4/3:Humanities 2: Please work in groups of 3 on “A Modest Proposal.” Use the Colbert questions as a guide. In each group take notes (you’ll turn these in to the sub, please) about who the targets are (both obvious and indirect), elements of his proposal, the “logical” arguments, the exaggeration/outrageous, arguments, etc. Also include in these notes any questions/confusions that we need to clear up tomorrow. Please turn this in to the sub.
After you are done, please work in the Arts and Ideas books. We need to get a handle on the differences between Baroque art and what precedes it. I think the best way to do this is for you to read pages 439-452. Remember your purpose here – it isn’t to get facts down about different painters and their lives: it is to understand what is going on n the culture, and how that is reflected in the art. Take notes, particularly focused on elements of Baroque art. Then, as we did before, choose two pieces to examine more closely in your blue book. Write down the title, artist and page number. Describe what you see, then read over that description and look for elements of Age of Reason/ Baroque thinking in the art.
4/1: Entering satire: Watch this clip from The Colbert Report to get your feet wet with satire (the worksheet for this clip is attached below). Then read this modern example of satire and trace the same elements of satire in it.
This weekend: This weekend, read the excerpts from Book IX . Make sure you read the argument first – that will guide you through much of the action. Book IX features Satan’s temptation of Eve; X is the aftermath. Do what we have been doing with the reading, slow it down, look up words you do not know, mark up the text, work to understand what’s being said and by whom, etc. Focus attention on Satan’s developing character, the arguments he makes to Eve (and how those arguments mesh with what we already know about what he’s thinking and what insights they give into his character) and look closely at Adam’s lament about the punishment. THINK about the sorts of things he’s saying about his own responsibility, about how he sees his relationship to God and what he feels he’s lost, etc. Reflect in a blue book entry about what you read, what you think about what you’ve read (2 blue book pages). You can find Paradise Lost here. In Book IX, start on line 494 and read through to the end. You can find an audio version here. Our reading starts at about 6:08.
Paradise Lost Book IV:
We’re going to look at God’s character in the poem. God doesn’t appear much, so we have to get to know him through the words and actions of others. Look for such words/actions in Book I (through line 82). Comb the text for discussions of God, descriptions of his actions, etc. Make sure you pay attention to who is saying/describing God.
Tonight: Read through page 125 of Book IV. Mark up the poem. This section shows us Adam and Eve together, Satan’s reaction to them and his plan, then Eve’s retelling of her creation and how they came to be. Go ahead and mark up the poem. On one side of the notecard: keep track of the physical descriptions of Adam and Eve. Bullet descriptions (with page and line numbers) and jot down notes for both. On the back of the card: Reflect on Milton’s characterization of Satan in this section. What are Satan’s motivations and how do they affect our view of him? Is he evil or is Milton creating a more sympathetic character? How does he contrast with what we saw in God’s character? Fill this side of the card.
3/25:We’re going to look at God’s character in the poem. God doesn’t appear much, so we have to get to know him through the words and actions of others. Look for such words/actions in Book IV (through line 392). Comb the text for discussions of God, descriptions of his actions, etc. Make sure you pay attention to who is saying/describing God. Write down what you find, then as a group, evaluate what you find in terms of trying to sketch out God’s character.
Homework 3/19: Work with on elf the Bradstreet poems :either "Verses Upon the Burning of her House" or "Before the Birth of One of her Children." Mark up the poem and make meaning. Think about the ideas we talked about in class - pay attention to form, to rhyme, to shift, think about why a poem and not a short story (how are the tools of poetry better at helping the writer wrestle with an idea, etc.) In your blue books, work with the poem - write a summary, examine what you noticed about the poet's work, the structure, the imagery, think about how it fits into the Age of Reason ideas and for Bradstreet, particularly with the Puritan ideals: look at where she is honoring God, where she struggles with that idea, etc.
The podcast about "Isaac's Eye" can be found here.
Here's the homework for this weekend (3/14): For the philosophy excerpt: read this and mark it up. Your goal is to come to an understanding of Locke's philosophy, one that could be used to educate a newcomer to Locke (I am thinking something enticing - something that gives us his best points in one quick take).
For the Newton essay, read with an eye toward determining what is so different about Newton. How does his world view, his experiment, the description of it and access to it represent a shift in thinking from the Renaissance to what will become the Age of Reason. Look for ideas that show change (make a list of these in the blue book) then reflect: how does this compare to Galileo's work? What connections can you make between these and The Astronomer, how does it relate to Locke, etc.? Write at least a page.