Check back later for the link to the article on the Pennsylvania Electronic Edition of Frankenstein. I cannot access the page from school, so I will have to do it at home later today; check back after 6:00 p.m. If you cannot wait, you may select one of the critical commentaries yourself (click on "Critical Commentary") and write a one-page response to it. (Don't try to access this page on campus because it is denying access from the MPH server.) Once again, this assignment is practice for the final paper, where you will have to engage other critics' responses to your book. Take time to consider what you think of the critic's assessment of Frankenstein in light of your own thoughts about the book.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Monday, March 23, 2009
Homework for Tuesday, 3/24, and Wednesday, 3/25
First, read the reviews of Frankenstein found on pp. 300-312 of your book. (In class, we read numbers 1 and 3.) Then, in your journal, write a one-page assessment of those reviews. You may write about one of them, all of them, or any number in between. Essentially, you are writing about your thoughts about Frankenstein in relation to one or more of these critics' perspectives on Frankenstein. You may consider the following questions: In what ways do you agree or disagree with them? What do they say that sounds especially true or terribly wrong? Do you agree with them in general but disagree on some specific points?
Monday, March 9, 2009
Précis
The précis is a summary of your argument. It should be no longer than one double-spaced page. In the précis, you should clearly state your main argument and discuss how you will develop that argument. Doing so may involve discussing two or three points related to your central argument.
In discussing your argument, you are writing about the main points you want to address in your essay. In developing this argument, it may be helpful to consider the following questions, all of which may be addressed in your précis: What do you have to say about your book? What key scenes or evidence will you discuss? How did you arrive at your topic?
Be sure to avoid passing off the following sentence as your argument: "In my paper I will discuss the differences between Nick Carraway and Jay Gatsby." As we've said from the beginning of the year, this isn't an argument. Instead, you need to make a claim about those differences: "In my paper, I will argue that the differences between Nick Carraway and Jay Gatsby reveal the risks and consequences of failing to accept who you really are." Now you're saying something.
Be sure to include three sources that you will potentially use in your essay. Do not stress about the format for these sources. Simply present the following information: the author, the title of the article, the title of the publication (e.g. Time, or The Journal of Contemporary Literature), and the date of the publication. We will use these unformatted listings of the sources as a way to learn how to correctly use the MLA format, which is presented in your Pocket Style Manual.
Remember, this should not be longer than one page.
In discussing your argument, you are writing about the main points you want to address in your essay. In developing this argument, it may be helpful to consider the following questions, all of which may be addressed in your précis: What do you have to say about your book? What key scenes or evidence will you discuss? How did you arrive at your topic?
Be sure to avoid passing off the following sentence as your argument: "In my paper I will discuss the differences between Nick Carraway and Jay Gatsby." As we've said from the beginning of the year, this isn't an argument. Instead, you need to make a claim about those differences: "In my paper, I will argue that the differences between Nick Carraway and Jay Gatsby reveal the risks and consequences of failing to accept who you really are." Now you're saying something.
Be sure to include three sources that you will potentially use in your essay. Do not stress about the format for these sources. Simply present the following information: the author, the title of the article, the title of the publication (e.g. Time, or The Journal of Contemporary Literature), and the date of the publication. We will use these unformatted listings of the sources as a way to learn how to correctly use the MLA format, which is presented in your Pocket Style Manual.
Remember, this should not be longer than one page.
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Frankenstein Online
You will find below the link for the University of Pennsylvania's online hypertext of Frankenstein which I have shown in class. It is an outstanding resource for understanding the book and placing it in its proper context. Within the text, it provides links that illuminate details of the time period and provides definitions for some words that are specific to Mary Shelley's time period. Click on the "Table of Chapters" to get started.
http://www.english.upenn.edu/Projects/knarf/frank.html
http://www.english.upenn.edu/Projects/knarf/frank.html
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Completing your book for Wednesday and Thursday
A few students have asked about getting an extension for the book that is due on Wednesday and Thursday of this week. After giving it some thought, I have decided I will not give an extension for completing the book, but I will give an extension for completing the journal entries.
The annotated book is worth up to ten percent of the paper's grade. Tomorrow and Thursday, you will receive a certain number of points for your book whether or not you have finished it. To be clear: I will not look at the book at a later date and then give you additional points for it. The points you receive tomorrow will remain the points you earn for this portion of the paper's grade.
Nevertheless, I will allow you to have until Tuesday, March 3 (Day 5), and Wednesday, March 4 (Day 6), to complete the four journal entries for (potentially) five bonus points.
I want to emphasize that delaying the journal entries is not purely beneficial to you. Over the next week, we will be starting a difficult novel in Frankenstein. The following week, on March 11 and 12, the one-page précis with three sources is due. So, understand that by putting off the journal entries, you are making it harder to keep up with other work that is due. So, if you have finished your book, you should turn in the journal entries on the original due date. If you haven't finished your book, well, sometimes it is better to take you lumps and move on.
The annotated book is worth up to ten percent of the paper's grade. Tomorrow and Thursday, you will receive a certain number of points for your book whether or not you have finished it. To be clear: I will not look at the book at a later date and then give you additional points for it. The points you receive tomorrow will remain the points you earn for this portion of the paper's grade.
Nevertheless, I will allow you to have until Tuesday, March 3 (Day 5), and Wednesday, March 4 (Day 6), to complete the four journal entries for (potentially) five bonus points.
I want to emphasize that delaying the journal entries is not purely beneficial to you. Over the next week, we will be starting a difficult novel in Frankenstein. The following week, on March 11 and 12, the one-page précis with three sources is due. So, understand that by putting off the journal entries, you are making it harder to keep up with other work that is due. So, if you have finished your book, you should turn in the journal entries on the original due date. If you haven't finished your book, well, sometimes it is better to take you lumps and move on.
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Assignment Schedules posted
Note that the third-quarter assignment schedules are posted to the right, under the heading "Assignments and Syllabus."
Monday, February 2, 2009
Short Essay Due 2/4 (Day 3) and 2/5 (Day 4)
Essay Topics on The Stranger and The Battle of Algiers
Compose a well-crafted essay on one of the themes below in relation to The Stranger and The Battle of Algiers. This essay is due on Wednesday, February 4 (Day 3), and Thursday, February 5 (Day 5).
This essay should be roughly four paragraphs in length: an introduction, a paragraph on The Stranger, a paragraph on The Battle of Algiers, and a conclusion. Remember your writing of the tragedy essay—the introduction should mention both texts, and it should say something about how these texts illuminate the theme your essay takes up. By the same measure, your conclusion should not summarize the essay. Instead, it should give the reader a sense of why your thesis is important—it should give the reader an idea of what really matters when they think about this theme.
Your paragraph on The Stranger should include a quote that you then analyze. Be sure to include page numbers only in parenthetical references. Your paragraph on The Battle of Algiers should include specific references to scenes or dialogue, and so forth.
You may decide that you need a transition paragraph that links the two sections. If so, this should be a brief paragraph of maybe one or two sentences. You may find that you can link them with a sentence at the end of The Stranger paragraph or the beginning of The Battle paragraph.
Individual and Society
Choice and Responsibiity
Silence and Communication
Absurdity and the Meaning of Life
Compose a well-crafted essay on one of the themes below in relation to The Stranger and The Battle of Algiers. This essay is due on Wednesday, February 4 (Day 3), and Thursday, February 5 (Day 5).
This essay should be roughly four paragraphs in length: an introduction, a paragraph on The Stranger, a paragraph on The Battle of Algiers, and a conclusion. Remember your writing of the tragedy essay—the introduction should mention both texts, and it should say something about how these texts illuminate the theme your essay takes up. By the same measure, your conclusion should not summarize the essay. Instead, it should give the reader a sense of why your thesis is important—it should give the reader an idea of what really matters when they think about this theme.
Your paragraph on The Stranger should include a quote that you then analyze. Be sure to include page numbers only in parenthetical references. Your paragraph on The Battle of Algiers should include specific references to scenes or dialogue, and so forth.
You may decide that you need a transition paragraph that links the two sections. If so, this should be a brief paragraph of maybe one or two sentences. You may find that you can link them with a sentence at the end of The Stranger paragraph or the beginning of The Battle paragraph.
Individual and Society
Choice and Responsibiity
Silence and Communication
Absurdity and the Meaning of Life
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