Literary Pursuits

Drawing for Free Copy of Moonlight Sketches

2012-01-19T08:42:00.009-03:30

For those of you with an interest, I'm drawing tomorrow night for a free, signed copy of my short story collection, Moonlight Sketches. Feel free to enter. There's no cost and no other obligation of any kind.

You can click on the link to the right or just go here: http://gerardcollinsblog.blogspot.com/

I hope the new semester is going well for you, especially in English.

Gerard

Merry Christmas

2011-12-24T13:22:00.002-03:30

Well, it's all over for English 1080 for another semester. I hope you enjoyed yourselves nearly as much as I enjoyed teaching you. Final grades are in, of course, and it always weighs heavily on me no matter what the grade is. At this point, there's no point in me explaining anything. There were several A's in each course and a very small number of failures--but all of it was earned. I was pleased, in the end, with how many students wrote their best work of the entire semster on the final exam.

My hope is that you not only enjoyed the course, but that you will take something forward with you. English, to me, is a way of talking about so many other related subjects. For me, it's always about the people I'm teaching; it's about the people who wrote the stories and poems, and it's about the people represented in the stories and poems. It's all about life. It's all about understanding ourselves and each other and, in that regard, we've all got a long ways to go. The difference is, I suppose, some of us want to go there while some of us don't. It's just a fact that, in life, sometimes, in order to get somewhere, you have to take the journey one step at a time. Many of you did that successfully, while others tried to skip steps or sincerely didn't comprehend which steps to take. The main thing is to try and to do, which most of you did.

I hope to see many of you around in future. I've already encountered quite a few of you in the malls or downtown while I was out shopping for Christmas, and I always enjoy it, especially when you greet me warmly, with a smile on your face. That's far better than the alternative.

I'll be off from teaching for the next few months. There are quite a few things happening in my life, not the least of which is a new novel coming out, adjudicating a literary competition and performing assorted other duties related to writing and publishing. I'll be doing the occasional reading or booksigning and would love to see some of you there, just to say hello. You are always welcome, wherever I might be.

If you're interested in keeping up with me and my blogging, just click on the "A Kick at the Darkness" blog on the right hand side of this one and bookmark it. There's a website too at www.gerardcollins.ca. So, yeah, all kinds of ways of keeping in touch. I've heard from quite a few of you by email, and that really means a lot to me. But even if I never hear from you again, some of you will remain in my heart and mind for a long, long time.

It has been an absolute pleasure getting to know you.

May life be kind to you.

And, yes, regardless of your religious persuasion or lack thereof, have a peaceful and happy Christmas and a great 2012.

All the best,
Gerard

Book contest

2011-12-16T19:52:00.002-03:30

I'll be blogging here again sometime this weekend, but for now I wanted to share with you a contest I'm having at my other blog for a chance to a win a copy of my short story collection, Moonlight Sketches, this weekend.

If you're interested, check it out. No cost to enter.

Just cut and past this link into your browswer:

http://gerardcollinsblog.blogspot.com/

Gerard

Final thoughts

2011-12-12T18:47:00.003-03:30

Hi, everyone.

Just wanted to remind you of a few things about tomorrow's exam:

1. It takes place in the Phys. Ed. gymnasium at 3 p.m.

2. It's a two and a half hour exam. (Divide your time as evenly as possible. Writing a strong essay in Part A will not really compensate for writing only a couple of vague paragraphs in Part B.)

3. You're expected to write two essays in total, one on short stories and one on poetry.

4. You don't HAVE to double space your essays.

5. You can write in pen or pencil. Crayon usually doesn't work so well and Magic Markers are tough to make loops with.

6. It's okay to end a sentence with a preposition (see #5)--no matter what anyone tells you. It's like falling in love with Kim Kardashian: you should try to avoid it, but it's okay if you do.

7. Don't bring coffee into the exam room. Spillage could occur and if it does, I will deny even knowing you.

8. Bathroom breaks: See the last sentence in #6.

9. Try to relax. Breathe deep. Go to your happy place (as long as your happy place is within a fifteen foot radius of the centre of the gymnaisum).

10. BE THERE ON TIME!

11. BRING YOUR STUDENT I.D. CARD!

12. They won't let you leave the exam room between 5:15 and 5:30. Even if you're hungry, thirsty or need to pee.

13. Don't write in sentence fragments. The second half of #12 is a sentence fragment.

14. Don't write in comma splices, this is a comma splice.

15. Have fun. Seriously. After tomorrow, you won't have to write any more English essays...until next semester.

Also, have a fantastic Christmas and/or break from studying. It has been an honour being your teacher.

All the best,
Gerard

"No place for Hobbits"

2011-12-11T10:35:00.008-03:30

I've been getting plenty of emails about how to approach the final exam on Tuesday (3 p.m. in the Phys. Ed. gym) and so I thought I'd blog about that very subject. This entry is, of course, meant merely to supplement our extensive discussion in class, both in the last week of classes and all semester long. Experience tells me that if you missed a bunch of classes at any point during the semester, you will find the final exam tough and that, to me, is how it should be. On the other hand, if you were in class nearly all of the time and were mostly awake and paying attention, you'll have no trouble knowing what to prepare for.

I want to say before I begin, however, that it is has been a pleasure teaching you in English 1080 this semester. I consider teaching to be a spiritual calling--something I put a lot of effort into because I believe in the worthiness of a good education. There will always be some students who don't value the study of English literature simply because they don't like it or don't understand it, perhaps because they didn't read much when they were younger and just don't get why they should be studying poems and short stories. I've done my best to impart some of the joy that reading--and understanding--literature has given me since I was very young. Some of you came to this course already loving literature, and I hope I've only helped enhance your appreciation for it--or at least, given the necessity for close study, constant writing and receiving grades, I hope I haven't caused you to love it any less.

I see English studies as the one place in a university setting where philosophy, history, psychology, anthropology, sociology, folklore, cultural studies, art theory and many other areas of human concern come together. A story is just a story. But a story is more than just a story. It should be entertaining, but that is not its only value. In fact, as with a human being, the more intimately you come to know them, the more you should love them and be fascinated by them. So, while my study of literature is respectful of the author and the process of writing it, as well as of the final product itself which might well be merely a story for the sake of telling a story, my greatest joy in reading literature is in discovering its nuances--the subtleties that make it more intricate, more interesting and more valuable to me as time goes on. Imagine getting married to someone only to find out that they don't have any layers but merely the same repetitive, boring sayings and actions indicating no great amount of depth of personality. People are stories, after all. And stories are generally about people, even if they appear to be about pigs and horses and spiders. So I make no apologies for analyzing literature: I merely want to uncover its craftmanship in order to love it even more. At the same time, I try not to make ridiculous statements about symbolism that a closer, holistic reading doesn't support.

Having said all that, thank you for being in my class this semester. A course is only as good as its students, just as it is only as good as its professor or teacher. To those of you who showed up every day and had something to say, even if only to join in the conversation or to test out an idea, thank you. While it might only be literature, I think your choice to attend the classes and take the assignments and discussion seriously indicate how you will do in life--not just in terms of your career fulfillment, but in terms of your overall happiness in life. Those who are able to take joy in literature, at least on some level, show an inquisitiveness into human nature and the world around them that ultimately leads to a more fulfilling existence. Of course, there are many other factors that will decide your ability to be happy in life--but the willingness to be happy, to make the most of a situation and to give your best effort, regardless, is likely a forecaster of how happy you will be in years to come. Or so I believe. And, of course, there is something about the appreciation of art in all forms that adds layers to one's personality and existence.

So, what about the exam? In total, you have to write two essays, answer only one question from each section. Here's the format for the final exam, one more time:

Section A (Short fiction): There are 3 questions. You need to answer only 1 of them. They are all comparative analysis.

Section B (poetry): There are 3 questions. You need to answer only 1 of them. Two are comparative analysis and one is a "sight poem"--one you've likely never seen before.

If I were you, I'd try to know 4-5 stories and 4-5 poems really well. Again, if you've been to class most of the semester, especially in the past week, you have a very good idea of what to expect. My course is designed so that those who come to classes get the most out of it, and, as a result, when it comes to writing the final exam, you are best prepared if I've seen you most of the semster, sitting in a desk in the classroom.

If you haven't been to class very much, well, good luck. Most of you know that if you come to see me, or just stay in touch with me during the semester, and/or show some sign that you care and are trying, I will do anything to help you at least raise your grade, or hopefully pass, or achieve the best mark possible. But if you've been absent a lot and I don't know why, or you've give me nothing but attitude, good luck once again.

The final exam is designed to find out what you know, not what you don't know. Now if you "know" absolutely nothing, then you're pretty sure of not doing well. The trick is to know your stories and poems well enough so that you can write about them. That doesn't mean memorizing the poems or stories necessarily. Memory will only get you so far. With the poems, I'd make sure I knew a few lines that I could throw in, but I'd also make sure I was pretty intimate with the whole thing.

Show me that you get the difference between "blackening" in one poem and "golden" in the other, for example. Show me that you understand why wandering through pristine, lively nature will yield different results for a poet than wandering through a dirty street filled with the reminders of all that's wrong with a 19th century city. Better yet, show me how both poets are saying similar things and, in their own way, use rhyme and/or meter, and imagery, and symbolism to say it.

Be as specific as possible. Talk about daffodils as symbols and wandering as a symbolic act. Talk about how "Stopping" can be a signficant moment in understanding one's place in a big, dark world. Talk about what "True Love" really is, according to one poet and how it's so similar to the love expressed in "Sonnet 130". Be able to see, and express, how Vryenhoek's poetry captures the restlesness of both a particular speaker and an era in human history all at once--what might "Coming Back Again, Again" have in common with "Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening"? The answer is "lots," but I won't get into it again. I've been through all of this many times before. Keep in mind that the choice of poems about which to write will be mainly yours, the only limitations being imposed by the subject indicated in the question itself. But I won't be telling you specifically which poems, or stories, to write about.

The key to a good essay is to be specific about the details and to discuss what those details signify, symbolize, indicate, or suggest about the character or object they're associated with, whether you're discussing poetry or short stories. There really is no mystery.

Oh, and be organized about it. Remember: 1-2-3. Make a statement. Give evidence. Discuss evidence. (And 4: see grades rise.)

The poetry section will be easy, by the way. As long as you've studied and compared some of the poems in a detailed way (as I've discussed at length in class recently), you should be well prepared to write that part of the exam. Plus, there's the sight poem (one of the options) where all you have to do is talk about the usual assortment of poetic techniques. Mostly, though, focus on individual words in the poem. That will make all the difference. But also make sure you form a clear statement of what the poem is about overall and set about proving your theory to be true.

The short story section has three questions and you get to choose one (lucky you). If you were in the last class of the semester, you have a good idea of what kind of question you'll get. If not, I can't really help you with that. Get someone's notes, if you can't.

Beyond that, though, it's still a matter of knowing some of those stories really well. Focus on knowing some of the symbols (a car, a gun, some clothing like a hat, a skirt, or a pink ribbon), images you can discuss (a girl in her house on the threshold while a stalker waits outside because he "promised" he would or a family whose car has turned upside down in a ditch while a man called the Misfit descends). You know what a Misfit is, right? If not, maybe you should. We talked about a lot of them in this course. But a misfit is more than just an outsider in society (and there are different kinds of societies--and while we're at it, what the heck is a society?); a misfit also has a place in society because he shows us something about ourselves: about the things we most fear, about what we most want, about what we are capable of in our darkest or most important hour. That sort of thing. I don't exactly ask you a question about misfits, but, if you think about it, every one of these stories features a misfit of some kind, whether it's Jason in "Serotonin," the young man in "Young Goodman Brown" or Elisa in "The Chrysanthemums". Again, it's not that I'll ask you to discuss misfits specifically, but you should be able to see how certain characters are related to each other in a meaningful way--that's how comparative analysis is done.

All of these stories have characters who are looking to change their situation somehow. There will surely be an opportunity to discuss that. And with every story we talked extensively about how a character represents the times in which he or she lives/lived by being a part of the moral fabric, a generational attitude or stance towards society, a trend that is prevalent in a particular time. In short, the character symbolizes certain qualities and ideas. Brainstorm on these and see how they fit (or, equally important, don't fit) within the predominant values and prevailing ideas of the time. One need look no further than Elisa Allen in her man's clothes in a male-dominated world who winds up crying like a "weak, old woman". How is she representative of her time? Or how is she symbolic of a certain kind of person, struggling to be free of society's expectations? What role does the tinker play in that struggle? Does Arnold Friend play a similar role in Connie's striving for adulthood and independence amid the backdrop of the 1960s rock and roll era, which was rife with civil and social unrest, ideals about what mankind, especially the young people, could accomplish. Change is certainly at the heart of these stories (as it is for "Young Goodman Brown" in 1692 New England and for characters in a a bunch of other stories). It's always about change. Otherwise, there is no story. Then there's the Misfit who, somewhat like Arnold Friend, represents the lawless violence of America, the part of civilized society that nobody likes to talk about.

Again, I could keep going. But I won't. These ramblings, as with those in the last class of the semester, do not necessarily reflect any specific questions on the exam, but are but shadows of that which might be, directly or indirectly.

Just come Tuesday afternoon and write your heart out. Be prepared. Be strong. Be brave. As Gandalf says, "This is no place for Hobbits." But if you must be a Hobbit, which you can hardly help, then be the best, bravest, and most prepared Hobbit you can be.

Better yet, be a wizard. Weave some magic. Of course, a wizard is never early or late; a wizard appears just when he means to--in which case, I hope you mean to appear at the exam room well before 3 p.m.

When you write your two essays, show me that you get it. You just do. Make me proud. Better yet, make yourself proud. You only have to impress me. For that, all you have to do is write your best essay that you've written all semester.

Many of you wrote your best essay on the last one you did. So there is no reason to think you won't improve even more for the final exam. But that will happen only if I've done my job properly and, equally important, if you have done yours.

I'll see you in the exam room. Oh and, yeah: don't forget to breathe. My theory about these kinds of things is that you'll always do better if you can find a way to relax, whatever that means for you. You'll notice that in sports it's the player who is most relaxed who finds a way to succeed, to come through in the clutch situation. The relaxed batter will always be the one to get the game-winning hit because he relishes the opportunity, and he is able to find that state of mind because he is well prepared. You'll find the same is true for nearly any situation in life: whether you become a nurse, a doctor, a teacher or a financial planner, you will make fewer mistakes if you achieve a peaceful state of mind. Job interviews are the same. Driving through the streets of any city is like that. Making a souffle, walking a tightrope or milking a cow--all the same: if you're relaxed, it's easier to tame the beast.

And the surest way to achieve success is to be prepared. You've been doing that all semester long. This is merely the playoffs--no time to be scared, but a time to find some kind of innner peace. Breathing is essential. Meaningful, deep breaths that cleanse the soul and clear the mind are even more helpful. For me, personally, it always helps to listen to the right kind of music before facing the challenge. There have been many moments this semester--whether I'm teaching a class, getting ready to face a crowded room at a writers' conference or about to go live on the air for a radio interview--when a good night's sleep, a few sips of tea and a few songs from my favourite songs on the old iPod just prior to "show time" got me through by helping to clear my head and my soul. I've been here before, I always tell myself, and I've survived this far.

And you will too.

Good luck. See you Tuesday.

GC

Rocking the topic sentence

2011-12-09T16:49:00.004-03:30

It’s the Friday before the final exam (which takes place on Tuesday at 3 p.m.), and I can feel the trembling excitement in the air. I hope you’re all doing well on all of your exams so far and haven’t got much further to go. Of course, I know there are quite a few of you who still have “miles to go” before you sleep—by which I mean, you know, you have lots to do before you’re finished your journey for this semester. Don’t interpret that to have anything to do with death, please.

Anyway, before I get into writing about how to approach the exam—I’ll save that topic for later in the weekend—there was a student who asked me to write about topic sentences. I think it’s worthwhile simply because it’s an issue that has kept coming back again and again all semester long.

A topic sentence is a statement, usually appearing at the beginning of a paragraph, that indicates what the entire paragraph is about. If your paragraph strays from the plan indicated in the topic sentence, then you need to revise either the topic sentence to fit the paragraph or the paragraph to fit the topic sentence. Either way, there should be nothing in that paragraph that wasn’t suggested in your topic sentence. Likewise, your topic sentence should not suggest the paragraph will entail topics beyond the mandate you’ve give yourself in the first sentence. A good example would be this paragraph wherein the first sentence tells you exactly what the paragraph is about: topic sentences and what they do.

Topic sentences help you organize the essay. If you were writing a critical analysis of William Wordsworth’s “I Wandered Lonely As A Cloud,” you might have a paragraph on the concept of value in that poem. So what you need is a topic sentence which shows that that’s what your paragraph is about. Notice in the sample paragraph below how the first sentence tells me exactly what the paragraph entails. I’ve put the topic sentence in bold type.

The speaker often uses imagery that suggests the entire experience of dancing with the daffodils is valuable in various ways, especially because he is a poet. He says, “a poet could not but be gay,” emphasizing his vocation as a writer and observer of the world around him, one who tries to express that which many of us might miss or might find difficult to articulate. He is “gay” is because the scene before him has lifted his spirits. Although he has started out “lonely as a cloud,” he has evolved into a person who “dances with the daffodils” in his mind even though he is lying on his couch in a “vacant or pensive mood.” The entire process is valuable because of what it shows him—and the reader—about human nature and about nature itself, that a single moment has the ability to elevate our moods and help us appreciate the world around us, even if we are alone and perhaps especially when we are alone. He says the daffodils are “golden”—comparing them to a precious and rare metal—and says the show has brought him “wealth” that he couldn’t quite understand even at the moment. Because he is a poet, he is able to record his thoughts regarding that moment of transcendence, so that he can use them later. Furthermore, despite not having been there with the speaker at that moment, we too can understand the value of the daffodils, which represent nature’s transforming properties: a single moment of beauty can stay with us forever, especially when we have the words and capacity to articulate our feelings.

I could go on and on with this idea, but I’m hoping that gives you a specific idea of what a topic sentence can do. At several moments as I was writing that paragraph, I looked back to my topic sentence for guidance. I checked to make sure I had given myself permission in that sentence to say that things I said about the nature of a poet and about the imagery he uses. I even deleted some sentences that I realize were slightly off topic, that were getting away from the connection between the “poet” and the symbolism of the moment. For example, if I wanted to talk about the meter and/or rhyme scheme, that's a separate subject and deserves a new paragraph (An example of such a topic sentence might be: Wordsworth's meter and rhyme scheme are constructed to enhance the happy tone that evolves, as well as reflect the idea of memory. Then, explain how meter works in the poem and then explain how rhyme scheme works. Or you could make these topics into separate paragraphs from each other.)

I always visualize an essay or article as a stack of boxes on moving day. Each box should have a label on it; otherwise, I would be very disorganized. The label on each box is the topic sentence. That label should tell me what exactly the box contains. If I open the box that’s labelled “Kitchen Stuff” and find a toilet scrubber, then I haven’t done a very good job of sorting—or I’ve put the wrong label on the box. I might change the label to “Kitchen and Bathroom Stuff”. Really, though, I should take the toilet scrubber out and put it in the box that says “Bathroom Stuff”. What that means, in terms of your writing, is that if a particular sentence doesn’t match up with your topic sentence, then you either revise the topic sentence to fit, or (far better) put that sentence (or partial sentence or whatever it is) in the paragraph into which it fits. In the end, you should have a neat stack of paragraphs, all appropriately labelled. That, my friends, is organization. I should be able to glance at each topic sentence and know exactly what the boxes—I mean, paragraphs—contain.

Hope this helps. Again, picture your paragraphing as a stack of boxes with labels on them, and that should give you the right visual for your essay.

More to come over the weekend. Stay tuned.

GC

And so it begins, and so it ends.

2011-12-01T19:38:00.004-03:30

As promised, here's the list of short stories and poems we've done this semester that you're responsible for knowing for the final exam.

Short Stories:

1. "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?" by Joyce Carol Oates
2. "The Chrysanthemums" by John Steinbeck
3. "Young Goodman Brown" by Nathaniel Hawthorne
4. "Serotonin" by Russell Smith
5. "Paul's Case" by Willa Cather
6. "A Good Man Is Hard to Find" by Flannery O'Connor

Poems:

1. "Stopping By Woods On a Snowy Evening" by Robert Frost
2. "I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud" (or "Daffodils") by William Wordsworth
3. "London" by William Blake
4. "True Love" by Judith Viorst
5. "My Mistress' Eyes" (or "Sonnet 130") by William Shakespeare
6. "Ursa Minor" by Leslie Vryenhoek
7. "My Parents' Past" by Leslie Vryenhoek
8. "Coming back again, again" by Leslie Vryenhoek
9. "Longing" by Leslie Vryenhoek

Also, please be aware that the final exam will take place in the Physical Education Building on TUESDAY, DECEMBER 13 @ 3 O'CLOCK. It's a two and a half hour exam.

BRING YOUR STUDENT I.D. CARD!

DO NOT BE LATE!

Also, no leaving the exam room in the last fifteen minutes (which means you have to leave by 5:15 p.m. or stay until 5:30 when the exam ends.

More stuff to come regarding end of term and end of exam.

GC

"Longing" and other poems

2011-11-26T19:09:00.002-03:30

I've decided on a change of plans for English 1080 this coming Monday. I was going to post "My Papa's Waltz" by Theodore Roethke, but I'll do that at a later date. As of now, you've nothing new to read for Monday's class. I have other plans fo that class and possibly Wednesday's as well.

The essays are going well so far with a lot of students getting their best grade of the term thus far. Hopefully, you're one of the many.

See you Monday. Hope you're having a good weekend.

Gerard

"True Love" at last

2011-11-15T13:27:00.000-03:30

Because my copy of this poem was not suitable for reproducing (I know a lot of people like that, in fact), I decided I'd put it up here for you to read. The line breaks still aren't exactly right because blogger won't allow indentation. However, I'll be copying this poem for you for Wednesday's class so you can see how it's meant to be read.

Meanwhile, here's "True Love," the way it was meant to be (sort of)--don't say I never gave you anything.

“True Love” by Judith Viorst

It is true love because
I put on eyeliner and a concerto and make pungent observations about the great issues of the day
Even when there's no one here but him,
And because
I do not resent watching the Green Bay Packers
Even though I am philosophically opposed to football,
And because
When he is late for dinner and I know he must be either having an affair or lying dead in the middle of the street,
I always hope he's dead.

It's true love because
If he said quit drinking martinis but I kept drinking them and the next morning I
couldn't get out of bed,
He wouldn't tell me he told me,
And because
He is willing to wear unironed undershorts
Out of respect for the fact that I am philosophically opposed to ironing,
And because
If his mother was drowning and I was drowning and he had to choose one of us to save,
He says he'd save me.

It's true love because
When he went to San Francisco on business while I had to stay home with the painters and the exterminator and the baby who was getting the chicken pox,
He understood why I hated him,
And because
When I said that playing the stock market was juvenile and irresponsible and then the stock I wouldn't let him buy went up twenty-six points,
I understood why he hated me,
And because
Despite cigarette cough, tooth decay, acid indigestion, dandruff, and other features of married life that tend to dampen the fires of passion,
We still feel something
We can call
True love.

Quote Notes: Poetry

2011-11-13T13:47:00.003-03:30

This is my second post about the poetry in-class essay coming up for English 1080, so if you missed the first one, posted on Saturday, scroll down until you find it.

Meanwhile, with two poetry assignments coming up, one in-class and one shorter out-of-class assignment, I decided to focus on quotation methods for poetry.

Quotation is something that used to be taught in high school and, to some degree, in elementary school, but that seems not to be the case anymore since I rarely encounter a first-year essay that presents quotes the right way. It’s been hard finding time to write about this topic, as there are so many issues involved with quotation. That said, here are two excellent sources to answer your questions about poetry method (you'll have to cut and paste the URL into your browser):

http://www.shepherd.edu/scwcweb/hndpoetry.htm

and

www.westga.edu/~scarter/Citing_Poetry_Using_MLA.rtf.

Please note, however, that I am not concerned that you include the line number (it's really not necessary). I am more concerned that you do the following:

1. Put quotation marks around the TITLE of the poem.

2. Put quotation marks around the direct words quoted from the poem.

3. Use a slash between lines of quoted poetry:

a) Frost’s speaker finds himself wondering, “Whose woods these are I think I know/His house is in the village though,” thereby placing emphasis on the ownership of property.

b) The speaker in Wordsworth’s poem suddenly finds comfort in nature, speaking of the flowers as if they are human: “When all at once I saw a crowd/A host of golden daffodils.”

4. If you use a long quote, indent ten spaces, but quotation marks are not necessary.

As the speaker moves on, he encounters a variety of movement in nature:

Beside the lake, beneath the trees
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze
The waves beside them danced but they
Outdid the sparkling waves with glee.
Notice that I introduce the quote using a colon, and the next line of prose following a long quotes should not be indented. Use a line or two of explanation (like this example, except Blogspot wouldn't allow me to indent the quote, so I put it in bold) and then start a new paragraph.

5. Don’t use “hanging quotes” (also called “floating quotes”). That is, don’t place the quote in the midst of your discussion, without leading into it or setting it up properly.

Here’s a hanging quote:
The speaker admires the beauty of the woods. “The woods are lovely.” Also, he sees that they are mysterious. “dark and deep”.

Here's how that quote should look:
The speaker admires the beauty of nature, saying, "The woods are lovely." He also notes their mysterious quality, adding that they are "dark and deep".

Here’s another way, a little extra analysis thrown in:
The speaker admires the beauty of the woods, thinking they are “lovely,” but he also appreciates their hidden quality, as they are “dark and deep,” perhaps impenetrable and unknowable. In this way, he remains somewhat detached from the woods as suggested by the preposition “by” in the woods. That is, rather than stopping in the woods or venturing into them where he might be able to see them up close and engage with nature, he is merely “stopping by,” perhaps because his work will only allow him a certain physical and emotional distance from the object of his affection.

Notice the placement of the quotation marks, as well the commas, which go inside the quotation marks. Notice also that I made my point without using unnecessarily long quotes, but focused instead on discussing specific word choices of the poet. I don’t just give the quote; I explain its significance.

This explanation should give you an idea of what I am talking about. Most of the information is applicable also to writing about prose (fiction and novels). Use shorter quotes instead of longer ones when possible. Either way, your quote should be incorporated properly into your discussion.

GC

Moonlight Sketches: "Immensely realistic, enjoyable and worthwhile."

2011-11-13T13:11:00.005-03:30

"The popular image of rural Newfoundland is one of idyllic scenes of dories and docks, lobster pots and sunsets, saltbox houses and plaid-and-oilskin-clad locals with faces weathered by the wind and sun. This is the Newfoundland of tourism ads: the one that makes outsiders, worn out with the anonymity and bustle of urban life, gasp and sigh and long for the peace and quiet of a rural village. Those who hold this vision of outport life in their minds will be quickly disabused of it should they pick up a copy of Gerard Collins's short story collection, Moonlight Sketches, but pick it up they should. Collins's stories, while predominantly bleak, portray an immensely realistic rural Newfoundland brimming with fascinating and diverse characters and situations. Moments of dark humour and suspense make this collection an enjoyable and worthwhile read."

Maybe soon I can get the proper permission to post the entire article. For now, though, this opening paragraph is the only part of Gina Granter's glowing review--from the Spring 2011 issue of Newfoundland and Labrador Studies--that's available on line. The entire review is a broad-ranging and predominately positve take on my writing. The bottom line is that, while there was the odd weak spot, the overall collection is quite strong and she highly recommends reading it. So there.

GC

Poets Make Cheap Dates

2011-11-12T10:35:00.000-03:30

If you’re in my English 1080 classes, you’ll be writing an in-class essay on poetry Monday, Nov. 14, and I’m guessing that some of you are a little worried. That would be particularly true if you didn’t do so well on the last assignment or if you’re just not comfortable writing about poetry.

Up until now, you’ve been writing about short stories, and writing about poetry is really not so different. I mean, yes, it is slightly different, but not completely.

You’ll be ask to write a critical analysis of a poem. We’ve covered Robert Frost’s “Stopping By Woods On a Snowy Evening” and “I Wandered Lonely As A Cloud” by William Wordsworth, as well as “London” by William Blake—all three of them much more intricately composed than at first glance. But that’s true of all good poetry and, really, good writing in general. In fact, that would be a good starting point to write about: the poem is about a seemingly simple event which is more profound and complex than would appear on the surface. Furthermore, the manner in which the poem is written reflects this very idea of something being deceptively effortless. The persona in Frost’s poem is striving to enjoy a moment of solitude, while the speaker in Wordsworth’s poem seems to have found a way to achieve such a moment. Both poems, in effect, capture, memorialize, and convey the complexity and profundity of such a moment. Sometimes peace of mind can elude us, particularly when we must strive for it. But does that necessarily mean we should not try to achieve it? The speaker in “London,” on the other hand seems restless and dispirited, disenchanted with his city at the turn of the eighteenth century—he is seeking something: any idea what it is? And do you think he finds it or makes recommendations regarding what to do about it?

Anyway, it's not my intention to tell you what to think or to write about, but I get so many students who, for some reason, are scared silly about discussing poetry, that I needed to show how it's done. There are many ways to approach the assignment and these three poems, and I certainly don't wish to see my ideas replicated on Monday. Learn from HOW I do this, and don't focus so much on the content of what I say about the poem. Get your own ideas. Sure, build on what other people say, but get to know the poem on your own terms. Otherwise, you just become a drone. The poet is speaking to you. Are you listening?

Although I’ve talked about these poems in class over the past several classes, there is still much more that has to be said. I always leave some gaps for students to fill in for themselves as you seek some truth in the poem on your own terms.

Regardless of which poem you’re asked to write about, there are ways to be prepared for the assignment.

First of all, try to forget all the notes you’ve taken and everything you’ve heard or read about the poem, and try to read it as if for the first time. Just try to feel the poem, to envision what the poet has rendered on the page.

Ask yourself: What do I know for sure about this poem? Do some freewriting on that. You might be surprised at how much you know.

Then, ask yourself another question: What, in particular, about this poem don’t I understand? Articulating a response to that question, on paper might help you move forward in your search to comprehend the most difficult part of the poem. If there’s a certain symbol or image that’s bothering you, then do some freewriting on that.

Take the “house in the village,” for example. Write the word “house”. Underneath that word, write some words, thoughts, and feelings that you associate with “house”. Don’t edit yourself and don’t stop. Just keep going. I’ll try it myself in fact, right now.

House:

home
four walls and a roof
security
a haven
ownership of property
something solid
something somebody bought
something most people wish they had if they don’t have
but mostly a place to call home

Keep in mind that these are my random thoughts, guided by nothing except a genuine reaction to the word “house”. I gave it no thought beforehand.

So when I look back over my notes, I see what a house represents. I see several things I could use in writing about the “house in the village” and what it probably means for the speaker of the poem. Mostly, I see words about solidity and safety, home, a sense of belonging, security, and even ownership of something solid. These are possibly things that one person (the one “whose house is in the village though”) has, but which the speaker shows no signs of having within the poem. We see him as being in between, rather homeless (if only figuratively—we don’t think he’s a vagrant or street person, only metaphorically homeless) or feeling displaced or detached from society as it is represented by the man who owns the woods by which the persona is stopping.

Perform the same sort of freewriting for the word “village” and you’ll probably come up with words like (this is me freewriting again, without thought): civilization, many houses, lights, streets, a place where many people live, a place that is NOT the woods—which would represent the wild, rather than civilization—a place not as dark as the woods, and so on. I won’t keep going. I want to leave something for you to discover on your own.

Really, that is the only way to proceed: make the poem your own. Become intimate with it. It’s like when you’re getting to know a boyfriend or girlfriend. Becoming intimate means getting to know them. That means getting to know their habits, the way they like to do things, the good parts and the bad parts, the way they talk, the sound of their voice, what their bodies look like, how they react to certain ideas of yours, and what kind of ideas they have to share with you.

And they do, you know, have ideas to share. You just have to listen. Becoming intimate with a poem means spending some time with it. Make it your boyfriend or girlfriend. Go on a date for an hour and see if you like this poem. But you can’t know if you like it unless you spend the time, ask it some questions, and get to know it bit by bit.

That means taking key words and freewriting about them, just as I did, and as I have done in class. It’s truly the only way to make a poem your own, to understand it on your own terms. Studying notes from class just won’t cut it. They can help, but they won’t engage your thoughts, imagination, and understanding in quite the same way.

Remember that you’re looking for repetition. If your girlfriend keeps using words like “baby” and “marriage” over and over, then you’ll notice a pattern emerging: she yearns for a man with a sense of commitment. If she keeps mentioning words like “tarot” and “magic,” she might be a closet Wiccan. If it’s “cool,” “rad” and “gnarly” over and over, she’s probably a closet surfer or a wannabe hippie. You get the picture. Words mean something. Patterns of words mean something more, something bigger: an idea begins to emerge.

If a poem uses words like “cold,” “dark,” “frozen” and “winter” there’s a good possibility that the persona is fixated on winter. But the words have other connotations. They are somewhat negative words, connoting metaphorical death or dying, and what exactly is dead or dying depends on the content of the poem. Maybe it’s a dying soul—of the individual or of society. Maybe the person feels isolated and alone, or just detached, frozen inside, as it were. Is there a suggestion that this is a passing, or fleeting, moment, or is it an eternal winter that he’s talking about? (Notice that I’m not talking about the Frost poem in particular, just showing you can glean connotations from a pattern of words.) If the words invoke bright, fun, positive images, and there are several such words in the poem (or just in one stanza), then the implications for the tone of the poem are obvious.

I could go on and on about content, but many of you probably are wondering about the actual writing process. Once you’ve got your ideas and organized them, come up with a good thesis that will allow you to argue something about the poem, then you’ll start to write. Have a plan of attack (e.g. “I want to write about figurative language in one paragraph, a certain repeated image in the next paragraph, and rhyme and meter in another paragraph. I will show how each of these is connected to the theme I’m discussing that is portrayed in this poem”). That would be a solid plan and a good way to get yourself ready to tackle the critical analysis of the poem. Then you have to just do that.

You’ll have the poem in front of you on Monday, so it’s a good idea to quote occasionally from the poem. Don’t use really long quotes. Just use brief phrases here and there, such as “wandered lonely” in the middle of sentences, and then go on to explain that the word “wandered” implies a melancholy, perhaps aimless traveling on the part of the person. In fact, the word “lonely” confirms not only the lacking of company, but also a sense of yearning for company at the same time.

If you’re going to quote an entire line, do it like this: “That floats on high o’er vales and hills,” placing a comma inside the quotation marks as I do. If you’re quoting two lines or more, use a slash between lines: “The only other sound’s the sweep/Of easy wind and downy flake.” Use the same line length and punctuation that the poet uses so that you maintain the integrity and meaning of the original words.

Other than that, make sure you do the same things in writing your essay that I’ve been preaching all semester. It all starts with a solid thesis statement that tells me what the poem is about.

For example: In his poem “Stopping By Woods On A Snowy Evening,” Robert Frost depicts a moment that is more complex and troubling than it might appear on the surface. Then, round out your introductory paragraph by telling me, what you mean and how you know. Explain what “complex” and “troubling” mean in contrast to the “surface” appearances. And tell me how the poet conveys that theme—for example: “The poet presents a man at a literal and figurative crossroads, pondering his place in the world and his relationship to all that surrounds him. The troubled nature of the man’s mind can be seen in the sight and sound imagery, figurative language, and rhythm of the poem. While the speaker seems to be at ease as he watches the snow fall, a close look at his words suggest otherwise.” (Notice how my last sentence makes my intentions clear by explaining my thesis statement, but without repeating it. In a way, that last sentence acts as a second thesis statement.)

So my opening paragraph might look like this:

In his poem “Stopping By Woods On A Snowy Evening,” Robert Frost depicts a moment that is more complex and troubling than it might appear on the surface. The poet presents a man at a literal and figurative crossroads, pondering his place in the world and his relationship to all that surrounds him. The troubled nature of the man’s mind can be seen in the sight and sound imagery, figurative language, and rhythm of the poem. While the speaker seems to be at ease as he watches the snow fall, a close look at his words suggest otherwise.

From there, it’s obvious what you need to talk about: in separate paragraphs, show how the poet employs imagery, figurative language, and meter (for example) to illuminate the theme of deceptive simplicity. In each paragraph, you’ll use sample words and phrases, sometimes an entire line, to illustrate your point. Then, you’ll proceed to discuss those words and phrases (like the freewriting I mentioned earlier, only in miniature form, with more of a sense of purpose).

I’ve already given you a handout on “Writing About Poetry,” which will give you more concrete things to discuss. But this is how I would go about writing a critical analysis of one of these three poems on Monday.

Remember what I said though: make the poem your own. Get to know it intimately, one word and line at a time. There is no other way to be honest and real, and to really get something out of the reading. You might just learn something about yourself in the process.

There’s always that hope. See ya Monday.

GC

The Softer Side of Poetry

2011-11-02T20:25:00.004-02:30

I thought it would be fun to post it again. It's is a blast from my childhood, as I recall this exact moment on the Muppets show. Until now, it only existed for me in my memory. But I went looking one night last fall and, lo and behold, there it was, in faded color and quivering lines.

And I still love it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGoZNjNgcP0

Enjoy! Poetry can be fun.(Although sometimes it's about death.)

[Note: You'll have to cut and paste, since Blogger's being an arse.]

More on Quotation

2011-10-25T20:27:00.003-02:30

Monday's blog on quotation methods might have been a bit misleading. I didn't mean to suggest that all quotes have to be preceded by a colon. Another option is to lead with a comma:

e.g. Elisa wants more out of life, but the tinker tells her, "It's no life for a woman."

That's one way. Another one would be to simply put quotation marks around the exact words without any attribute phrases ("he said" and "She told him," for example). You could just make the quote a natural part of your sentence:

e.g. While Elisa wants more out of her life, the travelling supposedly offers "no life for a woman."

The one thing you shouldn't do is the hanging quote, as I've often talked about. Don't just throw the complete quote, wrapped in quotation marks in the middle of a paragraph, a sentence all by itself. You should always lead in to it.

Hope this clarifies things a bit. Good luck on the essays. I've answered quite a few emails these past few days--although not nearly as many as I'm used to, for which I thank you all. I don't mind emails, but it's nice not to have so many to deal with at once. As of now (8:29 p.m. Tuesday night), I'm officially off duty. It's been a long few days, as I'm sure it has been for most of you, and I'm sure it's not over for many of you yet. Essays are due on Friday.

GC

Quotation for short stories

2011-10-23T19:15:00.002-02:30

When you quote directly from a short story, please place quotation marks around the exact words of the author.

Don't use hanging quotes. What I mean is don't just throw your quote into the middle of a paragraph (or anywhere else) without leading into it. "Resist the Wicked One!" That's an example of a hanging quote. I should lead into the quote with a colon: “‘Resist the Wicked One,’” Goodman Brown begs her. His words are ironic considering that, ultimately, it is Brown himself who gives in to his own dark nature, and he himself might be considered “wicked.” After all, as Hawthorne writes, Brown is “the chief horror” within the woods. If Brown represents mankind, or is a kind of everyman, Hawthorne is clearly suggesting that, although a person may hide his true intentions and stand in judgment of others, man is the most horrible of creatures because of such harmful tendencies. Notice that I follow the quote with an explanation of what his words imply and why they are significant. Notice also that, because a character is speaking within the quote, I use single quotation marks to mark his words and then wrap the entire quote inside double quotation marks. I even exchange the exlamation point for a comma because it suits my purpose, allowing me to use a smaller portion of the quote and add an attributive phrase.

Speaking of which, note that, even though I introduce the quote with a colon, I also use an attributive phrase, "Goodman Brown begs her," to clarify who is speaking. Always guide your reader. Make sure it's clear who is speaking. You don't always need attributive phrases like this one, but sometimes they are needed.

You would do well to notice several points in that paragraph:

1. The comma goes inside the quotation marks.

2. The quotation is only four words long. In fact, I could choose to use only the words “resist” or “Wicked One,” (for example, I just use the word “wicked” in my explanation. Technically, I could delete the entire quote that precedes it. How much of a quote I use depends on how much of it I need. Generally, I prefer to use my precious words for discussion rather than just quotation. This is the most important part of the quote, for my purposes here, so it's all I need to use.

3. Notice that I don't just satisfy myself with saying YGB’s words are ironic. I suggest what the words’ connotations might be in the context of the story and then, even better, I go on to say how they relate to some of the story’s bigger issues: mankind’s dark nature and how, according to Hawthorne’s allegory, we judge others while we, in fact, are the worst beings of all.

That's all for now: set your quotes up properly. Lead into them. Don't use hanging quotes, and make sure you ALWAYS explain the significance of key words in your quotes. Do as I have done.

GC

Getting Substance into Your Essay

2011-10-20T16:12:00.002-02:30

By now, most of you in English 1080 are probably working on your new essays, the comparative analysis of two short stories. The two main concerns for many of you will be organizing your essay and getting some substance into your work. These issues are inextricably linked to each other because substance requires clarity of thought--the kind of clarity that comes from, and is shown in, clear organization. Most of the essays I grade early in a semester are lacking in detail and explication, and if you're looking to raise your grade, such substance is necessary. "A" papers have it, while all others have it to lesser degrees. "F" papers tend not to have much substance at all, or what is there is disguised, or buried, in poor expression or poor organization so that it's hard to find.

So how do you get this substance into your papers? A quality essay must not only be pretty squeaky clean grammatically, but it also has to express an original, engaging, thought on the subject. There are various ways of doing this, and I would never suggest that my way is the only way. But over the past decade or so, I've developed a way of showing students how to format such a paper.

It's the same one I wrote on the board a while ago, which I just call the 1-2-3 method of analysis: Each paragraph of your essay ought to look something like this.

1. Make a statement.
2. Give evidence.
3. Discuss evidence.

1. Make a statement. This is your topic sentence or what I call "the label on the box." Think of the paragraph as a box in which you are going to pack certain things in order to organize. Organization, after all, is the key to clear expression. So if you clearly mark the box/paragraph, then there should be no doubt as to what it contains. I should be able to read your "label" (topic sentence) and know exactly what that box contains. When you look back over your essay, if you see a subject being discussed that does not belong with that label, then you need to put that statement or phrase in another box, or paragraph. If your paragraph turns out to be about something other than what you planned, you could even consider changing your topic sentence. The other alternative could be to re-write your entire paragraph. Either way, the label has to match the contents of the box, and vice-versa.

2. Give evidence. The evidence you use is simply the short quotes, details, choice words, SPECIFIC references to scenes and characters that you use to support your topic sentence. These will show your reader (me) that you are not just making broad or abstract claims; you actually have reasons for making the assertions you make, and here is the proof.

3. Discuss evidence. It's never enough just to show evidence and assume that I know why it's there. If I want to make my own connections, I will write my own paper. Your job is to show me why you think what you think about the book, story, poem (or whatever) you've read. So go back to your list of details or your quotes, look at the word choice used by the author and tell me why you think these words that you've chosen are appropriate evidence for what you're trying to prove or illustrate. If you've used a quote with at least several words in it, go back through the quote, pick out a few (or at least a couple) of key words and tell me why they help prove your point.

I'm not telling you this simply because it's right and other methods are wrong. I'm telling you this because, for most of you, it will give you a method for working. There is confidence in having a formula that works and if you get used to doing it this way, you will always have full, meaningful paragraphs that are full of analysis and substance. I'll be trying to blog about more of this kind of thing over the next few days and coming weeks. This is only a beginning (also see my earlier blog about sentence structure fixes), as well as the one on thesis statements.

If you have a more specific question, PLEASE leave a comment or see me in person and ask me to blog about a certain idea. That way, I can address your particular needs.

More to come soon.

GC

How (and Why) to Write a Thesis Statement

2011-10-14T18:32:00.003-02:30

For those of you working on an English 1080 essay this weekend, I thought it might be useful to re-post this blog entry about thesis statements. I hope it helps. As a bonus, I've added a note here and there about how these ideas apply to comparative analysis essays.

The thesis statement is probably the most important part of any essay and appropriately so, but it’s also the part that most students find difficult.

I’ll try the Q & A format because it seems to clarify things a bit.

Q. Why is the thesis statement so important?

A. Because it’s your opening statement. You’re making your first impression. You’re laying the foundation for the rest of your essay. Everything that your essay entails should be clearly indicated in your thesis statement.

Q. Does a thesis statement have to be the first sentence?

A. It’s not an official rule or anything, and there are certainly other ways to go about it. But placing the thesis statement first in your essay gives a sense of immediacy and purpose to your essay. I have seen plenty of essays that were undermined by not placing the thesis statement first, but I have never see one that suffered by starting out with your strongest, clearest statement of intent. It just gives a sense of strength and cohesiveness to your argument. It’s all about effective writing anyway—not just “writing to get by” or “writing to be barely understood by.” It’s about being the best communicator your can be. And being a clear writer also makes you a clear thinker (though the opposite is not necessarily true.) So put your thesis statement first not because you have to, because you want to. It’s sort of why Entertainment Tonight always starts their show with those pictures of Snooki and The Situation or some female celebrity in a bikini or Britney baring her belly button (again): not because they have to but because it’s more effective. In a way, a photo of Snooki is their thesis statement.

Q. I’ve always had the most trouble writing thesis statements; is it even possible to learn this so that it becomes easier?

A. Anything becomes easier with practice and thesis statements are no different. You have to train yourself and, after a while, it will become easier. It will always take some amount of work, but it is worth it in order to become a clear communicator.

Q. What goes into a good thesis statement?

A. Your thesis statement ought to be as comprehensive as possible. This takes work, and you’ll probably have to write it first, then revise it as you go. The best thesis statements are usually ones that have been revised even after the essay’s been written. The idea is that it has to encompass everything that your essay is about and sometimes you can’t really know everything that’s in your mind until you’ve written it. So it makes sense that you would go back to the beginning when you’ve written the end and check to ensure that you’ve written about everything exactly as you said you would. Thesis statements are made to be revised.

Q. Can you give me an example of a good thesis statement?

A. If you’re subject is “music” in the short story “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” by Joyce Carol Oates, then start by telling me what your focus is going to be.

e.g. In the short story “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” Joyce Carol Oates uses rock and roll to represent the protagonist’s, and American society’s, coming of age.

That would be short, simple, and directly to the point. My intention in such an essay would be to discuss in detail, with examples, how Oates uses music as a medium for Connie’s transition into the adult world. My next sentences ought to explain precisely how Oates does that. I would need to mention specifically who the protagonist is (Connie) and how music is a part of who she is, as well as how it defines her situation, as well as America in the Sixties, and suggest what I mean by “coming of age.”

Something like this would do: “Throughout the story, Connie listens to music as a way of tuning out the real world and tuning in to a world of her own imagination, as denoted by the dangerous Arnold Friend, who symbolizes the dire changes that are sweeping the country during that decade. American youth, as represented by Connie, is reaching for freedom that sometimes comes with a terrible price, and nothing represents that yearning for something more better than rock and roll.”

Or you could have phrased your thesis statement like this:

e.g. Music is a portal to both freedom of the mind and its inherent dangers, as Joyce Carol Oates suggests in her short story “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?”.

Notice that I manage to include the author and title of the story, just to make sure the reader knows at a glance which work and author I’m dealing with. She can decide to keep reading or search elsewhere for a more appropriate article based on what she reads in that one sentence.

Also, notice that the subject in your thesis statement is not music generally. You’re not writing an essay about music, American society, teenage girls, or serial killers. You’re discussing music as it is portrayed in this one short story, and so any statement that’s not about that story is a wasted statement.

Let’s try it again. Let’s say your subject is isolation in “Paul’s Case”. Well, what are you trying to say about isolation in that short story? I see a lot of essays that start with something like, “‘Paul’s Case’ presents a young boy, Paul, who is isolated.” To say that Cather’s story depicts isolation is not enough: your point is, What does Cather imply ABOUT isolation? The most important opinion here, really, is Cather’s. It’s crucial that you figure out what she is trying to say before you can pretend to have an opinion on her opinion. Make sense?

Instead, try a thesis statement something like this:

As Willa Cather appears to suggest in her short story, "Paul's Case," isolation from one's friends, family, school, and church can have serious consequences on a person's attitudes and decisions.

With a thesis statement like that, you leave yourself wide open to go and discuss just about anything you want. You'll focus on showing Paul as isolated, using evidence from the story to suggest distance and detachment, physically and emotionally, from friends, then family, then school, then church, and ultimately even from the world around him, as well as himself. You'll go further and show how it muddies his thinking and allows him to justify robbing his employer, spending the money on luxuries, and, ultimately, deciding to kill himself. You might even feel the need to suggest it was something other than isolation that spurred him on. But that's you're decision. You decide what to prove because you're the writer.

For a comparative analysis essay (say, one on the depiction of isolation in "Paul's Case" and "Serotonin") try something like this:

Isolation, as both Willa Cather and Russell Smith depict that concept in their respective short stories, "Paul's Case" and "Serotonin," often becomes a way of dealing with one's difference and leads to a tragic end.

Notice that you've made it clear what your subject is, which stories you're dealing with, and what both authors imply about the subject (according to your interpretation). So now all you have to do is spend your entire essay proving your theory to be true. In this case, I would spend the rest of my introduction stating, briefly, what "isolation" means in these two stories and stating in what way each character is "different" from , or even indifferent to, their surroundings and peers, and then mentioning what the tragic end is that arises from such isolation. So I've outlined where the isolation comes from and where it's going. You could do the same for nearly any subject.

Then go on to explain each of these concepts paragraph by paragraph.

Q. Why isn't my opinion about the story important?

A. Certainly, you are being asked for your opinion on the story. This whole essay that you’re writing has you written all over it. Every word is yours—well-chosen, clear, purposeful, and coming from your head, through your fingers and onto the keyboard, screen, and paper. But first you have to get yourself out of the way. Look into the piece of literature and figure out the author’s agenda, whether it is subconscious or not. What is he or she implying by their well-chosen words? How are your opinions being shaped and manipulated by his or her choice of words?

In “Young Goodman Brown,” for example, Hawthorne’s opinions about religion or faith will not be the same as yours. Young Goodman Brown, for instance, dies a sad, gloomy death even though he still believes in God. You, on the other hand, might be faithfully religious and not agree with Hawthorne that faith can be such a terrible thing. But don’t get into morally judging the characters. Your goal is to understand the characters and explain why they act and speak as they do: for what purpose? What is Hawthorne trying to say by having them speak and act that way? That’s where your thesis statement will come from: in understanding the connection of the character you’re studying to all the other characters in that story. Or, if you’re comparing two short stories to each other, you also have to consider how one author’s agenda differs from the other author’s agenda. More on comparative analysis another time, hopefully by the end of the weekend.

It might seem like a lot to consider before you can write a solid thesis statement. But the fact is that critical thinking and writing requires you to show great understanding of the subject you’re studying. This is no different from science or history in that the idea is to thoroughly engage with your subject before you can possibly contribute anything to the study of it. It is only by pushing yourself in this way that you will become a better, clearer thinker and writer. Writing a good thesis statement is hard, but if you’re serious about being a good writer, it’s well worth it.

I do wonder, though, why anyone NOT want to be a better writer? The only answer I can think of is that it’s not something you’re used to doing and therefore you’re not so good at it. To me, that’s all the more reason for wanting to be good at it—so that you don’t get held back in life at any point. I don’t just mean academically, but in various other ways too. A clear thinker and writer ALWAYS gets more respect and has more self-respect, too. There’s no way around that.

A poor communicator can cause a lot of damage in a society. On a large scale, wars take place and people get killed, or global warming becomes a political football because the scientists weren’t getting their message across to the politicians. Either the scientists weren’t communicating properly, or the politicians just couldn’t understand what they were saying. I suspect that the truth is somewhere in the middle. The results, however, can be devestating. Thank goodness the scientists finally came out a few short years ago year with an official, unified statement—a thesis statement, you might call it, with which people can either agree or disagree. That's the point of a thesis statement really: say clearly what you mean to say so we can say clearly whether we agree with you or not.

On a smaller scale, though, poor communication can lead to people showing up at a store for a sale that doesn’t take place till next week or for a service that isn’t even offered. Or deadlines get missed, meetings are ineffective, and grants don’t get won. Whether an arts grant or a health care grant, or a wharf-building application, there are consequences for representing yourself poorly. Even (or maybe especially) personal relationships can suffer endlessly and sometimes permanently from an inability of at least one person to say what they really mean, instead of thinking that what they are saying is clear and unambiguous. A good communicator will have fewer bad marriages and fewer lost friendships. That’s real life.

I could go on and on, and often have.

So: start with a clear, complete statement of what you are about to say in your essay. That way, no one can doubt your intentions.

GC

Happy Thanksgiving?

2011-10-10T14:41:00.002-02:30

I gave back the first 1080 essays for the semester last week and, overall, they were better than I expected. There were two A’s in total, with a larger than usual number in the 73-79 range, an excellent mark for a first paper. It makes me hopeful that there will be a lot of A’s this semester. However, if you were in the 60s, don’t despair, as it’s very common for students who start out in that range to just make a few adjustments to their approach and still wind up with a very high mark in the course. That essay was just a diagnostic, to see where you are. At this point, I’m merely making note of what you’re doing right and where you need to improve. In fact, you’ll notice that I’ve made a lot of comments on your papers, but you should also be aware that I’m not deducting marks for every error you’ve made; I’m simply telling you that it needs to be done a different way.

Regardless of the high marks, there’s still a lot of work to do, especially with another assignment due on October 26. So I figure a little advice wouldn’t hurt. So the next couple of bloggings from me will concern how to fix up some of the major problems nearly everyone had on the first essays.

First of all, I don't make these things up. Sentence fragment, tense shift, and comma splice are real words and have real consequences for your writing. You should have learned about them in high school English, but either no one showed you or the lesson just didn't take. Or maybe in the couple of time since you last wrote an essay, you forgot how to do it. That's all understandable, but what can we do about it? First, you might notice that I used some abbreviations on your essays:

1. "T.S." means "tense shift."

2. "C.S." means "comma splice."

3. "S.F." means "sentence fragment" (probably not what you were thinking SF could stand for).

4. “Sp.” means "spelling mistake."

1. Tense shift just means that you're switching from speaking in the present voice to speaking in the past voice. You're using "was" when you should be using "is". You're ending words in an "-ed" suffix instead of ending them in "-es" or just "s". Just be consistent. Somtimes, it's fine to use past tense, but most of the time you should consistently use the present tense when talking about fiction, as if the action were happening right now as you read it. So if you said something like "Elisa worked in her garden most of the time," it should read: "Elisa works in her garden most of the time."

2. Comma splice means that you're joining (i.e. "splicing") together two sentences using a humble comma. The comma wasn't intended for such heavy labor. It's like using a screwdriver as a chisel. You can do it, but eventually there will be breakage. Your sentences get too long and, usually, tough to follow.

Here's how to recognize a comma splice: read what you've written on both sides of the comma; if both sides read like a complete sentence, then you've used a comma splice, which is a major grammatical error, not to mention confusing. See, a comma tells you to pause. But sentences, for the sake of clarity, require you to stop. (See what I mean there in that last sentence?)

So how do you fix a comma splice, supposing you should see one?

1. Use a period and make two separate sentences.

2. Or use a semi-colon, which is designed to join/separate two complete sentences that are related to each other in thought/theme.

3. Or use a conjunction (e.g. “but,” “however,” “and,” “because,” and so on) and use a comma with it. That's probably the easiest and most common fix. You'll have to get used to recognizing comma splices in your sentences. That's the only way to eradicate the problem from your writing: practice. After a while, it will become natural. I've seen it happen for thousands of students and it can happen for you. Depends on how bad you want it.

Here's an example of a comma splice:

Comma Splice: Henry leans over the fence, he startles his wife.

Fix: Henry leans over the fence. He startles his wife.

Fix: Henry leans over the fence; he startles his wife.

Fix: Henry leans over the fence, but he startles his wife.

Fix: Henry leans over the fence and startles his wife.

Fix: When Henry leans over the fence, he startles his wife.

3. Sentence Fragment just means that what you've said (and obviously think is a full sentence because it starts with a capital letter and ends in a period after a string of seemingly meaningful words) is not a complete sentence. It's a fragment of a sentence, a mere piece of one: a pretend sentence in disguise, and it's up to you to start recognizing its covert behaviour. It shouldn't be hanging out with the other sentences because, well, it just isn't one and it should just solve the problem by BECOMING one. Their main offense is that they just don't make sense on their own, sort of like Nick Lachey. Or Levi Johnston. (See? Sentence fragment: doesn't make sense by itself. However, be aware that you can get away with using them in creative writing, but it's inappropriate to use sentence fragments in formal writing, such as academic essays.)

That's how you fix a sentence fragment: either make it a full sentence by itself OR join it to the preceding clause. That's right: if you can't beat 'em, join 'em. Here's an example of a sentence fragment.

Sentence fragment: Arnold Friend, standing outside her door, asking if he can come in, which Connie refuses.

Looks, smells, sounds, and feels like a sentence, doesn't it? And yet, on closer look, it isn't quite complete. It needs something else, doesn't it? The sentence lacks context.

So the fix is in:

Arnold Friend is standing outside her door, asking if he can come in, which Connie refuses.

Or:

Arnold Friend stands outside her door, asking if he can come in, but Connie refuses.

See the difference a simple verb can make? I just added the word "is" or change “standing” to “stands” and now it all makes sense because we can (sort of) see them doing what we've implied they are doing. Fixing sentence fragments is usually just a matter of revising your verb (the word that implies action).

The other way to fix this problem would be to simply connect the fragment to a preceding sentence. For example, let's say you (okay, somebody else. Denial has its uses.) wrote this:

Connie looks into mirrors a lot and looks at other people’s faces. Which tells her how she is doing.

You no doubt recognize that the second "sentence" is an imposter: a mere sentence fragment.

Here's a quick fix: Connie looks into mirrors a lot and looks at other people’s faces, which tells her how she is doing.

Notice that all it takes is a simple comma (also notice that what follows the comma is NOT a complete sentence, so we haven't created a dastardly comma splice, and so everyone sleeps well).

Anyway, I hope this helps. If you're still confused, just come see me or get in touch, okay? There's no need to feel like you're out there on your own with nowhere to turn. Help is available. :-) And my e-mail address is toll free. Act now and you'll get free advice about plot summary. Offer available for a limited time only (till December 13, 2010).

Thanksgiving weekend is almost over, and I’m guessing most of us have a lot to be thankful for. I’ll be very grateful if I never have to talk about comma splice, sentence fragment, or tense shift again this semester. But that probably falls under the category of wishful thinking.

Next time: paragraphing and organizing your essay, perhaps a little on thesis statements and topic sentences too.

Till later,

GC

No pressure

2011-09-27T11:23:00.004-02:30

If you’re in one of my English 1080 classes this semester, you’ll be writing an in-class essay on Wednesday (tomorrow). While my expectations are realistic, I genuinely want you to succeed on this, and every essay this semester. With that in mind, you should come to class on Wednesday prepared to simply write your heart out, but in an organized kind of way. The thing is to write things that are true, not just what you think your prof wants to hear. I only want to hear if it sounds like it's coming from you, from a place of honesty and integrity. Believe me, it shows.

The hardest part of writing an in-class essay is that there are so many unknown factors—matters that are beyond your control. For most of you, it will be the first English assignment you’ve written in a long time. My goal is to ease your anxiety (if you have any) by suggesting what to do about those unknowns, either by eliminating them or accepting them and just working with them.

It’s no secret that a lot of first-year students don’t do very well on their first English assignment. I approach the first assignment as a bit of a diagnostic: our common goal (you and I) should be to find out what your level of writing is at this point. Some of you will come in with great expectations, having gotten wonderful marks in high school and assuming that will be the case throughout university. That actually can happen and, for your sake, I hope it does. But it is rare.

The key is to take what you learn from working on this assignment and having it graded and use them to improve next time, and each time after. Eventually, with hard work, your grade should ascend to the point at which you’d hoped to arrive.

Preparing For The Essay
The key to success in almost any area of life is preparation. That means different things for different people, so prepare in a way that has brought you success in the past. But if you find that you haven’t had much success recently, then you have to be willing to try different tactics, such as studying at different times and in different ways, or even mixing up your routine to find what works for you and gets you mentally prepared.

You can start by studying, of course. In the case of English, the best thing you can do for yourself is to know the story(or poem). That means you have to have read it multiple times and have gotten to know it intimately. Having read it, you should go through it line by line, looking for hints of the author’s tone or symbolism, or something that you can interpret as having some meaning beyond itself. That is, the author’s choice of words is usually very precise and serves the purpose of a) telling the story, b) denoting action or dialogue, and c) adding to, or reflecting, the story’s theme(s). In other words, the words on the page denote exactly what they appear to denote, but they might also connote something more complex. Or not. Your job is to see if that connection is there, and the only way to do that is through close reading.

Sounds like a lot of work, doesn’t it? Well, welcome to first-year university. This might not be how you are used to working. You might prefer to read for pure enjoyment’s sake, in which case I suggest you join a book club rather than doing a degree in higher education. But it’s really not that hard, and the work you put in on close reading now will pay huge dividends when it comes to writing the essay, contributing to class discussions, and writing future essays. There is also the added benefit—one that is probably far more important—in that you are teaching yourself to evaluate the words of others, to look closely at details, and process them, understand them, be able to argue with them or agree with them. If you’re not at least trying to tune into the overtones and undertones of language, then you’re just along for the ride. That’s okay up to a point, but like any bum ride, it’ll only take you so far. After that, you’re a pedestrian.

Okay, so besides studying and understanding what you’re reading, what else can you do? You can get your thoughts organized. After you’ve written all your notes, asked yourself about the characters’ motives, goals, desires, and fears, try to organize your thoughts. You might want to begin by making a list of character traits for each character, along with a note of how you know. That is, what was it in the story that made you think this particular quality was inherent in the character you’re studying? For every opinion you posit, or put forward, you need some evidence to back it up. Otherwise, your case will be thrown out of court. You can’t, for example, say that a character is impatient towards her husband, as in “The Chrysanthemums,” without following up with some evidence from the story. Something in there must have told you the character was impatient, so what was it, exactly? Or if you say the ending of a story (as in “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?”) is ambiguous, be prepared to briefly say why you think it ambiguous, or open to interpretation. Present both possibilities and say what it was in the story that made you think it could go either way.

I could go on and on about the specifics of the essay and organizing your essay, but really you have to do what works for you. Brainstorming on paper for each character, then brainstorming about setting, point of view, imagery, and symbolism will take you a long ways towards truly understanding the complexities of the story. If you’ve got a solid handle on those ideas for each story, then you’ll at least be able to talk about the story in detail. And detail truly is the key to a good essay.

What an essay should look like

Most students seem to know about the so-called “five paragraph rule” of essay-writing. Granted, some students have never written an essay at all in high school, so that’s a whole other discussion. But the “five-paragraph rule” isn’t really a rule at all. An essay, obviously, can have more than five paragraphs or even less than that. The idea is to show you how to STRUCTURE your essay. It should look like this.

Introductory paragraph
Body paragraph #1 (sub-topic #1 discussed).
Body paragraph #3 (Sub-topic #2 discussed).
Body paragraph #3 (sub-topic #3 discussed).
Concluding paragraph.

You can have as many paragraphs in between as you like, but the introduction and conclusion are beyond negotiation. You must have them both in order to give your essay structure and a feeling a completion.

The introductory paragraph should include a THESIS STATEMENT, which is crucial to the success of your essay. Your essay lives and dies with your thesis statement. Does it have to be your first sentence? Not necessarily, but it’s almost always the right way to go. You can never go wrong by starting with your best, clearest statement of what your essay is about. The point is to be understood, not to have the reader guessing as to what your intentions are. So why not start with the thesis statement, since the main idea is to be a good writer rather than a mediocre one or a poor one? Clarity is everything.

So, your thesis statement should tell me exactly what your essay is about. If you’re saying “The Brain-Eaters” is a story about how space aliens are all evil, then don’t give me a thesis statement that says: “As everyone knows, people from Mars intend great harm to the people of Earth.” The essay isn’t about space aliens in general; it’s about space aliens in “The Brain-Eaters.” (It's a made-up story, by the way. But then, aren't they all? I didn't want to use one of the stories from the syllabus and then just see my ideas and words duplicated on a lot of essays.)

A much better, more comprehensive thesis statement would be: “William Spigot's short story, “The Brain-Eaters,” depicts space aliens as evil, while also suggesting that some visitors from certain planets mean Earthlings no harm.” Now you are free to go on proving that Spigot’s depiction of aliens is predominately negative, but also to show that some depictions of them are not so bad. The point is that your thesis statement ought to reveal what your ENTIRE essay is about, not just the first half of it. If you intend to talk about other things related to your main focus, then you need to hint at that, even with a word or two.

And that’s just your first sentence. It requires a lot of thought, for sure, and most thesis statements need revision as you go on, so there’s no pressure to write a good one the first time out. It rarely happens. Most first lines need to be changed once the writer knows exactly what they are talking about, and it’s hard to know that until you’ve actually finished writing the essay.

Next, still in your opening paragraph, follow up your thesis statement with an explanation, or elaboration, of your first sentence. Just give a hint as to where you’re going with this main idea of yours. How do you intend to proceed and what exactly will you be covering? That is, what are the parameters of your essay?

After that, it’s easy. Your paragraphing will reflect the pattern you’ve laid out in your opening. If, for example, Spigot depicts three different kinds of space aliens (or, say, three different kinds of images you want to discuss) then perhaps you can give each one a separate paragraph. The main thing to remember is that you should show what each of these paragraphs has to do with the main idea you outline in your thesis statement. Show a connection of the ideas in each paragraph to the main idea (or mother ship, as it were).Then, when you’ve written each paragraph, finish with a concluding paragraph that reiterates your main points, using different words than before. Don’t introduce any new ideas or evidence at this point.

That, generally, is the best way to approach, and design, your essay.

How To Approach The Questions

I don't want to tell you what to write, so I won't. But, to be fair, I thought I should give you some idea of how to go about getting some thoughts on paper. Really, it's mostly about asking the right questions about the questions.

What follows are some of the ideas I alluded to in class Friday regarding each question. There might be some repetition, but I was brainstorming (as you should do) and therefore not censoring myself:

1. In “The Chrysanthemums,” Elisa Allen experiences a shift in her thinking. Discuss the significance of that shift.

(Approach: What is the shift? How do you denote/see change? How was she before? How do you know? What was life like for her? What are the signs of what she was thinking before? What is the moment of the shift? How did it occur, and what is its significance? What happens to her thinking after that? How do you know? What are the implications of that shift, re: what the story is about?)or

2. “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” might be described as either a coming of age story or a tale of warning. Discuss.

(Approach: What do you mean by coming of age? A simple tale of a girl growing up, from innocence to experience, becoming a young woman. Does this happen in the story? How do you know? What are the signs? Who was she before Arnold Friend came along? What does she do? What do her actions, thoughts, and dialogue signify that she is? When does she change, exactly? How do you know? What do those actions signify/symbolize/mean in the context of the story? What was she like before versus what was she like after? What brings about that change? How can you see a change? Or can you? What would be the signs of someone becoming more “experienced” versus “innocent”? Furthermore, if this is a tale of warning, what is the warning? What does it pertain to? Who is the warning for? How do you know? Who or what are we being warned about? Ultimately: you can choose one or the other, or combine the two. Say something like, it is a coming of age story that comes with a warning against… There is no right and wrong here, only how well you present your argument.)

or

3. Discuss the significance of a major character in either Joyce Carol Oates’ “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” or John Steinbeck’s “The Chrysanthemums”.

(Approach: Choose one of the characters—e.g. Elisa, Henry, the tinker, or Arnold Friend or Connie—and discuss their role in the story. What do they represent/signify/symbolize? What is their function in the story? E.g. Arnold’s role is to jolt Connie from a state of innocence to one of experience. Or: Henry’s role is to protect Elisa from the outside world. Or: Henry’s role is to be kind to his wife, even though he doesn’t understand her or what she wants. Go on then to discuss what she wants, desires, fears, and how he reacts to that. You are told these things in the story. It’s up to you to interpret/analyze what the characters say and do to each other and to themselves. Brainstorm on this one, asking yourself what do you think of when you think of these stories? What actions, decisions, words, and/or images and descriptions do you associate with them?

General notes for preparation:

This will be an in-class, fifty-minute writing exercise, but there are many ways to ensure that you write an effective essay and reduce your stress level.

1. Make sure you understand the question and what is expected of you. If you have any doubt at all, ask your instructor to clarify.

2. Brainstorm. Gather ideas. Analyze the facts. Re-read the story and make notes on what you see, especially that which relates to your chosen topic. Always dig deeper for an understanding of how the smaller details are related to the whole. Remember to go beyond the facts and opinions discussed in class, if you can. The very best papers do this.

3. Simplify your ideas into an argument or statement of opinion, which you will defend, or prove, in your essay.

4. Organize. Make sure you write an introductory paragraph, a concluding paragraph, and a separate paragraph for each part of the main subject you discuss. All that you will discuss should be hinted at in the opening paragraph. All that you have discussed—and no new information—should be summarized in the conclusion.

5. Know the story really well.

6. Get a good night’s sleep. Sleep rocks.

In the exam room:

1. Arrive early if you can, but definitely on time. If you are late for some reason, enter the room as quietly and unobtrusively as possible. Others will already be writing and in the zone.

2. This is not an open book exam. Leave your textbooks closed and hidden away.

3. I will provide you with paper for writing on, as well as an exam script, when you have cleared your desk of all books and paper.

4. No dictionaries allowed.

5. You may use pen or pencil—your choice, but make sure your handwriting is easily read.

6. Start writing when your instructor gives the signal to do so.

7. You have 50 minutes. Take five minutes at the beginning to get your thoughts organized, remember your outline and thesis statement, and so on. Leave five minutes at the end to go back over what you have written, looking for mistakes or things to add or revise.

8. Double-space your answer.

9. Don’t forget to breathe during all of this, starting now. It helps.I wish you all good luck. Try not to stress over this. Just know the story well. Know the basics of writing a good essay and just let it flow. Show me what you know. Show that you can go beyond what was said in class and show that you can write really well. In the end, you can at least say you tried.

I really hope everyone passes this assigment, so remember: give your assignment substance by using details, followed by discussion of those details. That's where the big marks are. Make lots of connections between ideas, scenes, and images. It's also rare to get an "A" on the first assignment. So PLEASE write a really good paper; I'd like to give out some A's right away. Your essay doesn't have to be perfect. It just needs to have substance, show some signs of originality, and be pretty well written.

Good luck!

GC

Readings from Moonlight Sketches

2011-09-20T15:45:00.003-02:30
Just a note to let y'all know I'll be reading from my short story collection, Moonlight Sketches, Wednesday, September 21 at 7 p.m. at the A.C. Hunter library in St. John's. It's a free event, open to the general public--if you've read the book, it's a great opportunity to ask any questions you might have about the inspiration for characters, settings or stories.

Both current and former students are welcome to join in the discussion or just listen.

Also, because I know that it's not just current students who read this blog, I'll also be appearing at the Halifax Word On The Street Festival this Sunday, September 25th. Reading and discussion 4:30-5 p.m. on the "Everything Atlantic" stage. Signing copies of Moonlight Sketches from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. Sunday at the Creative Publishers tent.

Quiz moved to Wednesday

2011-09-11T18:23:00.002-02:30
If you were in class on Friday, you know there's been a change in schedule. We'll be starting the short story "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?" on Wednesday. That story, like the others we are doing, is in your textbook. There will be a quiz on Wednesday before we discuss the story--you should come to class with the story already read and prepared to write a quiz and talk about the story.

See you tomorrow.

GC

Welcome to English 1080!

2011-09-07T20:33:00.002-02:30
Ahoy! Thanks for dropping by the blog, and welcome to my English 1080 course. I'll have lots to say in Friday's class and on my weekend blog update about what to expect in the coming months, but for now I just thought it was important to let you know that this blog will be here for you in the weeks (and years) to come as an academic resource and (sometimes, depending on your bent) a source of entertainment--'cause, you know, there's just not enough informatin in the world. What the world really needs is another blog--another distraction from the real business of life, which is, well, living.

Consider this blog a place you can go to find out the latest thoughts from my over-active and addled brain about the literature we're covering in English 1080.

Reminder: We do have a class on Friday. Also, the first quiz will be on Monday--it will be a few questions covering the short story "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?" by Joyce Carol Oates. You're expected to have that story read for Monday as well so that we can discuss it in class and you can get the most out of your discussion.

Regarding the first in-class essay: that will be coming up after we've covered the first two stories in the course ("Where Are you Going, Where Have You Been?" and "The Chrysanthemums" by John Steinbeck).

See ya Friday!

GC

Office hours and exam advice

2011-04-13T16:21:00.007-02:30
I'll be having office hours Thursday morning from 9:30 until 10:30. If you're hoping to pick up an essay you didn't get back or a piece of advice you feel you might be missing, I'm there for that.

I'm sure you're well into final exams, and I wish you well with them. It's the most horrible time of year for a lot of you, I'm sure, but it need not be, especially if you've been to class most of the semester and done all the assignments, as well as studied. There's no replacement for preparation. There's nothing that will lead to confidence and success like being prepared. Doing the work in advance will ease your nerves, help you relax and put you in a mindset that will ensure you are at your best--feeling unhurried and capable of intelligent activity. Beyond that, my advice is to arrive early enough so that you can feel more relaxed.

You will be asked to write about three novels in total, but I would sincerely suggest that you know all four as well as you can. Being familiar with the plot will help, but you thou shalt not write plot summary on the final exam. Instead, illustrate each point you are making by referring directly to key images, symbols, moments, or bits of dialogue that support your ideas. Then do two things: 1. discuss the significance of that detail you've given, including it's figurative implications and 2. make connections to other key images or symbols, or moments, that further show that you've aware of a sort of pattern within the novel (or between two distinct novels). Of course, I've said all of this over and over, and I've blogged about it ad nauseum. It's up to you now to make some sense of it all, to show me that you get what I've been saying all semester.

While I won't tell you what exactly is on the exam, I can tell you that you should be able to discuss what a particular novel is all about--what the author's agenda seems to be, ultimately--what is he or she trying to say (e.g. offer a warning of some kind? emphasize a certain facet of human relationships or human foibles? shine a light on a particular human trait, or the state of humanity? Or the notion of faith of belief, concerning God, science, authority figures, maturation, and any number of things.) None of these examples are meant to being taken as being literally what you will be asked about on the exam. That's not the purpose. The purpose, really, is to suggest taking an overall approach to a novel and backing up your larger claim with reference to details (symbols, images, and so on). That's literary analysis. That's how you do it.

But make sure that, if you use these details and even some quotes, that you are able to discuss the significance of key words or phrases, to show that you get why the novel is written as it is.

I also wanted to say thank you, to both my English 1101 classes, for a unique semester. It is rare that I get two classes who are such an absolute joy to teach. My favorite part of the term was, without doubt, the hours spent in front of the classroom, discussing anything and everything related (or unrelated) to these novels--along with the hours upon hours in my office, talking to students, helping you with individual problems with your writing and even sometimes just listening to the sorts of things you were going through, and had to get through, in order to get on with your academic work as well as your personal life. As I told one student recently, if it wasn't for that part of the job--the ability to connect with students on a personal basis--I wouldn't want to do it at all.

Thank you, also, for those of you who showed up for the launch of Moonlight Sketches last Wednesday. It was very unexpected to see such a good turnout of students, both past and present, and I can assure you I will never forget any of you. Also, the many of you who have written personal notes or even dropped by to congratulate me in person, your generosity touches me deeply. In each and every case, I felt the sincerity of your gesture. I am not so cynical as to think anyone would say "congratulations" or show up at a book launch simply to impress me with anything other than the fact that you understand what that night meant to me and will mean to me in the years to come. I intend to publish quite a few books in future, and this one was the first--it's a moment I have worked for for a long time.

That said, I have occasionally mentioned to various classrooms full of students over the past ten years that I'm working on my own books of fiction. But I will never forget the fact that it was this year, Winter 2011, when my dream (yes, I can call it that) came to life and you were the students who were there to see it happen and to hear about it near the end of the semester when I announced it in class. Not that it will change or affect your life in any way--although it is my sincere hope that one or two of you might draw some inspiration from the very act of seeing my artistic creation come to life after so many years of dwelling in obscurity, like some isolated, subterranean character in a gothic novel. I'm happy you could be there for the birth, as it were, of my writing career--that fact alone will make this year's students more memorable to me than usual. And now, of course, I bid my hideous progeny go forth into the world. ;-)

I'm usually not very good at goodbyes, and this last post is a fair example of that personal deficiency. I hope it won't really be goodbye and that many of you will stay in touch as the months and years go on. Regardless, I wish every single one of you the best of luck on Friday's exam. Most of you have worked hard and can now take great joy in knowing that you'll never have to do first year English ever again--and, in most cases, you'll never have to do any English courses again. I'm just glad you were in my classroom, and I hope you are able to write the best two essays you've written all semester long. It really is possible, so just go for it. Above all, I hope you learned something, whatever it was--either from the lectures or the analysis-free readings, from the class discussion, from some dude or dudette who sits across from you, or from the novels themselves. It's all fine, as long as you are changed for the better in some way. After all, if you're not open to being changed in some way, you might well be wasting your time on an education.

As I write this, I'm still fairly exhausted, so I hope you'll forgive the seeming seriousness--it's hard to be funny when you're working on little rest. I just wanted to say this for Friday: "Relax. Be in the moment. Quiet all voices, except maybe mine, but perhaps even (or especially) mine. Say what's true."

Write a great exam. Have a great summer. And, if I don't ever see you again, have a wonderful life.

Gerard

Passing Back Essays Tomorrow (Monday)

2011-03-27T20:51:00.003-02:30

After a recent bout of madness, I have decided to try and pass back the essays for both my English 1101 classes tomorrow. It will happen, as God is my witness. And she is. See you tomorrow.

Gerard

The Joys of MLA Formatting

2011-03-25T18:24:00.004-02:30
Hope you're enjoying the snow day today. I've been plowing through in the in-class essays you wrote on Wednesday and making significant progress. I will be passing them back by Wednesday at the latest, although I'll likely be finished them by Monday evening.

It's been a hectic week, as I'm sure you can imagine, and so it occurred to me only last night that I need to blog about MLA formatting because that's the format I want you to use for your research paper that's due on April 1. MLA formatting refers primarily to how to cite sources "in text" in your essay (no footnotes or endnotes needed), as well how to format your bibliography (listing your sources at the end of your paper--and YES, you do need to include the two novels you're comparing).

I'd strongly urge some of you to go to the Writing Centre in the Science building for someone to look over your essay after you've written it.

Meanwhile, as promised, here's the URL for a website that you might find helpful for MLA formatting. There's not much more I need to add to this site. It's all here at http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/557/01. Oh, and this page on quotation methods shoudl be particularly useful: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/03/ This page provides examples of exactly how I want you to format your quotations.

If you find this site helpful in your formatting, please leave a comment to let me know. If you don't think it's sufficient for your needs, again, please leave a comment to let me know. It's important.

Enjoy your weekend even if, like me your buried in snow and work. Could be worse.

GC

In-class essay Wednesday on The Divine Ryans

2011-03-21T19:04:00.002-02:30
Good luck on your in-class essays Wednesday morning. There isn't much to say that I haven't already said, but I'm sure I'll find something to say anyway.

You can prepare a great deal for the assignment, but you should also allow for inspiration to hit while you're writing. If I were writing that essay, I would make sure I know the novel really well.

You already know the questions, so it's just a matter of organizing your ideas. Figure out which passages you might be referring to on the essay and re-read them. That's the only way to be as specific as you need to be. If you've read other passages (the ones I've mentioned as significant, along with others that you find particularly interesting), then your brain will have no trouble making connections during the writing of the essay tomorrow.

Remember, I've been saying all along that each paragraph should have three components:

1. Make a statement (the topic sentence).

2. Give evidence (brief quotes and/or specific reference to parts of the novel, without summarizing).

3. Discuss evidence. (Here's where you tell me what is significant about what you just said.) Don't just re-state or summarize what you just said or quoted; tell me the implications of the author's word choice. Why does he choose to say things the way he does? What does his word choice say about the speaker; how do they relate to a particular theme of the novel?

For example, if you use Tom the Doberman as evidence of Aunt Phil's policy of close-mouthedness, you'd probably say something like this:

Tom the Doberman is an example of how Aunt Phil does not like to talk about certain subjects because she is uncomfortable with them and even seems ashamed to be associated with them. When she and Draper encounter the dog, she tries to ignore its existence, particularly when Tom begins to hump the fence doggy-style. Of course her phobias go much deeper than simply being afraid of a dog. Tom's actions perhaps remind her of sex and, particularly, the "beast with two backs," as Uncle Reginald calls the sex act. Aunt Phil sees sex as a duty performed by a woman for her husband in "the marriage bed". But her brother Donald is homosexual, which she sees as being perverse and even beastly, in the style she might well associate with Tom the Doberman. She might even be reminded of Donald's secretive, perverse behaviour, as well as young Draper's burgeoning sexuality, as represented by his growing awareness of his "swollen pee-bud" and the need to buy underwear for himself. In a sense, just as Aunt Phil wonders what kind of woman would "allow" her twelve-year-old daughter to grow breasts, she also sees Draper's maturation as an affront to her authority, as well as to her Catholic sensibilities regarding sinfulness. Tom simply represents the sort of unforeseen, relentless flood of regrettable knowledge that threatens to overwhelm both Aunt Phil and her "divine" family, the kind of truth from which she is constantly trying to save them.

I could keep going. But that, to me, represents, a fairly decent paragraph on the significance of Tom the Doberman. You could say much more, perhaps even go in a completely different direction, depending on what you think Tom represents and what certain details and scenes (like the dream sequence that includes both Tom and Momary) suggest. Notice, though, how the last sentence attempts, as well as I can under the circumstances, to put into words what exactly Tom the Doberman is all about: what he symbolizes for Aunt Phil.

Notice how, in that example, the first sentence is a topic sentence that tells you exactly what the main subject for the paragraph is: Tom, Aunt Phil, and secrecy. Then I go on to discuss all three, particularly noteworthy being the meaning of secrecy for Aunt Phil: it signifies her own sense of shame about certain subjects, and her sense of futility when it comes to things she cannot control, like sexuality, especially others' growing awarness of sexuality and matters of the body.
Don't be so rigid with your pre-chosen examples that you forget to show that you have a clue about the big picture. Notice how every word that I put in quotation marks is a direct quote. They are notably brief and therefore leave more room and time for analytical discussion. You might also note how I don't stick to talking only about Tom the Doberman, but I use references to various other parts of the novel to show how it is all connected in some very specific way.
That, my friends, is critical analysis. There's more than one way to skin a doberman, of course. But this is the way that came to me, and I wrote that paragraph in about thirty seconds, no revision. What I mean to emphasize is the fact that you can come up with good, on-the-fly analysis, just by being focused and yet creative at the same time. Just show me how much you know. And of course, choose precise, clear language to express your insights.

Hope this helps. Oh, and if you have questions, just ask. Whether you believe me or not, I want you to do well. I like giving A's and I enjoy helping you improve your grades and your writing.

GC

March Madness

2011-02-27T11:30:00.003-03:30
Ever since midterm breaks were invented, they have been a time for just getting a shipload of work done. They're not really "breaks" except in the sense that you don't have to go to class for a couple of days. Not so long ago, the midterm break was actually longer, but that's a whole other issue for another day. I hate that we've become a society that doesn't really know how to stop and stand still for five minutes. My weekends are usually busier than my weekdays. During the upcoming month of March, besides lectures, classes and seemingly countless meetings with students (and other kinds of meetings), I will be grading about 300 essays, launching a new book of fiction into the world, and judging a short story competion. March is alwys the month of madness, but this one looks to be busier than most. But I digress.

I assume most of you have been working on essays over the break, including one for my English 1101 class. I scheduled it when I did so that you would have the maximum amount of time to do your best by meeting with me and reflecting on your previous essay a bit. A lot of you did exactly that because my office was a pretty busy place in the week before the break and it will be again tomorrow and probably Wednesday.

I've already told you about how to approach each question and I've also blogged about sentence structure and general essay structure, but a lot of you still have questions about the assignments. It's hard to know exactly what you want to know, so I'll try a Q & A style approach.

Q. Do I need a title page?

A. Yes. It need not be anything fancy. Just a mostly blank page that contains a TITLE, your name, my name, the course number, and the date submitted. It would be nice if your title was something halfways creative (not just "Frankenstein Paper") but as long as it tells me what your topic is, it should be fine. Remember, it's not just "Morality," for example; it's "Morality in Mary Shelley's Frankenstein." It's always about the book).

Q. How should I bind the pages together?

A. A single staple in the top left corner.

Q. How long should it be?

A. 900 words, maximum. Maximum means at the very most.

Q. What font should I use?

A. 12-point Times New Roman. No other font or size will be accepted.

Q. Should I double-space the lines?

A. Yes. (I had a student once who put extra space between words instead of between lines. Don't do that.)

Q. When I write the title of a novel, does it have to be underlined or italicized?

A. Yes. When typing it, the title of a novel or large work should be italicized. (When handwriting, the title of a novel is underlined.)

Q. How much should I revise my essay?

A. Revise it until it has no mistakes and each and EVERY sentence flows smoothly and makes complete sense. If your essay looks like a first draft (still has spelling mistakes, comma splices, sentence fragments, and follows no kind of pattern), then I'll be passing it back to you without a grade. Not many people can write a perfect first draft. At the very least, your thesis statement should be revised until it encompasses what your entire essay is about. Your topic sentences should be revised until they reflect the content of that particular paragraph.

Q.How much attention should I pay to comments about my first essay that I just got back?

A. Lots. I take a lot of time with those comments and they are not meant to pass judgement on your essay so much as to tell you what problems to look for in future essays that you write. When you've finished your essay, go back to your other one and look for the problems you had on that one. Then go through your new essay and fix those problems.

Q. Should I use quotes from the novel (Frankenstein) in my essay, and how long should they be?

A. Use quotes, but use them sparingly. They should be mostly brief--just a few words, whenever possible and your quotes should be set up properly. Don't use hanging quotes, meaning you've just taken a quote and stuck it into your essay without any kind of proper framing. Here's an example of how quotes should be set up:Victor's parents consider him their "plaything" (3).

Notice the placement of the page number and period. Notice the use of brevity in the quote itself and that it's incorporated into the sentence so that it flows smoothly and no words are wasted (900 words isn't very much if you're constantly using words, phrases, and sentences that don't need to be there at all).

If you're using a longer quote, it should look something like this: We see an undercurrent of the theme when the creature says to Victor, "'I should have been your Adam'" (95).

Always lead in to the quote by at least suggesting (if not saying outright) who is speaking. Notice also that if you're quoting dialogue, you need the extra set of single quotation marks. Also, you can lead in to a quote by using a colon.

e.g. The creature often makes allusion to the Bible: "'I should have been your Adam," he says, showing his awareness of great works of literature while displaying an understanding of his own wasted potential.

Avoid using really long quotes that take up several lines (unless you absolutely have to). The point is to analyze, not to repeat the novel word for word.

Also, and this is VERY IMPORTANT: if you use a quote of any length, make sure you follow it up with some sort of explanation as to why you're using it. Go back and look at the quote you've used and choose a key word (or phrase) or two to discuss in relation to your thesis statement and/or topic sentence. For example, in the quote above, you could discuss the words "Adam" and "should". Talk about how what that Biblical allusion means, especially as it relates to your topic. If you're trying to prove that Victor is a negligent parent, then the meaning is obvious: that Victor has created the first male of a new species and, instead of nurturing it as he "should" have (implying that he has moral obligations, according to the creature, as well as according to what Victor himself says when he is dying on Walton's ship). The creature's words suggest that he is aware of having been neglected and blames Victor for his actions. This novel is all about responsibility and neglect of those responsibilities. See how much you can get out one short quote, but especially by focusing on TWO little words ("should" and "Adam")? Always do this sort of thing with the quotes you use. You have used them as evidence and only by looking back at them closely can you SHOW why they are strong proof of your assertions. Sometimes, doing it this way can tell you that your gut feelings about the novel and about a certain quote is right on.

Q. Do I have to spell all the names of characters, titles, and places correctly?

A. Deep sigh. If in doubt, always check the book. If a name gives you some problems, check the book, just to be sure.

Q. Do I need to use a bibliography?

A. I don't expect one, but if you've used more sources than just the novel itself for your essay, the answer is yes. But this isn't a research essay. However, if you want some practice doing MLA formatting, go right ahead and show me what you can do. The worst that can happen is that I'll give you some feedback on whether or not you're doing it right.

Q. Do I need to use in-text citation (as in MLA)?

A. I won't deduct marks if you don't, but you probably should use them. "In-text citation" means giving the page number of a quote or reference within the body of your essay (i.e. in the text) as opposed to listing the page numbers in footnotes or endnotes.

Q. How serious are you about the 900-word limit?

A. Very. I rarely see an essay that can't eliminate a lot of words and phrases for the sake of clarity. If your essay goes beyond the limit even by a small amount, your content had better justify it and your essay should be devoid of clutter and redundancies.

That's about it for now. If I come up with any more things you might be wondering about, I'll blog about them later.

My best advice for now is to make sure you REVISE, REVISE, REVISE. Then REVISE AGAIN. The best work is written that way, whether it's poetry, novels, short stories, speeches, scripts, or essays. No matter how good something is when it first spills from your mind, you can always make it better. The main question to ask yourself is this: does this word or phrase express exactly what it should? (Reading it out loud might help. Scrutinize each word and sentence for clarity.)

The essays are due on Wednesday, March 2, although I am reconsidering that at the moment. Happy writing!

GC

Grammar stuff

2011-02-25T09:40:00.005-03:30
I apologize for not blogging more often lately. It's been a severely busy semester because of various things related to my upcoming book publication (like reading and re-reading the manuscript) and other things. The "break" wasn't really a break, but I'm sure most of you spent your time, or part of it, working as well. I hope you got some rest, though, or had some fun...or both.

This is later than usual for me, but here are some notes on the last essays you wrote in English 1101. My hope is that by explaining these to you in writing, you might be able to use the information in writing your out-of-class essays on Frankenstein.

I write a lot of commentary on these essays, and I truly hope you've read them carefully and will take the comments to heart. They are intended, not to punish you for what your essay lacks, but to suggest how you can improve your writing technique for future essays (for both English and other courses, and life in general). The next essay is due soon, and there'll be two more later in the month--an in-class on The Divine Ryans when we finish that novel, and, late March or early April, the research essay will be due. I'll be giving you the topics for the research essays next week so you can start thinking about it.

A lot of you are having problems with sentence structure, including comma splice, sentence fragment, and tense shift. Below, I've posted (re-posted, really) some suggestions about how to recognize these problems and how to fix them. I hope it helps.

First of all, I don't make these things up. Sentence fragment, tense shift, and comma splice are real words and have real consequences for your writing. You should have learned about them in high school English and/or English 1080, but either no one showed you or the lesson just didn't take. Or maybe in the time since you last wrote an essay, you forgot how to do it. That's all understandable, but what can we do about it?

First, you might notice that I used some abbreviations on your essays:

1. "T.S." means tense shift.
2. "C.S." means comma splice.
3. "S.F." means sentence fragment.

Here's what those terms mean:

1. Tense shift just means that you're switching from speaking in the present voice to speaking in the past voice. You're using "was" when you should be using "is". You're ending words in an "-ed" suffix instead of ending them in "-es" or just "s". Just be consistent. Somtimes, it's fine to use past tense, but most of the time you should consistently use the present tense when talking about fiction, as if the action were happening right now as you read it. So if you said something like "Justine caused her own death," it should read: "Justine causes her own death."

2. Comma splice means that you're joining (i.e. "splicing") together two sentences using a humble comma. The comma wasn't intended for such heavy labor. It's like using a screwdriver as a chisel. You can do it, but eventually there will be breakage. Your sentences get too long and, usually, tough to follow.

Here's how to recognize a comma splice: read what you've written on both sides of the comma; if both sides read like a complete sentence, then you've used a comma splice, which is a major grammatical error, not to mention confusing. See, a comma tells you to pause. But periods, for the sake of clarity, require you to stop. (See what I mean there in that last sentence?)

So how do you fix a comma splice, supposing you should see one?

1. Use a period and make two separate sentences.

2. Or use a semi-colon, which is designed to join/separate two complete sentences that are related to each other in thought/theme.

3. Or use a co-ordinating conjunction (e.g. “but,” “however,” “and,” “because,” and so on) and (sometimes) use a comma with it. That's probably the easiest and most common fix. You'll have to get used to recognizing comma splices in your sentences. That's the only way to eradicate the problem from your writing: practice. After a while, it will become natural. I've seen it happen for thousands of students in a matter of weeks and it can happen for you. Depends on how bad you want it.

Here's an example of a comma splice:

Comma Splice: Victor creates an ugly creature, he runs away from it in horror.

Fix: Victor creates an ugly creature. He runs away from it in horror. (Period)

Fix: Victor creates an ugly creature; he runs away from it in horror. (Semi colon)

Fix: Victor creates an ugly creature and runs away from it in horror. (Conjunction: "and")

Fix: After Victor creates an ugly creature, he runs away from it in horror. (Conjunction: "after")

3. Sentence Fragment just means that what you've said (and obviously think is a full sentence because it starts with a capital letter and ends in a period after a string of seemingly meaningful words) is not a complete sentence. It's a fragment of a sentence, a mere piece of one: a pretend sentence in disguise, and it's up to you to start recognizing its covert behaviour. It shouldn't be hanging out with the other sentences because, well, it just isn't one and it should just solve the problem by BECOMING one. Their main offense is that they just don't make sense on their own, sort of like Nick Lachey. That's how you fix a sentence fragment: either make it a full sentence by itself OR join it to the preceding clause. That's right: if you can't beat 'em, join 'em.

Here's an example of a sentence fragment.

Sentence fragment: Elizabeth Lavenza, staying at home, much like Margaret Saville, writing letters to a man who is far away.

Looks, smells, sounds, and feels like a sentence, doesn't it? And yet, on closer look, it isn't quite complete. It needs something else, doesn't it? The sentence lacks context.

So the fix is in: Elizabeth Lavenza stays at home, much like Margaret Saville, writing letters to a man who is far away.

See the difference a simple verb can make? All I did was exchange "staying" for the verb "stays," and now it all makes sense because we can (sort of) see Elizabeth doing what we've implied she is doing. Fixing sentence fragments is usually just a matter of revising your verb (the word that implies action).

OR you could fix a sentence fragment by using a comma to adjoin the fragment to the sentence preceding it. For example, let's say you (okay, somebody else. Denial has its uses.) wrote this:

Alphonse sends Henry with him on the journey. Which shows how worried he is about Victor.
You no doubt recognize that the second "sentence" is an imposter: a mere sentence fragment.

Here's a quick fix: Alphonse sends Henry with him on the journey, which shows how worried he is about Victor.

Notice that all it takes is a simple comma (also notice that what follows the comma is NOT a complete sentence, so we haven't created a dastardly comma splice, and so everyone sleeps well).

Anyway, I hope this helps. If you're still confused, just come see me or get in touch, okay?

There's no need to feel like you're out there on your own with nowhere to turn. Help is available. :-) And my e-mail address is toll-free. Act now and you'll get free advice about plot summary (which means you're telling me what happens instead of why such details are important for your thesis). Offer available for a limited time only (till April 15, 2011).

Next time, hopefully this weekend, I'll likely be blogging about quotation methods.

Till later,
GC

The Monster Paper

2011-02-21T14:37:00.002-03:30
I hope you’re enjoying the break from classes so far this week, although I’m sure many of you are using the time in which to catch up on assignments and reading.

In English 1101, the short out-of-class essay on Frankenstein is due on Wednesday, March 2, and I’m looking forward to seeing what you’ve learned from writing your first paper. I know some people are having a tough time with this novel, but hopefully you will grow to love it for the monster that it is. My hope is that it's already beginning to make sense to most of you.

On Friday, March 4, we'll be starting The Divine Ryans, which I'm sure will feel like a breath of fresh spring air to many of you.The best way to improve on this essay is to look at my comments on your first assignments. There were certainly specific areas that I pointed out as being problematic for you; whatever they were, go over your new essay and make sure you've addressed those issues. If you haven't had time to talk to me, there's always The Writing Centre.

If you’ve been to class, especially on the day I gave out the assignments, you probably have a good idea of what I’m looking for on this essay. It’s only 750-900 words, so that doesn’t leave much room for throat clearing. Do away with phrases like “I believe” and “It is my opinion that” or sentences that say nothing specific about the novel itself. Stay focused and go through your paper thoroughly for words and phrases that don’t add much to your essay. For example, in that previous sentence, I would have eliminated “thoroughly” and changed “add much” to “contribute” so that it reads as follows: Stay focused and peruse your paper for words that do not contribute to your essay. Fact is, most adverbs are unnecessary, and many times, you can use one precise word instead of several weaker ones.

Remember to use the sort of format for essay-writing that we’ve discussed in class. Each paragraph should begin with a topic sentence. Then you need evidence to support that statement. And then you need full discussion of that evidence. That’s how you get substance into your essays.

Your thesis statement (however you phrase it) will decide what is important to discuss and what you can leave out. Furthermore, your topic sentences, if focused, will provide a clear guide as to how far your discussion needs to go.

Also, if you're writing an argumentative-style paper (which is always the best way to go), make sure you've considered the counter argument. For example, if you say that Victor is responsible for the death of Justine in Frankenstein, you also need to show you’ve considered other possible culprits, such as the creature himself, society, or perhaps even William for being such a little brat. The counter argument anticipates holes in your argument. Don’t worry about highlighting the weaknesses in your claims; I’ll see them regardless. The best thing to do is to show that you’re smart enough to have considered the counter-points and that is why you’ve made the conclusions you have.

As you write, remember to include appropriate details from the novel and show that you are able to make connections to the other most important images, scenes, and/or symbols for the topic you’ve chosen. For example, if you’ve chosen to talk about Elizabeth, you must surely make direct reference to her own words as they appear in her two letters to Victor, as well as to Victor’s own specific observations about her. There is more you could say, but I don’t see how you could avoid focusing on the key scenes or moments related to your topic.

Similarly, if you were discussing Victor and Walton, you should obviously make direct reference to certain parts of their conversations with each other. It only makes sense. If it’s Alphonse you’re interested in, then compare him, at least briefly, to other father figures in the novel while also paying attention to his own words, either in dialogue or letter.

In other words, focus on the most obvious and most important moments; suggest what they indicate about the character. Discuss it as a “symbolic moment” or discuss the character as being symbolic of some major concept that is part of Shelley’s authorial agenda.

I hope this helps somewhat. More to come, if time allows. But I expect you’ll be fine on your own, if only because this essay is so short, and all you have to do is focus on solid analytical discussion, using details from the novel to support your ideas.

See y’all soon.

GC

Writing on The Road

2011-02-01T20:59:00.004-03:30
If you’re in my English 1101 class, you’re writing an essay on the novel, The Road, tomorrow (Wednesday).

Some of you have expressed concern about how much harder it might be to write about a full-length novel as opposed to a short story or a poem (as in English 1080). It probably is a little more difficult in some ways, but in other ways it’s possibly even easier. With a short story, of course, there are only so many of pages of material that you have to deal with, and with a poem there’s usually no more than a single page to contend with. The problem with that, of course, is that sometime it’s hard to come up with enough to say: you’re limited by the brevity of the short story. Granted, a skilled and experienced thinker and writer can find a lot to say about just about anything. But in first-year university, such skills haven’t necessarily been developed fully. The novel, by virtue of its length, might be a bit of a godsend to some of you because there’s so much more to talk about. There should be no shortage of scenes, characters, and images to discuss.

The concern usually is, “How can I write about something so big in such a short period of time?” It starts with making sure you can articulate the answer to the questions: What is this novel about? What are the main issues? What are some scenes and images that will allow me to talk about those issues? (Try answering those questions for yourself, in writing. Make lots of notes.)

You’re obviously not expected to write about every part of the novel. But you are expected to write an organized response to the question. Your essay should show that you’ve seriously considered the bigger issues of the novel by considering some of the subtleties of language, scenes, and images. It all becomes “symbolic” by virtue of it having implications that are bigger than itself. The image of “the road,” for example, in and of itself is small and yet connected to much larger ideas. The road is obviously symbolic of where the man and boy are going. So your next question is: Where are they going? I don’t just mean that in a literal sense. I mean, yes, the literal journey is important and you should show that you know that. But you should also show that you know how to draw implications from what you are given.

So the man and the boy are headed south. They are driven by something, driven out of the safety of their home by something. They are searching for something. On the road, they encounter something and someone. They are afraid of certain things, of certain people, and these objects and people represent what the world has become.

From there, it is quite simple to draw connections to the larger issues of the novel: identity, the loss of a sense of place and security (think of the map that the boy is trying to read as if the states actually existed, the constant references to lost transportation systems, and so on—the road is, in fact, representative of that lost system, among other things). So much has been lost. I won’t list it all. But on that road, they keep to the straight and narrow, trusting in it, believing (because they have to) that it will lead them somewhere. If you can connect these ideas to our discussion of God and the need to have faith in something, to decide what matters, and what the apocalypse has done to the world’s notions of “important,” then you are on your way to being able to answer each and every question you’ll be presented with, both tomorrow and for the final exam.

If you were in class on Monday, you already know what the questions are, and you’ll know that I’ve given you an idea of how to approach each one. All three questions ask you to delve into similar ideas. For example, your sense of right and wrong gives you something to believe in and decides what kind of person you are. That’s only the beginning, but I’ll leave it up to you to flesh out the argument. I don’t want you simply to repeat what you’ve been told. I want you to tell me what YOU see when you look into this novel. When you go through the novel, which scenes and details or bits of dialogue stick with you and make you think about things? What kind of things? What’s it all about, according to YOU? Forget I’ve said a word about any of it. Look at it fresh. Go through the novel. Make your own notes. Make your own assessments, and come up with an idea of what you think it’s all about. Of course, keep this other stuff in mind, but don’t go repeating a word of it unless you’ve actually come to believe it and can articulate for yourself, in your own way. Maybe you can even add to it. There’s lots left to be said. Some of it I’ve left open intentionally. Some of it, I just didn’t have time to touch. Either way, do your best to be original.

You’ll have 50 minutes to write the essay. Try to remember the basic guidelines of essay writing you (hopefully) learned in English 1080. This one is meant to be a diagnostic, to give me an idea of where you stand. We’ll take it from there. But I promise that, if you’re willing to give it an honest try, we can make you a better writer by the end of the semester.

Beyond that, I’m not sure what else you need to know in order to write the essay. Come early, if possible. Be on time at least. Get comfortable in those uncomfortable seats. I’ll bring the paper and a sheet with the questions on it. You choose to do one of them.

The trick, I think, is to make a lot of notes for yourself and then put them away and close your book: see how much you can remember.

Try to recall a list of key, related ideas you want to discuss (God, names, identity, place, good and bad, and so on).

Then, try to recall a short list of key scenes or images you want to apply to these ideas (the image of the road, the sextant, the thief that they leave to die naked, the nearly-blind stranger with whom they have a long, philosophical discussion, the people that the man kills, and so on).

There’s so much you could discuss. When you get in the exam room and are given your paper, write your list out and then make some notes on the list so that you won’t get stuck. Then write out three or four major topics that you want to cover in separate paragraphs. That should help. This is advice only for those of you who want it. Some of you have your own ideas that work for you and you should go with that, as long as it truly does work.

Good luck tomorrow. I’m rooting for you. The questions are designed to allow you to tell me what you know. I want you to succeed on this essay and every essay.

But that depends on you. Success comes with preparation. You even have a better chance of being lucky if you’re prepared. So know the novel, remember your key words and scenes, and have at it.

GC

Cormac McCarthy and the End of the World

2011-01-18T18:44:00.004-03:30

It's pretty hard to imagine the end of the world. Maybe that's because the world likely will never really end. It will be simply transformed. Or maybe because, amid a world stuffed to the brim with so much stuff, it's just difficult to foresee the enormity of such an event.

Apokalypsis: a Greek word meaning "to lift to lid off," or "to reveal" the truth of things. According to Cormac McCarthy's vision of post-apocalyptic America in The Road, that's exactly what will happen: the veil between humanity and their gods will be ripped away so that we can see the truth, if we are open to it and able to interpret what we observe, about how things began, how the earth was made and how it works--what we mean to each other, if anything at all, how we became what we have become.

An apocalypse is devastation of the highest order, undoubtedly, but there is truth and beauty in such ugliness, if that's possible to comprehend. The things that are left, the things that survive, carry a whole new meaning--no more layers, no more pretense, because all that matters is survival itself. But then there's the issue of what we are surviving for.

The most beautiful object that the man in the novel comes across is a sextant (pictured), which is a hundred years old and stirs him deeply. The sextant is an instrument used for navigation. One would use it to measure the altitude of a celestial object above the horizon. For example, one would "shoot" the position of the sun at noon in order to find one's latitude. Really, it's all about finding your place in the world, knowing where you are in relation to the heavens above. Traditionally, that's what gods are for. It's what churches, schools, and even books are for. It's what loved ones, especially parents and spouses, are for. In the absence of any of these things in a post-apocalyptic world, the sextant represents so much.

Of course, I try not to over-discuss any of this when I blog. This blog isn't meant to replace class discussion and old-fashioned note-taking and thinking for oneself. I just mean for it to inspire some ideas.

On that note, I thought I'd share some clips from YouTube that seem appropriate, if not necessarily inspirational. I'm in the early stages of writing a post-apocalyptic novel myself (though it's more about a metaphorical end of the world as it might occur, and even has already occurred, in rural Newfoundland--I started it last year and hope to finish it in the next year or two, after some other projects). These clips and images, even songs, inspire my own thought process (my novels and stories usually have a soundtrack, if only in my head). My thinking is that this stuff should put you in the mood for the novel, dark as it may be.

First, one of my favorite apocalyptic moments comes courtesy of The Terminator films and that daydream believer, Sarah Connor who keeps imagining what a nuclear blast might look and feel like: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vfZke069f4g

And you've gotta be a fan of big waves, planes dropping out of the sky, and tornadoes in downtown Los Angeles. The apocalypse is just one big special effect--and it WILL be televised in high definition: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQDSAiPiEDU&feature=related

Then there are those wacky Mayans who, along with the late, great prognosticator Nostradamus, seemed to think the world was going to end in the year 2012, right around Christmas and JUST before we open our gifts. Total bummer. Remember, though, some say it's the 21st and others that it's the 23rd. It would be really bad to get it wrong. But then again, I'm now sure it would really matter.

(My only question is why the Mayan Calendars didn't go on sale at the mall for 75% off after Christmas. I was hoping for one with puppies on the front.)Enjoy: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uZIfyXc8RWk&feature=PlayList&p=0DA6A360A7A4F3EE&playnext=1&index=9

And another hit from the Mayans, in case you didn't quite get what they were talking about. This one is actually a clip from a recent movie about the events that have been foretold in the prophesy: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nAY16UM9Oac

To me, this song is the soundtrack for all my apocalyptic visions (Warning: may cause weeping and leave you feeling slightly bereft.): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qgcy-V6YIuI

Apocalypse Now might not be exactly about the end of the world, but it sure feels like the end of the world when you're the embroiled in a messy war in the middle of a jungle far from the civilization you once thought you knew: http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=bPXVGQnJm0w&feature=related

This is a trailer from The Road, which was finally released last year but didn't really make it to the theaters here, except for one night. It's pretty bleak, or so I hear. Here's a sample of the movie, just to give you a visual or two: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hbLgszfXTAY

Cormac McCarthy is one of those Salinger-like author who is pretty reclusive. The difference, however, is that McCarthy granted an interview to Oprah Winfrey. For a guy who spends most of his time at a science institue in Santa Fe, New Mexico, where this interview was filmed, he seems pretty level-headed. Last time I taught The Road in one of my classes, I was able to post a YouTube video of that interview for educational purposes, but now if you click on the link, you'll find, well, catastrophe: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iNuc3sxzlyQ&feature=related .

So much for that. Trust me, though, it was a decent interview, though a little tedious at times. He's not a big talker and she doesn't ask a lot of need-to-know questions. I seem to recall, though, that he was inspired to write The Road because he had a 10-year-old son--a pretty big admission from such a private guy. She also asked him about his take on God, but he was pretty elusive about that subject. Guess we'll have to read the book.

GC

Memorable opening lines from novels

2011-01-16T19:37:00.002-03:30
1. "Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way." - Leo Tolstoy, Anna Karenina (1873-1877)

2. "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair." - Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities (1859)

3. "If you really want to hear about it, the first thing you'll probably want to know is where I was born, and what my lousy childhood was like, and how my parents were occupied and all before they had me, and all that David Copperfield kind of crap, but I don't feel like going into it, if you want to know the truth." - J. D. Salinger, The Catcher in the Rye (1951)

4. "In my younger and more vulnerable years my father gave me some advice that I've been turning over in my mind ever since." - F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby (1925)

5. "It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife." - Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice (1813)

6. "My mother drove me to the airport with the windows rolled down. It was seventy-five degrees in Phoenix , the sky perfect, cloudless blue." - Stephanie Meyer, Twilight (2005)

7. "Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, of number four, Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much. They were the last people you'd expect to be involved in anything strange or mysterious, because they just didn't hold with such nonsense." – J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (1997)

8. "Christmas won't be Christmas without any presents," grumbled Jo, lying on the rug. - Louisa May Alcott, Little Women (1871)

These are just some of my favorites. It doesn't even begin to touch on all the ones I love, those that are among the greatest of all time, or even the most memorable ever. This is just a random sampling, and that is all.

GC

Strange Days, Indeed

2011-01-09T12:59:00.001-03:30
Friday’s classes were a bit strange. As I think I mentioned, I’d only slept a couple of hours the night before, which is actually quite normal for me. Normal or not, it does leave me feeling a bit strung out and capable of saying just about anything. It’s cool when it works, but some days it’s a struggle to put words to the thoughts.

I’ve never tried so hard before to get people to drop a course of mine (other people's courses, sure, but not my own). Although I’m rather used to the January rush for seats—the golden ticket to a place in English 1101—even I was a bit overwhelmed by the vast number of people who showed up for my first class. Of course, I wanted to sign everyone in, but it’s just not possible. Maybe a lottery system would work better. Regardless, I thought the best way would be simply to point out all the reasons for not doing my course. Really, I’ve never done that before—just an example of the kind of bizarre inspiration that enters my head and leaves my lips when I stand before an audience of students without having slept. On the one hand, I hope no one was offended. On the other hand, I hope a few people who were already having doubts did sign out of the course simply because that would leave room for some of the ones who truly wanted in and would be willing to work hard to do well.

I’ll talk briefly about this in class tomorrow (Monday), but for now I just wanted to assure you that everyone who is in the class is welcome and I truly hope, and believe, that you will enjoy the course. Most people do. And I really don’t want anyone to leave. It’s never-ending fun. A virtual Funapalooza. The reasons I gave for someone possibly not wanting to do the course are legitimate, however. But I also happen to believe one needs to confront such challenges in order to get the most out of life. I mean, even Nick Lachey got married again. And Jessica Simpson went out with another football player. So if Nick and Jessica can overcome adversity, so can we all, surely.

So welcome to 2011 and welcome to English 1101. I’m glad you decided to stay. You won’t regret it. Unless, of course, you do.

GC

Have Your Say on English 1080

2010-12-05T19:58:00.003-03:30
Hi, Everyone.

First of all, the usual info: The final exam will be held in the Phys. Ed. gymnasium at 9 a.m. on Wedesnday, December 8. Please be there, on time. Don't sleep in--if you have a history of sleeping in, make sure somebody wakes you up on time. If you happen to be running late, either a little or a lot, and you know the exam is still on, come to the gymnasium anyway. My rows of desks are on the right hand side of the gym, about 16 rows from the front. You'll find me just beyond the aisle at the centre.

You won't be allowed to bring your personal items (purse, napsack, pet gerbil, or your copy of Twilight: Eclipse) to your desk. And please don't bring coffee or any beverage that isn't water.

Also, please take a couple of minutes and voice your feelings on English 1080--I've pasted a poll at the top right corner of this page. Just click on it and you'll find a few easy questions. I appreciate your help and future students will thank you as well...sort of.

That's all for now.

GC

Reminder

2010-09-28T16:24:00.003-02:30
Just wanted to remind you in English 1080 that we're starting "Young Goodman Brown" by Nathaniel Hawthorne tomorrow (Wednesday, Sept. 29). The usual quiz and banter will follow. On the following Monday we should be ready to start "Serotonin."

See you then.

GC

Mistakes to Avoid

2010-09-26T11:16:00.002-02:30
This is my second post regarding the upcoming English 1080 essay (there's another one below).

I just have a few last thoughts that might help you get better grades:

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 cliches 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,...". Oh and whenever you use a brief quote or an example, make sure you follow up with some discussion of why it's useful evidence for the point you're making.

I truly hope this helps. I'd like to see these be the best first-time essays I've ever graded. That would be great for you and fantastic for me.

May the fates be with you.

GC

"Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?"

2010-09-21T19:12:00.007-02:30
Since I don't usually have time in class to show feature-length movies, I thought I'd share this with those of you in my English 1080 classes.

First, there's a movie trailer for a 1986 film of Oates's story, starring Laura Dern. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gXvmkCVbrBk&feature=related

There's also a series of clips from the film strung together. There are, of course, lots of differences from the story, "Where Are You Going, Where Have you Been?" but it's similar in essence. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=co9bfNOlSRQ

I played some Bob Dylan for you in class on Monday, but, if you're interested, here's some video of the messiah himself, mostly for fun, but also to give you an idea what the song is about and what Dylan was all about. It's a remarkably clear piece of footage of him playing "Mr. Tambourine Man" and a great portrait of a young legend-in-the-making.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fMqf1VWfcic

Also, I wanted to remind you that we have our first in-class essay on Monday, Sept. 27 on "Where Are You Going..." and "The Chrysanthemums." After that, we'll be doing "Young Goodman Brown" by Nathaniel Hawthorne, starting September 29, quiz included.

GC

The Chrysanthemums

2010-09-19T20:57:00.004-02:30
Just wanted to remind you there will be a quiz on John Steinbeck's short story "The Chrysanthemums" tomorrow, Monday, Sept. 20. It will be the usual assortment of questions, same kind of thing you dealt with, more or less, on the Joyce Carol Oates story. I'm particularly looking forward to hearing what you think about this story.

See you Monday.

GC

Ch-ch-ch-changes

2010-09-11T18:45:00.004-02:30

Starting on Wednesday, September 15th, my 9 a.m. class of English 1080 (Section 044, CRN 50587 in slot 2) that currently meets in A 2065 will be held in SN 4083 in the Science Building. I discussed this with you on Friday past and the change of which I spoke has now been made official. So, on Monday we will meet in our usual classroom, but the switch will take place on Wednesday.

For both my 9 and 11 a.m. classes of English 1080, there will be a quiz on the short story, "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?" on Monday. The idea of the quiz is simply to test your factual knowledge of the story. As mentioned before, I won't be trying to trick you with questions. I will merely be testing to see if you, first and foremost, read the entire story and whether you paid attention to the significant details. This shouldn't really require much in the way of study or extra work. If you've read it and paid attention to it as you went, you shouldn't have any trouble remembering major and (most) minor characters, major plot points, the author's name (how it's spelled!), when the story was published, and that sort of thing. As I've said, the quizzes are meant to be easy--easy marks for those who put in the work.

Meanwhile, I wanted to, once again, welcome you all to English 1080. I hope it's clear by now that I enjoy teaching this course and I love teaching, generally. I expect we'll have a good time in these classes--as much as is possible considering the amount of work that is expected of you. The best thing you can do for yourself is keep on top of the workload as it comes. As long as I can see you're doing your best and truly want to improve your writing and critical thinking skills, I will do whatever I can to help.

First year English isn't easy, as some of you already know. First year university, as a lot of you have found out, also can be difficult. But if you keep your head about you and learn to achieve some balance in life, you should be okay. Sure, take the work seriously, but not so seriously that you give yourself headaches and lose sleep. It's a challenge, but it's not a matter of life and death. Only two things are matters of life and death: life...and death.

See you all on Monday.

GC

Fine September Day

2010-09-05T19:44:00.002-02:30
It's been another beautiful fall day here in the city, with the temp/humidity reaching over thirty degrees. I couldn't resist--actually couldn't wait!--going for a run around Long Pond, one of my favourite activities when the weather is warm. I'll likely continue for the next few weeks, as running not only keeps me physically fit to ward off the normal ravages of time, but keeps my mind sharp too. It's almost like meditation, especially when the runner's high kicks in and you realize you've just travelled up a huge hill and didn't even notice because you're mind was so preoccupied with other things. The squirrels look at me as if I'm strange...or maybe they just think I'm nuts.

The days are dwindling for both warmth and freedom. Classes start for the fall semester in a couple of days. Meanwhile, I've been blogging about my new book cover which I just saw today for the first time. Awesome stuff.

GC

The End of Summer

2010-08-31T09:25:00.002-02:30
Okay, so here it is: the last day of August, and what have you done? Another summer's over, and autumn's just begun. (Apologies to John Lennon.)

And that's just it for me--it's not just the end of summer; it's also the beginning of fall. How do I even begin to separate the two? The betwixt and between quality of it all has me not even knowing if I'm coming, going, want to go, or whether I've been there already? Know what I mean? No, of course not. As I write this, there's nobody listening. It's like throwing my voice into an empty cave. But if you're reading this now (whenever that might be), maybe you can empathize a little with my melancholy.

That's what I believe it is: melancholy. I am a huge fan of summer. Most people are. I do know some people who don't love it, including one poor soul whose skin turns to a bright red rash when she's exposed to a few rays of sunshine.

But I still love it. Residing in a city where summer lasts only four or five weeks, one could easily get into the habit of living for these days. But, for me, the truth is that I live for fall. That's when things really come alive--or when I come alive--when life is even more exciting. Everyone brings their "A" game to autumn whereas in summer, it's like, "Man, I'm too hot and tired from the sun and from partying to go chasing that frisbee, or writing that letter, or doing anything that takes effort." And we all understand: "No wonders there's no one in the office. Dude, relax, it's summer." There's something about that attitude that makes me feel good inside.

I would give nearly anything for a few more weeks of summer right now. I don't want to have to return to full time teaching, don't want to lay my writing aside, and I certainly don't want to have to start setting the alarm clock for 6:04 a.m.. I do that most of the year, but it's particularly startling to wake up on the day after Labour Day with that guy on the radio pretending like, "Summer, eh? Thank GOD that's over, eh? What a nightmare." No, no, no. Nobody feels that way. Summer is good. Summer is necessary. I wish it were summer all year round...almost.

You see, I love autumn. Now do you understand why I'm so conflicted?

Just yesterday, my wife and I bought tickets for some shows at the Arts and Culture centre, which we do every year, as part of our autumnal living series. On my way home, I noticed the first leaves turning from green to brown. I was sad but also secretely exhilarated. The birds are beginning to fly strange patterns over my home, which is a sign that either they're circling the troops for that long flight South, or they're getting read to take a gigantic, mass dump on my rooftop. I'm hoping it's just a sign of autumn--they're checking their bags, making sure there's no one on the "No Fly" list," that sort of thing.

The weather turns cooler, but not too cold. Hockey season starts. There are more holidays in fall than any other time of year. Oh, and as a teacher, there's no better feeling than those first couple of weeks of getting to know your students, of making new acquaintances, of seeing what budding geniuses and simply good people whom you might still be talking with years from now, might be sitting in those desks this semester. How many of you don't know the joys of Hawthorne, O'Connor, or Thomas? How many of you are good writers who will one day be great...if you just learn how to do one or two things differently? How many of you will need to come to my office for reassurance after bombing the first assignment, but then go on to get a mark that makes us both proud?

Next thing you know, we're into Thanksgiving, and Halloween, and Remembrance Day, and Christmas (or whatever you celebrate...or don't)--this is my blog; these are a few of my favorite things.

And in the fall, everyone seems more with it, ya know? They act like stuff matters. Life is more serious in fall. Even the movies in the theatres are a bit smarter and sharper, with better storytelling and better acting. DO NOT GO TO SEE "JONAH HEX," OKAY? Your eyes will fall out. I like Megan Fox (sometimes) and Josh Brolin (always), and I adored the Jonah Hex comics when I was a kid. But I will forever feel as if those lousy bastards stole my ten dollars, as well as nearly two hours of my life that I can never have back. This fall, I want to see some good dramas, a few intelligent comedies (please nothing else about babies), and mabye some Potter and Narnia, for that fantastical touch.

And all the fall TV shows are back: NCIS, Big Bang Theory, and, oh, wait a minute--all my favorite shows have been cancelled. Wherefore art thou, "Lost"? But I'm sure it will still be good, like seeing old friends after a long, hot summer. Sort of like "Grease," except everyone's wearing clothes from the Gap and American Eagle.

Speaking of old friends, that's what I truly love about autumn--making new acquaintances, catching up with the old ones that you've known (in my case) since grad school. There's a rush of excitement in those early September days that never really lets up until Christmas.

So this blog has been therapy for me. I still hate to see the end of summer. I want to go off on One Last Big Adventure, like when I was a kid. Do something bright and grand that I'll remember forever.

But I do like fall. Really. Just don't set the alarm clock too early.

And if I seem a little sleepy-headed for those first couple of weeks, that's pretty normal.

Welcome, autumn, come this way.

GC

Blog, blog, blog

2010-08-23T10:11:00.003-02:30
Today, I'm redesigning my blogs, which obviously means a renewed interest and hopefully I'll be doing a lot more of it in the coming days and weeks.

Blogger isn't co-operating though. So I'll have to wrestle it into submission.

Until then.

GC

The Day Before

2010-04-11T12:34:00.003-02:30
And so it begins. Tomorrow at this time, you (my English 1101 students) will be writing your final exam.

I've done my best to prepare you, and I'm sure that if you've been to class most of the semester and for the past couple of weeks, you know exactly how to prepare for the exam. Right from the first class, I emphasized how important it is to just come to the classes. And while some of you constantly "had to study for another class" or "had a paper due" or just didn't feel like coming, the vast majority of you found a way and a reason to show up day after day. The reward for that is built in, I would think, as you probably feel more confident than you would have about the kinds of questions, as well as the particular strengths and weaknesses of your writing. I have honestly done my best for each and every one of you. If you asked, I did whatever I could for you. If you came to see me, I talked for as long as you needed. I wrote long notes on your essays--and they should be your key to fixing whatever issues you've had all along. Go back and look at them and see what you need to do. On the final exam, before you leave the exam room, you should take a few minutes to review your exam and make sure you've fixed whatever problems I kept saying you needed to pay attention to. You'd be amazed, most likely, at the difference it can make to your grade.

What else can I say? Well, maybe it's best to do the old question-and-answer routine. That usually gets the best responses.

Q. What can I expect in the exam room?

A. Most of you have done this before, though for some of you it's been a while. First, show up on time. That's crucial. Come in and get yourself comfortable in a good seat and try and get your head into the zone. Try to stay loose and relaxed, but focused at the same time.

Don't bring your books or bags to your to your desk. They have to go against the far wall or somewhere away from you. And don't bring food or beverages. They cause mess and distraction.

The room will be crowded, so just breathe and look around. Get your bearings. Be in your own little world in your own little desk. It's not comfortable, but pretend that it is . It'll go easier for you that way. The way you focus your thoughts will decide the quality of your experience.

I'll be there, a little anxious for you, a little sad that the semester's almost done, and secretly overjoyed that I'll soon have the freedom to do some writing of my own and be able to enjoy a little time to replenish my own (admittedly) tired soul. Mostly, I'll be concerned that you're doing okay, that you're focused, that you've fully prepared, that you don't have any blankness, that you're relaxed. If you have a question to ask me, make sure it's something I can answer quickly, without being too disruptive to those around you. But be assured that I'll be there to help in any way I can, within reason.

Remember: I WANT you to succeed. It makes me feel good. It means neither of us has been wasting our time for the past four months, and it means your exams are beginning on a positive note, and your semester with me will have ended nicely. All's well that ends well, as the bard once said.

Q. How can I prepare for this exam?

A. The best way to be prepared is to do what comes natural to you. By "natural" I don't mean not studying, necessarily, although that works for some people too--not many, but a select Chosen Few. Even the best students and the best writers can benefit from have a read-through of the passages you know you might possibly discuss on the exam. I do this before every class, all semester long: I know the parts I plan to talk about, but I also read through the highlighted parts of the novel, just to specifically remind myself of what the story is about and how it's written. I always find that I'm surprised at where my mind wants to go and the kinds of connections it makes through the hour. It can be like that for you on the exam too. Just know the book real well. Make it real and immediate and fresh for you by re-reading some parts. It would be ridiculous to try and re-read the whole thing at this point.

I'd also suggest you take into account the kinds of issues we've been dealing with all semester for each and every novel. I won't go into them again b/c I talked about them, not only in the last class for the semester, but all throughout the term. Come into the exam room knowing that if such-and-such is asked, you have at least five or six parts of the novel you can refer to. But your extra reading will also allow you to make more connections to other parts of the novel.

Be able to show that you "get" what each novel is about. ASK YOURSELF THAT QUESTION, IN WRITING: What is this novel about? WRITE AN ANSWER, making as many connections as possible to various scenes, images, symobls, bits of dialogue or brief quotes. Be able to say that Edward Hyde REPRESENTS (something) or that Uncle Reg SYMBOLIZES (something) or the fact that a novel is set in Victorian England, 1960s St. John's on Fleming Street or post-apocalyptic America SIGNIFIES (something). Please don't write at this point and ask me the answers to such questions. We've been though it all. If you're not comfortable discussing such issues or specific symbols, find others to discuss. You're the writer. It's up to you what you want to talk about. But stay focused. Use those kinds of words (represents, symbolizes, signifies, means, indicates, connotes, and so on) to get your thoughts about a certain character, setting, symbol, scene, image, or moment focused. They will help you put the words to the thought. Then all you have to do is explain what you meant, using examples.

Q. Do I have to be able to quote from the novel?

Not necessarily. Sometimes it can help, certainly, but I'm not demanding it. But, let's face it--if you can't say by now, "If he be Mr. Hyde, then I be Mr. Seek," then you're just not paying attention. In other words, there are certain lines and phrases that you should know by now. I mean, aren't the boy and the man in The Road "each the other's world entire"? Doesn't Victor want to benefit "the species"? Doesn't Draper get the "Doyle" beaten out of him? Are there certain lines that you associate with certain characters? Certain scenes or images that typify, or define, exactly who and what they are and what they are all about? If you're talking about "identity," such scenes, moments, images, and symbols are crucial, or at least helpful to understanding who they are. Oh, and be prepared to think about whether the characters change during the course of the novel: do they get what they've wanted? How do they react to their dreams or nightmares coming to fruition? Does it change them? Does it change their worlds? If there is change, then be specific about what kind of change (emotional, psychological, physical--does the physical represent the psychological, perhaps? Is there a change in setting that signifies any of this emotional, or personal, change?) Make as many such connections as you can. That would impress me.

And don't worry. You don't have to know/do ALL of this. This is just to show you that there are many, many ways to add substance to your essays.

So, no, quotes aren't necessary, but sometimes they'll just come out. And sometimes you'll memorize them because they'll help you be more specific. That's up to you.

If you refer to a particular scene, make sure it's clear exactly which scene you're referring to. You can be talking about Victor trying to enter the gates of Geneva, for example, and it's late at night, so the gates are locked. If you mention that the gates are locked, and that that is because of the laws at the time, meant to maintain law and order, and the safety of the citizens of that society, then the moment when Victor tries to enter Geneva late at night, and the gates are locked becomes symbolic of him already being a cast-out, estranged from decent society: he has become the monster that law-abiding citizens should fear. He is the monster come to live among them, just as Mr. Hyde steals the bedside of such seemingly decent people in Victorian London, as Mr. Utterson dreams. See how I specifically mentioned the gates being locked, that such a moment is symbolic, what exactly it is symbolic of (making a connection to the bigger issue of social safety, which could be connected, if I choose, to monstrosity and identity b/c that is how people see themselves, as one or the other, the victim or the monster, the one whom the laws favor versus one who acts in contravention of law), and I even make the connection to another novel and a specific scene in that nove, and how it, too, is symbolic of something similar to the scene in Frankenstein. This is the kind of thing a good comparative analysis does once in a while: a little digression to show that you "get" it: the big picture of what these novels have in common and what this course has, to some extent, been about.

So: be specific. It never hurts and always helps.

Q. What if I draw a blank during the exam?

A. Make notes to yourself. Ask yourself questions in writing. Raise your hand. Staring off into to space might help, but it usually only compounds the feelings of helplessness and wastes valuable minutes.

Q. How much should I write?

A. As much as you can write in two and a half hours. Divide your time equally, though. Don't write just one good essay. Leave plenty of time to write TWO quality essays. It will sink your grade badly if you write only one good essay and leave yourself only half an hour to write a rather shabby second essay.

Q. Is it possible to ace this exam, even though my grades have been relatively low all semester?

A. Let's face it: if you've been doing the work all along, coming to see me, paying attention to my comments, coming to see me again, going to the Writing Centre perhaps, your grades have been getting better all semester. But if you're well-prepared and all of a sudden you get what I've been trying to teach you all therm, then, yes, you can ace the exam and get the best mark you've gotten all term. It happens quite often. I've seen students get an "A" on the final despite getting no higher than a 75 all semester. I've seen students who are borderline 50 get in the high 60s and low 70s. It can happen. And it always brings a huge smile to my face.

Q. Will praying help?

A. Couldn't hurt, maybe. Depends on the relationship you've got with your God.

Q. What's up with all the Lady Gaga stuff all term?

A. I just think she's an original and a risk-taker, but she also borrows from the best. I think we could all learn a lesson from Gaga. I'm not saying she's perfect, but it's her very humanity beneath all those masks and those outlandish wardrobes that make her interesting. This has nothing to do with the exam, but there's been a definite Gaga theme, usually related to the "fame monster," all semester long, and I just wanted to clear it up. I'm not obsessed, just fascinated. If I was obsessed, my shrine to her would be a lot bigger.

That's all I can think of to say for now. If I think of anything else, I will certainly blog later. I wouldn't count on it though. I've got another busy day ahead.

Just come prepared tomorrow, whatever that means for you. And trust that you will likely do your best if you're well rested and confident in what you know. Oh, and a little music wouldn't hurt. Breathing definitely helps.

That's all for now.

Thank you for such a great semester. I've had an absolute blast the entire time, especially when you've come to class ready and eager to talk about everything and anything.

As for the exam, don't stress too much. To quote Kat Von D: "It ain't rocket surgery."

Gerard

Vote Caster

2010-04-10T19:41:00.002-02:30
This is my second blog for the day (see below), and I'll be blogging again sometime tomorrow, as early as possible.

Just wanted to remind you to click on "Cast Your Vote" on the top right if you want to have a say in a few matters regarding English 1101. Also, the voting is completely anonymous, so feel free to be honest.

Thanks!

GC

Blog, Blog, Blog

2010-04-10T17:54:00.004-02:30
Strangely appropriate we should have talked about identity so much this semester, and I've been struggling with my own blogging identity so much. As some of you know, I also keep a blog called Gothic Times (changing the name soon) which is supposed to be somewhat of a chronicle of my personal exploits as a writer. I'm going to keep doing that blog, but at the time I started it, I declared that I would do just academic blogging here on "Literary Pursuits" and do my personal-type blogging on "Gothic Times". I've started to doubt that choice.

You might have noticed that I haven't blogged on "Gothic Times" in a few weeks. That's simply because it's been hard to get time to keep it up. Once the semester gets revved up, I do little outside of grading essays, preparing lectures, meeting with students, answering hundreds (sometimes thousands) of e-mails from students, and dealing with all the details associated with teaching at a university. Thus, I do very little writing, if any. Thus, there was really not much to report on "Gothic Times". That's about to change, of course, as I slip into my writer's garb for the next four and a half months and become author instead of professor. In many ways, as much as I truly love teaching, writing is my first love. But then, it's reached a point where it's hard to tell which one is the real me. I think, like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, the truth is that I am not truly one, but truly two. And so I keep both blogs going.

But I've always felt more comfortable writing about the world, my perspective, about my life during the summer months, the wacky and thoughtful, the funny and serious on THIS blog--"Literary Pursuits". This blog was begun about two years ago, I believe, and there are somewhere around 19,000 hits on it, which means somebody's listening. It's not just students, of course. Some are former students of mine, and some are just people from all over who are interested, though I do believe it's mostly students and former students. Many of you have told me you recommend this blog to people you know (writers, students, and so on), so I'm aware of my audience, and that's helpful.

So I've decided to keep posting here over the summer months. I'll still blog about the writing process as it relates to my upcoming short story collection, Moonlight Sketches, over on "Gothic Times". Anything related to my own writing, news of publications, and that sort of thing, that's where I'll be talking about them. I'll do my best even to talk about writing generally in a way that will possibly provide food for thought for the starving writers out there who simply want a place to go for that kind of thing, from someone you know. I'll also be continuing to work on my three novels: Finton Moon (90% finished), Darwin Day (99% finished), and Two Sisters (75% finished). If there's time, I have another project I need to finish by summer's end. I'll be talking about all of that over on "Gothic Times".

Here, I'll just be talking about me and stuff that interests me that's in the news. I'll be musing about stuff I see in my running throughout the city (I run a few miles several times a week in the summer), my planned road trips, maybe posting some pictures along the way. I'll certainly be ranting about stuff that makes me made or amuses me in some way, and talking about the kinds of things that I find fascinating and beautiful. So if you're interested in reading more, I'll be on here occasionally throughout the summer. I'd be happy if you'd join me and even drop a comment now and then (the less anonymous the better).

With that in mind, would you please take a couple of minutes to do the survey I'll be posting in the top right corner of this blog in a little while. It's about the course (English 1101) and about the usefulness of "Literary Pursuits".

Thanks.

I'll be posting more soon to get your primed for the final exam as best I can. There's not much more to say, but, as always, I'll find some words for you.

Peace out.

Gerard

Searching and Researching...

2010-03-28T13:54:00.002-02:30
Hey, folks. Me again.

The English 1101 research essays are due on Wednesday; I've already turned down several requests for extensions, simply because there's no time and also because I see no need. I gave out the topics over a month ago, giving you plenty of time. Also, if you're the kind of students who's been missing classes all semester long, I won't even consider giving an extension. In such as case, I have no way of knowing if you're simply coming up with yet another reason for being slack and looking for special favors: the kind of favors that only students who have attended classes all along deserve. Even those students who've been to class and get good grades need to have a good reason for wanting an extension. So unless you've encountered a serious problem that you can prove exists, please don't ask for an extension.

I'll move on to more important issues. First of all, please note that I've already blogged recently about MLA formatting and quotation method. For details, scroll down until you find those blog entries.

As for researching, a lot of you seem to be having trouble knowing how to go about doing a search for your research papers. I’m not sure why this is the case, but I have to assume that many of you have never done a research essay before. Considering you're in university now, I have to assume that no one in the high school system has taught you how to do it. Either that, or you just didn't learn it, for whatever reason. The best thing I can do is forget the source of the problem (or what I assume is the source) and try to tackle the problem itself.

I’ll try the Q & A technique again and see if we can sort some things out.

Q. I’ve tried researching my topic (e.g. “playing God” in the novels Frankenstein and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde), but I can’t find anything.

A. Several students have said this exact thing to me. First of all, you’re going to have to become creative in your method of research. Creative. That means jotting down ideas. Brainstorming. That’s a part of this whole exercise. Ask questions about your subject. Then answer them. Critical thinking doesn’t mean coming up with the right answers so much as it means coming up with better quality questions.

Your method of research all depends on what angle you’re going to take in your essay. For example, what are you ultimately going to be saying about the concept of “playing God”? What does it mean to “play God” anyway? What is a God? What does a God do? And what kind of behaviours (and words) from a character would allow you to say, “Oh, yeah, see there: he thinks he’s a bloody God, that one there!” (picture a Monty Python character saying that. It helps ease the tension you’re probably feeling.) Just let your thoughts go on paper a little bit. Write to yourself. You’re not being judged on it, but you might unscramble something and come up with two or three good ideas. Give up on the notion that you’ve got to be right, or that you might be wrong. Just write. Ask those questions, even if they seem silly. Nobody sees your brain farts except you, or at least at this stage. They can be smelled at a distance if you don’t clean them up before presenting them publicly, though.

Next, how are you going to research this idea of yours? There are several possible approaches. You could just look up essays on the two novels you’re working with. Another way is to look up characters’ names, such as “Victor Frankenstein”. Or try “Victor Frankenstein and God” or “Sciences and God” or “Science and Victor Frankenstein” or “Science and Mary Shelley.” That kind of thing. Try different ways to get at your topic. You might find articles on Victor and/or Dr. Jekyll that might have a useful quote or two. Or an article about scientists playing God that you can apply to your paper and show that Victor and Henry Jekyll are playing God, according to this particular article that talks about scientists in general. Look up "biogenetics and Mary Shelley". These ideas might get you started, but as I say, you'll just have to get creative in your approach. Or you might think that Victor and Henry J. both look at knowledge as a religion. Consider that possibility and use it to do some research.

Originality is in the combination of things. The thing is, I can’t tell you that you ought to take a certain approach because every paper will be different. What I can tell you is to break your idea down into components by doing some brainstorming. Talk to someone else. Look up your subject in a dictionary or thesaurus for related words, then look up some of those words. But focus on the characters. You might not find an article on “playing God,” per se, but you might find an article on Victor Frankenstein’s (or Henry Jekyll’s) character and find some mention of traits that you think are God-like. You might use another article (one on, say, definitions of gods in western religion, or something like that) to decide on the characteristics of a God (or isolation, alienation, fatherhood, motherhood, gender differences, or anything else) and then use other articles or books that talk about the characters (or ideas) you’re discussing.

Let’s try a different example. Say you’re doing “isolation” in The Divine Ryans and The Road. (You don’t have to actually say it; just read what I’m about to say.) Well, ask yourself (on paper) what is "isolation"? Define its characteristics. Then go a step further and define its characteristics as it relates to your two novels. Which characters exemplify isolation? Who’s isolated from whom? In what way(s)? Of course, that will go back, necessarily, to your definition and list of qualities of isolation (same as with a god, fatherhood, motherhood, prejudice, and so on). First, get your ideas straight (by brainstorming, using a dictionary and/or thesaurus, and so on) about what something is. Second, figure out how it applies specifically to your novel (i.e. which characters are implicated). Third, look at how this subject of isolation causes characters to interact with each other, whether they are isolated or not. Go through the exercise and see if anything interesting comes up. Fourth, ask yourself (assuming you’ve looked up “isolation and The Divine Ryans” as a subject—one on which you’re not likely to find much material) whether there are other approaches. Are there other words for isolation (such as alienation or separation or segregation, for example)? Also, in what ways are you saying the characters are isolated? Do you mean: from each other? From society? From themselves? Emotionally disconnected? Spiritually cut off from god and/or mankind and/or themselves? Alone in the world? If any of these, ask yourself: why? What’s caused this isolation? What are its specific characteristics? What are its implications? What is its outcome and what are the implications of that outcome (for the novel as a whole, for specific relationships in the novel, I mean)? Fifth, look up information on Donald Ryan or Draper Doyle, or articles about Wayne Johnston's writing in general. Are any of his (or McCarthy's) characters (including those in The Divine Ryans and The Road described as being alone, loners, isolated, inward-looking, or survivalists, and so on?). Look up anything you can find on the authors (in this case Wayne Johnston and Cormac McCarthy). Maybe their characters or novels are talked about in some article or book. Find out what you can use.

There are tons of other things you can do, but this should get you started. The thing is that there is no need to feel stuck. You’re only as limited as your imagination and your work ethic.

Q. Can you tell me where to find the books or articles I should be looking at?

Usually, I won’t do that, whether I know of something or not. But the idea is for YOU to do the research, to learn how this is done. At this stage, it’s not so important that you find the right articles as that you learn HOW to find the right articles. One thing you could do, if you find an on-line article or a lone book or essay on a subject is to look at the Bibliography or "Works Cited" pages and see if there’s a list of potential sources there. There might be some. In most cases, published articles are using the best possible, most up-to-date sources. Learn from the best, I always say. (Actually, I never say that, but it works here.)

Q. How do I know if a book has anything useful in it?

A. One way is by reading it or just skimming it, looking for key words. But a more practical approach would be to look in the alphabetically-arranged “Index” for some idea of whether your subject is discussed and, if it is, on what pages. Shortcuts are our friend. Also, check out the "Table of Contents" as a way of identifying major sections that might deal with your topic.

Q. Can I use the editorial material at the beginning or end of my textbook?

A. Yes, you can, if it helps your essay. But I still will expect you to use three more sources, minimum.

Q. Can I use articles on the Internet for my research?

The short answer is yes, but with a caveat. You should use articles that have been previously published in a book or academic journal. You'll know that they're legitimately published articles because the web page will list the book or journal, plus date of original publication and so on. If there's no such information given, then you have to assume that what you're reading is simply something that someone is posting on a personal blog or website.

Some personal blogs are quite good and can act as a guide to let you know where else you should be looking (Wikipedia is like that, in fact). But there is no guarantee that the information you're reading is accurate because there is nothing, besides the honor system (which is a guarantee of nothing), to ensure that you're getting quality, researched intelligence. You might as well use George W. Bush's intel resources for all the good it will do. In fact, no good can come from trusting in that which is dubious at best. Not all websites are bad, but you have to assume the possiblity is there.

The other issue with websites and blogs is that they might be gone tomorrow at the discretion of the owner or the server, or the writer might even pass away and therefore (understandably) not have updated the information in a long time. The possibility of the article disappearing is quite real, though, and that possibility compromises the integrity of your entire article.

Always use trustworthy sources: ones that will likely still exist somewhere, in a library or library on-line archive, in perpetuity.

On the other hand, just because I try to be kind once in a while, I will allow you to use a GOOD website by a seemingly reputable source, but you still have to use two other legitimate academic sources for your paper.

Q. Do I have to list every book and article I’ve used in my bibliography?

A. Yes (including the novels too). If you’ve gotten any ideas or used any quotes or words from a book or article, then you have to list it as a source. Otherwise, it’s called plagiarism.

The main thing is to brainstorm. Be creative in your approach. Think it through. And don’t just panic because you don’t find your specific subject in the library. If it were that easy, why would you even have to write a research paper to begin with?

The idea is to do your best to write something original. And the best way to be original is to come up with ideas of your own and then allow other voices to enter your paper, whether they agree with you or not. If they agree with you, fine: they support your thesis. If they disagree, that’s fine too: use them to show you’ve considered their arguments, but you still think that your ideas are right (not necessarily that theirs is wrong, although that is a possibility).

I hope this helps some. Leave a comment or e-mail me at gnc@nf.sympatico.ca if you have more questions.

GC

Stopping

2010-03-27T12:32:00.007-02:30
Because I could not stop for Death,
He kindly stopped for me.
(Emily Dickinson)

It's been a sad week. I and many friends and colleagues attended the memorial service for Dr. Linda Vecchi this morning. It was a very moving ceremony, with Linda's favorite music and thoughts read aloud from people who were closest to her, especially her husband and two beautiful young girls.

In life, she was a passionate, caring, intelligent woman, and she was way too young to have been stricken with cancer. Of course, no age is right for cancer or death. And I suppose right and wrong have nothing to do with it. It's just the way of things.

I learned more from my dear friend and mentor, Linda, than from any other teacher I've had. When I first began my life as a university student, she was a young, fresh-faced professor, eager to help and to teach and to befriend. She did all of those things well and continued to do them for as long as I've known her. When my own father passed away in early 1995, Linda was the member of faculty who was kindest to me. I was not one for talking about such things, especially to profs, but she found a way to let me know her door was always open to me and that she genuinely sympathized. She had a kindness that I've rarely experienced in academia or in life. She loved what she did because it was more about the people--the students and those around her--than about the books and the adminstration.

If you asked Linda for a minute, she'd give you an hour.

When I'd gone away for a few years and came back to MUN, it was Linda who'd volunteered to be my mentor as a first-time university teacher. She attended some of my classes, offered her valuable assessments, wrote amazing letters of recommendation, and encouraged me every step of the way. When I began a doctoral program, she made sure I knew she was there if I ever needed to talk. And we often did talk about life, about work, about people, what was right and what was wrong, about the state of things.

I often was reminded that she did this for a lot of people in her life, not just for me. And I always came away amazed that she'd not only taken the time, but seemed to enjoy it, even when I knew she was tired.

The day I defended my Ph.D. dissertation, she had to teach a class, but she gave me a huge hug as I was on my way and assured me that I would be great. In fact, her husband Mark, whom I also consider a friend, was there and, as always, equally encouraging, always with kind words.

Today, we celebrated Linda's life, but I couldn't help thinking how fragile it all is and, in some ways, how worthless it all is, the "empire of dirt" that Trent Reznor calls it in "Hurt"--all the stuff with which we surround ourselves and worry ourselves over. Part way through the ceremony, I was almost overwhelmed with the urge to just get up and bolt out the doors, away from the sounds of death and sorrow, towards those of life and happiness.

But I didn't. Because Linda wouldn't have done that. Linda would have stayed and given you an hour.

As the years have gone on, many students every semester ask, "Who should I take courses from in English?" Linda Vecchi was always at the top of my list. Now there are others on the list, but there's a vacancy at the top. And a vacancy in a lot of lives, including my own.

I know this has nothing to do with my teaching this semester. But I also know that some of you reading this are interested in more than just comma splices and research essays. And I know that the readership here consists of current students, former students, and people all over the country and the world who are just interested and never have been my students. Maybe some of you even knew Linda or were lucky enough to be taught by her (she breathed life into the Renaissance like no else could).

But it wouldn't be honest of me, or right of me, not to acknowledge the passing of such a good person and friend. It's always extra sad when a teacher dies, especially a good teacher, because you know she touched many, many lives along the way. I told her often when she was alive what a difference she had made to me and, likely, to others. She would just smile and say, "Thank you for saying that."

She'd probably say the same thing now.

Back to work now. I'll post more on the research papers as soon as I can wrap my head around it. But for now, a pause was necessary.

GC

Reminder

2010-03-02T14:25:00.001-03:30
Tomorrow's class (Wednesday, March 3) is in the library, L-2028 (the Commons classroom). Please go there instead of our usual classroom. If you have questions about researching a paper, you should ask them then when the librarian gives you the opportunity. I'm sure she'll be very helpful, but if there's something you don't know or don't understand, you have to let her know.

Also, on Friday we start The Divine Ryans. There'll be a reading quiz.

See you tomorrow.

GC

Snowy Days and Long Weekends

2010-02-07T14:24:00.003-03:30
Hope you all enjoyed the snow day as much as I did. I used it for grading essays, as usual. Don't really remember the last time I was able to just relax, put up my feet, and watch a movie or sleep or go outside and build snow fort or something on a snow day. There always seems to be a pile of essays sitting on my desk, waiting to be pored over.

The snow day on Friday past meant I was able to get in an extra couple of hours--not much, really, so while it puts me a little bit ahead of schedule, it's not nearly enough.

I just wanted to remind you that if you were supposed to do the AF-10 (Analysis-Free 10 minutes) reading this past Friday, you'll be expected to do it on Monday, along with those people who were already scheduled for Monday.

Other than that, the snow day doesn't really put us off schedule or anything. It just means hopefully we'll all be better rested and ready to discuss everything and anything related to Frankenstein tomorrow.

Meanwhile, I'll enjoy the snow-covered view of those pine-clad hills while I finish the rest of those essays.

GC

It's a new day, a new dawn, a new life...

2010-01-07T09:27:00.005-03:30
Okay, that title is a little dramatic, but it is the beginning of a new year (in case you hadn't noticed). Christmas was good, I think, though a bit of a blur. I went from grading final exams and being totally burnt out to diving right into the crowded malls for Christmas shopping. I think I did okay. I just wish I could remember where I parked my car.

Okay, kidding about the car. I did find it. I actually didn't mind the whole experience too much, but it did leave me pretty exhausted. Christmas came on hard and fast, like a nor'easter that the weather channel didn't forecast. It left me kind of dazed, seeing tons of family and friends, food, drinks, sitting around, watching lots of hockey (World Juniors and my beloved Bruins outdoors on New Year's Day), and the next thing I knew, it was the first week in January and I hadn't even begun my revisions on my to-be-published short story collection (Moonlight Sketches) or to-be-submitted novels (Finton Moon and Darwin Day). So now I'm doing that, along with preparing for the upcoming semester, which starts, well, today.

I'm looking forward to classes beginning tomorrow (Friday) and checking out my new students. I expect there'll be a few familiar faces but mostly folks I've never seen before. I try to see each semester as a new adventure in which I may know the terrain but I never know the characters I'll meet along the way. Every semester brings some surprises along the way, lots of fun along with the stress (both students' and mine), and I always wind up enjoying the whole thing. I hope the same can be said for each student.

But that very much depends on the kind of attitude you bring with you. I hope it's a good semester and a great year for you. People will tell you that high school years are the best ones of your life. Don't believe them. University days--whether good or bad--always stand out as the make-or-break years, any moment that has so much riding on it has to be among the best and worst of times.

I think that, in university years, you become what you are going to be for the rest of your life.

Something to think about.

GC

Merry Christmas, To All My Students

2009-12-24T13:40:00.003-03:30
So the semester is finally over.

It's Christmas Eve and the work is mostly done. Bring it on.

I've been getting a lot of heartfelt e-mails in the past couple of days, and really since the end of the semester, letting me know that you enjoyed the course and that it meant something to you, regardless of the grade you got. Please know that I truly appreciate it and that I wish there were words to describe the feeling I get when I receive such a note from a student. It makes me feel that I'm doing something good, that I'm connecting with people, and helping make a difference in the lives of people who will themselves make a great difference in the world some day. Sure, it's only literature, but for those of you who "get" it, it's about more than that. It's about life itself, about getting the most out of it by thinking pro-actively about our lives, about the lives of others, about the world around us and the human condition. Thought can change lives and make the world a better place. I really believe that. Otherwise, I wouldn't be able to do what I do and insist on helping people articulate their own thoughts more precisely, for the greatest impact--to give you the tools, or help sharpen those tools, to best enable you to make the most of your life.

Lofty thoughts, but it's the only goal I can allow myself to have as a teacher.

It's going to be a good Christmas, full of family, food, music, and friends--everything that the season calls for. It's not politically correct to say so, but I do love Christmas. It's got little to do with the religious aspect of it, but very much to do with a spiritual aspect, if you will. It's a time when the world slows down a little, when people try to be a bit kinder to each other, to make sure those who are in need have something to call their own. People become more conscious of their actions, thoughts, and words this time of year--aware of how their words have an impact on others and the world around them. That can only be good.

Sure, it can also be a time for having fun, whatever that means for you. It means that for me too, in fact. It means many things, as it does for most people.

Now I'm rambling.

I really just wanted to say thank you to all of you who still read this blog, particularly those who have been my students over the past year. Believe it or not, regardless of whether the impact was good or bad, each of you has had an effect on me and changed my life in some small way.

I wouldn't have it any other way.

Have a great Christmas, everyone. I'll see many of you in January.

Thank you for a great year.

GC

Change in Office Hours

2009-12-07T19:32:00.002-03:30
Change is inevitable.

And so, I've had to re-schedule my office hours to Thursday, 10:00 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. So if you're hoping to see me about something related to the final exam or whatever, that's where I'll be and when I'll be there.

I'll have more to say about final exam preparations as the day draws closer. So keep checking this space.

GC

Poetry In-class essay

2009-11-25T19:05:00.004-03:30
So I no longer have to talk out of both sides of my mouth here on this blog. I'm talking strictly to my students here, particularly in English 1080. Anyone else can go to my other blog at http://gerardcollinsblog.blogspot.com/.

The poetry in-class essays are due on Friday, and I'm not getting the sense that too many people are fretting over it, which I hope is a good sign. I've talked a lot in class about how to go about writing them, but I'll go over the basic idea once more and maybe toss in the occasional hint about how to proceed.

First, this is not a research essay. Do not research your poem of choice on the internet or anywere else, or else you will be considered a plagiarist. I do have ways of knowing. The signs are extremely obvious to me, so please, for your own sake, don't attempt to get one by. It's just not worth it. These are short essays and can easily be done in a day or two, even if you're being extra meticulous about your ideas and phrasing, which I hope you are. That's not a moral question for necessarily, but a matter of me wanting you to do really well on this essay. Please do well.

You can use a dictionary, hardbound, on-line, or otherwise to look up literary terms and that sort of thing. Or if there's a word you don't understand, or a word you just want some ideas or clarification about. That's fine. Just don't research the poem itself or the poet. The idea is to show that you know how to offer a critical analysis of a poem you've not necessarily seen before.

Make sure you start with a thesis statement, but be willing to revise that statement after you go. Don't write a statement about poetry in general (for example, "Poetry sometimes has imagery about relationships"). Write something about the poem you're actually discussing: "Theodore Roethke's poem, "My Papa's Waltz" is about a father and son who..." and go from there. I won't finish it because I always find that student either repeat exactly what I said or they find that I used up their idea and now they feel they can't use it. So I'll use another poem as an example:

In 'Stopping By Woods On A Snowy Evening," Robert Frost depicts a man who pauses on his journey to reflect on his situation in life.

Then, follow with an explanation of who the man is, what the journey is exactly, and what precisely he is reflecting upon. You might want one more sentence, then, to say which poetic techniques in particular you think he uses to convey that theme.

Your essay, since it's only 500 words could look something like this (remember, this is only an example. There are many other ways):

Paragraph 1: Introduction (including brief statement about what the poem is about, literally).

Paragraph 2: Dominant imagery

Paragraph 3: Figurative language (symbols, metaphors, personification, and that sort of thing)

Paragraph 4: Sound (including rhyme scheme, meter, and/or the actual use of sound, such as consonance, assonance, alliteration, and so on. These subjects can all go together in one paragraph or you can discuss them in separate paragraphs. Your choice. There are a lot of ways to write an essay. I'm just providing examples.)

Paragraph 5: Conclusion. Sum up what your main point has been and say one final thing about the poem that you want the reader to know, but is in keeping with your thesis. No new information or quotes here.

Remember, each paragraph should follow a pattern something like this:

1. Make a statement (topic sentence).

2. Give evidence (BRIEF quotes or details).

3. Discuss evidence (talk about the quotes directly. By that, I mean discuss individual word choices of the poet.)

Make sure you put the title of the poem in quotation marks whenever you mention it. After you use the full name of the poet once, you need only use his surname (last name) from then on.

For "Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night," you really should address the major imagery, symbolism, and diction of the poet. There's no other way to do justice to that poem. Do you see any patterns? Do you see any anomalies, or differences, or breaks, in the pattern? The title is a strong clue of what the poem is about, what kind of relationship is being set up there and how the speaker feels about his situation.

How the speaker feels about his/her situation is always the key to understand a poem.

In "My Papa's Waltz," how do you think the speaker feels about his/her situation as alluded to in the title of the poem? You'll have to discuss rhyme and meter to do a decent job of this poem, mostly because of the subject matter. Also, is this mostly a negative poem or a positive poem, or can you really decide? If there is ambiguity, don't ignore it. Try to suggest a reason for it.

In Leonard Cohen's poem, "A Kite Is A Victim," try to peel the layers from that poem to see what he is actually saying. What's his true subject in this poem? What's he trying to say about it? And why does he use so many metaphors and certain kinds of images to get his point across? The line length and rhythm of that poem play a definite role in how you read the poem.

That's what rhyme and meter do, by the way: they dictate how you read the poem, which creates a certain feeling or mood, which almost always reflects some kind of theme: a bigger, overall idea of what the poem is about.

Your biggest clue as to what that "bigger idea" is (which many of you missed on the in-class essay): the title. That's where the poet always makes it known what his true subject is. The last line is also a large clue.

I think I've said enough. These blogs are exhausting to write when you're already pretty depleted.

Good luck with this assignment. Because it's so short, you can concentrate more on just getting the words just right. That's what I'm trying to teach you: be clear in your writing. It will improve the quality of your thoughts and of your life in the long haul. I promise.

For now though, just show me that you get what the poem is about and how the poet achieves his goal.

Godspeed.

GC

New Blog

2009-11-23T20:11:00.002-03:30
For anyone who's interested, I've started a new blog that's mostly just about me and my writing and whatever else I choose to talk about.

It's not related to academia, English lit, university, or anything of that sort. I've had a lot happening with my writing career lately and was beginning to feel strange about even mentioning it on "Literary Pursuits," which is a shame because I always thought I could do both. But this has become a blog that's mostly devoted to teaching English, and I have plenty of other stuff I wanted to talk about.

I'm aware that lots of people besides students and former students check out this blog, and some get a little bored with all the talk of grammar and that kind of thing. So this is a new page, a brand new blog for me to talk about...myself. If that very thought offends you, don't worry: you don't have to go there. But if you're halfways curious, check it out, whoever you are.

Here's the link: http://gerardcollinsblog.blogspot.com/

Meanwhile, I'll continue to blog here at "Literary Pursuits" for my students. Next up, I'll discuss some poetry assignments that are due on Friday. The cool thing now is that I don't have to keep saying, "For those of you doing my courses this semester." If you're looking for me and my more personal, creative stuff, go to my other blog. That's where it's at.

GC

November 18

2009-11-12T21:10:00.004-03:30
I've said this in class a couple of times, but wanted to say it here in writing for those of you who haven't been around lately: the English 1080 in-class essay on poetry has been moved to November 18th (Wednesday) because of my illness last week.

The next two classes (Friday and Monday) will focus on preparing you for the in-class and, to some extent, the final exam.

GC

The Days After

2009-11-07T18:56:00.008-03:30
It's the hardest part of the job.

Okay, well, maybe the second hardest part. Yesterday, I gave back the English 1080 comparative analysis essays. I know some of those grades hurt, especially those of you who failed this assignment. It bothers me whenever I have to assign a failing grade, but I know that does nothing to help you.

What I hope does help are the comments I made on all of those essays. That's what they're for. Read them line-by-line and figure out what you're doing wrong, as well as what you're doing right. Make adjustments. It really is as simple as that...sort of.

I know English is not a favorite subject for a lot of you. That might be an understatement. In fact, I'm sure it is. That might even be part of the problem.

However, I am assuming that English is the first language for almost all of you, and it's not a bad idea to know how to use it well. Equally important, it's a grand idea not to be ill-used by the language because I guarantee that if you're not proficient with it, there will be many times in your life where that lack of expertise is going to cost you in some way--whether it's manipulation by a politican or lawyer, a media outlet, or a union negotiation, contract, or letter of some kind. Somewhere along the way, you're going to wish you understood a little better how to understand the nuances of what's being said to you. Or that you knew how to use the language a little better to get your own way in some way.

Critical analysis and rhetoric are part and parcel of the same package: if you repeatedly exercise the part of your brain that allows you to analyze language and its various effects and uses, you also become more proficient at the art of rhetoric, as well as defending yourself against it.

Consider me your "Teacher of the Dark Arts," except not in a Harry Potterish sort of way. The things I'm trying to teach you might not save your life in a battle against a Dark Lord. I would never be so bold as to assume that it would. But then, I wouldn't bet against it either. Knowing how to communicate properly to a doctor, firefighter, police dispatch, or 911 operator has saved many a life, I am certain. The ability to converse, orally or in writing, with a lawyer, accountant, landlord, government bureacrat, or contractor might save you tons of money, perhaps--in the extreme--even jail time and embarassment even of the smallest sort.

There's no downside here; that's what I'm saying.

As I've been saying all week (when I was able to speak): learn to communicate clearly and life will be immensely easier for you.

I've seen people try to communicate with government ministers' offices for the right to have medicine for their deathly ill spouses, and the request was turned down because of a misunderstanding of the how dire the need is. Or for some other reason. You see, you are constantly being judged by how you speak and how well you listen. It's just the way the world works.

Enough about that. It's important for you to know that I want every student to pass. I wouldn't be much of a teacher if I didn't. I want the students who work hard to get A's. I want everybody's grades to go up and up.

But sometimes it doesn't work that way. Sometimes, you take a step or two backwards before you can move forward again. I think that's what's happening with a lot of you. Don't worry: just do something about it. Read my comments until you understand what I'm saying to you. I would never intentionally rob you of grades you deserve. If I gave you a low grade, it's because I thought your PAPER (not you, personally) deserved it. But it's only one paper. There will be others.

It's like losing a battle. The lessons learned from that battle should teach you how to prepare for the next battle. The scars you've earned can help you win the overall war.

Don't approach these next essays with fear or trepidation. Sure, a little fear can be your friend sometimes. But it's best to strive for somethng positive--for the grade you want or, better yet, to communicate something vital about the human condition. Yes, I said the human condition, for that's what all great literature is about. Don't turn up your nose or roll your eyes, because right now you're immersed in the human condition. It is you and it is about you, and we all have our little dramas going on that both separate us and join us together at the same time. They unite us in our humanity: when we analyze literature, that's what we're doing: looking for the humanity.

I don't think we're looking for someone to tell us what we "should" do. That would be arrogant and presumptuous of any fiction writer or poet. But they are trying to highlight some aspect of being human, trying to inflict understanding upon the reader. He or she is not trying to teach us, necessarily, but to show us. If in seeing, we learn something, then that's a private matter.

And it is our private matters that define us. Our public matters too often are more hype, gloss, and mask than personal or human. It is when literature touches us personally, pokes us where we live, that its stories and poems and songs have performed well. And it is when we find the words to express that moment of being touched that we are, perhaps, most human. Having said that, I also understand that some of the most profound moments in one's life can leave you speechless. But those who recover their sense in time to express their thoughts and feelings are the ones who inspire us in a way that we truly need: Lincoln, Kennedy, Mandela, and recently Obama, among others. They all have suffered. They all have found words in tragedy. They all have been humiliated. They each have triumphed. And they have done so through words.

That is how they inspire.

These are your words too. With the exception of George W. Bush, who should not be "misunderestimated" in his importance in history, very few such people resort to making up new words. They don't have to. Like any good carpenter, they can take the tools that are given and build something awe-inspiring.

These are the same tools at your disposal. They're only words. Learn how to use them. Pick them up. Learn how to wield them. Don't be afraid. You have something inside of you that will allow you to inspire, if only you can choose just the right words. But you have to be clear: if you are not being understood, your words will fall on deaf ears. They will "fork no lightning".

Okay, so I get a little melodramatic as a I go. But I believe it all. It's just that most people don't take time to say such things and most of us wince at the sound of such truths. Not my problem. I say what I mean. I just want you to do the same.

And for that, we have words. Use them wisely, and they will serve you well.

I hope to get time to post again tomorrow, probably with some thing a little more specific.

This is more of a pep talk, really, and just keeping the lines of communication open.

I care how you do in this course. I want every student to succeed. To me, success means improvement. There is no other way for a conscientious teacher, or a caring student, to measure it. It means you're moving forward at least.

If you didn't move forward this time, then you begin again and take the hill next time. With only a month left in the semester, it's time to double the effort, to not give in because of one or two bad grades.

"Do not go gentle into that good night. Rage, rage against the dying of the light."

2009-11-05T19:01:00.002-03:30
I'll be back in the classroom tomorrow morning (Friday) if all goes well. While I'm definitely not 100% well and my voice is pretty awful, I need to give back the essays for English 1080 so you can at least know where you stand in the course with a month to go.

The strange thing about being sick is that you feel disconnected from everything. I keep sending messages out, but it's rare to hear back from someone once in a while. It's like being on a space station.

I haven't rested all that much, not at all, in fact. It's been nine straight days of grading essays frin 7 a.m. until 9:30 p.m. or so. It's slower than usual because of the whole flu thing and all that that makes you feel (sorry, no details--it's not my desire to gross anybody out).

But I'm finally finished as of this afternoon. Tonight, besides blogging and answering e-mail, I'll be resting. Maybe watch some t.v.--Fringe and a little bit of hockey. More likely, I'll fall asleep watching one or the other. (Don't you hate it when someone wakes you and tells you to go to bed? Just sayin'.)

The semester feels a little fragmented at the moment, but it'll work itself out fine. This is the first class I've had to cancel for sickness in about ten years, but I've seen worse things happen during a semester. Sure, the H1N1 virus has made everyone a bit shaky, especially people who've been struck with it, and it's good to be cautious. But life goes on and the quicker we can get it back to normal, the better. I'm not sure what "normal" means, but for the rest of the semester, we might require a new "normal".

I'll be figuring that one out over the weekend. For now, I must go rest. Oh, and there was one other paper I just remembered in one of my folders. I swear they're multiplying.

Hope you'll forgive my shaky voice tomorrow. It's all I've got for now, but it's better than none at all.

Ciao for now.

Gerard

Absence

2009-11-04T21:37:00.003-03:30
So I'm down sick. Not sure exactly for how long, but I am hoping to be in class again on Friday. Those of you who were supposed to do the AF-10 poetry reading today (Wed.) will now be doing it on Friday.

I'll have more to say soon, but just am not feeling up to much at the moment. I mostly just wanted to get in touch and also to apologize to those of you who showed up for class this morning at 9 a.m. I've been told there was no notice on the door, even though I did contact the university at 7 a.m., around the same time I sent out an e-mail to everyone. I hope not all of you showed up or stuck around too long. I did my best, but sometimes, that's not enough, unfortunately.

I'll have to see how this whole sickness thing plays out and if it goes a while longer, I'll blog again as soon as possible. I'm also slogging my way through all those essays right now, so finding time to blog has been difficult.

Take care of you. Go listen to some good music. :-)

Gerard

Last-minute thoughts about comparative analysis

2009-10-27T14:35:00.003-02:30
I've got a little bit of a break from e-mails and other work, so I just wanted to share a few, brief thoughts about the comparative analysis essay that's due tomorrow for my English 1080 students.

First, in case there's any confusion, I'll repeat that the format of your essay should go something like this:

Paragraph #1: Introduction
Paragraph #2: Discuss Story A
Paragraph #3: Discuss Story B
Paragraph #4: Discuss Story A
Paragraph #5: Discuss Story B
Paragraph #6: Conclusion

Yes, you can have more than six paragraphs, if you choose.

Also, as I keep saying, it's NOT wrong to discuss both stories in the same paragraph. My point in suggesting a separation (one story per pargraph) is you need to give yourself time and space in which to fully explain your ideas. Sure, paragraphs #2 and #3 can go together, as can #4 and #5, but it's really not necessary. The problem most students have with comparative analysis is that they have so much to say that they wind up selling some of the discussion short. Remember: each paragraph should have topic sentence, evidence, and a full discussion of the evidence (which might even include reference to the other story, remarking how A and B are similar to each other). The main thing is not to let your paragraph get away from you. Yes, you can mention the other story, but don't let it take over your paragraph if you're supposed to be discussing Story A.

What should go in the Introductory Paragraph?

I would begin with a thesis statement that combines Story A and Story B, showing how they have one major, umbrella theme in common. The second sentence should be about Story A. The third sentence should be about Story B. The fourth sentence should combine A and B again, forming sort of secondary thesis statement, one that sums up what you're going to be proving in your essay.

Your essay should then follow through, paragraph by paragraph, on the main points you promised to discuss, according to your introductory paragraph.

Also, as I've already said in class:

1. No first drafts

2. Title pages are okay, but not necessary

3. Use a title of some kind.

4. Avoid using really long quotes. Use the parts you need, and make sure your quotation is done properly. Lead in to it, "just as I've said in class." (That was an example of a direct quote.)

5. Staple your pages.

6. Use 12-point Times New Roman font.

This might help some. Hope it does. For now, though, it's all I have time to write.

Gotta fetch my car from the garage. Life goes on.

Good luck on your papers, which are due at the beginning of class tomorrow.

GC

2009-10-10T18:33:00.002-02:30
Hope you're enjoying Thanksgiving weekend. It's been a rainy, cold one here in St. John's, but it's sure nice to have a couple of days off from classes and grading essays.

I returned the marked essays in my English 1080 classes on Wednesday, so I imagine the shock has had a chance to settle in for most. As always, some people did way better than they expected, partly because expectations for first-time essays is generally low. Others certainly performed worse than they are used to, but most of the students who've contacted me are pretty realistic about it and know they just have some work to do. The most important thing, for me, is for you to know that grades almost always go up as the semester goes on. Of course, that depends on you--grades don't go up if you don't put in the work and pay attention to what I'm trying to teach you. That's just a natural law.

These weren't the best essays I've ever graded, but they were far from the worst. In fact, I was very encouraged, hoping to see an above-average number of A's and high B's this time around. The average number of A's, for what it's worth is anywhere from 1 to 3. But in any given semester there might be 4, 5, or 6. It really depends on the class itself. If I had 30 students in a class who deserved an A, I would have no trouble allotting them. That's just so you know. I have no expectations except that you will listen, work hard, and reap the benefits. And there's less than two months before the semester is over on December 4th. Now that's something to think about.

I told you I'd post the list of abbreviations I used (though I did explain them on the essays as well):

sp. means "spelling mistake"
t.s. means "tense shift"
c.s. means "comma splice"
s.f. means "sentence fragment"

Later, I'll post an explanation of what these terms actually mean and show you how you can fix them.

Other than that, I want to reinforce that I'm truly trying to teach you how to be better writers and thinkers. It's not about grades for me. You're at MUN to receive an education, and I want you to be able to look back on your three months in my class and say you learned something. If you can have some fun doing it or enjoy classes, that's bonus. To me, that's all a part of a good learning environment. But if you can learn something that will make you a better writer and perhaps help you see the world around you a little more clearly, then I've done something useful, and so have you. So let's work on it together. "The hour," as Dylan says, "is getting late." It always is.

That's all for now. It's Saturday night, and I'm going to get some fiction writing done before I settle in to watch some Leafs-Penguins action.

Happy Thanksgiving. Hope you've got a lot to be thankful for right now in your life and that you're the kind of person who is capable of being grateful for what you've got.

Talk to you again soon.

GC

It's a new dawn, a new day, a new life...

2009-09-10T09:11:00.005-02:30
Okay, so what happened to summer? I woke up this morning to find that everything was cold, just a couple of degrees away from frost on the ground and ice in the toilet. Seems I went to sleep in summer and woke up in autumn. It’s been cold for over a week now, and my brain has already clicked into autumn mode.

And so yesterday was the first day of classes at Memorial University. The strangest part about being back on campus was that it felt as if I’d never left. The summer was brutally short—I just have vague memories of a lot of writing and some family events, interspersed with cold weather and occasional warmth.

Walking from my office on the fourth floor of the Science Bldg. to my first class on the fourth floor of the Education Bldg., I was thinking about what I would say to my students. I mean, you walk into a class and see all these new faces, some eager to be starting something new and challenging, a new chapter in life, and others wishing to God they’d stayed in bed and maybe applied for the military or a Academy Canada. Sometimes, you get both, of course—the person who knows this is a great experience but already wishes it was Christmas so they could just go home and be with their families.

But it’s the same every fall. Mostly, the students have trepidations and yet are in this for the long haul, ready to get something out of it, knowing that—unlike high school—these really are the best years of most people’s lives. They really are. I don’t mean that every person’s experience is completely positive. Some people even go through some pretty serious stuff. But everything you do in first-year university is heightened and seen somewhat through a glass, darkly at times. It’s a bit like Christmas in that it doesn’t feel quite real to be here doing all this cool stuff and scary stuff and all the amazing thing you ever dreamed of, planning the rest of your life and hanging out with people of your choosing, rather than just the ones you happened to find yourself sharing a locker with or living next door to.

I know I’m an optimist, but I’m old enough now that I know it’s a permanent condition. Sure, I’m a realist and a skeptic. For example, I take a wait-and-see attitude towards ghosts, aliens, and the Maple Leafs ever winning the Stanley Cup again. And yet I’m optimistic enough to think that both ghosts and aliens could be out there somewhere. I just need to see for myself because I don’t rely much on other people’s experiences to inform my own reality.

But I do believe the best in people, and just from looking at the groups I have in my classes this year, I can already tell it’s going to be fun. It won’t all be great and there will be plenty of times of worry and concern, both for me and for my students, but I’m looking forward to an extremely enjoyable semester. Plenty of students smiled as I called their names and a lot of them stopped and said a few words or, again, just smiled on their way out the door. That lets me know that they’re at least not scared of me or of the situation—or if they are, they are at least willing to give it the old college try.

I’ve been told a lot in my teaching career that you should “never let them see you smile on the first day”. Well, you know what? That’s the most foolish piece of advice I’ve ever heard. To me, the best advice is to try to be natural and yourself, and that way you don’t have anything to make up for, or apologize for, later. Being yourself is probably about the hardest thing there is to be, especially in a public situation—and I’m not just talking about me. I’m mostly thinking about people in general and students in particular.

The hardest thing about it, really, is just figuring out who you are in the first place. And sometimes that is exactly what you’re supposed to be doing at this point, in first-year university: figuring out who you are. Sure, you have a good idea by now, or at least I hope so. But you’ll encounter a lot of course options, people options (should I sit near the same crowd as last time or find a crowd that at least has something in common with who I think I am?), credit card options (to apply, reject, spend, over-spend, pay the minimum, or pay it off completely each month), and what to do with your time (studying, working, playing, relaxing, movies, and any number of adult-type activities). It’s all up to you. And every choice you make, and how you ultimately react to the consequences of that choice, decide not only who you are, but who you are on your way to becoming.

I always pose a question to my students on the information sheet I asked you to fill out and pass in: “Why are you here?” Most just say they want to get an education and get a job. Many say they want to learn to be better writers. Others say they haven’t a clue while others say the course was recommended by a friend or family member. The occasional student says something about wanting to find out what to do with their lives and to experience as much as possible in life, including talking about great literature and great ideas. It’s all good. What I mostly look for is how you interpreted the question and whether you acknowledge or recognize that there are multiple possibilities available to you: choices. How you interpreted it says more about you than what you said.

The answers might change in time; they usually do. But the questions are often eternal.

Have a truly great semester.

If you’re one of my students this semester, keep checking back here now and again. There’ll be lots of stuff on here that might interest you or help you out a little in your endeavours to become a better writer and thinker.

If you’ve been following all along and are no longer a student of mine (or never were), hang in there. I’ll still be riffing on everything from why anyone should care about Jon and Kate marathons to why is Bob Dylan doing a Christmas album. Or maybe the questions themselves serve my purpose. Maybe it’s best not to dwell on certain subjects. Could lead to a headache.

Talk to you soon.

GC

Could be fun.

2009-09-03T15:43:00.003-02:30
"Summer has come to pass/the innocence can never last/ Wake me up when September ends."

Yeah, I guess that's my mood at the moment. Where the heck did summer go?

Oh yeah, I was busy. Can't believe I never did take a vacation this year. I started out with good intentions. Back in early May, I had eye surgery to make me see better, but that didn't quite work out. For two months, I couldn't drive and, worse, wasn't able to read. The driving has come back, but the reading is still pretty iffy, though it's a lot better than it was. Might still need reading glasses when all is said and done just to get through all those essays and, of course, the literature itself when I start teaching next week. It's a bummer, but that's life. So now I can see the color of a mosquito's irises 100 yards away, but if he comes up close I can't even tell what kind of creature he is. Sort of a good news/bad news situation.

Somehow during June, I was able to finish my short story collection. I wasn't able to read/revise/edit my own work very well, but I managed, and I hope prospective editors will forgive any grammatical and spelling errors. First time in my life I've ever really had to contend with those. But I feel good about getting the collection (called Moonlight Sketches, as I've mentioned before) out to publishers. It makes for a good summer's work.

The novel is coming along, but it obviously won't be done before Sept. 9 when I start teaching, so I'll be working on that as the semester goes along (yeah, right).

Other than that, I did do some acting this summer. I spent one entire 11-hour day on the set of The Republic of Doyle, doing some stints as a security guard. It was kinda cool, dressing in the uniform, wearing the bulletproof vest (might like to have one of those for those really hard days), the walkie-talkie, the big ol' hat, and all the rest. They shot me in a couple of scenes that included Shaun Majumner from "This Hour Has 22 Minutes"), but I have no idea if they'll actually use them. They promise they'll call again, but they've only called once and I wasn't able to make it. The best part was hanging out on the set all day, though it was pretty long and occasionally boring. I met lots of new people who all had different reasons for trying their hand at being an "extra" on a nationally broadcast t.v. show. Some were serious actors while others were just looking for a cool experience. As for me, I was just looking for the experience and to see if I liked it enough to want to do more. I did like it and, in fact, spent an entire week this summer rehearsing lines for an audtion for a speaking role. I didn't get the part (for various reasons, I'm sure) but it was fun to try and to stretch myself in that way. I've always wanted to give it a go, wondered if I even had to capacity to remember lines and to give them the proper inflection and facial expression to be an "actor". Now I don't have to spend the rest of my life wondering if I should give it a try. The answer is: of course.

I'm also working on a short film for a director-friend, but that has yet to really start shooting. Probably this fall.

So for those of you wondering what I did all summer, now you know: writing, acting, hanging out, lots of barbecues, beaches, long walks, playing some music, and, of course, running. Love running in warm weather. Not so fond of the cool weather jogging. It makes me wish I was wearing mittens and a snow suit.

So now it's September, and it's back to teaching. What a bizarre transition that will be, not just for me but (I'm sure) for all my students as well. More to say on that next week. But for now, I just thought I'd say hi to all of you who've been reading this blog all summer--despite my neglect of it-- and welcome to autumn. It's my favorite time of year, so that makes up for a lot. Plus, I'm looking forward to seeing a lot of the old familiar faces and a multitude of fresh, mostly eager faces as well.

Could be fun.

GC

How I’m Spending My Summer Vacation

2009-08-04T10:08:00.001-02:30
Well, it’s the end of another summer month and, though I still haven’t taken a vacation, it’s been a pretty good run. The weather’s been cracked, but that’s not new. Mostly, I’ve spent the summer so far working on my writing. I finally got my short story collection finished once and for all and shipped off to a prospective publisher. It might take a while to publish because short story collections are a tough sell. So you might ask: why write one if it doesn’t sell?

Fact is, I didn’t start out wanting to write a short story collection. Heck, about seven or eight years ago, I didn’t even consider myself a short story writer. I write novels, so I figured the best way to learn how to write novels is to actually write novels. Writing short stories will only teach you how to write short stories.

That might still be true, but it does teach you to be a better writer. There’s a challenge in writing a short story that is totally different from writing a novel. Don’t get me wrong—writing a novel is still a lot harder simply because of the sheer effort, discipline, and sustained creativity it takes. But the short story requires focus, storytelling skills, and attention to the perfect word choice.

A few years ago, one of my stories (about a fictional town called Darwin) won an arts and letters award. Then, the next year, I wrote a novel about Darwin that won the Percy Janes Award for an unpublished manuscript. But I still had tons of Darwin stories to tell. Three more years in a row (2006, 2007, and 2008), I wrote brand new Darwin stories just before the deadline and submitted them to the arts and letters awards, and each one of them won. So, really, around 2006 or so I started realizing that I was working on a collection. Last year, I got an arts grant to finish the project, and I did. I wrote a bunch of new stories, and this year, still not satisfied with the quality, I wrote several new stories. On and on it went until, at last, I finished it this summer. Now the waiting begins. It won’t be easy to sell it, but I’ve got a list of publishers I want to sell it to.

Meanwhile, I’ve had interest from an agent in B.C. about a gothic novel I’m working on called “The Two Sisters,” so that’s what I’m working on now every day. For an unpublished novelist, it’s a rare thing to get that kind of interest for a book that hasn’t even been written yet, so I’m stoked to try and get it done by the end of summer.

Beyond that, I’m acting in a short film for a friend who’s making her very first film. It’s a good match because it’s my first time acting. I’m not sure I’m any good at it, but I’m at least enjoying it. It’s a film noir kind of thing, set in a 1940s sort of St. John’s, a bit of a parody of classic films like Casablanca and The Maltese Falcon. Just my kind of thing. There’s other acting stuff too, and hopefully I can talk about that in a later blog.

It’s been a busy summer—looking for a house too, which is time-consuming, but the thing is to just roll with it and enjoy the process, like everything else. Que sera, sera.

There’s a whole month left in this thing, and I intend to enjoy every bit of it. Hope you do too! I’m looking forward to the fall semester, but as The Trews say: “I’m not ready to go!”

The Show Must Go On

2009-07-02T09:09:00.007-02:30
I figured it was about time I blogged again. It's been a strange summer, but then living in St. John's, Newfoundland, it's always a strange summer. The weather has been more like autumn, and not a very nice autumn at that. Tons o' fog and drizzle, heavy rain, some thunder and lightning, and even a few really nice days.

All this blah weather does strange things to the head. This morning, I'm trying to write a new short story for an idea that's been stuck in my head all week. I'm all finished my short story collection called Moonlight Sketches, but I can't help feel that it needs one more story, something that it's missing to make it feel more complete. My brain is stuck in sleepy mode, though, with the road crews working outside my office window, and I just can't seem to get anything worthwhile down on the screen. So I figured a little blogging wouldn't hurt.

I've sorely neglected this blog for a few weeks now, not for lack of anything to say but simply for lack of time. The media seems enthralled by the whole Michael Jackson fiasco, but I find I can't work up any enthusiasm or feeling. He died while I was out having coffee with a friend of mine who's going through a rough time of it. I got home about ten thirty or so to find out that MJ had kicked the proverbial bucket. My response was "Oh." No surprise. I guess he was talented, but his carnival personality over-shadowed all that. It gets really hard to separate one from the other, and so my feeling is that, yeah, he had a lot of talent for music, but he didn't endear himself to me with anything else, so why should I give a rat's behind?

The thing is, I genuinely care about humanity--the lost tribe. Most people, as Thoreau said, do live lives of quiet desperation, and I think Michael Jackson was one of those. How could he not be? Assuming he's human, of course. He'd write songs saying, "Leave me alone!" and then he'd dangle a child over a balcony like she was part of a Cirque du Soleil trapeze act. (Great show, by the way. The Cirque, not Michael, I mean.) He'd complain, "Nobody understands me!" and then he'd pose for pictures with Bubbles the Chimp on the Neverland Ranch or go shopping with his mask on and a full entourage in the middle of Beverly Hills. Or he'd give interviews and then refuse to answer questions, or just give daffy answers that made you think the guy was mental.

Fine. He was mental. He possibly did have severe psychological problems. To which I say, so what?

As for the child molestation charges, I don't know what to believe, but I can't deny that they have tainted whatever opinion I might have had about the man. I try to be objective, but who can manage that, given all the circumstances and conjecture? If he was the kind of person who was capable of looking you, or the camera, straight in the eye, and explaining how it all went down and that he was perfectly innocent in every sense of the word, then I could probably say he was as victimized as anyone. Fact is, I don't know that.

So I'm left feeling nothing about whole thing. Not conflicted, not bemused, not perplexed or even numb. Just indifferent.

May he rest in peace. And may that be said for any man or woman or child who ultimately succumbs to the inevitable good night. Farrah Fawcett (I remember doing a jigsaw puzzle with her and the other Angels on it). Ed McMahon. That "pitch" guy who died last week. Karl Malden (my dad and I used to watch him on "The Streets of San Francisco" when I was a kid). And anyone else I may have missed. Oh, and then there's David Carradine. I hope he's thanking MJ, wherever they both are. For a while, the media was about to swallow its own tongue in excitement over the whole Carradine auto-erotic asphyxiation thing (allegedly). But as soon as MJ died, they forgot all about the sordid Bangkok affair, at least for now.

And now MJ sells more albums in death than he did in life. Now who could have seen that one coming?

Who among us would be totally shocked if it turned out next week that MJ actually faked his own death so he could be like Elvis, the other "king"?

I'm not saying he did, but I'm just saying that this circus has gone on way too long, and I wouldn't put anything past him or his money-grabbing people. Nothing.

Enjoy the show.

I think I've cleared my brain enough to be able to do some fiction writing now. No crowds, please, and no pictures. Nothing to see here. Just a man at work.

GC

First Taste of Summer

2009-05-19T10:12:00.014-02:30

found myself on a beach
skimming flat stones
on the surface
against the inrushing north atlantic
one threatening august afternoon
while smelly kelp wrappers clung to my heels like memories of you to my head
and broke
with a hiss on the sand
stealing pebbles unnoticed
leaving flotsam jetsam driftwood and more
than it could ever take
while smelly kelp wrappers clung to my heels like
memories of you to
me.

(from "Found Myself On a Beach" by Gerard Collins, August 2002)

At least for now, it feels like summer. It’s been the warmest and sunniest Victoria Day weekend we’ve had in a lot of years, and I took full advantage. We didn’t go camping or anything silly like that. As much as I love the outdoors, the idea of sleeping on the ground has lost its appeal for me. It just doesn’t make sense to me like it did when I was younger. Back then, I didn’t care where I slept—the more uncomfortable and less familiar, the better. But now, I like familiar, comfortable sleeping accommodations, preferably a good motel or a five-star hotel.

Sure, I used to see the appeal of camping. There’s nothing like a couple of days of getting away from civilization and all its trappings to remind you of your place in the world, of who you are, and you who started out to want to be. There’s also the wide open space, the big sky, and, of course the fishing—trouting, to be more exact. Even though I haven’t eaten red meat or poultry in over ten years, I still love a good meal of trout, preferably cooked over an open fire or at least on a barbecue. Of course, there’s also the time alone, without cellphones, iPods, cameras, computers, or four-slice toasters. Yeah, right. I’m sure most people still take all of those thinks with them when they camp, especially if they’re travelling in a recreational vehicle.

I think it’s mostly the lack of rules, the breaking of the daily tedium that appeals to most people. That said, my wife and I went to the beach Sunday morning, just because it was early and we figured no one else would be there. For close to an hour, we had it all to ourselves. But it was a beautiful day and by the time we left, there were dozens of people and their dogs, all trying to capture a little bit of the outdoors, all looking to break up the routine and get some sun on their faces. Can’t say I blame them.

There is nothing like a beach—unless it’s the quiet of the woods (which I actually prefer)—to help you get your thoughts straight and help you shed a few layers of civility. Beaches never fail to make me nostalgic and to clarify my thinking about something I’m working on or didn’t know I was working on. With their proximity to the ocean, and the surf rushing in on the tide, there is something cleansing and spiritual about a beach. I don’t mean “God” exactly; I mean, if I was looking for my soul, I think that’s where I would find it. I could sit for hours, just listening to the rush and hiss of the water to the shore, and the receding of the waves back to where they came from. And in the process, life somehow looks different. Either sillier or less important, or just different.

After a day at the beach, a pancake brunch at my sister-in-law’s, and an evening barbecue at my brother-in-law’s, I feel tired but revitalized. I’m writing this week, as I have been for the past couple of weeks. I had a novel that I thought was finished, but had a sudden epiphany about it, and so I’m working on that. Sometimes you just don’t know where life, or summer, is going to take you.

Peace.

First Week

2009-04-27T10:18:00.002-02:30
Where was I? Oh, yeah. It’s the end of the semester, and I can’t believe the end of April is in sight. The last couple of weeks have been a blur.

After grading the final exams, I have to say that, overall, I was very impressed. A lot of students wrote the best essays they’ve written all semester, which made me feel good. Believe me, it was hard keeping that information to myself. If I wasn’t forbidden from doing so, I would have e-mailed you just to say, “Guess what you did?”

Granted, there were others who were verging on a crash all semester long and who did a free-fall on the day of the exam. For some reason, people sat for two and a half hours and only managed to write a few lines for both essays. As I’ve said from the first day of classes, I can only grade what’s on the page, and if you didn’t give me enough to justify passing you, then I’m sorry. I have to live with my decisions and to be able to sleep at night. I don’t take these matters lightly. But, on the other hand, if you’re one of those students who knows in your heart you just didn’t give it your best effort this term or on the final exam, you are hopefully adult enough to understand that there are no free passes. There is only a certain amount I am willing to take responsibility for. What’s mine is mine, but sometimes there’s stuff that’s not mine. That’s what helps me sleep, especially when I’d prefer to just give everyone an automatic pass anyway.

But that wouldn’t be fair to those of you who worked awfully hard right to the very end of the term. For some of you, the final exam was your chance to show all that you learned in three months. If you attended classes nearly every day and always came prepared, tried to have an opinion on the literature, honestly tried to understand and to come and talk to me if you were having a problem, then you passed. It’s just natural selection.

Enough of all that. I’m tired. You’re tired. It’s time to move on. Grades are available on line this week (possibly today, though I’m not completely sure), and my part in your life will officially be over. I can’t say I’m always happy about that. I like for the semester to end so that I can get on with other things in my life. But I like it when students maintain a connection over the years ahead. It happens a lot, but not nearly enough.

A special note for my English 1080 class this semester: You were easily one of my favorite classes of all time. Most of you, I will never forget. You know who you are.

For those of you whom I got to know this term on a more personal level, it was absolutely my pleasure both to help in any way I could and to get to know you. I enjoy that part of my job more than any other.

It’s been about a week since my grades were finalized and my part of the winter semester of ’09 was done. Since then, I’ve been shredding papers, organizing files, getting my life together. It all tends to be put on hold while I’m teaching and now is time to move forward, into the great wide open.

I attended a book launch last week. Mike Heffernan’s astounding book , Rig: An Oral History of the Ocean Ranger was officially released. I had the pleasure of introducing the author, as well as speaking to many fine people in the local publishing and writing community that evening, including the indomitable Helen Porter (writer), the gracious and talented Lisa Moore (novelist), the affable and also immensely talented Russell Wangersky (writer and publisher), and several people with direct connections to the Ocean Ranger itself. The story these latter people have to tell is still just as enthralling and just as vital as it would have been twenty-seven years ago, which is why Mike’s book is so important to our culture. Mike has become a friend in the past couple of years and I hope we can find some other project to work on in future. I also met his father at the book launch, and he reminded me a little of my own father—a quick wit and a twinkle in his eye, he seemed like a very kind man.

Attending this event was important for me in another way, too, though. It means I am getting back to my other self—the self I am when I’m not teaching. I’m a writer, and sometimes it’s good for me to surround myself with people who think the same way (more or less) and understand what it’s like to be someone who aspires to put the world into words, to dress it in the language that best describes it.

I will be a writer all summer long. It’s been slow going in the past week, but today I’m off to a good start. Just writing this blog entry is a sign that the fog is beginning to lift from my brain and I’m beginning to see things more clearly. Clarity is necessary in order to write well.

And, of course, writing is necessary in order to achieve clarity sometimes. At least for me it is.

Over the coming weeks of spring and (dare I say) summer, I’ll be writing more about writing. I have a couple of novels to finish, as well as a short story collection that still needs a good story or two, and, if I’m lucky, I have another story that needs telling in the form of a novella. More on these as the days go by. I’ll also likely have a few observations and opinions to share about life, politics, culture, t.v., sports, the movies, and anything else that comes into my head.

For now, I’m just glad the sun is shining and fleeting time seems to have paused for a while.

Have a fantastic summer. Gather ye rosebuds while ye may.

GC

Famous Final Scene (A Twice-told Tale)

2009-04-13T18:46:00.005-02:30
Maybe you don’t need a pep talk at this point.

Maybe you've seen too many of them lately.

I mean, who could put it better than William Wallace in Braveheart when he tells his battle-ready troops before heading off to war with the British: “Every man dies, but not every man lives.”

Of course, I guess he meant women too, but then, who knows what lurks in the heart of Mel?And then there’s Aragorn at the final battle in The Return of the King, leading his weary fellowship against Sauron’s fading might: “I see in your eyes the same fear that would take the heart of me. A day may come when the courage of men fails, when we forsake our friends and break all bonds of fellowship, but it is not this day. An hour of woes and shattered shields, when the age of men comes crashing down! But it is not this day! This day we fight! By all that you hold dear on this good Earth, I bid you, stand, Men of the West.”

Or, a couple of years ago, Mats Sundin to his battle-scarred Leafs on the night of the season’s last game: “There’s nothing left to say. We’ve got to just go out and play hard and try our best to win.” Of course, we know how that test turned out.

But then there’s the wise and magnificent, Yoda: “There is no try, only do or do not.”

Which brings me to me. What advice have I left? Do I even have it in me to say the words that you need. (Imagine me saying this with a half-smile on my face, while maintaining an air of earnestness.) What can I say at this point that will make a difference?

Let’s try some sports clichés, shall we? It’s do-or-die. Backs against the wall. No holds barred. There is no tomorrow.

Except there actually is a tomorrow. And nobody ever died from writing a mediocre exam. And your backs won’t be against the wall. Your seats just past the middle of the gymnasium, to the right, really. So, no, sports cliché’s won’t do. You’ll need something more.

The thing about English is this: just speak truth. Know your characters (or, in poetry, know your speaker), but know yourself first and how you respond to those characters and the truth that they represent.

That’s better, but not quite it.

How about this: when I was your age….no, no, no! Can’t say that. Can’t even think that.

Hmmm….If I was writing either of these exams tomorrow (either 1101 or 1080), I simply would know the novels, stories, and/or poems really well. You can pretty much guess what the questions will be, more or less.

Go through each character in each story and ask yourself what they stand for and how can you possibly prove it. Get inside the minds of these characters and ask yourself what they most want, what they most fear, and whether or not they get what they want. Or, as the Stones would sing, do they sometimes just get what they need? That goes for the good and the bad characters. In 1101, that's the Draper Doyles and the Aunt Phils, the Dr. Jekylls and the Mr. Uttersons and the Edward Hydes. In 1080, that's the Grandmothers and Misfits, the Elisas and the tinkers. And who are all those minor characters? The thieves in The Road and the Father Seymours? The Henry Clervals and the Elizabeth Frankensteins (1101), not to mention (in 1080) Mangan's sister and the Red Sammy Butt! What do they all desire, and do they get it? What do they each fear? I think, in the end, we all just want……truth?

No. Truth can hurt sometimes. We often can’t handle the truth.…could it be...freedom?

Maybe? Is it freedom we want more than anything? Freedom to do what? To be what? Freedom to choose, to be who we want to be, without restrictions, without anyone else playing the authority figure over us, telling us what to do and how to do it, or what to be. Freedom from persecution. Freedom from lies. Freedom to face the truth on our own terms and decide for ourselves how to deal with, what to do about it. That’s what these characters want, isn’t it? Self-determination! Freedom! Peace of mind! As elusive as it is. As impossible as it is.

It might even be that the thing we fear the most is freedom. Because that would mean we are also responsible for ourselves. We can blame no one for our state of being, whatever is, but ourselves. And yet we invent ways to give our freedom away. To a certain extent, as in Blake's "London," we are born into it--like the Harlot's Infant (or, appropriately, Draper Doyle in The Divine Ryans) in that poem--but we are also slaves to our mind-forg'd manacles, to our ideas of right and wrong, God and faith, good and bad.

Sometimes a character attempts to go beyond his boundaries (Young Goodman Brown and the boy in "Araby," or Victor Frankenstein and Henry Jekyll), and what they find is that there are no boundaries--no actual limits, but the transgression of percieved limits comes with consequences. Of course it's only a transgression if you think of such self-imposed or culture-prescribed limitations as moral boundaries. Freedom of thought and action comes with built-in responsibility--unless you're The Misfit or the bad guys in McCarthy's novel. But there still is freedom, if only you can see it. The manacles are forged by the mind, for sure, but when the institutions to whom we've entrusted our freedom fail us, where else can we look to for answers but ourselves? That's what most characters, of novel, of poetry, or of story, face: when you look into the deep, dark woods, who is looking back at you?

And if you see yourself looking back, judging, assessing: who are you, exactly? What does Gabriel Utterson see when he looks into the mirror, in the form of Henry Jekyll? Who does the Grandmother O'Connor's short story think she is? Who is the man in The Road, really, and why does Young Goodman Brown really go into those woods? They are seeking and yet all hiding, at the same time. What we all want most to be understood, but what we all fear most is to be understood. Even by ourselves. Do our thoughts decide who we are, or do our actions define us?

Speaking of which, tomorrow you'll be asked to illustrate comprehension about some stories and/or poems you've read, as well as about the human condition. Seize the opportunity. Carpe diem! Don’t be afraid to say something wrong. Say what’s in your heart to say. But say it in an intelligent, controlled, articulate way: otherwise, it’s like a king in the back row, a bullet that never gets fired, a staff that never gets taken—power that’s wasted. You’ve spent the last four months improving your powers of communication. So now’s the time to just say what you’ve been wanting to say all semester long about these pieces of literature. If you’ve got nothing to say, well, you’re just not trying (or "doing," as Yoda would say). You know these novels, stories, and poems by now. You’ve lived with them for weeks. You know who their characters are, what they want, what they fear, and how they live. So what do you have to say about them?

“This is no place for Hobbits,” Gandalf the Grey has said. And it’s true.

The exam is meant to offer you the chance to show what you know, not what you don’t know.

So write what you know.

See you tomorrow. Have some fun with it. And use your nervous energy to blaze truth, fork some lightning, and wager philosophy. Do not go gentle in that good exam room; rage, rage against the oncoming darkness. Mostly, though, rage against your darkest thoughts and reach for a sliver of greatness.

Don’t play defensively. Come fully armed and ready to wrestle truth to the ground. But then, I’m not much for speeches.

May the force...oh, never mind.

Gerard

Office Hours Monday

2009-04-12T21:00:00.003-02:30
I'm having office hours (SN-4062) Monday, April 13 from 1 o'clock until 2:30 p.m., in case anyone has questions about the exam.

The exam for both 1080 and 1101 is Tuesday, April 14 at 12 o'clock noon in the Physical Education gymnasium. Sleeping in will not be accepted as a reason for missing it. Few things would be.

GC

New Rock the Vote!

2009-04-08T16:15:00.003-02:30
I just posted an updated version of the poll at the top right of this blog. If you were one of my students this semester, I'd really appreciate you taking the time to answer the few questions that are. Some questions are meant for either 1080 or 1101, exclusively, so if the question doesn't apply to you, just skip it. Oh, and it's all anonymous. I can't tell who you are, so please be honest with your answers. Thanks! :-)

GC

Famous Last Words

2009-04-06T22:59:00.002-02:30
Oh, and I don't know what my own last words will be. I haven't thought about it, to tell the truth. But on my metaphorical tombstone, it will say: Back in a Minute.

I say "metaphorical" because ain't no one buryin' me in the cold, cold ground.

Checking in

2009-04-06T16:09:00.003-02:30
Lots of people appear to be checking out this blog while I make my way through the mountain of essays I have to grade. In the next couple of days, I'll have conquered it, I suspect. Until then, my mind has turned to mush and I can think of nothing witty or of any consequence.

Oh, I did manage to mangle a quote from Dylan Thomas in class this morning. His supposed last words go like this: "I've had eighteen straight whiskeys; I think that's a record. After 39 years, this is all I've done."

There's much debate over his actual last words, but these will do.

In the next day or so, I'll be posting a new poll, asking students to comment on various parts of the courses I've taught this semester. Hope you'll play along. Right now, I've got a poll from last semester still up there. Feel free to look, but don't vote until the lines are open. :-)

Back soon.

GC

Launch of Rig cancelled

2009-03-12T15:36:00.003-02:30
Because of the crash of the oil rig helicopter off the coast of Newfoundland today, the book launch for Mike Heffernan's book, Rig, has been cancelled, to be re-scheduled.

GC

Book Launch

2009-03-11T21:36:00.004-02:30
In my 1080 class today, a student (you know who you are, Brad) read a poem from a young man named Greg Tiller who was one of the 84 men who went down on the Ocean Ranger oil rig when it sunk in 1982 off the coast of Newfoundland. It was a day that those who were alive in this province will never forget. It changed a lot, not only in the oil industry but in the lives and the very soul of this place.

Greg Tiller was an extremely young man and a pretty good poet, who dreamed of something better in his life. I had the pleasure of reading some of his poetry as I read the manuscript by Mike Heffernan, who launches his book, Rig, tomorrow night at Bianca's on Water Street (7-9 p.m.). It's an incredibly moving and important book that tells the stories of those who were left behind, those who knew someone and/or was related to someone who went down on the Ranger on that stormy February night. One of the stories told, though, is that of Greg Tiller, and I thought it was either incredible synchronicity or a sign, or both, that Brad read the poem in class today. I was going to mention the launch anyway because I'll be introducing the author (and, of course, it means one night when I won't be grading essays, which means a pretty late night in the hope of getting those 1080 essays back on Friday, a few days before your next assignment). But in the rush of it all, I almost forgot to mention the launch...until Brad steps up and reads his poem.

Amazing. Even more amazing, Brad used to work on the rigs himself in Alberta and has entered university with the hope of a different life for himself than the one he had. I don't know what he thought of life working an oil rig, but I know he wants something different. I admire anyone who can do that for a living. It's hellishly hard work, from what I know. But I also admire anyone who can foresake the good money and dream of something else, then act upon it. Greg Tiller never got that chance. I can't speak for him. I don't know what he would have done. I just know what he could have done, and he had a poetic soul. All that remains, though, are his poems and his story. Ever since I read the chapter in Mike's book about Greg Tiller, I've been planning to write something in his honour. Something about his young, creative spirit connected with who I was around the time of the Ranger sinking, and how different my life, and my future was from his. So maybe this was another sign to me that maybe Greg's story needs to be told in yet another way. Maybe. I just hope to be up for it and worthy of telling it.

So anyway, yeah, fate's a fickle thing. Hope to see some of you at the launch. It's an unusual launch in that it's a celebration of the talent and efforts of the brilliant young writer and editor, Mike Heffernan, but at the same time, it's a commemoration of the souls and lives touched by the Ocean Ranger, and a single night that binds so many together in ways that can barely be expressed.

GC

Reminder for English 1101 essays

2009-03-02T22:23:00.002-03:30
To emphasize the point I made at the beginning of class today, in writing your essay about Frankenstein, even though it's meant to be an argumentative piece, that doesn't mean you need to write things like "It is my opinion that" or "I think" over and over. In fact, your essay will suffer from the use of such useless language. Such words generally don't mean anything. It is understood that what you're writing comes from your own mind and, as such, represents your opinion.

Consider the difference between the following two statements:

1. In my opinion, Victor Frankenstein is a neglectful father and scientist.
2. Victor Frankenstein is a neglectful father and scientist.

Sentence #2 says the same thing as #1, except the second one is leaner, more straightforward, and more forceful. It packs more of a punch. When you say "in my opinion" and "I think," you are weakening the impact of your statement (or so I believe). See? When I add "or so I believe," it suggests I have doubts about the strength of my position, when I really don't.

There's nothing wrong, per se, with putting yourself into the essay, though I truly don't see why you need to. It's just wasted words, and when you only have 900 words at your disposal, you can't afford to wasted thirty or more of them telling me what is already implied: your words are your own. You don't need to remind me of that.

Or so I believe. :-)

GC

Rock, Paper, Scissor, Lizard, Spock!

2009-02-27T20:41:00.002-03:30
Okay, so does anyone else besides me watch this brilliant show?

I mad a passing reference in my 1080 class today to "Rock, Paper, Scissors, Lizard, Spock!" and no one batted an eyelash or broke a grin.

Here's YouTube to the rescue!

My favorite new comedy of the past decade:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_mKbnVKdix8

Peace out.

GC

If Winter Comes, Can Spring Be Far Behind?

2009-02-24T09:31:00.003-03:30
Still in the midst of midterm break and enjoying the chance to catch up on some work. That's what breaks are for, really. I've probably gotten more done over the past few days than I usually accomplish in a one-week period. More than one well-intentioned student told me last week to "do something fun" over the break. Well, that hasn't happened so far, but that will happen when the semester is over. There are no days off during the semester, and that's just the way it is.

But I did watch the Oscars the other night. It was one of their better shows, in spite of the fact that I hadn't seen very many of the movies that were nominated. Award shows are strange beasts, though. I mean, why should I really care if Kate Winslet (whom I adore) should win an award over anybody else? Of why would it bother me that Mickey Rourke lost out on his bid for the ultimate comeback within his industry?

It's good to have a perspective on these things--I mean, they're really not that important in the overall scheme of things. They certainly don't affect my life any. On the other hand, I teach literature for a living, and I write literature of my own. And if literature isn't about people, then it's probably not something I'm interested in. Same with movies and songs. Fact is, these celebrity movie stars play their lives out on the big screen and the small screen in front of millions of people. And I think what captivates many people is the fact that these people represent stories.

Sure, I know it's the glitz and glamour too. It's been said that celebrities are our royalty, which I don't really buy. To me, they're more like a continuing story that we get to watch day after day. Granted, I don't like those "True Hollywood Story" types of tabloid shows and I generally despise the paparazzi and any t.v. show or magazine that employs spying techniques. I figure, just let them be. The aspiration to become an actor doesn't necessarily couple with the desire to be stalked and famous. They owe us nothing in that regard. About the only thing they owe us is a good show when we plunk down our hard-earned dough. Reminds me of Yosemite Sam in the Bugs Bunny cartoons: "I came to see Fearless Freep, and I aims to see 'im!" Then Sam sits down in a huff and waits for "Freep" (aka Bugs) to dive into a glass of water from a high tower. We're just here for the show and we want what we paid for.

I like a good comeback story. But that's because I like a good story. Stories are about people, and these movie stars (and athletes, like Barry Bonds or some feel-good story) just happen to be people. Their stories are being told right before our very eyes, and sometimes it's hard not to watch.

So that's why I watch the Oscars. Sure, I liked what this person was wearing and that one was wearing (I though Kate W. looked like a goddess and Amy Adams lit up the screen, but I digress--and for god's sake leave Miley Cyrus alone. Maybe I should do a rant like that "leave Britney alone!" guy. People should just sign up for lives of their own. All of them. All of us). But for me it's about comeback stories, soaring hopes, and triumphant returns. But most of all, I just love the movies. My favorite part is those montages of movie clips from all those movies I've seen or wish I had time to see. I'd always planned to watch every movie ever made, but thanks to grading all those essays, I'm quickly falling behinder and behinder.

And that's what I did on my spring vacation: worked and watched the Oscars.

Hope yours has been good so far.

More to come.

No day like a snow day

2009-02-18T10:36:00.002-03:30
Finally: a snow day. Maybe now we can all just relax a bit, feel a little less pressure, and get life in perspective.

I thought I'd take the day off--really wanted to--but I've been spending the morning grading essays, answering e-mails, and trying to get my life in some kind of order.

But I do enjoy a good snow day once in a while. When I was a kid, this meant a day for playing hockey, going sliding on the big hill by our house, or watching the t.v. shows that you usually missed all week. Now, I just stay in bed a little later (7 a.m.), ease into the day a little slower (at work by 8:15) and actually take a lunch break. I love looking out the window and seeing the snow piling up and hardly any cars going up or down the road, knowing that hardly anything is open. Even the mall is closed! But I'll bet Wal-mart and Tim Horton's are open because the staff gets trapped there once they're inside the doors. Might as well work while you're there, I guess is the managerial position.

Now that my work is done, though, I'm going to try to take most of the afternoon off. Unlike my students, I don't have midterm exams tomorrow or later this week.

My students in 1080 and 1101 don't have a class with me now until after the break, since Friday's class has been cancelled. (Don't look at me like that--if you were in class, you'd know it. Oh, and if you WERE in class, you do know it and probably didn't look at me, or the screen, funny at all. Don't make that face. If the wind changes, you'll be stuck with it--especially at 110 kilometres per hour! Nasty.)

So, in 1080, we're finishing "Paul's Case" on Friday, Feb. 27 (first class after the break). Then we're doing "A Good Man is Hard to Find". The comparative analysis essays are still due on March 2.

In 1101, we're finishing Frankenstein in three more classes on Feb. 27, March 2, and March 4. On March 6, we start The Divine Ryans. The out-of-class essay on Frankenstein is still due on March 2.

Questions? Just get in touch. I'll be blogging a bit over the midterm break as I see fit and whenever I sense a disturbance in the force, requiring me to intervene with words of wisdom, encouragement, or absurdity.

Talk to you again soon. Hope the snow day gives you a much-needed reprieve!

GC

1080 in-class essay (Part 2)

2009-01-29T18:59:00.003-03:30
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

English 1080 and Bob Dylan

2009-01-20T20:08:00.001-03:30
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

Sure, We Can

2009-01-19T20:24:00.002-03:30
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.

Notes on Classes

2009-01-13T09:52:00.002-03:30
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.

Enter the Darkness

2009-01-10T15:55:00.003-03:30
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

Endings and Beginnings

2008-12-17T21:06:00.000-03:30
Big day today, as I submitted final grades for my courses. It’s always such a hectic time, these last few days of the semester. Whenever you think you’ve got it all done, there are always new details to be taken care.

Beyond all the work is the emotional aspect of this time of the semester. Inevitably, there will be those students who struggle and don’t do as well as I, or they, wanted them to. For some reason, they froze in the exam room or just couldn’t get it in gear. Then there are those that chose not to do their best, especially near the end of the semester, even though they were doing well in the course. I often wonder what happens—what goes so wrong in a person’s life that the thing they’ve invested so much money in, so much of themselves in, and so many hopes and dreams in—that it suddenly takes a back seat to everything. So they don’t bother showing up for class, thinking it won’t hurt their grades. But it does. Or they don’t pass in that last essay, or they just do a sloppy job on it, thinking that whatever they pass in will get the same grade. Not true. Rarely is. These are the kinds of people I feel slip through my fingers, making me wish I could have one last chance to help them, just to show them that there’s a better way to end the semester after having done so much work already. But there’s nothing I can do. Nothing they can do. Just let it go.

Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Then there are the students who sort of floated under the radar all semester, who didn’t raise their hands in class, never came to see me in my office, only hoped to get by day after day without being noticed. If that was the goal, then, to some extent, they succeeded. But I always notice when someone’s trying not to be noticed. They become like ghosts in my daily life, and, as a person who’s made a life out of studying and writing about ghostly figures, they would actually be the first ones I’d take note of and remember. I understand the need to be still, to be silent, to hope the danger passes. Maybe it’s out of self-preservation, a sense of fear, of not really wanting to participate except to observe. Maybe some of you are even reading this blog. Just want you to know: I get it. It’s okay by me. I’m not sure my approval would (or should) even matter. But just letting you know.

Not Waving, But Drowning

Of course, then there are the students who inspire—who somehow find a way to do better than they have all semester. Now, this rarely happens unless a student has been working hard and coming to see me in my office to talk things over once in a while, and genuinely striving to improve their thought process and their ability to express those thoughts both aloud and on paper. There are always a few students who surprise me on the final exam by suddenly showing that they “get” it—that they finally understand what it is I’ve been saying to them all semester long. Thankfully, there were some of those this time around, and I was only too happy to reward them for their enlightenment because it is an enlightenment that comes only from hard work and perseverance. Those qualities are not always rewarded in life, and it’s nice when they are.

I appreciated those of you have taken the time to stop by and say a few words, either in my office or at the end of the exam, to say you enjoyed the experience this past semester. It reminds me of why I teach—because I want to inspire, to make you want to learn, to be better able to express what you see in the world, to be able to see and understand more of what the world, and your own life, reveals to you. It is a sad person who is filled with experience and thought but is unable to share insight for lack of the right words. If I can somehow contribute to your own ability to communicate your thoughts and feelings, or to introduce you to an author or poet who inspires you, or simply to entertain you on your way for a few minutes every day, I am honored for the privilege.

There are many of you I will never forget, but, alas, many of you whom I will forget in time—I will always remember your faces, even when your name inevitably gets lost in the sea of names that whirls in my head like thousands of leaves in a hurricane. Right now, your faces and names are fresh in my mind and I am aware of so many hopes and triumphs, and so much heartache and sadness at the same time, that you have gone through in these past four months alone. When I look out across the exam room, or when I put in those final grades, I think of you, what I know about you, imagine how I think you will react to the number. And in the end, it is just a number, even if you are not. It doesn’t define you. I did my best, as I hope you did, to ensure that that number reflects the quality of your effort in the past few months. But that truly depends on a communication between you and me. In that regard, I’ve done everything I can. The rest, as I like to say, is between you and your God. Only you can say whether you showed up each day. And if you showed up, did you have something to say?

And the other voices—mine, fellow students, the authors we studied—did you allow them to speak to you? Or did you close your mind, along with your eyes? Sometimes, just showing up is not enough. Sure, it can be an act of bravery to show up (not just in class, literally, but in life, figuratively)—to make the moments count for something. You have to be present in order to truly live. If you managed to do that, then you’ve impressed me. More important, I hope you impressed yourself. Because sometimes it’s just not that easy.

I plan to keep writing in this blog over the holidays, to lighten things up or to put some things in perspective, mostly having to do with my own life experiences and observations. If you’re still reading this, I’m assuming you’re along for the ride, willing to see where this one goes.

Right now, it goes to stores around the St. John’s area, as starting tomorrow the Christmas shopping must begin in earnest. After that, a few days of well-earned rest, hopefully. It won’t be too long before the preparation for next semester must begin.

*Shudder.*

Best not to think about it.

Best to keep on moving. Except, occasionally, to stop by woods on a snowy evening. Or at least for an afternoon at the movies with my loving, patient wife.

See you around.

Thanks for being present.

Blog #3: Exam Talk

2008-12-10T21:44:00.003-03:30
So it comes down to this.

This is my third blog entry for the day. Keep reading after the end of this post. Please cast a vote in my poll, on the right hand side of this blog entry. Also, I have office hours tomorrow (Thursday) afternoon from 2:30 to 3:30, possibly longer if numbers warrant.

The final exam for English 1080 is on Friday, December 12 @ 9 a.m. in the Phys. Ed. Gymnasium. My students go to the left just as you enter the gym. Look for me standing there in the back of the rows where you’re supposed to be sitting.

There’s not much left to say at this point that hasn’t been already said a half dozen times, but there is likely some full-blown, and half-blown, anxiety going on out there, I’m sure. So I’m hoping to calm some nerves by talking a little about what to expect.

First, I’ll be having office hours Thursday afternoon, the day before the exam, starting at 2:30 and ending (most likely) at 3:30, depending on how many people show up. I’ll certainly stay longer if there is anyone waiting to see me. In fact, I’ll stay until there’s no one left to see, just as I’ve done all semester long. Friday morning, I’ll try to be around before the exam, but I need to be in the gym well before exam time just to get things set up.

The exam has two parts, Part A being “Poetry” and Part B being “Short Stories”. Make sure you flip over the page because there are two sides to the exam just as there are at least two sides to everything. Your mission, if you choose to accept it, is to answer ONE question from each section, for a total of TWO essays.

Make sure you’re writing the correct exam: the one with MY name on the top right hand corner.

The questions are straightforward, but make sure you understand what you are being asked to write about, and focus on answering the question directly. The idea, of course, is to show me what you know about the two stories (or poems) as it pertains to the subject I’ve given you to write about. Remember: the questions are designed for you to show me what you know, not what you don’t know.

It’s a two and a half hour exam, so take time to get your thoughts together by making notes to yourself before you begin. You’ll need about an hour to write each essay, with a little time left over. If you’ve had certain problems all semester long (especially comma splice, sentence fragment, tense shift, and passive voice), make sure you take time to go back over the essay and make corrections.

VERY IMPORTANT: Make sure you write TWO strong essays. Don’t spend all your time on the first question and leave yourself less time for the second one. Your grade will probably suffer if you don’t manage your time well. I’ve seen far too many exams in which a student wrote only one good essay and ran out of time for the second one. So time management is crucial once you’re in the exam room. By 10:15 a.m. or so, you should be starting on the second question. I don’t care which order you do them in, just make sure you clearly mark which number you’re answering, as well as which section.

How to prepare? For the short story section, just know the tales really well. If there’s one that you don’t feel strongly about, you’re not likely to use it on the exam. But I would re-familiarize myself with four or five stories, paying attention to the details, maybe some images, symbols, quotations, entire scenes, and so on that stood out during the semester when we talked about these stories. When you’re writing the exam, you should be able to envision how the plot, or character journey, goes from beginning to end, focusing on the key moments (with some detail) along the way. This trick will be immensely helpful when you’re writing and trying to recall certain parts of the story, giving yourself more and more to talk about as you go. If you focus on the literal and/or figurative journey each character takes and how the character has changed by the end of the story, then you will be well-prepared. (Of course, remember that no character exists in isolation: feel free to discuss other characters as well, showing how they relate to what you’re proving about the protagonist, or even a minor character. It’s always your choice as to which characters you will discuss.)

The same is true for the poetry, of course. We talked about them quite a bit in class, so certain images, symbols, word choices, and other poetic techniques should stand out in your mind as you re-read. You should be familiar with the poems as much as possible, enough so that you can do a comparative analysis of two of them. Certain poems go really well together, while others are more of a stretch, but might prove to be an interesting contrast to one another on an exam—your choice. Don’t just try and memorize the poems. It will work better for you if you go through each poem, word by word, line by line, and figure out what it means for you that way. It will make more sense to you now than it did the first time you read it or we read it together in class.

Again: there’s no substitute for knowing the literature (both stories and poems) really well. Success is rarely dependent upon luck (like crossing your fingers and hoping for the right questions). Success is more likely if you have a game plan, just as in any sport or competition or test of one’s self.

In a way, that’s what this is all about—you’re being tested as much on how you react to adversity as you are on the stories themselves. The vast majority of you will probably do just fine in that regard. All of you, I hope, will at least be able to say, when this is over, that you can look at yourself in the mirror, knowing you at least showed up and tried your best. For any exam, 95% of the work is done before you even show up in the classroom.

I’ll be blogging at least once more before the end of term, likely after the final exams have been written, just to sign off for the semester. Meanwhile, if you have question, feel free to e-mail me at gnc@nf.sympatico.ca.

Rock the Vote!

2008-12-10T14:02:00.005-03:30
Yes, you too can make a difference. You can't actually vote for change in government (not today, at least), but you can let me know how you felt about parts of English 1080 this semester. I'm constantly changing and adjusting my courses, so I'd truly appreciate it if you'd take the time to go to the "vote caster" at the top right of this blog and let me know what's what. Just click on "Cast Your Vote" and you're there. It's completely anonymous and, best of all, it's free and for a somewhat worthwhile cause.

More blogging again later today.

Again: office hours tomorrow afternoon (see blog entry below).

Extra Office Hour

2008-12-10T13:10:00.003-03:30
I'll blog more about the final exam for English 1080 later today--got a few things to say.

For now, I just wanted say I'll be in my office tomorrow afternoon (Thursday), from 2:30 p.m. until 3:30 p.m. or so. If the numbers warrant, I'll certainly stay longer. So if you have a quick question or two, drop by. Because time is so short and it is last minute, I'll be asking you to keep it short, though, so I can manage to see everyone.

Hope to see you. More blogging later. Hope your studying is going well.

GC

Yesterday

2008-12-01T19:54:00.002-03:30
Hey there. Haven't posted in a while so I thought I'd pop in and say some stuff.

I won't say too much because last classes are coming on Wednesday. I'll say it all then, most likely, and anything that's left to say I'll say it here when the time comes.

So many things I've been wanting to comment on, but because of the constraints on my time, I haven't been able to.

I recall a week or so ago there was big news out of the Vatican that they'd "forgiven" John Lennon for his remark forty years ago that "the Beatles are bigger than Jesus". They issued a statement that said, and I'm paraphrasing here, that the Beatles music was so much better and important than the music being made today. John was apparently speaking out of his misguided youth and sudden fame, too out of his mind with celebrity to understand the consequence and import of his words. But all is forgiven now. Horse, the barn door is now behind you.

Well, roll over Tchaikovsky and tell John Lennon the news! I'm sure John would be chuckling over that one if he were alive. Forgiveness? First of all, for what? Second of all, who died and made you God?

Also, and here's my real point: how the H-E-double-hockey-sticks would they know what good music was? Has the new pope (whoever he is; I can never remember his name, but for some reason, I can't get that face out of my mind) been listening to Beyonce and Nelly, or maybe R. Kelly or Kanye West? Is that where the comparison comes from? I wonder what the pope has on his iPod these days. Could it be...the Beatles? Maybe The White Album--the one with "Why Don't We Do It in the Road?" and "Happiness is a Warm Gun" and "Helter Skelter"--you know: the Charlie Manson serial killer theme song.

I love the Beatles' music, personally. I never thought they were so bad. I also happen to think that blasphemy is possible only in the face of extreme seriousness and, dare I say, arrogance. But yesterday's blasphemy seems so far away. And hindsight's got 20/20 vision. It's like looking through a glass onion, I guess. All is I know, I can hardly imagine (pardon the expression) that all those young Christians to whom the Vatican is suddenly trying to appeal running out and buying Rubber Soul and Revolver just because the new old pope thinks they're okay now. Of course, I don't image the young Christians were ever into Beyonce and Nelly to begin with. Or maybe I'm wrong.

Anyway, I think it's all just a big reminder to not take any of it so seriously, starting with ourselves and including music and religion.

As for John Lennon, well, maybe now his soul will be free to haunt some other institution. Or maybe he'll finally be able to go into the light, knowing that the pope forgives his sins.

Or maybe, just maybe, he's still befuddled about what the fuss is all about. Betcha.

Revised poetry list.

2008-11-17T20:13:00.003-03:30
Here's the revised poetry list for English 1080. I've had to cut the ones that would've taken two or more classes each to discuss. No time, granny no time (Bugs Bunny reference--look it up. It's probably on You Tube.) This is all we'll have time for this semester. I got too ambitious with the Yeats and the Ginsberg especially. Next time, I might start with those.

Here goes. This is what we'll be doing for the rest of the term:

1. “Stopping By Woods” by Robert Frost (Handout)
2. “Daffodils” by W. Wordsworth (Handout)
3. “London” by William Blake (Handout)
4. “Constantly Risking Absurdity” by Lawrence Ferlinghetti (442)
5. “Things” by Lisel Mueller (445)
6. “Not Waving But Drowning” by Stevie Smith (433)
7. “True Love” by Judith Viorst (Handout)
8. “My Mistress’ Eyes” by William Shakespeare (405)
9. “A Kite is a Victim” by Leonard Cohen (452)
10. “My Papa’s Waltz” by Theodore Roethke (354)
11. “Do Not Go Gentle Into that Good Night” by Dylan Thomas (438)

That should keep us busy.

More to come.

GC

Giving Thanks For A Free Country

2008-10-13T11:03:00.003-02:30
Happy Thanksgiving. I hope you're all enjoying a relatively carefree day filled with gratitude for the good in this country and in this world.

I was thinking about the soldiers in Afghanistan this morning, how they'll awaken to yet another Thanksgiving in a country so very different from the one in which they were raised or in which their families live.

I was thinking about the freedom we have in this country, in large part thanks to soldiers just like them, but also to people who exercise the right to vote and do so responsibly.

I hope you'll all envision the kind of country you want to live in, ask yourself the right questions about the present and especially about the future of Canada and of this world and take the time tomorrow to vote in the federal election. It's not just your right; it's your duty. Your country doesn't ask much of you in a democracy. But it does ask that you vote.

If you don't vote, you surrender your right to complain about how society treats you or your friends. You concede that nothing will ever change for the better. You surrender, period.

Just vote. It doesn't cost anything. You might think your voice doesn't count, but if you don't vote, you guarantee it won't count. But somebody else's voice will.

What a dumb thing to let happen.

In a democracy, people get the government they deserve, not necessarily the one they need.

Just In Time For Thanksgiving: quick fixes for sentence structure problems.

2008-10-10T09:11:00.009-02:30
I gave back the first 1080 essays for the semester this week, and they were mostly better than I normally expect. It’s the first time in a decade of teaching at MUN I’ve given out three A’s on the first assignment, and several other people were close to getting one. Section 15 had no A’s at all, which is more the norm for this time of term.

There’s still a lot of work to do, as can be seen by the number of students lined up outside of my office door lately. With another assignment due on October 22, I figured a little advice wouldn’t hurt. So the next couple of bloggings from me will concern how to fix up some of the major problems nearly everyone had on the first essays. (Some info re-posted from an earlier blog entry, but revised to fit English 1080).

First of all, I don't make these things up. Sentence fragment, tense shift, and comma splice are real words and have real consequences for your writing. You should have learned about them in high school English, but either no one showed you or the lesson just didn't take. Or maybe in the time since you last wrote an essay, you forgot how to do it. That's all understandable, but what can we do about it? First, you might notice that I used some abbreviations on your essays: 1. "T.S." means tense shift. 2. "C.S." means comma splice. 3. "S.F." means sentence fragment (probably not what you were thinking SF could stand for).

Here's what those terms mean: 1. Tense shift just means that you're switching from speaking in the present voice to speaking in the past voice. You're using "was" when you should be using "is". You're ending words in an "-ed" suffix instead of ending them in "-es" or just "s". Just be consistent. Somtimes, it's fine to use past tense, but most of the time you should consistently use the present tense when talking about fiction, as if the action were happening right now as you read it. So if you said something like "Elisa worked in her garden most of the time," it should read: "Elisa works in her garden most of the time."

2. Comma splice means that you're joining (i.e. "splicing") together two sentences using a humble comma. The comma wasn't intended for such heavy labor. It's like using a screwdriver as a chisel. You can do it, but eventually there will be breakage. Your sentences get too long and, usually, tough to follow.

Here's how to recognize a comma splice: read what you've written on both sides of the comma; if both sides read like a complete sentence, then you've used a comma splice, which is a major grammatical error, not to mention confusing. See, a comma tells you to pause. But periods, for the sake of clarity, require you to stop. (See what I mean there in that last sentence?)

So how do you fix a comma splice, supposing you should see one? 1. Use a period and make two separate sentences. 2. Or use a semi-colon, which is designed to join/separate two complete sentences that are related to each other in thought/theme. 3. Or use a conjunction (e.g. “but,” “however,” “and,” “because,” and so on) and (sometimes) use a comma with it. That's probably the easiest and most common fix. You'll have to get used to recognizing comma splices in your sentences. That's the only way to eradicate the problem from your writing: practice. After a while, it will become natural. I've seen it happen for thousands of students in a matter of weeks and it can happen for you. Depends on how bad you want it. Here's an example of a comma splice:

Comma Splice: Henry leans over the fence, he startles his wife.

Fix: Henry leans over the fence. He startles his wife.

Fix: Henry leans over the fence; he startles his wife.

Fix: Henry leans over the fence, but he startles his wife.

Fix: Henry leans over the fence and startles his wife.

Fix: When Henry leans over the fence, he startles his wife.

3. Sentence Fragment just means that what you've said (and obviously think is a full sentence because it starts with a capital letter and ends in a period after a string of seemingly meaninful words) is not a complete sentence. It's a fragment of a sentence, a mere piece of one: a pretend sentence in disguise, and it's up to you to start recognizing its covert behaviour. It shouldn't be hanging out with the other sentences because, well, it just isn't one and it should just solve the problem by BECOMING one. Their main offense is that they just don't make sense on their own, sort of like Nick Lachey. That's how you fix a sentence fragment: either make it a full sentence by itself OR join it to the preceding clause. That's right: if you can't beat 'em, join 'em.

Here's an example of a sentence fragment.

Sentence fragment: Arnold Friend, standing outside her door, asking if he can come in, which Connie refuses.

Looks, smells, sounds, and feels like a sentence, doesn't it? And yet, on closer look, it isn't quite complete. It needs something else, doesn't it? The sentence lacks context.

So the fix is in: Arnold Friend is standing outside her door, asking if he can come in, which Connie refuses.

Or: Arnold Friend stands outside her door, asking if he can come in, but Connie refuses.

See the difference a simple verb can make? I just added the word "is" or change “standing” to “stands” and now it all makes sense because we can (sort of) see them doing what we've implied they are doing. Fixing sentence fragments is usually just a matter of revising your verb (the word that implies action).

The other way to fix this problem would be to simply connect the fragment to a preceding sentence. For example, let's say you (okay, somebody else. Denial has its uses.) wrote this:
Connie looks into mirrors a lot and looks at other people’s faces. Which tells her how she is doing.
You no doubt recognize that the second "sentence" is an imposter: a mere sentence fragment.

Here's a quick fix: Connie looks into mirrors a lot and looks at other people’s faces, which tells her how she is doing.

Notice that all it takes is a simple comma (also notice that what follows the comma is NOT a complete sentence, so we haven't created a dastardly comma splice, and so everyone sleeps well).
Anyway, I hope this helps. If you're still confused, just come see me or get in touch, okay?

There's no need to feel like you're out there on your own with nowhere to turn. Help is available. :-) And my e-mail address is toll-free. Act now and you'll get free advice about plot summary (which means you're tell me what happens instead of why such details are important for your thesis). Offer available for a limited time only (till December 12, 2008).

It’s almost Thanksgiving weekend, and I’m guessing most of us have a lot to be thankful for. I’ll be very grateful if I never have to talk about comma splice, sentence fragment, or tense shift again this semester because that would mean people are getting it.

Next time: paragraphing and organizing your essay, perhaps a little on thesis statements and topic sentences too.

Till later,
GC

Young Goodman Brown: A Sock's Tale

2008-09-29T19:53:00.003-02:30
Here's an adaptation of Nathaniel Hawthorne's "Young Goodman Brown" that I thought you'd enjoy.

I particularly like the actor who plays the devil figure. I think he shows a lot of range, while the one who plays YGB is a bit stiff. The actress who plays Faith is appealing in her own way, though fairly one-dimensional.

Also, please note that the video contains scenes of nudity that might be offensive to some. Or not. Enjoy!

http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=4RbgjOa34wI

New story

2008-09-25T15:36:00.001-02:30
By the way, in English 1080, we'll be starting "Young Goodman Brown" by Nathaniel Hawthorne on Monday, Sept. 26. Just a reminder.

The Grapes of Wrath

2008-09-20T20:53:00.006-02:30
I was talking about John Steinbeck's "The Chrysanthemums" in class on Friday, reflecting on how, being published in 1938, it really does reflect the social, cultural, political, and economic realities of the Depression era. As I mentioned, the Great Depression really began in 1929, triggered by Black Tuesday, which began a decade of massive unemployment, with millions of jobs lost, people losing their houses and life savings, losing hope, losing everything. That era, more than anything, is a reminder to most of us in the Western World (though the Depression was felt everywhere, not just in the USA and Canada) of just how bad it can get, economically. It's a benchmark of how terrible our social and economic problems can become if we, our governments, and big business don't actually mind our business properly.

The same conditions appear to exist today. Although I'm no economist, it doesn't take one to see that our financial system is built on a house of cards--even more now because we no longer even have paper money and hard cash so much to produce. Most of what we own is a bank machine printout that says how much, or how little we have. It's all just numbers being traded back and forth. Same with Wall Street, as it always has been, I suppose. The U.S. government seems to have no clue to the value of a trillion dollars, buying out huge companies (though arguably, they are also preventing dozens of other companies from filing for bankruptcy in a sort of domino effect), shelling out billions and trillions to pay for wars they can't afford and, arguably, shouldn't even be fighting.

Beyond that, people are losing their houses in record numbers because banks loaned them money they really shouldn't have loaned them. So the banks foreclose, but that's not the same as the bank getting its money back. So the people are in debt, the banks lose money, and the whole thing starts to go up in smoke. The banks are getting bailed out by government, which only means the government goes in debt by trillions more, and the government is actually the people themselves.

Factor in massive layoffs, a global economy that depends on American stability (an oxymoron if I ever heard one), and the impending financial and other catastrophes as a result of global warming, and you have the recipe for a perfect storm. Great Depression II. Will it happen? Maybe there's a solution, or maybe someone's working on one. Let's hope so because it's not just an American problem.

Anyway, I mentioned in class on Friday that, for my money, The Grapes of Wrath by that same John Steinbeck feller is one of the top four American novels of all time. I consider The Great Gatsby, The Catcher in the Rye, and To Kill a Mockingbird to be the others--though I admit I need to reconsider my list and maybe update it one of these days. But my point, really, in writing this entry is that the movie version of The Grapes of Wrath is actually on CBC television tonight at 1:30 a.m. (Newfoundland time; midnight ET) in case you're interested in taking a peek. It's in black and white (which I love) and stars Henry Fonda, one the greatest actors of all time. You'll get to see his portrayal of the character in Bruce Springsteen's best song of all time (my opinion, anyway) "The Ghost of Tom Joad." That song gives me shivers every time I hear it because it makes me think of the fragility of our social fabric, but the strength of the human spirit at the same time.

The highway is alive tonight,
And where it's headed, everybody knows.
Just sittin' down here in the campfire light,
Waitin' on the ghost of Tom Joad.

If you're interested in seeing the video, I just found it on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1DEtA5fhk4k

And if you've a mind to watch a clip from the movie, you'll see where Springsteen got his inspiration, from one of the most famous speeches in literary or movie history: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8wke1RBvcNQ

A New Chapter

2008-09-07T20:29:00.003-02:30
It being September, I've begun teaching English at MUN as of this past Friday. So "Hi!" to all the new readers who'll be checking in over the next few weeks to see what's on the go.

I started this blog a little over a year and a half ago with the intent of keeping students informed about assignments, as well as providing some extra information and inspiration whenever possible, to help them get through my in-class ramblings a little easier. By the end of that semester there were about two thousand posts, telling me the experiment was a success--although most well-meaning people had told me it wouldn't fly. Since then, I've received e-mails, comments and notices from, not only former students, but people all over the world, really, who've been reading the blog and getting something out of it. Some people like the lessons on grammar and essay writing (there'll be more of that); others like my musings on fiction writing (there'll be some of that, though a bit less for a while); others were interested in the accounts of my attempts to publish my own work; while still others just seem to see something they liked in general.

I can't explain it really, but I appreciate that so many people seem to be reading this blog. After a couple of semesters off from teaching, though, I'm back at it again and so this blog will take on more of a collegial tone. I'll be writing more about assignments and essay-writing, while also offering the occasional bit on life in general, just to keep it interesting. So for those of you who've been tuned in all along, there's no need to go anywhere.

For you newbies: welcome. My hope is that you'll get something out of this that will help you on the journey. Feel free to poke around through past entries and comment wherever you'd like. Mostly though, just come visit once in a while and I'll try to have something here for you as often as the need arises.

The nature of blogs, for better or for worse, is that they inevitably become about the person who's writing them. Really, though, this one was never meant for that. It still isn't. And now, at last, we return to regularly scheduled programming.

And so it ends. And so it begins.

The Toughest Fight

2008-09-04T12:08:00.003-02:30
"To be nobody but yourself in a world which is doing its best, night and day, to make you everybody else, means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight; and never stop fighting."

e.e. cummings