. . . just articles to read for Tuesday. Read them and think about the questions that follow. We’re going to discuss them when we get back.

“You Are What You Own” from Guardian Unlimited
Where is the thesis of this article? What is the main point?
Who is the author writing for? How does he establish common ground with this audience?
Is this article persuasive? Can you find a more persuasive article?

“Would Orwell have Been a Blogger?” again, Guardian Unlimited
This is just for memorablename.
“The first time I used ‘weblog’, in a magazine story about Arnold Schwarzenegger in September 2003, The Observer had to place the meaning of this exotic term in square brackets. Six months later, ‘blogging’ was common. By 2005, some 60 new blogs were being launched every minute.”
This is interesting. I can’t remember where I read it, but someone commenting on a news story noted that communication technologies are becoming obsolete at an exponential rate: Movies lasted 100 years, video tapes around 50, DVDs around 15… How long will Blu-ray last?
Is the same thing is happening to our language?

“French Told to Try Smiling for Once” once more, from Guardian Unlimited
This just troubles me.

“Area Man Likes to Compare Circle of Friends to Cast of Lost” from The Onion
I know, not real news, but Klosterman does a whole essay on this phenomenon through The Real World. This is life imitating art. How does this fit with White Noise?

And finally, “Snips, Snails, and Puppy Dog Tails” from Slate.com
Agree? Disagree? Does your opinion have more than anecdotal evidence? See if you can find more information on this if you agree/disagree.

[Edit: Okay, one more. “We’re no Slaves to Our Senses” from Spiked-online.com]

Whoo, funny.

I want to know how your readings are coming. For those of you wishing to read both books, I would suggest planning to finish one by Tuesday and reading the other at your leisure another time. We will discuss both, but it is really important that you have detailed reading journals for your book. This will make writing essays that much faster/easier, and when we begin to incorporate articles and such into one paper, it will be better to glance over notes rather than flipping through pages when going for synthesis.

Regarding Karen’s comment about the Circle: If anyone wants to see a movie there then bring back a synopsis for the class and thoughts on the movie itself, I’d be happy to send some extra credit his or her way, provided the comments pertain to what we are discussing in class. I’m just sayin’.

One final thought on the reading journals:
If you are reading Never Let Me Go, look for references to duplication, creation, originality, cloning, and what it means to be human. These are all over the book, and will help you significantly with your essay next week.

If you are reading White Noise, look for references to pop culture (not passing references, but overt “college studies” references), consumerism, class systems, cliques, simulations, jargon, reality, hyper-reality, simulacra, and social images. These too, are all over the book and will help you next week.

Any questions? Post them here.

Just a reminder:
Be sure you have read through chapter 10 in About a Boy and filled your journal accordingly. Some of your essay grades suffered because you had insufficient evidence from the text. The essay on Friday will be structured like the last one, so plan accordingly.

Look over the “Words to Know” handout and your notes from class for definitions of literary devices that may be in About a Boy. You don’t need to find all of them, but look for as many as you can.

There will be a quiz over chapters 7-10 on Tuesday, and 11-12 on Wednesday, if you would like to read ahead.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Keep the cute titles coming, Stallings.

I just found a great article [spoiler warning] on Ishiguro’s Never Let Me Go by Margaret Atwood. (For those who have never read her, she is a brilliant writer, fiercely feminist, and her stories rarely have a happy ending. You have been warned; check a review of any book you wish to read that she has written.)

We will write our first essays tomorrow. If you would like a prompt, here are a few. Pick one:
1) Simulation and hyper-reality are prevalent in Don DeLillo’s White Noise. Explain how these concepts reflect an aspect of current popular culture, using one of your articles [or one you find tonight] as evidence of this.

2) Human cloning is a very complex issue―one which involves moral choices and the direct application of manufacturing to human beings. What does Ishiguro’s stance on the cloning issue in Never Let Me Go seem to be? How does he use pathos to argue this stance? During their time at Hailsham, the students are asked to create original art. Why is this? Is this part of Ishiguro’s argument?

3) Explore the theme of consumption versus creation in society using an article and one of the books -or- two chosen articles. Which is more prevalent? How does consumption or reflection factor into a person’s identity, according to the texts?

These essays require insights into the novels and the world around us and evidence from the texts to support your arguments. Do not write a personal editorial. This means no anecdotal evidence from your lives and no personal pronouns. Keep the tone formal; you have ideas, so do not hesitate to state them without qualifiers. We will do a bit of review before the exam tomorrow. If you have any questions, post them here or bring them to class.

Okay, lame title. I know. We do love our advertisements, though. I blame the media.

Quick overview for those interested:

I mentioned in class that postmodernism is a slippery term, as it means different things when applied to different aspects of culture. What we will be focusing on in relation to our books (DeLillo’s specifically, though Never Let Me Go has postmodern aspects as well) is the application of postmodern theory to consumerism. More specifically, the aspect of the consumer aura placed around an item, the item’s reproducibility, and how these apply to image consumerism. These can often be applied to White Noise: What is Jack’s position at the university? To what does Murray compare the supermarket? What do we think of Babette? And if you’ve read to part two: What is odd about the major event of this section (trying to be subtle here; don’t worry if you aren’t this far yet. We have plenty of time.)?

For Never Let Me Go: What is odd about the school that the students attend? How are they shaped by the rules and regulations? (More as we delve; much on identity. Everyone hates a spoiler.)

We briefly discussed the simulacrum as it applies here and generally. If you are having difficulty understanding the term, think Disneyland. In Introducing Postmodernism, there are four steps to Baudrillard’s (the name I was trying to remember earlier) outline of the progression into hyper-reality, where items become simulacra of simulacra:

1. The image is a reflection of a basic reality
2. The image masks and perverts a basic reality
3. The image marks the absence of a basic reality
4. The image becomes a postmodern simulacrum, bearing no resemblance to the object’s original purpose

If this is confusing, don’t worry. Postmodernism is a slippery term. We’ll discuss more in class. Just keep in mind: Does this apply to my life? Can I see these ideas in the world around me? What can/should I do about it?

Rhetoric is the art of persuasion. We want to know as much about that which persuades us as we do about how to persuade.

Fin.