ELIT 48C

ELIT 48C: Class # 16

Convince or Persuade?

You really need a vacation, You work too hard!Hmm, am I persuaded or convinced?Strictly speaking, one convinces a person that something is true but persuades a person to do something.

Pointing out that I was overworked, my friends persuaded [not convinced] me to take a vacation.

Now that I'm relaxing on the beach with my book, I am convinced [not persuaded] that they were right.

Read more: Easily Confused or Misused Words | Infoplease.com http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0200807.html#ixzz2T7jurahi

Chair Poet?[[Poetry is]...the record of the best and happiest moments of the best and happiest minds...

- Shelley

AGENDAIntroduction to Essay #1Due Friday, Week 9How to write a response to literature.American Literature since 1945QHQ: Klages

Topics for Essay #1There are many essay topics to choose from.On the webpage, click on Essay Prompts and then Essay #1You will see another list of choices specific to our texts. Click on any of them to explore topicsYou may write an essay on any of these topics. You may write an essay on a topic of your choice.You may use fodder from one of your posts.The essay is due Friday, week 9 at noon. Please submit it through Kaizena.Prompt IntroductionIn this first half of our quarter, we have read and discussed multiple texts, theories, and opinions on both literature and literary analysis, and for this reason, I offer you many choices for your first essay. In a thesis driven essay of three to six pages, respond to one of the prompts I have offered or one of your own. You need only the primary text for this essay, but you may incorporate other stories, manifestos, or critical theory as additional support. Remember, you can also draw on your own experiences and knowledge to discuss, explain, and analyze your topic.

Essay Topic #2: Notions of Gendered Space in TriflesAll of the action in this play takes place in a single setting: the home of the murdered man and his wife, who the reader learns is his killer. The men and women who enter the home after the crime see totally different scenes in this same setting, though. What each set of characters sees is limited by his or her gender. The women notice certain itemspreserved fruit, a sewing box, an empty bird cagethat the men completely overlook because they consider the domestic space of the woman of the house to be worthless in terms of offering clues about the crime. Write an essay in which you define and explain the twogendered spaces and their significance in the development of the plotand the plays outcome.

Topic #7: The Good Ear in My AntoniaIn a 1915 interview, Cather commented, "No one without a good ear can write good fiction." In The Novel Demeuble Cather writes, Whatever is felt upon the page without being specifically named therethat, it seems to me, is created. It is the inexplicable presence of the thing not named, of the over-tone divined by the ear but not heard by it, the verbal mood, the emotional aura of the fact or the thing or the deed, that gives high quality to the novel or the drama, as well as to poetry itself. What particular passages in My Antonia show Cather's "good ear" for the sound of language? Which show her ability to create the thing not named? Discuss how and why these passages capture the moods and themes of the novel. How do they contribute to the idea of the modernist novel?

Topic #7 Character Analysis for plot development in The Great Gatsby In class, we covered eight ways to determine character. Do parallel character sketches of Tom Buchanan and George Wilson; compare them to show their similarities.

HOW TO WRITE A RESPONSE TO LITERATUREAdapted from a handout from The Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Interpretations of fiction are generally opinions, but not all opinions are equal.A good, valid, and interesting interpretation will do the following:

avoid the obvious (in other words, it wont argue a conclusion that most readers could reach on their own from a general knowledge of the story)

support its main points with strong textual evidence from the story and/or secondary sources.

use careful reasoning to explain how that evidence relates to the main points of the interpretation.A good paper begins with the writer having a solid understanding of the work. Being able to have the whole text in your head when you begin thinking through ideas will actually allow you to write the paper more quickly in the long run.

Spend some time just thinking about the story. Flip back through the book and consider what interests you about this bookwhat seemed strange, new, or important?Be Familiar with the TextExplore Potential TopicsEven though you have a list of topics from which to choose, you must develop your own interpretation.Consider how you might approach each topic. What will your answer to each question show about the text? So what? Why will anyone care?Try this phrase for each prompt to see if you have an idea: This book/poem/play/short story shows ______________________. This is important because ______________________.

Narrow down your list of possible topics by identifying how much evidence or how many details you could use to investigate each potential issue.

Keep in mind that papers rely on ample evidence and that having a lot of details to choose from can make your paper easier to write.Jot down all the events or elements of the story that have some bearing on the two or three topics that seem most promising.

Dont launch into a topic without considering all the options first because you may end up with a topic that seemed promising initially but that only leads to a dead end.Select a Topic with Plenty of Evidence14Skim back over the story or poem and make a more comprehensive list of the details that relate to your point.

As you make your notes keep track of page numbers so you can quickly find the passages again when you need them. Make an extended list of evidenceOnce youve made your expanded list of evidence, decide which supporting details are the strongest. First, select the facts which bear the closest relation to your thesis statement. Second, choose the pieces of evidence youll be able to say the most about. Readers tend to be more dazzled with your interpretations of evidence than with a lot of quotes from the book.Select the details that will allow you to show off your own reasoning skills and allow you to help the reader see the story in a way he or she may not have seen it before.Select your evidenceNow, go back to your working thesis and refine it so that it reflects your new understanding of your topic. This step and the previous step (selecting evidence) are actually best done at the same time, since selecting your evidence and defining the focus of your paper depend upon each other.Refine your thesisOnce you have a clear thesis, go back to your list of selected evidence and group all the similar details together. The ideas that tie these clusters of evidence together can then become the claims that youll make in your paper.

Keep in mind that your claims should not only relate to all the evidence but also clearly support your thesis. Once youre satisfied with the way youve grouped your evidence and with the way that your claims relate to your thesis, you can begin to consider the most logical way to organize each of those claims. Organize your evidenceAvoid the temptation to load your paper with evidence from your story. Each time you use a specific reference to your story, be sure to explain the significance of that evidence in your own words. To get your readers interest, draw their attention to elements of the story that they wouldnt necessarily notice or understand on their own. If you are quoting passages without interpreting them, youre not demonstrating your reasoning skills or helping the reader. In most cases, interpreting your evidence merely involves putting into your paper what is already in your head. Interpret your evidenceKeep in MindDon't forget to consider the scope of your project: What can you reasonably cover in a paper of that length?

Eliminate wordiness and repetition to ensure that you have room to make all of your points.

See me if you are lost or confused!Writing TipsWrite about literature in present tenseAvoid using thing, something, everything, and anything.Avoid writing in second person.Avoid using contractions. Cut Wordy SentencesAvoid run-on sentences and fragments.Check for misused wordsPut commas and periods inside of quotation marks

Miscellaneous QuestionsDoes the paper follow MLA guidelines? For help, click on MLA Guidelines and view the Basic MLA format video.Is the page length within assigned limits?Is the font type and size within the assigned guidelines?Does the Header follow the assignment guidelines?Is the professor's name spelled correctly? Kim PalmoreIs your name spelled correctly?Does the paper have a title? Is it a good title? Is the title in the appropriate location?Have you italicized book and movie titles and put stories, articles, and poems in quotation marks?

American Literature 1945 to the PresentAn Introduction

December 1, 1941, Washington, D.C. President Roosevelt addresses the people of the United States in his fireside chat, in which he told them we are going to win the war and the peace that follows.

Roosevelts words were prophetic: The United States emerged from World War II as a global superpower. This new power, experienced both at home and abroad, became a major force in reshaping American culture for the balance of the twentieth century (NAAL 3). 24World War II and Its Aftermath

The war cost the lives of 50-70 million people world wide; almost quarter of million died in the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Historians and politicians continue to debate whether the use of nuclear weapons was necessary to end the war, but what remains undisputed is that the possibility of nuclear warfare radically changed the nature of global politics for the rest of the twentieth century.

25World War II and Its Aftermath

The Cold War between the United States and the U.S.S.R. was a delicate chess match between these two superpowers as they built up their nuclear arsenals and recruited (often aggressively) smaller nations to their sides. These "Package" shelters (1955) for large and small families were self-contained units that required no external connections and were capable of sustaining a family for three to five days without outside assistance. The fear of nuclear war was a consistent feature of post-war American life.

26

McCarthy group at hearings, June 7, 1954. Senator Joseph McCarthy (left), Pvt. G. David Schine (center), and Roy Cohn (right).The Cold War was not only an arms race between the USA and the U.S.S.R. It was also an ideological battle over the merits of Western capitalism and Soviet socialism.

The efforts of Senator Joseph McCarthy to root out socialist influence in American political life became a focal point of media and popular attention. McCarthys allegations (which turned out to be exaggerated if not outright fabricated) that the U.S. government had been infiltrated by socialists spoke to the fear and anxiety that defined the moment.

World War II and Its Aftermath27World War II and Its Aftermath

J. Howard Millers We Can Do It poster from 1942.The post World War II United States can be defined in terms of both economic prosperity and the radical transformation of cultural norms.

With men off to war the vastly expanded workforce required increasing numbers of women. After [the war] many of these women were reluctant to return to homemaking; and then after a decade or so [], women emerged as a political force on behalf of their rights and opportunities in the workplace. This pattern extended to other groups as well. African Americans, whether they enlisted or were drafted, served in fighting units throughout the war and were unwilling to return to second-class status afterward; nor could a majority culture aware of their contribution continue to enforce segregation and other forms of prejudice so easily as before the war (NAAL 4). Wikimedia Commons

28The Civil Rights Movement

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. led an estimated 10,000 civil rights marchers out on the last leg of their Selma-to-Montgomery march. May 28, 1961, Montgomery, Alabama. The Civil Rights Movement was one of the defining features of the postwar cultural revolution as thousands of African Americans took to the streets to demand their equal rights in society.

29Voices of the Cultural Revolution

A group of women rally at the Statue of Liberty in support of the recent passage of the Equal Rights Amendment by the United States House of Representatives. August 10, 1970. The bill did not survive in the U.S. Senate.

Women as well as racial minorities seized upon the changing climate of the post-war years to demand greater equality.30Voices of the Cultural Revolution

Protesters at an anti-Vietnam War rally hold signs bearing antiwar and anti-draft slogans along with quotes from Cuban revolutionary Che Guevara. Active dissension within the culture emerged in response to military involvement in Vietnam, where in 1961 President Kennedy had sent small numbers of advisers to help the Republic of South Vietnam resist pressures from Communist North Vietnam. Presidents Lyndon Johnson and Richard Nixon expanded and continued the U.S. presence; and an increasingly strident oppositionfueled by protests on American college campuses and among the countrys liberal intellectualsturned into a much larger cultural revolution (NAAL 6). Active dissension within the culture emerged in response to military involvement in Vietnam, where in 1961 President Kennedy had sent small numbers of advisers to help the Republic of South Vietnam resist pressures from Communist North Vietnam. Presidents Lyndon Johnson and Richard Nixon expanded and continued the U.S. presence; and an increasingly strident oppositionfueled by protests on American college campuses and among the countrys liberal intellectualsturned into a much larger cultural revolution (NAAL 6).

31Voices of the Cultural Revolution

Gay and lesbian activists prepare for a Gay and Lesbian Pride parade in downtown Des Moines, Iowa. June 25, 1983, Des Moines, Iowa. The riots at the Stonewall Inn in New York City mark the beginning of the modern Gay Rights movement. Stonewall was a gay-friendly bar in the progressive Greenwich Village neighborhood of Manhattan that was frequently subjected to police raids. On June 28, 1969, bar patrons actively resisted arrest and a series of riots broke out among the gay and lesbian residents of Greenwich Village. One year later, the first Gay and Lesbian Pride parades took place in Los Angeles, New York, and Chicago. Such parades have been a staple of the Gay Rights movement for the last forty years.

32All of this Post War Activity Stimulated another Political, Social, and Artistic Turn: Postmodernism

33According to Mary Klages, from a literary perspective, the main characteristics of modernism include:

1. an emphasis on impressionism and subjectivity in writing (and in visual arts as well); an emphasis on HOW seeing (or reading or perception itself) takes place, rather than on WHAT is perceived. An example of this would be stream-of-consciousness writing.

2. a movement away from the apparent objectivity provided by omniscient third-person narrators, fixed narrative points of view, and clear-cut moral positions. Faulkner's multiply-narrated stories are an example of this aspect of modernism.

3. a blurring of distinctions between genres, so that poetry seems more documentary (as in T.S. Eliot or ee cummings) and prose seems more poetic (as in Woolf or Joyce).

4. an emphasis on fragmented forms, discontinuous narratives, and random-seeming collages of different materials.

5. a tendency toward reflexivity, or self-consciousness, about the production of the work of art, so that each piece calls attention to its own status as a production, as something constructed and consumed in particular ways.

6. a rejection of elaborate formal aesthetics in favor of minimalist designs (as in the poetry of William Carlos Williams) and a rejection, in large part, of formal aesthetic theories, in favor of spontaneity and discovery in creation.

7. A rejection of the distinction between "high" and "low" or popular culture, both in choice of materials used to produce art and in methods of displaying, distributing, and consuming art.

Postmodernism, like modernism, follows most of these same ideas, rejecting boundaries between high and low forms of art, rejecting rigid genre distinctions, emphasizing pastiche, parody, bricolage, irony, and playfulness. Postmodern art (and thought) favors reflexivity and self-consciousness, fragmentation and discontinuity (especially in narrative structures), ambiguity, simultaneity, and an emphasis on the destructured, decentered, dehumanized subject.

But--while postmodernism seems very much like modernism in these ways, it differs from modernism in its attitude toward a lot of these trends. Modernism, for example, tends to present a fragmented view of human subjectivity and history (think of The Wasteland, for instance, or of Woolf's To the Lighthouse), but presents that fragmentation as something tragic, something to be lamented and mourned as a loss. Many modernist works try to uphold the idea that works of art can provide the unity, coherence, and meaning which has been lost in most of modern life; art will do what other human institutions fail to do. Postmodernism, in contrast, doesn't lament the idea of fragmentation, provisionality, or incoherence, but rather celebrates that. The world is meaningless? Let's not pretend that art can make meaning then, let's just play with nonsense.

QHQs Mary KlagesAm I the only person who doesnt understand postmodernism after reading this article?What separates Postmodernism from modernism?Can we understand postmodernism without modernism?Is Postmodernism an improvement on Modernism?How can you simplify Postmodernism? How would analyzing postmodernist work be different than examining modernism?How does postmodernism rejects grand narratives in favor for mini-narratives?Even though Postmodernism occurs after modernism, why does postmodernism focus more on the ideologies of the past rather than developing new interpretations?How has communication changed in a postmodern society?How does post-modernism Play with nonsense? How, when regarding the ideal sense of self, is postmodernism superior to modernism?What are your thoughts on the idea of creating (or identifying) order, and the necessity that in doing such we must also create or identify disorder? In what ways do you identify disorder, and in what ways do you create disorder?What happens when there is too much information(articles) in the internet? How does it affect the postmodernist movement in sorting through the noise?Is postmodernism redefining how knowledge should be utilized?Postmodernism believes anything not storable by a computeri.e. anything thats not digitizablewill cease to be knowledge. Do you agree? Are we living with postmodernism? Or are we living with modernism?Are we still in a postmodernism movement or are we in a new unnamed movement?

Author Introduction

Ralph Ellison

Ralph Waldo Ellison was named after the celebrated poet Ralph Waldo Emerson, by his father who wanted his son to become a poet. Today Ellison is mostly remembered as the mastermind who wrote the emotive and gripping novel Invisible Man (along with many others) which met with much critical success, winning the National Book Award in 1953.Ellison was born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma on 1st March 1914. He was born to Ida Millsap and Lewis Alfred Ellison and had a brother Herbert Millsap Ellison. In his initial years Ellison and his family had to deal with difficult times. In 1965, Ellison received the honor of his book Invisible Man being declared the most important novel since the end of WW11 by survey of 200 prominent literary figures.

HOMEWORKRead Postmodern Manifestos 400-17Post #20 QHQ on one of the following: Sukenick Gass Thompson OlsonOHara Bishop Ammons Lorde Read Ralph Ellison, The Prologue, and Battle Royal from Invisible Man. 206-224Post #21 Choose oneWhat does the reader know about the narrator solely on the basis of the Prologue? Explain both what he reveals about himself explicitly and what inferences can be drawn, justifying your findings as you go along.Why would the audience listening to the narrators speech have reacted so strongly to the narrators mistake? Discuss the implications of his slip of the tongue.QHQ