Week 1A Reading Notes

Week 1A reading notes; Chapter 11 Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame, With conquering limbs astride from land to land; Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame. “Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!” cries she With silent lips. “Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!” LYDIA DAVIS Head, Heart Heart weeps. Head tries to help heart. Head tells heart how it is, again: You will lose the ones you love. They will all go. But even the earth will go, someday. Heart feels better, then. But the words of head do not remain long in the ears of heart. Heart is so new to this. I want them back, says heart. Head is all heart has. Help, head. Help heart. When we’re sad about losing someone we love, we reason with ourselves that loss is inevitable because everything earthly, even the earth itself, can’t last forever. Such rational explanations give us comfort, but that comfort is itself temporary; we still miss those we’ve lost and have to keep calling on our heads to help our hearts cope. figures of speech— metonymy, the use of the name of one thing for another closely associated thing (here, “head” for “reason,” and “heart” for “emotion”), as well as personification, the representation of an object or an abstraction (here, “head” and “heart”) as a person (capable of weeping and talking, for example) metonymy figure of speech in which the name of one thing is used to refer to another associated thing. When we say, “The White House has promised to veto the bill,” for example, we use the White House as a metonym for the president and his administration. My Library from Sleepwork Assembled with such care over the decades, with its shelves of well-thumbed Collected Poems, its ponderous chronicles, tea-stained chapbooks, and paperbacks asterisked with mildew, after all these years my library slips its anchor and sails ever more certainly into the past. Soon even the methods and substance of its origin—paper and ink, the printing press—will resemble fragments of ash and animal bone in an ancient digging, yet I feel no particular sense of regret that I will not live to see our futuristic tropes put to the final test, whatever dire exigency that might consist of. All I have ever wanted is to write a poem as ineradicable as the sun, singular as a wolf in its kingdom of moonlit ice. But who has time, anymore, for idle tasks? Why should anyone bother to adjudicate the petty crimes of language, border disputes between synonyms, lexical transgressions opaque as tax legislation? Pea vines are climbing the neighbor’s trellis, the kids are looking for a surfboard behind the garage, wind rustles the branches which respond with shrugs and apologetic bows. In the shelter of their anthologies, the poems talk softly in the darkness, huddled together for warmth, waiting. ADA LIMÓN Sacred Objects I’m driving down to Tennessee, but before I get there, I stop at the Kentucky state line to fuel up and pee. The dog’s in the car and the weather’s fine. As I pump the gas a man in his black Ford F150 yells out his window about my body. I actually can’t remember what it was. Nice tits. Nice ass. Something common that I’ve been hearing my whole life. Except sometimes it’s not Nice ass, it’s Big ass or something a bit more cruel. I pretend not to hear him. I pretend my sunglasses hide my whole body and I’m made invisible. Right then, a man with black hair, who could be an uncle of mine, pulls by in his truck and nods. He’s towing a trailer that’s painted gray with white letters. The letters read: Sacred Objects. I imagine a trailer full of Las Virgens de Guadalupe3 all wobbly from their travels, concrete, or marble, or wood. All of these female statues hidden together in this secret shadowed place on their way to find a place where they’ll be safe, even worshipped, or at the very least allowed to live in the light. Chapter 15 Chapter 16 Chapter 17 Chapter 18 Chapter 19 Chapter 20 Week 1A notes My Galley Charged with Forgetufullnes by Sir Thomas Wyatt The lover compareth his state to a ship in perilous storm tossed on the sea My galley (small ship) charged with forgetfulness, (A) Through sharp seas, in winter nights, doth pass (A) ’Tween rock and rock; and eke(means also)my foe(enemy/opponent), alas, (B) That is my lord, steereth (steer) with cruelness: (A) And every hour, a thought in readiness, (A) As though that death were light in such a case.(B) An endless wind doth tear the sail apace (B) Of forced sighs and trusty fearfulness; (B) A rain of tears, a cloud of dark disdain,(C) Have done the wearied cords great hinderance: (D) Wreathed with error, and with ignorance; (D) The stars be hid that lead me to this pain; (C) Drown’d is reason that should be my comfort, (E) And I remain, despairing of the port. (E) Analysis 1. Scansion 2. Rhyme scheme - ABBAABBA (octet), volta (the place where shift happens)CDDEEE(couplet) (sestet) - There can be a contradiction between the octet and sestet and the volta will be something like BUT (a shift) - discuss rhyme scheme - say what it implies - what does this mean? He uses this and this and it creates this effect - connect rhyme to your argument - 14 lines - sonnet - italian form - Translated poem from italian one - Sonnets have subject matter is - LOVE - unrequited love, miserable love - not returned love - speaker in love with a woman who didn’t love them back - poem about unhappy love standard iambic pentametric - sad - There is no title in the song - opening discribtor - ‘compare’ metaphor - compared to something concrete - abstract - lover’s feelings - mental state - comapred to the wrecked sailing ship in the storm - lover’s feelings unstable - lover feels like they will go down - the ship is going to drown - sense of helplessnessbuilding up the danger in the lines - Identifying metre - underline all the 2 syllable words - His lord is also his enemy who is also misdirecting his ship with cruelness - this is also his lover Poems written to be enjoyable, feeling - talk about what the poem makes the listener feel Poetry is unique in that it has patterns - everything else has prose conscious patterning Examples of patterns; 1. Rhythmic pattern - example of rhythmic sound pattern; - metre - stresses on the accent of the reading - accent pattern - regular repeated patterns - melody of the words - Scansion - identifying metrical process - it is a line for stressed, a curve for unstressed - examples of words never stressed; and, a, an, the, verbs endings (- ed, ing) - Examples of common metres; 1. unstresssed followed by stressed syllable (iamb) Iambic metre - one foot - sounds stronger than iambic - Iambic trimetre - 3 iambs - Iambic tetrametre - 4 iambs - cheerful, not depressed songs often in this - Iambic pentametre - 5 iambs - more serious, thoughtful shakespeare writes like this - to make it sound more dramatic and serious - Pairing cheerful with the serious - creates contrast to make it more juxtaposition - cheery song but lyrics are - i am lonely - to make it look like i am lonely but look cheerful on the outside - The variations in these sentenses create drama, tension, I am dying, feel the drama 2. Trochaic metre - more gentle, melancholy - reversed iambic 3. Anapest metre - extra unstressed syllable - makes it sound faster, speed, sense of movement - quickly 4. Dactyl metre - movement but weaker movement falling rhythm 2. Stanza patterns - lines organized into regular patterns - 14 lines - sonnets, 4 line stanza (quanterantain) 3. Sound patterns - rhyme, alliteration, consonance (constanst), assonance (vowels), repetition (taking words and repeating it chorus for music) - Paired rhyming - couplet - Couplets in iambics - heroic - Three rhymings - triplet - Six interconnected rhyming - sestet - Group of eight interconnected rhyming lines - octave 4. Regularity vs variation - metrical variation - to avoid monotone - so people don’t lose interest - change in speed, variation, slow down, create alleviation, emphasis, drama. examples; - Deficient feet - 3 foot iambic missing first unstressed word - Spondees - 3 foot iambic but add stress - more dramatic - Pyrhic - 3 foot but replace one word with unstressed - Enjambment - no punctuation at the end of the line, it is not end-stopped line - makes you go to the next line - more excitement - Ceasura - adding punctuation in the middle of the line - to regulate speed, more pauses more drama Close reading skills Hermeneutics = what does it mean? What does the poem mean? Don’t start with the analysis of what the poem means. Avoid starting with hermenuetics Poetics = how is it made? What is its form? Format? You can say the height, colour, the physical attributes that make it up. It’s patterns - the first essay is based on the patterns of the poem - not so much the hermeneutics - meaning arises out of the text through revealing the physical - form creates effect. example; 1. Rhetorical devices 2. Diction - nouns, pronouns, verbs they use 3. Figures of speech 4. Relationship - between speaker, and listener or between author and speaker - speaker is the fictional character in the poem - the author is the one who wrote it - not them falling in love, listener they are talking to me? Or talking to a ‘you’ Week 1B Readings Broadview 17–18 Attitude - Weak writing view their writing as battlefield, active confrontation with an assignment - allows the voice to grow Audience - writing to the expectations of specific audiences, the chemistry teacher is different from history teacher Broadview 34–43 Double fluency - smooth, easy flow - effortless movement - depends on logic and style Logical fluency - assertions need to be clearly supported by reasons, the reasons need to be convincing - Start with conscious premise - like freedom of expression is a fundamental good Elaboration and repetition - “Am I making everything clear for someone who has not done the research I have and who does not know anything of my argument beyond what I’ve told him?” - provide enough elaboration of your main idea, whether through extending the argument itself or through providin numerous examples, to signal your sense of the relative importance of the various ideas you are presenting. - Signal important through words like - most importantly, crucially - Repetition of key points over the course of an essay can greatly enhance its argumentative focus. This statement not only repeats her position but also places it clearly in the context of public funding obliga-tions. - essay’s final paragraph, Melissa reiterates the central point of her thesis. Rather than merely repeat familiar material, she broadens the context of the argument significantly by referring to the change in attitudes toward freedom of expression that was prompted by the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. Without slipping into repetitiveness, then, she has managed to strengthen the argumentative crux of her essay. - Its thesis, a vision of the world’s economic future, foresees “a gradual, largely invisible transformation of the world trading system, a transformation that is unplanned and therefore essentially unpredictable” (216). (Some of the most compelling and clear thesis statements, by the way, can be those that express uncertainty or limited knowledge.) - Ms. Ostry begins the essay’s conclusion with a question: So what are the policy options? After briefly identifying two such options, she returns to the interrogative mode: Can or will the US exercise leadership without hegemony? And if not the US, then who? (225). End of article. The posing of thoughtful questions, while consistent with the essay’s thesis (a transformation that is ... essentially unpredictable), is not mere repetitiveness; a specific factor is introduced (US leadership) that keeps readers thinking. Modes of thought/modes of writing - Narrating in argumentative essay style - any plot summary included in your paper must support a point—not substitute for one. why is this important? - Narrative sequence of events - one thing happens, then another, then another 2. Classification - sorting into groups - important for essays that draw contrasts - can be used to define things - example freedom of expression - what constitutes it? Define it with reference to how it is set out in the constitution and how it is seen as reality of social justice - use academic definition not dictionary definition 3. Analyzing cause and effect essays; - Narrative uses - and and then - Cause and effect uses - because and therefore - Events have more than one cause and claims must be justified by more than one reason Chapter 30 - Literature essay has specific elements - must incorporate 5 elements; 1. Tone - purpose is to persuade readers with different outlooks tone should be serious, respectful and straighforward - formal enough for academic writing but lively enough to capture busy readers - Write in present tense - Use the word I carefully - no i think or I feel 2. Thesis and motive - thesis for essay, theme for short story/poemthe governing idea or claim - proposition you can prove with evidence from the literary text; - “The Story of an Hour” poses a troubling question: Does marriage inevitably encourage people to “impose [their] private will upon a fellow-creature” (par. 14)? - evaluative claim involves moral, philosophical, social, or political judgment—whether an idea or action is wise or good, valid or admirable, something you “agree with.” similar to position paper. Both interpretive and evaluative claims involve informed opinion - Analytical claim - What is evaluative or interpretive approaches? - Motive - Although they say/I used to think/someone might reasonably think _________________ about this text, I say/now think _________________ because _________________. - Although . . . , I think . . . because . . .” is a useful sentence as you plan or summarize an argument, not a sentence that should actually appear in an essay, in part because it creates problems with tone - Possible thesis statements (none of them good): ● Poets use form to make their meaning clear to readers. ● Attention to a poem's form can help readers really understand its meaning. ● Meter and stanza structure are important parts of a poem's meaning. ● We think of love as a wonderful thing, but Wyatt shows that it can be painful and destructive, too. - Purely harmeunics ● Wyatt's poem is a sonnet about love; the speaker is unhappy and wants to die - Description of meaning ● In this poem, Wyatt shows how terrible love can be and how miserable being in love can make someone feel if the love is not returned. - Not on poetics ● In this poem, Wyatt uses sonnet form, variations in meter, caesurae and enjambment, rhyme scheme, and metaphor; these are all important examples of form in poetry. - List of examples – make an argument about them ● Using these elements of form, Wyatt writes a powerful, memorable poem about an unhappy love relationship. - It is evaluative not analytical – powerful and memorable 3. Evidence - requires ample, appropriate evidence - QUOTATION, - PARAPHRASE/SUMMARY - 2 part citation - in-text and reference list - Works cited list 4. structure - Beginning (introduction); ● Purpose - draw them in - prepare them for the document ● Brief, specific - Don’t generalize idea at the start start specific at the start ● specify/name the primary source - the poem, the author - first time naming both first & last name, thereafter last name ● State the thesis/hypothesis - clear, specific, arguable doesn’t have to be single sentence - Middle (body); ● supporting and developing your thesis by presenting and analyzing evidence. Each body paragraph needs to articulate, support, and develop one claim. Don’t just prove your point; develop it. Try to start each paragraph with a sentence that functions as a bridge, transporting the reader from one claim to the next. ● 1 paragraph per main idea ● Structure; - topic sentence (main idea) - supporting evidence/argument - development conclusion of main idea ● Connections - between paragraphs to thesis ● Ordering of body paragraphs; - Logical order - Rhetorical order - beginning, middle, end (most important) - don’t begin or end with weakest paragraphs - End (conclusion) ● Remain focussed on topic ● Don’t just reinstate - what have you accomplished in this essay? What should your reader have learned or understood as a result of reading your essay? ● Don’t introduce new ideas ● Rename your primary source Chapter 31 Week 1B Class notes Writing Process; 1. Pre-writing - Know exactly what you are asked to do - read through the assignment - understand what it is you should be writing - Audience - what do they need to know from you - Narrow down the general area of the topic - Go from research question to generating data in response to that ( we use close reading to do that) - Do the rhyme scale & scansion & defining words, sonnet structure, metre, diction, pace, variation, - look for significant patterns in the data - make sense of it - then generate a claim/proposition - using the available, then convince the reader that your hypothesis is correct then a plan on how you will communicate the evidence - Information - date - Use outline - using the intro (the thesis) /body (main ideas) /conclusion structure - details out everything ● 2-4 paragraphs 2. drafting 3. Revising - Make sure to check quotations - accurate Thesis and Motive - Is there one claim that effectively controls the essay? - Is the claim debatable? - Does the claim demonstrate real thought? Does it truly illuminate the text and topic? - Does the writer show us that (and why) the thesis is new and worthwhile by suggesting an actual or potential alternative view? Structure BEGINNING/INTRODUCTION - Does the introduction provide readers all—and only—the information they need about the author, text, context, and topic? - Does the introduction imply a clear, substantive, debatable but plausible thesis? Is it clear which claim is the thesis? - Does every sentence either help to articulate the thesis and motive or to provide essential information? MIDDLE/BODY - Does each paragraph clearly state one debatable claim? Does everything in the paragraph directly relate to, and help support and develop, that claim? - Is each of those claims clearly related to (but different from) the thesis? - Are the claims logically ordered? - Is that logic clear? Is each claim clearly linked to those that come before and after? Are there any logical “leaps” that readers might have trouble following? - Does each claim/paragraph build on the last one? Does the argument move forward, or does it seem more like a list or a tour through a museum of interesting but unrelated observations? - Do any key claims or logical steps in the argument seem to be missing? ENDING/CONCLUSION - Does the conclusion give readers the sense that they’ve gotten somewhere and that the journey has been worthwhile? - Does it indicate the implications of the argument, consider relevant evaluative questions, or discuss questions that remain unanswered? Evidence - Is there ample, appropriate evidence for each claim? - Are the appropriateness and significance of each fact—its relevance to the claim—clear? - Are there any weak examples or inferences that aren’t reasonable? - are there moments when readers might reasonably ask, “But couldn’t that fact instead mean this?” - Are all the relevant facts considered? What about facts that might complicate or contradict any of the claims? Are there momentswhen readers might reasonably think, “But what about X?” - Is each piece of evidence clearly presented? Do readers have all the contextual information they need to understand a quotation, for example? - Are there any unnecessary or overly long quotations—instances when the writer should instead paraphrase, summarize, or describe or provide more analysis of a long quotation? Tone - Does the writer maintain an effective tone—do any moments in the essay make its writer seem anything other than serious, credible, engaged, and engaging? respectful toward the text(s) and a range of readers? - Does the writer correctly and consistently use literary terminology? - Does the writer ever assume too much or too little readerly knowledge or interest? Sample outline (Essay #1) Thesis: Wyatt's sonnet uses a central metaphor, meter and metrical variation, and careful placement of pauses to communicate the speaker's misery and helplessness as he endures the pain of an unhappy love relationship. Body par 1: Sonnet form •octet/sestet (shaped by rhyme scheme) •sentence pattern (lines 1–6/7-14) in tension with octet/sestet •conventional sonnet subject matter: unrequited love Body par 2: Metaphor •lover's state/ship at sea in a storm •abstract made concrete: why doing this is useful/effective •details of metaphor: e.g. rain, clouds, hidden stars, the foe/lord who steers/rocks, unattainable port, cords/ropes, winds, etc. Body par 3: Meter and metrical variation •iambic pentameter: serious tone, dramatic, introspective (give examples) •variations in the basic meter: spondees, pyrrhic feet, deficient feet, etc •effects of those variations (connect to details of metaphor above) Body par 4: Pauses and speed •meter and speed (connect to par above) •end-stopped lines, enjambment, caesurae: examples •show how these reinforce/work with details of the metaphor Conclusion: note how a close reading of form helps readers respond more strongly, more viscerally to the meaning. We do not understand the speaker's pain as an abstract, impersonal idea; we feel it as it distorts and shapes the lines Week 2 A reading notes 19–32 - Narrator - someone who recounts story, use speaker in poetry - Tale - brief narrative with a simple plot and characters - Fable - convey or state a simple or single moral - Epigstolary - novel composed entirely of letters written by its characters - Bildungroman - Parable - short work of fiction that illustrates an explicit moral but that, unlike a fable, lacks fantastic/anthropomorphic characters ● Isabel Allende - And of clay are created reading 52–57 ● Gooseberries Anton chekov 94–179 ● Where are you going, where have you been? Joyce Carol Oates ● I’d love you to want me - Viet Thanh Nguyen ● Interesting facts - Adam Johnson ● Initiation stories - an album ● Barn burning - William Faulkner ● The lesson - Toni Cade Bambara - Suggestions for writing; ● Traditional elements of plot - exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, conclusion ● How does being ‘both black and American’ shape the conflict experienced by the story’s protagonist and its resolution? On the other hand, what might be universal about that conflict? ● What is the nature of the conflict? When, where, and how does it develop or become more complicated as the story unfolds? How is it resolved at the end of the story? Why and how is that resolution satisfying? 182–186 Week 2A class notes - Descriptive approach - it is not list of rules, tools to say what you say and how you say - depends on your audience - formality Prescriptive approach - about rules - follow the permanent rules Do correction later - after drafting Basic parts of speech; ● Noun - Concrete - table - Abstract - freedom, love - Common - desk, computer - not capitalized - Proper - Margaret, Edmonton - capitalized - Countable - pen, person - Uncountable - flour, air Compound noun - putting together words ● Single word = newspaper, staircase ● Two-word compound = real estate, ice cream ● Hyphenated compound nouns = sister-in-law, six-pack ● Pronoun - referent/antecedent - the noun the pronoun is referring to - used to have formal ‘you’ and informal ‘thou’ - Distinguish ● there, their, they’re (they are/were). ● Your, you’re. ● Its, it’s ● Who’s (who is/was), whose (possessive pronoun) ● Whom - use it for him/them - not he/they ● Don’t start sentences with ‘this’, ‘that’ - This is the reason why the diction is important - The diction is important because it reveals the ambiguity of the speaker’s emotions ● Verb - State of being/linking verbs - Action verbs - walk, think - modal/auxiliary/helping verb - Passive voice - vagueness, imprecision, evasiveness ● The meaning is shown (2 part verb) in line 4 (shown by what?) ● The precise diction in line 4 communicates the emotion ● When the actor is unknown/known it is good to use it; - My house was robbed last night - Verb tense - adding auxiliary verbs indicate tense - “have” - use present tense when writing about texts ● Wyatt translated this sonnet in the 1530s from an Italian original by Petrarch. In it he uses iambic pentameter and the rhyme scheme ABBAABBACDDCEE, both of which are standard for Italian sonnets - Subject-verb agreement ● Verb matches the subject ● Modifiers; - Adjective - modify nouns and pronouns - Adverb - modify verbs, adjectives, adverbs, sentences ● Very angry - just say furious, enragious - better nouns/verbs need fewer modifiers - Preposition - position - at the door ● Conjunction - Types of sentences; use them to avoid monotony and to create variations 1. Simple sentence - One clause - one complete sentence pattern (subject-verb-objective) or (subject-verbcomplement) or (subject-verb) 2. Compound sentence - 2 or more clauses joined by coordinating conjunction (FANBOYS - for, and, nor,but,or,yet,so) or semicolon ● Clause, coord conj. Clause - i.e - sales are down this quarter, so everyone must take a pay cut. 3. Conjunctive adverbs - not conjunctions but adverbs - have to be punctuated differently ● I liked the movie; however, it was very different from the book - however can be moved around as well only use the comma for the coordinating conjunctions - you can also replace the period with semi-colon (but semi-colon suggests idea is not over yet while period suggest, new idea is starting) 4. Complex sentences - 2 or more clauses joined by subordinating conjunction (everything other than FANBOYS) or other elements ● I saved a lot of money this summer because I worked two jobs ● I saved very little money this summer, although I worked two jobs ● Contradiction - put a comma because they worked 2 jobs and saved very little money - there is a contradiction ● Complex sentences: subordinate clause first - I.e Although I worked two jobs, I saved very little money this summer. 5. Compound -complex sentence - 3 or more clauses joined by at least 1 coordinating conjunction and at least 1 subordinating conjunction ● Although I worked two jobs, I saved very little money this summer 6. Fragments - less than 1 clause (less than 1 complete sentence pattern) ● Both candidates made strong presentations, but we can choose only one because the budget will allow for only one new hire. Unfortunate, but necessary at this time. (doesn’t have all components of subject-verb pattern) ● Interjection - inherently conversational, sense of spoken word, punctuate with commas - or (dashed for extra drama) - I heard about their breakup and – wow – what a surprise - not so formal - make sure to check the audience. - Oh, did you get an A in the essay, too?