Sheran Alexie

Here is a poem in The New Yorker from today's author, Sherman Alexie, that typifies his writing voice.

And here is a link to the interview that Alexie did at the HW library this fall.

Here is more of Alexie's work, from this fall in a journal called Blackbird

Pre-Postmodernism – Language of the 1950s and ’60s (250pts)

Due: Tuesday, November 3, 2009 – at beginning of class.

Write a literary analysis of one or more of the stories read in the first weeks of class. You will want to have a thesis and provide textual evidence, which explains towards your thesis. Cite the page number of all quoted, paraphrased or summarized text from the stories at the end of each citation.

The essay must be a minimum of four (4) complete pages, double-spaced, using a 12-point standard font, with a maximum length of five (5) pages. As the title of the assignment implies, you are being graded on your success at writing a literary critique – a clear and developed argument is of the most importance.

Title the piece of your literary critique to clue us in to the topic and thesis. The title is the first part of your essay your audience reads to understand what your thesis will write on.

Do not make essay personal; avoid using the “I”. Write with the texts and literary elements being your subject. Avoid pronouns when possible. Refer to authors by their entire name, or their last name. You are not on a first-name basis with any of the authors, so these types of rhetorical mistakes must be wiped from your essays. These rhetorical gaffs will lower the grade, since they are easily fixable in proofreading.

Specific Prompt for your essay:

The interconnectedness between language and culture are important to any generation of writers. Examine the larger thematic meaning of one author’s work by focusing on 1) The author’s use of language, and 2) how that language provides cultural insight within the piece of work.

Your main purpose is to examine what important information readers can get about the culture from the kind of language used within the piece. Your thesis should come out of your answer to: What kind(s) of cultural statement does the author make, and how does the language help clarify this thematic statement?

From our readings up until Kurt Vonnegut, pick one of the authors and their text(s) we have read – including those poems assigned but not covered in class – and make a thorough analysis of that author’s text(s) in answering the above prompt.

Make sure to define the aspects of culture addressed by the text, and other aspects of the language that make it an important text for the time period.

Some ways of considering “language”: diction, imagery, figures of speech, dialogue, use of rhyme, syllabic stress/unstress, enjambment, use of allegory, allusions, syntax (structure of a sentence), …

Class Cancellation for Alexie Reading, Thursday, 10/22

Dear Students,

I know we just went to a poetry reading last Thursday, but I found out this morning that Sherman Alexie (who we are scheduled to read at the end of the term!) is having a reading/interview at the Harold Washington Library at 6pm. Below is the link with details. I encourage you to attend this reading if you can make it over on time. This is last minute/last hours, so you will not lose attendance points if you can't make it over.

We will go over G. Brooks, now, on Tuesday (10/27). Also, I will e-mail the Midterm Essay assignment (and also post it here after the reading).

http://www.chipublib.org/events/details/id/33147/

Sincerely,

Chris

p.s. I am surprised I have not used this blog yet for our class, so I will make sure to contact your East-West e-mails, too.