Fourteenth Set of Questions for EN 190/190 HM

Good evening :)

Today we began our series of in-class presentations with Lukas, Kate, and El Hadj's Prezi on world literacy and Amavi and Sophia's PowerPoint on Sherman Alexie.  Amavi and Sophia even showed us some of Alexie's poems as well as an intriguing scene from his movie Smoke Signals.  There will be more to come--and the presentations will be on the final exam!  (This includes web-only presentations.)

We also reviewed Academic Search Complete, finding a number of sources on poets, categories of poetry, and themes.  We were able to find very literary articles, book reviews, and articles from other disciplines, which nonetheless pertain to theme.

Here are the two poems by Sherman Alexie:

"Good Hair" http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/22091

"Dangerous Astronomy" http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/20629

Let's include the videos we listened to today:
(Erykah Badu) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mEXu6UmRPZc

(Common) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LssFolrpiD4

Here are a few more questions for your journal:

-- Use Academic Search Complete to find an article for your paper.  Which article did you find?  Why did you choose it?

-- Look up Sherman Alexie on Academic Search Complete.  Which articles did you find?  Choose one.  Why did you choose it?

-- Use the terminology we've learned this semester to discuss one of Alexie's poems.  How does that help you understand it better?  

--  Which other poem (or short story) would you compare "Good Hair" to?  Why?  Which other poem (or short story) would you compare "Dangerous Astronomy" to?  Why?

-- Compare/contrast Alexie's poems.  Bring in Alexie's short stories or "Defending Walt Whitman," the poem we haven't discussed in class:

http://www.bpj.org/poems/alexie_whitman.html  Which poem or short story do you like best?  Why?

-- Compare "Fans, Friends, Artists" or "Letter to the Law" to a poem you've read this semester.  Why did you choose the other poem that you did?  How does this comparison help you understand the two poems (and poetry) more fully?

-- Here are links to two songs by Erykah Badu and Common.  Compare/contrast them to the artists' poems.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=liHbsN0D-Zo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C99iG4HoO1c

-- What surprised you the most about Lukas, Kate, and El Hadj's presentation on literacy?

-- How might literacy (or the lack of it) affect literature?

-- Which factors might affect literacy in a society?

-- Do you think that the US will maintain its high rate of literacy?

Have a great Thanksgiving & Black Friday, and take a little time to write up an evaluation for the class!