ENGWR 301

BLOG POST #15--The Plot Against America #3

2006-12-05T12:56:00.000-08:00

BLOG POST #15 [10 Points]

Discuss how Alvin and Sandy have changed by the end of the novel. Are they still representative of their reisistor, collaborator or independent type?

BLOG POST #15 [10 Points] The Plot Against America #2

2006-11-28T12:38:00.000-08:00

BLOG POST #15 [10 Points]

How does Sandy and Aunt Evelyn begin to take advantage of the opportunities that the Lindbergh administration present to them? How does Herman (Philip's, the narrator's, father) react to these opportunities?

BLOG POST #14 The Plot Against America #1

2006-11-21T12:17:00.000-08:00

BLOG POST #14 [10 Points]

In what ways do Sandy and Alvin react differently to the prospect of Charles Lindbergh becoming president? How does Roth use their different life situations and talents to hint at what their responses might be?

BLOG POST #13—Drama Paper

2006-11-14T09:20:00.000-08:00

BLOG POST #13 [10 Points]

How does Edward Albee represent middle class American life in "The Zoo Story"?

Do you think he is fair in his representation? Do you think that his depiction of 1950s middle class life is still valid today?

BLOG POST #12 "The American Dream" by Edward Albee

2006-11-07T12:25:00.000-08:00

BLOG POST #12 [10 Points]

How does Edward Albee represent middle class American life in "The American Dream"?

Do you think he is fair in his representation?

BLOG POST #11- "The Zoo Story" by Edward Albee

2006-10-30T23:18:00.000-08:00

BLOG POST #11 [10 Points]

"The Zoo Story" by Edward Albee

On page 35 (after the dog story) Jerry says:

I have learned that neither kindness nor cruelty by themselves, independent of each other, creates any effect beyond themselves; and I have learned that the two combined, together, at the same time, are the teaching emotion.

How does "The Zoo Story" in its totality embody this concept laid out by Jerry? Is it a notion that appears to be as crazed as Jerry?

BlOG POST #10—Paper for Contemporary Poetry

2006-10-27T22:19:00.000-07:00

BLOG POST #10 [10 Points]

Whose paper does a better job of exemplifying its point?

Is it Bob's paper when he talks about Bishop's display of the experiential?

or

Is it Larry's paper when he characterizes Adrienne Rich's poem as exhibiting both an internal and external focus?

Or are they both problematic?

Remember: you should cite the line numbers of the poems you refer to in your text according to this page

BLOG POST #9—Contemporary Poetry

2006-10-17T10:00:00.000-07:00

BLOG POST #9 [10 Points]

Choose one poem from this section and discuss how ande to what extent it concerns itself with the internal (experiential) realm or the external (social) realm or both.

BlOG POST #8—International Poetry

2006-10-10T11:37:00.000-07:00

BLOG POST #8 [10 Points]

Compare and/or contrast the style of Bei Dao's poems to that of one of the other poets' poems in this section.

[Or perhaps you can compare Bei Dao's style to this year's Nobel Prize winner—if this year's winner turns out to be a poet like Korea's Ko Un]

BLOG POST #7—The Old Modernists

2006-10-03T10:05:00.000-07:00

BLOG POST #7 [10 Points]

Compare how the "unified" presentation in poems like "Birches," "Fame is a Fickle Food," and "In the Waiting Room" differ from the more "diffuse" presentation in "Asphodel, That Greeny Flower." How does the manner of presentation in each poem contribute to the effect each one has on the reader?

Tony Hoagland What Narcissism Means To Me #2

2006-09-24T20:18:00.000-07:00

BLOG POST #6 [10 Points]

In his review of Tony Hoagland, Scott Weiss says:

In reading What Narcissism Means to Me, feelings we often keep in the dark are brought to light and we become unburdened as one-by-one the poems lay bare our vulnerability and culpability on an individual level, and in doing so, they join us to the community of Americans as a whole.

Provide two instances in the book that you see Hoagland doing what Scott Weiss suggests. In each instance discuss how Hoagland deals with "these feelings we often keep in the dark." Is there a particular strategy that Hoagland employs when he deals with these feelings?

TONY HOAGLAND What Narcissism Means To Me #1

2006-09-19T21:55:00.000-07:00

BLOG POST #5 [10 Points]

You have a choice of doing one or the other of these prompts:

1) Locate two instances in Hoagland's poems where he is making some sort of commentary about America or being an American. Locate and report the language he uses to make this commentary; then, explain what you think he is driving at by saying this.

2) Locate and report language that Hoagland uses to describe complicated emotions beyond love, grief, longing, etc. Discuss how he uses his own experience and the experiences (or words) of others to probe this complicated emotional realm.

SHORT STORIES [Problematization]

2006-09-13T21:21:00.000-07:00

BLOG POST #4 [10 Points]

Hey, this one only needs to be about 300 words.

Problematizing a text. Choose another student's post from BLOG POST #2 or BLOG POST #3 and take issue, contend, or disagree with the statements or observations made by the student poster. Please identify the post and point you are responding to. Try to bring examples from the story that you are interpreting differently in order to support your case.

SHORT STORIES [Borges, Marquez, Calvino, DuCornet]

2006-09-04T21:55:00.000-07:00

BLOG POST #3 [10 points]

In "The Circular Ruins," "One of These Days," The Soft Moon," and "The New Zoo" the respective authors use surreal, absurd or terrifying circumstances to highlight a particular idea about the social or physical reality. Choose one story of the four and draw a parallel(s) between the story and the truth about the social realm, the physical realm, or the human perception of the physical realm that it explores.

Short Stories [de Maupassant, Kafka, Lawrence, Joyce, Faulkner, Oates]

2006-08-24T22:47:00.000-07:00

BLOG POST #2 [10 Points]

Discuss how Mathilde Loisel's desire for more material wealth is at odds with the main character in "The Hunger Artist"? Are their fates similar or do they differ?

Describe how in "A Little Cloud" Little Chandler's longing for importance in life is mirrored by Paul's desire to please his mother in "A Rocking Horse Winner." Do their passions both result in calamity or is there anything redemptive about the endings of either story?

Discuss how Faulkner's and Oates's depiction of the aged's infirmity and insanity differ? or are they the same?

CREATING YOUR BLOG NAME

2006-08-16T22:16:00.000-07:00

BLOG POST #1 [10 Points]

Create your blog name and post to this message using your blog name. Then in a short post, reveal your real name and explain why you chose the name you did and possibly why it relates to your totem animal. Finally, describe what you think literature's purpose is in our society and name some of your favorite poets, short story writers, novelists, playwrights. Why are these your favorite?