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January 16th- Snow Day


                                 

I'd like to say that I'm terribly disappointed that class is canceled tomorrow, but I know most of you are probably elated for a snow day. And truthfully, I hope we get enough for me to get out there and teach my younger kids how to have a proper snowball fight. (Form the snowballs quickly and then relentlessly pelt them, never, of course, aiming for their faces ;)

So, here are some things I'd like you take note of for the week. You can email me your assignments if you want your papers graded more quickly. Otherwise, you will need to hand those in next Tuesday along with this week's assignments. (I'll get to that in a minute.) I already have your quick quiz ready for this week, so make sure you go ahead and brush up on last week's blog post and class notes. I'll still give it to you next week to give you an opportunity to earn a homework pass. There will not be a separate quiz for this week's content since that will be covered online.


I will be teaching on the Industrial Revolution next week instead of this week. We are going to discuss monopolies, unions, the "cult of domesticity," major inventions, and both big industry and big agriculture. In the meantime, watch the short Crash Course video posted to help you prepare for discussion. Next, pick one of the topics highlighted and do some research. Prepare a short description with five interesting points. This does not need to be an academic paragraph. You are just going to do some basic research and be ready to answer questions. Now, remember, we are interested in the time period of 1860-1900, so make sure your research is within this era.



As far as literature, we will stick with the assigned reading on the syllabus and add in the glorious Flannery O'Connor short story, "A Good Man is Hard to Find," which you'll read or listen to at home instead of in class. Your other assigned reading is “A Late Encounter with the Enemy” pp. 514, also by Flannery O'Connor.  I have posted the audio version on this blog of "A Good Man" and the link above can take you to a PDF version to read on your own. I like to combine both. :) Now, I'll talk a little more about her in class, since she is one of my favorite writers, but let me give you a quick little background.

Flannery O'Connor most certainly fits within the Southern Gothic genre and is probably one of the most famous writers in that genre. She never married, lived in the South, and was a devout Catholic. In fact, her Catholicism is woven throughout her stories in such a rich tapestry that some argue you cannot separate O'Connor's Catholicism from her story. I've actually written on this myself. But before I share with you what I've argued, I'd love to see what you think. 

 Read these two short stories from O'Connor and then write a response, about a page long, discussing whether you think we can read these stories without considering their religious meanings. What religious symbolism is noted? Is it important to the plot or theme? Why or why not? Can this just be a couple of stories read for fun or is there something much deeper happening here? Is the only deep meaning a religious one? Can someone with a secular background pull a different meaning that is just as important? You may choose to focus on only one of these stories for your response or you may choose to write on both of them. The choice is yours. Please make sure your response meets the following criteria:
  • The paper should be typed in MLA format, 12pt Times New Roman font, with proper heading and citations. 
  • This paper should make a clear argument supporting your position. Remember, this isn't a summation paper. I don't want a summary. I want you to make a claim and defend it. 
  • This response must include at least two quotes from the story or stories. Textual evidence is critical in literary responses. Find a scene or a quote that supports your argument and prove your position. 
  • This paper needs to be at least one full page in length. Longer papers are welcome, but please, try to be concise. Make your argument in no more than two full pages. It can be easy to rattle off lots of reasons for your position. (There are scholars on both sides of this argument that have written 20-30 pages). What is difficult is training yourself to get to the point quickly and to use the right kind of evidence to support that position. So choose your evidence wisely. :)
We will discuss these stories in class, along with the short stories assigned for last week's homework. 
Enjoy your snow day and stay safe and warm!





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