With the exception of the final paragraph, his post applies to both 3rd and 5th hour. All should have a solid journal section over Donne’s “Meditation #17” by Monday. Third hour: I’ll be checking your journals then as well, so learn from those who went before you.

In an effort to make the gradebook mean something to you, I’ve broken down the “Journal” assignment into five skills, each worth five points. The following is a list of the five with explanations and examples from our readings.

Record Personal Connections—reactions to the text, parts you think are interesting, etc. It’s always a good thing to remember cool stuff you read, and gives you plenty to discuss in class.

If you can dream—and not make dreams your master;

If you can think—and not make thoughts your aim (Kipling 9-10)

A warning against losing sight of the things in front of you, of thinking without discovering ideas, perhaps?

Record Literary Connections—thematic connections to other works, allusions to characters or themes in other works, etc. These connections are the bread-and-butter of literary analysis. As you begin writing, you can use the theme in another work to help you understand the work you’re reading, or vice versa. Plus, looking for thematic connections will help you write papers over a topic (like Isolation) amongst several works.

“My name is Ozymandias, king of kings:

Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair!” (Shelley 10-11)

Ramesses II? Watchmen? Seems like Coldplay’s “Viva la Vida”

Record Questions and Answers—parts you are confused about, possible answers. Ever get stuck or frustrated with a complicated reading only to drop it and realize in class the next day that you still don’t know what is going on? Recording questions as they pop up allows you to set them aside for later (either in class or after you’ve read further). Once you’ve found the answer (after discussion or insight through further reading), record it and you’re good to go.

I see the boys of summer in their ruin (Thomas 1)

Who are the boys of summer?

Record Vocabulary—words you aren’t familiar with and definitions. Because learning words is good.

Record Synopses—recount the story, line, or passage in your own words. This will help you work out difficult passages and remember what you are reading. I do this for all the characters, too, ‘cause I have a hard time keeping them straight at times. It is also helpful to record the tone or theme presented, as you might come across a shift, or be able to make connections to other works with similar ideas.

WE wear the mask that grins and lies,
It hides our cheeks and shades our eyes,—
This debt we pay to human guile;
With torn and bleeding hearts we smile,
And mouth with myriad subtleties. (Dunbar 1-5)

We hide ourselves (our personalities? our beliefs? our fears and shortcomings? our pain?) in a deceitful world while our speech is distorted and circumlocutionary.

You’ll notice that most of the responses here are questions or tentative answers. The reading journal is a place for experimenting, for making guesses about a work and finding counter-evidence, revising the hypothesis and finding more support. It is for prewriting. Once you have a solid grasp on a work, you are ready to organize your ideas and share them in an essay ((Why checking the etymology of a word is the best thing ever: essay.)). I emphasize the journals so heavily not only because they will make you better writers and readers, but also because they will make you better students; this reading strategy applies to all types of study, regardless of field.

So. If you feel that your grade isn’t what it should be, take the advice I gave you in class today go back over the poems more closely and record your thoughts. Bring your brilliant new insights to me before or after school (or during lunch) Monday and I’ll give you some feedback and make your grade reflect your awesomeness.

Read and journal “Book I” of Ovid’s Metamorphoses. For bonus life points, read (and journal, always) the first section of “Emanations” from Campbell.

Quick answer to that one.

So, we discussed allusions in class today. I was happy to see the broad range that you guys came up with. Maybe we ought to come up with a way to catalogue them all? We’ll talk about that tomorrow.

If you didn’t have anything to contribute, don’t worry too much. There will be plenty of time to make up the points, but do keep your eyes open. One of the goals for this semester is for us to see how deeply these stories have impacted everything that came after. Use your journals, and if you can grab a picture or bring in a file or web address, that would be great.

We’ll be discussing the end of Book V tomorrow. Make sure your journals are up to date!

The copies of Ovid’s Metamorphoses are available at the Barnes & Noble at 41st under my name or the name of the school. You should read (and journal) through section two by Monday.

As you read, try to parse down the most essential elements of the stories (as we did today with Phaethon’s story), and record any connections you come up with between them and other works.

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.

Possible essay topics:

• Explore the use of water imagery and how it reflects the themes of the novel.
• Contrast the characters of Dr. Urbino and Florentino Ariza using the symbolism that surrounds each.
• Explore the many types of love found in this novel. Are there any commonalities?
• Explain Marquez’s use of setting to reflect the tone of particular scenes.
• Explain the parallels between the city and the characters (particularly Dr. Urbino) as they age.

These are only ideas; let me know if you come up with another one.

Some things to be journaling:

• All liquid imagery (particularly water, but all other fluids)
• Mixed metaphors or images that seem contradictory
• First impressions and sketches of Dr. Urbino, Fermina Daza, and Florentino Ariza
  • As the characters interact, note how they compare or contrast. (“Would Urbino react like Florentino does in this scene?”)
• Keep tracking the different types of love!
• Always
  • Questions
  • Vocabulary
  • Cool passages
  • Your interpretations/reactions of events

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.

Reading/writing schedule: