Day 26

English 101 Day 26



1. H/W: Read to chapter 21 by Tuesday

Rough draft of essay 2 due tomorrow.

Final Draft Due in a week +1 day (November 1st)

Study guide questions due Thursday.

2. Bonus points?

3. I liked watching the movie on Friday, but let’s kick it into gear today.

4. Anybody off the truck?

5. Narrative help (we’ll discuss dialogue on Thursday or Friday)


Character

i. Look at how ma’s described.

ii. Try it with your own characters.

1. He/She was the kind of person who.

2. How well do you know your characters?

iii. Names?

iv. Checklist…


Plot

i. Beginnings

ii. Conclusions

Setting

"If you say in the first chapter that there is a rifle hanging on the wall, in the second or third chapter it absolutely must go off. If it's not going to be fired, it shouldn't be hanging there."

–Anton Chekhov

1. Time & Place (physical environment)

For example: Greasy Lake, The Storm,

Exercise:

o Write about the time: (five minutes)

 you watched light settle on the water

 you saw the first smudge of dawn

 you woke before the others

o Write about something from memory that seems lit by a particular kind of light. (from Grapes of Wrath, Steinbeck)

o There was this one tree.

o 5 w’s

o Checklist

Day 25

English 101 Day 25


1. Bonus points today?

2. Bonus points this weekend.

3. Anybody off the truck?

4. Today: Christian Values, Agrarianism and Help with Rough Draft of Narrative Essay.



5. Christian Values as a class


6. Narrative help (we’ll discuss dialogue next week)

a. Characters

i. Look at how ma’s described.

ii. Try it with your own characters.

iii. Names?

b. Setting

i. Five senses

ii. Greasy Lake—if there’s a gun in the first scene, make sure it goes off by the end of the story, otherwise there shouldn’t be a gun there.

c. Plot

i. Beginnings

ii. Conclusions



7. H/W: Read to chapter 20 by Monday

Rough draft of essay 2 due TUESDAY 25th of October

Final Draft Due in two weeks (November 1st)

Works of Mercy

Here's a good list to use to compare the characters to the Christian values suggested by the literary critic.

Corporal works of mercy


Corporal Works of Mercy are those that tend to bodily needs. In (Matthew 25:31-46, in the The Judgment of Nations six specific Works of Mercy are enumerated, although not this precise list — as the reason for the salvation of the saved, and the omission of them as the reason for damnation. The last work of mercy, burying the dead, comes from the Book of Tobit.[3][4]

1. To feed the hungry

2. To give drink to the thirsty.

3. To shelter the homeless.

4. To clothe the naked.

5. To visit and ransom the captive, (prisoners).

6. To visit the sick.

7. To bury the dead.

Spiritual works of mercy

Not everyone is considered capable or obligated to perform the first three spiritual works of mercy if they do not have proper tact, knowledge or training to do so. The last four are considered to be the obligation of all people without condition.[4]

1. Instruct the uninformed

2. Counsel the doubtful;

3. Admonish sinners;

4. Bear wrongs patiently;

5. Forgive offenses willingly;

6. Comfort the afflicted;

7. Pray for the living, the sick and the dead.

Route 66

Worst Hard Time Sample Essay

Here's a paper that scored well from the first essay on Worst Hard Time

Agrarianism

Here are several snips from two "notes" sites (one's called monkey notes, so take these with a grain of salt) on Agrarianism in GoW:

Chapter five also examines the issue of what constitutes ownership of land. The absentee landlords and the tenants hold conflicting views about it. For the landlords land is simply a means of earning sizable profits. Land is nothing more to them than a financial investment. For the tenants, on the other hand, land is a vital part of their very existence, and everything in their life is tied to it, including birth, employment, and death. The tenants follow the ideas of Jeffersonian agrarianism. Thomas Jefferson believed that all people should have the opportunity to own landed property. The Jeffersonians argued that even if a person did not own land legally, the person had a natural right to claim ownership if he or she lived on it and cultivated it. This idealism is reflected in the tenants' reply: "We measured it and broke it up. . . that's what makes it ours--being born on it, working it, dying on it. That makes ownership, not a paper with numbers on it."



Steinbeck asks the meaning of ownership in the novel. The owners and the tenants reveal two conflicting views about the land. The tenants adopt the ideas of Jeffersonian agrarianism, which involves the belief that landed property held in freehold must be available to everyone. The Jeffersonians believed that a man could claim ownership of the land he occupied and cultivated by virtue of a natural right. The absentee landlords do not occupy the land and only have legal ownership of the land. For the tenants, land is a vital part of their existence. For the landlords, it is only an investment, which yields profits. In the later section of the novel, Steinbeck contrasts the Hoovervilles established on the outskirts of each town with the vast tracts of land that lie unused in the West. The owners of these estates are fearful that the migrants may encroach on their property. The theme of people's relationship to land is a crucial one. Tied to the theme of land ownership, Steinbeck depicts that the individual is increasingly at the mercy of the vast anonymous forces of capitalism and a market economy, which cannot be identified because they are faceless, mindless, and heartless. They are the faceless tractor drivers who do not "feel" the land. They are the banks that direct businesses because they possess the money. They are the large landowners who sometimes never see their farms.

Bonus Point Opportunity

James Milliron is giving a poetry reading from his book, Entering Yakima County at Oak Hollow Gallery at 2pm on Sunday.

Milliron will be reading from and signing his award-winning book at Oak Hollow Frames, 5613 Summitview Ave., at 2 p.m. Sunday. The reading is sponsored by Inklings Bookshop. If you want to hear some good poetry and meet a really nice man, be sure to come by.

One page summary of reading due Monday.

Due Next Thursday

Here are study guide questions.
Due next Thursday.

Chapter 13-14


1. Which of the passengers on the Joad truck was the first to be left behind?

2. Who were the Wilsons?


Chapters 15-16

1. What plans have Connie and Rose of Sharon made?

2. What is Al's attitude problem?

3. Why does Ma revolt?

4. What discouraging news did the ragged man give Pa?


Chapters 17-18

1. What did Pa and Tom learn from the men in the river?

2. To what decision did Noah come?

3. Why don't the Wilsons cross the desert with the Joads?

4. Why was Ma so feisty at the agricultural inspection station?


Chapters 19-20

1. How did Casy help Tom out of trouble with the deputy sheriff?

2. Where and why did Connie go?


Chapters 21-22

1. Why did Mr. Thomas lower the wages from thirty cents per hour to twenty-five cents

per hour?

2. What tip did Mr. Thomas give Timothy?

3. Compare and contrast "Hoovervilles" and the government camp.

Here Comes That Rainbow Again

Cash on Letterman One more. I can't hear it enough:

Day 24

English 101 Day 24


1. Here comes that old rainbow again.

2. Generating Ideas

3. Setting for Chapter 1 of your story

4. Literary Analysis options—I’d start by cutting and pasting these ideas into a document and then looking for evidence to support them.

a. Agrarianism

i. Find supporting examples in the book that illustrate the definitions.

ii. You may find it helpful to narrow it down to 1-3 definitions.

b. Steinbeck’s bulletin board

i. Find supporting examples that illustrate the philosophy of the three men mentioned.

1. Narrowed down to 3-4 statements

c. Christian Virtues

i. Narrowed down to specific virtues or values (see links)

d. Rednecks

i. What out of power groups are fighting each other so far?

5. Today in class: 750 words=5 Bonus points; 1000 words=7 bonus points.

a. Definitions/philosophical statements do not count towards word count.

H/W: Read chapter 16

Rough draft of essay 2 due TUESDAY 25th of October

Final Draft Due in two weeks (November 1st)

Texas Dust Storms

Welcome back to the dirty 30's (this happened Monday)

Video here.

Farm Labor

Crisis
Not enough people to bring in the apples this year.

Lesson Plan: Wednesday

Here's what I'd like to get done: Review GoW up to Departure and get everybody on the truck.

Work on Essay 2: Generating Ideas.

1. Divide into six groups for quick review of the chapters.  Find section to read to the class and ask a "discussion" question to follow it.

2. Essay 2 options--Where are you in this process? How many are interested in the Narrative option? What about the other "literary analysis" options? 

Literary Analysis options

Agrarianism

Grandpa, The Land, The circle of men, Technology--where's the section that talks about owning too much land so that you become apart from it? Can we find that page? Is it chapter 5?

Christian Subtext: (Christian Values, Christian Virtues)

In Christianity, the theological virtues are faith, hope and love, a list which comes from 1 Corinthians 13:13.  There are many listings of virtue additional to the traditional Christian virtues (faith, hope and love) in the Christian Bible. One is the "Fruit of the Holy Spirit," found in Galatians 5:22-23: "By contrast, the fruits of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

Jim Casey

Ma

Tom yet?

Others?

Redneck secrets:

We're not there yet. California here we come.

But you could talk about the guy selling cars and buying horses and Willy Feely.

Jefferson, Paine and Marx:

Pick there quotes you've seen in action so far--there's three body paragraphs.

Let's work a little on the narrative option--

Departure:

Setting (1-2?) and Characters (2-4?)

Essay 2: Departure, Setting

Essay Two: Setting

"If you say in the first chapter that there is a rifle hanging on the wall, in the second or third chapter it absolutely must go off. If it's not going to be fired, it shouldn't be hanging there."

–Anton Chekhov 

1.       Time & Place (physical environment)

2. Grapes of Wrath

For example: Greasy Lake, The Storm, 

 Time

                                          i.    Year

                                         ii.    Season

                                        iii.    Month

                                       iv.    Day of Week

                                        v.    Time of Day

                                       vi.    General Era

 
Place (physical environment)

                                          i.    Country

                                         ii.    State

                                        iii.    City

                                       iv.    Landscape

                                        v.    Climate

                                       vi.    House

                                      vii.    Yard/Surroundings

Generating Ideas Essay 2

The writing process.

1. Generate Ideas
2. Plan
3. Draft
4. Revise
5. Edit/Proofread
6. Final Draft
7. Present/Publish

Personal Experience

8. Rites of passage? When did you know you were an adult? (or not a child…)
9. Road trips.
10. Vacations.
11. Moves.
12. Hikes.
13. Camps.
14. How did you arrive in Yakima?
15. Illness/injury.
16. Accidents.
17. Addiction.
18. Depression/psychological.
19. Divorce/relationship.
20. Friendships.
21. Moments of sudden growth

Observation (Second hand experiences)

22. How did your family arrive in Yakima?
23. Grandparents/parents/siblings/relatives/friends.
24. Where have you been a mentor/helper to another’s journey?

Imagination

25. Invent your own hero.
26. go with one of the characters left behind in GoW

Day 22

English 101 Day 22


IT’S NOT WHERE YOU START, IT’S WHERE YOU FINISH.

Handing back essays.

Yancy Yore and William Peckman

Questions? Handwriting? See me’s.

Comments explained.

Remember, for many of you, this is your first college level essay. React with thick skin and a determination to improve.

From last week:

Themes: One Big Soul, Unity in Family (Nuclear and of Man), Big guy v. Little Guy, Agrarianism, The evils of Capitalism

8—Meet the Joads 67-74; 75-80; 81-85
10—Leaving the Land 90-97; 98-105; 106-114
11—The house returns to nature
12—Route 66

Six Groups
Each group: A passage to read aloud—pick parts if you have them.
An discussion question, based on your passage.


H/W: Read chapter 13

Rough draft of essay 2 due TUESDAY 25th of October (this is a change). We'll start working on the essay part of this in the next day or two.

Final Draft Due in two weeks (November 1st)

If they can do this

Maybe they can pick fruit?

Day 21

English 101 Day 21


From last week—let’s see if we can get a conversation going.

Chapter 5: How Do You Shoot the Monster?

a. Tenant farmers

b. Tractor driver muzzled and goggled by…

c. Who is taking it?

d. Why?

e. What happens to the small farmer once it’s gone

i. Jefferson Agrarianism—this is an essay option.

2. This weekend in “Occupy”

3. NYTimes Occupy Wall Street.

4. How did we get here? Does anyone know the history?

5. How has it impacted you?

6. Who do you blame? What did the small farmer do wrong? What did the real estate agents or banks do wrong?

7. What’s been done about it? What should we do about it?

From last week:

Themes: One Big Soul, Unity in Family (Nuclear and of Man), Big guy v. Little Guy, Agrarianism, The evils of Capitalism

7—Car salesman.
8—Meet the Joads 67-74; 75-80; 81-85
9—Selling your life’s work
10—Leaving the Land 90-97; 98-105; 106-114

Six Groups

Each group: A passage to read aloud—pick parts if you have them.

An essay question to ask the class about the passage.

Some of this conversation will be continued Tuesday.

H/W: Read Chapter 11 and 12


Quiz Ch. 1-12 Tuesday

Occupy Portland

Down Twinkles! I think we should adopt these in class. Twinkles, anyone?

I hope this doesn't distract from the real debate, but for a Friday, it's pretty good stuff.

This should work.

Essay 3

Essay 3: Why Here?


In a 3-5 page essay, explain the similarities between the Grapes of Wrath and our valley.

Rough Draft Due: Tuesday November

Bring 4 copies.

Double spaced. 12 point font. MLA paper format and citations.

20 points. This will be graded for completion, not quality. Part of 30% grade.

Final Draft Due: Friday November

Bring two copies.

100 points, graded using the rubric. Part of your 70% grade.

Background and Tips:

Why was this book a popular and appropriate choice for the Yakima Valley Reads Project? What challenges are shared by the people, places and times of both the Grapes of Wrath and the Yakima Valley?

Your first source will be Grapes of Wrath.

Your sources for our valley will probably be newspaper reports from the Yakima-Herald, internet searches and possibly library databases such as Proquest.

NOTE: FINDING SOURCES ON THE YAKIMA VALLEY WILL BE ONE OF THE HARDEST PARTS OF THIS ESSAY. START EARLY. SHARE YOUR SOURCES. CHANGE YOUR DIRECTION IF YOU HIT DEAD ENDS.

For a description of what I'm looking for in excellent papers (and what to avoid) refer to the rubric we used for your first essay.

Your organization should be something like:

• Intro—Hook, background, title of book, author's name, brief summary, thesis

• Body paragraphs—each dealing with a single idea, in this case, a similarity.

• Conclusion







1. Okies/Mexicans (or SE Asians or Chinese or…)

1. Reasons for leaving

2. Difficulty of the journey

3. Treatment upon arrival

4. Housing

5. 2005 protests as sign of Grapes of Wrath ready to be picked?

2. Farmworker Housing

1. Tent camps

2. Farmer provided

3. Subsidized permanent homes

3. Farm labor contractors

1. Coyotes

2. Global Horizons

3. Express Personnel

4. Book “Nobodies”

4. Machines taking Over

1. Robots in the orchards

2. Robots in the sheds

3. Robots in the parlors.

4. Robots till I’m dead.

If you’d rather do an essay that does not require research, you may pick from one of the “literary analysis” choices presented in essay 2 choices.

Then who do we shoot?

Brother I don't know.

GoW Revisited

This is very cool.

Chris McGreal retraces the route of Steinbeck's epic depression era novel along Route 66 from Sallisaw, Oklahoma to Weedpatch, California

Day 20

English 101 Day 20 Fall 11


Chapters 2 and 4. Find quotes to show the following.

a) Tom Joad’s appearance and actions.

b) Tom Joad’s thoughts and speech.

c) The reaction of others to Tom Joad—what they say and think about him.


d) Jim Casey’s appearance and actions.

e) Jim Casey’s thoughts and speech.

f) The reaction of others to Jim Casey—what they say and think about him.


Interchapters

They’re a lot like an essay: Topic sentences for the Joad family experience.

Let’s look at chapter 5.

What’s the answer?

Can somebody give us a background on what you know about our current crisis?

When did it start?

Who do we blame? Who’s at fault?

What have we done about it?

What should we do about it?

Does it upset you? Does your age matter? Does your income level matter?

What effect has the crisis had on you?

For starters: Tuition is up 50% at UW in three years. Don’t pay tuition?

76 classes cut at YVCC this year. YVCC has lost a third of the budget.

“With the increase, full-time YVCC students will pay 13 percent more in tuition -- or $407 more than the $3,850 they paid for the 2010-2011 academic year. Part-time students will pay an additional 11 percent.

Next spring, the board will decide whether to approve another 12 percent increase for the 2012-13 school year. The rate reflects the maximum allowed by the Legislature in the 2011-13 operating budget.

The budget also includes a two-year, 3 percent pay cut for staff.” YHR online

What else? Jobs? Housing?

Homework: Chapters 7-10 in GoW. Read looking for connections to essay topics.
Do some quick googling on essay three topics to see a broad overview of what's out there. Start prewriting on Essay 2.

Foreclosure Alley, Who's to Blame and The Credit Crisis Visualized

Here's what it looks like in SoCal

Factcheck gives a run down of what caused the crisis.

25 "People to Blame" for crisis. (Time)

and here's a video I've already posted on the subject:

Occupy Wall Street

Here's the coverage from the New York Times

Here's the coverage from the Wall Street Journal

The city of New York has asked the protestors to leave, which means this may be coming to a head this weekend.

My notes for 1-4 chapters

My notes (you might consider doing this as you go)




1. Chapter 1 Notes: The Dust Storms

a. Setting

i. Apocalyptic

ii. Reverse lifecycle

b. Unity and Human dignity

c. Survival

d. Interchapter



2. Chapter 2 Notes: Tom Get’s a Ride

a. Character

i. Tom Joad

1. Quick to anger, independent, solitary, smart

b. Plot

c. Tension between haves and have nots with Trucker/Owners

d. Setting

i. Roadside Diner

3. Chapter 3 Notes: The Turtle

a. Symbolic in every sentence.

4. Chapter 4 Notes: Tom Meets Casey

a. Character

i. Jim Casey

1. Reborn, Seeker, Man of Thought, Philosopher—Oversoul, Holy Spirit is Human Spirit

Day 19

English 101 Day 19 Fall 11


1030 class: Your experience in agriculture.

Essay three assignment.

Setting=Time and Place

Chapter 1

Time

1. Year

2. Season

3. Month

4. Day of Week

5. Time of Day

6. General Era

Place (physical environment)

1. Country

2. State

3. City

4. Landscape

5. Climate

6. House

7. Yard/Surroundings

In groups of two. Chapters 2 and 4. Find quotes to show the following.

a) Tom Joad’s appearance and actions.

b) Tom Joad’s thoughts and speech.

c) The reaction of others to Tom Joad—what they say and think about him.


d) Jim Casey’s appearance and actions.

e) Jim Casey’s thoughts and speech.

f) The reaction of others to Jim Casey—what they say and think about him.

Egan on Yakima and Food Safety

Here's a piece he wrote about our hometown.

Grapes of Wrath Trailer

Redneck Secrets continued

An article about the Tea Party and the Occupy Wall Street tension that seems to illustrate the redneck secret. Two out of power groups fighting each other. See venn diagram above.

Essay 2 Options

Essay Two: Rough Draft Due October 24th Final Draft Due November 1st. 3-5 pages.


Here is a list of “literary analysis” essay options for your second essay.

1. How does the following definition apply to GoW?

a. In his introduction to Agrarianism in American Literature, M. Thomas Inge defines "agrarianism" by the following basic tenets:

• Cultivation of the soil "has within it a positive spiritual good" and from it the cultivator acquires the virtues of "honor, manliness, self-reliance, courage, moral integrity, and hospitality." These result from a direct contact with nature, and through nature a closer relationship to God. The agrarian is blessed in that he follows the example of God in creating order out of chaos.

• The farmer has a solid, stable position in the world order. He "has a sense of identity, a sense of historical and religious tradition, a feeling of belonging to a concrete family, place, and region, which are psychologically and culturally beneficial." The harmony of his life checks the encroachments of a fragmented, alienated modern society.

• Urban life, capitalism, and technology destroy independence and dignity while fostering vice and weakness.

• The agricultural community, with its fellowship of labor and cooperation is the model society.



2. The critic Lee Burress states, “In fact the four major characters, Ma, Tom, Casy and Rose of Sharon represent Steinbeck’s efforts to dramatize Biblical and Christian values in a realistic way.”



Choose one (or several) of these characters to show how Steinbeck attempted to “dramatize(s)… Christian values.”

3. Explain how The Grapes of Wrath illustrates this “Redneck Secret”:

“Nobody is claiming certain Rednecks are gorgeous about their ways of resolving the pain of their frustrations. Some of them will indeed get drunk in honktonks and raise hell and harass young men with long hair and golden earring. These are the bad Rednecks.

Why bad? Because they are betraying themselves. Out-of-power groups keep fighting each other instead of what they really resent: power itself. A redneck pounding a hippie in a dark barroom is embarrassing because we see the cowardice. What he wants to hit is a banker in broad daylight.”

–William Kittredge “Redneck Secrets”

4. Explain which quotes best summarize the philosophy of The Grapes of Wrath

An army of principles can penetrate where an army of soldiers cannot.

Thomas Paine

I love the man that can smile in trouble, that can gather strength from distress, and grow brave by reflection. 'Tis the business of little minds to shrink, but he whose heart is firm, and whose conscience approves his conduct, will pursue his principles unto death.

Thomas Paine

The World is my country, all mankind are my brethren, and to do good is my religion.

Thomas Paine

If we do not hang together, we shall surely hang separately.

Thomas Paine

My mind is my own church.

Thomas Paine

The real man smiles in trouble, gathers strength from distress, and grows brave by reflection.

Thomas Paine

I believe that banking institutions are more dangerous to our liberties than standing armies. Already they have raised up a monied aristocracy that has set the government at defiance. The issuing power should be taken from the banks and restored to the people to whom it properly belongs.

Thomas Jefferson

Merchants have no country. The mere spot they stand on does not constitute so strong an attachment as that from which they draw their gains.

Thomas Jefferson

No occupation is so delightful to me as the culture of the earth, and no culture comparable to that of the garden.

Thomas Jefferson

Capitalist production, therefore, develops technology, and the combining together of various processes into a social whole, only by sapping the original sources of all wealth - the soil and the labourer.

Karl Marx





Narrative Option for essay two

Essay 2: Departure, Journey and Arrival

Follow a third-person narrator’s migration from the departure, through the journey, to the arrival.

Your story should convey a theme, or main idea, to the reader.

The details of the story, events as well as descriptions, will support this main idea.

Your primary sources for the ideas and details will be experience, observation and imagination.

Like a traditional thesis, your theme will be clear to the reader upon completion of the story.

Unlike a traditional thesis, your main point, or theme, may be either implied or stated directly.

Your organization using the following “Chapter” titles:

• Departure: Why leave? What is the motivation? What do you take? What is left behind?

• The Journey: What challenges are overcome? What skills are acquired? What dragons faced? What is the low point?

• Arrival: How does the trip change the way you see things? What lessons are learned? How do you bring the lessons to your new place? Are you accepted in the new place?



We also want to work on Setting, Characterization, Conflict, Exposition, Rising Action, Climax, Falling Action, Resolution.

Sources for this story in order of preference:

1. Experience.

2. Observation.

3. Imagination.



Tips: Limit number of characters; limit time period; limit settings. I’d suggest AT MOST one setting for each section, anywhere from an hour to a day for the time period and 2-5 characters TOTAL for the essay. Any more and we’ll get lost.



Also, focus on TELLING DETAILS. The more specific the better. Instead of blue car, try 1971 midnight blue Plymouth Valiant he inherited from his grandmother.



Finally, there are the facts and then there’s the truth.

Day 18

English 101 Day 18 Fall 11


1. 1030 class: Set point levels for rubric.

2. Essays returned in about a week. Don’t ask earlier, please.

3. Quiz over 1-4/Correct.

4. Your experience in agriculture

a. Mine: Pallet and Bin; grew up with Zirkles, Roches, Lancasters, Munsons; Dad wrote the articles of incorporation for Tree Top co-op; picked strawberries for one crappy day. U-Pick blueberries.

b. Yours?

5. Essay two options explained.

For second essay

a. Experience

i. Moves, roadtrips, psychological?

b. Observation

i. Your parents/grandparents coming to the valley, state, country

ii. Other

c. Imagination

i. Muley, Willy Feely, Ivy Wilson, Connie, Noah, One Eyed Man,

ii. Now?

iii. Future? What if GW plays out like Gore says? I’d like to keep it on Earth, and without wizards, I’d say.


Characterization is the method used by a writer to develop a character.

The method includes

(1) showing the character's appearance,
(2) displaying the character's actions,
(3) revealing the character's thoughts,
(4) letting the character speak, and
(5) getting the reactions of others
(6) their names

Steinbeck Quick Bio

FEW NOTES ABOUT THE AUTHOR


JOHN STEINBECK

STEINBECK, John (1902-68). Winner of the 1962 Nobel prize for literature, the American author John
Steinbeck is best remembered for his novel 'The Grapes of Wrath'. Steinbeck's story of a family of farm
workers migrating from Oklahoma to California describes the hopelessness of the Great Depression era.
John Ernst Steinbeck was born on Feb. 27, 1902, in Salinas, Calif. He took classes at Stanford University for several years but left without a degree. He worked as a laborer to support himself while he wrote. Steinbeck's first novel was published in 1929, but it was not until the publication of 'Tortilla Flat' in 1935 that he attained critical and popular acclaim.

He followed this success with 'In Dubious Battle' (1936) and 'Of Mice and Men' (1937). 'The Grapes of
Wrath' (1939) earned for Steinbeck a Pulitzer prize. In these works Steinbeck's proletarian themes are
expressed through his portrayal of the inarticulate, dispossessed laborers who populate his American
landscape. Both 'Of Mice and Men' and 'The Grapes of Wrath' were made into motion pictures.
In 1943 Steinbeck traveled to North Africa and Italy as a war correspondent. Some of his later works
include 'Cannery Row' (1945), 'The Pearl' (1947), 'East of Eden' (1952), 'The Winter of Our Discontent'
(1961), and 'Travels with Charley' (1962). He also wrote several motion-picture scripts, including
adaptations of two of his shorter works-'The Pearl' and 'The Red Pony'. Steinbeck died in New York City on Dec. 20, 1968

Steinbeck on GoW

Day 17

Fall 11 English 101 Day 17



1. Bonus Points?

2. Hand in Peer Review Review.

3. Hand in copy of final draft and self assessment cover sheet.

4. O/R Y/N?

a. Y=+2pts on final score

b. N=-2pts on final score

c. Y=intro and conclusion

d. N=silent attention and polite applause

Essays returned in about a week. Don't bug me about them until next tuesday, please.

5. Read through chapter 4 of GoW for homework for tomorrow.

Day 16

Fall 11 English 101 Day 16




1. Bonus Points?

2. Final Drafts Due Tuesday—bring copy of intro and conclusion, too.

3. Complete peer editing.

4. Grade sample essay.

5. Grade your essay. (use the rubric you picked up last week).

6. For homework: Read to chapter 5 by Wednesday in GoW.

7. Complete Peer Review, Review for Tomorrow.

Daily Show on Occupy Wall Street

These protests are something like the protests in WHT against the bankers (remember Black Jack and Bonnie and Clyde and the dime auctions?) and a little like the strikes we'll see in GoW.

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Parks and Demonstration
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor & Satire Blog The Daily Show on Facebook

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Wall Street Occupied
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor & Satire Blog The Daily Show on Facebook

The New Hard Times

Video of those who have lived through both:

http://yvccenglish101.blogspot.com/2009/10/new-hard-times.html

The Plow that Broke the Plains

Here's a link to a documentary from the period:
http://yvccenglish101.blogspot.com/2009/10/plow-broke-plains.html

BO visits NO

Here's a link from last year. Some information on reconstruction/restoration efforts in the political coverage.

http://yvccenglish101.blogspot.com/2009/10/obama-visits-no.html

Day 15

Continue Peer Editing from yesterday.
For Monday--work on final drafts (due Tuesday)
and begin reading GoW (first four chapters due by Wednesday).

Recovery Efforts

Restoration in Katrina today (ok, last year):
http://www.nola.com/hurricane/index.ssf/2010/03/hurricane_katrina_recovery_pro.html

Day 13

Fall 11 English 101 Day 13


1. Bonus Points?

2. Final Drafts Due Tuesday.

3. For Monday—a volunteer to have their essay graded by the class? Two?

4. We are starting GoW next week if you want to get a start on it this weekend. (we’ll have our first conversation about it on Wednesday where you’ll be asked about the first four chapters.

Peer Editing Process

Students learn from each other.

Students learn by teaching.

Kind honesty.

You have my permission to tear my paper to shreds

Thick skin.


Number the paragraphs on your essays.

Write two questions you'd like answered by your peers.

1. Exchange essays with another person at your table.

2. Apologize as needed

3. Read silently and comment as you go

4. Complete peer editing forms

5. Have a CONVERSATION--explain what you wrote on the Peer edit forms.

6. Finally, writer asks questions not answered

7. Repeat

Son of Citation Machine

here's a site that might help with MLA documentation:
http://citationmachine.net/index2.php

Day 11

Fall 11 English 101 Day 11




1. Bonus Points?

a. You can turn blog posts in tomorrow.

b. Library.

c. Three more: October 5th, 1130am MLK Room (sustainable communities); November 3rd 7pm, Parker Room: The Mexican Village Faces the Global Economy; and November 10th 7pm, Parker Room, Native Peoples and Sustainable Communities

2. Thesis statement due Wednesday—5 points.

3. Today: Work time on rough drafts, questions for me.

4. BP TODAY: 750 words=5 BP; 1000 words=10 BP

Sample Outlines

Sample outline using five paragraph style. Probably best to split the DB and Kat. into different paragraphs (so something like 8 paragraphs?)

Rabbits in Flint Michigan. Not for the squeamish, but another example of cruelity in hard times.

Day 10

Fall 11 English 101 Day 10


1. Bonus Points?

2. No class Monday.

3. Read the remaining chapters listed in your schedule for Tuesday.

4. Meet in lab on Tuesday. If you have a good start on the rough draft we can talk about the essay during class.

5. Rough Draft Due Thursday.

6. Thesis statement due Wednesday.

7. Evacuation/Exodus in the chapters 16, 17 and 18?

8. Restoration in chapters 17 and 18?

9. Intro and Conclusions.

10. So far, we’ve done:

a. some pre-writing, (discussion, research, reading, listing)

b. We’ve talked about working thesis statements.

c. We’ve discussed outlines and intros and conclusions.

d. Now it’s time to work on rough drafts.

e. Next week, Thursday and Friday, we’ll work on revision.

f. Final drafts/presentation due on Monday October 10th.

Drought Monitor

Here's the official US Drought Monitor site with scary maps.

Here's another article with pictures and a theory on global warming having an impact.

Day 9

Fall 11 English 101 Day 9



Quiz WHT Sections 1 and 2

Slides on Outline WHT Essay

(Whole to Whole or Point to Point?)

Here’s my pitch for Katrina (as opposed to the other choices, except maybe Chinese dust storms). How my son was working on his numbers yesterday.


Reading schedule: 17-18 tonight, 21, 23 Friday night. Chapter 25 Saturday. Epilogue Sunday.

No class on Monday.
Meet in lab on Tuesday to work on Rough Draft.
Not sure about class on Wednesday.
Rough Draft Due THURSDAY. Final still due Monday.


Time for looking at the links.

Links, lots and lots of links

Links for Katrina, Climate Change, China, Credit Crisis.
Enough to write a paper about each topic.


Climate Change and Dust Bowls, from TODAY'S PAPER

Complete coverage at NYTimes of Credit Crisis

A One Year Anniversary Report on the Bank Crisis from NYTimes

ABC News: Dust Bowl and Katrina


Teaching Tolerance Lesson Plan


NPR Katrina and Dust Bowl

NPR WHT and Dust Bowl

NYTimes on comparing the exodus

New Dust Bowl in AZ? Washington Post, also

New Dust Bowl in South Dakota? Big Time Drought.

From GW Bush's Katrina Speech:

In the life of this nation, we have often been reminded that nature is an awesome force and that all life is fragile. We're the heirs of men and women who lived through those first terrible winters at Jamestown and Plymouth, who rebuilt Chicago after a great fire and San Francisco after a great earthquake, who reclaimed the prairie from the dust bowl of the 1930's. Every time, the people of this land have come back from fire, flood and storm to build anew, and to build better than what we had before. Americans have never left our destiny to the whims of nature and we will not start now.


Pine Beetle & Grasshopper plague

Amazon.com search inside feature

Katrina on Wikipedia

Dust Bowl on Wikipedia

Don't use Wikipedia for academic research?

Whole entry here.

Chinese dust over LA (and of course in China)

The Cost of Cashmere

Cashmere bubble bursts

Is this good for the air?

Day 8

Fall 2011 English 101 Day 8


Quiz Thursday over sections 1 and 2 (Promise and Betrayal)

Bonus Points?

Information Literacy Workshops


Reading Schedule Change—Tonight, Read chapter 16—Black Sunday

Consider essay options: Katrina (warnings, evacuation, recovery, race); Global warming (insects, desertification, current droughts); Banking crisis (boom/bust, frozen credit, no regulation, greed, bubbles); Chinese dust storms (over grazing, over use of land, booming economy, environmental crisis).

By Friday, you should have some idea of which broad topic you will cover.

If you know now, you should be combing through WHT for evidence/quotes and paying attention in class when we mention your topic.

For comparing to today, I'll keep posting links, but research takes time--you should plan on doing some of this over the weekend.

Complete the Good, the Bad and the Ugly from “Betrayal”



What is the big picture of 1935?


What are the big themes?

We’ve seen:

Failure to learn from history

Failure to heed warnings

Environmental devastation brought on by

Overconfidence/Hubris/Hype

Greed

Technology/Machines

Drought

Exodus(ters)

Indifference to the problem by Feds/Rest of us


And on the plus side:

The human spirit

Self reliance

Community building

Connection to the land

Resilience & Persistence

Hopes & Dreams

BLOWUP

The Long Darkness

Find the best, most startling statistic.

Information about the Exodus/Evacuation

Similarities to New Orleans

Ideas of Hugh Bennett



Showdown in Dalhart

Find the best, most startling statistic

Explain the showdown—who is it between?


Reading: Tonight Ch 16

Quiz Thursday over Sections 1 and 2 and chapters 12 and 14.

If you’ve read the book with a pencil/pen you’ll do fine.

Page 168 WHT

Here's another link
and another.

The Bridge to Gretna

Bridge to Gretna


Watch CBS News Videos Online

What Caused Katrina

Here's the big write up about it AFTER the storm from New Orleans paper.

Day 7

Fall 2011 English 101 Day 7


Quiz Thursday over sections 1 and 2 (Promise and Betrayal)

Bonus Points?

Information Literacy Workshops


Draft a working thesis

a. Katrina

b. Credit Crisis

c. China/Australia/Texas/Southwest Dust storms and? Global Warming/Climate change

Thesis: Main idea. 1-3 sentences. Arguable. Usually at end of introduction. Narrow and specific. Roadmap? (often three points work well in a 3-6 page essay, but you could slice it lots of ways).

We might change some of these terms. You could substitute/add climate change or race into the conversation about Katrina and WHT, for example.

Let’s try to find evidence of the “massive exodus” in WHT 6-10.

Now, more generally, “Betrayal” Notes in groups of four

Chapters 6, 7

Chapters 7, 8

Chapters 8, 9

Chapters 9, 10

Look for examples of the GOOD:
the Human Spirit
Self reliance

Community building
Connection to the land
Resilience & Persistence (tough, tough mothers)
Hopes & Dreams


Look for examples of the BAD:
Foolishness
Neglect,
Warnings,
Hype,
Overconfidence,
Greed
Racism/prejudice

And the UGLY:
Violence from the people
and
the brutality of Nature


SO:

What is the big picture of 1935? What are the big themes?

We’ve seen:

Failure to learn from history

Failure to heed warnings

Environmental devastation brought on by:

Overconfidence/Hubris/Hype

Greed

Technology/Machines

Exodus(ters)

Indifference to the problem by Feds/Rest of us

And on the plus side:

The human spirit

Self reliance

Community building

Connection to the land

Resilience & Persistence (tough, tough mothers)

Hopes & Dreams


Reading: Tonight Ch 14

Arizona Dust Storms and Climate Change?

This guy says no.
This site says yes.

Chinese Dust Storms and Climate Change?

Here's a link

Australia's Dust Bowls and Global Warming?

NYTimes article here--differing views.

Dust Bowls are Here

Day 6

Fall 2011 English 101 Day 6


Bonus Points?

 

Information Literacy Workshops

 

Names Quiz

The Writing Process

 

a. Planning

 

• i. Talking and listening
• ii. Annotating texts
• iii. Listing
• iv. Clustering
• v. Freewriting
• vi. Asking journalists questions

b. Draft a working thesis (C1-c)

 

c. Sketch a plan (C1-d)

 

d. Draft (C2)

 

e. Revisinig (C3)

 

f. Final Draft

 

g. Publish/Present (C5)

 

2. Draft a working thesis

 

a. Katrina

 

b. Credit Crisis

 

c. China/Australia/Texas/Southwest Dust storms

 

d. Global Warming/Climate change

 

Last Friday we talked about Katrina and thesis statements. (Egan interview handout to 1255 class and review with 1030 class).

  

Thesis: Main idea. 1-3 sentences. Arguable. Usually at end of introduction. Narrow and specific. Roadmap? (often three points work well in a 3-6 page essay, but you could slice it lots of ways).

 

We might change some of these terms. You could substitute/add climate change or race into the conversation about Katrina and WHT, for example.

  

For the purpose of walking us through the first essay, I’m going to use Katrina as a working thesis. Last week we found good evidence of the “ample warnings”.

  

Let’s try to find evidence of the “massive exodus” in WHT.

 

6, 7, 8, 9, 10

 

Now, more generally, “Betrayal” Notes In groups of four

 

Ch 6-10—Foolishness

 

Warnings,

 

Hype,

 

Overconfidence,

 

Greed

 

Race?

 

Ch 6-10—Characters

 

The human spirit

 

Self reliance

 

Community building

 

Connection to the land

 

Resilience & Persistence (tough, tough mothers)

 

Hopes & Dreams

 

 

What is the big picture of 1935?

 

What are the big themes?

 

 

We’ve seen:

 

Failure to learn from history

 

Failure to heed warnings

 

Environmental devastation brought on by

 

Overconfidence/Hubris/Hype

 

Greed

 

Technology/Machines

 

Exodus(ters)

 

Indifference to the problem by Feds/Rest of us

 

 

And on the plus side:

 

The human spirit

 

Self reliance

 

Community building

 

Connection to the land

 

Resilience & Persistence (tough, tough mothers)

 

Hopes & Dreams

 

 

 

Reading: Tonight Ch 12

 

Quiz Thursday over Sections 1 and 2

Katrina "Ample Warnings"

Wikipedia has you covered.  Go to external links for actual information, but it's here.

Housing Bubble Early Warnings Missed

Credit Crisis explained

See Suitcase Farmers in WHT And The Last of the Great Plowup

Bonus Points

Professors,




I would like to invite you and your students to a special showing of the play THE CRUCIBLE at the Warehouse Theatre Company (Yakima). Wednesday, Oct. 19 at 7:30.Tickets will be $8 (a special discounted price for students this night ONLY). There will also be a special "talk back" session with the plays Director, actors and designers who will be answering any questions anyone might have about the play, the story, the era...etc.



If you or your class are interested please email me back and we can reserve tickets for you!

Syllabus

Yakima Valley Community College—English Composition 101


Glenn-Anthon 119

Dan Peters, Instructor dpeters@yvcc.edu 574.6800.3194

Office Hours: Fall 2011

Course Description:
In the first of two college-level courses, English 101, students will learn to write clear, unified, coherent, and well-developed essays of increasing complexity. These essays may be about literary and nonliterary texts, or they may rely upon such texts as points of departure for the discussion at hand. Through reading, writing, and discussion, students will learn to critically examine their own assumptions and opinions and to consider the facts and reasoning of others. When documenting sources in their essays, students will use the basic citation methods of the Modern Language Association. Students successfully completing English 101 should be adequately prepared to succeed in the second college-level composition course, English 102.
Prerequisites:

ASSET placement score: 46-54

Students who complete English 75 with a minimum grade of S or ESL 102 with a minimum grade of B+ are also eligible for English 101

Course Outcomes:

Upon completion of the course, the student will be able to:

01 Write clear, unified, and coherent essays that show active engagement with a topic

02 Write essays that show a developed analysis

03 Critically read texts

04 Use and articulate an effective writing process

05 Use MLA conventions accurately when integrating and documenting sources


Course Objectives

01 Generate content from personal experience, readings, class discussion or other appropriate means

02 Write essays with a thesis or central idea and develop a narrative, descriptive, or analytical essay according to organizing principles

03 Use evidence to support assertions

04 Paraphrase, summarize, and quote accurately

05 Anticipate and respond to the needs of a reading audience

06 Practice MLA documentation conventions

07 Improve writing through revising, editing, and proofreading drafts

08 Respond to peer's writing and consider feedback from readers

09 Reflect on one's own writing process, strengths and weaknesses, and progress

10 Practice critical reading strategies


Abilities:

Students will have the opportunity to practice the following Abilities as they meet course objectives:

Analytical Reasoning (AR) and Communication (C).

Required Texts/Materials

• A Writer’s Reference, Hacker 7e, recommended

• The Grapes of Wrath, Steinbeck

• The Worst Hard Time, Egan

• Three Ring Binder

• Spiral bound notebook

• A good college-level dictionary

Suggested: highlighter pens, mini-stapler, blue & black ink pens, thumb drive

Labs and Internet:
We will meet Thursdays in the lab. Room number C216.

There is also a blog associated with this class: www.yvccenglish101.blogspot.com

This site is unofficial and updated when I can get to it. I’ll try to post lesson plans, useful links and reading schedules, but you should not rely on this site for anything beyond supplementing your classroom experience. That being said, it will be a big part of this quarter in particular.
Required Work

• Three complete assignment sequences. Sequences will center on three related topics—

Essay 1: Why Talk About the Dust Bowl Now?

Essay 2: A Creative Response/or alternative essay

Essay 2: Why Talk About the Dust Bowl Here?


• These sequences will include various prewriting activities, a rough draft and a second draft of all three essays.

• Reading and commenting on students' papers. Your comments on papers should help others to revise and improve their work.

• Readings as assigned.

• Participation in class discussions and activities.

• Preparation for class activities.

• Quizzes on readings

• A final revised essay for an improved score


Attendance Policy

If you miss 5 classes for any reason, you will lose one letter grade.

If you miss 10 classes you will lose two letter grades

If you miss 12 classes, you will be withdrawn from the course.

Coming 10 minutes late is absent. Leaving 10 minutes early is absent.


Please, come on time. Turn off the electronics. Lean in.


Requirements for essays and homework


All essays and homework are due on the date assigned.

Late work will not be accepted. Don’t push me on this. It works for everybody. You will be given opportunities to make up these lost points through bonus point activities.

1. Essays are required to be between 3 complete pages and 5 pages long, double-spaced, in a normal sized (12 point) font or type comparable to Times New Roman. Essays not meeting the minimum length requirement, whether through failure to complete 3 pages, use of a larger than normal font, or crayon pictures of a house or a kitty, or large margins, will have a reduced grade. Failing to complete page 3 by a line or two won't affect your grade, but stopping your essay on the middle of page 3 certainly will. Works Cited pages, graphics, charts, etc. do not count toward the minimum page requirement.

2. All essays must be typed or printed on a computer printer.

3. Essays must be typed in MLA format: with your name and page number in the top right-hand corner. Double-spaced. Correct heading

4. Keep a HARD COPY of your essay, so that you will have a back-up in case of loss, fire, flood, locust, jelly donuts, terrorists, disk crash, etc. Anyone working on computer should have a back-up copy of his/her essay on disk.

5. Plagiarized work will be scored as a 0 and will not be eligible for revision/rescoring.

Grades

Your grade will be broken into two parts:

1) The first will be for all the work you do prior to a second draft.

a. This work will account for 30% of your final grade.

b. These assignments will either be assigned a point value (ex: 7/10) or be graded on a +, \, - basis.


2) The second part of your grade is your second drafts.

a. This work will account for the 70% of your final grade.

b. These are essays that I will read, give comments on and score from 0-100.

c. See attached rubric for guidance on the scoring.

Scale:

A= 93%

A-= 90

B+= 87

B= 83

C+= 77

C= 73

C-= 70

D= 60

Course Adaptation: If you need course adaptations or accommodations because of a disability, if you have emergency medical information to share, or if you need special arrangements in case the building must be evacuated, please talk with me as soon as possible.


Take everyday actions to stay healthy.

o Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it. Sneeze into elbows, not hands.

o Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze. Alcohol-based hands cleaners are also effective.

o Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs spread that way.

o Stay home if you get sick. CDC recommends that you stay home from work or school and limit contact with others to keep from infecting them.

Extended interview with Egan

http://blogs.smithsonianmag.com/wellread/2006/09/11/meet-the-author-timothy-egan/

Katrina, Tsunami, Africa and Dust Bowl

Katrina, the Tsunami, the Dust Bowl and how they relate from Chronicle Project on Vimeo.

Links for outside research

Texas today.

Lessons for Katrina survivors

Economic crisis and dust bowl

Ogallala Aquifer

NOAA on today v. 30's

Science on now and past dust bowls

SW could be next?

A Debate about global warming and Australia's dust bowl

Egan on Why Now

Here's the link:
http://www.houghtonmifflinbooks.com/readers_guides/egan_worst.shtml

Day 4

1. Names—Quiz Monday

2. Log on to computers. Be patient.

3. Online Bonus Points

• google account required
• One comment=2+ on topic, thoughtful sentences
• One comment= 1 point per thread
• Comments collected at the end of each month.
• You copy, paste and number them for me.
• For all bonus points—no more than 100% of the 30% grade.

5. Getting started on "Why Now?" question.

1. Try a google search.
Try a bing search?

2. How about just using our minds?

3. Chapter 1 in—two or three interesting things for us to look at.

4. As a class

5. My Notes.

Day 3

Fall 2011 English 101 Day 3

1. Names--Quiz Monday.

2. Book Preview

3. The Writing Process (Hacker C1-b Checklist)

1. Planning

• Talking and listening
• Annotating texts
• Listing
• Clustering
• Freewriting
• Asking journalists questions

2. Form tentative thesis (C1-c)

3. Sketch a plan (C1-d)

4. Draft (C2)

5. Revisinig (C3)

6. Final Draft

7. Publish/Present (C5)

Hand out assignment.
Answer questions on Checklist (page 6 in Hacker).

Let’s try one now

Freewrite:

Why talk about the Dust Bowl Now?

(How about in 2005-6?)

List:

As a class, what is happening today that’s like 30’s?

Quiz: Intro

HW: Read WHT: Chapter 1

How to Read in College

Here's a few tips.
http://yvccenglish102.blogspot.com/2011/01/how-to-read-in-college.html

Day 2

Fall 2011 English 101 Day 2


1. Dust Bowl Video, Complete syllabus reading (1030 clas only)

2. Bonus point opportunities

1. Library Workshops

3. Names--Quiz Monday.

4. Questions about me.

5. Questions about the class.


6. Read actively (A1)

1. Lean in—make assumptions and ask questions

2. Highlighters not good here, but ok other places

3. Not in bed

4. Establish a routine


7. The Writing Process (this may have to wait for tomorrow)

1. Hacker C1-b Checklist

2. Planning (prepared summary at tables)

1. Talking and listening

2. Annotating texts

3. Listing

4. Clustering

5. Freewriting

6. Asking journalists questions

3. Form tentative thesis (C1-c)

4. Sketch a plan (C1-d)

5. Draft (C2)

6. Revisinig (C3)

7. Final Draft

8. Publish/Present (C5)

HW: Read WHT: Introduction and Book Preview Hand out if we don't get it done in class.

Day 1

English 101 Day 1


1. Learning begins with questions. –Aristotle

2. What is your dream for after college?

a. What dream have you given up on?

3. What is your goal this quarter?

4. What do you have to get done this week?

5. Group the tables


6. The Dust Bowl


7. Assumptions

a. Right

b. Class

c. Teacher

8. Questions

a. Front

b. Class

c. Teacher
9. Syllabus

10. Rewrite questions about the class