Fall 2001
Dr. R. Nordquist
Victor Hall 1-10
(912) 921 5991
nordquist@mail.com  

ASSIGNMENTS

BULLETIN BOARD

EXAMS

HOME PAGE

HONOR CODE

NEWS

NORDQUIST

NOTES

PROJECTS

REGENTS' TEST

RESEARCH

RESOURCES

STUDENTS' PAGES

SYLLABUS

WRITERLY ADVICE

Advice to Students


American Heritage Dictionary, 4th ed.

NOTES ARCHIVE

Weeks 1-5 (fall 2001)

Week Five
September 18 (Tuesday): PREVIEW
--This afternoon we'll consider the strengths and weakness of the three sample essays on "Miss Brill" (see Postscript for Sep. 13, below), and begin discussing how to organize our own notes for Project #1 into rough drafts.  I'll also give you a guide to formatting your essay.
--As you work on your essay, please feel free to set an appointment (921 5991) to meet with me to review your progress (I've left late Wednesday afternoon and Wednesday evening free this week for such appointments).   Also, you may e-mail me (at nordquist@mail.com) your drafts (even if it's just a single rough paragraph you'd like me to have a look at it).  I'll try my best to get back to you within 24 hours.
--Today we'll also begin discussing the four short stories assigned for this week (see ASSIGNMENTS for Sep. 18), all falling under the broad theme of "fear and loathing."  Fans of Stephen King may get a kick out of this high school student's comparison of King of Poe, while fans of Poe may find some materials of interest at the Poe Society of Baltimore web site and the online House of Usher.  Shirley Jackson, the other author we're reading this week, also has numerous online fans: see The Haunted World of Shirley Jackson and The Works of Shirle Jackson.   One of Jackson's novels, btw, was turned into the unfortunate 1999 film The Haunting.  

Week Four
September 13 (Thursday): POSTSCRIPT
--Following the quiz, we discussed Project #1 (deadline moved to Tuesday, Sep. 25), and I emphasized the importance of (1) reading and re-reading (many times), (2) asking and answering questions (those provided in the text and online as well as your own); and (3) jotting down lots of notes--the "show me" and the "so what" that will serve as the raw materials for your critical essay.  In other words, don't worry too much about how to organize your ideas and supporting details until you've first come up with plenty of ideas and supporting details.  (We'll talk about organization in next week's classes.)  I also handed out the short story "Miss Brill" and three sample essays.  After you've had a chance over the weekend to study the story and the sample essays, we'll discuss (in Tuesday's class) why each received the grade that it did. 
--This afternoon, we also discussed Ralph Ellison's "Battle Royal."  (See notes for Sep. 11 Preview, below.)  

Week Four
September 11 (Tuesday): PREVIEW
--The major reading for this Tuesday, "Battle Royal," in fact serves as the first chapter of Ralph Ellison's well-known novel Invisible Man (published in 1952).   You may be interested in reading this brief sketch of Ellison's life and this short summary of the entire novel.   As you read and re-read "Battle Royal," consider these discussion questions (prepared by an instructor in Denmark).  Also, consider how "Battle Royal" might be compared with one or more of the other adolescent "epiphany" stories that we read for last week.  And here's your literary term for the day (a German word): bildungsroman.  
--Don't forget that the quick quiz on Tuesday (not Thursday) will also consider two other short stories: "The Story of an Hour" (32) and "Magic" (108).   As you re-read "The Story of an Hour," look for evidence of foreshadowing and be prepared to discuss the story's ironies.  
--Before Tuesday's class, make sure that you've carefully read the guidelines and topics for our first writing project (hard copies of the assignment are available in the box outside my office).   We'll discuss some of the strategies involved in composing an effective critical essay, and we'll examine some sample student essays--one good paper, one mediocre paper, and one extremely weak paper.   As we've already noted, writing a good critical essay begins with thoughtful reading and re-reading of the works you intend to write about.   Consider this online Guide to Critical Reading, prepared by Professor John Lye at Brock University in Ontario, Canada. 

Week Three
September 6 (Thursday): POSTSCRIPT
--One more note on the Regents' Test: though as a class (and probably without notice), we'll all be writing a practice Regents' Test essay this term (which I'll evaluate as such and return to you with comments), I encourage you to practice on your own.  I'll be happy to provide feedback on anything you write.  (Simply pick a topic from this list, and give it your best shot in an hour.) 

--Results of this afternoon's quick content quiz will be posted here by this Sunday evening (Sep. 9). 

--The Progress Check quiz we took this afternoon should not demoralize those who have been studying hard--nor should it offer any comfort to those who haven't kept up with all assignments, taken notes, and/or studied the information posted to this web site.  Decide for yourself which of the following categories you fall into:
(1) If you scored nine or ten correct answers, you're in perfect shape for this stage of the term, and you're well-prepared to do a superior job on the first essay.   Keep it up.
(2) If you scored five or better, you're probably doing a number of things right--but I encourage you (before you hunker down to work on the first essay) to spend more time reviewing the various literary terms identified in class, in our text, and in these notes.  Don't hesitate to set an appointment to meet with me if you want some advice on how you might study more effectively.
(3) If you scored fewer than five correct answers and you think you have been studying hard, I invite (and strongly encourage you) to set an appointment so that we can talk about more effective ways of reading, note-taking, and studying.    Don't be shy.
(4)  Finally, if you scored fewer than five correct answers (particularly if you managed just one or two correct answers) and you know that you haven't kept up with the discussions, readings, and assignments, let this brief quiz serve as an epiphany of sorts: you're already failing the course, and you don't have a grasp of the basic information needed for our work over the next 12 weeks.  Before squandering any more time, I urge you to decide  either to (a) catch up fast and hunker down to work (see #1 and #2 above--particularly the encouragements to meet with me), or (b) drop the class now so that you can focus your energies on other responsibilities, and then re-take ENGL 1102 another term when you're not so burdened.  Take the weekend to think it over.  

--External and internal conflicts. This afternoon we considered how each of the adolescents in our four short stories was in conflict (or at least could be perceived to be in conflict) with the conventional values of his or her community--and we also considered how each of these apparent external conflicts mirrored--or perhaps momentarily distracted from--more profound internal conflicts.  In three of the stories, we saw how these conflicts related to an ancient species of agonizing, unrequited romantic love--i.e., the sort of dangerous, often self-destructive passion that may be based more on jealousy, fantasy, frustration, and/or obsession than on any genuine feelings of affection.  (The links in the previous sentence are entirely optional--for those with a particular interest either in the topic or in one or more of the stories assigned for this week.)  

In the one exception, "Young Goodman Brown," we discussed how the protagonist himself ended up committing the "unpardonable sin" of sacrificing faith, hope, and charity.   (In his short story "Ethan Brand," Hawthorne's character defines the "Unpardonable Sin" as "a sin that grew within my own breast. A sin that grew no where else!  The sin of an intellect that triumphed over the sense of brotherhood with man and reverence for God, and sacrificed everything to its own might claims!")  In Tuesday's class, before moving on to "Battle Royal" (and our content quiz), we'll consider the conclusion to "An Ounce of Cure" and review the various epiphanies experienced by the four characters studied this week.

Week Three
September 4 (Tuesday): POSTSCRIPT
--For information about the Regents' Test (sample reading and essay tests, tips on taking the exam, lists of essay topics), please check out the links on this Regents' Test Page.  Remember, if you want to sign up to take the test this semester (and get the darn thing out of the way), simply stop by the Student Affairs offices on the second floor of the MCC union/cafeteria building.
--This afternoon, after comparing the endings of "The Lesson" and "Bad Characters" (one of them open-ended, leaving the reader to ponder along with Sylvia how her perceptions of the society beyond her neighborhood might be changing; the other more conventional, wrapping up loose ends and suggesting, in so many words, that Emily lived fairly happily--or at least less rebelliously--ever after), we compared the opening paragraphs of "Young Goodman Brown" and "A&P."  In each case, details of the setting help to create a mood or atmosphere and suggest qualities of character.   On Thursday we'll continue our discussion of these stories--after taking the quick quiz.  We'll also begin work on our first writing project.  Make sure you've perused the PREVIEWS (directly below) for the stories we're discussing this week.

Week Three (Sep. 4 & 6): PREVIEWS
As noted on the ASSIGNMENTS page, this week's theme is "Epiphanies of Adolescence."  Be sure to check out this literary definition of epiphany, with some brief examples. 

HAWTHORNE's "Young Goodman Brown" (341)
Published in 1828, "Young Goodman Brown" is set about 140 years earlier in the Puritan community of Salem (which also happened to be Hawthorne's birthplace).   Similarly, Hawthorne's most famous novel--The Scarlet Letter--is set in Puritan Boston during the mid-17th century.  To fully appreciate Hawthorne's allegorical tale (check out this definition of allegory), it helps to have at least a basic understanding of Puritan beliefs: please look at this brief discussion of Puritanism (but beware of the unfortunate grammatical errors).  It also helps to be aware of Salem's reputation for witchery and witch-burning (here's a quick chronology of the Salem Witch Trials of 1692).   Finally, you might want to check out this brief biographical sketch of Hawthorne at Bartleby.com. 
When you re-read "Young Goodman Brown," be guided by these thought-provoking discussion questions posted by Dr. Sharon Felton.

JAMES JOYCE, "Araby" (81)
First published in 1914 as the first story in a collection titled Dubliners, "Araby"--like "Young Goodman Brown"--also depends on some familiarity with a religion (in this case, the Roman Catholic religion) and a place (late-nineteenth-century Ireland).   Wallace Gray's Notes on "Araby" should help you to better understand the many religious and local references in the story--but don't feel compelled to accept all of Gray's interpretations.   In addition to considering the "Questions for Reflection" in our text (p. 85), you might want to give some thought to the Questions for Discussion (at the Literary Link).  Also, be sure that you understand what the term imagery refers to--particularly as it applies to Joyce's short story.  Here's a short online discussion of imagery (at Dr. K. S. Miles' course site).  Finally, after you've spent some time reading, re-reading, and thinking about "Araby," you might want to skim these excerpts from sample essays analyzing "Araby"--keeping in mind that some of the essays are wiser than others.

JOHN UPDIKE, "A&P" (26)
--Additional study questions on John Updike's "A&P."
--A brief overview of John Updike's life and career.
--A critical analysis of Updike's "A&P," by Toni Saldivar.  (Read this analysis only after you have read and enjoyed the story itself--and don't presume that you have to agree with everything in this critical article or in any other.)

ALICE MUNRO, "An Ounce of Cure" (593)
You may be interested in reading this biographical sketch of author Alice Munro.  The first part of this "biocritical essay" on Munro may also prove interesting, particularly as it recounts Munro's feelings of being an "outsider" during her childhood and adolescence.  To what extent does the narrator of "An Ounce of Cure" appear to resemble the version of young Alice Munro that appears in this essay? 

After you've read and thought about all four stories, go back and read just the final two paragraphs of each story; then, (a) try to define the epiphany experienced by each character, and (b) consider how these various epiphanies differ from one another--and how, in some ways, they may also be similar.  I'll ask you to discuss your responses this week in class.

Week Two
August 30 (Thursday): POSTSCRIPT
--In our discussion of "A Study of Reading Habits," we considered the difference between the speaker or narrator (i.e., the I) of a poem and the person who actually wrote the poem.  The boy who describes his reading  experiences in Larkin's poem is a character (much like Sylvia in "The Lesson" is a character),  and the attitudes he expresses may be quite different from the attitudes of Larkin himself.  Put another way, the "I" on the page is just a textual version of a person, who may--or may not--have qualities in common with the poet (or author). 

We also considered how the contrast between the boy's fantasy life (through his readings) and his everyday life are brought out through some carefully chosen words, such as "cured," "ripping," and "clubbed."  One of the themes raised by the poem--the difference between reading to escape life and reading to help understand and experience  life--is a thought we'll be returning to throughout the term.

--Our textbook provides some worthwhile commentary about Roethke's poem "My Papa's Waltz."   Among other things, we considered how the tensions in the poem--alternating between exuberance and fear--are conveyed by words with distinctive connotations.   

--We saw how Soto's "Behind Grandma's House" depends heavily for its effects on strong verbs--including the grandma's almost cartoon-like delivery in the last line.

--We used Wasserstein's "Tender Offer" as an occasion to consider some of the differences and similarities between drama and fiction, and then spent some time looking at the almost ritualistic manipulations of both father and daughter in the play. 

--Finally, we returned to "The Lesson" to consider how all of the superficial conflicts that Sylvia partakes in give way at the end to a larger sense of social conflict--and Sylvia's determined response, "But ain't nobody gonna beat me at nuthin."   We returned to "Bad Characters" to consider how the story's climax is foreshadowed in the first few pages--and how her self-characterization as a "bad character" proves to be ironic.   Of all the works read for this week, perhaps the most immediate and sympathetic expression of the powerlessness of children is dramatized in "Eleven," where Rachel's perceptive analogies and similes illustrate the depth of her perceptions and the nature of her pain. 


Week Two
August 28 (Tuesday): POSTSCRIPT
August 30 (Thursday): PREVIEW
After a brief self-evaluation and a check on who had completed the e-mail assignment due Sunday, we considered the various  points of view (see below, Week One POSTSCRIPTS) available to writers and compared the methods of self-characterization used in "Bad Characters" and "The Lesson."  In addition, we briefly considered how setting may contribute to our understanding of characters, and how foil characters may be used to set off or accentuate (usually through contrast) certain traits in a main character.  On Thursday, we'll return to all three stories as well as the short play to consider the differences between plot and theme (see below, Week Two PREVIEWS).   And then we'll focus on some of the word choices (diction) made by the three poets whose short poems we've read (and re-read--perhaps several times) for this week. 

Also on Thursday, we'll have our first quick quiz (11 questions, which will take the form of the questions on the Syllabus Quiz below--Week One)--i.e., some multiple choice, some fill-in-the-blank, and others calling for short (usually one sentence) answers.  For the stories and the play, know the who, what, where, when, why, and how--i.e., the details in the narratives.  In "Bad Characters," for instance, be prepared to explain (in just a few words) who Virgil Meade is, what store serves as the scene of the crime at the end of the story, and/or  what season of the year it is when the crime occurs.  For the poems, pay close attention to the particular words used by the poet.  For example, be able to recognize that in "My Papa's Waltz," the verb in the last line is "clinging"--not "clutching," hanging on," "stuck," or "attached." 

Week Two (Aug. 28 & 30): PREVIEWS
Notes and study questions on the short stories, poems, and short play assigned for this week appear below.  First, the short stories:

"Bad Characters," by Jean Stafford (460)
(1)  Though the story is told from first-person point of view, the opening paragraphs make clear that the narrator is recalling events that happened to a significantly younger version of herself.  How might this story have been different if it had been told exclusively from the point of view of the eleven-year-old Emily?
(2)  What function does "Old Muff" serve in this story?
(3)  Why do you think Emily is attracted to Lottie Jump?
(4)  What would you say is "the lesson" that Emily learned?

"The Lesson," by Toni Cade Bambara (499)
(1)  In this story we see the uptown children through their own eyes.  How does point of view shape the story as a whole?  What do particular details in the story reveal about their behavior, their thinking, their sense of humor? 
(2) What are some of the distinctive features of the language used by the narrator and her friends?
(3) How is Miss Moore introduced to the reader?  How do you feel about her at the beginning of the story?  How does her role change in the story?  Does your estimate of her change?
(4) The story reaches a turning point when the group comes to the store.   What theme becomes overt at this point?  (In other words, what is the "lesson" promised in the title?)
(5)  Where does the story go after the climactic episode in the toy store?  How does it end?  What does the ending do for the story as a whole?

"Eleven," by Sandra Cisneros (233)
(1) Compare and contrast the narrator of "Eleven" with Emily in "Bad Characters" and Sylvia in "The Lesson."
(2) Compare the opening paragraphs of "Bad Characters," "The Lesson," and "Eleven," and consider how each author employs the first-person point of view in a somewhat different way.

Notes on the three poems assigned for this week appear below. 

"A Study of Reading Habits," by Philip Larkin (p. 1015)
--Quick tips on how to read a poem and (perhaps even) enjoy it:
(1)  Read the poem aloud--a couple of times, at least.  Force yourself to s-l-o-w down and listen to the words.
(2)  As you read, don't stop at the end of each line (unless there's a period there): follow the logic (and the grammar) of the poem.  For instance, in Larkin's "A Study of Reading Habits," we find three stanzas, each dealing with a different stage in the speaker's life.  And although each stanza contains six lines, notice that the six lines in the first stanza add up to just a single sentence.  Written as prose, the stanza would read, "When getting my nose in a book cured most things short of school, It was worth ruining my eyes to know I could still keep cool, and deal out the old right hook to dirty dogs twice my size."  If we follow the syntax of the poem, we realize that the only time this boy "could still keep cool" is when his "nose" was "in a book."  What does this suggest about the boy's life--both his fantasy life and his real life?
(3)  Pay particular attention to any unusual words--or to any common words used in an unusual way.  (And if you're uncertain of a word's meaning, be sure to look it up.)  In the first stanza of Larkin's poem, for example, consider what the verb "cured" suggests about the boy's attitude toward his everyday life. 
(4)  Ask yourself, "Who's the speaker of this poem"--and don't presume the speaker is identical to the poet.  In "A Study of Reading Habits," the speaker takes us from his childhood to the present day, where he concludes that it's now better to get drunk ("Get stewed") than to read.   What sort of reader was this character--and why do you think he now believes that "Books are a load of crap"?  (Larkin himself, by the way, was both a poet and a librarian in England: the sentiments his speaker expresses are unlikely his own.)

"My Papa's Waltz," by Theodore Roethke (p. 680)
--Denotation and Connotation
After you've read Roethke's poem (aloud) two or three times, have a look at the editor's comments on pages 680-81--and then read the discussion of denotation and connotation on pages 695-96, particularly as those fundamental concepts apply to the language of "My Papa's Waltz."  Additional examples of these key terms appear at this semiotics site,  this "culture shock" page, and in this online slideshow for an English class.  By Tuesday's class, be prepared to discuss and apply the terms denotation and connotation.  (To hear Roethke read his own poem, go to this Academy of American Poets page and click on "Hear it." )

"Behind Grandma's House,"   by Gary Soto (p. 1105)
--Be prepared to compare and contrast the speaker in this poem with the one in "A Study of Reading Habits." 

Notes on the short play assigned for this week appear below.

"Tender Offer," by Wendy Wasserstein (p. 1970)
(1) The editor's introduction on page 1970 describes "Tender Offer" as a play that "captures the relationship between a father and his teen-age daughter."   However, in her opening line of description the playwright describes Lisa as "a girl of around nine."  As you read the play, how old does Lisa's character appear to be to you?
(2) Using this play as an example, consider some of the ways in which short stories and plays are similar in what they provide to readers (and playgoers), and some of the ways they are different.
(3) One of the questions following the play asks you to define the theme of the play.  Be sure you know what theme means (pages 85-86; pages 1198-1200) and how it differs from plot (pages 43-45).  Check out this brief discussion of "What Is Theme and Why Is It Important?"--and then try to articulate the theme of "Tender Offer."

Week One (Aug. 21 & 23): POSTSCRIPTS
--Make sure that you've read the syllabus carefully and that you understand it.  You might test your understanding by taking this brief quiz:

(4) How and when can you schedule an appointment to see me?

(5) Explain what "class attendance" means, according to the syllabus, and why it's therefore not necessary for you to remind me at the end of class if you showed up for class after the roll was taken?

Answers to these questions can be found on the syllabus. 

--After reading pages 1-10 in Literature, we should be thinking about some of the qualities and conventions that distinguish short stories, poems, and plays--and the different kinds of experiences they may provide. 

--In our discussion of conflict as a key element in the structure of most literary (as well as non-literary) works, we viewed the diner scene from Jack Nicholson's 1970 movie Five Easy Pieces (the film is reviewed and the dialogue of the diner scene reprinted at www.filmsite.org/five.html ).    The particular nature of a conflict may, of course, differ according to the point of view (a literary term defined on page 2168 of our text and discussed in more detail on pages 71-73).   Btw, both the Nicholson character and the waitress in the diner scene refer to signs--another literary term (similar to symbol) that we'll find ourselves using this term.  You might want to have a look at the short poem titled "Signs" (by Gertrude Schnackenberg)  on page 1102 of our text. 

[Unless I indicate otherwise, you're not required to study--or even look at--recommended works that I mention in these notes.  Some recommendations--such as the reference above to the poem "Signs"--are intended to help you understand certain concepts introduced in the course.  Others--such as the links below to Paul Laurence Dunbar web sites--are for those students who might be interested in learning more about a particular author or a particularly literary work.]

--In two extremely different works--the scene in Prof. Mixalot's English class from the film Blondie Goes to College and the expression of pain in Paul Laurence Dunbar's poem "We wear the mask" (1010)--we considered how conflict may be internal as well as external.  (Some critical comments on "We wear the mask"  appear at  www.english.uiuc.edu/maps/poets/a_f/dunbar/mask.htm , and a large collection of Dunbar's poetry appears at the Paul Laurence Dunbar Library site:  www.libraries.wright.edu/dunbar/   .) 

--I encourage you to begin developing your own concise glossary of key literary terms, such as those introduced today in our discussions of "The Little Man Who Wasn't There," "Western Wind" (693), and the excerpt from Ecclesiastes (792).  (At this last web site, click on "music" to hear the Byrds' rendition--"Turn, Turn, Turn"--of Pete Seeger's adaptation of the passage from Ecclesiastes--pp. 792-793.)  These terms include alliteration, antithesis, apostrophe, metaphor, rhyme, and simile.    (Be sure to take advantage of the glossary at the back of our textbook--pages 2161-2170; an extensive online glossary of terms--far more than you'll need to know for ENGL 1102--appears at my Rhetoric course site.)