point of view. What’s unique about it is the way he words of choice for example ” I was not there, yet I was there. No, I did not go to the trial, I did not hear the verdict, because I knew all the time what it would be.” Since he uses the word “I” it shows it is first-person but since he uses a lot of repetition it emphasizes that devices he uses to get inside his characters’ heads without resorting to third-person narration.
Think about the POVs in “The First Day,” “The Wife’s Story,” and the stories written by your peers. How does the POV shape the context in each one?
The closes one that all stories share the similarity is the point of view. The first day is on the first-person point of view, while the Wife-story is on a third-person point of view. While a lesson before dying actually heavily first-person and uses repetition to show what the character is thinking without using any 3rd person.
I FEEL SO PROUD OF MY WORK. THIS WHAT HAPPENED IF YOU ARE QUARANTINED
Feel Free to discuss or comment on this. Since it is my pure opinion.
1st Slide:
I don’t agree with this statement as there are some words that are wrong or insulting even without context. Curses and ethnic slurs carry a lot of negative context and are often used with the intention of putting someone down.
2nd Slide:
When we talk about context in literature, we are referring to the reasoning behind something like an event or thing that a character does. In the image, the man behind the camera sees a man in panic as he is about to be stabbed. In reality though, the man who is committing the murder on camera is actually running away from another man who has the intention of stabbing him. The people who can only see what the camera shows will think that the man who is running away is the one committing the murder while the man who is actually committing the murder is the innocent one. It is improper context and it doesn’t give people the true story.
3rd Slide:
In 1944, The Warsaw Uprising took place in Warsaw, Poland. It was an uprising committed by a Polish resistance during World War 2. The uprising fought for 3 months straight with no support.
4th Slide:
I believe that this novel is set in the mid 20th century when African Americans were still fighting for civil rights. My guess was correct since this novel takes place in the 1940s where civil rights were in their infancy and Jim Crow laws still segregated black people and imposed strict and unfair laws on them.
At first, I was gonna agree with Janet but I disagree because some racial slurs could offend people. Saying any offensive words will not only triggered people you never met but they also might be sensitive about it. It happens in our family as well and you need to be careful when using such words like fuck, shit, etc at your parents because if you don’t, the chaos gonna rage within their body.
When we talk about “context” in literature, I think we mean the background information we can receive from a literature piece. Different people can get different contexts from the same piece.
The man behind the camera sees that the man on the left was running away from the man on the right because he trying to kill him. But the people who only can see what the camera shows will think that the man on the left was trying to kill the man on the right.
Slide 1:
I disagree because wrong, dirty or insulting words hurt others. For example, if you were a friend you would refrain from using these “bad” words. So, if you were a good friend, you would not have bad intentions to use such words. Another example would be calling the coronavirus the Wuhan virus. This context is wrong and the intention for saying it is also wrong.
Slide 2:
The man behind the camera sees a man running after another man with a knife. The people who watch what was filmed will see the same image. Relating this back to “context”, the character Jefferson is like the man behind the camera. He watched the scene unfold. There was the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. This terrorist attack might have influenced others to commit crimes. The coronavirus is affecting people nationally and globally. Jefferson should have saved old Grope. There should be volunteers to help affected by the coronavirus.
Slide 3:
In 1944, there was the Warsaw Uprising in Warsaw, Poland. The Polish Home Army wanted to liberate the city from German occupation and reclaim Polish independence. I believe that the final line refers to how the German occupation had left the Polish capital. It is saying that the Germans was horrible people to have done what was done to others. If the final line were gone, it takes away the context in the poetry as readers might not fully know what the time period was.
Slide 4:
The novel is set around 1993. My guess is incorrect. The story is set during the pre-civil rights era. During the pre-civil rights era, there was racism and discrimination. There was white supremacy. There is the use of flashbacks. What is shared by the narrator might not be accurate because he did not actually witness the scene. I believe the first POV is more accurate but if it were told from someone younger it might differ as if it were told from someone who was older.
1. Agree. Sometime the word “fuck” can represent a emotional state like if the thing goes to an unexpected direction, then it’s not a “insulting” word because the user didn’t meant to.
2. 1. The image from the one who is recording looks like it’s A trying to kill B, but actually it’s B trying to kill A. But people will only see what is been recorded, so the concept are all messed up. 2. The possible issues will be sometime people just believe what they saw and what they believe instead of the truth. In A Lesson Before Dying showed us it may blamed an innocent guy for guilty. 3. In 1993, a van bomb parked below the North Tower of the World Trade Center explodes, killing six and injuring over 1,000. That might effect what people think about other’s behavior, especially when thing related to someone’s death and the person might caused the death. 4. The world is getting peacefully nowadays than before, at least in where I lives and what I experienced. So I think the man in the book isn’t guilty.
3. 1. In 1944, the Warsaw Uprising failed. It may gave Milosz a broken hope, and it made him felt it’s the end of the world. 2. I think it means she world will only be ruin in the hands of the wrong guys. 3. It gave a hope to the reader shows a belief of the world won’t end because Milosz used “As long as…”
4. 1. The novel set place at least 15 years ago when there are no cameras. 2. I was correct. 3. I know the technology at that time isn’t great. No cell phone, giant computers. 4. The author did showed the setting. Author showed the time period by not giving evident based on CCTV. 5. In the first POV can lead reader to what’s happening now, then it changed to third POV because it can better to tell a robbing story which the narrator didn’t participated. 6. First POV can only describe what the narrator sees and thoughts, not other characters. The multi direction discription can let the reader know what’s really going on.
Knowing context is important when looking through different types of literature. Its important because if we are trying to understand what’s going on, we would need to know information prior to what’s going on in that specific piece of literature. When using the picture of the camera man and the two men for example shows that knowing the context of what the camera man is only showing can change how you view the situation. Also when having a conversation about a certain topic or evening talking about someone whether it be positive or negative, anyone can pick out one thing out of what was being said that could completely ignore the objective a conversation or what a individual was trying to make.
Slide 2 Question
No word is absolutely wrong or dirty or insulting. It all depends upon context and intention. – Janet Jackson
Do you agree or disagree? Explain why
I agree with this quote. Because I strongly believe it all the depend on what the mood the person is and the context in which the word is being used.
Slide 3 (Question)
What do we mean when we talk about “context” in
literature?
I think that Context refers to how the author wants the reader to interpret his/her writing.
Look at the image. What does the man behind the camera see? What will people who can only see what the camera shows them think?
I think he is focused and looking at the foot of the guy that is trying to get away of the man.
There isn’t truly a wrong way to say something, only a wrong or misinterpreted perspective that a person may have at that moment. In order to be wrong, you would have to read the situation in a completely different way or not have enough facts in order to give the wrong reaction. a morbid example of this is watching someone fail a stunt and you proceed to laugh and say “that was so stupid” while everyone is almost silent and calling an ambulance because he’s bleeding out. The stunt was meant to be seriously cool, but you just thought it was one of those fail videos and now you seem like an insensitive jerk who’s laughing at someone who needs immediate medical attention. It wasn’t meant to be a fail and you’re the only one without enough context to find it funny. Things can be interpreted in many different ways, such as the word “mad”. Saying “your mad aren’t you” could mean two different things. You could be either calling them crazy or calling them angry. I personally prefer to avoid words with double meanings, but sometimes it can’t be helped. The English language is broken and it’s hard to truly understand the message that others are trying to convey. This is also true for court cases since you need to hear both sides of the story before making the verdict. People need context to fully understand a situation and act appropriately and even though it may not be perceived as the correct way to act, once the context of why you said that is revealed, people can see the reason for why you said or did what you did in that moment.
1. Agree, which is why we have sarcasm, words don’t necessarily mean what they actually mean. The context of sarcasm shows that even if a word is primarily dirty, doesn’t actually mean what the word is generally used for.
2. Because the camera can only show so much of the picture, it looks as though Left is trying to murder Right even though it is the other way around. Sadly it is the case with today’s media with them picking sides.
3. In Warsaw 1944, Polish resistance fighters launched a major against Nazi occupation. They however failed when the Soviet Army did not push into Warsaw to aid in the liberation. The last lines are to say that this uprising effort will never happen again after such a failure. If the final lines were removed, it might look as if the people are going about their daily lives oblivious that the world around them is ending.
4. The novel is set sometime in the Jim Crow era seeing as how the trial proceeds (I was correct) . The main character’s defense attorney tries to prove the main character’s innocence by describing him “a person of color” is less of a man and is instead a thing. There were no cameras existing at the time so there was no recorded proof. The jury is predominantly of the Caucasian descent. These give hints to as when the setting took place. The POV is 1st person, it can only show the context of the narrator. There are more things happening outside the box than what to context shows. Depending on the POV a story can be shaped to allow the reader to know whats happening or to disallow the reader from knowing too much, or to know all of whats going on.
I agree with Janet’s quote because when using the word “bitch”, the way it is taken totally depends on the context, tone, and situation. For instance, if I were upset with someone to the point where I would call that person an insulting name and say “You’re such a fucking bitch!”. This would obviously come across as insulting or wrong under these certain circumstances. However, when I was in high school my friends and I would literally call out to each other by saying “bitch, come here” or “bitch! what’re we doing today?” and every single time one of us said “bitch” we automatically knew that we were being called. In this case, we used the word “bitch” in a friendly context and it was never taken in a bad way. This further proves why I agree with Janet’s quote since words are usually taken in different ways according to the context that it is in.
I somewhat agree with Janet because words can be used in different contexts and situations. It just depends on the perspective of the viewer and the receiver of how the word is paraphrased. Everyone has a different interpretation of what meaning can be or what a situation can happen according to what is being said to them.
In literature, context fully understood in the setting for an event, statement, or idea.
The man behind the camera see a person on the left wanting to the other person on the right. What the audience does not see is the other way around.
I agree with Janet Jackson because every word can rely on context. This tool of communication is very crucial when it comes to getting a message across. It is similar to tone. If someone says Hi happily, it would make you think that they are happy to see you. If they say it monotone then one may think that they are not in the mood or not happy to see you. Would that be the case? probably or it can be misinterpreted. The same goes for context. One must make their intentions very clear to avoid offending people which is why some professions remove certain words. Like the public speaking world. In that world, it is a fallacy to actually use certain words that may offend some audience members. So I agree with Janet all the way but only if there is context almost any word can be used.
I agree with Janet because people can take on a totaly different idea on how something is said. Your emotion, tone, and body language can determine how you want your message to be received. Words that doesn’t have negative energy shouldn’t offend. It is not what you say, it is how you say it.
The man behind the camera is seeing a totally different perspective from what is actually happening. He isn’t seeing the full spectrum of what is actually going on which is the opposite of what the camera shows. This can mean that others can show you what they want to you see, and hide the reality. For example with social media and tv being so popular now they would be the ones to show their viewers what they want us to see. in the image on guy is chasing another trying to cut him with an object but in the camera the mans show look like the sharp object and it may seem like the other man is chasing the one chasing him. Those who can only see the camera would think that the guy in reality being chased is the “bad guy”. when he’s the one actually trying to run away.