Week 8

Everything speaks. –James Joyce Good day to you all. I hope you had a nice weekend.  *Monday class:  Today we have a choice of two alternate assignments, a film review or a character profile involving a classmate. A Film Review requires the reviewer put across a clear sense of the story being told or dramatized.  The reviewer summarizes  the action  that drives the story forward, and the conflict at the heart of the plot events; the characters whose circumstances and actions we follow throughout;  the setting elements generally and as highlighted by specific scenes; and the play of ideas the film puts in motion.     A review is unified by the reviewer's opinion of the film's merit, including high notes and low notes, the best and the worst, the strengths and the weaknesses.  The introductory paragraph introduces the film by title and director, and year of release.   For example:  Adventureland (2009), written and directed by Greg Mottola, is a lyrical, funny romantic comedy set among a group of eighteen to twentyish suburban kids who work the summer at a down-scale local amusement park, and make their best of the opportunity it allows them to get to know each other, and have some fun. The names of important characters should be introduced, and, if desired, the name of the particular actor playing the role.  A brief summary of the kind of characters and the action they are caught up in in the film is appropriate.  In a short essay, your focus may be limited to one or two characters, with mere mention of others.  The thesis or central idea of the review/essay should be hinted at if not stated outright in the opening lines.  The body paragraphs should illustrate by means of description of key scenes or events, and the ideas and emotions the film encourages one to take from these scenes and events. The conclusion should underscore the reviewer's central idea in a fresh way.  Often this emphasis is created by focusing on the climax and conclusion of the film; however, you may focus on a particular or key image of character, setting, or action to make your thesis clear and convincing. Say you find a film beautiful and romantic in its depiction of the saving nature of love; your conclusion would provide reference to some aspect of the the film's actions, characters, or images overall, to convey the impression you felt most strongly. The Character Profile or study requires you present a "portrait" of an individual.  It includes the individual's background to some degree and a look into their current endeavors, activities, interests, ideas and attitudes.  To put it together involves an interview of sorts, really a two-way exchange in which the pair members dialogue to come up with enough information and first-hand impressions to write the piece. The purpose is to bring to readers a sense of the background, motivation, and personality of the students pursuing specific degrees or career goals, specific skills and interests here at AiFL. It will be a chance to exchange personal interests and ideas with others as you gather the information to present the individual(s) with whom you share class and common pursuits and perhaps personal concerns and lifestyles. I imagine the audience as perhaps students and others in the local community or at other colleges locally or nationally who would be interested to know the experiences, concerns, and interests of college students today and something of college life. So key will be eliciting from your subject individual(s) a sense of the background and personal aims they bring to their school pursuits, and to bring that information to life in the profile.  Some questions to ask to get your subject's story include the following: *What's this experience or period of your life really about? *What is the emotional truth of your life today? What feelings are you working through? What do you feel good about, uncertain about? *How did you get to this point or place in life? *Describe a past or current struggle in some detail to show the kind of challenge you know best. *Who were the important people in your life? How did they influence or shape you? *What are your near and long term goals? We will cover in class how to structure this essay. In brief, it will involve framing your subject to support a certain thesis idea, which the life of your subject will illustrate.   In the introductory paragraph, the writer must say something of the personal impressions your subject makes in a face-to-face meeting. We want readers to feel they are meeting this individual in person; of course the impressions are those you have drawn in meeting and talking with your subject.   The body paragraph(s) will recount history and current endeavors, any conflicts or issues the subject is adressing, and how they are being addressed.   The body material is meant to illustrate  the nature of the personality and character of the individual subject.  Again, the pairs or groups will be talking and exchanging information in an informal flow of give and take as you establish rapport and commonalities and differences. You will take notes on each other, specific background information, career goals, interests, concerns, etcetera, which later you will incorporate into the essay. You will unfold something of the life of your subject to illustrate a point about students or student life today.  Your conclusion will bring the presentation back to the central idea, underscoring it, and providing final comments. You may want to incorporate direct quotation of one or another remark your subject has made, as well, to give some sense of the individual's actual speech or voice. Dialogue or direct quotation is a dramatic device and draws readers into the presence of your subject. You may use present or past tense overall. Bringing a sense of the subject individual's physical presence is a means of creating interest and imaginative appeal. Description of hair, eyes, gestures, clothing, in some brief but telling way will allow readers to actually "see" the subject person as they learn something of the story he or she embodies in the role of student. *Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday classes will meet as discussed for field trips. A reminder: In two weeks we take the final, which is to be an in class essay of 350 words on a topic drawn from a list of topics. By week 1o, you should have submitted all rewrites or past due work, leaving nothing for week 11, except perhaps to retake the final should you not pass it week 10. There will be no rewrites or late work accepted after week 10.				3/1/10	by Doyle Writings	Delete

Week 7

Only within the moment of time represented by the present century has one species -- man -- acquired significant power to alter the nature of his world.

–Rachel Carson

Good morning, good evening. Hope you all have been well since last we met.

Today's classwork focuses on using sources to generate essay ideas and perspectives. There are two basic kinds of sources used in conducting research, primary and secondary. Primary sources are defined as those whose information comes firsthand to the writer or researcher, such as original experiments you conduct, field notes and observations you make, interviews, eyewitness accounts, and works of art or artifacts you examine and evaluate, including photographs and films, sound recordings and historical documents (letters, diaries, records of all sorts, speeches, etc.). Secondary sources are the descriptions, interpretations, and research work and conclusions others have done on a given subject of inquiry, be it a work of art or an artist, natural phenomena such as hurricanes or volcanos, human biology, cancer, etc. News reports, reviews, biographies, encyclopedia articles, among others, fall in this category. Often research projects involve use of both kinds of sources, primary and secondary.

Research is basic to many of our daily activities and decisions. We want to see a movie, a good movie, so we read the reviews of recent releases and make a decision one way or another. We want to buy a new car, computer, whatever, and so we gather information about the products available, learn their relative merits as compared to others in their class, then test run them, try them firsthand before we commit ourselves to a purchase. Your purpose in research is ordinarily defined by your interest in a subject. In college writing, the central goal of research is to develop and show a clear understanding of a particular subject. Perhaps you are asked to explain a problem, and to illustrate measures being taken to address the problem; at last, you find yourself arguing a position or advocating a certain course of action.  Having made a thorough review of the most timely, authoritative literature on your subject, you are, presumably, an expert, and in a position to advance a position or claim and to support it with reference to your various sources.

As a class we'll look at a topic of general interest–civility, in a chapter from a book called Choosing Civility,–which discusses its role in supporting healthy relationships and societies and sample quotations. Your essay assignment involves summary description or definition of a problem, perhaps its causes and/or effects, and the measures being taken to assess and address the problem by those working in the field. Your audience will be your classmates and all those who might justifiably find the subject interesting and important.  Look at a number of  online sources, including photo sources, if you wish, and draw from these the information to make a considered claim about your chosen subject. You must develop your own slant, as with any original essay work.

Assignment (#6):  a 350- word essay on a subject/issue of public concern, with summary overview of one published article and direct quotation of material from the title article.

Directions for assignment #6:  You may work with another classmate, if you wish, to find source material.  To begin, published articles and links may be found by googling the topic keywords.  Look for the most recent and authoritative or reliable of sources.  Summarize the findings reported in the article, identifying key points, observations, descriptions, facts, concerns and questions raised in the article. Briefly describe several of the photo illustrations, if any. Choose one or more textual passages to quote directly to support your summary material. Identify references within the article– to important individuals, organizations, places, key terms– that may serve as additional source material.  Then,  Google these keywords. Share this research work, and share your findings, if working with another student.   Explore what each new source has to offer, even if you have only time for a cursory look or textual scan. Then, individually, each of you must compile a brief essay incorporating the article title and author references, summary and quotation, and your own thoughts on the subject matter.

*Review verb tense and pronoun use.

Week 6

Arranging a bowl of flowers in the morning can give a sense of quiet in a crowded day–like writing a poem or saying a prayer. What matters is that one be for a time inwardly attentive.

–Anne Morrow Lindbergh, b.1906

Good day. I hope you are feeling well, and that you enjoyed yourself over the  weekend.

Today we have several things to do:  review the essay work assigned last– using process description or cause/effect as means of approach and organization;  review the use of conditional and subjunctive verb tense and go on to address some matters of pronoun use; practice use of summary and quotation.  Finally, I will have you write a short essay in class on one of the topics listed below.

. . . . . . .

Midterm essay:  compose a one-paragraph essay of about 200 words. The main idea or topic sentence should be clear. Readers expect you to make a clear point and not to wonder if they have missed something.  If the main idea is stated directly (explicitly) in the essay,  underline it. If it is implicit (i.e. not stated anywhere but clearly implied from all you've written), write it below the finished essay. The bulk of the paragraph should develop the topic idea by means of description, specific details and examples, brief narration, commentary and observation (your thoughts on the matter), and so on.  Provide enough support to carry your point well.  The opening sentence should provide a smooth lead-in and/or statement of the essay's central idea (topic idea). The final sentences should be winding up the discussion to provide a sense of finish. 

To summarize and practice using quotation:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/08/business/08consume.html?pagewanted=3&_r=1&sq=But%20will%20it%20make%20you%20happy&st=cse&scp=1

Title the essay.

Here are the prompts for the essay, with the final one open to your own inclinations. Choose only one of the topics. Remember, you will have one major point to make and support, building the essay around this point (topic or thesis).

1. Walking Home–description and narration.

2. An unwelcome guest–description and narration.

3. A challenging moment–description and narration.

4. A healthy diet–what that means.

5. Going out on a limb–the risks and rewards.

6. An inspiring person or idea.

7. A recent discovery.

8. Any topic you would like to explore in this one-paragraph essay.

I will collect the papers at the end of the class. Do not use the Internet for content in this essay.

Homework Exercise: In a paragraph (or more), you are to explore a hypothetical situation, which will require using the subjunctive mood and conditional (modal) tense forms.  Imagine that you had been born under or into circumstances other than those you were born into; for example, a different place and/or historical era, a different family, a different body (or species), and so on.  Describe what your childhood would have been like, what your present life might be like, and what you imagine happening in your future in these changed circumstances.
     You might start in this way:  Had I been born an only child, instead of being born the fifth child of six, I might have got more attention than I did.  I might have been spoiled!  My parents, particularly my mother, had little time and attention to spare, afterall . . .

Review the class handout and verb tense sequencing here:  http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/601/1/ and here:  http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/539/07/

Week 5

Week 5:  Nearly mid-quarter:   Next week, that is week 6, we will have a short essay to do in class that will serve as the midterm exam. You will compose and finish the piece within class time, and you'll have a least one hour to do so. Your midterm grade will appear in your online account a week or so later; the grade is only an indicator of current progress and serves to let you know where you stand as of midterm. I calculate this grade on the basis of work completed and the class essay done week 6. I expect you all to be there and to have submitted all outstanding work by that day.

Today's class will start with a freewriting aimed, ultimately, at generating material for an essay that is structured along the lines of what is called process analysis or, alternately, cause and effect analysis.  

     The process mode of organization is used when explaining how a thing happens or is done or made.  It includes description of the steps, stages, or procedures involved in any natural occurrence or phenomenon, or in any that involve human endeavor.  Such writing addresses the question how?  For example, how do bees find their way to the hive, how does photosynthesis work, how does one change a tire on a steeply ascending road, make a cheesecake or keep houseplants alive and happy? 
     We all, to some degree, understand how things proceed, and can describe the procedures by which things get done or made. We have followed directions and read instructions from a young age and we have learned how to do a thing or two ourselves; in fact, there are certain skills we could actually teach: how to saddle a horse, how to sweep a floor, build a boat or house, sew a hem, design an advertisement, paint with oil colors.  There are certain life experiences we could coach others through; for example, we have all experienced pain, sadness, and loss and so have learned a thing or two about healing, happiness, getting along, starting over.  The stages or steps involved in bettering our health, our outlook, our lives in general always involves a specific method, a means, a process. 

     Cause and effect mode sets out to explore the probable reasons why certain events, actions, or manifestations occur or have occurred, and the effects or consequences of these happenings.  We may explore why we behave in a certain way or the effects of certain kinds of behavior on ourselves and others.  We may explore the sources of our satisfactions, for instance, as causes.  We may look at all manner of natural and social phenomena whose causes or effects interest us.  Why are flowers brightly colored?  Why do birds sing?  Why do young animals play?  Why do humans make war?  What effects do our lifestyle choices have on our environment? And what effects have the  decisions of policy makers (who decide whether, for instance, gay and lesbian couples should be allowed to marry) and powerful corporations (whose industry practices may harm or hurt us)?   Bear in mind, a short paper should be limited to either cause or effect, rather than both.  

Assignment #4: In a step-by-step or stage-by stage description show the means by which some thing or another happens or gets done, made, or developed. Alternatively, discuss the known or probable cause or effect of some particular occurrence, as of disease, pollution, job loss, fame . . . or happiness, kindness, regular exercise and a healthy diet.  Write 350 words, using an introductory, body, and concluding paragraphs. Title the essay. Double space the lines.

A few paragraph examples follow here:

One holds the [surgical] knife as one holds the bow of a cello or a tulip–by the stem. Not palmed nor gripped nor grasped, but lightly, with the tips of the fingers. The knife is not for pressing. It is for drawing across the field of skin. Like a slender fish, it waits, at the ready, then, go! It darts, followed by a fine wake of red. The flesh parts, falling away to yellow globules of fat. Even now, after so many times, I still marvel at its power–cold, gleaming, silent. More, I am still struck with a kind of dread that it is I in whose hand the blade travels, that my hand is its vehicle, that yet again this terrible steel-bellied thing and I have conspired for a most unnatural purpose, the laying open of the body of a human being.

from "The Knife," by Richard Seltzer

Wear loose and comfortable clothing when working out. Because a warmed muscle is believed to be more flexible and pliant, you will often see people wearing sweat suits and woolen socks. You should also be sure to position yourself as comfortably as possible to reduce the tension and make the stretching more enjoyable.                 –from The Science of Stretching, by Michael Alter

When a farmer calls in a cheetah capture, it is CCF's job to retrieve the animal from a field trap, gather biological information, and then relocate or release it. Normally the work is done in the field and not in a farmer's kitchen. Until last night, there had not been a call in a month–proof that that farmers are learning to co-exist with cheetahs rather than to shoot first and ask questions later.

from "Blur: Cheetahs. Ranchers. Hope.," by Susan Zimmerman

For centuries, it was assumed that honey bees simply visited flowers and collected the honey ready-made, bringing it back to the hive and storing it there. The truth of the matter is that honey making is an elaborate and complicated process. The first step is the collection of floral nectar from the gullets of colorful and fragrant blossoms. Floral nectar starts out as sugar water enriched with a few amino acids, proteins, lipids, phenolics, and other chemicals. While it sits in floral ponds, waiting to be sampled by pollinators, the nectar takes on the aroma of the flowers that produced it. Though the scent of the nectar itself is faint, the aromas are intensified once it is concentrated into honey. Excess water is driven off and the complex volatile oils and other chemicals from the flower are magnified, becoming part of the honey and adding to its appeal. Single-source honeys reveal their characteristic aromas best at room temperature, especially when drizzled across a warm piece of toast.

                  —from Secrets of the Bee

     Contemplating our food for a few seconds before eating and eating in mindfulness can bring us much happiness.  In our practice centers, we use the Five Contemplations as a way of reminding ourselves where our food comes from and its purpose.
      The first contemplation is being aware that our food comes directly from the earth and the sky.   It is a gift of the earth and the sky, and also of the people who prepared it.  The second contemplation is about being worthy of the food we eat.  The way to be worthy of our food is to eat mindfully—to be aware of its presence and thankful for having it.  We cannot allow ourselves to get lost in our worries, fears, or anger over the past or the future.  We are there for the food because the food is there for us; it is only fair.  Eat in mindfulness, and you will be worthy of the earth and the sky.
                                        —Thich Nhat Hanh, Happiness

       There are few things humans are more dedicated to than unhappiness.  Had we been places on earth by a malign creator for the exclusive purpose of suffering, we would have good reason to congratulate ourselves on our enthusiastic response to the task.  Reasons to be inconsolable abound:  the frailty of our bodies, the fickleness of love, the insincerities of social life, the compromises of friendship, the deadening effects of habit.  In the face of such persistent ills, we might naturally expect that no event would be awaited with greater anticipation than the moment of our own extinction.
                             —Alain De Botton, How Proust Can Change Your Life

    

      The fundamental pathology of Alzheimer's disease is the progressive degeneration and loss of vast numbers of nerve cells in those portions of the brain's cortex that are associated with the so-called higher functions, such as memory, learning, and judgment.  The severity and nature of the patient's dementia at any given time are proportional to the number and location of cells that have been affected.  The decrease in in nerve-cell population is in itself sufficient to explain the memory loss and other cognitive disabilities, but there is another factor that seems to play a role as well–namely, a marked decrease in acetylcholine, the chemical used by these cells to transmit messages.

                — Sherwin B. Nuland, How We Die

Approaches to take in preparing a draft:

Freewrite:  Make a list of all the things you can do.  Zero in on those you feel most "expert" at doing, or those you are only now learning to do.

Free associate. Imagine the times and places and people these things you do have involved so that you have some context and entertaining anecdotes.

Choose one or two from the list as a possible subject of description in process mode.

Break the process down into its constituent steps or stages.

Brainstorm and/or research the causes or effects of a recent event or habitually observed phenomenon, for example, the Gulf oil leak, obesity, Lindsey Lohan's troubles, freckles, the red-orange hues produced at sunset, the blue of the sky).

Grammar Practice: Review verb work and introduce pronoun use guidelines for practice.

Do the following exercise/practice work:

http://owl.english.purdue.edu/exercises/2/22/49

Review the material on pronoun use here:

http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/595/01/

and here: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/595/02/

Week 4

Renew thyself completely each day; do it again, and again, and forever again.

–Chinese Inscription Cited by Thoreau in Walden

The places we remember from the past, those we see right before us, or those we see in looking into the future– the real and imagined landscapes of our journeys– these are our subject today. What was it like to be there? What did we see? hear? touch? smell? taste? feel? Were we in a mansion, on a mountain, walking a boulevard or navigating narrow city streets? Were we in Morocco or Miami? Was our neighborhood a place where kids played in the street and dogs barked excitedly, where sometimes the flood waters rose to knee height and frogs and snakes made wild companions? Did folks sit on the porch, or did they live behind privacy gates and drive fancy cars? Can you describe your home of homes? And how does it compare to other homes, other places? What makes the place distinct? What gives it character? What kinds of life, what kinds of people and things and what jobs does one find there? If you consulted a map, what would the map reveal or tell?

Writing about place may take the form of a travel journal or memoir; or it may be a guide to those seeking to discover some part of the world from an armchair at home or in advance of making an actual visit. Often people write about the landscapes or cityscapes that they have come to love through long connection. We may become seemingly indifferent to where we live, no longer noticing the particulars, the everyday features and patterns. Sometimes we have to go away to start seeing the world around us. We are nonetheless surrounded by objects; the elemental trees, clouds, sky, rocks, rivers, and fields; and the constructed world of houses, classrooms, malls, towns, and roadways with all that lies beside.

The following excerpt is from Mark Twain's Autobiography:  

    As I have said, I spent some time of every year at the farm until I was twelve or thirteen years old.  The life which I led there with my cousins was full of charm, and so is the memory of it yet.  I can call back the solemn twilight and mystery of the deep woods, the earthy smells , the faint odors of the wild flowers, the sheen of rain-washed foliage, the rattling clatter of drops when the wind shook the trees, the far-off hammering of woodpeckers and the muffled drumming of wood pheasants in the remoteness of the forest, the snapshot glimpses of disturbed wild creatures scurrying through the grass–I can call it all back and make it as real as it ever was, and as blessed.  I can call back the prairie, and its loneliness and peace, and a vast hawk hanging motionless in the sky, with his wings spread wide and the blue of the vault showing through the fringe of their end feathers.  I can see the woods in their autumn dress, the oaks purple, the hickories washed with gold, the maples and the sumachs luminous with crimson fires, and I can hear the rustle make by the fallen leaves as we plowed through them. . . .

Writing Assignment (#3): Writing about place means bringing to a reader's mind the particular aspects that define the essence of your subject place or setting. We stand on whatever ground, sit on whatever chair, stroll whatever paths or sidewalks, swim the river or climb that tree, eat those berries, smell those blossoms, marvel at the moon, swelter in the heat and the dust of late summer, or shiver in the icy blasts that make street corners formidable. In 350 words or more, conjure a precise and compelling portrait of a place you know well. You may adopt a stationary or fixed observer perspective, or you may opt for that of the moving observer. Underline your thesis idea if it is stated, or type it out at the bottom of the page if it is implicit (clearly suggested but nowhere actually stated).

Title the essay. Double space the lines and tab indent for each paragraph.

Topic Suggestions:

Describe a place where you found or find refuge, a sense of peace and well-being.

Describe a place you find stimulating in some specific way or ways.

Describe the neighborhood you grew up in and the influence it had on you.

Describe a scene that is one you have come to know familiarly and the effect it has on you.

Grammar Work: Verb conjugations, tense forms and usage. Review the material on verb forms and use at the following URLs: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/exercises/2/22, http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/539/07/, and http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/599/1/.

Exercise: Revise the opening two paragraphs of "Coming Home" (handout) by changing the past tense construction of the original to present tense.