Unit+02+Homework+Archive

Myth and the "Discovery" of America


 * Announcement:** First multiple choice test!
 * Date:** Monday, October 1 (Notice date change)

More info to come soon, including resources for how to prepare.


 * Assignment:** Begin work on poetic annotation and explication
 * Due:** Various -- read carefully...this is a week-long assignment that is broken into steps below:

1. This week you will write a new type of analytic essay called a **poetry explication**. Like all analysis, the writing process begins with a close reading and annotation of the selected poem. So your assignment for tonight, which is due in class on Tuesday, is to create a rough, but thorough annotation of one of the poems listed below. Of course, you must print the poem in order to annotate it and //**you must bring that annotated print copy to class on Tuesday. Please bring the print copy even if you have not completed your annotation, as you will be given time to work in class.**//

2. Read the documents entitled "Preparing to Write" and "Writing the Explication." These provide an overview of explication writing, which I will shorten to this definition: An explication is just an analysis that follows the natural progression of the poem. So your purpose is **not** to choose a theme and use evidence from anywhere in the poem to discuss that theme. Rather, it is to identify the overall purpose of the poem and then show your audience how that purpose is developed from the beginning to the end of the poem. Read these documents before class on Tuesday.

3. Write a rough draft of your explication by Friday at the latest. You will receive 5% extra credit if you get a tutoring session in the Writing Center before the close of school on Friday.

4. Submit the final draft of your explication at the beginning of class on Monday. It should be accompanied by a thorough, but readable version of your poetic scansion and annotation. (For some of you, this might mean redoing your annotation to make it readable.)





//Remember: You are __encouraged__ to find quality secondary sources and use them to improve the quality of your work! Just don't forget to cite!!//


 * Assignment:** Read Bradford and answer discussion questions
 * Due****:** Monday, September 24

Read the excerpt from //Of Plymouth Plantation// attached below, making sure to //**skip**// the section on pp. 89-93 labeled "From Book I, Chapter VII." Answer the following questions in specific and well-developed terms, making use of the text whenever possible:

1. The Puritans wrote in what is known as the plain style, which valued simple syntax and understatement as evidence of the writer's veracity. While much of Bradford's syntax appears complex by our standards, what evidence do you see of this plain style? Provide two examples and discuss the rhetorical effect or significance of each. 2. According to Bradford, what specific experiences motivated the Puritans to leave England? Identify at least three. 3. How do the Puritans' experiences in Holland compare to their old lives in England? Support your answer with at least one figurative statement that Bradford uses to reinforce the comparison. 4. What line of reasoning motivates the Puritans to leave Holland for America? What does this reveal about the Puritan's values as a religious community?

5. Identify two biblical images or allusions that Bradford employs in the excerpts from Chapters 1 and 4. What is the rhetorical effect of these items? //(Note: You may have to do some quick research to understand his allusions and their effects.)//

6. Why does the anecdote of the profane seaman seem to receive special attention from Bradford? How is the point of this anecdote reinforced by the following anecdote about John Howland?

7. How does Bradford describe the condition of the Puritans once they arrive on shore at Cape Harbors? What challenges do they face now that the ocean voyage is behind them? How does Bradford reinforce the gravity of these hardships with biblical imagery?

8. Describe the Puritans' various encounters with the local Indian tribes. What tone does the narrative take toward the Indians, the Puritans, and the encounters as a whole?

9. Consider the variations in Bradford's tone over the course of the history: although he attempts to strike an objective stance, when does he indulge in a notable shift away from that tone? Provide two examples and discuss the rhetorical importance of each. //A warning! This reading is long and may have somniferous 1 power! Plan your reading and response time accordingly!//

//1// Look it up.


 * Assignment:** Extra credit entry for Reading Journal #2 on the topic of otherness
 * Due:** Monday, September 24

__Task__ Rather than being focused on a specific reading, this entry should be focused on the topic of otherness as it manifests in //any// of the readings. You should use the same two-part journal structure (during reading notes/after reading reflection), but your reading notes may come from any of the imperialist texts and your reflection should comment on otherness and its affect on the age of imperialism at large.

__How do I do this?__ Glad you asked. Take notes on any events or descriptions that illustrate an author's encounter with something or someone that is different from what they know or expect. Take special note of word choice and its effect on tone toward people and things that are "other" to the speaker of the text. Then, in your reflection, offer deeper analysis of //why// these reactions matter and //what// they tell us about the relationship between the familiar and the foreign during this period in history.

__Resources__ 1. This introductory chapter from a college textbook on American Literature tells the story of Diego Colon, whose picture we looked at in class on Friday. I've included the entire chapter, though Colon's story and its significance is only discussed on pages 1-3.

2. See the file on "Cultural Theory" attached at the very bottom of this page for more on the concept of otherness.


 * Assignment:** Reading Journal #2 (Imperialism)
 * Due:** Friday, September 21

Begin work on the reading journal assignment described at the bottom of the Unit 2 page (see menu to the left).

You may also want to view the powerpoint on Greek tragedy that didn't fit into today's class. Both the presentation and an extra credit assignment can be found here.


 * Assignment:** Read Plato's "Allegory of the Cave" and answer questions
 * Due:** Reading by Thursday, September 13; Questions by Friday, September 14

Read "The Allegory of the Cave" and thoroughly answer all questions under the section labeled "Understanding the Text."


 * Announcement**: Submission of mythology projects


 * 1) Everyday Mythology Project:**
 * Click to submit your Everyday Mythology Project before the end of school on **Wednesday, September 12**. Click the edit button at the top of the page and then post your project. You may post a link to your project if it is stored online somewhere, or you may embed your project by clicking "File" or "Widget" in the editing toolbar. The one thing you may //__**not**__// do is copy and paste the text of an essay into the submission page, since that will take up far too much room.
 * Be sure to type your information into the page above or below your embedded file. Please include your name, the title of your project, and a brief overview of the content so that viewers can decide if they want to check out your work.


 * 2) Native American Myth Analysis:** You will provide a brief overview of your assigned myth in class tomorrow, but the finished project does not have to be published to the wiki until the end of school on **Friday, September 14.**


 * Assignment:** Various
 * Due:** See below

1) Click [|here] to view your group page for the Native American myth analysis project. The title at the top of the page will tell you what myth you are working with. Download the first file attached below to read the directions for the project. Re-read the myth or speech to which you are assigned and come to class on Monday with pre-planned ideas and questions so that you can be a useful group member. //(Note: if the link provided does not work, click on "Projects" at the top of the left-hand menu, then click on "Native American Oratory." Do **not** click on a specific group name -- clicking on the project name should automatically take you to the page to which you have been assigned.)//

2) Click on the second file below to download your first syntax analysis exercise. Print it out and complete the exercise as described. Click here for help with grammar in general. Download the third file below for an introduction to verbals.

3) Continue work on your Everyday Mythology project, making realistic decisions about your time use.

Don't forget to use the discussion board (the two dialogue bubbles in the upper right hand corner) to get help from your classmates!




 * Assignment:** Read article on Jungian archetype; complete close reading of "Corn Mother"
 * Due:** Friday, September 7

The archetype article is important general knowledge for our study of mythology. You may read it any time in the next couple of days. Your close reading of "Corn Mother" must be completed before class tomorrow. Don't forget, of course, that the clock is ticking on your Everyday Mythology project -- be sure to create a realistic timeline that is based on the media you have selected!

//Note: If you lost your copy of "Corn Mother," you can print out another one from the file linked at the bottom of the summer reading page.//


 * Assignment:** Everyday Mythology project
 * Due Date:** Wednesday, September 12

Download and read the file attached below. We will discuss this assignment in class tomorrow and it will be the majority of your homework load for the next week. It is important to get started early, so at least brainstorm a list of possible topics tonight.

//Note: Your brainstorming will be more productive if you complete tonight's reading assignment (see below) first.//




 * Assignment:** Read summary of Joseph Campbell's theory of mythology
 * Due Date:** Wednesday, September 5

Download and read the file attached below. Please note that there are two readings in this packet, an essay and an interview. You are to read both the essay and the interview tonight. Ignore (for now) the comprehension questions that follow the essay, but do answer questions 1, 2, and 4 following the interview. These questions will no be collected, but are an important starting point for thinking about the project described above.




 * Announcement:** Change to Friday's essay prompt

Click here to read the new essay prompt for Friday's (Aug. 31) timed essay. This prompt is more open-ended and lends itself to issues more directly addressed in the summer readings. If you already began planning for the other prompt then you should keep those notes, as that particular prompt will show up again later this year.


 * Assignment:** Mythic Literature Reading Journal
 * Due Date:** Tuesday, September 4


 * Description****:** The first reading journal assignment is described at length here. The short version of the assignment is that you are creating five entries, each based on a separate reading. The first is simply a written reflection on the concepts presented in the essay on "Mythic and Archetypal Approaches." The next four entries must have two parts -- for each reading, you should take notes while you read (bullet point observations are fine) and then write a reflection in reasonably well-structured formal English. See the complete directions for more.


 * Class Discussion Follow-up**
 * Posted:** Tuesday, August 28

Attached below you will find a handout that further explains a few of the social language theories we discussed in class today, as well as two that we didn't have time for. The explanation of "otherness" is especially useful.