Blog Assignment #7: Feminist Criticism of "A & P"

Assignment: Engage with John Updike’s “A & P” using feminist criticism strategies. Aim for approximately 250 words (that’s equivalent to 1 typed, double-spaced page). Use the discussion below as a guide. Plan to point to particular pieces of evidence in the story itself in order to bolster your opinion. Make reference to particular parts of the plot, particular bits of dialog, and/or particular behaviors or interactions with other characters, female or male.

There are a number of different critical models that can be applied when reading a novel, poem, or other literary work. In fact, these different models are used by professional critics in order to determine, or pull from a work, the meaning. One very common critical reading model is Feminist criticism.

Feminist literary criticism examines:

·         diction, style, or voice of a female writer as opposed to her male writers.

·         subject matter a female writer chooses to write about as opposed to topics chosen by male writers

·         balance of power, or rather the imbalance present between male and female characters within any given plot, whether written by male or female writer

·         expression of the difference in male and female roles in society

·          differences in the power male and female characters wield (or don’t wield)

·         female experience as a whole, especially in comparison to the male experience. This includes personality, education, childhood experiences, and anything else that defines the female identity.

·          female stereotypes.

·         The backgrounds and personal lives of female authors. For instance, a feminist critic might look into Mary Shelley's own conflict between family and career or Virginia Woolf’s relationship with her husband.

Application:  As you read a particular poem or story, you will want to ask yourself,

·         How are the females in the piece characterized?

·         What role do women play in the piece?

·         Are there dominant women? Submissive women?

·         Do women play a major or minor role?

·         What attitudes are expressed by male and female characters about women?

·         How do male characters talk to and about female characters?

·         How do females talk with males?

After answering these questions, it may be appropriate to examine the author, genre, and subject matter of the piece. For example, what are or were the author's ideals on the female situation? Is the author's position impacted by the author's history? Was or is it impacted by the history of the time? What sort of language does the writer use?

 

Blog Assignment #6: What would this character's Facebook page look like?

Assignment: For the sake of this blog post, I'd like you to do some thinking about the female main characters in "The Story of an Hour" or "the Yellow Wallpaper." What do you know about their hopes, dreams, fears, interests, hobbies, friendships, etc.? If they were alive during our modern times and were hip to social media, what would their Facebook pages look like? For either of the main characters (choose ONE), complete the following activities:

1. In character, create at least ten (10) mock Facebook posts. What would this character likely announce to her friends on Facebook? Related: Who would she be friends with? :)
2. Post at least one photo or image or meme you believe this character would post to her Facebook wall.
3. Post at least one link to an article you believe this character would share with Facebook friends.

If you're wondering what I'm talking about, look at this example: http://ilearntechnology.com/?p=3719

You'll find another example here: http://www.hungergameslessons.com/2011/01/using-facebook-concept-for-modern.html

Note: I'm not asking you to literally create a profile within Facebook, as it's kind of a hassle to do so. It requires a separate e-mail address, among other things. I'm satisfied with you using your blog entry space to accomplish these goals. However, if you're comfortable enough with technology to want to work in Facebook, you certainly can.

Blog Assignment #5: Orientation

Assignment:  Write a 250-word minimum (that's approximately the same as a typed, double-spaced, one-page MLA-format document--obviously if you feel like doing more, do so. Don't come to a screeching stop just because you've hit the word count. If your imagination is pushing you to flesh things out, let it!) imitation of Daniel Orozco's "Orientation." In your version, pretend you are giving instructions for someone's first day of doing something. Your imitation should reference the "real" data needed to do the job. For example:

•  those individuals the person may need to interact with in order to get the job done
• supplies needed in order to do the job
• responsibilities of the person hearing your instructions
• job process and procedures
•  technical data
• standard operating procedures

However, additionally, I'd like you to include details that aren't necessary to the task at hand. These should be details considered TMI (too much information)--details that won't necessarily help the person do the task, but they will help the person learn about who YOU are and how you feel about the task and those involved.  Those details might include:

• judgments task or the process itself
•  gossip about  involved parties (co-workers, etc.)
•  a sense of how things really work, as opposed to a technical document like a standard operating procedure

Essentially, I want you to convey, via your tone and word choice, how you REALLY feel about the thing you are teaching. Feel free to draw off personal experience. For instance, if you worked a summer as a lifeguard, you probably know the technical parts of the job, but you probably have some juicy insight into the everyday drama going on with your co-workers, boss, or even the customers you see on a regular basis.

Oh, and FYI: your imitation need not be job-related. It might, for instance, be hobby based. Perhaps you want to explain how to play basketball during Hoopfest. Or maybe you want to explain how a person should operate in a mosh pit at a concert. Or maybe you want to tell someone how to go hunting with your particular family members.

As per Daniel Orozco's short story, write your imitation using second-person narration. There's an implied audience getting instructions to do something. You are commanding them, telling them what to do.

Blog Assignment #4: Southern Grotesque

Assignment:  O'Connor's work is often described as Southern"grotesque." I'd like you to write a brief response (let's say 250 words, minimum--that's about the equivalent to a double-spaced, 1-page, typed document) in which you discuss the ways O' Connor's characters and plot in "A Good Man Is Hard to Find" can be considered grotesque.


Step One:  Read my brief "lecture" about some of the characteristics of the genre:

• It's a subgenre of gothic literature (think Edgar Allen Poe) focusing on character, social, and moral shortcomings in the American South. 

• It often comments on society's negatives and weaknesses in order to point out truths of America's Southern culture and its unpleasant aspects: racial bigotry, crushing poverty, violence, moral corruption, other signs of humans' capacity for evil, etc.

• Plots rely on disturbing, supernatural, or ironic events but are realistic.

• The settings is often decayed and or rural. It can also be described as unusual or broken.

• The stories include flawed grotesque characters.A grotesque character may posesses an exaggerated personality trait or characteristic for the purpose of eliciting both empathy and disgust in the reader ("Grotesque"). In her fiction, Flannery O'Connor employed two types of grotesques: "physical grotesques" or "secular grotesques." Physical grotesques possess a deformed body in order to indicate some kind of spiritual deformity. Secular grotesques, on the other hand, are those who have for one reason or another rejected God's will and seek to destroy the soul in an attempt to save the body.

Step Two: Read what the author herself says about about Southern Grotesque here: http://www.en.utexas.edu/amlit/amlitprivate/scans/grotesque.html

Step Three:  Re-read "A Good Man Is Hard to Find." Re-read  it with the goal of picking out specific textual evidence that can help you "prove" that the story is, indeed, a good example of the Southern Gothic or Southern Grotesque genre. Remember that your opinions or claims are only as strong as the evidence you provide for those claims.

Finally, you might want to hear the short story as read by the author herself. You can find the reading on YouTube HERE:

Blog Assignment #3: Making Connections to "The Lottery"

Assignment: This is an exercise in providing proof for claims/assertions. In this case, I'm going to take the pressure off you, a little bit at least. You need not come up with a theme or subject matter. For the sake of this post, I want you to begin with ONE of these topic sentences:


a - Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery" concerns itself with the 'tribal' nature of any small community.

b- Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery" concerns itself with concepts of magic and superstition and their place in society.

d- Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery" concerns itself with the concept that it can be acceptable to require the individual to sacrifice for the greater good.

e-  In Shirley Jackson's, "The Lottery," one theme is Man's ability (and need) to rationalise generally unacceptable actions.

Begin your post by starting with one of the sentences above. Then enter to a discussion about how this theme is present, not only in the short story but also in present society.  In half of your entry point to textual evidence for the topic sentenc you chose. Spend an equal amount of time pointing to examples from contemporary society (pop culture or your family or school or neighborhood sphere) that seem to serve as proof for this idea. What parallels or comparisons can you make?

Aim for a good solid paragraph, no less than 100 words.

Note: There should be no need for outside research. Your ability to complete this blog entry really requires only your textbook and your ability to mine your personal experience and/or observation.

Blog Assignment #2: From "Girl" to "Boy"

 Assignment: In Jamaica Kincaid's "Girl," we have a story that does not have a conventional structure. We are missing fiction elements like plot, character development, and setting. We have a story featuring all dialogue (though there aren't the conventional markers of dialogue, like indenting with each speaker or quotation marks). The dialogue is primarily spoken by a mother who is delivering advice to her daughter.  It seems that the advice is broken up into:

• homemaking skills (cleaning,cooking, sewing, etc.)
• manners
• morals
• how to carry on relations with the opposite sex
• social conventions
• accusations

Via this mainly one-person dialogue (the daughter is only heard 2 times), we get a sense of the setting, Antigua. We get a sense of the relationship between the mother and daughter. And we get a sense of conflict (whether the daughter is or isn't a slut). There are also plenty of implicit lessons about what it means to be a female within this setting.

For this assignment, I'd like you to write an imitation in which you have a mother or father deliver similar instructions/advice to a son. Rather than Antigua, set your story in the U.S. What sorts of practical skills would a boy need to have? What sorts of manners would his mom/dad call for?  What advice would the mother or father give regarding how to interact with the opposite sex? Finally, I'd like for your set of instructions/advice to have its own hidden conflict. Be sure to have a strand of similar worries that come out in the mother or father's advice.

A successful imitation will give a sense of the setting (is it suburban or rural, big city or small?) A successful imitation will give the reader a sense of the relationship between the parent and the son. A successful imitation will imply lessons about what it means to be a boy or young man in the U.S. in 2013. Finally, it will provide the conflict that is necessary to any piece of fiction.

Blog Assignment #1: Introduce Yourself

Welcome!

Step 1:  Watch the tutorial I've provided.  Note: There are numerous tutorials available regarding how to set up a blog on Blogger. If this one isn't as informative as you'd like, choose another.  If you have additional questions, don't hesitate to contact me. In fact, there are numerous sites that help a person build a blog. I chose this one because it's free and easy.

Step 2: Create a blog using the instructions provided in the tutorial.  As you can see in the video, it literally takes about 5 minutes. You're welcome to keep it simple or jazz it up.  For class purposes, we're mainly going to rely on the blog to post writing I'd like you to share with classmates, so there really isn't a need for "bells and whistles," unless you decide to do so and unless you are technologically sound.

Note: In creating the blog, be sure to write down (and keep in a safe place) your blog address and password information.

Step 3: Create blog post #1:

As a means of introducing yourself, I'd like you to share your answers to the questions below. Don't think too hard about your answers. You might want to make it easy on yourself by copying the list of questions and pasting them into your blog entry.

Rather than a crafted response, let your answers be gut reaction. Your answers might be one word or sentences long. Be as serious or as silly as your personality dictates! If a question stumps you or you think it's stupid, skip it. However, I'd like you to aim to answer at least 20.

1. My greatest asset is __________.
2. The nicest thing I ever did for anyone was __________.
3. The nicest thing anyone ever did for me was __________.
4. One question I have about life is ___________.
5. One thing I've always wondered about is ___________.
6. My teachers last year will tell you that I am __________.
7. My friends will tell you that I am ___________.
8. People like me because __________.
9. One thing most people don't know about me is _________.
10. I am an expert on __________.
11. I want to know more about __________.
12. When I am 30/40/50/60 (choose one), I will __________.
13. Five years from now, I will __________.
14. When I want to, I have the ability to ___________.
15. A famous person I admire is __________ because __________.
16. The bravest thing I ever did was __________.
17. I have trouble dealing with __________.
18. I appreciate it when teachers __________.
19. I am proud of my __________.
20. I like ___________ because ___________.
21. I really need to ___________.
22. My favorite class is __________ because __________.
23. My friends make me laugh when they ____________.
24. My pet peeve is ___________.
25. When I am sad I ___________.
26. The most stressful thing in my life is __________.
27. The most influential person in my life is __________ because __________.
28. If I had one hundred dollars, I would __________.
29. I am named for ___________.
30. It was easy to learn ____________.
31. It is difficult to learn __________.
32. I have no regrets about __________.
33. I regret __________.
    
34. A friend once showed me how to ___________.
35. I like ____________ music, particularly these songs: ____________.
36. My favorite color is ____________.
37. One dish I can cook well is ___________.
38. My favorite place on earth is ___________.
39. What is a mistake that taught you a lesson? What did you learn?
40. What is an obstacle you face in completing this class? How can you, your classmates, and your teacher help you get around it?

EXTRA CREDIT OPPORTUNITY #1: Figure out how to post some photos of yourself (or photos of anything that will help us learn more about you) within this blog entry. Posting 5 photos will get you 5 extra credit points (one extra credit point per photo...up to 5 photos). Posting more photos will NOT get you more extra credit, but your classmates and I will certainly have a look at them :)
Step 4: Once you've published your first post, write me a quick e-mail at the e-mail I've listed on my syllabus, giving me your blog name and your web address.  As these come in, I'll link them to the class blog.

Step 5:  Check the classroom blog for a list of your classmates' blogs. You can find the class blog at this address:  http://lcsclitany.blogspot.com The list will appear on the right-hand side. Respond to at least one classmate's post.