Category Archives: Homework Assignments

Final reading responses: Cisneros, Boully, Saed

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Readings: Sandra Cisneros, “Woman Hollering Creek,” 1991 (1399-1408); Jenny Boully, “A Short Essay on Being,” 2010; Zohra Saed, “What the Scar Revealed” (and the others on that page if you’re interested!)I hope you’re enjoying the final three texts we’re reading this semester. For your final response to them, write a post in which you respond to some aspect of one of these texts. For example:

What function do the telenovelas play in “Woman Hollering Creek”?

Why would Boully’s persona say “thank you” rather than correcting some of her incorrect commenters in her essay, “A Short Essay on Being”? ( a quick note: thanks to one of your classmates, the link to this story is now correct!).

What do the indications of setting (time/place) do for your experience of reading Saed’s poem, “What the Scar Revealed”?

Write a post with the category Homework Responses and the author’s name. Comment on one classmate’s post. If you have more than one idea, write about one and leave the other question or writing prompt at the end of your post for the next person to comment on.

To come shortly: a request for a post summarizing and reflecting on your glossary entries. Details to follow…

If you have questions about your video presentation, due on Friday, feel free to reply to this post to ask in an open forum, or email to ask privately. Remember, you can choose any text we read this semester, from Week One all the way through this week.

Blogging for Thursday: photos and shawls

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For Thursday, please read the two story pairings:

Zadie Smith, “Scenes from the Smith Family Christmas” and photograph; Jamaica Kincaid, “Biography of a Dress” (and listen to her read the story)

and Cynthia Ozick, “The Shawl” (932-935) and Louise Erdrich, “The Shawl” (1409-1413)

Then write a post, approximately 300 words or longer, either the photobiography or the object-biography, using the categories Homework Responses and the name of the author or authors you’re imitating or drawing on.:

The Photobiography: imitating the style and themes of Smith or Kincaid, who tell their stories through careful consideration of a photograph from their pasts, write a creative close-reading of an old photograph of yourself. Include the photograph if possible. Tag your post Photobiography.

The Object-biography: considering how both Ozick and Erdrich tell these story with the object of the shawl as an important object, both physically and symbolically, write a creative close-reading about an object of significance to you or your family. Include a photograph of the object if possible. Tag your post Object-biography.

Blogging for Tuesday: Commenting on covers

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Now that Project #2 posts are starting to appear, offer your classmates some feedback on their book-cover or image creations. Choose one and reply with a comment, approximately 150 words, even if you haven’t finished your own project! Reviewing what your classmates have achieved might help you finish yours if you haven’t already.

It would be great if when you post, even if you’re linking a file for the written work, to include the image for Part 2 in your post, so that it’s easy to see. It can entice us to click your link to read more about your cover.

As you complete Project #2, I’m sure you’re eagerly reading the excellent stories selected for this week. They’re in two pairs, and I’ll post a homework assignment soon for you to complete for Thursday. We’re moving into our most contemporary literature–enjoy!

Homework for “Recitatif” by Toni Morrison

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In “Recitatif,” Morrison presents two women, one white and one black, without identifying which is which. After reading the short story, how do you identify Twyla and Roberta? Write a comment tracing how you understand each character’s racial identity, using evidence from the text to support your understanding. Reply to one comment that you feel needs your insight!

PS–I’ve added additional meeting times if you are interested in meeting with me and getting an extension on Project #2. I look forward to working with you!

Discussion for Tuesday: Final thoughts on The Bell Jar

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As we finish The Bell Jar and finalize Project #2, what final thoughts do you have? Specifically, what do you think about the ending? What do you understand better about earlier parts of the novel now that you have finished it and come to understand Esther’s character and experiences? Write a comment–roughly 150 words–here by Tuesday, and reply to another comment–100-150 words by Thursday–to help us wrap up our discussion.

A few other points:

I will post on Tuesday another comment-and-reply request for the texts we’re discussing in class this week.

Remember that if you want to meet with me to discuss Project #2, there are appointments available on Tuesday and Wednesday. If you meet with me for one of those appointments, I will extend your deadline for Project #2. So far, about a third of the class has signed up. If you are interested but no times fit your schedule, please let me know as soon as possible and I will see if I can add in a time to accommodate you.

I look forward to meeting with you, and to reading your comments and projects!

Discussion on The Bell Jar

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As you finish reading The Bell Jar, let’s share our thoughts on any of the following questions by adding a reply to this post in the comments:

What difference does it make to have a first-person retrospective narrator for this narrative?

Which relationship is most important for Esther to negotiate in the course of the story? How successful is she, and why does it matter?

Or, ask another question in the comments for you and your classmates to respond to.

 

 

Homework for this week: annotations

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In class on Thursday, we talked about information we would want to have to make more meaning of The Bell Jar. Certainly knowing a little bit about the Rosenbergs would put the opening scene into historical context, and would help readers make meaning of the opening in the novel overall.

For your post this week, choose some aspect of the novel that you could learn more about through research, and write an annotation to the text about your topic. An annotation is a note that adds outside information to a text. In our anthology, there were several short annotations that gave some information about people referred to in Quicksand, for example. Collectively, we will provide annotations to the entire text. If someone has already chosen what you want to work on, you should only continue working on that topic if you have something else to add. Otherwise, please choose a new topic.

Include the passage in which your topic appears–enough of it to make sense to someone who hasn’t read the novel, and a citation for that passage. Be sure to include the sources of your information as well. Choose the category Sylvia Plath, and any tags that you think are relevant. Aim for a 300-word post.

If you’re not sure what you would want to research, perhaps some of your classmates have suggestions. Please feel free to reply to this post with topic suggestions.

For commenting later this week, I’ll post a topic for us to have a conversation in the comments, rather than commenting on the annotations.

 

…and starting The Bell Jar

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For this week, we’re starting to read Sylvia Plath’s novel, The Bell Jar. I’ve assigned Chapters 1-10. Please try to get through as much of that reading as you can. We’ll begin our discussion of the novel by examining the first few paragraphs very closely, so you should read with pencil in hand and mark up your text with as much information you can get from reading. Include definitions to words you needed to look up, observations you make, connections to other readings, or other aspects of the text you think are important. We’ll then continue our conversation beyond the first chapter as time permits.

I mentioned in my announcement post that you’ll write comments instead of posts this week. Write a comment–roughly 150-200 words–in which you consider one of the following issues related to The Bell Jar:

* Think about the style of narration. What kind of narrator does the novel have, and how does that shape what you know about the protagonist?

* What do you know about the setting? Remember, setting is time and place. How does the setting shape your understanding of the protagonist?

* We spoke about round and flat characters at the start of the semester. Identify a round or a flat character and consider what role he or she plays in the story.

* In what ways is the protagonist of The Bell Jar like Helga Crane in Quicksand? What does that comparison do for your understanding of the protagonist?

* In what ways is the protagonist of The Bell Jar like another character we encountered this semester. What does that comparison do for your understanding of the protagonist?

Then comment on one other comment, roughly 100-150 words.

Finishing Quicksand…

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For our final discussion on Quicksand, let’s think about Helga’s life after she leaves New York. Write a comment–roughly 150-200 words–in which you consider one of the following issues:

*what motivates Helga to leave New York?

*why does she leave the way she does?

*what’s different about her life in her new locale?

*do you think Helga will again repeat her pattern of enjoying a place, tiring of it, and then leaving it? Why or why not?

*what message do you think the novel conveys overall through its ending?

Then comment on one other comment, roughly 100-150 words.

Announcements for blogging and events

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For homework this week, I’m asking you to NOT WRITE A POST!

Instead, I’m asking that you write comments in reply to my post about Quicksand, and comments in reply to my post about The Bell Jar. These comments will serve as a conversation to help us wrap up our discussion of Quicksand, and to get us started with The Bell Jar.

In class on Thursday, we’ll split the time between the two novels. We’ll also talk briefly about two upcoming events:

*the Literature Roundtable, which is an event designed to bring together students and faculty to discuss a shared reading, Lynn Nottage’s Intimate Apparel. It’s on Wednesday, April 9, at 11:30am in N119. Anyone who attends and blogs about it on our site will receive extra credit.

and

*the Literary Arts Festival, which is on Thursday, April 10, at 5:30pm, in the Midway Auditorium, 240 Jay Street (the entrance next to where you go for our class), featuring poet Cornelius Eady and his band, Rough Magic. As with the Literature Roundtable, anyone who attends and blogs about it on our site will receive extra credit.