Discussions Posts from English 491

Destiny Hagenow

English 491

4/24/17

Discussion Posts from English 491

Week 1.1

What assignments from classes you've taken in your major showcase what you've learned, written, presented, or created?

I can name a ton of assignments that I have produced over the last few years that I feel proud of because of all the time and energy I have put into them. I mentioned in class Monday that I get recognized in classes as the girl that did her Linguistics project over Harry Potter. The fact that I did my project over something that interested me, while allowing me to apply my newly acquired knowledge of Linguistics, is something I think college students need to be more conscious of. Many of the English courses give a ton of freedom for the subjects of our final projects, and I don't feel like students take advantage of it enough.

For example, I love Jane Austen so I did a final paper and presentation in Literary Theory over how she used different literary theories within her works. In my Literary Genre course, I found Edgar A. Poe fascinating so I did a final project over him and how he influenced his genre and aspiring writers even today. When we would look at our peer's projects, I would feel sad and disappointed, because it was apparent that some of my peers weren't feeling that joy and excitement about their project like I had.

This is especially important for English majors who are aspiring to be teachers. Giving students freedom to explore their interests while also applying their class knowledge is crucial to empowering our students in the classroom.

Week 1.2

What are some of your favorite works of literature? Favorite authors, poets, playwrites? Why? What value is there in reading and being familiar with those works and/or writers?

This question probably made each of us English major's heart flutter. Ha! Pride & Prejudice is my all time favorite book and I reread it every Christmas over break. I've read other Jane Austen works, but Pride & Prejudice was my first. Her works are amazingly thoughtful, honest, and even relatable today, especially for the time period in which she lived. She had a deep understanding for how people thought, talked, and acted towards others. I think that's part of the reason her works stand the test of time. There are many movies based on her works (various versions of Pride & Prejudice and even the popular 90's movie Clueless was based on her novel Emma), and her works are still being taught in schools 200 years after they were written.

I also really loved reading Edgar A. Poe. I don't usually like 'scary' movies or books, but Poe's works always fascinated me. He knew how to tell a story in a beautifully flowing and creepy way that captivated audiences. People still love to talk about his works and reference them occasionally. His poem Annabelle Lee is one of my favorite poems of all time. It's romantically creepy.

Confession: One thing I REALLY love about studying and being familiar with literature is the ability to sound smarter than my husband. He's a techy guy who knows a little about everything and it drives me crazy when he outsmarts me. BUT he knows very little about literature and I know quite a bit so I love when I understand the reference made in a TV show or movie and have to explain it to my husband.

Week 2.1

What are some benefits of teaching literary theory to high school students, according to the article? Do you agree with what author Beth Wilson says?

This article pointed out a problem I remember having in my high school AP English course. We would be told to read a short story and then be ready to discuss it the next day. We would be graded on this discussion, so, naturally, my classmates and myself would maybe read it through once and then Google the piece for it's themes, motifs, and symbols so that we can sound smarter than we actually are and get a good grade. I'm sure there were a couple students that could actually come up with these ideas on their own, but the majority would just look it up on Sparknotes or Cliff's notes. This really took away a lot from that class. My teacher was hoping we all had these skills to pick up on all the deeper meaning and such on our own, but we either lacked the skills on our own, were just too lazy to do the actual dirty work of analyzing a text, or maybe even a mixture of the two. We didn't gain any skills, unless you count faking it until you make it. I think employing Wilson's ideas and using these two theories to help students begin to figure out how to analyze texts on their own could be beneficial.

Week 2.2

Why does Marxism work so well as a literary theory, not just an economic or social theory?

This is one of my favorite lenses to look at literature. Marxist criticism views literary works as reflections of the society where they originate, because even literature itself is a social institution. The author can use their works to show what society looks like to people in different perspectives to either raise awareness or capture the lifestyle of different cultures and people from various socioeconomic status.

I took an American Literature course in highschool and I absolutely loved it because of the historical perspective. We started the year with Hawthorne's Scarlet Letter and ended with Tim O'Brien's The Things They Carried. We went through history looking at the literature from each period of American history. It was amazing to see into the perspectives of each story written in time periods that seem a million years ago to us or are just plain unrelatable to us. The ability to look deeply into a time period's society and way of life made everything more relatable and interesting to us students.

Week 3.1

What works of literature--or movies, music, or art--come to mind for ecocriticism? How might this theory fit that work of literature, film, music, or art?

After reading this question, I immediately thought of the movie Avatar from years ago and how it can be viewed through ecocriticism. It has been awhile but I remember that the protagonist was doing research of an ecosystem undercover as one of the indigenous people. However, he ended up falling in love with the culture and environment so he fought for the ecosystem his team was seeking to destroy for resources. Humans seem to make crappy decisions when it comes to the environment.

What do you think about technology as a potential literary theory, for science fiction, fantasy, or in some other way?

I remember thinking about this very idea when I was in Literary Theory one night. I think a technology perspective would be an awesome literary theory, especially with our continuing growth and understanding. I think we've all either read or at least heard of the science fiction idea that the robots we create will begin to think and act on their own and what would happen if that were the case. I also think about how the science fiction tv show Doctor Who utilizes this when it comes to different story arcs and plot lines throughout their series. For example, I remember an episode where a guy gets fed up with the mistakes of man because of diversity and free will so he changes them all, including himself, into robots called cybermen that only follow orders and hate diversity. It's fascinating to think about what good and potentially bad things can arise from technology.

Week 3.2

How or why is bibliotherapy valuable?

This is actually the first time I've learned about bibliotherapy, and I find it fascinating. I know reading novels, short stories, etc. that relate with my situation that it can be really beneficial for me. It's a great way for me to subtly help students through tough issues they may be facing, like bullying or grief.

What kinds of topics or problems would be suitable for bibliotherapy, and what novels, children's picture books, films, drama, or poetry come to mind?

My best friend has a 13 year old sister named Emma who was diagnosed with Juvenile arthritis a few years ago, and it has severely effected her daily life. Emma couldn't go to public school because of her frequent doctors appointments in Iowa City and physical therapy sessions so she has very few friends her age. Emma can't run around and play like other kids because of her painful joints. She feels like she can't be a kid and that breaks my heart. I remember reading The Fault in Our Stars and thinking of her. Of course, she doesn't have cancer but she is in almost constant pain and feels like no one truly understands because of how unlikely it is to have juvenile arthritis. Reading how the protagonist felt when it came to daily living and socialization really struck me and helped me get a glimpse of how hindered and frustrated Emma must be.

I'm not entirely sure if this applies to bibliotherapy, but I'm a pretty spiritual person so I often find relief and direction when reading my Bible. For example, I remember when I was a freshman in high school that I struggled with how I looked and often compared myself to others. Honestly, I'm still a bit guilty of this as an adult. I remember back then my youth pastor once talked about how people look at outward appearance but God looks at the heart. Remembering this verse has been a huge help to me.

Week 4.1

Do you use your local community college library or public library? For academic use or entertainment? How, when, why--or why not?

I went to the community library frequently as a kid, especially in the summer time. My mom couldn't buy me books at the rate I was reading them so it was much cheaper to just rent from the library. Ha! The older I got the less I used the library for entertainment. I read longer novels and read less because I had less free time to read.

I only went into my library in my community college to meet with partners for group projects because it was central on campus, free, and just the most practical public place to meet. A coffee shop meant we would all have to pay for a drink in order to work on a project. College students don't always have money for that.

Week 4.2

Why deconstruct literature, according to Derrida? What do you think about this theory?

Derrida knew there was a relationship between what the text says and what a text means. Using this theory you pick apart each part of a text to find additional meaning. This is one of my most used theories throughout school. Reading literature can be tough so being able to go piece by piece to find meaning really helps. I remember my high school lit teacher taught us to read poetry by reading a section or verse at a time and then figure out what each piece of the verse referred to or truly meant. Basically, we used it to figure out whether or not the curtains being blue meant anything more than just being a random detail.

Week 5.1

Discuss benefits and drawbacks to public/academic and private/corporate research.

One huge issue with research is that it is done by people. Sadly, people can be easily manipulated. If research isn't funded by a non-biased sponsor, then it is probably going to have non-biased results. If a corporation does all the research, then it is likely to be biased. The example about Mars, Inc., the producer of M&Ms and other chocolate products, conducting research about the benefits of chocolate should be a huge red flag. The fact that if this study were to come out with a bountiful list of benefits is it would give their company a ton of financial gain. That makes this study a bit biased, wouldn't you think? Public/academic research studies might have their issues but at least they're non-biased, correct results.

How can school libraries be helpful or research, even when many sources are available online?

When I was a freshman in highschool, we had to do this huge research project at the end of the year about something in our community. Many of the topics were about historical events in Mason City, IA. Our teacher took us to the library where some of our cities historical documents (newspaper articles from a long time ago that wouldn't be online, other documents, etc.) were in folders spread out on the tables for us. I had to search for the articles related to my topic, instead of just typing it into Google where there was little information on it because of time period. It was a really cool experience.

Week 5.2

"Imagine we are linked not ranked." - Gloria Steinem

In Jane Austen's day, women were not thought of as equals to men. They could not inherit property, which is a huge deal in her book Pride & Prejudice, because there are no male heirs in the Bennet family. Therefore, Mrs. Bennet is trying desperately to get her 5 daughters married off well, so that when Mr. Bennet passes away that they are not turned out onto the streets. When it came to marriage, they could only worry about money and social class, it was unlikely for them to marry for love.

Steinem would want men and women treated as equals and not ranked. This book is oozing with feminist theory beliefs, especially in the protagonist Elizabeth Bennet. She won't settle.

Week 6.1

Have you had much coursework or exposure to multicultural works of literature, for adult, children, or teen readers? Examples, explain?

I took a class called World Literature a couple years ago and it had a variety of literature from cultures all over the world. We read some Shakespeare (like every lit course ha!), an African version of Oedipus Rex (i cannot for the life of me remember the title though), and some Russian short stories. Those are just the things that stuck out to me though. We looked at differences in culture in different versions of King Lear. I remember writing a paper comparing and contrasting the play King Lear with a Japanese version. It was a really cool experience.

What value is there in multicultural literature?

I loved seeing similarities and comparisons of different cultures. Many cultures seem SO different for our own that it can be hard to relate or understand other cultures, but I feel like through literature I find ways to relate and understand different cultures. I think this is super important for everyone to read and experience cultures through the eyes of someone living in a culture.

Week 6.2

How would you incorporate concepts from Judith Butler's article, "Imitation and Gender Insubordination," available here in Canvas? What work of literature could have students read and discuss to apply Butler's ideas?

I really liked how Butler explained that being gay is just part of her identity, it's not a matter of her making a choice to become gay or her choosing to label herself as such. She talked about how identity categories are just a way to label people and create either oppression or as a way to fight oppression.

I feel like middle school and high school students are desperately trying to figure out their interests and dreams and find their own identity. It's difficult for some students to dig their way out of a fake persona they make up to fit in with their peers, but once they decide to find themselves it can be an awesome process to see in students. Talking about identity and individuality in class can be beneficial for students who are struggling with identity.

I feel like many young adult literature books have identity as an underlying theme, because authors also realize that this is a difficult time for students and their own identity. Off the top of my head, I think of The Giver by Lois Lowry, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou, or The Perks of being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky.