Visual Analysis

They say a picture is worth a thousand words. Now, we’re not going to write a thousand words, but pick two of the pictures below and compare them. Compare their visual elements. Compare their argument. Compare their effect on the viewer and the way those effects are created. As we just read Richard Selzer’s The Surgeon as Priest, how do the images you chose to analyze relate to that essay?
Really analyze these images. Don’t stop with something like, “This picture shows a scary looking surgeon and reinforces people’s fears about going under the knife.” Continue on with how that effect is created. What specifically in the image makes the surgeon look “scary”? Don’t forget colors, lighting, angle, medium, and other effects. Please blog your analysis for Monday.
I'll be looking for your connection to The Surgeon as Priest and the depth of your analysis. This score will, uncharacteristically, go in the writing category rather than the skill building category.

Surgeon as Priest

Vesalius (1514-1565) by E.J.C. Hammon 1849

Your homework is twofold:

1. Blog answers to the eight Exploring the Text questions on page 204. Due Friday.
2. Separately, blog a reading response to The Surgeon as Priest. This is essentially a paragraph or two that shows your understanding of the meaning of a part of the text and its significance to the whole. Instructions are on the link. Please read these instructions; do not simply go off the description here or you'll write something that is disappointing. Due Monday.

Please note there will be another assignment showing up tomorrow on this same piece that is also due on Monday, though some class time Friday will be devoted to them . We'll talk about both of those assignments, including answering questions about a reading response, on Friday.Surgeon 

Sanctuary: For Harry Potter the Movie

I know some of you will be sad to leave the peaceful shores of our lake for Nikki Giovanni's fairly odd piece she classified as a "not quite poem" about the first Harry Potter movie on page 760 of TLC. Even so, please blog the answers to questions 1-4 and 6 by Wednesday.

Last time to the lake

This little essay doesn't come out and make any clear claims (try and find the thesis...right), but it does contain several implied claims. Identify one of those claims and blog about it. Here is it is in more specific language:

• What is the claim and how is it supported?
• Defend, challenge, or qualify that claim noting the complexity of the issue and acknowledging any possible objections to your point of view 

So in sum, explain the assertion, provide support for your position, and address the counterargument. Responses should be 250-350 words (i.e. don't go crazy and write a paper, but you'll need a little bit of space to do the job well). And by the way, in the future as we get more into argument we will do similar assignments. When we do, I'll call it an assertion journal. This is more of an initial foray into that realm, though we aren't near ready to leave analysis yet. ;)

Once More to the Lake...or wherever it was you went

Please finish the in class style write we did today. If you were gone, we took a favorite place and are trying to put our audience there with us using the techniques White used in Once More to the Lake. This is a little bit different from what we normally do, but playing with style can be fun and it leads to being able to use anecdotes effectively when we get to you writing your own arguments. We'll look at a couple in class on either Friday or Monday depending on time. This blog write could range from just a paragraph modeling his style to something more extensive depending on what you have to say.

1st period. Remember to bring in food and cashola tomorrow and Monday. For those interested, we have Saturday from 9AM to noon at the Milton Safeway. Any and all are welcome to staff that.

Once More to the Lake

For many of us, E.B. White is in our imaginations through Charlotte's Web and Stuart Little. He excelled at creating worlds for his readers, and in this piece we begin to see why.

We're going to get to know this essay pretty well over the next few days. Reading it and briefly discussing it in class today was a first salvo into that knowledge. The second step is tonight. Blog your answers to questions 1, 3-10 from page 5 of the handout. Do not do the writing options. If you were absent of need the documents for any other reasons, here they are:

Once More to the Lake Google Docs (or PDF for the formatting like the handout in class)

Secondly, there is a wistful cadence to this piece that makes it rather endearing and a bit haunting. Exploring that a bit

• Note/Mark your favorite passage. This could be one you find especially well written, or it could be one that interests you for some reason (feature, subject, etc.). You don't have to put this on the blog, but be prepared to talk about it.
• Be prepared to explain your favorite passage to the class and to be asked to explain more if your comments stay on the surface.

Taking our time...

Reread In Praise of a Snail's Pace on page 221 of TLC and do the following:

• Blog questions 1, 5-6, and 8
• Examine on your blog: How is this a compare and contrast essay? What is Goodman comparing? Describe the technique the author uses to draw out this comparison.
• Reflect on her ideas on your blog. Engage with Goodman and explore what you think about this particular issue. 

Missing out?

Don't miss out on information! Check the calendar on the blog or Aspen from time to time. The timed write has been moved from Wednesday to Thursday.

Remember to keep working on your papers. Don't leave everything to the last minute. Think through his speech in terms of sections and what he's doing in each section. That might help. ;)