Sunday, December 15, 2013

The Assignment and the How-To

Hi Everyone,
In order to post, you need to click that Blogger logo in the upper left corner.  See it? The orange box with the squiggly thing in it?  Then, click on the pencil next to your blog title.  That will allow you to write your post.  When you are done, click "Publish."

Here's Your Assignment:
One thing that we have said repeatedly in our class is that American literature is an ongoing conversation about a few central topics.  These topics are ingrained in our national narrative, the story of who we are as people.  This week, you will begin thinking about topics that connect to this American narrative, and these topics will become the focus of your research after winter break.
To get you started generating topics for research, use your lit circle books.  I'd like two written responses from you this week, both posted to your group blog.  I also expect you to read and respond to each others' posts.  If you were to type your response in Word first, it would be about a page.  DO NOT JUST ANSWER A LIST OF MY QUESTIONS.  Instead, generate two or three paragraphs on the questions that interest you most.  The questions to consider:
  • What do you like best about your book?  What do you like least?
  • What was the most powerful part of the text?  The most exciting?
  • Which of our central questions (American dream/possessions, nature, race and equality, individual power, etc.) does your text address most thoroughly?
  • What questions does this book raise for you?  What does it make you wonder?
  • What are some topics that you could research (based on your book)?
  • What place do you think your text has in the body of American literature?
  • How does the text "talk back" to some of the authors we've already read?
  • What do you know about the author of your book?  Are you curious to know more about the author's story?

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