Assignments and Handouts

Discussion questions for "In a Grove"

• What do we know?  What are the Facts?

• What doesn't add up? What are the differences between the stories?

• Whom do you believe?

Discussion questions for "Rashomon"

• What lines/quotes seem important?

• What would you say this story is about?

Pre-writing Prompts for Rashomon Paper:

• • What do characters’ stories say about them as people?

  • What do you consider the central message of each story? 

  • What are some key passages from the stories?

  • What points did the literary criticism bring up that interested you?

  • How do the short stories work together? 

  • What do you make of the final speech and conclusion of the movie?

  • To what extent did the movie help you understand the story? 

  • How did the movie do in terms of adaptation?

  • Which one--movie or story--do you like better?

  • To what extent do both work together to create something bigger?

  • Woodcutter scene: re-watch, re-read analyze.  Any other aspects to analyze?

  • You can look at other aspects of the movie, and how well it adapts the two stories.

  • Was that a Hollywood ending?

Rashomon Screenplay (and text) for reference

Final Paper Assignment

Pre-writing List:

Record what you remember, what you'll take away and look for connections in the stories we've covered.

• "The Necklace"

• The story/movie combinations in groups

• "A Man from the South"

• "Miracle of the Birds"

• "Streetcorner Man" 

• "Rosendo's Tale"

• "A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings"

• Poem Search and nominations

• "The Man had no Useful Work" & "Forty-Five a Month"

•  Japanese Extensions 

•  "Red Azaleas"

• "Cranes" 

• "Hoichi the Earless"

• Arabian Nights w/David

•  Rashomon Paper: "In a Grove," "Rashomon" and Rashomon

• "Three Questions"

•  "Our Boss"

• "Senor Noboa"

• "Duplications"

• "The Nose"

•  "Queen of Spades."

Movie S2LS 

Video Poem Assignment

Japanese Extensions

I'd like everyone to do one extension.  Here are the options I'm offering:

1) Read some Japanese folktales. After reading, compare them to other folktales you've read.  Take about a page to do this.

2) Read the story "The Man who did not Smile."  This short, enigmatic story tells of an author/screenwriter who is working on a movie and looking to have a happy ending to the film.  Find others who are interested, read the story and have a mini seminar on it.  You can include me if you want, but you should turn in notes from the group.

            A question to get you started: To what extent does the movie relate to the screen writer's life?

3) I have a packet of Haiku for you.  After reading them, I want you to write two things:  explain which ones were you're favorites and write at least one haiku of you're own.

4)  More Akutagawa:  I have three more of his stories.  You could read at least two of them and compare them--in writing--to "In a Grove" and "Rashomon." 

“In a Grove,” “Roshomon” & Roshomon Mini-Paper

            I want to coach you through the Writing Process: Pre-writing, Composing/Drafting and finally Editing/Revising.  This paper should be 2-3 pages.

            We will do some pre-writing in class but feel free to use a write-up you’ve already done as a Pre-writing exercise.  As far as topics, you must find your own—but I’ll help those who need it.  As far as I can envision, these papers will either be expository essays or creative writing responses to the story.  You need to type these pieces and save them so that you may complete all necessary revisions.

Focus on the aspects of the stories or movie that made the biggest impression on you, but “say something.”

Here’s the assignment: Consider the two stories and the movie as a whole and try to decide what you think its central or most important message is. 

Your paper should…

o       Have a real title

o       Have an interesting introduction

o       Say Something

o       Consider your audience—anyone in the class or Pfouts.  We’ve read the texts and seen the movie—write with that in mind.

Some of the Pre-writing Prompts:

• What do characters’ stories say about them as people?

• What do you consider the central message of each story? 

• What are some key passages from the stories?

• What points did the literary criticism bring up that interested you?

• How do the short stories work together? 

• What do you make of the final speech and conclusion of the movie?

• To what extent did the movie help you understand the story? 

• How did the movie do in terms of adaptation?

• Which one--movie or story--do you like better?

• To what extent do both work together to create something bigger?

• Woodcutter scene...

• Was that a Hollywood ending?

Peer Draft: Tues 4/8

Graded draft due: Mon 4/14