September 17, 2014 Session: Freshman Composition

1. September 17, 2014 Session: Freshman Composition

2. Revised Course Schedule • Analysis and Discussion of Readings • Lecture notes: Characteristics of a Descriptive Essay • “Once More to the Lake” by E.B. White – read in class • Take in-class quiz “Once More to the Lake” by E.B. White • Discussion of Assignment Requirements for Essay #2: Descriptive Essay • Brainstorming Session for Essay Bring Textbook 75 Readings Plus EVERY Class What to Expect Today

3. Maya Angelou “Grandmother’s Victory” • Langston Hughes “Salvation” • Martin Ginsberg’s “37 Who Saw Murder Didn’t Call the Police” Analysis of Readings

4. Maya Angelou “Grandmother’s Victory” Background on author: • Maya Angelou was born in 1928 • Known as a celebrated poet, memoirist, novelist, educator, dramatist, producer, actress, historian, filmmaker, and civil rights activist. • I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (1970) was published to international acclaim and enormous popular success Analysis of Readings

5. Maya Angelou Awards/Honors: • Presidential Medal of Arts in 2000 • Lincoln Medal in 2008 • Received 3 Grammy Awards • Has received over 50 honorary degrees • President Clinton requested that she compose a poem to read at his inauguration in 1993 Analysis of Readings

6. Maya Angelou “Grandmother’s Victory” Background on short story: • Grew up and went through difficult and painful experiences in the state of Arkansas where her family store was. • In this "Grandmother's Victory" essay, Angelou talks about her childhood experience and the time she spent with her grandmother. Analysis of Readings

7. Maya Angelou “Grandmother’s Victory” Discuss in Pairs – write down your answers What do you think is the theme of this story? What details does Angelou use to create this obviously unflattering picture of "powhitetrashchildren"? Compare 10 year old Maya’s response to the children to the Grandmother’s response Analysis of Readings

8. Maya Angelou “Grandmother’s Victory” What do you think is the theme of this story? Potential responses: How to deal with the issue of racism – broader theme – it is not the situation, it is how you deal with the situation that matters Grandmother teaches Maya to ignore the harassment and not to sink to their level. If you lose your cool and start fighting back, the problem will never go away. The best method of defense is to ignore the harassment and the harassers will lose interest. Maintaining personal integrity, strength of character and core values in the face of challenge is victory Analysis of Readings

9. Maya Angelou “Grandmother’s Victory” What do you think is the theme of this story? “Proof that with strength of character we can rise above the world, no matter how vile and stupid it may sometimes be" Analysis of Readings

10. Review Maya Angelou “Grandmother’s Victory” Turn To A Partner What details does Angelou use to create this obviously unflattering picture of "powhitetrash children"? Jot down several words or phrases. Analysis of Readings

11. Maya Angelou “Grandmother’s Victory” What details does Angelou use to create this obviously unflattering picture of "powhitetrash children"? Analysis of Readings

12. Maya Angelou “Grandmother’s Victory” Analysis of Readings

13. Maya Angelou “Grandmother’s Victory” Analysis of Readings

14. Langston Hughes “Salvation” Background on the story: "Salvation"--which appears in our Essay Sampler: Models of Good Writing (Part Three)--is an excerpt from The Big Sea (1940), an autobiography by Langston Hughes (1902-1967). Analysis of Readings

15. Langston Hughes “Salvation” Background on Hughes: • Poet, novelist, playwright, short story writer, and newspaper columnist • Best known for his insightful and imaginative portrayals of African-American life from the 1920s through the 1960s Analysis of Readings

16. The first sentence of "Salvation"--"I was saved from sin when I was going on thirteen"--proves to be an example of irony. After reading the essay, how might we reinterpret this opening sentence? (a) As it turns out, Hughes was actually only ten years old when he was saved from sin.(b) Hughes is fooling himself: he may think that he was saved from sin when he was a boy, but his lie in church shows that he did not want to be saved.(c) Although the boy wants to be saved, in the end he only pretends to be saved "to save further trouble."(d) The boy is saved because he stands up in church and is led to the platform.(e) Because the boy has no mind of his own, he simply imitates the behavior of his friend Westley. Analysis of Readings

17. The first sentence of "Salvation"--"I was saved from sin when I was going on thirteen"--proves to be an example of irony. After reading the essay, how might we reinterpret this opening sentence?(c) Although the boy wants to be saved, in the end he only pretends to be saved "to save further trouble." Analysis of Readings

18. Who has told young Langston about what he will see and hear and feel when he is saved? (a) his friend Westley(b) the preacher(c) the Holy Ghost(d) his Auntie Reed and a great many old people(e) the deacons and the old women Analysis of Readings

19. Who has told young Langston about what he will see and hear and feel when he is saved? (d) his Auntie Reed and a great many old people My aunt taught me when you were saved you saw a light, and something happened to you inside!...She said you could see and hear and feel Jesus in your soul (11). Analysis of Readings

20. Why does Westley get up to be saved? (a) He has seen Jesus.(b) He is inspired by the prayers and songs of the congregation.(c) He is frightened by the preacher's sermon.(d) He wants to impress the young girls.(e) He tells Langston that he is tired of sitting on the mourner's bench. Analysis of Readings

21. Why does Westley get up to be saved? (e) He tells Langston that he is tired of sitting on the mourner's bench. Analysis of Readings

22. Why does young Langston wait so long before getting up to be saved? (a) He wants to get revenge against his aunt for making him go to church.(b) He is terrified of the preacher.(c) He is not a very religious person.(d) He wants to see Jesus, and he is waiting for Jesus to appear.(e) He is afraid that God will strike him dead. Analysis of Readings

23. Why does young Langston wait so long before getting up to be saved? (d) He wants to see Jesus, and he is waiting for Jesus to appear. “I wanted to see him, but nothing happened to me. Nothing! I wanted something to happen to me, but nothing happened.” Analysis of Readings

24. At the end of the essay, why was Langston crying? Analysis of Readings

25. At the end of the essay, why was Langston crying? “I was really crying because I couldn’t bear to tell her that I had lied, I had deceived everybody in the church, that I hadn’t seen Jesus, and that I didn’t believe there was a Jesus any more, since he didn’t come to help me” Analysis of Readings

26. Martin Ginsberg’s “37 Who Saw Murder Didn’t Call the Police” • Facts about the Case • Kitty Genovese was walking home from work in Queens, N.Y. on March 13, 1964 • Winston Moseley stabbed Kitty twice in the back • She screamed “Oh My God, he stabbed me. Help me!” • Her cry was heard by neighbors • Mosely chased her down and stabbed her again. As she • lay dying, he raped her and stole $49 from her • On Monday, June 15, 1964, Moseley was sentenced to • death Analysis of Readings

27. Martin Ginsberg’s “37 Who Saw Murder Didn’t Call the Police” • Facts about the Article • Martin Gansberg wrote an article on March 27, 1964, published in the New York Times, two weeks after the murder with the headline “Thirty-Seven Who Saw the Murder Didn’t Call the Police” • Quote in the article that stood out: - neighbor telling the police • “I didn’t want to get involved” Analysis of Readings

28. Martin Ginsberg’s “37 Who Saw Murder Didn’t Call the Police” Gansburg's article first appeared in 1964-- how do you think the article, and the events it describes, would be received by readers if it were published today? Explain your rationale. How would you explain the witnesses' abstention from action in calling the police, based on the evidence in the text and your understanding of human behavior? What is Gansburg's purpose in writing the piece and who is his audience? Is he writing towards a bias or opinion? Provide textual evidence. What effect do the descriptions and dialogue have on the overall message the text delivers? Are there any words, phrases, ideas that stood out to you while reading the text? Write them down. Explore why they had an impact. Discussion – Find a Partner

29. Martin Ginsberg’s “37 Who Saw Murder Didn’t Call the Police” • Psychological Research • Diffusion of Responsibility • Bystander Effect • Contrary to common expectations, larger numbers of bystanders decrease the likelihood that someone will step forward and help a victim. The reasons include the fact that onlookers see that others are not helping either, that onlookers believe others will know better how to help, and that onlookers feel uncertain about helping while others are watching. Analysis of Readings

30. Martin Ginsberg’s “37 Who Saw Murder Didn’t Call the Police” It Happened Again According to The New York Times, in an article dated December 28, 1974, ten years after the murder, 25-year-old Sandra Zahler was beaten to death early Christmas morning in an apartment of the building that overlooked the site of the Genovese attack. Neighbors again said they heard screams and "fierce struggles" but did nothing. Analysis of Readings

31. an essay that describes something or someone by appealing to the reader’s senses: sight, sound, touch, smell and taste. What is a Descriptive Essay ?

32. Select a subject (for example, a person, place or thing) • Brainstorm details about the subject • Take notes on sights, sounds, smells • Keep in mind your are painting a picture for the reader, using descriptive devices and the senses • Create a thesis statement that informs the reader who or what you are describing and what insight or meaning you have drawn from that subject. Steps for Structuring a Descriptive Essay

33. Select dominant details (select only the details that support the dominant impression – your thesis statement) • Organize details in paragraphs • Draw a logical conclusion Steps for Structuring a Descriptive Essay

34. Use descriptive words • Do not use vague words or generalities (such as good, nice, bad, or beautiful). Be specific and use sensory, descriptive words (adjectives). • Provide sensory details: • Smells that are in the air (the aroma of freshly brewed coffee) • Sounds (traffic, honking horns) • Sights (“The sun scattered tiny diamonds across dew-covered grass as it peeked out from beyond the horizon.”) • Touch (“The texture of the adobe hut’s walls resembled coarse sandpaper.”) • Taste: sweet, sour, salty, bitter, tart (“Giant goose bumps formed on my tongue when I accidently bit into a sliver of lemon.”) Steps for Structuring a Descriptive Essay

35. Example Descriptive Words - Color

36. Telling:The empty room smelled stale and was devoid of furniture or floor covering; the single window lacked curtains or blinds of any kind. Showing:The apartment smelled of old cooking odors, cabbage, and mildew; our sneakers squeaked sharply against the scuffed wood floors, which reflected a haze of dusty sunlight from the one cobwebbed, gritty window. Show Not Tell

37. Simile Using the words such as “like” or “as” when comparing. Example: A ride to North Hutchinson Island is like a flight to a Caribbean getaway. Metaphor Implying a comparison between two things that are essentially different. Use Figurative Language

38. Time is a thief. • He has a heart of gold. • His head was spinning with ideas. • John is a real pig when he eats. • Authority is a chair, it needs legs to stand up. • Her home was a prison. • Life is a journey. • You are my sunshine. Metaphors - Examples

39. Personification Giving human characteristics to inanimate objects. Example: The truck, covered with mud and love bugs, cried out for a wash. Use Figurative Language

40. “The fog tiptoes into the streets. It walks like a great cat through the air and slowly devours the city.” "Memory is a crazy woman that hoards colored rags and throws away food." "The Duke's moustache was rising and falling like seaweed on an ebb-tide." What type?

41. “The fog tiptoes into the streets. Personification It walks like a great cat through the air and slowly devours the city.” Simile "Memory is a crazy woman that hoards colored rags and throws away food.“ Metaphor "The Duke's moustache was rising and falling like seaweed on an ebb-tide.”Simile What type?

42. With a Partner – Complete Figurative Language Activity Sheet Give it a Try - Figurative Language

43. The following guidelines should help you maintain a formal writing voice in your essays. • Do not use first-person pronouns ("I," "me," "my," "we," "us," etc.) • ExampleI think that this character is confused.This character is confused.(The second sentence is less wordy, sounds more formal, and conveys a more confident tone.) • "One," "the reader," "readers," "the viewer," or something similar sometimes can be used effectively in place of first-person pronouns in formal papers, but be careful not to overuse these expressions. • Avoid the use of contractions. • Avoid colloquialism and slang expressions. Formal Voice

44. "Once More to the Lake" • essay first published in Harper’s Magazine in 1941 by author E.B. White • chronicles his pilgrimage back to a lakefront resort, Belgrade Lakes, Maine, he visited as a child As you read: Notice the sensory details, figurative language, and theme of the work Let’s Read and Analyze a Descriptive Essay

45. Read “Once More to the Lake” • Complete the “Once More to the Lake” Quiz Let’s Read and Analyze a Descriptive Essay

46. Your task: Essay 2: Analysis of a Photograph or Painting • For this essay you need to describe and analyze a photograph or a painting of your own choosing in an essay of at least 800 words. Pass out the following Handouts: • Assignment Sheet for Descriptive Essay • Brainstorming Sheet for Descriptive Essay • Vivid Sensory Adjective Sheets Assignment: Write a Descriptive Essay

47. Let’s Look at a Sample Painting and Brainstorm How We’d Pre-Write a Descriptive Essay – The Scream by Edward Munch

48. Emotions: Anxiety, Isolation, Fear Physical and mental suffering

49. Facts about Munch • In his diaries, the artist Edvard Munch admits that he struggled with insanity not only on a personal level during his life, but also through his family. • His sister was hospitalized for insanity at the time The Scream was painted in 1893a • slaughterhouse was within earshot of the the spot illustrated in The Scream painting

50. Munch’s personal interpretation of “nature” below was very different than you might imagine. "I was walking down the road with two friends when the sun set; suddenly, the sky turned as red as blood. I stopped and leaned against the fence, feeling unspeakably tired. Tongues of fire and blood stretched over the bluish black fjord. My friends went on walking, while I lagged behind, shivering with fear. Then I heard the enormous infinite scream of nature."