Faculty Teaching Guide to Accompany MyLiteratureLab

74 Pages·2005·5.31 MB·English

by  Jeff Streber

Faculty Teaching Guide to Accompany MyLiteratureLab

Contents

INTRODUCTION (3)

THE LITERARY ELEMENTS: TESTING YOUR KNOWLEDGE (3)

Diagnostics (linked to Glossary of Literary and Critical Terms) (3)
Interactive Readings (3)

WHERE LITERATURE COMES TO LIFE: THE LONGMAN LECTURES (4)

Part 1: Reading (5)
Part 2: Interpreting (5)
Part 3: Writing (6)
Critical Thinking and Writing Questions (and Answers) by Lecture (8)

James Baldwin, “Sonny’s Blues” (8)
Toni Cade Bambara, “The Lesson” (9)
Elizabeth Bishop, “One Art” (10)
Gwendolyn Brooks, “The Mother” (12)
Lewis Carroll, “Jabberwocky” (13)
Raymond Carver, “Cathedral” (14)
Kate Chopin, “Désirée’s Baby” (16)
Kate Chopin, “The Story of an Hour” (17)
Kate Chopin, “The Storm” (19)
Billy Collins, “The Names” (20)
Robert Frost, “Acquainted with the Night” (21)
Robert Frost, “Mending Wall” (23)
Robert Frost, “The Pasture” (24)
Lorraine Hansberry, A Raisin in the Sun (24)
Nathaniel Hawthorne, “Young Goodman Brown” (26)
Seamus Heaney, “Digging” (29)
Langston Hughes, “The Weary Blues” (30)
Zora Neale Hurston, “Sweat” (31)
Henrik Ibsen, A Doll’s House (33)
Gish Jen, “In the American Society” (35)
James Joyce, “Araby” (36)
John Keats, “Bright star!” (37)
Bobbie Ann Mason, “Shiloh” (38)
Edna St. Vincent Millay, “Love Is Not All” (39)
Joyce Carol Oates, “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?”(40)
Tim O’Brien, “The Things They Carried” (41)
Flannery O’Connor, “A Good Man is Hard to Find“ (42)
Wilfred Owen, “Dulce et Decorum Est” (43)
Sylvia Plath, “Lady Lazarus” (44)
Edgar Allan Poe, “Ligeia” (45)
Edward Arlington Robinson, “Richard Cory” (46)
Mary Jo Salter, “Welcome to Hiroshima” (47)
William Shakespeare, Hamlet (48)
William Shakespeare, The Theme of Love in Sonnets (50)
William Shakespeare, A Midsummer Night’s Dream (51)
William Shakespeare, Sonnet 73 (52)
Sophocles, Oedipus the King (53)
Alice Walker, “Everyday Use”(56)
Eudora Welty, “Why I Live at the P.O.” (57)
William Butler Yeats, “The Lake Isle of Innisfree“ (58)

WRITING AND RESEARCH: TOOLS AND TECHNIQUES (60)

Overview (60)
Using Exchange (60)
Exploring Research Navigator (61)
The Research Process (63)
Finding Sources (64)
Using Your Library (69)
Start Writing (70)
End Notes and Bibliography (70)
Avoiding Plagiarism (71)

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INTRODUCTION

Welcome, instructors, to MyLiteratureLab, the online literature resource designed to complement
and augment your class discussions and assignments. The site is divided into three main sections:

1. The Literary Elements: Testing Your Knowledge
2. Where Literature Comes to Life: The Longman Lectures
3. Writing and Research

This Faculty Teaching Guide overviews the goals of the first and third main sections of the Web
site. The discussion of the second section, “Where Literature Comes to Life: The Longman
Lectures,” offers considerably more detail. Here we highlight the primary benefit of each lecture.
For your convenience, we also repeat the Critical Thinking and Writing Questions that follow
each part of each lecture: Reading (Part 1), Interpreting (Part 2), and Writing (Part 3). We
designed this area so your students could e-mail you their answers to the questions after listening
to the lecture. You may also want to use these questions for class discussion or as writing
assignments.
.

THE LITERARY ELEMENTS: TESTING YOUR KNOWLEDGE

This section of the Web site features Diagnostics (linked to the Glossary of Literary and Critical
Terms) and Interactive Readings.

Diagnostics

The Diagnostics, including multiple-choice and fill-in-the-blank questions, enable students to
assess their understanding of literary theory and criticism by quizzing them on terms such as
imagery, archetype, point of view, and soliloquy. Upon completing each diagnostic, students are
forwarded to the Glossary of Literary and Critical Terms to fill any gaps in their knowledge.

Interactive Readings

The Interactive Readings section is designed to help students understand how to use literary
elements to interpret works of literature. As students read a particular selection, key passages are
highlighted. When students click on the highlighted text, a box appears that contains
explanations, analysis, and/or questions highlighting how the passage can be interpreted using
the literary elements. These readings can be assigned as homework, and students may be
required to submit their written responses to the questions.

You can find the Interactive Readings listed below by choosing the literary element shown in
parentheses. Whether you teach by genre or by theme, assigning these readings to your students
can enhance their understanding and appreciation of literature. The Interactive Readings are:

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Gwendolyn Brooks, “We Real Cool” (Rhythm)
Kate Chopin, “The Storm” (Setting)
Lewis Carroll, “Jabberwocky” (Word Choice)
Robert Frost, “Out, Out—” (Reading Poetry)
Zora Neale Hurston, “Sweat” (Theme)
James Joyce, “Araby” (Point of View)
Katherine Mansfield, “Miss Brill” (Character)
Guy de Maupassant, “The Necklace” (Tone and Style)
Flannery O’Connor, “A Good Man Is Hard to Find” (Character Analysis)
Wilfred Owen, “Dulce et Decorum Est” (Voice)
Sylvia Plath, “Metaphors” (Figures of Speech)
Theodore Roethke, “Root Cellar” (Imagery)
William Shakespeare, “Othello” (Critical Analysis)
William Shakespeare, “Sonnet 73” (Explication)
Wallace Stevens, “Anecdote of a Jar”(Symbol)
Dylan Thomas, “Do not go gentle into that good night” (Form)
John Updike, “A & P” (Reading Stories)
Walt Whitman, “Calvary Crossing a Ford” (Form)
William Butler Yeats, “Who Goes with Fergus?” (Sound)

WHERE LITERATURE COMES TO LIFE:
THE LONGMAN LECTURES

This section of the Web site features a menu of nine-minute lectures. All 40 of the Longman
Lectures are given by Longman’s authors – critically-acclaimed writers, award-winning teachers,
and performance poets. Longman’s “guest lecturers” discuss some of the most commonly taught
literary works and authors in depth. In the process, they encourage students to analyze stories,
poems, and plays, and develop thoughtful essay ideas.

The lectures are richly illustrated with words and images to contextualize and enrich the content
of each lecture. As stated earlier, each lecture is divided into three parts – Reading, Interpreting,
and Writing. Each part of each lecture is accompanied by a diverse selection of Critical Thinking
and Writing Questions. Some questions provide feedback and suggestions for online research
and essay development. Students’ answers to the questions can be e-mailed to you or used to
spark class discussion.

As a whole, the lectures are designed to complement in-class discussion of particular works and
augment related assignments in your syllabus. Available to students around the clock, the three-
part structure of the lectures encourages students to read and interpret works more thoughtfully
and spark ideas for research and writing. The lectures may also be assigned as extra-credit work
or be used as an emergency substitute instructor.

Below we discuss the primary purpose of each part of the lectures and provide examples.

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Part 1: Reading

Students often are reluctant readers. The first part of each lecture, “Reading,” sparks student
interest through the lecturer’s interpretative reading. The reading of a key passage places the
work within a context that appeals to students. Some readings are dramatic and performative;
others provide analysis about how a work is structured. The lecturers’ varying approaches to
their subject matter helps reach students with different learning styles. At the same time, related
visuals help students see the work while reading it. Here are a few examples of opening
statements in Part 1 of the lectures.

(cid:127) From Shakespeare’s sonnets lecture: In Shakespeare’s Sonnets (published in 1609 but
probably written in the middle 1590s), love—whether for the fair youth or the dark
lady—is only one of several themes. Some of these themes—for instance beauty and the
tragic effect of time on beauty—are easily connected with love. Let’s glimpse a few of the
themes by looking at the opening lines of some of the sonnets.

(cid:127) From the Flannery O’Connor “A Good Man Is Hard to Find” lecture: What if I told you
about a writer who included in her works a youth who, in baptizing his mentally defective
nephew, manages to drown him, or a woman with a wooden leg and a Ph.D. in
philosophy who . . . is robbed of her wooden leg and stripped of her self-confident belief
in nothing . . .? If I then told you that this author is a devout Catholic, would you be
astonished? If so, you are not yet familiar with the works of Flannery O’Connor.

(cid:127) From the James Baldwin “Sonny’s Blues” lecture: From the opening scene . . . until the
final scene in a darkened nightclub when Sonny, bathed in blue light, performs the magic
of improvisational jazz on his piano, these two brothers move in and out of each others’
lives, attempting to communicate but most often failing.

Part 2: Interpreting

Many students lack confidence in their ability to analyze and interpret works of literature.
Some students are impatient to find the “right” answer. Part 2 of each lecture provides
provocative “keys” for understanding. The lecturers’ comments humanize both the work and
its author. For example:

(cid:127) From the Seamus Heaney “Digging” lecture: Not only is he [Heaney] honoring the work
of his father and grandfather, he is using his own kind of digging—that is, writing
poetry— to show us the worth of the work they did. And in this respect, he honors and
carries on their tradition—but with a different tool. As such, it’s a poem about writing
poetry—with digging as its metaphor.

(cid:127) From the James Joyce “Araby” lecture: Notice how the bright images of his love,
Mangan’s sister, always appear out of the dreary background that surrounds them.
Compare the words and phrases that are used to describe Mangan’s sister and the boy’s
feelings about her with the language that describes his neighborhood or his everyday
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activities. Let the words open your senses—visualize and feel the bright, warm image of
Mangan’s sister as her dress swings and the soft rope of her hair tosses from side to side
and contrast it with the dark, cold image of the short days of winter and the acrid smell of
ashpits and horse stables in the surrounding neighborhood.

(cid:127) From the Billy Collins “The Names” lecture: A typical Collins poem begins in the
morning. The poet walks around his empty house, thinks about last night’s supper or
tonight’s bottle of wine, puts on some jazz, goes out and runs a few errands or takes a
train into the city, comes home, looks out the window, and makes a poem. To say that
Collins writes a low-pressure kind of poetry is like observing that a flat tire could stand a
little air. It’s the poetic equivalent of an episode of Seinfeld, “the show about nothing.”
But . . . I sympathize. Indeed, I’m a little envious. Collins’s saving grace is the wit that
laces his observations of everyday matters. Poets, he says, “have enough to do /
complaining about the price of tobacco, // passing the dripping ladle, / and singing songs
to a bird in a cage. // We are busy doing nothing . . . .”

(cid:127) From the Hawthorne “Young Goodman Brown” lecture: Let’s consider two specific ways
to better understand and enjoy this famous story. First, can you sum up its theme—what’s
its central message? In some stories, the theme is easy to find. You can just underline its
general statements, those that appear to sum up some large truth. In a fable, the theme is
often stated in a moral at the end, such as: “Be careful in choosing your friends.” In
Stephen Crane’s story of a shipwreck, “The Open Boat,” Crane tells us, among other
things, that “it occurs to a man that Nature does not regard him as important.” But
Hawthorne’s story is trickier. If you underline its general statements and expect one of
them to be its theme, you’ll miss the whole point of the story. See paragraph 65: “Evil is
the nature of mankind.” Does Hawthorne believe that? Do you? Those are the words of
the Devil, always a bad guy to believe. No, after you finish reading the story, especially
pondering its closing paragraph, you can sum its theme much better in your own words.

Part 3: Writing

In Part 3, Writing, the lectures further the discussions in Part 2 and help students form their own
interpretations. The historical and cultural backdrop of the times, the writer’s life experiences,
and a close reading of the text all help students make connections. The lectures are peppered
with ideas that students might pursue to write a critical essay or even a research paper. Here are a
few examples:

(cid:127) From the Seamus Heaney “Digging” lecture: While both use natural imagery, Yeats
writes of nature in idealized terms that seem to transcend everyday life. Images like
“Dropping the veils of morning to where the cricket sings” and “midnight’s all a
glimmer, and noon a purple glow” remove us from the gritty world of toil. For Heaney,
nature is anything but an escape. It is the here and now substance of everyday living—
“the harsh “rasping” of the spade—the “straining rump”— and the “heaving of sods.”
No pun intended on the title “Digging,” but Heaney’s poetry is much earthier and
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grounded than that of Yeats. And much of this attitude toward nature can be attributed to
his own background.

(cid:127) From the Baldwin “Sonny’s Blues” lecture: Though the setting in Harlem in the mid
twentieth century is in many ways crucial to an understanding of the problems faced by
these two African American brothers, their story is universal. Therefore, an essay on the
theme or themes in “Sonny’s Blues” can be especially informative. Ask yourself what
major ideas Baldwin is suggesting in the story. One theme, the theme of learning wisdom
through suffering, is as old as literature, and Baldwin shows us through the searching
and suffering of the two brothers that literature can share with us the wisdom of the ages,
that we can learn about the agony and the beauty and the creativity within ourselves by
vicariously sharing theirs.

(cid:127) From the Kate Chopin “The Story of an Hour” lecture: Kate Chopin published several of
her stories in the magazines of her time. However, Vogue and The Century initially
refused to publish "The Story of an Hour." The Century regarded the story as "immoral"
and Vogue only published it after Chopin’s Bayou Folk became a success. Discuss "The
Story of an Hour" in terms of the artistic, moral, and intellectual sensibilities of Chopin’s
time. Consider why Chopin’s story was branded as "immoral" and why literary
perceptions have changed over the years.

(cid:127) From the Sophocles Oedipus the King lecture: Over time, this play has drawn many
conflicting interpretations. Here are a few long-debated questions for you to think about.
Is Oedipus a helpless, passive tool of the gods? Who is responsible for his terrible
downfall? Does he himself bring about his own misfortune? Is he an innocent victim? If
the downfall of a person of high estate (as Aristotle thought tragedies generally show) is
due to a tragic flaw or weakness in the person’s character, does Oedipus have any tragic
flaw? If he does, how would you define it? Consider his speeches, his acts, his treatment
of others. Does Oedipus seem justified in afflicting himself with blindness? Does his
punishment fit, or fail to fit, his supposed crime?

Critical Thinking and Writing Questions (and Answers) by Lecture

Each part of the three-part lectures is accompanied by Critical Thinking and Writing Questions.
These questions help reinforce the content given in the lecture and provide helpful suggestions
for research and writing. Students can respond to the questions directly on screen and have their
responses e-mailed to you.

Below is a list of all the lectures on the site. Included also is a brief discussion of the primary
benefit of each lecture. We also have collected the questions your students can respond to after
listening to each lecture. For some questions you will find suggested answers. Again, you may
choose to assign these questions in class or as homework.
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James Baldwin, “Sonny’s Blues”

This lecture, given by Gloria Henderson, focuses on several of the stylistic and thematic aspects
of “Sonny’s Blues.” Professor Henderson examines Baldwin’s skillful use of point of view and
of the story within a story. She also discusses the symbols of music, windows, and light and
darkness.

Part 1: Reading

Question 1: How does Baldwin’s real-life experience connect to his short story, “Sonny’s
Blues”? Visit PBS’s biography on Baldwin for more background on his life at [link to
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/database/baldwin_j.html].

Question 2: In the final scene, Sonny performs some improvisational jazz. What is
improvisational music? What do we learn about Sonny through his performance? Explain.

Answer 2: Sonny plays a melody composed in his soul. He is not viewing sheet music or
remembering another song. He composes his own music, spontaneously, driven by feelings and
emotions supported by his talent alone. What that melody communicates—pain, frustration, love,
family, sorrow—reveal to the reader Sonny’s character.

Part 2: Interpreting

Question 1: Professor Henderson observes that Baldwin adds depth and meaning to “Sonny’s
Blues” through the effective use of symbolism. Identify words or passages that demonstrate
Baldwin’s use of symbolism, such as of light and darkness, past and present, etc.

Question 2: Much of Baldwin’s short story is connected to emotions and feelings expressed in
jazz music. Research jazz music, (try A Passion for Jazz Web site [link to:
http://www.apassion4jazz.net/] or the Institute of Jazz Studies at Rutgers University [link to:
http://www.libraries.rutgers.edu/rul/libs/jazz/jazz.shtml] and listen to some sound clips at [link to
[http://www.jazzpromo.com/sections.php?op=listarticles&secid=12]). Is it important to
understand jazz or know its history to understand its significance and meaning in the Baldwin’s
story? Why or why not?

Question 3: Compare and contrast the characters of the two brothers in “Sonny’s Blues.” What
sort of person is the narrator? How does he feel about his brother? What do we know about
Sonny and his feelings for his brother? Explain.

Part 3: Writing

Professor Henderson provides many suggestions for essay topics. Select an essay topic from the
ideas below.

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Question 1: Write an essay exploring the motivation behind Baldwin’s choice of narrator for
“Sonny’s Blues.” Why do you think he chose the older brother to narrate the story? How would
the story be different if narrated from the perspective of the younger brother?

Question 2: In what ways does “Sonny’s Blues” tell a universal story? What is the theme of the
story? In what ways is this theme emblematic of the times, and in what ways does it transcend
time and place for a more universal message?

Question 3: Explore the theme of “wisdom through suffering” in Baldwin’s short story “Sonny’s
Blues.”

Toni Cade Bambara, “The Lesson”

In this lecture, B. Minh Nguyen explains why “The Lesson” presents a political statement that is
as relevant today as it was in the early 1970s when it was first written. Professor Nguyen points
out the story’s exploration of how our society is stratified by geography, class, and race.

Part 1: Reading

Question 1: What is the voice of the narrator in “The Lesson”? From whose perspective is it
written? How does Cade Bambara use language and dialect to create a character in a particular
time and place? Explain.

Question 2: Review the definitions of “round” and “flat” characters in the Literary Terms
section of this Web site. Is Sylvia a “round” or “flat” character? What about Sugar and the other
children? Explain.

Part 2: Interpreting

Question 1: Compare the “The Lesson,” by Toni Cade Bambara to “Araby,” by James Joyce. In
what ways are the stories similar? What does each protagonist learn? How does a journey lead to
their epiphanies? How would “The Lesson” be different if it were written in the voice of a
retrospective adult, as in “Araby,” rather than a child?

Question 2: This story is written from the perspective of a strong-willed child who must face the
reality that the world she thought she understood is unfair and perhaps even unjust. Write a short
essay about a time when you realized that the world wasn’t necessarily a fair place. Describe the
situation and your feelings. Were you angry? Sad? Indifferent?

Question 3: Sylvia seems to harbor certain contempt for Miss Moore and her educational
agenda. The story focuses on Sylvia’s experience as seen through her eyes and emotions. Write
an essay about the character of Miss Moore. What do you think she feels about the field trip to
FAO Schwarz? The children? Her role as teacher of life’s lessons?

Part 3: Writing
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Question 1: “The Lesson” describes a field trip in which a group of children are made aware of
two worlds—the haves and the have-nots. Nguyen notes that Bambara was active in both civil
rights and the women’s movement. In what ways is this story a political commentary? Write a
critical essay describing how Bambara’s background is reflected in this work.

Question 2: Nguyen comments that “Bambara has said that she learned the power of words by
listening to ‘the speakers on Speaker’s corner in Harlem.’” Review the language and words
spoken by the characters in this story and select a few passages that seem particularly powerful
to you. In what ways do the characters serve as Bambara’s mouthpiece? Explain your response in
an essay.

Elizabeth Bishop, “One Art”

Diane Thiel explores the poetic form of the villanelle as demonstrated by Elizabeth Bishop in
“One Art.” Using a strict pattern of repetition, the villanelle is a particularly challenging form of
poetry that can create cyclical, hypnotic effects while reinforcing a central idea. Thiel describes
how Bishop’s life influenced this particular poem and offers students some ideas on crafting their
own villanelles.

Part 1: Reading

Question 1: What words and phrases does Bishop repeat in this poem? How does this repetition
contribute to the theme and message of her poem? Explain.

Question 2: Bishop wrote many drafts of this poem, choosing her words very carefully to convey
the right sentiment. What items does she cite as losing? Why do you think she chose these
particular things? Does she really think that their loss is “no disaster”? Explain.

Answer 2: For more information on the many drafts of Bishop’s poem, “One Art,” see “The
Drafts of ‘One Art’” by Brett Candlish Millier

Part 2: Interpreting

Question 1: What is a villanelle? Why do you think Bishop chose this form to write “One Art”?

Question 2: Thiel observes that the use of a repeated line in the villanelle allows one to “explore
the many layers which surround a single subject, such as loss.” What are the many layers
addressing the subject of loss in this poem? Explain.

Part 3: Writing
Question 1: Try writing a villanelle. Don’t be discouraged if you find it challenging. In his essay
on “One Art,” [link to: http://www.english.uiuc.edu/maps/poets/a_f/bishop/drafts.htm] Brett
Candlish Millier observed that Bishop told an interviewer that, after years of trying to write a
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