May 04, 2006
Final Blogging Portfolio
Portfolio 3 -- Jerz: American Lit II (EL 267)
Here is the link to my final blogging portfolio. Being that this was my first experience with blogging, I have thoroughly enjoyed this segment of our class. Although I had more opportunity the first half of the semester to blog earlier than the due dates and even blog about every agenda item on the class outline, something great happend the second half of the semester. For those agenda items I did not blog on, the process of blogging was ingrained in my head so I felt like I was doing some mind blogging for lack of better title. Because of this my class participaiton improved and I became more confident in my thoughts and ideas which helped me in the later assignments. Overall this was an amazing adventure and I surely can't wait to have my own computer class someday (I am here earning my teaching certification in business and computers) where my students will use blogging as an educational tool!
Posted by Shanelle Evkovich at 12:22 AM | Comments (0)
Miller, Resurrection Blues (to be published in February) -- Jerz: American Lit II (EL 267)
Skip:"--But I should think if he is confident that he is about to...like meet his father in heaven, you could put it to him as a test of his faith that he not scream on camera. The camera, you see, tends to magnify everything and screaming on camera could easily seem in questionable taste". (p.49)
Is it me or is this entire play some anti-media crusade in a day where celebrities are ridiculously hounded by paparazzi. It seems like Skip has the mentality of someone who would be associated with the paparazzi. Anything to make a good commercial, or magazine, or TV program.
Posted by Shanelle Evkovich at 12:07 AM | Comments (0)
May 03, 2006
Portfolio 2
Coverage
Very first blogging experience about a poem that deals with the world trade center prior to 9/11 - poetry analysis of The World Center by David Lehman)
Importance of focus in a close reading
Talks about the importance of "trifles" in Susan Glapell's play
Importance of character actions in "Bernice Bobs Her Hair"
Talks about the less prominant characters of Ottis and Warren in "Bernice Bobs Her Hair" and the importance of recognizing them in a close reading
Examines the love/hate feelings one could have about Mr.Zero's character in "The Adding Machine" by Elmer Rice.
Depicts the frustration I felt after reading some poems by Wallace Stevens. Some classmates were able to shed some light.
Significance of simple symbols using a reference to "Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird" by Wallace Stevens.
Insight into Daisy's character in The Great Gatsby after reading only the first three chapters.
The Great Gatsby Chapters 4-6 starts to show Nick's relationship with Gatsby.
Upon finishing "The Great Gatsby" I examine Gatsby being unable to acknowledge Daisy's daughter.
A perhaps stretched truth about the importance of eggs in Chikako D. Kumamoto's close reading article.
Initial studies of Flannery O'Connor: The Life You Save May Be Your Own - Why was Mr. Shiftlet running?
Examining Ruby in A Stroke of Good Fortune on why she really wanted to move to a subdivision.
The Artificial Nigger by Flannery O'Connor: Explains the sigificance of the statue and Mr. Head's lesson for Nelson
Good Country People by Flannery O'Connor: Analysis of Hulga's revelation she receives from Manley Pointer
The Displaced Person by Flannery O'Connor: A look into Mrs. McIntryre's life after her much older husband leaves her and its correlation to the Catholic lenten season.
The Color Of Water by James McBride: This makes reference to one of his learned behaviors he got from his mother of always running from the truth.
A personal reflection of my correlation with Mommy in The Color of Water by James McBride and the everlasting power of a mother's instinct.
Resurrection Blues by Arthur Miller and the deep alignment our media has with our society.
Depth
I did some research pertaining to the first bombing of the world trade center to help me analyze this poem accordingly.
Knowing definitions of words can be crucial in understanding key elements in a piece of literature such as the word "trifle" used in Susan Glaspell's play.
Interaction
Comment on Matt Hampton's Blog concerning "Bernice Bobs Her Hair"
Comment on Jennifer DiFulvio concerning Bernice being a round or flat character
Chris Ulicine made reference to Flannery O'Connor's A Circle in the Fire and Mrs. Cope's irritability with burdens in her life. I try to analyze this thought and also make reference to Brenda Christeleit's blog entry about no reference to a Mr. Cope.
My response to Matt Hamptons blog about the epiphany Mr. Head experiences in The Artificial Nigger by Flannery O'connor. My addtion anayzes his take on round characters and how it applies to this story.
Brenda Christeleit poses some frustration over the constant and similar themes in all of Flannery O'Connor's short stories and I tried here to give her a different perspective that Nelson and Mr. Head conveyed hope from the beginning of the story, rather than just at the end.
Here I try to analyze Mr. Shiftlet's intentions with the hitchhiker in response to Brenda's blog.
Discussions
This blog entry created much discussion when I brought up the point about the investigation of Minnie Foster Wright's life rather than Mr. Wright's death in Susan Glaspell's play "Trifles."
Discusses Bernice's unawareness of her impact on people around her and how it shaped her character. This was the first time in my small blogging career that many people responded.
This entry sparked some ideas about the innocense of Mr. Zero and his simplicity in "The Adding Machine" by Elmer Rice.
This entry got some classmates discussing the importance of Gatsby" feelings about Daisy's daughter in "The Great Gatsby."
The statue in The Artificial Nigger received much analysis in this blogging discussion and all participants had something different to add.
Timeliness
This is a blog posted four days before class discussion-
The Great Gatsby
This is another blog posted 24 hrs prior to class discussion-
Trifles
This is a blog posted 2 full days before the class discussion - The Artificial Nigger by Flannery O'Connor
Xenoblogging
Here is a blog that perhaps received the longest blog activity about The Adding Machine started by Matt Hampton.
Wildcard
This was one of my first blog entries and I can say I still feel this way and I am still trying to concentrate on this important point to get myself through this class - Keep it Simple!
Posted by Shanelle Evkovich at 10:10 PM | Comments (0)
A Mother's Instinct
McBride, The Color of Water (1996) -- Jerz: American Lit II (EL 267)
"A hurricane won't move her, but the sound of a crying baby or a falling pot will send her to her feet like a solider at reveille." (178)
I couldn't have described this better myself! This book has been significant in the timing of this semester for me personally because this second half of the semester has been an outpour of chaos. Having come back to school after being a stay at home mom for three years, the importance of family is so refreshing. There were times this semester I had no belief that I could take five classes and still be what I had been at home. But as I learned no matter how tired I was or how high my stress level became at times, no matter what when my kids needed me I was there. Its just what you do - without giving it any thought. I can relate so much to Mommy in this sense and it was encouraging to hear it from her son's point of view. I've been so worried how this change of me going back to school has affected my children, and James provided me with some conformation that it will be just fine!
Posted by Shanelle Evkovich at 10:05 PM | Comments (0)