Finishing Up Film and Fiction

The picture above is from F.W. Murnau's Sunrise, a film he directed after moving to the United States.  Here is a link to the scene that we saw: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-XYZQbjGykA  The late Roger Ebert reviews the film here:  http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/great-movie-sunrise-1928

We also watched the ending of Werner Herzog's Nosferatu:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pE2niO-Th4U  Go to 1:43:51 -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2VXBZOaz7Ts

Tonight we finished up fiction with "Araby," "The Cask of Amontillado," and "Saboteur."  For next week, I would like you to read chapters 12 and 13 as well as the following poems:

Robert Browning's "My Last Duchess": https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems-and-poets/poems/detail/43768

Sherman Alexie's "Dangerous Astronomy": https://www.poets.org/poetsorg/poem/dangerous-astronomy

Dylan Thomas' "Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night": https://www.poets.org/poetsorg/poem/do-not-go-gentle-good-night

Gwendolyn Brooks' "the rites for cousin vit": https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems-and-poets/poems/detail/51983

Yusef Komunyakaa's "Facing It": https://www.poets.org/poetsorg/poem/facing-it

Here are the questions for your journals:

What have you learned about fiction this semester?  Why?

-- Compare/contrast the role that flashbacks play in "This is What It Means..." with the role that they play in "Everyday Use."

-- "The Red Convertible," on the other hand, is a story told in retrospect.  Would this have been an effective method for "This is What It Means..."?  Why?  Why not?

-- If you have read other work by Poe, how has it helped you to read "The Cask of Amontillado"?

-- Should we read more older works?  Why?  Why not?

-- Should we read some fiction in translation?  Why?  Why not?

-- Should we read more fiction set outside the US?  Why?  Why not?

-- Could a story like "Saboteur" happen in the US?  Why?  Why not?

-- Choose one of the stories we did not discuss in class.  Discuss how one symbol in this story helps you understand it more fully.

-- Chose one of the stories we did not discuss in class.  Discuss the importance of the story's setting to the story.

-- Choose one of the stories we've read.  Research its setting (time and place).  How does this research help you understand the story more fully?

-- Do you feel empathy for Mr. Chiu in "Saboteur"?  Why?  Why not?

-- Is the narrator in "Araby" fair to himself?  Why?  Why not?

-- Choose two of the stories we've read.  What is their theme?  Why?

-- Choose two stories to compare/contrast.  

Here are a few questions on poetry:

-- What comes to mind when you think about poetry?

-- Which is more important to you in poetry, words or sound?  Or sound or sense, to use older terminology?

-- Is poetry better when it is read?  Or when it is recited?

-- What kind of form does poetry seem to have?

-- How is poetry different from fiction or drama/theater?  How is it similar?

-- Is rhyme in poetry important to you?  Why?  Why not?

-- Compare and contrast "My Last Duchess" to "The Cask of Amontillado."

I'll be posting the study guide for the fiction take home soon!