Class Cancelled 4/28/08

Unfortunately, due to powers beyond my control, our English 30 class will be cancelled this evening, 4/28/08.  Please read Shakespeare's Sonnets found in our textbook for this Wednesday. I apologize for any inconvenience. 

Louise Erdrich's "The Red Convertible"

Passages for Identification: Be able to identify the author, the work, the character speaking (if any) and briefly explain the significance or context of the passage.

A: "My own talent was I could always make money. I had a touch for it, unusual in a Chippewa."

B: There it was, parked large as life. Really as if it was alive. I thought of the word repose, because the car wasn't simply stopped, parked, or whatever. That car reposed, calm and gleaming, a FOR SALE sign in its left front window. Then, before we had thought it over at all, the car belonged to us and our pockets were empty. We had just enough money for gas back home.

C. "Hop on in," says Henry. So she climbs in between us.
"We'll take you home," I says. "Where do you live?"
"Chicken" she says.
"Where the hell's that?" I ask her?
"Alaska."
"Okay," says Henry, and we drive.

D: We liked to tease him that they really wanted him for his Indian nose. He had a nose big and sharp as a hatchet, like the nose on Red Tomahawk, the Indian who killed Sitting Bull, whose profile is on signs all along the North Dakota highways.

E: Once I was sitting in the room watching TV with Henry and I heard his teeth click at something. I looked over, and he'd bitten through his lip. Blood was running down his chin. I tell you right then I wanted to smash that tube to pieces. I went over to it but Henry must have known what I was up to."

F. "That car's a classic! But you went and ran the piss right out of it, Lyman, and you know it don't deserve that. I kept that car in A-one shape. You don't remember. You're too young. But when I left, that car was running like a watch. Now I don't even know if I can get it to start again, let alone get it anywhere near its old condition."

G. "I walk back to the car, turn on the high beams, and drive it up the bank. I put it in first gear and then I take my foot off the clutch. I get out, close the door, and watch it plow softly into the water. The headlights reach in as they go down, searching, still lighted even after the water swirls over the back end. I wait. THe wires short out. It is all finally dark. And then there is only water, the sound of it going and running and going and running and running."

Food for Thought:

What do fast, shiny cars symbolize or represent in the minds of most Americans? Does that meaning change when the car is owned by reservation Indians? How? In what way?

Why does Lyman let the car roll into the river after spending so much time with his brother trying to fix it up?

What does the water of the river symbolize as it runs over the car's sunken carcass? Why does Erdrich say it is "going and running and going and running and running"? Why does the author use asyndeton here?

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Unit Two: Characterization of Cultures and Beliefs

For this portion of the class, we will study how the author's life plays a role in his or her work. The following passages are to be read in preparation for the class:

3/26/08    Writer's Workshop (No Readings Needed)

3/31/08     "A Worn Path" by Eudora Welty 

4/2/08      "What We Talk About When We Talk About Love" by Raymond Carver

4/7/08      "The Red Convertible" by Louise Erdrich

4/9/08      "The Yellow Wallpaper" by Charlotte Perkins Gilman

4/14/08      Midterm Examination

Place your "Top Quoting" assignment here...

Place your "Top Quoting" assignment here...

Post Your Hemingway Letter Here

Last night you were asked to post your letter to Ernest "Papa" Hemingway. Do so here.

Course Overview

KINGSBOROUGH COMMUNITY COLLEGE

 

ENGLISH 30: Introduction to Literature

 

“Literature is a frigate to take us away to far away lands.” Emily Dickenson

 

 

 

Instructor:             Professor J. O’Brien                        Spring, 2008  6:30  PM – 8:00 PM

E-Mail            joeyobrien@hotmail.com    Mondays and Wednesdays

Room              M366

Section:            TBA                                                                                               

 

REQUIRED TEXTS:

 

Gardner,Janet E. Literature: A Portable Anthology. Bedford St. Martins Press. 2004.

 

Any dictionary of your choice

 

 

COURSE DESCRIPTION & GOALS:

 

Emily Dickenson once wrote that “Literature is a frigate to take us away to foreign lands.” It is hoped that through this course you will embark upon a similar journey as you learn to both critically read and analyze texts and grow to understand and be comfortable with the research process. It is hoped that this course will provide you the knowledge and confidence to critically examine both fictional and non-fictional texts, analyze and evaluate literature, and forge a touchstone for the years to come.

 

COURSE REQUIREMENTS:

 

As college students, you are expected to come to class on time and be prepared with the materials assigned for that day. In addition, a willingness to participate and engage in class discussion is essential.  You are also expected to complete all assignments and abide by the guidelines stated in the syllabus.

 

ATTENDANCE, LATENESS, & DEADLINES:

 

As a school policy, it is to be noted that you are not allowed to exceed more than four (4) hours.  I understand that this is a late class and many travel vast distances to arrive here, yet, we must make every attempt to report to class on time on a regular basis. Lateness of 10 min or more will count towards your total four (4) hours.  If you are absent or late please make it your own responsibility to contact me as soon as possible.  It is up to you to find out what you missed.

 

OTHER CLASSROOM RULES:

 

Please be kind and mindful of your surroundings as well as your classmates.  ALL HEADPHONES AND MUSIC DEVICES MUST BE OFF AND PUT AWAY upon the start of class.  PLEASE TURN OFF THE VOLUME ON YOUR CELL PHONE. If there is an emergency, or an important call, feel free to quietly step-outside and handle your business.  DO NOT DISTURB THE CLASS.

 

You may bring something to drink and snack on.  Please do not bring a full meal to class.  If you choose to bring food or a drink make sure you throw away your trash when you are done. 

 

 

*            *            *            *

 

If you ever have ANY questions or concerns please feel free to come to me.  I am easily accessible via e-mail.   You may also speak with me before or after class.  If you are unsure about something during class discussion or have your own personal comments to add PLEASE DO NOT hesitate to speak!  Your voice is valued.

 

 

Ernest Hemingway

Ernest Miller Hemingway (July 21, 1899 – July 2, 1961) was an American novelist, short-story writer, and journalist. He was part of the 1920s expatriate community in Paris, as well as the veterans of World War One later known as "the Lost Generation", as described in his posthumous memoir A Moveable Feast. ("'That's what you are. That's what you all are,' Miss Stein said. 'All of you young people who served in the war. You are a lost generation.'" Stein had overheard a garage owner use the phrase to criticize a mechanic.) He received thePulitzer Prize in 1953 for The Old Man and the Sea, and the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1954.

Hemingway's distinctive writing style is characterized by economy and understatement, in contrast to the style of his literary rival William Faulkner. It had a significant influence on the development of twentieth-century fiction writing. His protagonists are typically stoic men who exhibit an ideal described as "grace under pressure." Many of his works are now considered canonical in American literature.