Thursday, November 29, 2007
Monday, November 26, 2007
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
HW over the break
The students were given the following assignment to complete over the break:
Read the following passage from Ralph Ellison’s Invisible Man. Then write an essay in which you analyze the language—especially the figures of speech and syntax—the narrator uses to convey his states of mind. (30pts)
I am an invisible man. No, I am not a spook like those who haunted Edgar Allan Poe; nor am I one of your Hollywood-movie ectoplasms. I am a man of substance, of flesh and bone, fiber and liquids—and I might even be said to possess a mind. I am invisible, understand, simply because people refuse to see me. Like the bodiless heads you see sometimes in circus sideshows, it is as though I have been surrounded by mirrors of hard, distorting glass. When they approach me they see only my surroundings, themselves, or figments of their imagination—indeed, everything and anything except me.
Nor is my invisibility exactly a matter of a biochemical accident to my epidermis. That invisibility to which I refer occurs because of a peculiar disposition of the eyes of those with whom I come in contact. A matter of the construction of their inner eyes, those eyes with which they look through their physical eyes upon reality. I am not complaining, nor am I protesting either. It is sometimes advantageous to be unseen, although it is most often rather wearing on the nerves. Then too, you’re constantly being bumped against by those of poor vision. Or again, you often doubt if you really exist. You wonder whether you aren’t simply a phantom in other people’s minds. Say, a figure in a nightmare which the sleeper tries with all his strength to destroy. It’s when you feel like this that, out of resentment, you begin to bump people back. And, let me confess, you feel that way most of the time. You ache with the need to convince yourself that you do exist in the real world, that you’re a part of all the sound and anguish, and you strike out with your fists, you curse and you swear to make them recognize you. And, alas, it’s seldom successful.
Have a great Thanksgiving!
Read the following passage from Ralph Ellison’s Invisible Man. Then write an essay in which you analyze the language—especially the figures of speech and syntax—the narrator uses to convey his states of mind. (30pts)
I am an invisible man. No, I am not a spook like those who haunted Edgar Allan Poe; nor am I one of your Hollywood-movie ectoplasms. I am a man of substance, of flesh and bone, fiber and liquids—and I might even be said to possess a mind. I am invisible, understand, simply because people refuse to see me. Like the bodiless heads you see sometimes in circus sideshows, it is as though I have been surrounded by mirrors of hard, distorting glass. When they approach me they see only my surroundings, themselves, or figments of their imagination—indeed, everything and anything except me.
Nor is my invisibility exactly a matter of a biochemical accident to my epidermis. That invisibility to which I refer occurs because of a peculiar disposition of the eyes of those with whom I come in contact. A matter of the construction of their inner eyes, those eyes with which they look through their physical eyes upon reality. I am not complaining, nor am I protesting either. It is sometimes advantageous to be unseen, although it is most often rather wearing on the nerves. Then too, you’re constantly being bumped against by those of poor vision. Or again, you often doubt if you really exist. You wonder whether you aren’t simply a phantom in other people’s minds. Say, a figure in a nightmare which the sleeper tries with all his strength to destroy. It’s when you feel like this that, out of resentment, you begin to bump people back. And, let me confess, you feel that way most of the time. You ache with the need to convince yourself that you do exist in the real world, that you’re a part of all the sound and anguish, and you strike out with your fists, you curse and you swear to make them recognize you. And, alas, it’s seldom successful.
Have a great Thanksgiving!
Do it! Do it! Do it!
Just in case you are questioning whether or not the assignment is mandatory, I have included this important message.
Friday, November 16, 2007
Finish the book/Writing assignment
Finish reading the book over the weekend and complete the following assignment:
Player Piano
30pts
Works of literature often depict acts of betrayal. Friends and even family may betray a protagonist; main characters may likewise be guilty of treachery or may betray their own values. In a well-written essay, analyze the nature of betrayal and show how it contributes to the meaning of the work as a whole.
Player Piano
30pts
Works of literature often depict acts of betrayal. Friends and even family may betray a protagonist; main characters may likewise be guilty of treachery or may betray their own values. In a well-written essay, analyze the nature of betrayal and show how it contributes to the meaning of the work as a whole.
Thursday, November 15, 2007
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Player Piano
Today we enjoyed another suprise multiple-choice sample test. Students should read through chapter 27 (page 270) for HW.
Monday, November 12, 2007
Player Piano HW
Students are to read the next 2o pages of the novel. Read through chapter 25 (page 250).
Saturday, November 10, 2007
Thursday, November 8, 2007
Blogs closed
It is 8:05 on Thursday morning. All of the blogs that will be graded for the 1st marking period must be posted.
Have a great weekend.
Have a great weekend.
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
Weekend HW
Over the long weekend, students are responsible for reading the next 60 pages of Player Piano. This will take us through chapter 22 (page 232). I hope all of my "Doctors of Studentology" enjoy themselves over the break. I look forward to grading your blogs. See you Monday.
Monday, November 5, 2007
NOW | A Tribute To Kurt Vonnegut | PBS
This is the interview I mentioned in class. The Black Humor is right in the beginning. View the rest at your own risk.
Friday, November 2, 2007
Player Piano/Blogs
The students are to work on their blogs over the weekend. Zero hour is approaching (Nov. 7).
Students are also to read through chapter 14 (page 149) of Player Piano.
Students are also to read through chapter 14 (page 149) of Player Piano.
Thursday, November 1, 2007
Player Piano
Students should read through chapter 11 (page 123) of Player Piano for tomorrow.
Also, congratulations to Party Cake and Even Bigger Apocalypse. Enjoy the spoils of war (Skittles).
Also, congratulations to Party Cake and Even Bigger Apocalypse. Enjoy the spoils of war (Skittles).
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