It was wonderful to meet all of you and to begin our work together. Here are your assignments for this week. Reach out to me if you have any questions.
- For Wednesday’s class, please read Toni Morrison’s “The Day and Its Splendid Parts”. You can find the essay under the “Texts” tab at the top of the blog. Please print out the essay and bring your hard copy with you to class on Wednesday. In a comment on this post, please share one line or one detail from Morrison’s essay that made a strong impression on you and explain its significance.
- Create an introductory post on our class blog. In approximately 300-400 words, describe yourself. It’s up to you to decide what you’d like to share; please also let us know what name you’d like us to use to address you in the classroom and on the blog and what pronouns you’d prefer. Include an image that represents or captures you in some way, and explain why you chose it. This could be a photograph of you, or it could be an image of something else that speak to you and reflects some aspect of your identity. Remember that our theme this semester is FOOD, so you might want to tell us about your likes, dislikes, and other food habits! In order to create a new post, look for the button “Add New” under the “Posts” option. Please share your introduction no later than Friday, February 2nd.
- If you haven’t already done so, please replace your “Bearcat” icon with a picture of yourself in your blogs@baruch account.
A quote that stuck out to me the most is “And though he never buttered his own biscuits or poured his own coffee , he gave us the spark we needed to get up at 3 in the morning.” the quote stuck out to me the most because it shows the dedication that these people had to make such a perfect meal and also it helps make the details on the food they were making more impressive because the dedication lead to such a well detailed meal throughout the reading.
One quote that intrigued me was when “Mama stood and put her jealousy into the paper bag with the egg shells and began to whip the eggs with a slow, wide and generous beat.” She exhibited her emotions through “whipping” the eggs while discarding her anger/jealousy with eggshells that symbolize garbage.
Great suggestion, Stephanie. I love this close attention to Morrison’s word choices here. Why would Mama be jealous?
During my reading, one quote that caught my attention was “He brought us together. He meddled in the cooking and baiting of hooks. Told the older girls how to bile the coffee proper and to get them roastin’ ears out of the sun. He directed the boys to the coolest part of the lake to sink the beer in.” This part of the reading explains how he played a unifying role, bringing people together and giving them instructions or guidance in various activities. The person mentioned appears to have been involved in organizing tasks related to cooking, baiting hooks, making coffee, and roastin’ ears. Overall, a positive influence on others around him.
An interesting quote that stood out to me was: “and other family reunions which were never ever called cook-outs in spite of the fact that they roasted corn and skewered fish over pine-cone fires on days just like this one.” I wonder why they weren’t called cook-outs before the migrations. Or why they’re called cook-outs now instead of just calling them family reunions.
A quote that stood out to me was, “Were were all there, All of us, bound by something we could not name. Cooking, honey, cooking under the stars”. This stood out to me because food brought them together. Food brings my family together too. People travel hours to see family for thanksgiving to eat food together. Food is very powerful.
One quote that stands out to me is “He brought us together. He meddled in the cooking and baiting of hooks. Told the older girls how to bile the coffee proper and to get them roastin’ ears out of the sun. He directed the boys to the coolest part of the lake to sink the beer in.” It sounds like he is a mentor, and everyone looks up to him. He like the leader and he the torch in the night sky
The essay notes that when Uncle Green finally arrives in the Blue Gum’s car, everyone forgets about the 500-dollar bill, the smug grins of the Akron folks, and the concerns of the day. This particular detail highlights how Uncle Green’s presence has such a great impact on the others. He turns into a bonding force, a personification of the family that rises beyond everyday problems. Shouts of joy greet him as he arrives and he represents more than just a relative who is visiting; he is a source of pride for the family members as well as a link to their shared past.
One quote that stood out to me was “Were were all there, All of us, bound by something we could not name. Cooking, honey, cooking under the stars.” This stood out to me because you wouldn’t think something as simple as food can bring together families but it can be true.
A quote that stood out to me the most is “He brought us together. He meddled in the cooking and baiting of hooks.” This quote shows how he actively participates in various activities, such as cooking and fishing, which serve as shared experiences that bring the family together.
While reading, one quote that stood out to me is “He brought us together. He meddled in the cooking and baiting of hooks. Told the older girls how to bile the coffee proper and to get them roastin’ ears out of the sun. He directed the boys to the coolest part of the lake to sink the beer in.” This stood out to me due to the fact it symbolizes the importance of being a family. How everyone is being involved I love it.
The quote that stood out most to me would be, ” Told the older girls how to bile the coffee proper and to get them roastin’ ears out of the sun.” This quote represents closeness and trying to unite people together. I liked that they were taught to do things that only brought them closer.
In Morrison’s essay, one quote that stood out to me was “ Mama stood and put her jealousy into the paper bag with the egg shells and began to whip the eggs with a slow, wide and generous beat.” This quote stood out to me because of the way it was written and how she expressed her mother’s actions.
A quote that stood out to me was “And daddy and the uncles forgot about the fish and the dying worms and stood up to greet with loud shouts the man who made them feel their manhood anew.” I find it interesting the impact the uncle had on the chapter traits the other adults described in the text.
A quote that stood out to me was “Aunt Millie turned the fried potatoes over, saying a little splash of beer over the frying ham would be good. Green always liked it like that”. I liked this quote because it shows the importance of family gatherings. At first Mama and Aunt Millie were annoyed and stressed at the thought of Uncle Green and all the Blue Gums arriving, but that all went away once they did. Being surrounded by family and remembering why you love them is very special.