1) Christmas in Denmark to be held the first day back in January.
2) Bonus points will go to those who did MC items (Passages 9 and 12) for homework as assigned Monday night. All others, no credit for or against you.
3) Please do the remaining MC items on your own and check your answers on your own time when school resumes - I'll copy the answers and explanations and make them available. Then submit your score to me for credit. Points TBA.
4) Terms cards due the 2nd day class resumes in January. Please make it a New Year's card instead of Christmas!
5) Don't forget the blog assigned last Friday - Trace Hamlet's philosophical / spiritual development from the beginning of the play to the end, quoting him as you go.
6) MOR not due till Feb. 1, but keep in mind that we'll be reading R&G Are Dead in January, so you might want to get your independent reading out of the way.
7) I had intended to return your most recent timed writes before break, but... snow! Your writing abilities are looking pretty good, but many of you forgot that in order to make a case for TONE, you must analyze those "voice indicators" -- diction, detail, imagery, language (and syntax, which we'll study in February). Many of you simply explained the meaning of the text, without analyzing the words in the text. We will do another timed write the first week back.
8) Over the holidays extra credit: View a secular Christmas movie and write a paper analyzing its worldview. 1st paragraph - intro/summary. 2nd para - power in the universe and nature of man. 3rd para - conflict and hope. 4th para - values and reality. 5th para - conclude as to film's worldview. As you conclude you may use words/phrases such as Judeo-Christian, traditional, compatible with Christian values, humanist, etc. Remember that "humanist" is not necessarily exclusive of God, but "secular humanist" is atheist. I can't think of a truly postmodern Christmas film, but if you can find one, I'd be interested! We haven't studied postmodernism much, but indicators of postmodern literature include metafiction, questionable nature of reality, relativity of values, meaninglessness of language, and the individual struggling for meaning in a technological world. Good luck! I hope some of you will take me up on this! Leave comments if you have questions and I will check back periodically to offer replies.
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
A Tribute to Comedy
Your job is to analyze a modern comedy of your choice, either a sitcom or movie. Use it to exercise your knowledge of comedy-related terms, to identify the elements of comedy ("rhetoric of humor" or other observations) and the structure of comedy, and to decide just how much comedy has or has not changed since the Greek era (consider Aristophanes and Aristotle).
Display your ideas visually by decorating a comedy mask. In addition to images, please use verbal labels as necessary and incorporate a couple of quotes, one from the comedy and one from Aristotle or another comedy expert of your choosing. Here are few goodies:
Comedy just pokes at problems, rarely confronts them squarely. Drama is like a plate of meat and potatoes, comedy is rather the dessert, a bit like meringue.
Woody Allen
There is a thin line that separates laughter and pain, comedy and tragedy, humor and hurt.
Erma Bombeck
Comedy has to be based on truth. You take the truth and you put a little curlicue at the end.
Sid Caesar
Like I said, all comedy is based on exaggeration, big or small, whatever you can get away with.
Drew Carey
Comedy always works best when it is mean-spirited.
John Cleese
The duty of comedy is to correct men by amusing them.
Moliere
The office of drama is to exercise, possibly to exhaust, human emotions. The purpose of comedy is to tickle those emotions into an expression of light relief; of tragedy, to wound them and bring the relief of tears.
Laurence Olivier
Now, Comedy is the fountain of sound sense; not the less perfectly sound on account of the sparkle: and Comedy lifts women to a station offering them free play for their wit, as they usually show it, when they have it, on the side of sound sense. The higher the Comedy, the more prominent the part they enjoy in it.
George Meredith
One excellent test of the civilization of a country ... I take to be the flourishing of the Comic idea and Comedy; and the test of true Comedy is that it shall awaken thoughtful laughter.
George Meredith
Display your ideas visually by decorating a comedy mask. In addition to images, please use verbal labels as necessary and incorporate a couple of quotes, one from the comedy and one from Aristotle or another comedy expert of your choosing. Here are few goodies:
Comedy just pokes at problems, rarely confronts them squarely. Drama is like a plate of meat and potatoes, comedy is rather the dessert, a bit like meringue.
Woody Allen
There is a thin line that separates laughter and pain, comedy and tragedy, humor and hurt.
Erma Bombeck
Comedy has to be based on truth. You take the truth and you put a little curlicue at the end.
Sid Caesar
Like I said, all comedy is based on exaggeration, big or small, whatever you can get away with.
Drew Carey
Comedy always works best when it is mean-spirited.
John Cleese
The duty of comedy is to correct men by amusing them.
Moliere
The office of drama is to exercise, possibly to exhaust, human emotions. The purpose of comedy is to tickle those emotions into an expression of light relief; of tragedy, to wound them and bring the relief of tears.
Laurence Olivier
Now, Comedy is the fountain of sound sense; not the less perfectly sound on account of the sparkle: and Comedy lifts women to a station offering them free play for their wit, as they usually show it, when they have it, on the side of sound sense. The higher the Comedy, the more prominent the part they enjoy in it.
George Meredith
One excellent test of the civilization of a country ... I take to be the flourishing of the Comic idea and Comedy; and the test of true Comedy is that it shall awaken thoughtful laughter.
George Meredith
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Poetics
Having completed studies of classic Greek tragedy and comedy, we shall now do a quick read of Aristotle's Poetics. In this famous essay, the great philosopher analyzes the nature of good poetry, good tragedy, good epic, and good comedy. Spend about half an hour on your reading, and be prepared to discuss Aristotle's most important points, regarding tragedy and comedy in particular. We will discuss on Monday, November 4.
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Tragedy!
Last week, the class presented original "Christian" tragedies. Congrats to all for fine performances. The last group up had a great focus on tragic flaw, specifically self-righteousness. The middle group dealt with a heavy and important theme (as all tragedies must) - the conflict between free will and the sovereignty of God. This was a perfect twist on the classic tragic theme of fate. The first group delivered the winning performance with a tightly scripted tragedy that hit all the plot points: clear exposition, peripeteia, climax, anagnorisis, and catastrophe. The acting was also superb, with an interesting use of the Chorus who moved in and out of context. All groups illustrated the one element a Christian tragedy must have, as opposed to a pagan tragedy, and that is a glimmer of hope. Great work.
Your blogging assignment: Comment on what you learned during the process. It might be spiritual, literary, or anything else.
Your blogging assignment: Comment on what you learned during the process. It might be spiritual, literary, or anything else.
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Dr. Bryan Burton on Dostoyevski
I always enjoy seeing what book Bryan Burton has in his hands at Starbucks. It was at Starbucks that he first insisted I read Dostoyevski. So it was a great pleasure to have him come speak today about C&P.
I particularly liked that my students were able to hear a real reaction to literature, how it connects with the deep stuff of life, how Bryan was first struck by Dostoyevsky while studying theology in seminary. I like that my students could see a pastor who is moved to his core by the power of a story. Indeed, it's always been evident to me, from the pew, that he was a man of books. I like to introduce students to men and women of books.
Even as a teacher who must explain existentialism to students each year, I got a little schooling today. It's such a complex and difficult topic that to hear it packaged anew was of great benefit. One sentence I wrote down as he spoke was, "you can't separate being and doing" in existentialism. That was a good phrase for me. If being (existing) is so vitally linked to doing, then the importance of psychology is elevated - I'd never thought of that before. And existential lit would then be profoundly interested in bringing the reader into a character's internal reality. We'll talk more about this, dig through it, in class.
A few final thoughts: Our library needs a copy of Invitation to the Classics, if we don't already have it (we might). We also need The Gospel in Dostoevsky. I need to read some Dorothy Sayers. I should get on to Tolstoy sometime soon. And I am seriously considering forgiving Dr. Burton for blaspheming Shakespeare :)
I particularly liked that my students were able to hear a real reaction to literature, how it connects with the deep stuff of life, how Bryan was first struck by Dostoyevsky while studying theology in seminary. I like that my students could see a pastor who is moved to his core by the power of a story. Indeed, it's always been evident to me, from the pew, that he was a man of books. I like to introduce students to men and women of books.
Even as a teacher who must explain existentialism to students each year, I got a little schooling today. It's such a complex and difficult topic that to hear it packaged anew was of great benefit. One sentence I wrote down as he spoke was, "you can't separate being and doing" in existentialism. That was a good phrase for me. If being (existing) is so vitally linked to doing, then the importance of psychology is elevated - I'd never thought of that before. And existential lit would then be profoundly interested in bringing the reader into a character's internal reality. We'll talk more about this, dig through it, in class.
A few final thoughts: Our library needs a copy of Invitation to the Classics, if we don't already have it (we might). We also need The Gospel in Dostoevsky. I need to read some Dorothy Sayers. I should get on to Tolstoy sometime soon. And I am seriously considering forgiving Dr. Burton for blaspheming Shakespeare :)
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Did Raskolnikov Repent?
Assignment: Blog about RRR's repentance, if and when. You may quote, summarize, or report.
It is my assertion that he did in fact repent. Repenting consists of admitting one's wrong and then committing oneself to not repeating the wrong. RRR admits his sin to Sonia when he first confesses to her:
"Sonia, I have a bad heart, take note of that... I have come because I am bad...... Well, of course in killing the old woman I did wrong. Well, that's enough." (pp325-327)
It is true that he continues to indulge in rationalization of his crime, but I find this to be a realistic portrayal of the sinner and his sin. The Bible talks about the continual working out of one's salvation (Phil 2:12) and in other places of an ongoing process of being saved. In RRR's confession to Sonya, and then to the public at the "crossroads," and finally to the law, he puts himself in the singular position of repentance. But his redemption is far from over.
Redemption happens in the epilogue (structurally significant, I think). It's important to note that this part of his salvation is worked out alongside Sonya. It would not have happened outside of love. The first part is largely mental -- yes, I am a sinner just like the rest of humanity, and I can't save myself. The second part is a transformation of the heart -- walk alongside me, Sonya, walk with me, Jesus.
"[Raskolnikov] could not have analyzed anything consciously; he was simply feeling. Life had stepped into the place of theory and something quite different would work itself out in his mind... But that is the beginning of a new story -- the story of the gradual renewal of a man, the story of his gradual regeneration, of his passing from one world into another, of his initiation into a new unknown life." (p430)
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Oh How I Love Terms, Part I
Rhetoric
Modes of Discourse: exposition, description, narration, argument
Subsets of exposition: cause and effect, compare and contrast, process analysis...
Argument
Subset of argument: persuasion (motivates audience to action)
Modes of Persuasion:
ethos (appeal to authority)
pathos (appeal to emotion)
logos (appeal to logic)
Inductive logic (specific to general)
Deductive logic (general to specific)
Syllogism
Analogy (specific to specific)
Axiom, axiomatic
Implication (author/sender implies)
Inference (reader/audience infers)
Invective
Fallacy
Examples of fallacies: ad hominem, non sequitur, bandwagon, straw man, false dilemma, circular reasoning, scapegoat...
Rhetorical question (no response is requested)
Ambiguity (must be intended)
Irony:
Dramatic (discordance b/w what appears and what is known)
Situational (discordance b/w what is understood/expected and what actually is)
Verbal (discordance b/w what is said and what is meant)
Sarcasm (ridicules)
Satire (must have a target)
Allusion (specific and oblique): classical, literary, historical
Motif
Symbol
Archetype
Modes of Discourse: exposition, description, narration, argument
Subsets of exposition: cause and effect, compare and contrast, process analysis...
Argument
Subset of argument: persuasion (motivates audience to action)
Modes of Persuasion:
ethos (appeal to authority)
pathos (appeal to emotion)
logos (appeal to logic)
Inductive logic (specific to general)
Deductive logic (general to specific)
Syllogism
Analogy (specific to specific)
Axiom, axiomatic
Implication (author/sender implies)
Inference (reader/audience infers)
Invective
Fallacy
Examples of fallacies: ad hominem, non sequitur, bandwagon, straw man, false dilemma, circular reasoning, scapegoat...
Rhetorical question (no response is requested)
Ambiguity (must be intended)
Irony:
Dramatic (discordance b/w what appears and what is known)
Situational (discordance b/w what is understood/expected and what actually is)
Verbal (discordance b/w what is said and what is meant)
Sarcasm (ridicules)
Satire (must have a target)
Allusion (specific and oblique): classical, literary, historical
Motif
Symbol
Archetype
Friday, August 29, 2008
Literary Criticism
As Humpty Dumpty says, in order to find the meaning behind words you must decide who is to be master. Schools of literary criticism identify different "masters of meaning."
Reader-Response Criticism
The reader is the master of meaning
"The meaning of the text interacts with my personal experience."
My gut reaction to the work is...
Historical/Biographical Criticism
The author and authorial context are masters of meaning
"This text means whatever I (the author) intended it to mean, in the context of my times and my original audience."
Our knowledge of the author and his times/audience compels us to see...
Feminist Criticism
The context of gender is the master of meaning
"Gender is universal to the human experience, and it is high time we focus on the feminine as we have heretofore focused on the masculine."
The representation of gender in this work reveals that...
Freudian/Psychological Criticism
The context of the human mind is the master of meaning
"The human mind is the source of all meaning, and we must analyze its conscious thought as well as its subconscious thought, for instance, dreams."
The subconscious messages in this work which must be brought to light are...
Marxist Criticism
The context of economic politics is the master of meaning
"The power to get the stuff we need and want -- that's what shapes the human experience, and literature ultimately reveals the dynamics of class power struggles."
The representation of class in this work reveals that...
Archetypal Criticism
The context of human universals are the master of meaning
"All literature is a reflection of universal human impulses, and therefore we most earnestly seek to identify the presence of archetypes."
The archetypes present in the work comment on the universal human condition in that...
Theological/Biblical Criticism
The context of God, particularly the Biblical God, is the master of meaning
"All truth is God's truth, and the center of his truth is the need of redemption for a sinful world."
This work reflects the reality of sin and the need for redemption in that...
Deconstruction
There is no context for absolute meaning
"Since there is no such thing as absolute meaning, this work, at some level, can be rendered meaningless."
Elements of this text which are contradictory include ... and therefore cancel out an absolute meaning for the text as a whole.
Formal/New Criticism (Close Reading)
The text alone is the master of meaning
"I (the text) am complete and unified. Look closely and discover my meaning."
The text is characterized and/or unified by...
Close reading is the type of analysis you do on an A.P. timed write or in a Schaffer-format style analysis. Cleanth Brooks was the central figure in New Criticism (it was once considered "new," as opposed to traditional historical criticism). It grew out of a need to teach students about poetry, that a poem's format and content cannot be separated. To paraphrase a poem is to rob it of its character and meaning. We must closely analyze every concrete detail of the poem in order to seize upon that meaning. All the subtleties of word choice, irony, paradox, and ambiguity merge within the poem -- they come together in a complete and unified manner which is unique to the poem. Close readings therefore depend on staying strictly and concretely in the text, drawing all the technical elements of the poem together until you unlock the unified essence of the work.
Reader-Response Criticism
The reader is the master of meaning
"The meaning of the text interacts with my personal experience."
My gut reaction to the work is...
Historical/Biographical Criticism
The author and authorial context are masters of meaning
"This text means whatever I (the author) intended it to mean, in the context of my times and my original audience."
Our knowledge of the author and his times/audience compels us to see...
Feminist Criticism
The context of gender is the master of meaning
"Gender is universal to the human experience, and it is high time we focus on the feminine as we have heretofore focused on the masculine."
The representation of gender in this work reveals that...
Freudian/Psychological Criticism
The context of the human mind is the master of meaning
"The human mind is the source of all meaning, and we must analyze its conscious thought as well as its subconscious thought, for instance, dreams."
The subconscious messages in this work which must be brought to light are...
Marxist Criticism
The context of economic politics is the master of meaning
"The power to get the stuff we need and want -- that's what shapes the human experience, and literature ultimately reveals the dynamics of class power struggles."
The representation of class in this work reveals that...
Archetypal Criticism
The context of human universals are the master of meaning
"All literature is a reflection of universal human impulses, and therefore we most earnestly seek to identify the presence of archetypes."
The archetypes present in the work comment on the universal human condition in that...
Theological/Biblical Criticism
The context of God, particularly the Biblical God, is the master of meaning
"All truth is God's truth, and the center of his truth is the need of redemption for a sinful world."
This work reflects the reality of sin and the need for redemption in that...
Deconstruction
There is no context for absolute meaning
"Since there is no such thing as absolute meaning, this work, at some level, can be rendered meaningless."
Elements of this text which are contradictory include ... and therefore cancel out an absolute meaning for the text as a whole.
Formal/New Criticism (Close Reading)
The text alone is the master of meaning
"I (the text) am complete and unified. Look closely and discover my meaning."
The text is characterized and/or unified by...
Close reading is the type of analysis you do on an A.P. timed write or in a Schaffer-format style analysis. Cleanth Brooks was the central figure in New Criticism (it was once considered "new," as opposed to traditional historical criticism). It grew out of a need to teach students about poetry, that a poem's format and content cannot be separated. To paraphrase a poem is to rob it of its character and meaning. We must closely analyze every concrete detail of the poem in order to seize upon that meaning. All the subtleties of word choice, irony, paradox, and ambiguity merge within the poem -- they come together in a complete and unified manner which is unique to the poem. Close readings therefore depend on staying strictly and concretely in the text, drawing all the technical elements of the poem together until you unlock the unified essence of the work.
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Worldview Analysis Timeline
PRE-MODERN
Pre-and Ancient history
"It is what it is, 'cause I can see it... and grandpa told me so!"
Early pagan cultures, mythologies, polytheists
Later on the time line: neopaganism, Wicca, occult
Once culture stabilizes enough, philosophy can emerge... people start to question all the old ways of thinking and postulate new, intellectual ideas. For Western culture, we look to the first millennium B.C. The Golden Age Greeks -- featuring some of the world's most revolutionary philosophers -- who made the transition from polytheism to a wide variety of worldviews, all grounded in rational inquiry.
MODERN
Classical history, Renaissance, Enlightenment
"Truth is rational. We must analyze it. There is a right answer."
Classical Greece and Rome, rationalism, humanism, science
Romanticism, socialism, communism, utilitarianism
Eventually, when people realize that rational philosophy has not brought all the right answers, culture begins to (again) dismiss old ways of thinking, even to the point of dismissing "truth." In Western culture, we look to the 19th Century. Utilitarianism is a transition of sorts, as pain and pleasure are viewed as the only intrinsic values, and therfore the ends justify the means. Romanticism can also be viewed as transitional, as it dismisses a purely rational assessment of truth, relying on subjective perceptions and feelings.
POST-MODERN
Late 19th Century and contemporary
"There is no absolute truth."
Nihilism, existentialism
Pre-and Ancient history
"It is what it is, 'cause I can see it... and grandpa told me so!"
Early pagan cultures, mythologies, polytheists
Later on the time line: neopaganism, Wicca, occult
Once culture stabilizes enough, philosophy can emerge... people start to question all the old ways of thinking and postulate new, intellectual ideas. For Western culture, we look to the first millennium B.C. The Golden Age Greeks -- featuring some of the world's most revolutionary philosophers -- who made the transition from polytheism to a wide variety of worldviews, all grounded in rational inquiry.
MODERN
Classical history, Renaissance, Enlightenment
"Truth is rational. We must analyze it. There is a right answer."
Classical Greece and Rome, rationalism, humanism, science
Romanticism, socialism, communism, utilitarianism
Eventually, when people realize that rational philosophy has not brought all the right answers, culture begins to (again) dismiss old ways of thinking, even to the point of dismissing "truth." In Western culture, we look to the 19th Century. Utilitarianism is a transition of sorts, as pain and pleasure are viewed as the only intrinsic values, and therfore the ends justify the means. Romanticism can also be viewed as transitional, as it dismisses a purely rational assessment of truth, relying on subjective perceptions and feelings.
POST-MODERN
Late 19th Century and contemporary
"There is no absolute truth."
Nihilism, existentialism
Worldview Analysis
1) GOD & THE UNIVERSE What power is in control of the universe? Was it created? Is it governed by chance/coincidence, human choice/determinism, fate/providence, gods/God, chaos/absurdity...?
2) HUMANITY & IDENTITY What is the nature of a human being? Are we material, spiritual, or dual? How much power do we have over our own universe? Are we innocent or guilty at birth?
3) CONFLICT & SUFFERING What is the nature and starting point of human conflict? Why is the universe flawed? What are the flaws?
4) HOPE & REDEMPTION What is the answer to the human struggle? How are we doing? Where do we find our hope for tomorrow?
5) VALUES How does one find value in life? What personal, relational, and public values can be identified for living well? What is good and what is bad? What do we prize and what do we fear?
6) TRUTH & REALITY What is true? What is real? Is there absolute truth? How do you know? Can you articulate it? Are your words reliable?
Christian: God as sovereign creator and trinity; humans made in his image but fallen into sin; suffering arising from man's attempt to be his own god (Lucifer's lie, the Fall); all hope is found in the death and resurrection of Jesus; values of peace, joy, hope, faith, and the "greatest of these is love"; truth revealed in creation and through God's inspired Word.
Secular Humanist: No God, material universe; humans are highly evolved animals; conflict arises in quest to survive; hope in being "fit" to survive and progress/evolve; values of survival for the individual and the herd; truth is material and scientifically verifiable.
Cosmic Humanist: God, if It exists, is a cosmic force; the universe and its inhabitants are spiritual,interconnected and evolving; suffering comes from disconnection and stagnance; hope is in spiritual awareness, community, progress; values of open-mindedness, confidence, charity; spiritual truth looks different to different people and its expression is subjective.
Muslim: God as One soverign creator (no trinity); humans are created for submission; conflict arises within the absence of submission; hope is in the grace of Allah, for those who submit; values identified in the Five Pillars, including obedience and charity; truth revealed in creation and through Muhammed in the Koran.
Pre-Modern: Spirits and gods control the world; humans intermingle with gods and spirits; suffering comes from displeasing the gods/spirits; hope is in earthly glory and sometimes glory in the afterlife; values are in obedience to tradition and ritual; truth is revealed by the gods/spirits.
Post-Modern: Who knows if there's a God? Humans exist; suffering comes from not knowing who you are or what to believe; hope can come in making a leap to identity and faith, or just giving up and laughing at it all; value anything that makes you feel better; truth isn't knowable or expressable, and words are stabs in the dark.
(Modern = secular humanist, cosmic humanist, theological humanist)
REMINDERS:
* Don't analyze the worldview of a particular character or even the society or the setting. Look for the speaker's tone towards these elements and analyze the universe in which the characters, society, and setting exist.
* Don't push a God symbol into a story where it was not intended. Rarely does God appear in stories as a character or symbol. Analyze the worldview fully using the 6 categories of thought and then ask yourself if you still see any God symbolism or allegory. In fact, save interpretation of all symbols, metaphors, and imagery until the end of your process.
* If you get stuck, learn a little about the author. An author's personal worldview will shape his fictional universe 99% of the time.
2) HUMANITY & IDENTITY What is the nature of a human being? Are we material, spiritual, or dual? How much power do we have over our own universe? Are we innocent or guilty at birth?
3) CONFLICT & SUFFERING What is the nature and starting point of human conflict? Why is the universe flawed? What are the flaws?
4) HOPE & REDEMPTION What is the answer to the human struggle? How are we doing? Where do we find our hope for tomorrow?
5) VALUES How does one find value in life? What personal, relational, and public values can be identified for living well? What is good and what is bad? What do we prize and what do we fear?
6) TRUTH & REALITY What is true? What is real? Is there absolute truth? How do you know? Can you articulate it? Are your words reliable?
Christian: God as sovereign creator and trinity; humans made in his image but fallen into sin; suffering arising from man's attempt to be his own god (Lucifer's lie, the Fall); all hope is found in the death and resurrection of Jesus; values of peace, joy, hope, faith, and the "greatest of these is love"; truth revealed in creation and through God's inspired Word.
Secular Humanist: No God, material universe; humans are highly evolved animals; conflict arises in quest to survive; hope in being "fit" to survive and progress/evolve; values of survival for the individual and the herd; truth is material and scientifically verifiable.
Cosmic Humanist: God, if It exists, is a cosmic force; the universe and its inhabitants are spiritual,interconnected and evolving; suffering comes from disconnection and stagnance; hope is in spiritual awareness, community, progress; values of open-mindedness, confidence, charity; spiritual truth looks different to different people and its expression is subjective.
Muslim: God as One soverign creator (no trinity); humans are created for submission; conflict arises within the absence of submission; hope is in the grace of Allah, for those who submit; values identified in the Five Pillars, including obedience and charity; truth revealed in creation and through Muhammed in the Koran.
Pre-Modern: Spirits and gods control the world; humans intermingle with gods and spirits; suffering comes from displeasing the gods/spirits; hope is in earthly glory and sometimes glory in the afterlife; values are in obedience to tradition and ritual; truth is revealed by the gods/spirits.
Post-Modern: Who knows if there's a God? Humans exist; suffering comes from not knowing who you are or what to believe; hope can come in making a leap to identity and faith, or just giving up and laughing at it all; value anything that makes you feel better; truth isn't knowable or expressable, and words are stabs in the dark.
(Modern = secular humanist, cosmic humanist, theological humanist)
REMINDERS:
* Don't analyze the worldview of a particular character or even the society or the setting. Look for the speaker's tone towards these elements and analyze the universe in which the characters, society, and setting exist.
* Don't push a God symbol into a story where it was not intended. Rarely does God appear in stories as a character or symbol. Analyze the worldview fully using the 6 categories of thought and then ask yourself if you still see any God symbolism or allegory. In fact, save interpretation of all symbols, metaphors, and imagery until the end of your process.
* If you get stuck, learn a little about the author. An author's personal worldview will shape his fictional universe 99% of the time.
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
VOICE/Tone/Style Analysis
If your writing prompt is asking you about tone, style, point of view, diction, etc... then your entire answer may come from a focused VOICE analysis (only the "V" of VISIBLE).
Begin by listening to the VOICE behind the literature. Who is speaking? to whom? about what? is the speaker a 1st or 3rd person? is the speaker omniscient? is the speaker reliable?
Tone = the attitude of the speaker towards topic or audience
Tone is not = mood
Tone is not = style
Tone is ESSENTIAL because it shapes meaning. If I say this poem is fantastic, but express is sarcastically, then I am actually saying it is NOT fantastic. Tone is the most important aspect of voice.
Mood = the feeling the reader gets
Style = the way the writer crafts language
Try for two different but complementary tone modifiers
Look for a split tone or a tone shift (if there is one)
Voice Indicators:
Dicton = choice of words (connotative)
Images = sensory pictures (evocative)
Detail = facts (significant)
Language = types of words (stylistic)
Syntax = arrangement of words (strategic)
The Syntax Six:
Thumb - patterns
Pointer - punctuation/phrasing
Middle - sentence length
Ring - modes of sentences
Pinky - grammar
Hand - arrangement of details within the sentence
Begin by listening to the VOICE behind the literature. Who is speaking? to whom? about what? is the speaker a 1st or 3rd person? is the speaker omniscient? is the speaker reliable?
Tone = the attitude of the speaker towards topic or audience
Tone is not = mood
Tone is not = style
Tone is ESSENTIAL because it shapes meaning. If I say this poem is fantastic, but express is sarcastically, then I am actually saying it is NOT fantastic. Tone is the most important aspect of voice.
Mood = the feeling the reader gets
Style = the way the writer crafts language
Try for two different but complementary tone modifiers
Look for a split tone or a tone shift (if there is one)
Voice Indicators:
Dicton = choice of words (connotative)
Images = sensory pictures (evocative)
Detail = facts (significant)
Language = types of words (stylistic)
Syntax = arrangement of words (strategic)
The Syntax Six:
Thumb - patterns
Pointer - punctuation/phrasing
Middle - sentence length
Ring - modes of sentences
Pinky - grammar
Hand - arrangement of details within the sentence
V.I.S.I.B.L.E.
Voice
Listen to the voice behind the words: point of view, audience, topic, reliability, style, and TONE.
Voice indicators: diction, imagery, detail, language, syntax
Ideas
Look for abstracts. What themes/ideas are explored? Are any of the ideas in tension? Are the ideas presented in satire? Are the ideas presented in irony? Are the ideas presented in paradox?
Structure/Development
Look for sections and sequence. Look for logical steps (argument). Look for plot arc and character development along that arc. Consider the movement of time, pace, transition, flashback, foreshadowing, juxtaposition, character groupings, reversal.
Images/Symbols/Motifs
Look for concrete elements: controlling images, motifs, symbols, archetypes, setting, anything visual.
(The previous points are applicable to a close reading. The remaining points require a larger context of research.)
Background
Find out about the author, the era of publication, the setting. Let this information inform the meaning of the work historically.
Lens of Criticism
Look for nontraditional critical perspectives, perhaps feminist, Marxist, psychological, deconstructive, reader response, etc.
Evangelize the Text
This means applying a biblical lens of criticism over the text, looking for issues of man's sin, God's goodness, and the path to redemption. "Evangelizing the text" is not an exercise in condemning the morality of the story or the beliefs of the author. It says that all truth is God's truth, and you are looking for biblical truth. Really good literature should always reflect something true.
Listen to the voice behind the words: point of view, audience, topic, reliability, style, and TONE.
Voice indicators: diction, imagery, detail, language, syntax
Ideas
Look for abstracts. What themes/ideas are explored? Are any of the ideas in tension? Are the ideas presented in satire? Are the ideas presented in irony? Are the ideas presented in paradox?
Structure/Development
Look for sections and sequence. Look for logical steps (argument). Look for plot arc and character development along that arc. Consider the movement of time, pace, transition, flashback, foreshadowing, juxtaposition, character groupings, reversal.
Images/Symbols/Motifs
Look for concrete elements: controlling images, motifs, symbols, archetypes, setting, anything visual.
(The previous points are applicable to a close reading. The remaining points require a larger context of research.)
Background
Find out about the author, the era of publication, the setting. Let this information inform the meaning of the work historically.
Lens of Criticism
Look for nontraditional critical perspectives, perhaps feminist, Marxist, psychological, deconstructive, reader response, etc.
Evangelize the Text
This means applying a biblical lens of criticism over the text, looking for issues of man's sin, God's goodness, and the path to redemption. "Evangelizing the text" is not an exercise in condemning the morality of the story or the beliefs of the author. It says that all truth is God's truth, and you are looking for biblical truth. Really good literature should always reflect something true.
Monthly Outside Reading
Students will be required to read one "MOR" major literary work of AP-level merit during six grading periods:
1) Sept. 2) Oct. 3) Nov. 4) Dec/Jan. 5) Feb/Mar. 6)April
This 30-point requirement will be assessed through the student’s choice of a dialectical journal, an artistic response, an Accelerated Reader test, or a book club meeting.
Dialectical journals: 15 significant quotes, 5 related to a worldview analysis
Art: high quality, features text from the work, explores worldview on some level, explain worldview aspects in writing or in person, turn in work mounted and ready for display/hanging
Test: brief 6-point worldview analysis with conclusion/label identified on the back of test print-out
Book Club: 3 or more students read the same book and meet for one hour or longer to discuss worldview analysis and "VISIBLE" / turn in meeting minutes for credit
Students must select two books from each worldview category during the year. Other books are possible – select from a published list of frequently cited A.P. novels/plays and confer with me about worldview category. Here is a good, core list from which you may wish to make most of your selections:
Judeo-Christian
Macbeth
Great Expectations
Pride and Prejudice
Jane Eyre
Lord of the Flies
Anna Karenina
Murder in the Cathedral
Humanist/Cosmic Humanist
The Mayor of Casterbridge
Things Fall Apart
The Joy Luck Club
Brave New World
Fahrenheit 451
Wuthering Heights
Bless Me, Ultima
Postmodern
Waiting for Godot
Life of Pi
The Stranger
Anouilh’s Antigone
Breakfast of Champions
The Things They Carried
Catch-22
1) Sept. 2) Oct. 3) Nov. 4) Dec/Jan. 5) Feb/Mar. 6)April
This 30-point requirement will be assessed through the student’s choice of a dialectical journal, an artistic response, an Accelerated Reader test, or a book club meeting.
Dialectical journals: 15 significant quotes, 5 related to a worldview analysis
Art: high quality, features text from the work, explores worldview on some level, explain worldview aspects in writing or in person, turn in work mounted and ready for display/hanging
Test: brief 6-point worldview analysis with conclusion/label identified on the back of test print-out
Book Club: 3 or more students read the same book and meet for one hour or longer to discuss worldview analysis and "VISIBLE" / turn in meeting minutes for credit
Students must select two books from each worldview category during the year. Other books are possible – select from a published list of frequently cited A.P. novels/plays and confer with me about worldview category. Here is a good, core list from which you may wish to make most of your selections:
Judeo-Christian
Macbeth
Great Expectations
Pride and Prejudice
Jane Eyre
Lord of the Flies
Anna Karenina
Murder in the Cathedral
Humanist/Cosmic Humanist
The Mayor of Casterbridge
Things Fall Apart
The Joy Luck Club
Brave New World
Fahrenheit 451
Wuthering Heights
Bless Me, Ultima
Postmodern
Waiting for Godot
Life of Pi
The Stranger
Anouilh’s Antigone
Breakfast of Champions
The Things They Carried
Catch-22
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