When you submit them at the end of the semester, please name your file: s11_eng10106_yourlastname_journals

Transcription

1 s11_eng10106_12111_journals.odt 1 Journals For almost every discussion day, I will randomly select three students to share their journal entry as a means to open up our discussion for the day. Please answer these prompts in at least 50 words. Be ready to share, at random, during the beginning of our discussion period for each entry. Points will be taken off your grade if you are not prepared. After our final journal entry is complete, I will be collecting all of your journals in one document; please hold onto them. When you submit them at the end of the semester, please name your file: s11_eng10106_yourlastname_journals John Updike-A&P What is Sammy s judgment of the customers? The manager? Stokesie? The girls? Why does Sammy think the world will be hard to him hereafter? What does Sammy say during his narrative that would lead us to believe he knew exactly how things would turn out? Charlotte Perkins Gilman-The Yellow Wallpaper Would you argue that the story s narrator displays herself as being legitimately psychotic, or do you think her treatment by her physician-husband has made her so? Discuss how the woman behind the paper can be considered a metaphor for the narrator. What similarities do they share? How are they different? What makes the narrator unreliable (difficult to believe or take seriously)? On the other hand, what makes her words quite reliable and full of integrity? How would you explain the narrator s final actions at the story s end? Kate Chopin-The Storm Typically the "ball and chain" mentality in writing has been reserved for male writers, especially before Chopin. Why do you think Chopin chose to keep this story unpublished, and rather unknown, until after her death? The Storm was not published until 1969: do you think "the storm" metaphor is still explicit? Per Seyersted, who published the story in 1969, wrote that The Storm has a "supreme authenticity of truth." Do you agree? Edgar Allen Poe-The Cask of Amontillado According to the definition of revenge provided by Montresor at the beginning of the story [ A wrong is unredressed when. ], explain whether or not you think he achieves his goal. What is he really searching for? What does he ultimately get? Should he be satisfied? Would you be? What do we know of Fortunato s actions toward Montresor? What do you think Fortunato is guilty of? Was his punishment warranted?

2 s11_eng10106_12111_journals.odt 2 William Faulkner-A Rose For Emily Although A Rose For Emily is narrated in the first person, the narrator is not "I" but "we." The narrator, thus, represents a communal rather than an individual point of view. How does the narrator, and the town, view Miss Emily? Find a passage that represents more than one view of her and explain their significance. Jorge Luis Borges-The Garden Of Forking Paths The labyrinth is the central image in this story and numerous others Borges wrote. How many labyrinths can you detect? What do they mean? The Parable of The Prodigal Son What, very simply, do you think is the theme of this story? Kurt Vonnegut Jr.-Harrison Bergeron What about contemporary society do you see reflected in this story? Jorge Luis Borges-The Gospel According to Mark Why do you think Espinosa calls his Bible reading an exercise in translation? Shirley Jackson-The Lottery When did it begin to dawn on you that the lottery in this story was different from the sort of lottery we are more accustomed to? What value does the lottery hold for the community? Why would they hold it annually? Nathaniel Hawthorne-Young Goodman Brown If we are to believe that Brown s entire journey into the woods was a dream [ Had Goodman Brown fallen asleep in the forest, and only dreamed a wild dream of a witch-meeting?... ], and only a product of his own imagination, what was he supposed to gain or learn from his experience? What are we supposed to learn from his experience? What role does religion play in Brown s life? Is Brown as much a hypocrite as he believes the Deacon to be at the story s end? Vladimir Nabokov-Natasha There are a series of contrasting characteristics in this story. Can you name a few of them? How does that affect your close reading of the story? Margaret Atwood-Happy Endings

3 s11_eng10106_12111_journals.odt 3 Compare this story with The Garden of Forking Paths? How are they similar? How do they differ? Jorge Luis Borges-Pierre Menard, Author of the Quixote What sort of issues of authorship does this story raise for you? Who is the real author here? Robert Coover-The Phantom of the Movie Palace Compare and contrast the shifts in plot that take place in Happy Endings, The Phantom Of The Movie Palace, and The Garden of Forking Paths. How are they different? How are they similar? What does this story say about the traditional plotline? Edna St. Vincent Millay-Second Fig Do you think Millay is mocking the attitude portrayed in this poem? Sylvia Plath-The Mirror Can you point out some instances of irony in this poem? How do they affect your reading of the poem? Kate Chopin-The Story Of An Hour Did your response to Mrs. Mallard change at any point in the story? Where and why? If not, what was your consistent response to her? What sort of personal and social values do you think influenced your reading of the story? Arthur Miller-Death of a Salesman Act One What do you think Willie's values are? How does his values affect his children? His wife? What role does gender play in this? Arthur Miller-Death of a Salesman Act Two In graduate school, while taking a seminar on Miller, Dr. Paris argued that Death of a Salesman is a play primarily about the role of social forces during the time period. Do you agree? How do social forces, regardless, play a role in the play? Henrik Ibsen-A Doll House Act One How do you respond to Torvald's treatment of Nora? Henrik Ibsen-A Doll House Act Two In translation, sometimes the title of the play is changed from A Doll House to A Doll's House (that was how I first read it). What do you think Ibsen is suggesting by each title? Do you have a preference? Why?

4 s11_eng10106_12111_journals.odt 4 Henrik Ibsen-A Doll House Act Three Ibsen argued that A Doll House was less about the rights of women in the 19th century but more about the general rights of humans. The play, he argued, is less focused on specific social conditions than "the need for individuals of both sexes to treat each other with mutual respect." Do you agree with Ibsen? Why or why not? After close reading, where does your focus lay? Book of Genesis The Bible, unlike many other creation myths, only moves in a linear direction. Why do you think that is? Is this excerpt more based in narrative or observation? From The Great Above To Great Below Name at least one work of mythology that you see some aspect, character, or plot point that is similar to the Sumerian myth you are close reading here. How does familiarity with other myths affect your reading? Metamorphoses Book I What similarities do you see with this and the excerpts we close read from Genesis? Qur'an Excerpts What differences do you see with this and the excerpts we close read from Genesis? Hymn To Demeter As Genesis is extremely linear, much like The Descent of Innana, Hymn To Demeter is much more cyclical. What changes about a creation myth that is more cyclical? The Rig Veda In graduate school, a very smart friend argued that this hymn is not actually about creation. Do you agree? If it isn't, then just what exactly is it about? Matthew Arnold-Dover Beach The Victorian period was a time of great change in society. What do you think this poem is about? Be sure to cite specific lines to defend your hypothesis. Margaret Atwood-Siren Song Where in mythology have you heard about sirens before? What kind of role can sirens play in a society's psyche?

5 s11_eng10106_12111_journals.odt 5 Jorge Luis Borges-A Legend Compare this poem to the creation myths we read. What do you think Borges is saying in this poem? Emily Dickinson-The Soul Selects Her Own Society Dickinson's poetry is known for being rich in metaphor. Talk about the role of metaphor in this poem. What metaphors are you seeing? Edna St. Vincent Millay-I, being being born a woman & distressed What does Millay mean by distressed? Edna St. Vincent Millay-What lips, my lips have kissed, and where, and why What ghosts do you think Millay is referring to? William Shakespeare-Sonnet 18 Stealing one from the book: What do you think Shakespeare is referring to by untrimmed in line eight? Elizabeth Barrett Browning-How Do I Love Thee? Let Me Count The Ways Why do you think Browning compares the object of her affections to her lost saints?