Identity & Names: Readings & A Return to the Workshop; The Cultural Poem

By -
This morning we will learn a little bit about names...Let's watch:
If you could change your name what would you change it to? If you were to make a short film, podcast, or documentary about names, what would you create?

 Name Generator
Make a list of names.

After our quick response, please read the following personal essay by Firoozeh Dumas "The F Word". Then we'll read a little poetry.

Cultural Poetry Draft Exercise:
  • Elizabeth Bishop: "In the Waiting Room" (pg. 726-728)
  • Gwendolyn Brooks: "The Mother" (pg. 750-751)
  • Frank O'Hara: "Autobiographia Literaria" (pg. 779)
  • Donald Hall: "My Son, My Executioner" (pg. 794)
  • Lucille Clifton: "Homage to my Hips" (pg. 845)
  • Carolyn Forche: "The Memory of Elena" (pg. 880)
  • Askold Melnyczuk: "The Enamel Box" (pg. 888)
  • Cathy Song: "Lost Sister" (pg. 889-891)
Write a cultural poem draft. There is no wrong way to write a cultural poem. Everyone's experience and subject matter will be unique. It's okay to get personal. Avoid over-dramatizing your poem. This is not a life or death situation in most cases, but a subtle understanding of your (or your speaker's) own place in the world. You may tell a story, use fictional elements like dialogue, or parts to suggest "chapters", use traditional phrases or family sayings or idioms, etc. Don't forget to polish your work with imagery!

What you'll need is a strong setting. How is your room (or a room in your house) a reflection of who you are and what your family values, for example? How is a family event unique for your family? Does it show the tense conflicts of those involved? How does the setting suggest the speaker as "part" of a tradition or culture? How is the setting significant to the speaker of your poem? If you can't answer this, make the setting significant.

TIPS/RULES/GUIDELINES:
  • Allow your speaker to witness a single significant action, tradition, or cultural moment that is unique to you, your family or family members, your group, your "homies" or your own personal experience.
  • Describe that moment using different kinds of imagery (choose at least one, but you can mix them: visual imagery, sound imagery, tactile imagery, gustatory imagery, kinetic imagery, olfactory imagery...)
  • Allow your speaker to reflect on the meaning of this action. Your "volta" or turning point should come near the very end of your poem (if not the last shocking line...where your speaker realizes something significant--perhaps something now found that had been missing in one's life, a recognition of belonging, for example.)
  • Your poem must be at least 10 lines in length. It can be longer than 10 lines.
  • Proofread and title your draft.
Period 2: Please return to your workshops. Take the 2nd period today to continue commenting and critiquing your peers in your workshop groups. When you are finished commenting, please do 1 of 3 things:
  • Revise and develop any of your reviewed pieces for your portfolio.
  • Read your "homework", the essay "How to Tame a Wild Tongue" by Gloria Anzaldua. 
  • Read The Namesake, chapter 6-7 for homework.
HOMEWORK: Work on your writing, read chapters 6-7 in The Namesake, and read the essay "How to Tame a Wild Tongue." We will discuss your reading next class.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Namesake Analysis/Discussion Chp. 1 & 2; How It Feels To Be Colored Me

By -
Image
Let's go back to examining  The Namesake , Chapter 1 this morning to continue examining the writing style going on here. Take a closer look at these passages: Pg. 3 (1st full paragraph) to 4 (end of 1st full paragraph): How is Ashima's character compared/contrasted with the American women in the hospital? What do you notice about the sentence structure of this paragraph? What does the use of dialogue in this paragraph provide for the reader? What literary devices do you notice? Can you find figurative language/metaphor/alliteration or other elements of imagery? How are the sentences similar to a contraction (the action in the scene)? Pg. 10-12: how is Ashoke's character presented? How does his story parallel or contrast with his wife's? How is Ashoke different from the other American men in the waiting room? What details do we learn about him?  Pg. 13-14: Nickolai Gogol and the short story "The Overcoat" is alluded to here. Just notice it for now. This al...
Read more

How It Feels to Be Colored Me & Writing Prompts

By -
Image
"How it Feels to Be Colored Me" is an essay by  Zora Neale Hurston . Take a moment to read a bit of information about Zora Neale Hurston, then we'll read the essay in class. Look closely at how the article opens (the hook, lead-in, thesis), and how it develops (the body, topic sentences, argument), and notice the sentence structure (length, diction, syntax). After studying some of these elements respond to the article in writing. ESSAY PROMPT: What defines you? What single physical, mental, emotional trait defines you? Why? What is the significance of this trait?  ESSAY PROMPT: Think about your own educational experience. How multicultural has your experience been?  ESSAY PROMPT: Is there value in having a common culture (for example stressing the idea that we are all 'Americans' over fragmenting our culture)? Why or why not? ESSAY PROMPT: Does this idea of multiculturalism need updating? Is this issue still important--and, if so, why? ESSAY, PLAY, or M...
Read more

Mythology Prezi Projects

By -
Myths. Watch the following short videos concerning mythology. W hat makes a hero ? Anti-hero of One's Own A Host of Heroes Due at end of class , please complete your mythology Prezi project.  You should know the major gods/goddesses of your chosen mythological subject. Create a slide or two where you discuss/list who are the major gods/goddesses in your chosen mythology and what they represent You should know the creation myth that goes with that tradition. In a few slides tell the story of that creation myth through videos, pictures, text, etc. [note: most cultural mythology traditions have more than one creation myth. Pick the one you'd like to use.] You should identify key cultural traditions/beliefs that are represented in the myths of this culture: for example: arête (strength) is a common cultural quality examined in many hero myths. Find examples of some others. At least one slide should include the cultural tradition--note that this slide could come before ...
Read more