all Fall 2012 grades in

I've submitted the grades for both section 27 and section 65. It may take till Monday before they are available for view though My Portal.

Thanks for a good quarter and good luck in the Winter.

for section 65

This is one of the songs that came through the walls last night. The class next door must have been watching Mulholland Drive by David Lynch.

EWRT 1A sections 27 and 65: final

Remember, bring back Reading Responses 8-10. I'll have you hand them in before we start the final. You should also bring your copy of Fun Home. Also, Tuesday is the last chance to hand in any rewrites.

Here are the final times again:
EWRT1A-27: Tuesday, December 11, 4-6pm
EWRT1A-65: Tuesday, December 11, 6:15-8:15pm

Back to reading essays…

one last Fun Home vid

I don't like the interviewer in this, but Bechdel talks about why she titled the book what she did, why she was driven to make the book, and why she makes so many literary allusions in it.

"…by zombies"

I was just told about this way to train yourself to get rid of passive constructions. Anytime you see a passive construction in your writing, just add "…by zombies" to the sentence.

Here are some examples:

Throughout the story “No Name Woman” there was always a feeling of despair being placed on the reader by zombies.

I had to finish my essay. My math homework also had to be completed by zombies.

When Anzaldúa was growing up, mixing Spanish and English was not allowed by zombies in her school.

Victor Frankenstein’s lack of responsibility is shown by zombies when he is working on his creation and neglects his health and family.

You get the idea. Try it for yourself!

Fun Home Reading Questions

Fun Home  –  Reading Questions.

These are the same questions that are on the back of the Essay 3 prompts. Now that we are at the end of the book, you should be able to answer these. Please look them over and think about them. We'll be using them in class.

1. In what ways are Bechdel and her father different? In what ways are they alike?

2. Bechdel believes that her father committed suicide. Why? What does she think the motivation for him was? Why is this significant for her?

3. What role do books play in Bechdel’s relationship with her father? What role do they play in her own self discovery?

4. Can you find an image in the text that sums up Bechdel’s relationship with her father? Is its placement in the story significant?

5. In what ways is Bechdel’s father able to support her? How does he do so?

6. Why does Bechdel allude to so many literary texts? How do they relate to her parents? To herself?

7. At times Bechdel seems to judge her father, but at other times she seems to resist judging him. Find instances of both in the text. Does this show a limitation in her understanding?

8. What do you think the purpose of creating Fun Home was for Bechdel?

9. In what ways are the telling (the narration) different from what is in the showing (the monstration)? Think of McCloud’s categories. Also consider that the narration is an adult Bechdel looking back and the monstration is often a young Alison experiencing things for the first time.

10. Is Alison Bechdel a reliable narrator? What does she believe that others in the book may not believe? What biases might she have?

EWRT1A sections 27 and 65: Grammar Review 5 and essay 3 comments

Here is Grammar Review 5. There are only five sentences, but you'll need to be creative.

And here are some general comments on the drafts of essay 3. These are in bullet form (in other words, sentence framents).

• "Short Story Title,” "Essay Title," Novel Title
• Argue with points, don’t start body paragraphs with summary or quotations
• Start a new paragraph if you want to explore a new point
• Instead of points answering “what” characters did, have points answer “why” or “how.” What -Bruce and aunt in “NNW” committed suicide. Why- both committed suicide because… What- both Bechdel and Walker look at family past. How- both analyze action of parents/compare them with selves. Why- both look at past to understand their own identities
• Introduce quotations- remember quotation sandwich
• Be specific
• Order of essay- in lit, usually chronological or cause/ effect order
• Order (structure) should reinforce meaning
• Remember that in Fun Home, the images can serve as evidence, also. If you describe a specific panel, just put the page number in parentheses for MLA citation.

Fun Home videos

I want to watch these in class, but I thought I'd post them here. These are both videos about Alison Bechdel discussing Fun Home. This first one is a more formal video and in it she discusses how the words and images (narration and monstration) work separately.

This next one is a more informal video and Bechdel made it while she was working on chapter seven. It's a great insight into her process. Also, she mentions OCD in it, so it relates to chapter five (and I love how she opens a drawer so her cat can jump down from the table).

EWRT1A sections 27 and 65: Reading Response 9

Reading Response 9- after chapter 6 of Fun Home

Keeping in mind what you have read of Fun Home so far, respond to one of the prompts below. Please use specific evidence from the book to support your response.

1. Look at how the media depicts images of gender and/or family in Fun Home. How do these images compare/contrast with Bechdel and her family? Consider images from magazines, cartoons, and/or television shows depicted in the book. As always, choose a specific focus in your response.
   
2. Do you think that Bechdel's father is an asset for Alison Bechdel as she tries to understand her gender and sexual orientation, or do you see him more as an obstacle? Please use specific scenes from the text in your response.
   
3. This book is partly about Bechdel’s discovery and exploration of her gender and sexual orientation. What helps Bechdel with this process? In other words, what aids her in her self discovery? Show some of her assets.
   
4. How do Aaron Devor's notions of "I" and "me" help to explain the inner conflict in either Alison Bechdel or her father? Use Devor's terms to explain the struggles of the characters.
   
5. Fun Home deals with appearance versus reality, what is shown and what is hidden. How does the monstration in Fun Home relate to this theme? What truths does it help to reveal that the narration can’t alone?
   
6. Choose a scene from the book and compare the narration with the monstration. What relationship do these share? In other words, what do the images show in comparison to what the words explain and how do the two work together in the scene to create meaning? Consider using McCloud.
   
7. Choose your own focus for analysis.

the influence of media

Like Jackson Katz and Naomi Wolf, Craig Ferguson explains the (unintentionally) oppressive force of media on U.S. society.

EWRT1A sections 27 and 65: back from break

• Grammar Review 4 is due Tuesday.

• The first draft of essay 3 is also due. I expect these to be pretty rough, so try to have something,. Though obviously, the more you have the better use it will be.

• Keep up your reading of Fun Home. Don't fall behind!

• Someone asked me to put up the research topics for the reading groups. I suggested these topics to help you understand some of the allusions Bechdel is making in Fun Home. Also, the act of doing research and saying how it relates to the primary text is preparation for writing a research paper, which you will do if you take EWRT 1B. Anyway, here are the research topics: chapter 1, Icarus and Daedalus; chapter 2, Camus and "The Myth of Sisyphus"; chapter 3, Fitzgerald and The Great Gatsby; chapters 4 & 5, the Stonewall Riots; chapter 6, Oscar Wilde and The Importance of Being Earnest; chapter 7, James Joyce and Ulysses.

However you want to start a sentence…

Here is a little on-line discussion about starting a sentence with "however." The first answer (by Edward Tanguay) is what I agree with. The person after that (no hat) states that "however" is a conjunction, which is wrong. Basically, the "rule" that you should never start a sentence with "however" is an old style point that stuck with some teachers. I think that maybe the misreading of "however" meaning "yet" for "however" meaning "to what extent" was the cause for the rule. A proper placement of a comma fixes this possible confusion, however.

EWRT1A sections 27 and 65: Grammar Review 4

Here it is. Keep in mind that while this is called a grammar review, what we are practicing are specific style concepts. The sentences on the worksheet are all grammatically correct as they are. Your goal is to apply the concepts of conciseness and active verbs to them. Remember that the Rules for Writers book covers both concepts.

EWRT1A sections 27 and 65: essay 3

Here is the handout for essay 3 in case you missed it or lost it.

Text/image pairings

Here is that pdf of text/image pairings I showed at the end of class last time.

EWRT1A sections 27 and 65: Reading Response 8

Reading Response 8

Alison Bechdel, Fun Home chapters 1-3

Choose one of the prompts below. Please use specific evidence in your response.

1. On page 15, Bechdel illustrates some of the ways she and her father are different. Despite the differences, how are she and her father similar? Consider characteristics of behavior and/or appearance.
2. What elements contribute to Bechdel believing that her father's death was a suicide? Do you agree that these elements warrant her conclusion?
3. Compare and/or contrast how Alison Bechdel's father uses books in his life to how Bechdel as a young college student does. How do books relate to their identities? To their sexual identities?
4. What assets does Alison Bechdel have that help support her coming out as a lesbian? What are her obstacles?
5. Choose a scene from the book and compare the narration with the monstration. What relationship do these share? In other words, what do the images show in comparison to what the words explain and how do the two work together in the scene to create meaning? Consider using McCloud.
6. Choose your own focus for analysis.

EWRT1A65: midterm questions

Here are some things I noticed from those questions you answered last Tuesday.

• One person felt that the grammar in the class was too basic. Yet three people said the grammar was the most helpful thing in the class and several other students wanted to go over grammar concepts we have already discussed, such as shifts and agreement. We're going to move away from grammar and more onto style (which is applied grammar, in many ways). But maybe the sentences at the beginning of class can bring up some older concepts to review them.
• Five students said that Freire's piece was their favorite. Three said it was their least favorite. I was surprised that four students named Walker's essay as their least favorite, since often students claim it as one of the most inspirational for them. Three people didn't like Anzaldúa's "How to Tame a Wild Tongue," which isn't surprising to me.
• There was no clear trend about what grammar concepts people wanted to cover next. Most of the suggestions were for things we have already discussed. As I said, maybe I'll integrate some review into the class sentences.

EWRT1A27: midterm questions

Here are some of the results from the midterm questions you answered last Tuesday.

• Seven students said that Freire's essay was their least favorite. Yet five said it was their most favorite. Seven students also said that Anzaldúa's "How to Tame a Wild Tongue" was the text that they liked the least. Still, three students said it was the one they liked the most. Six students loved Wolf's "The Beauty Myth," while three said it was their least favorite reading. Almost every text was mentioned as someone's most favorite at least once.
• A few students said they didn't find group work helpful, but a few also said that it was very helpful and gave them new ideas. Group work is actually part of the De Anza 1A curriculum, so it isn't going away. What can you do to make it so you get more out of it?
• As for grammar, there was no real trend, but I was surprised by how many of you said you wanted to work on grammar concepts that we have already discussed, such as mixed constructions and pronoun agreement. This implies that a few of you don't feel like you understand these concepts yet. I don't think we'll go over these concepts again, but maybe they can come up in our sentences.
• A few students said they wanted more time with in-class writing. Just so you know, I used to give students less time to write in class and students wrote just as much. Again, I have seen a trend over the years with students being less skilled with in-class writing. So we will continue to work on it, but maybe I can give you a bit more time than twenty minutes for in-class reading responses.

EWRT1A sections 27 and 65: essay 2 due date

In case you forgot or missed it, the due date for the final draft of essay 2 has been moved to Thursday, November 15th. As always, both drafts are required. So if you already turned in a first draft, hand it back in with your final draft. If you didn't turn in a rough draft, you are not exempt. You still need two complete drafts (drafts not copies) of essay 2.

And we're moving away from essays and on to fiction starting next week. First up is "No Name Woman." Many on-line sites call the story an autobiography, but that is not precisely true. The story is based on Maxine Hong Kingston's family, but things have been fictionalized. Because of this, in the academic study of literature, it is wrong to refer to the narrator of the story as Kingston herself. You should simply refer to her as "the narrator."

Also, the group presentations on Fun Home will start on the 15th. I'll show you the sign-up sheet on Tuesday.

EWRT1A sections 27 and 65: midterm

The midterm is Thursday. You need paper and pens, as well as your reader and a print dictionary (if you want). You may also bring a printout of the Anyon essay. You do not need an exam booklet or a scantron sheet. Also, besides your reader and a dictionary, you cannot use any other books, notes, or devices.

Vote!

Tuesday is voting day. If you need help making sense of the many propositions, the local PBS station has a proposition guide (thanks to Michele Sharma for the link).

EWRT1A sections 27 and 65: Grammar Review 3

Here is the link to Grammar Review 3. It is due Thursday.

"The Beauty Myth"

This video is called "Evolution." Consider how it relates to Naomi Wolf's "The Beauty Myth." Who is creating these images? For what purposes?

EWRT1A 27 and 65: essay 2

In case you didn't get it or lost it, here is the handout about essay 2. Remember, the goal this time is synthesis. We'll talk more about this in class, but there is a short section about synthesis in Rules for Writers on pages 477-479.

EWRT1A 27 and 65: Reading Response 5

Reading Response 5

Aaron Devor “Becoming Members of Society: Learning the Social Meanings of Gender”

In all the prompts below, I want you to explain and evaluate an idea from Devor’s essay using another text (or texts) in the class as evidence for that evaluation.

• Explain Devor’s distinction between “I” and “me” (121, paragraphs 7 and 8). How may this separation contribute to problems with finding one’s own voice? Use another text from the class to illustrate this.

• Devor claims that most people believe that gender roles are “natural” (123, para. 13) and so we believe that women are naturally better parents and men are naturally dominant (para. 14). Devor then states that this leads to inequality and oppression. How? Please use one of our other texts as an example to demonstrate how.

• Devor states that “masculine values become the ideological structure of the society as a whole” (125). What does he mean by this? Do you agree? If so, provide examples from another class text. If not, what examples from our texts contradict Devor’s conclusions?

• Devor refers to the process of gendering that he describes as a “patriarchal gender schema” and ends the essay by stating that “gender roles are the result of systematic power imbalances based on gender discrimination” (126). Do you see examples of this imbalance in our texts? If so, show the examples. If not, what examples contradict Devor’s conclusions? Please use another text in the class as evidence for your response.

• Come up with your own focus, but try to show how another text from the class relates to Devor’s essay.

-----

Also, Devor has an article on his website at the University of Victoria called "How Many Sexes? How Many Genders? When Two Are Not Enough." It covers some of the same ideas as the essay in our reader, but in a different context and using more first-hand testimony. 

Tough Guise

Tough Guise. Please watch the following video for Tuesday. It is a seven minute version of a one hour video. As you watch it, keep certain questions in mind.

• According to Jackson Katz, what are the obstacles young men face to being true to their own identities? Where do these obstacles come from?
• Katz says that concepts of masculinity and violence are connected. Is he convincing in this claim? Do you think that this is culturally reinforced, as Katz argues, or do you think this is a result of nature? Both?
• What are the effects on young men who "take on the tough guise," according to Katz? Do you agree with him?
• How does Katz think young men are going to be able to be "better men"?
• Does Katz offer enough evidence to support his claims?
• Do your own experiences confirm or contradict Katz's claims?

Essay 1 final draft due Tuesday

Remember that both drafts of essay 1, the rough and the final, need to be handed in on Tuesday.

There are a lot of good suggestions for revising essays both in our reader on pages 20-23 and in Rules for Writers on pages 35-40. The most important thing to keep in mind is that you should revise before you edit. In other words, change big things before you worry about sentence-level issues such as grammar and clarity. You don't want to spend your time editing sentences that you later decide to get rid of because they don't fit. Cut, add, and rearrange material first (global revision); then fix grammar, spelling, and clarity (sentence editing, proofreading).

Global revision

• Review essay purpose: topic & method. Are you answering the prompt?
• Rethink argument. Could your thesis be better?
• Redraft unworkable material.
• Add new material. What further evidence does the paper need? Have you demonstrated the effects?
• Delete material. If it doesn't fit the thesis, then it doesn't belong in the essay.
• Reorganize paragraphs. What is the best order of the paragraphs? How will the structure reinforce the argument?
• See other suggestions on pages 36-37 of Rules for Writers and pages 21-22 of our reader.

Final editing

• Reword sentences for clarity.
• Fix any fragments, run-ons, pronoun agreement, pronoun clarity, subject-verb agreement, and number agreement issues.
• Spell check your spell-checker. Don't assume it is always right or that it catches all errors.
• Have you done the MLA citation properly, both in-text and works cited?
• See the checklist on page 23 of our reader and use Rules for Writers.

these rules is useful

EWRT1A sections 27 and 65: Grammar Review 2

Here is the link to Grammar Review 2. Keep in mind that each sentence may have more than one problem.

EWRT1A sections 27 and 65: Reading Response 3

Reading Response 3

Alice Walker "In Search of Our Mothers Gardens"

Choose one of the prompts below or come up with your own focus of analysis.

 1. According to what Walker shows in this essay, what are some of the forces that hinder people from being true to their own identities? Use specific examples to demonstrate a larger theme.

2. What does Walker's essay show us about how people are able to find their own identities? What do people need? Use specific examples to demonstrate a larger theme.

3. This essay is full of artists. Using some of these artists as examples, what does Walker's essay show you about the possible function(s) of art? In other words, what does this essay teach us about the purpose of art?

Malcolm X

In order to understand the significance of "Leaning to Read" by Malcolm X, you should listen to the man speak (if you haven't before). Here is one of his famous speeches, given at Oxford, England 1964.

EWRT1A sections 27 and 65: Grammar Review 1

Here is Grammar Review 1. Either print it out or write your corrected sentences on another sheet of paper.

EWRT1A sections 27 and 65: essay 1

In case you missed it or lost it, here is a pdf of the handout about essay 1.

books

It looks like the bookstore has run out of books. Make sure you let someone at the bookstore know so that more copies can be ordered. Remember that you can also get Rules for Writers 7th Edition other places, such as Amazon. The EWRT1A Reader is only available through the bookstore, so if you need a copy you must tell a bookstore employee. If you don't have a copy of the reader yet, please send me an e-mail telling me so that I can help you with the Freire reading for Tuesday.

register to vote

If you are eligible to vote in the next election but are not yet registered to do so, you can do it on-line. This is a very important election, especially for community colleges in California, so make your voice heard.

Fall 2012 EWRT 1A section 65 syllabus

Here is the syllabus for EWRT1A-65.

Fall 2012 EWRT 1A section 27 syllabus

Here it is in pdf format.

EWRT1A sections 27 and 65

I'll be posting pdfs of the syllabi for both classes by Monday. But just so you know, the books are in the bookstore. Here are the required texts…

• EWRT1A Reader. This is a print-on-demand reader only available at the bookstore. There are only enough copies for both classes (30 in each). This is the main reader for the class.
• Rules for Writers, seventh edition by Diana Hacker and Nancy Sommers. This is the writing handbook we will be using for the class.
• Fun Home by Alison Bechdel. This is the novel we will read the last few weeks of class.

I was by the bookstore today and I noticed that whoever stocked the books put all the copies of EWRT1A Reader on the section 27 shelf. So students from section 65 should get their copies there.

See you all Tuesday!

no De Anza e-mail

De Anza is changing the way it handles e-mail. The upshot of this is that I can't receive e-mail right now. Eventually, I'll be able to to, but right now leave a comment here and I'll get back to you.

EWRT1A-62: grades have been submitted

I submitted the grades this morning. I don't know when they'll be available for you to view, but soon.

The above picture is from the first day of class. These are the lists we made of what makes a good essay and what things you felt you needed to work on.

EWRT1A-62: final

The final is in our regular classroom on Tuesday from 6:15-8:15. You will need Fun Home and you can bring a print dictionary, but no other books or notes. Be sure to have paper and pens.

EWRT1A-62: Essay 3 general comments

Here are some things to keep in mind for essay 3. These are based on some patterns I saw in the papers.

• "Short Story Title;” "Essay Title;" Book Title
• Argue with points, don’t start body paragraphs with summary or facts. Stick to the point stated in the beginning. Start a new paragraph if you want to explore a new point.
• Instead of points answering what characters did, have points answer why or how. Examples: What- Bruce and aunt in “No Name Woman ” committed suicide. Why- Both committed suicide because… What- Both Bechdel and Walker look at family history. How- Both analyze action of parents and compare them with selves. Why- Both look at past to understand their own identities.
• Introduce your quotations- remember the quotation sandwich.
• Interpret the texts; explain your evidence (quotations). How does the evidence prove your point?
• State comparison of the texts in your explanation.
• Give some thought to the order of your paragraphs and the order of the evidence within your paragraphs. In lit, writers usually use chronological or cause/ effect order. The order (structure) should reinforce the meaning.

EWRT1A-62: Grammar Review 5

Here it is, coordination/subordination and parallel structure.

EWRT1A-62: essay 3 first draft

The first draft of essay 3 is due Tuesday. I expect these to be rougher than previous first drafts, but get as complete as you can. The more you have, the more there is to comment on. Here are some ideas to keep in mind:

• Focus on analysis, not summary. 
• Analysis means to take apart, to look for patterns. So you should be connecting examples from different places in the texts. If you are discussing a text only in the order it is presented, then you are probably not analyzing.
• The analysis leads to insight. The question is, how does your insight add
  to understanding the novel and the other text? Your goal is to understand the texts better, not to come to some general insight about how the world works.
• Don’t just analyze texts separately; show connections.
• Your thesis should unify both texts.
• Remember to choose your structure wisely: point by point or subject by subject.
• Review the list on page 30 of our reader. The suggestions there are very good.

EWRT1A-62: Grammar Review 4

This is due Tuesday, June 12th. Keep in mind that while this is called a grammar review, what we are practicing are specific style concepts. The sentences on the worksheet are all grammatically correct as they are. Your goal is to apply the concepts of conciseness and active verbs to them. Remember that the Rules for Writers book covers both concepts.

And Reading Response 9 will be done in class this Thursday.

EWRT1A-62: Reading Response 8

Reading Response 8 has been shifted to Tuesday. So please do it as homework for Tuesday, June 5th.

Reading Response 8
Alison Bechdel, Fun Home chapters 1-2
Choose one. Please use specific evidence in your response.

• On page 15, Bechdel illustrates some of the ways she and her father are different. Despite the differences, how are she and her father similar? Consider characteristics of behavior and/or appearance.

• What elements contribute to Bechdel believing that her father’s death was a suicide? Do you agree that these elements warrant her conclusion?

• Where does Bechdel admit to the limits of her memory and understanding? Do these admissions weaken the narrative or do they serve some purpose? Explain.

• Choose a scene from the book and compare the narration with the monstration. What relationship do these share? In other words, what do the images show in comparison to what the words explain and how do the two work together in the scene to create meaning? Consider using McCloud.

EWRT1A-62: Fun Home reading questions

Fun Home  –  Reading Questions.
Use these questions to help focus your reading.

1. In what ways are Bechdel and her father different? In what ways are they alike?

2. Bechdel believes that her father committed suicide. Why? What does she think the motivation for him was? Why is this significant for her?

3. What role do books play in Bechdel’s relationship with her father? What role do they play in her own self discovery?

4. Can you find an image in the text that sums up Bechdel’s relationship with her father? Is its placement in the story significant?

5. In what ways is Bechdel’s father able to support her? How does he do so?

6. Why does Bechdel allude to so many literary texts? How do they relate to her parents? To herself?

7. At times Bechdel seems to judge her father, but at other times she seems to resist judging him. Find instances of both in the text. Does this show a limitation in her understanding?

8. What do you think the purpose of creating Fun Home was for Bechdel?

9. In what ways are the telling (the narration) different from what is in the showing (the monstration)? Think of McCloud’s categories. Also consider that the narration is an adult Bechdel looking back and the monstration is often a young Alison experiencing things for the first time.

10. Is Alison Bechdel a reliable narrator? What does she believe that others in the book may not believe? What biases might she have?

EWRT1A-62: essay 2

Remember that both drafts of essay 2 are due Tuesday, May 29th. If you have any questions e-mail me. Here are some general comments.

• Cause and effect. Most of the thesis statements deal with cause and effect, so be sure to show the cause and effect. If you are dealing with obstacles to identity make sure you explain how identity is obstructed by the obstacles. A lot of the papers name the obstacles, which is good, but don't make it clear how they are obstacles. In other words, they don't show the full effect.
• Clarify your argument. Some of the papers brought up ideas that didn't really relate to the main argument and ended up confusing things. Edit out sentences that don't contribute to your main argument.
• You don't need to follow a three point thesis/five paragraph essay model. That's the high school model. This is college. It's time to move on. The problem with the above model is that it makes students think about achieving a certain number of paragraphs instead of focusing on the argument. So they write fractured essays. A good essay doesn't argue a certain number of points, but makes a unified, insightful argument. If you do have three separate points, try to figure out how the points connect. Is there some underlying cause of all three? Try to go deeper.
• MLA works cited. Review Rules for Writers to make sure you are doing your works cited list correctly. Remember to indent every line after the first for each entry. Also, your list should be alphabetized by the authors' last names.

EWRT1A-62: midterm

Please bring pens and paper for the midterm. You may use your reader and a print dictionary, but no other books or notes. Try to get plenty of rest.

EWRT1A-62: Grammar Review 3 and appeals

Here is the link to grammar review 3.

And here is my page about appeals, if you'd like it.

transitions

Rules for Writers discusses transitions on pages 64-66. There is a partial list on page 65 and here's my own list. Also, page 29 of our reader has a brief discussion of transitions.

Tough Guise follow up

Here is a more recent video with Jackson Katz. This is at a panel in Australia and he recaps the concept of the "tough guise" and his perception of its negative effect, violence. He also makes it clear that he believes this is learned behavior; that it's not "natural." At the end of this clip, he shows a piece from the full Tough Guise movie which shows how toys, guns, and male bodies have changed in the media over the years. That part starts at 5:06.

EWRT1A62: Reading Response 5

Reading Response 5
Bernard Cooper “A Clack of Tiny Sparks…”
Choose one or come up with your own focus.

• The piece begins and ends with Theresa Sanchez. Why is Theresa so important for Bernard Cooper? What does she represent for him?
• Bernard Cooper was a teenager in the 1960s. Do you think things have changed much for homosexual teenagers in the years since? Please refer to specific parts of Cooper’s memoir in your response.
• Connect the ways Cooper’s true identity is repressed to the ways Jackson Katz says boys’ identities are repressed in the Tough Guise video. Look for similar causes.
• Compare and/or contrast Cooper’s experience with what Anzaldúa or Walker writes about. Look especially at assets. Does Cooper have the kind of help to find his true identity that Anzaldúa or Walker describes? Explain.

EWRT1A62: Tough Guise video

Tough Guise. Please watch the following video for Tuesday. It is a seven minute version of a one hour video. As you watch it, keep certain questions in mind.

• According to Jackson Katz, what are the obstacles young men face to being true to their own identities? Where do these obstacles come from?
• Katz says that concepts of masculinity and violence are connected. Is he convincing in this claim? Do you think that this is culturally reinforced, as Katz argues, or do you think this is a result of nature? Both?
• What are the effects on young men who "take on the tough guise," according to Katz? Do you agree with him?
• How does Katz think young men are going to be able to be "better men"?
• Does Katz offer enough evidence of to support his claims?
• Do your own experiences confirm or deny Katz's claims?

 

EWRT1A62: essay 1 final draft due Tuesday

Remember that both drafts of essay 1, the rough and the final, need to be handed in on Tuesday.

There are a lot of good suggestions for revising essays both in our reader on pages 20-23 and in Rules for Writers on pages 35-40. The most important thing to keep in mind is that you should revise before you edit. In other words, change big things before you worry about sentence-level issues such as grammar and clarity. You don't want to spend your time editing sentences that you later decide to get rid of because they don't fit. Cut, add, and rearrange material first (global revision); then fix grammar, spelling, and clarity (sentence editing, proofreading).

• Global revision
• Review essay purpose: topic & method. Are you answering the prompt?
• Rethink argument. Could your thesis be better?
• Redraft unworkable material.
• Add new material. What further evidence does the paper need?
• Delete material. If it doesn't fit the thesis, then it doesn't belong in the essay.
• Reorganize paragraphs. What is the best order of the paragraphs?
• See other suggestions on pages 36-37 of Rules for Writers and pages 21-22 of our reader.

• Final editing
• Reword sentences for clarity.
• Fix any fragments, run-ons, pronoun agreement, pronoun clarity, subject-verb agreement, and number agreement issues.
• Spell check your spell-checker.
• Have you done the MLA citation properly, both in-text and works cited?
• See the checklist on page 23 of our reader and use Rules for Writers.

           

EWRT1A-62: Grammar Review 2

Here is the pdf for Grammar Review 2. It's due Thursday.

EWRT1A-62: reading response 3

Reading Response 3
Alice Walker “In Search of Our Mothers’ Gardens”
Choose one or come up with your own focus.

• According to what Walker shows in this essay, what are some of the forces that hinder people from being true to their own identities? Use specific examples to demonstrate a larger theme.
• What does Walker’s essay show us about how people are able to find their own identities? What do people need? Use specific examples to demonstrate a larger theme.
• This essay is full of artists. Using some of these artists as examples, what does Walker’s essay show you about the possible function(s) of art? In other words, what does this essay teach us about the purpose of art?

EWRT 1A-62: Malcolm X and essay 1 draft

In order to understand the significance of "Leaning to Read" by Malcolm X, you should listen to the man speak (if you haven't before). Here is one of his famous speeches, given at Oxford, England 1964.

The first draft of essay 1 is due Thursday. Make sure you understand what the prompt is asking of you and use the tips in our reader on pages 13-18 and in Rules for Writers on pages 18-32. Also, I know I came down hard on the five-paragraph essay model, but if you feel comfortable writing using that model, then by all means do so. If it seems to hinder your essay in some way, then I'll make that comment on your draft. Keep in mind that these first drafts are not graded; you will just be getting comments on them.

EWRT1A-62: grammar review 1

Here is the pdf for grammar review 1. Either print it out or write your corrections on another piece of paper.

EWRT1A-62: essay 1

In case you missed them or lost them, here are the prompts for essay 1.

EWRT1A-62: reading response 1

Remember that the guidelines for the reading responses are in your syllabus. On the same page, the prompt for the first reading response is provided.

If you want a little more information about Paulo Freire and his theories, this is a good overview and this page lays out his theories with a series of questions.

Alison Bechdel receives Guggenheim fellowship

Alison Bechdel, who wrote the book Fun Home that we shall read, has received the prestigious Guggenheim fellowship.

EWRT1A-62: syllabus

Here is a pdf of the syllabus. All the books are available in the bookstore.

EWRT1A-09: grades submitted

The grades have been submitted. I don't know when they'll be available for you to see. The whole system is getting shut down tonight at 5, so you might not be able to view them until next week.

Regardless of grades, I think everyone's writing improved a lot this quarter. There were some really nice essay 3s. And the in-class essays for the final were much better structured and supported than the in-class essays for the midterm. So carry what you learned forward. Twelve weeks isn't much and the class was designed to give you a lot of ideas that you can continue to explore on your own as you keep writing. And if at any time in the future you have a question that you think I could answer, you know my e-mail address.

EWRT1A-09: final

Again, the final is tomorrow, March 27th from 11:30 - 1:30 in our normal classroom. Please bring your copy of Fun Home, paper, and a pen. And get plenty of sleep.

And eat your vegetables.

old reading responses and Fun Home criticisms

Remember to bring reading responses 8 and 9 (if you did them) on Monday. Don't rewrite them; just turn in the originals again. You won't be given new points for them or anything, but I have a plan for them.

Also, on Monday I want to go through the answers to the questions we went over last Wednesday at the end of class. Also, I want to address some of the criticisms leveled at Fun Home. Here are the three most common ones I've seen:

• The literary references in Fun Home are distracting and add nothing to the narrative. In fact, they only seem to be there as a way to make the "comic book" seem more respectable.
• The pictures don't do much in Fun Home. There is really no reason for the book to be a graphic novel. It would have worked just as well as a text-only autobiography.
• In Fun Home, Alison Bechdel confirms negative homosexual stereotypes. For instance, the story portrays the stereotype that all gay men are interested in young boys. It also implies the old idea that lesbianism and feminism are one and the same.

MLA citation for Tweets

The Modern Language Association decides the rules for how to cite a text. Any text. It has just released the rules for how to cite a Tweet.

EWRT1A-09: Grammar Review 5

Here's grammar review 5. Only five sentences this time.

EWRT1A-09: final time

I received an e-mail about our final time, though it's a little confusing. The person wrote: "If your class meets at 9 a.m., go ahead and follow the 9:30 'Regular Start Time' on the finals week schedule chart." Well, our class doesn't start at 9, but I assume that if we start at 11 then we should use the 11:30 time on the finals schedule. If that's true, then our final is 11:30-1:30 on Tuesday March 27th.

EWRT1A-09: first draft of essay 3

The first draft of essay 3 is due next time. Get as complete as you can with it, even though we haven't finished Fun Home. I want to be able to see what your ideas are and if you are analyzing the book correctly. Here are a few things to think about:

• The tips for writing about literature on page 30 of our reader are really good.
• Our reader also has a lot about how to quote effectively. See pages 31-37.
• Remember: analysis, not summary. When writing about literature, analysis means to take apart, to look for patterns. That means you need to get outside the order the texts are presented in.
• Focus on analyzing the texts themselves, not the outside world. How does what you have noticed about the text add to your understanding of the text? Yes, the ideas and themes in the texts relate to the real world, but your goal is to analyze the texts themselves. All your evidence should come from the texts.
• Synthesis.  Don’t just analyze the texts separately- show connection(s). Your thesis should unify both texts. In terms of structure, consider point-by-point or subject-by-subject. In either case, make the connections explicit.

EWRT1A-09: reading response 9

Reading Response 9
Keeping in mind what you have read of Fun Home so far, respond to one of the prompts below. Please use specific evidence from the book to support your response.

    •    Compare and contrast how Alison Bechdel’s father uses books in his life to how Bechdel as a young college student does. How do books relate to their identities? To their sexual identities?

    •    What assets does Alison Bechdel have that help support her coming out as a lesbian? What are her obstacles?

    •    On page 85, Bechdel claims that her father prefers “fiction to reality.” How does this relate to the fact that Bechdel uses so many other stories– Daedalus and Icarus, Camus, The Great Gatsby, etc.– to understand her father?

    •    On page 104, Bechdel mentions the Stonewall Riots. Do some research about this. Why is it significant that Bechdel and her father are in New York just weeks after the Stonewall Riots?

    •    Respond to one of the prompts from Reading Response 8, but incorporate evidence from chapters 3-4.

    •    Choose your own focus for analysis.

EWRT1A-09: grammar review 4 and essay 3

Here is grammar review 4.

And don't forget that the first draft of essay 3 will be due next week already. So be sure to start thinking about it this weekend. If you lost the prompts for it, here.

EWRT1A-09: reading response 8

Reading Response 8
Alison Bechdel, Fun Home chapters 1-2
Choose one. Please use specific evidence in your response.

• On page 15, Bechdel illustrates some of the ways she and her father are different. Despite the differences, how are she and her father similar? Consider characteristics of behavior and/or appearance.

• What elements contribute to Bechdel believing that her father’s death was a suicide? Do you agree that these elements warrant her conclusion?

• Where does Bechdel admit to the limits of her memory and understanding? Do these admissions weaken the narrative or do they serve some purpose? Explain.

• Choose a scene from the book and compare the narration with the monstration. What relationship do these share? In other words, what do the images show in comparison to what the words explain and how do the two work together in the scene to create meaning? Consider using McCloud.

EWRT1A-09: Fun Home Reading Questions

Fun Home  –  Reading Questions.
Use these questions to help focus your reading.

1. In what ways are Bechdel and her father different? In what ways are they alike?

2. Bechdel believes that her father committed suicide. Why? What does she think the motivation for him was? Why is this significant for her?

3. What role do books play in Bechdel’s relationship with her father? What role do they play in her own self discovery?

4. Can you find an image in the text that sums up Bechdel’s relationship with her father? Is its placement in the story significant?

5. In what ways is Bechdel’s father able to support her? How does he do so?

6. Why does Bechdel allude to so many literary texts? How do they relate to her parents? To herself?

7. At times Bechdel seems to judge her father, but at other times she seems to resist judging him. Find instances of both in the text. Does this show a limitation in her understanding?

8. What do you think the purpose of creating Fun Home was for Bechdel?

9. In what ways are the telling (the narration) different from what is in the showing (the monstration)? Think of McCloud’s categories. Also consider that the narration is an adult Bechdel looking back and the monstration is often a young Alison experiencing things for the first time.

10. Is Alison Bechdel a reliable narrator? What does she believe that others in the book may not believe? What biases might she have?

EWRT1A-09: essay 2 due date

Instead of this Wednesday, essay 2 is now due next Monday, Match 5th.

EWRT1A-09: midterm and essay 2 comments

This midterm is Monday. You need paper and pens, as well as your reader and a print dictionary (if you want). You do not need an exam booklet or a scantron sheet. Also, besides your reader and a dictionary, you cannot use any other books, notes, or devices.

I'm not through all the drafts of essay 2 yet, but I have some general comments. You'll see your own comments when you get your draft back, but I thought some general comments here would be helpful for the in-class essay on the midterm.

• Synthesis! A basic way to check to see if you have synthesis is to ask the following question: for each body paragraph point, is there more than one text as evidence? If you give an example from only one text to prove a point, then you aren't synthesizing.
• You do not have to write a five paragraph essay. Personally, I believe the five paragraph essay model teaches bad habits. It makes students think about achieving a certain number of paragraphs instead of focusing on the argument. I'm guessing that a lot of the essays lack synthesis because the thesis statements name three different points so that the essay can be five paragraphs (three body with one introduction and one conclusion). So the essay tackles each of the three points separately. Instead, consider a thesis that names only one point. Then all the body paragraphs work to prove that one point and hence things will be more unified.
• If you have a causal thesis statement, then show causes. If you wish to show the pressures placed on people to conform, then show those pressures. A lot of essays show the effects of the pressures: what the various authors do in response to them. Yet many of the essays never show the pressures themselves. Where do we see the pressures Anzaldúa faces? The ones Cooper faces? If your thesis is about causes, then your examples cannot only show effects. Show what your thesis promises.
• Organization. Consider organizational principles for your paragraphs, including your introduction. This is something we'll discuss more later, but paragraphs are easier to follow if they adhere to a clear pattern. For instance, an introduction can move from general comments to specific ones. Or a body paragraph can move from causes to effects.
• Titles. Only book titles are put in italics. We haven't read a full book yet, so none of the texts you discuss should be put in italics. They are all essays. So their titles must be put in quotation marks. "In Search of Our Mothers' Gardens." "A Clack of Tiny Sparks." "Opinions and Social Pressure." The book the essays are in has a title that you can put in italics: EWRT1A Reader. Also, the words in a title get capitalized. If you are confused, just write them out like they are written in our reader.

EWRT1A-09: see you Wednesday

First, there is no class Monday. So we'll see each other Wednesday.

On Wednesday, grammar review 3 is due.

Also, the first draft of essay 2 is due. Try to have as complete a draft as possible. The more you treat your first draft like a final draft, the more it will help you. Also, keep in mind that the goal with this essay is synthesis. So show what the texts you use have in common. Consider making lists. You could make a list of the obstacles that different essays portray and find commonalities. You could do the same with the effects of those obstacles and the assets people need to overcome those obstacles. Lastly, consider organization. Usually, when one compares two or more texts, one organizes things either subject-by-subject (first one text, then the other), or point-by-point. Consider using a point-by-point organization. We'll talk about this in class more later.

EWRT1A-09: grammar review 3 due next week

Also, grammar review 3 will not be due this Wednesday (as it says on the syllabus), but next Wednesday, February 22nd. Here's the link for it, though.

EWRT1A-09: transitions

There is a little bit about transitions in the reader on page 29 and in Easy Writer in page 22. And here's a pdf of some examples.

EWRT1A-09: essay 2

In case you missed or lost the prompts for essay 2, here they are.

EWRT1A-09: reading response 5

Bernard Cooper “A Clack of Tiny Sparks…”
Choose one of the prompts below or come up with your own focus.

• The piece begins and ends with Theresa Sanchez. Why is Theresa so important for Bernard Cooper? What does she represent for him?
• Bernard Cooper was a teenager in the 1960s. Do you think things have changed much for homosexual teenagers in the years since? Please refer to specific parts of Cooper’s memoir in your response.
• Connect the ways Cooper’s true identity is repressed to the ways Jackson Katz says boys’ identities are repressed in the Tough Guise video. Look for similar causes.
• Compare and/or contrast Cooper’s experience with what Anzaldúa or Walker writes about. Look especially at assets. Does Cooper have the kind of help to find his true identity that Anzaldúa or Walker describes? Explain.

EWRT1A09: essay 1 due and Tough Guise

Essay 1. Remember that two drafts are required, so bring both. Here are some things to think about:

• Start with revision.  See the checklist in the reader on pages 21-22 and the one in EW on pages 22-23.
• Review essay purpose (topic & method). Make sure you are addressing the prompt.
• Prove your points with specific evidence. Really put your emphasis here.
• Explain your examples.
• If you think the banking concept of education is useful then you need to acknowledge the fact that you are disagreeing with Freire. He believes that the banking concept of education destroys education and makes individuality impossible. Disagreeing with Freire is fine, but not mentioning you disagree makes it seem like you profoundly misunderstand his writing.
• Edit last. See the checklist on page 23 of our reader and page 23 of EW. Don’t rely too heavily on your computer's grammar/spell checker.
• Remember that EW has a glossary of usage, which explains common word errors. You can find it on pages 233-250.

Tough Guise. Please watch the following video for Wednesday. As you watch it, keep certain questions in mind.

• According to Jackson Katz, what are the obstacles young men face to being true to their own identities? Where do these obstacles come from?
• Katz says that concepts of masculinity and violence are connected. Is he convincing in this claim? Do you think that this is culturally reinforced, as Katz argues, or do you think this is a result of nature? Both?
• What are the effects on young men who "take on the tough guise," according to Katz? Do you agree with him?
• How does Katz think young men are going to be able to be "better men"?
• Does Katz offer enough evidence of to support his claims?
• Do your own experiences confirm or deny Katz's claims?

EWRT1A-09: grammar review 2

Here is grammar review 2. It's due Monday.

"In Search of Our Mothers' Gardens"

Here is an on-line source for "In Search of Our Mothers' Gardens."

EWRT1A-09: reading response 3

Reading Response 3
Alice Walker “In Search of Our Mothers’ Gardens”
Choose one or come up with your own focus.

• According to what Walker shows in this essay, what are some of the forces that hinder people from being true to their own identities? Use specific examples to demonstrate a larger theme.

• What does Walker’s essay show us about how people are able to find their own identities? What do people need? Use specific examples to demonstrate a larger theme.

• This essay is full of artists. Using some of these artists as examples, what does Walker’s essay show you about the possible function(s) of art? In other words, what does this essay teach us about the purpose of art?

EWRT1A-09: office hours

My office hours are on Mondays before class, from 9:45-10:45. I'm in the library, on the second floor next to the staircases. If that time doesn't work for you and you want to meet with me, then let me know.

EWRT1A-09: grammar review 1 and Malcolm X

Here is grammar review 1. Either print it out or write your answers on another sheet of paper.

A few of you haven't been able to get the book yet. Here is a link to Malcolm X's "Learning to Read."

On page 68 of our reader, Malcolm X states: "many who today hear me somewhere in person, or on television, or those who read something I've said, will think I went to school far beyond the eighth grade." If you've never heard Malcolm X speak before, then you may not understand why this would be true. So here is a famous speech Malcolm X gave at Oxford in 1964. As you listen to it, remember that he is almost entirely self-taught.

EWRT1A-09: essay 1

Here is the prompt for essay 1.

Also, here is a pdf of the slideshow I went over in class.

EWRT1A-9, Winter 2012

Here is the syllabus for EWRT 1A section 9.