Wednesday, December 18, 2013

Choose Your Next Novel finish reading by Tuesday Jan. 21

Please review the books in red from the later 19th century and early 20th century periods. Choose one to read. Begin reading over break. Finish by Tuesday January 21st .

Book List 

Please make sure your "On Compassion" essay is shared with me 

Monday, December 16, 2013

Satire Analysis (2 paragraph) due Tuesday


Presentation 1-2 minutes 
  • Present your realia (video clip, excerpt from satirical essay, cartoon, etc) 
  • Explain who designed it, context, audience, and how it pokes fun 
  • What kind of reaction did it cause? 
Satire Written Analysis - 2 paragraphs - share on google docs


Satire Analysis:

a.       (1) The subject / purpose of the satire
b.      Context (what was happening that influenced the satire)
c.       The audience it targets
d.      How it pokes fun of or criticizes the subject

e.      (2) Explain how this affected social, political life, politics, or religion, etc.
                                                               i.      Did it change the behavior of the targets of the satire? Did they respond to it in any way?
                                                             ii.      How did the fan base or society respond? How did their views change?  
                                                           iii.      Is this politically, culturally, socially significant for us to remember – why? What is the author’s message?

Works cited
Queenan, Joe. "How Satire Changed the Course of History." Theguardian.com. Guardian News and Media, 04 Nov. 2008. Web. 16 Dec. 2013.

"Video | Full Episodes & Clips | Saturday Night Live | NBC." NBC.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Dec. 2013.

Ciationmachine.net
Easy Bib

Friday, December 13, 2013

The Satire Essay - your creative piece & analysis of your own writing Due Friday December 20

1. Find your own topic to make fun of or criticize. (i.e. a new law that affects teens)
2. Think about what you want to say / your purpose. (i.e. to draw attention to the ridiculousness of the laws' impact in society and suggest its removal)
3. think about how you want to present your argument (style) (i.e. create an absurd picture to show that the law is not effective - a parody of the actual law conversation between police officer and teen)
Suggestions for how to start or frame your piece
4. Analyze your piece see 8 questions on Satire Essay Assignment 
A N A LY S I S of your own writing
Create a 1- 2 page analysis of your satire. You should include: (you need to think through these
questions before you start writing)
a
The target of your satire (What problem do you address?);
b
The earnest argument you want to make (What is your real opinion on this issue?);
c
The inspiration / evidence you may have to support your argument (You will need evidence to
support the argument – how is this is a real problem and not just your opinion? (Colbert uses
blatant examples of Ford’s vulgarity & rudeness, Jon Stewart uses Obama’s contradicting
words, the ignorant actions of the administration) Discuss the real world examples you are
drawing upon.
d
The satirical argument your satire will make (What satirical argument masks your true
argument?);
Rob Ford is talking again – let’s listen to him – maybe he will have something intelligent to say.
e
the rhetorical devices you employ to make your argument and why did you choose these to
affect your audience ; (provide examples from your paper)
f
Where is your thesis? Why?
g
The authorial persona you inhabit in your satire (For example, if you are writing a story, what is
the narrator like? Or, if you are writing a newspaper editorial, what personality will the author
have? A right-wing pundit like Colbert? Or an absurd leftist perspective?);
h
purpose: what do you want your audience to understand or do as a result of reading this piece
i
The audience of your satire (What kind of person would “get” your satire and what kind would
not?); relationship: what are you inviting your audience to do? How do you want them to react?

Thursday, December 12, 2013

Research and Present Satire that Changed the World Due Tuesday December 17

Read the Article "How Satire Changed the World" 

Considering how much great satire that is out there - we are going to do some research and create some memory.


Creating Memory: Discussing Famous Satire Mini Project (Due Tuesday December 17)
1.      Look at famous examples of satire in history and current events. Research other examples of satire that have changed history or at least affected our social or political discussions. Choose a well-known satirical example that affected society and provide an example (comic, passage from essay, excerpt from book, video clip)
2.      Discuss:
a.       (1) The subject / purpose of the satire
b.      Context (what was happening that influenced the satire)
c.       The audience it targets
d.      How it pokes fun of or criticizes the subject
e.      (2) Explain how this affected social, political life, politics, or religion, etc.
                                                               i.      Did it change the behavior of the targets of the satire? Did they respond to it in any way?
                                                             ii.      How did the fan base or society respond? How did their views change?  
                                                           iii.      Is this politically, culturally, socially significant for us to remember – why? What is the author’s message?

  • Create a sufficient 2 paragraph explanation (double spaced) 
  • Provide a list of sources using MLA format. You must cite your sources! This includes citing your example (video, cartoon and any research you looked at. )Refer to Easy Bib- you may use Wikipedia to start, but don't cite Wikipedia
  • Title document ______ (Per) ____Name ________(Satire that affected society) 
  • Submit on Google Doc/ Presentation or printed out document 

Ideas to Start with : You can choose to discuss (or other examples - clear with me first)
Popular satirists – discuss one specific examples they are associated with
Discuss ideas satirized in a certain time period or event

Classic Examples
Current examples
Apuleius
Jonathan Swift
Ben Franklin
Kurt Vonnegut
David Sedaris
Weird Al
Dr. Seuss
The Great Depression
Wars:
WWI & II
Vietnam
Iraq
Cold war
A Modest proposal
Animal Farm
1984
Saturday Night Live’s most famous skit
Doonesbury (comic)
Mad (magazine comic)
Famous episode from Monty Python
Election (movie)
·         Cartoons
·         current day satires
 that you think are receiving a lot of attention and influencing what society is talking about
(i.e. the Malala, Nelson Mandela satires)




Wednesday, December 11, 2013

3rd Meeting Beloved Socratic

Directions: Think about questions 1-4. Bring evidence to discuss in the next meeting. Write one question of your own with answers. See #5. 

  1. Discuss the different roles of the community in betraying and protecting the house at 124. What larger issue might Morrison be suggesting here about community? Do you agree with the moral actions of the community?


  1. What does Beloved's appearance represent at the end? What about her behavior? Why does she finally disappear—what drives her departure? And why is the book's title named for her?


  1. What does the narrator mean by the warning at the end: this is not a story to pass on." Is he right...or not?
  2. What do you think happens at the novel’s end—is Sethe healed? Do she and Paul D. make a life together? Are they reunited with their community? Or does she die?


  1. Bring one question you have about the novel - w/ bulleted notes & examples to turn in (An A example should have at least 5 bullets of explanation and 2 references to specific examples in the book)
 Extra Credit 
a. Chapter questions for each section of the reading ( can make up a grade if you were absent, can earn up to B credit if you were present )
b. Create your own socratic questions (see example questions under socratic guidelines) with 5-7 bullets responding with your own opinion and at least 2 examples. You also need to introduce your question during the socratic.

Tuesday, December 10, 2013

Barry Multiple Choice Exam

Today, we began using a second Dave Barry piece "Lost in the Kitchen" (read if you were absent)  to create a multiple choice exam.

Use the following sentence stems to help you write quality questions. (Each person is responsible for 2 questions)
Your answers should be more than one word options.  We will fine tune these in class tomorrow.

Look at the example below of a function question 
The rhetorical function of the phrase "[…]and raises a mighty dust where there was none before," (line 20) is
   
A. an indication of the fact that man is inherently dirty
   
B. to create a metaphorical reference to the amount of trouble man creates
   
C. to allude to the ease with which the man, like a broomstick, accomplishes his task
   
D. to juxtapose the woman's sweeping with the man's position as the broom
   
E. to show a parallel relationship between the broomstick and man


Friday, December 6, 2013

Create your own Satirical Essay & Analysis Due Friday Dec. 20

Satire - the use of humor, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and criticize people's stupidity or vices, particularly in the context of contemporary politics and other topical issues.

Now that we have started looking at some specific satirical techniques - you have the opportunity to apply them and create your own satire using some of the essays we have read as models.

Satire Essay Assignment


Thursday, December 5, 2013

Colbert Report or Jon Stewart Precis

1. Write a precis on a modern day satire following the format

These are the videos we watched today:

Colbert report on Mayor Rob Ford

Jon Stewart video (write on Obamacare OR Mayor Rob Ford)

include:
  1. spokesperson's argument
  2. techniques / modes and 3 examples of evidence (you only need quoted words or phrases for the second sentence)
  3. style & purpose (what does the speaker want us to understand / think / do )
  4. audience & tone / relationship (what does he invite the various audiences to do?)

write the precis under your "Ugly Truth about Beauty" Precis

your sentences should be separated out. Have a space between them.

2. bring your Beloved book tomorrow 

Wednesday, December 4, 2013

Socratic Beloved 2nd meeting

Please prepare for the 2nd meeting (Monday, December 9) by - 
1. Reading Socratic Guidelines 
2. taking notes on the following questions using evidence from the book 

  1. Memory: What role does memory play in the book? What does Sethe teach her children about memory? Why?  How do different characters deal with the past and why?
  2. Love?: Talk about the choice Sethe made regarding her children when schoolteacher arrives to take them all back to Sweet Home. Can her actions be justified—are her actions rational or irrational? Would you argue that a mother’s love is strong?
  3. Title: Why do you think the book is titled Beloved rather than “Sethe” or “The Ghost” or some such?  What features of the book does the title emphasize?
  4. Self-alienation: Consider the extent to which slavery dehumanizes individuals by stripping them of their identity, destroying their ability to conceive of the self. Consider, especially, Paul and how he can't determine whether screams he hears are his or someone else's. How do the other characters reflect self-alienation? Why do humans alienate themselves? Where else do we see this?
  5. Silence: How does the idea of silence appear throughout the book? Who has been silenced, how and why? Who breaks that silence and how? 


    4.  Extra Credit - 

    • Write 3 different socratic questions. Prepare a paragraph length bulleted list of answers that include textual evidence. 
    • Bring these to the conversation and offer your opinion 
     or   
  • write answers to the questions for each chapter