Things Fall Apart

10/31: Working on the projects. I've attached ideas and cautions I have that I put on the board today.

10/28: Show me what you know project start day. This project requires you to find an intersection between the novel, the film and other materials we've been studying (keeping in mind the essential ideas behind the unit: the Miranda quote, the Stevenson quote and Coogler and Achebe's reasons for creating their art in the first place) and then create some way to show me what you know. Grading criteria is the same as it was for the COM paper.

10/26-27:

10/25: BIG PAPER responses: Ta-Nehisi Coates connections, connections between film and novel, ending of the novel, DEEP THINKING insights/risk-taking insights, toad quote.

10/24: Finished Fruitvale Station.

10/21: HOMEWORK: Between now and Wednesday, please watch the two sections of Jon Stewart’s interview with Ta-Nehisi Coates part one and part two.(part two will automatically load after one if you wait. If the links do not work, google "Jon Stewart + Ta-Nehisi Coates interview). Coates is an American writer and intellectual whose book, Between the World and Me (which is the book they are talking about in the interview), won the National Book Award in 2015. I am asking you to watch these two pieces in an effort to understand one writer’s view of America and race at this time and how that can help as we grapple with the issues raised in the novel and the film. My suggestion is to watch each section twice, taking notes the second time. On the front of the notecard: react to at least three of the ideas that Coates presents about race and structure in America and why that matters (make sure you prove to me that you watched both parts completely). I don’t want you to argue with the ideas – I want you to try to understand them first (what does he think and why does he say he thinks that), then if you want to question what he is saying, that’s fine. On the back: try to apply some of Coates’ ideas to the film, to Grant’s death, to the poems and to American culture. Can you see his ideas playing out in the film? What difference might they make? How do they contribute to Oscar’s death and/or to your reaction to it? Fill both sides of the card.

IN CLASS: we talked about Part 2 in Things Fall Apart, about Okonkwo and whether or not he has changed after his 7 years in exile, about the change in the villages with the arrival of the Christians, about who gains from that change and who loses. We also at least started to think about how, in the midst of such change, is it possible to continue to, on all sides, value each other's humanity. We watched the first 45 minutes of Fruitvale Station. On the back of Wednesday's notecard: react to the film so far, write about Oscar, about connections to what we have been discussing in class about manhood, make connections to the book, etc. fill the back of the card.

10/19: HMWRK (in addition to the novel reading). Please read the poems attached below. If you do not know who Eric Garner is, read this. If you do not know who Trayvon Martin is, read this. Today, we started by looking at "I, Too" (see "I,Too + Small Needful Fact" attached below). What does it express about manhood and belonging? How does it serve as a counterpoint to "Blowin' in the Wind"? We are also thinking about death and life and how cultures celebrate life and treat their dead (the mark of a culture is how it treats its dead). Reread pages 121-125 carefully, and as you read, take notes about the funeral ritual and why it is applied here, the celebration of life and what it includes (and does not) and who is treated differently in death and why (board notes attached below). Then. turn to the poems ("I,Too + Small Needful Fact" attached below). The Langston Hughes poem speaks to the idea of manhood and the other three do in come ways too, but these are funereal poems. Pay attention to the language, to the celebration of life, to the commentary on death in all three of the funeral poems.

10/18: TONIGHT: revisit the two pieces we read and look at subtext and inference of how masculinity is defined by thinking about the progress (in Kimmel's interview) that we have not yet achieved and what that means, AND by thinking about what women's gains means for the balance between gender expectations (what is gained and what is lost). Keep reading Things Fall Apart - through part 2 for Friday. Finish the novel for early next week.

We are continuing our discussion of manhood and the masks society requires of men in service of that definition. Read through the interview with Michael Kimmel (“TFA What does it Mean to Be a Man” attached), highlight the pressures Kimmel talks about, the stereotypes, the ways in which what men want and what society says they can have come in conflict and why that matters. At the end, react to what he’s saying and to how you see these ideas expressed in our society and why they might matter. After you have read, react to the ideas in the article, the demands on manhood, the conflict between what men want and what society wants of them, etc. (do this in the space left at the end of the piece. Then, move onto Adam Haslett’s piece. His piece was part of a collection called The Book of Men and I think his commentary about what it means to be a man is as much highlighted in his writing style as it is in the content. Pay attention to that style (and the content) as you read, and make a few notes about your discoveries. Then, on the front of the notecard: bullet ideas about men and maleness, about desires, about societal expectations and the conflict, about the benefits and the costs of what it means to be a man, etc. from both pieces.

10/17: We discussed the end of part 1, Okonkwo's faith, his struggles, the ways in which Achebe's novel comes "full circle" at the end of part 1 (the gun going off, the death that exiles him connected to the death of Ikemefuna, etc.). We also began the exploration of the ideas of manhood by watching the trailer for a new documentary about manhood.

10/11: Reading schedule is attached ("TFA reading schedule Novel and Film"). In class: on the front of the notecard: write down questions, confusions, insights and connections you can make from the first 5 chapters of Things Fall Apart (at least 4 -6 meaningful points). On the back: explore Okonkwo's character - remember that Achebe's intention was to create a rich, complex character. Write about his motivation in life and the source of his anger, write about what you see as positive and why and what is negative. Prove to me that you've read. Fill the back of the card.

10/7: HOMEWORK: This weekend, please read through chapter 5 in Things Fall Apart (there is an ebook here if you were not in class). Here's the link to an audio version. As you read, please take notes about the characters, who they are and how they are related to each other, and other basic plot notes. Pay attention to the world Achebe is creating (pay particular attention to the cultural universal highlighted on your sheet). Make sure to write down questions. On Tuesday in class, I will likely ask you to write about Okonkwo, his character and his complexities, so you’ll need specifics there. IN CLASS: Our guiding quotes: "...Who lives, who dies, who tells your story" - Lin-Manuel Miranda and "I've come to understand and to believe that each of us is more than the worst thing we've ever done." - Bryan Stephenson. In class we watched Chinua Achebe talk about his novel, in order to gain background and to understand his desire to tell his own story, the story of his people and why that matters so much. We also talked about Cultural Universals (attached) as a way to help us understand a culture different from ours.

10/6: thinking about why the stereotyping we discussed and the fear and the different points of view matter: how does the language we use affect those stereotypes (white/black headlines discussion). How do different views/different framing of histories affect the view (Michelle Obama's speech and Bill O'Reilly's commentary).

9/27: Today we are transitioning into our next unit (even as you continue to work on your drafts). This unit deals with race, with what it means to be seen as fully human and with the need and power of stories. To start, I am asking you to read two pieces and reflect on them. The first is an essay first published in the 1980s by Brent Staples. Read through it, thinking about the story he has to tell, the disconnect between how he views himself and how others view him and how that affects him. After you’ve read, react in your journal – what struck you and why, how does this resonate with our world today, what do you think about his “language of fear” idea, about the “male romance with the power to intimidate” etc? Then, read “Why are the N.Y.P.D After Me?” and repeat the journal process (above): think here about what resonates, about how you can and/or cannot relate and why, about what you see as the level of seriousness of his complaints and why? How does this help you to reconsider a point of view? After you’ve read and written about both pieces, partner up – talk o the person next to you about what you thought about what you read, about your answers to the questions above, etc. Finally, on the front of the notecard: list 5-7 new ideas (ideas about race, about society’s perception of others and its effects, about the readings in particular) that you had as a result of the work today (plus list any questions that you still have about the readings). Do the notecard for homework if you run out of class time.