Week 1
Wednesday August 27 Introduction
Week 2
Monday September 1 No Class
Wednesday September 3 “Writing Matters”– pp. 3-25
Seeing and Writing
Week 3
Monday September 8 No Class due to emergency
Wednesday September 10 pp. 27-49
Seeing and Writing
Learning Across the Curriculum – Chapter 1 – A
Writer’s Resource
Blog
Week 4
Monday September 15 Annie Dillard’s “Seeing” – pp.108-117
Alfred Leslie’s “Television Moon” – pp. 90-92
Seeing and Writing
Blog
Wednesday September 17 No Class
Week 5
Monday September 22 “Challenging Images” – pp. 598-611
Isabel Allende’s “Omayra Sanchez” pp. 612-615
Seeing and Writing
Writing and Designing Papers – Chapter 2 – A Writer’s Resource
Essay #1 – First Draft
Peer Review
Blog
Wednesday September 24 “Chapter 2: Coming to Terms with Place” – pp. 139-149
Edward Hirsch’s – “Edward Hopper and the House by
The Railroad (1925)”
Seeing and Writing
Blog
Week 6
Monday September 29 No Class
Essay #1 – First Draft
Blog
Wednesday October 1 No Class
Week 7
Tuesday October 6 Second Draft of Essay #1 Due - Peer Review
Eudora Welty’s “The Little Store” – pp. 154 – 160
E.B. White’s “Once More to the Lake” – pp. 162 -167
Blog
Wednesday October 8 No Class
Second Draft of Essay #1 Due
Week 8
Tuesday October 14 First Draft of Essay #2 Due
Peer Review
Wednesday October 15 Peer Review
Blog
Week 9
Monday October 20 Marjane Satrapi’s “Persepolis” – Chapter 1, “The Veil” – pp. 3-9
Persepolis
Seeing and Writing – pp. 360-361
Blog
Wednesday October 22 Second Draft of Essay #2 Due
Persepolis – pp. 10-32
Blog
Week 10
Monday October 27 Persepolis –pp. 33-53
Blog
Wednesday October 29 Persepolis –pp. 54 - 79
Blog
Week 11
Monday November 3 Persepolis – pp. 80 - 110
Blog
Watch Film
Wednesday November 5 Persepolis –pp. 111-134
Blog
Watch Film
Week 12
Monday November 10 Persepolis – pp. 135 -153
Blog
Wednesday November 12 First Draft of Essay #3 Due
Peer Review
Week 13
Monday November 17 View “Baraka”
Wednesday November 19 “Visualizing Composition: Metaphor” p. 545
Exercise p. 545
Seeing and Writing
Stylistic Devices (handout)
Week 14
Monday November 24 Second Draft of Essay #3 Due
Richard Selzer’s “The Knife” (handout)
Blog
Wednesday November 26 Sylvia Plath’s “Ariel” (handout)
Robert Hass’ “Meditation at Lagunitas (handout)
Blog
Week 15
Monday December 1 Chapter 6 “Reading Icons – pp. 499-507
Guy Davenport’s “The Geography of the Imagination” pp. 508 -513
Seeing and Writing
Blog
Wednesday December 3 “She Can’t Smile Without You” pp. 516-531
Sally Stein’s “Passing Likeness” pp. 533-544
Seeing and Writing
Blog
Week 16
Monday December 8 Tom Perrotta’s “The Cosmic Significance of Britney
Spears” pp. 568- 574
Seeing and Writing
Wednesday December 10 Group Meetings
Week 17
Monday December 15 Final Group Presentations
Have lovely weekends!
Laura
10 comments:
"Chapter 2: Coming to Terms with Place" Is a chapter that questions "place". And I find this so insightful. Because how often do we think of common words and think of the meaning. It's like the first line in the chapter; "where are you from?" Automatically, we tell people the place that we reside, come from, or were born in. But do we really think about it? Do we really think about why this person would want to know where we are from? Does this person want to label us? Jerry Brown, a former governor of California said that "people don't live in place, we live in space". And this too strikes me. If you think of it scientifically, we are matter, and matter takes up space. And this space has names. So, yeah...I agree with Brown. What shocked me the most in this chapter is the fact that within five years, 46% of Americans changed their state of residence. So this would kind of make it difficult to answer the question, "where are you from?"
"Edward Hopper and the House by the Railroad" by Edward Hirsch is a poem about a little abandoned house by a railroad. I like how Hirsch gives the house human characteristics. For example; "It must have done something to the sky because the sky, too is utterly vacant". It's like as if the house angered the Gods. This poem gives me the sense that Hirsch is spying on Hopper. The way he describes how Hopper just walks away one day, and continue to paint other abandoned buildings. I also like how Hirsch described the house in vivid details, and give those details human characteristics. His poem sounds like one huge metaphor. As for the painting, House by the Railroad 1925, matches the exact description of Hirsch. I probably wouldn't have to even see the painting in order to know what Hirsch was talking about.
After reading "Coming to Terms with Place", I realized that it all made sense. Everyday when we meet people the question of "where are you from?" is practically inevitable, but then you can put it into context and show how a place makes a person. The way we grow in different environments is amazing and how we adapt and sometimes the thought of living under different conditions sounds unthinkable. I never actually thought about how where someone is "from" can effect personality. On the other hand the question "where are you from?" doesn't necessarily need to be from a town or state. "Where are you from?" can lead to the extent of the country of your ancestors and that too can give a person a certain distinction.
In Edward Hirsch's "Edward Hopper And The House By The Railroad" the first thing I notice is the way he makes the house human-like (personification). I feel as though he judges the person who lives in the house based only on the structure of the house. A lonely house for a lonely person, and he says there will be other abandoned mansions. Also the detail Hirsch uses is so great that a picture might not be needed for you to understand, but like the course says Seeing and Writing are pretty much one.
Ashley Martinez
amartinez107@qc.cuny.edu
"Coming to Terms with Place" is a chapter, that more than anything, makes one think about the meaning of the word "place" on a personal level. As the chapter explains, a place can mean a number of different things and can actually be quite difficult to answer: does "place" mean where you were born, or where you now live?
What interested me most was the line "Our sense of place is no longer limited to the physical realm." The passage goes on to describe the recent internet advancements but I feel that phrase actually means that one's place is how he or she identifies him or herself. A "place" might describe who one is through the description of a comfort "zone", or perhaps a "place" is somewhere to go, even in one's mind to free himself from the hardships of life, a "happy place."
The pictures, I believe, describe how one's definition of his or her place can change. The pictures were all taken of the same area, but at different times and it seems as if they are completely different "places" showing that one's place can be constantly changing.
"Edward Hopper and the House by the Railroad" written by Edward Hirsch describes a painting and analysis. Personally, I think the house in the painting does not seem haunted but rather "lonely." It is noteworthy that the house is shaped and almost looks like a train, relating to the tracks in the picture. The train tracks actually stick out in the bottom front of the painting, showing that one can easily escape. The house, as the poem points out, has no trees which makes it desolate, almost as if it was placed there because it wants to be alone.
It is also noteworthy that the poem is written with some lines broken off between stanzas: such as lines 16 and 17 when the line ends in "no." The "no" is at the end of the line, promoting negativity, for the phrase to have to end that way.
Abram Borukhov
Kryptonbros@msn.com
"Coming to terms with place," offers a broad view of how a "place" or location can help decide who someone is, or give an outlook in life on someone. It also talks about the different meanings of places to different people. Some people would describe a place with the kinds of people it contains, or how tall or short the buildings are. It argues that a place isnt limited to the "physical realm", thus providing examples such as artificial places like the internet.
"Edward Hopper and the House by the Railroad," by Edward Hirsch is a rather mysterious passage that has a deep meaning behind its words. In my perspective i think that the house has been abandoned, and no one wants to live there because of its look, and the desolate nature around it. There are no trees, nor is there a vacant sky to accompany it. The author even even explains how a man that was present there, vanished and disappeared, thus showing the dislike of the house and moving on to a better and more fuller looking house.
I think that "Coming to Terms with Place" explains how a place is more than just a name. It is an identity. A geographical birthplace says more than simply where a person was born; it can imply certain things about their culture, personality, and experiences. In my mind I related this text to the idea of seeing without looking. As an image can be much more than simply an image, a place is much more than just a place. Just the name of the place can spark many types of ideas and thoughts in one's mind.
In "Edward Hopper and the House by the Railroad", Edward Hirsch uses personification to explain the house. I found it interesting how Hirsch took a generally simple painting and was able to create an entire detailed poem around it. His use of language and frequent metaphors somehow make the painting to seem more detailed than it actually is. When the poem is read, the reader could possibly create a busier mental image out of the painting.
Bianca Barabas
bgbt714@hotmail.com
“Coming to terms with place” explains how significant and broad the question “where are you from?” really is. I believe that you don’t have to be born in a certain place to consider that place home. A person can have more than one answer when asked “where are you from” and that is common and understandable. When someone moves from one city to another, he or she learns something from that city that helps make them who they are and they carry that with them. As people move from one place to another, this no longer sets boundaries, but instead opens up more space to diversify. I think place brings on a new world of culture, and diversity, and in a way helps shape people. I agree with the author and how he says that technology has brought us to a time where we can travel wherever we want, and experience something similar to the real deal. Just one click and you could virtually tour the world in less then thirty minutes.
In the poem by Edward Hirsch, I think Hirsch shows how not only a house has an impact on people but how people have an impact on a house they once lived in. The writer uses a lot of personification in his poem to give the house feeling and personality. I think that only one person lives in that huge house; a house that was made to hold a huge family. Because the person who lives in this house feels alone being in such a huge place, the way he feels reflects how the house is seen. However, maybe the person who lives in the house likes the loneliness, and although no one may ever want to live in it, he still considers that place his home. I really enjoyed how the poet described the house with human characteristics, and how the house alone can intimidate someone.
Christina Mathew
CMathew624@yahoo.com
"Coming to Terms with Place" is talking about the places we come from. When I'm asked where I come from, I automatically India which is where my parents were born. In actuality I was born and raised in New York. Its a part of me. Place doesn't have to automatically mean where you were born or raised or live. It can also mean other things like relationships or culture or anything you take it to mean.
"Edward Hopper and the House by the Railroad" by Edward Hirsch is talking about a house that is abandoned. The author is using personification for the house. It is giving the house human characteristics. It sounds like the house is all alone and the author writes that the house must be alone because the house must have done something for it to be alone. Then the author keeps on going saying that the house must have done something to the environment around it because everything is so empty. Then we find out that the man is alone also. The house and the man is companions in this life. Both of them are alone. The man sounds like a painter and one day he disappears. I believe he got tired of always being alone and finally he just vanished and nobody knows of him because he was alone in this world.
"Coming To Terms With Place."
Place can determine alot about a person more than one would think it could. For example our first encounter with someone would involve us asking them "where they are from". As usual as this sounds, since most of us have done it many times, it is something to think about. The reason this question is asked is because of the primary reason that their answer can arouse all the assumptions possible. By learning the place their from you can pretty much predict the type of person they are. Although this question is as innocent as it sounds, it can be somewhat judgement as well.
Today's society has become somewhat different then it used to be. The Internet comes into use in gaining the sense of the world. People can be locked up in their houses yet see the many sites of the world. These people are known to be living in space rather than a place. I personally believe that the Internet doesn't contain the real justice a place deserves. One can't even begin to compare seeing it from a screen to actually experiencing it.
"Edward Hopper And The House By The Railroad"
In the picture there is a house that is located right near traintracks. Though the house may appear beautiful, you can still notice that it is in fact deserted.
When Edward Hirsh writes about the image he uses personification to bring the picture to life. He states that the house has shoulders and large awkward hands, giving it human characteristics.
When he says that the house is ashamed of itself, I think he is speaking from a personal perspective. Using the line he is able to make the reader feel it. In a way it makes one feel bad for the house because it seems that it was deserted beyond its control. I think that this image can be compared to someone that is all alone with no hope left in the world.
Suzy Basiratmand (NycSweety511@yahoo.com)
Place, which people lived with. It was connected with people’s indentity, religion and culture. Place can changed by time pass, but it cannot move, like our memories that keep the image and event in our mind no matter past, present or future. The place was made lots stories by people. It becomes a part of people’s live. There are six photographs show different environments of same place in different condition weather, such as day, night, spring, summer, autumn and winter. These photographs were made by Richaed Miseach. In these photographs, the different weathers cause different views of bridge. For example, in the first photo, there is a gold shadow around the bridge like “Golden Gate”. It gives us a feeling of dignity. In the second, this is darkness in the picture. Everything are hide by fog, only can see a small island in the front of fog. The third, the bridge is in cloudy river, the sky is light blue close to white. It makes our eyes very comfortable when we see this picture. However, the place has change year after year, but its memory gets longer.
Edward Hirsch wrote a poet called “Edward Hopper and The House by The Railroad” in 1925. He reacted Hopper’s painting “The House by The Railroad” was loneness like old man. In his poet, he described the house was gawky and strange which sky, earth and sunlight dislike itself. It was separated from real world. He also compared the earth, sky and house’s color, the earth and sky’s color were warm. But the house’s color was dark and cold. As we known, the house was sad and lonely. He used house to metaphor the artist Edward Hopper. He thought Hopper is as loneness as house without any friend or families. The house was old and poor, but it still stand here to spend its lifetime. In other word, it also symbolized artist who was old, but he was strong. Because he never kept up himself, he tried to overcome his loneness. Hirsh wrote lots responses of arts. In his mind, he thought “The proper response to a work of visual art may well be an ode or an elegy, a meditative lyric, a lyrical meditation” in other word, he helped people to look at artist’s art more closely and understand their arts. “Edward Hopper and The House by The Railroad” showed her own opinion, encounter and thinking with Hopper’s famous painting.
The place brings happy, sad, lonely and angry to people’s memories. Whatever the places has changed or moved. It still stands in our mind. When I take out my picture of elementary school, I feel warm and comfortable. In the picture, I seem see I am running in the field with my friend. We laugh, laugh, and laugh all the time. It is hot summer, but we still feel happy without any worry. We run like birds are flying in the sky. Freedom, joviality and relax all be have in this moment. Even thought the time has gone, the childhood has gone. But my happy memories still alive in my mind. Do you believe the memory can have much power to keep old people living? I do.
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