Drama unit: I will be reviewing the writing for the drama unit over the break. If you have questions or difficulties - send me an email.
Mango street: overview of unit
Sandra Cisneros The House on Mango Street is generally characterized as a lyrical novel, which is a sub-genre of novel, and in many ways different from many of the novels you will be reading for your period courses as English majors. At the same time, you are will familiar with the "moves" most "traditional" novels make - in terms of plot, setting character, and structure - from the short story course. So, we are using the novel unit 1) to look at reading strategies for lyrical (non-traditional) novel forms, and 2) to work on reading & writing about scholarly literary essays.
Reading Valdes essay on Mango Street. We spent the first part of class setting up the assignment for next Monday. (Posted to the right, Cisneros Essay). This essay, written in 1992, is a feminist essay which draws from semiotic theory (theories about interactions between texts and readers and the ways meanings are made). We noticed (and took apart) some of the jargony language. I have annotated this essay (the headings and bolding were added by me) - as a way to make the overall structure (the moves the author makes) more clear. The assignment for this unit will be an evaluation or response to what Valdes has written. We will talk about this more (and identify topics) as we move through the unit.
Discussion of Mango Street.
We began talking about Mango street by putting up just anything that came to mind. Here are the notes from the board:
protagonist = Mexican girl, adolescent
family = poor
Protagonist hopes for a better life - better house, doesn't want to end up like the adult women she knows
"afraid" of growing up (Monkey Garden, discovers/begins to think about sexuality + gender role
uses poetry - language = symbolic/metaphroic
uses poetry/her way of expressing herself to create herself
identity struggle
my name = personal
different (those who don't)
female identity
child/adult
seual identity
sense of belonging
holding - setting free
using language to gain "safety"
You then worked in groups to notice some of the main themes - and to note sets of chapters the themes wove through. We only had time for three themes (listed below) - there are more, and as we noted, they are overlapping. In addition to the themes listed below, we might have noted themes related to growing up, dealing with conflicts (opposites); belonging, female identity, (and others).
Themes
Power of language
The house
Mango says good bye sometimes
My Name
Darius & the Clouds
No Speak English
and?
Poverty
The House
Rice Sandwich
Those who don't
Bums in the attic
and?
Bi-cultural identity
Hairs
My Name
Geraldo no last name
No Speak English
For next class:
Read: Valdes essay
Write: post questions, vocabulary, ideas, observations related to Valdes essay. Do some writing to figure out what the essay means + how it works.
Have a great Thanksgiving and see you next week.
Tuesday, November 25, 2014
Thursday, November 20, 2014
What to post for the drama unit
Here is the list of assignments from the drama unit, along with the due dates. The final drafts + the peer review posts are due 11. 23. I will return your work to you with the next "grade-so-far" the week after Thanksgiving.
Final draft (11.23):
Homework/exploratory writing:
ideas/discussion of features associated with 3 of the questions at the end of ch. 16 (11.3)
scene by scene analysis (10.10)
writing on response directed, critical analysis, and research directed topics for Othello (11.13)
thesis + points to support thesis (11.17)
rough draft (11.20)
Peer review feedback (11.23):
Final draft (11.23):
11.20 Peer review, finishing up drama unit, + reading novels
What to do for peer review of drama essays.
1.Identify roles for participants in your group.
Facilitator, is the "emcee" for the group, makes sureall the points in the protocol are covered for each participant, fields questions, keeps the group on task.
Timekeeper: makes sure the time for discussion of each piece is allocated in a way that ensures that everyone gets equal attention.
2. Decide on the order for presentations (make sure the timekeeper knows how much time is available for each presentation).
3. Authors then present in the decided upon order.
Protocol for feedback for an individual author:
1. Author introduces piece by stating what s/he wants feedback on.
2. Author reads his/her essay.
3. Readers should take notes and pay attention to parts of the essay which give rise to questions or comments.
Readers then:
1. Comment on strengths
2. Say back the main point (thesis/focus) + name the supporting points(ask questions if necessary)
3. Talk through the focus, organization + development for the essay
4. Answer, attend to the author's request for feedback.
Facilitator then asks if there are any further issues to talk about for the author, if not, move to the next speaker.
List of questions/points to discuss:
Focus
1. Does the author pose a thesis that passes the "so what" test?
2. Does the author set up a series of points to develop the thesis?
3. Does each paragraph develop the focus in a slightly different way?
4. Does the author make specific statements about connections between the points + the focus?
Organization
1. Is there a clear statement of the thesis in the introduction?
2. Does the introduction set up the points the essay will discuss?
3. Does the author provide background information before "critquing" or discusing points based on that background?
4. Do the points to develop the thesis follow in a logical order?
5. Is there one point per paragraph?
6. Are quotes set up, presented, and then related to the focus?
Development
1. Does the author use specific references to the plot/setting/character (depending on the focus) to provide background?
2. Does the author cite appropriate references for claims about Shakespeare, the history of the play, the audience, etc?
3. Does the author include appropriate quotes to support a close reading of the play to support the thesis?
For next class:
1.Identify roles for participants in your group.
Facilitator, is the "emcee" for the group, makes sureall the points in the protocol are covered for each participant, fields questions, keeps the group on task.
Timekeeper: makes sure the time for discussion of each piece is allocated in a way that ensures that everyone gets equal attention.
2. Decide on the order for presentations (make sure the timekeeper knows how much time is available for each presentation).
3. Authors then present in the decided upon order.
Protocol for feedback for an individual author:
1. Author introduces piece by stating what s/he wants feedback on.
2. Author reads his/her essay.
3. Readers should take notes and pay attention to parts of the essay which give rise to questions or comments.
Readers then:
1. Comment on strengths
2. Say back the main point (thesis/focus) + name the supporting points(ask questions if necessary)
3. Talk through the focus, organization + development for the essay
4. Answer, attend to the author's request for feedback.
Facilitator then asks if there are any further issues to talk about for the author, if not, move to the next speaker.
List of questions/points to discuss:
Focus
1. Does the author pose a thesis that passes the "so what" test?
2. Does the author set up a series of points to develop the thesis?
3. Does each paragraph develop the focus in a slightly different way?
4. Does the author make specific statements about connections between the points + the focus?
Organization
1. Is there a clear statement of the thesis in the introduction?
2. Does the introduction set up the points the essay will discuss?
3. Does the author provide background information before "critquing" or discusing points based on that background?
4. Do the points to develop the thesis follow in a logical order?
5. Is there one point per paragraph?
6. Are quotes set up, presented, and then related to the focus?
Development
1. Does the author use specific references to the plot/setting/character (depending on the focus) to provide background?
2. Does the author cite appropriate references for claims about Shakespeare, the history of the play, the audience, etc?
3. Does the author include appropriate quotes to support a close reading of the play to support the thesis?
For next class:
Read: Mango Street
Write: Post peer reviews + final draft for Othello
Have a great weekend and see you on Monday!
Friday, November 14, 2014
11.13 Character and Drama assignment
Class discussion was based on material in the book about developing discussions of: 1) classical and modern (tragic) heroes; 2) evidence within the play related to character; 3) questions about how character drives the plot or otherwise structures the play to affect the reader/viewer.
Drama Essay. The second part of class was focused on the assignment for writing about drama. (see assignment sheet posted to the right). As a class, we agreed to use the "generic" assignment for the short story section, revised to focus on a play. As we discussed how to develop a thesis for this assignment, we noted the following.
1. A thesis for a successful essay needs to pass the "so what" test. The essay needs to make a point or show something that BOTH connects to evidence from the play (or scholarship about the play) AND uses that evidence to make a critical observation or nontrivial point about how the play works, its relationship to the larger culture of its time (or of our time), etc.
2. For some theses, you will need to cite sources other than the play to support your argument. For example, if you were to discuss they way the female characters are portrayed in Othello, you would want references research about Elizabethan customs/culture/women as a way to place your comments in context. Or if you argued that Shakespeare drew from features of both classical and modern tragic heroes, you would want to ground your argument in what scholars have written on this topic.
We have not spent much (any?) time discussing how & when to cite sources. We will work on that in some more detail in the novel unit, but if you want to write a paper that calls for some "back up" - here are some quick, easy strategies for finding what you want.
Drama Essay. The second part of class was focused on the assignment for writing about drama. (see assignment sheet posted to the right). As a class, we agreed to use the "generic" assignment for the short story section, revised to focus on a play. As we discussed how to develop a thesis for this assignment, we noted the following.
1. A thesis for a successful essay needs to pass the "so what" test. The essay needs to make a point or show something that BOTH connects to evidence from the play (or scholarship about the play) AND uses that evidence to make a critical observation or nontrivial point about how the play works, its relationship to the larger culture of its time (or of our time), etc.
2. For some theses, you will need to cite sources other than the play to support your argument. For example, if you were to discuss they way the female characters are portrayed in Othello, you would want references research about Elizabethan customs/culture/women as a way to place your comments in context. Or if you argued that Shakespeare drew from features of both classical and modern tragic heroes, you would want to ground your argument in what scholars have written on this topic.
We have not spent much (any?) time discussing how & when to cite sources. We will work on that in some more detail in the novel unit, but if you want to write a paper that calls for some "back up" - here are some quick, easy strategies for finding what you want.
- Maybe start with Wikipedia to identify what's out there. Then check out the scholarly references.
- Check out Project Muse. This is what comes up with a quick search of Othello. You can refine your search and get much more relevant material (this has over 3000 hits).
- Use Google.scholar a a quick way to identify/find articles.
- Once you identify the names of the primary journals with essays on your topic, you can search through the Kean Library Data bases by directly accessing the periodicals. Click Periodical List and enter the name of the journal you want to search.
Finishing the Drama unit. We also took a look at the calendar and noticed that we are moving through this unit quickly and that the drama papers for peer review are due next Thursday.
For next class:
Write: Identify your thesis. Identify the points you want to make, and identify the sections of text you will use to support those points. In addition to that - bring whatever writing you have developed for your essay for in-class conferencing and workshopping.
Have a good weekend and see you on Monday.
Monday, November 10, 2014
11.10 Othello and writing about dramatic structure; finding a thesis
Discussion of grades:
You should all have your feedback sheets + your essay with comments. If you have questions, be in touch.
I started class with an overview of what I saw as 'needing work' in writing from the class as a whole. What follows is a list of what I saw as most important for us to work on as we wrap up the semeter.
1. Be aware that as we move through the semester, the participation credit/homework counts for less, and the quality of the writing counts for more.
2. Most frequent areas for work noted in the essays:
revise for specific language
make sure the focus passes the "so what" test
use the sandwich method to present examples from the text
make specific connections between discussion of the text and what those discussions show with respect to the overall focus of the essay
3. More time spent in brainstorming (analyzing the text you will write about, identifying a thesis, selecting sections of text that illustrate particular points relevant to the thesis) will help with focus + development
4, More time spent in revising can help with organization and language choices
Othello + Dramatic structure
During the rest of class we talked through the points raised in the textbook's chapter on dramatic structure. We reviewed the terms set up in your book in terms of Othello:
point of attack:
exposition:
rising action
climax
falling action:
denoument
We also spent some time analyzing the central conflict in terms of the way it connected to related conflicts, order of presentation, and the relative "power" of the characters involved in the conflich. This exploration suggested a number of questions that might work for a thesis.
Finding a focus/thesis.
During the last 15 minutes of class you spent some time writing questions that might lead to a thesis for a paper on Othello in terms of the 3 caategories at the end of the chapter. The three categories + some of my notes on your ideas are below. It sounded to me like most of you were well on track for thinking about how to write about Othello in terms of these 3 perspectives.
Response writing: a thesis/focus which allows you to use a discussion of some aspect of the play as a basis for discussing that aspect within another context. For example, how does the relationship between O + D values in terms of heroes + villians
If you were in Othello's position, what would you do?
what's the difference between the trust of a friend of a partner (someone you work with)
Critical analysis: questions which identify features of the play and ask questions about relationships among those features
Why didn't Othello suspect Iago? (You might identify the different "lies" Iago told, and assess or other wise evaluate the different ways Shakespeare represents Othello as responding to them; you might also look at the exposition/backstory on Othello's character - how Shakespeare sets him up in ways that make his responses believable (or not); or you might characterize how Elizabethan v contemporary audiences might respond differently in terms of "believing" Othello's responses to Iago's lies (this is kind of a combination critical analysis /research essay and response!)
Research directed
Why was it a handkerchief?
How were "moors" thought of and treated in Elizabethan England? did the audience really believe they could do magic?
What was the role of women/Elizabethan women? how did these beliefs about women's place & character work to "move the plot"?
Good job on this!
For next class:
Read: Chapter 18- character
Write: Post your questions for the different kinds of writing, do some thinking about what kind of paper you would write on Othello
During next class, we will talk over writing about character, and work together as a class to devise the assignment sheet for this unit (so that you have some idea how to frame a "do-able" paper when the teacher just says "write a paper about. . . (name of whatever the class has been talking about).
See you on Thursday!
You should all have your feedback sheets + your essay with comments. If you have questions, be in touch.
I started class with an overview of what I saw as 'needing work' in writing from the class as a whole. What follows is a list of what I saw as most important for us to work on as we wrap up the semeter.
1. Be aware that as we move through the semester, the participation credit/homework counts for less, and the quality of the writing counts for more.
2. Most frequent areas for work noted in the essays:
revise for specific language
make sure the focus passes the "so what" test
use the sandwich method to present examples from the text
make specific connections between discussion of the text and what those discussions show with respect to the overall focus of the essay
3. More time spent in brainstorming (analyzing the text you will write about, identifying a thesis, selecting sections of text that illustrate particular points relevant to the thesis) will help with focus + development
4, More time spent in revising can help with organization and language choices
Othello + Dramatic structure
During the rest of class we talked through the points raised in the textbook's chapter on dramatic structure. We reviewed the terms set up in your book in terms of Othello:
point of attack:
exposition:
rising action
climax
falling action:
denoument
We also spent some time analyzing the central conflict in terms of the way it connected to related conflicts, order of presentation, and the relative "power" of the characters involved in the conflich. This exploration suggested a number of questions that might work for a thesis.
Finding a focus/thesis.
During the last 15 minutes of class you spent some time writing questions that might lead to a thesis for a paper on Othello in terms of the 3 caategories at the end of the chapter. The three categories + some of my notes on your ideas are below. It sounded to me like most of you were well on track for thinking about how to write about Othello in terms of these 3 perspectives.
Response writing: a thesis/focus which allows you to use a discussion of some aspect of the play as a basis for discussing that aspect within another context. For example, how does the relationship between O + D values in terms of heroes + villians
If you were in Othello's position, what would you do?
what's the difference between the trust of a friend of a partner (someone you work with)
Critical analysis: questions which identify features of the play and ask questions about relationships among those features
Why didn't Othello suspect Iago? (You might identify the different "lies" Iago told, and assess or other wise evaluate the different ways Shakespeare represents Othello as responding to them; you might also look at the exposition/backstory on Othello's character - how Shakespeare sets him up in ways that make his responses believable (or not); or you might characterize how Elizabethan v contemporary audiences might respond differently in terms of "believing" Othello's responses to Iago's lies (this is kind of a combination critical analysis /research essay and response!)
Research directed
Why was it a handkerchief?
How were "moors" thought of and treated in Elizabethan England? did the audience really believe they could do magic?
What was the role of women/Elizabethan women? how did these beliefs about women's place & character work to "move the plot"?
Good job on this!
For next class:
Read: Chapter 18- character
Write: Post your questions for the different kinds of writing, do some thinking about what kind of paper you would write on Othello
During next class, we will talk over writing about character, and work together as a class to devise the assignment sheet for this unit (so that you have some idea how to frame a "do-able" paper when the teacher just says "write a paper about. . . (name of whatever the class has been talking about).
See you on Thursday!
Thursday, November 6, 2014
11.3 Writing about Othello in terms of a general focus
1. central conflict
2. secondary conflicts, relate to central conflict
3. structure (we will do this next week)
4. main character (protagonist) => describe
5. antagonist (person, environment, social force?)
6. other characters => provide explostion? serve as foils? present parallels?
7. time/setting
8. title
9. theme
10. tragedy? comedy? mixture? does it matter?
11. realistic? theatrical devices? affect experience of the play?
You worked in groups to:1) identify any points you might make about Othello with respect to this focus, and to identify the particular scenes/sections of the play you would use as evidence to support your discussion.
We went through the reports very quickly. Make sure to post your writing for to the Drama page for homework.
We went through the reports very quickly. Make sure to post your writing for to the Drama page for homework.
Read: Ch 17, Dramatic structure (you don’t need to read Antigone, => instead read Othello and apply the questions to that play)
Write: a scene by analysis (we will talk more about this in class)=> post to the Drama page.
Monday, November 3, 2014
11.3 Othello
Suggestions to help with taking in difficult texts. We started class by discussing strategies for reading Shakespeare. It is simply a fact that the language is unfamiliar, and that it takes some support to "get" what a play is about, at least until you become familiar with a particular text, or with Shakespeare in general.
- There are lots of "companion" texts, and it is actually a good idea to read the plays with an accompanying "gloss" or aid to interpretation open alongside.
- It can also help to read essays about the plays before, during, and after your reading of an individual play. Scholarly essays address the language, the themes, the structure - just about everything you can imagine, and can give you a heads up in terms of what to look for and how others have interpreted what they see in the play.
- We also discussed watching performances of the plays as an accompanyment to reading the play. Watching a play does not allow time for the close textual analysis that is generally required for writing about a play for literature courses, but it DOES present the plays in the medium they were created for, and is an important part of the study of a play. It can also help you "get" passages that might not make sense on the page. It rarely works to "read along" as you watch, since performances select from the text, and oftem move too quickly to follow on the page.
Scene by scene.
We spent the rest of the class doing a kind of read along, in-person spark notes scene by scene analysis for the play. We got through all 5 acts ( the last act - which is about all action) very quickly. We noticed parallel themes (in terms of Iago + Othello's jealousy, the notion of heresay in affairs of the heart and affairs of the state) , dramatic irony (when players said/did things which were interpreted in multiple contradictory ways (as when Iago spoke to Cassio about Bianca and Othello interpreted it as about Desdemona), the public versus private performances of feelings and "truth: and character (in terms of what the characters say to one another and as asides to the audience, as well as what is overheard or staged) the movement between poetry (verse) and prose (the unrhymed sections); the way Shakespeare sets up the themes/characters; the overall movement of focus as we go from scene to scene, and so on.
The object was that by the end of the class you would have a general feel for what happened, and some of the ideas that were developed.
For next class:
Read: Othello + Chapter 16.
Write: list/develop/identify features of the play as they correspond to 3 or so of the question listed at the end of Chapter 16. The purpose of this writing is to prepare you to talk, at some length, about how Othello "works."
As I said in class, I will get started on your poetry papers, and if all goes well, they should be returned (and we can discuss them( if not by Thursday, then by the weekend.
I'm excited to hear what you have to say about Othello!
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