We're still singing those Baldwin blues...

Please read the following article on how to do a close reading of a text. Then provide your best close reading of the following passage from "Sonny's Blues."

http://www.mantex.co.uk/samples/closeread.htm

"We live in a housing project. It hasn't been up long. A few days after it was up it seemed uninhabitably new, now, of course, it's already rundown. It looks like a parody of the good, clean, faceless life-God knows the people who live in it do their best to make it a parody. The beat-looking grass lying around isn't enough to make their lives green, the hedges will never hold out the streets, and they know it. The big windows fool no one, they aren't big enough to make space out of no space. They don't bother with the windows, they watch the TV screen instead. The playground is most popular with the children who don't play at jacks, or skip rope, or roller skate, or swing, and they can be found in it after dark. We moved in partly because it's not too far from where I teach, and partly for the kids; but it's really just like the houses in which Sonny and I grew up. The same things happen, they'll have the same things to remember. The moment Sonny and I started into the house I had the feeling that I was simply bringing him back into the danger he had almost died trying to escape."

Sonny's Blues

As always, you don't have to answer all of these questions in your post, but please make an honest effort to explore the story through your blog post.

Music is an important force in "Sonny's Blues." What role does music play in the story? What is the relationship between Sonny and music? What about between the narrator and music (specifically, jazz and the blues)? What does music have to do with the greater meanings of the story, whatever those may be? How do you relate to music--what role does it play in your life? (If you are a person who creates music or plays an instrument, comment on that.)

For your entertainment...

Please watch the following video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_YCGtT_FRYg

Answer this post with your interpretation of what is happening in this video. Here are some questions for you to consider, but please don't limit yourself to answering the questions. They are just there to help guide your interpretation.

What does it mean that one man is moving forward while everyone else is moving backward? What happens at the end when then the man breaks through the wall? Why are some of the people giants? What does it mean when the man becomes a giant at the end? Is this video an ALLEGORY? (If you don't know what an allegory is, check the Wikipedia entry.) What kinds of SYMBOLISM exist in this video? What is the man trying to accomplish? Is anyone trying to stop him? Can you connect anything in this video to the course theme of enslavement? What about invisibility?

A Post for Emily

It's always an interesting thing when an author comments on his or her own work. Frequently, we don't get ANY commentary at all, and sometimes the author's commentary is just as cryptic as the work itself. Faulkner encouraged students to ask him questions about his work, and he answered over 2,000 of them--something a writer like J.D. Salinger would never do.

After reading "A Rose for Emily," read the interview with Faulkner on page 1445. How does this interview change your interpretation of the story, if at all? How would you characterize Faulkner's "voice" in the interview--what is he like? Why would a writer want to (or want NOT to) comment on his or her own work?

'Snowbody's Fault, Really

So it was pretty strange how they delayed classes until 9:30 am. Thank you to the (few) of you who came to class this morning. I have spoken with my superiors and learned that if this 9:30 thing happens again, WE WILL STILL HAVE CLASS, even if it is only for twenty minutes. In other words, there's no penalty for missing this most recent class, but in the future there will be.

Don't forget to read Faulkner's "A Rose For Emily" for class on Monday.

Also to prepare you for upcoming things: you must bring a typed rough draft of your paper with you to class on Wednesday. We're going to do a group exercise that will HELP you with your final product.

Can everyone please respond to this post with your E-MAIL ADDRESS? I realize you will probably check your e-mail more frequently than your blog and that would be the best way for me to reach the whole group.

See you all on Friday! (weather.com predicts PARTLY CLOUDY...)

BLOGS DON'T GET SNOW DAYS!!

Who has power in the Hemingway story? Who has power in the Banks story? What kinds of power do each one of the characters have, and how can the reader tell? What kinds of things does the author establish with dialogue? What kinds of things does each author establish with description?

We've missed two classes so far because of snow, and we're missing two classes because of the holiday. Please make sure you follow the syllabus--you should also reread the Banks and Hemingway pieces so that we can discuss those on Wednesday.

I was pleased with most of the responses to the previous blog question--keep it up!

Invisibility

Write about a time in your life that you felt invisible. What was this like? Was someone MAKING you feel this way? How did you feel? When did the feeling of being invisible begin and end? After you've told your story of feeling invisible, comment on invisibility in society--will certain groups ALWAYS be invisible? How does a group of people become VISIBLE? What does a person or group stand to gain by being recognized and acknowledged by society?

Please, react to your classmates' posts! Agree, and--more importantly--disagree! Contradict, refine, and revise your ideas based on others' reactions--this will make this blog so much more than just a homework assignment.