Sunday, December 14, 2008

the dr. is in...

Here is my on-campus schedule for exam week:

Monday, Dec. 15      11:00 am-3:00 pm
Tuesday, Dec. 16         6:00 pm-8:00 pm (at Study Night, in the Commons)
Wednesday, Dec. 17  10:00 am-1:00 pm
Thursday, Dec. 18     10:00 am-3:00 pm

As always, please email me if you have any questions!

Happy writing, and good luck studying:)

Tuesday, December 9, 2008

eng 272: jhumpa lahiri, "sexy"

Mapparium, Mary Baker Eddy Library, Boston, MA. courtesy of misterbisson, on wikipedia, and licensed by the GNU free documentation license.



Jhumpa Lahiri is the Pulitzer Prize winning author of Interpreter of Maladies (1999), in which the short story "Sexy" first appeared. Those of you in my ENG 278 class last semester are familiar with her novel The Namesake; those of you taking my ENG 278 class next semester will read her latest collection of short stories, The Unaccustomed Earth. Lahiri often writes about characters who are attempting to make a home wherever they are, dealing with issues of cultural strangeness, and the tension between cultural assimilation and holding on to cultural traditions.

"Sexy" ingeniously interweaves maps as an important metaphor of place, through the Mapparium, as well as through the quiz of countries and capitals.

Lahiri also plays with the idea of language and words, showing Miranda attempting to write her name in Bengali and unsure whether she's written Mira or Mara. Dev tells her that Mira is an Indian name; Mara is also a significant name, bringing with it a whole host of allusions to evil forces/demons who tempt the Buddha away from his religious mission via beautiful women.

She also integrates Kali, the destructive mother goddess, who is proudly hanging on the wall of the Dixit's home.

eng 102: review questions for essay #4

Since we have a SNOW DAY on peer review day, and since Thursday is our last day of class, we won't have time to make up peer review. You can use these questions to review your own essay. And, yes, Final Drafts are still due on Thursday

Essay Submission:
Does your folder include all drafts, a final copy with works cited AND annotated bibliography AND copies of your source material with sections used highlighted? If you don't have all of these materials, I will not grade your essay until I receive them!

Annotated Bib:
Is the format correct? Remember, this is the same as a Works Cited sheet, but with the 3 paragraphs of annotation for each entry. These paragraphs are: brief summary, quick analysis, and how you'll use the source in essay #4. Remember to be concise yet specific. Use full sentences!

Essay #4:
Intro:
Catchy opening + segue to thesis and thesis, if your thesis is located in the beginning of your essay. Otherwise, you'll have a catchy opening and a segue into describing the problem.

Body Paragraphs:
Describe the problem, detail various solutions, note any possible objections to the solutions, and recommend the best solution(s). 

Source Material:
Is ALL source material integrated correctly? 
Are sandwiches and formal introductions used for all quotes and paraphrases? 

Are parenthetical citations included for ALL source material? 
Do the parenthetical citations match up with the Works Cited sheet?

Are direct quotes placed in quotation marks?

Are paraphrases done properly (i.e. different wording and sentence structure)?

Is a Works Cited Sheet included?

Style:
Is the writer's voice prominent and primary throughout the essay?
Is the word choice formal?
Are empty words eliminated?
Is the sentence structure correct and clear?
Does the writer include strong transitions/connections between ideas and paragraphs?

Conclusion:
Does the conclusion follow up on the best solution? 


Remember, there will be NO revisions after you submit the final draft this time. If your essay has serious citation problems, it will not meet the assignment requirements and will be graded accordingly. 

You may email me at my campus email with any questions and/or see me on Wednesday. 

Happy writing and revising!