Based on your reading of your assigned Chapter in THD for WED 1/21, select - HIGHLIGHT - WHAT STRIKES YOU - as significant to our unfolding/eveolving understanding of the Pope's family various challenges. And then explain WHY YOU CHOSE what you chose = WHY your reader's imagination was particularly aroused/stimulated/intrigued/puzzled/delighted/awakened/ ... by a scene/an event/a "revelation"/a moment of dialogue/a narratorial illumination/... .
Ch. 3 - "Northern Pacific" - Haley & Emily & Kendra & Brian & Fate
Ch. 4 - "Plainwater" - Kristin & Katie & Rachael
Ch. 5 - "Goodwill" - Mikaila & Lexi & Aubrey & Rachel & Kate
And as we read Lin Enger's novel, let us ALWAYS pay attention to each and every chapter-title so that we can discuss - speculate about - WHY he gave a chapter the TITLE as we read it. A title is ALWAYS the reader's guide to the thematic heart of the chapter - a "key" to author's intended plot-related focus.
1/16/08 - TEQ #1: Respond to this Question with either a Yes or a No, and then, in either case, JUSTIFY your response in a logically explanatory, essay-style manner that is BOTH objective and subjective. QUESTION: Are you, as a 21st-century Reader, satisfied with Herbert Mason's concluding section IV (91-92) to the tale of Gilgamesh? --- Objective would include Textual Evidence = narrative details & brief quotations to support your ideas. Subjective would include Imaginative Rewriting = 1) If No, how would you EMEND/REVISE the content of the ending? 2) Even if Yes, how might you IMPROVE/ENHANCE the content of the ending? Feel free to recompose key verses as your own poetry, if you wish. Be creative!
1/28/08 - ICQ #1: I will hand out a Question to which you will write a response of at least paragraph-length = a respectable number of complete sentences doing justice to the topic. So, about what? As you read BOOK 2 of Virgil's AENEID, be attentive to the character of Creusa, Aeneas's wife, as revealed through her words and actions in different scenes. Be attentive, of course, to Aeneas's own interactions with/responses to Creusa = what do we learn about him as a husband? Though her role/performance in this dramatic prequel to the journey from Troy is brief, she does advance the plot, even explicitly addressing Aeneas's future.
2/4/08 - As I mentioned (again) today, I will not be here next Monday 2/11/08. I ask that you all meet and have a regular class-discussion of the assigned pages from Virgil's AENEID, with a focused presentation by each of you of TEQ #2, which will be collected by Sherryse. So, what's the topic? Similar to TEQ #1, namely: As you reflect upon how the epic-poem ends, ask yourselves if the "conclusion" satisfies you as 21st-century Readers. Is it a dangling way to end? Or, is it a "conclusion" that leaves no loose threads? You must explain your reasoning for your YES or your NO. ... REread how I worded TEQ #1 = be both objective and subjective. Give textual evidence. ... ... Is it more of an action-figure ending or of a psychological probing? Or both? ... However you interpret the final scene, ask yourselves this: What might Virgil have been trying to communicate to his reader/listeners as a moral lesson about human nature for contemporary Romans? ... You should include Turnus, of course, in your analysis, but as you examine what Aeneas's outer self acts-out, dig into Aeneas's inner self so as to explain his "motivation." To use Sherryse's phrase from today: Does Aeneas heed the "voice of Reason" - or not? WHY does he do what he does? ... Good thinking!
2/18/08 - For your TEQ #3, due this WED 2/20, pay close attention to the extended dialogue, over several sections, between King Hrothgar and Beowulf in which KH counsels B about the virtues that constitute worthy rulership. So, A) What are the qualities of honorable kingship 1) that are manifest in KH himself (as he himself testifies) AS WELL AS those 2) that are spoken of by KH which should be practiced/embodied by B? Give textual evidence with brief quotations.
AND B) What qualities of leadership does KH actually see in B, evidenced by B's words and demeanor? Be specific, offering textual evidence.
3/17/08 - For your TEQ due this WED 3/19, here's what I'd like you to write about, and what we'll focus on in our class-discussion: Between pages 57 and 82 (= sections #8-#17) of Lady Sarashina's memoir, she remembers circumstances of her younger days involving 1) her Mother, 2) her Father, and 3) her court-lady friends and acquaintances. Choosing ONE of the 3 indicated, present what we learn of Lady Sara's relationship either with one of her parents or with the court ladies-in-waiting whom she knows. You must offer specific narrative details and brief quotations or paraphrases as textual testimony. Typed, of course - 2-page range as usual. As for "relationship" = emotional and other personal experiences, outward and inward, are what you would highlight.
WED 4/2/08 - For your next TEQ, this coming Monday: On p. 22, REREAD attentively lines 651-56. These are Sir Gawain's exemplary virtues PLUS piety, which is allied to his compassion, as I explained in class today. So, as you read Section III (36-62), be attentive to how his behavior - words and deeds - reflect/express/manifest one or another of these 5 virtues, and compose your TEQ so as to present which of these 5 knightly/chivalric attributes/qualities stand out in your mind. Be sure to offer a few narrative details and/or brief quotations in support of your ideas. In sum, examine the extent to which Sir Gawain lives up to these ideals of chivalry.
WED 4/16/08: next TEQ - due Monday 4/21: 1) Present the attributes/qualities/virtues of the principal character named CONSTANCE (What is constancy?), especially as these CONTRAST with the two royal mothers whom she encounters in her journeyings. What are their characteristic aspects, which are so different from Constance's? And 2) WHY, in your opinion, did Chaucer set up such a stark contrast? = What was the point/lesson of the tale? (Obviously, not a tale told merely for the telling.) You must included textual evidence - details and/or brief quotations - to support your ideas. ... I did have essays to return today, but I forgot - next Monday, then. And do bring your Sir G and the GK with you, too. P.S. Next WED, as in the Syllabus, we'll examine the VERY FEW pages from Marco Polo's travel-account. So, (I may be dreamin') there should be time to begin student-presentations of essay-endeavors. Thus, if anyone (Brenda?) is ready to tell us what your essay is about - in a summary manner; no need to read excerpts - in 6 minutes or so, please tell me on Monday. Thanks.