Evaluation
Please cut and paste the following questions into an
anonymous comment evaluating the class. It's been a pleasure working with all of you this summer.
Don't forget to email me a draft of your final paper by 5 pm Friday, July 31; the final draft is due by 12:30 Thursday, August 6:
lisa.schamess@emersonprep.net.1. How well do you feel the book list worked? Were there choices you would like to see on the book list for the future?
2. Did the teacherl cover enough material, not enough material, or too much?
3. How did you like the blog homework and electronic submissions?
4. Did you feel the in-class lectures were relevant, well-prepared, interesting, informative?
5. What was the greatest benefit of this class for you?
6. How would you improve this class if it were offered in the future?
Endings: Ironies, Tragedies, and Just Desserts
Consider the endings of each of your first two books, and write a brief - 2- to 4-paragraph summary of how
one of these endings fits with a major theme of the book. What does it mean when a character dies or is left alone at the end? What does it mean that a character has returned home from a journey in a particular physical or mental state? What does the very last, tippy-toed, final line of your book
mean?Most of you have missed at least one homework assignment: if you wish to submit TWO 2- to 4-paragraph comments, one for each book, you can make up an assignment that way.
Example from me:"On a field, sable, the letter A, gules" (
Scarlet Letter)I had to look up some terms. "Sable" and "gule" are heraldry terms for black and scarlet." A "field" is a background. "Field" also connotes a field of grass, which in turn reinforces the image of the two graves side by side that Hawthorne has just described (Hester was buried close to the minister, though not too close).
About halfway through the book, Hawthorne starts to suggest that the A stands for all sorts of things aside from simple Adultery, most notably in Chapter 12, when the mysterious 'A' of the meteor shower is interpreted by some villagers to mean 'Angel'. It is significant that heroic, heraldic terms are used at the end, as if Hawthorne is saying that the 'A' also represents the blemishless and noble life Hester led as a result of being branded with the letter. The 'A' has now made her, in death, like a fallen warrior, a moral warrior.
In Chapter 18, Hawthorne asserts that Hester has become morally stronger than Dimmesdale because of her punishment: "The tendency of her fate and fortunes had been to set her free." By contrast, Dimmesdale "had never gone through an experience calculated to lead him beyond
the scope of generally received laws," for even the one instance of adultery was a crime of brief passion, not a longstanding punishment. In fact, "Crime is for the iron-nerved, who have their choice either to endure it, or, if it press too hard, to exert their fierce and savage strength for a good purpose, and fling it off at once! This feeble and most sensitive of spirits could do neither..." (Chapter 12)
The long life of Hester alone and the endurance of the letter as a physical artifact even after her death, along with the sad fates of other characters such as Dimmesdale and Chillingworth, connote for me a major theme of the book, that any deed we undertake, even sin, has the potential to either redeem or condemn us. Our own strength of character is more important than the mistakes we have made. Wrong-doing, intention, judgment, and moral choice work on our hearts in mysterious ways.
FINAL PROJECT
Students, please do not forget that you still must answer this week's homework post by Wednesday morning at 8:00 a.m. The topic is epiphany, and you will find that post directly beneath this one.
Your final project is a combination of creative and critical work. It has two components, each worth one-half of your final project grade (the final project itself is worth one-fourth of your total grade for the term).
Both components must tie in with our twin themes of the monomyth and American identity.
COMPONENT ONE: Creative In words, pictures, music, or some combination, please create a narrative or other creative work that illuminates several aspects of the hero's journey
in the context of American experience. This could be a story or a set of poems, perhaps illustrated, with an illustrated cover; or a CD of American musical artists (with accompanying liner notes that justify the musical choices, and with appropriate cover art to tie in with the themes of both questing and of American-ness); or costume and/or set designs for a play or movie version of one of the books you read; or...you get the idea. The possibilities are pretty varied, as long as you tie in with our themes and demonstrate what you have learned from this class.
The creative component will be delivered to me in class on Thursday, July 30. On that day, you will also make a 5-minute presentation on your project so others can gain from it, too.
COMPONENT TWO: CriticalThis is where you demonstrate that you have done all the reading and can make informed comparisons among your three books. Please complete a two- to three-page paper,
doublespaced, in which you select one of the main ideas behind American identity (hard work, freedom, the right to pursue happiness, equality, frontier, classless society) and discuss how each of your three books relates to this theme. NOTE: You may decide instead to select a theme (immigration in America, American women's lives, American men's lives, native Americans, black Americans, the American experience of war, to name a few) and discuss your three books in this context, as long as you at least mention the American experience in some important way.
- The first draft of this paper is due to me electronically by Friday, July 31.
- I will return my comments to you that weekend.
- The final draft for a grade is due by Thursday, August 6.
Send your drafts to...
lisa.schamess@emersonprep.netor
lisaschamess@gmail.comTo summarize:
- Your creative project is due Thursday, July 30, and you should be prepared to speak to the class about the project for 5 minutes.
- The first draft of your 2- to 3-page critical paper is due electronically on Friday, July 31.
- The final draft of your 2-3 page paper is due electronically on Thursday, August 6.
The Epiphany
Choose what you believe is the epiphany and/or highest point of action in your 20th century book (this is the 2nd book you were to have read). This is the moment, often silent or still, when the rising action peaks and the rest is descending, inevitable action.
Describe what happens in this moment and how (if in any way) it changes the tone of the book.
The Content of Our Characters
Choose a character from each of your first two books to form a pair. These can be characters who contrast or have some similarities, or who are placed in similar situations but react differently, or...you might think up a variation, as long as you pick two characters who can stimulate discussion.
Give me a three-paragraph answer that...
1. Tells about the differences(s) or similarity/ies of these characters, and how these qualities lead them to different choices in behavior.
2. Quotes at least one line or passage from each book to support the information you've just given.
3. Explains how the passages illustrate your point.
As always I will comment first.
Nature and the Mind
Please answer this question by Wednesday morning, July 8 at 8:00 a.m. to receive full credit.
I recently ran across this article on a study of the effect of a
natural setting on the human mind and on learning (cognitive ability). Take a look and see what you think.
Given our recent discussion of Emerson's concept of Oneness and the "wise silence" of a mind that perceives itself as being part of its surroundings, our question this week concerns the link between nature and how we understand our world.
Please use specific examples from the 19th-century book you are reading--
The Deerslayer,
The Scarlet Letter,
Walden, Huckleberry Finn, or
Summer--to comment briefly and completely here on the role that nature plays in affirming, shaping, or opposing the character's world view. Use a quote or two to support your observation. See my comment to this post as a model for how you should respond.
You have until Wednesday at 8 a.m. to make your initial comment for credit, and you may comment as many times as you wish. Please also read the comments of others. If your comment indicates that you have also been reading and can respond to the observations of others (including myself), that will count in your favor.
