Blog #10 Assignment: Oedipus

Discuss the relationship between sight, truth, ignorance and darkness in the play Oedipus the King. Think of characters such as Teiresias and his statements on these matters as well as Oedipus’ desire for knowledge and Oedipus’ situation at the end of the play. What kind of statement do you believe the play makes about sight, truth, ignorance and darkness?

You should title your response "Assignment #10--Oedipus" Post your reply by the deadine (5/27) but this time you will not have to respond (unless you want to). Per the syllabus, Blog entries will be 250 words or more.

Blog #9 assignment: Free choice

Blog #9 assignment: Free Choice


For Blog #9 the choice of what to post is up to you. You can post your reaction to the play Oedipus the King; you can post about any other material in the class; or you can post an entry about a topic that currently interests you or is prominent in your life.


You should title your response "Assignment #9." Post your reply by the deadine (5/20) and then reply to a couple of your classmates' posts on this assignment by 5/25. Blog entries do not have a word limit this time, but do give enough for your classmates to respond.

Blog #8 assignment: Poems

Choose any of the poems we have studied this semester (except for “My Last Duchess”) and apply formalist, reader response, psychological, mythological, reader-response or gender criticism to analyze it. First, explain why you believe this form of criticism best suits the poem you have chosen. Then proceed with your analysis and develop what particular elements of the poem this critical approach emphasizes, and what new insights about the poem we gain through its application.

You should title your response "Assignment #8--Poems." Post your reply by the deadine (5/13) and then reply to a couple of your classmates' posts on this assignment by 5/18. Per the syllabus, Blog entries will be 250 words or more. Responses are without a word limit but should be more substantial than "I agree." Remember that you can respond to as many as you want but you only get credit for the first two. Full credit will be given only to those who adhere to the posting and the reply deadlines.

Blog #7 assignment

For blog #7 please post your critical analysis essay. You will then have to respond to two essays by classmates and comment on their drafts focusing on the same elements you focused on peer review in class:

Is there a thesis? Does the paper follow the structure of their argument rather than chronology? Are claims supported by specific textual evidence? Are sources cited correctly? Does the writer make sure plot summary or paraphrase do not take over? Is there a title, an introduction and conclusion? Are the paragraphs focused? Are there transitions between paragraphs? Is there clarity in written expression?

When you copy and paste your essay on your blog, make sure the new post has paragraphs same as the original and is not just a huge block of text. Post by May 6 and reply to your classmates by May 11

Blog #6 assignment

We are at the midterm point, so for this blog I would like you to reflect on the class so far. Write down your thoughts on the assignments, namely the blogs. Would you rather have more papers instead of blogs? Has the fact that others read your blogs changed how you write on them? What do you think of the experience of reading your classmates' blogs? If there is some confusion about a text (story or poem) or a concept (kind of criticism, element of literary analysis like irony etc) include this in your blog as well. Finally, discuss your expectations about the class when it started and how it is similar or different from what you expected ENG 102 to be. Post your reply by the 4/29 deadline and then respond to your classmates' blogs by 5/4. Same as last time, there is no word limit for your blog post, and no limit on how many replies a blog can have--all replies will count for credit.

Choosing a song, with the masses

(for those withour flash player, the youtube video is here
I went through too many songs before deciding to choose a NY-themed one; more about the group can be found here, but it is one of the many British groups I grew up listening to in the 80s in Europe. I remember how much I liked the ambiguous lyrics when I first heard the song, and the aloof irony of being "knee deep in fate." Listen to how naive and positive the speaker is when he arrives and then how it changes when "bad luck" arrives. But all the same, these are myths, and "We live them till they're true."

Guess what ! Summer's arrived I feel the world's on my side
The Brooklyn Bridge stretches below me
A billion souls all dying to know me
Well here I am ! Loaded with promise
And knee deep in grace
What I want is here on my face and
I feel like I own the whole damn place

Hey Manhattan ! Here I am ! Call me star-struck Uncle Sam.
Strolling Fifth Avenue
- Just to think Sinatra's been here too
These myths we can't undo they lie in wait for you
We live them till they're true,
Manhattan doobie doo. Hey Manhattan doobie doo.

Someday's you've got to get outside - Look there's "The Carlyle"
That's the place where Kennedy stayed,
And where were you when he died ?
(Yeah some things are slow to fade.)
There they were - Loaded with promise
Knee deep in fate - When what you want shows on your face
All that's left litters the whole damn place

Hey Manhattan ! Here I am ! Call it bad luck Uncle Sam.
Scrounging Fifth Avenue
- Just to think the poor could live here too
But what are they to do ? These myths belong to you,
We live them till they're true,
Manhattan doobie doo. Hey Manhattan doobie doo

Blog #5 Assignment

This week, we are turning into the outback of blogs: no rules, just right. So, no word limits or limits to number of responses for this week. We are about to start working on poetry, but poetry is no longer something the general public sits arounds and reads aloud, though some people still do. What the general public does currently listen and pay attention to their lyrics are songs. So, under "Assignment #5" you have two options, go with the masses or chart your own path.
OPTION 1) post a link on your blog of a song that has some importance for you (from youtube or some other venue), and also post what about it you like or what about it is meaningful. There is no word limit, and no limit on how many replies a blog can have--all replies will count for credit. You will have to make sure the link works correctly--come by my office if you need help.
OPTION 2) copy a poem you actually like, even one written by a little known poet (or you) and paste it on your blog post. If you found it on the web and there are more poems by this person on that website, post the website link as well.

We will post these by the 22nd of April--I will post one too.

Midterm Exam

Post here (as comments) any questions you have about the stories we have covered. Both your classmates and I will look at these today and tomorrow and reply to questions posted.

Blog #4 assignment

So far we have discussed biographical, psychological, and gender criticism as particular ways of approaching a literary work. In your own blog, choose one of these three types of critical approaches as discussed in the textbook and in class and apply that approach to one of the short stories we covered. Imagine you are demonstrating to other readers the application of the particular approach. Address why that particular story would be interpreted well with this approach, what particular elements of the story this critical approach emphasizes, and what new insights about the story we gain through its application.

You should title your response "Assignment #4--Criticism." Post your reply by the deadine (4/15) and then reply to a couple of your classmates' posts on this assignment by 4/20. Per the syllabus, Blog entries will be 250 words or more. Responses are without a word limit but should be more substantial than "I agree." Remember that you can respond to as many as you want but you only get credit for the first two. Full credit will be given only to those who adhere to the posting and the reply deadlines.

The Things They Carried "trailer"

A "movie trailer" based off the book The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien created by students participating in Books Inspiring Film.

Blog #3 Assignment

CHOOSE OPTION A Or OPTION B

OPTION A

In your own blog, pick any character from Tim O’ Brien’s “The Things They Carried” except for the character of Jimmy Cross and analyze this character and the information we get about him in the story. Discuss what we learn about his personality, his interaction with others, and the things he carried. Discuss also whether this is a static, dynamic, flat, or round character and justify your decision. Finally briefly explain why you chose to focus on this character (what you found engaging, puzzling, relevant to you etc). Post your reply by the deadine (4/8) and then reply to a couple of your classmates' posts on this assignment by 4/13. Per the syllabus, Blog entries will be 250 words or more. Responses have no word limit but should be more substantial than "I agree." Remember that you can respond to as many as you want but you only get credit for the first two. Also, once a blog entry has four responses, your response to it will no longer count for credit. Full credit will be given only to those who adhere to the posting and the reply deadlines.

OPTION B

We read Hemingway’s “A Clean, Well Lighted Place” and what the café means for the main character and the old waiter. In your own blog, discuss what your personal refuge/haven is when you need such a venue. In your post, you should help us understand the following: 1) At what times and why you need such a place 2) What that place feels like to you when you are there and 3) how the place is similar to or different from the café in the Hemingway story (focus on the function, not the décor). Post your reply by the deadline (4/8) and then reply to a couple of your classmates' posts on this assignment by 4/13. Per the syllabus, Blog entries will be 250 words or more. Responses have no word limit but should be more substantial than "I agree" or ‘I like it.” Remember that you can respond to as many as you want but you only get credit for the first two. Also, once a blog entry has four responses, your response to it will no longer count for credit. Full credit will be given only to those who adhere to the posting and the reply deadlines.

Blog #2 Assignment

In your own blog, post your thoughts on John Steinbeck's use of symbolism in 'The Chrysanthemums." How does the writer use particular symbols and symbolic actions to communicate to the readers the desires and thoughts of the characters, as well as other unspoken truths about the characters in the story? You should title your response "Assignment #2--Symbolism in Steinbeck." Post your reply by the deadine (3/25) and then reply to a couple of your classmates' posts on this assignment by 4/6. Per the syllabus, Blog entries will be 250 words or more. Responses have no word limit but should be more substantial than "I agree." Remember that you can respond to as many as you want but you only get credit for the first two. Also, once a blog entry has four responses, your response to it will no longer count for credit. Full credit will be given only to those who adhere to the posting and the reply deadlines.

Blog #1 assignment

Scroll down on the left side. Click on the link “follow” A new page pops up. Here, if you already have a google account, use this to log in. Otherwise, click on Create a new Google Account and then fill out the information on the new page to create an account. Once the account has been created, the option to follow the blog will appear. Choose “follow publicly.”


You have now created your own google account and linked to the class blog. Go on to https://www.blogger.com/start and create your own blog page. Write a short paragraph about yourself as your first post to your own page. You will post your own blog entries (responses to the assignments/prompts) there (your own blog page) and people will also be able to post their comments on your blog. Remember that these are all public forums. Personalize your blog if you wish, but only include information you are comfortable with everyone knowing. When you have your gmail account and your blogger address, post both under this (as comments) so I can add your name to the direct links of the class blog, making it easier for others to find you. You will find the assignments on this page and you will post your responses on your own blog. The only time when you will post your response here (as a comment) will be for this first assignment. Please post your name as well, so I will know to which student each blog belongs.

Interpreting Our Lives

“We tell ourselves stories in order to live. . . We interpret what we see, select the most workable of multiple choices. We live entirely, especially if we are writers, by the imposition of a narrative line upon disparate images. . . .” Joan Didion, The White Album

The selections chosen for this Composition II section center around the epigram by Joan Didion and its idea that narrative (in all its forms), born out of the human desire to make sense of our experiences, defines the essence of literature. Literature is, nonetheless, its own reward even without such quests and we will examine both the pleasure we get from the written word and the satisfaction, puzzlement, and wonder we draw from the subject matter of the literary text.