Instruction
1.Recitatif- due 10/21
Identify and respond to a particular sentence, phrase, paragraph, or moment from “Recitatif.” See week 1 for an example.
Replies, 3-5 sentences each, due Sunday: Read through your classmates’ responses, choose one, and write a few sentences in response. See week 1 for an example.
2.Relationships- 1-2 paragraphs, : In “Recitatif,” Morrison traces Twyla and Roberta’s relationship from their childhood through to their adult lives. This thread asks you to relate this story to some relationship in your own life. For example, have you ever had a childhood friendship that was strained due to differences in (say) religion, national identity gender, class, age, sexual orientation, etc.? How so? In general, do you think children or adults are more tolerant of difference, and why? Replies, 3-5 sentences each, due Sunday.
3.Formal Response: Recitatif-
Choose one of the following prompts for an essay of any length:
1) How did larger social forces drive Twyla and Roberta together, and drive them apart?
2) Morrison famously reveals that Twyla and Roberta are of different races, but she doesn’t indicate which character has which racial identity. In other words, race is everywhere and nowhere in this text. What was the effect of this choice in your reading the text, and why do you think Morrison makes that decision? How would the text be different if we knew the race of each character?
3) What did you make of the character of Maggie? Or, more importantly, what did you make of the confusion and disagreement the girls/women have over what happened to Maggie? After all, the text ends with that question. Why is this such a central question to the text, and why does that particular episode haunt the characters?
4.Racist Language in Literature
Initial Post, due Thursday: Many readers today object to the appearance of racist language in literature. For example, some school districts have banned works by African-American writers Richard Wright (“The Man Who Was Almost a Man”) and Ralph Ellison (“The Battle Royal”) for containing the n-word. Should these and other works that contain deeply offensive language be banned? Why or why not? What about works of literature that contain racist language in order to show the ugliness of racism? Do such works help the cause of doing away with racism, or do they hurt the cause by keeping racist language in circulation? Peer Response
5.Passage Responses Discussion Topic- We’ve been writing “passage responses” all term because they help us to read critically, attentively, and independently. We also deepen our understanding and appreciation for literature when we recognize the subtle choices that authors make. Finally, they are great preparation for writing an original “thesis” essay, which you’ll be doing next week.
As part of your preparation for next week’s major essay, this thread asks you to review the class’s discussion boards so far to look for really wonderful responses, posts in which your classmates’ ideas opened up the text for you in some way. Then, choose one favorite response by a fellow student and explain why you think it is such good examples of a close-reading.
6. The Invisible Man Assignment-
Write an essay of any length in which you respond to ONE of the three questions listed below:
1. What are some of the ways Ellison uses symbols in the story? Consider the boxing ring, the woman with the flag across her stomach, the counterfeit coins, the electric carpet, the dead grandfather’s message in the dream at the end of the story, etc.
2. How would you compare the boy in this story with Dave Saunders of “The Man Who Was Almost a Man”? How are their situations similar? How are they different? Why do you think each responds in the way he has? Who do you think made the better decision?
3. What might it take for the white men at the smoker to “recognize” and “accept” the boy for who he is as person? Is the white woman in a better position than the boy? Does either have any kind of power in the world of the back room?
7.Thesis Discussion Topic -
2-3 sentences, :Share your working thesis with the rest of the class. It’s okay if you are still figuring it out. Example: I am arguing that Charlie in “Babylon Revisited” has not fully let go of the past, and that’s why he fails to regain his daughter.
Your Response, due Sunday: Briefly compare the experience of writing this essay and how it differed from your writing of Essay 1. What did you do differently?