Chapter 14 – Writing About Poetic Form
Forms can be divided into sound effects (rhythm/rhyme) and artistic manipulation of word order (syntax)
Rhythm and Rhyme
Sound effects – Organized repetition
Rhythm is produced by stressing and accenting syllables.
Rhythm – enforces meaning and tone of a poem
Rhyme
Recurring pattern of similar sounds
Used at regular intervals, usually at the end of the lines
Can be "slant" rhyme – which is not as precise (ex. lap and shape)
Internal rhyme – is inside the word. (ex. dreary and weary, napping and tapping)
Alliteration, Assonance, Consonance
Alliteration – repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of words
Assonance – repetition of vowel sounds that are not followed by similar consonants. (ex. grave and gain, shine and bright)
Consonance – Consonants are parallel but the vowels change. (ex. blade, blood, flash, flesh)
Stanzas – Open and Closed
Closed form – poetry with lines of equal length arranged in fixed syllabic patterns.
Open form – lines vary in length, and vary from traditional rhyme/rhythm patterns.
Couplet – two rhymed lines, typically in equal length and meter
Quatrain – group of four lines with any number of rhyme schemes.
Sonnets
Fourteen lines, 10 syllables for each line.
Shakespearean has an a b a b, c d c d, e f e f, g g rhyme
Italian (Petrachan)
Fewer rhymes
Two groupings of lines: first 8 called "octave," next 6 "sestet"
Free Verse
No rhyme scheme or basic meter.
Modern.
Poetic Syntax:
Words can be written in reverse order, or carefully planned so they are staccato in sound.
Visual Poetry
Prose poem looks like a paragraph, but reads like a poem.
Concrete poetry makes use of line breaks and spatial arrangements to graphically produce the poem’s message.
Monday, April 5, 2010
Monday, March 29, 2010
Notes Chapter 13
Chapter 13 Poetic Language
Connotation and Denotation
Denotation – the definition you will find in a dictionary
Connotation – the emotional connection you make with certain words (such as: security, warmth, love)
Figures of Speech
Metaphor – imaginative comparison that uses the connotative values of words.
Ex. "Thy eternal summer will not fade.
The best metaphors, according to some critics, require an intellectual leap…the comparison is often shocking or puzzling.
Ex. "The ecstasy of fumbling" (with gas masks in "Dulce et Decorum Est."
Extended Metaphor
The comparison continues throughout the entire work.
Ex. "In the Long Hall" p. 522
Extended metaphor is comparing life to weaving a tapestry.
Simile
Comparison using "like" or "as."
It is technically correct to call both similes and metaphors – a metaphor.
Personification
Makes nonhuman things seem human.
"Daylight is nobody’s friend."
Imagery – allows something abstract to seem more concrete to readers.
Symbol
Image that is obviously suggesting more meaning than its descriptive value.
Paradox – words that seem contradictory, but make some kind of emotional sense.
Ex. Mary Queen of Scots, "In my end is my beginning."
Oxymoron
Extreme paradox when two words with opposite meanings are juxtaposed.
Ex. "elaborately simple"
Ex. "jumbo shrimp"
Connotation and Denotation
Denotation – the definition you will find in a dictionary
Connotation – the emotional connection you make with certain words (such as: security, warmth, love)
Figures of Speech
Metaphor – imaginative comparison that uses the connotative values of words.
Ex. "Thy eternal summer will not fade.
The best metaphors, according to some critics, require an intellectual leap…the comparison is often shocking or puzzling.
Ex. "The ecstasy of fumbling" (with gas masks in "Dulce et Decorum Est."
Extended Metaphor
The comparison continues throughout the entire work.
Ex. "In the Long Hall" p. 522
Extended metaphor is comparing life to weaving a tapestry.
Simile
Comparison using "like" or "as."
It is technically correct to call both similes and metaphors – a metaphor.
Personification
Makes nonhuman things seem human.
"Daylight is nobody’s friend."
Imagery – allows something abstract to seem more concrete to readers.
Symbol
Image that is obviously suggesting more meaning than its descriptive value.
Paradox – words that seem contradictory, but make some kind of emotional sense.
Ex. Mary Queen of Scots, "In my end is my beginning."
Oxymoron
Extreme paradox when two words with opposite meanings are juxtaposed.
Ex. "elaborately simple"
Ex. "jumbo shrimp"
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Research notes
The best topics are ones that originate out of your own reading of a work of literature, but here
are some common approaches to consider:
A discussion of a work's characters: are they realistic, symbolic, historically-based?
A comparison/contrast of the choices different authors or characters make in a work
A reading of a work based on an outside philosophical perspective (Ex. how would a Freudian read Hamlet?)
A study of the sources or historical events that occasioned a particular work (Ex. comparing G.B.
Shaw's Pygmalion with the original Greek myth of Pygmalion)
An analysis of a specific image occurring in several works (Ex. the use of moon imagery in certain
plays, poems, novels)
A "deconstruction" of a particular work (Ex. unfolding an underlying racist worldview in Joseph
Conrad's Heart of Darkness)
A reading from a political perspective (Ex. how would a Marxist read William Blake's "London"?)
A study of the social, political, or economic context in which a work was written — how does the context influence the work?
How do I start research?
The Internet
Once you have decided on an interesting topic and work (or works), the best place to start is probably the Internet. Here you can usually find basic biographical data on authors, brief summaries of works, possibly some rudimentary analyses, and even bibliographies of sources related to your topic.
The library
The Internet, however, rarely offers serious direct scholarship; you will have to use sources found in the library, sources like journal articles and scholarly books, to get information that you can use to build your own scholarship-your literary paper. Consult the library's on-line catalog and the MLA Periodical Index. Avoid citing dictionary or encyclopedic sources in your final paper.
How do I use the information I find?
The secondary sources you find are only to be used as an aid. Your thoughts should make up most of the essay. As you develop your thesis, you will bring in the ideas of the scholars to back up what you have already said.
For example, say you are arguing that Huck Finn is a Christ figure; that's your basic thesis. You give evidence from the novel that allows this reading, and then, at the right place, you might say the following, a paraphrase:
According to Susan Thomas, Huck sacrifices himself because he wants to set Jim free (129).
are some common approaches to consider:
A discussion of a work's characters: are they realistic, symbolic, historically-based?
A comparison/contrast of the choices different authors or characters make in a work
A reading of a work based on an outside philosophical perspective (Ex. how would a Freudian read Hamlet?)
A study of the sources or historical events that occasioned a particular work (Ex. comparing G.B.
Shaw's Pygmalion with the original Greek myth of Pygmalion)
An analysis of a specific image occurring in several works (Ex. the use of moon imagery in certain
plays, poems, novels)
A "deconstruction" of a particular work (Ex. unfolding an underlying racist worldview in Joseph
Conrad's Heart of Darkness)
A reading from a political perspective (Ex. how would a Marxist read William Blake's "London"?)
A study of the social, political, or economic context in which a work was written — how does the context influence the work?
How do I start research?
The Internet
Once you have decided on an interesting topic and work (or works), the best place to start is probably the Internet. Here you can usually find basic biographical data on authors, brief summaries of works, possibly some rudimentary analyses, and even bibliographies of sources related to your topic.
The library
The Internet, however, rarely offers serious direct scholarship; you will have to use sources found in the library, sources like journal articles and scholarly books, to get information that you can use to build your own scholarship-your literary paper. Consult the library's on-line catalog and the MLA Periodical Index. Avoid citing dictionary or encyclopedic sources in your final paper.
How do I use the information I find?
The secondary sources you find are only to be used as an aid. Your thoughts should make up most of the essay. As you develop your thesis, you will bring in the ideas of the scholars to back up what you have already said.
For example, say you are arguing that Huck Finn is a Christ figure; that's your basic thesis. You give evidence from the novel that allows this reading, and then, at the right place, you might say the following, a paraphrase:
According to Susan Thomas, Huck sacrifices himself because he wants to set Jim free (129).
Research notes
An argument
When you write an extended literary essay, often one requiring research, you are essentially making an argument. You are arguing that your perspective-an interpretation, an evaluative judgment, or a critical evaluation-is a valid one.
A debatable thesis statement
Like any argument paper you have ever written for a first-year composition course, you must have a specific, detailed thesis statement that reveals your perspective, and, like any good argument, your perspective must be one which is debatable.
Examples
You would not want to make an argument of this sort:
Shakespeare's Hamlet is a play about a young man who seeks revenge.
That doesn't say anything-it's basically just a summary and is hardly debatable.
A better thesis would be this:
Hamlet experiences internal conflict because he is in love with his mother.
That is debatable, controversial even. The rest of a paper with this argument as its thesis will be an attempt to show, using specific examples from the text and evidence from scholars, (1) how Hamlet is in love with his mother, (2) why he's in love with her, and (3) what implications there are for reading the play in this manner.
You also want to avoid a thesis statement like this:
Spirituality means different things to different people. King Lear, The Book of Romans, and Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance each view the spirit differently.
Again, that says nothing that's not already self-evident. Why bother writing a paper about that? You're not writing an essay to list works that have nothing in common other than a general topic like "spirituality." You want to find certain works or authors that, while they may have several differences, do have some specific, unifying point. That point is your thesis.
A better thesis would be this:
Lear, Romans, and Zen each view the soul as the center of human personality.
Then you prove it, using examples from the texts that show that the soul is the center of personality.
When you write an extended literary essay, often one requiring research, you are essentially making an argument. You are arguing that your perspective-an interpretation, an evaluative judgment, or a critical evaluation-is a valid one.
A debatable thesis statement
Like any argument paper you have ever written for a first-year composition course, you must have a specific, detailed thesis statement that reveals your perspective, and, like any good argument, your perspective must be one which is debatable.
Examples
You would not want to make an argument of this sort:
Shakespeare's Hamlet is a play about a young man who seeks revenge.
That doesn't say anything-it's basically just a summary and is hardly debatable.
A better thesis would be this:
Hamlet experiences internal conflict because he is in love with his mother.
That is debatable, controversial even. The rest of a paper with this argument as its thesis will be an attempt to show, using specific examples from the text and evidence from scholars, (1) how Hamlet is in love with his mother, (2) why he's in love with her, and (3) what implications there are for reading the play in this manner.
You also want to avoid a thesis statement like this:
Spirituality means different things to different people. King Lear, The Book of Romans, and Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance each view the spirit differently.
Again, that says nothing that's not already self-evident. Why bother writing a paper about that? You're not writing an essay to list works that have nothing in common other than a general topic like "spirituality." You want to find certain works or authors that, while they may have several differences, do have some specific, unifying point. That point is your thesis.
A better thesis would be this:
Lear, Romans, and Zen each view the soul as the center of human personality.
Then you prove it, using examples from the texts that show that the soul is the center of personality.
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Syllabus part two
English 1302 Syllabus Part Two
Mon. Feb. 15 C. 4 Quiz , discuss note-taking, paraphrasing p. 65
View library databases and discuss potential topics
HW: Choose one potential topic and make a topic outline
with a thesis.
Wed. Feb. 17 Outline practice, primary and secondary source discussion,
MLA practice
HW: Write down five potential research topics.
Mon. Feb. 22 Practice thesis statements, discuss appeals. Work on MLA
works cited form and prepare for a compare and contrast
paper.
HW: Read “Revolt of Mother” p. 229. Compose answers
to questions on p. 239-40.
Wed. Feb. 24 Read “Jury of Her Peers” p. 275-289. Compare and
contrast to “Trifles.”
HW: Answer questions p. 289. Write a draft of your
compare and contrast essay.
Mon. Mar.1 Peer and instructor conferences on draft. Discuss ways
to improve the paper.
HW: Make a draft 2 of the paper, read “Why I Live at
The PO” p. 480-488, answer questions p. 488
Wed. Mar. 3 Draft 2 due. Pick a research topic and make a plan
for your paper.
HW: Make a thesis and outline for your research paper .
Make a final draft of your compare and contrast paper.
March 8-14 Spring Break
Mon. Mar. 15 Thesis and outline due. Revise and prepare for researching.
HW: Prepare a rough draft of your research paper,
including documentation and a works cited.
Wed. Mar. 17 Revise drafts and prepare to finalize.
HW: Finalize paper, turn in all drafts, with
your works cited, and final outline.
Mon. Mar. 22 Research paper due
Debrief assignment, prepare for poetry unit.
HW: Read C. 11 and 12 p. 495-513, answer
Questions on pages 505 and 507
Wed. Mar. 24 Begin poetry unit. Discuss poems and thesis p. 506-
508. Practice writing p. 509-510.
HW: Choose one poem from p. 501-505 and write
a thesis and outline analyzing speaker and tone.
Mon. Mar. 29 Discuss poetry analysis.
HW: Read C. 13 p. 517-527. Choose one poem and
make notes on its use of imagery.
Wed. Mar. 31 Discuss poems, poetic language p. 517-520.
HW: Make a first draft for the imagery essay.
Mon. Apr. 5 Discuss C. 14 p. 535-554
HW: Read Casebook p. 555-575. Choose one poem
and find two pieces of literary criticism on it.
Wed. Apr. 7 Discuss and analyze Langston Hughes poetry.
HW: Respond to p. 575 #3. Write a one page
analysis.
Mon. Apr. 12 Read paired poems p. 683-702
HW: Choose one set of paired poems and write a one
page essay analyzing the connections between the two.
Wed. Apr. 14 Discuss paired poetry paper, write another draft.
HW: Write a final copy of the paired poem essay.
Mon. Apr. 19 Essay due. Read War Poetry p. 703-716. Choose one
and make a chart of the poetic devices for it.
HW: Complete chart..
Wed. Apr. 21 Discuss war poetry, and review for poetry test.
HW: Study for poetry test.
Mon. Apr. 26 Major Test Poetry
HW: Prepare journals for submission on Wed.
Wed. Apr. 28 Journals due, Final exam review
HW: Work on final review
NOTE: Friday, April 23 is the last day to drop a class with a “W.”
Mon. May 3 Review for final
Wed. May 5 FINAL EXAM
Mon. Feb. 15 C. 4 Quiz , discuss note-taking, paraphrasing p. 65
View library databases and discuss potential topics
HW: Choose one potential topic and make a topic outline
with a thesis.
Wed. Feb. 17 Outline practice, primary and secondary source discussion,
MLA practice
HW: Write down five potential research topics.
Mon. Feb. 22 Practice thesis statements, discuss appeals. Work on MLA
works cited form and prepare for a compare and contrast
paper.
HW: Read “Revolt of Mother” p. 229. Compose answers
to questions on p. 239-40.
Wed. Feb. 24 Read “Jury of Her Peers” p. 275-289. Compare and
contrast to “Trifles.”
HW: Answer questions p. 289. Write a draft of your
compare and contrast essay.
Mon. Mar.1 Peer and instructor conferences on draft. Discuss ways
to improve the paper.
HW: Make a draft 2 of the paper, read “Why I Live at
The PO” p. 480-488, answer questions p. 488
Wed. Mar. 3 Draft 2 due. Pick a research topic and make a plan
for your paper.
HW: Make a thesis and outline for your research paper .
Make a final draft of your compare and contrast paper.
March 8-14 Spring Break
Mon. Mar. 15 Thesis and outline due. Revise and prepare for researching.
HW: Prepare a rough draft of your research paper,
including documentation and a works cited.
Wed. Mar. 17 Revise drafts and prepare to finalize.
HW: Finalize paper, turn in all drafts, with
your works cited, and final outline.
Mon. Mar. 22 Research paper due
Debrief assignment, prepare for poetry unit.
HW: Read C. 11 and 12 p. 495-513, answer
Questions on pages 505 and 507
Wed. Mar. 24 Begin poetry unit. Discuss poems and thesis p. 506-
508. Practice writing p. 509-510.
HW: Choose one poem from p. 501-505 and write
a thesis and outline analyzing speaker and tone.
Mon. Mar. 29 Discuss poetry analysis.
HW: Read C. 13 p. 517-527. Choose one poem and
make notes on its use of imagery.
Wed. Mar. 31 Discuss poems, poetic language p. 517-520.
HW: Make a first draft for the imagery essay.
Mon. Apr. 5 Discuss C. 14 p. 535-554
HW: Read Casebook p. 555-575. Choose one poem
and find two pieces of literary criticism on it.
Wed. Apr. 7 Discuss and analyze Langston Hughes poetry.
HW: Respond to p. 575 #3. Write a one page
analysis.
Mon. Apr. 12 Read paired poems p. 683-702
HW: Choose one set of paired poems and write a one
page essay analyzing the connections between the two.
Wed. Apr. 14 Discuss paired poetry paper, write another draft.
HW: Write a final copy of the paired poem essay.
Mon. Apr. 19 Essay due. Read War Poetry p. 703-716. Choose one
and make a chart of the poetic devices for it.
HW: Complete chart..
Wed. Apr. 21 Discuss war poetry, and review for poetry test.
HW: Study for poetry test.
Mon. Apr. 26 Major Test Poetry
HW: Prepare journals for submission on Wed.
Wed. Apr. 28 Journals due, Final exam review
HW: Work on final review
NOTE: Friday, April 23 is the last day to drop a class with a “W.”
Mon. May 3 Review for final
Wed. May 5 FINAL EXAM
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Research notes
Research – Chapter Four
Though not essential, the preference is for researchers to consult secondary sources before selecting a specific topic
Stay focused on your topic
Remember you are not writing a biography.
You need to find a topic such as the sample paper on p. 73
Make your thesis specific enough to make the paper manageable.
Ex. The use of color symbolism in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby not only enhances the meaning of the text, but allows additional insights to his complex characters.
Evaluate sources
Look for credentials. You do not want sources that would not be considered authoritative.
Think of .org or .edu if you wish to use sources that you googled.
Look at sponsorship of the site and any other motives that may be hidden in the web site.
Try not to go back farther than 5 years, 10 years at the most so your material will be relatively current.
Be sure to correctly cite any source. Get the bibliographic information as soon as you find the source as the internet can be fluid.
Reference Databases
You will want to use as many of these as possible.
Use the TJC library’s online databases for most of your material.
Historical societies for literary works/authors may be helpful too.
(Such as the Kate Chopin website we looked at recently)
Taking Notes
Note cards work for some people but are very time consuming.
Preference is to highlight items on copies and compose an outline and then your paper from there.
Summarizing
Condense the main part into your own words.
Do most of your writing like this.
Remember that you must still credit the original source for the material.
Think of one or two sentences of your words for each paragraph of the original text’s words.
Paraphrase
A paraphrase is as long as the original text material, but placed in your words.
Use this rarely – only when the material is so perfect for your argument that you must have it all!
Limit quotes, and use only one or two long quotes in the entire paper. (Four or more typed lines, indented an additional five spaces from the original margin)
Organize notes
Prepare a working outline before drafting.
Group ideas – remember you are using the research to prove YOUR point and YOUR argument, not someone else’s
Prepare a counter argument with sources to back up your ideas also.
Working Outline
Thesis:
Introduction
General symbolism in novel
Thematic connection to color
Use of seasons
Coordinating character association
Counterargument
A. Critics that do not support the idea
B. Counter anaylsis
V. Conclusion
A. Restate thesis
B. Project further analysis points
Integrating Sources
Use in text citations and be sure each one corresponds with your works cited list.
Blend the researched material with your words, and end with a parenthetical reference.
As the novel progresses to its close, the characters "learn the tragedy of insensitivity in the most dire conditions" (Charlton 22).
Document
At least once per paragraph (except the introduction and conclusion if they are entirely your words)
Immediately after any direct quote, whether it is short or long.
Material from your primary source also as you have done in recent papers. (page number following a sentence with embedded quotes utilizing the author’s name)
Avoid Plagiarism
Do not carelessly or deliberately use the author’s words as your own.
Make obvious changes please.
Quote if you cannot change the passage enough.
Try embedding short quotes with your words.
Format
Follow MLA style.
P. 71 and 72 in text for margins and spacing.
See sample paper p. 73-79.
Long quote set up p. 75-6 (note the author’s name is in the introductory sentence prior to the quote, so the page number only is included). If you don’t do that, cite with the author and page number in your parenthetical reference.
Works Cited
Alphabetize by the author’s last name and/or title of the unauthored text (other than a, an or the).
Pay attention to the hanging indent.
Though not essential, the preference is for researchers to consult secondary sources before selecting a specific topic
Stay focused on your topic
Remember you are not writing a biography.
You need to find a topic such as the sample paper on p. 73
Make your thesis specific enough to make the paper manageable.
Ex. The use of color symbolism in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby not only enhances the meaning of the text, but allows additional insights to his complex characters.
Evaluate sources
Look for credentials. You do not want sources that would not be considered authoritative.
Think of .org or .edu if you wish to use sources that you googled.
Look at sponsorship of the site and any other motives that may be hidden in the web site.
Try not to go back farther than 5 years, 10 years at the most so your material will be relatively current.
Be sure to correctly cite any source. Get the bibliographic information as soon as you find the source as the internet can be fluid.
Reference Databases
You will want to use as many of these as possible.
Use the TJC library’s online databases for most of your material.
Historical societies for literary works/authors may be helpful too.
(Such as the Kate Chopin website we looked at recently)
Taking Notes
Note cards work for some people but are very time consuming.
Preference is to highlight items on copies and compose an outline and then your paper from there.
Summarizing
Condense the main part into your own words.
Do most of your writing like this.
Remember that you must still credit the original source for the material.
Think of one or two sentences of your words for each paragraph of the original text’s words.
Paraphrase
A paraphrase is as long as the original text material, but placed in your words.
Use this rarely – only when the material is so perfect for your argument that you must have it all!
Limit quotes, and use only one or two long quotes in the entire paper. (Four or more typed lines, indented an additional five spaces from the original margin)
Organize notes
Prepare a working outline before drafting.
Group ideas – remember you are using the research to prove YOUR point and YOUR argument, not someone else’s
Prepare a counter argument with sources to back up your ideas also.
Working Outline
Thesis:
Introduction
General symbolism in novel
Thematic connection to color
Use of seasons
Coordinating character association
Counterargument
A. Critics that do not support the idea
B. Counter anaylsis
V. Conclusion
A. Restate thesis
B. Project further analysis points
Integrating Sources
Use in text citations and be sure each one corresponds with your works cited list.
Blend the researched material with your words, and end with a parenthetical reference.
As the novel progresses to its close, the characters "learn the tragedy of insensitivity in the most dire conditions" (Charlton 22).
Document
At least once per paragraph (except the introduction and conclusion if they are entirely your words)
Immediately after any direct quote, whether it is short or long.
Material from your primary source also as you have done in recent papers. (page number following a sentence with embedded quotes utilizing the author’s name)
Avoid Plagiarism
Do not carelessly or deliberately use the author’s words as your own.
Make obvious changes please.
Quote if you cannot change the passage enough.
Try embedding short quotes with your words.
Format
Follow MLA style.
P. 71 and 72 in text for margins and spacing.
See sample paper p. 73-79.
Long quote set up p. 75-6 (note the author’s name is in the introductory sentence prior to the quote, so the page number only is included). If you don’t do that, cite with the author and page number in your parenthetical reference.
Works Cited
Alphabetize by the author’s last name and/or title of the unauthored text (other than a, an or the).
Pay attention to the hanging indent.
Monday, February 8, 2010
Notes
“Spunk” by Zora Neale Hurston
Double meaning of title
Dialect
Gender roles
Gothic elements (ghosts can fight)
Bobcat = dead guy
Spunk died “too wicket-died cussin’ “
Traditions
Lamentations over the dead
Funeral feast
Gender Issues
Spunk and Lena
Woman as property and prize
“Spunk’s crazy ‘bout Lena..don’t want folks to keep on talkin’ ‘bout her”
Women wonder who would be Lena’s next man
Interpretation
Story can be interpreted as a cautionary tale against sins of a man like Spunk:
Lust, greed, pride, blasphemy, deceit, adultery, lying
Notice that as a ghost, Joe Kanty has “spunk” – feistiness, nerve
Story seems pretty realistic at first, but becomes a ghost story
“Hills Like White Elephants” Ernest Hemingway
Story seems to be mostly pointless dialogue
Understatement – underneath the chatter is the unnamed male speaker trying to get Jig, a woman, to get an abortion that she does not want.
Man manipulates the woman to get the procedure
“Hills”
Man – literal minded, irritable, unthinking of her feelings
Woman-sensitive, emotional, distances herself from him .
Woman’s choices are like the landscape – she can face a dry, sterile landscape or a peaceful fertile place.
Suggestiveness of symbolic images
Setting of a railroad junction reinforces the crossroads that the woman is facing
Paper Two
Remember to select one story from the ones that are on the syllabus.
Discuss how setting and point of view contribute to the theme of the story.
Remember that point of view can be tricky.
Be sure you are prepared to argue your interpretation and the details that you selected to explain it.
Double meaning of title
Dialect
Gender roles
Gothic elements (ghosts can fight)
Bobcat = dead guy
Spunk died “too wicket-died cussin’ “
Traditions
Lamentations over the dead
Funeral feast
Gender Issues
Spunk and Lena
Woman as property and prize
“Spunk’s crazy ‘bout Lena..don’t want folks to keep on talkin’ ‘bout her”
Women wonder who would be Lena’s next man
Interpretation
Story can be interpreted as a cautionary tale against sins of a man like Spunk:
Lust, greed, pride, blasphemy, deceit, adultery, lying
Notice that as a ghost, Joe Kanty has “spunk” – feistiness, nerve
Story seems pretty realistic at first, but becomes a ghost story
“Hills Like White Elephants” Ernest Hemingway
Story seems to be mostly pointless dialogue
Understatement – underneath the chatter is the unnamed male speaker trying to get Jig, a woman, to get an abortion that she does not want.
Man manipulates the woman to get the procedure
“Hills”
Man – literal minded, irritable, unthinking of her feelings
Woman-sensitive, emotional, distances herself from him .
Woman’s choices are like the landscape – she can face a dry, sterile landscape or a peaceful fertile place.
Suggestiveness of symbolic images
Setting of a railroad junction reinforces the crossroads that the woman is facing
Paper Two
Remember to select one story from the ones that are on the syllabus.
Discuss how setting and point of view contribute to the theme of the story.
Remember that point of view can be tricky.
Be sure you are prepared to argue your interpretation and the details that you selected to explain it.
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