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Talking on YouTube

Improvising in NY Heavyweight Poetry Bout (vs. Patricia Smith)

Groups A + B: A Drug Called Tradition
Groups C + D: Because My Father Always Said…
Groupd E + F: Crazy Horse Dreams
Groups G + H: The Only Traffic Signal
Each group, please quickly review your short story (5min); then collectively write 3-4 discussion questions that get to the heart of what’s amusing, powerful, puzzling, or significant about the story (10min); exchange with your mirror group. Now discuss the questions you’ve received and develop some consensus responses (10 min.)

Share your groups responses with the class (3 min each group).  Best group’s responses earns an extra quiz grade of %100.

Let’s begin with the blogging you did overnight:

• What are some of most dramatic lines (in relation to the themes of violence, gender, marriage, home, name, inheritiance, and blood)? What did you find blogworthy?
• Does the play present ideas that correspond with your own?

Now let’s look specifically at the wedding morning, reception, and flight of the Bride with Leonardo:

• Marriage: How would you describe each of the characters’ attitudes towards the marriage? What aspect interests each?
• Leonardo: How do we become aware of Leonardo’s continued desire? Is he aware?
• Bride: How do we learn the Bride will leave? Do we understand why? Does she?
• Parents: What’s significant about the response to the crisis of the two parents?

Let’s aim to finish up Act 3 for next class, if you haven’t already.

This week we’ll continue the discussion of Garcia Lorca’s play, Blood Wedding, which I introducted to you last week.

As a heuristic for active reading, we’ll focus on a number of intertwined thematics throughout the play:
1) violence
2) gender roles, masculinity and femininity
3) marriage
4) the name, inheritance, blood
5) home, domestic space

I.2

For Monday’s class, we’ll begin with a focus on Act I.2, looking at how Leonardo’s violent entry into the domestic space of his own home underscores what’s socially expected and how his character violates the space. How does the surreal lullaby contribute to the tone of this scene?

I.3
What do we learn about traditional ideas of marriage, the needs of individuals and the larger social functions as the betrothal takes place? In particular, how is the Bride exposed as a character struggling with her own subject position?

As you read Act II, look for moments when characters reveal elements of their conflict, their fear, and their hope. Often the language can be enigmatic at these crucial points (e.g. “Why do you look at me that way? With a thorn in each eye.” 66) Look too at points where the characters express feelings about why this wedding must come off.

Here’s a sample question:

While we sometimes think of novels as forms of entertainment, authors sometimes have grander ideas about the significance or potential weight and influence of literature.  Both Silko’s Ceremony and Allende’s House of the Spirits feature narrators for whom stories have significance. Write a 1 page essay in which you discuss several examples of the role stories play in each of these, exploring such features as how stories come to be known, how they are viewed in general, and what uses the protagonists find for them.

In groups, do some brainstorming by creating pairs or trios from the terms below, free-associating, then discuss possible open ended questions drawing the terms together based on the model above.  Make sure a note-taker captures your group’s ideas clearly and legibly for me.

1. literature, literariness, reading, the reader, story, author, authority, culture, way of life, subjectivity
2. Tayo, myth, sickness, drought, ceremony, witchery, we, cycle, connectedness, I
3. memory, Alba, Clara, power, authority, notebooks, civilizing, terror, mother

Let’s build on our conversation of Wednesday (during which we had begun to discuss “Clara” as wife) by thinking about the way characters in the novel are taught and perform their gender roles.   What are the ideals for male or woman held by various characters at key points? Are they familiar or strange? Does the novel encourage us to validate or question these roles? We might think about whether the novel sometimes reverses conventional ideas about strength and weakness.

For Wednesday, we’ll conclude our discussion of the novel’s final chapters. Then we’ll move on to a discussion of Garcia Lorca’s play “Blood Wedding” — which you can print out from the class reserve page using your student password.

As House of the Spirits moves towards its close, the conflicts between some of the characters and the events/values of the world in which they live intensify. It’s hard for Esteban to deal with change — but let’s focus for today on some of the minor characters:
Chapter seven devotes much description to the contrast of the two brothers, who respond to their upbringing and priviledge very differently. Discuss how their characters differ, and how these ironic differences lead them both to be disappointing to their father, now Senator Trueba.

Chapter nine describes the atmosphere within which Alba is raised. How would you describe this upbringing? Does she seem prepared to deal with the difficulties of life?
How do you see her personality being formed?

We’ve discussed how power plays out within the hacienda system and some of Esteban’s particular habits — as the super-masculine patron.  Let’s think about changes in chapter six, in particular:

• the symbolic magic of Esteban’s shrinking (181 et al)
• the importance  of Count Satignay’s class and name (182)
• how can a culture or worldview change (or can’t it?) (191, 192)
• what do we make of Pedro Segundo’s decision to leave (202)

If time permits we can look at a few clips from the Hollywood film.

Homework: We should be able to talk about the final chapters by next class. If there were to be a quiz, it would span chapters 11-end