Paper # 2 topics

Paper Assignment #2

Characterization & Theme
Due Date: Rough Draft due- Wednesday March 31st- mandatory workshop

Please select one topic from the ones listed below. Turn in all your rough work, and put your final draft on top; make sure your final draft is stapled on the top left side.

Your paper must include citations (at least 2) from the LiterActive document library and the short stories you use, and you must provide a Works Cited List using the MLA documentation style provided on your LiterActive Disk.
You may also use any of the YouTube videos I’ve shown during class or any of the articles on the syllabus instead of one of the LiterActive documents as a source.

Failure to cite your sources correctly, and place commas and periods where they belong, will cost you points on your paper grade (since it just takes patience and time; not taking that time shows that you do not care about your work).

Please remember to explain the word choice in the quotations you use and demonstrate the connections you see between the passages you choose and the idea you are proving.

Write simply and straightforwardly.

1. Using one of the following stories to prove that the character who appears most normal and follows mainstream cultural constructs is the one in greatest need of human compassion and transformation. Make sure you provide sufficient evidence for your viewpoint and that you explain your evidence clearly. This essay topic asks you to construct a convincing and persuasive argument that proves something. You may choose to write this on either “Sonny’s Blues” or “Everyday Use.”

2. What do you believe Jean Toomer is trying to teach you through his story “Blood-Burning Moon”? What do you make of Tom Burwell and his choice of action? What do you make of Louisa? Is she really oblivious to what is happening at the end of the story?

3. Discuss the use of music in Baldwin and Toomer. How are jazz and vocal music used in these stories. Please note the different time periods in which these stories were written. The contexts are different, so make sure you differentiate the historical background’s impact upon the use of music in the story.

4. Discuss the similarities between Mrs. Dutta and Sonny’s brother. Why are these similarities significant thematically?

5. What is Walker’s commentary on the value of education in the story “Everyday Use”? What is your evidence. Why would she want to convey that message?

6. Discuss the first sentence of “Mrs. Dutta Writes a Letter” and the amount of information it carries. Show how this one sentence foreshadows so much. Think carefully about the simile. Discuss the importance of the title, particularly the verb. What is so amazing about the result of the writing that it appears in the title? What does this teach you about writing-to-learn as opposed to having your thesis statement before you begin to write?

Paper 2 & Homework for the next two weeks!

Your second paper is due April 5th, 2010

Homework for 3/19:

Pick a paper topic and free write everything you know about the topic, what it is that you want to prove in your paper. Bring this to class on Friday 3/19. We will be having a MANDATORY workshop on Friday. **If you do not have a free write with you, you will receive an "F" for the Homework assignment. If you do not show up to the workshop you will automatically have 5 points deducted from your final paper grade.

Homework for 3/31:

You need to read Toomer's "Blood-burning Man" and also you must bring a complete rough draft of your essay to Wednesday's class as we will be having a MANDATORY peer workshop. Again, If you do not have a rough draft with you, you will receive an "F" for the Homework assignment. If you do not show up to the workshop you will automatically have 5 points deducted from your final paper grade.


If you have any questions about the policy, please feel free to email me or visit me during my office hours.

HAve a good week and spring break!

HW for 3/12

**Mid term Grades are due on Friday- EMAIL me if you have any questions. The grades are based on your in-class writings, quizzes, Homework assignments, Attendance and your participation in class.**


Homework for Friday:

We will be talking about the effect of Music in "Sonny's Blues"

1.) Find specific passages in the text that relate to music and to why music plays such an important role in the story.

2.) Google the history of Jazz music. Try to get a feel for what the movement was/is about? What do you think about when you think of Jazz? Think about this in relation to the title of the story.

Housekeeping notes...

For those that were not in class on Friday 3/5, you can pick up your papers after class on Monday. Re-writes are due on March 17th-no exceptions, everyone must do a revision. If you have any questions on your paper, please feel free to see me in the writing lab during my office hours which have been changed to:

Monday 12-2 Berkshire 106
Wednesday 1-3 Berkshire 106

You also can email me with any questions that you have.

Have a good weekend and Happy reading!

"Sonny's Blues"

**Chose one of the following questions to comment on for your homework assignment. Remember it should be at least 1 page typed, following MLA format** Be prepared to talk about your answers on Wednesday as Dr. Pruss will be visiting our class!
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Consider all the images of darkness in this story; if you list all of them, you will discover Baldwin's development (not a repetition) of a concept here. Which characters are associated with darkness? What does it mean for each character? Do the characters know others' darkness or only their own? Why or why not? Are they isolated? Can you mark a particular moment or certain moments of community in the story? What allows these moments to happen? Contrast the darkness in the story with the image of the "glowing" "cup of trembling." Can you discuss that "glowing" "cup of trembling"?
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Two brothers from one household, one follows a straight and narrow path teaching algebra, and one becomes a heroin addict. One closes himself off from parts of life, and one is totally exposed and vulnerable to the storms and balmy weather the world has to offer. One thinks, "My trouble made his real" -- an important line in the story. Can you speak about this line and the brothers' relationship?