Monday, September 15, 2008

 

English 201...C-213...A-200

This is my second time attempting to capture the thoughts and ideas shared this morning in the early class, English 201 8-9 AM. (The first time, a student came by the office and what I thought was saved was not--so here we go again.)

We read one of Tupac's poems, "Untitled," then brainstormed aloud over what it meant--students tossing words and phrases into the air I tried to catch before they fell to the floor. Often several ideas collided...bruised we applied ointment, shook it off, and moved on.

I have posted the notes from the board for both classes. We decided that "Untitled" (15) looked at "poverty" and the economic deprivation that often leads to such absence of wealth. Whether this is real or not depends on, as Tupac writes, how well one knows his or her history and how much one is influenced by the people who tell us our "culture holds no significance" (15). Thomas came up with the term: soul poverty and said, "It was what occurs when the soul is bankrupt."

We reviewed Diana Hacker's Rules for Writers. I encouraged students to read the preface, and to definitely read "How to Use This Book and Its Website (xv). We then went through the various chapters and I had students number the chapters in the order I wanted them read: 1. Planning and Document Design and The Basics;
2. Clarity; 3. Grammar and ESL Challenges; 4.-5. Academic Writing/Research; 6.-7. Mechanics.

Students are to complete the exercises and then if the section is too easy, said students were advised to move on to another section until s/he finds a challenge. The answers to the alphabetized exercises are in the back of the book; one can ask the teachers or tutor to correct the numbered exercises. You can also ask me in my office hours.

Homework for English 201 8-9 AM
In the morning class, homework was to develop a thesis sentence using themes from the poem, "Untitled," then write an introductory paragraph and bring to class to share in the morning, Tuesday, Sept. 16. Students can use any of the ideas we explored in class. Try to incorporate a line from the poem in the paragraph. Make sure you use a signal phrase, that is, "Tupac writes,"... "The poet says...". See Hacker page 421.

Both classes
Homework was to begin reading Hacker and doing appropriate exercises. I also encouraged students to work on these assignments while in the Writing Center and also when in Study Hour, MW 12:30-1:30 PM. The athletes are in the lab at the same time, but everyone can share the computers. Today, the students were in L-235. I think this is a great first choice. L-236 is also a good choice. Neither space is ever crowded in the afternoon and once again you have the benefit of getting help. Oh, don't forget to log in, the college can use the FTEs or money from the state.

Homework English 201 1-3 PM
In the afternoon class, some students weren't clear about where we were meeting, A-200 on Mondays folks. When I arrived the desks were full and everyone was ready for business.

We were going to watch the Byron Hurt film: Hip Hop: Beyond Beats and Rhymes, but when I looked at the clock after we'd brainstormed and talked about the poem, "Untitled," there would not have been any time to practice developing thesis sentences and write a short introductory paragraph, so we decided, I decided, to postpone the film until Wednesday, Sept. 17. (We also haven't had time to return to the hip hop archives assignment, maybe early October.)

Students were given a choice between: "The Eternal Lament" (17), "Only for the Righteous" (19), and "The Shining Star Within! Dedicated to Me" (23) to read, discuss, then develop 3-5 thesis sentences. From there students were told to develop an introductory paragraph, with one of the sentences the thesis. I also asked students to use a line from the poem in the introductory paragraph. The paragraphs were minimally 5-6 sentences.

What students were advised to do once they had decided which sentence they wanted to use as the thesis, was to use the other sentences they developed as a part of the paragraph.

Cyber-Post
Post those collaborative introductory paragraphs here with the names of your team. The topic sentence should include the name of the poem and its author. Homework for the afternoon class was to choose another poem from the three above, and do the same: develop 3-5 thesis sentences and write an introductory paragraph.

Students were also admonished to bring in their textbooks, all of them, to each class. The only one you don't need now is the Jasmine Guy book.

Students are to bring their introductory paragraphs into class Wednesday to share. Keep reading Dyson. Keep a writing log for each chapter. It's better to get ahead than to get behind.

Comments:
English 201A
1:00-2:50pm
Jamilah Brown,Treana Penn,Lisa,Audra,Monique


"Only 4 The Righteous"
by Tupac Shakur

Tupac focuses more on himself building up self confidence, also the poem demonstrates his psychology ability to uplift his voice. This poem was written to illustrate his goals and to bring recognition to readers informing about his intelligence. He portrays, appreciation of his artistic ability, by writing a poem as if he is in an interview. In reality he is interviewing himself and he is confident in the way the conversation is going. In this poem, "Only 4 the Righteous", by Tupac he shows a more confident voice out of all the other poems in the book.
 
Group:
Renee
Josh
Kim Wilson
Melissa Mah
Sarah Yusufi
Dalena Tran

Paragraph:
in the poem "only 4 the Righteous" written by Tupac Shakur, he demonstrates righteousness through a self-interview. He accumulates self improvement as a chracteristic of a righteous person. Acknowledging a change within yourself is key to righteousness. As Tupac says, "'sex' only with my girl because I love her," proves that anything negative can be inverted to a positive. This shows that a cultivated mind leads to righteousness.

Dalena Tran
English 201 A
1-2:50 PM

"The Shining Star Within" was a song that Tupac Shakur dedicated to Marilyn Monroe, an icon. Shakur presents a feel of life under the Hollywood lights. It demonstrates how being in the Hollywood industry is a dark world where you're unable to show your true self. Tupac writes, "Until she came 2 shine with a spark of innocence and questions [...] Not just Darkness but the silent kind that steals your soul and kills your mind." His example of using Marilyn Monroe acknowledges how she was successful in career, however it seems as though, behind her innocence, she was transformed into something ugly. That being in the Hollywood industry doesn't make your beautiful, but it displays your true colors.
 
English 201A
1-2:50PM

Edwin Taitague
Cheynne Gould
Francisco Marcial
Stephanie Yu
Milos Bucato

“The Eternal Lament” By Tupac Shakur

In the poem “The Eternal Lament” by Tupac Shakur. He talks about improvement and achieving his goals.[He is determined no matter what to reach his full potential.] When he says “And all of my free time will be spent, on the 1s I miss I will lament.” In his own way he is saying that it is ok to cry over missed opportunities. Falling down is harder than getting up. A person who has goals goes further than the one who has none.
 
Renee Dumaguit
Eng201B
1-2:50pm

Poem: "The Eternal Lament" - Tupac

In the poem, "The Eternal Lament" by Tupac Shakur, he shows that lamentation is a way of life. Anything and everything can lead to lament. Especially, never ending life will cause a person to lament. Tupac proves this by saying, "...I yearn 2 acheieve all of my goals and all free time will be spent on the 1's I miss I will lament." He shows that living life is a force of lamentation.
 
dalena you is trippin; you did it on teh wrong spot. girlfriend wake up.
 
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