Blog Post #12 - Making Connections to "The Lottery"

Assignment: This is an exercise in providing proof for claims/assertions. In this case, I'm going to take the pressure off you, a little bit at least. You need not come up with a theme or subject matter. For the sake of this post, I want you to begin with ONE of these themes:


a - The 'tribal' nature of any small community.

b- The need that all human beings have to feel in 'control' of what they
perceive to be an essentially hostile environment (universe).

c- The concepts of magic and superstition and their place in society.

d- The concept that it can be acceptable to require the individual to
sacrifice for the greater good.

e- 'stoning'

f- Man's ability (and need) to rationalise generally unacceptable actions.

Begin your post by introducing the author, the name of the short story, and the premise theme you've chosen from above. Then enter to a discussion about how this theme is present, not only in the short story but also in present society. Turn the theme into a thesis. Make it arguable. Then provide textual evidence for your assertions. Likewise, provide specific examples from society (pop culture or your family or school or neighborhood sphere) that seem to serve as proof for your belief.

Aim length-wise for the equivalent to a 1-page double-spaced "P" assignment.

Note:  There should be no need for outside research. Your ability to complete this blog entry really requires only your textbook and your ability to mine your personal experience and/or observation.

Blog Post #11 - What would this character's Facebook page look like?

Assignment:  For the sake of this blog post, I'd like you to do some thinking about the main characters in "The Story of an Hour" or "the Yellow Wallpaper."  What do you know about their hopes, dreams, fears, interests, hobbies, friendships, etc.? If they were alive during our modern times and were hip to social media, what would their Facebook pages look like? For either of the main characters (choose ONE), complete the following activities:

1. In character, create at least ten (10) mock Facebook posts. What would this character likely announce to her friends on Facebook? Related: Who would she be friends with? :)
2. Post at least one photo or image or meme you believe this character would post to her Facebook wall.
3. Post at least one link to an article you believe this character would share with Facebook friends. 

If you're wondering what I'm talking about, look at this example: http://ilearntechnology.com/?p=3719

You'll find another example here: http://www.hungergameslessons.com/2011/01/using-facebook-concept-for-modern.html

Note:  I'm not asking you to literally create a profile within Facebook, as it's kind of a hassle to do so. It requires a separate e-mail address, among other things. I'm satisfied with you using your blog entry space to accomplish these goals.

Blog Post #10 - From "Girl" to "Boy"

Assignment: In Jamaica Kincaid's "Girl," we have a story that does not have a conventional structure. We are missing fiction elements like plot, character development, and setting. We have a story featuring all dialogue (though there aren't the conventional markers of dialogue, like indenting with each speaker or quotation marks). The dialogue is primarily spoken by a mother who is delivering advice to her daughter.  It seems that the advice is broken up into:

• homemaking skills (cleaning,cooking, sewing, etc.)
• manners
• morals
• how to carry on relations with the opposite sex
• social conventions
• accusations

Via this mainly one-person dialogue (the daughter is only heard 2 times), we get a sense of the setting, Antigua. We get a sense of the relationship between the mother and daughter. And we get a sense of conflict (whether the daughter is or isn't a slut). There are also plenty of implicit lessons about what it means to be a female within this setting.

For this assignment, I'd like you to write an imitation in which you have a mother or father deliver similar instructions/advice to a son. Rather than Antigua, set your story in the U.S. What sorts of practical skills would a boy need to have? What sorts of manners would his mom/dad call for?  What advice would the mother or father give regarding how to interact with the opposite sex? Finally, I'd like for your set of instructions/advice to have its own hidden conflict. Be sure to have a strand of similar worries that come out in the mother or father's advice.

A successful imitation will give a sense of the setting (is it suburban or rural, big city or small?) A successful imitation will give the reader a sense of the relationship between the parent and the son. A successful imitation will imply lessons about what it means to be a boy or young man in the U.S. in 2013. Finally, it will provide the conflict that is necessary to any piece of fiction.