Homework for Monday, October 1

Read and annotate James Baldwin's "Notes of a Native Son" (handout) and answer TWO of the following questions. While reading the essay, be mindful of Baldwin's audience(s) and purpose(s).

1. Identify at least three stories Baldwin tells about himself. What does each demonstrate? What is the unity among them?
2. Baldwin uses several writing techniques in the essay. Find examples of a concrete description of a person or a place; action; reflection; and strong argumentative assertions. How do these techniques advance his specific purposes?
3. Why does Baldwin divide the essay into three sections? What is the purpose of each?

Homework for Monday, Sept. 24, and Thursday, Sept. 27

For Monday, read and annotate the following essays, and then write a one-page DIDLS analysis for one (only one) of them:

Heidi Julavits, "The Writer in the Silos," pp. 159-162
Vijay Seshadri, "My First Fairy Tale," pp. 163-168
Patrick Madden, "A Sudden Pull on the Heart," pp. 169-172
Stanley Jenkins, "George," pp. 314-321
William deBuys, "Errands in the Forest," pp. 322-326

For Thursday, read and annotate George Orwell, "Shooting an Elephant" and James Baldwin, "Notes of a Native Son" which will be handed out on Monday. No writing. Bring Gornick's The Situation and the Story to class.

Interesting piece on what Romney could have learned from G. W. Bush

Given our discussion this morning about the presidential campaign and Romney's struggles as a candidate, I think you will be interested in this blog post by a New York Times coumnist. He points out that because of his presidential failures, we forget about George W. Bush's successes as a candidate, especially in 2000, but also in 2004. The columnist is interested in what a center-right coalition would look like, and he thinks Romney and the Republican party missed an opportunity to develop one. As he puts it, Bush's "failures and [their] backlash did not change the basic realities of national coalition-building." The blog post makes for fascinating reading in light of the recently released video recording of Romney dismissing 47% of the population (and, in his reasoning, the electorate). What might this campaign look like if Romney had run to the middle instead of the right? 

For Tuesday, Sept. 18, and Thursday, Sept. 20

While reading the essays for Tuesday, be especially mindful of how they were arranged by their authors. When you read a narrative essay, you might expect the author to arrange it chronologically. A chronological structure can be restrictive, confining authors to the straightforward time sequence of events.  Chronological structures might also present a false sense of unity, making events that were disjointed appear to be cohesive. Because of these limitations, authors will play around with the structure of the narrative essay for a variety of reasons, including drawing attention to important events or realizations, grouping certain experiences together, or giving a sense of how they came to make sense of the experience they're writing about.  Paying attention to the structure of a piece usually provides important insights on the author's purpose for writing the essay as the structure reinforces the thing the author has come to say.

For Tuesday, read and annotate the following essays in Gutkind, Best Creative Nonfiction, Vol. 2. While reading pay close attention to the authors' rhetorical strategies. Then, respond to one of the prompts below.
Potts, "The Art of Writing a Story about Walking across Andorra" (pp. 41-53)
Bernard, "Figurines" (pp.146-158)
Richards, "It Was Nothing" (pp. 305-309)

In one or two typed pages (double-spaced), respond to one of the following prompts:
1. How does the structure or organization of each essay reinforce the thing the author has come to say?
2. Write an essay about an incident that happened to you or a relationship you've developed with someone  using a structure suitable for either the subject of the story or the point you want to make.

For Thursday, read and annotate the following essays in  Gutkind, Best Creative Nonfiction, Vol. 2. While reading pay close attention to the authors' rhetorical strategies. Then respond to one of the prompts below.
Renner, "The Suicide Murder of Joe Kupchick" (pp. 173-188)
Sewell Matter, "Pursuing the Great Bad Novelist" (pp. 54-73)
Optional: Matherly, "Final: Comprehensive, Roughly" (pp. 6-20)

In one or two typed pages (double-spaced), respond to one of the following prompts:
1. These essays have subjects that are usually written by news reporters and journalists (or, in Matherly's case, teachers and professors). Explain the strategies the authors use that distinguish these pieces from straightforward reporting and transform them to creative nonfiction.
2. Take a topic or subject that you would ordinarily write about in a straightforward manner and turn it into a creative piece employing the strategies practiced by Renner and Sewell (and, optionally, Matherly). You may base this piece on an assignment you've completed for another class, e.g., a lab report or translation exercise.

For Tuesday, 9/11, and Thursday, 9/13

For Tuesday, as mentioned in the summer reading assignment, prepare for the in-class essay on your third summer reading book. You will be able to use your notes from Friday's class to help you, but you may use neither an outline nor your book. You will have forty-five minutes to write the essay. This will be the question: What rhetorical strategies does your author use to get the reader on his or her side? To frame your thesis, you may also consider whether the author is successful in getting the reader on his or her side. 

For Thursday, read and annotate the following essays in Gutkind, Best Creative Nonfiction. While reading, pay close attention to the writers' rhetorical strategies. Then, respond to one of the prompts below.

Anne Trumbore, "Spite" (pp. 1-5)

Sarah Miller-Davenport, "Here I Am in Bergdorf-Goodman" (pp. 21-24)

Gwendolyn Knapp, "Instead of the Rat Pack" (pp. 25-40)

In one-to-two pages, respond to one of the following prompts: 

1. Discuss the extent to which each of these authors meets Gornick's criteria for writing a memoir. You may focus on any or all of the following: detachment, trustworthiness, central insight, and depth of inquiry that appeals to a disinterested reader. A paragraph on each writer is sufficient. Be sure to include evidence to support your response. 

2. Write an essay in which you explore the significance of some part of your upbringing in shaping who you are today. It does not have to be shameful, or even unflattering, as it was in the essays you just read, but it must be very specific, and you should be clear about how you feel about it.