Barbara Kingsolver

Read Kingsolver's essay "Stone Soup"--


Discussion about families and Animal Dreams readings to page 51:
Characters Themes Setting Style


Check out links for Kingsolver:
On winning the Orange Prize---What is the Orange Prize? What other awards has she received?
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2010/jun/10/barbara-kingsolver-orange-prize

Read in previous post: "How Poems Happen" 
Another essay:
"And Our Flag was Still There"--She has 3 essays on that page about 9/11
www.commondreams.org/911topten.htm

ANOTHER REALLY GOOD ESSAY FROM KINGSOLVER: "Stone Soup" www.tucsonweekly.com/tw/09-28-95/cover.htm



WRITING PRACTICE:
  Work on poem model: "For ________________ After All"
  


READ ANIMAL DREAMS for Friday to pg. 101 "A River on the Moon"

Barbara Kingsolver poetry

http://womensstudies.homestead.com/rememberpoem.html

How Poems Happen:

http://www.aislingmagazine.com/aislingmagazine/articles/TAM25/HowPoems.html

http://www.reckonings.net/reckonings/2006/11/barbara_kingsol.html

The Middle Daughter:

http://poetry365.tumblr.com/post/111981230/the-middle-daughter-barbara-kingsolver

Homework:

Write a "For Richard" poem for somebody.  Post your response to the picture of the Southwest.

Read and discuss handouts about Barbara Kingsolver.   Read to pg. 51, again.

QUIZ ON WED!!!!!

Barabara Kingsolver

Share Sedaris stories


View Kingsolver video

Go to Kingsolver websites

READ TO PG. 51 Animal Dreams for Monday

Prepare for Hannah Tinti periods 3/4

Barbara Kingsolver/ Hilary Tann

We'll be going down to the Ensemble Theatre to see Hilary Tann 2nd period.
  Please check out her web site:
http://hilarytann.com/
http://www.classicalmusicnow.com/tanne.htm


Also, we'll be going down to the library to pick up Barbara Kingsolver's Animal Dreams 1st period.  Please look over the background information about Barbara Kingsolver.  See links on the blog.


And finally, use 1st period to check out Hannah Tinti information for Thursday.  Remember, ALL Creative Writing majors are excused 3rd and 4th period to attend a Master Class with Hannah Tinti inthe Ensemble Theatre.  Read a summary of The Good Thief if you haven't read the book and visit her web site.  BE PREPARED.  Go to Writers and Books' web site for more information.

Sedaris Essays due/Sedaris quiz--End of Marking Period

Your 3 nonfiction essays are due today!

Sedaris Quiz

Answer 5 of the following questions about the book using specific details.  You may use your book.  Post your answers as comments here.

1. What better place to start a discussion of a Sedaris book than with the parts you find the funniest? Which parts make you LOL (laugh out loud)?

2. Are there sections of the book you feel are snide or mean-spirited? Perhaps his criticism of Americans who visit Europe dressed "as if you've come to mow its lawns." Or perhaps the piece about his stint as a writing teacher. Is petulance a part of Sedaris's schtick...his charm?

3. Talk about the Sedaris family, in particular his parents. How do they come across? Whom does he feel closest to? Sedaris makes an interesting statement about his father: it was a mystery that "a man could father six children who shared absolutely none of his interests." Is that unusual?

4. David Sedaris is a descendant of Woody Allen's brand of humor—personal idiosyncrasies or neuroses raised to an art form. What does Sedaris reveal about himself, his insecurities, angst, secret hostilities, and do you find those parts funny or somewhat touching, even sad? Actually, do you like Sedaris as he reveals himself in his book?

5. Sedaris has a number of obvious biases. Identify at least two of them and explain why this bias may exist for him.

 6. Sedaris uses humor to touch on several sensitive topics, homosexuality for instance. Does this comic tone take away from these issues? Does the fact that he makes light of these issues make them easier to discuss?

 7. Several essays begin with a flashback to an earlier time in Sedaris's life, which generally sets up the topic for the essay. Discuss how Sedaris uses this mechanism to continue the themes of growth/self-improvement and self versus society through the book.

8. A number of significant places are discussed in this book, but France is particularly important. Discuss how Sedaris's perception of American life has changed after moving to France.

9. Sedaris writes of his encounters with several different people, and how these people altered his perception of the world and/or himself. Identify at least two of these important people. Discuss how and why Sedaris's perception changed because of this person.

Continue to work on assignments due on Friday

Lake of the Woods Short Stories---Revise and edit your short story.  For those of you who have not completed a "Work in Progress." FINISH YOUR STORY.

Sedaris Essays---3 essays due on Friday.  Continue to work on these.

Tuesday, 3/8 Sedaris/Essays

Spend 10 minutes discussing with others your impressions of the Sedaris readings to pg. 82.
SAY SOMETHING!   And post your thoughts about the readings for today's credits.

Continue to work on your essays and do the readings. 

Essay #1 due Thursday!

Me Talk Pretty One Day

READING SCHEDULE:
For Tues.  3/8  Read to page 82
For Thurs. 3/10  Read to pg. 132
For Mon. 3/14 Read to pg. 192
For Wed. 3/16 Read to pg. 248
For Fri. 3/18  Finish reading

Writing assignments:
For this unit, you will be writing 3 creative non-fiction essays on topics of your choice.
  These essays should be varied.  Here are some possibilities:
    1. PERSONAL NARRATIVE OR MEMOIR
    2. DEFINITION OR CLASSIFICATION--Pick a topic, define it in different ways, or break down the topic into categories
   3. PROCESS ESSAY--"How to" or "step by step"
   4. HUMOROUS ESSAY--Relate a humorous anecdote, take a satirical look at something happening in your world (ala Jon Stewart, Garrison Keillor, Bill Bryson, Emma Bombeck, Art Buchwald,  etc.)
  5. SERIOUS ESSAY---This might be good preparation for your college essay.  Think about memorable moment in your life, an inspirational person, or a turning point that helped make you become who you are and who you want to be in the future

OR JUST COME UP WITH YOUR OWN IDEAS!

Creative Nonfiction

Some prompts:

• My craziest experience in a restaurant or shopping mall
• The hardest thing I’ve ever done
• My first encounter with a bully
• Let’s hear it for my favorite senior citizen.
• The toys I’ll never give up
• A friend who moved away
• I couldn’t believe that my mother volunteered me for that job.
• Putting my foot in my mouth
• What if school sports were dropped?
• Who knows me best?
• What do I worry about?
• My muscles were so sore after . . .
• What do we Americans do well?
• “Obstacles are what you see when you take your eyes off the goal.”
• I admit it; I enjoy professional wrestling.

• An unforgettable dream
• My worst vacation
• A “visit” to a hospital, doctor’s office, or dentist’s office
• Coping with brothers and sisters
• A typical evening at home
• Morning madness
• When I was a discipline problem
• A meaningful gift I’ve given or received
• We all make mistakes.
• Why do I deserve the job?
• My brother (or sister) made me so mad!
• Hanging out
• Something this school really needs is . . .
• Why are soap operas so popular?
• I take some things too seriously.
• What do I do to break routine?

• The next wave of personal communication
• Greed
• Alone on a desert island
• Let’s push alternative sources of energy.
• ______ is like a boomerang.
• How it would feel to walk in space
• ItÂ’s a rule, so it’s right . . . right?
• What invention would you like to see in your lifetime?
• Why appearance is not so important
• How I express myself artistically
• Is pollution a necessary evil?
• What different colors mean to me
• Why are soap operas so popular?
• I take some things too seriously.

• How do people who are in constant pain cope?
• Is this love?
• Foods I love, foods I hate
• Tools I’ll need in my intended profession
• Why are some people so cruel?
• What animals can teach humans
• Self-esteem
• Sometimes, adults seem . . .
• My dream car
• The idea hit me like a tornado.
• My Web site
• If I were a superhero, I’d be . . .
• Something this school really needs is . . .
• What do I do to break routine?