Tuesday, April 29, 2008

OWL at Purdue: A wonderful resource for everyone!

If you're in need of writing advice, citation advice, or how to judge the credibility of your sources, check out Purdue University's Online Writing Lab (OWL).

Monday, April 28, 2008

a plagiarism tale

Today I found out that Living it Up: Our Love Affair with Luxury by James Twitchell, a book I've used in numerous articles, includes many plagiarized passages, which saddens me to no end. This realization also angers me because I used this book as a source for my own work in good faith, and it turns out the author was not careful in preparing his manuscript. Those of you who are students in my English Comp classes have heard me talk about how your papers are only as credible as your least credible source...now, what do I say about my work when it turns out one of my sources contains plagiarism?!?

In a serendipitous twist, I went to grad school with Jack Stripling, the local news reporter covering this story for The Gainesville Sun! A small world indeed. You can read his column and see excerpts of the plagiarized passages here

into the wild

Check out this review of the film from Rolling Stone. I'm especially interested in how you respond to Travers' final statement. And, take a look at A. O. Scott's review for The New York Times. I like his discussion of Chris in the context of Thoreau and his Transcendental friends. 

Also, thanks to Brandon for finding the link to Krakauer's original column from Outside.

Here's some interesting info on Bus 142...


Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Buddhism 101

In Stealing Buddha's Dinner, Bich Minh Nguyen shares her bold act of stealing a plum off her Grandmother Noi's altar, a plum meant for the Buddha. She compares Buddhism to the Christianity that her neighbors and playmates practice, especially on pages 194-196.

Here's a link to an excellent quick introduction to Buddhism:

http://www.buddhanet.net/e-learning/5minbud.htm

Monday, April 7, 2008

English 101: Song or Ad Analysis

How should you organize your essay without falling into a 5 paragraph essay formula?

Here's the general structure for this kind of paper:

Paragraph 1:
Catchy Intro:
Start off with a specific attention grabber.
Here are some ideas:
interesting fact
rhetorical question
quote
narrative/description/anecdote
Segue:
You may need to transition between your catchy opening and your thesis. This can be a good place to include a little background information, as well as the the title and author of the text you're analyzing.
Thesis:
This is the overall point you're trying to prove.
(See the separate blog post on thesis examples).

Paragraphs 2 through ?:
In these paragraphs you're proving your thesis. Follow the order of your thesis and find examples from your text that support your thesis. When using direct quotes, use "quote sandwiches." (See the separate blog post on quote sandwiches).

Remember that paragraphs group information that's similar in theme or time. If your paragraphs are an entire page long, they probably need to be broken up into smaller sections.

Last Paragraph:
The final paragraph is a conclusion. Here you should remind us of your thesis and give us a sense of closure. Try to avoid being repetitive.

Friday, April 4, 2008

Dreams...

Forty years ago today, the Reverand Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in Memphis, TN.

Today I'd like to connect our reading of The Bluest Eye to the idea of Dreams, using several Langston Hughes poems and Martin Luther King, Jr.'s historic speech as our connection points.

Morrison's novel is set between the Harlem Renaissance (1920s, Hughes) and the Civil Rights Movement (1960s, King), but was written after the Civil Rights Movement. How does Morrison's novel connect to these important movements in African American Art and History?

Here are some links:
MLK's "I Have a Dream" Speech:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PbUtL_0vAJk

Langston Hughes' Poetry:
http://www.poets.org/poet.php/prmPID/83

Thursday, April 3, 2008

Who has the Blues?

One way to read the significance of the color Blue in Morrison's The Bluest Eye is to consider the connection with the musical form of the Blues.

Here's a succinct explanation of The Blues from PBS:

http://www.pbs.org/theblues/classroom/essaysblues.html

Here are some excerpts from Blues songs from the same PBS website:

http://www.pbs.org/theblues/classroom/cd.html

What about the characters' lives seems to fit in with the Blues tradition? How can we make the leap from the Blues as a predominantly African American art form chronicling suffering and racial oppression to Pecola's desire for that quintessential "all American girl" blue-eyed wonder? Can Blue represent both of these ideas at the same time?

Consider that "blue-eyed" is used figuratively to mean innocent or naive. How does this definition change our view of Pecola's wish?

http://dictionary.oed.com/cgi/entry/50024025?query_type=word&queryword=blue+eyed&first=1&max_to_show=10&sort_type=alpha&result_place=1&search_id=UfGh-UzdRDO-10736&hilite=50024025

Finally, consider this recent scientific discovery:
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/02/07/eveningnews/main3805316.shtml


UPDATE:
Blues written by English 278 Students for characters in The Bluest Eye

Pecola's Blues:
My Daddy burned down the house and now we're living outside (x2)
Staying with the MacTeers, drinking all their milk.

White boys are picking on me because I'm ugly (x2)
Maureen came to save me and treated me to ice cream.

My Daddy comes home drunk and beats my Mama (x2)
I just want to disappear and get away from here

My Daddy just raped me and I don't know what to do (x2)
I woke up in pain with my Mama staring down at me.

by Cheryl, Erik, Richard, and Anna

Soaphead Church's Blues:
Little girls, little girls, what would I do without little girls (x2)
Can't get no satisfaction from people my own age.

Lord, you're jealous, you're jealous of me (x2)
No shame, No guilt, I was always so kind.

My two month wife left me alone (x2)
She used me like a hotel room.

A girl came to me asking for blue eyes (x2)
I can do nothing for you, my child.

By Loren, Ryan, Brian, and Leon