Your outlines for the first three sections will be due Monday. Be sure to print it out before class, as we’ll be discussing them. If you’d like, email a copy to me and we can help you on the board.
Update: I’ve received a few questions about our plans after my absence. We’ll continue the schedule as laid out, but I’ll be looking over your journals on Monday the 19th. Thanks, JS
Love in the Time of Cholera is not for the faint-of-heart, as I’m sure you’re all aware by now. I’ve posted a reading schedule below. It would be wise to read ahead (and journal all the way) over the weekends and breaks if you’re afraid of falling behind. (For those who find themselves lost in discussions of passages they’ve read beyond, the reading journal is a good way to refresh your memory.)
Journaling is vital to the creation of a solid paper towards the end of this novel. If you scroll to the end of the schedule, you’ll notice that we end the novel on a Wednesday (the 28th) and turn in a final draft of your term paper the next week (the 3rd). By journaling as you go, you are keeping track of patterns that emerge (see “Some things,†below). When you formulate your thesis, you are explaining what these patterns say about the work as a whole. From there, creating an outline is a matter of going through your journal and grouping quotations and insights that support your thesis, then putting them in a logical order. Writing a rough draft should be mostly copying your comments and their accompanying quotations from your journal.
It is not a simple process, but most of the insight work should be done while you’re reading and during our discussions. The writing process is communication work: organizing, working on flow, reinforcing your points.
I’ll work with each of you as we go, but I can’t read/journal for you; I can merely guide you in the right direction.
These are only ideas; let me know if you come up with another one.
We will have a brief quiz on Monday. If you are having difficulties keeping up with the reading, see me and we’ll work it out.
To check your understanding, check out this site, which has a list of basic questions about each section. This isn’t an assignment, though it would be beneficial to read over them after you finish a section.
Date | Discussion | Due |
Thurs. (08) | 3-25 (Ferm. has put on a loose…) | |
Fri. (09) | 25-51 (Ch. 2) | Journal |
Mon. (12) | 51-74 (Flor’s life has changed…) | |
Tues. (13) | 74-103 (Ch. 3) | |
Wed. (14) | 103-124 (the 3rd letter in Oct…) | Journal |
Fall Break | ||
Mon. (19) | 124-150 (that night she stopped…) | Journal |
Tues. (20) | 150-163 (Ch. 4) | |
Wed. (21) | 164-191 (sooner had the convers…) | Journal |
Thurs. (22) | 191-224 (Ch. 5) | |
Fri. (23) | 224-278 (Ch. 6) | Journal |
Mon. (26) | 278-301 (Death’s passage…) | |
Tues. (27) | 301-323 (She insisted with so much…) | |
Wed. (28) | 323-end; overview; discussion of thesis statements; prewriting in class | Journal |
Thurs. (29) | outline writing; thesis revision | Thesis statements due |
Fri. (30) | Peer review of outlines | Outlines due |
Mon. (02) | Peer revision | Rough drafts due |
Tues. (03) | Peer review; begin final drafts | Second drafts due |
Wed. (04) | Final drafts due |
You can pick up your copies of Love in the Time of Cholera at Barnes and Noble. If you’re looking for a deal, Gardner’s may have a few copies as well. Dig in before Monday (read as far as you’d like, but hit at least the first chapter).
Don’t forget to journal. What are your first impressions? What is cholera? We’ll discuss the author’s style on Monday.
On Monday I proposed a deal: If you keep a detailed (definition of “detailed†below) reading journal for our current work, one that includes as much or more information than an average essay, and turn it in at the end of the reading, you do not have to write a paper.
My hypothesis: A few of you would decide to just write the paper, as you are familiar with that routine and comfortable with your writing process; most of you would write down a few words you don’t know, perhaps a summary of the reading, a few questions, and be through with it; and a few would run with the idea, draw character maps, look up outside information, learn new words, come to class with questions about weird sentences and quote interesting passages.
The bell curve, right? Shame on me; I should have known better.
The past few days in class have blown me away. Nearly all of you have come to class with questions about the reading (or viewing, in Brit Lit), words you’re not sure about, connections you’ve made with outside works, points I’ve missed, and interpretations I hadn’t considered. You all seem to be enjoying the readings more (even though you have to write as you go), and understanding them in more depth. I’ve practically thrown out all my prepared questions for the past few days; yours are much better. I can’t wait to sit down with your journals at the end.
While I wrote this on the board, here is the list of things to look for or record in your journal:
You will turn in your journals the day after we finish the work. I will read them over that night, and return them to you the next day. I will not write in them, but simply give you advice on organization, some things you should focus on, etc. (I might steal some ideas for my own journal, too. Hope you don’t mind.)
If your journal is detailed enough (covers the entire work, or Act III through the end of Hamlet), you will be excused from the final essay. If you chose not to create a journal, or it seems a bit sparse (or is simply a list of quotations without your reactions), I will ask you to write the paper.
We will be creating reading journals for every reading assignment from here on out. For our next unit, I’ll show you how to write most of your essay in your journal before we even finish the novel.
Send me an email if you have questions, or post them below.
This is going to be an amazing year.
Two quick articles I promised my Seniors, but think all should read: