Classwork 4/17

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 2008 This 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.

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.

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.

homework 3/27

No Name Woman

i believe that the theme of No Name Woman is to take responsibility for one's actions and deal with the consequences of those actions. the setting seems to play a major role in developing the theme. this story about the no name woman takes place in rural China. it is discussed in the story that the people of China hold honor in high regard and if someone disgraces themselves they are shunned and considered an outsider. however, the Chinese place a high regard on family. even if a family member is shunned, the family still looks out for them, although they are treated like an outcast. this seems to lend itself to a sense of responsibility for the Chinese to do the right thing and to be responsible.

Battle Royal

the main theme of this story is to persevere through discrimination. the setting of this story is sometime in the early 1900's when blacks and whites were still segregated. the narrator, a black boy, remembers when he had graduated and was asked to give a speech for a group of distinguished white men in the community. the narrator has to overcome racism and mockery in order to deliver his speech. the point of view, told in 1st person as a memory of the narrators, helps to confirm the fact that he has indeed persevered through discrimination.

Homework 3/25

How to date a browngirl, blackgirl, whitegirl, or halfie

this story takes place in a new jersey urban neighborhood. it is told from the point of view of a young hispanic boy giving a tutorial so to speak of what to do when you have girls from different neighborhoods and of different races over. he gives advice as to what to do before they come over such as "clear the government cheese from the refrigerator" and to take down pictures of his family. he gives specific advice depending on where the girl is from or her race. for example, the narrator states "if the girl's from around the way, take her to El Cibao for dinner...Let her correct you if she's Latina and amaze her if she's black. If she's not from around the way, Wendy's will do.

No Name Woman

In this story the narrator, a chinese american, remembers a story her mother told her about a sister her father once had. the sister had commited adultery while her husband was out of the country. the sister became pregnant, and, after being humilitated by the village, committed suicide just hours after the baby was born. the narrator begins to dissect the story that was told to her and analyze why certain details of the story were left out or why she still does not know the sisters name.

Becky

this story is about a white woman who had two black sons. the communityin which she lived in shunned her and forced her out of the town but the railroad boss said that she could live in a small area between the railroad and the road. she hid away from the world and people would leave things for her like prayers, papers, and food. people began noticing a second black son in addition to the first. no one knew who the father was and no one ever told.

one phrase that i did not understand was repeated throughout the story: "the pines whisper to Jesus".

Battle Royal

in this story, the main character begins by telling us about his grandfather and his last words. the narrator gives a speech at his graduation and is invited to give his speech at a gathering of the town's leading citizens. when he arrives at the hotel to give his speech, he is told to take part in a battle royal. he describes how at first they were all blindfolded and fought each other. then, only two were left to fight, the narrator and the biggest boy of the others. they fought for several minutes and endured shouts from the crowd. then the narrator was knocked out of the fight. then all of the boys were told to fight for "money" on a rug. instead, the money and rug was electrified and everytime one of the boys would touch the rug, they would be shocked. after this the boys were sent off except for the narrator. he was told to give his speech to the drunken and unruly guests in the audience. when he was finished, he was given a briefcase with a scholarship to the state college for Negroes. at the very end of the story, the narrator says he has a dream of his grandfather telling him to look inside the briefcase and to read the letter inside. the letter said "to whom it may concern. keep this nigger-boy running". he then wakes up, hearing his grandfathers laughter. he says that he has this dream for years afterwards.

America

in this poem, the narrator tells how america can be a place of hatred and bitterness. but despite this, he/she loves and adores america because it is a wonderful place where he/she doesnt feel afraid.

If We Must Die

in this poem, the narrator tells how they do no wish to die like pigs, with hungry dogs barking at them. instead he wishes to die nobly, so that he does not die in vain.

Research

A.) the information i found helped to understand the poem a little bit better. i had not really seen what a ball turret looked like, so knowing that helped clear up some of the meaning in the poem.

B.) Jarrell enlisted in the United States Army Air Corps but failed his flying test, so instead worked as a control tower operator. this helps give an insight as to why Jarrell may have written this poem.

Freewrite

A.)war - bloody, deadly, dirty, unfair, bleak gray color, the sound of bombs whistling through the air and then exploding, the screams of people being wounded and killed,
gunner - soldier, ammunition, battleship or fighter plane
attack - defend, no mercy, kill

B.) my strongest associations with WWII are the German death camps, Pearl Harbor, the Normandy invasion, and the dropping of the atomic bombs.

Homework 3/20

The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner

this is a short poem about a gunner on a fighter plane during WWII. the first two lines, i didnt really understand very well. starting on the third line, he says that 6 miles above the ground he was awoken from sleep by anti-aircraft fire. i thought that the last line was very blunt. the gunner does not live through the fight and when the airplane is on the ground, his body and blood were washed out of the turret with a hose.

Homework 3/18

The Soldier

this poem is about a young man about to go off to war. he is a very patriotic person who thinks that it would be an honor to die for his country. he seems to not be worried about dying though. he is telling someone that if he should die, to think about what he has written.

Anthem for Doomed Youth

this poem is another about war. the tone seems to be one that is against war because it refers to soldiers as cattle. it also seems to condemn the soldiers who participate in the war before they even fight because in the title it calls the soldiers a "doomed youth".

Dulce et decorum Est

this poem is about an experience of someone from WWI. it describes marching forward until ragged only to be forced to turn back becuase of attack from the enemy. when they are hit with poison gas, all but one person gets their gas mask on in time. he describes having to watch his friend die and walk back with his rotting and stinking body in the wagon. after telling this, he says that the old saying of "it is sweet and fitting to die for one's country" is a lie.

Glory of Women

the first stanza of this poem describes how Brititsh women feel about their soldiers. they love heros, their chivalrous ways, and stories of bravery and danger. second stanza changes direction and describes a german soldiers mother knitting socks for her son. but her son is already dead on the battlefield.

They

in this poem, a bishop is telling a group of people that when the young men serving in the military come back, they will be very different from when they left. they have fought the "anit-christ" and challenged death. they will come back wounded and ailing.

Peer Review

Concerns about my paper:
i dont really have any concerns about my paper except to finish the conclusion of the paper.

Warm-up

• Identify the message of your poster as an imperative claim: Allow 18 year old adults to drink alcohol.
• Reflect on what made you choose this particular current issue. I chose this particular issue because it was one i actually had an idea about for a poster.
• Then justify your choice of imagery, colors and words in this poster. I felt that the image of the young marine would help to make the point because it brings a human element into the poster. The black marker didnt particularly have any significance but the red underline of the words vote, serve, and drink stress those points as something adults do.
• Consider the limitations of your media. What would you change about this poster if you were not constrained by the size, available materials and/or your drawing skills? Im not sure what i would change about the poster because i think it speaks for itself the way it is.

Topic Proposal Essay 2

1. Which object have you chosen? The object I have chosen is my own personal car, a 1991 Pontiac Firebird.

2. What would you say is the object’s surface message? In other words, what would you say is the object’s main purpose? The objects surface message or main purpose is to remind people of an American icon in muscle cars.

3. What additional, perhaps mixed, messages does this object reveal upon closer examination? Upon closer examination, one might find that through the years these cars have come to be synonymous with a redneck or country lifestyle.

4. Identify the features of the object that are crucial in your analysis. The key features of this object is the condition of the car, its appearance, and styling features.

5. Identify examples of important choices of design elements, such as but not limited to, words, color, and symbolism which help the designer get the main message across. Important choices in design elements include its aggressive styling, an interior that is plain yet bold and stylish, and its reputation for performance.

6. What is the intended audience for this object? How do you fit into it? The intended audience for this object are people who want a piece of history and enjoy American muscle cars. I fit into this because I have always been drawn to this vehicle by its design elements mentioned in number 5 as well as to prove the stereotypical persona of these vehicles wrong.



Thesis: Throughout its long history, the Firebird has endured many changes and stereotypes about it, but has remained a well-known name to American muscle car lovers.

The Politics of Design

Manifesto 2000

The designers who signed this manifesto sound disappointed at the public for always associating the message of the product they are trying to sell with the designers themselves. they want to refocus their attention to things they deem more important: environmental, social, and cultural issues.

Hysteria

Jeff Keedy expanded on the manifesto by saying that the public is getting hysterical over the work of the graphic designers becuase it is easy to blame commercial marketing for the many problems in the world. He agrees with the manifesto saying that it would be good for designers like himself to help solve the problems created by global capitalizism but it is hard to do so when the designers are part of the problem rather than the solution.

Light Unto the Wealth of Nations

this article shows how advertising and design have played a huge role in something that people once did for enjoyment and to celebrate the season. the marketing battle between companies has driven down the price for christmas decorations and the advertising campaigns have made it seem as though it is a neccessity to have these things. It has made it to the point that people are willing to pay to have someone professionally put decorations up on their house.

Are you ready for some unswooshing

The Blackspot sneaker idea is a bit absurd to me. Kalle Lasn's company Adbusters intends to make a shoe that rivals Nike and looks nearly identical to the retro Converse shoe. And at nearly the same price tag, the Blackspot sneaker will be slow to catch on with people. Lasn says he is not selling an idea, he is selling a product. while this is somewhat true, along with the product that he is selling is the idea that companies like Nike and Reebok need to change the way they do things.

Car Culture

A Prius-Hummer War Divides Oscarville

It was a little surprising that some of Hollywoods big names were arriving at the Vanity Fair Oscar party in the conservative Toyota Prius rather than the flashy Hummer H2. In a business that seems to flaunt extravagence and the "bigger is better" mentality, you had to realize there was an ulterior motive for the these celebrities to appear in the eco-friendly Prius over the gas guzzling H2. And there was. Although it would seem as though these celebrities were making an environmentally conscience decision to drive the Prius, its not so. The environmental group Global Green USA had recruited the majority of these people to show up in the Prius, most of them being loaner vehicles. This means that the only reason these celebrities showed up in the hybrid was to boost their image and make it seem as though they care about the environment when in fact they don't.

Women Giving Directions: Now It's Time for Female Designers

After reading this, I felt that the author was right that more women are responsible for the purchase of new vehicles yet are largely left out when it comes to design. It would make sense that if women usually had final say in the type of vehicle thats bought for the household that designers would try to better accomodate women's desires in cars. On the subject of having fewer female designers working for car companies, I think it is mostly to do with the interests of women. It is not that women can't or arent allowed to design other areas of a vehicle. It is that most women do not have an interest to design aspects of a vehicle other than the interior. As far as Volvo's YCC car, although it may take into account some things women may be looking for in a car, its target market is extremely limited. Yes, women are directly responsible for 50 percent of car sales, but not all women will be interested in the YCC and very few, if any, men will want it.

Car Makers Aim for the "Love It Or Hate It" Category

I think it's pretty obvious that the way a car looks tends to have a big impact on how well a car sells. the makers of the vehicles talked about in the article are betting that their vehicles are so ugly that people will want them in order to be different. To some people, however, it doesn't matter how ugly the car is, as long as it has some use and value to the buyer.

My Life, My Cadillac Escalade EXT

I thought that this story demonstrates perfectly how a vehicles "cool factor" can play a huge role into how desired a vehicle is. The girl stated that having an SUV or truck is cooler than having a little car because guys like girls that have SUV's or trucks and its gets everyone's attention.

Introduction to Essay #1

In the story “Swinger” by Paul Brown, Steve, on a trip home from college, visits with old friends from high school and reflects on the different paths each of his friends has taken while comparing it with his own. Steve feels as though he was able to get away from the mentality and the rut of small town life that his friends seem to have fallen in. Throughout the story, Brown makes a few of the themes very apparent. In order to break away from the everyday routine you have to experience new things and adapt to changes.

Topic Proposal Essay 1

1. Which text have you chosen? I have chosen to use the story “Swinging” for essay 1.

2. What would you say is the text’s central claim or argument? I believe that the text’s central claim/argument is that life is what you make of it. You have to go after things in life if you want them. If you just lay around and never attempt anything, your life will never change. And change is not something to be afraid of. It is something that should be welcomed.

3. Identify one short yet compelling passage that you feel is central to understanding the text. Make sure the passage isn’t too long. Indicate the passage by line or page numbers. The passage I chose was on pg. 56 approximately two-thirds down the page.
He got out, went to UGA on an academic scholarship. Lizzie had Enis’s baby boy, who was two years old and spent much of his time with Lizzie’s momma. Wayne did a stint for assault and battery at county. None of them had really scraped the mud of Fayetteville off their boots. Steve feels cliché. His hometown. A divorce. His life. It’s like it’s being written for him. He thinks that few people understand or appreciate that there are places in the world that haven’t changed. For all the flows in the river there remain stagnant pockets, like feedback loops kinked in woven threads of fabric, mocking their linearity. And then a small detail changes, unweaving entire tapestries.

4. Identify examples of important choices of grammar, punctuation, metaphor, alliteration, tone, diction, words, figures of speech, symbols, and/or images. Identify recurrent patterns. There are several examples of these in the first passage. The first sentence, “None of them had really scraped the mud of Fayetteville off their boots.” is an example of a figure of speech. There is also a metaphor in the last sentence, “And then a small detail changes, unweaving entire tapestries”.

5. Does your passage have significant instances of rhyme, rhythm, alliteration, etc? What are the effects of these? Since the passage is from a story and not a poem, there are no instances of rhyme. There are also no instances of alliteration the passage. There is no definite rhythm to these, although they are read as if someone is thinking out loud or giving advice to someone.

6. In what way do the features you’ve identified in 4 and 5 (above) contribute to or undercut the message you identify in 2? The features identified in numbers 4 and 5 help to contribute to the main argument of ‘life is what you make of it’ and “accept change” identified in number 2.

Thesis: . In order to break away from the everyday routine you have to experience new things and adapt to changes.

freewrite

this morning i felt sick and cold. the colors that would best describe how i felt would be green for the under-the-weather feeling and blue for the cold this morning.

Warm-up and freewrite

I. 1. Close reading is a type of reading where you look for certain clues or details while you are reading. it is not reading just to get a basic understanding of the story, poem, etc. but to find and understand something deeper.

2.
a. the term pastoral to me generally means that it has something to do with the church. OED: A person or thing associated with spiritual care. pastoral comes from the latin word pastoralis which means relating to the tending of livestock.

b. mistress - a person or thing that someone loves or obsesses over but feels as though they shouldnt. OED: Anglo-Norman and Middle French maistresse, meaning A woman having control or authority.

c. nymph - a fairy tale type creature. OED: one meaning of nymph is "Any of a class of semi-divine spirits, imagined as taking the form of a maiden inhabiting the sea, rivers, mountains, woods, trees, etc., and often portrayed in poetry as attendants on a particular god." a second is "A prostitute; a woman regarded as a means of sexual gratification."


II. shepherd: trustworthy; leader; guide; fearless; honorable; knows right from wrong

desert: dry; baren; lifeless; hot; mirage; oasis;

universe: vast; empty; dark; dangerous; vacuum; endless expansion; sun; solar system; earth; cold