Week Ten: Assignments

Lorain, Ohio 1933. Palace Theater at Broadway and 6th. photo: Black River Historical Society

for Sunday December 2: email me 3 study questions on Toni Morrison, The Bluest Eye.

Office Hours this week:
Monday 10-11 (HIB 194)
Monday 1:30-2:45 (Cyber-A Cafe)
Wednesday 12-1 (HIB 194)
***I will be available at other times on both Monday and Wednesday if you would like to schedule an appointment to talk about your essay, your grade, or the exam.

Monday, December 3
Reading: finish The Bluest Eye
Writing: continue to revise essay #3

Wednesday, December 5
Reading: Final Exam Review Sheet (on blog), make comments if you have questions
Writing: Essay #3 due (all drafts, peer review drafts must be turned in, upload essay to www.turnitin.com)

Reminder: Final Exam Monday December 10, 4:00-6:00 (no exam Friday December 13)

epistemological confidences

Let’s consider Austen’s characters as “epistemological postulates”: modes of observing, perceiving, processing, and judging the world, especially the social world and other characters’ thoughts and feelings.

Consider each of the characters below as a distinct type of “thinking machine.” For each character, answer the questions following and be prepared to give textual evidence (suggested pages to examine are provided, though you can look at other passages):

• Louisa (pp. 116-7)
• Captain Wentworth (pp. 98-99)
• Admiral Croft (p. 151)
• Anne (pp. 111-113; many other suitable passages)
• Mary (p. 108)
• Captain Benwick (pp. 129-30)

1. Who or what is this character’s attention most drawn to? What type of information or source of information is most important for him/her?

2. Is this character more involved in thinking, feeling, or some combination of the two?

3. What kinds of judgments does this character arrive at (e.g., cognitive, practical, moral, aesthetic)? Does the character make judgments about him- or herself, others, the world at large? What is the object of his/her judgments?

4. What judgment does the narrator seem to make about this character and his/her thought/feeling process? Consider the character’s possible alliance with the narrator or his/her placement in the “satiric field.” Also consider the character’s ultimate fate in the novel.

5. How does this judgment connect to Austen’s larger purpose in the novel (as satire, social commentary, comedy)?

(adapted from Catherine Winarski)

"But the dismembering of dolls was not the true horror."

insert yourself...

which of the following papers would you most want to read?

Meditations on First Philosophy
Descartes’ Meditations on First Philosophy (2)
Descartes’ View on Judgement
Descartes’ God
Descartes’ Doubts
Descartes’ Meditations
The Reasoning Behind Descartes
Descartes Defined Through the Mind
Descartes on Perfection
Descartes and God
Descartes and Reason
The Mechanism of God
The Entity of God
Existence, Descartes, and God
God’s Significance in Meditations on First Philosophy
God in Rene Descartes’ Meditations on First Philosophy
Perfection is Overrated
Living Free

titles: creative + : + substance

sample theses

sample from Class 11/26:
"The importance of these changes is that in the second ending, the level of interiority for each character is greatly increased, allowing the reader to identify more strongly with each character and become more interested in the eventual outcome of the story."

Commentary:
the evaluation: shows/tells which ending is better (good, subtle implication)
the focus: what the "issue" is (in this and in most WD's this will need further development)
induction: tells what new thing the writer has discovered about the issue (this claim does not do this yet. it merely tells us: "the resolution was good." this part should make some argument about how "the issue" of focus is resolved).

From Linda Bree, in the introduction:
"By bringing other characters to Bath, and creating two key scenes at a hotel where various characters can come and go, meet and overhear, miss, or misunderstand each other, Austen is able not only to resolve the romance between Anne and Wentworth, but to embed this personal relationship firmly within the larger themes she has been developing: of the importance of spontaneity over calculation, and friendship over family, and of the roles, conventions, and choices of men and women in the early years of the nineteenth century."

Commentary:
the evaluation: shows/tells which ending is better (subtle, descriptive)
the focus: what the "issue" is (here: all these themes--interesting, generative, too numerous for 4-page essay)
induction: tells what new thing the writer has discovered about the issue--does Bree tell us something about how the issue(s) are resolved?

who are dick and jane?

from period children's books at the time

Q 20

Some of the subtleties of Anne’s character might not be explicitly stated. Other aspects of her character might be implied through comparison with other characters in the novel. The same goes for other characters in the novel as well. In the following description of the Musgroves, what character traits are attributed to being “modern”? What does imply about Anne’s own relationship to the changing times? How does this give us some insight into Anne’s thinking?

“The Musgroves, like their houses, were in a state of alteration, perhaps of improvement. The father and mother were in the old English style, and the young people in the new. Mr. and Mrs. Musgrove were a very good sort of people; friendly and hospitable, not much educated, and not at all elegant. Their children had more modern minds and manners. There was a numerous family; but the only two grown up, excepting Charles, were Henrietta and Louisa, young ladies of nineteen and twenty, who had brought from school at Exeter all the usual stock of accomplishments, and were now, like thousands of other young ladies, living to be fashionable, happy, and merry.” (77-78)

Q 19

In the following passage, Austen develops one of the novel’s major concepts. What is it? Who is the narrator commenting on? How does it make a commentary on the character of Anne and Captain Wentworth?

“Anne wondered whether it ever occurred to him now, to question the justness of his own previous opinion as to the universal felicity and advantage of firmness of character; and whether it might not strike him, that, like all other qualities of the mind, it should have its proportions and limits. She thought it could scarcely escape him to feel that a persuadable temper might sometimes be as much in favour of happiness, as a very resolute character” (143-144)

Q 18

18. Most of these questions and most of the lecture material involve us in thinking with Austen. What might it mean to think against Austen?

Q 17

17. How would you sum up the importance of the navy in this novel? What do you make of Anne’s new “profession” (258)?

Q 16

16. What is Anne’s one regret at the end of the novel (257-8)?

Q 15

15. What do you make of Wentworth’s letter (245-6)?

Q 14

14. What does Mrs. Smith know about Mr. Elliot (210 ff)?

Q 13

13. Why does Anne compare herself with Mrs. Larolles? Who is Mrs. Larolles (206)?

Q 12

12. There are several occasions of overhearing: Anne overhears Wentworth and Louisa Musgrove; Anne overhears Mrs. Clay and Elizabeth and Sir Walter; Wentworth overhears Anne and Captain Harville. Why might overhearing be important?

Q 11

11. In the introduction to his The Improvement of the Estate (1971; rpt. with new introduction, 1994), Alistair Duckworth says--

Mrs. Smith . . . is important as the final embodiment of a fate that haunts all [Austen's] novels. Here at the last is the entirely unsupported woman, reduced to bare existence without husband, society or friends. Though she appears at the end of Jane Austen's writing life, Mrs. Smith has always existed as a latent possibility in the novelists' thought, an unvoiced threat, the other possible pole of existence. Meeting her old friend after twelve years, Anne Elliot comes face to face with her own possible fate. . . . For this is the danger facing many of Jane Austen's heroines, that present security may become total isolation, that residence 'in the centre of their property' in the enjoyment of 'the general good opinion of their surrounding acquaintance ' may be exchanged for life 'in lodgings' without the money even 'to afford . . . the comfort of a servant.'"

What do you think of this interpretation of Mrs. Smith? Try pulling together all the details about her and then ask yourself how you would interpret her significance to the novel. (The evidence begins with p. 173.)

Q 10

10. Notice that the transition to Bath is made by a mental comparison. What do you think that implies about this novel (147)?

Q 9

9. Does it take a set of sisters like Mary and Elizabeth to create an Anne?

Q 8

8. What is “indirect discourse”? What do you imagine “free indirect discourse” to be? Notice throughout the point of view through which Austen constructs her novel.

Q 7

7. What does “independence” seem to mean in this novel? See pp. 50 & 93 and be attentive to other uses.

Q 6

6. What is the relation of the novel’s characters to the past? (See, for example, p. 94).

Q 5

5. What does the word “connexions” mean? Trace its uses. What does Austen imply by these uses of the term? (See, for example, pp. 66, 106, 108, 161 & 169 and collect other examples).

Q 4

4. The Elliot family’s central problem is revealed by a phrase in the book on the Baronetage: “a still-born son, Nov. 5, 1789” (46). But Austen does not make the male heir the central problem of the novel. What is the central problem of the novel, and what are the implications of Austen’s novelistic choice of de-centering the family problem?

Q 3

3. What is irony? How does irony affect the reader’s thinking?

Q 2

2. What does Austen imply by having an ancient family replaced by a Naval family at Kellynch Hall? At what point does Austen make the implications explicit? So what? (BTW: Notice that the book centralized at the Musgrove household challenges the one that is dominant at Kellynch Hall.)

Q 1

How does the estate--Kellynch Hall--function in the novel's plot?

Ironic: or not?

an ironic version of "Ironic"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ewUUiRlbMI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8v9yUVgrmPY&feature=related

and the lyrics:
http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/alanismorissette/ironic.html

"Ironic"An old man turned ninety-eightHe won the lottery and died the next dayIt's a black fly in your ChardonnayIt's a death row pardon two minutes too lateAnd isn't it ironic... don't you thinkIt's like rain on your wedding dayIt's a free ride when you've already paidIt's the good advice that you just didn't takeWho would've thought... it figuresMr. Play It Safe was afraid to flyHe packed his suitcase and kissed his kids goodbyeHe waited his whole damn life to take that flightAnd as the plane crashed down he thought"Well isn't this nice..."And isn't it ironic... don't you thinkIt's like rain on your wedding dayIt's a free ride when you've already paidIt's the good advice that you just didn't takeWho would've thought... it figuresWell life has a funny way of sneaking up on youWhen you think everything's okay and everything's going rightAnd life has a funny way of helping you out whenYou think everything's gone wrong and everything blows upIn your faceA traffic jam when you're already lateA no-smoking sign on your cigarette breakIt's like ten thousand spoons when all you need is a knifeIt's meeting the man of my dreamsAnd then meeting his beautiful wifeAnd isn't it ironic...don't you thinkA little too ironic...and, yeah, I really do think...It's like rain on your wedding dayIt's a free ride when you've already paidIt's the good advice that you just didn't takeWho would've thought... it figuresLife has a funny way of sneaking up on youLife has a funny, funny way of helping you outHelping you out

Week Nine and Ten: Assignments

**please see post below (11/17) for Week Eight's assignments
Monday, November 26
Reading: Re-read Persuasion ending/appendix
Writing: Pre-writing Grid due; Discovery Task #2 due (background and reference material on Jane Austen); Ideas Draft due (emailed to me by Sunday p.m.); total of 6 blog posts dues by Sunday p.m.

Wednesday, November 28
Reading: Begin reading The Bluest Eye, Toni Morrison
Writing: working draft essay #3 due (bring 3 copies, for peer review)
**conferences scheduled this week for paper discussion

Monday, December 3
Reading: Toni Morrison, The Bluest Eye
Writing: peer review essay #3

Wednesday, December 5
Reading: Final Exam Review Information
Writing: Final Draft Essay #3

FINAL EXAM: Monday December 10, 2007 4:00-6:00

Week Eight: Assignments

Monday, November 19

Reading: Writer's Handbook, “Genre” (Chapter 11 ),"Analyzing Narrative" (Chapter 8); Jane Austen’s Persuasion, finish.
Writing: Final Draft Essay #2 due (turn in all drafts/charts, peer reviews, include a writer's memo/acknowlegement/disclaimer, and upload to http://www.turnitin.com/)

Wednesday, November 21
Discussion section meets; NO LECTURE

Reading: Writer's Handbook, "Comparison and Contrast" (Chapter 9)

Writing: Prewriting & Ideas Draft for Essay #3 (email)

picture: Bath with chandelier that looks like it's on fire but it's really just the failure of your senses (taken by: Elizabeth Losh)

Interpretation

From class today:


God’s existence—“a more perfect being”
“Defect”


….
D. uses the idea that G. represents perfection to prove that he himself (or anything else) is not perfect or has defects.

[TS] G. represents perfection. [In Meditation Three] While trying to prove the existence of God, Descartes asks himself, “For how would I understand that I doubt and that I desire, that is, that I lack something and that I am not wholly perfect unless there were some idea in me of a more perfect being by comparison with which I might recognize my defects” (76). Here D. argues that there must be a perfect being or he would not understand his doubt and desire. This comprehension is the result of a comparison between himself and a perfect. The phrase “I am not wholly perfect” leads to the suggestion “unless” that he has the idea in him of “a more perfect being”. This passage starts to develop his idea of the more perfect being. This is the first he introduces the idea, but he also talks about or elaborates on it. For Descartes, the idea of perfection is relevant only to God. Defects/imperfection.


– “I lack something” – “For how would I understand…?” – “by comparison” – “in me” – “doubt” “desire” “defects”

Why is it important? Relevance to thesis/TS? Interpret from that things about D.

What are the defects? Imperfections that D. (or anything has)

Peer Review Essay Two

You will be receiving your peers' essays on Sunday night!!! Please spend 30-45 minutes reading each essay. Please print out the following set of questions so that you can use them as a guide while you are reading. Please email your responses to each of the questions to your peers by Tuesday November 14th at 9:00pm.

In addition to the email with comments about the essay, I am also asking you to read through the essay using the "track changes" option so that you can make language/sentence-level comments. If you prefer to print out the essays and make comments on the hard copy, this is also fine. Please organize this with your group. Everyone, however, will send and receive 2 emails with their response to the set of questions below. Please print out the emailed peer responses (and the essays with "track change" comments or hand-written comments) and bring them to class on Wednesday.

First, read the essay through. Use "track changes" on word to make notes/comments as you read. This will make all of your comments appear in red. Or make hand-written comments. Mark things that are interesting, confusing, that you want to know more about, etc.

Then, read and respond to the following questions in an email. You can number the questions or format it however you like (as long as your peer will understand). These questions are also valuable to you as writers.

1. What is your peer's idea of the significance of God for Descartes? Can you sum it up in a short phrase? What is the concept from Descartes that the writer is focusing on?

2. Locate the first passage included from Descartes. Is it clear what this passage is presenting evidence of? If yes, why? If no, why not?

3. Look at the interpretation that follows this passage. This is also called "the warrant" (the reason why the passage (the evidence) supports the claim. At first glance, where does it seem that the writer is summarizing and where analyzing? Make some comments here on the effectiveness of both.

4. In his/her analysis, does the writer deal with all of the parts of the passage that you think are important? Are there terms/phrases that the writer needs to look more closely at and give more interpretation of?

5. Following this passage interpretation, what phrases signal to you that the writer is drawing conclusions from this passage that are developing his/her argument?

6. Has the writer sucessfully pointed out something "new" about the Descartes passage and also related it to his/her idea about Descartes' G? If no, is there anything you would suggest that they look at in the passage that might be compelling?

7. Look at the passages that are included in the rest of the paper. Does it seem they are interpreted similarly to the one above? Which of these passages is the writer's strongest interpretation? the weakest? Comment on the overall effectiveness of the writer's interpretation practice. Make some suggestions for improvement.

8. Are there some passages or places in The Meditations you think the writer should look at? Places that would complexitize and/or develop their ideas about the significance of G? Are the passages included adequate/appropriate to the writer's "focus," his/her thesis, his/her "idea" of G?

9. Does the essay offer a coherent interpretation of a certain "idea" of God for Descartes? Comment briefly on the organization of the essay. Does it develop the idea of the thesis/introduction?

10. The conclusion of this essay should not summarize, but should be your "last best point," or you might re-visit some of the points made before and develop/draw out their central importance to your idea. Does the conclusion include the description of "certain results" that the writer has arrived at? If yes, what new thing has the writer told you about his/her idea in the conclusion? Is this an extension of the thesis (rather than either a brand new thesis or a reiteration of the old one)? If no, what suggestions do you have for change?

11. What have you learned, as a peer reader, from this essay (either negatively or positively)?

Week Seven: Assignments

Kellynch Hall (for real: www.kellynch.com)

1. Please email me and your peers your Working Draft by Sunday November 11 in the p.m.
2. I will be posting instructions for the Peer Review on the blog shortly. Please review your peers' papers using these guidelines and send via email by Tuesday November 13 in the p.m. Print out the reviews of your essay and bring them to class on Wednesday.
3. Essays are due Monday November 19th. I will return drafts on Wednesday November 14th or via email beforehand. I will have my regular office hours on Wednesday from 12-1 in the Humcore Office, HIB 194, and I will also have additional hours either that Wednesday or Thursday.
4. Continue to post on "Thinking with Descartes" blog--especially questions.
5. Begin reading Persuasion!! Wednesday's lecture will be a transition from Meditations to Persuasion, so bring both and begin thinking about how Jane Austen portrays the "thinking thing"--that is, the internal workings of the human mind. Here is the film trailer, if you need a hook: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0114117/trailers-screenplay-E20554-310
6. Good Work so far on sticking with essay two--it is not an easy assignment! Remember, as you are working, my emphasis on interpretation. You might find it useful to remind yourself of the types of things you need to "deal with" in your analysis of a passage by referring to the "Checklist for Analysis" on pages 58-59 of the Student Guide.

Week Six: Assignments

Monday, November 5
Reading:Writer's Handbook, “Analyzing Causality” (Chapter 7); Descartes’ Meditations 3 and 4
Writing: Ideas Draft for Essay #2 (emailed Sunday pm)

Wednesday, November 7
Reading: Descartes’ Meditations 5 and 6
Writing: "Working Draft" due (in thesis (claim), passage (evidence), explication (warrent) x 3 Form. (including one that challenges/opposes/complexitizes/contradicts your initial passage)); post reading observation to blog; continue filling in Meditation thinking/writing/reading + god/thesis/non-thesis chart (i will collect with final essay)

Thinking with Descartes

picture: Cogito Ergo Sum 3, Susan Aldworth

Record one of your reading observations from The Meditations below--you can answer or meditate on a question or on several questions or ask some of your own. Please check back to this post in the following week. After you have commented, please respond to at least one other comment as well. I will be checking and commenting as well. We will discuss questions/answers that are posed here in class on Wednesday November 7. I will check and record your participation in these postings at the end of the Descartes section on Wednesday November 14.

1. What does Descartes mean when he says "clearly and distinctly"? What are "clear and distinct" perceptions?
2. (from class today) What is "perfection"? What does it mean for Descartes' God to be "perfect"? For us?
3. What is objective reality? How does it relate to formal reality and external reality? Reality?
4. If human intellect is perfect, how is it that humans error (according to Descartes)?
5. What is the "infirmity" that Descartes experiences, the reason why he says here he makes mistakes (M4 page 86)? How can he keep from making mistakes?
6. How does Descartes characterize the difference between the mind and the body (M6, page 96)?
7. Why is the faculty of sensing passive and the faculty of understanding active (M6, pages 96-97)? Descartes returns now to the importance of "sensing" (which he had pushed out from the beginning of the first meditation). How does he now understand sensing? What is the result of this understanding?
8. How does the relationship between the body and the mind (not merely that of the sailor to a ship) get confused? How is being "taught by nature" different from "the light of nature" (M6, page 98-99)?