Today...A few people need to take 2nd  Awakening Quiz...Work on your gender essay ideas

Tomorrow...Library Basement...In-class essay
Wednesday...Turn in paper copies of the Awakening pre-reading assessments # 1 and 2 and the post-reading assessment.

Prompt: Drawing on The Awakening and at least two other LT freshman, sophomore or junior year literary works, write a persuasive essay supporting an original and insightful claim about gender roles (female and/or male). The essay should be built around an original, well-constructed, and meaningful central claim and supported by clear thinking and well-chosen textual evidence (The Awakening and two other source).  At least three quotes.

Junior Year: It’s a Woman’s World, The Scarlet Letter, Into the Wild, Self-Reliance, The Awakening, The Sacred Calling, Motherhood and Maternity

Sophomore Year: Ceremony, Cat’s Eye, etc.

Freshman Year: The Odyssey, Romeo and Juliet

Grading: I will do a relatively quick, AP-style grading (holistic, no written feedback) of this essay using the rubric below. 

Keep in mind that quotes needn't be long and you may also make references/paraphrases to works without quoting them directly.

You may bring an outline with

* Thesis

* Any quotes you might use (one must be from The Awakening)

* Any compare and contrast or analytical verbs that you wish to write down.

Everyone is somehow impacted by gender roles and they change as we age. Share an honest thought or observation and explain why you feel this way, while integrating some literary references to give texture and context to your own ideas and voice. 

What are some of the attributes of a good thesis?

·         It is easy to understand/clear

·         Tells what is going be said/written about in your piece

·         It is the main idea of the essay

·         Typically it is at the end of the first paragraph

·         Precise and concise/ focused

·         Make an interesting point

• Have I taken a position that others might challenge or oppose? If your thesis simply states facts that no one would, or even could, disagree with, it's possible that you are simply providing a summary, rather than making an argument.
• Is my thesis statement specific enough? Thesis statements that are too vague often do not have a strong argument. If your thesis contains words like "good" or "successful," see if you could be more specific: why is something "good"; what specifically makes something "successful"?
• Does my thesis pass the "So what?" test? If a reader's first response is, "So what?" then you need to clarify, to forge a relationship, or to connect to a larger issue. 
• Thesis must be specific enough to give the reader a clear picture of what the essay is about.
• Sentence must flow and be understandable.

• 
  

Remember some thesis structures available to you:

Through its contrasting river and shore scenes, Twain's Huckleberry Finn suggests that to find the true expression of American democratic ideals, one must leave "civilized" society and go back to nature.

Through[wsw1]  one girl’s hatred and another’s desire, Johnson explores the human need for love and the affect the absence of love can have on a person[wsw2] .

Although Fitzgerald’s “Babylon Revisited” is set in Paris during the Great

Depression and Faulkner’s “A Rose for Emily” takes place in the South during the 1920’s, both stories weave back and forth in time through retrospection and flashback.

Although Jane does not condemn Blanch Ingram, Rochester, and the rest of the party individually, she disapproves of the principles of the upper class as a whole[WSW3] .

While both Northerners and Southerners believed they fought against tyranny and oppression, Northerners focused on the oppression of slaves while Southerners defended their own right to self-government.

In The Tide Turned, O’Brien’s tale of love between a father and his son illustrates the theme of optimism[wsw4] ; even[wsw5]  in utter desolation, there is still hope enough for one’s posterity to lead a decent life[wsw6] .

Tomorrow...

 - Quiz on chapters 17-39
- Discussion of Post-reading questions (please have have a hard copy of your post-reading assignment and pre-reading assignment # 1 - we can discuss question # 6).

It would be a good idea to start assembling hard copies of your pre-reading and post-reading assignments. I will collect hard copies (with the study guide cover sheet) on Monday, January 22.
Please staple your documents in chronological order behind the study guide cover sheet the front.

I have posted the following - Thesis Primer - on the Canvas in the Awakening file folder.

Writing consciously…Why does your thesis matter?

Wesley

English 3AP

• A powerful thesis lays the foundation for your paper, in addition to organizing and focusing your argument.
• With a strong thesis, your paper has a good start, upon which the entire essay can rely.
• A powerful thesis statement makes the difference between a thoughtful paper and a simple retelling of facts.

Some other reminders about thesis statements…

• Make sure that your thesis is an arguable point.
• Stay focused and be concise.
• Entire paper must relate back to thesis.
• Use varied and interesting word choice
• Thesis must be specific enough to give the reader a clear picture of what the essay is about.
• Sentence must flow and be understandable.
• Does my thesis pass the "So what?" test? If a reader's first response is "So what?", you need to clarify, find something meaningful to say, or connect to a larger issue.
• Does my essay support my thesis specifically and without wandering? If your thesis and the body of your essay do not seem to go together, one of them has to change. It's okay to change your working thesis to reflect things you have figured out in the course of writing your paper. Remember, always reassess and revise your writing as necessary.

Remember some thesis structures available to you:

Through its contrasting river and shore scenes, Twain's Huckleberry Finn suggests that to find the true expression of American democratic ideals, one must leave "civilized" society and go back to nature.

Through[wsw1]  one girl’s hatred and another’s desire, Johnson explores the human need for love and the affect the absence of love can have on a person[wsw2] .

Although Fitzgerald’s “Babylon Revisited” is set in Paris during the Great

Depression and Faulkner’s “A Rose for Emily” takes place in the South during the 1920’s, both stories weave back and forth in time through retrospection and flashback.

Although Jane does not condemn Blanch Ingram, Rochester, and the rest of the party individually, she disapproves of the principles of the upper class as a whole[WSW3] .

While both Northerners and Southerners believed they fought against tyranny and oppression, Northerners focused on the oppression of slaves while Southerners defended their own right to self-government.

In The Tide Turned, O’Brien’s tale of love between a father and his son illustrates the theme of optimism[wsw4] ; even[wsw5]  in utter desolation, there is still hope enough for one’s posterity to lead a decent life[wsw6] .

What is a funnel paragraph?

·     Starts with a broad topic and as it goes on it narrows down

·     Usually has a thesis at the end

What are some of the attributes of a good thesis?

·     It is easy to understand/clear

·     Tells what is going be said/written about in your piece

·     It is the main idea of the essay

·     Typically it is at the end of the first paragraph

·     Precise and concise/ focused

·     Make it an arguable point

Funnel paragraph example

Being a kid is hard; don't let anyone tell you differently. If you ask 100 adults, you'll find that most of them wouldn't want to live through adolescence over again. Why not? There are too many things to worry about: friends, grades, why your P.E. teacher hates you, what to do when you grow up--the list is endless. That's why it would be doing most kids a favor to give them one less major concern in life. Because it would give them fewer worries, and because it would save their parents money, students in public school should have to wear uniforms.

Even if you do not have time to get advice elsewhere, you can do some thesis evaluation of your own. When reviewing your first draft and its working thesis, ask yourself the following:

• Do I answer the question? Re-reading the question prompt after constructing a working thesis can help you fix an argument that misses the focus of the question.
• Have I taken a position that others might challenge or oppose? If your thesis simply states facts that no one would, or even could, disagree with, it's possible that you are simply providing a summary, rather than making an argument.
• Is my thesis statement specific enough? Thesis statements that are too vague often do not have a strong argument. If your thesis contains words like "good" or "successful," see if you could be more specific: why is something "good"; what specifically makes something "successful"?
• Does my thesis pass the "So what?" test? If a reader's first response is, "So what?" then you need to clarify, to forge a relationship, or to connect to a larger issue.
• Does my essay support my thesis specifically and without wandering? If your thesis and the body of your essay do not seem to go together, one of them has to change. It's o.k. to change your working thesis to reflect things you have figured out in the course of writing your paper. Remember, always reassess and revise your writing as necessary.
• Does my thesis pass the "how and why?" test? If a reader's first response is "how?" or "why?" your thesis may be too open-ended and lack guidance for the reader. See what you can add to give the reader a better take on your position right from the beginning.

Excerpted from http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/thesis.html

---

 [wsw1] Kati begins her thesis with a subordinate (helping/supporting ) clause).  This helps set up the main clause by explaining a means by which the author develops the theme.

 [wsw2]Complex sentences can get lengthy and awkward; note how Kati avoids this , creating a sentence that says just enough.  One simple means of avoiding thesis sentence sprawl is to leave the title of the book out of the thesis.  Since Kati mentioned the title of the book  earlier in the paragraph, there is no need to mention it again.

 [WSW3]Complex sentence – subordinate clause, main clause

 [wsw4]First clause introduces a broad theme; it sets up the main clause that follows.

 [wsw5]The second clause, Brian’s main point, is more specific.  Brian uses the adverb even to emphasize just how bad the conditions are and yet…then he delivers his main point, a more specific explanation of the optimism he saw in the novel.

 [wsw6]Imagine you are giving a speech.  How would yolu open it so that you connect with your audience and then flow naturally from one sentence to the next - from Charles.  Using this strategy will help you remember that you are writing for an audience and that every sentence and paragraph should serve a purpose. This in turn will encourage unity and coherence.

Awakening Silent Reading

  Today: Sustained Silent Reading

  Tomorrow: Prds 1&3 in 035; Prd 8 in DC 

Bring whatever writing you have completed for pre-reading assignments # 1 and 2. I am not collecting them, but we will use them for small group discussions.

1) quiz on chapters 1-16

2) discuss Pre-reading Assignment questions 

   Pre-reading Assignment 1: questions 1, 3 & 5;

    Pre-reading Assignment 2 (time permitting): questions 1 & 4 

3) Independent work time

“The Sacred Calling”-- Guided analysis (12 completion points) – Complete and print your answers to the questions below.  You may reference them on the day of the in-class essay and you will use them during our post-Awakening discussions.

   

  1. What is Rich’s central argument?  Write it in your own words.

   2.      How does Rich begin her chapter?  What is the effect of that beginning, and how does it serve the direction in which she takes her argument?

   3.      In your own words, articulate 3 smaller/supporting ideas or claims of Rich’s from the chapter.  Cite them with page numbers and provide one piece of textual evidence related each claim.

Format

Write Rich’s claim/idea in your own words	Provide piece of textual evidence (and page #)

  4.      Which of the following would best describe Rich’s primary rhetorical mode(s), or approach: narration (tells a story); description (imagery, fig language); process analysis (tells how to do something/how something works); causal analysis (tells the cause/effect of an issue).  Explain and describe one specific example from the chapter.

  5.      Summarize one passage that you found especially interesting/important.  Write your summary here and reference which passage it is with a citation.

  6.      Post-Awakening connection: Find one quote in The Sacred Calling that evokes images of Adele, and one for Edna.  Cite and use the ellipsis if needed.  Explain the connection.

MLK Letter From Birmingham Jail Day 3 Class discussion

MLK Letter From Birmingham Jail Day 3 class discussion

Intro - (5-10 mins)

Small Group (15-20 mins)

Preview connection to Exam question (3-5 mins)

Large Group Discussion (15 mins)

Consult the file on Allusions in MLK Letter from Birmingham Jail and then revisit question # 5 from today's in-class. Explain how MLK's  uses certain authorities and their ideas to build the logos of his argument and simultaneusly establish ethos with the clergymen. Explain the specific uses of at least two allusions (e.g., Tillich and Buber) which help him build the logos of his argument in paragraphs 13-20. 

Visually depict how King  develops the logos of paragraphs 13-20 argument by weaving in and connecting key authorities and their ideas into his argument.  Chart how King takes one auhtority-conected idea and builds on it with another idea, providing connecting links, transitions, and explanations of his own to unify and propel the argument forward. Finally, after completing your visual chart, write a detailed thesis which articulates King's central claim/argument and the strategies he employs to make his claim appealing and persuasive for his primary audience.

Tomorrow: Periods 1 & 3...Room 035
Period 8: DC

Letter From Birmingham Jail, The Individual and Authority…In this course, we have studied a variety of texts that have explored the costs and benefits of being an individual and the wide array of approaches people can take to maintain their values and integrity, their freedom and identity.  At the same time, these texts have captured the social forces that individuals who pursue a ‘self-reliant’ lifestyle have to confront or struggle against—whether it be pressure to conform to political or religious orthodoxy, or to economic, intellectual, and family norms.

Craft an essay in which you analyze the ways that King's Letter from Birmingham Jail speaks to the broad theme of ‘the individual and authority.’  Structure should include one introductory paragraph, two well-developed body paragraphs, and a concluding paragraph (if you have the time and something meaningful to say).

Letter From Birmingham Jail Day 1

Letter From Birmingham Jail Pre-reading Considerations

All rhetoric is situational

Rhetoric – the art of persuasion; knowing all of the available means of persuasion; how to feature content

Contextualizing Questions

1. What kind of text are we dealing with?

2. When was it written?

3. Who wrote it?

4. For what audience was it intended?

Primary and secondary audiences

5. For what purpose was it written?

The three appeals (plus one)

Ethos, logos, pathos (and authorities)

Ethos – credibility. The good man speaking well.

Established by actions, reputation and words.

Pathos: appeal to emotions

Logos: Appeal to logic and reasoning.

Where do you see each at work?

Appeal to Authorities: (subset of Allusions)

Prominence of Allusions (how they help; who gets them and who doesn’t)

Sentence level devices –  Three Prominent moves by MLK

Antithesis, parallelism, alliteration

Oldies but goodies -  Metaphor, simile, repetition of words, personification

Structure of text

Classic Structure of a Persuasive Speech

1. paragraphs _______: introduction (exordium)

2. paragraphs _______: narrative or statement of fact (narratio)

3. paragraphs _______: arguments and counter-arguments (confirmatio and refutatio)

4. paragraphs _______: conclusion (peroratio)

Civil Disobedience

What's on tap for today...

Emerson Tweets...
My attempts...
Speak your mind; mind not that others may call you inconsistent.

God lies within; ignore the mob’s noise without.

Too much reverence prevents living in the present.

Civil Disobedience by Henry David Thoreau

Finish reading Civil Disobedience

By 11:59 tonight, post one entry consisting of two questions to Canvas. Write two discussion questions:1) one should be evaluative - a question that uses the text as a springboard to explore what you think of one of Thoreau's ideas or it's implications for society or the individual today) and 2) another should be interpretive/inferential in nature (questions that explore/interpret the meaning/intent of specific lines or passages which may be complex, ambiguous, or appear to conflict with other points in the essay).  Furthermore, one of the question should be linked to a passage in in pp 1-9; the other should come from a passage found in pages 10-18. 

On Tuesday, you will respond to two of these questions on Canvas.

On Wednesday, we will discuss the text.

On Thursday you will write an essay in response to the following: 

Civil Disobedience, The Individual and Authority…In this course, we have studied a variety of texts that have explored the costs and benefits of being an individual and the wide array of approaches people can take to maintain their values and integrity, their freedom and identity.  At the same time, these texts have captured the social forces that individuals who pursue a ‘self-reliant’ lifestyle have to confront or struggle against—whether it be pressure to conform to political or religious orthodoxy, or to economic, intellectual, and family norms.

Craft an essay in which you analyze the ways that Thoreau’s Civil Disobedience speaks to the broad theme of ‘the individual and authority.’  Structure should include one introductory paragraph, two well-developed body paragraphs, and a concluding paragraph (if you have the time and something meaningful to say).

Concerning points/grades: While there will not be time for revision work on the Into the Wild paper, the following might boost your grade a little before the semster exam:  Everyone will receive 10 out of 10 points for the Into The Wild quiz. I was going to drop it entirely because performance was all over the board, but decided to do this instead.

Today...

Small groups...

Share your essay thesis and explain why the claim you made is supported by the text. Don't just share quotes - explain why you believe they support your interpretation of Emerson's view.

Is Emerson simply preaching a "You're not the boss of me" or "If it feels good, do it" philosphy?

What, if anything in Self-Reliance, is to prevent his essay from simply inspiring people to embrace a self-centered, selfish, my-way-or the highway approach to living?

Emerson tells us in about a dozen ways that we should be self-reliant, but why? Why should he trust us to trust ourselves? 

What does a self-reliant person have to get in touch with in order to tap into their true power? Where does Emerson tell us?

How does someone get in touch with their deepest understanding? Does Emerson give any any hints? 

This weekend,

·        Do the Emerson’s Tweet’s activity provided as link in the Self-Reliance Close Reading. The last part of the exercise has you creating three tweets of your own based on specific lines from Self-Reliance. Please bring your three tweets in on Monday (handwritten or typed);

·        begin reading Civil Disobedience (pp. 1-18) in Henry David Thoreau: Civil Disobedience and Other Essays. I suggest reading 1-9 this weekend and finishing 10-18 in class on Monday.