Coming Out. (Not really.)

First of all: I'm SO GLAD that I dropped the writing class I was taking at the beginning of the term to take this one instead.  I think I've learned more from peer criticism and comments than I could have in the other class. Maybe not. But thank you--everyone--for whatever you've contributed to this class: it has contributed to my learning. 

1.  Literary Terms.  This was my weakest spot when I was evaluated mid-term.  Quite honestly, I feel like I had a bit of a downhill ride on improving for the second half of the term, because I'm already quite familiar with drama (The Human Fascination, Climbin' the Fourth Wall, and The Power of Sequence and Music) and non-fiction terminology.  It's poetry and fiction that I struggle with.  SO. Since then I've made a point of reviewing Craft & Voice's outlined terms, as well as the list that was given to us with our study sheet.  I have found that the more poetry and fiction literature that I read, the more connections I make to genre-specific terms. 

2.  Genres and Representative Texts.  I read plenty of non-fiction.  I'm always reading up on new discoveries in National Geographic, as well as replenishing my knowledge of things obscure and unimportant (to anyone but the author and me).  My Goodreads profile boasts mostly non-fiction works, but after this term I've added a Shakespearean play that I've never read before, A Midsummer's Night Dream, and so many poems that I can't count.  I've completely digested an anthology of poems I found in my grandma's old office, and loved every second of it--even when I was reading a poem I hated (the outdoorsy atmosphere might have helped).
 But I could at least recognize the meter, the rhyme-scheme, the application of devices, etc. I think I've found classic poetry to be more affable than I had assumed.  I'm definitely not done exploring the genres that have been presented in this class, and their more specific sub-genres.  

3. Writing Literary Arguments.  Ah!  The whole point of this class.  Learning how to write a literary argument...and be persuasive. Last term I did quite well with the personal creative analysis of a poem, but didn't do so hot with the analytical one.  Here's where I link to My Final Paper...and argue that I've learned a lot about the latter form of persuasive writing in the past few weeks.  I feel my argument used objective supporting evidence, as well as intelligent literary terms to validate my sub-theses.  And the cool thing: I didn't have to use a dictionary to make sure I implemented them properly.  I feel like I could use a lot of them in natural speech.  A triumph, to be sure.  The most important objective of this class (based on the course title), I feel, has been realized.  I'm comfortable writing making a literary argument: casual, or formal. 

4. Creatively and Socially Engage Literature. When I met with Dr. Burton to discuss my progress, he suggested that I +1 some more people on my posts, since I don't have any other social networking resources.  
So I did.  
A couple of success stories: My post, "The Allure of Travel Writing" jumped from 29 hits to 48, and my very personal but analytical "I Can Feel a Hot One" went from 54 hits to 109.  I've had friends call and text me, thanking me for sharing something so personal (because some of my closest friends had no idea that I was even remotely literate. Not kidding).  My friend Cub has since shared with me his own poetry, and a few people have found me on Goodreads because of it!  Way cool.  
I'm slowly remembering books I've read, and adding them to the virtual shelves.  It's definitely not going to stop after this class. Since I'm not going to school next term, I'm stoked to start on my list of must-reads, as suggested by newfound friends and longtime family members. 
The biggest takeaway I have from this class: the importance of process.  In sharing your ideas so that people can help build on them.  I've always been a single-channel student.  The ideas get developed in such a narrow space (my brain, and my brain only) that they have no room to expand and advance, then they get poorly represented in a night-before paper, and sent off to the professor.  In the future, I've vowed to do more idea-sharing. 

5.  New Media and Pedagogy.  As was already mentioned in my midterm post, I struggled with new media and applying advanced technology...but this class has forced me to be more comfortable with it.  And I am now!  I think, given more time in this class, I would probably get freaky-creative with formatting and whatnot, but with what time I've been given, I think the ideas of other students in the class--and browsing other blogs--is how I've come to establish my own style of presentation.  I like it.  But if ever I notice something cool in the way something else has been done, then I'll definitely try it out (e.g. Color choice, picture sequence, etc).  In comparison with my first post (cringe), I've come a long way in understanding how to direct a reader's attention, and keep things appealing for skimmers.  

In conclusion, thank you (if any of them read this) to all of the students in this class.  This has been an incredibly cool way to learn.  Blogging, commenting, sharing, etc.  Self-directed learning.  I've achieved my goal of expanding my appreciation for other genres, and not only have I done that, but I also have a genuine desire to keep reading them.  Something truthful and cheesy (Charly): I think what I've learned in this class will go much further than just a few weeks of summer 2013. 

Thanks, Dr. Burton. 

"Yo, Adrian, we did it. We did it."

This paper has sucked me dry.  Probably because I actually cared for the subject: The Bible as literature.  And I knew there were a lot of people riding (in a bad sense) my ideas.  

It started with my focus: A Raw Thesis! And then grew into a more solid idea: Claiming a Thesis!

From there it actually got muckier...rather than more clear.  Gathering ideas from outside sources via "The Tweethis Experience" made me think harder and dig deeper for more evidence and support for my claim.  

Charly's feedback was, as usual, helpful in sorting out so many ideas and opinions, and I appropriated the progression of my paper up to that point in finally Choosing a Claim to her. When we were asked to try something new to develop our argument, I thought I'd give Schizophrenia a whirl in order to discuss why I wanted to hound the subject I was hounding...with myself. Discussing Genre was the most helpful exercise I could have done.  It helped me solidify the bulk of my argument.  

I, Jamie Clegg, WROTE AN OUTLINE. 'Twas quite helpful.  'Nough said. 

From there I cranked out a few pages of nothing, really.  My First Draft.  And because I was so short on goods, I decided to explore the library.  I Discovered New Material For My Argument, and finally cranked out a FINAL DRAFT...Draft, but.  

Thanks to our peer reviews (Andrew Alston, you're a saint), I have made enormous revisions, and feel more comfortable with the final product.  I distributed it to trusted friends and family, and appreciated all of their honest and straightforward criticism. With everyone's help and ideas, here, tonight, debuts My Final Paper: Teaching the Bible as Literature.  

Yo, guys, we did it. We did it.   

Final Draft...Draft.

Me, right now.  

Thanks to some great suggestions made by Charly, and reading my last draft aloud, I've completely reorganized my paper.  Deconstructed and reconstructed.  Or...just constructed?

I don't know.

But.  I'm going to finish up with the last point and conclusion tomorrow, when my battery and brain aren't dead.  Here's the link to what has come about thus far.

I haven't even done basic editing yet, but I'm quite thrilled with the direction it has taken in the past 24 hours(!), thanks to suggestions from friends, family, and peers(!).  Thanks a million, everyone that has helped me thus far.

Discovering new material for my argument!

I go to the library after class everyday, and have never considered looking through the actual books....until I compiled the thesis for this paper.  I've combed through multiple online sources, and felt content with my findings.

A couple of days ago I decided to hike up to the fifth floor, and when I arrived, quads burning, I decided not to disrupt the silence by asking for help.  (Also, I was...being prideful.)

I meandered through the shelves and thumbed through some interesting titles, when I stumbled upon the row of books I was looking for.  But I didn't pick those up.  I pulled out the ones below them, and awkwardly sat on the floor in my skirt.

Compilations of classic speeches!   I snapped pictures of the Table of Contents in each one, and noted that Christ's Sermon on the Mount was listed in nearly every single anthology.  If His words managed to make it this far, into anthologies published by Norton and the like, shouldn't they be studied in schools like Martin Luther King, Jr.'s, or Abraham Lincoln's?

Maybe I won't use it in my argument, but it helped to get the ball of my thought process rolling.  Still a work in progress, but now when I can't think, I flip through pages of fifth floor books.  It gets the idea juices flowin'.

I did end up getting to Harmon & Holman's Handbook to Literature, though.... SO HELPFUL for my discussion of genre!  I highly recommend it.  As an English major, I just bought it on Amazon so I have my own copy for the rest of my degree.

Supporting my policy claim: The Bible should be taught!

It's definitely a draft.  But I feel like the ball has started rolling....

On a very gradual decline.

But  it's coming.  Any and all forms of criticism and comments are welcome, and I believe in reciprocity.

Here's the link to the Google Doc.  Hope it works!  Can't wait until everyone's ideas come together.  These will be incredibly interesting to read when they're finished, I think.

A Plug for an Outline.

Mmkay.  In all my years of taking English classes--whether required or not--I have never made an outline.

Ever. Whether...it was required or not.  I stubbornly assumed it was a waste of time. (Never had good grades in high school English classes.)

But as I was trying to organize this "critical mass of mess" for my final paper, I decided, with some humility, to throw one together on Saturday.  It has helped immensely.  I used color to divide concepts and supporting points, so my eye can go straight to them when I'm typing up my more formal ideas, but didn't worry too much about the way my thoughts were written.

Page one of the outline. 

If Mr. Thompson, Mrs. Cross or Mrs. Horstmann saw this..... 

They'd say, I told you so. 

Discussing Genre: The Holy Bible.

How do you discuss the genre of The Holy Bible without lending offense?

You don't.  Offense is inevitable. 

There's a comment Charly left on my previous post that got me thinking about it:

"Does the Bible have to be non-fiction to have value?"

My initial response:  No.  Of course not.  Are the works of Shakespeare fiction or non-fiction?  They're fiction, though some are based on true historical events.  But would The Bible need to be considered non-fiction to be studied in schools?

Does the genre really matter all that much when you're studying it for its literary content?  Maybe it does.  I guess that's what I'm wondering.  There's so much controversy over how to categorize the Bible.  Here are some screenshots of discussion comments left regarding this very question.

Trying to analyze The Bible as a genre has definitely given help and hinderance to my previously stated theses.  Perhaps I could change my argument: The Bible as non-fiction?  

Getting to the bottom of things via Schizophrenia.

Me:  Okay.  Why do I care whether or not the Bible is taught in public schools?  

Jamie: Yeah, you're done with public school.  

Me:  Yeah, but.  Students should learn about the history that's in the Bible...and the culture that our dense Christian background comes from....right?  Plus there's a bunch of other good stuff...in there.  Like literary devicccccc...esss.. And stuff...

Jamie: Mm. Yeah.  That's good. But.  Why do you care.  Care enough, I mean, to write about it in depth. To argue....for it.  There are a million other things you could write about.  Like Danielle's writing about Jane Eyre.  You love Jane Eyre.  Write about that. 

Me: Mm.  I don'know. 

Jamie:  You don'knowwhwaaat. 

Me:  It's cold in here.  I hate air conditioning. 

Jamie: Me freakin' too. 

They saunter outside.  Mumbling to themselves.  Sorting things out.  Sit on the cement by grandma's fake beehive.  It's so fake.  

Me:  Maybe I care because I'm going to be a teacher someday. 

Jamie: And you would teach the Bible as literature. 

Me: If I could, yeah. 

Jamie:  Would you pound it as hard as, say, Shakespeare? Or other classics?

Me: I don't know.  Maybe?  Maybe not. 

Jamie: Maybe?

Me: Yeah, I guess I would, if it was considered a credible piece of literature.  That my students could reference on an AP exam or something...

Jamie: That's why you care.  Because you want your students to reference it on AP exams. 

Me: Well not just that.  I wish I had studied the Bible as literature throughout school...(I perk up) Wish we had done that in my junior high and high school classes. Or that I could've used it as a reference on my AP tests.  (Sourly) Maybe I would've passed them both.... 

Jamie:  Interesting.  That's why you care.  That's why you're writing about it.  That's it. 

Me: (Defensively) Yeah.  That's it.  That's why I care. 

Choosing the Claim (Metapost)

Can you metapost....on your own...post?  Charly?  

So, I talked in a previous post about broadcasting my ideas to different sources, and how that has affected my thought process.  

Specifically, I sent my idea about the Bible being taught as literature to teachers and professors that I knew would oppose my idea.  Here is the response of one teacher who replied as I had hoped/expected:

I loved her response.  Very honest and thorough.  She has persuaded me to perhaps switch to a definition claim.  Or cause/effect.  A different claim that will argue the Bible to be more than just a religious text--that it could be as widely taught as Shakespeare or the classics, but not try to impose it upon teachers of public schools. 

I'd love your insight/help on which would be most effective.  

Toolz in Skoolz (The "Tweethis" Experience)

I hit a JACKPOT of wisdom this weekend regarding my shabby thesis.  Best idea, this "tweethis." 

While I don't have Facebook, Twitter, or the like to broadcast my ideas, I do have e-mail and word-of-mouth.  I sent my ideas to former teachers, professors, and to random language arts educators of different counties and school districts (some of them responded with, "Do I know you?"), trying to get a different opinion from each source.  I intentionally asked some teachers from high school that I knew would oppose my idea.  I wanted a real argument (non-contentious, of course) to found my rebuttal on. 

Family members were helpful and surprisingly well-read on the issue, and friends offered great advice for how to structure my argument. 

I found 808 comments' worth of "thumbs-ups" and "thumbs-downs" on a Wall Street Journal article that argues my exact thesis. (GOLD MINE.) 

Opinion of a family member. 

Opinion of a political science educator. 

Opinion of a language arts educator. 

Claiming a Thesis!

Mmkay.  Just because I feel like my argument isn't that abstract, and doesn't require too much explanation, I'll jump right into the different claims I could make.  Though I'm almost certain I want to make a policy claim (for obvious reasons). However, I do think it would be, yes, fun, to force my mind to think in different ways about this topic.

So here it goes! And thank you, Charly, for the formatting idea.... :///

1. POLICY     Though some may see it as an imposition of religion or a violation of its sanctity, the Bible should be objectively studied in American public schools for its literary merit and historical context, because it would help the coming generations have a better understanding of biblical allusions made in popular culture, give greater insight to the history of a foundational civilization, as well as illustrate literary devices taught in language arts classes.                 Phew.  I know it's a fatty.  Help me whittle it down.    

2. DEFINITION  This is where I start agreeing with Kirsten about driving the "struggle bus" trying to crank these out.  I'm convinced it'll be worth it....              Though the Bible is recognized as a religious and sacred text, it also contains history that's foundational to our modern culture, as well as exemplifies literary devices worth studying in an academic setting.  Thus, the Bible cannot singularly be categorized as a religious text, but as a tool for otherwise secular study. 

3.  COMPARISON    (Perhaps number two could be....a comparison, also?)  I'm stuck on this one.  I could compare the works of Shakespeare, and studying them literarily, vs. studying the Bible in the same way.  What more could be gleaned, what less?

4.  EVALUATION  Though the works of Shakespeare have greatly influenced the course of literature in the western civilization, the Bible has contributed more to the style and history of literature in the same, and has a greater role to play in the future of language study, if we allow it.         Hahahaa. I don't even know if I believe that.  But it was good practice(?), and would make for an interesting paper.

5.  CAUSE/EFFECT Studying the Bible in American public schools may lead to a minor violation of its sanctity by those who disregard it as a religious text, but greater academic benefits can be gleaned from its literary merit, history of Christian and European civilizations, as well as help future generations of students understand frequent biblical allusions made in popular western culture. 

Analysis of "A Letter to Horace Greeley."

Within the vast scope of non-fiction, I seem to skip over the plot of land that covers political writing.  Political speaking.  It sounds yawny to me.  

Colbert is the exception to
political tediousness.

And yes, I just invented that adjective. It's like brawny, but...yawny.  Lame.  Tiring.  Tedious.  Boring.  

So, as part of my self-directed learning plan, I want to study a little more political writing.  Within an anthology of letters, I found this little gem:

A letter to Horace Greeley, from Abraham Lincoln, in response to an article written by Greeley, titled "The Prayer of Twenty Millions." I decided to take a stab at it critically (inspired by Dr. Burton's review of Neal A. Maxwell's dissection of two sermons) ; being careful to analyze the appeals to ethos, logos and pathos, while also examining kairos: the timeliness of the exchange.  

A Raw Thesis!

The emphasis made in most of my posts has been on the real and the raw. That's why I chose non-fiction for my group, and have enjoyed being a part of it.  Issues that have real application, connections between sub genres that are relevant to now.  

Memoirs, confessions, histories, biographies, "how to" books, moral sermons and the like....    What is it about this genre and the realness of it that peaks my interest?   I like to think that I'm drawn to truth.  To honesty.  I'm drawn to the idea that I'm making a real-time discovery, albeit vicarious.  

New Modes, New Morale: Banja Luka, Bosnia.

The city of Banja Luka is surrounded by rolling hills that closely resemble those of the American midwest.  A bird's eye view would prove similar in appearance to the farm communities of Idaho and Northern Utah, but if you wander the unpaved roads between the cinderblock houses, significant differences become apparent.  Many of the unfinished dwellings have been forfeited for lack of funds, and others are unfinished but inhabited out of desperation.  

Bosnia has been known for it's religious divisiveness, the beautiful cities of Mostar and Sarajevo, and the sacred site of Međugorje. However, it is most recently known as a war-torn country with little left of its male population.  The men who remained after the war have been debilitated by injury, and dampened by traumatic memories of violence.  Yet, somehow, the families that have been stripped of their brothers and fathers carry on by the strength of their women.  

The Tadić women and their home in Bosnia.
March 2012.

This is true for the Tadić family.  With her father out of work and consumed by post-traumatic stress, Violeta Tadić, at age 20, provides for the bulk of her family's necessities.  Her grandmother joins her efforts by making Balkan socks--papuća--and selling them at the local market.  Their 120 square-meter house sleeps the nine of them--children, parents and grandma--but not comfortably.  Violeta spends a few weeks at a time working as a housekeeper and nanny for a family in Zagreb, and then returns to her country and humble home in Banja Luka for a few days, only to leave again at the end of those. 

While away, Skype is her main mode of communication.  Between the former Yugoslavian countries, phone services differ and are unreliable, thus giving Facebook and Skype the opportunity to do their best work: keeping the family connected.  Though the Tadić family lives a far-from-extravagant lifestyle, they do have a computer for school assignments, Skyping and Facebook.  

Without these new modes of communication, Violeta would be alienated from her family's day-to-day worries and concerns.  While the country is still developing a stable economy and rebuilding its physical anatomy, it has stayed up-to-date in terms of technology.  Those who have been displaced by the recent civil war are now able to reconnect, and those families who have survived utilize new media and modes of communication to stay connected.  This new media has played and continues to play a vital role in revitalizing the country's confidence by cementing smaller communities through connection. 

The Allure of Travel Writing.

I went to great lengths this weekend to locate my journal from the time I spent in Sardegna and Rome, Italy.  Here is a random entry I flipped to. (Most foreign names have been changed. Also, a note to the reader: these entries were compiled at a time when I was lacking ethics.  They do contain mild profanity.) 

A reaction to "Take, Eat"

Three generations of lady-lovin'.
*Awkward family photo. 

Last Friday I read Tessa Santiago's "Take, Eat," and was so impressed that I sent its link and a short message to all my close female relatives, friends, and friends' moms, and asked them to read it.

The reaction was unanimous.  They all loved and appreciated it.  They've all passed it on to other women in their lives that have had an impact on them.

What was it that triggered such a reaction?  What about Santiago's writing is so compelling and endearing?  It begins with her analysis.  She puts into words what many women have not been able to in their observation of physical appearance, mothering, and the like.  All these things that are so relatable, and so encouraging to read...to hear from someone else.  Another woman.

Then, her writing is so easy to understand.  It's beautifully written, but not so intricate that you get caught up in the details and forget the big picture.  She moves from idea to idea without wasting time on creative continuity.  Once a thought is well-established, she glides to the next one...but without a trace of disconnect.

She writes the way women think.  A connection between each thought, emotion, frustration and pleasure.  There's a snappy quality to it.  I can't stand the way THIS is, and then THAT happened, and I couldn't stand that SHE would do THAT, and I'm so excited for THIS, because SHE'S going to bring THAT, and, and, and, and, and, and....

And it's not just for the women who have had children.  I think it's for any woman who has or who is considering it.  It's for anyone that wants to appreciate the feminine role as a nurturer.

It's raw.  It's smart.  It's personal.

Logical FALLACIES.

This term has to be addressed.  And if it has to be addressed, then I want to address it.  

Logical fallacies are the first thing I look for while reading a personal essay or other kind of persuasive writing.  Where are the holes in their logic?  Why do I feel oddly squeamish reading that ridiculous question they've rhetorically posed?  Why am I losing respect for this author so quickly and suddenly?!   

LOGICAL FALLACIES.                  Hate 'em.  

And the worst part?  I use them.  Sometimes.  When I'm not paying attention.  When I'm too passionate to notice.   

What is a logical fallacy, by definition? Well, it's a misleading or unsound argument, buuuuuut.....it's typically based off of a bit of logic. It can make any essayist, writer, or politician sound childish in trying to legitimize their argument.  

It's okay.  If that didn't make sense, here are some examples, and a link to my favorite website with an alphabetical listing of each one.  Start looking for them in your reading this weekend!  

A link to The MASTER LIST of Logical Fallacies.  

The power of sequence and music.

The way a scene or play is presented can dramatically (no pun intended) alter the way it's received.  Will it be interpreted as funny, scary, sad, or contentious?  The director has the ability to tack any one of those adjectives--and certainly more--to his play by changing the pace of the line exchanges, the music that accompanies them, and the way that the characters speak.  

That's why I think scripts are meant to be analyzed as a performance, rather than simply on a page as a process of wording or spelled-out emotion.  Some would beg to differ in cases of Shakespeare and the like, but.  I prefer to think that--were they here to speak a preference--they would like their works to be seen on the stage, rather than read on a page.  

Here's The Notebook, re-stitched as a horror trailer.  Brilliant, really.  

Thoughts on Borges' Thoughts.

Charly, dear.  Dear Charly. Thank you for that essay.  Verbiage for Poems.

Considering the fact that he accused the Royal Spanish Academy of "florid vagueness," he was quite extravagant in expressing himself.  But I was ultimately impressed by what he had to say.

My favorite epiphanic rant he went on was on page 20:

"We touch a sphere, see a small heap of dawn-colored light, our mouths enjoy a tingling sensation, and we lie to ourselves that those three disparate things are only one thing called an orange."

I laughed out loud while reading that.  Really, and I mean really, where would we be without common, objective nouns?

Me: Could you hand me that tingle-inducing, dawn-colored sphere, there?  That one, on the flat, wooden-made surface?  

You:  Are you....talking about the orange-colored ball of juice that squirts ooze when you open it?  

Me: Nope.  Definitely not what I'm talking about. You're so ignorant. 

We would be in subjective disarray, I think.

Okay, I know that's not what he's saying.  Though I think his "utopic...ideas" (his words, not mine) are honorable in their explanation, they're a bit silly.

Again, ultimately, to his credit, I think he raises some very valid points.  And, since this was written in 1926, I'm sure he would be even more passionate on the subject given the decay of our language in the past half-century.  The evolution of language has its own personal history, I think.  Somewhere not on this blog...

http://www.library.nd.edu

Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Jorge Luis Borges

The Human Fascination: Schadenfreude.

Schadenfreude.  ʃɑːdənfrɔɪdə. Shod-en-froid-eh.

It's the German word explaining how we feel when we joy in others' misfortunes.  Unfortunately, I've been guilty of that a few times in my life... But I'm sure none of you have...

Why this word?  It came to mind while I was reading page 1277 of Craft & Voice:

 

Then...

 "The convention, or the agreed upon 'reality' of the modern play, assumes that we're watching the action as if the fourth wall of the room has been removed...A scene with language and physical gestures, enacted by characters we find familiar, in a settling that resembles space we occupy offstage: that is the essence of the style we call realism."

Now.
Cast of Peter and the Starcatcher, Broadway, pbl. 2013

I love plays like that.  Ones that are raw and real and resonate within you long after a performance is over.

"The focus of modern theater altered everything: characters grew recognizable, not exalted or debased, and their very human failings became the stuff of drama, redefining the conditions of tragedy."

Now. That word, schadenfreude, came to mind, because when we experience human drama through the stage, our reactions are quite the opposite.  If an actor is good, they can make you feel dread when they feel dread; hate when they feel hate; excitement when they feel excitement.

By using colloquial diction, relatable characters, and, in comedies, common culture references, modern drama has endeared itself to its audiences in a way that no other sub-genre of drama ever has.