- Write a 750-word narrative about a place that is significant to you. Try to narrow down one or two events that showcase the impact this place has had on your life.
- Read 3 articles on Carrie. (1) Horror, Femininity, and Carrie's Monstrous Puberty (2) Cult Movie Review: Carrie (3) Pretty Bloody: Women and Stereotypes in Horror
- Read Sonny's Blues
Friday, September 26, 2014
Course Recap for Friday, September 26, 2014
Homework
Thursday, September 18, 2014
Course Recap for Friday, September 19, 2014
Narrative Voice and Humor
We discussed David Sedaris's writing in his pieces "Me Talk Pretty One Day" (from your book Readings for Writers) and "Jesus Shaves" (a video clip we watched in class). We discussed how each narrative focused a specific moment in the author's life that was significant to him (a moment where he overcame an obstacle, a moment where he experienced a moment of solidarity with people from different cultures). We also talked about Sedaris's brand of humor and how he makes fun of himself and Americans in a very self-deprecating way and how he uses cultural stereotypes and sarcasm to connect with other people. He makes fun of things that most people can relate to. Sedaris's humor gives his pieces a distinctive narrative voice that separates his writing from other writers. Our goal as we explore the personal narrative is to find ways to infuse our own narrative voice into our writing.
It's All in the Details
After discussing Sedaris's writing, we looked at two different poems with two very different speakers. In "Girl" by Jamaica Kincaid we explored how the nature of the advice that the speaker of the poem gives to the audience reveals a lot about that speaker's character. We could tell she was female, poor,Caribbean, had struggled a lot in life, had been taught and was oppressed by traditional gender roles, and deeply cared for the recipient of her advice. Even though the main topic of the piece isn't actually the speaker, we are still able to learn a lot about her.
Then we looked at "The Day Lady Died" by Frank O'Hara. We surmised that the speaker in this piece was white, male, middle-aged, wealthy, well-educated, interested in the arts, and on a tight schedule. We are not explicitly told any of this. We gain this knowledge based on the places he went (the tobacconist, The Golden Griffin), the things he buys (a shoeshine, the Verlaine, the bottle of Strega), and his reaction to other people and things around him (the fact that he doesn't care if the bank teller looks at his bank balance or not when withdrawing money, the sudden rush of emotion when he discovers Billie Holiday's death). Our goal is to try and find a way to reveal ourselves in our own piece by showing and not telling.
Welcome to the World of Blogging
The second half of class we focused on blogs. We looked at a variety of different blogs and found that no two blogs are alike, much like people. Each blog is a reflection of the blogs' creators and its audience. We did all seem to agree that the simpler the blog, the better. People should be able to easily identify a blog's purpose, and it should be easy for readers to find information on a blog. You will be keeping a blog for this class. For more information check the Blog Assignment Sheet posted on the right under Class Documents.
Homework
We discussed David Sedaris's writing in his pieces "Me Talk Pretty One Day" (from your book Readings for Writers) and "Jesus Shaves" (a video clip we watched in class). We discussed how each narrative focused a specific moment in the author's life that was significant to him (a moment where he overcame an obstacle, a moment where he experienced a moment of solidarity with people from different cultures). We also talked about Sedaris's brand of humor and how he makes fun of himself and Americans in a very self-deprecating way and how he uses cultural stereotypes and sarcasm to connect with other people. He makes fun of things that most people can relate to. Sedaris's humor gives his pieces a distinctive narrative voice that separates his writing from other writers. Our goal as we explore the personal narrative is to find ways to infuse our own narrative voice into our writing.
It's All in the Details
After discussing Sedaris's writing, we looked at two different poems with two very different speakers. In "Girl" by Jamaica Kincaid we explored how the nature of the advice that the speaker of the poem gives to the audience reveals a lot about that speaker's character. We could tell she was female, poor,Caribbean, had struggled a lot in life, had been taught and was oppressed by traditional gender roles, and deeply cared for the recipient of her advice. Even though the main topic of the piece isn't actually the speaker, we are still able to learn a lot about her.
Then we looked at "The Day Lady Died" by Frank O'Hara. We surmised that the speaker in this piece was white, male, middle-aged, wealthy, well-educated, interested in the arts, and on a tight schedule. We are not explicitly told any of this. We gain this knowledge based on the places he went (the tobacconist, The Golden Griffin), the things he buys (a shoeshine, the Verlaine, the bottle of Strega), and his reaction to other people and things around him (the fact that he doesn't care if the bank teller looks at his bank balance or not when withdrawing money, the sudden rush of emotion when he discovers Billie Holiday's death). Our goal is to try and find a way to reveal ourselves in our own piece by showing and not telling.
Welcome to the World of Blogging
The second half of class we focused on blogs. We looked at a variety of different blogs and found that no two blogs are alike, much like people. Each blog is a reflection of the blogs' creators and its audience. We did all seem to agree that the simpler the blog, the better. People should be able to easily identify a blog's purpose, and it should be easy for readers to find information on a blog. You will be keeping a blog for this class. For more information check the Blog Assignment Sheet posted on the right under Class Documents.
Homework
- Complete your first blog post for Monday, September 15.
- Write a 750 word essay that reveals important details about yourself using one of the following prompts.
- Provide advice to a someone about something you feel you are an expert in. We should learn who you are and what is it about you that makes your advice worth following. How did you gain this knowledge? How do you know it will work? Why do you care?
- OR Tell us the story of where you were and what you were doing on a day of national tragedy. Obviously September 11 may quickly come to mind but there could be other days of tragedy (like the death of a famous celebrity) that might lend themselves to this piece. Be specific. What did you do? What did you buy? What did you eat that day?
Friday, September 12, 2014
Welcome to Thought and Writing!
I am Micealaya (Mickey) Moses, your instructor. Please take time to save this blog into your favorites/bookmarks folder as I will provide weekly updates, course recaps, and all course documents through this site. I am excited to work with all of you this semester! Please don't hesitate to contact me with any questions. My e-mail is m5moses@wmich.edu. I am also available to meet with you every Monday between 2 and 4 and by appointment. In this class you will learn how to think like a writer, a skill you already possess in some capacity. We will read and discuss various texts and you will hopefully leave this class with the ability to write in both academic and "real world" settings.
Course Syllabus and Course Expectations
We read through the syllabus in class and talked about the things you would have to do to succeed in this course. Please be sure to review the entire syllabus (posted on the right side of the blog) on your own, but here a few of the finer points, the things that are essential to your success in this class:
- Attendance and participation are extremely important. You are expected to be in class on-time on a regular basis and to participate in all class activities and discussions.
- Late work is highly discouraged. Please get in the habit now of turning things in when they are due.
- I am here to help you but I can't do anything for you if I don't know something is wrong. Please do not hesitate to ask questions if you are confused. Again I can meet with you during office hours or by appointment to discuss things you may be struggling with. Also please inform me in a timely matter if you're going to miss class.
- Please be courteous. Disruptive behavior is distracting and counterproductive to our class.
Homework (Due Friday 9/12)
- Read "Me Talk Pretty One Day" by David Sedaris, page 16 in Readings for Writers
- Write a paragraph describing your favorite dish. Your goal is to convince your reader that they want to eat the dish you are describing.
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