Writing Across Cultures

Welcome back from our arctic weather... Today we will conduct our discussion (long overdue) on The Stone Gods . Jeanette Winterson  is a contemporary novelist. She is a lesbian writer who dabbles in science fiction, literary and poetic prose. She was born in Manchester, England, and adopted by Pentecostal parents who brought her up in the nearby mill-town. She attended Oxford, and currently writes for various UK newspapers (she is a journalist, as well as a literary novelist and poet). Author interview with Jeanette Winterson Jeanette Winterson talks about her favorite books Discussion and Socratic Seminar on  The Stone Gods   (see handout) Library: Please pick up Wilderness Tips by Margaret Atwood. Margaret Atwood Interview on Writing Misogyny in Video Games.  Please watch the following videos and read the article "Your Princess Is In Another Castle". Use the source material to write a reflective essay/article on your positio...

MP3: Welcome! Remember: you will have a portfolio due by the end of the marking period (in April). Portfolios should include a reflection of your progress throughout the marking period/semester. While 1/2 your academic year is over, you are not through the woods yet. No matter what your attitude towards the School of the Arts is, what you are learning here is more important than you think... Plan to participate more this semester. Stop putting off your writing, reading, and growth... Period 1: Brainstorm problems women face. Or complete this statement: "The biggest challenge women face is..." or "one small overlooked issue women face is..."; if you need help thinking of something, check online where all the information is... Ms. and The Odyssey online  (for large ideas) and then other smaller issues here: Bustle . 3 international short stories: Italy: 'The Falling Girl" by Dino Buzzati Antigua: "Girl" by Jamaica Kincaid France:...

Please take the first few minutes of class to prepare and submit your portfolio for MP2. We will continue our writing prompts today. Develop and write your drafts for your portfolio. Morning Prompt: L et's read the article, non-fiction/pop culture essay: "Why Don't We Like the Human Body" by Barbara Ehrenreich. Use the essay as a model for your own reflections on the topic. Try your own essay on the subject. The Stone Gods: Part 2 Robinson Crusoe is perhaps the most famous survival story. Winterson retells the story as a tragic gay love story in part 2. Try your own survival story; or gender bend one of your previously written stories.  Retell a fairy tale (see previous posts for details & links). Ex. Revolting Rhymes video (30 min.) Finally, read and examine the articles on feminism from your packet and online. Use them as inspiration and examine themes, issues, and style for your own work: Gloria Steinem: "If Men Could Menstruate" W...

We will continue our writing prompts today. Develop and write your drafts for your portfolio. Morning Prompt:  choose 3 films you love or have loved for a while (as a child, for example). List these films and then list the women's roles quickly. Think about the women in those films. What kind of women are they? What personality types or physical traits do they possess? What actions do they perform? List a question (or two) concerning what you notice. Is there a pattern developing? What might these women mean to you personally? Are they role models? Do these women remind you of real people in your lives? If so, who? If not, why not? Explore in the next 5-10 minutes. Then let's read the article, non-fiction/pop culture essay: "Types of Women in Romantic Comedies Who Are Not Real" by Mindy Kaling. Use Kaling's essay as a model for your own reflections on the topic. Try your own essay on the subject. At 8:00,  The Stone Gods  science fiction/fantasy prompts fro...

Let's complete the video on gender stratification from last class... Gender Stratification: Crash Course #32 Theories of Gender: #33 Structural Functionalism: human behavior helps keep society running... Social Conflict Theory: gender is a social construct that affords power to some and disadvantage or marginalization to others... Symbolic interactionism: language and symbol influence behavior... Intersectionality: the interplay of class, race, gender, orientation, etc. that often results in disadvantage or marginalization Use this information and what you think about the ideas found therein to write a creative piece of your own. Poetry ex.:  Anne Sexton's poems,  " The Operation " & others "Snow White" & "Rapunzel"  " Women " by Louise Bogan Write your own feminist poem  Pick a subject that focuses on an important topic for women in our society/culture and write about that (see models & examples...) ...

Period 1: Feminist Philosophy (cont.):  please read the packet of feminist philosophers & learn about these women at the following links: Mary Wollstonecraft Simone de Beauvoir Julia Kristeva Ann Oakley Women in the 19th Century (Crash Course) Harriet Martineau & Gender Conflict Theory (Crash Course) Gender Stratification: Crash Course #32 Use this information and what you think to write a creative piece of your own. Poetry ex.:  Anne Sexton's poems, Part 1 " The Operation " & others  " Women " by Louise Bogan Write your own feminist poem  Use these articles and poems as models and examples Place your draft in your portfolio--Portfolios are due Jan. 17. Period 2: The Stone Gods , Part One: This new world weighs a yatto-gram The Stone Gods is written in four parts; The first part begins on Orbus, a world very like earth, and like earth running out of resources and suffering from the severe effects of climate cha...

"In my heart, I think a woman has two choices: either she's a feminist or a masochist." —Gloria Steinem "The day will come when men will recognize woman as his peer, not only at the fireside but in councils of the nation. Then, and not until then, will there be the perfect comradeship, the ideal union between the sexes that shall result in the highest development of the race." —Susan B. Anthony "In passing, also, I would like to say that the first time Adam had a chance he laid the blame on a woman." —Nancy Astor (British Politician) Writing Task: write a paragraph describing the perfect man and another describing the perfect woman. You will have at least 2 paragraphs: one to describe the perfect traits of a woman, and one for the perfect traits of a man. Traits can be physical, mental, social, or personality trait. Try to imagine the ideal woman and the ideal man and describe these figures or archetypes with your own viewpoint, descriptio...