Sonny's Blues

Link about identity and where you are from:

http://www.citylab.com/navigator/2015/10/what-youre-really-asking-when-you-ask-where-are-you-from/411688/
 Outside sources for Baldwin:

http://www.csustan.edu/english/reuben/pal/chap10/baldwin.html

http://www.nytimes.com/books/98/03/29/specials/baldwin.html?scp=3&sq=james%20baldwin&st=cse

Baldwin sources:
http://www.literaryhistory.com/20thC/Baldwin.htm

History of Harlemhttp://www.harlemheritage.com/history-of-harlem/

http://www.biography.com/tv/classroom/harlem-renaissance

http://www.history.com/topics/harlem-renaissance

Below is the Bible scripture that Baldwin refers to:
“The cup of trembling”
22
Thus saith thy Lord the LORD, and thy God that pleadeth the cause of his people, Behold, I have taken out of thine hand the cup of trembling, even the dregs of the cup of my fury; thou shalt no more drink it again:
23
But I will put it into the hand of them that afflict thee; which have said to thy soul, Bow down, that we may go over: and thou hast laid thy body as the ground, and as the street, to them that went over

1)    At one point the narrator says that Sonny was playing “playing for his life”; what does this quotation mean to you? Explain

2)   Can you find a place in the story where Baldwin makes use of the images of darkness and light? Explain the use of light and darkness

3)   Reread the exchange between the narrator and Sonny's friend. How would you characterize the narrator's behavior and feelings towards Sonny's friend? Is the narrator kind, cruel, compassionate, abrupt, empathic, angry? Explain your view and the evidence supporting it. Why does the narrator react the way he does?

4)   Critics have said that “Sonny’s Blues” is a story about hope but that hope is tempered by knowledge of terrible dangers. Explain what you think that means.

No Class Monday Jan 25

 

Essex will have a delayed opening at noon tomorrow, Monday, January 25th.

So we will not meet until Wednesday January 27. We will talk about Mrs. Turner's Lawn Jockeys on Wednesday. We will catch up with Sonny's Blues and Brave We Are the following week. 

"Mrs. Turner's Lawn Jockeys" and Identity

We will discuss identity and how we become who we are in "Mrs. Turner's Lawn Jockeys"and "Sonny's Blues"  We will different characters and explore how they constructed their identity. Setting also plays a major role in these stories. We will look at how that effects these characters as well.

This link below has a wide variety of articles on how we construct identity.

http://www.psychologytoday.com/basics/identity

Identity and choice:

http://gawker.com/how-i-identify-is-not-your-choice-1741671073

History of Lawn Jockeys

http://www.loudounhistory.org/history/underground-railroad-jockey-statues.htm

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/16/AR2006091600851.html

http://wavy.com/2014/05/23/black-faced-lawn-jockey-creates-controversy-among-neighbors/

Black face

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/10/13/arts/music/blackface-master-echoes-in-hiphop.html

http://twain.lib.virginia.edu/huckfinn/minstrl.html

http://globalgrind.com/2013/10/30/reason-why-its-not-ok-to-wear-blackface-list-photos/

 

 

Syllabus Eng 102

Prof. Sean O’Connell                                                                          Mon 10:00-12:40

Email:soconnel@essex.edu     

Phone: 973-877-1926                                                                             Office: 1141

Office Hours: Mon/Wed 1:00-2:25                                                     Room: 2132                                                                         

 

CLASS BLOG: eng102spring2016.blogspot.com

Texts:  Literature: A Portable Anthology

ISBN-13: 978-1457621383

*In class assignments will be handwritten; all homework assignments should be typed and double spaced using 12-point Times New Roman font.

In the classroom we will use group work to discuss the stories you read on your own time. Do not use your phones while in the classroom (unless we are looking something up). As long as you read the stories and contribute to your group—everything should work out fine. Your group will tell on you if you sit there and do not help.

 

If you are excessively absent or late it will hurt your grade—do it enough and you will fail.

 

Papers are due when they are due—look at the due dates on the syllabus now and circle them. I will provide a handout with questions for each paper. If you hand a paper in when it is due—you can revise it. If you do not, it is late, cannot be revised and whatever you get on that paper is final.

CATALOGUE DESCRIPTION: This course is a continuation of ENG 101 with emphasis on the longer composition and the process of documentation.  Techniques of research are taught, culminating in the production of an original, extensive, multiple source, fully documented, literary research paper.  Informational literacy is stressed through advanced library skills as well as hands-on experience utilizing computers in researching and developing projects.  Interpretive skills are developed through the introduction of literature.

Plagiarism:

Do not do it. Any papers that contain plagiarism will receive an F. The second offense will result in course failure. I will discuss in further detail as the class progresses.

January

 Eng 102

20 Introduction, go over syllabus, Handout “Mrs. Turner’s Lawn Jockey’s” (Handout)—GET TEXT!

25 “Mrs. Turner’s Lawn Jockey’s” (Handout)              

28 “Sonny’s Blues” (250)

February

1 “Two Kinds” (382)

3 “Brave We Are” (Handout)

8 Film: The Namesake

10 Film: The Namesake, ASSIGN PAPER#1

15  NO CLASS

17 “The Lottery” (242) AND “The Sisterhood of the Night” (Handout)

22 Film: The Village

24 Film: The Village, PAPER #1 DUE (NO LATE PAPERS)

29 NO CLASS

March

2 NO CLASS

7 “The Temp” (Handout) and “The Handsomest Drowned Man in the World” (289)

9 Film: Edward Scissorhands

14 Film: Edward Scissorhands, ASSIGN SHORT PAPER #2

16 HUMANITIES CONFERENCE—MEET IN SMITH HALL

21 “A Good Man Is Hard to Find” (276), SHORT PAPER DUE (NO LATE PAPERS)

23 “The Old Man With Enormous Wings” (Handout)

28 Film: Life of Pi

30 Film: Life of Pi

April

4 “The Things They Carried” (344)

6 NO CLASS---PTK CONVENTION

11  “Battle Royal” (230), ASSIGN FINAL PAPER

13 “Hills Like White Elephants” (212)

18 BRING IN DRAFTS FOR REVIEW 1141

20 FINAL PAPER DUE