Author Archives: JSylvor

• 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?  How can you tell?
• 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?

–How does justice work in the world of “Punishment”?  What happens when one tells the truth? What happens when one lies?

–What do we make of Chandara’s choice to take responsibility for the death of her sister-in-law? Do you see her as a hero or as a victim?

–Explain the significance of the details Tagore offers about the marriage between Chandara and Chidam.  How do they help us understand the events of the story?

–How do you understand the title of the story?

–As she approaches death, Chandara both says, “to hell with him,” and maintains that she loves her husband.  How do you reconcile these two apparently contradictory statements?

If you did not receive a hard copy of your second formal writing assignment in class on Monday, April 1st, you can find the assignment above under the “Writing Assignments” tab. Please read the assignment carefully, and contact me if you have any questions.

Please submit your selected passage to me via email ([email protected]) no later than Friday, April 5th. All you have to do is provide me with the text and passage you’ve selected for your close reading.

This week, rather than posting a list of questions for you to reflect on, I’d like you to do the following:

Choose a line or passage from the”The Death of Ivan Ilyich” that seems to you to be particularly interesting and important and share it in a comment on this post.

Once you’ve shared your quotation (and identified the page on which it appears), please do the following:

• Provide the context for your quotation.  This means sharing where this passage fits into the larger narrative.  What’s happening when this line appears?
• Share its meaning.  What do you think this quotation means?
• Discuss its significance.  Why do you think this is an important quotation? How is it related to the larger themes of “The Death of Ivan Ilyich”?

Please post your responses no later than Sunday, March 31st.

Unbelievably, we have already arrived at the midpoint of our semester. This presents an opportunity to pause, to reflect on how the semester has been going, and to think about how you’d like to see the second half of the semester unfold. Please set aside some time between now and Monday, March 25th to complete our Mid Semester Reflection. Let me know if you have any questions.

1.  Explain the significance of the text’s subtitle, “a Story of Wall Street”.
2. Why do you think Bartleby refuses to perform his copying duties?
3. Whom do you sympathize with more in this narrative, Bartleby or the Narrator? Why?
4. How does power work in this story?  Who seems to have power? Why?
5. The text ends mysteriously, “Ah Bartleby! Ah humanity!”  What do you think this means?

Hi Everyone,

Unfortunately, I am sick and need to cancel tomorrow’s class. (Rest assured – I am far more upset about this that you are!) I fully expect to be back on Wednesday. We will begin discussing “Bartleby, the Scrivener” on Wednesday and will continue with it next Monday. The presentation that was scheduled for tomorrow will happen on Wednesday instead.

Again, I am really sorry to be canceling!! Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions or concerns!

See you on Wednesday!

Professor Sylvor

Hi Everyone,

I hope you enjoyed this afternoon’s staged reading of The Tempest. Building on what Professor Kolb asked when she introduced the play, please share (in a comment on this post) one specific moment or element in the performance that surprised you, confused you, or made a strong impression on you.

Don’t forget that your Personal Response Essays are due on Friday, March 15th. You can submit your essay by sharing it with [email protected] as a Google Doc or by emailing it to me at [email protected]. Email me if you have any questions about this.

Looking forward to reading your essays and to seeing you in class on Monday. We will be discussing Melville’s “Bartleby, the Scrivener”.

Take care,

Professor Sylvor

As you know, on Wednesday, March 13th, instead of our regular class, we will be attending a 3pm staged viewing of Shakespeare’s The Tempest. We will meet at 2:55 in The Engelman Recital Hall (head downstairs or elevator from the lobby of the NVC).

You will enjoy the reading a LOT more if you do some preparation ahead of time to familiarize yourself with the basic plot of The Tempest.

My suggestions are as follows, but you should also feel free to find other video or print sources:

Video Synopsis of The Tempest:

1960 American televised version (around 1hr 15min):

Brief Written Synopsis:

https://tinyurl.com/3tz8475r

1. What is the significance of the information Douglass provides about the early years of his life?
2. What does he mean, on p.238, when he describes the first whipping he witnessed as, “the blood-stained gate”?
3. What have you learned from reading this narrative that you didn’t already know about slavery in America?
4. Explain the significance of literacy for Douglass?
5. How does Douglass feel about Southern Christianity? Why?
6. Where does slavery persist in our own contemporary world? Give an example.