WEDNESDAY, MARCH 30, 2016

Due Thursday, March 31, 2016

Choose ONE of the following questions to respond to in one developed, precise paragraph. Paragraphs will be graded based on elevated diction, level of sophistication, and depth. Proofread your responses before publishing!!!

Response to "Carrie Buck's Daughter" by Stephen Jay Gould (Pages 345-357)

A. What attitudes of the society in which Carrie Buck was reared does Gould want his readers 

     to analyze and evaluate?  Why?

B. Analyze the way Gould uses historical information to demonstrate "guilt by genealogical 

     association."

Wednesday, February 24, 2016

Due Thursday

Reread the following quote by William Faulkner, presented on page 451 of The Short Novel.  

"The aim of every artist is to arrest motion, which is life, by artificial means and hold it fixed so that a hundred years later, when a stranger looks at it, it moves again since it is life."

What an evocative and compelling quote!

Here is your question:
How does Faulkner's quote relate to Gloria Naylor's words on page 288 of The Riverside Reader which state, "Dialogue achieves its power in the dynamic of a fleeting moment of sight, sound, smell, and touch."

Respond in one thoughtful paragraph.

Monday, February 22, 2016

(Due Tuesday)

Below, are two quotes from Gloria Naylor's "A Word's Meaning Can Often Depend on Who Says It."  Choose ONE, and do the following:

• Interpret the quote.  (What does it mean to you?  What could it mean on a broader scale?)
• Provide TWO examples to support your interpretation.  These could be other essays or books you have read, articles or topics you have read/researched, documentaries, etc.

Quote A: Words themselves are innocuous; it is the consensus that gives them true power.

Quote B: Dialogue achieves its power in the dynamics of a fleeting moment of sight, sound, smell, and touch.

Monday, February 15, 2016

(Due Tuesday)

Parallels Between our Culture and the Ibo Culture in

Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe

Directions: Reflect on the many ceremonies, celebrations, traditions, and customs of the Ibo people. Choose ONE, and make a parallel between it and a similar custom or practice in our culture.

(Example: Breaking and sharing the kola nut is similar to our practice of offering a guest tea or coffee.  Both gestures are a symbol of hospitality, generosity, and polite behavior.)  In edition to describing the Ibo practice in detail, your response should also discuss what that cultural practice reveals about the Ibos as a people with the aim of dispelling the archaic, yet commonly held view of African tribes as primitive people groups.

Thursday, February 11, 2016

Due Friday

Response to "Revelation"

1. What would you identify as the central message of this piece?  What greater truth or profound thought is the author communicating?  How do you know?  Support your response with one direct quote from the reading.  

Wednesday, January 27,  2016

(Due Thursday)

Choose ONE of the essays you've read in the Classification and Division unit.  Identify the author's intended audience.  Then, explain what rhetorical strategies the author uses to appeal to that audience.  Respond in one developed paragraph (5-7 sentences) that includes one direct quote from the text.