There is no reading or questions for Friday: instead, we're going to do in-class writing that will lead to your Paper #1 assignment, which I will hand out in class. If you don't have the book and haven't done the questions yet, this is a great opportunity to catch up! The last set of questions are in the post BELOW this one.
Let me know if you have any questions, and as always let me know if you get sick or have any other problems.
For your first reading assignment, there are no set number of pages to read from the book. Just flip around and read casually, and don't try to read every page. Look for pictures that interest you and stories that surprise you. We'll read more in-depth later, but for now, just flip around...
Then answer TWO of the questions below:
Q1: As you flip around, which pictures immediately grab you? Why? Is it because of the person's style? Their
expression? The way the photograph is taken? Or the words that accompany the
image?
Q2: What seems to most interest
Q3: If you didn't know anything about
Q4: Many of the pictures have captions that the subjects revealed to him as he
took the photograph. Which caption most changes the picture for you? How did it
help you see a different person than you initially saw?
Welcome to the class website for our Freshman Composition II course: this will be used instead of Blackboard, though you won't have to post or submit anything to this site. Instead, I'll post all our daily readings and work here, along with paper assignments and other announcements. Be sure to bookmark it so you can find it when you need it!
Be sure to buy the 3 books for class as soon as possible, though the ECU bookstore has a delay in getting the first two books (they should be here by Thursday or Friday). The books are:
Required Texts:
We'll be reading Humans first, starting this Friday, but if the bookstore doesn't have it in by Thursday don't worry about it. Just get it as soon as you can, and I'll keep checking the bookstore to let you know when it's arrived.
Please e-mail me with any questions or concerns, especially if you have to miss class or quarantine for the required number of days. See you in class!
Remember that next week's class is optional: I'm just going to give a short extra credit assignment which can give you a few points towards your final grade. But if you feel good about your grade, or want to simply concentrate on revisions, an absence won't count against you.
All paper revisions (1-3) are due by Friday @
ALSO, be sure to fill out the Course Evaluations sent to your e-mail from
the university. In past years, less and less students are doing them except the
ones who are angry about the class! It only takes a minute, and it's important
to show the university (however imperfectly) what's going on in a given
class.
Take care and see you next week!
Here's the final blog video for our class, which covers the last chapters (89-100) of Life of Pi. Even if you haven't finished it yet, watch the video and respond with a COMMENT to the question at the end. This is your last chance to do this, and some of you have missed several responses, so don't miss this one, too!
Also, don't forget Paper #3 is due tomorrow (Friday) by 5pm! Let me know if you have any questions.
Remember that Paper #3 is due next Friday, the 16th! Keep reading and thinking about connections between this book and Persepolis, and how each one can help us see some of the big themes in our own lives. Consider what these books are trying to teach us, and how living through their experiences can improve (or help us appreciate) our own.
Additionally, here are some passages from the reading that you might want to think about and consider for next class (in-class writing prompts???) or for your Paper #3.
Page 177: "For the first time I noticed...that my suffering was taking place in a grand setting. I saw my suffering for what it was, finite and insignificant, and I was still. My suffering did not fit anywhere, I realized. And I could accept this. It was all right. (It was daylight that brought my protest: No! No! No! my suffeirng does matter. I want to live!...Life is a peephole, a single entry onto a vastness--how can I not dwell on this brief, cramped view I have of things? This peephole is all I've got!"
Page 183: "I wept heartily over this poor little deceased soul. It was the first sentient being I had ever killed. I was now a killer. I was now as guilty as Cain. I was sixteen years old, a harmless boy, bookish and religious, and now I had blood on my hands. It's a terrible burden to carry. All sentient life is sacred. I never forget to include this fish in my prayer."
Page 192: "I did not count the days r the weeks or the months. Time is an illusion that only makes us pant. I survived because I forgot even the very notion of time."
Page 206: "Tigers, indeed all animals, do not favour violence as a means of settling scores. When animals fight, it is with the intent to kill and with the understanding that they may be killed. A clash is costly. And so animals have a full system of cautionary signals designed to avoid a showdown, and they are quick to back down when they feel they can."
Page 207: "My greatest wish--other than salvation--was to have a book. A long book with a never-ending story. One I could read again and again, with new eyes and a fresh understanding each time."
Page 215: "To be a castaway is to be a point perpetually at the centre of a circle. However much things may appear to change--the sea may shift from whisper to rage, the sky might go from fresh blue to blinding white to darkest black--the geometry never changes. Your gaze is always a radius. The circumference is ever great. In fact, the circles multiply. To be a castaway is to be caught in a harrowing ballet of circles. You are at the centre of one circle, while above you two opposing circles spin about."
Page 217: "The worst pair of opposites is boredom and terror."
Be sure to read Chapters 37-57 (or somewhere around there) for next week's class. Bring your book to class, since that will help you with the in-class writing! The video below will give you some insight on Paper #3 as well as discuss some of the next chapters of the book. The Paper #3 assignment is pasted below in case you weren't in class or lost it. See you next week!
Conversation Paper #3: The
Facts of Fiction
INTRO: In Chapter 25 of Life
of Pi, Pi is discussing people who ignore the suffering of the world, but
become enraged if someone insults their religious beliefs. As he writes, “These
people fail to realize that it is on the inside that God must be defended, not
on the outside. They should direct their anger at themselves. For evil in the
open is but evil from within that has been let out…To me, religion is about our
dignity, not our depravity” (71). This is surprisingly similar to
PROMPT: Discuss how both books offer a similar critique or discussion of one or more ‘real world’ issues below:
Remember that though both novels are fiction, they each try to help us see the ‘truth’ of the world around us. So consider how each book agrees on or helps us examine certain key ideas in our own society/lives. You might also consider how each character is a refugee, forced away from their families and homes; to find themselves, they have to create their own values—a sort of ‘life raft’ to bring them safely to a distant shore. Feel free to relate this to your own life, and use personal examples that helped you understand each book (or, you can discuss it more generally—your choice).
SOURCES: Obviously, you must use both books in your paper, quoting from each one to show the connections between their lives and yours (or our lives in general). I also want you to use TWO additional sources, which could be (a) two interviews from Humans, which use people from similar backgrounds (Iran, India) or situations that relate to the characters’ struggles; (b) two articles that underline the issues you discuss in your paper—for example, the suppression of female identity, or the rise of fundamentalism in the world; or (c) two other works of art, such as books, songs, or even movies that discuss similar themes or are inspirational for you in your own journey of discovery. Just make sure these works add CONTEXT to your discussion, and help us understand why this conversation is meaningful and relatable.
REQUIREMENTS
