Last few thoughts about the in-class essay coming up on Friday for English 1080:
1. Very important: Avoid plot summary. Don't just tell me what happens in the story. Discuss the implications of those details and events in the story. This can make all the difference in your grade.
2. Write your essay in present tense. Avoid tense shift (i.e. back and forth between past and present).
3. Avoid clichés and colloquial language (slang).
4. Use quotation properly. All quotes should be introduced or set up properly. Use phrases such as: "As the narrator says,...".
I truly hope this helps. See you tomorrow.
GC
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
English 1080 and Bob Dylan
I promised I'd post the lyrics to Bob Dylan's "Hey, Mr. Tambourine Man," but I thought a clip of him performing it would be way better. Doesn't he look and sound like the kind of guy who could inspire Joyce Carol Oates to write a character like Arnold Friend?
http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=oTqXizklz3U
GC
http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=oTqXizklz3U
GC
Monday, January 19, 2009
Sure, We Can
I am not a cynical person, but sometimes I am cynical. Doubtful. Skeptical: in need of being shown the money instead of just promised the wonderful possibilities.
Yes, we can. But show me the money.
Tomorrow is a big day for the United States and for entire world. Not just because a new president is being sworn in, but because another, who has often been sworn at and leaves office in disgrace not seen since the heady days of Richard M. Nixon, is leaving.
That’s addition by subtraction. The best way to bring positive change to the world right now is to remove George W. Bush from the White House. Should have been done several years ago. He should have been impeached for his many lies and misleading of the American public, dragging the world through wars in Iraq and Afghanistan without hardly a thought, apparently, for the consequences. Then there’s Guantanamo Bay, the torturing of terror suspects, the tapping of people’s phones, and the general gross flaunting of presidential powers and the intrusion of government in places it doesn’t belong. Bush makes George Orwell look like a visitor from the future.
I see plenty of optimism for the new administration, led by Barack Obama, who takes office as the 44th president and the first non-white president of the United States. To me, he represents hope simply because he is so unlike Dubya. He is smart, articulate, open, and well-intentioned. Personally, I don’t care what color his skin happens to be. It matters to a lot of people, though, and I understand why it means so much to them—the election of one of their own to the top of the political heap is a dream worthy of Martin Luther King, perhaps the greatest orator the U.S. has ever seen. Many people thought they would never see this day. I always figured it would happen. It seemed inevitable, but there is so much racial tension in the U.S. and even in Canada that I was beginning to think I might never live to see it. It’s a little like waking up tomorrow morning and realizing that we are being visited by people from another planet. I mean, you sort of know they MUST be out there somewhere, but you wouldn’t quite believe that they would be coming here NOW, out of the blue and onto our t.v. screens.
We’ve seen a lot of things in our time that seemed impossible even twenty years ago. Some of them I wish we’d never seen—the terrible events of September 11, 2001. The breakdown of civilization in post-Katrina New Orleans. The recent crash of world stock markets and people uttering the “D” word. But there’s been good stuff too. I mean, not so long ago, landing on the moon and having someone step onto its surface seemed like pure science fiction. We now have technology which both brings us together and drives us apart, depending on how it’s used and who is using it.
It seems that we now stand on the verge, as a people, of something great. I wasn’t necessarily a Barack Obama fan from the beginning. I actually wanted to see Hillary Clinton get her shot, being more experienced, a good person, and in a position to become the first female president. It would give me great hope to see that women were finally able to break that barrier. As with the racial divide, there is still a long, long way to go in our world before women are seen as the equal of men, regardless of the color of their skin. I believe that what you believe is shown by what you do and not just what you say. And I do believe our world does not treat women equal to men. Nor will it treat black men and women equal to white men and women henceforth. Obama is a beginning, certainly, and he will likely inspire greater civility among people of different colors. But that should not be mistaken for a done deal. Racism (like sexism) is alive and well in the United States and in the world. There is still work to be done.
But there is hope.
In the long eight years that George W. Bush was in the White House, much hope has been lost. People didn’t care to protest the wrongs of the world because no one wanted to hear it. Even the media cast people in an unpatriotic light (hello, Dixie Chicks!) if they disapproved of the war or Mr. Bush. For several years they were on the Bush bandwagon, and now they’re on the Obama Express, riding it out until there’s a glitch in the system. The eight years before Bush, the focus was on Bill Clinton’s indiscretions with various women, including Monica Lewinsky. He was a great president and a misguided person. But his enemies blew it all out of proportion. So a great opportunity was wasted. The people grew pessimistic, expecting only the worst, which is generally what they got, from their politicians, from the media, and from big business like oil and pharmaceuticals.
What I’m feeling tonight is something I haven’t felt in a long time. I’m cautiously optimistic. I’m proud of the American people. I’m hopeful that there will be Obamas-to-come in Newfoundland politics, Canadian politics, and in the world at large—politicians with open minds, generous hearts, and intelligent bearings. Politicians who have a grasp on what is needed at the moment and are willing to do what it takes to achieve it, if it’s at all possible, for the good of the planet and the people who inhabit it.
I started out eight years ago thinking that the world was a good place and anything was possible. I spent nearly three-quarters of the Bush years in grad school, earning my Ph.D. while teaching at MUN. The workload took a heavy toll, as it tends to. I started in the fall of 2000, the year of the American election. By the time I finished my coursework, terrorists had destroyed the twin towers and left a scar on the psyche of a lot people. At that time, there was a lot of hope that people would heal together and get past it. The world reached out to the victims and to America. But the hand that reached back was cold and vengeful. In short order, the world was at war and everyone was worried about terrorists in their own backyard, on airplanes, in universities, in shopping malls. Their own government (and Canada is no exception to this) set out to make people so afraid of each other and of the unseen (but sometimes turbaned) enemy that they voted for Bush again, just so the bad guys wouldn’t be able to hurt them. Eventually, they came to see that the protector was the bad guy and that there was nothing to fear but being so afraid. Because so much fear will cripple you and kill you. By the time I finished my doctorate program, the economy was faltering, everyone was worried about climate change, and people weren’t talking in terms of dreams but of nightmares, both personal and national.
And now people are daring to hope once again. They’re literally dancing in the streets—not proclaiming (as they have a right to) that the king is dead, long live the king! No, they’re actually dancing out of joy and optimism and an outpouring of love and generosity—because one, slight, handsome-ish black man with an intelligent, cute wife, two adorable children, and an undeniable charisma and way with words, told them they could change the way things were being done. And if anyone doubted it, he told them, “Yes you can.”
Well, I have always believed that anyone could do anything and be anything they wanted. I myself have many things left to accomplish and intend to follow through. I’ve never doubted or wavered in my intentions or my beliefs.
But I can’t help but be worried when so many place so much faith in a single individual—as if HE could change THEM, instead of them doing it for themselves.
Instead of being worried about this, of course, I should be inspired. And I am. I don’t even worry about people being let down because I know that one man can only do so much, especially given a four-year time limit, perhaps longer, perhaps shorter. I just hope the people know this for themselves.
Right now, I just want to lay worry and concern aside and buy the message, drink the Kool-Aid, and smoke the peace pipe.
Right now is better than a year ago.
Right now is a good place to be.
Right now, though, I hope everyone’s paying attention. Because the times, as Bob Dylan says, they are a-changin’. And I think it’s for the better.
Come what may.
Change gonna come.
Yes, we can. But show me the money.
Tomorrow is a big day for the United States and for entire world. Not just because a new president is being sworn in, but because another, who has often been sworn at and leaves office in disgrace not seen since the heady days of Richard M. Nixon, is leaving.
That’s addition by subtraction. The best way to bring positive change to the world right now is to remove George W. Bush from the White House. Should have been done several years ago. He should have been impeached for his many lies and misleading of the American public, dragging the world through wars in Iraq and Afghanistan without hardly a thought, apparently, for the consequences. Then there’s Guantanamo Bay, the torturing of terror suspects, the tapping of people’s phones, and the general gross flaunting of presidential powers and the intrusion of government in places it doesn’t belong. Bush makes George Orwell look like a visitor from the future.
I see plenty of optimism for the new administration, led by Barack Obama, who takes office as the 44th president and the first non-white president of the United States. To me, he represents hope simply because he is so unlike Dubya. He is smart, articulate, open, and well-intentioned. Personally, I don’t care what color his skin happens to be. It matters to a lot of people, though, and I understand why it means so much to them—the election of one of their own to the top of the political heap is a dream worthy of Martin Luther King, perhaps the greatest orator the U.S. has ever seen. Many people thought they would never see this day. I always figured it would happen. It seemed inevitable, but there is so much racial tension in the U.S. and even in Canada that I was beginning to think I might never live to see it. It’s a little like waking up tomorrow morning and realizing that we are being visited by people from another planet. I mean, you sort of know they MUST be out there somewhere, but you wouldn’t quite believe that they would be coming here NOW, out of the blue and onto our t.v. screens.
We’ve seen a lot of things in our time that seemed impossible even twenty years ago. Some of them I wish we’d never seen—the terrible events of September 11, 2001. The breakdown of civilization in post-Katrina New Orleans. The recent crash of world stock markets and people uttering the “D” word. But there’s been good stuff too. I mean, not so long ago, landing on the moon and having someone step onto its surface seemed like pure science fiction. We now have technology which both brings us together and drives us apart, depending on how it’s used and who is using it.
It seems that we now stand on the verge, as a people, of something great. I wasn’t necessarily a Barack Obama fan from the beginning. I actually wanted to see Hillary Clinton get her shot, being more experienced, a good person, and in a position to become the first female president. It would give me great hope to see that women were finally able to break that barrier. As with the racial divide, there is still a long, long way to go in our world before women are seen as the equal of men, regardless of the color of their skin. I believe that what you believe is shown by what you do and not just what you say. And I do believe our world does not treat women equal to men. Nor will it treat black men and women equal to white men and women henceforth. Obama is a beginning, certainly, and he will likely inspire greater civility among people of different colors. But that should not be mistaken for a done deal. Racism (like sexism) is alive and well in the United States and in the world. There is still work to be done.
But there is hope.
In the long eight years that George W. Bush was in the White House, much hope has been lost. People didn’t care to protest the wrongs of the world because no one wanted to hear it. Even the media cast people in an unpatriotic light (hello, Dixie Chicks!) if they disapproved of the war or Mr. Bush. For several years they were on the Bush bandwagon, and now they’re on the Obama Express, riding it out until there’s a glitch in the system. The eight years before Bush, the focus was on Bill Clinton’s indiscretions with various women, including Monica Lewinsky. He was a great president and a misguided person. But his enemies blew it all out of proportion. So a great opportunity was wasted. The people grew pessimistic, expecting only the worst, which is generally what they got, from their politicians, from the media, and from big business like oil and pharmaceuticals.
What I’m feeling tonight is something I haven’t felt in a long time. I’m cautiously optimistic. I’m proud of the American people. I’m hopeful that there will be Obamas-to-come in Newfoundland politics, Canadian politics, and in the world at large—politicians with open minds, generous hearts, and intelligent bearings. Politicians who have a grasp on what is needed at the moment and are willing to do what it takes to achieve it, if it’s at all possible, for the good of the planet and the people who inhabit it.
I started out eight years ago thinking that the world was a good place and anything was possible. I spent nearly three-quarters of the Bush years in grad school, earning my Ph.D. while teaching at MUN. The workload took a heavy toll, as it tends to. I started in the fall of 2000, the year of the American election. By the time I finished my coursework, terrorists had destroyed the twin towers and left a scar on the psyche of a lot people. At that time, there was a lot of hope that people would heal together and get past it. The world reached out to the victims and to America. But the hand that reached back was cold and vengeful. In short order, the world was at war and everyone was worried about terrorists in their own backyard, on airplanes, in universities, in shopping malls. Their own government (and Canada is no exception to this) set out to make people so afraid of each other and of the unseen (but sometimes turbaned) enemy that they voted for Bush again, just so the bad guys wouldn’t be able to hurt them. Eventually, they came to see that the protector was the bad guy and that there was nothing to fear but being so afraid. Because so much fear will cripple you and kill you. By the time I finished my doctorate program, the economy was faltering, everyone was worried about climate change, and people weren’t talking in terms of dreams but of nightmares, both personal and national.
And now people are daring to hope once again. They’re literally dancing in the streets—not proclaiming (as they have a right to) that the king is dead, long live the king! No, they’re actually dancing out of joy and optimism and an outpouring of love and generosity—because one, slight, handsome-ish black man with an intelligent, cute wife, two adorable children, and an undeniable charisma and way with words, told them they could change the way things were being done. And if anyone doubted it, he told them, “Yes you can.”
Well, I have always believed that anyone could do anything and be anything they wanted. I myself have many things left to accomplish and intend to follow through. I’ve never doubted or wavered in my intentions or my beliefs.
But I can’t help but be worried when so many place so much faith in a single individual—as if HE could change THEM, instead of them doing it for themselves.
Instead of being worried about this, of course, I should be inspired. And I am. I don’t even worry about people being let down because I know that one man can only do so much, especially given a four-year time limit, perhaps longer, perhaps shorter. I just hope the people know this for themselves.
Right now, I just want to lay worry and concern aside and buy the message, drink the Kool-Aid, and smoke the peace pipe.
Right now is better than a year ago.
Right now is a good place to be.
Right now, though, I hope everyone’s paying attention. Because the times, as Bob Dylan says, they are a-changin’. And I think it’s for the better.
Come what may.
Change gonna come.
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Notes on Classes
Two things:
In English 1080, we'll be starting the short story, "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?" by Joyce Carol Oates on FRIDAY, January 16. (I may have said something different in class the other day.)
In English 1101, there will be no class on Wednesday, January 14. We will be starting on Cormac McCarthy's The Road on Monday coming.
In English 1080, we'll be starting the short story, "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?" by Joyce Carol Oates on FRIDAY, January 16. (I may have said something different in class the other day.)
In English 1101, there will be no class on Wednesday, January 14. We will be starting on Cormac McCarthy's The Road on Monday coming.
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Enter the Darkness
January might well be the cruelest month. Stark, cold, and dark. They say the longest journey begins with the first step, and so it is that the month of January presents the first few steps on the long journey of a year.
It’s a hard month for some. The lack of daylight wreaks havoc with the senses and can make it difficult just to function. I know some people who just want to hibernate at this time of year, to just hide under the covers until the sun and warmth return. Another Christmas is long past now, and that seems strange—the season of light and fellowship, gone in the blink of an eye. Nothing to do, it would appear, but to plod on through the dimmest days and do what needs doing.
But I choose to see January in a different light. For one thing, the days are actually getting longer now, with the winter solstice several weeks behind us. Not that I don’t find it a tough month. In some ways, I do. But mostly I equate January with newness. It’s a time to start over, to continue what we began last year, but also to get another chance to get it right. If things went horribly wrong or even slightly astray last year, especially towards the end, now is the time to start in the right direction, to make amends.
When I was growing up Catholic in rural Newfoundland, we might get that same feeling from the strange ritual of going to “confession”. You’d enter the confession box with a litany of sins on your lips and you’d spill them all to the priest as if he could actually forgive you. Then you’d leave the box (like a hockey player after he’s put in his five minutes for fighting), feeling renewed, cleansed—going forth to “sin no more,” as the priest would say.
Well, sinning no more is a nice idea, but we’re human and likely to falter eventually and often. And, of course, I really think the idea is that you really need to forgive yourself. No one else can do that for you. If you gained twenty pounds or lost the game for your team, or just got a "B" when you really could have gotten an "A," just let it go. There's no other way to move forward.
There’s something I like about January. According to one source, January is named for the Roman god Janus (Ianuarius in Latin), and the Latin word "ianua" which means "door." Janus is the god of the doorway, and so January is the door to the year (http://wiki.answers.com/). I like that way of looking at it, of entering the year through a door, looking around a strange, new room filled with possibilities. You see, it's really nearly impossible to enter a new room without leaving an old one behind.
Reminds me of all those home makeover shows on telelvision these days. Got an ugly room or a crappy old house? Just fix it up like new—some paint and materials, lots of time spent, and there you go: all new again. Just move that bus, enter through the front door, and it’s “welcome home, family, welcome home.”
So that’s how I see January—move the bus and welcome to a brand new year. The possibilities are endless.
To my new students this semester, in English 1101 and 1080: welcome. I hope you’ll find the room to your liking, but as with most makeovers, it all depends on what you put into it.
If you didn’t do so well last time, then figure out where you went wrong and resolve to fix it this time. For the sake of four months, it’s worth it. If you’re doing 1080 for the second time, then at least you’re giving yourself another chance—a rarity in life. I’m here to help, but only if you’re willing to help yourself.
For those of you doing the course for the first time (which is the vast majority), I hope to make the journey a good one for you. Again, that depends on you, largely. I intend to enlighten, entertain, education, rant and rave, provoke, prod, and muse aloud on a fairly regular basis—whatever it takes to help you get something out of this course, whether 1101 or 1080. And I hope you'll do the same. It’s not just about the literature, of course because literature—good literature, that is—is most often about life. And it doesn’t get any more serious than that.
But as Oscar Wilde once said, “Life is too important to be taken seriously.”
Happy new year, and welcome to the show.
GC
It’s a hard month for some. The lack of daylight wreaks havoc with the senses and can make it difficult just to function. I know some people who just want to hibernate at this time of year, to just hide under the covers until the sun and warmth return. Another Christmas is long past now, and that seems strange—the season of light and fellowship, gone in the blink of an eye. Nothing to do, it would appear, but to plod on through the dimmest days and do what needs doing.
But I choose to see January in a different light. For one thing, the days are actually getting longer now, with the winter solstice several weeks behind us. Not that I don’t find it a tough month. In some ways, I do. But mostly I equate January with newness. It’s a time to start over, to continue what we began last year, but also to get another chance to get it right. If things went horribly wrong or even slightly astray last year, especially towards the end, now is the time to start in the right direction, to make amends.
When I was growing up Catholic in rural Newfoundland, we might get that same feeling from the strange ritual of going to “confession”. You’d enter the confession box with a litany of sins on your lips and you’d spill them all to the priest as if he could actually forgive you. Then you’d leave the box (like a hockey player after he’s put in his five minutes for fighting), feeling renewed, cleansed—going forth to “sin no more,” as the priest would say.
Well, sinning no more is a nice idea, but we’re human and likely to falter eventually and often. And, of course, I really think the idea is that you really need to forgive yourself. No one else can do that for you. If you gained twenty pounds or lost the game for your team, or just got a "B" when you really could have gotten an "A," just let it go. There's no other way to move forward.
There’s something I like about January. According to one source, January is named for the Roman god Janus (Ianuarius in Latin), and the Latin word "ianua" which means "door." Janus is the god of the doorway, and so January is the door to the year (http://wiki.answers.com/). I like that way of looking at it, of entering the year through a door, looking around a strange, new room filled with possibilities. You see, it's really nearly impossible to enter a new room without leaving an old one behind.
Reminds me of all those home makeover shows on telelvision these days. Got an ugly room or a crappy old house? Just fix it up like new—some paint and materials, lots of time spent, and there you go: all new again. Just move that bus, enter through the front door, and it’s “welcome home, family, welcome home.”
So that’s how I see January—move the bus and welcome to a brand new year. The possibilities are endless.
To my new students this semester, in English 1101 and 1080: welcome. I hope you’ll find the room to your liking, but as with most makeovers, it all depends on what you put into it.
If you didn’t do so well last time, then figure out where you went wrong and resolve to fix it this time. For the sake of four months, it’s worth it. If you’re doing 1080 for the second time, then at least you’re giving yourself another chance—a rarity in life. I’m here to help, but only if you’re willing to help yourself.
For those of you doing the course for the first time (which is the vast majority), I hope to make the journey a good one for you. Again, that depends on you, largely. I intend to enlighten, entertain, education, rant and rave, provoke, prod, and muse aloud on a fairly regular basis—whatever it takes to help you get something out of this course, whether 1101 or 1080. And I hope you'll do the same. It’s not just about the literature, of course because literature—good literature, that is—is most often about life. And it doesn’t get any more serious than that.
But as Oscar Wilde once said, “Life is too important to be taken seriously.”
Happy new year, and welcome to the show.
GC
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