Category Archives: Project #2

Satisfied

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Transitive verb

Satisfied – to carry out the terms of (something, such as a contract)

The word Satisfied was used on page 6 of  “Quicksand” by Nella Larsen, is a fitted word to use to describe my topic of  racism, because no matter where Helga goes she is still not accepted by people. In the novel the word was used in the quotes “And then he had spoken of contentment, embellishing his words with scriptural quotations and pointing out to them that it was their duty to be satisfied the estate to which they had been called, hewers of wood and drawers of water” this show that the negros or mix race should have been satisfied with how they are treated in society.

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/satisfy

Ardor

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Ardor;Noun

extreme vigor or energy

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ardor

I encountered this word on page 225

“She was anxious to be a true help-
mate, for in her heart was a feeling of obliga-
tion, of humble gratitude.
In her ardor and sincerity Helga even
made some small beginnings. True, she was not
very successful in this matter of innovations.”

I knew that this word was connected to sincerity in a way but I could not tell which way. This passage now makes more sense because it fits with her characterization as the preachers wife.Helga has shown that she doesn’t feel like she belongs anywhere.Not with her family,not with her friend who shares the same tastes,not with black people in Harlem and not even at a place where she was pampered.Helga saw a chance here and took it.Now shes loved as the preachers wife and shes trying hard to be perfect and teach others to be aesthetically pleasing.Her life as the preachers wife has made her work hard because she thinks shes going to get what shes always wanted.A family,a place to belong.Helga is putting as much energy as she can into this situation because she does not want o lose the only chance she believes she has at happiness/a place to belong.

Quicksand, Project #2, and Nella Larsen

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About Project #2:

Annotations from a previous similar assignment

Here are additional thoughts to help explain Project #2 better:

Imagine you’re reading a novel for class. You’re reading it on a tablet, on your phone, on your computer, and when you tap on a word or a highlighted section, information appears. That information could define a word you might not have known, or could explain who a person referred to is/was, or could provide data about something that would help you understand what the author is referring to. Or it could link you to passages in other texts that relate, or to information about the author’s biography, or to important literary criticism written about that novel.

What would reading in that format be like?

What if you could contribute to a project that asks readers to do this work? How would that digital annotated text help you understand the text better than reading it in its original format?

Project #2 asks you to make an argument about how a digital annotated edition of Quicksand by Nella Larsen could help readers understand different aspects of the novel better.

To complete Project #2, you have several different pieces to bring together:

  • A post that includes a research annotation, approximately a paragraph long, using three outside sources that you refer to in a Works Cited list
  • Two posts that each include a glossary entry that connects in some way to the topic you have chosen to write about
  • A post that includes the business letter to an editor at the Hathi Trust project (the organization that made the digital image of Quicksand available online) in which you argue for the benefits of a digital edition by making specific reference (by paraphrasing, quoting, and/or summarizing) not only to Quicksand but also to your research annotation and two glossary annotations.

Questions? Please keep asking them! This is the best way for me to know that I need to provide more or clearer information!

Important upcoming dates:

  • Annotations due today, M 4/23. Please post them on our site by the end of the day. Choose the category “Research Annotation” and use any tags you think are appropriate.
  • W 4/25: Please bring a draft of Project #2 to class on Wednesday for peer review.
  • We will begin the next section of our readings, focusing on contemporary fiction. Get ready to share your ideas about what you enjoy reading as we read the short fiction and accompanying materials I will share with you.

Quicksand and Project #2

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roman a clef: look this up to understand more about biography read into fiction

Annotation: a separate document that can illuminate the novel in some way

Sources for Project #2: use at least 3 sources as you write your research annotation

Add a bibliography: in MLA format, we call it a Works Cited list

2 glossary annotations: like the ones you do for class already, but chosen wisely

Sample: I will link us to samples for a different class using a different text.

Copenhagen: racially homogeneous community, so what does this mean for Helga?

Helga’s 4 suitors

  1. James Vayle
  2. Dr. Anderson
  3. Axel Olsen
  4. Reverend Mr. Pleasant Green
  5. Or: what does Helga say about marriage?

Find a passage that represents their relationship, discuss it, and be prepared to share it with the class.

Brainstorming for Project #2

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In class on Monday, we discussed possible topics for research for Project #2. You will do some research to be able to write an annotation about something that a reader (like you!) would want to know more about to better understand Quicksand.

For homework, comment here by 1-identifying what you might research to add information to the readers’ understanding, and 2- identify the passage or section of the text that would benefit from an annotation.

Some of the ideas we discussed in class:

  • one of the schools mentioned in the novel, or the whole system of schools mentioned
  • miscegenation laws in the early 20th century
  • any historical figure mentioned in the text
  • any literary references
  • any fashion elements from the text (we discussed decolettage, thanks to Brittney).
  • geography discussed in the text as it related then to the story (you couldn’t just explain where Harlem or Copenhagen are, but you would have to figure out a way that either is relevant and provide more than just a geography detail but instead understand how they relate to, for example, the issues with race that the novel addresses)
  • connections to other stories by Larsen. This is the reason that I ordered this edition of the novel, so that you could read other stories and connect them to Quicksand.
  • connections to information you found in the introductory materials in our book–biographical mostly.

Some of these broader ideas aren’t directly linked to a particular passage. As you develop your project, you will find particular passages to focus on as the appropriate points to which you can attach your annotation.

This is also a good place to ask (and answer) questions about Project #2, so please do use the comments to get input and feedback, ask for clarification, etc.

Sultry

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Adjective

Very hot and humid:Sweltering

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sultry

This word was encountered in chapter 10 of quicksand.”Arriving at work one sultry day,hot and dispirited,she found a waiting letter,”

when I first saw this word I didn’t know what it meant because I had never seen it before.At first I thought it meant something like sad or bland but now I understand that it is actually referring to the  weather.

This word also relates to Helga’s inability to deal with certain situations.Helga for the most part is slightly uncaring or rather shes detached.However when asked about marriage,when a kiss was stolen from her,the heat from the dance floor filled with all kinds of black folk twisting about in a “jungle animal” manner Helga just cannot handle it.All of this stems from her childhood. She cannot accept all that comes with being colored because she was so hated by her own family since she had colored blood. Early childhood researchers tell us that parents and life at home are instrumental to shaping an individual,its clear that her childhood implanted in her hatred for who she was.