HLHprojects

E N G L I S H 2100H
honors literature & humanities

project 1

return to PROJECTS

NOTE: If you experience any problems printing out this project sheet, pick up a hard copy from the box outside my office.

PROJECT #1

DUE: No later than 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday, September 18.
(Drop your pocket folder in the ENGL 2100H box outside my office.)

Your assignment is to compose a thoughtful, well-supported, clearly organized, rhetorically effective, and grammatically sound response to one of the six topics below.

A FEW TIPS
Get an early start. Review your class notes and the notes on our web site. Read--and re-read--the texts you'll be working with. Find specific details ("Show me") that support your main ideas ("So what?"). Get something on paper--no matter how sloppy and disorganized it may be at first. If you can't come up with an introduction, don't wait for inspiration: jump into the middle. Keep in mind that you're writing for someone who has already read the tales: don't summarize. You're not required to show me a draft--but why not take advantage of the free service? You may drop a draft off at my office or send me one via e-mail: I'll make every effort to return my comments to you within 24 hours. If you wish, you may also schedule an appointment to discuss your draft with me in person. (As always, keep track of the NEWS and NOTES pages on this web site for additional advice regarding all assignments--including this course project and my availability for conferences.) In any case, the last possible day I'll be available to review and comment on drafts is MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 16th. After that, you should be editing and proofreading.

RULES OF THE ROAD
Although I'm not encouraging the use of outside or secondary sources for this project, I'm not forbidding them either. You must, of course, cite any sources (textual or otherwise) that you do rely on. You're more than welcome, of course, to consult with me and with the tutors in the Writing Center for help in organizing your thoughts and revising your paper. If you have any questions about what constitutes an "outside source," please check with me; any violation of this policy will be considered a violation of the AASU Honor Code.

REVISING & EDITING
As you revise your essay, be guided by the format sheet that I'll soon be posting to this course site as well as handing out in class. The final version of your paper must be word processed and must include a self-evaluation, as follows. At the end of your project, respond briefly yet specifically to these three questions:

1. What part of your project do you think is most effective?

2. What part of your project (or which stage in its composition) gave you the most difficulty?

3. What is your overall evaluation of your work for this project?

Projects submitted without a self-evaluation will be considered incomplete and will be graded accordingly.

SUBMITTING YOUR WORK
Submit your project in a pocket folder (make sure that your name is on the outside of the folder) with the final version on top and rough drafts below. An essay submitted without any rough drafts will be treated as a draft and will be returned ungraded. You may drop the folder off in the carton outside my office any time before 6:01 p.m. on Wednesday, September 18.

__________________TOPICS FOR PROJECT #1_________________

1. DISNEY AND FAIRY TALES

Consider the following question and answer posted at the web site of Waldorf HomeSchoolers:

ASK KYTKA

"I read that Fairy Tales are important in the Waldorf curriculum. We own all of the classic Disney films and wanted to know if allowing the children to watch these will cover that part of the lesson."
January 12, 2002

KYTKA's RESPONSE

Oh my Goodness... NO!

First of all, children need to be active; playing, climbing, running... they have no business spending 2 hours watching a movie, of any sort! You may want to visit our media pages to learn more about the damaging effects of watching TV in children of all ages!

Secondly, it is the telling of the tale which is just as important as the tale itself. The modern versions of cartoon and animated characters have changed from the archetypal persons of the tale. I would strongly suggest that you visit our fairytale page to better understand why fairytales are important and for several free on-line tales to get you started as well as a full page of age-appropriate stories with links to purchase if you wish.

In an essay of roughly 1,000 to 1,2000 words, and using the preceding exchange between a parent and Kytka (full name: Kytka Hilmar-Jezek, Phd) as your starting point, closely examine and evaluate what you perceive to be (for better or for worse--or for both) the effects that animated Disney films have had on our perceptions (and on children's perceptions) of "traditional" folk tales, such as "Sleeping Beauty" and "Snow White" (many versions of each tale exist; both tales were collected by the Brothers Grimm); "The Little Mermaid" (from Hans Christian Andersen); and "Cinderella" (from Charles Perrault--and many others). Choose two tales that Disney has animated [which may mean a visit to Blockbusters], and carefully compare and contrast each film version with one or more pre-20th-century text versions. Examine what has been added, omitted, and altered by the movie-makers--and consider what has been gained and/or lost in the process.
_____________________

2. THEMATIC PATTERNS IN FOLK TALES
     AND FAIRY TALES

Our quick study of folk tales and fairy tales from various cultures suggests that certain broad themes tend to recur in different guises: e.g., revenge and/or retribution; the revenge and reward of neglected daughters; the antics of the trickster (a common figure in animal fables); magical transformations; lucky bumpkins; magic helpers; and so on.    In an essay of roughly 1,000 to 1,200 words, choose one theme that particularly interests you, and compare and contrast how that theme is dramatized in at least three different tales from different sources.   (If you choose to write about tales that were not considered in class--and you're more than welcome to do so--please attach copies of those tales to your final essay.)

______________________

3. AN ORIGINAL FOLK TALE OR FAIRY TALE

If you feel inspired by the readings over the past couple of weeks and wish to try your hand at composing an original folk tale or fairy tale, go for it. The tale may be as short as a few pages (say, 600 or 700 words) or significantly longer (as long as you have something to say). Regardless of the length of your original tale, I'd like you to include with it a short essay (about 400-500 words should do the job) in which you reflect on the distinctive qualities of your tale: in what particular ways is it like--and unlike--some of the other stories we've been reading so far this term?

_______________________

4. STAGE A FAIRY TALE

If you have some experience in theater, you're invited to create a working script (complete with stage directions and guides to set design) for a folk tale or fairy tale (or some combination of tales). You may choose just about any tale to work from, whether or not we've studied it in class, as long as it has some inherent dramatic structure and it's of reasonable length (no one-pagers--or The Odyssey). You may find inspiration in Sondheim's Into the Woods (I'll lend you a copy if you're interested), but please don't feel compelled to turn the tale into a musical production. If you decide from the start who your target audience is (primarily youngsters--or adults?), other concerns (such as appropriate tone, language, and pace) should be easier to manage. A cautionary note: a "script" is significantly more than a transcript of the dialogue in a tale: I'm expecting you to rework the tale in some imaginative (and stage-worthy) fashion. You will be evaluated on your creativity as well as on your technical expertise. Will you be required to stage your production for the class? No--but if it's any good you'll be invited to.
[If you choose this topic, I encourage you to consider the advice and the examples in Richard Toscan's online Playwriting Seminars (www.vcu.edu/artweb/playwriting/seminar.html).]
_______________________

5. FAIRY TALES FOR GROWNUPS

Many writers of adult fiction have incorporated distinctive elements and/or echoes of folk tales and fairy tales into their short stories and novels. In class, we've briefly considered three of these authors (Angela Carter, D.H. Lawrence, and Gabriel Garcia Marquez), but there are countless others. Some well-known "fairy tales for grownups" include Franz Kafka's "A Hunger Artist" and "The Metamorphosis"; Nathaniel Hawthorne's "Dr. Heidegger's Experiement," "The Artist of the Beautiful," "The Birthmark," and "The Ambitious Guest"; and Marquez's "The Handsomest Drowned Man in the World: A Tale for Children" (which will be handed out in class on Sep. 5th). In an essay of roughly 1,000 to 1,200 words (and after consulting with me about the stories you're interested in writing about), examine any two "fairy tales for grownups" and discuss how the particular folk or fairy tale elements in each story contribute to our understanding of the story's theme.

______________________

6.   A TOPIC OF YOUR OWN

You may fashion a topic of your own for this project--a topic that has something to do with folk tales and fairy tales. The primary conditions are that (1) you must propose your topic to me via e-mail no later than Thursday, September 12th, and (2) I then have to approve your topic and (if necessary) set some guidelines of my own. If I don't hear from you by September 12, you'll be writing on one of the five assigned topics above.

return to PROJECTS

English 2100H is taught by Dr. Richard Nordquist.
Armstrong Atlantic State University
University Hall 297D
11935 Abercorn Street
Savannah, Georgia 31419
912-921-5991
e-mail: nordquist@mail.com

30 September 2002

All portions of these materials are copyright � 2002 Armstrong Atlantic State University.
Questions? Comments? Suggestions? Please contact us at Armstrong Atlantic State University Web Team