A Writer’s Endless Opportunities Because of Realism

I first read Sylvia Plath’s The Bell Jar in my eleventh year of school. As I shifted through the pages over my winter break, I began to self-identify with the main character of the story; she is as full of emotional damage and depressing thought as was my sixteen-year-old self. I discovered my own cynical tone through lines Plath offered: “If neurotic is wanting two mutually exclusive things at one and the same time, then I'm neurotic as hell.  I'll be flying back and forth between one mutually exclusive thing and another for the rest of my days.” This closeness I felt to the main character haunted me throughout the rest of my winter break. What bothered me the most was the proof, through the bent pages and scribbled margins, that my teenage woes and worries might not go away. The main character was well on her way through college and was still battling the same insecurities I dealt with on a daily basis. Would I ever be free of them? Or would I be stuck in the same bell jar as her? On the first day back to school, I asked my teacher why she assigned such a story for us to read. “Did you want me to become depressed?” I asked her. I will never forget her reply; from that day forward it has remained stationary in my mind while in my literature classes. “Just because it is art doesn’t mean it is always pretty.”

          The ugly side of humanity has been exposed in literature and theater for as long as it has been produced. The play “Lysistrata” (411 BC) incorporates a hilarious view of manipulation and power; Shakespeare (late 16^th Century) wrote of horrifically manipulative characters such as Iago in “Othello.” However, what was different in The Bell Jar than the previous works mention is that the main character is the nasty part of humanity, and yet is a sympathetic character. Today, writers create stories of the every-day man and the psychologically damaged girl, and it is still found in the same category of literature. The voice of the middle class is finally established in literature, largely because of the Realism movement.

Realism began in the nineteenth century, when Europe experienced a sense of upheaval from its former Romanticized culture. In the early 1800s, political changes occurred throughout Europe rapidly due to the movement of the Industrial revolution, which began in England in the eighteenth century. Traveling became easier, cities became more urbanized, and jobs were created which had not existed before. The shift from the agricultural state-of-life in Europe to one more urbanized culture implemented a greater need for the common man in order to stabilize an economy. Throughout Europe, the middle working class began to recognize their sheer importance for their country, and began to seek recognition for their efforts.

“’Liberty’ became the dominant political slogan of the century… here liberation from the rule of the foreigner, there they emancipation of the serf; here the removal of economic restrictions on trade and manufacturing, there the introduction of a constitution, free speech, parliamentary institutions, and agitation for the rights of women. Almost everywhere in Europe, the middle classes established their effective rule...” (Wellek, 509)

Through this large social, economical and political shift, a change occurred in the arts as well. While painting and architecture floundered in the new era, literature became very responsive to the environment. Literature explored the new methods to express the social changes of the time by modernizing the subject matter and techniques of writing styles (Wellek, 511). Following Romanticism in literature, Realism became the new writing style for the nineteenth century. Realism can be understood as “a theory or tendency in writing to depict events in human life in a matter-of-fact, straightforward manner. It is an attempt to reflect life "as it actually is… [Realism] involves careful description of everyday life, "warts and all," often the lives of middle and lower class characters,” (Wheeler). Realism was not a new, fresh idea to the literary field, for previous pieces of literature written centuries prior to the nineteenth century did have realistic elements. What was new and fresh to this modern realism was the “systematic description of contemporary society, with a serious purpose, often even with a tragic tone, with sympathy for heroes drawn from the middle and lower classes” (Wellek, 512). Simply put, Realism offered the reader an insight to the middle class’ psyche, and sought to highlight the negative aspects of life, rather than sweep them under the rug.

Henrik Ibsen was one of the authors in Europe who began constructing his work with the new, modern ties of literature. He addressed social issues and developed his middle class characters, all while satirizing the out-of-date bourgeoisie of the nineteenth century. He had a very realistic approach when it came to his writings, often retelling of the social situations as “the way they were.” One of the main critiques of Ibsen’s work was “Is this even art? How can we call it art if it is not beautiful?” Yet, that was his intention, for Ibsen did not seek to write literature which carried the same guidelines as Romanticism. The world around him, in the nineteenth century, had changed. Europe had changed. And thus, the content of literature needed to change.

Ibsen’s “Hedda Gabler” in the 19^th century shook the core of the definition of beauty. Very different than its predecessors, Ibsen sought to bring to the forefront social issues which needed to be talked about. He incorporated nasty subjects, such as women’s roles in society, social classes entwining, and even venereal diseases into his plays. And although these topics aren’t beautiful, he wrote about them in such an artistic manner that his play cannot help but be revered. He brought complicated characters, such as Hedda, whom was full of malice and manipulation, and made them sympathetic to the audience. From Hedda’s mocking of Aunt Julie’s hat for shear humor, the manipulation of Mrs. Elvsted, to the encouragement of Lovborg’s downfall, Hedda proves herself quite genius. Hedda Gabler is sick and tired of being beautiful, of being wealthy, and of being bored. Everything in her life, she feels, is dictated by a will none of her own. And through this, and because she is obviously a very intelligent woman, she toys with people’s lives in order to feel in control. “The play is not, however, simply a character study… It is also an extremely effective, swiftly moving play of action, deftly plotted in its clashes and climaxes” (Simon, 652). Ibsen affectively portrayed middle class’ characters, emotions and societal injustices, and although his work was very different than traditional theater, it is very easily classified as art.

Because of authors like Ibsen in the Realism movement who sought to explore the middle class in a different light, our literary cannon of today has developed to  highly personal content. Today we celebrate stories from different cultures that are (un)familiar to us. Fredrick Douglass’ slave narrative is highlighted and explored through literature classes; The Perks of Being a Wallflower is kept in most middle school lockers. Today, every reader can identify with a specific novel or short story because their class and culture is being published. Instead of readers seeking to find their identity through a metaphysical poet’s lines, one can simply walk into Barnes and Nobles and select a section they identify with.

Post the Realism movement in literature, writers now have a limitless canvas to explore. The middle class voice is expressed to the reader, acting as a strong indicator for the ideas of the time. Literature coincides with history, acting as a personal account of the movements shaping the eras. For example, without the Realism movement leading to a personal approach in literature, the documents of Anne Frank and horrific retellings of Tadeusz Borowski never would have been published. Thus, the first person account of the Holocaust would have been lost. Furthermore, the extremely personal poetry and fiction of Sylvia Plath never would have been exposed, thus never reaching the hands of the sixteen-year-old me, who was searching for something to relate to.

Realism extended what the ideas of entertainment and literature were to the every-day people. Today, even our popular culture represents the ideas and conventions of the Realism movement. Instead of reading about wealthy princes in moral dilemmas, young girls chose to rather read about common women like themselves, such as The Babysitter’s Club. Even our television programs contain elements of Realism. The highest ever grossing sitcom, “Friends,” was the story of everyday life for six middle class adults in New York City. Society does not like to be too fooled when it comes to our reality; we would rather be entertained by something we can relate to rather than being blindsided by something we cannot identify with.

Without the movement of Realism, our literary confinements of today would not be so limitless. As writers, we can explore different areas of grey matter and rest assured that some percentage of the population will relate to it. Whether our ideas manifest in the hardships of a poor economy of today, or the social injustices of women’s roles in a conflicting society (like Plath), we can write about them. People want to read something they can understand. And what is better to write about than every-day life?

Work Cited

Simon, Peter, ed. "Henrik Ibsen." The Norton Anthology of World Literature. Shorter Second ed. Vol. 2. New York: W.W. Norton &, 2009. 649-53. Print.

Wellek, Rene, and Sarah Lawall. "The Nineteenth Century: Realism and Symbolism." The Norton Anthology of World Literature. Shorter Second ed. Vol. 2. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2009. 509-15. Print.

Wheeler, L. K. "Literary Terms and Definitions R." Literary Terms and Definitions: R. 26 Aug. 2009. Web. 30 Nov. 2009. http://web.cn.edu/kwheeler/lit_terms_R.html.

Faust->Six Characters->Hedda

Goethe’s Faust was dominated by Enlightenment ideals of the world in the early 19^th century. The Enlightenment encompassed a shift from a communal acceptance of the Lord’s proper intentions to a more individualistic approach to understanding and questioning the world. God was no longer accepted as a proper answer by most; science became a developing force beginning to answer questions which plagued cultures for centuries. A mere four years before the first publishing of Part I of Faust, Immanuel Kant developed his ideas as a philosopher concerning the power of reason to provide as the most significant form of knowledge (“Goethe” 283). These philosophies epitomize the struggle for the character of Faust.

Although heavily influenced by the Enlightenment, the play Faust seems to be making more a critique of the new culture. Unlike Marlowe’s Doctor Faustus, Goethe’s version involved the character “pursuing not knowledge but experience” (“Goethe” 315). Faust claims, “I’ve studied, alas, philosophy, Law and medicine, recto and verso, and how I regret it… With what result? Poor fooling old man, I’m no whit wiser than when I began!” (320) Faust is voicing his frustrating that science, philosophy and education, three key components of the Enlightenment, which are not fulfilling him. He is left unsatisfied to the point in which he is willing to sell his soul to the Devil. Not differing from Marlowe’s version, both Faust characters stake their lives and salvation on their “capacity ever to yearn for something beyond” (“Goethe” 315). Yet, this Enlightenment character is not searching for more knowledge, but is searching for something even better- experience.

Faust's character is so developed in the sciences, yet he feels a sense of lacking in his understanding of the world. He states, "Oh, if I only had a magic mantle to bear me off to unknown lands, I'd never trade it for the costliest gowns" (337). This search for a different knowledge, for a spiritual encounter, is one different than of what the Enlightenment considers worthy. Faust, throughout the entire play, is dealing with the Devil, and magic, and trickery. These concepts are not what are important in the Enlightenment.

While Faust’s character is one exploring new areas other than those of the Enlightenment, his general core engulfs the very individualistic attitude of the time. In the beginning of the play, Faust is too egotistical and self centered to share his knowledge with the world, in order to better serve humanity. He is very centralized in his own understanding of the world, and his own personal gain from the experiences he so desires. The Enlightenment was very much so about individual knowledge and growth, yet taken to the extreme, could be detrimental to society. Goethe was making a social critique of the era by using Faust as a prime example to raise questions such as, “Where does societal good come into play concerning this Enlightenment period?”

Goethe used Faust to explore the benefits and the negatives of the Enlightenment. While knowledge is something definitely worshipped in this era, Goethe critiques science as not being the end-all- be- all answer to everything. Without a magical sense and higher-power interaction, art cannot be fully understood. Art is not something as simple as 2+2, and Goethe sought to explore this critique through his character Faust during a time where realism was all.

From what my World Literature class has covered so far, the evolution of theater and definition of art from Moliere’s Tartuffe to Pirandello’s Six Characters in Search of an Author is astounding. Theater’s shift from traditional defined characters and a structured plot of the 17^th century to the confusing and distorted, fourth-wall broken art of the 20^th century is drastic.

Tartuffe serves as a basic format for traditional drama. “Moliere employs classic comic devices of plot and character,” (“Moliere” 98) to tell the tale of a hypocritical Christian being caught in his demise. The story involves traditional Greek ideals of how theater should be produced. Like conventional theater, Tartuffe is told in verse, and follows a consistent time sequence, place, and rising action. The play does not leap to flashbacks, switch locations, or introduce concepts out of order. The purpose of Tartuffe was to expose the vices of hypocrisy within the church of Moliere’s day. Moliere defends his piece in his Preface, “If the function of comedy is to correct men’s vices, I do not see why any should be exempt” (101). In following traditional Greek theater format, and being written for a purpose, Tartuffe represents “good theater” of its day.

Then along came Ibsen’s Hedda Gabler in the 19^th century, which shook the core of the definition of beauty. Very different than its predecessors, Ibsen sought to bring to the forefront social issues which needed to be talked about. He incorporated nasty subjects, such as women’s roles in society, social classes entwining, and even venereal diseases into his plays. And although these topics aren’t beautiful, he sought to write about them in still an artistic manner. He brought complicated characters, such as Hedda, full of malice and manipulation, and made them sympathetic to the audience. “The play is not, however, simply a character study… It is also an extremely effective, swiftly moving play of action, deftly plotted in its clashes and climaxes” (“Henrik Ibsen” 652). Because Ibsen so effectively portrayed these characters, emotions, and societal injustices, his work, although different than traditional theater, is very easily classified as art.

By the 20^th century, Pirandello’s Six Characters further experiments with the definition of art. The shift of society because of the Industrial Revolution changed the culture of world, thus changing the way of life for people. Pirandello sought to break the fourth wall in this play, thus changing the actors into characters themselves. The argument of whether art is more real than reality is the entire theme of his play. These challenging new ways of stage convention are difficult, thus changing art and becoming art of its time. This play challenges its readers/viewers to understand different concepts which had not been explored before.

Both Ibsen’s and Pirandello’s plays are experimental pieces of art in their time. Both authors sought to explore past the boundaries of traditional theater drama and encompass new ideas. Ibsen sought to make his audience question the social problems of his time, while Pirandello sought to make his audience question their own realities. Both are equally as daring as each other, because they both created a new style of writing theater while achieving two different goals. The intent of producing good art was affective by Moliere, Ibsen and Pirandello through the shift of what “good theater” was considered through the 17^th- 20^th centuries.

           

           

Work Cited

Simon, Peter, ed. Norton Anthology of World Literature. Shorter Second ed. Vol. 2. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2009. Print.

“Henrik Ibsen.” Simon. 649-709. Print.

 “Jean- Baptiste Poquelin (“Moliere”).” Simon. 98-155. Print.

“Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.” Simon. 314-420. Print.

“Luigi Pirandello.” Simon. 860-903. Print.

Harlem Life Expressed in “Sonny’s Blues” : A Review and Analysis

Life for African-Americans has never been a simple one. The beginning of their roots in America was one of harsh slavery, predictably heading to a struggle to find identity while still being regarded as property. Post-Civil War Era, African-Americans continued their struggle to find a home in a society that still did not recognize them as equal; even with rights, they were still regarded in a legal standpoint as 3/5ths a vote. Throughout many trials to find an appropriate place in a culture that did not accept them in the early 20th Century, different communities and mindsets of African-Americans began to form around the country. One of the most recognizable communities for African-Americans, even post revolutionary times in the 1960s, is the heart of Harlem set inside New York City.


Harlem-life has been retold throughout many pieces of African-American literature, ranging from voices expressed in 1925 publication of “The New Negro” to James Baldwin’s fictional short story “Sonny’s Blues,” published in 1957. Echoing throughout different pieces are the words and visions of “a dream deferred,” challenging readers to place themselves into the harsh culture that African-Americans have to wake up to every morning. In “Sonny’s Blues,” a character offers this account of Harlem: “All that hatred down there… all that hatred and misery and love. It’s a wonder it doesn’t blow the avenue apart,” (Baldwin 1886). By the personal tale of two very different brothers, each reaching to establish and come to terms with their identities in Harlem, Baldwin created a riveting piece of fiction.


Throughout “Sonny’s Blues,” both the narrator and his brother, Sonny, are beginning to establish a new relationship with each other after a nearly a year of silence. Both men are layered with complexities that their environment has woven into their personalities; the narrator struggles with a need to control his surroundings, while Sonny prefers to simply attempt to control himself. The brothers have chosen two different paths in life, yet near the end of the story, both men recognize that they are similarly struggling and coping with the suffering that the hardships of their community has brought them.


In order to advance his life, the narrator chose to join the Army when he was out of high school, marrying young, and furthering his education. Now, as a high school algebra teacher in his local community, he is facing the news that his younger brother, Sonny, is imprisoned for “peddling and using heroin,” (Baldwin 1868). The reader is then absorbed into a world of the narrator’s psyche; he struggles with a sense of responsibility for his Sonny’s downfalls. Through a series of flashbacks, Baldwin exposes the narrator’s shame by revealing a conversation he had with his mother when she was still alive. The boys’ mother pleaded, “You got to hold on to your brother… and don’t let him fall, no matter what it looks like is happening to him and no matter how evil you gets with him. You going to be evil with him many a time. But don’t you forget… You may not be able to stop nothing from happening. But you got to let him know you’s there” (Baldwin 1876). Through this memory, the narrator’s necessity for being so controlling/judgmental over his younger brother is easily justified- caring was the only thing his mother asked of him. The older brother reacts in a protective way when discussing Sonny’s future of joining the military, recalling how “I got mad. It was because I was so scared,” (Baldwin 1879). In an act to fulfill his mother’s wishes after her death, the narrator sends Sonny to live with his Isabel’s, his wife’s, family instead of allowing Sonny to choose his path for himself.


Sonny recognizes he had become a burden while living with Isabel’s family, and rejecting the control that was placed over him, Sonny runs off to the Navy for refuge at a mere seventeen years of age. Though his hopes of becoming a jazz pianist never stray, Sonny sought to be self-reliant and resists the control and aid of his older brother. The narrator notes in one memory how similar Sonny is to his father: “…Sonny was the apple of his father’s eye… It doesn’t do any good to fight with Sonny. Sonny just moves back, inside himself, where he can’t be reached… Daddy was big and rough and loud-talking, just the opposite of Sonny, but they both had- that same privacy,” (Baldwin 1874). Once Sonny returns home in New York, he begins to mix with an eclectic group of friends and veers more into the temptations of his lifestyle. The rift between the two brothers grows, and after hearing his older brother condemn his lifestyle, Sonny shuts him out. It took Sonny’s arrest for the brothers to begin to lean on each other, and finally begin to understand each other’s mindsets.


The conclusion both the brothers come to is one of such similarity considering the different lifestyles they chose to lead. Even after an education and a steady job, the narrator finds himself living in a housing project “just like the houses in which Sonny and I grew up. The same things happen, [his children] will have the same things to remember,” (Baldwin 1873). When Sonny and his brother finally begin discussing the reasons for Sonny’s turn to heroin, Sonny recalls how low he had allowed himself to get before going to jail. Sonny states, “I was all by myself at the bottom of something, stinking and sweating and crying and shaking, and I smelled it, you know? My stink, and I thought I’d die if I couldn’t get away from it and yet, all the same, I knew that everything I was doing was just locking me in with it. And I didn’t know,” (Baldwin 1885). The narrator listens, struck with the same feelings of guilt and responsibility for letting his brother fall so far into the hardships of Harlem. Yet later, when Sonny is playing the blues on the piano at the club, the narrator gathers a sense of understanding what Sonny meant when he stated this, for the narrator finally begins to recognize his own “stink.” Swarmed with the memories of the hardships of his deceased mother, uncle and little girl, the narrator distinguishes his own blues. Through the playing, the narrator realizes, “For, while the tale of how we suffer, and how we are delighted, and how we may triumph is never new, it always must be heard. There isn’t any other tale to tell, it’s the only light we’ve got in this darkness,” (Baldwin 1888). The conclusion both men come to is to release their sufferings, and to “[understand], at last, that [Sonny] could help us to be free if we would listen, [and] that he would never be free until we did,” (Baldwin 1888).


The amount of suffering African-Americans endured throughout Harlem in the 20th Century took a toll on their culture, dividing it into different classes of the frustrated and the outraged. Along with Baldwin, other authors sought to express their accounts of the lifestyle throughout poetry. Langston Hughes’ “Theme For English B” reiterates the frustrations of being a black man in Harlem through the lines 30-40. “You are white-/yet a part of me, as I am a part of you./ That’s American./ Sometimes perhaps you don’t want to be a part of me./ Not do I often way to be a part of you./ But we are, that’s true!/ As I learn from you,/ I guess you learn from me-/ although you’re older-and white-/ and somewhat more free,” (Hughes 1567). Countee Cullen, like Baldwin, incorporates the importance for the musical outlet in his poem “Harlem Wine.” Cullen describes Harlem as a miserable setting, where “This is not water running here,/ These thick rebellious streams/ That hurtle flesh and bone past fear/ Down alleyways of dreams,” (Cullen 1443). Yet, with the aid of music, Cullen’s poem captures in the last stanza how “an artful flue/ With loose, elastic lips,/ Its measurement of joy compute/ With blithe, ecstatic hips,” (Cullen 1443). Undoubtedly, Harlem’s hardships shaped the environment in which men and women became even more confused of their identities; they sought to establish themselves by measuring how well they coped with their suffering. And as Baldwin’s “Sonny’s Blues” demonstrates, no matter what direction either men took in their lives, they were still hindered by the confinements of a city of struggle.



Bibliography:

Baldwin, James. “Sonny’s Blues.” 1868-89.

Cullen, Countee. “Harlem Wine.” McMichael 1443.

Hughes, Langston. “Theme For English B.” McMichael 1567.

McMichael, George, et al., eds. Anthology of American Literature. 2 vols. 9th ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson/Prentice Hall, 2007. Vol. II.

Spring Semester (The Sufjan Stevens Essay) Explanation

*Preface*- This is an explanation to the experimental essay written a few entries below.

The essay paired with this justification is indeed experimental, for I worked through different styles to explain my two working theses. I approached this essay by explaining how my semester has been trying in two ways: emotionally and mentally. I decided to break these two apart and have them juxtaposed for the reader (and myself) to see. My first working thesis is that while academics are important, the emotional side of one’s life can be more daunting. My second working thesis is that the English language rules are constantly in question, thus anyone from an author to an ESOL student will be challenged. I separated the two theses by styles: the first in prose, the second in academic language. In order to have the readers transition from one style to the next, I divided the piece by my class schedule.

I worked through the grieving process of my friend’s cancer diagnosis through this essay. Through prose, I sorted through the difficult emotional discourses I encountered over the past four months.  I first began the prose with guilt being the underlying emotion, for one normally feels guilt quickly into the grieving process. The lines, “chain smoking outside of Classroom One, and the Business Academy, and just about everywhere. Cancer of the mouth should have been me,” are enough to bring me back down into that grieving phase.

            I then worked through the emotions of solitude and anger, for those are the next two that follow in a grieving process. I again set the scene on campus, for I wanted the reader to keep being reminded that I was on school with these emotions. I wanted the anger to represent something more than anger at myself, for I know it is not my fault that Kate has cancer. I have never been a believer in God, but the moment I found out she had cancer, I decided He deserved the blame. It’s been the strangest emotion for me, for I never believed in Him initially, yet now that she’s sick, I almost do. I almost need that someone to blame, and I wanted that to show through the second and third stanza.

            By the third stanza, I knew the grieving process explained in my prose was going well. I decided to take the route of depression and sadness in this stanza, for those are the next to follow. I wrote about my boyfriend at the time (“God” bless his heart), and how he traveled so much during this difficult time for me. I chose to write about “lonely birthdays” for he was in Montreal on his birthday and was in San Francisco on mine. I thought that image would be a nice way to relate to the reader, for they can picture a lonely birthday in their minds (unlike trying to identify the radiation machine I know so well). 

I concluded the last stanza of prose with a bit of frustration and anger again. I have not reached the acceptance and hope stage of grieving yet, and I did not want to lie to my reader. I also included the “writing about writing (which is redundant as it seems)” to place the academic and emotional sides together. I wanted to show the struggle of school and emotional hardships and I think that line ties it all together nicely. 

The lengthy parts of my essay are placed strategically throughout the prose. I placed the “concept attainment” section first for two reasons. “Concept attainment” is the hardest idea to grasp in this essay, and I wanted the reader to be greeted with a difficult idea backed with supportive resources. Secondly, I wanted the reader to use “concept attainment” when reading my prose. In my eyes, the reader should identify the grieving process without me stating, “I’M GRIEVING” in bold font for them. By being shown these different emotions, if the reader applies concept attainment, they will understand the reasoning for the prose. 

I then wrote about ESOL students and situations they deal with for that has been a giant bulk of my semester’s academic requirements. This subject is not necessarily entertaining, but it serves a purpose in this essay because it provides examples of how ridiculous the English language actually is. I then wrote about the use of “I” in an academic essay, and how scholarly sources cannot decide if it is okay or not. I felt like this carried the situations of the ESOL students further, for it offered the idea that the English language has too many rules for anyone to learn. I then went on to show why an audience will retract from an essay if the rules are broken. Writing, in English, is a Catch-22, and I feel like my essay shows this nicely.

If my readers catch on to either of my theses or the grieving process through my prose, I will be pleased. I recognize that there is a vague element to my piece, for I did not want the reader to know exactly what I meant; that’s too personal for me to even share. Instead, if the reader cannot identify any of my intentions, I hope they feel the pull that I do when I read this again and again. The struggle of sadness and academic responsibility has become so daunting; I want the reader to feel that, too. The biggest struggle I encountered when writing this piece was retracting obvious statements. I so badly wanted to write, “I’m Sad. School Sucks. English is Hard,” but I knew I could produce something much more challenging. I’m awfully pleased with the result of this paper, although I know too well that I will be the only reader who understands the situation I am in.

Spring Semester: Sufjan Stevens

It was the semester of Sufjan Stevens[1] and carcinoma,

Chemotherapy consultations

and panic attacks in the radiation machine.

I am crying in the bathroom.[2]

It was the semester of Sufjan Stevens and chain smoking

outside of Classroom One,

and the Business Academy, and just about everywhere.

Cancer of the mouth should have been me.

EDG 4410; SECTION 08; MONDAYS 10:30-1:20

Jerome Bruner’s creation of the “concept attainment” model of teaching has opened new, productive ways to teach elements of literature to students, for it allows the readers to search through information to draw conclusions about a subject. “Concept attainment” is the search for and identification of attributes that can be used to distinguish examples of a given group or category from non-examples (“Instructional Strategies Online”). Because definitions of literary terms are often infused, students usually have a misunderstanding of what a term means. “Students and even, at times, educators think that if you know what something is called, you understand the meaning of the word. Vygotsky (1986) commented, ‘A word does not refer to a single object, but to a group or to a class of objects. Each word is therefore already a generalization’ (p. 6)” (Boulware 492). The best way to establish new meaning to a previously determined word is to apply “concept attainment.”

To use the “concept attainment” model of teaching when describing the word ‘metaphor,’ the students must search through examples and non examples of a metaphor. After the class agrees on the attributes of a metaphor, they create a definition. Once the word is again defined, the students create examples of a metaphor to show their grasp of new knowledge. Rather than being told another definition, “concept attainment” gives the students the opportunity to create their own meaning based on logic and relationships of words and abstracts. This not only creates a clearer image of a metaphor for the students, but also enhances their critical thinking skills.

“The three phases of this strategy allow students to follow an inductive sequence, drawing conclusions through a group exploration of the concept presented. In phase 1 of the strategy, the students examine the concept and form a hypothesis about its attributes. During phase 2, students test and confirm their idea and learn the name of the concept presented. Finally, in phase 3, the students analyze the thinking strategies they used to derive the new concept (Holt & Kysilka, 2006; Joyce et al., 2004)” (Boulware).

It was the semester of Sufjan Stevens and singularity.

Melodies while walking to class, head hung low[3];

Maintaining the rhythm while shielding from

the steps of strangers who have other places to be.

It was the semester of Sufjan Stevens and godliness,

and godlessness, and, “Oh, God, where are you now?”[4]

We wished in the waiting room,

(Where He was never witnessed).

TSL 4240; SECTION 02; TUESDAYS/ THURSDAYS 9:00-10:15

One of the trickiest things for an English Language Learner (ELL) is prepositions, for they are often not heard in common conversation. A Native English Speaker (NES) produces sentences quickly, and often does not enunciate the preposition in between words. For example, a NES does not place emphasis on the bold word in the sentence, “I’m placing creamer in my coffee.” Instead, a NES says, “I’m placing creamer ‘n my coffee.” Often time, an ELL will substitute a preposition for another because of this fallacy. Then, when facing an English comprehension test, an ELL student will not be able to clearly identify which preposition works for said sentence, for “on” or “in” might have been heard. This greatly affects an ELL’s writing ability for they are limited by their hearing of casual conversation.

Phrasal verbs often intimidate ELLs, although they are extremely common in the English language. Phrasal verbs are a verb + a preposition, which have meaning on their own. An example of a phrasal verb is “She ran up a huge bill,” or “The plane took off the runway.” The girl did not literally run (or swiftly jog) up a bill, but an ELL might think that. Instead, the meaning of the sentence is that she incurred a large bill. The plane did not literally take a runway, but instead, left the runway. This can be very confusing when an ELL sits down to write, for without the context clues in conversation, they can fear they are using the wrong meaning of the phrasal verb.

It was the semester of Sufjan Stevens and the iPod,

the iPhone, the iPad, and the iLove.

Relationship discourse through distance and devices,

when work wanted travel at inopportune times.

It was the semester of Sufjan Stevens and lonely birthdays,

And even lonelier nights.

We lift our hands and pray over your body

But nothing ever happens.[5]

ENC 3311; SECTION 01; TUESDAYS/ THURSDAYS 10:30-11:45

When writing an academic essay, the use of “I” is not recommended, but can be appropriate when a text calls for it. “Some scholarly writers claim that they should not use a first-person subject, because they need to create an objective point of view” (Williams 64). Yet, some academic essays do not want an objective POV from the audience, for they instead seek to gain specific response from the reader. An essay is deemed academic if it exposes something to the reader with a specific goal in mind. Academic essays can explain a concept, share an idea, or offer a story in a perfectly constructed format. “When academics writers do use the first person, however, they use it in certain ways, […] the first person I and we are common in scholarly prose when used with verbs that name actions unique to the writer,” (Williams 67).

The most challenging way to complete an academic essay in the first person has been said to be an experimental academic essay, for the author has to identify which rules to bend, to break, and to adhere to. An author also has to recognize their intended audience, and honor the fact that some of their readers might become lost if the essay is too formal/distant/ personal/ confusing/experimental/racist/sexist/evil/bitchy/breathes the wrong way. Through the use of stylistic elements such as manipulation and coherence, the author can generally predict how their work will be perceived.

It was the semester of Sufjan Stevens and writing about writing

(which is as redundant as it seems),

when a twenty-year-old friend is dying of cancer.

And He takes, and He takes, and He takes.[6]

Work Cited

Boulware, Beverly J., and Mary Lynn Crow. "Using the Concept Attainment Strategy to Enhance Reading Comprehension." The Reading Teacher 61.6 (2008): 491-95. ERIC. Web. 4 Apr. 2010.

"Instructional Strategies Online - Concept Attainment." Online Learning Centre. Ed. Saskatoon Public Schools. 2004. Web. 21 Apr. 2010.

Stevens, Sufjan. "Casimir Pulaski Day." Rec. 2004. Come On, Feel the Illinois. Sufjan Stevens. Sufjan Stevens, 2005. CD.

Williams, Joseph M. "Characters." Style: Lessons in Clarity and Grace. Ninth ed. New York: Pearson Longman, 2007. 64-67. Print.

[1] American Christian folk writer/singer (1975-?)

[2] Song lyric from Sufjan Stevens’ “Casimir Pulaski Day”

[3] Song lyric from Sufjan Stevens’ “Casimir Pulaski Day”

[4] a Sufjan Stevens’ song

[5] Song lyrics from Sufjan Steven’s “Casimir Pulaski Day”

[6] Song lyric from Sufjan Steven’s “Casimir Pulaski Day”