Name Period World Literature & Composition Ms. Kelleher s Class ASSIGNMENT: EXPLORING CULTURAL HUMOR OBJECTIVES: 1) ANAYZE A NON-FICTION TEXT using CORNELL NOTES, SOAPSTONE, DIALECTICAL JOURNAL 2)WRITE A PERSUASIVE ESSAY that INTEGRATES QUOTES Steps to Take: 1.TAKE CORNELL NOTES: *What does the word nuance mean? Nuance is something that is not very obvious or very easily seen or understood. It is subtle and therefore not easy to grasp right away. It takes effort to understand it. *What does euphemism mean? A euphemism is a nice way of putting things. In other words, you say something and make it sound nice and positive even though it is actually not nice, and it is negative or nasty. *What does reluctant mean? The word reluctant means that a person is hesitant to do something they are not all that willing to do it. *What do irony and ironic mean? Irony occurs when a writer sets up the reader to believe one thing but then the opposite of what is expected occurs. When something is ironic it is definitely not what you expected to happen. Ex: Comedy has a lot of irony in it because the comedian leads the audience to believe one thing is going to happen but then surprises that audience when he/she says the opposite occurred. *What is an interpreter? An interpreter is a person who translates from one language into another. Ex: The interpreter translated from Japanese to English so that the author could understand what was being said. *What does oblivious mean? The word oblivious means that a person is totally unaware of something; the person has no idea about what is really going on or about what is actually being said. Ex: He was totally oblivious of the fact that, when the Japanese man said Ah, I see, he actually meant No. *What does the word genre mean? The word genre means a type as in a type of literature. Ex.: The genre of the non-fiction essay that she wrote and sent to the newspaper is an editorial. 2. REMOVE PAGES from SPRINGBOARD TEXT: -Remove pages: 41/42 43/44 45/46 47/48
-Print your Name and Period in the upper right-hand corner 3. READ AND ANNOTATE the non-fiction TEXT: Read: From Dave Barry Does Japan by Dave Barry Annotate: Write two (2) annotations on each page of the text. *Each annotation must be a complete sentence. *Each annotation is your own response to the text. *Each annotation must be written on the pages of the printed text itself in the margins or in other white space *As you annotate, pay special attention to the vocabulary words and concepts that you studied in the Cornell Notes, e.g., nuance, euphemism, oblivious, and reluctant. 4. DIALECTICAL JOURNAL: Fill out the Dialectical Journal form **Follow Directions on Dialectical Journal very carefully **Complete all three (3) steps on the Dialectical Journal l) Choose three passages from the text 2) Correctly integrate these three as Quotes into your own writing: Use *Signal Phrase *Quote Marks *Citation 3) Respond to the text by using one of the Sentence Starters that help you begin to write down your own feelings, response to text 5. SOAPSTONE: Fill out a SOAPSTONE sheet for the non-fiction text entitled: From Dave Barry Does Japan Write one (1) complete sentence about each of following: l) the Speaker, 2) the Occasion, 3) the Audience, 4) the Purpose, 5) the Subject, 6) the Tone 6. ANALYSIS OF NON-FICTION TEXT: Analyze the story From Dave Barry Does Japan **Write your answers BELOW on THIS paper **Write your answers in complete sentences (or your work will be returned to you with a Grade of 0/100)
1)What is the genre of the text From Dave Barry Does Japan? [Write one (1) complete sentence.] 2)With respect to their approach to language, what is an example of a really big cultural difference between Americans and Japanese? [Write one (1) complete sentence.] 3) Remember your Cornell Notes about the British conquering and colonizing India? The British were quite insular and thought that their culture was far superior to that of the Indian people. This is a statement of Dave Barry s: Why can t these people communicate? What is this an example of? [see p. 46 Write one (1) complete sentence.] 4)With respect to the Japanaese culture, ame one thing that Dave Barry was oblivious about. [Write one (1) complete sentence.] 5)Quote what you think is the funniest passage in this essay by Dave Barry. [Make sure you: Use: *Signal Phrase *Quote Marks *Citation ] 7. WRITE A THESIS STATEMENT: You must write a thesis statement that states what you are going to prove about the comedic or funny aspects of Dave Barry s essay. OR You can use the following thesis statement: Dave Barry s experience traveling in Japan led to several comedic or funny incidents.
8. GRAPHIC ORGANIZER for INTRODUCTORY PARAGRAPH Fill out the format for the Graphic Organizer that will help You write a good introductory paragraph -Introduce the General Topic and discuss it a little -If you are using a text, introduce the Title and the Author -Summarize the text in 3+ sentences -Define terms / concepts you will be using -Transition from general sentences to specific Thesis -Last, state your Thesis (Position, Line of Argument) 9. GRAPHIC ORGANIZER for 5-PARAGRAPH ESSAY -Fill out introductory paragraph (from previous Graphic Organizer) -Use Transition Words at beginning of last 4 paragraphs: First, Next, Additionally, In conclusion, 10. WRITE A PERSUASIVE ESSAY ABOUT ** the elements of humor in Dave Barry s essay** *The essay must be 5 paragraphs. *YOU MUST USE 5 of the vocabulary words (in the Cornell Notes in your own essay) -Intro Paragraph -Make sure you follow the format that you have already carried out in the Graphic Organizer for the Intro Paragraph -In the Body paragraphs INTEGRATE QUOTES: -Make sure you integrate a passage/sentence (or two) from the text AND integrate it correctly into your own writing: Use: * Signal Phrase * Quotation Marks * Citation -Make sure each Quote supports the point you yourself are making -Make sure you use Transition Words at beginning of each paragraph -Make sure you use specific details to convince/persuade your reader -Make sure you include specific information from the plot of the
story to support your opinions (**Including some quotes from the text is the best way to convince your reader of the point that you yourself are making about that text.) -In the Concluding paragraph: -Make sure you begin the paragraph with the words: In conclusion, and then quickly summarize the three (3) points you already made -Make sure you: ***EXPRESS YOUR OWN FEELINGS AND ***CONCLUSIONS ABOUT THE ISSUES that were raised in this true story.issues of *ethnocentrism *how Americans can be insular *how something that is funny to an American might hurt the feelings/pride of Japanese people