Thursday, January 28, 2016

Let's get blogging!

Welcome to our  blog for The Awakening by Kate Chopin!  



What do we blog about? Well, we're all reading the same novel, so we don't want to summarize (as always). Instead, you can provide brief context for what part of the novel you're discussing & use examples from the novel, but your main purpose is to have an analytical focus for each post. Here are some things you could discuss & analyze in your blog posts:

  • Literary elements you see in the novel (think metaphors, symbols, archetypes)
  • Conflicts (how they arise, how they define characters, etc.) 
  • Characterization: actions, dialogue, or lines that define a character character's motivations 
  • Author's style, structure, & diction 
  • Close reading of diction where you're looking for clarification 
  • Events in the plot that serve as a major turning point 
  • How a tradition, value, or practice functions within the culture of your novel 
  • Themes shown in the novel 
  • How literary elements serve a theme (like race/culture relations, romantic entanglements, gender expectations)...if you can accomplish this, you've made it to the big leagues. 


Things to keep in mind for this type of assignment: 

  • You're writing online, but this isn't social media, which means no text-speak or slang.  Write in an academic language. 
  • Use this space as practice for properly writing literary analysis (writing in present tense, being succinct) 


Don't let your work disappear forever somewhere in the land of lost internet posts. Be smart & save your work. Some people like to work in Google Docs, MS Word, or Apple Pages first. Then, just copy & paste all you've typed into Blogger & add some bells & whistles (i.e. pictures, links, videos) 

Timeline for posting & commenting: 

  •  2/5: 1st blog post due 
  • 2/8: comment on 2 posts 
  • 2/12: 2nd blog post due 
  • 2/15: comment on 2 posts 
  • 2/19: 3rd blog post due 
  • 2/22: comment on 2 posts 
  • 2/26: 4th blog post due 
  • 2/29: comment on 2 posts 
  • TOTALS: 4 blog posts & 8 comments 


NOTE: posts are due on Fridays by 11:59 p.m. & comments on Mondays 11:59 p.m. Other requirements: 

  • 150-200 word count 
  • Add links, pictures, & videos 
  • Comments should be at least 3 sentences that add or extend the post 
  • Quote evidence from the novel & use proper MLA format for embedded citations