Full Circle

Our last assignment for this semester will be a response to the end of your Morrison novel. Keep in mind that this is in fact a course about language and rhetoric; as such, you might want to consider Morrison’s aims in writing these novels. What is her objective?

Making Connections

You can either write or record a blog entry for next class regarding our Morrison novels. Be sure to link the novel to the play "A Huey P. Newton Story". How might Huey P.'s story relate to the protagonists of your novels? What sorts of agendas do the protagonists of these novels seem to have?

Neat Sheets

Some of you may be looking for last minute advice to study for the exam Friday.

I recommend using transitional phrases in all of your essays. Maybe choose a few you feel comfortable with and insert them in old blog posts for practice.

Also on strategies for DBQs as applied to the synthetic essay read this article.

If you'd like to quiz yourself, try this page.

Complimentary Texts

For this week I think I have some non-fiction texts that can aid your reading of the Morrison novels.In your blog entries this week please make connections between the  texts.

For those reading The Bluest Eye listen to this song by The Trinikas and "What Did I Do" by Louis Armstrong and "Astronomy" by Black Star.

For those reading Songs of Solomon read this speech by Booker T. Washington.

That will mean two blog entries for Friday, in addition to a video blog entry for next Monday.

The Tempest Has Been Rescheduled

Due to student requests our performance has been rescheduled for next Tuesday at 3:30.

In preparation for Thursday´s class, read this blog entry from the NYT style manual editor (style in this case referring to grammar and mechanics). In a response on your blog explain a dangling modifier. Have you used these before?

Also, Thursday think about a blog entry you´d like to present to the class as to open a discussion about the Toni Morrison novels.

For class next Monday, I´d like two more blogs about your Toni Morrison novel. In addition please respond to two classmates´ blogs.

Tempest Drizzle

As we continue to conference about your blogs this week, make sure you complete two more for next week. Try making personal connections with these texts - as the cultural context is different from our own.

On another note, I can’t get the rubric that we decided on to post correctly, so here’s a sort of garbled version.

Clarity of rhetorical objective    

The audience clearly understands the actor’s intent.    

The audience understands some of the actor’s intent.          

The audience understands a bit of the actor’s intent.   

The audience understands little or none the actor’s intent.

Understanding of text  

The actor delivers her/his lines fluently, as thought they were her/his own words.       

The actor delivers most of her/his lines well.        

The actor delivers some of her/his lines well.    

The actor delivers a few of her/his lines well.

Use of theatrical tone  

The actor colors her/his character with costumes and props.    

The actor colors her/his character with costumes and props to some extent.         

The actor colors her/his character with few appropriate costumes and props.                

The actor colors her/his character with no costumes and props.

Our performances will take place April 25th at 3:30pm in the ampitheater in front of the HS Office.