EWRT1A-24: conciseness

We didn't get around to talking about conciseness in class, but be sure to read the chapter in the Longman, pages 190-191. Conciseness is a style choice and not everyone values it. Still, while you're in this class try to cut down on wordiness, try to write things as clearly and directly as possible. See how it works for you. Of course, when you're done with this class, you can do whatever you want.

Anyway, the book has a lot of good suggestions for how to get rid if unnecessary wordiness. My one addition is to focus on verbs.

• Careful verb choice eliminates the need for adverbs.
  - He walked very slowly around the table.
  > He crept around the table.
  
• Active verbs eliminate overly wordy "to be" and passive verb constructions.
  To be: There were mistakes made.
  Passive: Mistakes were made.
  Active: We made mistakes.

Here is the exercise, due Tuesday. Only five sentences this time.

EWRT1A-24: presentation groups for next week

A lot of people were absent today. There is a flu going around and it's also nearing the end of the quarter. Anyway, let me list the presentation groups for next week so you can be sure to exchange contact info. Keep in mind that I can't give out a student's e-mail address unless I am given permission by that student.

June 7- Frankenstein chapters 11-16
Julie
Brittany
Natnale

June 9- Frankenstein chapters 17-21
Long
Byron
Paul
Sheryl

EWRT1A-24: modifiers and reading response 9

Here is the modifiers worksheet.

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

• Compare and contrast the ambitions of Victor and Walton. How do the two men see their responsibilities to themselves and others? What kinds of values and motivations may be operating for each person?
• What are the effects of education as depicted in this novel? Does education liberate characters or ruin them? Consider Frankenstein, Clerval, and Walton (you don’t have to discuss all three, I’m just suggesting examples).
• Do you find Victor Frankenstein to be a responsible person? In answering this, don’t refer only to Victor’s relationship to his creation.
• How is nature depicted so far in the novel? What is its effect on the characters? Please refer to specific scenes.
• Look at the fate of Justine. How is she treated before William’s murder? How is she treated afterward? What does this contrast tell you about the society in the novel?
• Choose your own focus for analysis.

Lastly, here is a map of the early chapters of the novel, showing Walton's voyage and where Victor is in his early life.

EWRT1A-24: clear sentences and mixed structures

Here is the worksheet for Tuesday.

Also, be sure to bring your reader as well as Frankenstein on Tuesday. You will need both.

And just a quick note on CliffsNotes, SparkNotes, et al… Literature can be difficult, but the pleasure it provides is the pleasure you get from figuring it out yourself. And as I stated in class, what you are trying to do is form your own interpretation based on the evidence of what you've read. Something like SparkNotes is just somebody else's interpretation. And so if you go to SparkNotes too soon, you are giving up your chance of forming your own opinion. Don't throw away the opportunity to discover something on your own. Also, SparkNotes is not always right. For one, it just presents one interpretation and multiple interpretations are almost always possible. Also, it sometimes just gets things wrong. Have I ever used a study guide before? Yes. As I was reading James Joyce's Ulysses, I used The New Bloomsday Book: a Guide Through Ulysses by Harry Blamires. But what I did was read a chapter of Ulysses first and struggled with it on my own. Then I went to the Blamires book for help. That way, I could compare Blamires's interpretation to my own, not simply adopt his. So that's how I suggest you use aids like SparkNotes if you're going to use them at all. Read the literature first. Try to figure it out to the best of your abilities. Then look for outside help. This way you can develop your own ideas and see other ideas as just that– other ideas, not the only ideas possible. And it may also save you from inadvertently plagiarizing.

EWRT1A-24: reading response 8

Keep in mind that this blog is just a place to give you the reading responses, the grammar worksheets, and additional information. The thing that lists what is due for each class is the syllabus. If you haven't already, get in the habit of checking it regularly.

Reading Response 8
William Faulkner, “A Rose For Emily” (R 140-148)
Choose one of the prompts below. Please use specific evidence in your response.

• Analyze Emily Grierson’s character. Is she a criminal, a lunatic, or a heroine? Explain your choice with evidence from the text.
• What is the town’s attitude towards Emily Grierson? What is her attitude towards the townspeople? How do these two things contribute to the surprise ending?
• What obstacles stand in the way of Emily having her own voice? Despite these obstacles, how does she manage to assert herself?
• Emily Grierson is isolated from the town she lives in. Do you think her isolation is imposed upon her or self-created? Use specific evidence to respond.

And as an additional thing, here is the Yoshitoshi wood block print of the drowned ghost that I mentioned:

"No Name Woman" active reading guide

Looking around, I found this guide about active reading using "No Name Woman" as the text. It doesn't go through the whole short story, but it gives you an idea of questions you can ask of the text. Questions form the basis of critical thought.

EWRT1A-24: reading presentation groups, May 24th and 26th

Here are the groups for this Tuesday and Thursday. You can use the comments section here to get in touch with each other, if you'd like.

May 24th, "No Name Woman"
Mitchell
Nicole
Tiffany
Maggie

May 26th, "A Rose for Emily"
Cyrus
Alan Tsao
Jordan
David
Claudia