Course Recap for Wednesday, November 12, 2014

Homework

• A 5-page play loosely related to your argument piece. Please make sure that your characters have clear desires and that there is something that is keeping them from getting what they want. 

Playwriting Format

(Here is how you format a play.)

TOM

I have to write a play and I don't know how to do it.

JANE

That's okay.  I will teach you. First you write your character name.  Then you hit enter and you write their dialogue.  After you finished writing their dialogue, you hit enter twice and then you write the next characters line and so on and so forth until you're finished.  It should not be double-spaced.  It should look exactly how it is on this blog.

TOM

Wow! That sounds easy.

JANE

It is. (Holds up hand.)  Don't forget to put stage directions in parentheses and then italicize them.
Stage directions are any actions you want your characters to do on stage.

TOM

Will do.  Thanks Jane for all your help.

JANE

You're welcome, Tom.

End of Play

Course Recap from Monday, October 6, 2014

Sonny's Blues and Jazz History
We talked in class about how we could use outside information to determine the meaning of a piece. We acknowledged first a major real-life issue that Sonny's Blues addresses, rampant drug use amongst artists. We talked about how Sonny's explanation for his use of drugs is similar to that of other artists and we could say that one message of Sonny's Blues is that drugs can help a person with their art and give them the ability to bare their soul to the world but it comes at a high cost.
Then we talked about two artists that are mentioned in the story, Louis Armstrong and Charlie Parker. Both artists are jazz musicians but they have different approaches to the music. I played two pieces by each artist and we compared and contrasted the two. Louis Armstrong's music is much more laid back. It follows a familiar structure and is easy to follow. It has smooth melodies that are easy to digest. Charlie Parker on the other hand is less structured. The melody and rhythm can change mid-note. You have to follow it because it feels like the artist is making it up as he goes (which he probably was). Charlie Parker's music felt more active to us as a class. It grabbed your attention even if you didn't particularly enjoy what you heard. We could imagine listening to Louis Armstrong's music at a restaurant or on elevator, in a place where it could fade into the background. The same couldn't be said for Charlie Parker.
Why do these two artists matter? Why does Baldwin mention them? He mentions them because Armstrong's and Parker's approaches to music reflect the differences in the narrator's and Sonny's approaches to life. The narrator likes rules. He does what is expected of him. His way of life is easygoing and easy for authorities to digest. Sonny's is not. Sonny is rebellious. He likes to go his own way. He doesn't believe in playing by other people's rules. When we add in racial politics and how each character represents a different way of defeating "the man" we have a whole other topic we can explore as we explore the theme of Sonny's Blues.
Research and Homework
WE ARE NOT MEETING WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2014. You will be reading 3 short stories for me. You going to read all three and tell me a theme or a message for each one. Then you're going to pick one of the three stories to write a 750-word analysis on using the theme you came up with. So to clarify, you will write a theme for each story but you will expand upon the theme of only one story in a 750-word analysis. Do not do any research for this paper. This should be strictly your own thoughts and feelings on the story. These are due by midnight Friday, Oct. 10 via email.
By Friday, you will have written 3 analysis papers on 3 different pieces of work. Your analysis should be based solely on your own thoughts, feelings, interpretations, etc. on the piece. The next part of this assignment is I want you to pick one of your three papers that you feel could be enhanced by research. Maybe the song you wrote on touches on some major social issue that you'd like to know more about. Maybe your movie references other pieces of work and you'd like to understand it's influences. Maybe you wonder what influence the author's own life has on the piece and you'd like to research more about them. Whatever the case may be, your job is to collect sources that give you an even better understanding of your piece than you did before. You're going to do this is an annotated bibliography.
Annotated Bibliography
An annotated bibliography is a collection of sources about a specific topic with descriptions of each source and the conclusions a person could draw from that information. The purpose of an annotated bib is to give accurate descriptions of each source and how it pertains to your topic, that way if someone else is researching that topic, they'll be able to determine if the source might be useful to them. You are going to collect 6 sources on your piece. You are going to write each in MLA format and underneath you are going to give a thorough description of the source that tells us the sources main points and how those points relate to the paper you wrote. When you have collected and described the sources, you should be able to write a one-page summary on the information you found and how it helps OR how it might change your paper. You may start out believing your piece means one thing and than discover after researching it that you think differently. It essentially a piece answering the question, "What I learned about my Piece?" This is due the next time we meet, Monday, October 13, 2014.
Homework

• Read the 3 short stories (located in Class Documents) and tell me a theme for each via email. (Due Friday Oct. 10)
  
• A Rose for Emily by William Faulkner (a nice little horror story to celebrate it being Halloween month)
• The Red Convertible by Louise Erdrich (a story about a war veteran suffering from PTSD)
• Virgins by Danielle Evans (a story about two young girls and how they lost their virginity)
• Choose one of the three stories to write a 750-word analysis about. (Due Friday Oct. 10)
  
• Write an annotated bibliography featuring 6 sources about one of the pieces you've analyzed over the past week either the song, the movie, or the story. You're only writing about one. Please don't submit sources on all three. (Due Monday, Oct. 13)
  

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Course Recap for Monday and Wednesday, September 29, 2014

Song Analysis

We analyzed three songs. We looked at the speaker of the song, the conflict, the message the song sends, the way the music affects the mood, and the feel of the song.

On Wednesday, we focused on one song in particular, Blurred Lines by Robin Thicke, and looked at how the song could be interpreted in two different ways.  In one of our interpretations, we tried to look at the song in a positive light and said that we believed the speaker is trying to liberate the woman he is speaking to from the double standards women have to deal with when it comes to sex.  He is asking her to go with her inner sexual nature and to know that he won't think less of her if she goes home with him.  She will still be "a good girl."

In the other interpretation, we explored how the speaker's persistence completely disregards the desires of the woman whom he is chasing.  He is refusing to take no for an answer. He is a cocky and arrogant and is more concerned with having power over this woman and claiming her as a conquest than he is in actually fulfilling any of her needs and desires.

For each interpretation, we often used the same lines to defend both arguments, for example, the lines, "Just let me liberate you/that man is not your maker." On the positive side, we said that the speaker is letting the girl know that she has the right to make her own decisions and if "that man" who we believed could be an actual man/significant other or could be "The Man" has no right to make them for her.  On the negative side, we talked about how the speaker is basically asking the woman to transfer the power over her sexuality from one man to another and that it is arrogant of the speaker to believe that this woman needs him to liberate her.

Neither interpretation is completely right or completely wrong.  This is the great thing about art.  Everyone sees it differently. For this unit, we're examining why we see things certain ways.  It is important for you to look at different aspects of the pieces you are analyzing and ask yourself: Why did the writer say this?  What does it mean it to me? Why does it mean that way to me? Could it possibly mean something else?  Why do I find myself believing in one interpretation over another?

Right now the primary sources for our analysis's is the piece itself.  

Homework

• Write a 500-word analysis of a song of your choice.

Course Recap for Wednesday, September 24, 2014

Analysis of Carrie

As a class, we used the readings and our own observations to answer three different questions that we felt the movie, Carrie, attempts to answer.  

The first question we answered was What does the movie Carrie say about becoming/being a woman?  The group who looked at this piece said that the movie Carrie says that women can only occupy two positions in life, the position of the evil slutty witch or the good pious virgin.  Then we talked about how different characters (Mrs. White vs Mrs. Collins, Sue vs. Chris) helps prove this point.  The problem with Carrie is that she tries to occupy both spaces.

The next question we answered is What does the movie say about sex?  This group believes the movie says that sex and sexuality is a sin.  We pointed out how the only person who lived is the person who selflessly gives up their potential sexual partner to someone else, Sue.  The one character who we are sure is sexually active, who is constantly flaunting her sexuality is the most evil character in the piece.  Even Carrie's Mom thinks she deserves to be punished simply for conceiving Carrie even though she was married.

The third question we was How do our perceptions of ourselves and how people perceive us affect our choices?  Because so many people told Carrie she was weird and funny and unworthy of love she believed them, so even when others treated her kindly she assumed they were after her.  When the blood is poured on her, she imagines everyone is laughing at her because she perceives herself to be a person who everyone laughs at.  

The last question was What does the movie say about revenge?  The obvious response is what goes around comes around but we also looked at how most of the people who get revenge on others often seem to hate themselves as much as they hate everyone else.  Chris has no reason to hate Carrie, who is the exact opposite of her which suggest that maybe she hates Carrie because she's everything she's not.  Carrie has a very low opinion of herself and in the end gives in to her feelings of unworthiness.

What I wrote above are very brief summaries of what we talked about in class.  From our discussions we could easily write 3 pages about how the film attempts to answer each question.  For homework, you are going to write a 750 word analysis of a movie of your choice.  Think about the choices that the director makes.  Why does he/she choose to portray a character a certain way? What is the significance of certain scenes in the movie?  Why are certain colors, lighting, set designs used? How does the setting (place, time period, etc) affect the story?  I want your analysis to be your own thoughts.  Try not to look up other people's perceptions of the piece.   

Homework

• 750-word analysis of a film of your choice.  What is a theme in the film that you want to focus on?  Something you thought was important or different or interesting?  How do you interpret the message of the film versus other people?  Be sure to defend your ideas about the film with evidence from the piece. (Due Monday)
• Read Sonny's Blues by James Baldwin. (Due Wednesday)

Course Recap for Monday, September 22, 2014

Carrie

We watched the movie Carrie. I gave you a list of questions to answer that should help you to decide for yourself what messages the film sends (intentionally or unintentionally) and how the film delivers these messages.

For homework, you will read 3 other people's interpretations of the movie Carrie and the genre of horror in general. Next class, we will discuss your interpretations and how much you agree or disagree with the other 3 critics ideas.

Homework

• Put the finishing touches on your response guide from class
• Read Horror, Femininity, and Carrie's Monstrous Puberty
• Read Cult Movie Review: Carrie
• Read Pretty Bloody: Women and Horror Stereotypes

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Course Recap for Wednesday, September 10, 2014

Character
As a class, we made a list of identifying characteristics from our race, nationality, religion, to our interests and things that matter to us.  Then we passed around drafts of our personal narratives to our classmates to see how many of these characteristics our classmates could guess based on the information we provided in our narratives.  If being a member of marching band and being from a specific city means a lot to you, your paper should reflect that.  If your race and ethnic background is a big part of your identity, find ways that show your audience this.  We can do this without resorting to stereotypes and generalizations.  Certain foods we eat and drink, places we go, things we buy, are often determined by the social positions we happen to inhabit.  By including these types of details, we can give our audience a clue of who we are and where we come from.  We can allow them to get to know us which will make them much more interested in hearing what we have to say.  

Welcome to the World of Blogging
The second half of class we focused on blogs. We looked at a variety of different blogs and found that no two blogs are alike, much like people.  Each blog is a reflection of the blogs' creators and its audience.  We did all seem to agree that the simpler the blog, the better.  People should be able to easily identify a blog's purpose, and it should be easy for readers to find information on a blog.  You will be keeping a blog for this class.  For more information check the Blog Assignment Sheet posted on the right under Class Documents.

Homework

• Complete your first blog post for Friday, September 12. 

Course Recap for Monday, September 8, 2014

Narrative Voice and Humor
We discussed David Sedaris's writing in his pieces "Me Talk Pretty One Day" (from your book Readings for Writers) and "Jesus Shaves" (a video clip we watched in class).  We discussed how each narrative focused a specific moment in the author's life that was significant to him (a moment where he overcame an obstacle, a moment where he experienced a moment of solidarity with people from different cultures).  We also talked about Sedaris's brand of humor and how he makes fun of himself and Americans in a very self-deprecating way and how he uses cultural stereotypes and sarcasm to connect with other people.  He makes fun of things that most people can relate to.  Sedaris's humor gives his pieces a distinctive narrative voice that separates his writing from other writers.  Our goal as we explore the personal narrative is to find ways to infuse our own narrative voice into our writing.

It's All in the Details
After discussing Sedaris's writing, we looked at two different poems with two very different speakers. In "Girl" by Jamaica Kincaid we explored how the nature of the advice that the speaker of the poem gives to the audience reveals a lot about that speaker's character.  We could tell she was female, poor,Caribbean, had struggled a lot in life, had been taught and was oppressed by traditional gender roles, and deeply cared for the recipient of her advice. Even though the main topic of the piece isn't actually the speaker, we are still able to learn a lot about her.

Then we looked at "The Day Lady Died" by Frank O'Hara.  We surmised that the speaker in this piece was white, male, middle-aged, wealthy, well-educated, interested in the arts, and on a tight schedule.  We are not explicitly told any of this.  We gain this knowledge based on the places he went (the tobacconist, The Golden Griffin), the things he buys (a shoeshine, the Verlaine, the bottle of Strega), and his reaction to other people and things around him (the fact that he doesn't care if the bank teller looks at his bank balance or not when withdrawing money, the sudden rush of emotion when he discovers Billie Holiday's death).  Our goal is to try and find a way to reveal ourselves in our own piece by showing and not telling.

Homework

• Write a 750 word essay that reveals important details about yourself using one of the following prompts.

• Provide advice to a someone about something you feel you are an expert in.  We should learn who you are and what is it about you that makes your advice worth following.  How did you gain this knowledge?  How do you know it will work? Why do you care?

• OR Tell us the story of where you were and what you were doing on a day of national tragedy.  Obviously September 11 may quickly come to mind but there could be other days of tragedy (like the death of a famous celebrity) that might lend themselves to this piece.  Be specific.  What did you do? What did you buy? What did you eat that day?

Welcome to Thought and Writing!

Welcome to English 1050!
I am Micealaya (Mickey) Moses, your instructor.  Please take time to save this blog into your favorites/bookmarks folder as I will provide weekly updates, course recaps, and all course documents through this site. I am excited to work with all of you this semester! Please don't hesitate to contact me with any questions.  My e-mail is m5moses@wmich.edu.  I am also available to meet with you every Monday between 2 and 4 and by appointment.  In this class you will learn how to think like a writer, a skill you already possess in some capacity.  We will read and  discuss various texts and you will hopefully leave this class with the ability to write in both academic and "real world" settings.

Course Syllabus and Course Expectations
We read through the syllabus in class and talked about the things you would have to do to succeed in this course. Please be sure to review the entire syllabus (posted on the right side of the blog) on your own, but here a few of the finer points, the things that are essential to your success in this class:

• Attendance and participation are extremely important. You are expected to be in class on-time on a regular basis and to participate in all class activities and discussions.
• Late work is highly discouraged.  Please get in the habit now of turning things in when they are due.
• I am here to help you but I can't do anything for you if I don't know something is wrong. Please do not hesitate to ask questions if you are confused.  Again I can meet with you during office hours or by appointment to discuss things you may be struggling with.  Also please inform me in a timely matter if you're going to miss class.
• Please be courteous.  Disruptive behavior is distracting and counterproductive to our class.

Homework (Due Monday 9/8)

• Read "Me Talk Pretty One Day" by David Sedaris, page 16 in Readings for Writers
• Write a paragraph describing your favorite dish.  Your goal is to convince your reader that they want to eat the dish you are describing.