Freewrite
a.) lion - animal in the big cat family. adults have a mane; synonymous for a courageous person. b.) lioness - female lion. distinguishable from a lion in that they do not have a mane. c.)Justin - Latin origin meaning righteous, just, or fair
She unnames them
a.) the speaker is Eve and she is unnaming them because the names they are given do not seem to fit them at all.
b.)
c.) i think that the author did get her point across. my interpretation/reaction to the story was similar to the athors.
Sunday, April 20, 2008
Homework 4/17
She Unnames Them
in this story, a woman, later known to be Eve, asks animals if they like their names or if they think they "fit". every animal discovers they do not like the names given to them and they discard them. once they were all unnamed, Eve says the felt closer to them than ever before. then she gives back her name that was given to her by adam and his father. adam doesnt seem to care about or even hear what she is saying.
Journey of Magi
this is a poem about the wisemen making the trip to see baby Jesus. it is described to be a coming at the worst time of the year and an especially long journey. he describes the cities and towns being unpleasant places to visit so they traveled at night and away from the villiages and towns. in the last stanza, it is obvious that the narrator is reflecting on this event becuase he says it was a long time ago. he compares birth and death like it is nearly the same thing and says that he wasnt sure if he was there for a birth or death.
A Cold Coming
this is a poem about the Gulf War and an American soldier seeing a burned Iraqi soldier. the American soldier says that the irqai soldier has a look on his face as if he was about to ask for directions and thinks that he heard the soldier talking to him, as if he was conducting an interview. At times, it was hard to tell when the american soldier was talking and when the burnt Iraqi soldier was talking.
in this story, a woman, later known to be Eve, asks animals if they like their names or if they think they "fit". every animal discovers they do not like the names given to them and they discard them. once they were all unnamed, Eve says the felt closer to them than ever before. then she gives back her name that was given to her by adam and his father. adam doesnt seem to care about or even hear what she is saying.
Journey of Magi
this is a poem about the wisemen making the trip to see baby Jesus. it is described to be a coming at the worst time of the year and an especially long journey. he describes the cities and towns being unpleasant places to visit so they traveled at night and away from the villiages and towns. in the last stanza, it is obvious that the narrator is reflecting on this event becuase he says it was a long time ago. he compares birth and death like it is nearly the same thing and says that he wasnt sure if he was there for a birth or death.
A Cold Coming
this is a poem about the Gulf War and an American soldier seeing a burned Iraqi soldier. the American soldier says that the irqai soldier has a look on his face as if he was about to ask for directions and thinks that he heard the soldier talking to him, as if he was conducting an interview. At times, it was hard to tell when the american soldier was talking and when the burnt Iraqi soldier was talking.
Classwork 4/10
a.) I agree with the authors interpretation of Siren Song. My opinion was the same for nearly everything the author said.
b.) the image of the siren in this song is similar to that of Atwood's. the song written sounds more like a love song than one that would make men go crazy and lure them to their deaths.
b.) the image of the siren in this song is similar to that of Atwood's. the song written sounds more like a love song than one that would make men go crazy and lure them to their deaths.
Homework 4/10
Siren Song
this poem is about the song that Sirens, half-woman, half bird-water nymphs, sang to lure sailors to their deaths. the Siren says that everyone wants to know the song but the only people who have heard it are dead or cannot remember it. the siren does not want to be in her bird suit looking picturesque and mythical and it seems as though she is trying to make a deal with someone to rescue her. she says that she will tell them and only them the secret to the song if they get her out.
Ulysses
this is a poem told through the perspective of Ulysses, the hero of the trojan war, at the end of his life. he is reflecting on his life to this point, and seems to be "handing the reins over" to his son telemachus because ulysses is leaving with his crew to go back out at sea. the reason he is doing this is because he has done a lot in his life and cannot sit around and wait to die. and although he and his crew are not as strong as they once were, they are still very strong willed.
Leda and the Swan
this is poem describes how Zeus, in the form of a swan, has his way with Leda, a beautiful Spartan queen.
this poem is about the song that Sirens, half-woman, half bird-water nymphs, sang to lure sailors to their deaths. the Siren says that everyone wants to know the song but the only people who have heard it are dead or cannot remember it. the siren does not want to be in her bird suit looking picturesque and mythical and it seems as though she is trying to make a deal with someone to rescue her. she says that she will tell them and only them the secret to the song if they get her out.
Ulysses
this is a poem told through the perspective of Ulysses, the hero of the trojan war, at the end of his life. he is reflecting on his life to this point, and seems to be "handing the reins over" to his son telemachus because ulysses is leaving with his crew to go back out at sea. the reason he is doing this is because he has done a lot in his life and cannot sit around and wait to die. and although he and his crew are not as strong as they once were, they are still very strong willed.
Leda and the Swan
this is poem describes how Zeus, in the form of a swan, has his way with Leda, a beautiful Spartan queen.
Homework 4/8
Annotated Bibliography of Shiloh
Luvaas, Jay, et al. Guide to the Battle of Shiloh. Lawrence: University Press of Kansas, 1996.
This book gives a detailed description of the Battle of Shiloh and the events that transpired during the battle. The book includes an unbiased account of the events, the order of battle for each of the sides, as well as photographs, maps, and figures to aid in conveying how the battle took place. This book will be useful for my essay because it has detailed information about the Battle of Shiloh, which will help to show the significance of the battle to the text.
Mason, Bobbie. “Bobbie Ann Mason.” Contemporary Authors Online. 25 March 2008. Biography Resource Center. Gale Group Databases. 07 April 2008.
This source gives a biography of author Bobbie Ann Mason. It gives in depth information of her life, literary works, and awards won. This source provides a bit more knowledge of the author than previous sources I have looked at. For this reason, this source will be most helpful when examining the author’s background and how it relates to the story.
Mason, Bobbie Ann." Encyclopedia Britannica. 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online. 4 Apr. 2008.
This article is a biography of Bobbie Ann Mason, the author of Shiloh. In it, it discusses where she grew up, her education, and career. This article would be a good source to use in order to find a connection between the author’s life and a reason for writing the story. The information it gives is a general overview of the author’s life and not very detailed. Because of this, I more than likely would not use this source in my essay.
“The Recession of 1980-1982 in the U.S.” San Jose State University Department of Economics. 07 April 2008.
This website was put together by San Jose State University and explains the recession during the early 1980’s. It gives detailed information as well as charts and graphs that show how the economy changed during the slow down and how it affected the rest of the country. This source will be helpful for my essay in analyzing how the economy of the time played a role in the text of the story.
Weeks, Dick. “Shotgun’s Home of the American Civil War.” 16 May 06. 4 Apr 08 <http://www.civilwarhome.com/>.
This website contains a wealth of information regarding the American Civil War, including descriptions of Civil War battles, timelines of the battles, biographies of those who played a large role in the War, and much more. The information provided on this site is a compilation from many different sources and put together by Weeks himself. This web page will be helpful for my essay because it gives me information regarding the Battle of Shiloh, which will help me to understand how it relates to the story.
Whitley, Peggy. ”American Cultural History 1980-1989.” September 2006. Kingwood College Library. 07 April 2008This website gives an outline of the major events that shaped the culture and history in the 1980’s. It goes into detail in areas of art, technology, music, literature, and many more. I believe that this source will help tremendously when making connections between the story and the period in real life in which it was written.
For my third essay, I chose to write about Bobbie Ann Mason and her story Shiloh. I wanted to write about this story after I read it because it was set in modern times and would be a little easier to research.
Throughout the story, there are several mentionings of Shiloh, Tennessee and the Battle of Shiloh. This story was written in and connected to a time in our country’s history when there was a recession and economic uncertainty. Both of these appear to have had a large impact on the story.
Knowing the historical/cultural connections to the story make it easier to understand the theme of the story, although it is not necessary in order to pick up on it. It also helps in being able to place the story in a particular time period.
After taking some time to research the historical/cultural connections, I don’t think that I am struggling with any of the parts of the criticism. Other than reading through the sources I cited in my annotated bibliography, I don’t think that there is any information I still need to find.
Luvaas, Jay, et al. Guide to the Battle of Shiloh. Lawrence: University Press of Kansas, 1996.
This book gives a detailed description of the Battle of Shiloh and the events that transpired during the battle. The book includes an unbiased account of the events, the order of battle for each of the sides, as well as photographs, maps, and figures to aid in conveying how the battle took place. This book will be useful for my essay because it has detailed information about the Battle of Shiloh, which will help to show the significance of the battle to the text.
Mason, Bobbie. “Bobbie Ann Mason.” Contemporary Authors Online. 25 March 2008. Biography Resource Center. Gale Group Databases. 07 April 2008.
This source gives a biography of author Bobbie Ann Mason. It gives in depth information of her life, literary works, and awards won. This source provides a bit more knowledge of the author than previous sources I have looked at. For this reason, this source will be most helpful when examining the author’s background and how it relates to the story.
Mason, Bobbie Ann." Encyclopedia Britannica. 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online. 4 Apr. 2008
This article is a biography of Bobbie Ann Mason, the author of Shiloh. In it, it discusses where she grew up, her education, and career. This article would be a good source to use in order to find a connection between the author’s life and a reason for writing the story. The information it gives is a general overview of the author’s life and not very detailed. Because of this, I more than likely would not use this source in my essay.
“The Recession of 1980-1982 in the U.S.” San Jose State University Department of Economics. 07 April 2008
This website was put together by San Jose State University and explains the recession during the early 1980’s. It gives detailed information as well as charts and graphs that show how the economy changed during the slow down and how it affected the rest of the country. This source will be helpful for my essay in analyzing how the economy of the time played a role in the text of the story.
Weeks, Dick. “Shotgun’s Home of the American Civil War.” 16 May 06. 4 Apr 08 <http://www.civilwarhome.com/>.
This website contains a wealth of information regarding the American Civil War, including descriptions of Civil War battles, timelines of the battles, biographies of those who played a large role in the War, and much more. The information provided on this site is a compilation from many different sources and put together by Weeks himself. This web page will be helpful for my essay because it gives me information regarding the Battle of Shiloh, which will help me to understand how it relates to the story.
Whitley, Peggy. ”American Cultural History 1980-1989.” September 2006. Kingwood College Library. 07 April 2008
For my third essay, I chose to write about Bobbie Ann Mason and her story Shiloh. I wanted to write about this story after I read it because it was set in modern times and would be a little easier to research.
Throughout the story, there are several mentionings of Shiloh, Tennessee and the Battle of Shiloh. This story was written in and connected to a time in our country’s history when there was a recession and economic uncertainty. Both of these appear to have had a large impact on the story.
Knowing the historical/cultural connections to the story make it easier to understand the theme of the story, although it is not necessary in order to pick up on it. It also helps in being able to place the story in a particular time period.
After taking some time to research the historical/cultural connections, I don’t think that I am struggling with any of the parts of the criticism. Other than reading through the sources I cited in my annotated bibliography, I don’t think that there is any information I still need to find.
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
Homework 4/3
Trifles vs. A Jury of Her Peers
Each of these two formats has advantages and disadvantages. For instance, the play format of Trifles seemed to help give the reader more direction as to where things were and a better description of things used in the play. Also, when there is only dialogue between two characters, it is very easy to understand who is saying what and without having to see "he said"/"she said" after each statement. However, reading a story in play format can be difficult when there is more than two characters talking back and forth. The reader gets used to not reading the name of the part thats being spoken and if the reader is not paying attention, they will get confused as to what character's line they have just read.
The short story format of A Jury of Her Peers makes it easy to be read and told as a story as opposed to being acted out in a play. I also noticed that in the short story version, there was a bit more information given before the kitchen scene which begins the play version. The only disadvantage I saw with this story in this format was that there were a lot of parts with dialogue between the characters. This leads to the "he said"/"she said" found after nearly every statement which interrupts the flow of reading.
I think that the play version of this story lends itself more easily to cultural/historical analysis. Because it is a play, everything needed to be known to the audience/reader is described in detail, so it is almost as if you are there yourself. This, along with being able to make out key words and phrases in the play, makes it very easy to do a cultural/historical analysis through this form.
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
Homework 4/1
Shiloh
1. What is the historical context for the themes? What is the cultural background? Are they familiar to you?
The setting of the story is in a small town in Tennessee and could take place in the late 1900s to the present. Throughout the story, the Battle of Shiloh is mentioned as a place where the mother-in-law has visited and suggested as a place for the couple to visit. The couple's background is that of the average American. They are not immigrants. They and their parents were born and raised in the United States. This background is very familiar to me and quite similar to my own as my parents and I were born and raised in the United States.
2. What cultural/historical clues do you have in the story? Why are they significant?
The repeated references of the Battle of Shiloh and Shiloh, Tenn. as a place to visit are big clues in the story. They are significant because it could be metaphor for Leroy and Norma Jean's marriage and how they have drifted apart over the years.
3. What other important cultural/historical knowledge would you like to get and what keywords will you use to search for it?
I would like to learn a bit more, in depth, about the Battle of Shiloh and how that could relate to the story and the metaphor previously mentioned.
1. What is the historical context for the themes? What is the cultural background? Are they familiar to you?
The setting of the story is in a small town in Tennessee and could take place in the late 1900s to the present. Throughout the story, the Battle of Shiloh is mentioned as a place where the mother-in-law has visited and suggested as a place for the couple to visit. The couple's background is that of the average American. They are not immigrants. They and their parents were born and raised in the United States. This background is very familiar to me and quite similar to my own as my parents and I were born and raised in the United States.
2. What cultural/historical clues do you have in the story? Why are they significant?
The repeated references of the Battle of Shiloh and Shiloh, Tenn. as a place to visit are big clues in the story. They are significant because it could be metaphor for Leroy and Norma Jean's marriage and how they have drifted apart over the years.
3. What other important cultural/historical knowledge would you like to get and what keywords will you use to search for it?
I would like to learn a bit more, in depth, about the Battle of Shiloh and how that could relate to the story and the metaphor previously mentioned.
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