Legend and Achilles (sitting)

Status Anxiety Paper Topic

For those who have chosen the option to do Paper 4 on "status anxiety" will choose from the following topics.  Please come to class prepared with a draft on Thursday, December 10.  There will be no other opportunity to hand in the paper since class ends on Dec. 17.

Topic One:  Respond to the NY Times article "No Budget, No Boundaries"
In this paper you will "unpack" the phenomena of people purchasing virtual goods online as part of their participation in online / virtual communities.  Establish an opinion / thesis about it, assess the extent to which this is creating a political fiction in their personal lives and speculate on the short and long-term effects of such an enterprise.

Topic Two:  Find the two New York Times articles (one is a feature, the other is a commentary) on job seekers who are people of color and struggle to "erase" any signs of their color or ethnicity in an attempt to land a job.  Some of the applicants have real concerns about being ignored because they are considered "too black" for some jobs.  It reminded me of the Bayoumi portrait about the young man who faced brick wall in hiring with Al Jazeera on his resume.  In this paper you will explain the situation, speculate on what you think is happening and analyze it as an example of status anxiety.

Topic Three:  Write a personal paper in which you tell a narrative (story) about a current struggle you face with status anxiety.  It can be either public (such as a job search) or private (internally, with a partner or with friends).  You'll need to give a brief overview of the circumstances, explain why you have status anxiety, what you have done to cope with it and assess how you will, if possible, overcome the status anxiety.

Now, you will recall that I was both cursed and blessed not to be raised with conventional pressures around status.  My family DIDN'T say, "Why just work on this farm when we could OWN this farm!"  I say cursed because it probably made me have so little ambition in life and a blessing because I did not have to deal with that kind of pressure, to measure up and to do better than the neighbors.

See you on Thursday!

Wisdom for Our Current Age, Too

Man has such a predilection for systems and abstract deductions that he is ready to distort the truth intentionally, he is ready to deny the evidence of his senses only to justify his logic.

Fyodor Dostoyevsky (1821-1881)

In today's New York Times, Thomas Friedman writes a column that very much connects to our class discussion on Bayoumi's "How Does it Feel to be a Problem?" text in several ways.  The most significant is that what he calls "the narrative" - the same thing we called conditioning and a political fiction in our class - is the false sale of goods sold to Muslims AND to non-Muslims about who, why and what is happening in the Islamic world.

Friedman's column, "America vs. The Narrative," is worth reading, it's short and will add to our talk together about this serious issue.

America vs. The Narrative

What should we make of Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, who apparently killed 13 innocent people at Fort Hood?

Here’s my take: Major Hasan may have been mentally unbalanced — I assume anyone who shoots up innocent people is. But the more you read about his support for Muslim suicide bombers, about how he showed up at a public-health seminar with a PowerPoint presentation titled “Why the War on Terror Is a War on Islam,” and about his contacts with Anwar al-Awlaki, a Yemeni cleric famous for using the Web to support jihadist violence against America — the more it seems that Major Hasan was just another angry jihadist spurred to action by “The Narrative.”

What is scary is that even though he was born, raised and educated in America, The Narrative still got to him.

More here... 

Wisdom for Our Current Age

Facing it, always facing it, that's the way to get through. Face it.
Joseph Conrad (1857-1924)

New York Magazine Publishes Short Stories in Feature Called "Political Fictions"

Suppose it is time to retire this course theme, now?  Huh?

The story by Paul Rudnick on Sarah Palin is very funny!

Here for link to New York Magazine stories 

Class Update

It was suggested by Anna that we cancel Paper 5 and the discussion of "Status Anxiety."  I have decided to agree to the paper cancelation.

You are no longer required to buy / read / bring the text Status Anxiety by Alain de Botton

However, we will still have a discussion on the topic "Status Anxiety."

Read this article called "No Budget, No Boundaries" in the New York Times (here) about online "worlds" where people spend real money for virtual status symbols


DUE ON DECEMBER 5:
Bring TWO copies of Paper 4 on Toni Morrison's A Mercy for peer review

Paper 4 Topic Update

Paper 4 on Toni Morrison’s A Mercy & its Political Fictions

Set in the American colonies (Virginia) in the 1680s, it tells of an Anglo-Dutch trader, Jacob Vaark,  who gathers around him no fewer than four traumatized girls.

First he buys Lina, a Native American survivor of a smallpox epidemic, to help manage his household.

Then, after negotiating another “sale,” he marries Rebekkah, a 16-year-old English girl whose parents always treated her with “glazed indifference.”

Then he takes in a young orphan called Sorrow.

Finally he accepts, as payment for a debt, a slave girl called Florens.

Jacob Vaark dies of with smallpox and Rebekkah is then ill, too, Florens is sent on a journey to find a free black man who did iron work for Jacob on his estate.  It is believed that the free black man has shamanistic powers that will cure Rebekkah, if he can be found and sent to them in time.

The novel is organized into loose “chapters” (although not marked or labeled) and each one is in a character’s voice re-telling an episode in their lives.

As an essential theme, Morrison has said, the novel explores various kinds of human enslavement and wants to present a portrait of slavery in America that pre-dates the pre-occupation with the narrative about African slavery.

Paper 4 Assignment

You will choose ONE character or chapter, the one most interesting and fascinating to you, for a discussion on the following:

Describe the living conditions, the rootless-ness and the social place of the character you have selected.  Identify important elements that show why and how these conditions exist.  Explain the political fictions that dominate their lives – real or imagined, explicit and implicit – and the impact on these human lives to overcome any barriers at all.

Consider these scenes:

You are not limited to these scenes but are strongly encouraged to select one of them for the paper.

• Jacob visits the Portuguese merchant and notices the rich home and reluctantly accepts Florens as payment for a debt.
• After Jacob becomes sick, the four women must face threats from outside the farm.  Their will to face these threats puts them in very real danger.
• On the journey to find the free black man, Florens is taken in for the night by a white villager and her daughter.  She encounters powerful images of hatred and humanity.
• Scully and Willard live in a foggy non-existence without any family, property, aspiration or attachments.  They are friends to each other.  Their survival is unlikely in the face of bondage, scarcity, deprivation and ignorance.
• Rebekkah's voyage from England to Virginia is complicated and also revealing in the ways people faced enslavement and bondage.  Her humanity is salvaged first by her cabin-mates on the ship and then by her good fortune in being "sold" to Jacob.
  

You will bring to class on Thursday, November 19, TWO typed copies of the draft of this paper for peer review (warm/cool feedback) and the basis for our class discussion.

Class Change for Thursday, Nov 12

Click on the flyer below to make it larger:

This Thursday, November 12 we will NOT MEET at the classroom.

Instead, we have a special opportunity to meet photographer Sue Kwon at Clic Gallery - which is an easy 5-minute walk from 1 Pace Plaza to 424 Broome Street


Here for Google Map link! 

Here is the plan:

Meet at 5:30 at the gallery for those who can come early / leave early.

Sue will greet us, introduce the photos on exhibit, answer questions.

Wayne will be there from 5:30-6:30 to see that everyone who can attend the show will have me there to greet them.

Sue is a wonderful photographer and is happy to meet you!


Here to see images by Sue Kwon 

Why are we doing this?

Sue takes photos of New York City - the streets are filled with all kinds of fictions!  I contacted the gallery and asked if our class could visit when she is there for a book signing.  They agreed to meet us first at 5:30 and then the general public is welcome.  So, even if you cannot come early, you can make it on time (plan your change in travel accordingly!) and meet Sue.

We also get the opportunity to have an "insider" tour with a gallery owner, the photographer and gallery manager - something I don't think we get to do every week!

How does this change our class syllabus?

In class we would have handed in final for Paper 3.
Take another week for that paper.
In class we would have written a first response to Toni Morrison's novel A Mercy.
I will post the writing prompt this weekend and you will bring a draft of Paper 4 and ready to discuss the completed novel for Thursday, November 19.

What if I can't attend the gallery show?

Email me in advance that you will not be coming.  Simply not showing up and not hearing from you is unacceptable.  Not attending the gallery show and not meeting Sue does not adversely affect your grade, however, I do need to hear from you if you choose not to come.

I strongly urge all of you to join me - I look forward to sharing the visit with you.  Let's look forward to an evening outside the classroom, an opportunity to meet Sue Kwon and to have a different kind of conversation - one that includes photography.

Sammy Sosa "comfortable in his own skin"?

Reports are coming out this week about baseball player Sammy Sosa who appeared over the weekend at a Las Vegas event with significantly LIGHTER skin,

Here for msnbc video on the story

Here for Chicago Tribune story

Man strikes gold!

Man strikes gold (click here for link )

Farmer told metal detector dude "don't bother" (click here )

Antony sings cover of Beyonce's "Crazy in Love" (click here )

AIDS Experts Say Russia Needs New HIV Strategy (click here )

New Yorkers and their texting & sexting!  (click here )

Moustafa Bayoumi's book reviewed in Oprah's magazine (click here )

My blog on the creative arts in NYC and things to do (click here)

New York Times op-ed piece on texting and sexting culture (click here)

Berlin Wall memories - I was there before the fall of the wall 21 years ago - more on CNN (click here )

Anything else we covered and want a link?

Class Update for November 5 (Class 6)

Bring to class:
Moustafa Bayoumi text "How Does it Feel to Be A Problem?"
TWO COPIES of Paper 3 on Bayoumi text
FINAL DRAFT for a grade on Paper 2 (Angels)

Our class agenda:
Peer editing activity (warm/cool feedback) on Paper 3
Class discussion on Bayoumi text continues

Please come prepared with the following:

 On page 9, Bayoumi writes:

“Brooklyn is the concentrated, unedited, twenty – first century answer to who we , as Americans , are as a people."

• What does the story of each of the individuals in the first three chapters contribute to Bayoumi’s argument about racism and the Arab and Muslim community of the United States?
  
• What are the problems of what “we, as Americans, are as a people”?
  
• What do you propose as a solution to the problem or problems?

On page 214, Bayoumi writes:

“To my ears these young men were living uneasily in an unresolved contradiction."

•  Define “unresolved contradiction”
  
•  How does the idea relate to the individuals introduced in the last three chapters of the text?
  
• Cite text for support
  
•  How do you think they can resolve this "unresolved contradiction"?

Looking ahead to Class on November 12:

Bring Toni Morrison's novel A Mercy

In-class writing for Paper 4 on A Mercy

Bring Final draft for a grade of Paper 3 (Bayoumi)

Update on Paper 3 on Bayoumi Text

On October 22, we responded to the following In-Class Writing prompt:

 

        If you're Muslim or Arab American, you are in the news every day. Since 9/11, these two groups appear daily represented as Al Qaeda, Taliban, terrorists or sometimes in derogatory terms such as "towelhead" and "immigrant."

       Much like those of Japanese descent in the 1940s faced discrimination and slurs, now America has undertaken a new kind of conditioning of our national attitudes. This is a powerful and convincing political fiction that drives all activities and the related attitudes.

       How are Americans being conditioned to think, fundamentally, about FELLOW Americans and how does this impact the experience of Arab and Muslim Americans?
       Draw on your reading of Moustafa Bayoumi's How Does It Feel To Be A Problem? to identify examples of this new American conditioning, explain how this conditioning is happening and a specific experience from one or more of those interviewed in the book.

 

Your next draft for Paper 3 will include the writing you completed in class and developed further:

• Identify and develop reasons (all carefully explained in the text) why any of the seven portrait subjects faces a negative experience as fellow Americans (this is the conditioning from the larger American society)
• Idenitfy THREE of the portraits and their experiences to illustrate your ideas about the impact of conditioning
• Be sure to explain how this conditioning is happening:  the sources, the purveyors, the supporters, the actions and attitudes that get spread outward into American society

For advanced students (you know who you are):  Frame the entire paper in terms of how the treatment of Muslims and Arab Americans in America today is itself a "political fiction" (with real consequences). 

 

Reminders:
No class on October 29.
DUE ON NOVEMBER 5:  Final draft of Paper 2 (Angels) and TWO COPIES of draft of Paper 3.

 

Thank you to those students who come prepared for class.  When a student attends class having read the assigned pages, is ready to hand in TWO copies of the draft of the paper, and makes the effort to be really engaged in our discussion, it makes it a more menaingful class for everyone.

Film in this week's class features a Sikh family

SHEDDING LIGHT ON SIKHISM 

Sikhism originated in India in 1469. Although Sikhs are a minority in largely Hindu India, the country elected its first Sikh Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh. J.J. Singh, the Indian Army Chief, also is a Sikh.


Sikhs believe in absolute equality for all people without regard to gender, race, caste or religion. They believe in one God common to all. They do not believe in war based on religion, proselytism or fasting. 


Men wear turbans to cover long, uncut hair. It is a mandatory part of the Sikh faith and not a social custom. It is not a hat and should never be removed in public.

Due to the turbans Sikhs wear and the relative scarcity of Sikhs, there have been incidents of mistaking Sikhs in Western countries for Middle Eastern men and/or Muslims. This has negatively affected Sikhs living in the west especially with respect to the 9/11 terrorist attack and recent Iraq War conflict.

After the September 11, 2001 attacks, some people associated Sikhs with terrorists or members of the Taliban. A few days after the attack Balbir Singh Sodhi, a Sikh man, was gunned down by Frank Roque, who thought that the victim had ties to Al-Qaeda.

CNN suggests that there has been an increase in hate-crimes against Sikh men in the United States and the UK.

Class Update for October 22 (Class 5)

Class Agenda:

1. Warm / cool feedback of Paper 2 on Angels in America - Bring TWO copies of next draft for review by classmates
2. In-class Writing #2 on Moustafa Bayoumi's How Does it Feel to Be A Problem?
3. Watch short film on theme "perceptions of terrorists after 9/11" related to Bayoumi text
4. Begin discussion of some of the political fictions related to the Bayoumi text
   

• Reminder:  No class on October 29
• Final draft of Paper 2 due in TWO WEEKS on November 5 - Be sure to staple ICW #1 from October 8 on the original writing prompt for Angels in America to the BACK of the final draft
  
• Draft of Paper 3 on Muslims and Arab-Americans / Bayoumi text due on November 5
  

Paper 2 Update

Paper 2 on Tony Kushner's Angels in America


In-Class Writing:


America was founded as a haven, not only a land of opportunity, but also a land of compassion whose citizens, regardless of personal political beliefs, have a historic right to the pursuit of happiness and a moral responsibility to care for each other despite cultural and political differences.

For Kushner, the ability to feel compassion and love for others is a required element in living up to the ideal of American justice (liberty for all, all men are created equal, life, liberty and...).  Without compassion there is no social justice.

Will loved ones abandon us in our hour of need?  Has God, who religious faiths suggest loves all of humanity, abandoned his creations?  At one point Louis says, "There are no angels in America, no spiritual past, no racial past, there's only the political."

Assignment:  Identify a PAIR of characters and describe how their relationship shows a conflict due to a lack of compassion.  How does this lack of compassion cause injustice on a personal level?

BRING TWO COPIES OF THE DRAFT, STAPLED


DRAFT DUE THURSDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2009 to include the following additional development:

Develop your first response with details from the text of the play.


Show the relationship between the characters - say more than "they are husband and wife" or "mother and son" or "gay lovers."  What is the nature of their relationship?  How do they relate?  If were asked to describe this "couple" to someone else who doesn't know them, what would you say?


Comment on the compassion.  How does the couple show compassion toward one another?  Is is loving and supportive?  Combative and resentful?

Explain how an injustice - lack of justice - is created from the lack of compassion, lack of connection, disrespect and refusal to "see the light" or to accept the truth of their circumstances.

Share you own connection or disconnection with this couple.  What do they have to teach you, if anything, about being more compassionate toward someone you love or to other people in general?  If you have no connection - then it is a disconnection - what aspects of the couple, their conflict or their relationship are un-relatable to you?

Draft a paper using the ideas and "prompts" above - you may want to keep it organized and logical by addressing each one in order.  Paper length is not nearly as important as INTELLIGENT THINGS TO SAY, SUPPORTED WITH TEXT  FROM THE PLAY and GENUINE INTEREST IN WRITING A SMART PAPER (it will show in your writing!).

Whitney Shares More on Segregated Proms

ALL students are welcome to forward links and resources they think most relevant to our course work.

Whitney has passed along this link and I want to share her note about it, too:

After our discussion in class last night, I thought it would be appropriate to send you a link about a story that you may or may not have read. It was a story that came out in the NY Times earlier this year about segregated proms in Montgomery County, GA. I did not live in Montgomery County, and the segregated prom in my area stopped almost 10 years ago, but this story, from May of this year, shows that it is still going on in some parts with the only explanation being "tradition". I wanted to pass this along because I heard alot of people in class respond with shock and disbelief that segregation still exists, so I thought this would be something to supplement our discussion about the way that the issues from the past we have read about are still relevant today.

Here's the link:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/24/magazine/24prom-t.html?_r=1

FREE! FREE! FREE! First Saturdays Party at Brooklyn Museum THIS WEEKEND!

I always enjoy a free party and this monthly event never disappoints. Brooklyn Museum is free after 5pm and all kinds of activities are planned for early evening folks with families (small children) to late evening dance party with a DJ on the upper floor.  Cafe and bar with drinks and snacks for sale.  ADMISSION IS FREE...you know, in case you were looking for something that is completely new and fresh and different and not the same old playlist!

The photo is a scene of the dance floor and it is packed with twenty-somethings!

Easy to reach: 2/3 train to Eastern Parkway - museum is right upstairs when you exit the station.

While at the museum be sure to check out the exhibit EXTENDED FAMILY, look for the paintings by Kehinde Wiley and check out the incredible gold and silver jewelry made by Art Smith from the 1940s through the 1970s.

TARGET FIRST SATURDAYS

Saturday, October 3 5pm-11pm - FREE

Agenda for Class 3 (October 8, 2009)

We will begin class with a review of the warm/cool feedback protocol for peer editing.

Bring TWO stapled copies of the draft of Paper 1.

In-Class Writing (ICW) on Angels in America for Paper 2.

You will have read/watched AT LEAST Part One of Kushner's Angels in America.

We will watch a portion of the film version of Angels for discussion.

Go ahead and read Roy Cohn's obituary (link on right side).

Topic for Paper 1

Write a paper on this topic:

One aspect of my family and family history may be viewed as a "political fiction."  My family has been deeply impacted by this PF and it has created (positive / negative) conditions for our lives.

• Tell a story about one example of the political fiction
  
• Describe the conditions that ENGENDERED or brought about the creation of the political fiction
  
• Explain how the political fiction impacts the family
  
• Comment on the overall use, manipulation and perpetuation of this political fiction

If you are writing about the Baldwin story, one approach would be to write a kind of sociological report on how this Sheriff became the racist, agitated, impotent hard-headed man he has become.

Minimum / maximum is FOUR (4) pages

You will bring TWO (2) stapled copies

12 pt. times roman font or its equivalent

1 inch margins on all sides

white paper

Remember Orwell's tips for all our writing!

Heading on top left:

Your name

Paper 1 - Political Fictions

ENG 201-W. Gagnon

October 8, 2009

Graphic Images of Lynching

Some students are not familair with the American past of lynching.  While it is graphically described in James Baldwin's short story "Going to Meet the Man," it may be useful - although disturbing - to see what these lynchings looked like to those who attended and for the victims.

This being America - and everythingh being a commercial enterprise - some entrpreneurs made photo postcards of the lynchings and sold them as souvenirs.

Here for link from Without Sanctuary

Meet Cornel West at Barnes & Noble (Hint: He dissects political fictions!)

I know and respect Cornel West for his enlightened, clear and articulate views on race, civilization and life in general.  Among those with "West" for a last name, it is Cornell who should get your attention most.  Kanye has much to learn from Cornel, too, humility chief among them and having a values-centered philosophy of life is another.

This Mr. West, Mr. West, Mr. West (a reference to a lyric on Kanye's "College Dropout") has tackled issues of hip hop's place in our culture, has rapped a few songs of his own and is a a professor at Princeton University.

Now, he shares his memoirs in a new book "Living & Loving Out Loud: A Memoir."  And he will read from the book and be available for signings and conversation this Wednesday, September 30 at Union Square Barnes & Noble.

If you are starving for something richer than the usual playlist of your life, consider heading over to B & N by 6:30pm to get a seat.  Mr. West is very funny, very accessible - he talks plainly and truthfully - and you will surely become a fan of his too.  When you do become a fan there is a treasure of previous books to dive into but start with "Democracy Matter" for the chapter on hip hop culture and American society.  It will open your eyes and, no, he does not bash it, he sees it in a different light.

Will you give yourself the chance to see life in a different light, too?

Here for the Barnes & Noble event website for details

Here to read excerpts from "Living & Loving Out Loud: A Memoir" 

Here for Cornel West on the web (including audio and video) 

Here for Cornel West on Wikipedia 

Our First Class & Next Week

Have we answered everybody's questions about course texts, in-class writing and requirements for the papers?

Great meeting all of you and I look forward to a love/hate relationship with you as a group...just kidding...glad we got off to smart start.

For next week:  Visit the Pace computer lab for your printing needs.  You'll need to bring copies of the George Orwell's essay "Politics & the English Language" and James Baldwin's short story "Going to Meet the Man."  We will have separate discussion on each of these texts but connect them with our course theme and talk about how they represent core issues for our work together.

The Orwell essay - considered a classic - will give us the basis for talking about government involvement in creating political fictions as well as the abuse of language.  Has anybody else noticed this trend:  "patients" and "customers" are often replaced by the term "clients"?  Embedded in such shifts in language is a demand the we also shift perspective and roles in the transaction (between doctor/patient or seller/customer).

The Baldwin story will go a long way in explaining how a person can grow up surrounded by political fictions - the air he breathes - and let it go unquestioned, unchallenged and then face unpredictabel consequences for participating in the fiction.  In this case, a white police officer in the South is forced to confront his racist upbringing and its deeply personal impact on his ability to...make love?

Next week we will also be much more specific about the topic for Paper 1.  The general topic is "the personal IS political."  Write about ways that power is used - positive or negative - to aid or hurt individuals who seem to be powerless to change the situation because the control over it is so powerful (the political). 

You will be asked to make a choice of the following:
1.  Write an autobiographical paper in which you identify a a personal political fiction. It can be in your own family or in  a friend's family (so you are a witness or a bystander).
2.  Write a paper in which you identify a political fiction (there are many) in the Baldwin story.  Describe the situation, how it is a political fiction, what has caused it to become a reality, who or what is impacted, what has been the response (if any) and what ahs been the outcome.

Take a moment, too, to read what I have at the top of the blog in the Welcome message for more on a definition of political fictions.  I believe this is an engaging approach to an English class and I hope you are able to find something in the course materials that keeps you interested!

Orientals" are carpets, not people: Ban on usage becomes NY Sate law

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
September 9, 2009

GOVERNOR PATERSON SIGNS LEGISLATION TO ELIMINATE THE USE OF “ORIENTAL” IN STATE DOCUMENTS 

Law Ends Use of Disparaging Term in State Forms and Preprinted Documents

---

Governor David A. Paterson today signed legislation that will eliminate the use of the term “oriental” in reference to persons of Asian or Pacific Islander heritage in forms or preprinted documents used by State government, public authorities or municipalities. The law directs that existing forms be amended no later than January 1, 2010.

“The words we use matter. We in government recognize that what we print in official documents or forms sets an example of what is acceptable. With this legislation, we take action against derogatory speech and set a new standard,” Governor Paterson said. “The word ‘oriental’ does not describe ethnic origin, background or even race; in fact, it has deep and demeaning historical roots. I am pleased to sign this legislation and remove the phrase from preprinted forms and documents. I congratulate the work of Senator Johnson, Assemblywoman Meng and the community leaders who worked to bring this important bill to my desk.”

Senator Craig Johnson said: “Allowing derogatory and hateful language to linger in public discourse and gain legitimacy through its inclusion in official State documents is improper and inexcusable. I am proud to have partnered with Governor Paterson and Assemblywoman Meng to ensure that decency prevailed when this legislation became law.”

Assemblywoman Grace Meng said: “Thank you to all my colleagues for their support and to Governor Paterson for his vision and leadership on this historic legislation. I am especially proud that this bill was able to pass unanimously in the Assembly and the Senate. Derogatory and insensitive language, like that Senator Johnson and I are addressing with our legislation, should not be allowed to linger in official State forms. This bill will hopefully serve as an important vehicle to eliminate any future derogatory classifications of people from all ethnic backgrounds. We are all Americans regardless of our ethnic backgrounds and as such should not have to suffer being referred to in an offensive manner.”

The term “oriental” is widely considered a disparaging term, but has been used in some forms and preprinted documents issued by State government, public authorities and municipalities.

Yale Murder Story

The recent murder of the Yale student researcher, Annie M. Le, was strange from the start.  She was killed just days before her wedding in Long Island and her body was found stuffed inside a wall in Yale lab on the what should have been her wedding day.  And now it has gotten even stranger!

Police have arrested a Yale employee, Raymond Clark, for the murder.  He wasn't a stalker.  He wasn't another researcher.  He was the team leader of a crew assigned to the CARE, FEEDING AND WELL BEING OF LAB ANIMALS and it is believed that when he just couldn't take Annie's refusal to follow the procedures in the lab, he just snapped and killed her.

The New York Times runs a story today that pulls all of this into focus.  It is very interesting and shows a sharp contrast of two worlds:  those who take care of lab animals and sometimes grow attached and those who conduct medical research on same animals.  In one very sad instance these two worlds collided so badly that one person chose murder and another lost her life.

Here for the New York Times story

QUOTE OF THE DAY

Politics: A strife of interests masquerading as a contest of principles. The conduct of public affairs for private advantage.



Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914)

Upcoming Talk on Terror at Cooper Union

Reckoning with Torture: Memos and Testimonies from the “War on Terror”

With Matthew Alexander, Paul Auster, Don DeLillo, Eve Ensler, Jenny Holzer, Jack Rice, Amrit Singh, and Art Spiegelman

When: Tuesday, October 13
Where: The Great Hall at Cooper Union, 7 East 7th St., NYC
What time: 7 p.m.

Tickets: $15/$10 for PEN/ACLU Members and students with valid ID atwww.smarttix.com. Tickets may also be purchased at the door.

More here...

Watch Video of Toni Morrison Reading from A MERCY

Last May, Toni Morrison visited the John Adams Institute in Amsterdam to celebrate the publication of her novel A MERCY.  In this excellent video of her presentation, Ms. Morrison reads a chapter from the novel and discusses the writing process.

She explains that she wanted to go back to a time when slavery was happening - in the earliest years of pre-colonial America - before it became associated with the racism of slavery we know so well.

What makes this video and presentation most interesting is that she is speaking to a non-American audience (in English) and they show enormous respect for her place in world literature.

Here for the video 

Moustafa Bayoumi: Upcoming Local Lecture Date

One of the texts for our class is Moustafa Bayoumi's "How Does It Feel to Be a Problem?  Being Young and Arab in America"

Meet the author who will read from the book and takes us beyond the stereotypes into the lives of seven twenty-something Arab-Americans who reveal their dreams and realities in post-9/11 America.

An upcoming FREE appearance gives us the chance to hear directly from Moustafa and to ask questions.

Queens Library - Broadway Branch

Saturday, October 24, 2009, 3:30pm

40-20 Broadway

Long Island City, NY 11103

718.721.2462

Here for library website!

Muslim Cop Pulled Off Flight as Terrorist Risk

A Muslim NYPD cop is set to sue the city and the feds after he was targeted by air marshals, triggering a year-long probe in which he was stripped of his gun and badge.  More here... 

Required Texts for Fall 2009

Amazon links are for information purposes only.

Angels in America by Tony Kushner (both plays)

How Does It Feel to Be a Problem? by Moustafa Bayoumi

A Mercy by Toni Morrison

Status Anxiety by Alain de Botton

Full Text of "A Doll's House"

This post is NOT for Fall 2009 students!

Click here for link to full text of "A Doll's House" by Henrik Ibsen

Oscar Wao Paper (#5)

This post is NOT for Fall 2009 students!


Paper #5 Topics for Junot Diaz’s novel Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao

Choose ONE of these topics. Use the topic as a “lens”: Your paper’s content is to be a comment on what happens when you look closely at the novel from the point of view of this “critical lens.”

Expectations for the paper:

• Shows you have read the text by selecting relevant examples from a broad range of pages and areas of the novel.
• Shows a clear understanding of the topic with meaningful discussion of the connection between the topic and the novel’s content.
• Demonstrates skill in organizing and developing the topic through the use of strategies such as (1) identifying ways power is used and abused, (2) describing how characters’ lives are impacted by living in “political fictions” and (3) discussing how the writer shows the character’s lives as taking shape by colliding with the political fictions. (Numbers 2 and 3 are different in that folks may simply live under political fictions and never resist them.)

Topics:

Narrative Authority
In this paper, explain and comment on how the writer uses his authority as “the writer” to express certain points of view, descriptions of time and place and characters’ lives. One example of this is when we discussed the use of “language of power” in a brief passage when Oscar is beaten up by a trio of thugs.

Struggle Against Oppression
In this paper, describe and comment on ways characters have collided and resisted the oppressive nature of their lives. be sure to discuss the political, social and self-imposed “imprisonment” experienced by selected characters.

Family = Destiny (Inheriting the Fuku)
In this paper, discuss and comment on how family members both embrace and shake off the curse of the fuku in their lives. Be sure to explain how the family became so cursed and how Oscar is only the latest, although, perhaps, not the last family member to live it.

The novel as historical (political) fiction
In this paper, you will NOT attempt to validate or disprove any of the truthfulness or representations of the historical facts presented by Junot Diaz. Instead, discuss and comment on how history is used as a historical narrative that serves as a backdrop to the story of Oscar Wao, the impact this history has on the characters’ lives (regardless of how true or not it is in the novel) and how the writer’s analysis of historical events contributes to a reader’s understanding of the time, place, setting and characters.

Outlines were suggested during a class discussion and are not available here.

Class Update for This Week and Final Sessions

This post is NOT for Fall 2009 students!


Monday, April 20 - Class was cancelled due to illness .

FOR NEXT WEEK (April 27):

- Finish reading Junot Diaz's novel Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao

- Complete assignment indicated below "Language of Power" - bring a typed response for sharing in class. It is not an essay; it may have bullets or other lists.

- Optional: Supplemental and enrichment reading - George Orwell's essay "Politics & the English Language" which takes up the issue of power and the uses (and abuses) of language

- Wayne will return the Cosmo paper with a grade. If you attended class on 4/20 by 6:30, Wayne took your draft of the Angels paper. This, too, will be returned with feedback.

- Give some thought and begin notes on a possible topic for Oscar Wao paper. Consider favorite characters, political fictions, use of narration, the impact of political fictions on the characters.

CLICK HERE FOR A LINK TO THE GEORGE ORWELL ESSAY

Ignore the syllabus directions to bring 25 copies of a paper! We will NOT be undertaking the publication activity this semester.

Agenda for April 27:

Looking at samples of Angels drafts together (6:00-6:45)
Writing about Oscar Wao (6:45-7:00) and share responses
Political fictions in the novel (charting activity - 7:00-7:30)
Language of Power and the homework assignment (7:30-8:00)
Topics for the Oscar Wao paper (8:00-8:15)
Conferences (8:15-8:45)

FOR MAY 4:

- BRING TWO COPIES - Draft of Oscar Wao paper for peer review (syllabus indicates a draft is due April 27 so this is a revised due date)

- Bring Final Draft of Angels paper for a grade

FOR MAY 11 (Last class session):

- Bring final draft of Oscar Wao for grade

- In-class course reflection

- Get back Angels paper with a grade

Reminder: Please complete the online course evaluations! The English department - and the university - take these seriously and ask that you complete them for every class.

LANGUAGE OF POWER

Assignment - in lieu of meeting on 4/20 - related to Junot Diaz's novel

Please read the passage from the novel and the directions very carefully. After reading the directions, you may find it helpful to copy/paste the passage to a Word document to complete the assignment.

Directions:
To prepare for class on 4/27 we will look closely at the use of language to signify (or represent) various kinds of power in the novel. Read the passage below and identify and explain the uses of power by the characters, between the characters and by the author. Wayne suggested in class there were at least ten kinds of power represented in the passage.

"Uses of power" is intended to mean ANY representation of, but not limited to, the following:

advantage / disadvantage
weakness / strength
truth / lie (deception)

How is the "language of power" expressed in this passage?

Oscar was lucky; if he had looked like my pana, Pedro, the Dominican Superman, or like my boy Benny, who was a model, he probably would have gotten shot right there. But because he was a homely slob, because he really looked like un maldito pariguayo who had never had no luck in his life, the capitan took Gollum-pity on him and only punched him a couple of times. Oscar, who had never been "punched a couple of times" by a military-trained adult, felt like he had just been run over by the entire Steelers backfield circa 1977. Breath knocked out of him so bad he honestly thought he was going to die of asphyxiation. The captain's face appeared over his: If you even touch my mujer again I'm going to kill you, pariguayo, and Oscar managed to whisper, You're the ex, before Mssrs. Grundy and Grod picked him up (with some difficulty), and squeezed him back into their Camry, and drove off. Oscar's last sight of Ybon? The capitan dragging her out of the Pathfinder cabin by her hair.

What’s Ahead for Monday, April 6

This post is NOT for Fall 2009 students!

Bring the following to class:
1. Draft of Cosmopolitanism paper for Peer Review
2. Text of Angels in America (have it read by this class, too!)
3. Notes on a PAIR of characters you find most interesting and as possible topics for the paper
4. Read the New York Times obituary for Roy Cohn (see link at right)

Class Agenda:

1. Writing about Angels in America (starting class with a prompt)
2. Peer Review of Cosmo paper
3. Share responses to peer review
4. Read aloud a scene from the play
5. What do we notice? (What do you hear that connects to a political fiction?)
6. Time permitting: View DVD film of read aloud scene
7. Topics for Angels paper

Still need a topic for Cosmo paper?

Enemies of Cosmopolitanism – In this paper you will explain the basic premises of cosmo and present worldwide cultural and political foes to the emergence of cosmo attitudes and philosophy

Why Cosmo Matters in the World Today – In this paper you will articulate 3-5 reasons why cosmo matters in the world today. Identify an issue cosmo potentially responds to and why it might be helpful to see the issue form a cosmo point of view

Whose Culture Is It Anyway? – In this paper you will write a brief synopsis of Chapter 8 and research a recent antiquities looting case to explain it from a cosmo point of view.

Another option is to choose ONE of the scenarios from the class activity. – In this paper you will address the questions in 3-5 paragraphs for each questions.

Scenario A - The City Art Museum has had a ten-foot high African statue on display for two hundred years. The statue comes from the (fictional) nation of Republic of Tora. Nicknamed “Otto” after the German “explorer” who first introduced the piece to the Western world, it is now believed to be extremely valuable and spiritually important for the Torians and they now want it back. Sadly, the Republic of Tora has been in a suffocating civil war for the past five years and there is no end in sight. The City Museum has refused to turn over “Otto.”

What is the cosmopolitan view towards the situation?
Is there any additional information you would want before making a decision?
What would YOU do if you were the director of the museum?

Scenario B - A large community of faithful (let’s call them the Dutilites- duti for “duty” and “-lites” for followers) have essentially turned the six blocks of their immediate neighborhood into an “exclusive zone” with their own bakery, butcher shop, meeting house (their version of a church or temple), two schools, a clinic and various other retail stores. They are known by their distinctive blue robes for both men and women. Included in this neighborhood are two blocks of public streets that the Dutilites want to block pedestrian and auto traffic of anyone who is not a Dutilite (visibly obvious from the absence of the blue robes) on certain days of the month in accordance to their worship calendar. At the moment some residents who are non-Dutilites DO remain on these blocks, although very few. These are city streets and are not private property. The group’s leaders have been blocking the streets with move-able barriers as a deterrent to autos but want greater authority to do it.

What is the cosmopolitan view towards the situation?
Is there any additional information you would want before making a decision?
What would YOU do to accommodate this group while respecting the needs of the non-Dutilites?

Scenario C - The local library in a small town has made public the following: they have received a formal written request from the national group African Interests & Rights (A.I.R.) that all copies of the classic novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain be removed from the shelves. The director of the local library has appealed to the community for help in respectfully denying the request. The group plans a protest rally at the library and a community support meeting with the slogan “Breathe OUR A.I.R. – Ban toxic books!” A.I.R. asserts that the novel is offensive for it use of the N-word, the outmoded and racist depiction of blacks and its condescension to black dignity with the white boy Huck in the role of supervisor or parent of both he and Jim, an adult black male. The library has refused to agree to the ban. The mayor wants the library to pull the novel “temporarily until the noise dies down.”

What is the cosmopolitan view towards the situation?
Is there any additional information you would want before making a decision?
What would YOU do to respond to A.I.R. if you were in charge?

Photojournalist Denies He's an Artist

This post is NOT for Fall 2009 students!

When Shepard Fairey surfed the internet looking for images of Obama, he didn't expect to find THE ONE taken by Mannie Garcia.

In this New York Times story the photojournalist Mannie Garcia describes what it has been like to be linked to the famous poster created by Fairey. He also explains that he is not an artist himself but that he doesn't TAKE pictures, he MAKES pictures!

Read the full article here - and let us know in class if you read it and what you think about his comments. Does he support Fairey's use of the photo in his poster?

Kwame Anthony Appiah to Speak in May

This post is NOT for Fall 2009 students!

May 3, 2009 The Fourth Annual Arthur Miller Freedom to Write Lecture by Nawal El Saadawi

The fourth annual PEN World Voices Arthur Miller Freedom to Write Lecture will be presented by Egyptian novelist, psychiatrist, and activist Nawal El Saadawi.

For more than 50 years, Dr. Saadawi has written books that focus on identity, sexuality and the legal status of women—particularly Arab women—and has continued her work despite the fact that these activities cost her her position as Egypt’s Director of Public Health and led to imprisonment, threats to her life, and, ultimately, exile.

One of the leading literary, cultural, and political voices of our times, Saadawi once noted, “Danger has been a part of my life ever since I picked up a pen and wrote. Nothing is more perilous than truth in a world that lies."

It is PEN’s great honor to welcome Dr. Saadawi to deliver this lecture. PEN President and acclaimed author Kwame Anthony Appiah will join Dr. Saadawi on stage after her lecture for a far-reaching conversation about her life and work.

When: Sunday, May 3, 2009: 6:30–8 p.m.
Where: The Great Hall, Cooper Union, 7 East 7th Street
Tickets: $15/$10 PEN members: www.smarttix.com or 212.868.4444

Persian Wedding Documentary

This post is NOT for Fall 2009 students!

ARUSI PERSIAN WEDDING to be shown on PBS this week and in coming weeks.

Connects to reading of Persepolis and on-going conversations about cross-cultural dialogues, lifestyles and political fictions.

“The last time my brother and I went to Iran was in 1977. I was three and he was seven. Soon after that, Iran and the U.S. broke off all ties, and it became impossible for us to go back.” —Marjan Tehrani

For filmmaker Marjan Tehrani and her brother Alex, growing up Iranian American meant that political tensions often impacted their personal lives. Iran and the U.S. broke off their political relationship more than 25 years ago, but still engage in a public war of words and threats. With travel to Iran nearly impossible for many years, Alex and Marjan were stuck interpreting the mostly negative images of Iran in the American media, a conflict that shaped their identities.
When the Tehranis are finally granted their Iranian passports, Alex, a photographer, and his American bride, Heather, an art gallery administrator, decide to make a trip from New York City to Iran to have a Persian wedding—just as Alex’s own Iranian father and American mother did in 1968, when Iran and the U.S. were still allies. But traveling to Iran is complicated. As the couple prepares to leave, they must face the mixed reactions of their parents and friends, reports of war in the Middle East, bureaucratic headaches and their own nerves.

In ARUSI PERSIAN WEDDING, Marjan accompanies Alex and Heather and documents their journey on film.

“I think that maybe my role is to prove to my family, who have a bit more traditional viewpoint, that you can’t judge a book by its cover, you have to see the whole picture.” —Heather Tehrani

Heather has to overcome the objections of her father, whose feelings are colored not only by religious beliefs but also by political views. A meeting of the two families becomes tense when Alex’s Iranian stepmother asks about American Iranian relations and Heather’s father voices his support of President Bush’s Middle East policies. ARUSI PERSIAN WEDDING intersperses scenes of Alex and Heather’s travel preparations with documentary footage of historical events in Iran during the latter half of the 20th century, from the expulsion of the British by Prime Minister Mossadegh in 1951 through Ayattolah Khomeini’s rise to power in 1979. This dramatic archival footage reveals how acutely history can affect not only political relationships, but personal relationships as well.

In Tehran, Alex and Heather receive a warm and enthusiastic reception from Alex’s extended family. As the wedding day approaches, the women of the family take charge of preparing Heather for the event, a far more elaborate affair than she expected. The couple also sets out to explore more of the country en route to the wedding site, traveling through lush and desert landscapes, exploring a traditional village and an historic city and connecting with people of all ages and viewpoints. As they explore Iran on their own terms, their experiences illuminate the humor, passion and diversity of a rich culture in transition.

PBS website for the documentary here.

Class Update!

This post is NOT for Fall 2009 students!

Possible topics for next paper.

When the personal and the political collide:

-An alien in Austria
(When Marj went to Austria, how that is different than Iraq.)
(Not fitting in/ Culture clash)
(Changes Image)

-Living under Regime Rule
(dictatorship)

-Confronting Persian Mythology
(access to literacy and education)

Outline for Persepolis Paper
I. Introduction
A. Identify a Political Fiction
B. Describe it
II. Examples
III. How it comes into being (causes)
IV. Persepolis fights back
V. Consequences
VI. What I now understand

Remember from last time- We want to identify a political fiction in the text.
Then show how Marj confronts this Political Fiction and describe her resistance (with text samples). Also what are the consequences, (what is the result). Finally, what do you understand more clearly about how political fictions-particularly ones that have so much control- impact people’s lives
Identify = state it, describe it, give examples, explain how it came into being-causes.

March 23- Paper #2 due for Peer Review.
March 30- Paper #2 due and Paper #3 Peer Review.

See Junot Diaz Live!

This post is NOT for Fall 2009 students!

One of the texts for the course this spring is Junot Diaz's novel The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao. Last semester we had the opportunity to see Junot speak/read from the novel in the East Village.

This Spring we can see him in Harlem! He is very funny and if you are really into the novel, you will not want to miss the opportunity to see him in person. The date (March 19) is during Spring Break.

THE SCHOMBURG READING ROOM: WRITERS ON THE CUTTING EDGE
Pulitzer Prize Winners: Junot Diaz & Rita Dove
Thursday, March 19, 2009, 7:00 PM Authors Junot Diaz and Rita Dove will read from their works with a moderated conversation between the two guests. Moderated by Patricia Spears Jones. Tickets: members, $16; nonmembers: $20. For ticket charge, call the Schomburg Shop at (212) 491-2206. Or buy tickets through Telecharge

Schomburg Center in Harlem CLICK HERE

A link to the poet Rita Dove CLICK HERE

A link to the writer Junot Diaz CLICK HERE