Analyzing Issues in Literature

Quiz
•In “Hills Like White Elephants” where are the two characters?
•In “About Men” give one example of how a real cowboy does not match the popular idea of a cowboy.
•In “Abortion” name one of the possible causes in the decrease of the abortion rate since 2000.
•What is one characteristic of a critical thinker?

What is the Issue?
•The author of a work may want to explore other issues through his/her work
•Fiction doesn’t explicitly state issue or the message about that issue.
•It is up to the reader to identify the issue.
•Where can the issue be found? In the TEXT


Where is the evidence?

•In works such as argumentative essays, the evidence will be clearly presented (Ex. P. 22-28 Thinking Critically)
•In literature, the evidence is not clear, so the reader must draw out from the writing the evidence that indicates the what the issue is and what is being stated about that issue

From Thinking to Writing

•Once you have determined the issue being explored in a work and what is being stated about that issue, you must plan how you will write about the work.
•There are several approaches to writing about literature, but all will involve some argumentation

Argumentation—A Quick Review

•The basic form of argumentation is to make a claim and support that claim with evidence.
•The claim you make will be what you believe an author is stating through his or her work.
•The evidence you use to support your claim will be quotes, paraphrases, or summaries from the text or texts you are writing about.
•Once you have stated the evidence, you must go in depth to explain why that specific evidence led you to your claim


Evidence

•Direct quote—taking the exact words from a text and incorporating them into your essay within quotation marks. Quotes must appear EXACTLY as the original
•Paraphrase—restatement of a section of text in your own words, keeping the order and emphasis the same as the author’s. You will use about the same amount of words as the original.
•Summary—using your own words to condense and state the general idea of a passage of a work. For fiction, you may be asked for a plot summary

Plot
•A plot summary is: A description of the arrangement of the action
•If you are asked to create a plot summary, you will write a description of the history, or chronological order, of the action as it would have appeared in reality.
Summary


Signal Phrase and Parenthetical Citation

•Every quote, summary and paraphrase must be introduced by a signal phrase and followed by a parenthetical citation.
•Signal phrase—indicates that you are moving from your ideas or words to another’s. A signal phrase usually includes the author’s name and is followed by a comma (form may vary according to context). Ex: As James Joyce writes, “…”
•Parenthetical Citation—Following borrowed material, you must state the author’s last name and page number of where that material appears in parentheses. Ex: As James Joyce writes, “…” (Joyce 29).
Note: you may leave the author’s last name out of the parenthetical citation if you have mentioned it in the signal phrase.


Putting it All Together

•Claim: Joyce explores the sexual awakening of a young boy in “Araby”
•Evidence: “I did not know whether I would ever speak to her or not or, if I spoke to her, how I could tell her of my confused adoration. But my body was like a harp and her words and gestures were like fingers running upon the wires” (Joyce 31).

Incorporating Evidence and Commentary

In James Joyce’s “Araby” the sexual awakening of boyhood is explored through the young narrator who obsesses over the sister of one of his friends. He watches her from afar while his obsession steadily grows into a form of love and sexual feelings. These feelings become apparent when Joyce writes, “I did not know whether I would ever speak to her or not or, if I spoke to her, how I could tell her of my confused adoration. But my body was like a harp and her words and gestures were like fingers running upon the wires” (31). This passage indicates the unavoidable monopolization that the first love and sexual attraction have on a pre-pubescent child. Any contact he has with Mangan’s sister feeds his obsession, like the subject of any young boy’s fantasies.

Exemplification

•Use one or more particular cases, or examples, to illustrate or explain a general point or abstract concept.
•Use to explain and clarify, add interest, or to persuade
•Your general statement will be your claim, and you will derive your examples to support your claim from the works we have read

Exemplification Topics

•Find several examples within the text of “Araby” that indicate that James Joyce addresses male sexual awakening through the story.
•What is the decision being made in “Hills Like White Elephants? How does the girl feel about this decision? Find several examples in the text to support your thesis

•In “The Things They Carried,” find several occurrences in the text in which O’Brien lists tangible and intangible items together. Why would he choose to list them together?
•Find several biblical references in “Sweat.” Discuss the relevance of each to the overall theme of the story.

Elements of Fiction-Creating and Achieving Goals

1.Who lived in the house before the current family?
2.Where does the narrator (person telling the story) want to go?
3.Why does he want to go to this place so badly?
4.Does he end up going?
Bonus: Where does the story take place?

Elements of fiction

§Character
§Plot
§Conflict
§Climax
§Conclusion
§Setting
§Point of View

Character

§A fictional personage who acts, appears, or is referred to in a work
A protagonist is the main character in a work. A protagonist usually initiates the main action of the story.
An antagonist opposes the protagonist.

Plot
§The arrangement of the action, what happens
§How an author chooses to construct the plot determines the way the reader experiences the story
§Manipulating the plot can be the author’s most important expressive device

Conflict
§Struggle between opposing forces, such as between two people, between a person and something in nature or society, or between two drives, impulses, or parts of the self (character)
§Generally occurs when some person or thing prevents the protagonist (main character) from achieving his or her intended goal
§Considered an element of plot

Setting
§The time and place of the action in a story, poem, or play
§Can include climate or social, psychological, or spiritual state of the participants

Point of View
§The perspective from which a story is told
§First-person—the narrator is a participant in the action (I)
§Third-person—narrator is non-participant (He, she it)
§Omniscient narrator— “all-knowing”—narrator who has the ability to move freely through the consciousness of any character and a narrator who has complete knowledge of all external events in a story.

Questions to Ask
§While reading a work, you should ask questions about the work to determine the author’s intention
§How is the author using the elements of fiction?
§What does author’s use of the elements of fiction indicate about his/her intention?
§Is there a larger issue being addressed?—social, personal, sexual, etc.
§What is the author’s purpose? Entertain? Persuade? Inform? Incite Action?

Always Ask
§When answering questions, always ask:
WHAT within the text makes you come to the conclusions you do?
vYou will always be asked to support your answers with references to the text

Setting and Achieving Goals
§Process for Short-Term goals
§Two main steps
§Use beyond English 116—once it becomes natural to you, it can help you achieve other goals that may help you achieve your long-term goals


Steps for Short Term Goals

Step 1
a)Identify the short-term goals
b) Rank the goals in order of importance
c)Select the most important goals to focus on
Step 2
a) List all the steps in order in which they should be taken
b) Estimate how much time each step will take
c) Plan the steps in your daily/ weekly schedule

Example Diagram
§Goal: Prepare for biology quiz in two days.
Steps to be taken Time Schedule
1.Photocopy notes 20 min after class
2.Review assign. 2 hrs tonight
3.Make review sheet 1 hr tomorrow
4.Study review sheet 30 min before quiz

Class Schedule

Swan Ashby
English 116-25
Spring 2008
MW 12:00-1:15
Room 431
Email: sashby@swccd.edu
Mailbox: Room 430J

*All scheduled tasks are subject to change according to time or other constraints.

Week 1

1/14: Introduction, discuss syllabus, objective of class, in-class writing activity
HW: Read: Thinking Critically 1-14; complete Thinking Activity 1.2 (1 ½ pages double spaced, 1 inch margins)
Read “Araby” Reading Selections p 29-34

1/16: Quiz, discuss readings
HW: Read: Thinking Critically 15-35
Read: “Hills Like White Elephants” Selections 45-49
Read “About Men” Selections 281-286

Journal: Thinking Critically “Questions for Analysis” #4, p.35 (one full page)

Week 2

1/21: NO CLASS
HW: Read: Thinking Critically 36-48
Read: “Abortion” Selections 253-255

1/23: Quiz, discuss readings, begin Exemplification
HW: Read: Thinking Critically 49-76; complete Question for Analysis #3, p 76 (1 ½ pages double spaced, one inch margins)
Read: “The Things They Carried” Selections 155-170
Choose Topic for Exemplification essay

Journal: Reading Selections “Writing Suggestions” #3 OR #4 p. 256 (one full page)

Week 3

1/28: Continue Exemplification
HW: Read Thinking Critically 109-119
Read “Sweat” Selections143-153
Do TWO prewriting activities for Exemplification Essay

1/30: Quiz, discuss readings
HW: Read: Thinking Critically 120-140; complete Thinking Activity 4.7 p. 136
Read: “Rappaccini’s Daughter” Selections 114-125
Draft TWO pages of Exemplification essay

Journal: Use the general principle “love and power are often in conflict” as a thesis statement and write a short exemplification essay using several examples from “Rappaccini’s Daughter” for support.

Week 4

2/5: Workshop, continue Exemplification
HW: Read: Thinking Critically 141-154
Read: “Rappaccini’s Daughter 126-140
Revise and complete FULL draft of Exemplification

2/7: Quiz, discuss readings, workshop
HW: Read The Vagina Monologues Foreword, Introduction, and 3-21
Revise, proofread, and edit Exemplification

Journal: Write a page on what you think the purpose is of reading The Vagina Monologues. Use
references from the text to support your reasoning

Week 5

2/11: Exemplification Essay Due
Begin Comparison Contrast
HW: Read: The Vagina Monologues 23-58
Read: Thinking Critically 155-164
Choose topic for Comparison Contrast

2/13: Quiz, discuss readings, continue comparison contrast
HW: Read The Vagina Monologues 59-104; write 1 ½ pages (double spaced, 1 inch margins) stating why or why not The Vagina Monologues should be included in college reading. Within your writing, include: What is your reaction to the readings? Have your perceptions about women, sex, vaginas, etc. changed? Did you have any strong emotional reactions? What were those reactions? During your reading, did you ever have to stop reading due to being overwhelmed? If so, at what point in the text did that happen?
Read Thinking Critically 165-173
Do dividing and listing prewriting activity for Comparison Contrast essay (at least ¾ page)

Journal: Thinking Critically Thinking Activity 5.5 p. 173

Week 6

2/18: NO CLASS
HW: Read: Critical Thinking 175-188
Read The Vagina Monologues 105-144
Read: “Sex Lies and Conversation,” Selections 261-268

2/20: Quiz, discuss readings, outlining of comparison contrast
HW: Read Death in Venice, Selections 53-57
Write 1 ½ pages (double spaced, one inch margins) on Thinking Critically “Questions for Analysis” #5 p. 189
Create outline for comparison contrast essay

Journal: Write one page on the question: How much does a man’s professional position determine his overall identity? Answer the same question in relation to women, and compare and contrast the two.

Week 7

2/25: Continue comparison contrast
HW: Read: Thinking Critically 77-88
Read: Death in Venice Selections 58-63
Draft TWO pages of comparison contrast essay

2/27: Quiz, workshop, discuss readings
HW: Read Thinking Critically 89-101, complete Thinking Activity 3.2 p. 101
Read Death in Venice Selections 64-85 (chapter 3)
Revise comparison contrast and finish THREE full pages

Journal: Write a one-page analysis using the following questions as your basis: So far, what problem/s have you identified in Death in Venice? Is the protagonist aware of the problem? What alternatives are there?

Week 8

3/3: Workshop, discussion
HW: Read Thinking Critically 102-107
Read Death in Venice Selections 86-94 (chapter 4)
Revise and finish FULL draft of comparison contrast

3/5: Quiz, workshop, discuss readings
HW: Read Death in Venice Selections 95-114, write a 1 ½ page plot summary
Revise, proofread, and edit comparison contrast

Journal: Thinking Critically “Thinking Passage” p. 105

Week 9

3/11: Comparison Contrast Essay due, review for mid term, discussion
HW: Read Thinking Critically 190-196


3/13: Journals DUE
MID TERM

No Journal Assignment

Week 10
SPRING BREAK

Week 11

3/25: Begin cause and effect, discuss argumentation
HW: Read Thinking Critically 197-214, 236-247
Read “Trifles” Selections 173-183
Choose topic for Cause and Effect and do clustering prewriting activity

3/27: Quiz, discuss readings, continue cause and effect
HW: Read Thinking Critically 215-225, complete Questions for Analysis #4 p. 225
Read “A Doll’s House” Selections 201-221
Outline Cause and Effect

Journal: Write one page based on the following questions: In the play “Trifles”, what evidence do the women find in the farmhouse? What inference does the evidence lead to? Why does the author make the women find the evidence? Why don’t the men find any evidence? Why don’t the women come forward with the evidence?

Week 12

3/31: NO CLASS


4/2: Quiz, discuss readings, continue cause and effect and argumentation
HW: Read Thinking Critically 226-235, complete Thinking Activity 7.1 p. 231
Read “A Doll’s House” Selections 222-237
Draft TWO PAGES of Cause and Effect

Journal: Identify two problems in A Doll’s House. What are the problems? What are the alternatives? What are the possible solutions? What solutions do the characters involved want?

Week 13

4/7: Discuss “A Doll’s House”, workshop
HW: Read Thinking Critically 247-257
Read “A Doll’s House” Selections 238-252
Revise, FINISH drafting cause and effect

4/9: Quiz, workshop
HW: Read Thinking Critically 258-274, complete “Questions for Analysis” #2 OR #3 p. 273 (1 ½ pages double spaced, 1-inch margins)
Read “Why I Want a Wife” Selections 257-259

Journal: Through the play A Doll’s House, what argument could Henrik Ibsen be making about gender roles? What assumptions does he make about his readers? What in the play gives you clues to his assumptions? How does the character Nora represent women and their gender roles?

Week 14

4/14: Cause and Effect essays due
Begin research and argumentation
Read “Gender Identity” Selections 293-297
Choose topic for research/argumentation essay

4/16: Quiz, discuss readings, continue research and argumentation
Read “Fatherless America” Selections 287-291, complete “Writing Suggestions” #1 p. 292
Do TWO prewriting activities for R/A essay

Week 15

4/21: Continue research and argumentation
HW: Read Thinking Critically 275-281
Read “The Beauty Myth” Selections 269-278
Begin outline for R/A essay (one page)

4/23: Quiz, discuss readings, workshop outline
HW: Read Thinking Critically 282-286
Read “Metaphors” Selections 19
Finish FULL outline of R/A essay

Journal: Critical Thinking “Thinking Activity” 8.4 p. 286 (The first two steps should be the journal entry)

Week 16

4/28: Continue research and argumentation, workshop outline
HW: Read “Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers” Selections 1
Draft thesis and three paragraphs of R/A essay

4/30: Quiz, discuss readings, workshop
HW: Read Thinking Critically 287-290; write 1 ½ pages based on Thinking Activity 8.5 p. 290
Read “Cinderella” Selections 3-5
Draft two pages of R/A essay

Journal: Write a page about what “Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers” says about marriage. Analyze the lines of the poem and quote them in your journal entry.

Week 17

5/5: Journals Due
Workshop, discussion
HW: Read Thinking Critically 291-297
Read “Arm Wrestling With My Father” Selections 9-13
Revise, finish FOUR pages of R/A essay

5/7: Quiz, Workshop, discussion
HW: Read Thinking Critically 298-309
Read Selections 15-17
Revise, Finish FULL draft of R/A essay

Journal: Thinking Critically Questions for Analysis #1 p. 310

Week 18

5/12: Workshop
HW: Read Selections 27

5/14: R/A essays due, discussion, review for final
HW: Review for final

Final exam: Monday, May 19 1-3 p.m.

Course Requirements

Course: English 116-25
Instructor: Swan Ashby
Class time: 12-1:15 MW
Room: 431
Instructor email: sashby@swccd.edu
Instructor mailbox: RM 430J
Class web log: www.ashby116.blogspot.com

Course Description
English 116 is a course designed to build on composition skills gained from English 114 and 115. We will continue research projects and various essay formats based on your literary reading selections. The course emphasizes instruction and practice in drafting, revising, and editing expository and argumentative essays. In this course you will write about literature using priciples of critical thinking, logical analysis, and inductive and deductive reasoning. You will examine common logical errors of language and thought.

Required Texts
Chaffee, John. Thinking Critically: A Concise Guide. Boston: Houghton, 2004.
Connelly, Mark and Joseph Trimmer, eds. English 116 Reading Selections. Thomson, 2008.
Ensler, Eve. The Vagina Monologues. New York: Villard, 2001

Required Materials:
Stapler
College dictionary and thesaurus
An MLA guide book such as Rules for Writers or MLA Handbook

Course Objectives:
In this class, you will:Write a minimum of 7000 words that demonstrate your ability to articulate, organize, and express your ideas in well developed, coherently argued, and effectively written expository and argumentative essays; at least one of these essays will be written in class.
Apply inductive, deductive, and inferential reasoning to analyze assigned readings, participate in critical thinking class discussions and activities, and compose clearly organized and effectively argued written responses to those texts.
Recognize and analyze stated and unstated assumptions of texts and draw meaningful inferences about the intentions of the author by participating in class discussions and composing written responses
Recognize and evaluate the use of rhetorical techniques employed to manipulate the readers by critically responding to assigned texts both in class discussions and written assignments.
Identify and analyze specific logical fallacies and apply this knowledge to evaluate critically assigned texts and their own expository and argumentative writing assignments.
Learn to improve and evaluate your logical reasoning, modify your organization, and refine the grace and style of your own writing by successfully editing, revising and redrafting your own expository and argumentative essays.
Learn a variety of research approaches including library and internet research skills and use your critical thinking abilities to produce an effective argumentative research paper that follows MLA documentation guidelines.
Write a variety of expository and argumentative assignments demonstrating the use of increasingly sophisticated rhetorical modes and strategies.
Grades are based on:
Homework (Reading Responses): 15%
Journals: 15%
Quizzes: 10%
3 essays (4 pages each): 30%
Research Paper (6-10 pages): 20%
Class Participation: 10%
Course Requirements
Attendance:
In-class activities depend on your presence. Please come every day on time. You will be permitted 2 absences per semester; your grade may be compromised if there are more. If you know you will be unable to attend a class meeting, let me know ahead of time; it is not necessary for you to contact me if you are not in class. Do not continually leave early or come late; I will count these occurrences as partial absences.
Preparation:
You must come to class having done the reading, homework, and writing that is due that day. Be prepared for reading quizzes, which may be unannounced. Also, all work is due at the beginning of class. No credit will be given for homework that is done in class.
Late Work:
NO LATE WORK WILL BE ACCEPTED WITHOUT A MEDICAL/ VERIFIABLE EMERGENCY EXCUSE. IF YOU CANNOT ATTEND CLASS WHEN AN ASSIGMENT IS DUE, EMAIL THE ASSIGMENT TO ME, OR TURN IT IN TO ROOM 430J BY THE END OF THE DAY. THIS RULE IS NON-NEGOTIABLE.

Journal:
Journals will contain critical thinking activities as well as responses related to the literature. Depending upon the assignment, journals are generally AT LEAST ONE PAGE PER WEEK. The pages must be entirely filled in order to get full credit for the journal.

Essays:
All essays are to be typed using MLA format: 1 inch margins (top, right, left, bottom) Times New Roman font size 12. Anything less (larger margins, font, etc.) may jeopardize the grade of the essay on which these errors occur. Also, you are expected to know how to document your sources in MLA format. You should purchase an MLA guide book such as Rules for Writers or MLA Handbook to ensure that you are correctly formatting your essays and documenting your sources.

Academic Honesty:
If you plagiarize (try to pass off another person’s writing for your own) in any form, you will risk at the least an F in the course and possible referral to the Dean of Student Affairs. There is ZERO TOLERANCE of plagiarism in this course. If I have questions about the authenticity of your work, I will ask you to prove in some way that the work is your own; this may involve my looking at your notes or your completing another task in my presence. If you fail to prove that your work is your own, you will receive an F in the course. Staying in this class indicates your acceptance of this policy.

Professionalism:
Professionalism is crucial to the advancement of your career, both in college and beyond. It includes punctuality, preparation, attitude, participation, and a consistent willingness to assume personal responsibility.

Course Content:
This course will challenge you to analyze subjects about which you may have strong opinions. In addition, some of the materials that we will be reading/viewing may contain “mature content” and represent unconventional viewpoints regarding sexuality, race, politics, etc. If you object to reading about, writing about, and/or discussing such issues, it is recommended that you enroll in a different section of English 116.

Classroom Etiquette:
v Sexist, racist, and/or homophobic comments are offensive and inconsistent with an academic atmosphere; they will not be given a forum in this class.
v Please give your full attention with others are speaking. Also keep in mind that participating in discussions includes taking turns; even if you have a lot to say, give others the space to contribute too.
v Please do not pack up and leave until class is over.
v Please turn or silence all cell phones or other noisemakers.



Special Needs:
If you have special needs (vision or hearing difficulties, a learning difference, physical challenge, etc.), please let me know right away, and I will do my best to accommodate you. Contact your DSS specialist for the Academic Accommodations Form, and give me a copy, so I can make any necessary adjustment/s for you.

Writing Center:
English 116 assumes college-level writing proficiency, including the appropriate grammar and punctuation skills. If any aspect of your writing is not yet at this level, it is your responsibility to improve these skills through the use of campus resources like the Writing Center. The Southwestern College Writing Center (420 Building) provides free tutoring to writers of all levels of ability on a walk-in basis. The purpose of the Writing Center is to guide and teach students rather than to “fix” papers; tutoring is designed to help you develop and refine skills that you will carry with you beyond a given assignment or course. The tutors will be happy to assist you at any stage of the writing process. You are required to visit the Writing Center at least once for this class.

*The course requirements are subject to change according to time constraints or other unforeseen occurrences.