If you missed class on Monday or Tuesday...

We prepared for reading The Swallows of Kabul. You are to read this novel independently. On Wednesday, April 7, or Thursday, April 8, you will have a quiz that will consist of three questions. Two of these questions will address literary elements in The Swallows of Kabul; for the third question, you will be asked for your literary opinion of the novel. I will require you to write five to ten sentences for each question.

On April 13 and 14, you will have due a three to four page essay on The Swallows of Kabul.

In class today, students worked in groups to learn about the social and historical context of the novel. You would do well to look up the following terms:

swallows

Kabul (look in Encyclopedia Britannica; also look at images)

Taliban (Wikipedia)

Soviet-Afghan War (Encyclopedia Britannica)

burka (sometimes spelled burqa; also look at images)

mullah

mufti

muezzin

Sharia

Qur'an

women in Afghanistan

relief organizations in Afghanistan

For homework, you need to read the two poems linked below and respond to the following question: What is poetry?

Billy Collins, "Introduction to Poetry"

Stephen Crane, "War Is Kind"

Oceania in Texas

You may find of interest this New York Times article on recently approved changes to the Texas social studies curriculum. Read it, and you will see the "mutability of the past" in action.

Addendum 3/17/10: This article about the disappearance of online privacy shows that even if users take all recommended steps to protect their privacy, it is still possible to develop a fairly accurate portrait of individuals, down to their Social Security numbers.

For Next Week, March 16-March 19

On Tuesday, March 16, and Wednesday, March 17, you will write an in-class essay on Nineteen Eighty-Four. You will have forty minutes to complete the essay. The essay will not address one of the themes that we have discussed in class and that groups have presented on. Instead, you should focus on the the literary elements and the broader ideas that make Nineteen Eighty-Four a unique book. Be sure that you can refer to specific scenes that capture important moments in the novel.

On Wednesday, March 18, and Thursday, March 19, the one-page overview of your final paper is due. (The handout that I distributed in class is posted on the right.) If you don't recall the kinds of sources that are acceptable, click on the final paper assignment posted on the right. If you don't recall how to find sources, go to the MPH library's web page for the English Department. You can access the databases from home by clicking on "Online Databases" which is on the right hand side of the library page. Use the information listed there to log on to the various sites. If you have questions over this long weekend about what to do, as always, don't hesitate to get in touch with me.

For next week, March 8-March 11

For Monday (Day 5) and Tuesday (Day 6), all sections must finish Nineteen Eighty-Four (up to p. 308); either closely annotate the book or write a journal entry. Your group projects, along with your self assessment of the group project (which is on the handout posted to the right), is due on Wednesday (Day 1) and Thursday (Day 6).