Journal #7: Abolitionist Poetry

After reading the two poems by Francis Harper (1230-33) and the two by John Greenleaf Whittier (1220-24), skim over chapter 5 in Gardner's _Writing about Literature_. Choose one of the elements of poetry (speaker, listener, imagery, sound and sense) to analyze in one of the poems.

All the poems are narrative (they tell a story) but they also are advocating social reform, specifically the abolition of slavery. In your journal analyze how one element of poetry persuades the audience to action. Write 200-300 words, citing specific evidence from the poem itself

BONUS Blog on Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl

Answer the following question by presenting an argument with concrete evidence to support your points. (Using ideas from class discussion also is a good idea)

Read chapter 10 of Incidents closely. What kind of language does the narrator use to describe her dilemma and her actions? Discuss why such language may have been chosen and how it may have worked on her intended audience.

Post your response by Sept. 28 to get a possible 3 bonus points for your blogging grade.

Slave Children of New Orleans

http://www.loc.gov/pictures/resource/ppmsca.11128/
You can find an article about these children posted on Doc Sharing.

Journal #6 Due Sept. 22

After reading Jacobs' Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl (763-791) and Child's, “The Quadroons” (http://utc.iath.virginia.edu/abolitn/abfilmcat.html) answer ONE of the following questions about social context (you may write about a single major or minor character in your posting). Remember to use specific examples from the texts to support your points: 1. Class: How does membership in a social class affect the characters' choices and their successes or failures? How does class affect the way characters view-- or are viewed by-- others? What do economic struggles reveal about power relationships in the society being depicted? 2. Race and culture: How are characters portrayed as being caught between cultures? Are any characters engaged in a conflict with society because of their races or ethnic backgrounds? 3. Gender: How are the characters' choices restricted because of gender? What are the power relationships between the sexes, and do these change during the course of the story? Do any characters resist the gender roles society has assigned to them? Do other characters choose to conform to those roles?
Post your journal before class on Sept. 22, 2011

Harriet Jacobs
http://docsouth.unc.edu/fpn/jacobs/support18.html

Journal #5: The Theme

For Thursday, Sept. 15, please read Apess, bio and "An Indian's Looking Glass for the White Man" (639-45); "The American Muse: Poetry at Midcentury" (1202-03); and the Bio on Lydia Sigourney and her poem, "Indian Names" (1203-05).

In your journal, trace a single theme across these texts. You may discuss past readings as well, but must include Apess and Sigourney in your posting. Write 300-400 words.

Journal #4 -- The Explication

Use your journal entry to explain or describe an element of fiction (See ch 4 in Gardner's Writing about Literature)-- plot, character, point of view, setting, theme, symbol, and style in the story, "The Tenth of January" by Elizabeth Stuart Phelps. For example. you could identify a symbol and explain its potential meanings; explain a figure of speech and its significance in the tale; note the presence of irony and how it shapes your reading; try to distinguish the narrator and point of view of the selection and how that affects the text. Give a specific example from the text and write 200-300 words. Post on your blog before class on Sept. 13. (You can find the story here: http://www.horrormasters.com/Text/a1730.pdf)

Bio on Phelps: http://www.lib.rochester.edu/camelot/auth/phelps.htm

Journal #3 on Irving's "The Wife"

Choose one of the following two questions to guide your blog: 1. What does Irving's short story, "The Wife," say about American values regarding marriage, women, and economics? OR 2. How does this story answer William Ellery Channing's call for American authors to "take a place [...] among the lights of the world" (477)?