Blog 11

After reading Pauline Hopkins' “As the Lord Lives, He Is One of Our Mother’s Children” (242+) and Claude McKay's poems (704-709) write a 300-word blog to explore a perplexing question of your choice.*If you are responding to a classmate, don't just agree with them -- engage in a dialogue. Raise a question or disagree. Take a risk!

Journal #10: The Aha! Moment

Read Frances EW Harper's poem, "Learning to Read" and Charles W. Chesnutt's short story, "The Wife of his Youth" (both posted in the Webliography). Then, in the white hot fever of inspiration, you record your own process of coming to a significant insight, realization, or understanding of the texts. Get it all down and record the moment of enlightenment in 300-400 words.

Journal #9: The Contemporary Connection

Read the Introduction to Vol. 2 (1-29) about the years 1865-1914. What contemporary connection do you see between today and the years 1865-1914? Is it in politics, entertainment, sports, or education? Explain the contemporary example and its connection to an issue or idea in the assigned reading. *If you are responding to a classmate, don't just agree with them -- engage in a dialogue. Raise a question or disagree. Take a risk! Write 300-400 words.

Journal #8: The Civil War

After reading from volume 1 of The Bedford Anthology -- American Contexts (1354-56); Brown (1356-58); Davis (1359-62); Lincoln (1374-75); Garnet (1375-78); Chesnut (1379-81); Bryant (1382-83); Piatt (1383-85) -- answer ONE of the following questions with a quote (or two) to support your point. This should be a reflective analysis, not a summary that tells us what you liked or did not like. Check for spelling errors. Failure to follow these directions will reduce your grade.

Option 1: Choose ONLY two texts that seem to be in conversation with each other (they could agree or disagree). Analyze and discuss their competing visions of the American Dream. Whose is the most persuasive? How likely would 19th-century readers be persuaded by such writers/speakers? How would geography determine that audience's receptiveness to the writers'/speakers' claims?

Option 2: Choose two texts to compare and contrast for strange, intriguing, or preposterous ideas. Imagine you are a 19th-century reader (Southerner or Northerner, free or enslaved) and respond accordingly. Adopt a persona that allows you to engage with the two texts.

Post your response BEFORE class on October 6, 2011. If you decide to respond to a classmate, that response must be posted on your own blog as "Journal #8 Response to _____."