God of Small Things Study Guide

http://www.wsu.edu/~brians/anglophone/roy.html

Sample Paragraphs

.          In the memoir, A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius, by Dave Eggers, there is a distinct way in which Eggers discusses both his mother and father. The reader learns right off the bat that Eggers and his three other siblings have lost both of their parents to different cancers in a span of five months of each other.  From the moment the reader opens this memoir, they get thrown into the family’s lives and watch as they try to cope with their tragedy and attempt to restart their lives. Eggers is constantly reminiscing about the times when both his mother and father were still around. Throughout the memoir it is evident that Egger’s favored his mother over his father.

working on introductions

http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/introductions.html

http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/intros.htm

Composition Strategies

1. Sit in order according to the question # you are answering. When class starts, you will share what question you chose and why with the people sitting next to you.

Wed 3/23: HW for Friday

Meet again in Wilson 101.

1) Bring printed copy of what you typed today.
2) Have Reflection to turn in. This is mandatory if you have not turned one in already this week.

We'll sign up for conferences in class on Friday

For Tues 3/22

1) Reflection Papers
2) practice quotations and analysis
3) Assign AHWOSG essay

NOTE: 9:45 Class meets in Bates 03 Computer Lab on Thursday, 2:15 Class Meets in Bates 04 on Thursday

HW: Finish Book by Tuesday (Class will be canceled for Conferences on Tues. Conferences will take place Mon, Tues, and Wed....Final Draft still due Apr. 07

Reminders: Rewrite of BB essay due Thursday.

For Thursday: Have an outline of the essay you want to write (a beginning outline).

Prompt for reflection paper: 1) Pick another quote from the book (after p. 150) and argue for how it gets to the heart of some omporant aspect of the whole book. Support your idea with other evidence from the book.

2) Create a large-size, colorful mind-map or chart entitled The Many Sides of Dave Eggers, and fill it in with your own ideas, and evidence from the text.

for Wed and Fri

Reflection Prompt: Analyze the passage on p. 269 - 270 in which Eggers discusses his feeling of relating events in his life to movies and sitcoms he's seen before. In what ways do you notice Eggers working to make his life like a movie, and also working against this? What dangers or consequences does he seem to recognize in the idea of making his life similar to other media portrayals?



1. Class meets in Wilson 101 computer lab on Wednesday and Friday this week.

2. Finish AHWOSG for Mon!

3. Rewrite due Friday in class.

Class Monday:

1) Reflection Papers
2) Quote / Analysis practice
3) Assign Unit 2 Essay

Using Quotations

On the other hand, as bad as this may seem, these Iraqi civilians have a more serious situation to be taking care of, survival. "For me, April 9 was a blur of faces distorted with fear, horror, and tears." (Riverbend 29). Citizens have to go through a lot of cruel consequences, although almost all of them are innocent and non-violent.

Clas Wed. 3/9

1) Writing Warm Up
2) AHWOSG and Social Media
3) Quote Practice
4) Discussion Questions
5) Hand Back Papers

Class 3/8 2:15

1. Reactions, questions and Reflection Papers
2. Writing Warm-Up
 3. Making Comparisons Between AHWOSG and Social Media such as Facebook
4. Review of Using Quotations, "The Quote Sandwich"
5. Looking for examples from AHWOSG for later use:
Find and mark examples where Eggers pulls back the curtain as a narrator and explains, questions, or reflects upon what he is doing as a narrator?
6. Time permitting: Consider and discuss new AHWOSG questions

HW:
1) Read to page 165 AHWOSG
2) Look at your own facebook page as if you have never looked at it before, as if you were a stranger to yourself. What choices have you made in how you present yourself? What would a stranger assume about you? What features of yourself have you attempted to highlight? Which ones have you attempted to hide? What would an insider "friend" understand that an outsider friend would not? Write up a page of notes (can be handwritten) and bring to class on Thursday.

Class 3/8: AHWOSG

Warm-ups

Based on this novel, what would Dave Eggers Facebook page look like? Sketch a design of it or write a description.


Write a list of tweets in the voice of Dave Eggers.

Discussion Questions

1. How do you explain Eggers actions and his antics? Find specific passages that give insight into why he does what he does?

2. Is Eggers a sympathetic narrator? Why or why not? When do you have sympathy for him, and when do you not? Be specific in your answer.

3. What factors make AWHOSG a quick read? What keeps you turning the pages?

4.What is Eggers' identity? Do you see him as more or less 1 complex self, or do you see him as a collection of smaller selves that are sometimes working against each other? Explain with evidence from the text.

5. What do you feel are the traditional conventions of the memoir, and how is Eggers working for or against those conventions?

6. What are the ingredients of AHWOSG? What does Eggers combine in this narrative? Does the mindmap below help you conceptualize the question I am asking?

 

HW:
1) Read to page 165 AHWOSG
2) Look at your own facebook page as if you have never looked at it before, as if you were a stranger to yourself. What choices have you made in how you present yourself? What would a stranger assume about you? What features of yourself have you attempted to highlight? Which ones have you attempted to hide? What would an insider "friend" understand that an outsider friend would not? Write up a page of notes (can be handwritten) and bring to class on Thursday.

AHWOSG, Class Friday 3/4

1. General Reactions (using notes from reading)

2.  How do you define "authenticity"? What is the relationship between notions of authenticity and AHWOSG?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Authenticity 

Free-write and discuss

3. Read NY Times Review and write your own beginning review

4. In groups, answer study questions below, and share with class (time permitting)

HW: Reflection Paper due Monday. Use any discussion questions from class (all are posted in various places on this BLOG) as a prompt. make sure to have a thesis, and to include examples from the book. Your reflection paper should make it clear that you are up-to-date on the reading.

Class 3/3: AHWOSG

1. your reactions, thoughts, ideas
2. what makes someone likable? what makes a good story? how does this fit with the notion of authenticity?
3. read a review
4. write a review
5. group study questions
6. discuss those questions

HW: see schedule. NOTE: you may use any one of the discussion questions below as a prompt for a reflection paper. In your reflection papers, make sure your have a thesis, and that you include specific details and quotations (with page numbers).

class 3/2: AHWOSG

 1. reconsider personal writing.
 2. the reality tv comparison
3. questions to think-on and discuss

HW: see schedule. Read to p. 45 for Friday. p. 104 for Monday. Reflection due Monday. (You May Develop one of the prompts below into your reflection paper)

Class: 3/1. Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius Intro

Write the story of an important event in your life.