Students, please remember that we have a make-up class scheduled for Saturday, December 5th, at 9 am. We will meet in Room 221, which is the English Lab (large green doors on the second floor).
I will post a sign on the doors in case you aren't sure which room it is.
We will view a short film and continue to discuss poetry. Next week we will discuss the conference paper for the Honors oral presentations.
Monday, November 30, 2009
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Poem: "Facing It" by Yusef Komunyakaa
Click on the link above to read the poem "Facing It" by Yusef Komunyakaa, Pulitzer-prize-winning American poet.
Questions to consider in relation to in-class discussion on language (image and figures of speech):
1) Which metaphors or similes jump out at you?
2) Find the intriguing juxtapositions in the poem and explain how they affect your reading of the poem.
3) Komunyakaa employs a tool of craft called enjambment, defined by Merriam-Webster as "the running over of a sentence from one verse or couplet into another so that closely related words fall in different lines." Enjambment creates a collision of meaning, a surprise twist of meaning between line breaks. For instance, in "Facing It", we find the following collision of image and meaning:
"...slanted against morning. I turn
this way--the stone lets me go."
The enjambment occurs when the reader arrives at the image of the narrator as he turns. ("I turn"). The reader does not know to where the narrator is turning and when he will stop turning. The reader knows only that narrator will turn. However, when the reader arrives at the beginning of the next line, she sees the narrator's direction: "this way - the stone lets me go." Though the reader does not know the direction in literal terms, she understands that the narrator no longer sees himself in the stone, the reflection has disappeared (the stone lets me go) as he has finished "the turn" that started in the previous line. What's most important here is that the enjambed lines take the reader on the same trip at the narrator. The narrator turns, therefore, the reader will turn too.
If the poet had NOT used enjambment and deleted the line break, then the surprise collision of meaning would have been missed. "I turn this way -- the stone lets me go."
Which other lines use enjambment in the Komunyakaa poem?
Questions to consider in relation to in-class discussion on language (image and figures of speech):
1) Which metaphors or similes jump out at you?
2) Find the intriguing juxtapositions in the poem and explain how they affect your reading of the poem.
3) Komunyakaa employs a tool of craft called enjambment, defined by Merriam-Webster as "the running over of a sentence from one verse or couplet into another so that closely related words fall in different lines." Enjambment creates a collision of meaning, a surprise twist of meaning between line breaks. For instance, in "Facing It", we find the following collision of image and meaning:
"...slanted against morning. I turn
this way--the stone lets me go."
The enjambment occurs when the reader arrives at the image of the narrator as he turns. ("I turn"). The reader does not know to where the narrator is turning and when he will stop turning. The reader knows only that narrator will turn. However, when the reader arrives at the beginning of the next line, she sees the narrator's direction: "this way - the stone lets me go." Though the reader does not know the direction in literal terms, she understands that the narrator no longer sees himself in the stone, the reflection has disappeared (the stone lets me go) as he has finished "the turn" that started in the previous line. What's most important here is that the enjambed lines take the reader on the same trip at the narrator. The narrator turns, therefore, the reader will turn too.
If the poet had NOT used enjambment and deleted the line break, then the surprise collision of meaning would have been missed. "I turn this way -- the stone lets me go."
Which other lines use enjambment in the Komunyakaa poem?
Saturday, November 28, 2009
Important Questions to Consider
What is the function of a written text vs. storytelling or oral literature?
What is a poem? How do you define poetry?
What types of poetry did you hear in your childhood?
What is the function of poetry? (Feel free to imagine poetry in all its variations: on the page, on the stage, in rap, in commercials, etc.)
What is a poem? How do you define poetry?
What types of poetry did you hear in your childhood?
What is the function of poetry? (Feel free to imagine poetry in all its variations: on the page, on the stage, in rap, in commercials, etc.)
Music: Decima: "Alla En La Altura" by Juan Morales Ramos, Puerto Rican troubador
Yo tengo en la serranía
una finca bien sembrada
desde malanga morada
ñame, plátano, y yautía.
Es porque al salir el día
enseguida cojo el arado,
el terreno preparado,
señores, y lo cultivo
así de felíz yo vivo,
mejor que un adinerado.
I have in the mountains
a well-planted farm
from purple malanga
yams, plantains, and yautía.
It’s because at sun rise
I immediately grab my plow,
people, and I cultivate it
the ground prepared,
Thus I live happily,
better than a rich person.
una finca bien sembrada
desde malanga morada
ñame, plátano, y yautía.
Es porque al salir el día
enseguida cojo el arado,
el terreno preparado,
señores, y lo cultivo
así de felíz yo vivo,
mejor que un adinerado.
I have in the mountains
a well-planted farm
from purple malanga
yams, plantains, and yautía.
It’s because at sun rise
I immediately grab my plow,
people, and I cultivate it
the ground prepared,
Thus I live happily,
better than a rich person.
Article: "Defendiendo la (Agri)Cultura: Reterritorializing Culture in the Puerto Rican Décima"
Students, I'd like you to read the article linked above. Though you might recognize the form of poetry discussed (the decima), I think it's important to understand the context of the style of poetry as it relates to historical and socio-cultural norms and practices on the island.
Critical reading/thinking: The quote below, taken from the article linked above, highlights an important aspect of poetry. What does the author mean by "I thought I was hearing formulas?" What is the importance of the repetition of themes?
"As I listened to the songs, I thought that I was hearing formulas. This turned out not to be the case, the similarities coming instead from the repetition of themes. Reading through transcripts of the 58 improvised verses, the major themes that emerged were music or poetry (referring specifically to the décima form and its composition) and life in the country where people work hard on the land, eat traditional foods, and enjoy the beautiful scenery. Deictic references emphasizing a co-presence in time and space were also plentiful as is common in improvisatory traditions."
Critical reading/thinking: How does the style serve the poet, the community or audience listening to the poet, and the reader who reads the poem?
Critical thinking: How is the decima, an improvised form, different from the forms of poetry we've discussed in class so far?
Critical reading/thinking: The quote below, taken from the article linked above, highlights an important aspect of poetry. What does the author mean by "I thought I was hearing formulas?" What is the importance of the repetition of themes?
"As I listened to the songs, I thought that I was hearing formulas. This turned out not to be the case, the similarities coming instead from the repetition of themes. Reading through transcripts of the 58 improvised verses, the major themes that emerged were music or poetry (referring specifically to the décima form and its composition) and life in the country where people work hard on the land, eat traditional foods, and enjoy the beautiful scenery. Deictic references emphasizing a co-presence in time and space were also plentiful as is common in improvisatory traditions."
Critical reading/thinking: How does the style serve the poet, the community or audience listening to the poet, and the reader who reads the poem?
Critical thinking: How is the decima, an improvised form, different from the forms of poetry we've discussed in class so far?
Questions on Oral Traditions in Puerto Rico
1) What are the different ways of storytelling in Puerto Rico or what is the island's oral tradition? Names two forms of orality on the island and explain why you think they fall into the category of oral tradition.
2) Have oral traditions in Puerto Rico changed or died out?
2) Have oral traditions in Puerto Rico changed or died out?
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Joel Dias Porter's Blogspace
Everyone,
I've pasted a link below to Joel Dias Porter's website. You might enjoy the other poems he's written. You can also click on the title above and will take you directly to the link.
http://renegadesblog.blogspot.com/
Keep track of the webpages of poets and poems I send you, so that you will have a list of possible poems for your final response essay.
Have a great holiday with your family.
Prof. Alberdeston
I've pasted a link below to Joel Dias Porter's website. You might enjoy the other poems he's written. You can also click on the title above and will take you directly to the link.
http://renegadesblog.blogspot.com/
Keep track of the webpages of poets and poems I send you, so that you will have a list of possible poems for your final response essay.
Have a great holiday with your family.
Prof. Alberdeston
Monday, November 23, 2009
Pablo Neruda's Ode to a large Tuna in the Market
Ode to a Large Tuna in the Market
by Pablo Neruda
http://www.poetryfoundation.org/archive/poem.html?id=179412
Here,
among the market vegetables,
this torpedo
from the ocean
depths,
a missile
that swam,
now
lying in front of me
dead.
Surrounded
by the earth's green froth
—these lettuces,
bunches of carrots—
only you
lived through
the sea's truth, survived
the unknown, the
unfathomable
darkness, the depths
of the sea,
the great
abyss,
le grand abîme,
only you:
varnished
black-pitched
witness
to that deepest night.
Only you:
dark bullet
barreled
from the depths,
carrying
only
your
one wound,
but resurgent,
always renewed,
locked into the current,
fins fletched
like wings
in the torrent,
in the coursing
of
the
underwater
dark,
like a grieving arrow,
sea-javelin, a nerveless
oiled harpoon.
Dead
in front of me,
catafalqued king
of my own ocean;
once
sappy as a sprung fir
in the green turmoil,
once seed
to sea-quake,
tidal wave, now
simply
dead remains;
in the whole market
yours
was the only shape left
with purpose or direction
in this
jumbled ruin
of nature;
you are
a solitary man of war
among these frail vegetables,
your flanks and prow
black
and slippery
as if you were still
a well-oiled ship of the wind,
the only
true
machine
of the sea: unflawed,
undefiled,
navigating now
the waters of death.
by Pablo Neruda
http://www.poetryfoundation.org/archive/poem.html?id=179412
Here,
among the market vegetables,
this torpedo
from the ocean
depths,
a missile
that swam,
now
lying in front of me
dead.
Surrounded
by the earth's green froth
—these lettuces,
bunches of carrots—
only you
lived through
the sea's truth, survived
the unknown, the
unfathomable
darkness, the depths
of the sea,
the great
abyss,
le grand abîme,
only you:
varnished
black-pitched
witness
to that deepest night.
Only you:
dark bullet
barreled
from the depths,
carrying
only
your
one wound,
but resurgent,
always renewed,
locked into the current,
fins fletched
like wings
in the torrent,
in the coursing
of
the
underwater
dark,
like a grieving arrow,
sea-javelin, a nerveless
oiled harpoon.
Dead
in front of me,
catafalqued king
of my own ocean;
once
sappy as a sprung fir
in the green turmoil,
once seed
to sea-quake,
tidal wave, now
simply
dead remains;
in the whole market
yours
was the only shape left
with purpose or direction
in this
jumbled ruin
of nature;
you are
a solitary man of war
among these frail vegetables,
your flanks and prow
black
and slippery
as if you were still
a well-oiled ship of the wind,
the only
true
machine
of the sea: unflawed,
undefiled,
navigating now
the waters of death.
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Joel Dias Porter's "Rap 23"
Question: First read aloud Dias Porter's poem, "Rap 23" and then read "Psalm 23" from the Bible. Listen to yourself speak the poems.
What rhythms do you hear or sense?
What do these poems share?
Do they share images, analogies, narratives or contexts?
How do the poems reflect on and/or conflict with another?
"Rap 23", Libation Song
The creator's my homey, so I'm never short.
He lets me know when to chill in the park
and when to cool out by the river.
He schools me with knowledge of self
and keeps me doing the right thing, to protect his rep.
And yo, even when I step through the shadows
of the buildings in the projects,
I don't sweat it, cuz he's got my back.
He flexes whenever suckers try to jump bad
and keeps me hooked up.
I'll definitely be living large until I'm outta here.
And then I'll be chilling at his crib, forever.
Peace.
Credit: http://ionarts.blogspot.com/2008/01/rap-23.html
Pslam 23, The Bible
1 The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, / 3 he restores my soul. / He guides me in paths of righteousness / for his name's sake. / 4 Even though I walk / through the valley of the shadow of death, [a] / I will fear no evil, / for you are with me; / your rod and your staff, they comfort me. / 5 You prepare a table before me / in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; / my cup overflows. / 6 Surely goodness and love will follow me / all the days of my life, / and I will dwell in the house of the LORD / forever.
What rhythms do you hear or sense?
What do these poems share?
Do they share images, analogies, narratives or contexts?
How do the poems reflect on and/or conflict with another?
"Rap 23", Libation Song
The creator's my homey, so I'm never short.
He lets me know when to chill in the park
and when to cool out by the river.
He schools me with knowledge of self
and keeps me doing the right thing, to protect his rep.
And yo, even when I step through the shadows
of the buildings in the projects,
I don't sweat it, cuz he's got my back.
He flexes whenever suckers try to jump bad
and keeps me hooked up.
I'll definitely be living large until I'm outta here.
And then I'll be chilling at his crib, forever.
Peace.
Credit: http://ionarts.blogspot.com/2008/01/rap-23.html
Pslam 23, The Bible
1 The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, / 3 he restores my soul. / He guides me in paths of righteousness / for his name's sake. / 4 Even though I walk / through the valley of the shadow of death, [a] / I will fear no evil, / for you are with me; / your rod and your staff, they comfort me. / 5 You prepare a table before me / in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; / my cup overflows. / 6 Surely goodness and love will follow me / all the days of my life, / and I will dwell in the house of the LORD / forever.
Friday, November 20, 2009
MLA Citation Guides: Online Sources
Everyone, please link to the following websites for assistance with creating your Works Cited, Works Referenced page. The last one seems to be the clearest resource. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me by email.
http://www.liu.edu/CWIS/CWP/library/workshop/citmla.htm
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/557/01/
http://www.andyspinks.com/mla/pdf/MLAguide.pdf
http://www.liu.edu/CWIS/CWP/library/workshop/citmla.htm
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/557/01/
http://www.andyspinks.com/mla/pdf/MLAguide.pdf
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Eudora Welty Quote
The quote below is by late American Southern writer Eudora Welty. It might help you as you write your essays on "Where Are You Going? Where Have You Been?":
'
The writer "works neither to correct nor to condone, not at all to comfort, but to make what's told alive."
Citation: Dean Flower. (2007, July). Eudora Welty and Racism. Review The Hudson Review, 60(2), 325-332. Retrieved November 18, 2009, from ProQuest Central.
'
The writer "works neither to correct nor to condone, not at all to comfort, but to make what's told alive."
Citation: Dean Flower. (2007, July). Eudora Welty and Racism. Review The Hudson Review, 60(2), 325-332. Retrieved November 18, 2009, from ProQuest Central.
Monday, November 9, 2009
Guidelines for Thesis Statements (from LitWeb)
The information pasted below is from the following LitWeb Writing About Literature website. I've extracted the most important parts for you to remember as you write your essays:
http://www.wwnorton.com/college/english/litweb05/welcome.asp
It is important that you discover and create your thesis before attempting to draft the essay. The thesis statement is the guide which helps the writer move through the ideas of the essay.
LitWeb: "A thesis must be debatable—a claim that all readers won’t automatically accept. It’s a proposition that can be proven with evidence from the text. Yet it’s one that has to be proven, that isn’t obviously true or factual, that must be supported with evidence in order to be fully understood or accepted by the reader. The following examples juxtapose a series of inarguable topics or fact statements—ones that are merely factual or descriptive—with thesis statements, each of which makes a debatable claim about the topic or fact."
Once you have discovered and carefully thought about your thesis, you will be able to begin looking at secondary sources (research materials such as articles, book chapters, interviews, internet sources, etc.) "The chief advantage of this approach is that you can look at secondary sources more selectively and critically, seeking information and opinions that will deepen, confirm, or challenge your argument. And since you’ve already formulated your opinion, you may be in less danger of becoming overwhelmed by others’."
"There are, however, several things to watch out for if you take this approach. First, you must be especially careful not to ignore, distort, or misrepresent any source’s argument in the interest of maintaining your own. Second, you must strive to keep your mind open, remembering that the goal of your research is to test and refine your opinion, not just to confirm it. A compelling argument or new piece of information may well require you to modify or broaden your original argument."
http://www.wwnorton.com/college/english/litweb05/welcome.asp
It is important that you discover and create your thesis before attempting to draft the essay. The thesis statement is the guide which helps the writer move through the ideas of the essay.
LitWeb: "A thesis must be debatable—a claim that all readers won’t automatically accept. It’s a proposition that can be proven with evidence from the text. Yet it’s one that has to be proven, that isn’t obviously true or factual, that must be supported with evidence in order to be fully understood or accepted by the reader. The following examples juxtapose a series of inarguable topics or fact statements—ones that are merely factual or descriptive—with thesis statements, each of which makes a debatable claim about the topic or fact."
Once you have discovered and carefully thought about your thesis, you will be able to begin looking at secondary sources (research materials such as articles, book chapters, interviews, internet sources, etc.) "The chief advantage of this approach is that you can look at secondary sources more selectively and critically, seeking information and opinions that will deepen, confirm, or challenge your argument. And since you’ve already formulated your opinion, you may be in less danger of becoming overwhelmed by others’."
"There are, however, several things to watch out for if you take this approach. First, you must be especially careful not to ignore, distort, or misrepresent any source’s argument in the interest of maintaining your own. Second, you must strive to keep your mind open, remembering that the goal of your research is to test and refine your opinion, not just to confirm it. A compelling argument or new piece of information may well require you to modify or broaden your original argument."
Essay Guidelines: "Where Are You Going? Where Have You Been?"
RESEARCH-BASED ESSAY GUIDELINES:
ESSAYS WILL BE DUE ON WEDNESDAY, NOV 18TH.
ESSAYS SHOULD MEET THE FOLLOWING PAGE REQUIREMENTS: NO LESS THAN FIVE (5) COMPLETE PAGES. ANY ESSAYS WHICH DO NOT MEET THE MINIMUM 5 PAGES WILL NOT BE GRADED.
THE MINIMUM FOR RESEARCHED MATERIALS (ARTICLES, BOOK CHAPTERS, INTERVIEWS, ETC.) IS FIVE (5) SECONDARY RESOURCES.
ESSAYS SHOULD HAVE A MAXIMUM OF EIGHT (8) QUOTES. QUOTES SHOULD BE RELEVANT TO YOUR TOPIC AND SHOULD NOT BE LONGER THAN THREE (3) SENTENCES. REMEMBER, QUOTES SHOULD ONLY PROVIDE THE READER AN ADDITIONAL POINT OF VIEW CONCERNING YOUR TOPIC. THEY SHOULD NOT REPLACE YOUR PERCEPTION OR OPINION.
QUOTES AND PARAPHRASED INFORMATION (INFORMATION WHICH YOU LEARNED DURING YOUR RESEARCH FOR THE ESSAY) SHOULD BE FOLLOWED BY IN-TEXT CITATIONS.
ESSAYS MUST INCLUDE A WORKS CITED PAGE. ESSAYS WITHOUT A WORK CITED PAGE WILL NOT BE READ OR GRADED.
ESSAYS SHOULD BE CRITICAL EXPLORATIONS OF YOUR CHOSEN TOPIC AS IT RELATES TO THE JOYCE CAROL OATES STORY. IN ADDITION, YOU SHOULD REMEMBER TO COMMENT ON THE ELEMENTS OF THE SHORT FICTION (PLOT-CONFLICT, SETTING, CHARACTER, THEME, SYMBOL), AS THEY RELATE TO THE STORY AND TO YOUR TOPIC.
TO REITERATE, YOU SHOULD DISCUSS THE FOLLOWING IDEAS IN YOUR RESEARCH-BASED ESSAY:
A. YOUR TOPIC (DEVELOPED THROUGH RESEARCH AND YOUR UNDERSTANDING OR OPINION)
B. THE STORY
C. THE ELEMENTS OF FICTION
YOU WILL NEED TO ANALYZE YOUR TOPIC AND THE STORY, LOOKING AT CONNECTIONS AND JUXTAPOSITIONS, CONTRADICTIONS, OPPOSITIONS, ETC.
ESSAYS SHOULD BE IN A TWO-POCKET FOLDER (JUST LIKE THE LAST TIME) AND INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING:
1) TYPED FINAL ESSAY, DOUBLE-SPACED
2) OUTLINE
3) WORKS CITED PAGE
IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, PLEASE DO NOT HESITATE TO LET ME KNOW.
ESSAYS WILL BE DUE ON WEDNESDAY, NOV 18TH.
ESSAYS SHOULD MEET THE FOLLOWING PAGE REQUIREMENTS: NO LESS THAN FIVE (5) COMPLETE PAGES. ANY ESSAYS WHICH DO NOT MEET THE MINIMUM 5 PAGES WILL NOT BE GRADED.
THE MINIMUM FOR RESEARCHED MATERIALS (ARTICLES, BOOK CHAPTERS, INTERVIEWS, ETC.) IS FIVE (5) SECONDARY RESOURCES.
ESSAYS SHOULD HAVE A MAXIMUM OF EIGHT (8) QUOTES. QUOTES SHOULD BE RELEVANT TO YOUR TOPIC AND SHOULD NOT BE LONGER THAN THREE (3) SENTENCES. REMEMBER, QUOTES SHOULD ONLY PROVIDE THE READER AN ADDITIONAL POINT OF VIEW CONCERNING YOUR TOPIC. THEY SHOULD NOT REPLACE YOUR PERCEPTION OR OPINION.
QUOTES AND PARAPHRASED INFORMATION (INFORMATION WHICH YOU LEARNED DURING YOUR RESEARCH FOR THE ESSAY) SHOULD BE FOLLOWED BY IN-TEXT CITATIONS.
ESSAYS MUST INCLUDE A WORKS CITED PAGE. ESSAYS WITHOUT A WORK CITED PAGE WILL NOT BE READ OR GRADED.
ESSAYS SHOULD BE CRITICAL EXPLORATIONS OF YOUR CHOSEN TOPIC AS IT RELATES TO THE JOYCE CAROL OATES STORY. IN ADDITION, YOU SHOULD REMEMBER TO COMMENT ON THE ELEMENTS OF THE SHORT FICTION (PLOT-CONFLICT, SETTING, CHARACTER, THEME, SYMBOL), AS THEY RELATE TO THE STORY AND TO YOUR TOPIC.
TO REITERATE, YOU SHOULD DISCUSS THE FOLLOWING IDEAS IN YOUR RESEARCH-BASED ESSAY:
A. YOUR TOPIC (DEVELOPED THROUGH RESEARCH AND YOUR UNDERSTANDING OR OPINION)
B. THE STORY
C. THE ELEMENTS OF FICTION
YOU WILL NEED TO ANALYZE YOUR TOPIC AND THE STORY, LOOKING AT CONNECTIONS AND JUXTAPOSITIONS, CONTRADICTIONS, OPPOSITIONS, ETC.
ESSAYS SHOULD BE IN A TWO-POCKET FOLDER (JUST LIKE THE LAST TIME) AND INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING:
1) TYPED FINAL ESSAY, DOUBLE-SPACED
2) OUTLINE
3) WORKS CITED PAGE
IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, PLEASE DO NOT HESITATE TO LET ME KNOW.
Academic Schedule and Course Changes
Everyone,
Please see below the days we will meet for class. I have noted the holidays. Dates have been added by the University in order to make up for days lost during the academic recess/strikes:
Monday, November 9th
Wednesday, November 11th - Veterans Day
Friday, November 14th
Monday, November 16th
Wednesday, November 18th
Friday, November 20th
Monday, November 23rd
Wednesday, November 25th
November 26 - 29th: Thanksgiving Day Weekend
Monday, November 30th
Wednesday, December 2nd
Friday, December 4th
Monday, December 7th
Wednesday, December 9th
Friday, December 11th - Last day of class before the Honors Colloquim
MONDAY, DECEMBER 14TH - HONORS COLLOQUIM (Oral presentation - carries the weight of a final exam).
If you have any questions or concerns about the schedule or about possible absences, please let me know as soon as possible.
Please see below the days we will meet for class. I have noted the holidays. Dates have been added by the University in order to make up for days lost during the academic recess/strikes:
Monday, November 9th
Wednesday, November 11th - Veterans Day
Friday, November 14th
Monday, November 16th
Wednesday, November 18th
Friday, November 20th
Monday, November 23rd
Wednesday, November 25th
November 26 - 29th: Thanksgiving Day Weekend
Monday, November 30th
Wednesday, December 2nd
Friday, December 4th
Monday, December 7th
Wednesday, December 9th
Friday, December 11th - Last day of class before the Honors Colloquim
MONDAY, DECEMBER 14TH - HONORS COLLOQUIM (Oral presentation - carries the weight of a final exam).
If you have any questions or concerns about the schedule or about possible absences, please let me know as soon as possible.
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