Blogging the Peer Review

Critical Thinking: making readers care

The place to "reach" when you answer the question, "who cares?," or "why does this matter," doesn't mean you have to scale up to the level of big culture, big history, or make connections to the present moment if you're working from a text in the past. Sometimes the most interesting thing to say about the old world isn't the contrast with the new world - your world, our world. It's just making the old world complicated, and showing all the moments where we run up against those complications.

Stereotypes about the past are boring - this is at least half the reason to stay away from them. In the past all white people this, in the past all black people were that, in the past women couldn't...we can go on and on. There were rules in the past, but there were also exceptions. And more importantly, when we read novels and talk about characters, their identities, and their struggles, we get to see the complicated the world of their stories. It's really quite effective to simply make connections between one scene of a novel and another, and to say how they're connected -- by what ideas? By what themes? By what actions? And then we discuss those connections with suggestive language -- we can imagine that...this scene is suggestive because...on the one hand this, on the other hand that...complicating things is the name of the day.

It's also sometimes more powerful to hint at things than say them outright. Perhaps Rufus felt both blah and blink at the same time...and we can see in his character a conflict between chune and lune, a contradiction between his desire for boom and his knowledge of bam.

This language of perhaps, this language of contradiction, this suggestiveness, this feeling out for the risk of truth rather than simply naming a truth...this is sort of the "voice" of an English paper. You're there to link the character to what you know about history, but what do you know? It's easier to ground your idea of that world by studying the world as its depicted in the novel. We've seen with If He Hollers Let Him Go and Kindred, for example, that the world of racial relations is one beset by intimate violence, volatile emotions, and limits to what it's possible to know, but also by recognizable faces, candid moments, fleeting moments of love, tenderness, anger, and casual prejudice. It's complex - it's a world. Staying with the conflicts, the contradictions, makes for more interesting writing. This is the realm of interpretation - making something about something else. Everything both is what it is, and what it isn't. How you write around and through and beside the ways that things "are" and "are not" is the game of the discipline - as if everything, in its evolutions and revolutions, was always becoming different, while retaining some part of its original core. Your job is to make the messiness of the stories simpler to understand while retaining their complexity...and your job is to take simple stories and make them complex by finding how the "ideas" coming from and through them can challenge us, by showing how they challenged the characters.

At the least, all these characters are experiencing things that should be familiar: family, feelings, friendships, and crises of self-knowledge. To think critically is to talk about these things; to think critically about them means that you can reveal the complexity of the characters and events in the novel. To just stay within the story is as creative and vital as your ability to link the world of the novel to the rich textures of history that stand outside the novel.

To connect things, never rely on a 1=1 model. Rely on a 2+2=5 model - that is, the symbol also exceeds any "one" meaning. A character's motivation and behavior cannot be reduced down to "one" thing. When you explain something, or connect an event, action, or scene to another event, action, or scene, you should always say what's consistent and what's inconsistent about it -- how they work together and how they don't...and what we learn from the semblance, and from the incongruity.

Peer Review: Assignment Two

Responses must be specific in order to count.

Attach written suggestions from your peers to your final drafts for full peer review credit.

1. Thesis/intro: Contains a central assertion that places a central idea at the forefront of the essay (30%); strong opening scene; plot summary

2. Structure: Essay organized around topic sentences; each paragraph provides context; essay explains direct quotations (30%)

3. Evidence: Essay successfully places direct quotes into each body paragraph; essay cites those quotes correctly according to MLA guidelines; essay contains a bibliography (20%)

4. Critical Thinking: Essay interprets quotes in original ways that go beyond class discussion; essay connects main ideas to other texts or moments in text; essay utilizes keywords and defines them (20%)

Quiz #9

How should we as readers understand the world of slavery? What have we learned from Dana? How would you characterize her relationship to Rufus?

Extra Credit

The following steps will earn you "points" that count toward your final grade. Completing each step will earn you a certain number of points. These points will directly increase the final percentage of your final grade. Each one is worth at least one "10" on a quiz.

1. Review the comments that were made on your blog. Review the blog. Revise the blog according to the suggestions or according to what you believe is the most "excellent" your blog could be in relationship to the assignment. ONE POINT.

2. Email the professor and ask to leave thoughtful, 125-word comments on someone else's blogs. You will do this for two blogs by two different students you've never commented upon before. ONE and a HALF POINTS.

3. Blog: If He Hollers. Read the short article linked HERE. Summarize it and assess whether or not you think it's original, persuasive, and/or interesting, and explain the criteria for how you arrived at how your perspective assessment. ONE POINT.

Each of these steps will together you 3.5 points on your final grade. This would push an 85 to an 88.5, or a B to a B+.

Quiz # 7 Kindred

How are you making sense of the novel? Have you read science fiction before? What do you expect to find out? How do you think Dana hurt her arm? Anything else?

If He Hollers Class Notes

Close-reading paragraph

When Bob discovers Madge in the ship closet and finds himself locked in with her, we are overwhelmed by a sense of disturbing suspense and mystery. In a brilliant display of total power over Bob, Madge begins to yell "Help! Help! My God, help me! Some white man, help me! I'm being raped" (Himes 180). By specifically addressing "some white man" to help her, she triggers the need for white men to prove their masculinity against the "black monster," as they perceived colored men at that time. The insecurities of the white man perpetuated this popular image of black men as nothing more than a base creature whose sole purpose was the defiling of white women.

Huma

When Bob hears a knock on the door in the room where he is stuck with Madge, he explains, "I let out my breath, gave Madge a last warning look, then said aloud, 'Okay, I'll open up, just a minute'" (Himes 179). This sentence builds a moment of suspense and mystery in the reader. Readers realize along with Bob that Madge has the power and control here. We realize that if she accuses Bob of rape there will be no question as to his guilt or innocense. The man knocking at the door are waiting to hear the word 'rape' so that they can pounce on Bob. The racial tension of the time has instilled in these white men a sense of fear and hatred for the black men based on their sense of sexual inferiority. In order to regain their sense of white superiority, they must attack Bob.

Reading Circle: If He Hollers

Consider Aristotle's concepts of catharsis, anagnorisis, and peripeteia. Using your text if necessary, argue about where you believe each of these three moments occurs in the text, and explain briefly why.

Also, note what passage you feel we must discuss.

Quiz # 6: If He Hollers' conclusion

Consider Aristotle's concepts of catharsis, anagnorisis, and peripeteia. Using your text if necessary, argue about where you believe each of these three moments occurs in the text, and explain briefly why.

Blog Four: Close Reading Narrative Structure

This blog asks you to combine two skills we've been practicing: close-reading and narrative identification. Select a passage from If He Hollers Let Him Go that illustrates some part of Aristotle's building blocks of narrative. In your close-reading of the passage, reflect on the meaning and content of the words you choose to quote. As you paraphrase and then offer an explanation of the meaning of those words, link your explanation to the point of the plot that fits into Aristotelian narrative. In that interaction of close-reading and narrative moment, create meaning out from the passage from your reader.

Of course cite according to MLA.

From the Honors Program

Dear college community,

Part 3 of the Honors Student Advisory Committee’s (HSAC) Summer Transfer Workshop Series will be held next Wednesday and will focus on Scholarships.  The workshop will be led by HSAC members, alumni and faculty, including HSAC recipients of the Jack Kent Cooke, Finch, Phi Beta Kappa Association of New York, New York Needs You, LaGuardia Foundation and All-State Academic Team awards, and Kaplan Educational Foundation representatives.

We welcome all LaGuardia students.  Our workshops so far have been well attended; therefore, we advise students to turn up on time to get a seat.

Here are the Workshop Series details:
https://docs.google.com/open?id=0BxnlWiiyzLRZcUU0SnFkUTBWeWM

Transfer Workshop #3: Scholarships
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
2:30pm-4:00pm
E-213

As well, your students are invited to visit M-222 B & C to connect up with the members of HSAC for transfer and academic support.  We are aiming to hold small group meetings (composed of peers, faculty and alumni) for personal essay support in Honors House (M-222) this Fall, so your students might be interested in getting on-board this summer.  Participation is open to all LaGuardia students.

New Date Corrections for End of Class

Blog Four: 7/26
Last day of regular class: Thursday 8/2
Blog five: Monday 8/6
Final Exam: 8/9
Grade Conferences: 8/14

Quiz # 5

Describe your reaction to the hotel scene with Madge, or the dream Bob had the night after, and what you think it means.

How To Write About Bad Things

When we confront immoral behavior in characters, consider how you want to approach it. It may be more interesting to "explain" the behavior -- how it works, why it works, what it does, what causes it, what it effects -- rather than simply say, it's wrong, things shouldn't be like that. For example, racism "worked" because it was very, very effective at granting some people access to incredible emotions, such as pride, and deepening other people's emotions in a negative way, such as shame. Often literature is more about these emotions and the experience of them than it is about just having as 'react' to the injustice of it.

Another way to handle it is to address it "as literature." Why is this immoral behavior in the story? What does it do to the main character? How does it drive the "plot" of the story? What was the author thinking when he or she included it?

Another way to handle it is to speculate on the meaning of the behavior. By speculate, I mean just that: riff, or consider, or guess, or "suggest" the possible meaning of the actions. Try to explain it in a way that makes others think. The trick is less to be "right" than to use the evidence from the text to suggest something interesting -- in this way, you can be a literary writer yourself. The kinds of thinking we value is that thinking that "creates" meaning. This is interpretation. To make one thing another - to explain something in terms of something else. This is a highly valued skill way beyond an English classroom.

This skill puts a premium on you developing new imaginative capacities. It also helps you to sound "original."

As you read over your analysis, how many people would agree with you? Ok. How many people would basically say what you said? How can you start to say "new" things?

Grade Conferences Next Thursday

Next Thursday I will end regular class early to discuss individual grades with students.

Right now there have been four reading quizzes worth 40 points. These quizzes are 10% of your final grade.
Right now we are finishing our third blogs (in the form of comments). These blogs are worth 20% of your final grade.
Next week, hopefully you will get back your first paper. It will be worth 10% of your final grade.

Right now participation is worth 10% of your final grade. This grade will be assembled from a combination of your attendance and your participation in group work. Students who have missed more than fours of class will not receive a failing participation grade, but they have removed themselves from achieving full points. Students that have missed hours of class, don't keep up with the reading, and therefore can't participate should expect very low participation scores.

As a result, a student that has missed five hours, missed one blog, and failed two quizzes has already lost at least 15-25% of their entire grade.

Class Notes 7-17: If He Hollers

If He Hollers Context

Double V - Fight the Nazis and Fight American White Supremacy

Quiz #4

Have you ever read a book about a character like this before? If yes, say why and compare. If not, what are your impressions? Only specific answers will get credit.

Reading Circles: If He Hollers

-- How is the read? Any confusions or observations?

-- What can we say about it? Any moments or passages up for discussion?

Class Board Notes from 7-12

Blog Three: 102 Class Comment

For this assignment you will offer your perspective to LaGuardia English 102 students. To do so, first read over their assignments, HERE and HERE. Then click on your name below. Follow the instructions provided. Your main goal is to offer an overall evaluation of the blog, communicate what you believe to be the main ideas in their writing, and to provide helpful constructive criticism for their revision process.

To Leave a Comment

Press the "No Comments" or "Comments" link at the end of their blog entry.
Consider pasting your response from Microsoft Word, or simply write in the box.
Fill out the web-bot verification boxes.

Must You Leave Feedback on Both Blogs?

Yes. But as you'll see, the second piece of feedback will be to a student's poem. You'll have to adapt your reaction and any possible suggestions. The poet they're imitating is HERE (Frank O'Hara's Lunch Poems).

What if someone else has already left a comment?


Leave your own anyway.


Blog Comment Directions (from the text Tutoring Writing)

1. Open a general statement of assessment about the blog's relationship to the assignment. Be clear about which parts fulfill the assignment and which parts need improvement.
2. Present comments so the writer knows which problems with text are most important and which are of lesser importance.
3. Use comments primarily to call attention to strengths and weaknesses in the piece, and be clear about the precise points where they occur.
4. Don't feel obligated to do all the 'fixing.' Refrain from focusing on grammar unless it impedes your ability to understand the piece.
5. Write comments that are text-specific, and uniquely aimed at the blog and the writer.

Strategies

1. Pose at least two questions that ask for clarification or that seek other possible views or more information on the subject.
2. Let the writer know what specific lines, ideas, and stylistic touches you find pleasing.
3. When you make a specific, concrete suggestion for improvement, try couching it in a qualifier: "You might try..." or "Why don't you add..." or "Another way of writing the lead might be..."
4. If you notice a pattern of errors (incorrect use of commas, etc) comment on it in a global way at the end of the piece.

Names (Link One to Blog 1, Link Two to Blog 2)


Sungina/Sungina
Nadia/Nadia
Raheem/Raheem
Ariana/Ariana
Cynthia/Cynthia
Ebony
Annalice/Annalice
Kayla/Kayla
Huma/Huma
Aly/Aly
Jenyls/Jenyls
Sophya/Sophya
Stephanie/Stephanie (second link to different student)
Codey/Codey
Christian/Christian
Andrea/Andrea
Luis/Luis (second link to different student)

Reading Circles

-- How was the read? Any confusions or observations?

-- What can we say about it? Any moments or passages up for discussion?

Key Terms Quiz

Directions - Answer the following two parts of the quiz. More points will be rewarded for writing that demonstrates literary terminology and the student's ability to put that terminology in their own words.

Part One - Define two of the following four terms. dues ex machina   catharsis    victorian novel   sentimental novel

Part Two: Define one of the following two terms. In your definition, pair the term with a literary example and use the literary example to explain the term.      narrative    bildungsroman

Molly Macguires

Class News

Missing Class

As per the syllabus, missing more than one class (four hours) means that students can technically be failed for the course. If you have missed more than one class, or plan to, you must come talk to me about it. Any student who fails to discuss their absences can face serious consequences.

Key Terms Quiz

There will be a "key terms" quiz tomorrow to begin class. I will allow 30 minutes for the two part quiz. The first part of the quiz will ask you to choose two of four terms to define: dues ex machina, victorian novel, sentimental novel, and/or catharsis.

The second part of the quiz will ask you to define one of two terms and pair that definition with a literary example. The two terms are narrative and bildungsroman.

Students were given a handout with the terms "narrative," "dues ex machina," and "catharsis." If students missed class and want to study those terms, pair them with the name "Aristotle" in their searches.

Peer Review and Revising Drafts

For an insight into what was missed, please see the "blogging the peer review" post from yesterday.

New Blog Due Date (blog three)

Blog number three will be assigned Saturday morning, and will be due Tuesday next week.  

Blogging the Peer Review

If You Missed the Peer Review
Final drafts will be deducted 10% points unless the student attends a session at the Writing Center in B-200 prior to the due date of the final.

Ruth Hall

Be sure the dates are right (not 1890s, but 1850s).

Introductions

Begin with a scene - something attention-grabbing and saucy, or the like. The beginning should avoid  sounding like generic college essays. Move from a "vignette" into your argument. Then explain to your readers what they can expect from your essay.

In any case, the introduction should be the very last paragraph you revise before you turn it in. It will account for 30% of your grade -- that's three sentences anchoring 30%.

Audience

Another element of essays to keep in mind for your draft is "audience." Your audience should be more than just me. To that end, your essay should "make sense" to someone who has not read the novel recently, or in a long time.

To jog their memory, a 2-4 sentence summary of the entire novel Ruth Hall should be present in the introduction, or in small paragraph after the introduction (minimum five sentenecs for that paragraph, though).

Plot Context

When you decide to write about a scene and do a 'close-reading,' you will want to offer your reader a brief summary of the events, moments, and character information relevant to the passage you're exploring. One to three sentences should suffice to refresh your reader about the major and important details necessary for them to comprehend the immediate context of the story around the passage you're exploring.

Thesis statements

Thesis statements are 2-3 sentences. Thesis sentences will not earn you full points. Define your terms, particularly any "key" terms that you hang your essay around - re-read your thesis over and over until sentences 2-3 can define for your reader your key terms.

Where is your thesis? Check every paragraph. Where is your best thesis? Check every paragraph.

Priorities

There's no point really meditating on anything until you're able to pull a thesis from somewhere in the essay. The better thesis -- with the more interesting idea -- really might be in some other paragraph.

Critical Thinking

Does the "analysis" part of paragraphs go significantly further than class discussion?

Topic Sentences

Do your topic sentences push along your argument, or do they follow along with the story of the novel? They should typically do the former (as a rule of thumb). You should be able to create your argument by presenting passages from the novel out of sequence from how they appear in the actual plot).

To achieve excellent topic sentences, write about an "idea" that you hope to "push" in your paragraph. This is the idea (or ideas) that are at the center of the passage you're close-reading.

In a weird way, we don't have to find the "topic" sentence (the one that contains this idea) in your FIRST sentence of the paragraph. That first sentence may do other things: it exlaims, it transitions, it asks a question, who knows. But at some point in the beginning of paragraphs the reader should get a topic sentence - a mini-thesis that allows them to know a bit of what's coming.

It is Mrs. Hall's gluttony that really defines her...

If the paragraph you're writing doesn't introduce a new idea, but merely elaborates on something you've been writing about, find a way to say that in the paragraph.

We can see this [idea] continue in another passage, where...

Academic Source

Is one present? How does it work with - or against - your argument?

You can use Grasso's article "Anger in the House" or find a new one using a library research database.

You can also structure the article into your essay using it as a trampoline for your conclusion.

Writing Process

The purpose of drafts is to discover your best ideas, not stick to the sentences that you wrote just because you wrote them.

Try to hooking ideas from throughout the piece and "reel" them into the revised thesis.

If you feel that you have multiple thesis statements, unwind them a bit at a time in individual paragraphs. Great ideas aren't worth anything if your readers can't follow you.

Templates for Critical Thinking

This shows...
This matter because...
This connects to...[earlier or later moments in text, or other ideas]
This suggests...
Like in the example/paragraph above...
Unlike in the example/paragraph above...

Quiz #3

What from the first part of The Valley of Fear surprised you as a reader? What do you expect to find out as the novel continues? Specific answers get more points.

Peer Review Guidelines

Peer Review Guidelines

1. Move into your PR groups.
2. Determine who will read in what order.
3. Budget 10-15 minutes per person and no more.
4. The reader reads their paper aloud.
5. Give written feedback that offers specific criticism according to criteria below.
6. Put your name on this feedback and give it to the writer.
7. Keep your written feedback and staple it to your final draft.
 
Writing Feedback Directions (from the text Tutoring Writing)

1. Open with a general statement of assessment about the blog's relationship to the assignment. Be clear about which parts fulfill the assignment and which parts need improvement.
2. Present comments so the writer knows which problems with text are most important and which are of lesser importance.
3. Use comments primarily to call attention to strengths and weaknesses in the piece, and be clear about the precise points where they occur.
4. Don't feel obligated to do all the 'fixing.' Refrain from focusing on grammar unless it impedes your ability to understand the piece.
5. Write comments that are text-specific, and uniquely aimed at the blog and the writer.

Strategies

1. Pose at least two questions that ask for clarification or that seek other possible views or more information on the subject.
2. Let the writer know what specific lines, ideas, and stylistic touches you find pleasing.
3. When you make a specific, concrete suggestion for improvement, try couching it in a qualifier: "You might try..." or "Why don't you add..." or "Another way of writing the lead might be..."
4. If you notice a pattern of errors (incorrect use of commas, etc) comment on it in a global way at the end of the piece.
Evaluate the essays in your peer review groups by responding thoughtfully to each of the following criteria. Focus on the criteria you feel students should most address in their drafts.  

Responses must be specific in order to count. 

Attach written suggestions from your peers to your final drafts for full peer review credit.

1. Thesis: Contains a central assertion that places a central idea at the forefront of the essay  (30%)

2. Structure: Essay organized around topic sentences; each paragraph provides context; essay explains direct quotations (30%)

3. Evidence: Essay successfully places direct quotes into each body paragraph; essay cites those quotes correctly according to MLA guidelines; essay contains a bibliography (20%)

4. Critical Thinking: Essay interprets quotes in original ways that go beyond class discussion; essay connects main ideas to other texts or moments in text; essay utilizes keywords and defines them (20%)

Images from the novel

Rudge Whitworth bicycle (1896) (Source)
(Valley of Fear, 30)

(source)

1935 film based off book -- The Triumph of Sherlock Holmes
- another source for it

Link to 1954 television series

Student Blog Highlights

Little Voices in a Big Narrative - Raheem

            In a historical era where children could be used as cheap labor, a novel like Fanny Fern’s Ruth Hall illustrates the humanity of the young ones through the expressive emotions of Katy and Nettie.  The lack of concern for the children is evident in the dismissive manner in which, against Ruth’s protestations, her father wants to send the two girls to the Halls.  Mr. Ellet sees Ruth’s daughters as “a great burden…[on her] hands”, one that he is wont to put on his own (68).  This glib tone is mirrored in the Halls’ opinion of their grandchildren, as the supposed conclusion of Dr. Hall that Katy and Nettie do “not [have] much Hall blood in [them]” is reason enough to deserve compensation for their son’s offspring.  Neither side of the parents is concerned with the useless assets of a misbegotten arrangement. 

Such blithe dismissal is at odds with both Ruth Hall and Ruth Hall.  Both Katy and Nettie are treated with a respect of character in particular scenes highlighting their emotional struggles during the trying times of both poverty and wealth.  Katy’s fear of her grandfather Dr. Hall carries on her face as “a troubled, anxious, care-worn look” in a paragraph cum chapter that deals with the nature of Ruth’s troubles from the perspective of her eldest living daughter (87).  Just as much as Katy’s worth is given a breadth of depth, so too does Nettie’s joy be given a showcase for the peer infatuation of a schoolgirl crush through rapturous proclamation: “I’m in love!” (194).  These incidents of childhood life wrought better or worse by circumstances are still more supported by Ruth’s care for her children, be it for the love Ruth displays in seeing Katy’s safe return or the advice to her young Nettie that “she was glad little Neddy loved [Nettie], and [Nettie] might love him just as much as ever [Nettie] liked” (195).  Such care to be given in respecting a child’s love or safety is a task too daunting for the father and the in-laws but quite probable for Ruth Hall.

AnnaliceWeatherly

The climax of the novel for me is Ruth’s success.  Although Ruth is very intelligent, she is also very humble.  She suffers a lot, but she does not let that justifies her.  As a matter of fact, Ruth uses her pain and suffering to motivate herself and improve as a person.  I love how she proves to everyone she could succeed.  I would have paid anything to see the look in her mother-in-law’s face when she found out the book she loves so much had been written by non other than her hatred daughter-in-law.  “Impossible! Screamed the old lady, growing very red in the face, and clearing her throat most vigorously” (Fern 261).  Ruth would have said in your face, but I would.  I thought that was the best part of the book.           

      

            Mrs. Hall in "Fanny Fern" - Aly

            I found the topic of Mrs. Hall to be interesting in class. As a woman in the 1890’s she holds no power over herself (she belongs to her husband), cannot own any property and is completely dependent on her husband to provide for her. She is treated as a second-class citizen as her ideas are dismissed simply because she is a woman. That being said, she seems desperate for any sense of power and control in her life and has her sights set on fulfilling this through her relationship with her daughter-in-law, Ruth. As the mother of Harry, Mrs. Hall is able to have a certain level of influence and seems to believe that Ruth will steal this precious commodity from her. When we are first introduced to Mrs. Hall she is waiting for the newlyweds and states, “As to Ruth, I don’t know anything about her. Of course she is perfect in his eyes. I remember the time when he used to think me perfect” (10). She immediately is competing with her daughter-in-law for the affections of her son. Mrs. Hall often presents her ideals under the guise of being a pious and sensible woman, but this also seems transparent to me that her motivation is again control and power. After the death of her son and Ruth’s initial refusal to give up custody of her daughters, Mrs. Hall makes it her mission to take them from her. In addition, it’s only after criticism from members of her church that she decides to even help Ruth. Mrs. Hall suggests to her husband that they provide a small fund to Ruth for a limited time so that they “will look better” (82). While all of these schemes and issues are vile attacks on a seemingly good natured person, it can’t help me think about how sad and lonely it must have been to be a woman during this time in American history.

From LaGuardia Honors Program

Dear college community,

Part 2 of the Honors Student Advisory Committee’s (HSAC) Summer Transfer Workshop Series will be held this Wednesday and will focus on the Personal Essay, which is a critical component of any transfer or scholarship application.   The 3rd workshop will focus on Scholarships.   These workshops will be led by HSAC members and Honors alumni.

We welcome all LaGuardia students.

Here are the Workshop Series details:
https://docs.google.com/open?id=0BxnlWiiyzLRZcUU0SnFkUTBWeWM

Transfer Workshop #2: The Personal Essay
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
2:30pm-4:00pm
E-213

As well, your students are invited to visit M-222 B & C to connect up with the members of HSAC for transfer and academic support.   We are aiming to hold small group meetings (composed of peers, faculty and alumni) for personal essay support in Honors House (M-222) this Fall, so your students might be interested in getting involved in the planning process this summer.  Participation is open to all LaGuardia students.


Sincerely,
The Honors Program

Read "Valley" on schedule for tomorrow!

Or you will be bored out of your mind during class!

Valley of Fear text for Tuesday at Bookstore

Be sure to bring in the text!

Quiz Two

What is the significance of all the letters Ruth receives after she begins publishing?

Related Images of Ruth Hall

Daguerreotype Photographs (Source)

 

Phrenology  (Source) 

(Source) Fanny Fern (Sara Payson Willis)

"When her first husband died of typhoid fever in 1846, Sara’s father and her in-laws did not want to support her and her two children. She tried her luck at being a seamstress, one of the only respectable positions available to women, but could not make ends meet. She also attempted to secure a teaching position, but was not successful. At her father’s insistence, Sara embarked on a marriage of convenience that ended in divorce. Because Sara left her abusive husband, the scandal further alienated her from her family and friends. In a desperate attempt to feed her children, Sara began writing articles for Boston newspapers in 1851. Shortly thereafter, her articles were read in newspapers nationwide and in England. By 1870, Sara’s columns were published in several newspapers with a combined circulation of nearly half a million readers, and she sold over half a million books."

 

(Source)

Updates on class assignments: SECOND BLOG HERE

The first essay assignment is HERE, or simply scroll to the right-hand side of this screen.

The second blog assignment has been extended to Sunday, July 8th. For this 250-word blog, students may simply reflect on a class discussion that interested them and apply that reflection to a new passage from the novel that we haven't discussed in class. Students may wish to use this blog as a low-stakes opportunity to also compose a paragraph for the upcoming essay. As always, students must cite their sources according to MLA guidelines and provide a brief bibliography at the end of the blog.

Quiz One

No notes. For this quiz, reflect on the different relationships in the novel between Ruth Hall and the other characters. How would you characterize her relationships to members of her own "family"? Give an emblematic example. How would you characterize her relationships to other persons in her community? Give an emblematic example. If you have time, compare and contrast between the two.

Your writing doesn't need to be longer than a half-page to a page. The purpose of the quiz is to have you reflect on what interested you while demonstrating you did the reading.

Working-Class Labor in 19th Century US: General Images

World War I-era Factory work: women (Source)

Singer's Sewing machine: 1852  (Source)

Brisbane Boot Trade @ 1869-1890 (Source)

 

Typical industrial factory (Source)

(Source)

"While thousands of children worked down the mine, thousands of others worked in the cotton mills. The mill owners often took in orphans to their workhouses, they lived at the mill and were worked as hard as possible. They spent most of their working hours at the machines with little time for fresh air or exercise. Even part of Sunday was spent cleaning machines. There were some serious accidents, some children were scalped when their hair was caught in the machine, hands were crushed and some children were killed when they went to sleep and fell into the machine."

Blog Assignment

Students who have not completed the first blog assignment will have until the end of the day tomorrow. Beyond that, their blog grade will fall one point per day until it gets to 80% of the possible 20 points for the term.