The 8th Block.: 24-hour countdown to Spring Break.

3.12.2008

24-hour countdown to Spring Break.

But before that...

Complete your Catcher essay final draft. Submit it via Turn It In by 4pm Friday. Our class ID is 2220665 (not the previously posted 220665!) and the password, for obvious reasons, is phony. See Sherf if you do not have a turnitin account and need help setting one up. If you had difficulty with Turn It In last night, please resubmit your essay (even if you've since emailed me your final draft), as the issue is now resolved. For your convenience, I'll have a few laptops available in class today so that you can do this.
Catcher quiz #2 is Friday. See Study guide.
Turn in your Catcher book for an annotations check before you leave for Spring Break.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...: Patrick-
I tried to do the Turnitincom turn in, but as I tried to enroll in this class it said "We are unable to locate this class. Please contact your instructor." So here's a heads up for why some if not all of us will be unable to make the online submission deadline.

Christopher; March 13, 2008 at 8:47 PM
Anonymous said...: I had the same problem. Bummer. =(
-Shaina; March 13, 2008 at 9:39 PM
Anonymous said...: same here.
-tyler; March 13, 2008 at 10:30 PM
—pb. said...: Thanks for the heads up. Problem fixed.; March 14, 2008 at 6:36 AM

John Wins Last Bonus Opp Ever.

Congrats to John, who was the first student to email me the correct answer to how the answers to the "total number of pages read" poll below were strategically picked.

His answer was as follows:

All of these are years. 2008 is our current year, 1984 is the year you were born*, 1812 is for the war of 1812, 1776 is the declaration of independance, and 1492 is the year columbus sailed the ocean blue! These also have to do with American dates, as the course is "American Lit."

* Actually, I was born in 1981. But four outta five ain't bad. Especially in baseball. Which this isn't. But still . . .

The Truth about Bright Eyes.

The band name "Bright Eyes" was taken from Charlton Heston's character's nickname in Planet of the Apes, not Daisy's character description in The Great Gatsby. Sorry to disappoint.

"I looked back at my cousin who began to ask me questions in her low, thrilling voice. It was the kind of voice that the ear follows up and down as if each speech is an arrangement of notes that will never be played again. Her face was sad and lovely with bright things in it, bright eyes and a bright, passionate mouth . . ." (Fitzgerald, 13-14).

Lessons in Literature.

One: Everything in literature is intentional. Even when it’s not, it is. That said, not all things mean more than what they initially seem. But it might. Sometimes a hat is just a hat. Other times, though, a hat is Holden’s red hunting hat. Take Away: As readers, we must assume that writers know what they’re doing and have done it intentionally.

Addendum A: Rain always means something. Always.
Addendum B: Names do, too. Like Esperanza, Gatsby, and Daisy. Holden, too.
Addendum C: Mangoes and other exotic fruits always mean a very specific thing. But we’re not going to go there. Not yet…
Addendum D: Trees always mean things, especially ones bearing fruit.

Two: By direction, find indirection. Revision. Revision. Revision. A piece of writing is never completed, only abandoned. Take Away: Writing is a process. When you think you’re done, you’re probably not; there’s always more work to do.

Three: Literature is full of contradictions, paradoxes, oxymorons, and ironies. So, too, is life. This doesn't make one thing right and the other thing wrong. Both can exist and be in simultaneous harmony and tension. Take away: It's all about perspective.

Four: Every interpretation is not correct. Without substantial textual support and a clearly articulated, rational analysis, an interpretation is only as good as a guess. Back up your opinion. Validate it. Take Away: Take us there.

The 8th Block.

3.12.2008

24-hour countdown to Spring Break.

4 comments:

John Wins Last Bonus Opp Ever.

Photo Feature: Uncle Rico.

The Truth about Bright Eyes.

In Rotation: Selected 07-08 Highlights.

Lessons in Literature.

Recent Class Documents.

Online Resources & External Links.

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