Author Archives: JSylvor

–The narrator tells us that “every new generation finds the doum tree as though it had been born at the time of their birth and would grow up with them.” What do you make of this?

–What seems to be the story’s perspective on the government in newly independent Sudan? What’s the relationship between the government and the villagers?

–Explain the shift in narratorial perspective in the final passages of the story? How does it change our own view of the text

–At the end of the story, the old man refers to his own son and says, “it is my hope that he will stay where his is and not return.” How do you explain this?

–What do you think this story’s ultimate perspective is on the issue of tradition vs. modernity?

–What do you think the significance of Allende’s title is? What does it mean to be made of clay? –

-What happens to Rolf in his encounter with Azucena?

–Why do you think Azucena becomes a symbol of the tragedy that is unfolding in the story?

–What did you make of the President’s visit to the site of the disaster? What kind of commentary is Allende making here?

–How can you connect this story with your own experiences of natural or other disasters? Are there elements of the story that you can relate to? How?

–How is the theme of maternity explored in the story? Give at least two examples.
–Morrison adds issues of class to what is already a complicated story about race. Why? Where in the story do you see evidence of this?
–What is the meaning of Morrison’s title, Recitatif? How does it work as a title for this story?
–What are Twyla and Roberta fighting about in the section about school busing? What’s going on between them?
–Is the story’s perspective on race relations ultimately pessimistic or optimistic? Why?
–Why do you think Morrison chooses not to be explicit about which girl is African American and which girl is Caucasian?

Hi Everyone,

I have posted the prompt for Essay #2 under the “Assignments” tab above for those of you who weren’t in class when I distributed the hard copy.  Please see that document for the details of the assignment.

Your first step is to come up with a topic for your paper and to express that idea in the form of a question you are asking about the two texts you’ve selected to work with.  Once you have come up with a question, email it to me at [email protected] no later than Monday, November 26th!

Looking forward to hearing from you!  Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Professor Sylvor

–Do you think that Gregor is more powerful BEFORE or AFTER his metamorphosis? Explain your response.

–How is Gregor’s family transformed in the wake of his metamorphosis?

–At the end of the second section of the story, Gregor’s father pelts him with apples. What do you think this episode is about?

–Gregor emerges from his room one last time when he hears his sister playing her violin for the lodgers. What is the significance of this? What meaning does music hold for Gregor here?

–Ultimately, what do you think Gregor’s metamorphosis means? What does it mean to be transformed into a giant bug?

–Explain your understanding of Gregor’s death. How/why does he ultimately die?

As an extension of our study of Modernism, for this  assignment you will be exploring Modernism in visual art through a visit to one of the two NYC museums listed below:

Museum of Modern Art (www.moma.org) 11 W.53rd Street

Go to information desk with your CUNY student ID to receive free admission.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art (www.metmuseum.org) 1000 Fifth Avenue

Pay as you wish!

At the museum, you will select one piece of work created between 1890 and the beginning of WWII in 1939 that you believe can be described as modernist. It might be helpful to keep in mind that impressionism, expressionism, cubism, and surrealism are all streams of modernism. On our course blog, post an image of the work (either a photograph taken by you at the museum or an image found online) and a post of 400-500 words about the work.

Be sure to include the following elements:

–Basic information about the artist.

–A description of work you selected.

–An analysis of how this work reflects the aesthetic preferences associated with Modernism.

–A description of the context in which you encountered the work.

–An explanation of what drew you to this piece.

–Any questions you have about the work.

In order to receive credit for this assignment, your work must be posted to our course blog by Sunday, December 2nd.   Posts that contain material taken from another source without proper attribution will not receive any credit.

*Please retain proof of your visit to the museum to be submitted to me in person  or electronically via email no later than Wednesday, December 5th.

–The story’s narrator is revisiting a place he once lived. Explain the significance that this “revisiting” has in relation to the themes of the story.

–What is the connection between our narrator and Weifu? Why do you think so much of the story is spent on Weifu’s life, while the narrator shares very little about his own life experiences?

–Explain the significance of the story about reburying Weifu’s little brother?

–Weifu recalls when he and the narrator used to pull the beards off religious statues in the Temple when they were younger. What is the significance of this memory?

–Describe an instance of filial piety in the story. What is its significance?

–What aspects of this short story seem to you to be particularly modernist?

The love song of J. Alfred Prufrock is a masterpiece poem that relates the struggle of man trying to fit in the society that he is living in. The foggy environment that describing in the poem shows his level of melancholy. He is certainly not happy about what life is offering to him. He feels insecure and believes that he won’t be understood. Things like time and people view of him seem to have crucial importance to him. Also, he pretends to know very well the people around him, yet he can’t engage with them. He finds women specially, shallow and superficial by mentioning twice their commenting on the Michelangelo painting.
While reading this poem of T.S Eliot the thing that strikes me most is how important is the desire for people to be appreciated by others. The same as now people are worried about their physical appearance and how people view them. Social media just amplified this feeling even more. People create their ideal life on social media which is most of the time far from their reality. An important theme of the poem is the time. Young, we usually believe that we have time to do things or believe that it is not the right time to certain things. In reality we postponed those actions just because we are afraid of the outcome and the judgement of others. Therefore, we settle in our situation and by the time we realize it, it is too late to make a change.
At a personal level, this poem is a perfect illustration of me coming newly to the United States of America. The language and the difference of culture constitute a huge obstacle to immigrant to fit in. Engaging with American people was quite challenging. I was worried about my level of English, my accent or even the clothes I wore. I was really concerned about the way they will see me if I open up. Time later showed me that I should have been myself from the beginning. I would have probably done things better that I have done.

–The poem opens, “Let us go then, you and I….” Whom do you think the speaker is addressing here?
–What is Prufrock’s relationship to time?
–Look at the description of the yellow smoke in the second and third stanzas of the poem. What do you make of this description?
–“I have measured out my life with coffee spoons,” laments Prufrock. What do you think this line means?
–Describe the overall mood of the poem. What feelings does it leave you with?
–In the final lines of the poem, the speaker shifts from “I” to “We.” How do we explain this shift?